by Tony Donadio
“What happened?” he asked.
“I wanted to save her. I thought that if I stayed in her mind, I could convince her not to sacrifice herself, get her to try to escape.”
“I didn’t know that a pegasus bond could be held that strongly. Or that far away.”
“It can’t,” she admitted. “I’m still not sure how I was able to do it, to be honest. I do know that it depends on the strength of the rider’s mind and magic. Grandfather Acheron could call Starburst from miles away.”
“Perhaps you inherited some of his ability,” Stefan offered.
“Perhaps. Mother certainly did. In any event it caught me by surprise. I tried so hard to hold on to the bond that I lost myself in it. I couldn’t separate myself from her.”
“That sounds dangerous,” he said tentatively.
“It is. There are stories about what can happen to a rider that shares the death of his mount. It’s supposed to be extremely traumatic. Some never fully recover from it, are never quite the same again. It’s even been known to be fatal.”
She paused. “I think that’s why I went … numb afterward,” she concluded. “I couldn’t feel anything. It was like I was watching myself from the outside. All I could think of was to do what we needed to survive.”
“You seem to be recovering now, though,” he observed. His tone was worried, but hopeful.
“Blind dumb luck,” she said dismissively. She gave his hand a squeeze. “With a little help from my quick-thinking lover, of course.”
“There’s no harm done, then.” He sounded relieved.
“I suppose not. And I’m glad she didn’t have to die alone. That I was able to be there with her at the end.”
The darkness was slowly beginning to lift around them. They turned another corner and saw light streaming softly into the cavern from an opening ahead.
“Where do we go now?” he asked.
“This cave opens into another ravine. We’ll follow it eastward for a time, and then take another cavern through the cliffs to the north. That one will open on the bluffs just above the south side of the Upper City. We’ll be able to climb down from there.”
He stopped. She turned to face him.
“I don’t see the point of taking you into the middle of a massacre,” Stefan protested. “Couldn’t we stay here, hidden in these caves and ravines?”
Randia shook her head.
“The demons are clearly after my family,” she said. “And when they find the remains of our picnic they’ll start searching the bluffs. Then they’ll search the ravines. If we stay, we’ll eventually be trapped and captured, or killed. Besides, I have another idea.”
Stefan reluctantly resumed walking. “Which is?”
Randia paused, bracing herself.
“The city is lost,” she said at last. The words cut her like a knife, but she found it easier to go on once she had spoken them. “I know a path that will leave us not too far from the eastern spur of the southern bluffs. From there it’s just a little farther, and then down a long stair, to the Silver Star Adventurer’s Academy.”
They squinted as they walked out again into the light. She led them to the right. Soon they were making their way along another tree-lined ravine like the one they’d followed before.
“You mean to find your grandfather, then? The Archmage?”
“Grandfather Killraven,” she confirmed. “If anyone would have a way to survive this attack, it’s him.”
Stefan frowned. “Won’t he go to the defense of the palace?”
She shook her head.
“That’s not the way Grandfather thinks. He never does anything except on his own terms. What you’re suggesting is exactly what the demons would want him to do. Come out in the open, so they could destroy him. That’s why I’m sure it’s the one thing he won’t do.”
“Then what?” Stefan asked.
“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “But the Star is probably the best defended location in the city. More so even than the palace or the Cathedral. Leaving aside its physical and magical defenses, an entire community of the most highly skilled adventurers on the Eastern Continent lives there. It’s the safest place for us to go — if we can reach it. And if we do end up having to flee — and I’m sure we will — then no one is more likely to have an escape plan than Grandfather.”
“Maybe,” he said reluctantly. “But it still sounds incredibly risky.”
“So is anything else we might try,” Randia countered. “Including trying to hide here.”
“And you think it’s less risky than making for the palace?”
She nodded.
“Windheart died flying over it. She tried to reach it for safety and failed. I saw what was going on there through the bond. It was overrun with demons, Stefan. The guards were scattered and the conference room was cut off.”
“Do you think the rest of your family could have survived the attack?”
Randia was silent for a long time.
“I don’t know,” she said at last. “But even if they did, they would still be trapped at the palace. And if they somehow managed to escape it … I’m hoping they’ll do the same thing I’m planning. That they’ll try to make their way to Grandfather at the Star. Either way, there’s nothing we can do to help them.”
Stefan nodded. “We’ll make for the academy, then,” he agreed.
Randia pointed at a grove of vegetation ahead of them.
“We’ll need something to help us climb down that last bit of the cliff from the cave to the city,” she said. “There are vines growing from the trees and along the ravine walls up ahead that we might be able to use. We should collect some.”
After an hour of walking — and after they had cut and wound some of the vines together into a makeshift rope — they reached another cave opening on their left. Randia turned to Stefan before they went in.
“This is the last leg of our trip,” she said. “We’ll exit from an opening on the side of the bluff. It’s hidden by a crag and some trees growing into the cliff-side. It’ll give us some cover, and from there we should be able to see what’s happening in the city.”
She took his hand again and looked up at his face. “Are you ready?”
Stefan hefted the improvised rope on one shoulder, and lifted his club in the other.
“As ready as I’m going to be,” he answered. His voice was grim and determined. “Let’s go.”
Chapter 10 - Quest of the Archmage
The Prince’s Mission
Light grew around them as the blackness obscuring the magic ward began to fade. Soon it had disappeared completely. The early afternoon sun shone once again onto the top of the tower.
The King turned to the others and sighed. “I suppose we’d better head back down into the palace,” he said. The others will be waiting for us to return with orders.”
Gerard shook his head.
“We can’t go back without a plan, Father. We still need to figure out what to do!”
Danor laid a hand on his son’s shoulder.
“There is little we can do,” he said sadly. There was a haunted look in his eyes that the prince had never seen before. “Except brace ourselves for the next attack, and face it as bravely as we can when it comes.”
“We can’t just give up!” the prince exclaimed.
“Of course we can’t,” Danor countered. A note of stiffness crept into his voice. “But we’re short of options, son. Or do you have a recommendation?”
Gerard replied without hesitation.
“Right now our forces are scattered,” he said. “We need to unite them.”
He pointed down at the church grounds where they lay in the High City, south and east of the palace.
“The warrior priests at the Cathedral are our nearest allies. Fighting demons is supposed to be their holy mission. We should begin with them.”
“You suggest a sortie?” the King asked. “Go on the offensive? Break the blockade to join forces with the Church?”
“As a start,” Gerard agreed. “But we can’t stop there. We’ll need the wizards at the Grand Academy and in the craftmage’s guild. The adventurers in residence and training at the Silver Star. The soldiers at the army base at the eastern gate. The guard stations scattered throughout the city. Every able-bodied Carlissan who can take up arms needs to be marshaled. We have to find a way to coordinate them in a united defense.”
“Going on the offensive will be risky,” Danor cautioned. “If it fails, they will finish us.”
“In the face of armageddon, we must be prepared to risk all,” Gerard countered.
“A fair point,” Danor conceded. “But what you’re suggesting won’t be enough. Not against this force.”
Gerard shook his head.
“No. But it could buy us some time. And perhaps enough time, if we can also get word to Grandmother at the Elven Citadel. She could send fliers across Carlissa to rouse the countryside. To Mount Cassandra, to the mountains, even to Rayche. The pegasus warriors will ride to our aid as soon as they hear what is happening. And in the face of a demon invasion, Grandfather Acheron might even convince the mountain giants and the sky dragons to join them.”
“Perhaps,” the King agreed. “But how can we accomplish any of that, trapped here in the city?”
Gerard sagged. “I don’t know, he conceded.
Then he looked up at the King.
“But one thought keeps running through my mind. The Archmage could find a way. We need his help, Father. But where is he?”
“Exercising common sense,” Elena scolded him. “Your grandfather is no fool, Gerard. If I know Lenard — and I do — he’s biding his time. Studying the enemy, devising a plan, marshaling his resources, and waiting for his best opportunity to act.”
“Act?” Gerard asked. “To do what? Lannamon is already in danger of falling!”
She gestured toward the center of the city.
“To shut down that hellgate. It threatens more than just Carlissa. As long as that thing is open the entire continent is at risk. Perhaps even the whole world. Closing it is of paramount importance, and he knows it. He’s not going to move rashly when the stakes are this high. Not with that Demon Lord watching and waiting for him to make a mistake.”
Gerard began pacing excitedly.
“If he’s developing a plan, then we need to figure out what it is. Anticipate it, try to support it.”
Danor’s eyes perked up at his words, and he looked casually toward the Queen. She met his gaze and nodded her head. Gerard was too distracted to notice the furtive exchange.
“Grandfather is clearly waiting for something,” Gerard went on. “Something he needs, or needs to know, or needs to happen, before he can make his move. But what?”
“I believe I know what it may be,” the King said. His voice had a cautious note to it.
Gerard looked at him with sudden interest. “What, Father?”
“The ring,” Danor explained. “It would be far more effective in his hands than it ever was in mine. And I was able to use it to fight an entire company of elite demons.”
Gerard’s eyes lit up.
“Of course!” he cried with sudden excitement. “You said that Grandfather was a master of its power, and that he didn’t even need it to become Archmage. Imagine what he could do with it now! Would he not be like a demigod, were he to wield the full force of its might?”
“I have always thought so,” the King mused. “And though he never said as much, I believe that is why he eschewed using it, and bequeathed it to me as soon as he could.”
Gerard frowned. “I don’t understand,” he said.
“Your grandfather is the greatest wizard in all of Kalara, Gerard,” Danor explained. “And heir to its greatest throne. But he has always disliked the very idea of wielding power over others. That is why he was always such a reluctant king. It’s why he refused the crown until he had no choice — when his brother, King Victor, was killed, and he was the last of our line.”
“What does that have to do with the ring?” Gerard asked.
“It has an effect on the wearer. More so over time, and the more it is used. It ‘encourages’ the temperament to wield its power to rule. That, at least in part, is what it was made for. It takes wisdom and strength of will to keep that influence in check.”
“I see,” Gerard said. “Has it affected you, too, then, Father?”
“To an extent,” the King replied slowly. “But I spent many years under your grandfather’s tutelage, studying how to rule justly and wisely. And the unique bond I have with your mother has also helped to keep me ‘grounded.’”
He glanced at Elena, and she smiled at him.
“So that’s why he abdicated in your favor when you were old enough to take the throne,” Gerard said.
“And why he gave the ring to me when he did,” Danor added. “I can’t think of anyone with less of a taste for the role of ‘demigod’ than your grandfather.”
“Surely he would use that power now, though,” Gerard said. “To save the world from an invasion of demons?”
“He would, if he could reach it,” Elena agreed. “And without that Demon Lord, Borr, springing a trap to slay him the second he came out in the open to try.”
“Would it give him enough power to defeat the demons and save the city?” he asked.
“I have no idea,” the King said candidly. “I don’t know my father’s limits. I’m not sure that even he does. But if it is at all possible, then he would be the one with the power to do it.”
“And even if he could not, it might still give us the edge we need,” the Queen added.
“How?” Gerard asked.
She nodded toward the magical ward that surrounded them. “I cannot break the Demon Lord’s spell that blinds the tower. But with the power of the ring Lenard could do so easily. And if he could use it to augment the tower’s enchantment … even just to scry the Elven Citadel and send a message to my mother about our plight …”
Gerard nodded. “That settles it, then,” he said, with sudden conviction.
“Settles what?” Danor asked.
“Grandfather cannot come to the palace to retrieve the ring, or he would have done so already. That means we need to figure out how to bring it to him.”
“That’s easier said than done,” Elena observed. “There are a lot of enemies between us and the Silver Star. If he’s even still there.”
“It can’t be a matter of fighting our way through,” Gerard said. “That’s what the demons want us to try. Meet them on their terms, where they have the advantage.”
Elena smiled. There was a thoughtful look on her face.
“Deceit or stealth might serve where brute force fails,” she offered tentatively.
Danor shook his head. “Neither of those are my strong suits.”
“What about me?” the prince asked suddenly.
They turned to face him.
“I could cast a spell to cloak my presence while I brought the ring to Grandfather at the academy,” he explained.
“Against a city full of demons?” the King demanded incredulously. “It would never work, Gerard. Their combined magic would shred your casting before you could take a dozen steps.”
“But if I used the ring?” he pursued. “To strengthen my magic?”
His suggestion was met with a long silence. Elena looked at him, her face torn by indecision. Danor, however, was beaming with unabashed pride. He removed the ring and held it out to him.
“Put it on,” he commanded. “It is not easy to control, and you will need time to get used to it. Wielding it will fill you with an immense sense of power. You can easily lose yourself in it, so be careful.”
The prince took the ring and placed it on his finger.
“Thank you, Father,” he said gratefully. “I won’t fail you.”
“We will provide you with a diversion,” Danor continued. “Your sortie. We will try to reach the Cathedral, and time it to distrac
t the demons when you set out.”
“He can’t just walk across the city, though,” Elena protested. “Not through legions of demons, hoping desperately that the ring’s power will let him hold a cloak long enough to make it all the way to the Star. It’s too dangerous, and it would take too long.”
The prince shrugged. “What other choice do we have?"
A small smile appeared on the Queen’s face.
“I may have an idea,” she said. “I read the reports of your confrontation with Lord Zomoran. I was particularly intrigued by that levitation spell you cast to ride down from the palace wall. It’s the same one you came up with for the tower lift, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is, actually. Why?”
“Do you think you could do it again? Hold it and the cloak, together, using the ring, long enough to make it to the Star?”
Gerard turned to look out over the city. His eyes were wide.
“Do you realize what you’re suggesting?” he asked incredulously.
She nodded.
“Fully. You’ll need to cast your levitation and cloaking spells, point yourself in the direction of the Silver Star, take a running leap from the top of the tower, and try to coast across to the south side of the Upper City. Do you think you could do it?”
Gerard struggled to control the queasy feeling that began fluttering in his stomach.
“It’s a thousand feet to the ground,” he protested weakly. “And in plain sight of the entire city. If either spell failed …”
Danor smiled. “You were saying something a minute ago, about daring all in the face of armageddon?” he asked gently.
“I can conjure a wind to aid you,” Elena said reassuringly. “And I can make it look like it’s intended to hamper the movements of the flying demons, so it doesn’t arouse suspicion. That should help you make the crossing more quickly.”
Gerard nodded. Determination was mastering his discomfiture at the plan.
“That extra push should at least give it a chance,” he said, his voice firming.
Then he paused.
“I don’t think I should aim directly for the Star, though,” he continued at last. “I’m afraid the time and the distance will be too great. My levitation dwoemer was designed to be easy to cast and to maintain, so that won’t be a problem. But holding a cloaking spell in the full sight of thousands of demons … Perhaps it could work, if their attention were diverted by the sortie. But every second I spend exposed will pose a risk, even with the help of the ring.”