The Rise of the Demon Prince

by Robert Kroese

“Aye,” said Rodric, his eyes downcast. “I will remain with you, for all the good it will do.”

  “You’ve done plenty,” I said. “It is because of you that we know Voros Korom’s weakness. You’ve cost him one eye already.”

  “That was a lucky shot,” Rodric said.

  “You say that every time,” Vili observed.

  “Aye, but this time it was true. I avoided the wraiths by diving from the wall into a hedge, and it was a miracle I didn’t break my neck. The wraiths, probably assuming I was dead, passed me by. You and Ilona distracted them long enough for me to get to my feet and ready my bow. I had only hoped to hit Voros Korom in the back of the neck, but he happened to look back the moment I fired. If our plan depends on me hitting Voros Korom’s other eye, we are in trouble. He won’t let me get that close again.”

  “With five hundred Barbarok archers on our side, you won’t have to. I just have to hold off the wraiths long enough for them to get in range.”

  “Can you do that?” Rodric asked. “Your previous attempt at sorcery was… not encouraging.”

  “The kovet was Eben’s idea,” I said. “If we have an army, we can adopt a different strategy. I think I can learn Domokos’s trick of channeling tvari into energy that repels the wraiths.”

  “Learn it how?” Ilona asked. “You speak of conferring again with the warlock?”

  “If I must,” I said. The truth was that I had only a vague idea how Domokos had held off the wraiths. If I was going to master the spell by the time Voros Korom arrived at Nagyvaros, I would almost certainly need Eben’s help.

  Rodric sighed. “How many of our enemies must we ally ourselves with before this is finished?”

  “I don’t like it any more than you do,” I said. “But it does us no good to deny the reality of the situation. Even if we can avoid involving Eben, we must come to terms with the Barbaroki. The sooner the better.”

  “You suggest going to the Barbarok camp?” Rodric asked.

  “Why not? I suspect it will be easier to get an audience with the Chief Csongor now than when they hold Nagyvaros.” Csongor was the famed chieftain of the Barbaroki. He would undoubtedly want to lead the attack on Nagyvaros, which meant that he was very likely at the camp on the plain.

  “Why would they listen to us?” Vili asked. “Even if the Barbaroki know about Voros Korom, they will think it is a trick. They have no reason to believe that Voros Korom plans to attack Nagyvaros.”

  “There is something we can offer them,” I said. “It is unlikely any of the Barbaroki have ever seen Nagyvaros. We know its layout and defenses well. Rodric and I can also give them information on the numbers and locations of Eastern Army troops.”

  Rodric frowned. “You’re talking about treason.”

  “You need to accept that Nagyvaros is lost, Rodric. We cannot stop both Voros Korom and the Barbaroki. But by playing the Barbaroki against Voros Korom, we may save the city from utter destruction.”

  “We could ride south and warn Bertrek.”

  “There is no time, and in any case, our warning would be unheeded and probably superfluous. If Bertrek has not realized by now he’s been duped, he will soon. But it will be too late. By the time his men reach Nagyvaros, the Barbaroki will already have conquered it. You and I have long considered the Barbaroki to be our enemies, Rodric, but the situation has changed. The biggest threat to Nagyvaros is Voros Korom, and we cannot choose our allies.”

  “One might suspect,” Ilona said, “that you are willing to side with the Barbaroki because of this foolish bargain you’ve entered into. You do not care if the Barbaroki lay waste to the city because you will pay no penalty for it.”

  “Think of me what you will,” I said. “I do not claim that the Barbaroki are merciful and just. They will slaughter the defenders and enslave those they leave alive. They will also undoubtedly use the city as an outpost for assaults on Delivaros and the lands farther west. However, they have no use for a city that has been utterly destroyed. We have reason to believe that Voros Korom is untroubled by such constraints. He and his wraiths will kill every living thing in the city.”

  “Perhaps that would be preferable,” Ilona said. “If Nagyvaros is what Voros Korom wants, he may stop there. As you say, the Barbaroki will not.”

  “Radovan did not summon Voros Korom so that they could rule the ruins of Nagyvaros together. There is something under the city. Something dangerous. That is what Voros Korom is after.”

  “This is all speculation,” Ilona said. “You want to hand Nagyvaros over to the Barbaroki based on a hunch.”

  “You are free to go your own way,” I said. “I will not justify my actions to an acolyte.”

  Ilona bit her lip, silently fuming. I could see that Rodric wanted to say something, but he remained silent as well.

  “I will go,” Vili said.

  I turned to him, not sure what he meant.

  “To the Barbaroki,” Vili said. “If someone is to warn them, it should be me. If they kill me, it is no great loss. You and Rodric must stay alive to stop Voros Korom. But you must promise that you will make certain my parents are at peace.”

  “Csongor will not take the word of a child,” Ilona said.

  “I am almost sixteen!” Vili snapped.

  “I’m afraid she’s right, Vili,” I said. “While I am loath to admit it, the only one of us they are likely to believe is Ilona. The Barbaroki will take me for a sorcerer, and they will assume Rodric is a janissary spy. The Barbaroki respect the acolytes.”

  “This is not my war,” Ilona said.

  “And yet you remain with us,” I said. “Why? It is a three-day ride to Delivaros. Go home.”

  “My… mission is not yet complete.”

  “You fear returning home because Varastis is dead and Magas Komaron is not what you thought it was. You thought you could ingratiate yourself to your superiors by revealing to them the way to the sorcerers’ refuge, but Magas Komaron was a mirage, a beacon signifying nothing. Not only that, but you suspect that your superiors already knew this and have been using the myth of Magas Komaron to manipulate young acolytes such as yourself.”

  The look of shock that came over Ilona’s face was unmistakable. “By the stars,” I said. “It never occurred to you, did it? You truly think you are the first acolyte to learn the secret. But then… why do you fear returning to Delivaros? Surely your superiors would at the very least be thankful to know why the beacon has at last gone out?”

  Ilona recovered quickly. “No, it is as you say. Of course they knew. I… just need some time to think before I return.”

  “You have been of some assistance to us in our quest,” I said, “and for that reason I tolerate your continued presence in our party. But you are either with us or against us.”

  Ilona nodded, understanding. “In that case, I will go with Vili. We will warn the Barbaroki of the coming of Voros Korom. I do not think it will do any good, but I will go.”

  “We will all go,” Rodric said. “If we are to have any hope of defeating Voros Korom, we must stick together.”

  I nodded. “Very well. We will seek out the Barbarok chieftain together.”

  “That will be unnecessary,” said a voice from the darkness.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I leapt to my feet and drew my rapier. Ilona grabbed her stick and Vili drew his knife. Rodric readied the single arrow he’d salvaged from our battle at Magas Komaron. As several figures came out of the darkness, it became clear that we were outmatched. One man, his scimitar still hanging at his side, strode toward our camp. He was tall and muscular, with swarthy skin and a prominent brow. By his long, dark hair and the layers of animal hide he wore as armor, it was clear he was Barbarok.

  “What is your business here?” the man demanded, stopping before me. He seemed completely unafraid. Glancing around, I counted at least a dozen men. I had no doubt there were at least that many bows trained on us. If I so much as took a step toward the man, I was dead.

  “We c
ome to speak with Chief Csongor,” I said.

  “About what?”

  “A threat to his army.”

  The man studied my face. “You are a sorcerer.”

  “Who I am is of little importance. My party has just come from the fortress called Magas Komaron. You know of it?”

  “Magas Komaron is unreachable. You are a liar.”

  “I tell you the truth. At Magas Komaron, we battled the demon called Voros Korom. Perhaps your scouts have seen him leading his horde of wraiths across the plain.” The man’s silence was answer enough. I continued: “Voros Korom intends to destroy Nagyvaros at the next full moon. If you are not prepared for him, he will destroy your army as well.”

  “It is a trick, Jaromir,” said a voice behind the man who had spoken. “They intend to assassinate Csongor. Let us kill them and be done with it.”

  Jaromir ignored him. “You are a strange party. The woman… she is an acolyte of Turelem?”

  “I am,” said Ilona.

  “And a child and one who has the look of a janissary,” Jaromir said. “Are you spies for one of the Eastern Provinces?”

  “We work for no one,” I said. “We are sworn to protect Nagyvaros from the demon, by any means necessary. The gendarmes do not have the strength to defend the city from Voros Korom. With our help, you may be able to.”

  “With your help!” Jaromir laughed. “What help can the four of you give?”

  “We are familiar with Nagyvaros’s defenses and the demon’s weaknesses. We can help you take the city and to hold it against Voros Korom.”

  “They talk nonsense, Jaromir,” said the man standing a few feet behind Jaromir’s left shoulder. “We must get up early tomorrow to ride. End this foolishness.”

  “Are you certain you have enough men?” Rodric asked, peering into the darkness. “I count fourteen archers. Given that Barbarok bows are pine twigs strung with mule hair and that Barbarok archers have all the coordination of a palsy-ridden toddler, you may want to get a bit closer. I don’t want to be bludgeoned to death over the next three hours by a hundred dull flint arrowheads.”

  “Watch your tongue, spy, or I’ll cut it out,” Jaromir snapped. “And then we’ll see about that bludgeoning. Your hope of a quick and painless death is fading.”

  Rodric sighed. “It was always my hope to be killed by an arrow to the heart. I must have angered the gods to face my doom at the hands of men who couldn’t hit a sleeping horse at ten yards.”

  “Rodric,” I said, “there is no need to antagonize—”

  “Rodric?” asked Jaromir. “You are not by chance the famed archer of the janissaries who once hit three bullseyes in a row, the second arrow splitting the first and the third splitting the second?” I was astounded. It had never occurred to me that Rodric’s fame had spread even to our enemies.

  “Aye,” said Rodric. “I’ve killed more than a hundred of your comrades. The only consolation I can offer is that most of them died quickly.”

  “Why do you travel with this sorry lot rather than a regiment of janissaries?”

  “It is as Konrad says,” Rodric replied. “We are sworn to defend Nagyvaros from Voros Korom.”

  “You truly consider this demon a greater threat than the Barbarok army?”

  Rodric glanced at me and then back at the Barbaroki. “Aye.”

  “He is not Rodric the Archer,” said the man behind Jaromir. “They’re bandits. They’ve concocted this ruse so we won’t kill them.”

  Jaromir seemed uncertain. “We’ve received reports of the demon crossing the plains, accompanied by a horde of wraiths, but it was heading east.”

  “Toward Magas Komaron,” I said. “It feared the sorcerers would hinder its designs on Nagyvaros. But the sorcerers are all dead. The demon will soon turn west.”

  “It is a ruse, I tell you,” said Dimas. “We’ve wasted enough time here.” All around us, men murmured anxiously to each other.

  “That’s enough, Dimas,” Jaromir said. The man behind him fumed silently.

  “There is a simple way to determine if I am who I claim to be,” Rodric said. “Allow me to fire a single arrow. If I cannot best the most skilled archer in your group, I’ll lay down my bow and you can cut my throat.”

  I didn’t like where this was going, but I bit my tongue. Jaromir’s men were looking for an excuse to kill us. If I ordered Rodric to stand down, Jaromir would likely conclude we were lying.

  “This is foolishness,” said Dimas. “How will you see a target in the dark? And how will we know if you hit it?”

  “I will wrap a piece of pitch-soaked cloth from one of our torches around the arrowhead and light it on fire,” Rodric said. “Then I will shoot it straight into the air a hundred yards and catch it in my hand before it hits the ground, without ever moving from this spot.”

  All around us, men burst into laughter. Jaromir’s face contorted in anger, thinking Rodric was making fun of him. Surveying the silhouettes around us, I counted heads. There were more Barbaroki than I had thought. Unless—

  “Ah, my mistake,” Rodric said. “None of you has ever seen a real archer at work. Perhaps a more modest demonstration would suffice to meet your expectations.”

  “It is a trick,” Dimas said. “He intends to signal the janissaries.”

  “If the janissary army was nearby, you would not have gotten through the pass so easily,” Rodric said. “The arrow is more likely to be seen by the Barbaroki camped just over the ridge than by any janissaries, and in any case, help would arrive too late to do us any good.”

  “You expect us to believe,” Jaromir said, “that you can fire an arrow a hundred yards into the air and catch it without moving from where you stand?”

  “I don’t expect you to believe anything,” Rodric said. “That is the point of a demonstration.”

  Jaromir chuckled. “Fine. Let’s be done with this. Prepare your arrow. The rest of your crew must disarm themselves. If you can catch the arrow without taking a step, I will see that you are safely escorted to our chief. If you fail, we will kill you all.”

  “This is madness!” Ilona cried. “Surely there is a better way to establish that we are who we say.”

  “I tire of this discussion,” Jaromir said. “The challenge has been made and accepted.”

  Ilona turned to Rodric. “You have done this before?”

  Rodric shrugged. “Once, many years ago. Of course, it was during daylight, and the arrow was not on fire.”

  “But you did it?”

  “More or less.”

  “More or less?”

  Rodric held out his arm, pulling back his sleeve to show two small scars, one on either side of his forearm. I had seen them before, of course, but hadn’t inquired as to the circumstances in which he’d received them.

  Ilona’s eyes went wide. “Is that…” She turned to Jaromir. “Would that be sufficient to…?”

  Jaromir shook his head slowly, making a grasping motion with his head.

  “It’s all right,” Rodric said. “I’m almost certain I know what I did wrong.”

  “We’ve wasted enough time,” Jaromir said. “Put your weapons on the ground.”

  Vili and I complied. Rodric gave Ilona a smile and a nod, and she reluctantly set down her stick. Rodric got a torch from his pack and pulled a length of the pitch-infused cloth from it. He wrapped it around the arrowhead and stuck the head into the fire. When he pulled it away, it was engulfed in flame. Jaromir stood some ten feet in front of him, watching Rodric bemusedly.

  “Rodric,” I said, “You don’t have to do this.”

  Rodric shrugged. “It’s like you said, Captain. Sometimes you can’t choose your allies.” He nocked the arrow.

  I peered into the darkness at the figures surrounding us, trying to think of a way to prevent what was about to happen. I couldn’t think of one. Rodric stood with the arrow at the ready. I looked at Vili, who glanced over his shoulder at the Barbarok nearest to him, who held a spear with its butt planted in th
e ground. I gave him a subtle nod. Ilona stood watching Rodric, apparently oblivious.

  “All right,” I said. “Do it.”

  Rodric leaned back, pulling the drawstring tight. He paused a moment to take aim and then loosed the arrow. The eye of every Barbaroki was on the flame as it hurtled into the sky.

  Vili fell into a half-crouch and then drove his shoulder into the sternum of the spearman behind him. Rodric swung his bow at Jaromir, catching him on the bridge of the nose and causing him to yelp and stumble backward. I ran between Vili and Rodric, tackling Dimas as he moved toward Vili with his sword in hand. Grunts and shouts sounded from the men farther off. I clubbed Dimas on the temple with the butt of my fist and got to my feet. Ilona, quickly realizing what was happening, lunged for her stick, seizing it and launching herself at another Barbarok who approached with an axe.

  Half of the men farther back had already fallen, arrows protruding from their necks or backs. Dark figures swarmed out of the shadows, and the remaining Barbaroki turned to face the attackers.

  By this time the spearman had recovered from Vili’s attack and thrown Vili to the ground. He now advanced with his spear pointed toward me. I sidestepped, gripped the spear and pulled, causing the man to stumble into the fire. He rolled onto the ground, howling and beating at his armor to dislodge burning coals. Vili dived for his dagger, which lay a few feet from the spearman, but I could see he would not reach it in time. The Barbarok scrambled to his feet, bringing the spear back to thrust it at Vili. To my right, Jaromir advanced toward Rodric, sword in hand, blood pouring from his nose. Farther away, Ilona had her opponent on the defensive; she had disarmed him with a hard strike on his forearm.

  Knowing I could not save both Rodric and Vili, I lunged at the spearman, knocking him backwards as he hurled the spear. Vili easily dodged the weak strike and I drove my elbow into the man’s nose, breaking it. He fell to his knees and scrambled away. I turned just in time to see Jaromir bring back his sword to strike Rodric. Before he could execute the blow, Rodric reached out, plucked a fiery arrow from the air, and thrust it into Jaromir’s throat. Jaromir, his face contorted in utter shock, fell to his knees and collapsed. Rodric relieved him of his sword and beheaded him. Vili drove his knife into the heart of the spearman. Ilona stood a few paces away, the end of her stick against the throat of the man she’d disarmed. All around us lay dead and injured men. A figure approached from the darkness and I moved to grab my rapier.