Maleela reached the feet of the stranger just as he unleashed his fury into the second demon. She collapsed from exhaustion. Darkness took her while the stranger began to glow a blinding white.
“You are safe now,” was the last thing she heard.
*****
Kodan Bak screamed in agony as his illusions were defeated. He hadn’t expected such a powerful counter magic. Up until now none of them believed there were any mages left in Malweir. It was a gross underestimation. This changed everything. He had to get back and tell Amar Kit’han of this new twist. All of their many long years of plot and toil now stood in jeopardy. The future was no longer certain.
Steam burned off of his black robes. What was left of his body was a mass of burns. The lightning had been real. He could have killed a lesser wizard outright. Kodan glanced over his surroundings, wary that his foe might somehow be near. Nothing. Satisfied that he was safe, Kodan Bak stalked off. A familiar tickle itched at the corners of his mind. He smiled. It was the woman from the forest. The one he’d spent the night hunting. She was back aboard their ship. The Dae’shan paused. She was a worthy opponent, but not the main target. If the woman was aboard so too must be the princess and the wizard. Informing Amar Kit’han would have to wait.
Kodan Bak wrapped himself in his shadows and disappeared.
*****
“Welcome back to the land of the living.”
Maleela slowly blinked the sleep away. The voice in her head was the same as from her dreams. She opened her eyes and waited for them to focus.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
She groaned. Her body was a mass of pain. “Where am I?”
He smiled kindly. “Quite safe, I can assure you.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” she snapped.
Silence. She caught the faint shuffling of feet outside the door. The subtle caress of water sloshing against the hull. She was on a boat. But where?
“You can trust him, Maleela.”
She turned her head, eyes wide in shock and disbelief. “Uncle?”
Bahr smiled tightly. The moment was bittersweet. He’d wanted her to be safe, the sole reason for agreeing to Harnin’s mad quest. Now he looked into her brown eyes and found that he had merely succeeded in stealing the love from her.
“Yes. It is me.”
She ignored the sadness in his voice.
“I don’t understand. Why am I here? What are you doing in Rogscroft?”
Anienam Keiss picked out the pleas in her voice and selfishly thanked the gods that he was not Bahr.
“I’m afraid the answers are complicated.”
“Please Uncle.”
The Sea Wolf sighed. “You are aboard the Dragon’s Bane. Your father hired us to rescue you. I took my crew and sailed to Dredl to come and get you. Had I known of Badron’s plan beforehand I would not have agreed.”
She frowned. “My father wants to take over Rogscroft. He’d been planning a secret invasion. That is why I came up with the idea to kidnap myself.”
“I am afraid it goes far beyond just that,” Anienam added.
She considered the old man. “You are the one from my dreams.”
He bowed. “I am. Anienam Keiss is my name and the pleasure is all mine.”
She forgot her situation for the moment. “What were those things chasing me?”
“Very powerful demons summoned from the void. If they had killed you in your dreams you would be damned to wander that world for eternity. I had to save your soul, child.”
“My soul?”
Anienam cleared his throat. He’d forgotten that the old beliefs had fallen into the rotting pages of distant memory. The gods and all associated with them weren’t even childhood stories anymore. Of course she didn’t know about her soul.
“Ah yes. Your soul is the eternal essence of your being. A sense of moral conscience if you will. Each of us has one and we possess inherent traits that either lean towards good or evil. Those demons understood that killing you there would doom you forever. I did what I had to.”
Her confusion deepened, almost to the point where she forgot about her second kidnapping. She’d never heard of such a concept. The fact that there was some mystical eternal spark inside her wasn’t comforting. Her world grew that much smaller while opening a new theme in her mind’s eye. Worse, she now had demons stalking her.
“I have done nothing. Why would these creatures want me dead?” she asked.
“A question I have no plausible answer for. Unfortunately this is not the place for such conversations. I shall leave you with your uncle.” He laid a soothing hand on her knee. “We will talk later.”
The wizard bowed again and excused himself from the cabin. Uncle and niece stood in awkward silence. They were not especially close, much to Bahr’s regret. He loved her as his own daughter and would make any sacrifice to ensure her safety. Badron had done his best to keep them apart, denying him a family. He reminded himself of that and hung his head.
She sensed his sorrow. “Uncle, you have to take me back to Rogscroft. They need my help.”
“I am sorry, but it is too late to turn back. Fate has not been kind to either of us.”
“It is not too late. We can still save them,” she protested. “You know my father is not a good man. Help me, Uncle Bahr. Help me slay him before more lives are lost.”
“More?”
She forced down the lump in her throat. Memories of blood and violence drifted up to mock her innocence. She saw her brother lying in a growing pool of his own blood. “The night Aurec came and took me away was a nightmare. They were forced to fight. He didn’t want to, but my brother gave him no choice. There was so much blood. I can still smell the death. Every time I close my eyes I can see it. I have to go back, Uncle. I have to help him prepare for my father’s wrath.”
Bahr’s heart wept. The answers she so desperately wanted were not within his power to give. “I fear your father’s madness goes well beyond vengeance for the prince. The Wolfsreik has been mustered. Badron means to come and take Rogscroft by force.”
“Using me as the reason.”
“I am afraid so.”
She choked out a laugh. “The people will believe him. He’s managed to keep his hatred for me a family secret. This is all my fault.”
“Don’t speak of such. I don’t know why my brother wants Rogscroft so badly. He has lusted after it since we were in our youth. Though I am loath to admit it, Badron has a black heart. The Wolfsreik will not stop until the leadership of Rogscroft is dead and her people on their knees.”
She refused to acknowledge the easy defeat. “We must find a way to stop them. The people here have done nothing wrong.”
“Perhaps,” he admitted, “but there isn’t much we can do from here. Our best chance is to get you home and show the people of Delranan that you are safe and there is no justified cause to go to war.”
“But Aurec…” she protested.
“Must fend for himself. Maleela, I am sorry, this is the only way.”
She struggled to rise but her body hurt too much. She’d lost too much strength thanks to the wizard’s spell. Maleela fell back on the soft bed and whispered, “I hate him.”
Bahr replied, “I know. Rest now. I’ll have Skuld bring you some food. At least that way you can regain your strength.”
He excused himself, allowing the totality of what was about to happen sink in. It was the only way he knew how to get her to understand. Maleela struggled to fight back the wave of tears threatening to consume her. She failed.
*****
A brisk wind washed over the decks, pushing new life into the Dragon’s Bane. Bahr breathed in the sea air. He’d just done an unenviable task and was rewarded with an ache in his stomach. It was quickly becoming clear that he had underestimated the depravity of his brother’s intentions. That frightened him. Too many had already died in this mad scheme. Bahr feared for the future of both kingdoms. Unspoken frustrations dominated his
conscience. He knew of his brother’s dark hunger when they were still children. Knew and did nothing about. Bahr almost blamed himself.
The notion was foolish of course. He was no more to blame than King Stelskor or the fickle hand of chance. Pain and perpetual suffering seemed the course of life here in the frozen north. He idly wondered if there was such turmoil in the south. Surely Averon did not suffer from the same. He could have wished for a different life, but that would be a waste of time. Bahr accepted his life for what it was and vowed to make it better for himself and for his niece.
“You look like a man with too much on his mind.”
He looked up to see Boen studying him. “Have you ever felt like the world was crumbling around you and nothing you did mattered?”
The words came out more as a sigh than significant question.
Boen leaned against the rail and stared off into the ocean. “I’m Gaimosian. The world has always been against me.”
“I just told my niece that her father wants to destroy everything she knows. Somehow I envisioned my life turning out a little differently.”
“Few of us get choices and the ones we do get we don’t like. Life is hard, Bahr. We struggle and fight from the moment we’re born until the day we die. Be strong. This will get better.”
“I hope so. She deserves a better life.”
Boen laughed. “Don’t we all?”
“Yeah,” Bahr roguishly admitted. “I suppose we do.”
“Good. Now you understand that we have a decision to make. We can’t wait forever for Ionascu to return.”
The Sea Wolf sighed again. “I know. I figure we can’t stay past midday. Who knows how many troops Aurec will be able to bring down on us by then.”
“I agree. I also believe that they aren’t coming back. He’s a quick man. There would have been a runner by now.”
Bahr wasn’t so sure. “I still don’t like the idea of abandoning my countrymen.”
“You pointed out that they all belong to Badron and his one-eyed flunky. Don’t make the mistake of thinking any one of them wouldn’t hesitate leaving you behind.”
They both knew the answer. A man like Ionascu would have already set sail. Bahr, however, chose to live his life with a sense of pride. Using that quality as his gauge, he made his decision.
“Midday we sail.”
Boen merely nodded. This wasn’t his ship or his mission. His singular purpose was to keep Bahr alive. It didn’t mean he approved of the call, but it was never his to make.
“Riders approaching!” Dorl Theed shouted.
All heads on deck snapped around to see the haggard forms of four riders coming at them hard. Bahr spotted Ionascu. The look on his face was pure terror. Bahr cursed. Four out of eighteen. That was all that returned. Even more blood had been spilled because of a madman’s dream.
TWENTY-NINE
Venten threw the wounded man down to his knees and lowered his sword to the base of the man’s neck to ensure he didn’t make any sudden moves. The prisoner winced at the flash of pain. A deep gash ran down his right thigh. Venten slapped a hasty bandage over the wound lest the man bleed out before being questioned.
“I don’t have need of another corpse,” Aurec told his best friend as the other half of the raiding company arrived.
Venten spat. “Of course, my lord, though it’s no big loss.”
Aurec squeezed out a strained smile. “Your opinion is well known. Can he still walk?”
“Not well. He definitely needs a horse to get him back to the city.”
Aurec reined back his horse and slid from the saddle. He grimaced at the sight of the prisoner’s mangled thigh. His own body was suffering. The battle had not been a kind one. He allowed his hardened eyes to meet his prisoner’s.
“What is your name?” he asked.
The mercenary looked down and remained silent.
“There is no harm in a name. All of your friends are dead and you’ll be joining them soon if we don’t get that wound treated.”
“I’m not telling you nothing,” the mercenary ground out.
Venten backhanded him across the side of his face. “That’s a prince you’re speaking to, scum.”
“Not my prince,” he replied. Dark malevolence lined his eyes.
Venten drew back to strike again. “Mercenary filth.”
“That’s enough, Venten,” Aurec cautioned. He knelt down in front of the mercenary. “My friend does not have the same tolerances that I do. Now, your name.”
Laughter mocked him.
Aurec leaned in closer. “I’m not asking again.”
“There is nothing you can do to me. I know that I am already dead.”
“No, you only think you are,” Aurec stunned him. “The way I see it you have two choices. You can either cooperate and tell me what I need to know about the coming invasion or I make you feel so much pain you’ll beg for death.”
The mercenary didn’t even blink. His arrogance forced Aurec to smirk. “Are you sure this is the way you want to do this?”
“The only way that makes sense to me. Do your worst, little princeling.”
The prince smiled darkly and spun away. “Venten, put a tourniquet on that wound and bind his hands. I want him in the dungeons by nightfall.”
“What about the others?”
“We left a few alive in the hopes they’ll lead us back to their camp.”
Venten scratched the corner of his mouth. “I doubt there is a camp. We are too close to the sea. Common sense says they have a ship nearby.”
“More than likely,” Aurec agreed. “But we have a duty to find out. Take your half of the men and return home. I’ll scout the shoreline.”
Venten started to protest. “I’m not going to go back and explain to your father why I left you out here.”
“No buts, my friend. Your group did all of the fighting. The men deserve a break. I will be fine.”
“As you wish,” Venten conceded. “Hurry back. The king will be anxious for your report.”
“We’ll be back as soon as we can.”
*****
The gentle sounds of waves lapping against the shore greeted Aurec and his men like an old friend. Advance scouts had already returned with negative reports. The beaches were empty. Still, Aurec led them on. He was tired. They all felt it. They’d spent the better part of the day fighting and hunting the Delrananian mercenaries. Each man knew they were successful, but a sense of emptiness hung over them like a pall. The mission remained a failure until they had proof that the entire enemy had been destroyed.
“Anything useful to tell me?” Aurec asked.
Mahn shook his head. “Nothing but a few blood trails. There’s a broken sword but not much else.”
“They had a boat.”
“It looks that way. We saw tracks from a long boat.”
Tears welled in the corners of his eyes. Aurec couldn’t bring himself to say it. Maleela was gone. Emotion was the last thing he needed. He still had a duty to his men.
“We’ll get her back,” Mahn whispered.
Aurec forced a smile. “Form up behind us. We’re going home. I’m sure Venten is fuming right now with me gone.”
He led the column back, confident that the danger had passed. Aurec’s mind was on everything except for what he was doing. Kidnapping Maleela was the spark responsible for igniting this building storm. All of the kingdoms in the north knew of Badron’s propensity for spontaneous violence. His wrath was legendary, even amongst the Dwarf clans. There was no doubt as to his reactions. The king of Delranan had been embarrassed, and worse. His bloodline was destroyed.
Aurec regretted the killing his counterpart, but the man gave him no choice. He frowned at the memory. No one was supposed to have died. He made that specifically clear to Maleela and Lord Argis both when they’d come to him at the behest of the underground movement. One death and all of their carefully crafted plans were in danger of being undone. Aurec realized one future truth: there was no w
ay Rogscroft could survive, even with the aid of the Pell Darga. Worse, he didn’t know what to do to stop that end from happening.
*****
“Our scouts in the lowlands report the Wolf soldiers are moving,” Sint Ag told the war leader.
Cuul Ol’s heart darkened at the news. This was a war he’d long dreaded. He looked to his fellow warriors. All bore the same concerned look. For that he was glad. Distressing times demanded strong will.
“How many?” he finally asked.
“Many. We cannot fight them and win.”
Cuul Ol stood abruptly and walked away from the warmth of the fire. The darkness consoled him. Winter threatened to be bad this year. He gazed up at the veiled stars and prayed the snows came early. Wisps of clouds marred an otherwise perfect night. His people held strength, but there was no amount available to oppose the will of the Wolf soldiers. The Pell Darga were familiar with these soldiers, clashing numerous times over the course of their long histories.
Sint Ag continued, “They come fully armed. Their horses are well armored. This is no skirmishing force.”
“No. They come for war. This time will be different.”
Murmurs swept through those assembled.
“We will fight nonetheless,” growled a large man of too many summers.
Cuul Ol sighed. “Yes. We will fight, but not the way in which you think, Durgas.”
“What do you mean?” Sint asked.
“The Wolf soldiers do not come to make war on us. They go to attack Rogscroft. This is our advantage.”
Durgas stood. His skin was browned dark and leathered. His face bore the creases of a great veteran. “Then the Wolf soldiers are not our problem. Let the lowlanders kill each other.”
“We will not abandon our allies, Durgas.”
Durgas shrugged. “It is their destiny. They bring war upon themselves. Why should Pell Darga die for any of them?”
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