“No?”
“Why, no. You are no less a monster than that lump of worthless body fat was that you displaced.”
“You watch your words, old man. I will have you dragged out into the square and beheaded.”
“Oh, you will? I am guessing you have not heard of the Spellcrafter?”
“Should I have?”
“You should probably have done a little research before turning on the people of this city.”
“If the old king was a such a tyrant, and you are as powerful as you hint you are, why didn’t you do something about him?”
“This time there are greater forces at play. Had I taken him out, another, such as yourself, would have filled his shoes, and the cycle would go on and on. Now, there are higher stakes.”
“What are you talking about, old man?”
“You wouldn’t understand. For now, let me say that in a moment, a fine lady warrior will be coming through that door behind you wanting that satchel. I suggest you give it to her.”
“What lady warrior? You are a crazy old fool,” Frantis said, starting off towards the stairs leading to the chambers on the next floor.
The sound of a scuffle outside the door brought Lord Frantis to a halt. The door then creaked open, and there was Nyssa, bloody sword in hand, silhouetted by the bright morning sun coming in the doorway.
“Lord Frantis, hand over that satchel and you may live.”
“Stay where you are, or I will call my guards.”
“I am thinking that might be a bit difficult, considering they are out in the common area trying to herd the citizens back out the main entrance to the castle. With little success, I might add.”
Nyssa looked over at Quint and smiled. “Hello, Spellcrafter. Nice to see you again.”
“I am glad to see you as well. Lord Frantis, I suggest you do as she asks and hand over that bag while you still have the free will to do it yourself.”
Lord Frantis pulled his sword. “You will have to fight me for it.”
Nyssa took a fighting stance and moved closer to the leader of the Lionborne. “I’d rather you simply hand it over since time is of the essence, but since you choose to die, then so be it.”
“Stop!” the Spellcrafter said, his voice booming throughout the main entryway of the palace. “The lady says she does not have time to spare. I suggest you hand it over now so that she may be on her way.”
“Or what, senile old man? What are you going to do?”
Quint closed his eyes and began chanting a few verses in some unknown tongue. And then with a wave of his hand, he opened his eyes. There was no flash, no ta-da! When Nyssa looked back at Lord Frantis, he was gone. In his place, a lone rat squeaked and scurried off to find a safe place to hide.
“Still got it,” Quint said. My favorite trick.
“Is that what you did to Anni?”
“Similar. Don’t you worry about old Anni. She is fine, trust me.”
“But I saw her die. We buried her.”
“Anni is fine, and she belongs underground. Anni is immortal. That is part of my punishment for her. Now take your satchel and go.”
Nyssa raced over and grabbed the bag and headed for the door. She stopped to thank the old man, but like before, he was gone. A tiny mole made its way into a small hole in the side of the chamber. Shrugging her shoulders, Nyssa rushed out the door and made her way through the crowd to the castle entrance.
“You can put me down now, Gnath. We’re safe.”
We stopped at the base of the plateau to catch our breath and our wits. Gnath, who should be the most tired, wasn’t even breathing hard.
“Hungry,” he said, looking up at the castle.
“Sorry, my friend. We can’t go back up there again. We’ll have to find something to eat out here.”
“If Nyssa makes it back in time with the potion and scroll, we will be back in Neverwind today, and we will have better luck finding food there. I don’t think we’ll have any luck finding food in this place.”
More and more people were migrating towards the castle from lands beyond the outskirts of the city. The impoverished, even starving masses were coming to get back what the king had taken from them for so many years, and now with the promise of a new leader, the hope of compassion and prosperity began to overwhelm them. They didn’t know, nor did we, the true fate of Lord Frantis.
“Tomorrow at first light, King Banderon will deploy his fleet of two hundred ships into the Gulf of Edenkeep,” the sorcerer explained. “They will make their way around the Cape of Faith to the west, then they will sail south towards Ankorage. My dragon will be there to bombard the city with fire from above as the seafaring warriors land and take control of the city. Once secured we will do it all over again in the port city of Bane, and then further south on to Farrador.”
Looking a bit out of place without his friend, Glos, Dhell asked, “And where will you be, great Zaleus?”
“I will be on the flagship, the Maiden Quest, watching the future unfold before my eyes.”
“And what of the orc army?”
“You and your army will remain behind to guard Edenkeep. Pray you do not mess this up.”
“Yes, my Master.”
Chapter 24
The sacking of Angkrage was brutal. The vessels from Edenkeep bombarded the hapless city for hours, and then the death from above confirmed everyone’s worst fears: the dragon had come for them. Scorching rooftops and people with every pass, Diatsieg turned the city into an inferno, discriminating against nothing and no one. The cries of terror could be heard all the way out onto the Maiden Quest where Zealous was watching thought a small, brass telescope. He grinned a sinister smile at the handiwork of his flying lizard-like pet.
“Masterful!” he said, bringing down the spyglass. “The city will be ours without so much as a marine lost.”
“What good is a city,” the captain of the Maiden Quest asked, “if there is nothing left to rule?”
“Captain Mancovoni, you worry about commanding your ships, I will worry about ruling Neverwind.”
“Yes, Master Zealous.”
“Prepare to send your landing parties in to take control of the city. Once it is secure, we will set sail for Bane. We must get there before word of our attack here is reported. They have a fairly large fleet of ships-of-the-line, and I wouldn’t want them impeding our progress.”
“Aye, Master Zealous. Can I get your assurance that you will call off your dragon before our warriors make landfall? I would hate to have our own forces fried by friendly fire; no pun intended.”
“As long as they act on my behalf, they will be fine. Now send them off.”
“As you wish.”
The captain gave the order to launch the landing party boats, and immediately hundreds of troops descended the rope ladders to the waiting launches. They hustled to man the ores, and within minutes were on their way to the shore. With the dragon flying overhead, they were very apprehensive about closing in on the city, and the Sorcerer could sense that. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a box only a bit larger than his own hands. He opened to reveal a large talon in a setting of red velvet - the talon of Dragonroth. He took the claw in one hand and held it to the sky in the direction of Diatsieg.
“Stop,” the sorcerer said, as though he were speaking to someone standing right next to him. And with that, the young dragon broke off the attack and flew away to some distant place to rest.
“Does he always obey you?” the captain asked.
“As long as I have this talon, he will.”
“Well, it looks as though we are home-free, assuming Nyssa gets the potion and scroll and gets back here before nightfall.” Rika sounded hopeful, and I wished I shared her optimism. We still have a long way to travel, and in this unfamiliar world, who knows what else could happen to us.
As we stood at the base of the plateau, we looked ahead at the empty, curved street that leads out of town. Though there was very little life to the town when
we first came through, it was certainly dead now. With the masses storming the castle for something to eat, the town seemed vulnerable to anyone wishing to find treasures among the shacks and ruins of what seemed to be, at one time, a great city.
“Let’s continue,” the wizard said. “She told us to meet her outside the city, so I suggest we be there when she shows up.”
“What if she is right down behind us? Shouldn’t we wait here for her?”
“She might take the Spellcrafter’s exit and end up going the long way. We can’t assume this is her only option. She will do whatever it takes, I am betting. So, let’s stick to the plan.”
We set off down the road, rounding the curve that would take us east out of town the way we came. It was then that we realized the town was not as deserted as we first thought. Ahead, ransacking the dwellings were dozens, maybe as many as a hundred rogue looking characters, dressed in leather vests and pants, sweeping from house to house, tossing aside anything that was of no use them, and bagging up that which they wanted to take with them.
We stopped in our tracks. “Thieves,” I said, wondering if they would merely let us pass unfettered.
“We best find a different way around before they see us,” the wizard said, tugging at my sleeve to move to the side between buildings. We all ran for cover without being detected. Stopping for a moment to assess the situation, it seemed we could make a simple jaunt to the north before heading east again, using the buildings as a shield between us and the gang of cutthroats. We were feeling quite secure in our hiding position, but that’s usually when fate decides to throw you a curve.
As if it were planned, by some strategist horrible at planning such things, Nyssa came running around the corner, full speed, satchel in hand, headed straight for the oncoming horde of thieves. Her face betrayed the confusion she must have felt as she slowed her pace, and then stopped. Many of the thugs ahead of her took notice, apparently, of the satchel Nyssa was carrying. And they apparently wanted it enough to start running towards her. Fast.
“Nyssa!” I yelled, getting her attention. “Back here!”
She turned around to see us standing there, looking as dumbfounded as she was. Without hesitation, she sprinted towards us, rounded the corner of the narrow alley we were on, and we all turned and ran to the north as fast as we could. The horde was gaining on us.
“Good to see you again, Nyssa!” I yelled, trailing my friends in their pace.
Ahead of me, I could see Nyssa hand the satchel off to Arick and pulling her sword.
“Take this and go! Get back to Neverwind, I will hold them off!”
“You can’t hold them off by yourself,” the wizard protested.
“We have no choice. Now go!”
She stopped suddenly, and I sprinted past her. She stood at the ready, waiting for the flood of thieves to overtake her. But then, to my surprise, Gnath also stopped and turned back, which caused me to collide with his massive belly.
“Go!” he ordered.
“You big, stupid ogre, what do you think you’re doing?”
“Go. Now!” And with one swift swipe of his hand, he pushed me aside and behind him. Then he began the short run to join Nyssa.
“Stupid ogre!” reluctantly, I turned and sprinted north once again, hoping to catch the wizard and Rika, who had disappeared from my sight. I ran knowing that doing anything else would be suicidal. As I sped past the shacks and dwellings, I began to worry that I wouldn’t see my friends again, and I would be lost in this world. An arm reached out and snatched me aside into a small outbuilding, almost dislocating my already painful shoulder socket. I was relieved to see the wizard and Rika hiding in there.
“You scared the…”
“Quiet, while I prepare to cast the spell,” the wizard said, pulling the scroll and potion out of the satchel. Laying the bag on the ground, he uncorked the potion and drank it down. The grimace on his face told me everything about how it tasted. I felt no need to ask if he liked it or not. He closed his eyes, wretched once or twice while forcing himself to keep the liquid within him, and then he relaxed.
“Come now. If the Spellcrafter is correct, I should be able to use my magic, but we must hurry.”
“Shouldn’t you test it first?”
“No time, come on!”
He exited the shack and took off at full speed towards the fray not far down the alleyway. Rika and I followed. Ahead of Arick, we could see Nyssa and Gnath fighting the mob with all the fury they had left in themselves, but they were getting pushed backward.
Arick stopped short of joining them, and let loose a barrage of fireballs, strategically aimed at the forward most attackers. Several the thieves fell to the ground, paralyzed from the attack, while others, aware that the rules of the game had changed, began to back away.
“Nyssa! Gnath! This way!” I yelled. They turned to see us and began retreating from the cutthroats, who were slowly regaining their courage. Once again, they began moving forward for a new attack.
Once more, the wizard let loose a volley of fireballs, and again the attackers retreated, this time with more enthusiasm. Some turned and ran. Others backed away slowly, but with purpose.
“Let us make haste. We must find a safe place to cast my spell and get us out of here.”
“But we’re nowhere near where we entered this world,” I said.
“I’ve taken the potion. I must get us out of here before the effects wear off. Let’s go. Now!”
As we retreated, I could see behind that the horde had not given up on us and was again running full speed towards us.
“Um, Mr. wizard, sir. I don’t think they are done with us.”
Arick turned, and without a moment’s thought, he stopped the entire mob with one sparkling forcefield. They impacted the shield and fell backward. Some got up quickly to try to break through, but it was holding them securely.
“Okay, that won’t last too long, so let’s do this.”
We all ran down another tight alley to the east, then cut between several buildings to further confuse anyone that might be following. We found ourselves in an open area that might have been a yard for one of the dwellings, or a plot of ground where a hut or house might have stood at one time. We stopped and rested a moment as the wizard unfurled the scroll in front of him.
“Please, keep quiet while I read this,” he said, sternly. It was almost as though he questioned his own ability to understand what was written, or how to pronounce the words on the parchment. He began to read aloud. The words were strange to me. Some of the words had syllables that didn’t seem to work together, and I quickly understood the concern that the wizard had shown. The skill it took to read these strange and powerful words could not be denied. The wizard was a master. I hoped.
In the distance, I could hear the horde on the move again, and not deterred in their goal of getting their hands on us. Nyssa and Gnath stood at the ready. The wizard continued reading from the scroll, and I had to wonder this would take. As he went on, he would unroll a bit more of the handwritten scroll. The sound of the mob was getting closer, and my personal anxiety was growing.
And then he was done. I turned to see that we were all standing there, looking around to see what was happening, and we all seemed to realize, at the same time, that nothing was happening.
“Arick? Did you read it wrong?”
“I don’t… think so.”
And then, as magical as magic gets, a portal appeared before us; a wide, swirling, blue ring of electric fire.
“Here’s our ride. If you’re going back with me, don’t wait. This may not last long.”
The wizard was the first to jump into the ring. Rika followed, and then Nyssa.
“You next, big guy!” Gnath hesitated. “Look, we don’t have time to be scared. Go! I am right behind you.”
Gnath looked at me, and then at the ring. With all my might, I got behind him and pushed. Though I don’t think my strength did anything, my actions must have convinced him to
go through, because when he moved, we both fell through the portal together.
Chapter 25
The Edenkeep fleet entered the Port of Bane to find the Bane fleet still at anchor in the harbor. Only a few of the ships were manned enough to weigh anchor and ready cannons. Few had enough men to do anything but signal the other ships of an approaching Edenkeep fleet.
Captain Mancovoni gave the order to open fire on the ships, all sitting ducks to the volley of 32- and 24-pound cannonballs that quickly began ripping the ships to pieces. The few that managed to get their sails up to thwart the attack quickly had them ripped to shreds.
A few low passes from Diatsieg lit the ships ablaze without a struggle. Soon, most of the ships were ablaze, their crew diving overboard, some in flames themselves as they dove into the water seeking relief from their own, personal inferno.
It took less than an hour to destroy the hapless fleet. Shore bombardment became the next task at hand. Volley after volley was fired into the city, breaking down the outer walls and shredding anything else that got in the way. The cries of panicking citizens could be heard across the water. Fires broke out, but it wasn’t until Diatsieg thundered overhead torching everything in sight that the real terror began. The port city of Bain was ablaze, the dragon circling and looking for targets of opportunity.
And then, as before, the landing parties were sent. Soon the city was under Edenkeep control. Another conquest out of the way in the quest for total control of Neverwind.
“It is glorious, Captain. The plan is going flawlessly.”
“Unfortunately, great Sorcerer, I fear that we only have enough cannonballs and powder for one more attack, and that’s if we don’t have another fleet to worry about. If we must defend ourselves on the water, it could deplete our supplies such that we may not be able to lay siege on the city of Farrador.”
“I would say that is a failing on your part. Send your troops over to the remaining Bain vessels still afloat and gather what munitions and supplies you can from them.”
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