Rage of the Diamond's Eye (The Guildsmen Series Book 1)

by Becker, Shawn

  Tair waited for the drunkard to vanish in the sunlight before she tested the door for any added weights or pressure. Finding none, she eased her head into the gap and tried to adjust her eyes in the darkness. Apart from the muted light coming in from the door, the warehouse was as dark as night. She stepped in lightly, taking note of the crates before her and the yawning blackness of the narrow path to her right. She ushered Myst in and shut the door quickly.

  They were immediately enveloped in darkness.

  “This is not good,” Myst grumbled softly. “We will find nothing in the dark.”

  “Stop whining,” Tair told her. She found the stub of a candle in her vest and used her flint to spark it to life within a few attempts. The candle gave a feeble light, a globe of imperfect security flickering around them. Tair thrust the candle before her, searching for any sign of traps or hidden surprises. She lifted the flame above her head, letting out a quiet whistle to the high stacks of crates that formed the corridor they crept along.

  “What could possibly be inside all of these?” Myst said aloud.

  “My guess is that one of them has a diamond the size of your fist in it.”

  “If that is true, then we will never find it before the Zyn Beasts come,” Myst stated as they came upon a sharp turn to the left.

  Tair noted that all the crates were identical and stacked with precision. She also noticed that the deeper she and Myst slunk into the warehouse, the better she was able to see into the darkness. Somewhere in the center of the building, there was a source of light. The further they moved, the brighter it became.

  Tair was eventually able to snuff out her candle. She replaced it back into one of the various pockets of her vest and gladly placed her hands upon the bone handles of her daggers. She had a bad feeling about the place. She felt as though something was pressing her forward and pushing her back at the same time. She was nowhere safer than where she was at this moment, yet all of her instincts were screaming at her to run away from the building and never stop. Tair looked to Myst and watched as she carefully pulled her uncle’s sword from its scabbard.

  “This place does not feel right,” Myst announced.

  Tair only nodded as the crates turned them to the right once more. Before them was a short length of stacked boxes that stopped before an open wide space. Tair could see a table within the center of the area, a couple of rickety-looking chairs, and a gas lantern marking the source of the light.

  Myst used her free hand to shield her eyes from the sudden glare as she took a step forward. Myst was able to see beyond the table to the opposite side of the open area. It was another wall of crates framing an identical pathway to the one she stood in now. Against the center of the wall was a figure, its body pinned somehow to the crates behind it. “There is somebody in there!”

  Myst took a step and heard Tair shout a warning. She felt Tair’s body slam against her and suddenly she was falling to the floor, her sword skittering away as she landed hard upon the cold, wooden floor. Yellow light exploded all around her, blinding her for a moment. Myst held up her hands, waiting for what she assumed was some sort of fire trap. The sound of rising wind tore through her ears as a powerful gale tugged at her clothes and hair, churning every loose article nearby into a writhing funnel of wind that stretched from the floor to the wooden beams along the ceiling.

  Within the center of the yellow, twisting column of air was Tair’Lianne, her mouth open in a scream of pain she could not hear over the swirling wind. All four of her limbs were outstretched as though the winds were pulling her apart – which was exactly what they were doing judging by the expression of terror and anguish on her face.

  Myst leapt to her feet and ran to the column, reaching up to pull Tair out of the trap. Myst felt as though her arm was getting ripped from its socket as the twister tried to envelop her. She braced herself and tugged her arm out, her body tumbling to the floor. Ignoring the pain, she scrambled up to retrieve her sword. Gripping the weapon with both hands, Myst swung the blade at the base of the air trap. The sword bounced away harmlessly as though the column were made of Bornosian steel.

  Tair’s screams became more frantic as Myst desperately tried to think of what to do. She had stumbled unwittingly into the trap like an amateur and Tair had saved her by taking her place. Myst searched around her in a near frenzied panic, looking for something she could use to pull her friend out to safety.

  She heard a faint voice behind her. “I can help her.”

  Myst whipped around, her sword held high toward the figure she saw earlier. She could not see who it was due to the violet cloak wrapped around its body and head, but she could hear that it was a male. The figure’s hands were pinned to the wooden crates behind it by steel manacles, his black-gloved hands twitching in anticipation.

  She reached the figure in three leaping steps. “How? What do you need?”

  “Free me.”

  Myst examined the steel cuffs around the man’s wrists and noted with alarm that the man was not wearing gloves. It was fur.

  Black fur.

  Myst stepped back, pulling the hood from the creature’s head, knowing already what it was that stood before her. The yellow gleam of its eyes reflected the ethereal glow of the air column that was killing her friend. In some hidden part of her mind, Myst recalled that she had met this creature before; that its name was Lynth and that it came to her just before her uncle was murdered by its own brethren.

  “Let me help her,” it growled urgently, its white teeth sharp as any dagger.

  Myst raised her uncle’s blade in shaking hands.

  The Zyn Beast lunged. “Free me!”

  She saw her uncle fall, his body torn by claws, his sword clattering uselessly to the rocks below. Hot rage burned away the tears flowing unchecked down her cheeks. The rage was directed at this creature before her and for its kind. Myst saw her uncle fall, she heard herself scream. She heard Tair scream.

  Tair was dying behind her.

  The creature’s bestial face was snarling at her.

  Closing her eyes, she brought the blade down.

  28

  Anton D’ghelle stood in the pathetically small cathedral dedicated to Diathanos with a foul disposition. The Protector was trapped within the walls of this mundane offering to the God of Light and Life; a wooden construction with simple pews lined together on either side of the cathedral. Three wide steps and a white pedestal made of marble served as the altar for this lowbrow church. Long, narrow windows of frosted glass lined the walls, while a circular window above allowed the sunlight to stream in during midday and shine upon the surface of the altar.

  Before him stood the Thaarakan that Chancellor Tevic had felt would serve them well as an informant inserted into the annoying Defender’s Guild. Brother Tymas, the priest responsible for this church, stood off to the side – waiting with a sycophantic smile to aid the Protector in any way possible. Two of his Palidiamos waited outside, guarding the front entrance of the church, while the others relaxed in the back apartments unseen by the common worshippers of Diathanos.

  The Thaarakan was telling him of his arrival by boat – aided by a sea witch who hastened their journey – and of the sudden appearance of Cassius Deveres. The barbarian also told him of two women who knew about the Eye of Diathanos and that they were currently following a Diamond Magi who was snooping around the town as if looking for something. Anton knew it was one of the cursed Magi that had made a deal with their contact, but now it seemed as though the blasphemers had lost their patience and intended to steal the prize for themselves. The Protector sighed inwardly. He was unsure of why the Chancellor would have sent Deveres, but first and foremost, they had to deal with this Diamond Magi.

  “Where is the Magi searching?”

  The barbarian nodded. “They are moving to warehouses I have seen by lake-water gate.”

  Anton curled his lip at the oaf’s grasp of the common dialect. It made the barbarian sound stupid.

  “Are
n, Konner!” Anton shouted. From a door wedged hard between the dais and the wall, the two clerics came bounding in, ready to do their commander’s will. They held their hands to their chest, palms out, maneuvering their fingers so that they made a diamond shape. Anton returned the acknowledgment and waved them closer. “Go to the warehouses located near the southern city gate and look for a Diamond Magi or two young females – one with hair like a raven’s wing, the other the color of flame – see if they have discovered the whereabouts of our prize. Be sure to take Anaan with you

  “You will return to your post with the Guildsmen,” he told Dorn. “I am quite sure Chancellor Tevic wants you to continue your service to Diathanos.”

  Dorn gave the diamond sign and bowed his head, but before Anton could act in turn, one of the paladins came rushing in, his armor creaking loudly.

  “Sir, that knight from Kaalé approaches - the one with muddy skin.”

  Dorn’s eyes grew wide in alarm. D’ghelle faced the local priest, his demeanor calm. “Do you have a back exit in this shoddy excuse for a temple?”

  The priest’s face creased with a frown at the insult as he pointed to the door the two clerics had come through. “Back near the larder,” he told them.

  Anton jerked his thumb at the door. “You have your instructions…go.”

  The two clerics and Dorn rushed through the back door, shutting it closed just as Cassius entered the cathedral. Anton turned to meet him with a smile so spurious that the former knight could not help but frown at the reception.

  “Cassius Deveres,” Anton announced. “Diathanos praise you, what brings you so far from Kaalé?”

  Cassius returned the paladin’s grin, its subtext just as false as D’ghelle’s. “Chancellor Tevic bade me to come here and make certain your arrangement goes on without delay.”

  Anton’s friendly demeanor vanished. “And why would the Chancellor feel the need to send you to watch over me?”

  “Not to watch over you, Protector,” Cassius said, “but to keep someone away from the transaction. Sajiix Mirhan escaped from the temple and the Chancellor believes he will come here to claim what you are after.”

  “Escaped.” The disgust in his voice was quite apparent. There would be much his Palidiamos had to answer for when he returned to Kaalé. “And how did he accomplish this?”

  “He had assistance from the Defender’s Guild,” he answered. “Assistance I was not aware of, nor did I sanction.”

  D’ghelle snorted. “Your friends helped him escape. Does it not follow that since you are responsible for your Guildsmen, you are responsible for this?”

  Cassius spread his arms open wide. “Which is why the Chancellor sent me,” he said.

  “Very well,” D’ghelle sighed. “The meeting with my contact will be within the hour. I suggest you find Mirhan before then.”

  “I am sure the Protector is aware that Sajiix is a Shadow Magi?”

  “I am aware of his filthy calling,” Anton spat.

  “Then you must also know that he could be disguised as someone different, someone we wouldn’t know until it was too late,” Cassius intoned. “I suggest you allow me to accompany you when you make the exchange. His most logical plan of attack will be to ambush you when you find the Purestone.”

  D’ghelle wiggled his fingers together as he studied the situation. He would rather not have the Chancellor’s lapdog watching him take the Purestone from Malagotta, but an extra sword arm never hurt, either. Besides, his clerics were out searching for the diamond right now. With any luck, they would find it before the meeting and Cassius could deal with Malagotta the moment the devious thief discovered that House Diathanos did not plan on compensating him for their own rightful prize.

  “I see nothing wrong with that scenario,” he told the former knight.

  Cassius gave him a nod of gratitude, which Anton ignored as he turned to address the two remaining paladins guarding the interior of the cathedral.

  “One more question, Protector…if you don’t mind?”

  Heaving an irritated sigh, Anton faced Cassius once more. “Make it quick, Deveres. Our meeting will be soon in coming and Brother Tymas must prepare for midday prayer.”

  “A simple question: How do you plan to repel the Zynnashans once you have the Purestone?”

  “I would think you already knew that answer,” D’ghelle told him. “We plan to use the same tactic you and your Guildsmen used during the war with Theenia.”

  A dawning look of dismay crept upon Cassius’s face as he recalled that event to his current memory. Twenty years ago, he and the fledgling group of heroes that would one day comprise the Defender’s Guild had been tasked with the mission of recovering the Eye of Diathanos to save the realm of Theenia from a Nightwalker priest known as Kai-Malus. The priest had discovered the Nightgem – one of the legendary Val’Cryys gemstones. It was the antithesis of the Purestone, an artifact of pure dark power rumored to control the minds of those with evil in their hearts and to raise the dead as mindless servants to the owner of the gem.

  The only defense against this unholy might was the Purestone, which Cassius and the others were tasked to find. They were successful and quickly brought the diamond back to Theenia. The heroes soon discovered, however, that only one of pure heart could activate it. A Diamond Magi by the name of Daraak took up that mantle and used the Purestone against the enemy forces attacking the sovereign city of Gateway. The effect was horrifying. Only a small portion of boorsliig surrendered. The rest went berserk, either killing themselves or killing anything that came near – friend and foe, alike. Cassius could remember having to search the mountain forests nearby for months afterward, hunting for insane boorsliigs.

  “We cannot use the Purestone against the Zynnashans,” Cassius warned. “They are not boorsliigs. They have been our allies for decades. Not to mention the danger you place upon the person activating it.”

  “You had no such worries for your comrade so long ago,” accused Anton.

  Cassius nodded; his face a grim mask. “We had no idea the Purestone would drive him mad! The power of that artifact is too great for one person to handle!”

  “Bah! He was a Magi. He was unfit to hold the splendor of Diathanos.”

  “Protector, please,” Cassius urged, taking a faltering step toward him. “Do not use the Eye against the Zynnashans. I wholly support House Diathanos’ claim to the diamond, but to do so with such an act…I fear the cost will be too great for anyone involved.”

  “This order comes from Chancellor Tevic,” Anton said coldly. “If you wish to protest, by all means, return to Kaalé and do so. Otherwise, you will do as you have been charged and keep the Magi away from the Eye of Diathanos!”

  Anton glared for a few moments at Cassius until he was satisfied that the fool understood his place. Turning, he walked to his soldiers to confer last minute plans of action concerning the removal of the Eye from Malagotta’s grasp and the removal of life in Malagotta’s eyes. If Diathanos were truly with them, Sajiix Mirhan would show his face and perhaps he and this disgrace of a former knight would kill one another so that he wouldn’t have to do it later.

  ***

  Tienn stood in the central room of the Fhaalvak Inn’s largest and most opulent suite. Located on the third floor of the grand establishment, the suite boasted three sleeping chambers, a main living area, and a water closet. The furnishings were old Kaalmoorian: blocky, angular, with tones of gray. A massive window along one of the walls of the main room opened up onto a small balcony that overlooked the square the inn was located on – just right across the way from Lord Demestri’s estate.

  He stood before two Magi – one, a Fire Magi who sat on one of the wide couches, his right foot resting on his left knee. He leaned his shaved, tattooed head upon the palm of his hand, staring up at him with a patronizing smile. The other was a Shadow Magi who stood behind his companion. He was dressed in the same purple robes that all of them wore, his thin black hair slicked back, revealing a sh
arply receding hairline. The man was tall, his chin and his nose were too long, and his eyes were black. He reminded Tienn of the pegmen the farmers set out in their fields to frighten hungry birds away.

  Tienn had arrived not long ago. The innkeeper, a Defender’s Guild aficionado, not only allowed him upstairs, but personally escorted him to the suite. Tienn then spent the next fifteen minutes explaining the situation and the dire threat that approached Fhaalvak. When he was finished, the Shadow Magi waved his concerns away with an amethyst encrusted hand. “Do not concern yourself with this threat, Master Draanyr. We have the situation under control.”

  Tienn was momentarily taken aback by the Magi’s information. “How do you know my name?”

  The Fire Magi laughed, exposing pointed teeth. “A purple-skinned Draaken that can walk in sunlight is a unique thing in this world.”

  “Sajiix actually did it,” the Shadow Magi breathed, carefully examining Tienn. “He boasted of it often and I heard the tales of your deeds within the Guild, but I brushed them aside as exaggeration or rumor. I thought you nothing more than a fanciful myth to placate the Defender’s Guild followers.”

  “As you can see, I am real,” Tienn bristled. “And so are the Zynnashans heading this way.”

  The dark-haired Magi stared for a few more seconds and then focused with a shake of his head. “We know they are real, Master Draanyr. We have been following their path since they attacked Joram’s Bend. We know what they are searching for and we know who has the object.”

  Tienn stared incredulously from one Magi to the other. “You know who has it? Then why have you not condemned this fool for his actions and taken the diamond? There is a very good possibility that the Zynnashans will turn back once they have the Purestone again!”

  “The problem is that this ‘fool’ is rather intelligent for his kind,” the Shadow Magi explained with a resigned sigh. “He has cleverly hidden the diamond and is asking a hefty price for its ownership.”