“Just as the Keeper did during the war against the urdmordar,” said Gavin, “which led to the creation of the Magistri and the Swordbearers.”
“I see you have been paying attention to Brother Caius’s lessons in history,” said Arandar with approval.
“We traveled through the northern Wilderland, following the River Moradel to Cathair Solas,” said Calliande. “There was a dark elven ruin along the river, a place called Urd Cystaanl.”
“Quinta claimed that Rhogrimnalazur resided there,” said Ridmark. “Apparently she still does.”
“Rhogrimnalazur sent out arachar and spiderlings to take us alive before her,” said Calliande. “We fought our way free, but barely. Two of our companions fell in the fighting. We eluded the arachar, crossed the River Moradel, and continued north. I think Rhogrimnalazur lost interest in us, and Kalomarus and I continued to Cathair Solas.”
“Where he became the Dragon Knight,” said Gavin.
“Yes,” said Calliande, her eyes still distant.
“Just what is the Dragon Knight?” said Mara. “I have heard the story all my life, but…well, no one seems to know what the title meant.”
“Before the elves split into the high elves and the dark elves,” said Calliande, “before the elven kindred even walked this world, there were dragons. You saw one of their skulls in Dragonfall. They died out long ago, but before they did, they took the last of their magic and placed it into a sword. The high elven champion who wielded that sword was called the Dragon Knight.”
“What happened to it?” said Mara.
“I don’t know,” said Calliande. “I…think I removed my memory of it for some reason.”
Morigna let out a groan. “After all the effort we went to recovering your memory from Khald Azalar, you still have not reclaimed all of it? Perhaps in the ancient legends of the Greeks, this is how Tantalus felt in Hades when the boulder rolled back down the hill yet again.” Caius snickered at that.
Calliande showed no reaction to the barb. “I must have had a reason for it, but I did not bother to inform myself of it.”
Mara shrugged. “Perhaps you wanted to keep the power of the Dragon Knight’s sword out of Shadowbearer’s hands. And your stratagem did succeed.”
“At great cost,” said Calliande. “And thanks to you all.”
She was right about that. Still, once Calliande had recovered her memory, Morigna had half-expected the Keeper to become arrogant and commanding, to start ordering them about like servants. Instead, she seemed…exactly the same. More confident, certainly. More humble. A bit haunted, as if she could now remember horrors she had forgotten before. Yet for all that, Calliande now seemed more…complete. As if Morigna had only known a piece of the woman, not the totality.
To Morigna’s mild irritation, she found herself liking Calliande. Even though Calliande was in love with Ridmark.
“The sword,” said Ridmark. “On the day you awakened, Calliande. Shadowbearer asked you about the location of a staff and a sword. The staff, obviously, was the staff of the Keeper. But the sword…”
“It must have been the sword of the Dragon Knight,” said Morigna. “If Shadowbearer could not find the staff of the Keeper, perhaps he could not find the sword as well.”
“He wasted his time,” said Calliande. “I don’t know where the sword is. Is it in Tarlion? Kalomarus was a loyal and determined man. He might have left it in the High King’s Citadel for safekeeping.”
“He didn’t,” said Ridmark, looking at Arandar. “At least not that I know. Unless it was a secret the High Kings kept for themselves.”
Arandar laughed. “I am a bastard, remember? If it was a secret known only to the High Kings, it would not be shared with me.”
“Kalomarus escorted me to Dragonfall where I hid my staff,” said Calliande, “and then to the Tower of Vigilance. I know not what happened to him after that.”
Ridmark shrugged. “He disappeared from the chronicles of the realm. No one knows what happened to him.”
“And I knew,” said Calliande, “but I removed the memory from myself.”
Morigna frowned. “Is it possible that you simply never knew?”
“No,” said Calliande. She smiled a little. “Because I can remember casting the spell to remove the memory.”
“One observes,” said Morigna, “that you have a remarkable penchant for plans of excessive complexity.”
“I don’t think I am in any position to argue,” said Calliande.
“Enough!” said Rakhaag, his voice just shy of a snarl. “We speak of a man long dead while the end of the world draws near.”
“Rakhaag,” said Calliande. She regarded the hulking lupivir without fear. Morigna wasn’t sure if that was a mask, or if Calliande really was that calm. “Does the great memory speak of Kalomarus the Dragon Knight?”
“A warrior with a sword of flame accompanied the Staffbearer in the war against the cold ones,” said Rakhaag. “After the defeat of the cold ones, he passed from the knowledge of the great memory. How shall we stop Shadowbearer? If he succeeds, the True People shall perish with all other kindreds.”
“We are pursuing him,” said Ridmark, “because we know where he is going.”
Rakhaag nodded with approval. “A sound hunter’s strategy. Where does he flee?”
“To the Black Mountain, on the northern borders of the High King’s realm,” said Ridmark. “He has an empty soulstone in his possession, stolen from the caverns of Cathair Solas. He can use that stone to open a gate to the world of the Frostborn on Black Mountain, and summon them back to our world once more.”
“Then we must hunt him and tear out his throat,” said Rakhaag.
“A splendid idea,” said Jager. Rakhaag fixed Jager with a baleful glare, but the arrogant little thief had the wit not to look away. “However, we have a particularly large spider-shaped problem blocking the way.”
Rakhaag scowled.
“The urdmordar?” said Jager. “Rhogrimnalazur? You know, have you been paying attention?”
“The halfling uses too many words,” said Rakhaag, looking back at Ridmark. “Words are useless. Long ago, when the urdmordar ruled, they bred halflings as cattle and feasted upon them. Did all the clever words save the halflings from their deaths?”
“Well,” said Jager, “my clever words have gotten me out of trouble many times.”
“Or into it,” muttered Morigna.
“He’s right,” said Mara.
Rakhaag growled, his fur flattening. “I can smell the taint of the dark elves upon her, Ridmark son of Leogrance son of Rience. She is a child of a dark elven lord. You travel with such a creature?”
“Given that she slew her father,” said Ridmark, “it seems safe enough.”
“Mmm.” Rakhaag did not seem mollified, but the beastman looked away from Mara. Likely he thought the argument not worth the effort. “Then how shall we reach Shadowbearer? The great memory knew when the Staffbearer recovered her power. The True People have come to her aid, but we cannot aid you unless we reach Shadowbearer.”
Kharlacht grunted. “How shall we proceed?”
###
Calliande looked at Ridmark.
His face was hard, his blue eyes distant, the broken-sword brand upon his left cheek half-hidden beneath several days’ worth of stubble. He was thinking about something, but she knew he would not speak until he was ready.
“It seems to me,” said Jager, “that our best approach is to avoid the urdmordar and her servants entirely.”
“They already know we are here,” Caius. “Enough of the arachar escaped to report back to Rhogrimnalazur.”
“The spiderlings escaped as well,” said Morigna. “Three of them, I think. It is beyond doubt that the urdmordar knows we are here. Likely she shall send her minions in force.”
“The urdmordar are terrible enemies,” said Rakhaag. “Better to avoid them. They ruled most of this world for long millennia, and they slew many of the True People.”
“You fought an urdmordar at Urd Arowyn, did you not?” said Morigna.
Rakhaag looked at her, his nostrils flaring.
“This one,” said Rakhaag. “This one has the stink of dark magic about her. She should be put down before she turns rabid.”
Morigna’s eyes narrowed.
“No,” said Calliande. “She saved us from a trap of dark magic in Urd Morlemoch. That is why she smells of dark magic. Had she not broken the trap, we would have perished in Urd Morlemoch, and I never would have found my staff again.”
Rakhaag still looked tense, though his fur bristled a little less. “We fought the urdmordar at Urd Arowyn, with the Gray Knight and the Staffbearer. But the urdmordar had taken our children. We had no choice but to fight.”
“But this time, we do have a choice, don’t we?” said Jager. He looked Rakhaag in the eye, but Calliande note that he was staying close to the Swordbearers. Probably a wise choice. “It’s not like Rhogrimnalazur has taken any of us captive. The webbed forest must be her domain. If we go around it, maybe we can elude the arachar and Rhogrimnalazur entirely.”
“We could,” said Calliande. “But that will add several days to our journey.”
“It is hard to track through these forests,” said Kharlacht. “We must head south, and the River Moradel flows in a nearly straight line south to the Black Mountain and Dun Licinia. Following it is our best chance of reaching the Black Mountain before Shadowbearer and the Mhorites.”
“That is true,” said Jager, “but Urd Cystaanl is right on the river’s bank, correct?”
“It is,” said Calliande. She remembered that much, a half-ruined fortress of pale white stone standing on a finger of land, its towers like white bones jutting from a grave.
“We could go around it,” said Arandar, “but as the Keeper has said, it will add several days to our journey.”
“It would be no guarantee of our safety, either,” said Caius. He gripped his wooden cross for a moment, frowning. “If Rhogrimnalazur decides that we are too much of a threat, she might send her arachar after us. Or if she is annoyed that we slew her warriors, she might attack in revenge.”
“Then it seems our best course is to go around Urd Cystaanl,” said Kharlacht.
“We will lose several days,” said Arandar. “Shadowbearer might reach Black Mountain with his army before we do.”
“It appears that is the risk we must take,” said Calliande, though the delay alarmed her. “Rakhaag. Can your pack scout a path for us?”
“We can,” said Rakhaag. “It would be well to keep my pack away from your companions anyway. We are…unused to the presence of other kindreds.”
“I noticed,” said Jager.
“Morigna,” said Calliande. “Could you bind some ravens to scout as well? Rakhaag can scout the ground, but you can give us a view from overhead.”
“I can,” said Morigna. “It will be difficult.” She looked out the gate at the web-wreathed forest. “As one can imagine, one suspects that animals prefer to avoid this place.”
Ridmark straightened up, the end of his staff rasping against the ground.
“No,” he said.
“I’m sorry?” said Calliande. She knew him well enough by now to recognize the look on his face. He had come to a decision.
“We won’t go around Urd Cystaanl and Rhogrimnalazur,” said Ridmark.
Jager raised an eyebrow. “Then what are we going to do?”
“We’re going to go through her,” said Ridmark.
“Through her,” said Jager. He was silent for a moment. “Then…you want us to fight an urdmordar?”
“Yes,” said Ridmark.
“Might I point out,” said Jager, “that is utter madness?”
“It is…something of a bold plan,” said Mara.
“Is it?” said Ridmark. “Consider. The urdmordar once ruled most of this world. The dark elves summoned them, and they in turn enslaved the dark elves. The high elves of Cathair Solas fought against them, but could not overcome them. The urdmordar and their armies almost destroyed Andomhaim and laid siege to Tarlion, but they were stopped. What stopped them?”
“The power of the Keeper,” said Arandar, looking at Calliande.
“And then the Keeper journeyed to Cathair Solas,” said Caius, “and Ardrhythain founded the Two Orders, the Magistri and the Swordbearers.”
“The Magistri and the Swordbearers drove back the urdmordar and threw down their empire,” said Ridmark. He pointed at Calliande. “We have the Keeper.” He gestured at Arandar and Gavin. “We have not one but two Swordbearers. We have Antenora, who wields a kind of magic Rhogrimnalazur will never have seen before. We have Mara, who is something that neither the Warden of Urd Morlemoch nor the Traveler of Nightmane Forest had ever seen in all their long lives.”
Arandar shook his head. “A lone Swordbearer has only overcome an urdmordar maybe three or four times in Andomhaim’s history.”
“Ridmark did it,” said Morigna.
“Ridmark got lucky,” said Ridmark. “But we don’t have one Swordbearer. We have two. And Swordbearers who overcome urdmordar usually have the aid of a Magistrius. We don’t have a Magistrius. We have the Keeper of Andomhaim.”
“Then,” said Rakhaag, a strange mixture of disbelief and anger in his voice, “then you propose to…to hunt an urdmordar?”
“Yes,” said Ridmark. “We will go to Urd Cystaanl and kill Rhogrimnalazur.”
Morigna let out a shocked little laugh. “By your usual standards of recklessness, that is…”
“Madness?” said Jager.
“No,” said Calliande. “No, it’s not. Not for us, not any longer.” She looked at Ridmark. “It was madness when we fought Agrimnalazur at Urd Arowyn. It was madness when we went into Urd Morlemoch and walked into the Warden’s trap. Now, though…now I am the Keeper again, and we have two Swordbearers with us.”
“What are you saying?” said Caius.
“I think Ridmark is right,” said Calliande. “I think we can fight Rhogrimnalazur and win.”
“We face danger whatever choice we make,” said Ridmark. “Rhogrimnalazur might send her arachar to kill us. Or she might come in pursuit of us herself. But if we take the fight to her, we can offer battle on our own terms. If we defeat her or drive her from Urd Cystaanl, we can follow the bank of the River Moradel to the Black Mountain. We will gain several days on Shadowbearer, and if we hasten, we might even be there waiting when he arrives.”
“He’s right,” said Calliande, her fingers tightening against the staff of the Keeper. It was as familiar to her as her own hand, and had been with her for so many miles, so many battles. So many centuries. “We can do this. We can defeat Rhogrimnalazur. What is more, we must do this. We have to stop Shadowbearer…and we cannot let Rhogrimnalazur delay us.”
For a moment no one said anything.
At last Jager shook his head and laughed. “Well, we’ve followed you two into Urd Morlemoch and Khald Azalar. What’s another mad gamble?”
“I am a Knight of the Order of the Soulblade,” said Arandar. “It is my duty to defend the realm of Andomhaim from dark magic, and urdmordar are among the most powerful wielders of dark magic. If you will go into battle against Rhogrimnalazur, then I shall follow you.”
“Where the Keeper goes, I follow,” said Antenora, though her yellow eyes flicked towards Gavin as she said it.
“Your logic is sound,” said Caius.
“I agree,” said Kharlacht. “Better to take the battle to the foe than to wait for her to find us.”
“Shadowbearer is our main foe,” said Mara. “The sooner we can come to grips with him, the better.”
“How fine and splendid that we are all in agreement,” said Morigna. “It is one thing to say we shall kill an urdmordar, quite another to accomplish it. How shall we do so?”
Calliande looked at Ridmark again.
“I have an idea,” said Ridmark.
Chapter 4: Starving Shadows
A
fter Ridmark explained his plan to the others, he left the ring fort, making his way east to the web-choked forest and towards the ruins of Urd Cystaanl. Calliande and Antenora would be busy with their preparations for a few hours, and if the others would protect the Keeper and her apprentice as they worked. For that matter, nearly two hundred lupivirii circled the base of the hill, come to aid the Staffbearer as she prepared for war against Shadowbearer. The beastmen had senses far sharper than those of humans or dwarves or orcs, and they would smell the arachar warriors long before they approached.
Evidently the tainted blood of the arachar stank. Rakhaag had complained of it at some length.
Morigna insisted upon accompanying him. Ridmark would have preferred that she remain safe with the others at the ruined fort, but he knew he could not dissuade her. For that matter, she did have a point. Ridmark had better chances with help than he did alone. Of all his companions, she knew the most about the wilderness, about moving silently through a forest.
He just didn’t want to risk her life.
Of course, a ruined fort at the edge of an urdmordar’s demesne was hardly safe, so she might as well come with him.
They paused at the edge of the forest, Morigna’s eyes fluttering as she cast a spell, purple fire playing about her left hand, her bow in her right hand.
“There,” she said, opening her black eyes and straightening up. “I have located some ravens. They will fly overhead and keep watch. Though it will be difficult to keep control of them. One suspects that wild animals avoid this forest.”
Ridmark looked at the webbed branches. Here and there dead birds were stuck within the stands like flies in the web of a normal spider.
“It’s not surprising,” said Ridmark.
Morigna nodded. “Kiss me.”
Ridmark blinked and looked away from the forest. “What?”
“For luck,” said Morigna. “Is that not the tradition?”
“You don’t believe in luck,” said Ridmark.
She smiled. She did not do that very often, but when she did, it made her look much less severe. It made Ridmark wonder what she would have been like if Coriolus had not murdered her parents and tried to twist her into a vessel for his corrupted soul. “Then kiss me anyway.”
Frostborn: The World Gate Page 5