by Sam Ferguson
“So you would seal the gate after I leave,” Talon guessed.
The queen nodded. “If you should succeed, you will have the powers of a demi-god. With that will come the ability to travel across all planes under Volganor’s dominion. It should be no trouble for you to return and move the families of the volunteers.”
Talon nodded. “Agreed,” he said.
Within the hour, Talon was leading his new army through the gate. Ferrick, the drow warrior he had met at the city gate, was walking on Talon’s right side. Klegin, the leader of the Dluvian clan walked on Talon’s left. The group took their time winding their way through the cave and picking their steps so as not to trigger any of the traps. Talon was careful to point each pressure plate out to them, though it seemed each warrior was as capable of recognizing and avoiding the traps as he was.
What he had not counted on, however, was the group of twenty Svetli’Tai elves waiting outside the cave. Talon didn’t see them at first, neither did the others. Then there was a movement that caught Talon’s eye near a large tree. Talon drew his sword and then the fight began.
The same priestess that had healed his foes after the battle in Tantine, and had been busy recruiting new Kruks, was leading the charge. She threw spells at Talon while the elves with her charged Talon’s army.
Ferrick lunged forward and weaved his fingers furiously in the air. Fire erupted from the ground below the priestess. In a moment she was turned to a pile of gray ash. Klegin added his magic, sending arrows of fire into four of the charging elves.
Talon watched as a group of four Sierri’Tai rushed forward. They each drew designs in the air, summoning great vines of fire out of the air and binding the ambushers together in a fiery rope of death. None of the Sierri’Tai had needed to pull a weapon. Their magic had won the battle in a matter of moments. Smoke and vapors rose from the ground, hissing as they snaked into the air.
Ferrick marched back to Talon and insisted they should move quickly. Talon agreed and the army moved through the forest, searching for a way to reach the southern beaches without needing to traverse the cliff.
In order to build ships, they would need access to a bay that was well forested. They could use their weapons as tools, but it would be ideal if they could find some ore deposits to make proper tools.
They spent several hours searching for the correct place. Then, once they had found a suitable spot, Talon delegated assignments to different clans. Most of the drow were sent through the forest to gather materials, and the rest were set to work preparing the beach and clearing the area so they could build their ship. However, after several hours had passed, Talon realized something was amiss. Ferrick was walking beside him, but Klegin was gone. Talon ordered the elves to organize into five columns and count off. It was then that the assassin realized they were missing Klegin’s entire clan. Talon turned to Ferrick and came in close, their noses nearly touching.
“What treachery is this?”
Ferrick cocked his head to the side. “The one who releases us was supposed to bring the promise of vengeance.”
Twelve elves fanned out around Talon and Ferrick. The hairs on Talon’s neck stood on end.
“Relax, we will follow through with our commitment to slay Basei, but there is another matter that needs to be settled before we can leave Selemet Isle,” Ferrick said coolly.
Talon shook his head. “You mean the Tomni’Tai village, don’t you?”
“They banished us,” Ferrick snarled.
Talon drew his sword and backed away from Ferrick. “Are there no honorable elves left among the Sierri’Tai?” he called out. “Are there none who will honor their pledge to me?”
Ferrick held his hands out and gestured to his clansmen. “And who are you that you might rule over us?” Ferrick quipped. “You hold the sword, but you do not command it.”
“Care to test that theory?” Talon challenged.
Ferrick laughed. “There is no need for this. Klegin will dispose of the Tomni’Tai, and then we will all resume our service to you. I won’t need a sword to kill you.” Ferrick turned and gestured to the other Sierri’Tai without the ring of his clansmen. “If you want help from them, you should know they will not challenge a clan leader. They have no such right or authority.”
“I do,” Talon said. “I am your king. This is your final warning.”
“No, mixed-blood, it is your final warning,” Ferrick replied evenly.
Talon focused his mind, connecting with Drekk’hul. He could feel the warm sensations running through his arm. He winked at Ferrick and then a dark purple and black cloud enveloped them. His left hand shot into his pocket and he summoned the gorlung phantom. Ferrick and the others blindly cast spells, firing them into the darkness.
Talon, easily able to see each traitor thanks to the purple outline glowing around each figure, dodged and avoided every magical assault. One fire bolt sailed past him and slammed into a traitor behind him. The elf screamed in pain and fell to the ground.
A moment later there was a terrible roar.
“What was that?” someone shouted.
“A gorlung!” another yelled. “He has brought a gorlung!”
The phantom leapt to the nearest drow and tore its throat out. Then it moved on to the next, and then the third.
Talon took advantage of the moment and shot a bolt of lightning at Ferrick. The energy struck him in the chest and he managed only a gargled scream before his body thumped onto the ground.
The assassin then leapt over a wave of flame that rolled along the ground. He ran three steps forward and somersaulted under a flaming vine that swept out at waist height. Then he came up to his feet and drove his sword through another traitor’s chest. The few remaining cut-throats failed to stop either Talon or the gorlung phantom.
The battle was over almost as quickly as the battle with the last of the Kruks at the cave entrance only hours earlier.
Talon dismissed the fog, but kept the gorlung nearby. The beast snarled and bared its fangs to the nervous crowd. None of them said anything as they looked from the bodies to Talon and then to the beast.
“Who among you is willing to pledge loyalty to me as their king?” Talon shouted. “These treacherous louts have lost their claim. Ferrick and his clan will neither share in the glory that we will win, nor will their families live with us in the astral plane.” Talon swung Drekk’hul, throwing another bolt of electrical energy for emphasis. “I wield Drekk’hul, Son of the Dragon. I opened the Netherworld Gate. I am your king now.” He pointed to the gorlung at his side. “Do you not see the power I possess?”
“We are all yours, my king,” Leflin Lerian said. “We did not know that Clan Onjhi or Clan Dluvian were plotting anything.”
“Then why wait to support me until after I fought with them?” Talon pressed, stepping in to stand directly before Leflin.
“It was a shock, sire, to think of fighting our own kin.” Leflin bowed his head and drew his sword out, placing the tip of it toward his stomach. “Command me, and I shall offer my life as recompense for our error.”
Talon shook his head. “He needed as many warriors as he could get his hands on. He was not about to waste one of them now. Besides, it might buy him more loyalty if he spared a penitent chief. “No, that is not necessary. Just, swear to me that you will not hesitate to act the next time my life is threatened.”
“I do so swear,” Leflin said as he placed his sword on the ground and bowed deeply.
Talon watched as each of the Sierri’Tai warriors drew their weapons and placed them on the ground as they knelt, bowing their heads to the ground. He knew they were telling the truth. These drow warriors were of the younger generation. They were the ones the queen had spoken of when she had told Talon that many no longer held grudges against the other elf races.
He looked to the north and felt his heart sink. A week ago, and he might have led the charge to the Tomni’Tai village himself. But now, he was different. He was beginning to value balan
ce in the world. No, it was more than that. He was beginning to feel. His mind recalled the young elf woman who had helped him sail to Selemet. He clenched his teeth and closed his eyes. He wasn’t sure if it was the guilt he still felt for killing the priestess in the cave, or if he genuinely cared for the she elf that had helped him, but he was not willing to let her die without trying to help.
“We move!” Talon said. “We must be as stealthy as possible, but we must be fast. We cannot let Klegin and his clan destroy that village. Are you with me?”
A few of the drow looked to each other, obviously not sure what to think about fighting their own kin, but then the gorlung phantom roared in a thunderous voice that caused them all to shy away. When the roar ceased, the Sierri’Tai warriors grabbed their weapons and readied themselves.
Talon turned to his gorlung companion. “How fast can you run?”
The gorlung snarled and turned to the north. I can carry you faster than you can run.
*****
By the time Talon arrived at the village, smoke was filling the air. Screams of horror and pained shouts were all that could be heard. Flames devoured buildings and Klegin and his clansmen were killing indiscriminately. Talon urged his gorlung companion faster. The other warriors were far behind him, as the gorlung had been able to outpace even the fastest of the drow over the island.
The gorlung ran between two burning houses, its feet barely making any sound as it propelled forward at great speed. Talon leapt off from the animal and summoned the thick fog. A fireball zipped by him, crackling as it flew through the air. Talon cut down the first of Klegin’s kin and then moved on to drop two more.
The gorlung ripped the leg off of one and pounced upon another, crushing the elf under its weight and digging its claws deep into the warrior’s chest. A fireball grazed the gorlung, and it snarled furiously. It turned and lunged at its attacker, tackling the elf and tumbling down the sloped bank and crashing into the water.
Talon didn’t stop to help his companion. If it survived the magical blast from the Kruk priestess in the cave, it could take care of itself here as well. The assassin ran forward, careful to ensure that each outline he hunted down within the fog was in fact one of Klegin’s warriors before dealing the killing blow. Talon killed two more, saving a she-elf just before one of Klegin’s kin could thrust a spear through her chest.
The Tomni’Tai elf thanked Talon and then backed away in horror as she noted his sword shining through the fog. Talon told her to run and hide.
A flash of lightning ripped through the fog, splitting it in two and creating a clear corridor. A Sierri’Tai elf drew back his bowstring and let loose. Talon barely ducked to the side as an arrow tore through the air. Talon answered by calling upon his sword to send a bolt of electrical energy at the elf. The drow was caught in the neck and his head snapped back, slinging a trail of blood out as the body fell to the ground.
A mighty roar sounded in the distance, followed by a gut-wrenching scream. Talon knew that the gorlung had found another victim.
A blast of air slammed into Talon, nearly knocking him to the ground. He looked to his right to see an elderly elf standing in a doorway with his hand extended toward Talon. Talon nearly retaliated before he realized that there was a Sierri’Tai elf on the ground struggling to get up. Talon had not been the target of the attack, he had only been too close.
The assassin rushed in, putting his left hand up to the elderly elf to show that he was not a threat to him. His sword came down and pierced through the strange armor that the drow wore with a sickening crunching sound. The elf convulsed and then fell limp upon the ground.
The elderly elf narrowed his eyes on Talon, as if deciding whether to throw a spell at him. Talon yelled that the elf should go inside and bolt his door. The assassin then pulled his sword free and felt a surge of power run through him. He looked to the blade and saw that it drank the blood. That blood was strengthening the sword’s magic.
Talon spied another foe thirty yards away. The drow had just cut down two elves and was headed to a third. The Tomni’Tai elf had no weapons, so he held a portion of a fishing net in front of himself and begged for mercy. Talon let his rage course through the blade and sent another bolt of purple lightning streaking across the air to strike the drow. The warrior fell on his face and the fisherman stood with his mouth open and eyes wide.
Talon turned and summoned the fog once more, tracking down any drow he could as he raced to end their murderous frenzy. He found three more down on the docks, killing workers and laughing as they counted aloud how many each of them had killed as if it was some kind of game.
Talon rushed in. As the fog closed in around them, their bravado turned to panic. A gargled shout was cut short as Drekk’hul severed one drow’s head. Another took a quick double thrust to the chest, and the third was cleaved in two across the waist.
No sooner did the last body fall than a great explosion erupted just behind Talon. Flames rose up and heat rolled out like a massive, invisible wall that pushed Talon from the dock and into the water. The fog dissipated and was replaced by flames and smoke. The assassin turned over in the water, looking up toward the surface, and saw a looming figure emerging from the flames.
The figure lifted his arm and a flurry of fiery spheres rained down from the sky, pummeling the water and sizzling loudly as they shot down toward Talon. The assassin rolled over and swam downward, doubling back to swim under the dock for shelter.
He came up for air and saw the shadowy boots stepping toward his position.
“The water will not save you!” Klegin called out from above.
In that instant, Talon heard a terrible hiss, like one might hear if they stuck a red hot ember in a bowl of water, only much louder. The assassin turned to see a serpent made of fire swimming across the surface toward him.
Talon dove down, but was disheartened to see that the magical serpent was able to dive as well. The serpent was so hot that it instantly vaporized the water it touched, creating a pocket of air and steam that buffered it enough to keep it from being extinguished. Talon knew he couldn’t swim faster than the serpent. It was already less than ten yards away and it was closing fast.
Talon turned up and aimed his sword at the shadow on the dock. He wasn’t sure it would work, but he had to try. He sent one more lightning spell out from the sword. The deafening boom it created nearly stunned Talon, and the force of the spell shot him another four yards down into the water, slamming his back against the bottom of the bay. Luckily, that push was just enough for him to avoid being struck by the fire serpent. The magical snake shot past him by several yards, and started to make a wide arc to circle back, but it never got the chance to finish its attack.
The lightning bolt shot out from the water with tremendous force, blasting apart the dock and sending Klegin flying up into the air. The attack must have destroyed his concentration, for the fire serpent disappeared and Talon was safe.
The assassin made for the surface and crawled onto the bank just in time to see Klegin pushing to his feet. Klegin sneered at Talon and started to call forth another incantation, but then an arrow went through his neck.
Talon looked up, expecting to see his other followers, but instead he saw the she-elf that had sailed him from Svatal to Selemet.
“Elorien,” Talon said with a slight appreciative nod.
Elorien looked over her shoulder, giving Talon a hard stare, and turned to face him. She lowered her bow, but Talon could see she was contemplating whether he also deserved an arrow. Talon sheathed Drekk’hul and walked toward her with his hands out.
“I didn’t want this,” he said quickly. “That’s why I came to stop it.”
He walked slowly toward her, watching her hands to make sure he would know when to dodge an arrow she might fire his direction. That moment never came. She watched him approach, silently studying his movements. Elorien never nocked another arrow. When the two were only a few paces apart, Talon saw the elf from the doorway app
roaching them, his simple, worn robes flowing out behind him as he moved forward with a grace which did not match his advanced age.
“Elorien, put the bow down,” the elf said.
Elorien did not obey. She kept her eyes locked on Talon.
“By the Gods, Elorien, he means us no harm. He was helping us, can’t you see?”
“This is the man I told you about, father,” Elorien said quickly. “He is the one that I brought here.”
“You told him about me?” Talon asked. “I thought we had an arrangement.”
“Don’t be too hard on her,” the male elf said as he stepped up beside her and struggled to catch his breath. Only now did Talon realize that the other elf was a fair bit older than he had previously thought. “She has never been able to keep secrets from me. One could say I pulled it out of her, even.”
“Magic?” Talon asked.
“No,” the elf said with a smile and a shake of his head as he placed a hand on Elorien’s shoulder. “A father’s intuition.”
“Haroon recently came back from the city,” Elorien stated, gesturing vaguely back to the smoldering village. “He told us that there had been a murder while the Kruks were recruiting new soldiers. He said that the relics had been stolen and that we were all in great danger. Now, here you are with a band of Sierri’Tai elves.” She pointed at Talon accusingly and swept her hand to indicate the dead Sierri’Tai around them.
“These were not my warriors,” Talon said. “The Sierri’Tai queen wanted no war between the elves. She made me promise to avoid war, and I intended to do exactly that.”