An Empire Forged

by Michael Greenfield

  Luda was facing the presence of a daemon, inhabiting the body of the Koldari, but not fully present in their realm. If it had been fully present, she shuddered to think as to what that would lead to.

  “That’s why he didn’t die. His essence was held by the daemon.”

  “You’ve been doing a lot of reading I see. A shame that it won’t help you.” Eshek stepped back and unleashed an immense blast of energy, almost overwhelming the hastily constructed barrier about the sorceress. The backwash knocked the two swordsmen of their feet.

  Tamala’s mind was racing, trying to think of something she could throw at Eshek to buy them time, if nothing else.

  Then, from behind them, near the entrance to the room, a bright light sprang into being. Eshek threw his hand to his eyes to protect them, but the daemon possessed warrior let out a wild scream of pain, pushing itself away from the illumination.

  Stood beneath the sudden glare was the small figure of Arlena, the Seer. Held in her hand, a small amulet which glowed a silvery orange as it emitted the light that flooded out from it.

  Scrambling back, the daemon thrust Tamala aside before she could react and raced to Eshek’s side. Eshek himself threw a bolt of energy at the ceiling, causing Tamala to instantly throw her own concentration to forming a barrier above them for protection.

  A flash of blue-white light, and the pair of attackers disappeared.

  Luda staggered over to her, whilst she let the barrier dissipate and turned back to Arlena. “You saw?”

  “Yes.” The Seer’s face was pale, showing her shock at the sight she had just beheld, “Daemons have not been seen on this world for millennia. If Eshek gives them passage to here, then we’re in even more peril than we knew.”

  Hastening back toward the passage as she spoke, Tamala continued, “I have to get back to Collett and Dorrin, they need to know this.”

  Luda shook himself off and followed, “What did you two see?”

  “You were right when you said we saw Cal kill the Koldari back in J’dar, but it appears that Eshek has used dark arts to resurrect him.”

  “You can do that?” Luda was having a bad enough day without being told that his enemies could return from the grave.

  “I can’t. And usually others couldn’t either. Eshek has filled the Koldari’s soul with that of a daemon.”

  “I thought they were just a myth,” after a moments pause, he carried on, “and why is Eshek doing this. I thought he was supposed to help maintain the balance?”

  “He is.” They had reached the stairwell leading back up to the ground floor of the temple by now. About them they could see people still hurrying with buckets to contain the fires.

  “This wasn’t an attack to try and kill or injure, Eshek was trying to stop me from learning how to use the Source.”

  Return

  Cal and Jerito had spoken deep into the night. Cal recounting his story from leaving Fallon’s Glen, and the General drawing out further information by asking pointed questions as he went. By the time he went to bed the younger man was exhausted. He hadn’t realised you could get so tired whilst staying sat down for such a long period of time.

  The following morning, he was roused by a tap on the door of the room he had been given. A servant entered when he responded and told him that the General expected him for breakfast in half an hour.

  Grumbling, he threw his legs out of bed and stood. He washed and dressed quickly, cursing the other man for being an even earlier riser than Farsighter, a thought that brought another flood of memories. He really needed to get back to the others, he didn’t like the absence of their reassuring presence.

  Making his way downstairs, he entered the dining room to find Jerito in the midst of an animated discussion with another, younger man.

  “Cal,” he called as he saw him enter. Motioning toward a chair by his side, he continued. “please have a seat.

  This is Colonel Tarbrek, my second-in-command. I’ve filled him in on most of what you told me last night. Now we need to decide what we do next, and how we get it done.”

  Cal nodded to the Colonel. He appeared to be in his early thirties, with a small scar just to the right side of his clean-shaven chin. His eyes were a twinkling pale blue, topped with dirty brown hair that was cut short.

  “Baron.” The man acknowledged him.

  “Please, it’s Cal. I’m sure that the General has told you enough to know that I’ve only recently been anointed with nobility and I can’t say I’m comfortable with the idea yet.”

  The man smiled, holding out a hand which Cal took. “Probably makes you smarter than most nobles I know.”

  Cal burst out laughing, “Most of my companions are noble born, and they’d probably agree with you.”

  Jerito pointedly cleared his throat, “If you gentlemen don’t mind.”

  Cal grabbed a bread roll from a bowl on the table and a servant brought him a plate of cold cuts, along with a hot drink.

  “I’m sure you’ve noticed our friends across the road?”

  Cal nodded, “That would be the ones with the crossbows.”

  “Yes, I was told that they greeted you.”

  “We need to get back to Kormick and the others. I don’t suppose you have a back door to this place.” Cal looked hopeful.

  “There is, but don’t get your hopes up. Our friends know about it as well, so it’s just as well guarded as the front.”

  Cal was silent for a moment, neither man interrupting his musing. “Are your servants harassed at all?”

  “When they go out for chores or shopping?”

  “Yes.”

  “Not as such. They get followed, and I’ve seen them getting pulled to one side before returning to the gate, but apart from that, no. Not really.”

  “Good. Have one go out with a list of supplies you need. Whilst he’s out, have him call into the Seagull for a bit of refreshment.”

  Jerito smiled, “I’m sure he’d appreciate the gesture. Any particular reason why?”

  “You’ve heard of Gunnarson, the mercenary captain.”

  Both of the others laughed before Jerito replied, “Heard of him? I’ve employed him, not just once either.”

  Cal returned the grins he was now facing. “It just so happens that the good Captain and several of his men are taking a well-earned break, paid for by the good Master Merchant Periman.”

  “That’s convenient,” Tarbrek interrupted.

  “Isn’t it. If you can get a message passed to Gunnarson, we can have him distract our watchers whilst we make our way to the dock. The ship I came on has instructions to wait for us.”

  “That’s all very well, but what do we do when we reach Mid’gra. From what you tell me, the entire city is under the chancellor’s control and we’d be picked up as soon as we left the ship.”

  “We won’t be going to Mid’gra. Kormick, Myriana and the others are waiting for us at one of Periman’s houses about half a day north of Manin.

  We may have to hurry, as we’re likely to be spotted once we get there, but we won’t encounter half of the problems we would going straight to the capital.”

  The two soldiers sat back as they contemplated Cal’s plan, then they both looked at each other and nodded.

  “I’ll get one of the cooks. Mann used to infantry so he can take care of himself if he needs to.” Jerito acknowledged Tarbrek’s suggestion with a wave of his hand.

  “If that’s settled, let’s finish breakfast and wait for our mercenary friends to put in an appearance.”

  They didn’t have to wait long. Just three hours later they were called to the courtyard where several of Jerito’s men were struggling to contain their amusement. Across the street, with a crowd of onlookers watching from below, one of the Chancellor’s men was dangling by his feet from the window of the room they had been using.

  His screams of fear had many of the onlookers laughing out loud as they could clearly hear Gunnarson, who had hold of the man’s ankles, berating him for bei
ng a naughty boy shooting crossbow bolts as Gunnarson’s friends.

  A bemused Jerito shot Cal a look, “I thought you asked for a distraction, not a full-blown pantomime?

  It is entertaining. I’ll give it that.” He turned to Tarbrek, “I guess it’s time to move.”

  The Colonel nodded his agreement and motioned for two of the guards to go and get the others. They weren’t bothering to carry anything with them they couldn’t replace, so all were wearing travel clothes and had their swords already in place.

  Half a dozen soldiers appeared from the building and formed up loosely about their senior officers, the plan being to make their way to the docks as fast as they were able through the town’s midday crowd. The men providing protection if they ran into trouble, and Cal hoped Gunnarson would follow behind, preventing them from being chased down and possibly preventing any who saw them, and tried to get the message out that they were on the move.

  As the gates opened, Cal signalled the big mercenary who acknowledged him by dropping the screaming man to the street below. It was only a fall of ten feet or so, so the man was concussed, but not seriously injured. Although in his dazed state, several upstanding members of the crowd did take the opportunity to go through his pockets before sprinting off with whatever they found.

  The group in the courtyard didn’t hesitate. They were immediately off, through the gate and heading down the street toward the waterfront. Before they had travelled fifty yards Gunnarson and his men appeared from an adjoining street.

  “One might have got away.” The mercenary captain looked apologetic but said nothing more.

  “Guess it couldn’t be helped. What makes you think so?” Jerito’s eyes never stopped sweeping the street as he spoke.

  “The room looked as if more were staying there than we found. If we had time I’d have watched for a while before attacking, but I guess you might be in a rush.”

  No-one added any more to the statement, just concentrated on making their way toward the waiting ship. As they passed people hastened to get out of their way. They didn’t make any overt threats to get them to move, but groups of armed men moving with purpose usually find that their path clears quite rapidly.

  Their luck held until they reached the eastern end of the dock. From where they were Cal could actually see the masts of the ship they were making for, but now they had a problem. Barring their way was a group of twenty soldiers wearing the tabards of Galorn.

  Gunnarson’s men spread out, giving themselves room for action, whilst dockworkers and traders took one look at the brewing situation and began to make themselves scarce.

  A sergeant made his way to the front of the group, who themselves were taking up positions where they would be better able to fight.

  “Lay down your swords immediately. I have orders to take you all into custody.”

  “He must have reinforcements on the way,” Jerito murmured to Cal, “he’s too brave for the position he holds.”

  Cal grinned, “Any idea who might have given him orders so quickly?”

  “No, but I can confuse those orders. I’m guessing he was told to wait for his ‘friends’ to turn up but decided to try and be a hero.” Jerito threw off his cloak and stepped forward.

  “Tell me Sergeant, do you recognise me?”

  The sergeant’s face paled, his men starting to mutter between themselves, as it was clear he plainly did recognise the General.

  Before anything else could be said, a commotion behind the Galorn soldiers drew everyone’s attention. Several mounted men and perhaps another dozen on foot appeared between them and the ship.

  The lead rider drew a short crossbow and fired the bolt straight through the sergeant from thirty yards away. The men themselves stood staring at their fallen NCO, before Jerito’s voice rang out across the dock.

  “Galorn, to me!”

  Wherever the orders had come from mattered little to them. The most senior officer in their army had just given them an order, and that was something they knew what to do about. The Galorn troops immediately moved back to where the mercenaries stood ready and took up formation with them.

  “Now I see why Baridon fears you,” Cal muttered, “I take it all of the army will jump as quickly when you shout?” Jerito nodded to the comment.

  The lead rider started to berate the troops, calling them traitors and threatening to have them executed if the didn’t immediately turn on the General and his men. Cal noted that a couple of the soldiers had bows, and taking care to try and not draw attention to himself, he moved to the nearest.

  “May I?” he whispered.

  The man looked slightly confused, but he didn’t stop Cal from taking the bow and a couple of arrows.

  It may not have been his Lighter bow, or even his old bow from his days in Fallon’s Glen, but at this distance he would be hard pushed to miss if he tried.

  He stepped back and to one side, nocking the arrow and drawing it to his cheek in one fluid move before releasing. His hand dropped to his side, grasping the fletched end of the second arrow before repeating the process.

  The man with the crossbow found himself staring, dumbfounded, at the arrow protruding from his chest. The man on the horse next to him had just started to turn to face him when he to was struck in almost exactly the same spot.

  Without waiting, the remaining riders spun their mounts about and immediately started for the cover of nearby buildings.

  Apart from the creaking of nearby ships, the dock had suddenly gone eerily silent. Cal walked back to the soldier whose bow he had used and handed it back to him without a word. Eyes followed him as he strode back to Jerito.

  “He was annoying me.”

  Gunnarson unleashed a deep, booming belly laugh. As if the floodgates had been opened, nearly all of the men started to laugh as well.

  “Remind me not to annoy you, boy!” The big man slapped his thigh, “Gods, that was funny. Annoyed you, you say. Damn, if that’s not the funniest thing I’ve seen for years.”

  The mirth continued for a few moments before some of the soldiers started to remember who they were with. A corporal made his way to Jerito and presented himself with a salute for the General.

  “Orders, Sir?”

  “Send for more men and secure the dock.” He motioned for his own sergeant to come to him. “Head back to the house and write a note for the garrison captain here. Orders that he is to take orders from no-one except myself, Duke Kormick and those presenting signed orders from either of us.

  They are to look into our friends on horseback and try and work out who they are and who they take instruction from. Aside from that, they are to ensure that the docks remain open at all times, we might have need of them.

  Oh,” he had almost dismissed the man but suddenly remembered something, “get Mann to sign it. He does my signature almost as well as I do, and there’s a signet in a box under my bed he can use to seal the message.”

  “Of course, Sir.”

  The sergeant grabbed a couple of others to go with him, whilst the corporal started directing men to take up positions about the dock itself.

  “I’ll stay here a few days, Sir.” Tarbrek glanced about them. “I think I’ll do a bit of snooping of my own and then catch up with you.”

  Jerito looked the man in the eyes before nodded his agreement. “How will you find us if we’re still covert?”

  “I’ll get a message to you through one of Periman’s factors.”

  Both men clasped wrists before the younger man turned and headed up the nearest street.

  “Shall we, my dear Baron?” Jerito held out his hand in the direction of the ship they had been heading for.

  “How is it that Galorn has a garrison here?”

  “We’ve a treaty with Dorn to provide troops for ships when they do sweeps for pirates. It’s easier to have troops here, and visa versa with regard to Dorn’s own men.

  It also comes in handy when I want something doing without actually asking the local gover
nor.”

  They encountered no trouble when they returned to the small port of Manin. Cal said his goodbyes to Gunnarson, who promised that it would not be the last they saw of each other, and then they acquired horses for the party before setting out for Periman’s house.

  They reached the building just after sunset. Cal jumped from his horse and led them down a small alleyway at the side of the house, leading to a modest stable.

  The stable boy took their horses, allowing them to enter the building through the back entrance. Jerito had worn a hooded cloak as they rode through the town, and they were hopeful that the house was still unknown to their enemies.

  They passed through the kitchen and from there Cal led the General up the passage to the small lounge.

  Periman and Kormick were both sat as they entered, though they stood immediately upon seeing who was disturbing them.

  “Cal, it’s good to see you in one piece.” Kormick grabbed the young man’s hand, “My niece hasn’t slept a wink since you left.”

  “Thanks for the concern. Where is Myriana?”

  “Upstairs, resting. I’m sure one of the servants is already knocking on her door to let her know you’re back.” He turned his attention to the General. “Jerito, it’s good to see you.”

  That brought a short laugh from the other man, “I thought you didn’t like me?”

  Kormick grinned in return, “I don’t, but I do trust you. That’s a lot more important these days.”

  “I’ll agree with that. Master Merchant, I see you’ve still not found any food you don’t like.”

  Periman feigned a look of shocked horror as he patted his stomach, before he joined in the laughter. “I’m glad you’re in such high spirits, General. I’m assuming that our young friend from Boraan has filled you in on what’s happening?”

  “He has. We got lucky in Ren as well. It would appear that friend Baridon isn’t as clever as he thought.”

  “Oh?”

  “He obviously had someone co-ordinating with the Galorn garrison there. I’m guessing the Sergeant, but whoever doesn’t really matter. What matters is that he sent our own soldiers to try and apprehend the ‘fugitives’.