Delver Magic Book II: Throne of Vengeance

by Jeff Inlo

  #

  "I can't allow this. This has to be stopped." Ryson was more than adamant, he was blazing with dissent. The memory of the shadow trees invoked his passions. He narrowed his focus directly upon Lief. "You were with me, down at the bottom of Sanctum. You saw those things. You can't let this happen again. They're a nightmare."

  Ryson's voice trembled. To him, it was more than a bad dream. The shadow trees were real, and they waited in the darkness of his memories. His recollection of this horror was as crisp as a dried leaf. It would never leave him. The delver spent many a sleepless night fighting off the memory of the terror in the dark.

  "I don't care what the dwarves did. Nothing would justify this. If the seeds are dropped on Dunop, the trees will kill all the dwarves. The young, the old. The innocent! Everyone down there."

  "It was not my decision," Lief replied. His expression was colored with the gloom of his own memories of the monstrosities.

  "Godson! It's everybody's decision. Yours, mine, everyone's. We either allow it, or we don't"

  Linda was shocked by his outburst. "Ryson. Try to clam down. I don't think he wants this to happen any more than you do."

  Ryson could not, would not, calm his emotions. "It's his camp. He can stop it. He's respected there."

  Holli spoke somberly. "He tried. He could not sway the opinion of the camp leaders. They see Yave as a threat to our existence."

  "But you're not just putting an end to Yave, you're putting and end to Dunop. Godson, maybe even worse. Don't forget the algors and what they're planning. What do you think is going to happen when the sand giants start breaking through the tunnels? They're going to open more paths underground to get to the dwarves. The shadow trees will spread, they’ll spread into the desert and right under the algors. How many will die? This is beyond not being right, this is criminal."

  Holli reminded him of who he was shouting at. "Be that as it may, Petiole would not listen to Lief, and right now you are blaming him."

  Ryson would not concede the point. He remained livid. "I'm blaming everyone. Myself included. I have to do everything I can to stop them as well."

  "What would you do?" Holli questioned sharply.

  "Let me talk to Petiole. I'll stop him."

  "He would not listen to you. He did not listen to Lief. You do not fully understand what is happening in our camp." Holli did not pause, did not for a moment contemplate whether or not to speak the true reasons for this calamity. Without hesitation and with the clarity of a mission briefing, she pinpointed the crux of the dilemma. "Petiole is the eldest elf, but he is a weak leader. He worries more about how the elves view him. He believes the dwarf raid was a direct attack against his leadership. He is angry and offended. He believes he has to act to bring back the respect of the camp."

  Ryson was aghast. The idea of using the shadow trees to defend one's reputation was beyond depravity. "Good Godson, you can't be serious? Is he mad?"

  "It is not my place to say. "Holli replied evenly. "It is simply what he wishes. And Petiole will see any attempt to stop his plans as an affront to his authority, a challenge. He will not listen to you anymore than he would listen to the youngest elf of our camp."

  "Then you need a new leader!" Ryson demanded.

  Holli did not answer. No matter how much she agreed with this, as an elf guard, she was sworn to protect the camp elder's authority.

  Ryson noted her reluctance. His eyes narrowed upon the elf guard. "You can't tell me you support this? You have to agree this has to be stopped? Don't you?"

  The elf guard fell silent. Worse for Ryson, she became stone-faced, rigid to anything he might say.

  The delver's disbelief over the situation doubled. "I don't care who the leader is, you can't let this happen. If you do, you're saying you think every dwarf in Dunop is responsible for what's happening here. Worse, you're saying everyone has to be punished. Not only punished, but tortured. I saw those shadow trees. I know what they're like. If you don't do something to stop this, you're sentencing all of Dunop to an end so painful it's probably beyond your comprehension." He waited impatiently for some kind of response from the elf.

  Holli still would not answer. She did not return his blazing glare. Instead, she looked over his shoulder, beyond him as if he was not there.

  The silence brought discomfort.

  Lief attempted to break it. He did his best to speak for her. "Easy to say, not easy to do. Elf leadership is probably older than any form of human government. It is as old as the ancients, it comes from elflore."

  Ryson was not even slightly swayed. His emotions continued to bubble over like a burning stew. "So what are you saying? Because of your traditions you're going to allow what you call a weak leader to kill thousands beyond thousands with this horror that should never have even been created? Isn't that what you said about the shadow trees when you first told me about them? You were embarrassed that the elves could even conceive of such a terror. I remember how you looked when you described how they were first used. It was another dwarf-elf war. The fact that the elves used such a weapon pained you. Now, you're going to allow it to happen again?"

  Lief erupted. "What can I do?!

  Ryson did not pause in his response. "Whatever it takes!"

  Lief began to show anger himself. "And do you know what that might be?! Our leader is now determined to strike back. He will not be swayed. He has the authority and the right to make such a decision. Despite what you think, I have no right to question him."

  "No right?" Ryson's eyes shot open wide. "You have every right. And what justifies the crime he's about to commit? Just because he's the camp elder? That means nothing. No one who could even consider such an act should even be allowed to lead."

  "Again, you speak with no knowledge! What do you think we can do? Just ask him to step down? Take a vote like the humans? He is the leader because he is. There is only one way to end his role, and that is with his death. Maybe you think I should just kill Petiole?!"

  Ryson did not back down for an instant. He was against killing, he held life sacred, but perhaps that is what pushed him to this limit. He yelled right back. "If that's what it takes. Better for one to die, than to allow him to do this."

  Lief clenched his fists. Ryson's reaction was no true surprise to him, and the solution was not something foreign to his own contemplations. Yet, as an elf, he knew more, more of what was involved, more of what was truly possible. Yes, he had considered such a thought, and he revealed as much as he spoke through a set jaw. "You think it's that easy! You don't know anything! Ask Holli if she would let me get near Petiole if she knew I was going to kill him."

  Holli did not wait for the question. She answered without emotion. Her monotone voice rang hollow. "I would have to stop him, kill him if necessary."

  Ryson's eyes widened. His accusing glare turned from Lief to Holli. "You would kill Lief?"

  "It is my oath."

  "Your oath? What in the name of Godson is wrong with you?"

  "Ages of what you call tradition," Holli replied.

  Ryson raged on. "That's not acceptable! What happened long ago means nothing compared to what's going to happen right now. Can you look me in the eye and say that you support even the thought of releasing the seeds on Dunop? Can you?"

  "No, I can't."

  "But you would protect Petiole?"

  "They are not the same."

  "Yes they are! Godson!" Ryson grasped for reason, searched for alternatives. "Fine. You won't let Lief stop Petiole. What about me?"

  Linda could not hold her own reaction. "You? You would go out to kill this elf?"

  Ryson kept his eyes on Holli, but as he spoke to Linda, he checked his rage. "If it would stop this, yes I would. You know I don't believe in killing anything, but I've seen those trees. Anyone that would even think of using them has to be stopped."

  Sy entered the debate cautiously, made a point of his own, a consideration of the humans in Bu
rbon. "I don't know much of these shadow trees, but I do know the dwarves are a threat. They attacked us. They attacked the elves. You can't fault them for wanting to defend themselves. The dwarves want to kill us, all of us."

  Ryson shook his head. "Not all of them, and I can tell you about these trees. They would kill every dwarf in Dunop." He turned his attention back to Lief and Holli. "What about that? What about the dwarves that resist Yave? The ones that wanted us to warn the algors, to help them remove Yave from power and stop the separatists? Do they really want to attack us? Do they deserve a torturous death? And what about Jon? Does he deserve to die because some irresponsible elf is worried about his own stupid reputation?" His voice got rougher as he directed more and more of his reply at Holli. It was soon evident he was questioning the elf guard. "What does that make the elves? Jon stood with me, stood with us, to defeat Ingar, to save the land, including the elves that were being poisoned by the magic. Is this how we repay him? We destroy his home with the worse nightmare I've ever encountered. Is that what you're protecting?"

  Holli remained steadfast in her reply. "I protect the elders of my camp as well as all elves. The eldest is the leader. It is not my position to question his decisions. If you tried to enter my camp with the intention of harming Petiole, I would do everything in my power to stop you."

  Ryson's disbelief widened. "This is ridiculous."

  Lief listened to the delver with commiseration. This same debate, these same questions raged in his own soul the moment Petiole announced he would use the shadow tree seeds. He began to reel in his own anger at Ryson. He knew what fed the delver's passion. In truth, it fed his own. He would rather see Petiole removed from power than face the prospect of living with the guilt of unleashing the seeds upon the dwarves. He would even accept the responsibility to kill Petiole, if that was a plausible solution. It wasn't, as he understood the elf culture. He knew what Holli went through to become an elf guard, knew what oath she swore. Ryson did not know these things.

  The elf did his best to explain the facts of the situation. His voice was filled with regret as he tried to reassure the delver of what was simply not possible. "I know how you feel about the shadow trees. I feel the same way. I also agree that Petiole has no right to unleash such a weapon just to reaffirm his authority. Be that as it may, I can not blame Holli for what she has said. She is an elf guard. She takes an oath so strong it has never been broken. It is more than just a promise to the leaders or even to the camp. It is also more than just tradition."

  Lief rubbed his hands together as he searched for a way to explain the unexplainable. "I believe I know you well enough to say that you would do anything to keep your own word. Holli's oath is beyond just giving her word. It might be like you making an oath tied to the blessing you have with the woman who stands beside you. If you break that promise, you irrevocably destroy that very same blessing. That is the strength in her own responsibility. She can not question it, no more than you can question the feelings you have for this woman."

  At first, Ryson wished to debate the issue. No promise was worth committing this crime. No oath of service was so strong as to deny morality. What was this elf saying to him? That killing off every dwarf in Dunop, the innocent along with the guilty, that was simply acceptable because the elf guard swore to protect their own?

  His mouth opened to protest just as Linda gently held him at his arm. He looked to her. He saw his own life in her eyes, his happiness, his future. He would kill to protect her.

  His focus shifted to Holli. He saw pain. The elf guard held her oath as sacred as Ryson held Linda. In this moment, that same oath was forcing her to do something which was justified by no other reason. He saw the grief in her choice, the grief he would feel if he committed murder to protect his own love.

  Ryson swelled with regret. His harsh words to the elf guard forced their way back into his memory like the returning tide. He immediately babbled out an apology. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't blame you. I didn't understand. I thought you were defending Petiole's decision. I think I see it's something more now. I am sorry."

  Holli simply nodded. She herself had doubts. For the first time in her life she faced a choice which actually brought her close to breaking her oath. Ryson said nothing which was not true. Despite the attack of the dwarves, she could not justify the use of the shadow trees. But elves had died in the face of the attack, more would die if tensions escalated. Wouldn't the seeds save lives as well as take them? Then again, was that truly why they were being used? Petiole was doing nothing more than fighting for his own standing. He was wrong. She knew this. Yet, she must defend him, protect him. Her inner turmoil kept her silent.

  Lief spoke up, placed the blame on its ultimate recipient. "What is being said here is nothing which hasn't already been considered. This debate can rage forever without a proper conclusion. And no matter what we decide, it will not change Petiole's decision. Still, he is not the true problem. Do not forget that it is Yave that is at the center of all our difficulties. Look around you. Why are these humans training? They know they will be attacked by the dwarves. Remember the algors? Who attacked them? Not Petiole. Again, it was the dwarves under Yave's leadership. And as for Petiole himself, he would not be in the position he is currently in had Yave not ordered an assault on the elves as well. I say this not to justify the use of the shadow trees. I can never condone that. Unfortunately, there are many elder elves that do. And remember the algors. Any day now they will unleash their army of sand giants. It is Yave that is causing this. It is Yave that is the problem. As much as you hate the thought, there is little we can do about this."

  Ryson's jaw was tight with emotion. He could not accept everything Lief said, but the underlying truth was undeniable. Whether it be shadow trees or sand giants, both were only reactions to dwarf attacks. Yave and her followers drew first blood, and there were no signs of her stopping. The first sin was hers, but that would not forgive the future sins, including sins of abeyance. He would not be faultless if he did nothing to stop this abomination. "That may well be, but I can't just do nothing. There has to be a way to stop this."

  "You would have to stop Yave," Lief replied firmly.

  "Then that's what I'll have to try and do."

  The shadow of doubt quickly darkened Lief's face. "And how will you accomplish this feat."

  Ryson clasped his hands together. He laid out the situation in simplicity. "Yave attacked the algors because she thought they were responsible for Tun's death. I know that's not true. I'll have to convince her of that."

  "If you are considering what I think, it is foolishness. Yave will not listen to you," Lief retorted. "You are a delver. Have you forgotten? She now sees you as an enemy as well. Why do you think she attacked this place?"

  "I have to try."

  "Try what? Suicide? You are thinking of going to her, attempting to sway her opinion. That much I can see. She'll have you killed."

  The words fell like bricks upon Linda. She looked to Ryson with growing dread of his intentions. "You can't do this."

  "I have to do something. I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

  "You can't be irrational either," Lief admonished.

  "Listen to him, Ry," Linda implored, pleading while tears filled her eyes. "What good would it do if you just get yourself killed?"

  Holli found the strength to finally speak. "They are right, delver. You would accomplish nothing but your own death. You are now the enemy of the dwarves in Dunop. If you attempt to speak to the queen, she will have you killed as a spy. Do not forget who you are dealing with. Yave has imprisoned her own son. If she is capable of that, she is capable of anything. She has no reason to listen to you."

  "But I was there. I can tell her." Ryson halted with this thought as another burst into his head. "Wait a minute, wait a minute! Dzeb! Dzeb was there, too. He can tell her."

  Lief and Holli did not immediately reject the idea. They appeared to consider it with slight puz
zlement.

  Ryson continued. "You're right. Yave won't believe me, but how can she refuse a cliff behemoth. She can't. They don't lie. They dedicate their lives to the word of Godson. This can work. I can bring Dzeb into Dunop. He will speak the truth. Once she realizes Tun was killed by the sphere and not by the algors, all of this will end. Even if she doesn't accept it, the other dwarves of Dunop will. She will lose her power. They won't follow her if she openly refutes a cliff behemoth."

  Lief displayed hesitation. "I don't know, let me think about this."

  "What's there to think about? No one in the land, not even Yave could deny a cliff behemoth. She would have no choice. She would lose all her reasons to attack any of us."

  Lief frowned. "What you say is possible, but you forget many things. You must first find Dzeb, that will take time. Of that, you have little to none. Even now, plans are being made to drop the seeds."

  "You can delay them," the delver demanded. "Tell Petiole of my plan. Tell him I'm not trying to stop him. I'm trying to stop Yave. If it works, Yave will have to admit her fault. There won't be anymore challenges to his leadership, and he won't have to drop the seeds. Wouldn't that be the best solution to his problem? He has to give me a chance. All I'm asking for is a few days."

  "Even if I could convince him to wait, what about the algors? They will not wait. I expect that even now they are carving the bodies of the sand giants. They will be released soon. While you go searching for Dzeb, the sand giants may destroy Dunop."

  "I don't think so," Holli interrupted. "In order for the algors to send enough sand giants to destroy Dunop, it will take them at least several more days. I doubt they will send an inadequate force. They will surely want to make the first attack overwhelming. They may be able to carve that amount quickly, but they will still need time to collect the magical energy needed to animate all of them."

  Enin's interest leapt to untold heights. "Truly? A spell of animation?"

  Holli spoke guardedly of the use of magic. "It is a powerful spell. It brings life to rock, and as far as elflore goes, it has only been cast by the algors."

  Even if it was a spell beyond the power of a human, the thought of such a conjuration enticed the wizard. "And it will take them time to collect the magic? It must use a great amount of energy."

  Holli offered an explanation, but somewhat reluctantly. "Yes and no. The power is great, but not as much as you might think. As a human wizard, you store magical energy within you. The algors do not. They take the magical energy directly from the air. They can collect it, but only hold it temporarily." She spoke the rest of the explanation to Ryson. "This gives you the time you need. In order to animate an adequate number of sand giants, the algors will need more time to collect the magic. I believe your idea has merit."

  Lief was not so willing. "It may give him a few days, but not unlimited time. He has to first find Dzeb. That in itself could take a season."

  "I don't think so," Ryson objected. "I think I know where Dzeb is. Based on what I learned from him when he came to us, he lives in the Colad Mountains. For me, the trip to the north range is less than a half day's journey. I can be there before nightfall today."

  "But then you have to escort him back," Lief reminded the delver. "He will not move as fast as you."

  "Are you kidding? His legs are double the length of mine. Maybe they don't move as fast, but his stride is twice as long as any of ours. We can be back here before midday tomorrow and to the Dunop entrance before the following nightfall. That's all we need."

  Lief began to succumb, but Linda voiced her own objections.

  "But then what? You can't just walk into Dunop. They might kill you."

  "I don't think so," Ryson reassured her. "Even if I was alone, they'd want to take me prisoner first, try to find out what I know. If I'm with Dzeb, they might not even come near me. Remember, we're talking about a cliff behemoth here. I know you've never seen one. You just have to take my word for it. Just the sight of one is awe-inspiring."

  Linda wanted to protest further, wanted to keep Ryson from endangering himself. She wondered if saving the dwarves was worth the stakes he was willing to risk. He answered the question for her.

  "You have to let me do this. I won't be able to forgive myself if I don't try. I don't think either one of us would want to live with that."

  The image burned its imprint in her picture of the future. Ryson despondent, guilt-laden, and worse. He would blame her. He would wish to be free of her. He would seek the escape of exploring as only a delver would. His excursions would become longer and farther from home. It would be hard enough to keep him anchored as it was. This would destroy them. She gave him the only answer she could.

  "Do what you have to."

  Lief would still not let this be the final word. "There is yet one more consideration. If I can prevail upon Petiole to delay the use of the shadow trees, there will be nothing to slow the dwarf army. Most of us agree that Burbon is now Yave's most likely target. Your plan puts this town and all its inhabitants in great danger. Are you willing to accept this risk as well?"

  This was not something Ryson expected. He did have a responsibility to the safety of the people around him. He viewed his plan to stop the use of the shadow trees as his moral obligation. Did he accept the price? Was it even his choice to make? The seeds were a horror, but using them or not using them might decide whether the people of Burbon would live or die. He dropped his forehead to his hands, crushed by the weight of the decision.

  "I don't know," he mumbled.

  Sy did not let him face the decision alone. He spoke with the authority that was his as the leader of Burbon. "That decision is not simply his own to make. If you're talking about the safety of this town, you speak to me. Now we all seem to believe the dwarves will attack Burbon next, but we don't know when. You say these shadow trees will stop this attack, but so might Ryson's plan. If he stops their leader before she orders the next attack, we will be as safe as if these trees you're talking about destroyed their entire city. From what Ryson tells me, these trees will kill everyone, innocent civilians as well as the dwarf army. I know I don't want that on my conscience. Maybe the best thing to do is change our tactics. Maybe we can't defeat the dwarf army, but I can consider different strategies to hold them at bay if they do attack. After all, what we're fighting for now is time. I would even consider temporarily evacuating the town, anything that would buy Ryson the time he needed."

  Holli's respect for Sy elevated to that of an equal elf guard. She heard sincerity in his words and iron in his will. He was willing to consider all options to make Ryson's plan work. He did so not simply to protect his own people, the humans, but to save the lives of dwarves, a race he had only encountered in battle. Her tone carried that respect as she offered him the only true alternative.

  "I do not think evacuation will help you. If the dwarves do attack before Ryson brings Dzeb to Dunop, they will catch you in the process of leaving the city. You will not be able to defend yourself, especially if you are walking on open roads. I do, however, see another option you may consider. Will you hear it?"

  "Of course."

  "I can order a contingent of elf guards to help defend your town. I can tell you how to fight to avoid great casualties. You will not be able to defeat the dwarves completely, but you will have a chance to hold them off and protect most of your town for at least a day or two. The dwarves will not expect the defenses you will throw at them. It should frustrate them. I can not guarantee anything but a greater chance at survival."

  Lief spoke out once more, one last decree at the choice involved. "Let none of us make a mistake about this. That is what we all face. Survival. Though none of us may wish to consider it, the shadow trees would stop the dwarves and enhance all of our chances to live. But we all also seem to be against such a thing. Still, I want it to be clear. While we wish to save Dunop, we risk our own lives, some of us to the hands of the very same dwarves that have brou
ght this conflict upon us. Is this what we all say? If so, I shall do my part, I will convince Petiole to hold off on using the seeds. He can refuse my ideas, but he can't refuse listening to them. As Ryson has said, I have gained enough status within my camp to force a meeting of all the elders. I will talk for two days if that is what is necessary. That will give him the time to bring Dzeb to my camp. Once that is accomplished, Petiole will have no choice but to let Ryson carry out the remainder of his mission. If, however, Ryson can not find Dzeb as easily as he believes, this may all be for naught. I can not stall the elders indefinitely. Petiole will give his order and the seeds will be dropped. We will have taken a great risk for nothing. I say this not because I doubt Ryson, I only wish to make our situation clear."

  Lief paused, took a deep breath, before finishing with conviction. "I say we take the risk and give the delver his chance, but my risk is not as great as the others. What about the rest of you? Are we all in agreement?"

  They were.