by Dean Cadman
“I see,” he said again, slowly nodding his head as if he was thinking something through. “Ah, sorry. Please, don’t let me delay you any further. It’s always a pleasure to see you Lusam, and you know you are always welcome to visit anytime you like. My door is always open to you.”
“Thank you, I appreciate that,” Lusam replied, shaking his hand and bidding him farewell.
A few moments later he was on his way towards the High Temple’s library. He had visited it once before with the High Priest, when he had accompanied him on his rounds one day. He had been astounded by the number of books it contained. Even Mr Daffer’s basement had only held a fraction of the total number of books within the High Temple’s library. A fact which Lusam suddenly became acutely aware of, as he realised that he might have to search through an entire section of the library for the information he needed.
When Lusam arrived at the library he asked one of the acolytes studying there which section of the library contained the history of the Guardians. The young acolyte took him to the east wing and showed him the relevant shelves which contained the books he might need. Then he bid Lusam good luck, and left him alone to search for the information.
’If there’s one thing I’m definitely going to need, it’s luck,’ Lusam thought to himself, as he began to take in the enormity of the task before him.
The acolyte hadn’t pointed out a single bookcase, or even two or three. Instead, the history and literature relating to the Guardians was spread across sixteen bookcases. Each bookcase was ten shelves high, and each shelf held between thirty and forty books. There were literally thousands upon thousands of books to choose from. There simply was no way to check them all in the limited time he had.
After standing there slack-jawed for a few moments, thinking about the monumental task before him, he decided to try and formulate a plan. Eventually, he decided that he would start by reading any book with the word dragon in its title. A task which soon proved more difficult than he thought, as many of the books referred to The Dragon-Mage Wars in their title. He knew he had to start somewhere, so he took the first book referring to dragons off the bottom shelf and sat down to read it.
Several hours passed before he began to feel the effects of the Nodding Silk-weed starting to wear off. At first he tried to ignore it and carry on reading, but he soon found himself flicking through dozens of pages in a book, only to realise he had no idea what he had just read. His concentration levels had all but evaporated. He could have been holding the book which contained the information he needed, and he would never have realised it.
Tomorrow he would ask Neala to come and help him search for the information, and he would also bring a good supply of the Nodding Silk-weed too. But for now, he knew it was time to go back to the barracks, or risk destroying the High Temple’s library if he fell asleep there. Something he wasn’t prepared to do.
Lusam and Neala visited the High Temple library for the next six days straight. Each day they searched through dozens of books, and on several occasions Lusam even kept searching throughout the entire night, while Neala slept on the floor beside him. With each successive day, Lusam’s depressive mood hit a new low, and the Nodding Silk-weed seemed to become gradually less effective. By the end of the seventh day, the doses of Nodding Silk-weed that Lusam had to take were becoming dangerously high. He had to allow the drug to enter his body before he could start to magically remove the toxic elements of it. But the problem was, the doses were now so high, that he was at risk of sudden death as the toxins were absorbed by his body in such huge quantities.
By the end of the eighth day, it was all over.
Lusam’s body could no longer take an ever increasing amount of Nodding Silk-weed, and its effectiveness had all but vanished. The feeling of complete and utter failure, combined with the total exhaustion of his body, sent his mood spiralling out of control.
When they both realised it was all over, Neala insisted that Lusam returned back to the barracks before the last of the Nodding Silk-weed left his body. The last thing they needed, was for the people of Lamuria to see him being carried through the streets unconscious. There were undoubtedly spies of the Empire still within Lamuria, and letting them know of Lusam’s condition would do no one in Afaraon any good at all.
It was quite possibly the longest, slowest and most painful walk that Lusam had ever undertaken. Never before in his entire life had he felt like such a failure. Even as a street kid in Helveel, when at times all seemed lost, he had never felt like he did right now. No doubt his utter exhaustion didn’t help, but it was the thought of his mother’s suffering which tore at his heart and mind the most. And he knew there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.
When they finally reached the barracks, tears freely flowed down Lusam’s cheeks. Neala had never seen him look so defeated, and she feared for his state of mind. She couldn’t begin to imagine what must be going through his mind right now: the dreadful inevitability of falling asleep and being hunted by the dragon that waited for him in his dreams. All she could do was hug him tightly, and try to reassure him that she would find a way to help him, no matter what. That was a difficult to do, especially when she didn’t even believe she could do it herself.
Lusam gave her a tender kiss, and Neala couldn’t help thinking it felt more like a goodbye kiss than anything else. She hugged him so fiercely, he struggled to breathe, but he didn’t try to break their embrace.
“I love you Neala,” he whispered in her ear. Now it was Neala’s turn to shed tears, as she struggled to form the words past her emotions.
“I love you too,” she whispered back.
“I know,” he replied squeezing her even tighter for a moment, “but you need to leave me now. I can’t run from it any longer, and I don’t want to put you in any danger. If anything happened to you…”
Neala cut him off by pressing her lips to his, tears rolling down her cheeks mirroring his own. She felt so helpless, but she knew he was right. When she broke off the kiss he tried to say something, but she put her finger to his lips to stop him. She looked deep into his exhausted eyes, and nodded slowly to his unspoken words.
“I’ll be here, waiting for you,” she whispered, then turned slowly towards the door. She didn’t look back to see the broken man she left behind, if she had, she would never have left.
Lusam watched Neala go, numb to all else around him. His heart hammered in his chest at the thought of what awaited him. He felt like screaming, but he didn’t even have the energy for that. The final remnants of the Nodding Silk-weed were wearing off fast now, and with each passing breath he became more and more weary. He managed to remove his boots and shirt, but no longer had the energy to undress fully. All he could manage was to roll onto the bed. He found himself praying to Aysha for the strength to endure the coming night’s torment. Then the turmoil of his mind went back to the plight of his mother at the hands of Lord Zelroth once more. He reached down and removed his mother’s amulet, then held it tightly in his hand.
“I’m sorry Mother. I’m so sorry…” he whispered to the amulet. A moment later, the amulet fell gently from his hand onto the floor beside his bed, as the inevitable pull of sleep claimed him once more.
Chapter Six
After claiming to know the location of a hidden dragon heart deep within Afaraon’s Dark Forest, Zedd and Cole had both been subjected to further mental interrogations by the Inquisitors to confirm the validity of their story.
Several weeks earlier, Lord Zelroth had tortured them both for days, before condemning them to death in the jaws of his Aznavor. He had intended to use their lives to feed the Aznavor while it created a magical conduit to the Netherworld. A conduit which would allow him to communicate with their God, Aamon, who was still imprisoned within the Netherworld. It had been the long term plan of Lord Zelroth to take control of Lamuria, and use the dragon heart there to reopen The Great Rift within The Dark Forest. A plan which had unexpectedly failed when the boy-mage had de
stroyed his entire army outside Lamuria.
Lord Zelroth had been forced to—reluctantly—report his failure to Aamon, and during that difficult conversation, he had learned of a newly discovered dragon heart which was much closer to The Great Rift. One that had been overlooked by everyone, including the God Driden, and his dragons. It was thought to have remained undetected since the time of the Guardians, due to its close proximity to the remnants of The Great Rift.
Zedd had only been a single footstep away from his own certain demise in the jaws of the Aznavor, when he overheard the conversation between Lord Zelroth and Aamon regarding the newly discovered dragon heart. He had eagerly revealed that he knew the location of the dragon’s final resting place, and informed them that he had discovered the remains whilst pursuing the boy-mage through The Dark Forest several months earlier. Zedd felt certain that revealing the information had undoubtedly saved both his, and Cole’s, life that fateful day.
After the mental interrogations were over, and Lord Zelroth was convinced that Zedd did in fact know the location of the dragon heart, their preparations began. The incantation required to reopen The Great Rift using the dragon heart, was extremely long and complex. It took them days to learn the new spell, and at every opportunity, Lord Zelroth never hesitated to punish them for making the slightest mistakes in its recital.
Lord Zelroth was still seething at the fact he had been forced to kill one of his most loyal and prized commanders—as well as two other Inquisitors—simply because Zedd and Cole had revealed the existence of Coldmont to them. Baliaeter Chaol had been his most powerful and successful commander in decades, but even he couldn’t be allowed to know the true location of Coldmont. He promised himself that he would make Zedd and Cole suffer immensely for his death, just as soon as they returned to Thule.
It had been a very difficult decision for Lord Zelroth to send Zedd and Cole to undertake such an important mission. At first, he had simply intended to read their minds and learn the location of the dragon heart. Once he had what he needed, he would have killed them both, but not before making them suffer a great deal more at the hands of his Inquisitors first. But ever since he had detected the boy-mage’s magical communication with his mother, he knew it was only a matter of time before he came to try and rescue her. He could no longer afford to leave Azmarin and its Guardian book unprotected. Nor did he wish to weaken his own magical strength by sending any of his Darkseed Elite or Inquisitors to Afaraon. If the boy-mage wished to confront him, it would be on his terms. And he would be the one that prevailed.
After considering his various options, sending Zedd and Cole to reopen The Great Rift made the most sense to him. If they actually succeeded he would be rewarded greatly for releasing his God, Aamon, from his imprisonment within the Netherworld. Then the Netherworld army, which Aamon now commanded, would destroy the entire continent of Afaraon once and for all. If Zedd and Cole failed, however, he still knew the location of the dragon heart, and would simply reopen The Great Rift after he had killed the boy-mage. Either way, the dragon heart would remain hidden because of its close proximity to The Great Rift. Therefore, it was only a matter of when it was reopened, not if.
The final preparations had been made for Zedd and Cole to return to Afaraon the following day. They were to travel aboard a fully manned military vessel, and make landfall somewhere on the secluded north eastern coast of Afaraon. From there they would make their way west, towards The Dark Forest, and eventually the dragon remains Zedd had previously discovered there.
Zedd had fully expected Lord Zelroth to send a small contingent of men along with him and Cole, not only as additional protection, but also to ensure that they carried out their mission successfully. So he was shocked to discover that they would be travelling alone through Afaraon.
Although Lord Zelroth had made his usual threats, regarding both his and Cole’s life being forfeit—as well as his family’s—should they fail him again, Zedd knew they would both be killed regardless on their return to Thule. Even if they did survive the mission and make it back alive, he knew they wouldn’t remain that way for long. Zedd was painfully aware that they had both been indirectly responsible for the death of Baliaeter Chaol, as well as two other Inquisitors, by revealing the location of Coldmont to them. Not only was Baliaeter Chaol a well respected and powerful ally of Lord Zelroth’s, he was openly favoured by him. And if Lord Zelroth would kill him for knowing the location of Coldmont, it was inconceivable that he would allow either himself or Cole to live after they returned to Thule.
Zedd already knew about the boy-mage’s mother, and her communication with him. Not because Lord Zelroth had decided to share that information with him, but because he had convinced Cole to read the mind of one of their guards. Zedd couldn’t understand why Lord Zelroth hadn’t simply killed them both after he had gained the knowledge of the dragon remains from their minds. Instead, he had given them the mission, and spent weeks teaching them the incantation necessary to reopen The Great Rift. It wasn’t until after Zedd had convinced Cole to read the mind of that guard, that the reasons why became clear. It seemed that Lord Zelroth now believed the boy-mage would attempt to rescue his mother, and he didn’t want to leave Azmarin unprotected. That part made perfect sense to Zedd, but what didn’t make sense, was why not simply wait until he had dealt with the boy-mage, then go to Afaraon himself?
Whatever the reasons were behind Lord Zelroth’s decision, it gave both him and Cole one last chance to escape with their lives. They had discussed their plans in secret during the days spent learning the incantation, and had both agreed on one thing: they couldn’t simply run and hide. If they tried, Lord Zelroth would hunt them forever, not to mention kill Zedd’s entire family. No, they would carry out his orders and reopen The Great Rift. Hopefully, Lord Zelroth would believe they had been killed by the Netherworld creatures, or would be simply too busy to care. If Aamon was released from his imprisonment within the Netherworld, Zedd doubted that knowing the location of Coldmont would be so important any more.
Or at least that’s what he hoped.
The following morning Zedd and Cole were escorted down to the docks outside Azmarin. The cobbled road which led down from the gates of Azmarin was steep and rocky. It had been constructed centuries ago using the large round white pebbles from the beach below Azmarin. During the winter months, the road often became slick with algae from the sea spray picked up by the winter storms. When that happened, the large pebbles helped the people and their wagons gain traction on the slippery surface. Now it was late summer, and the brilliant white pebbles reflected the sunlight and heat back at them, as they travelled down the steep road towards the docks below.
Nestled in the shadows of Mount Nuxvar and Azmarin, was the small town of Bruecia. Its origins could be traced all the way back to the time when Azmarin had been under siege from the old warlords of Thule. During that time, a small settlement had sprung up, and later, after most of their leaders had sworn allegiance to Lord Zelroth, many of the disbanded soldiers had decided to make their homes there.
Now Bruecia was a prosperous town, bustling with activity. Its main commerce was in supplying Azmarin with all of the luxuries the Thule Empire had to offer, and that made it a very wealthy town indeed. Only its location had limited its growth over the centuries. It was penned in on one side by the Nuxvar mountains, and on the other, by the sea. No roads led to Bruecia, hence all trade goods had to be brought by sea. It was reputed that the man who owned the shipping rights to Bruecia, was the richest man in the Thule Empire, something Zedd didn’t doubt at all.
Zedd and Cole had secretly discussed many aspects of their upcoming mission together over the last few weeks. They both knew that this would most likely be the last time they ever set foot within the Empire, and it saddened them greatly. But they also knew that to do otherwise would mean certain death for both of them, even if they did succeed in their mission to reopen The Great Rift.
Although Cole had no family to leave
behind, Zedd was not so lucky, having a wife and three children to consider. He knew if he failed to return to Thule, Lord Zelroth would exact his revenge on his family, regardless of whether their mission was successful or not. If it was not him and Cole who paid with their lives for Baliaeter Chaol’s death, it would be his family instead.
Zedd had always been an extremely ambitious man. He had always tried to climb the slippery ladder of power within the Empire, and as such, had taken certain precautions along the way to protect his family, should he fail. One such precaution, was to have a code word between himself and his wife. It was agreed that if she ever received a communication containing that specific word, she would take herself and the children to a prearranged location in the lands to the far south. If Zedd eventually survived whatever had caused him to send the message, he would reunite with her and the children as soon as it was safe to do so.
Now, was certainly one of those times.
He had written the letter to his wife several days earlier, and intended to send it before he boarded the ship to Afaraon. It was a very simple letter, and on the face of it contained nothing of any significance to anyone who might read it—except his wife that is. He knew the man in charge of escorting them to the ship would never allow him to send the letter, or at least he wouldn’t, unless Cole used his mind control tricks to convince him otherwise.
When they reached the dockside, they found the ship still being loaded with men and supplies. Zedd knew there was a communication point near the docks, as it was used to verify shipments and place orders for new ones, as well as general communications for the population of Bruecia. The actual letter he held would not be physically sent to his wife. Instead, its contents would be communicated through a series of similar communication points across the Empire. Each communication point had several operators, each constantly receiving and sending messages via the use of their Necromatic rings. Eventually it would arrive at the communication point in his home town of Mespal, where it would be rewritten by one of the clerks there, then delivered to his wife in the form of a letter. It was a very fast and efficient way of communicating across vast distances, and had been one of the factors which had contributed massively to the smooth running of the Thule Empire over many centuries.