An Adept's Duty: The Scepter of Maris: Book Two

by James R Barnes

  Shaya laughed softly at the look of wonder that must have been on Alyssa's face.

  "The arch senses my people's presence and sends a signal to light the city. It will only do so if thirty or more of us pass through. Otherwise we would have had to do it manually, by the control at the city center."

  "Very convenient. Why would you nee-"

  Several loud, throaty screeches echoed across the cavern, drawing a groan from the redhead.

  "Well those are not going to be fun to deal with," Shaya grumbled under her breath.

  A look out at the cavern did not reveal what had made the noise, but she did see another city spread out in front of them. The city was much smaller than Doanimar, and though the layout was as precise and uniform as the Dwarven capitol, the buildings were less plentiful and much more spread out. Instead of a city built at the center of an enormous cavern, this was built across the floor of a space similar to a Respite, just on a much larger scale. It was as if they carved out a huge round room to build their city in.

  "Roamet. Once home to one of our most revered scholars, and a library second only to the one in Thardenfell, according to Wovis. Now it is only home to ghosts."

  Alyssa reached out to grip Shaya's shoulder in what she hoped was a comforting manner, after hearing the sadness in her voice. Bright blue eyes met hers and she received a bitter-sweet smile.

  "You will have noticed the larger building in the center with the tall, blue spire topping it. Just to the right, and slightly behind it you can see part of a structure in the shape of an octagon... well... you cannot really tell that from here, but it is an octagon-"

  "The one with the black and gold dome on top?" Alyssa hated to cut people off, but she knew Shaya could ramble sometimes.

  A knowing look at the interruption was followed by more of an explanation.

  "Yes. That is the library. Due to the urgency of the times, most of the books and such were left inside and the place was sealed."

  Alyssa tried to school her features into some form of indifference before speaking.

  "Can it be unsealed? Easily, I mean... and are we going to overnight here?"

  "It-"

  "Do you think we could get in to look around?"

  "W-"

  "There could be some valuable information in there. It might benefit us to at least give it a cursory inspection. Time permitting of course..."

  "If-"

  "Wovis never mentioned this place. Do you think he forgot, or... well, maybe he did not think there would be anything here." Alyssa crossed her arms and looked to her companion. "Well?"

  Shaya was looking at her somewhat warily, her mouth slightly open, and her brows furrowed. Alyssa was about to mention how silly that looked when the Dwarf's face quickly turned shy and downcast. Alyssa had gotten to know the redhead very well over the three weeks since they had left Doanimar, and did not have to turn to know that someone was approaching. For someone that loved to talk, the Dwarf maiden was unusually shy around people she did not know. It had taken Alyssa days, and persistence, to worm her way in. An Alchemist by trade, and very well respected for one so young, according to Dhuren and Fastil, Shaya could talk for hours about her craft if you did not stop her; whether it was theory, experimentation, or techniques.

  A throat clearing and a hand on the back of her thigh let her know that it was Meric who had come over to them. She was quite certain that no one else would presume to be so familiar. Not more than once anyway. When his shoulder bumped into her hip she draped an arm around his neck and idly played with his collar as she looked out at the library again.

  "Let me guess," Meric said to Shaya. "You told her about the library."

  The Dwarf maiden blushed deeply, but returned the smile Meric had given her and then cut her eyes at Alyssa.

  "I do believe she was mildly interested, Commander Vettor."

  "Hey! I do not recall hearing any complaints about my reading habits when there was research to be done." She tweaked Meric's ear lightly as she spoke. The arm he had wrapped around her legs squeezed her to him for a second in response, and then relaxed again.

  He and Shaya both chuckled at her, and the redhead even managed not to blush too brightly when she looked at Meric to ask if he came over because he needed something. She still called him by his rank, but she seemed to relax a little bit more with him. Of course, his smile probably helped. Dwarven women, it seemed, could appreciate a nice smile even if it was on a Human. She could feel it in his shoulders when he shifted back into soldier mode.

  Alyssa had been surprised to find that most of the Dwarves had started calling those in her party who had them (which was everyone but her) by their military ranks. Even though Meric was not officially a Commander, Dhuren and Fastil were the only ones that did not address him as such. When asked, Shaya merely shrugged and said Dwarves were warriors at heart. As if that was all the answer that was needed.

  Meric had taken a few seconds to answer, and she could tell by the growing tension in his neck that he was about to move on to a more serious topic.

  "Lord Dhuren said you had something that would help deal with the trolls. He would like you to get it ready."

  "Ah, I will need to get to the supply carts. Excuse me," she said and hopped off the platform and hurried back down the tunnel.

  "Any idea what she is after?" Alyssa was looking down at him as she spoke.

  "Apparently trolls do not like fire, and she has some way to exploit that weakness. Dhuren also wanted me to talk to you about it."

  "Oh?"

  "Mmhh, apparently Brody has been telling them how you like to throw around those 'flaming orbs of death' as he put it."

  Alyssa rolled her eyes at that. Fire was never a problem for her, coming almost as naturally as Air, and she was well rested. Thankfully, with the lights over the city, she would not have to use her other skills to sense where the target was, so there was no need to split her concentration. That would make it much easier. It was also nice to be in a wide open area, so she had no need to worry about smoke or heat harming the others like when they were in the tunnels.

  Meric's shoulders and neck were still tense, and he was now looking out at the city with determination. She lightly curled her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck to see if she would get a reaction, and smiled when he shivered.

  Pulling her hand away, he rested their now intertwined fingers on his shoulder and looked up at her.

  "Behave."

  She laughed at him, softly. "Then you need to relax. The fight will come soon enough."

  When his arm tightened around her again she thought he was just hugging her in thanks. Then her feet left the ground and she almost let out a surprised squeal that would not have been very dignified. A tight grip on his shoulder kept her from swaying too much as he turned and set her feet on the ground. The next thing she knew, he was towing her through the crowd in front of them in search of Dhuren.

  "The sooner the better," he said over his shoulder, but he was smiling at least.

  #

  The screech was louder this time, echoing through alleys and off of buildings, making it impossible to pinpoint the source. It also sounded very angry. That was just a guess, but the creatures making the noise were probably not happy that their home was being invaded. Meric did not think that they would be interested in a debate about whose home it actually was, and judging by his only other encounter with a troll they were the attack first, question later kind of monster.

  He and Alyssa worked their way through the crowd and over to Dhuren. The Dwarf was speaking to Malina when they arrived, and the rest of his friends were nearby listening. The small spike of excitement Meric felt at seeing the weapons in Malina's hands only added to the feel of impending action. While Meric hated the evils of war, he did love to hunt, and the smooth grip and unique wood of his new longbow brought forth many fond memories of that activity from his past. The same glint was obvious in Malina's eyes as she passed him the bow, and he knew the gr
in on her face was mirrored by his own.

  Each member of their party had received a gift from Dhuren; weapons, armor or tools of some form. Brody had received a shield to go with his axe. Silas' chainmail was replaced with some incredibly light-weight, shimmery material that, while slightly less effective against regular weapons, repelled magic attacks to a certain degree (another unique gift that was probably worth a small kingdom's equivalent in gold). James received a pair of betrothal bracelets that were enchanted so that the bearer of one could always find the other (Brody believed this to be a more of a curse than a gift). Westerly was now sporting a pair of finely crafted bracers; Woodard had an ornate flask (already filled), and Alyssa received a set of two rings and two bracelets that she, excitedly, told Meric could store large amounts of magical energy, held ready for immediate use. Apparently, some elemental energy was not always as readily available as others (like the energy needed for fire could take more time to gather in if you were in a damp cave), and this way she could carry what she needed with her.

  The bows, both his and Malina's, were their gifts from Dhuren, and the Dwarf gravely informed them that in some ways they were worth more than all of the other gifts put together. Since Meric was sure that if he sold every one of his very expensive horses for the maximum amount of gold, he would still not be able to afford half of the items, Dhuren's statement made him a bit wary. When his Dwarven friend elaborated, Meric had a hard time believing him, even taking into account the fact that he was talking to a Dwarf. The two bows were Elven made, were around five thousand years old, and would probably be around that many years more if they were not lost or (somehow) destroyed. Elven. Meric was still trying to wrap his thoughts around that one.

  The wood, if it even was wood, of the longbow was a rich, dark brown with silver runes inlaid along each limb. There was a slightly different look to the runes from what he had seen on the Dwarven crafted items. They were more flowing, delicate might be used to describe them. The grip was wrapped in a black and red leather-like material that appeared to soak up any moisture without deteriorating, which allowed for an always sure grip by the archer. Alyssa informed him that the material on the grip was runed as well, though he could not see it. The weapon was also incredibly lightweight, and way too easy to draw for the power it delivered. He and Malina had needed to spend a few hours getting used to the feel. A priceless gift as far as Meric was concerned and he was eager to put it to use.

  Yes, they were going into a dangerous situation, but it would be with people he trusted to watch his back. The knowledge that he would be able to use his greatest skill to protect them in return gave him confidence in a positive outcome of the fight ahead. Dhuren's voice broke him out of his thoughts.

  "Ahh, here we are." The Dwarf was taking a bundle from Maikus. The Guardian also had two empty quivers hanging from his shoulder which he proceeded to pass to Meric and Malina. At Meric's questioning look, Maikus merely jerked his head in Dhuren's direction.

  The bundle was unwrapped to reveal what looked to be about fifty arrows. The shafts were tipped with a coal-black head of some unfamiliar material, and Meric could just make out a rune etched into it as Dhuren handled them. The Dwarf squatted down and placed the bundle on the ground, and then began separating the arrows into two piles. Once finished, he stood with one of the blue fletched shafts and handed it to Malina.

  "Now this, I think you two are going to like. Note the rune?"

  A thick finger pointed to the symbol and Dhuren waited for both of them to nod. Before he could continue, Malina passed the shaft to an ever curious Alyssa without even being asked. She shared a smile with Meric as the woman beside him promptly ignored the rest of them in favor of the marked arrowhead. Dhuren waited with his own small, yet knowing smile, expecting a question to be forthcoming. He was surprised when all she did was give a smile of her own and nod in satisfaction.

  "Well... umm, let's see... these are specifically designed with trolls in mind. Their skin secretes oil that is highly flammable. Do not ask me why." He held up a hand as Alyssa opened her mouth. "I have no idea. Maybe Shaya can tell you. Anyway, their shaggy fur is thickly matted with it.

  "These beauties," he continued, holding up the arrow that Meric had returned after his own inspection, "will ignite that oil and the resulting fire will consume the creatures. There is also the added benefit of the head staying red hot for about two minutes, meaning that not only will it light the outside, but it will also continue to burn within, keeping them from healing. A troll can rapidly heal almost any wound, even to the point of regrowing limbs. The only thing that will stop that process is severing the head, damaging the brain, or using fire."

  Dhuren went back to the bundles and picked up one group to hand to Malina. The scout took them gingerly and asked a question.

  "Are these special quivers; will it keep them from burning us?"

  Dhuren was already shaking his head before she even finished speaking, but Alyssa beat him with an answer.

  "That is the beauty of the design." Meric could not help the flinch as she reached out and took one arrowhead between her thumb and forefinger. He almost reached for her hand, expecting her soft skin to be blistered, but she pulled back and showed them all her unmarred fingers. "The runes are a combination of air and fire magic. The head does not ignite until a certain amount of air, or really more like wind, passes over it."

  She took one of the arrows from the bundle that Dhuren had just passed to Meric, and gripped it at the fletched end. Then she raised it over her head and whipped it down hard and fast. They could all see the orange-white glowing tip when she raised it back up. Impressed heads nodded all around.

  "You got another bundle of those? My bow should be in our supplies as well." Woodard directed his question to Dhuren, but quickly returned his attention to the arrow in Alyssa's hand that was gradually fading back to its original black.

  Two more Dwarves had arrived with long wrapped bundles as they were talking, and Dhuren thanked them before answering Wood.

  "We can, but I was going to give you this instead." One of the bundles produced a beautifully crafted, and heavily runed claymore. The blade was only drawn a few inches from the sheath and then reseated. "Other than Brody, you are probably the only one who could swing this beast for any length of time without it wearing you out." Dhuren held the weapon with the tip grounded and his hands around the sheath. He tilted it toward the stocky Sergeant, who grasped it by a pommel that reached nearly a foot over the Dwarf's head.

  "Haven't used one of these in a while."

  "Not sure why they did not rune it to be lighter, but it is an ancient weapon and there is no telling. Like the arrows, it is a fire-based weapon. Unlike the arrows, the heat is constant... so do not take it out of the sheath until you are ready to swing it at something you want to kill."

  "Understood," Woodard answered as he slipped the baldric over his head.

  Meric hoped that Woodard's injured right hand would not hamper the use of the heavy weapon, but was fairly certain it would not be an issue. As soon as the hand had healed enough, the Sergeant had begun training in earnest. Meric could tell the man would not let the loss of the two bottom fingers deter him from being able to fight. His determination was inspiring. Fortunately, the sword was a two-handed weapon, so it would be easier on the man.

  "Captain Bridgewater, I will leave it to you to decide who will get this." As he was speaking, he unwrapped the last bundle. It was a black hafted halberd with several runes adorning the bone-white axe blade atop the five and a half foot weapon.

  "Another fire-based weapon?" James was already passing the weapon on to Westerly even as he asked the question.

  "Correct. Much like the arrows, it only emits heat after passing through the air. Though, much less speed is needed, and it starts to cool after a handful of seconds. So... no need to cover it, but make sure you do not touch any friendlies with it after a swing. The bone does not glow like heated metal, so there is no visual sign
that it is still hot."

  Westerly just nodded and hefted the weapon a few times to check the weight and balance.

  After checking that everyone was comfortable with their new weapons, Dhuren turned to Maikus and indicated that he should take over.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Cleaning House

  Maikus hopped up onto the rail to be seen above the crowd.

  "Alright, listen up! We have no idea how many Trolls we are dealing with, so we will do this the right way. Four person squads in a standard grid search. Guardians, form up!"

  As the Dwarves began to shuffle about with some good-natured ribbing and playful shoving, Maikus' feet hit the floor once more and he waved the Human members of the party to him.

  "Meric, Malina... see the two buildings at the head of the path? They should be tall enough to give you a good vantage point. You can set up there for the first stage of the search, and move forward as we clear sections of the city. We have a few squads with crossbows that will be doing the same.

  "It will take some time, but we do not want to leave any trolls at our backs. As we get farther in to the city we will probably be spread out too thin for this to be maintained, and you may have to join a squad in a house to house search." Maikus shrugged before continuing. "I will leave that to your discretion... you could just as likely keep moving from rooftop to rooftop all the way.

  "The rest of you will break off into squads as follows: Brody, Fastil, James, and Nevin. Lady Alyssa, you will join Lord Dhuren, Sevik and Gharis. Silas..."

  Meric tuned out the rest as he surveyed the city below. The buildings he and Malina had been directed to had good sight lines and the two story height of each would be ideal. Since he could not be at the side of his friends, at least he could watch over them from on high. This would be a dangerous undertaking and he would prefer to face it next to his friends, but since that was not to be, he would just have to do everything he could to minimize the threat to those he cared about. They could all take care of themselves and he would just have to trust in their abilities.