The War of Stardeon (The Bowl of Souls)

by Cooley, Trevor H.

  Arcon gasped and doubled over. “L-Lord Protector, sir. I-I . . . my mistress suggests that it would not be . . . preferable for you to tend to such a thing personally.”

  Arcon looked close to passing out. Elise was impressed. It was obvious that he was heavily editing his mistress’ words and she was punishing him, but he continued to do so wisely, knowing that Ewzad was the bigger threat. She decided to keep an eye on the mage. If he survived this ordeal, he could be useful.

  Ewzad raised one swaying arm. “She does, does she?”

  Arcon’s nose was now bleeding from both nostrils profusely. “Sh-she suggests that since you can no longer c-create a portal to the place, the journey would take too much time. Now is a c-crucial time for your army!”

  Ewzad’s face twisted and he made a squirming fist with one hand. “Oh? The more your horrible mistress speaks, the more I want to go myself!”

  Elise winced. Since the Rings of Stardeon had fused to his body, he no longer had the raw power needed to create portals from place to place as he once had. It was a sore subject and he complained about it every time they had to take a carriage ride.

  “Darling,” Elise offered, running one hand across his shoulders soothingly. “I don’t want you to leave me now. I can’t handle all these nobles by myself.”

  Her statement wasn’t quite true. She had manipulated nobles all her life. It would be much easier to handle them without Ewzad’s constant presence riling them up. However, she couldn’t bear the thought of him being away from her that long and besides, if he left now, the populace would undoubtedly start believing the rumors that he was involved with the army besieging the academy.

  Ewzad lowered his arm and gave her a pouting glance. “I suppose you are right, dear Elise. I couldn’t leave you now, could I?”

  “Send me!” Hamford said, stepping forward, his eyes wide and wild. “Let me go and kill them and avenge my brother. I-I’ll take some of those weapons you made and maybe even one of your beasts and I’ll . . . I’ll do it for you, Master!”

  Ewzad snickered. “You? You, Hamford? I think not.” The big man slumped. “I have someone much better to send. Yes-yes I do.”

  “One more thing . . .” Arcon gasped, bent over, blood flowing from his nose and ears. “Y-you stu-stupid . . .”

  “What? What is it, you fool?” Ewzad snapped.

  “Sh-she . . . Just kill me!” Arcon fell to his knees and looked up to Ewzad pleading. “Kill me, you worm-fisted freak!”

  Elise gasped, one hand to her open mouth. Hamford’s eyes widened. Both looked at Ewzad and waited for Arcon to meet the same fate as the messenger.

  “Worm fisted . . .?” Laughter erupted from Ewzad’s lips. “Do you hear that, witch? Oh, how droll! Sweet Arcon! You must be just as eager to be rid of her as I am!”

  “Do it!” Arcon growled.

  Ewzad’s smile faded. “No. I think not. No-no. I think that your mistress’ punishments will be far more gratifying than anything I could do to you. I will leave you to them. Come-come Elise.”

  Elise walked forward and placed one hand on Arcon’s head. She bent and whispered something quietly in his ear, then gave the mage a sad smile before rushing to Ewzad’s side. He linked one snakelike arm through hers and strode out of the audience hall through the back of the room.

  Once they were out of earshot he shot her a glance and crooned, “My-my, dear Elise. That was a touching gesture, wasn’t it? What exactly did you say to the boy, hmm?”

  Elise smiled at him. “Why darling, aren’t I allowed my own little intrigues?”

  “Intrigues?” Ewzad giggled, then his face grew serious. “Why no.”

  “You’re no fun,” She pouted. “I merely told him that I was quite impressed with his bravery and that if he should ever be free of his mistress, I would happily have him on my staff.”

  “Him? Brave?” Ewzad giggled again. “Well I suppose he was, wasn’t he? Yes, sweet-sweet Elise, your insight is impeccable as always. Still I do sometimes wonder what you are planning with these little whispers of yours.”

  He was playing closer attention to her moves than she thought. Elise quickly changed the subject. “Ewzad, darling, where are we going?”

  “You will love this, dear Elise. Yes, I think you will. I am taking you to my sanctuary.”

  Elise beamed. She had been begging for him to take her to his sanctuary for weeks. He had been spending so much time away from her down there that she was burning to know what he was up to. “Oh, Ewzad, you spoil me. Thank you!”

  “I can keep nothing from you, dear Queen.” Ewzad’s eyes were sparkling and she was glad that the death of the messenger and Arcon’s punishment had put him in a good mood. “There is no need for you to stay away from my creations any longer. They are all well behaved.”

  To her surprise, Ewzad led her to the door to her own chambers. Once inside, he walked to a place in the far corner of the room next to her favorite wardrobe. He reached out a hand and with a curl of one finger, a section of the wall swung inward revealing a narrow passageway beyond.

  “Here? A passage in my own room?” The thought sent chills through her. All her life she had been afraid that someone was in her room while she was gone or standing by her bed at night. What if it were true? “Seal it up, Ewzad. I want this passage destroyed.”

  Ewzad saw the fear in her eyes. “Oh my, don’t be troubled, dear Elise. The passage was old and dusty when I discovered it years ago. No one knows of it but me.”

  “I still don’t like an entrance I cannot lock. Please, my love?”

  He patted her arm and kissed her cheek. “I have it warded, my dear. Yes-yes, if anyone but I were to try to enter this passage, they would suffer the same fate as that messenger. Do you trust me, love?”

  The small part inside of her that had been screaming earlier was sobbing and pleading now, but she shoved it down a deep dark hole and locked it away. “Of course, dear Ewzad.”

  “Good-good, now follow along.” He led her into the dark narrow passage. .

  The way was so tight that the walls slid along his shoulders as they walked and there were sections where they had to hunch over to avoid cracking their heads on the ceiling. They passed several alcoves that Elise could only see because small beams of light pierced the darkness from peepholes in the walls.

  “Yes, I learned so much in these passages, dear Elise. Listening in on council meetings, hearing the deepest secrets of the nobles. This, yes, this is where I learned the secrets we used for the games we played as children.”

  Elise remembered those days well, Ewzad was her closest friend and confidant then. While others would fawn over her and bore her with crocheting and music and proper etiquette, Ewzad had more fun games to play. Games of intrigue. Together they disrupted the plans of nobles and household servants alike. They would steal items and plant evidence. Make an innocent remark or two. Matrons were fired, nobles stripped of rank, and none were the wiser. Her father though, he suspected something. Perhaps that was why he disliked Ewzad so.

  “Why didn’t you show me these passages back then?” she complained.

  “Why I had to have some secrets of my own, didn’t I? Yes, I had to be mysterious for you, didn’t I dear?”

  He led her to a small alcove and they descended a ladder that must have gone on for several floors. They were deep under the castle when they finally left the ladder and he opened another door into a corridor lit with glowing orbs.

  “Yes! We are almost there, Elise. I am so excited to show you! Come-come.” He clasped her hand and pulled her down the corridor with him, taking swift strides.

  Ewzad’s fingers squirmed in her hand as they walked. Elise didn’t find the squirming repulsive. Not anymore. She had chosen to see them as one of his adorable little quirks. Nowadays his fingers only misbehaved when he was excited or angry or casting a spell. The fact that they squirmed now told her how excited he was to show her this place and that pleased her greatly.

  The corrido
r ended at a thick iron door that was locked shut in several places. Ewzad paused a moment once he had opened the locks. “Now, my dear, please stay behind me as we enter. There is no need to fear, no. But I must make some proper introductions first, yes? You remember my dear Talon? Yes, well I have made some more changes since the last time you saw her. Oh, she is so near perfection!”

  She nodded with a hesitant smile, but inside her heart began pumping faster. She remembered Ewzad’s pet all too well. The way it looked at her, she could tell that it was jealous. It wanted to hurt her.

  He pushed the door inward and Elise gagged and turned away. An awful stench poured out of the open doorway. It smelled of decay and feces and something hot and musky. She felt her stomach lurch, but Ewzad placed a writhing hand on her lower back and a warming sensation passed through her body. Her nausea died down and the horrible smell went away. It was fine. The room beyond smelled as clean as any other in the castle.

  “My-my, is that better my dear? Now follow me, yes? Stay close now. This used to be one of your ancestors’ private dungeon, but someone sealed it away. What a waste, don’t you think?”

  They entered a long hallway with corridors branching off to the right and left every twenty feet or so. Each long corridor was lined with iron doors that could only be cells. There were hundreds of them and she could hear sounds of movement within; Shuffling and slithering, soft moans and hissing. She wondered how many of the cells were already occupied by Ewzad’s creations.

  “Ah, you see my dear Elise? When the Dark Voice first told me to turn the power of the rings inward, I was afraid because I knew that their power would be lessened. And it was, oh yes. Some of the things I used to be able to do with ease are now beyond my grasp. But then the Dark Voice gave me knowledge.” He placed one finger against his temple. “Yes, now the power of the rings is contained within me but I know how to use it. I can do so many marvelous things and when my creations are finally unleashed, the world will tremble. Exciting, yes?”

  “Oh yes, my love,” Elise said, clutching his arm. She was so proud of him. When he talked like that, he sounded like a king; the kind of king that could conquer all the known lands. “Please show me.”

  “I will! I will. Come. I am sure she is just around the corner. Look!”

  The corridor opened into a large round room full of tables of varying sizes, some of which had clamps and straps to hold a creature down and many were covered with metal instruments whose purpose Elise could not discern. All of the tables were empty except for one against the far wall on which Ewzad’s Talon was curled. She raised her head to look at them as they entered the room.

  Talon’s head was proportioned like a humanoid, though she had flat drums for ears and her nose was just two slits. However, Ewzad’s new modifications had given her large eyes more like that of a cat than a lizard and she now had a set of full pouting lips that pulled back when she smiled at them to reveal a mouth full of curved and sharpened teeth; the teeth of a dragon.

  “You let her run free?” Elise said, aghast.

  “Yes, of course. She is so very obedient. Yes-yes she is. Watch,” Ewzad gave her a reassuring smile and crooned, “Oh Talon, my sweet! Come see me!”

  As Talon rose, Elise saw some of the other changes he had made. Talon still had the same long slender tail with its cruel barb. She still had a set of long curved claws on her feet, and her hands were still tipped in black talons. But where in the past, she had a vaguely feminine shape, she now looked like a woman. From knee to neck to elbow, she was a lithe, perfectly-figured woman that might as well have been merely wearing a skin-tight scaled suit. That made her all the more terrifying to Elise because Talon walked towards Ewzad with a sultry sway to her hips.

  He opened his arms. “Dear Talon, have you missed me, my sweet?”

  The raptoid slid into his arms and cooed, rubbing her head against his and licking his ear with a quite human looking tongue. Ewzad giggled and she rubbed her body up against him in a way that made Elise’s blood boil. Talon gurgled and ran her long-fingered hands down his back.

  “Y-you stop her!” Elise said, stomping her foot. “Stop her this instant, Ewzad!”

  He blinked and looked at her with one eyebrow raised in warning. Then his eyes softened and his smile returned. “Don’t mind her, dear Elise. She is just being playful. Aren’t you, my sweet?” Talon cocked her head at Elise and snapped her pointed teeth before making kissing sounds with her new lips. “Yes, you see? She is playing nice. Aren’t you? Yes-yes you are.”

  Ewzad gently pried Talon off of him, his arms contorting snake-like in order to do so. He stepped back. “Now go say hello to your queen, will you?”

  Talon glided towards Elise and somehow her claws made no sound on the floor. She drew near and gave Elise a deep bow. Then Talon paused as if in surprise and cocked her head, sniffing and blinking. She leaned in close and Elise trembled as Talon sniffed along her shoulder and touched her neck briefly with a dart of her tongue. Then she crouched and pressed the side of her head against Elise’s belly briefly before chirping and taking a step back.

  She knows, Elise thought.

  Ewzad called out, “Come here, dear Talon. Come, I have a mission for you. I think you will like it. Yes-yes, I do. Would you like to leave this place for a while?”

  She hissed and clapped her awful hands together with glee. “Yess.”

  Elise’s breath caught in her throat. It was the first time she had heard it speak. The sound of the creature’s voice was guttural and unnatural.

  “Very good, my Talon. Yes! You are learning, aren’t you?” Ewzad giggled. “Now I am sending you far-far away and though you know I trust you. Yes, you know I do. I must give you a gift.”

  He pulled something from his pocket, grasped Talon’s hand, and lifted her arm. Then Ewzad pushed something into her skin. She hissed in pain and when he stopped, a small shriveled orb bulged from the inside of her forearm like an unblinking eye. Talon’s lips drew back in dismay.

  “Oh! My-my. Don’t you like my gift?” He lifted his arm and pulled the sleeve back to reveal his own orb. “See, dear Talon? Now we are alike. Yes-yes, I am so sorry about this, but you are a member of my army now and I must ask you to listen to my commander, dear. She will guide you towards your goal. You see, you are to find those who destroyed my dear Bandham, yes? And when you do? Kill them.”

  Chapter Three

  Jhonate watched the goblinoid supply caravan slowly amble down the mountain path towards her position. She counted nearly forty goblinoids, but they were of no concern. Most of them looked to be new recruits from the way they were still dressed in furs and carried only crude weapons.

  Goblinoid veterans usually had armor and weapons looted from their conquests of the mountain villages. This didn’t mean that the recruits were new to fighting. Goblinoids were always making war with each other. However, this did tell her that they were not used to fighting humans.

  Jhonate placed an iron ball in the cup of her sling, swelled the end of her staff around the end of the string, and held tightly to it, waiting for the signal to strike. Her heart beat with excitement and a slight smile lifted the edges of her lips. For weeks she had been relegated to watching over Mage Vannya. Faldon had resisted her complaints at being left out of the fighting, but finally with Wizard Locksher’s encouraging, Faldon had relented. Jhonate had even been given the honor of starting off the ambush. She just had to choose her target.

  One concern was two heavily armed orcs that were riding mountain spiders. That was something she hadn’t seen before. The orcs carried long barbed spears and the spiders were enormous hairy things that dripped something, either saliva or poison, from their fangs. A creature like that should have been ungainly, but these mounts moved with nimble precision, one of them leading the caravan, the other following up the rear. The other goblinoids shied away from the spiders jabbering in terror any time they came near. Perhaps part of their purpose was to discourage desertion.

  H
er other concern was the two supply wagons near the front of the caravan that were pulled by great ugly giants. The first wagon was covered with canvas and over laden with supplies nearly spilling out the back. The second wagon was fully boxed in, roofed with wooden walls and a door that was locked from the outside. Something important had to be inside, but the thing that caught Jhonate’s eye right away was the moonrat riding on top of the wagon.

  Moonrats were nocturnal creatures and usually stayed to the shadows, their oversized eyes sensitive to the sunlight. The majority of moonrats had yellow eyes, but this one’s unblinking green orbs told Jhonate that it was here to control something. The mother of the moonrats used her green-eyed children to keep the trolls and mountain cats and many of the other wilder and less intelligent parts of the army in line.