“Do you know who leads the north?”
The Sovereign Lord once again glanced to Luka.
“What do you know of the wizard Vorgannon?” Luka asked in cold, direct tones.
I noticed the glass in his hand was no longer there. Instead, it now sat upon the table, and I had not even seen him move to place it there?
Glancing quickly at the King and back to Luka, I tried to recall what I knew of the wizard Vorgannon as both their gazes awaited my reply.
“Was he not your predecessor?” I looked to Luka.
“As rumours heard, I understand he was banished by the King for committing some kind of act involving black magic.” I looked to each of them for some sort of confirmation to this.
“Vorgannon!…Bah, the man was a fool.” Luka spat in venomous tones as if recalling some past event; his eyes seemed to flare brighter at the mentioning of the name.
“Vorgannon …” repeated Branagan in slow remembrance
“Yes, he was my court advisor and mage of great power as Luka is now.”
Walking to the small window on my left, King Silverstone stood in silence as he stared out distantly into the courtyard beyond.
“He was a good man in my eyes until his dark, and evil secret was revealed to me. He was caught in acts of darkness I will not name. I had no choice but to banish him to Crescent Moon Isle. It was either that or his death.”
“Death would have been more preferable my King,” snapped Luka.
“Perhaps?” The King nodded before supping his wine.
“That incident was three years ago Mr Stein. Reports since then have shown that Vorgannon is no longer to be found on Crescent Moon Isle.”
“My spies now report him to be in the north.” The King again looked to Luka.
“Vorgannon is the man who unites the north against us!”
“Bah!” Luka spat again at the mentioning of this treachery.
I was still none the wiser as to my summoning. So I decided to press the matter to the point.
“My Lord, forgive my ignorance, but what part do I play in all of this?”
The King nodded at Luka as he resumed his pacing, his head bowed in thought.
“Mr Stein,” Luka rasped. He rose from his seating with still no visible sign of where he had sat. I looked up and now found his gaze more bearable to behold.
“Are you not the finder of the staff of Aspar?”
It was a question that I had not been expecting.
“Well…Yes.” I returned
“And Slayer of the Balakai, finder of Shilindria’s mirror?” continued Luka.
“I was there on that island, and yes I did recover the mirror,” I nodded.
“Also I hear news of late of how you killed a Fangore these days past.”
“A lucky slaying.” I smiled in return whilst wondering how he knew of this news so fast.
Luka smiled and gave a slight nod as he turned and looked at the King.
“Then you are the man we seek Mr Stein,” sounded the King.
“You see we need something found …an artefact of great power.”
Now they were talking my language, now it all started to make sense.
“Me, but why me?” I asked.
“Quite simply we have heard you are one of the best finders of lost objects in all of Southern Kantaria,” answered the King.
“Heard…from whom?” I queried.
“Baram Oakengood for one,” responded the King.
“Baram!” I replied, sounding stunned
“Yes,” the King replied, “he awaits for you now in a room not far from this one.”
“He’s here?” I stood surprised whilst looking left and right towards the doors as if he were about to walk in.
“Then please send for him,” I asked.
“Words said here cannot go beyond these walls,” hissed Luka.
I pleaded my case further.
“But anything you can say in front of me you can say in front of Baram, you have my word.”
Luka and the King exchanged glances.
“Can you vouch personally for the silence of this man?” enquired the King.
“With my life,” I replied
“You may have to.” Added Luka.
The King looked thoughtful for a moment.
“So be it,” he said and nodded to Luka.
Luka nodded back in reply then closed his eyes in brief concentration.
“He has been summoned my Lord. The guards bring him to us now.”
Surprised by this, it was but a few brief moments that passed before footsteps were heard approaching from outside the door on my right. When the footsteps stopped there then followed a knock.
“Enter!” commanded the King.
A soldier dressed in gold armour like the others I had seen entered the room.
“The weaponsmith, Baram Oakengood, my Lord,” announced the soldier, as he stood aside clearing the doors entrance as he did.
In strode Baram.
Standing as nearly as tall as the King a heavy set Baram stood just inside the entrance of the room. He wore boots made of sheepskin, and trousers of woven cotton. A fine white silk shirt stretched tightly around a heavily muscled torso that lay slightly open about his chest. (Probably because by the looks of it, he would have had trouble to just to try and fasten it to its top!) He had also rolled the sleeves up on the arms; just enough to reveal his largely disproportioned forearms that lay underneath. A waistcoat of sheepskin was worn over the shirt, and wrapped around a slightly larger than remembered waistline was a thick leather belt, secured by a large silver buckle.
He had obviously worn his best clothing for the occasion.
One of the first things that I noticed about him was the fact that he was now completely bald. The only hair to be seen on his face came from thick, black bushy eyebrows that were arched above two bright blue eyes, and also his beard. I had always remembered his beard to be wild and unkempt. But it was now worn neatly plaited into two braids that hung down from his chin and tied off at the ends with two small bands of gold. He looked a changed man altogether.
Baram aimed a huge broad smile in my direction. Standing there grinning like some huge fool, he must have mirrored the expression which I now wore.
“Raven!” boomed the familiar voice.
“Baram, you old bear!” I greeted in return.
Meeting each other in the centre of the room opened armed, we embraced. The grip of his huge hands clasped vice like onto my arms as I did my best to hold onto his.
“By the Gods, it’s good to see you Baram,” I said whilst gently shaking the big man’s arms.
“And you too Raven! But what’s this? No long black cloak, and new armour I see.”
He released me from his grip as he looked me up and down.
“I gave up on that cloak years ago,” I replied with a wave.
“It kept me hidden in the shadows when I needed to be, but it kept getting in the way of my sword arm.”
Baram rolled his head back and bellowed a laugh.
“I guess I won’t be calling you Raven anymore then.”
The King gave a discreet cough from where he stood. As if suddenly remembering where he was, Baram turned to the King and with a solemn face and gave a bow in his direction.
“My apologies your majesty, I forgot myself for a moment.”
“That’s quite alright,” replied the King, “Please,” he said as he gestured to the seats behind us.
Embracing each other again on the shoulder with one arm, I stood aside and motioned to my old friend that he should take his place first before I followed.
“That will be all.” The King motioned towards the soldier that still stood near to the door.
“Your Majesty,” came the bowed reply as the guard closed the door behind him.
“Mr Oakengood…” started the King.
“Please call me Baram,” interrupted Baram.
The King smiled politely.
�
��Baram,” repeated the King of all southern Kantaria as he was forced to start again!
“You have been brought to this meeting at Mr Stein’s request.”
Baram turned and grinned at me.
“You must understand,” added Branagan, “that anything heard or said within this room will not go any further………I must have your word on this.”
Baram placed one large hand over his heart.
“You have my word, I swear to it.” And with that, the big man gave a meaningful bow from where he sat.
“And I shall hold you to that word Mr Oakengood,” replied the King “we shall continue then.”
I glanced over to Baram and saw his eyes widen upon catching the gaze of Luka for the first time.
“As I said Mr Stein, by reports we have heard, and by your deeds mentioned here, we are in need of your services to find something for us.”
“What is this item you would have me find?” I enquired full of curiosity.
The King nodded at Luka once again.
“Have you ever heard of the necromancer Nicadimus?” asked Luka coldly.
I searched my memories for the name. “I have not,” I answered
Baram remained silent; I was not sure if it was the fact that he did not know who Nicadimus was either, or whether he was aware who he was, but was not sure if he was allowed to answer.
Luka nodded and began to pace slowly before the table, his cloak a living river of flowing fire as he went.
“Nicadimus was the most powerful necromancer who ever lived, able to summon the dead to do his bidding. He practised his black art at the time of the first King of southern Kantaria. Like many of his kind he was banished from the South for delving into the dark arts.” Luka turned briefly to gaze upon us, probably to make sure that he still held our attention. He did!
“The necromancer, fearing for his life, fled to the north to escape the prosecution of the first King’s cleansing of the southern lands. He eventually settled in a region far to the north-west in an area we know as the Deadlands.”
“I have heard stories of this place,” interrupted Baram again. “They say the dead themselves walk these lands.”
“Quite so,” Luka returned. “It was here in the far north-west that Nicadimus continued his studies into the black arts, and by all accounts, he became very knowledgeable in their understanding. So knowledgeable in fact, that he was soon powerful enough to summon demons from the Dark plain to be used as he willed.”
Luka paused.
“It was knowledge gained from these demon servants that led him to the making of the Soul Crystal.”
“Soul Crystal?” I added, “I have never heard of such an item.”
“Not many have,” said Luka, “It was the necromancer’s greatest achievement and his greatest downfall. The Soul Crystal, as its name implies, requires the dead spirits of the slain or sacrificed lives to charge it fully.”
“For what purpose?” I asked.
Luka looked across to the awaiting King who nodded back in reply.
“Once fully charged, the Soul Crystal has the power to summon the most ferocious, most powerful demon that ever walked the Dark plain…a Bane Demon!”
“A Bane Demon?…what is this beast?” I asked.
“Their existence is little known, and thankfully they are usually kept in their own realms of reality. It is the ultimate incarnate of man’s evil, but it is a thing of terrifying power.”
Luka turned to look at the tapestries behind him; standing with his back to us he started again.
“Niacadimus sought to control the Demon, if he had succeeded, he would have been the most powerful man in all of Kantaria, maybe even in all of the known lands. But after the summoning he found that he could only control the demon for a short amount of time, he soon lost his connection with the beast.”
Luka turned to face us once again.
“The Demon laid waste to a whole region of northern Kantaria before destroying his master and returning to whence it came.”
“So you see Mr Stein,” smirked Luka, “we want you to recover the Soul Crystal for us!”
If there was ever one moment in my life where I was completely dumbfounded by everything that was going on around me, then this had to be it. I had just been reunited with my old friend Baram in the presence of a King, to be asked to find an artefact that had the possibilities of summoning something, which by the sounds of it should never be summoned! I stood in shock as my mind contemplated the implications of it all.
“You seek to use its power?” I accused in surprised tones.
“It pains me to look for such an evil item,” said the King in his deep voice, “and believe me, in memory of the first King, I nearly abandoned the whole idea altogether. But if Luka here can hold sway over the beast, then we could use this to our advantage upon the battlefield, and when the time comes, maybe even win the day.”
The King turned solemn as he looked to the ground.
“Believe me, I have tried to think of another way, but if the North attack, united under Vorgannon’s banner now, then there will be no hope at all.....none”
Now it was my turn to pace as I strolled towards the window in thought.
“What makes you so sure you that you can control this Demon?” I asked Luka
The red robed wizard gave a wry smile.
“Nicadimus, although powerful as he was, did not have the knowledge or the one thing that I possess.”
“Oh?” I enquired.
“A rod of control Mr Stein.”
“After I attach the Crystal to the rod, not only will I be able to summon the Bane Demon safely, but I will also have full control over all its actions.”
I nodded my head and turned to peer at the world outside. Dusk was approaching fast from beyond the window. People could just be seen in the square by the statue moving hurriedly around whilst trying to finish the last of their daylight duties. Guards were being changed at the castle gates, and dark clouds gathered ominously overhead ready for the night sky.
I stood in thought for a moment staring at the peaceful City beyond, wondering if any of them had any idea of the peril they were in.
“There …will be, of course, a reward for the return of the Crystal,” said the King.
“Oh?” I said, trying not to sound too surprised as a smile spread across my lips.
“We shall pay you one hundred gold pieces now for your supplies.”
A hundred! I thought to myself, my smile getting broader.
“And a further five hundred gold upon the safe return of the Soul Crystal.”
“Five hundred gold pieces!” I said aloud.
“You think it not enough!” sounded an angry King.
I turned to face them.
“No, no I think it enough,” I quickly added.
Were these people crazy? Five hundred gold! Five hundred gold pieces! For that amount, I would fight this Bane demon myself.
An inner voice told me to get control of myself. “Sounds dangerous,” said one of the voices. “FIVE HUNDRED GOLD!” Screamed another.
“I accept the job,” I announced.
“Good,” nodded the King.
“Do we know of the Soul Crystal’s whereabouts?” I asked.
“The last known location would be in the lands of the Dead, it is there that you should probably start your search,” the King replied.
“Told you it would be dangerous,” warned the inner voice again.
“Mr Stein,” my attention was turned to the master mage, “you will have need of an advisor on this journey. My place is here with the King, but I have a young apprentice who is an adept magic user, and of late has studied knowledge regarding the Soul Crystal. He may be of some use to you.”
“No thank you, I work alone.” The last thing I needed was some young magic user tagging along.
“Mr Stein,” started Luka again but this time with some tone of amusement to his voice, “do you know that to touch the Soul Crystal with your
bare hands would mean to give up your life so as to charge the Crystal?”
I thought about this carefully for a moment…
“Well then, if his duties allow and if you insist?” I answered whilst trying not to sound too foolish.
A smiling Luka gave a slight bow in my direction.
“I shall see to it that Jaramel will be ready for the journey.”
“Luka,” said the King, “I require Kalmorin here.”
Luka once again closed his eyes in brief concentration.
“He has been summoned my lord.”
“Forgive me, my King,” I asked, “but why do you not have your own men to seek out this Soul Crystal?”
“I did,” replied the Monarch solemnly, “Sir Galforth and Sir Christen, two of my best men.”
The King’s gaze went to the floor.
“Alas, I have not heard from either of them.”
“I see,” I replied
I began thinking that this maybe was not a good idea after all. Not only did I have to travel to the fierce north where a vengeful wizard was amassing a large army, but also I was in search of something of evil origins that could kill me if I touched it, and it lay in the Deadlands where even the fallen have no rest, and as if that was not bad enough, I had to have this apprentice wizard tagging along as well! …but still, for five hundred gold!
“Kalmorin approaches my King,” announced Luka.
Kalmorin entered the room.
“I am here my Lord,” said Kalmorin, as his eyes gazed uneasily towards Luka.
“Kalmorin! Good, go to the treasury and return with one hundred gold pieces for Mr Stein here.”
“Yes your majesty,” he said with a nod of his head and then lingered by the door as if there was something more to be said.
“Well?” demanded the King.
“There is one more thing your majesty, the nobles are restless and are in need of your counsel.”
“Yes, yes. Tell them I shall be with them soon,” he said in agitated tones as he waved Kalmorin from the room.
“As you wish, my lord.” And with that Kalmorin gave a discreet bow as he left the room.
I turned to Baram; the big man had a face like a child grinning outside a sweet bakery.
“When would you have me leave my King?” I asked as I turned.
Taragon Stein: The Search For The Soul Crystal Page 8