The Shrine of Kallen (The Tales of Zanoth Book 3)

by Aaron J. Ethridge

  “I'm sure that's true,” Sarrac replied. “However, we have to keep in mind that, tonight, he was standing on sanctified ground. When he attempted to turn in Lord and Lady Telraen's sanctum, it was completely ineffective. I feel certain his power was amplified here.”

  “You're probably right,” Myra agreed. “Not to mention the fact that those skeletal knights had been drenched in holy water before he tried to turn them.”

  “I can see that,” Paul nodded, “Also, I was pretty sure that if I didn't really make it count, we might all end up dead. I'm positive I channeled more power tonight than I ever have before. Except maybe for that first time.”

  “Whatever the cause,” Alena said, smiling at the young man, “we should thank the gods you were able to do it – even if we can't count on results like that the next time you turn.”

  “Considering how devastating it was,” Darek replied thoughtfully, “I can actually understand them falling back. If Paul could keep that up all night, they'd stand no chance at all. Not to mention all the undead the rest of us sent back to the grave. I had to have killed... oh... close to fifty, I guess.”

  “I slaughtered nearly that many myself,” Sarrac said. “And, there had to be more than two hundred in the courtyard before that last turn.”

  “At least,” Alena replied. “Still, most of them were just skeletons and zombies. Grathis won't have a hard time replacing them.”

  “The same can't be said of those skeletal knights,” Myra pointed out. “Or the giant, for that matter. Plus, the sanctified ground kept some of the more powerful horrors from even being able to join the battle. I'm sure Grathis was counting on the incorporeal undead getting inside and keeping us busy until the rest of his forces had managed to fight their way inside.”

  “If they'd managed to,” Alena replied, “we'd have been forced to fall back.”

  “We may still be,” Paul observed with a sigh. “We can't be sure that they won't attack again before sunrise. If they do, I'm not sure how long we'll be able to hold them back. I don't think I'm going to have another turn in me tonight.”

  “I certainly can't do anymore without a rest,” Nyssa added before stretching herself out on the floor. “If I tried, I'm sure I 'd just pass out – like Joey did.”

  “I'm close to that point myself,” Myra nodded.

  “We really could use more spell casters,” Darek observed, his eyes passing from Paul to Myra.

  “And more priests,” Sarrac added.

  “I know it knocked him out cold,” Darek continued, “but, Joey managed not only to kill the giant, but close to twenty reapers with one spell.”

  “He did,” Myra nodded. “Not just any magic-user could have done that, though.”

  “No, they couldn't,” Nyssa agreed, gazing at the stars above. “It was the most amazing thing he's ever done. Well... except for that time he shrank my bed, I guess. Either way, it makes me proud to be able to call him my best friend.”

  “That brings another question to mind,” Paul nodded slowly.

  “What would that be?” Myra asked with a smile.

  “There are giants in Zanoth?”

  “There were,” Alena replied. “They're all dead now, though.”

  “We don't know that,” Sarrac pointed out. “Zanoth is a big place.”

  “I suppose it is,” she admitted, “but, I've never heard of any living giants.”

  “Neither have I,” Nyssa replied, stifling a yawn. “Not in a couple of hundred years anyway.”

  “That's too bad,” the paladin said, lying himself on the cobbles. “A few of them on our side could really make a difference.”

  “They certainly make a difference on the enemy's side,” Alena observed. “You three try to get some rest. There are plenty of us keeping watch tonight. A few hours’ sleep might give Paul the strength to turn again.”

  “That's a fair point,” the paladin replied before taking a deep breath and letting it out in a slow sigh. “Wake us if anything horrible starts trying to kill us all.”

  “Don't worry,” Darek chuckled. “We will.”

  Fortunately for the defenders of Kal Tammon, the undead outside their walls did not renew their attacks during the night. Force of habit awakened Paul and Myra before dawn, roughly in time to take third watch. Nyssa, however, managed to remain quite happily asleep on the cold stones of the courtyard until the sun began to rise.

  As the first rays of dawn drove back the darkness, the companions made their way to the top of the walls. They were somewhat surprised – and extremely pleased – to find that the enemy army had fled. Just below them, they could see a number of Warriors cutting the ropes that held aloft the temporary bridge the undead had used to enter their stronghold.

  Although there was no question that Grathis would try again, for the moment at least, they had managed to defeat him. Whatever he may have thought before the battle, there was little chance that he might still doubt the existence of a paladin in Zanoth. For the time being, this could certainly play to their advantage, as it would give the vampire pause before he attacked them again. In the long run, however, it might help him elicit aid from other nearby undead lords. That was something they would have to prevent, if at all possible.

  With these thoughts in mind, they made their way back into the Fortress of Donmar. Paul and Nyssa more fully healed many of those who had been injured the preceding evening. Although they were completely exhausted by the time they had finished, they were very happy with the results of their efforts.

  Shortly after they finished this task, the entire party – except for Joey, who was still sleeping – was summoned to the keep for a council of war.

  “I'm glad you decided to do this in the dining room, General,” Darek said before taking a drink from his preferred goblet. “I was just thinking that I could really use some breakfast.”

  “I had you in mind when I made the decision,” the old man chuckled. “We can talk while we eat.”

  “Absolutely,” Darek agreed before taking a large bite of the extremely fresh bread.

  “Obviously,” General Halfar began, “last night we achieved an incredible victory. However, we can be absolutely certain that Lord Grathis will try again. He simply can't afford to let us hold this place. If any of the surrounding lords discover that he's lost a major battle to the living, it might not be long before they put his mettle to the test.”

  “So much the better,” Alena smiled.

  “Unless, of course,” the general continued, “he manages to convince them that the it is real and that he's here.”

  “We were discussing that earlier this morning,” Myra pointed out. “I don't think it will be easy to convince any of the undead lords of that, even if Grathis believes it himself.”

  “Maybe not,” the general admitted. “However, I think he can hardly deny that a priest or paladin has been fighting alongside us.”

  “That's certainly true,” Myra ceded.

  “Which would likely prove just as much a uniting factor as if they actually believed Paul was the it.”

  “I can see that,” Darek nodded. “What do we do about it?”

  “I believe,” General Halfar said thoughtfully, “that we may want to move the gateway to the fortress. Provided, of course, that it can be moved.”

  “I suspect that it can be,” Nyssa replied. “It's probably just going to be a few more days before the runes recharge.”

  “That's probably true,” Myra nodded, “judging by the way the vault works.”

  “Still,” Sarrac said, “I don't think we should just abandon Kal Tammon.”

  “We wouldn't have to,” Alena pointed out. “We could leave the vault here for the garrison. If they ever end up in over their heads, they could use it to escape.”

  “That's certainly true,” Darek agreed. “However, I think we could put the vault to much better use if we just leave the gateway where it is.”

  “What do you mean?” the general asked.

  “As
things stand,” Darek replied, “we can use the vault to show up at a village out of nowhere, slaughter all the undead in it, load up everyone who's willing to join us, and bring them instantly back to the fortress.”

  “Provided the vault and the call button work independently,” Myra asserted.

  “Even if they don't,” he replied. “All we would need to do is move the vault, have Nyssa hide the door, spend five days waiting for the runes to recharge, then attack. But, we won't be able to do that if the vault has to be left here as an escape route. Not to mention the fact that there's hardly a safer place in Zanoth for the door of the fortress to be.”

  “Actually,” Alena said, “that's a really good point.”

  “We could move it to the fairy well,” Paul suggested. “The undead would never be able to get in and – as we wouldn't be living there – it wouldn't be against the law, would it Nyssa?”

  “Nope,” she replied with a wide smile.

  “That’s true,” Sarrac replied. “But, that would still leave the vault tied up.”

  “You're right about that...” the paladin admitted.

  “The problem, as I see it,” the general said, “is that trying to hold this place will be like throwing a gauntlet down to Grathis. He'll know where we are and he'll be able to take his time planning his next siege. You can be sure he's going to make it something special. We'll be a standing target.”

  “That's true too,” Paul said thoughtfully. “On the other hand, that may make Kal Tammon a beacon of hope. How many volunteers might make their way here in order to join us?”

  “That's an excellent point!” Darek replied, pointing at the paladin. “Look at what we did with a few hundred men. Imagine how much of a fight we could put up with a few thousand. Kal Tammon might just end up being the rock that Grathis dashes himself to pieces against.”

  “That's an even better point,” Alena nodded. “After all, there's enough room here for us to build a city.”

  “Close to that, at least,” Sarrac replied.

  “So, we need to start filling it up,” the ogress continued. “Imagine if – during the battle last night – anyone who ended up injured or exhausted could have just rushed back here to be instantly replaced by someone else who was more than ready to fight. We might have even been able to sally out and slaughter Grathis's entire army.”

  “Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves, Alena,” the general said, smiling at his foster daughter. “I appreciate your enthusiasm, but let's not forget that if we had left the sanctified ground, those wraiths would have immediately attacked us.”

  “I was also thinking,” Darek said with a touch of excitement as his own eyes landed on the ogress, “that we might want to build a cistern right above the gateway.”

  “What would be the point of that?” she asked.

  “Paul could fill it with holy-water! If the undead manage to break through...”

  “Brilliant!” she interjected.

  “Do you know how much time it would take me to bless that much water?” Paul chuckled. “I mean, twenty bottles worth...”

  “We can discuss additional defenses later,” the general interrupted. “Like repairing the damage the undead did last night, for instance. At the moment, however, I think we can agree that we'll leave the doorway where it is and start doing our best to fill this fortress with the living. Which leads me to my next point.

  “As of a few days ago, the Warriors with Thaelen – along with the women and children – were safe and well. It was obvious that Grathis didn't feel like he could waste resources trying to hunt them down while we were doing real damage to him. That may change, however, now that he realizes just how difficult driving us out of here will be.

  “That being that case, I think you should escort them back here. Not only can we reunite many of the men with their families, we can offer them a safe place to build their homes for the first time in their lives.”

  “I couldn't agree more,” Myra said, offering Paul a smile.

  “Obviously,” the old man continued, “it would be wise for you to leave as quickly as possible. The sooner you're all back here, the safer we'll all be. And, the less time we give Grathis to begin his next assault, the better. I feel that you should wait until tomorrow morning, though. It would be best for you to head out with the dawn.”

  “Plus, Nyssa and I are about worn out,” Paul pointed out, “and Joey's still asleep.”

  “Precisely,” the old man nodded. “You need to spend the day resting, as well as preparing for the journey. I want you to take a hundred of the Warriors with you. It's imperative that you get the women and children here safely. If the undead attack us again before you return, we'll be able to fall back into the fortress.”

  With their plans made, they finished their breakfast before temporarily going their separate ways. Nyssa went to go take a nap in her bed, but decided just to sleep in the barracks near Joey after she realized that it smelled funny. Myra went to work using her magic to repair a few things that the undead had damaged the night before, including the drawbridge and Paul's armor. With Gregory's help, Alena, Sarrac, and Darek sorted through the volunteers – which included all of the uninjured men – to make sure that both the escort and the garrison had the men they needed.

  Joey woke early in the afternoon to discover that neither he nor any of his friends had died during the undead assault. As happy as this made him, he was still thoroughly exhausted. He did have the strength, however, to head to the library to pack up a few things he wanted for the trip – after Paul had finished telling him exactly what had happened after he had passed out.

  “What are you looking for, exactly?” the paladin asked, flipping through a book filled with words that he couldn't read.

  “Several things,” Joey replied, rocking his head side to side before jamming the volume in his hand into a leather backpack. “I'm still hoping to find a better shrink spell, or a way to reverse the one I have.”

  “Sure, sure.”

  “I'd like to find a spell that can make me fly,” he continued, “or one that would give me wings like those horses had last night.”

  “I can see that.”

  “I also figured I might take a history book or two.”

  “You're going to read history,” Paul laughed.

  “I doubt the history of Zanoth is boring.”

  “The history of Earth isn't boring.”

  “Maybe not to some,” Joey replied, shaking his head. “But, Earth history isn't likely to keep us from getting eaten by undead, is it?”

  “You think the history of Zanoth will?”

  “I can't tell you that yet, as I don't know any of it,” Joey pointed out. “But, I figure we might stumble on something useful. According to Sarrac, the undead have done their best to keep the living ignorant of their past.”

  “Of course they have,” Paul replied. “If you strip a people's heritage away from them, they're a lot easier to control.”

  “Where did you learn that?”

  “Earth history.”

  “Maybe it's not the waste of time I always thought it was,” Joey said, selecting another book to add to his bag.

  “Are you sure it's a good idea to take these with us, though? As you pointed out yesterday, knowledge is power. If we lose these books...”

  “If we lose these books,” Joey interrupted, “it'll mean we're dead. If that's the case, the last thing the people of Zanoth need to worry about is a few lost books.”

  “We need to find a way to copy them.”

  “Maybe next time we're on Earth, we can grab a copy machine.”

  “Or maybe, Myra can copy them with magic.”

  “That's a better 'maybe',” Joey nodded.

  Just as the red-robed wizard made his last selection, the fairy fluttered into the room with a stretch.

  “Napping feels so good,” she said. “Sometimes, I wonder if I should stay up all night, just so I can nap all day.”

  “You know what el
se feels really good?” Joey asked with a smile. “Getting to see your best friend right after you wake up.”

  “You're right,” the fairy nodded. “In fact, I'm going to go find Alena right now.”

  “Hold on,” Joey said, halting the fairy mid-flutter, “I thought I was your best friend?”

  “What would make you think that?”

  “I shrank your bed and...”

  “Oh,” she giggled, “that was yesterday. And, you were my very best friend all day. Just ask anybody.”

  “I was unconscious through most of that!”

  “I can't help that,” she explained. “I watched over you like a truly excellent best friend. Like the best of best friends, actually.”

  “She did,” Paul chuckled, “I'm a witness.”

  “There you have it,” she said with a contented sigh, waving her hand at the paladin.

  “But, I wasn't aware of it!”

  “It's not my fault you wasted it.”

  “So, now Alena's your best friend?”

  “For today,” Nyssa nodded. “For most days, actually. Although, sometimes Sarrac is – especially when Alena is in a bad mood...”

  As she was speaking, she flew up to Paul's face and started slowly turning herself upside-down as she gazed into his eyes.

  “On other days,” she continued with a beautiful smile, “Paul is my best friend. Which is kind of amazing. Who would have thought when I was a baby that I would be best friends with the it? My parents would be so proud! Then, of course, there are days when Myra or Darek...”

  “What about me?” Joey interjected.

  “We were best friends just yesterday,” she replied, rolling her tiny eyes. “Have you forgotten already? I'd have thought my friendship meant more to you than that.”

  “It does!” he assured her.

  “Good. Now, I'm off to find Alena!”

  Having said this, she shot out of the room.

  “You know...” Joey began, shaking his head, “sometimes...”

  “Actually,” Nyssa interrupted, flying back into the room with a laugh. “I forgot! I was actually looking for the two of you!”

  “Really?” Joey asked.

  “Hmmm,” she replied thoughtfully. “No... Come to think of it, I was only looking for Paul. You can come, too, though.”