Fortress of Radiance

by Marc Alan Edelheit

  “You said nothing of this warden before we left,” Karus said, becoming heated. “Why not?”

  You did not ask, Kordem said from across the clearing, sounding almost surly. We risk much for this venture. Show some gratitude, human.

  “You should have told us!” Karus found himself steaming mad. “When were you going to tell us? Going forward, how can I trust you?”

  You dare question your betters? Cyln’phax’s mouth opened slightly, a stream of smoke escaping.

  We promised to get you to the fortress and we will, Kordem said. But first, we must stop and ask for the warden’s blessing. It may reduce the complications of getting into the fortress and out with the sword, or so we hope.

  “Complications? I already didn’t like this venture to begin with,” Karus said. “Amarra tells me the warden’s people are dangerous.”

  They are very dangerous, Kordem said. It was one of the reasons we decided to wait to tell you. We suspected you would take it badly and might delay this journey until it was too late, with the Horde on Carthum’s doorstep.

  “You should have told us straight away,” Karus said with heat. He cracked his neck, for it was stiff from his helmet. A thought occurred to him. “If these people are so dangerous, then we should go right to the fortress. Why go looking for trouble? What complications do you speak of?”

  “Yes,” Amarra said in agreement with him. “Why not go to fortress?”

  The fortress is guarded by the Warriors of Anagradoom, Kordem said. They are an ancient order. We understand they have pledged their lives to protect Rarokan. As was prophesized, you will seek permission to take the dread sword from its keepers. Without permission and blessing from the warden, we think they may not willingly surrender the sword to you.

  “What? Prophecy?” Karus was dismayed. He glanced over at Amarra, who looked none too happy either about this news. “Did you know of a prophecy?”

  Amarra shook her head. “No.”

  Your coming was foretold, as was Amarra’s, Kordem said. You know this, for we told you. But you’ve not seen the prophecy of which we speak. The warden knows the prophecy, for the sword was given into the care of her people, who were charged with keeping it in sacred trust for your coming.

  “For me?” Karus shared a glance with Amarra before turning his gaze back to Kordem. “They know I am coming.”

  Not you particularly, not by name, but the revered son of the High Father. You are to be but the first to wield Rarokan, Kordem said. The prophecy, though confusing, makes that much clear. Rarokan is an ancient and powerful artifact, a weapon to be feared by all. Yet, it is also a tool that, in the right hands, may be able to save all that we love or, in the wrong ones, may be able to challenge the gods themselves. Though that is not your destiny, but another’s. You need not worry about that. However, the path you follow must see you bear the burden of Rarokan, as the High Father intended, and be its first master. That will be no easy thing.

  Karus just shook his head, stunned by what they were telling him.

  “And if this warden refuses to give up this powerful weapon?” Karus asked. “What if she does not recognize I am the one to take the sword? What then?”

  It seems you are uncommonly perceptive for a human, Cyln’phax said. The warden is known to be difficult. We will help convince her of the correct path.

  Should the warden prove shortsighted, we shall go anyway, Kordem said. The sword belongs in your hands. Without it, our chances of withstanding the Horde and escaping Tannis decrease dramatically.

  “These warriors guarding the fortress won’t give up the sword without her permission,” Karus said. It was a statement, not a question.

  We believe they will not, Kordem said. But who can tell for certain? We think it better to see the warden first, gain her support. Then go.

  If need be, we will kill the Warriors of Anagradoom and take the sword by force, Cyln’phax said as if it were a simple thing. To do so, you will need to break the enchantment over the fortress, for we cannot go near it.

  “Enchantment? Just great.” Karus pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. “It would’ve been nice to know this in advance. I would have brought more men along.”

  Your men would not have made any difference, Kordem said. They would be useless against the followers of Anagradoom, and there were other considerations.

  “Useless?” Karus asked, incredulous that he was hearing all of this now. “How so?”

  The fortress’s defenders are imbued and armed with occult powers, Kordem said. Their will has been enhanced. Your men would not have stood a chance against them.

  “And we will?” Karus asked.

  We believe so, for you both have been blessed by the High Father, Kordem said. Besides, the prophecy only mentions you two and three others picked up along the way. Five of you will enter the fortress. We could not allow you to take more men and threaten the fulfillment of the prophecy. To do so might have ruined everything. Meddling where prophecy is concerned can be dangerous. It is considered most unwise.

  “You should have told us,” Amarra said in Common, anger plain in her voice. Karus glanced over at her. Her gaze was fierce as she looked up at Cyln’phax. “You should have told us, especially me, about this prophecy. I am blessed by the High Father, his direct instrument and will upon this world. You will conceal nothing from us again. Do you understand me?”

  The dragon lowered its head to their level. It leaned in close, muzzle less than a foot from Amarra and Karus. She did not flinch or back down so much as an inch, but stood angry, confident, and proud against the dragon’s gaze. Karus found himself admiring her steadfast strength of will, for he knew what it took to face off a dragon.

  My apologies, revered daughter, Cyln’phax said and Karus sensed the dragon meant it. When we return to Carthum, we shall reveal the prophecy in its entirety. I warn you now, reading and translating prophecy can be tricky. It is almost an art form, and when you think you understand it, you discover you were most wrong. The portion that concerns us now says the following …

  Five shall climb the hill up into the fortress afflicted beyond recognition, the chosen and three others who shall join this desperate venture along the way. Two shall betray all they hold dear and for good cause. One who is lost shall rediscover himself and a talisman that shall ultimately tie fate to another’s. Five shall come out, or not at all, with the sword Rarokan in the hands of he who is the High Father’s revered son. So too shall come the Anagradoom. Beware of the Dark Lord, for darkness shall reign should the Rarokan come into his keeping.

  Cyln’phax paused a moment, pulling back from Amarra and Karus. Whether the Anagradoom come out as allies or enemies we do not know. The prophecy mentions three shall join the chosen, whom we believe to be you both. We feel we will pick up additional companions at Irin’Surall, the warden’s home, but we know not who they will be.

  “Who is this Dark Lord?” Karus asked.

  Something else we do not know, Kordem said. We think he is an agent of the enemy. However, it is possible he could also be of the Anagradoom. We do know the enemy has a prophecy of their own.

  Before you ask, Cyln’phax said, we know not what that prophecy says. Do not judge us too harshly. We have been at this a very long time. Again, our apologies for keeping this from you. Our intentions were only for the best. Now, the dragon said, suddenly sounding weary, we must rest, for our journey will continue before long.

  Cyln’phax curled her tail around her and tucked her head under a wing, clearly intent upon sleep. The message was clear: The conversation was over. Kordem did the same.

  Amarra’s expression softened a little as she looked over at Karus. She shook her head slightly. Karus was rocked by what the dragons had just revealed. He was certain Amarra felt the same way. That there was a prophecy concerned him greatly, and the enemy had one, too. He wondered if the dragons were playing some game of their own. Had they just been completely honest and open? He suspecte
d they had, but only time would tell.

  “The warden’s people. Who are they?” Karus asked. “Tell me more about them.”

  “They like us,” Amarra said, clearly trying to explain and struggling with it, “but not.”

  “Like us, but not?” Karus repeated. “Are they anything like the orcs?”

  “No,” Amarra said. “I never seen one. Not many do. They stay in trees. But, I think they old people. They do not mix with others. I know little of them. No one does.” She paused and spared a glance around at the trees that crowded the clearing. “One thing people know is stay out of their trees. To go in them is to find death.”

  Karus felt himself frown.

  “The trees?” Karus asked. “You mean the forest?”

  “They no let people into lands,” Amarra said with a nod. “They people of legend. How you say, secret? They kill all who enter lands without asking.”

  Karus thought about that for a few moments. The dragon had said they were trespassing in the warden’s lands. Would they try to kill him, Amarra, and the dragons? His thoughts shifted. He wondered how these people could have managed to avoid the war that was even now raging across this world. Were they part of it in some way? Had they made an accommodation with the Horde? What had seemed like a simple journey of retrieval had now become complicated. His eyes fell upon Amarra’s staff, which she had leaned against a shattered stump. His thoughts returned to what Kordem had said about the fortress’s defenders having occult powers.

  “Have you figured out how to use that yet?” Karus asked, gesturing toward the staff.

  “No,” Amarra said with a sad shake of her head. She touched her chest. “I feel High Father’s strength here, but I can no use. I not ready.”

  “Well,” Karus said, “the High Father said not to squander its power. I guess you can’t do that unless you know how it works, now, can you?”

  “High Father will show me when time or I figure out on own.” Amarra glanced at the two dragons, who were showing no sign of being awake or taking an interest in their conversation. Karus suspected they were still paying attention.

  “We sleep, yes?” Amarra asked.

  “You go ahead,” Karus said. “Someone must stand watch.”

  Even though we rest, Kordem said, speaking up, we will watch. We will know if anyone comes near. Now cease your talking and get some rest.

  “We sleep, yes?” Amarra asked again.

  “We sleep,” Karus said, giving in. He unclipped his cloak and laid it aside. He began undoing the straps to his armor, unlacing it. He shrugged out of the armor as Amarra lay down on her blanket. She smoothed out her long white dress, which looked immaculate, with not a speck of dirt on it. Karus set his armor against a nearby stump. It felt good to shed the dead weight.

  He took his cloak and laid it over Amarra. She drew it close about her. He then lay down next to her on his own blanket. They lay on their sides, looking at each other, Amarra’s eyes searching his face. She reached out a hand and stroked his forearm with a light touch.

  “Hold me,” Amarra said.

  Not needing to be asked twice, Karus pulled her to him. She tucked herself into his body, snuggling close. She felt slight within his arms and shuddered as she placed her head against his chest. He wanted nothing other than to keep this woman safe, to be her protector. But somehow, Karus knew deep down there would be battles that, as High Priestess, she alone would have to fight. That frightened him more than he cared to admit. He wasn’t quite sure how he knew this, but he did. Karus understood he would have his own challenges to face.

  “Sleep,” Amarra whispered to him. “Think no more, worry no more”—she hesitated a bare heartbeat—“my love.”

  Karus gave her a squeeze and then closed his eyes. He had long mastered the skill of falling asleep when the opportunity presented itself. Service in the legion had taught him how. Karus put his worries from his mind. He had not slept a wink in over a day, and yet, with his arms wrapped around Amarra, it took a little more effort than usual. He sucked in a breath through his nose, inhaling deeply. The air was full of the scent of the forest. Within moments, he surrendered to the oblivion, Amarra tucked comfortably within his arms.

  Chapter Six

  The last of the two suns was still up, hovering just above the horizon. What little warmth it shed was negated by the wind. They had been flying for hours. Karus was cold and stiff, his fingers almost numb. He stretched as best he could. The straps holding him securely in place were tight, almost to the point of being painful. Karus wasn’t taking any chances. The last thing he wanted was to fall off the dragon’s back.

  He rubbed his hands together for warmth. With the onset of the coming night, it would become colder still. He hoped they would reach their destination soon or at the very least take another break. He leaned over to his right, the wind whistling through his helmet as he shifted to better see. The forest had long since given way to a series of gently rolling hills and small river valleys. In the far distance, he could see a range of mountains. They were craggy and rocky, their tops capped in white snow and devoid of trees. Despite the chill and long hours in the air, Karus found the view majestic, and at times almost breathtaking. It had been like that for much of the day. He was seeing the lay of the land in a way that few humans ever had. Cyln’phax had made a point to tell him as much, and Karus did not doubt the dragon in the least.

  They were so high up, any villages or settlements that passed by below them were tiny beyond belief. The buildings had a toy-like quality to them, almost as if they were not quite real. It made Karus feel as if he were some fabled giant, with a god’s eye view of the world. Hour after hour, the land spread out before him, for as far as the eye could see. It was much like a map but with all the color, contours, and shapes a cartographer could never hope to capture.

  Karus glanced over at Amarra and Kordem flying a few yards to their right. Amarra caught his gaze. She flashed him a broad smile and waved. Karus returned her wave. They had tried shouting to each other, but with the wind, it was incredibly difficult to be heard. So they had long since given up even making the attempt, settling for simple hand gestures.

  Karus ran his eyes over Kordem. The dragon’s long neck and head were stretched out straight ahead, his wings fully extended, coasting along. The leathery wings shifted and moved ever so slightly with the wind and the air currents. The dragon’s legs were pulled up close to his body, claws retracted. Kordem’s long, thick spiked tail snaked along behind him, straight as an arrow and when turning curved.

  Karus’s gaze shifted back to Amarra, who was firmly anchored on Kordem’s back, just as he was on Cyln’phax’s. Prior to leaving the clearing, Karus had given her his service cloak for the next leg of their journey. He had also insisted she take the blankets, which were thin. They were wrapped about her under his cloak. It was scant protection against the cold, but it was better than nothing. She had secured the cloak tightly about her person. The ends of the cloak flapped and fluttered under the unrelenting wind. It was a splash of red against the green of the dragon and the blue of the sky.

  Amarra threw him another wave and then turned away to look at something off to her right. At that moment, Cyln’phax gave a powerful flap of her wings. It took them higher, with Kordem and Amarra falling below and out of sight. Cyln’phax extended her wings, coasting along on the air. Kordem and Amarra came back into view a moment later as the other dragon beat his wings against the air and climbed ever so slightly, rising higher into the sky. For a time, the two dragons coasted along on a strong draft of air.

  They glided high above the land on currents, which Cyln’phax had likened to invisible rivers in the sky. Karus wasn’t sure he fully understood. For the dragons, the currents of air apparently allowed them to travel long distances with little effort. The evidence was plain enough for Karus to witness. Most of the time, they flew with their wings extended, gliding along on these invisible rivers of wind, only occasionally giving a flap. He had seen b
irds do the same, but the dragons flew much higher, with the land below them passing slowly by in an endless parade.

  Karus turned his gaze upward. The scattered clouds, puffy and white as the freshest of snows, seemed almost within reach. Though he was still not quite comfortable flying, the more time he spent on the dragon’s back, the more he was becoming accustomed to it. He just wished he were a little warmer and wrapped up in something heavy, like furs, for the continued exposure was chilling him to the bone.

  Karus returned his attention to the landscape far below. The countryside passed slowly and steadily. The rolling hills and river valleys fell behind them and eventually disappeared altogether. They gave way to vast grasslands that seemed to stretch on and on with no end in sight. Eventually the grasslands made way to pasture and neatly cultivated fields as the last sun worked its way steadily closer toward the horizon.

  Karus leaned over to better study the fields passing beneath them, wondering on the peoples that lived below. Gray lines bordered each field, seeming to box them in. It took Karus a moment to realize the gray lines were stone walls. He had seen the like in Britannia, where the fields at times seemed to produce more stone than crops. Farmers used the stones they pulled out of the ground to build the walls that bordered their fields. He had listened to more than one farmer complain that with each passing year there seemed to be more stones, making the job of working the soil and pulling crops from the earth that much more difficult.

  Thoughts of working the land reminded Karus of his brother in Sicily. Karus had had an open invitation to come help run the family interests, one of the largest plantations on the island. A sudden pang of sadness washed over him. He had been transported to a different world. Karus and the Ninth were now stuck on Tannis, at least until they could find a way off this world. Even then, there would be no returning to Rome, for the High Father had told him as much. For better or worse, he was on his own, cast adrift in a vast and nearly incomprehensible war not of his making. Well, he consoled himself, he wasn’t really alone. He had Amarra and the legion.