Legends of the Dragonrealm: Volume 04

by Richard A. Knaak

  Retrieving the saddle and bridle, the young sorcerer turned to Darkhorse and stared.

  The shadow steed felt the bit in his mouth and the strap of the saddle around his torso. Try as he might, Darkhorse could not free himself of the magical items his ensorcelled friend had constructed. Aurim's spell still held sway.

  "Now release him."

  "Yes, Yureel."

  Darkhorse felt a great weight lift off of him, but it was immediately replaced by another, more subtle spell that he quickly realized emanated from the bridle and saddle. He could move his head a little, but that was all. The shadow steed still had no control over his general form.

  "He's ready, Your Majesty," the sorcerer announced.

  Yureel laughed, then floated to the stallion's head. Dark- horse could just barely see him in his peripheral vision. "As promised, great majesty, the only mount fit to be yours! A steed perfect for the conqueror of the Dragonrealm, the future emperor of all!"

  "Magnificent!" Lanith strode to Darkhorse, who wanted to rise up and kick the king away but could not. The tall human stroked his neck, whispering what the eternal considered inane comforting noises that might have worked on a true animal but only served to annoy him further.

  Lanith mounted, the action marred only by a brief giggle from Yureel. The warrior king adjusted his seating slightly, then said, "I want to take him out and run him around the yard."

  "You have only to guide him as you would any other horse," Aurim replied. "He'll show only as much spirit as you desire, Your Majesty. The saddle and bridle ensure that."

  "Seems a bit of a pity. I normally like to break in my own mounts."

  Flittering around so that Darkhorse could see him, Yureel chuckled. "You will still have that pleasure, my wondrous majesty! The longer you ride him, the more he will see that he now only lives to serve you! There is plenty of spirit there to be broken and with a little guidance from me, he will soon be yours in mind as well as body!"

  More lies, Yureel! Darkhorse tried to shout. I will not break! Never! And if I know you, you do not expect me to. You have something else in mind eventually, don't you? This was merely the shadow puppet's way of weakening Darkhorse. The ebony stallion already knew what fate awaited him. Yureel would not be satisfied until there remained but one of them.

  "Open the gates."

  "As you've got things well in hand, my glorious monarch, I'll not bother you with my unworthy presence. In my place I shall leave our most loyal Aurim."

  Darkhorse could clearly hear the sarcasm in every word, but King Lanith noticed nothing. For the first time, the eternal began to realize how great were the strings with which Yureel manipulated his human "master."

  "You're dismissed, imp. Aurim! Open the way to the yard! I want to see what he can do."

  "Yes, Your Majesty."

  As the sorcerer obeyed, Darkhorse caught one last glimpse of Yureel. The shadow puppet stared back at him, icy eyes glimmering with glee, as he faded back into the shadows.

  "Come on, you."

  It took Darkhorse a moment to realize that Lanith meant him. At first he thought how absurd it was that the king of Zuu would assume that he would quietly obey his dictates. Then, when his body began to move of its own accord despite his best efforts otherwise, Darkhorse realized just how powerful the bridle and saddle were.

  Aurim stood by the open entrance of the stable, beaming with pride as the king and Darkhorse moved by. The shadow steed found he could move his head, though not turn it around. His body seemed to have the normal limitations of a true equine. Darkhorse looked at his young friend, but the golden-haired spellcaster merely smiled smugly at him, then looked up at the king.

  Lanith urged Darkhorse out into the yard, where he forced the shadow steed to trot. The saddle and bridle functioned as if linked to the monarch's mind; they made Darkhorse do whatever his rider desired. The eternal watched in frustration as his ensorcelled body performed like a trained animal for the horse king.

  Feminine laughter accompanied by clapping caused Lanith to finally rein him to a halt. Standing near one wall of the yard was Saress. The enchantress was clad in a very low-cut leather riding outfit. "May I ride him when you're done, my darling?"

  Lanith patted Darkhorse on the neck in an obviously possessive manner. "Not just yet, Saress. Perhaps after I've grown more accustomed to him myself." The king stroked the eternal's mane. "Perhaps."

  The enchantress pouted theatrically, then pretended to notice Aurim. "There you are!" She crossed the yard slowly, each step designed to attract the attention of both men. "Did you make the saddle? I can sense the spells on it, but they're tied together so intricately I'm amazed that anyone could do it!"

  The king had guided Darkhorse around just enough that the eternal could see both spellcasters. Aurim did not seem to take Saress's compliments in the manner that she no doubt hoped he would. In fact, the young sorcerer looked very uncomfortable. Small wonder as the woman practically wrapped herself around him the moment she was near enough.

  If she sought to make Lanith jealous, it was a losing cause. Saress's devotion to her king was so clear that Lanith had to know that all he had to do was snap his fingers to summon her to his side. The enchantress might find other males of momentary fascination, but her soul belonged to her master. In some ways, it was ironic justice, considering what she had done to Aurim and others.

  "I made them, yes," Aurim answered somewhat hesitantly. No mention was made of Yureel, which confirmed to Darkhorse that Lanith did not share all of his secrets with Saress. The shadow steed wondered what she thought of Aurirn's sudden loyalty to the king or if she even thought of it at all. The enchantress was not a thrall like the younger Bedlam; she was a willing servant. Surely Saress noticed some trace of Yureel's foul presence.

  "Come." Lanith, sounding bored with the shift in conversation, turned Darkhorse away from the pair. He made the shadow steed trot once around the yard, then forced him to pick up the pace. Darkhorse tried to reject each command, but the saddle and bridle continued to override his will. Yureel had planned his revenge very well.

  Around and around the yard Darkhorse raced, Lanith putting him through a variety of maneuvers that would have pushed even the strongest of mounts to their limits. The eternal performed all of them with ease, which only served to encourage the horse king to try yet more difficult stunts.

  He could neither see nor sense his counterpart, but the shadow steed knew that Yureel watched him from somewhere, no doubt giggling merrily all the while. A startling thought occurred to him. Was this part of Yureel's plan all along? Did he somehow manipulate matters so that I would be the one to come rescue Aurim?

  The macabre little figure had probably not planned things quite so perfectly, but if he had been in the Dragonrealm even for a short period, then he would have had time to study his adversary. He would have known enough about Darkhorse and his relationship with the Bedlams to know that sooner or later the shadow steed would involve himself if one of his mortal friends was kidnapped. That would explain the number of spell traps that Yssa had located around the barony of Adderly. Yureel could not predict exactly where Darkhorse would show up, but he could make a fairly good guess . . . and had.

  "He handles magnificently!" Lanith called to the others, reining Darkhorse up in front of them. "Never has any king had a finer mount!"

  "You look perfect, darling!" The enchantress abandoned Aurim, who looked quite relieved, and put a caressing hand on the king's leg. "Like a warrior god!"

  "I do look good, don't I?" Lanith reached down and cupped Saress's chin for a moment, then looked up again and said, "Aurim, you've served me well. He obeys my every command perfectly. Every movement is flawless. He'll serve me well in battle. He'll put the fear into my enemies . . ."

  Put fear into his enemies . . . Darkhorse had tried to keep from thinking about what Lanith might desire from him. He had hoped that the horse king might simply keep him in Zuu, but it was clear now that Lanith wanted to take full
advantage of the eternal's abilities. The shadow steed was to be the king's warhorse.

  He wanted Darkhorse to attack the very people the eternal had always fought to protect. Yureel's vengeance was to be even more terrible than Darkhorse had supposed; the shadow man wanted his counterpart to watch as his own substantial powers were turned on his friends.

  King Lanith dismounted with a flourish. His face was flushed from excitement. "Saress! Summon Belfour and the others for me! Why wait any longer? Everything I need is mine!"

  "Surely you're not—"

  "And why not? There's no power strong enough to stop me! I've got an armed force like none other in the realm. My Magical Order's proven itself against the greatest sorcerer of the realm, Cabe Bedlam himself! Better still, the legendary demon Darkhorse is mine to control, mine to ride! I can't lose now! I will triumph against all foes! I'll be Emperor Lanith, ruler of the Dragonrealm!"

  Aurim smiled obediently and Saress, after some initial expressions of concern and confusion, laughed and clapped her hands. They were the perfect puppets, Darkhorse decided, for the puppet king.

  He wished that he could speak. Surely Lanith did not think that even with magic and arms behind him he could conquer the entire continent. The Aramites had managed to do that on the other continent, but they had only done so with a power rumored to be greater than Yureel and Darkhorse combined. Even so, their empire had crumbled, unable to stave off numerous rebellions that had risen nearly simultaneously under the Gryphon's guidance.

  The monarch of Zuu tossed the reins to Aurim. "See to him. Make sure that he's ready when I need him. I want to ride him slowly through Zuu at the head of my personal guard, to show the people that our destiny is assured." To Saress he added, "Tell Belfour and the others I'll meet them in the throne room. They're to be gathered there in half an hour, no more."

  "Yes, darling."

  Aurim pulled on the reins. "Come."

  Unable to resist, Darkhorse was led back into the stable even as the king gave Saress some last commands. The eternal heard something concerning "that witch," which either referred to Gwendolyn Bedlam or, more likely, the still missing Yssa.

  With a gesture, Aurim sealed the entrance behind them, then led Darkhorse back to his stabling. Only then did the human look Darkhorse in the eye. "You won't be able to move now, so don't strain yourself trying." Perhaps he saw something in the shadow steed's stare, for Aurim abruptly removed the spell of silence. "You want to say something?"

  Darkhorse forced himself to remain calm. This might be his only opportunity to break the lad free of Yureel's insidious spell. "Aurim, you must listen to me. This is not you. You would never serve a monster such as Yureel or this pathetic, would-be conqueror. You would never attack your own family or use your abilities to rain down destruction on people simply trying to defend themselves."

  "If the king commands me to use my powers to aid his efforts, I'm bound to obey."

  "You are not! It is a spell that binds you, not loyalty. Think! This is Yureel's foul doing! He has seized your mind, twisted your very thoughts. This is not you."

  The sorcerer's face went blank,then slowly his expression twisted, as if he fought with some inner demon. "No. . I'm simply loyal to the king . . . but . . . Saress . . . she fooled me . . ."

  Darkhorse's eyes flashed. "Fight it, Aurim! You are stronger! You are not Yureel's pawn!"

  "Darkhorse." The young human looked ready to scream. "I can't—"

  "You must!"

  "I can't . . . really believe you'd think my hold on him was that weak, brother!" Aurim flashed a smile and giggled, sounding much too much like someone other than himself.

  The eternal tried to probe the chamber, but the spell that bound him did not allow him that much power. Still, there was no doubting that Yureel was present nearby. "So, only a game again, eh?"

  "A game, a chapter in our epic, call it what you will." The golden-haired man froze, his expression growing slack. "Just as you once told me, I'll tell you now. There is no escape for you and your friend, Darkhorse, not now . . . not ever."

  "Yureel—"

  Aurim giggled once more, then blinked as if waking. He studied the captive for almost a minute. Darkhorse felt the spell of silence envelop him again. "You'd better behave now. I've got to go."

  The human seemed to have no recollection of what had just occurred. Darkhorse did not try to stop him from leaving, not that there was much he could have done. He could only watch as Aurim abandoned him to the silence and darkness of the stable.

  The shadows only served to remind him of Yureel, who had proven as masterful as he was cruel. Yureel thoroughly controlled his puppets, utilizing their abilities proficiently so as to preserve his own strength for w It w truly needed. Now he had control of one of the potentially greatest sorcerers alive; there was no telling to what limits the sinister little demon planned to push the younger Bedlam.

  He will surely use the lad against his parents just as he plans to use me against them. If Novel follows true to form, he will probably do his best to see that Aurim injures or perhaps even kills Cabe and Gwen . . .

  The very thought would have made him shudder had he still had the ability to move that much. Yureel's mad epic promised blood, destruction, and betrayal. The shadow puppet obviously understood human emotions to such a point that he knew that Aurim's family would find it difficult to unleash their full might against their son. Hesitation would be their fatal flaw, the key to eliminating the only opposition possibly able to put an end to the mad crusade before it spread too far from the borders of Zuu.

  He will do it. He will make Aurim attempt to slay his parents . . . and if I am any judge of ability, the lad has the power to succeed.

  Aurim had no control over his body. The monstrous thing in his head danced him around like a marionette, making him do this and that for a man the creature obviously disdained. And Darkhorse probably thought Aurim had betrayed him. Thanks to the younger Bedlam's work, the shadow steed was now also a helpless captive. Even if Darkhorse did not believe his friend had turned on him, Aurim felt as if he had.

  As he marched obediently through the palace halls toward the throne room, Aurim struggled to regroup his thoughts. He had never felt so frightened in his life, not even when Toma had seized hold of his thoughts for a time. The drake had merely blocked some of his memories; he had never actually possessed Aurim. That had been unsettling enough, but his predicament now was . . . hideous.

  Everyone in the palace assumed that he was now the loyal servant of King Lanith. Inwardly, that could not have been further from the truth. The link that the demon Yureel maintained with Aurim made him do whatever the graying warrior demanded, but only because Yureel desired it as well. Lanith was almost as much a puppet as he was. However, the dark imp dared not completely seize control of his so-called ally because others would have eventually realized that the king of Zuu was not quite himself. Besides, Yureel did have limitations of his own.

  That was the only thing that gave him some hope. His captor did not have complete access to his thoughts, not if Aurim exercised some of the concentration tricks his parents had taught him. To be truthful, Yureel probably did not even care that Aurim still sought out ways to free himself. If there was one trait that both Darkhorse and the imp shared, it was a sense of overconfidence. Yureel believed that he now owned the sorcerer body and soul. Aurim hoped to prove him wrong, although he did not know how. All he knew was that he dared not lose hope. He had to escape, if only because he knew some of what his captor had planned for him. Aurim was to lead the sorcerers of the Magical Order in battle. He was to create a link between them even stronger than the one that existed now. Through him, Yureel would combine the Order's abilities to unleash such powerful sorcery as had not been seen since at least the Turning War, when human and drake power had clashed time and time again.

  There has to be a way to free myself! There has to be! Already he had been responsible for injuring his own father. Only a brief momen
t of brittle control had allowed him to soften the spell he and several of Lanith's pet sorcerers had hurtled at the elder Bedlam. Aurim's rising hopes of rescue, dashed once already by his part in the capture of Darkhorse, had sunk swiftly again the moment Yureel's link forced him to attack his father. The thought had so repelled him, however, that he had been able to slow his movement just a fraction enough to decrease the intensity of the assault. Even then he had feared that he had killed his parent.

  It had been even more chilling to join in the hunt to track his father down, especially with the increasingly bitter Ponteroy around. The other sorcerer had been told only a short time before that he was now third in rank behind Saress and Aurim and that news still stuck hard in the northerner's throat. The king himself had suggested that if the elder Bedlam could be captured, he would be a valuable addition to the ranks once he was "convinced" of the righteousness of Lanith's cause. However, Aurim believed that given the opportunity and the necessary seclusion, Ponteroy would have very likely killed Cabe Bedlam for fear that here would be another who would become his superior in the Magical Order.

  Fortunately, it had been one of the less proficient mages who had found the injured sorcerer. And what had happened next had both startled and gratified the helpless Aurim. He had both heard and sensed the attack on his fellow hunter and had immediately transported himself to the spot. Instead of finding his father alone, however, there had been a woman—one of the most beautiful women Aurim could frankly recall ever seeing—protecting his father. Her presence had so startled him that even had he been willingly working for the king of Zuu, he would have hesitated that important fraction of a second.

  When she and his father had vanished a moment later, Aurim had wanted to breathe a sigh of relief. He was certain that the woman had taken his father to safety. That meant that word concerning his plight would eventually reach the Manor and Penacies. They would realize that he could not possibly be voluntarily working for Lanith. Someone would come for both him and Darkhorse.