by Mike Maddox
The Chemical Warriors looked at each other, daring the other to speak.
"With respect, honoured Sage," said one. "But protocol insists that you may only address the Mage when directly summoned."
"By the Mage," piped up the other.
"Thank you, gentlemen," Grefno said, still striding onwards. "I am quite aware of Castle protocol and I thank you for your concern. I think you will find that I am right in saying that a Sage can address the Mage directly, without council permission in matters of extreme urgency. Now then, I'd love to debate the issue of what constitutes 'extreme' urgency with you, but I'd say that half the village dead or dying, and a giant magical creature attacking the Castle walls is probably a fair example of what might be classed as an extreme measure."
CHAPTER NINE
The Castle rippled.
Grefno was knocked from his feet, falling in an ungainly heap, twisted in his robes. His retinue of Chemical Warriors drew their weapons in alarm, unsure whether the phenomenon was real or imagined. Rising to his feet, Grefno leaned against a wall for support, and as he did so he felt his hand sink into the stonework. Quickly he pulled his hand out, startled.
What was this?
Either he had taken on the strength of a hundred men, which was unlikely, or else... he pressed his hand against the wall again, but it held firm. He banged it with his fist but, again, nothing. The wall was solid. Closing his eyes, Grefno allowed his mind to run over the wall, searching for any signs of magical weakness. There was nothing.
"What is it, Sir?" said the warrior whose job it was to never take his eyes from him. "What just happened?"
"I don't know," said Grefno. "Nothing good, that much we can gather. Come on, let's keep moving."
In the Garden, the corporal in charge of the work detail left his men on guard, watching the village for signs of movement, but nothing stirred. The gunfire they had heard earlier was not repeated and all was now quiet and still.
"Anything from the Castle yet?" The Corporal asked the comms operator.
He shook his head, gloomily. "Nothing. They came up briefly, but they've gone again. They say they're looking into it, but you know what they're like up there."
The corporal, rubbed his wrist, wondering why the stream of updates had ground to a halt, why could they no longer access any of the standard comms channels from the Castle? What was going on up there?
"Right lads, we're getting nowhere standing round like this. How much can you see up there?" he yelled to the men high up in the fungi.
"Nothing, Corp. No movement at all in the village."
"What about the Castle?"
"Doesn't look like there's anything wrong to me."
"Right. I don't know what's going on in the village, but we need to find out. I want two of you to make a break for that ditch over there." He pointed to a deep furrow about a hundred yards off. "We'll cover you the whole way, just in case. As soon as you get there and signal all safe we'll send two more to go past you to the road down to the village, and from there up to the Castle. The lads in the ditch will watch out for you until you're out of sight. And don't forget the assault rifle upstairs." He pointed to the platform high on the side of the mushroom. "They'll be able to see you the whole time, so you'll be alright. Any trouble, anything at all, you run back here at the double. Alright?"
Cautiously, the two troopers made their way towards the ditch, each covering the other as they had been taught. Their weapons primed, and with full sensor sweeps of the area, they moved at a steady pace. Reaching cover, one of them signalled back to the Garden wall, and two more troopers came out, at a faster pace, now that they knew the ground between them and the ditch had been made safe. Moving beyond the two in the ditch, they made their way down the track that connected the Gardens to the village.
Nothing stirred. The two soldiers looked at each other. What were they supposed to be looking for? With a glance back towards the men in the ditch, they set off towards the village.
The corporal watched them make their way around the corner, and then out of sight. He shouted up to the couple with the assault rile. "Can you still see them?"
"Yes, Corp. Road looks clear. Don't worry, anything funny starts moving, anything at all, then we'll shovel high-ex at it until it stops."
"Alright. But make sure you get a look at it first. Don't want you shooting civilians, do we?"
The corporal waved to the two men in the ditch to move on and take up new positions. Hoping he hadn't just sent two men to their deaths, he ran back to check the comms links again.
One of the soldiers fired his weapon twice and then twice again, the prearranged signal to his comrades in the Garden that they had reached their destination. Nervous, the two men headed off down the cobbled road for the Castle. They were about half a mile from the first perimeter wall when they ran into the heat barrier. A line of scorched grass ran either side of the road, which was now blurring in the haze of an intense heat. One of the soldiers picked up a clump of dry grass and threw it towards the haze. It flared briefly in the heat. They looked at each other, startled. The Castle was cut off. Whatever help was to be had, it would not be coming from there.
That is, unless it was the Castle itself who needed helping? As they watched, they saw movement on the far side of the heat barrier. Men coming towards them. They saw that it was a mixed group of Castle guards, together with one or two in the brown armour of the militia. They saluted Captain Krillan as soon as he swam into sight thorough the haze.
The Captain was obviously saying something, but the heat barrier seemed to absorb sound as well. In fact, the closer they got to it, they noticed it made a deep rumbling sound.
They held their hands to their ears, letting the men on the other side know that they could not hear them.
"What are they doing?" snapped one of the Castle guards, irritably.
"They're saying they can't hear us," said Krillan. "That right, men?" Nothing came back. "Must be a by-product of the heat barrier." He turned to the guard, who had first spoken, "Do you have your flashlight with you, soldier?"
The guard pulled his torch from his belt. "Yes, Sir."
"Good. Transcribe for me." The operator began flicking the light on and off at the two men, turning Krillan's words into the coded alphabet used by all soldiers in the field as a last resort. Pulling a pen and paper from his pocket, one of the two militia men began writing down the code, letter by letter, his comrade peering over his shoulder as the words took form.
Back in the Inn, Leah heard the gunshots from the soldiers outside, and ran to the window. "What was that?" she said.
"Signal," said Shaule. "It's a militia sign."
The small woman clapped her hands together in delight. "Then we are saved!"
"Not necessarily," said Leah. "You don't think it could be them shooting at the worm, or something?"
"It could, but it's unlikely. The timed shots like that, we're trained to do that. If it was the creature then we'd have heard more, I'd say."
"Unless it has killed them too," said the Mayor.
Leah glared at him. "Yes. Well, thank you for that cheerful thought. Either way, it means that there are people moving around outside, and we should probably go and find them. If they're in trouble then they'll be safer here with us. If there's a lot of them, or if they're very well armed, then we'd be safer off out there with them."
Rendolph went over to the window, peering out cautiously.
"How about if we stay safe in here, and they stay heavily armoured out there, guarding us with their lives?"
Shaule sniffed, contemptuously. "Is your friend a coward?"
Leah and Rendolph looked at each other. "Yes," they chorused, together.
"Come on, whatever's going on, we're better off out there knowing what it is. Rendolph, you come with us."
"Do I have to?"
"No."
"Thank you."
Leah smiled. "No, just kidding. Rendolph you're coming with us. The rest of you ca
rry on as you were."
Leah opened the door of the Inn and screamed.
The worm was outside. Rearing up to its full height, ready to strike, it hissed a foul cloud of vapour towards Leah, who froze to the spot, terrified at what might come next. Rendolph grabbed her by her collar and pulled her back into the Inn. "Close the door!" shouted Shaule, raising his rifle to the firing position. Rendolph threw himself at the door, slamming it shut as Leah threw the bolt across.
"It was outside!" whispered Rendolph in terror.
"Apparently so," said Leah.
"No, but it was outside. Waiting for us!" said Rendolph, backing away from the door.
"Yes. We've agreed on that," said Leah. "Worm. Door. Us." She turned to Shaule. "You said you could communicate by bursts of gunfire. Can't you do that now and have a chat with your pals out there?"
Shaule checked the weapon, grimacing. "I could, but I'm a bit low on ammo. I think we're better off conserving it. Besides, they'll have heard the commotion and will come running to have a look, I wouldn't wonder. We're better off where we are, I'd say."
There was a crash as the large saloon window burst inwards, sending shards of glass flying across the room. The townsfolk recoiled in panic.
"On the other hand, maybe there's something to be said for being outside," said Shaule.
A tall, long haired man suddenly screamed, his chest fountaining blood, as the creature thrust its viciously barbed tail in through the window, spearing him and lifting him off his feet. In the midst of the panic, Leah found herself calmly noticing just how lucky Gim had been with his injury. The beast flicked its tail, and the impaled man was sent flying across the room, slamming into the bar. The tail darted sideways again, looping another man around the waist. The creature jerked the man upwards, snapping his head on the ceiling, before dropping him like a heavy sack. Again the tail flashed across the room and Shaule slashed at it with his bayonet. A deep gash appeared in its greasy skin, accompanied by a hissing, roaring sound. The tail disappeared through the window.
"You hurt it!" shouted Leah, approvingly, her eyes full of admiration. The heavy door buckled and splintered as the creature slammed against it in anger, trying to bash its way in from the street.
"Everyone in the cellar!" yelled the barman.
"No!" shouted Shaule. "We'll be trapped in there"
"We're already trapped in here!" shouted Rendolph.
With a boom like a cannon going off, the door was wrenched from its hinges. Quick as a cat, the worm poured itself into the room and wrapped itself around Leah, pinning her arms to her side. She screamed, staring at Rendolph in stark terror.
Shaule whipped something from his equipment belt and slapped it directly into the open bayonet wound on the beast's flesh. At once the room filled with bright red smoke and the worm withdrew, twisting Leah like a spinning top, and sending her flying into Rendolph's arms.
"What was that?" Rendolph said.
"Distress flare. Best thing I could think of," said Shaule. "I imagine it's quite painful, burning away like that in an already open wound. Hopefully we've driven it off for now. Trouble is, the street is so full of smoke that I can hardly see a thing. I think it best if we find somewhere else to hide. It knows this place, and knows it can get in again any time it feels like it. We need somewhere stronger." He threw a half smile at Rendolph. "It's alright, we'll bring some carry-outs with us."
Krillan read the translation on the paper in front of him one more time and then turned to face the soldier who had transcribed it for him.
"This is magic we're up against," he said. "This is magic, and we're out of our depth." He rubbed his eyes, suddenly tired.
Another soldier ran up, a bulky wooden frame on his back, from which hung a silk screen.
"Sir! Found this in the guardroom. It's an old model and looks like it's still working!" The soldier placed the wooden frame in front of Krillan and began to make signs with his hands in the air. As he did so an image took shape on the screen. It was one of the comms officers in the Castle. The image was blurry and kept fading in and out but would be good enough for now.
"Castle, this is Captain Krillan! Can you hear me?"
"Go ahead Captain."
"Castle, please put me through to the Sage Grefno as a matter of urgency."
"Putting you through, Captain." The screen flickered as the image swam in front of them. "Better keep it brief, sir. Don't know how long this thing will hold."
"What's wrong with it?" snapped Krillan. "Can it be fixed?"
"Hard to say sir. It's an antique." The man smiled. "That's the army for you. Never throw anything away without an order in writing."
The screen swirled once more and the unmistakable figure of Grefno appeared, his yellow robes glowing like sunflowers.
"Yes Captain? What's the situation out there?"
"We can't get through to the village. There's some kind of heat barrier stopping us. We've been contacted by two members of the militia who've made their way up from the Garden. They say the village appears empty, so we're guessing the villagers are in hiding."
"Or else they're already dead. And what of the worm?"
"According to Wallas, it seems to be able to blink in and out of existence. That means that even though the barrier might keep us out, there's no guarantee that it will work on the creature. Any news from the Mage?"
"I'm trying to get word to the Mage, but it's not as easy as you'd think."
Krillan smiled. "I'm sure no one thinks it's easy."
"I'll find a way to raise the heat barrier from here, Captain. As soon as it lifts, you move your men and try and get the people from village evacuated and bring them all back to the Castle."
"And the men in the Garden, sir?"
"If there are any left alive when you get there, get them to help with the evacuation. Good luck."
The picture flared briefly like the mantle on a gas lamp, and then was gone.
In the Castle, Grefno closed his eyes and collected his thoughts once again. The Castle was now effectively cut off from the outside world. Walking along the corridor, Grefno felt a sudden pain in his wrist, as if the arteries in his arm had suddenly hardened, spasming with a sharp burning sensation.
Reaching out with his mind, Grefno realised that he was now cut off from the within-body link that so many of his people shared. He was truly alone. Turning a corner he saw a group of blue uniformed Castle guards, similarly rubbing their wrists with alarm. "Sir," called one. "We've lost links to the network. We can't open them up again."
"Me too," said Grefno. "Something's brought the whole thing crashing down. Please consider yourselves on high alert. Inform the highest ranking officer you can find, and then tell him to alert the highest ranking officer he can find."
Things were getting worse. The war seemed to have started a day early, though it was not them who had made the first strike.
It was time to see the Mage.
CHAPTER TEN
There were no guards in the ante-chamber. There should have been a phalanx of Castle guards on constant watch on the approaches to the Mage's quarters, but instead the room was deserted. Grefno stood there, suddenly unsure of what to do next. He had approached the Mage countless times, and on each occasion the guards had challenged him. Their non-appearance was greatly disturbing. Edging forward, he felt outwards with the invisible arts of the magician. He stretched his consciousness, feeling his way around the room as he looked for traps and snares, devices that would be hidden to the uninitiated mind of anyone below the rank of Sage. There was nothing. The place was clean.
Opening the doors to the anteroom he entered the outer chamber. This again was deserted. He was within metres of the holiest place in the Castle, no, the entire state, and was deeply disturbed to find that he had not been challenged or questioned. He crossed the ornamental bridge that traversed the plasma flowing out from the Mages' chamber. Normally it would have been alive with energy, sparkling with beauty as it carried out the by-p
roducts of magic.
Looking down, he could that see it was brown.
Grefno braced himself before entering the Mage's chamber. So intense, so wonderful was the power of the Mage, that it could do strange things to the mind. Grefno, like everyone else who had to enter the chamber regularly, had undergone extensive training to prevent himself being swamped by the sheer wonder of it all.
He pushed his hand into the mouth of the brass face that was mounted on the door, feeling the sterile dart slide into his wrist-port, recognising him and interrogating him, before decided whether to open the portal or to inject him with a lethal dose of poison.
The face winked and the door opened with a deep, woody creak, like a mighty oak swaying in a strong breeze. Taking a deep breath, Grefno strode into the room.
The Mage's chamber should have been full of light. The room itself should have radiated the creativity, the sheer joyous magical will of the Mage.
Instead, it was dark. Dark and cold. He could hear his footsteps echoing in the gloomy chamber.
On his last visit, he had been held in his tracks by the sound of the thought chimes that tinkled and stroked his consciousness. There had been wonderful music that you heard with you soul and your heart as much as with your ears, that played harmonics on your nerve endings and pitched it's rhythm to that of your own heartbeat.
The Mage was everything to Grefno. The life of the Mage, the very idea of the Mage was so deeply ingrained within him that to suddenly find himself standing in this echoing and empty darkness was an appalling shock.
"Mage?" he whispered. "It is Grefno. The Sage." Nothing came back. Nothing but the echo of his own voice.
Stroking the air in front of him with the barest suggestion of a hand movement, he dared to create a small magical ball of light. It flickered briefly and then went out. Again he tried. This time the ball burned brighter, flaring brightly before it too again withered to nothing. His hands shaking Grefno tore of a strip from his cloak, and tied it around one of the pendants he wore under his robes, holding it aloft, he tapped the pendant with his forefinger. As he did so, the material burst into flames, but this time it did not go out. He could now see the marble floor in front of him, but little else. The darkness seemed to grow, to become all the more solid around him.