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

by Donald Wigboldy

  "A gas releases into the chamber that puts one quickly to sleep, but it is a sleep from which you would never awaken again," the dwarf chuckled. "I tell you what, bub, you all pick which one you believe to be the real armor and I will tell you if you choose correctly."

  Sweat beaded Darius' brow from the strain of his fears. He was unsure how long he could hold out so far beneath the stone and still Dorvin refused to just gather the armor. "Dorvin, do we truly have time for such games? I thought that you wished to convince the others of the need to gather the weapons."

  The dwarf gave him a strange look in return. "Do we have the time? Where were you planning to run off to so soon, wizard? It is night on the world above us now. The elders sleep. We cannot bother them until the morning blooms again. We have plenty of time for one little game. Go ahead, all of you. Look around and tell me which is the armor of Norn."

  Darius sighed and turned to the task at hand. He could tell that the dwarf was having fun at his expense now. Searching through the large chamber, Darius took in the beauty of it all even as he tried to decide which piece would be the correct armor. He tried to let his magic search it out, but the nature of the armor destroyed his best efforts.

  The wizard refused to be denied. He made a quick pass through the room taking stock of all the pieces around him. Bagheer followed at his shoulder. Darius noticed a small smile at one point from the self-appointed body guard. The wizard looked to where the man was staring so fascinated. A suit of bronze without any real ornamentation stood before him. Darius had looked at it only moments before. He wondered why the soldier would be so enchanted by this particular piece of armor. Surely he couldn't believe that so mythic a relic could be so plain? Then again, the wizard looked at it again.

  Glancing around the room at all the wondrous suits, Darius wondered about Bagheer's fascination again. He decided to ask, "What is it about this one, Bagheer?"

  The soldier turned to him with a small smile, "It is a true warrior's armor."

  "How so?"

  "It is somewhat plain in styling, it's true, but well designed. The pieces fit tightly together and the metal looks strong and thick. The metal gleams slightly, but if it was buffed enough, it would glisten enough for a king. At least a king that was less worried about pretensions as opposed to the need to win a war, who could bring himself to wear such a sturdy piece."

  "Do you think that this is the armor of Norn then?" Darius questioned looking at the surprise sparked in the man’s eyes.

  "I would never..." he started. Catching his breath and swallowing uncomfortably, the man finally said, "I would hardly want to risk our lives on such a thought."

  Darius had been letting his magic probe the armor as much as possible looking for the signs of the Norn. "But if you had to..." he fished a little deeper, not letting the man get out of it so easily.

  Bagheer looked around quickly. Nodding to himself, he answered, "Of these choices here, I would hazard a guess that this is it, yes."

  Darius noticed that the dwarves had all picked their favorites. They were ready to try their luck though none had chosen the bronze armor besides Bagheer. Dorvin stood with a grin. He turned to Darius first, but the wizard shook his head. The dwarf began with one of his dwarves and then continued through each of their choices.

  Finally he came to Bagheer. "So which do you believe it is, bub?" he asked in his usual casual manner. The soldier shrugged, "This one."

  Dorvin nodded as he had to all the others. He looked at Darius again, "Well?"

  "I agree with Bagheer," he commented. The soldier turned to him with some surprise, but said nothing.

  Dorvin shook his head looking sad. "Oh, alas!" he mourned sarcastically. "My fellow dwarves would have died the sleeping death, if they had their way."

  "All of us?" Gelen asked in surprise.

  Dorvin came over and lay an arm across the dwarf's shoulders. "I am afraid so, my friend. The wizard and his guard would not, however. I do not know how they knew, but they are correct."

  Dorvin stepped over and pulled the armor away from its place. No gas entered the chamber and no one fell asleep. Darius was somewhat relieved about that. The dwarf king's credibility was a little thin with him about now. He was truly not sure if Dorvin had been lying until this moment.

  "How did you know, wizard?"

  Darius smiled back. "I left it to Bagheer. He is a soldier and knows armor better than I. I used a little magic to try and confirm his suspicions, but even then it was still unclear. A soldier's mind is a better instrument than magic when it comes to armor, I think."

  Dorvin laughed, "My men are all soldiers, yet they guessed wrongly, wizard. I need a better answer than that."

  Darius sighed and decided to humor the dwarf with sarcasm, "He's taller."

  At first, Dorvin screwed up his face and looked angry at the joke. A few of his men also seemed perturbed by the statement and Darius wondered if height comments were taboo to the much shorter dwarves. Suddenly Dorvin leaned back and started bellowing with laughter. "That is a good one, wizard, a good one indeed. Taller," he mused and began pulling the armor over his clothing.

  "You're going to put it on now?" Darius questioned lightly. He didn't care if the dwarf did so; he just thought it a strange thing to be doing here and over his loose fitting clothing besides.

  Dorvin nodded even as a pair of his men moved to help him into the separate pieces. "I might as well. It would be a bear to carry it all the way back up there. It is much easier to wear it and I may as well get used to its feel. I'll be wearing it often enough in the days ahead, after all."

  When Dorvin was fully ready, they prepared to leave.

  Bagheer looked around the room suddenly and said quietly, "It seems a shame to let all this good armor go to waste."

  Dorvin turned and clapped him on the shoulder, "Indeed I think that you are correct, good fellow. Gentlemen, take the pieces that you have chosen." The dwarves moved to obey gladly. Dorvin stepped over to a sheathed sword and nodded as the others struggled into their suits. The dwarf handed the sword to Bagheer. "Here, this is yours now."

  "But I did not pick it," Bagheer resisted with a redness coming into his cheeks at the gift.

  Dorvin laughed, but would not take the sword back. "You are right. You did not choose it, but I can hardly give you the suit of Norn now can I, bub? Since you chose my armor, I think that I can choose a proper weapon for you in exchange. If you plan to go along, you will need a proper sword to protect yourself and the wizard, no?"

  Bagheer pulled the sword from its sheath. It gleamed brightly in the strange light of the chamber so they could all make out the markings in the center of the blade. The soldier bowed deeply over the weapon even as his eyes threatened to tear at the sight of such a beautiful sword. "I cannot thank you enough, sir."

  "Bah!" Dorvin waved off the remark. "Consider it a prize for the winner of my little contest or just consider it a gift among friends. It is said to be a good sword, but it hardly deserves such excitement from you, bub.

  "Now what should I reward the wizard with? He won too after all." Searching around a moment, Dorvin finally nodded and gasped, "Ah, this will do nicely."

  He handed over a small dagger with an ivory handle. Darius pulled the blade free of the leather cover to witness the gleaming metal hidden within. It was a lovely piece. "I thank you, Dorvin. You needn't if you wish."

  Dorvin chuckled again, "I see it in your eyes that you do not truly mean your words, Darius. Now take it, you won it after all."

  The other dwarves were finally fitted and Dorvin led them all out through the stout wooden doors. He pulled on the right door and gestured the group through. With a twist of the knob and a fair amount of noise, all the doors and the sunken flooring returned to their original places. The lights faded slowly and torches were relit before they began their march up the many flights of stairs.

  Darius looked up at the first of the stairs and sighed. It was a long walk back.

  Chapte
r 41- Darius

  They had nearly returned to the building hiding the beginnings of the stairway leading to the Norn armor when Dorvin suddenly paused listening. Darius was just behind him and waited along with the others in quiet.

  Finally he asked, "What is it, Dorvin?"

  The dwarf turned to him and a fire seemed to blaze beneath his dark brown eyes. "My city is under attack!"

  Darius was stunned. "How do you know?"

  "The earth tells me. I can feel a battle above. Hurry now! We must go help in the defense. Perhaps Darius can assist in our defense as well with his magic."

  The men sprinted as quickly as possible up the last few flights of stairs. Darius was huffing despite all the days of riding and walking. He noticed that Dorvin and his men, despite their armor, were hardly breathing harder at all. It proved the strengths of their smaller bodies to him. The wizard knew that most any race had their strengths to rely on or they would become extinct. The dwarves had a long history to prove their worthiness.

  When at last they reached the door and threw it open, the men found nearly a dozen dwarven soldiers entering as well.

  "My lord Norn!" the lead dwarf exclaimed. "I am so glad to see you back. I was just about to send a man after you."

  "What has happened?" Dorvin demanded immediately.

  "The city has been invaded from the south entrance, my lord. Dark beasts and misshapen creatures wielding swords have come down and slain many despite the quick arrival of the militias. They are led by an elf almost as dark as they."

  "How long ago?"

  "Only about twenty minutes ago, sir. The elves who came with the wizard demanded to help us and have joined along with the other wizards to try and stop them. The enemy has an incredibly large force below already."

  Dorvin turned to Darius, "How could this happen? The men of upper Darvus should have been able to warn us before any force could breach the walls."

  Darius started past towards the door. The dwarf grabbed hold of his arm and held him back firmly. "Did you know of this, wizard?" he demanded.

  "No, of course not, but I think that Janus knows their leader, most likely a dark elf. If the creature who leads them is as powerful as I believe, he could easily have used magic to enter before the alarm sounded. Now come on, Norn. We have need of you and your armor."

  The dwarf held him only a second longer before nodding assent and then he ran for the door shouting for all to follow.

  It wasn't long before they found the sounds of battle and the source soon after that. Darius was taken aback as Dorvin and his men leapt into the fray with a fervor he had not expected for merchants. The usual goblins, orcs and trolls were within the city in great numbers. It was a full army. More than Darius had ever seen in battle. Their numbers made the small attack force in the Turas Forest look infinitesimal.

  There were other creatures with them also that he had never witnessed as of yet in the battles with the Dark One's minions. Wolflings, that appeared half man as well, were giving howls of warning as they pounced in packs upon dwarven soldiers. Also strange armored beasts, whose shells resisted dwarf axes and swords, moved here and there reeking damage with their long claws. Their long thick clawed fingers ripped up earth or slashed open the bodies of dwarves despite well crafted shields held to ward off such blows. On one occasion, Darius noted that an armored creature was able to tear down into solid stone in seconds. The creature's armor deflected all blows and soon the body of the monster had dug deep and under the confused dwarves. When it suddenly burst behind the group of bewildered defenders, it was Darius' burst of magician's flame that stopped it from slaying them all.

  The ball of flame crashed into the creature from the side. Half the burst caught the shell but the other half struck the softer under belly. The dwarves turned at the monster's shriek of pain and drove their weapons into the beast and slew it easily.

  Other creatures were there as well, though Darius was soon too busy finding ground where he could use his magic to truly note their actual appearance. It mattered little to him anyway. Every dark beast was just one more blight of life sent to kill them. Their presence simply angered him like he had never been angered before.

  A light sparkled once and then again. Darius felt the power even as faint explosive sounds carried through the air to him. Magic was at work. Whether from Janus or one of the wizards, he could not be sure. It was time for him to start using his magic to drive back these creatures as well he decided determinedly. Darius took a rake from within a granary nearby and snapped the shaft from its fanned end. Thus armed with his necessary ground, the wizard stepped out and began gathering his strength into himself as he readied to tap into the greater force of the world around him.

  Once fortified, the wizard opened his senses to the flow of power in the earth. Like a lightning rod, he drew the lines into himself and sent the power flowing back into the earth. Several trolls had caused a break in the dwarven lines and spying the wizard, and perhaps even smelling the magic, they made to attack Darius.

  Smiling grimly, he released the power through his outstretched right hand. A stream of electricity lanced out to take first one troll and then another in the chest. Darius was nearly thrown from his feet as thunder suddenly caught up to the effort. The cavernous city echoed with the stentorian rumble of his magic.

  After recovering from the din, Darius noted that all the trolls were smoking, charred hulks scattered across the ground. Grimly, the wizard stepped forward in search of other prey. He would have to be more careful in the use of this magic he realized. For several minutes after the burst, a ringing could be heard in his ears and little else. It was a spell that he felt he could avoid for most of his life now that he knew the consequences of the action.

  Stepping into the chaos of battle, Darius erected a barrier around himself. It was the same kind of barrier that had slain the slave trader Marich. It worked well in battle as well he soon discovered. A werewolf, seeing no weapons besides the staff in his hands, decided to make a lunge along with a pair of its brethren. The wall of the barrier held the wolf back along with its partners and flame immediately burst up their forearms. Darius ignored their howls of pain as the flames quickly engulfed their bodies. Rage and the ringing in his ears muffled their cries from his mind anyway. Knowing he had a job to do here, his sensitivity to life had to be dismissed as he sought these creatures' lives. The wizard had to continually remind himself that these beasts had chosen to harm others for the sake of the Dark Emperor.

  As he moved through the melee throwing fireballs and allowing the earth to swallow up various dark things, dwarves noticed his power and thronged to be near his steadying presence. Using Darius as a shield of a sort, the dwarves rallied around him to either side. With his magic driving into the enemy horde, the dwarves continued the slow push of the enemy from their home.

  Darius hardly noticed the dwarves anymore however. With his jaw set in grim determination to throw back these beasts and the need to hold onto this incredible power until they had done so, he just focused from enemy grouping to enemy grouping. Flames were soon everywhere and the beasts began to turn from his wrath as soon as they spied him coming. Finally the enemy was on the verge of rout, but they used one last great effort to halt their defeat.

  From behind fleeing trolls and orcs and werethings, an enemy strode through their midst astride a horse. Both rider and steed were shadowed in black. Red eyes glowered at him without fear. Only anger and a sense of ease could be sensed from the rider and his steed.

  The dwarves seeing this threat for what it was started to move back and away before the magical forces met. The dark army reformed in lines behind the rider and awaited the outcome of this final stand as well.

  Darius was tiring. If not for the strength flowing through him from the earth, which was not truly his own, he would have collapsed in exhaustion long ago. Even with the flow, the man felt the need to rest becoming overwhelming; but instead of giving up he gathered up the powers of the lines a
nd strode towards the dark elf unflinchingly.

  From its scabbard, Darius drew forth the dagger given him in the armor room. It glowed with blue flame, whether its own or a cast off of his own power he was unsure and had no attention left to spare as he watched the elf steadily.

  The dark elf noted him and descended from his mount. Drawing out his sword from its sheath, it soon began to glow with a red flame, the same red in the dark one's eyes. He began to stalk towards Darius even as the wizard stepped willingly towards his opponent.

  A shout broke the unnatural stillness. "Darius! Stop!" Everyone turned even the wizard and dark elf. From down the line, Janus strode wild eyed and angry towards them. "Camare is my fight, wizard."

  The dark elf stood straight with a dark smile. "Why the hurry, brother? I can finish this impudent wizard and then destroy thou just as easily. Just wait thy turn. Thou shalt see."

  Janus grunted loudly in contempt, "I doubt that, Camare. This wizard could easily snap your frail magic in his wrath. I know from experience.

  "No, you'll have to simply contend with me ripping your throat out instead."

  The dark elf laughed. "Thou, brother? I thinkest not, but I shall honor thy request even so. Now all these here can watch as I humiliate thou in battle and thence shall know that they are next to fall." He turned to Darius and made a mock bow before saying, "Excuse me a moment, wizard, I shalt be with thee in a heart beat. My brother's final heart beat, of course, but a heart beat none the less."

  The two elves closed on each other warily. Both carried swords, though Janus' blade was lighter in make. The elf was already tracing patterns in the air as he made ready to close the last few feet to Camare.

  The dark elf sneered and simply held his blade level and ready. "Thou wert always good with the blade, brother," he admitted lightly, "but I've gotten better since thou left me. And then there's the magic. Thine pales before mine these days, Janus. Art thou prepared to die?"