The Emperor's Shadow War (Tales of Alus Book 2)

by Donald Wigboldy

  "The undying lord that is said to be more than five hundred years old now and still eternally young? He can survive wounds that would kill mortal men. Some even call him the war god, Turas, given human form."

  "The same, but you know now that it is not just a story, don't you, my young friend?"

  Dante waved his hand before him as if to ward off the old man, "Are you saying that I'm another undying man? Or perhaps I am Lord Grimnal reincarnated for this newest of missions to save the world?

  "Come on, Seer! I'll be dead soon enough or perhaps the wound just wasn't as deep as I thought, huh?"

  The old man just shook his head sadly, "It is said that it took Lord Grimnal several near death experiences to understand that he was virtually unkillable. It took another hundred years or so for the idea to sink in that he could be eternal as well. Let's try to cut some of that time down, my young friend, for I am not undying. Just go with me on this one, since we haven't all got as much time as you, all right?"

  "Fine," Dante replied gruffly crossing his arms, though he still stood unconvinced.

  The Seer must have known this as he began again, "You have already died twice, Dante Betrice. Once at the Plain of Turo and now on Valenia's blade."

  At the mention of the woman's name, he turned to look down on her still unconsciousness frame. "Is she like me in that way as well?" he questioned and returned his look to the Seer.

  The man nodded.

  "Perhaps I should test your theories, old man," he retorted angrily and flipped the dagger in his hand.

  The old man shrugged, "If you feel you must, I guess. But ask yourself, do you truly want to harm this lovely young woman? I admit that I do not know you personally, lad, but I have seen parts of your future and think that you are better than that. She is too. I believe that Valenia saved you, if the visions were true. Am I correct?"

  "You are and, yes, I do not truly want her dead or to test if she can be killed. Given other circumstances, I think that we would have been friends."

  "Or even, you hope, more? Don't worry, Dante, I have faith in both of you. The visions aren't the only reasons for this. Think about it, lad. She didn't resist you when you bore her into the tree. When I arrived, you looked as well. She could have slipped free then, but refused to struggle against her impending death. This woman had faith in you, I believe, and that you wouldn't harm her. And even in your anger, I think that we both know that you couldn't have killed the woman.

  "We both also know that you've had to kill them before, but you sensed something special about her, didn't you?"

  Dante looked to Valenia again and put away his knife. Blood trickled from her cut lower lip. He bent down and took the woman's towel from where it had lain. He used the cloth to wipe the blood away gently.

  Valenia moaned beneath his attentions, before opening her eyes slightly. He looked on her and saw, not the warrior, but the woman. She saw him and recognized his face, but showed no alarm at his appearance. Dante looked into her shiny silver eyes and wondered what was going on behind them.

  He turned to the Seer again, "Now what?"

  The old man shrugged, "All in due time. Do what you will, though I might advise you to combine your forces into one encampment. Meanwhile, I think that I shall go for now. I've done what I must for now. Get used to each other a day or so. I'll return when I'm ready."

  The Seer seemed to shift from the visible to the unseen in a moment's time.

  "Hey, wait! Who are you anyway?"

  A voice seemed to echo from all around him. "Gannon."

  Their gazes locked for several minutes before Dante leaned back and offered the woman a hand up. "How much of the Seer's words did you hear?" Dante asked as she was drawn up in front of him.

  Valenia's eyes faded glassily as she stood and began to fall backwards in a faint. Dante caught her in his arms and held the woman to his chest to steady her. The woman's eyes refocused and met his again. "I heard that you came to Valos to find someone and that someone is me. Also you don't want to harm me despite our current reasons for hating one another. Was there much of anything else?" she finished with a question as nonchalantly spoken as the other words.

  He nodded. "Are you all right?"

  "You hit me. How should I feel?" the captain asked in annoyance. "Do I feel blood on the back of my head?" Valenia asked as she started to probe the area beneath her hair.

  Dante released her enough to halt her hand from its search and tested the back of her head instead. Finding a bump, Dante also found a small trace of blood. The woman hissed under her breath at the renewed pain that his probing fingers triggered. He removed them and her blood painted their tips red.

  "It's not that bad. I'm pretty sure that the blood has pretty much stopped already."

  "Easy for you to say, sir. Yours is not the head that was abused," Valenia complained. She noticed the pair of fallen soldiers then and realized that she was not alone in needing attention. "How hard did you hit them?" the captain asked worriedly.

  Dante moved away to find his fallen sword and commented, "I hit them hard enough. You stabbed me in the heart, woman. Finding myself still alive, I was hoping to kill you and thought little of who I would hurt. You complain of your head..." He didn't finish the sentence and let the words settle upon the air to be considered.

  Valenia didn't look up as her attentions began to rouse her companions. "I'm sorry, but I didn't like the feeling of drowning. I..." her voice caught in her throat as the woman couldn't finish her thought. Dante thought that he heard a muffled cry from Valenia. The sound cut him through to his heart as he realized the damage that he had done to her with his actions.

  The slither of metal entering its sheath brought her head snapping upwards warily. Dante spotted tears in her eyes which she quickly turned back to her soldiers to try and avoid being caught in a momentary weakness. "I really am sorry," he whispered. "I couldn't have killed you then. I was trying to solve matters as best I could. You and your people are not my enemies, but I needed to find the one that the Seers had sent me to seek out.

  "Can you forgive me, Valenia? If not, then we should part company despite Gannon's visions."

  The other women were waking now as well. Valenia sat up and looked at him with the tears dried and gone. "I think that we're even, Lieutenant Betrice. I can forgive, if you can. I think that we should do our best to follow the Seer's words, don't you?"

  He nodded again.

  The two women were helped up where they could stand though still on slightly shaky legs at first. Dante allowed the women to lead the way back to their encampment further on. The rustling of wings heralded the return of Misery to his shoulder. The soldier was thankful that he had returned his leather jerkin to his shoulders as the claws took hold in the material. Better his jacket, than his shoulder, he considered.

  "How is it that you control such a creature?" Valenia asked curiously once the raven had landed. "I noticed no signals or calls to bring the bird to you. What have you done to earn the raven's loyalty?"

  Dante turned to look at Misery and wondered at the bird's loyalty himself. "I don't know really. The strangest part is that we seem to have become bonded in a way that I cannot even begin to explain."

  "Try," the woman requested. Her voice was not an order or even truly a request. She could see that he needed to try and explain it to himself more than to her.

  "Ever since the battle of Turo, where Gannon says that I should have died, Misery has flown near me.”

  “Misery? Who named him that?” the captain asked with a smile.

  “My men when I said misery loves company,” Dante smiled back. “Anyway even after I had been in the castle of my lord, King Druin, he returned to me once I had stepped away from the city. Since then I have somehow developed the ability to see through the raven's eyes. The visions come to me like a distorted look through my own eyes." Dante looked to Valenia and added, "It was he who brought me to you."

  "How so?"

  "It was his vis
ion of a warrior walking near the lake that forewarned me to find you. Unfortunately, the vision had not revealed that you were also a woman or I would have waited for you to dress before confronting you. My apologies again for that, captain."

  Valenia shrugged, "Why? I am a warrior first, lieutenant. My body is just a tool of this trade. I felt no shame over you seeing me, just worry over being caught without my weapons."

  "You would have me believe that my finding you naked meant nothing to you? You called me a lecher, if I recall."

  The faintest of blushes darkened the woman's cheeks with the remembrance. "It was my first thought, sir."

  Dante looked at her and her soldier's armor. Noting that the armor's metal only came down to cover the hips and a loose network of one inch leather straps flowed down to her upper thighs, Dante asked a question that he had been pondering, "Your armor is unusual," he stated changing the subject. "I realize that the armor plates cover most of your vital organs, by why do you not where breeches to protect your legs above the boots?"

  The captain stopped and turned to him. "As the only fighting force of women assembled in probably the whole continent, we have a distinct ability to throw off the enemy. We are female and males tend to lose focus when fighting us. The armor and relative lack of covering help to distract men even more."

  Dante laughed. "You are saying that the idea of sex with one of your women will stop an attacker from fighting to kill you. I might remind you, I saw you, all of you in your glory, and I still defeated you, Valenia. More armor and protection will save you surer than that theory."

  The woman stepped in front of him. With a mischievous smile, her hand flashed forward and grasped his genitals. A slight grunt from Dante as his eyes widened brought laughter from the others. "Most men are ruled by the wrong head. It makes them vulnerable to us, don't you see? You said it yourself, you couldn't kill me. You lusted after me, did you not, lieutenant?"

  "No, captain," he retorted. Dante let his hands wander to where the armor's edge ended and grabbed both of Valenia's cheeks. "This is my point. While men are vulnerable to a hard swung kick, of course, you are nearly as susceptible to damage and do not even try to hide the fact. My thoughts of keeping you alive had nothing to do with my desire for you. You saved my life and I would return that favor by not taking yours. It was not my heart, nor my mind or my lust for your sexuality that saved you, but my sense of honor." He released her flesh and she his, but they would not relinquish each others’ eyes to see what the other believed after what had been said.

  Valenia turned from him first and continued towards her camp. "Believe what you will, lieutenant. I see it in your eyes still, that you remain distracted by me."

  Dante gritted his teeth angrily and wondered how much of what she saw was true. The man knew that he was already experiencing feelings for the woman. But unwilling to give in, the soldier retorted, "The creatures that this Dark Emperor will send care nothing for whether you are male or female, combatant or innocent, you would do well to remember that captain and prepare yourselves thusly."

  Refusing to continue a discussion that neither would yield to on the first try, the captain ignored his comments and shoved onward. Several minutes later, they found the camp. Dante took in the approximate number quickly. Counting those that he was with, the Valosian women numbered just over twenty.

  The woman that had been sent ahead of them was there and several women appeared to be preparing to arm themselves and move out. The women had obviously chosen to ignore the Seer's advice.

  "Captain, you are all right!" the woman shouted and her cry was echoed by several others. "You have captured the Certen spy!"

  Valenia looked at the woman sternly, "We have captured no one, Tria. This man is not a spy and is a welcome guest here. He has others in his camp. We will go to get them and share meals with them afterward. A Seer has come for us and it appears as if the Golden Wolves will have the distinct pleasure to fulfill some great mission.

  "You wouldn't happen to know of the mission, would you, Betrice?"

  "No," he stated gruffly. The feeling that this union was ill fated again came to mind. There was too much animosity between the women and himself, the man feared. No true mission as important to Certe should be given over to such a distrusting group, Dante thought.

  Chapter 15- Darius

  "When you have completed the tests set before you by this council, you, Darius Eremia, will lead a small group from Aerwold. You will take this group and rejoin the elves. You will need to take those they give you, and bring them to Tolmona. The city of Darvus will be your initial destination, but the journey will not end there."

  The words of the Seer had been blunt and to the point. Darius would become a full fledged wizard with all of their powers and responsibilities, and then lead a group of the Aerwold to the elves. He would be the leader despite the addition of other wizards and apprentices. Darius had shuddered at the thought of leading those that had taught him or trained with him. The Seer's admonishment had not been finished until the subject of his quest had been revealed.

  "In Tolmona, you will find an unusual people that have settled there. They are the dwarves. They are not common to our realm and are in fact related to those that lie in the elves domain. You will not tell your allies of the people you seek or they will refuse to join you in your quest. You will need all those allies that you can assemble to fulfill your quest, Darius, so be careful of the information that you give.

  "Go to the city of Darvus and find one who knows of the Armor of Norn. A dwarf will be your guide from there. From the point of gathering the armor and those who will accompany it, your destiny lies in the elven world. You will need to choose your allies well there also. You can follow your heart and those that will join will also give you the council that you require.

  "This is the only warning that our order will confer upon you. Remember it well, and know that should you fail, our world will become the next domain of the Dark Emperor."

  The Seer had simply turned on her heel after delivering the speech. She allowed no questions to be uttered. Her words were said and no other insights would be given.

  Sorceress Zardia had decided to not debate the matter, and Darius found himself being led out to a small grove of trees a quarter mile from the school. They had always been there and few students had gone to investigate the thirty or so trees in all of Darius time at Aerwold. It was rumored to be a place of magic and so it was.

  The Sorcerer's Grove, as it was called, was a testing place. This was where the council tested all of its candidates for wizard and Darius was there now to prove himself and his word.

  "What is it that I must do?" he asked of all those gathered there after entering the grove.

  Zardia pointed to the center of the clearing within the grove. "Stand in our circle. First, we would test you in a gauntlet of sorts."

  "What must I do?"

  "Defend yourself, apprentice and show us your true worth. If you've gathered your magic unto yourself, then you can defend against the minor attacks that we send for you. Are you willing? Those that are not tend to be injured or even killed, Darius. You must be sure that you are of wizard caliber now and not after we have begun."

  Taking a deep breath, Darius used the first of his rituals and was ready. He nodded assent.

  Two of the wizards fired arrows from two different areas of the field. An easy enough test for Darius, given the elven attack a few days ago, but he refused to allow those thoughts to remove his caution. Samples of magic began to come at him from all sides, slowly at first and only the very weakest of physical attacks. Darius' defenses were up to the test and he soon got used to feeling like a target. The tests were drawing themselves out longer and longer as the power was increased and those around him kept pushing him harder.

  The student lost track of time and soon sweat was pouring from his brow freely. Darius wondered as the power was slowly whittling away at his defenses if it was allowed for him to fight back. Kno
wing that his limits would be reached soon enough, Darius took a chance. A source of flame was launched towards him as two others launched their attacks. The apprentice took the flame from the sorcerer and siphoned its power into himself and channeled it towards the other two. The suddenness of his return of fire caught both men off guard. The ground burst at their feet and flames ate away the grass where they had been. Both men had been sent sprawling.

  "Good. Good, Darius," Zardia clapped from outside the confines of the circle. "I wondered how long we could push your patience with our little game."

  Darius bent down as the attacks ceased and realized the test was probably over. He turned his magic to tapping the lines of power within the grove. With one hand he pulled at the long staff of wood that he had carried to the grove with him, and stood again. "If you truly wish to test me, chairwoman, then see what I have also learned. Master Alem, you questioned my claims of harnessing the earth," he turned to face the old wizard. The power flowed up into him then as the apprentice broke the line of power long enough to channel the force back down through the wooden staff. It worked exactly as the young wizard had hoped. With the staff working like a lightning rod of sorts, Darius was able to bear the energy without harm to himself.

  With a mischievous smile, he used the power of the line to reach out to others. Like a puppet master, he squeezed the lines and let them out again. The earth echoed his machinations with a tremendous thump. All the council were tossed off their feet in the wake of the quake.

  "Try your magic now, council. You can see how with the earth to buttress me, I can maintain my defenses indefinitely. Master Alem, the staff is the key to controlling the power you see." Darius released the line then. He felt suddenly small and powerless with its release.

  Sorceress Zardia was first to comment. "It is true. The boy figured out what no one has before him!" she exclaimed like a child with a new toy.

  "It was right before our eyes," Alem commented awestruck. "To hold it within one’s own body means certain death. To become a focus for the energy, leaves one safe and in control."