Fate's Hand

by Lynn, Christopher

  The wizard's mind turned to the gnolls. The savage and crude creatures would, without a doubt, be harder to convince. But with a group of giants at his back, how could Yusar be denied? He fiddled with the handle of his knife as he walked and scarcely noticed what was around him. The giants' booming footsteps slowed down and brought Yusar out of his idle thoughts. The wizard looked up to see large wooden post decorated with skulls and bones of all sorts of creatures and men. Each post featured a large mark carved into the wood: the symbol for the gnoll tribe.

  Yusar caught the eye of several young naked gnolls, presumably male, looking down at him from an outcropping. Yusar smiled disarmingly and began casting a spell, knowing how the gnolls felt about magic, and intending to take the advantage. Yusar finished his casting, then began moving his hand over the earth, re-creating the symbol carved into the poles. When he finished, Yusar called to the young gnolls.

  “Go and fetch your leader.”

  Pleased to hear the young gnolls run off into the woods, Yusar sat down by the symbol he had burned into the ground and waited.

  It took no time at all to hear the yelps and shouts of a party clambering through the woods. Yusar stood and casted illusion flames to surround him. He had already fixed a stoneskin on himself while waiting for his new recruits. The gnolls— fifty or so, by Yusar's estimation—broke into the clearing and immediately halted upon seeing the giants. The giants stood placidly behind Yusar, their weapons sheathed. Yusar spotted the largest and most fearsome-looking gnoll standing in the front and held up his hand for silence. Yusar directed a second illusion flame spell to circle the gnoll. Most of the tribe barked and yelped and shrank from the fire, but the alpha gnoll remained unperturbed. The large beast took a deep puff of breath and let out a primal grunt to silence the group behind him. He looked back at the wizard and lifted his snout in a caricature of a smile, revealing long, white fangs and black gums.

  The alpha gnoll was massive even by their standards. He had thick brown and orange stripped fur and a long black mane. Several gold rings adorned his ears and his mane was braided with small skulls and bones wrapped in the ends. The gnoll sauntered forward to see the symbol scorched into the ground.

  “I am the one you seek foolish yogul. That is my name.”

  Yusar cocked his head.

  “You speak well, for a gnoll.”

  “You speak well, for a dead man.”

  The gnoll spat to the side and glared at the writing. “Only a man wanting to die would come into my territory, with a host of giants, and write my name on the ground. You cast harmless fire and expect to scare us away? No, I am no stupid dog, as you believe. I am Lar, these are my warriors, and you would be advised to leave. Now.”

  Yusar still felt taken aback at the agile tongue and beautiful dialect of the gnoll. He looked past Lar to the gnolls. Most of them looked to be simple and unintelligent, but large and powerful.

  “I am sorry.”

  “Sorry for what, human?”

  “Sorry I have to destroy such a creature as you.”

  With a preternatural agility, Lar brought his spear to bear, but Yusar was a step ahead. The wizard dropped down and pounded his hand against the ground, releasing a spell. The symbol on the ground ignited with such a force that Lar was lifted off his feet and thrown back. Yusar stood, dusting his robes at the knees, and shot the bewildered gnolls a withering gaze. He walked across the petering fire and considered the gnoll, smoldering flesh and all. Helpless.

  Yusar unclasped his cloak and covered the gnoll with it, extinguishing the small flames, ignoring the stench of cooked flesh and the labored breathing. He stood back up and addressed his audience.

  “Who are the mightiest warriors of Lar?”

  After a tense wait, three large gnolls pushed through the herd to the front, weapons in hand.

  “You would follow Lar to your deaths?”

  The three exchanged looks between themselves. “We would.”

  Yusar eyed them and motioned to one of the giants, who effortlessly lifted the gnoll and threw him over a shoulder.

  “Then follow him into glory. Lar now belongs to me.” Yusar passed through the giants, beginning the long trek back to the tower. After hours of walking, he turned to see what looked like a few hundred gnolls walking behind him and the giants. At that moment, Yusar felt power unlike anything he had ever obtained with a magical item. He clenched his fist and thought about Drask and his offer. If the choice was between death and being the general of a great army, he might as well take on the task. Yusar could feel the collar loosen as he got closer to the tower and his new position beside the demon prince.

  Val heard voices talking in muffled tones. He opened his eyes to be greeted by blinding sunlight and tried to sit up. Immediately he realized neither of his injured arms were going to allow that, so he sighed and laid back. He looked over to see Rylan laying on a bed next to him. The man was grinning ear to ear.

  “Your sister is pretty.”

  Val smiled and replied, “Much too pretty for you, troll man.”

  “Ah, so you figured out what the blood was. You’ve seen a troll before, I take it.”

  “No, but I’ve heard stories about how they can regenerate. Their arms, legs, and even their head can continue to work, even after they are cut off the body. I’ll probably have a scar on my leg from your runaway hand.”

  Rylan grimaced. “Oh, yeah, sorry. Well, I doubt you'll have a scar. One of the slaves we rescued just so happened to be a very grateful and talented healer. In fact, he's probably the only reason you’re alive. Oh, and speaking of rogue hands: my brother says you put on quite a show with a greatsword. We kept it for you. It took three women to carry it back to camp.”

  Val thought back to the fighting and the pain in his arms returned. “Anyway, I’ll go grab your sister. She has hardly left your side, but she wanted to go take a bath with the other women at the river. I’m sure she'll want to know you're awake. I need to go hunt. There’s lot of hungry people out there.”

  Rylan got up from the spare cot and ducked out of the tent. Only a moment later, he peeked his head back in. “She really is beautiful, you know.”

  Val didn’t bother to respond. He just laid there and smiled, happy that everyone was okay.

  Yusar walked over the hill with his new army. Drask was given an alert that the wizard had returned and was awaiting him. When the tower finally came into Yusar's sight, he was taken aback by the scene.

  Hundreds of demons stood around the tower. The battalion of gnolls and giants halted and looked on in amazement. At the top of the tower, on the balcony, stood Drask, his long flowing red cloak flapping wildly in the wind. He looked larger than normal and Yusar noticed he wasn’t using his normal spell to distort his image; his outline in the afternoon sky was crystal clear. Yusar recognized the magical properties of the cape—it would amplify the wearer's voice. It was another magical item of his, now apparently lost with the rest. Yusar caught several gnolls trying to break ranks and flee, but the giants stood fast. Drask raised one hand high and called out in a booming voice.

  “Come, General Yusar.”

  Yusar knew his cue to enact his spell of levitation and begin the show. He cited the words then rose above the mass of demons. Even the air above them burned his eyes and reeked of stale smoke and burning sulfur. He studied the horde as he flew over them, noting dozens of massive demons he couldn't classify. They stood as tall as the largest giants he had brought with him, covered in a mix of scale plating and coarse hair, with massive, muscular arms and large bony spines jutting from their backs up to their necks. They hardly paid heed to the wizard, but instead locked eyes with the giants and gnolls. A shudder ran up Yusar’s spine at the thought of what destruction they could do in battle.

  Yusar finally arrived at the balcony and lightly set down next to the demon prince. He turned to look and was surprised to see the gnolls and giants, lead by the badly burned gnoll and the giant chief, having a standoff with the m
ass of demons. . Drask finally broke the tension.

  “Look into the eyes of our new allies, brothers. These are the first of many.”

  Another moment passed, each group seemingly assessing the other for strength. Strength now combined.

  “Now look to me and hear me well. Know that what I say is the truth. You may all be different in appearance and power, but you are the same. You are all the same in heart and standing. Too long has our kind been denied a place in this world. Too long has the select few ruled over the great many under the sun while you are forced to hide in the shadows. Held back from progress and civilization because we are considered creatures unfit of their privileges. Do we not have wants and needs as they do? Do we not deserve to have our own land? Our rise to greatness? If the humans, elves, and dwarven swine will not recognize us, we will show them something they cannot deny: power.”

  Yusar looked out over the massive force and saw arms, weapons, and clawed hands thrust into the air and heard the crowd clamor. The demons calmly nodded their heads in agreement. Yusar looked to Drask and saw a thin smile appear across his face, his teeth—polished, white, and sharp—gleamed in the sun. Drask continued with a tremor of emotion in his voice.

  “Power in numbers. Power in convictions. We will stand together and make this land our own. Here, on this spot, we will forge an empire. This land belongs to no man. It is ruled by no king. It was thought too wild to be ruled. We will show them they are right. We will make our own kingdom. We will make a force so large they will not be able to ignore us any longer. They will have to recognize it is our time to rise. We will be heard and they will bend to our demands.”

  Drask gave a pause and clenched his fist.

  “Or we will break them with our will. Break them and build our empire with their bones. This is our time! We will stand united and we will not be denied!”

  Drask shouted the final word of his speech and slammed his hands down on the banister, triggering a wave of force across his newfound army. All the demons and gnolls fell down at once. Even the giants found themselves on one knee. Yusar, stunned and gaping at Drask as if he were mad, surveyed the effect the wave had on the masses. Gnolls, giants, and demons alike recovered quickly, raised their weapons, and raised a deafening war cry. The masses mixed together and crowded in to get closer to the tower, to see their new leader. Drask stood and soaked in the glory, motioning for Yusar to join him. Yusar’s breath was taken away and his heart pounded with excitement. He felt invincible.

  Drask leaned over and asked over the shouting, “Do you feel that?”

  “Yes, Prince, I do.”

  Drask smiled all the wilder. He looked out over the crowd, raised one hand in salute, then disappeared into the doorway. Yusar appraised the army once again. Large armored demons already walked among the troops, shouting orders and taking advantage of the excitement to issue commands.

  “Are any of the new recruits worthy of a leadership role?” hissed a voice from behind Yusar. He turned to see Sirash poised casually on the side of the balcony. Yusar had been so caught up in the scene below that she could have been there the entire time. He looked back down to the crowd and replied.

  “Yes. The burned gnoll seems exceptionally intelligent. Without him, I doubt the gnolls would stay. And the large giant out in front isn’t half as intelligent, but to lead the giants you would be hard-pressed to find another they would respect.”

  Sirash slithered next to Yusar. “Well, General, I guess you can inform them of their rank and position. We have already started giving out orders to collect, clear, and build. We will build a castle and hold here, around the tower.”

  Yusar looked to the naga, but she cut him off before he could ask any questions. “The tower will stop moving. The prince will have its defensive powers and teleportation as a fail-safe. You will tell no one of the tower's capabilities. We need better laborers. Orcs and goblins should do. Even a few humans might be good—for slaves, of course.”

  Yusar tightened his jaw and looked off at the horizon.

  “The collar won’t be necessary anymore, then. Since the tower is staying put.”

  Sirash pouted. “Aww, you don’t like my collar? I made it especially for you.” She ran her sharp nails along the rivets on the side of the device. “No, I think it will stay for now. I’m sure Drask would make an exception to temporarily move the tower, to cut any loose ends.”

  Yusar looked at Sirash with a stern brow.

  “Good. I'm glad we understand each other. Bring in at least two hundred laborers. Use your new resources to make it so, General,” she said, leaving Yusar alone on the balcony.

  “Damned snake woman,” Yusar said to the wind.

  The red wizard felt his body raise off the ground and fumbled for his dagger. A force around his throat squeezed the airway shut, keeping him from citing a spell, and his hand was crushed against the grip of the dagger. He heard footsteps and he slowly moved closer to the edge of the balcony. A whispering voice sent shivers down his spine.

  “You should take better care of what you say; you never know who is listening. And we would hate to see anything happen to Drask’s pet general.” The force on his neck and wrist released and he dropped to the stone balcony. He spun around to face thin air. He realized it was the same invisible sentry that Drask kept around, so he relaxed slightly. He released his dagger and straightened his robes.

  “Do you at least have a name?” he asked, trying to regain his composure. The door to the balcony shut and left Yusar standing alone. He thought about commenting on the demon’s manners but held his tongue.

  Rylan had called out several times from the rocks for Daria and made his presence known to all the women down by the water. One of the other girls grabbed Daria’s arm as she collected her clothes.

  “Do you want me to come with you? I mean, what if he, you know, changes again?”

  Daria looked to the rocks as Rylan began to whistle a melody. Daria could understand why most of the slaves were afraid of the man. Daria gave a comforting smile and touched her hand. “No, I will be fine. They did save us, you know.”

  “Yes, but for what reason?” The girl quietly asked and turned away.

  Daria finished getting dressed, then walked up the hill to meet Rylan. The man was standing with his back to a large boulder, continually whistling to make his whereabouts known to the women below.

  “Is he alright?” Daria asked, smiling.

  Rylan stopped and looked at the girl's wet hair. He smiled like a young boy. “Very much so. Awake and ready to see his sister, I would think.”

  Daria's smile brightened and they started off for camp.

  “You look a lot better,” Rylan said. Daria glanced sideways at Rylan and scrunched her face.

  “Better than what?”

  Rylan stammered. “I mean, you just looked, well, the orcs probably didn’t, it's just that—” Daria smiled at the blushing man.

  “It's okay, Rylan. I was only playing. I did look terrible. And, no, the orcs didn’t.”

  Rylan finally caught his breath and looked down at the ground as he walked next to her. “You didn’t look that bad. You were the most beautiful orc slave girl I’ve ever rescued,” Rylan said.

  “Oh, so this is your hobby? Rescuing slave girls?”

  “I wouldn’t say it’s a hobby. I make clay pottery as a hobby.”

  Daria looked askance at Rylan, who was smiling from ear to ear. “Okay, that’s a lie. I save slave girls. You caught me.”

  “So, what now?” Daria asked.

  “I’m not sure. We'll heal up the sick and injured until everyone can go their separate ways.”

  A sound from behind them made Daria turn to see several girls hiding off the side of the trail. Rylan kept walking. Daria waved her hand to the girls to dismiss them and took a few quick steps to catch up to Rylan.

  “I’m used to it,” Rylan said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “It’s okay. It’s a choice I make—t
o change. I knew that, even if I saved you all, I could still be perceived as a monster afterwards. People fear what they don’t understand. Please don’t be afraid of me. Whatever form I take, my mind is always my own. I would never hurt you or anyone else who didn’t deserve it.”

  Daria stopped him and grabbed his hand. She smiled with a small tear at the edge of her eye. “Thank you for rescuing us and bringing my brother to me. I am forever in your debt, Rylan.” Daria threw her arms around his neck. He slowly put one arm around her with a smile on his face. “Thank you for that. Now, let’s go see the kid. He traveled a long way and killed plenty of orcs to get you back.”

  Daria began walking with Rylan again, but he could see she was thinking hard.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “My brother, he isn’t a fighter. My uncle only taught him basic sword skills. But when I saw him square off against those orcs, he was…something else. He hasn’t ever moved like that. He has never…killed before.”

  “Your brother is no killer. People are pushed to new limits when their loved ones are in danger. Val did what he needed to get you back. Asher and I think his red hand has a mind of its own.”

  Daria stopped again. “His hand?”

  “You didn’t notice it?

  “His red hand? You mean the one covered in blood?”

  Rylan didn’t know quite what to say, but tried his best. “Daria, his hand was not red with blood. His actual hand is red. His wrist is scarred and his hand looks like it’s been replaced.”

  Daria’s brow creased. “Replaced with what?”

  “Something bad.”

  Daria rushed into Val’s tent right as the women were changing his bandages. Daria’s eyes immediately went to his hand. Val smiled until he noticed the look on her face.

  “Daria—”

  “What did you do to yourself?” The women in the room stopped their work. As they hurried out of the tent, Daria repeated herself.