The Dark Lord's Demise

by John White

  "Yeah," Wes said. He breathed hard, more from horror than from exertion. "Lunacy's goons will keep the efel spawn busy for a while. But those bonfires will draw them up and over the cliff before anybody up there knows what's happening."

  Uncle John had told them about efel spawn-eel-like creatures, two to three yards long, with it vicious poisonous bite. They began their lives in water but swarmed out on land in slithering masses. Fences, walls, even cliffs could not stop them. They were blind and active only at night. Uncle John said they were not merely predators that hunted by instinct. They were evil beings, driven and controlled by the mind of evil-as though they became cells of its own body.

  An efel spawn attack was simple but deadly. They found it victim by sensing the heat of its body. Their bites did not kill outright. Instead, their poison filled the minds of their victims with murderous, hateful lusts, so the victims destroyed one another and themselves. The only weapon effective against efel spawn was fire. They were drawn to the heat of fire, and if you could avoid their bite, one touch from a burning torch would kill them.

  The dock came up fast in the dark. They hit it with a glancing blow. If they had been on their feet, they would have jolted themselves off their own raft. They secured the raft and leaped onto the dock. Betty rolled up the Mashal Stone in its thread and fastened it to her sash belt.

  The stone steps that angled across the cliff face were narrow and damp with lake mist. With no time for caution, they raced up the steps single file, Wes in the lead. At the top he said, "Let's hope we get a good reception. In the name of Gaal and the Changer."

  "In the name of Gaal and the Changer," Betty repeated.

  Wes called out "We are friends of Gaal!" as his head popped up over the cliff. Startled faces bathed in firelight turned toward him. Wes himself was stunned at the crowd that filled the light and extended into the shadows. There were far more than they had seen passing the Gaal tree.

  A familiar voice cried, "Lord Wesley!" It was Emmy. She ran toward him, then stopped and stared as three more people came up over the edge of the cliff. "Lady Lisa! Lord Kurt! And ... and ..." Emmy curtsied low. "Your Highness Princess Betty!"

  "Oh, cut out that princess stuff!" Betty said. "Anyway, the queen is dead. Murdered by her real king-Lord Lunacy!" Emmy's red face went pale with shock.

  The four children brushed off her questions and the questions of the people who crowded around. Wes shouted, "Build up these fires! And fast! Efel spawn are about to come over the cliff!"

  "Efel spawn!" The words rolled back through the crowd. Some had never heard of them, but those who had, said the words with horror. An old man approached. He moved quickly despite a limp, and in his belt he wore the sword of an Anthropos soldier. Lisa said, "Charaban!"

  The man scowled, then his face lit up in a smile. "Of course! The hall of inquiry! I wondered what became of you! I was angered that they arrested those so voting. .." Charaban stared at Wes's side. "The Sword of Geburah! How came you to have ..." The old soldier was too overcome to speak.

  "I am from the household of the Sword Bearer. Kurt and Lisa are my brother and sister. Betty is our. . . our friend and fellow servant of Gaal."

  "Qadar attacked us," said Charaban. "They have withdrawn, but we expect them to return. The soldiers among us made what defense they could. Several were lost, including the brave owner of this sword."

  Soldiers! The Friesens glanced at each other in fright. Were they the soldiers from the queen's search-and-destroy party? They would have to worry about it later. Captain Charaban snapped out orders: "Move quickly! Build up the fires against the efel spawn!"

  When the Qadar attacked, Charaban had taken charge like the veteran army officer he was. He had designated the two officials from the hall of inquiry as his lieutenants. Now they divided the crowd into five companies, one for each bonfire. From each company some would gather dead branches; others would break up the branches; others would stack them near the fires. Those not as physically strong would tend the fires and keep them burning high.

  High above, the Qadar screamed but kept their distance. Lisa stood near the cliff edge with the Book of Wisdom in case any came close. The fires roared larger. Intense heat rose and drew fresh air up from the lake, feeding the flames even more.

  From each woodpile Wes selected sturdy dry branches and piled them separately. When Betty asked why, he explained, "The fires will attract the efel spawn, but they're too smart to crawl right into the fire. We'll have to get them with torches."

  "So if they hunt by heat and not by sight, the Mashal Stone won't help."

  Wes grinned. "You learn fast! You're already a regular veteran of Anthropos."

  A high scream wailed above the roar of the fires. Lisa whispered, "Qadar." She held her breath and waited until she saw the dark form hurtling toward her. She opened the book. Blue light illuminated the hideous faces of the goblin and the batlike creature it rode. The Qadar raced over her head, exploded in a ball of flame and crashed into one of the bonfires. A fountain of fiery logs erupted. Workers scattered to escape being burned up along with the Qadar. Lisa fled out of reach of the fire and then stood her ground ready for the next attack.

  Familiar faces appeared in the firelight as Wes, Kurt and Betty worked: Swiftlope, some of the Matmon from the wharf at Nephesh, Emmy's two friends, most of the abandoned children, the two officials from the hall of inquiry, even the street vendor who had sold food to their guards. They barely had time for quick greetings. Wes stationed Swiftlope and two other Koach to watch for any churning of the lake water. The wolves lay at the cliffs edge, ears pricked, huge front paws dangling out into darkness. Wes said, "I wish we had Vulcanus and his vulture eyesight. Wonder why he's not here? Is he loyal to the queen after all?"

  Still the Qadar screamed and dived while Lisa kept them at bay with the Book of Wisdom. The others worked frantically and tried to ignore the screams. As Kurt dragged a heavy branch from the forest edge, someone offered help. He looked up and almost dropped the branch in fright. Firelight flickered across the face of the head soldier who had searched for them in the clearing. Kurt didn't know whether to run or reach for his sword. The soldier made no move toward his own sword. He asked, "Do you know me, young friend?"

  "I-you-I mean-"

  "I thought as much. You are one of the three we were sent to kill. Do not fear. Here the servants of Gaal have taught me much about the one you worship." The soldier smiled. "Most of my companions are won over also, or nearly so. Come, we'll carry the log together."

  Kurt was embarrassed that the soldier carried most of the weight as they brought the log to the fire. There they found Wes with Charaban and two more soldiers from the search party. Charaban said, "There are too many of us for all to be near a fire. Had we time, we should build a ring of fires so all can come inside it. Let us group the five companies as close to the fires as we can, then station torchmen at the perimeter of each group."

  "Zorchmen can alternate with armed soldiers," Wes said. "Though I don't think swords are much good against efel spawn."

  Charaban told his lieutenants to pick the torchmen. The young officials had learned much in their time with the Commander in the hall of inquiry. They quickly sized up who would stand strong and who would turn cowardly. Charaban ordered the five companies to group around the fires. Kurt found the littlest boy from the room of abandoned children, the one who had played cat's cradle. He led the boy to a place near the middle fire, sat him down and told him to stay put.

  Wes and Charaban urged the torchmen and soldiers into position. Kurt took up his place as a swordsman, facing the cliff. Betty stood next to him with a torch. Lisa stood on the other side of him with the Book of Wisdom. But the circles were still ragged and halfformed when Swiftlope sent up a hair-raising howl. The other two Koach took up the howl. Wes ran to the head of the stone stairs. He saw no movement in the water. Had the Koach sent up a false alarm? He looked down along the angled stairway and nearly lost his balance. Efel spawn were
already a third of the way up the steps! They were like a black glistening waterfall that flowed upstream. Or like a bucket of shimmering, greenish-black paint spilled somehow up a flight of stairs. Some slithered straight up the cliff face, clinging in some unimaginable way to the straight rock.

  The Koach did not want to retreat into the circles, but Wes ordered them inside. "You're no good with torches!" he snapped. He took up a position in the center circle just as the sinuous flood broke over the edge of the cliff.

  The tide of efel spawn was both "them" and "it," an uncountable multitude and a solid mass. Betty thrust her flaming torch at the first shapeless head that came within reach. She thought it would draw back like it startled snake. To her amazement, it inflated like a balloon, burst and vanished. She torched a second one and a third, too fascinated to be frightened.

  Kurt's sword was useless. When he struck one of the creatures, the blade bounced off as though both the creature and the blade were rubber. He struck again with the same results. The thing slithered forward to grab his leg. Betty jabbed her torch at it. Instantly it ballooned, burst and disappeared.

  Kurt was shaking. "Thanks," he said. He stuck his sword in his belt and grabbed a branch from the fire.

  Wes saw what had happened. He thought, Even the Sword of Geburah wouldn't work against these things. Only fire. Gaal, I don't have to be the hero with this sword. I'll be a torchman. I'll be anything. just don't let me fail you. Wes grabbed a burning branch and stood guard with the others.

  The fight poured life into Captain Charaban. With a flaming branch in his hand, he ran from circle to circle and called encouragement to the fighters. He was not swift, but he was as expert with a torch as he had once been with a sword. He stabbed at the efel spawn as he ran and killed many that were out of reach of the circles. The weird balloons burst all around him.

  The lieutenants had chosen the torchmen well. Almost none backed down. If any did, someone else snatched up the torch and wielded it well. The flood of slick greenish bodies continued to pour up over the cliff in a reverse waterfall. Hours of battle passed as the cold stars wheeled across the sky. Qadar patrolled overhead. They seemed both curious and jealous of the efel spawn's assault. Some efel spawn lunged and caught a foot or leg before a torch could reach them. The victims screamed and gave in to every instinct of hate and murder. Swordsmen had to cut them down before they killed the innocent. Sometimes two or three victims battled each other and rolled over the cliff in a crazed fury. Qadar hurled lances of fire at them, not realizing they were already lost.

  The Koach had nothing to do and were frustrated. They sat with their backs to the center fire and complained. Swiftlope growled, "Have we not heard that our ancestors were warriors? Yet these Regenskind do not let us fight!"

  "Do you wish to fight, Swiftlope?" taunted another Koach. "Your life in Nephesh Palace was a soft one. Perhaps you have lost your heart for combat. If you ever possessed one."

  Swiftlope expressed his feelings in a series of barks, howls and yelps. He found a branch that burned at one end but lay mostly out of the fire. He bared his teeth, snatched it from the fire and dashed between Kurt and Lisa. Wes yelled, "Come back here!" Swiftlope ignored him, sprinting the length of the cliff top among the writhing efel spawn. His torch, held horizontally just off the ground, cut a path of death through the attackers. He turned and raced back. The other two Koach grabbed torches and ran out into the tide of efel spawn. The giant wolves leaped about and swept their torches from side to side with swings of their huge heads. They pivoted around and around like shot-putters getting ready to throw. Efel spawn exploded all around them. When they came out of their spins, they staggered with dizziness. Wes called, "Wolves, get in here until you recover! I'm sorry I said you were no good with torches!"

  The flood of efel spawn subsided. The rock of the cliff top began to show through their ranks. The torchmen plunged their flames less and less often. As pink light streaked the sky to the east, the tide stopped its flow. Wesley walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down. The cliff, its steps, the wooden dock and the raft were clear of everything except the reddening light of dawn. The last of the Qadar were only specks retreating toward the Island of Geburah. Qadar cannot stand the light of day.

  Wes gazed down along the lakeshore. Far down the lake, a little out from shore, six or seven empty rowboats bobbed on the waves. Lunacy had a whole flotilla out! And the efel spawn got all of them!

  The five companies around the fires broke up and pounded each other on the back, cheered and laughed. They added more wood to the fires and danced around them. Children wailed, "I'm hungry!" Many grownups made the same complaint. Emmy and the other servants went back into the cottage to see whether there was more food. And there was! This time a dozen other people ran to help them carry it out. Somehow there was plenty for everyone. People sat all over the field, ate and told stories of the night's battles.

  The Friesens and Betty sat near the cottage with the than who had sold food on the street in Nephesh. He marveled, "How does it happen that there is enough for all? I work many hours to make enough meat rolls to sell in one (lay. And never have I sold to this many folk!"

  Lisa said simply, "It's Gaal. He feeds us. He takes care of us just like he helped its defeat the efel spawn and the Qadar."

  "Gaal is great," said a voice that was oddly familiar. Their heads snapped up. The priest stood nearby, hands behind his back, the picture of solemn politeness. "My friends, we have not met since that day in the royal council chambers. Now you bring tragic news that our queen is dead. I am grieved to hear it."

  "Why'd you bring these people here?" Kurt asked bluntly.

  Hazilon's answer was vague but smooth. "It was commanded. One does according to command."

  "Commanded by whom%" Lisa asked. From the far side of the field came the howl of a Koach. It was even more terrible than the howl of warning. It was the howl of terror. People scattered frantically all over the field. They spilled food and tripped over themselves and each other. Swiftlope broke through the crowd at a mad gallop. He barked as he came. "Harpies! Harpies!"

  Betty asked, "Harpies! What's that?"

  "Horrible birds with human heads!" Lisa said. "They pick up children or animals or anything they can and fly high and drop them to their deaths! Swiftlope! Did they get-"

  The Koach slid to a halt, tongue hanging out. "Two small ones," he panted.

  The children ran into the field. All was chaos. People ran and screamed and covered their heads or pointed at the sky. Across the dawn streaked dark winged forms with long hair streaming behind. The weird beings circled and dived in it macabre dance in the sky.

  "Small children inside!" Wes shouted. "All old and weak inside the buildings!"

  Charaban and his lieutenants rushed up. The captain's face was twisted with grief and anger. He said bitterly, "I have failed! We let down our guard! Never again!" He turned to his two lieutenants and ordered, "All with swords will stand and strike if the monsters swoop low enough. If only we had archers!"

  "Slingshots!" Wes said. "We'll make slingshots. Lisa, stand in the field and use the Book of Wisdom like you did with the Qadar. Betty, be extra eyes and help her watch for them."

  "How are we going to make slingshots if we don't have rubber or elastic?" asked Betty.

  "We'll make the older kind, the shepherd kind," Wes answered. "The kind with a leather pouch and straps that you whirl over your head. Kurt, can you find stuff to make them?"

  Kurt ransacked the stables and found old bridles and harness. With his sword he awkwardly sliced up the leather. He gathered the people who took refuge in the stables and put them to work making slingshots. The littlest boy was there. He watched, fascinated. He poked a curious finger and nearly got it cut off. Kurt told him, "Sit over there on that feed box. And stay put!"

  Kurt hurried outside with the slingshots in time to hear the horrific sound of a man's scream. Near the woods a harpie had a soldier in its talons! The monster flopped its
wings and dangled the man ten feet off the ground while the man slashed at it with his sword. Kurt ran to help, but his own sword reached only to the man's feet. The harpie struggled to take off. It had not counted on the weight of the bulky man with breastplate. The soldier cut at the harpie's feet until it howled, dropped him and flew away. He landed hard. Kurt put away his sword and asked anxiously, "Are you hurt?"

  "Mostly I ain furious at the beast! What have you there? Slingshots? Give me one!"

  "Take half of them and hand them out. I'll hand out the others." Bushes at the forest edge rustled and moved. A leering green pointed face appeared between the branches. Kurt caught the motion from the corner of his eye and yelled, "Goblin!" He tried to drop the slingshots and reach for his sword. His fingers were entangled in the straps. Like a game of cat's cradle was the crazy thought that flashed into his mind. The goblin lunged forward. The soldier met it with a slash of his sword. Green blood gushed out, and the body melted to a pool of foul shine.

  "There will be more," the soldier said. "Alert other swordsmen!"

  Harpies still circled and dived above the field and the lake. Near Lisa, Betty and Emmy and the other servant girls kept watch. Betty yelled "To your right!" as a harpie made a daring, low swoop and almost caught Lisa's hair in its talons. Lisa whirled, opened the book and cut down the harpie with the brilliant beam of pure light. It flopped about like a wounded ostrich and almost knocked over several soldiers. They finished it with their swords and kicked it over the cliff.

  "Lunacy's throwing everything he has at us-worse and worse each time," Lisa said. "I'm going to read from the book, like Chocma did on the battlefield. When she read, the blue light made a dome that protected everything around."

  Lisa focused on the pages of the Book of Wisdom and read aloud. The blue light not only swelled out as before, but her voice rose with it. Her whole being thrilled to the strange, powerful words she said aloud. Her voice took on the tone of a deep, clear bell. Blue light surrounded her in an expanding dome. Betty scanned the sky for harpies and listened in fascination. She was carried back to the spot by the stream when she read aloud from the book and felt herself changed inside.