Obsidian Ridge c-2

by Jess Lebow

  Talish nodded. "Yep. Except what about the Claw? If we can't negotiate with the king, then who will turn him over to us?

  Kleegor brushed him off with a wave of his hand. "We can deal with that. The Claw is no problem."

  "The Claw is a bigger problem than you think."

  Both Kleegor and Talish nearly jumped out of their skin as the Matron appeared beside the stack of crates.

  "Matron! We. We, uh… we didn't see you there."

  "I am aware of that," she said, walking toward them.

  Throwing her hands toward the ground, she spoke a short prayer. With each step, she grew, her body becoming twice the size of the half-ore, then three times, then four.

  Kleegor and Talish cowered in her shadow as the giant-sized Matron loomed over them.

  "We will do things the way I have planned them. The king is off limits. No one is to touch him. Is that understood?"

  Talish nodded, dropping to his knees and bowing his head to the deck of the boat.

  "I meant no disrespect, Matron," said Kleegor. "I just thought maybe we didn't need to deal with the king anymore. It's getting close to moonrise. Maybe we could just handle the Obsidian Ridge all on our own."

  The Matron grabbed Kleegor by the front of his sweaty, tattered shirt and lifted him into the air. "We will handle the Obsidian Ridge when the king is in my pocket and the Claw is dead and buried."

  "Yes, Matron," said the half-ore.

  "I am not going to let some parlor magician with a few neat tricks show up and ruin my plans. If this Xeries has a deadline, then let him have his deadline. He will get his after we get ours. Is that understood?" Kleegor nodded.

  "Good," she said, tossing him to the dock. "Now get back to work!" With that, she turned and walked away from them both, shrinking back to her normal size as she did.

  Kleegor dusted himself off. "Time is running out, Talish," he said, his snout turned up in an angry sneer. "We need to do something, and we need to do it now."

  Talish nodded. "Just don't let her hear you say that."

  ++++

  Princess Mariko stumbled along as best as she could. Her body felt heavy, her arms weak, and her head still hurt. The antidote she had been drinking regularly had helped, but the spider's venom was still taking its toll on her.

  "Hurry." One of Jallal's guards shoved Mariko, and she stumbled, catching herself against the wall.

  She muttered something under her breath and glared at the woman who had pushed her.

  "You have something to say to me?" growled the woman.

  Mariko closed her mouth and shook her head.

  "That's what I thought. Now move it."

  Mariko did as she was told, marching on down the dark corridor.

  As the contingent disappeared around another bend, a symbol appeared on the wall where the princess's hand had been. It was dim at first, but then it grew in intensity. The symbol pulsed slowly on and off, lighting the hallway then letting it go dark.

  "Is there a reason why we can't travel through the regular hallways?" The Claw slipped sideways between two narrow walls.

  "Yes," said Evelyne.

  The Claw waited, but Evelyne didn't elaborate. "That reason is…?"

  "Because everything else travels through them," she said, a little perturbed. "And this is a shortcut anyway."

  "A shortcut to where?"

  "To where I think your friend will be."

  "What makes you think the princess will be in this place?"

  Evelyne stopped. "Do you want my help or don't you?" "I do."

  "Then trust me on this."

  "I trust you. I just want to know where we're going."

  Evelyne pressed on, stepping through an opening in the wall, crossing a small room, and squeezing herself into another crack. The Claw followed.

  "Let me ask you something," continued Evelyne. "If you'd just been thrown into this place and you figured you were going to be here a while, what would you do? Where would you go first?"

  The Claw thought about it. "I guess I'd look for shelter first, a safe place to sleep. Then I'd probably look for fresh water."

  "So that is where I am taking you," she said. "To the only source of fresh water in the Cellar."

  They walked on in silence for some time, eventually coming out of the narrow passage they had been traversing into a cavern. To the Claw, it looked like a natural cave. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, liquid dripping from their tips into pools or forming stalagmites below. A glowing, blue-green moss that partially illuminated the cave covered the walls, and the whole place smelled like rotten eggs.

  "Don't tell me this is your source of fresh water."

  "Shh!" Evelyne put her finger up to quiet him and her other hand up to her ear.

  The Claw listened for the sounds in the cave. He could hear the water dripping into the puddles and the echoes from the drips rippling down the stone walls. But there was little else.

  "What do you hear?" he asked.

  "There's someone here." She listened for a moment longer. "Just one. Could be your princess."

  The Claw pushed past her, but Evelyne grabbed his arm.

  "Could be something else too," she said.

  The Claw nodded then slipped into the shadows behind a stalagmite, his body disappearing. Slinking through the darkness, the Claw worked his way down the length of the cave. Deeper in, the dripping water dried up, and the sounds of the echoes grew quieter. Until finally, he was able to make out what Evelyne had heard..»

  It sounded like footsteps, but something about them wasn't right. Definitely only one person, walking on two legs, but the pattern was off, as if… he couldn't quite place it. A little farther in, and the Claw saw why.

  In the middle of the cave, headed away from the dripping water, was a lone man-his muscular legs ending in hooves. He wore stark white robes with chain mail underneath, and he carried a wicked-looking blade in his right hand. From this distance, it was hard to tell for certain, but to the Claw, it looked as if it were some exotic blade from the Far East.

  Slipping from one side of the cave to the other, the Claw took advantage of the dim shadows cast by the patches of glowing moss. He didn't know who this stranger with the foreign blade was, but maybe he knew where to find the princess.

  The Claw drew in a little closer.

  "I hear you," said the hoofed man. He stopped walking, but he did not turn around. "You will not surprise me."

  The Claw stepped out from behind the stalagmite. "I mean you no harm. I am just looking for someone."

  "You have found someone," said the man.

  "I am looking for a woman," said the Claw. "A princess."

  The man's ears perked up. "A princess? What ever would a princess be doing in a place like this?"

  "If you have seen her, just tell me which direction to head," said the Claw. "Then I will leave you alone and be on my way."

  "Now why would I want you to do that?" asked the man, finally turning around, revealing a woman's silhouetted face emblazoned in gold on the front of his robes-the symbol for the temple of Waukeen.

  His face was long, like the snout of a wolf, only much more compact. Sharpened teeth jutted out from under his curled lips as he spoke. A pair of short horns shot out from his forehead, and he held his blade easily in one hairy hand, dangling at his side.

  "I do not wish to fight you," said the Claw.

  "Who said anything about a fight?" The man stood still for a moment, eyeing the Claw. "Do you know who I am?"

  The Claw shook his head. The man looked familiar somehow, but he didn't recognize him. "I don't think so."

  The man stepped closer. "Well then you should get to know me," he said.

  With lightning speed the man's blade left his side, whispering as it cut the air.

  The Claw only had time to raise his gauntlets to block the strike. His right hand connected with the man's sword, followed by a harmonious clang and clatter as all four blades broke free and dropped to the cave floor. The
horned man's sword came to a rest at his side, unblemished.

  The Claw stumbled back in shock. The high wizard Ellhimar had constructed those gauntlets. Nothing had ever so much as tarnished the edge, yet this stranger's sword had taken the blades clean off.

  "Who are you?" asked the Claw.

  "It will come to you," replied the horned man.

  A cold chill ran down the Claw's spine. His voice did sound familiar.

  The horned man's blade whispered again as it split the air.

  The Claw dodged back, careful not to risk his remaining gauntlet. The sword slipped past, just missing his face, and the horned man brought it around again, this time in a flat arc. The Claw dodged again, throwing himself against the mossy cave wall. The blade missed his face, but this time the razor tip bit into his mask, slicing it away from cheekbone to cheekbone, just below both eyes. A brief flash filled the chamber as the magic inside failed, and the bottom half slipped away, dropping to the cave floor and revealing his rugged face and blond hair.

  The horned man lowered his blade. "Well, well, well," he said, obviously pleased with himself. "If it isn't Quinn, King Korox's bodyguard."

  Quinn lifted his right hand to his exposed chin. Though it was his own flesh, it felt stubbly and strange. His second life had been revealed-incongruous halves of the same whole. He knew the Cellar was full of many dangers, but this was not one he had considered.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Arch Magus Xeries downed the last drop of wine in his goblet and looked out over the edge of his citadel onto Shalane Lake. The moon reflected on the water's surface as it rose-a long, shimmering band of pale yellow light.

  He took a deep breath, thinking about what he was about to do. This had been his home, had been the land he wanted to rule alongside his wife. That dream had never come to pass. His disfigurement and the loss of his beloved had ended his hopes for ever becoming king.

  Now Xeries stood high above the valley, looking down on what at one time he had most coveted. Would seeing this place in ruins make him happy? Probably not. It wasn't Erlkazar that was withholding from him the thing he now desired.

  It was the man who ruled Erlkazar who had everything Xeries wanted.

  And that man now needed to be taught a lesson. If there was one thing that Xeries had learned in his long life, it was that threats only worked if you were willing to follow through.

  Turning away from the balcony, he stepped down into his private chamber. There, in the middle of the floor, awaited one of his servants. The creature sat like an obedient dog, patiently waiting for his master to give him an order or lavish him with attention.

  Unlike the army of slavering, monstrous beasts below the Obsidian Ridge on the valley floor, this creature was more calculating, more refined. Its eyes had an intelligence to them that the others lacked. Where they were indiscriminate killing machines, mercilessly striking anything they were pointed at, unaffected by who or how they killed, this creature understood why it did what it did. It knew whose life it was ending, and it enjoyed the process.

  Its sleek frame rippled with ropy muscles underneath taught, shiny black skin. Its limbs ended in razor-like claws that retracted and extended out of its paws at will. Its ears moved around its head, searching its surroundings like a bat. And its mouth could unhinge at the jaw, so it could sink its huge fangs into even larger prey.

  Xeries sat down at the opposite side of the room, "Come here, my pet."

  The creature obeyed without delay, crossing the floor on all fours. Its soft feet made no noise as they padded across the shiny obsidian. Were it not for the light of the moon coming through the balcony, Xeries may not have seen the beast, blending so well against its dark surroundings.

  "You know what it is I want you to do," said Xeries.

  The creature nodded its understanding.

  "Very good," said the arch magus. "Make sure they know who sent you, and give King Korox my regards."

  The beast bowed its head, turned, and bolted across the room. Bounding out onto the balcony, the creature leaped over the edge and disappeared into the night.

  Kleegor fumed. "The moon has risen, and still the Matron hasn't turned over the princess." He walked away from the docks, his task of loading Elixir crates finished for the time being.

  "You are walking a thin line," replied Talish.

  "What do you mean?"

  "I mean, I know that look. You're thinking about doing something. Something you're probably going to regret."

  "So what if I am?" replied the half-ore. "I'm tired of taking orders and not being part of the plan."

  The dark-skinned man shook his head. "You're going to get yourself killed."

  The half-ore growled. "The Matron is going to get all of us killed. She's playing with fire, and I don't intend to get burned."

  "Then what are you going to do?"

  The half-ore smiled a nearly toothless grin. "I'm going to do what it was we should've done a long time ago. I'm going to force the Matron to turn over the princess."

  "Don't say it," said Talish as they crossed from the open wharf into the clustered streets penned in by warehouses and shop fronts.

  "I'm going to send a little present to the king." Kleegor rubbed his hands together, his glee growing as he envisioned the king lying dead on the floor of Klarsamryn, two assassins standing over him.

  "You should reconsider. Maybe just wait and see what happens." Talish grabbed Kleegor's arm. "Please. The Matron warned us, and if you do something against her wishes, then she's going to think I was involved."

  The half-ore wheeled on Talish. "Where did your spine

  "Shh. Keep your voice down," urged Talish. He looked both ways down the alley, making sure no one was eavesdropping. "I have a spine, but you heard her. She said the king was off limits, and I don't think it's wise to cross her, not now."

  The half-ore shoved his companion and walked away. "I don't have time for cowards. I'm going to take matters into my own hands."

  "I never would have guessed that you were the Claw," said the horned man, locked in a circling duel with Quinn. "A bodyguard, sure. I can see you throwing yourself before danger to save old Korox. But you didn't strike me as the type who could kill indiscriminately."

  "So now you know who I am," replied Quinn. "Time to tell me who you are."

  "You really don't know?" The man chuckled. "Then for now, you can call me the demon."

  The man lunged, reaching for Quinn's belly with the tip of his sword. The polished steel left a blue-green trail of light as it moved, reflecting the glow of the phosphorescent moss. Quinn rolled to his right, tumbling away from the Strike and coming to his feet behind a stalagmite.

  The demon struck again. Quinn ducked, and the exotic sword hit the mineralized stone, shattering the rock and sending it flying silently into a patch of moss.

  "That's better!" shouted the horned man, swinging down on Quinn for a third time.

  Backed up against the wall of the cave and with no cover nearby, Quinn slapped the blade aside with the flat of his palm. The polished steel bounced away, glancing harmlessly off the leather of Quinn's ruined gauntlet. The demon stumbled forward, thrown off by Quinn's unorthodox defense. He hopped once then lost his balance, crashing chest first into the ruined stalagmite.

  Quinn leaped from the corner, raking the demon's arm just below his chain mail with the blades on his left hand, then he darted into the open center of the cave, giving himself more room.

  The demon let out a growling scream that rippled the surface of the standing puddles. The arm of his robes was now tattered, and the padded armor underneath had been shredded as well. Narrow lines of blood rose to the surface from the razor-thin slices in his flesh.

  Pushing himself upright, the demon came at Quinn, a look of pure hatred in his eyes.

  "Now's your chance to die in place of your king!" he shouted.

  He swung his sword in a figure eight, back and forth, side to side. The blade picked up speed as he cam
e forward, a hissing wall of sharpened steel, leaving a blue-green tracer behind as it moved.

  Quinn backpedaled and nearly tripped on a loose stone. Catching his balance, he reached down and grabbed the rock, nearly the size of a grapefruit. Quickly running out of options, he hurled it at his oncoming adversary. The stone collided with the exotic blade and was cut to shreds, the pieces scattering across the cave like a handful of thrown pebbles.

  "Nowhere to go now, eh, Quinn?" the demon taunted, the sweeping motions of his blade filling the cave with sharpened steel.

  Quinn backed away even farther, into a deep puddle. His feet sank below the surface, the water rising over the tops of his boot?: Having little else at his disposal, Quinn kicked with all of his might, sending a wave of filthy water up and over the horned man's head.

  The muddy liquid collided with the moving sword, sending a good portion of it splashing off like a sideways rain. But unlike the stone, the water was not solid, and most of it continued on, hitting the demon in the face. It filled his eyes and nose, and the horned man coughed and spat, struggling to clear his vision. His blade came to a halt as he was forced to use one hand to wipe away the water.

  Quinn dashed past, once again pulling himself out from against the wall. The tight confines of the cave were not the best place for his particular type of fighting, but he had no alternative. Taking advantage of his opponent's temporary blindness, he jabbed at the man's sword hand, trying to disarm him.

  But the demon pulled back, saving his hand and keeping his blade.

  "Maybe I underestimated you," said the demon.

  The filthy water dripped down the demon's face, leaving long grayish-brown streaks on his cheeks, drips falling from the pointed ends of his horns. Wiping the last of it out of his eyes, he gripped his weapon in both hands and took an aggressive stance.

  "At one time, I may have grown tired of this game, but"-his lips curled up on one side, revealing his sharpened teeth-"I'm rather enjoying killing you."

  A rumbling sound echoed into the cave. It was faint at first, then it grew, getting closer. Soon the chamber filled with a familiar tapping noise, followed by growling, gnashing, and a tremendous hiss. A pair of giant spiders appeared in the mossy glow at the far end of the cave. Behind them, four scaled tentacles, each with the head of a drake, and a dozen eyes on long spindly stalks protruded into the space.