Spitting granules from his mouth, Augustus Malevolyn muttered, "Well? What did you see? Is it near the rocks?"
"It is difficult to explain, general. You must see it." The shadowed soldier pointed at the ground to the right, "The footing is better there, general. If you'll come…"
Perhaps the man had discovered some ruins. Those Malevolyn would have found of interest. The Vizjerei had a long history in and around Aranoch. If this turned out to be the remains of one of their temples, then perhaps it contained some lost secrets of which he could make use.
The ground beneath his foot, the ground on which the sentry had told him to step, gave completely away.
Malevolyn first stumbled, then fell forward. Fearful of losing the helmet, he sacrificed one hand in order to keep it in place, thus losing any chance of halting his fall. The general dropped to both knees, his face but inches from the sand. His right arm, the one that had been forced to support his weight, throbbed with pain. He tried to right himself, but the loose ground at first made it difficult.
He looked up, searching for the fool who had led him into this. "Don't just stand there, you wretch! Help me—"
The sentry had vanished, even his torch nowhere to be seen.
Steadying himself, Malevolyn managed at last to rise. With great caution, he reached for his sword-and found that also missing.
Are you worthy? repeated the damnable voice in his head.
From the sand erupted four hideous and only vaguely humanoid forms.
Even in the darkness, the general could make out the hard carapaces, the distorted, beetlelike heads. A pair of arms ending in oversized, sharp pincers completed the look of an insect out of some nightmare, yet these manlike horrors were no product of Malevolyn's imagination. He knew already of the sand maggots, the massive arthropods that hunted for prey in the wilderness of Aranoch and also knew of one of the few hellish creatures that hunted them in turn… when human prey could not be found.
Yet, while scarab demons in great numbers had been rumored to be the cause of caravans lost over the years, never had the commander heard of such creatures lurking in the vicinity of as great a force as his own. While not the largest of armies-not yet — Malevolyn's disciplined warriors certainly represented a target not at all of temptation to creatures such as these. They preferred smaller, weaker victims.
Such as a lone warrior tricked into walking into their very midst?
Which of his officers had betrayed him he would find out when he located the traitorous sentry. For now, though, Malevolyn had more important matters to consider, such as keeping himself from becoming the scarab demons' next meal.
Are you worthy? the voice repeated again.
As if suddenly prodded to action, one of the grotesque beetles reached for him, its pincers and mandibles clacking wildly in anticipation of a bloody prize. Although not true beasts of Hell despite their name, the scarab demons were certainly monstrous enough foes for any ordinary man to face.
Yet Augustus Malevolyn considered himself no ordinary man.
As the savage claws came at him, the general reacted instinctively, his hand swinging forward to deflect as well it could the attack. However, to his surprise-and certainly that of the creature before him-in that empty hand materialized a blade of purest ebony surrounded by a blazing crimson aura that lit up the surrounding area more than any torch. The blade grew even as it cut an arc through the air, yet its weight and its balance remained perfect at all times.
The edge dug into the hard carapace without hesitation, completely severing the pincered appendage, which went flying to the side. The scarab demon let out a highpitched squeal and backed away, dark fluids dripping from its ruined arm.
General Malevolyn did not pause, caught up in the miraculous turn of events. With expert ease he drove the wondrous blade through the second of his attackers. Even before that monster had fallen, the general turned to the next, forcing it back with his relentless onslaught.
The two remaining creatures joined with the third, seeking to catch the commander from opposing directions. Malevolyn took a step back, repositioned himself, and immediately dispatched the one whose limb he had but moments before cut off. As the other pair fell upon him, the veteran officer twisted, bringing the sword around and beheading one.
A foul-smelling liquid sprayed him as he did it, momentarily blinding the general. The final of his opponents took advantage, first dragging him to the ground, then attempted to remove Malevolyn's head by biting through his throat. Snarling like an animal, Malevolyn blocked the mandibles with his armored forearm, hoping that the plate there would protect the flesh and bone beneath long enough for him to recover.
With one knee, he managed to push his monstrous attacker up a bit, forcing the mandibles away. That gave Malevolyn the angle he needed. Twisting the sword around in his other hand, the general turned the point toward the head of the scarab demon and drove it through the thick, natural armor of the beast with all the force he could muster.
The horrific beetle let out a brief, shrill squeal and dropped dead on top of General Malevolyn.
With only a slight sense of disgust, the commander pushed the carcass away, then rose. His immaculate armor dripped with the life fluids of the scarab demons, but, other than that, they had done him little real harm. He stared at the dark, still forms, both angered at the earlier betrayal yet also feeling a rush of intense satisfaction for having singlehandedly slain the four hellish creatures.
Augustus Malevolyn touched his breastplate, which had become covered with the fluids of the scarab demons. For nearly a minute, he stared at the stenchridden muck now covering his gauntleted hand. On impulse, Malevolyn touched the breastplate again, but instead of trying to wipe his armor clean, he began to spread the fluids further-just as Bartuc had done with the blood of his human foes.
"So… perhaps you are worthy…"
He spun about, at last sighting the night-enshrouded form of the traitorous sentry. However, common sense now told Malevolyn that what he had taken for one of his own men surely had to be something far more powerful, not to mention sinister…
"I know you now…" he muttered. Then his eyes widened slightly as truth dawned. "Or should I say… I know what you are… demon…"
The other figure laughed quietly, laughed as no man could. Before the astounded eyes of General Malevolyn,the sentry's shape twisted, grew, changed into that not born of the mortal plane. It towered over the human and where there had been four limbs now six materialized. The foremost appeared as great scythes with needle points, the middle as skeletal hands with deadly claws, and the last, serving as legs, bent back in a manner much like the hind limbs of the insect the demon most resembled.
A mantis. Amantis from Hell.
"Hail to you, General Augustus Malevolyn of Westmarch, warrior, conqueror, emperor-and true heir to the Warlord of Blood." The hideous insect performed a bizarre bow, the sharp points of the scythes digging into the sand. "This one congratulates you on your worthiness…"
Malevolyn glanced at his hand, now empty of any weapon. The magical blade had vanished the moment it had no longer been needed-and yet the general felt certain that, in the future, he could summon that blade whenever necessary.
"You're the voice in my head," the commander finally replied. "You're the voice that cajoles me…"
The demon tilted his own head to the side, glowing bulbous eyes flaring once. "This one did not cajole… simply encouraged."
"And if I had not passed this little test?"
"Then this one would have been terribly disappointed."
The creature's words caused General Malevolyn to chuckle despite the implications in the response. "Damned good thing I didn't fail, then." One hand reached up to adjust the helmet while Malevolyn thought. First had come the visions, then the increase in his otherwise limited powers-and now this magical blade and a demon to boot. Truly it had to be as the mantis had proclaimed; Augustus Malevolyn had indeed earned the mantle of Bartuc.<
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"You are worthy," the demon chittered. "So says this one-Xazax, I am called-but still one thing remains outside your grasp! One thing must you have before Bartuc you become!"
General Malevolyn understood. "The armor. The armor that fool of a peasant wears! Well, it comes to me even now from across the sea! Galeona says it approaches Lut Gholein, which is why we march there now." He considered. "Perhaps now would be a good time to see what she can learn. Maybe with your aid…"
"Best to not speak of me to your sorceress, great one!" Xazax chittered with what seemed some anxiety. "Her kind… cannot always be trusted. They are better not dealt with at all…"
Malevolyn briefly mulled over the demon's statement. Xazax almost spoke as if he and Galeona shared a history, which, in retrospect, would hardly have surprised the general. The witch dealt with dark powers almost on a continuous basis. What did interest him, however, was that this creature did not want her to know what was now being discussed. A falling out? A betrayal? Well, if it served Malevolyn, then so much the better.
He nodded. "Very well. Until I decide what must be done, we'll leave her ignorant of our conversation."
"This one appreciates your understanding…"
"By all means." The general had no more time to concern himself with the sorceress. Xazax had raised a point of much more interest to him. "But you spoke of the armor? Do you know something of it?"
Again the foul mantis bowed. Even in the starlight, the general could see the horrendous veins coursing all over its body, veins that pulsated without pause. "By now, this fool has brought it to Lut Gholein… but there he can hide it within the city's walls, keep it from he to whom it truly belongs…"
"I had thought of that." In fact, General Malevolyn hadconsidered it much during the journey, considered it and grown more and more enraged, although he had revealed no outward sign of that fury to anyone else. A part of him felt certain that he could seize Lut Gholein and, thus, capture the peasant who wore the armor, but a more practical part had also counted up the losses on his own side and found them far too great. Failure still remained well within the realms of possibility. Malevolyn had, in truth, hoped to keep his army beyond the sight and knowledge of the kingdom and wait for the stranger to head out to the desert on his own. Unfortunately, the general could not necessarily trust that the fool would do as he desired.
Xazax leaned closer. "The kingdom, it is a strong one, with many soldiers well versed in the art of war. He who has the armor would feel quite safe in there."
"I know."
"But this one can give you the key with which to make Lut Gholein yours… a force most terrible… a force which no mortal army can subdue."
Malevolyn could scarcely believe what he had just heard. "Are you suggesting—"
The demon suddenly looked back toward the camp as if he had heard some sound. After a momentary pause, Xazax quickly returned his attention to the human. "When but a day separates you from the city, we shall speak again. There, you must be prepared to do this…"
The commander listened as the demon explained. At first even he felt repulsed by what the creature suggested, but then, as Xazax told him why it must be so, Augustus Malevolyn himself saw the need-and felt the growing excitement.
"You will do this?" the mantis asked.
"Yes… yes, I will… and gladly."
"Then we shall speak soon." Without warning, Xazax's form began to grow indistinct, quickly becoming moreshadow than substance. "Until then, hail to you once again, general! This one honors the successor of Bartuc! This one honors the new master of demons! This one honors the new Warlord of Blood!"
With that, the last vestiges of Xazax faded into the night.
General Malevolyn immediately started back to camp, his mind already racing, the words of the monstrous mantis still echoing in his head. This night had become a turning point for him, with all his dreams coming together at last. The demon's test and the manner by which Malevolyn had passed it paled in comparison to what Xazax now offered-the armor and the method that would guarantee that it and Lut Gholein fell into the general's hands with little trouble.
Master of demons, the mantis had said.
One more night to get through. One more night and the King's Shield would dock in the port of Lut Gholein.
One more night and Kara would be alone in the strange land, alone save for her two grotesque companions.
She had returned with her evening meal just as before and eaten it under the watchful eyes of the two undead. Fauztin had remained standing in the corner, the dour Vizjerei looking like some macabre statue, but of late Sadun Tryst had edged closer, the more talkative of the two ghouls now seated on a bench built into the wall nearest her bed. The wiry ghoul even tried to make conversation with her on occasion, something that the necromancer could have done well without.
Yet, one subject interested her enough to force her to speak with him for a time and that subject concerned the ever elusive Norrec Vizharan. Kara had noticed something odd about the way Tryst spoke of his former comrade. His words seemed to hold no malice at all for hismurderer. Most of the time, he simply regaled her with tales of their adventures together. Tryst even seemed to feel some remorse for the veteran soldier despite the horrible acts Norrec had committed.
"He saved… my life… three times and more…" the ghoul concluded, after being coaxed once more into speaking of his treacherous friend. "Never a war… as bad as… that one."
"You traveled with him from then on?" The war mentioned by Tryst had apparently taken place in the Western Kingdoms some nine years before. For men such as these to stick together for so very long showed a powerful bond of some sort.
"Aye… save during… Norrec's sickness… he left us… for three months… and caught up after…" The rotting figure looked to the Vizjerei. "Remember… Fauztin?"
The sorcerer nodded his head ever so slightly. Kara had expected him to somehow forbid Sadun from going on with such stories, but Fauztin, too, seemed caught up in them. In life, both men had clearly respected Norrec highly and, from what she had heard so far, so now did the necromancer.
Yet this same Norrec Vizharan had brutally murdered the pair and revenants did not exist if not fueled by a sense of revenge and justice that went beyond mortal comprehension. These two should have harbored only thoughts of retribution, of the rending of Vizharan's flesh and the sending of his damned soul to the underworld. That they still felt anything at all other than that struck her quite strange. Sadun Tryst and Fauztin did not act at all like the revenants of which legends had spoken.
"What will you do when you find him?" She had asked this question but once before and received no clear answer.
"We'll do… what must be… done."
Again, a response that did not satisfy her. Why shield Kara from the truth? "After what he did, even your past friendship must mean little. How could Norrec commit so terrible a crime?"
"He did… what had to be… done." With that equally enigmatic reply, Tryst's smile stretched, revealing more of the yellowed teeth and the gums already receding. Each day, despite their all-consuming quest, the revenants grew less and less human in appearance. They would never completely decay, but their link to their former humanity would continue to shrivel. "You're very beautiful…"
"What?" Kara Nightshadow blinked, not certain that she had heard correctly.
"Very beautiful… and fresh… alive." The ghoul suddenly reached forward, caught a lock of her long, ravencolored hair. "Life's beautiful… more so than… ever…"
She hid a shudder. Sadun Tryst had made his intent quite clear. He still recalled too well the pleasures of life. One of those, food, had sorely disappointed him already. Now, hidden in this tiny cabin for the past couple of days in the constant company of a living woman, he seemed ready to try to relive a different pleasure-and Kara did not know how she could prevent him from trying.
Without warning, Sadun Tryst suddenly turned and glared at his friend. Although Kara had
noticed nothing, clearly some communication had passed between the two, communication that did not please the wiry ghoul in the least.
"Leave me… at least… the illusion…"
Fauztin said nothing, his only reaction being to blink once. However, that alone seemed to quell his comrade some.
"I wouldn't have… touched her… much…" Tryst looked her over once before meeting her eyes. "I just—"
A heavy knocking on the door sent him hurrying to the far corner. Kara could not believe her eyes each time the ghoul moved so. She had always read that swiftness could not be termed one of the skills of the undead. In its place, they had persistence, an unholy patience.
Ensconced next to the Vizjerei, he muttered, "Answer."
She did, already suspecting that she knew who it would be. Only two men dared come to her door, one Captain Jeronnan, whom she had just spoken with but a short time before, the other-
"Yes, Mister Drayko?" the sorceress asked, keeping the door open only a crack.
He looked uncomfortable. "My Lady Kara, I realize that you've requested absolute privacy, but… but I wondered whether you might join me on the deck for a few minutes."
"Thank you, Mister Drayko, but, as I have said before to the captain, I have much to do before we make landfall." She started to close the door. "Thank you for asking—"
"Not even for a little fresh air?"
Something in his tone puzzled her, but the necromancer had no time to think about it. Tryst had made it very clear that she should spend no more time outside than needed to retrieve her food from the mess. The revenants wanted their living puppet where they could see her. "I am sorry, no."
"I thought as much." He turned to leave-then threw his shoulder to the door with such force that the door knocked Kara back onto the bed. The blow did not stun her, but she lay there for a moment, completely bewildered by his actions.
Drayko fell to a kneeling position just inside. He looked up, saw the ghouls, and blanched. "By the King of the Depths!"
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