Fortress of Radiance

by Marc Alan Edelheit

  “The Warriors of Anagradoom?” Karus asked.

  “Yes,” the wizard said. “They made the ultimate sacrifice to guard the dread weapon until the time comes to remove it. You came here under a mistaken assumption. It is not within the warden’s ability to grant you access to the fortress, for we ourselves cannot enter. We do not have the power. You carry with you everything that you need.” He gestured with a hand toward Amarra’s staff. “That and your faith will get you in.”

  “My staff?”

  “We have wasted our time here, then,” Karus said, thoroughly disgusted. He looked over at Amarra. “They can’t help us. We must help ourselves.”

  “It was not a waste of time,” Amarra said quietly, glancing down at the unconscious Si’Cara.

  “It is admirable that you came to ask our permission,” the warden said. The superior, almost mocking attitude had returned. “It shows a modicum of respect. I shall show you some in kind, by giving you fair warning.”

  “What kind of warning?” Karus asked, suddenly wary.

  “The sword has a mind of its own,” the warden said. “Take care, for it is not a blessing but a curse the High Father will bestow upon you, should you take it. Carrying Rarokan is not the honor you might think it to be. Bearing the weapon will be a burden to the end of your days.”

  Karus did not like the sound of that. He shared a look with Amarra.

  “I can’t talk you out of going?” the warden asked. “Leaving the dread relic where it belongs? For once it is removed from the fortress, others will covet the sword and come to take it from you.”

  “I feel called to go,” Amarra said simply.

  “As you felt called to be here?” the warden asked.

  Amarra’s gaze shifted from Karus to the warden and then over to Si’Cara before returning to the warden.

  “Yes,” Amarra said. “The High Father desired us to come here to fix something that was wrong amongst your people.”

  “Wrong amongst my people?” the warden asked. “What could be wrong?”

  “A failing of faith,” Amarra said.

  The warden’s expression hardened at that, but she said nothing in reply.

  “High Priestess,” Tal’Thor said, his tone full of self-loathing and what sounded almost like despair. He dropped to his knees before Amarra, bowing his head. “Can you forgive me for harming Si’Cara?”

  Amarra stepped closer to him. She regarded him a long moment, then reached down and drew his face up to look into hers.

  “I can forgive you and so can the High Father,” Amarra said. “I wonder. Can you find it within you to forgive yourself?” She paused and glanced down at the sleeping Si’Cara. “I fear, to do that, you must first receive forgiveness from Si’Cara.”

  “I shall seek it,” Tal’Thor whispered. “Upon my soul, I promise to do just that. I will do what I can to make amends for my actions.”

  Amarra gave a nod and stepped back from him. Tal’Thor stood.

  “I understand you have a dwarf imprisoned,” Karus said, looking to the warden. “We will take him off your hands and bring him with us.”

  “You dare dictate to me?” The warden seemed aghast.

  “I need allies, and he came here seeking one,” Karus said. “You clearly don’t want any. So why not send him with us?”

  The warden glanced over to her advisors. The one who had spoken earlier gave a curt nod.

  “He shall be delivered to the square,” the warden said. “Tell him never to return. The same goes for you as well.”

  “If you will have me, I would like to come with you.”

  Karus saw that Si’Cara was awake. She sat up with some effort and then stood. Tal’Thor rushed forward and helped her up to her feet, but she pushed him roughly, almost angrily, away once she was up. She weaved unsteadily for a moment until she found her balance. Her eyes almost rolled back into her head and she appeared ready to

  pass out.

  “I owe you a debt I can never adequately repay,” Si’Cara said to Amarra.

  “You owe me nothing,” Amarra said. “The High Father judged you worthy. Should you feel the need to repay anyone, your continued faith in our lord will be enough.”

  “I would be honored if you let me accompany you,” Si’Cara said. “I have been to the fortress and I feel I can be of help.”

  “You would leave your duties here?” the warden asked quietly. “You would abandon your post? Leave your people undefended?”

  “One less bow will matter little,” Si’Cara said, “and I fear my people left me long ago … as did their warden.”

  There was a moment of frosty silence between warden and ranger.

  “What of your oath?” the warden snapped. “Does it mean nothing to you?”

  “What of yours to your people?” Si’Cara demanded with heat, balling a fist. She shook it at the warden. “You broke yours when you ordered Tal’Thor to kill me. For that, the bond is severed. I no longer serve you.”

  “So be it, daughter,” the warden said and the coldness returned. “You have turned your back upon your home, your people. Make certain you also never return, outcast.”

  A stricken look came over Si’Cara’s face. She set her jaw and gave a curt nod of acceptance before turning back to Amarra.

  “Will you have me, mistress?” Si’Cara asked. “I will pledge myself to your service and be your protector.”

  “I already have a protector,” Amarra said with a little smile and glanced over at Karus. “But you are more than welcome to accompany us as a companion.”

  “Might I … might I join you as well?” Tal’Thor asked. “It would be an honor.”

  Si’Cara shot Tal’Thor an unhappy scowl.

  Amarra, however, gave a nod of acceptance.

  “So be it, Tal’Thor,” the warden said and then turned to Amarra. “You go to liberate what I know is a threat to everything that our people hold dear. I will not lift a finger to help you beyond what I have already done. Now, leave us.” The warden turned her gaze back to Amarra. “Priestess, begone from our city and take my former daughter and son with you.”

  “It is not too late to lead your people to salvation. When we leave this world, there will be room to come with us,” Amarra said to the warden. “Should you stay, you will shepherd them to their doom.”

  “That is far from determined,” the warden said. “Our forests are not so easy to conquer. Now leave me while you still can. When we next meet, I may not be so generous.”

  Amarra held the warden’s gaze a moment. She stepped over to Si’Cara, who was clearly having difficulty remaining upright. Amarra took the ranger’s arm. Si’Cara looked ready to protest, as if she would go it alone.

  “Pride is a sin the High Father frowns upon,” Amarra said. “Kindly allow me to help you.”

  Amarra turned and, walking slowly, helped Si’Cara in the direction they had come. Karus spared another glance at the warden. He saw an unwholesome fury residing within her eyes.

  Would she prove trouble down the road?

  The warden did not seem the kind to accept defeat easily, for she had clearly not won the game played here this day. Karus let out a slow, unhappy breath, then started after them. Tal’Thor fell in at his side. The guards who had entered the hall had stopped a few feet from them. One guard was tending to the one who had been injured when a piece of wood had hit him from the ceiling. They drew respectfully aside to allow them to pass, bowing deeply to Amarra.

  Chapter Ten

  Karus glanced up at the sky, which had begun to lighten just a tad. He halted his pacing a moment as he rubbed at his tired eyes. Gods, he needed sleep. The birds had begun to wake up. He could hear a number beginning to sing their morning songs high up in the branches. He swung his gaze around the square. The dragons were lying down. Ever since Karus and Amarra’s return, and their explanation of what had happened, both appeared watchful, wary, perhaps even uneasy. It added to his impatience.

  “I think you wear out sandal
s,” Amarra said, amusement in her weary tone.

  He stopped his pacing and looked over. Amarra was sitting on the ground a couple of feet away. She offered him a half smile and then stifled a yawn with the back of her hand. He sat down next to her on the hard and cold paving stone. He gazed upon her for a long moment. Amarra continued to surprise him with her inner strength. She’d faced down the warden without fear and healed Si’Cara. Yet, at this moment, looking into her eyes, she seemed somehow vulnerable and in need of support. He reached an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. Amarra sighed contentedly, closing her eyes, snuggling and leaning her head against his shoulder armor. She breathed slowly in and out. After a bit she seemed to drift off into sleep. He held her as she breathed rhythmically. Karus enjoyed the moment, her close proximity, the warmth of her skin against his, simply holding her. It was something just a handful of weeks ago he had not known was missing from his life.

  Another hour had passed when an owl hooted loudly from somewhere out from the darkness. Amarra stirred awake, blinking and looking around. She straightened, yawning. Their eyes met. She gave him a peck of a kiss upon his cheek and then leaned her head back upon his shoulder.

  “What you did, it was …” Karus trailed off.

  “Healing Si’Cara?” Amarra asked, picking her head up off his shoulder and looking at him.

  “Yes,” Karus said. “It was remarkable. You were surrounded by fire that burned white. I thought it would harm you, but then realized it was holy fire.”

  “Fire?” Amarra asked. She seemed surprised by that. “I had not noticed.”

  “It was something to see.” Karus felt that was an understatement.

  “I was so angry,” Amarra said softly. She averted her eyes, turning them toward the glowing fountain. Her gaze became distant, almost unfocused. She was silent for a number of heartbeats. When she spoke, it came out as a whisper. “I feel sad.”

  “Sad?” It was Karus’s turn to be surprised. “Really?”

  “Yes, I sad.”

  “Why?”

  “For what warden did to Si’Cara,” Amarra said, “after I healed her.”

  “You are upset because the warden banished Si’Cara and Tal’Thor?”

  “That,” Amarra said. “I sad, unhappy for them. They can never come home.”

  Karus reached a hand to her chin and turned her face toward his.

  “You don’t need to be sorry,” Karus said. “The warden is not worthy of devotion. Si’Cara will be better off away from that woman. She has a black heart. You did the right thing by healing her.”

  A breeze blew through the canopy high above them, rustling leaves and causing limbs to creak. Amarra said nothing for several heartbeats, then looked as if she were going to reply but instead gave a shallow nod. She turned her gaze from him back to the fountain. He thought, by the reflection of the light, her eyes had watered.

  “You saved Si’Cara’s life. There was no coming back from that wound,” Karus said. “Did he, the High Father, show you how to heal her?”

  “No,” Amarra said and sucked in a shuddering breath. “No. High Father not show.”

  “How did you manage it, then?”

  “Warden made me so angry. She hurt Si’Cara because of faith. No one there to help me, until you came. I there. I ask High Father help,” Amarra said and gave a slight shrug of her shoulders. “It seemed right thing to do, to beg help. High Father answer.” She paused and touched her chest. “I healed Si’Cara with his …” She gave a slight frown. “His power? That right word?”

  “I think so,” Karus said and then grew silent as he considered what she’d just told him. There was so much he did not understand about this world. One thing was very apparent. The High Father had graced Amarra with tremendous power and ability, a reward for her faith. By comparison, she made Roman priests seem like cheap impostors. Karus wondered about that for a moment. Why did the priests back in Rome not use their powers to heal? To help fight Rome’s enemies? Did they lack true faith? It was an interesting line of thought. He was about to ask another question when Amarra spoke.

  “Si’Cara and Tal’Thor said they would be back soon.”

  “That was over two hours ago,” Karus said, picking up her cue and changing the subject. He felt an intense desire to depart from this place. The impatience to get this entire venture over with and get back to his legion returned with a terrible vengeance. “I would have thought they’d be back by now.”

  “We wait. They come,” Amarra said and leaned her head back against his shoulder once again. Karus gave a soft chuckle. She had clearly taken his measure, and of course she was right.

  “That business with the warden convinced me we’d be best moving along, and the sooner the better,” Karus admitted and glanced around. His eyes roved over the cordon of rangers ringing the square. He pursed his lips as he considered them. Facing enemy warriors on the line Karus could easily manage. Magic, gods, the warden, elves, dragons, evil creatures like the orcs, and Amarra’s strange power … it was new. He found it all incredibly unsettling. Still, it was the world he now lived in, and it was that simple. “I will feel better once we are far away from here.”

  That makes two of us, human, Cyln’phax said. The dragon slid her long, thick tail across the paving stones. Its armored scales sounded like sand being ground on a millstone. These elves live under the delusion they are sheltered from what is coming. I assure you, once the Horde overruns this world, and when there are no more enemies for them to fight, they will turn on forests like this one. They will root out the elves that cower within. There will be no quarter, no mercy, no rest. Our enemy will do it, yes … at tremendous cost, even if they have to chop each and every tree down. No power, no will can save the elves from what is coming. The dragon gave a loud snort. Sadly, elves never learn. They are too thickheaded and deluded by their perceived greatness to realize what they are facing. It is a failing of their race. Cyln’phax lapsed into a brief silence. This place is doomed. I can feel it. You can taste it on the wind. These are the last days of Irin’Surall.

  Was this city really doomed?

  That the elves were willing to turn a blind eye to what was coming was disturbing. At the same time, Karus felt a tinge of sadness. There was no telling how long this city had stood, lasting century after century, most likely even thousands of years. Though he had only seen it at night, Irin’Surall was beautiful, almost beyond imagining.

  What would it look like by daylight? What wonders, like the glowing fountain, lay hidden by the shade of night? Despite his desire to be away, Karus would have very much liked to see it all.

  The elves, like their city, were a pretty people, and yet he’d also witnessed their dark side. That’s where the beauty ended, with their cruelty. Perhaps it was all just a façade to conceal the darkness within? It wasn’t that he’d never seen such callous brutality before; he had just not expected it to be directed at their own, here, just to make a point.

  He suspected that the dragon was right. These were this city’s last days. Perhaps by banishing Si’Cara and Tal’Thor, the warden had inadvertently saved their lives? Only time would tell.

  The Horde was coming for them all in the end. For the elves, it was just a matter of time. Before it became too late, Karus understood only too keenly he had to find a way off this world. Arm still wrapped protectively around Amarra’s shoulders, Karus looked at the dragon. A thought occurred to him. He sat up straighter. Stifling a yawn, Amarra looked over, clearly wondering what was wrong.

  Karus wanted to kick himself. Why had he not thought to ask before now? It was such a simple thing, and he was certain they knew the answer.

  “How long until the Horde reaches Carthum?” Karus asked Cyln’phax and then looked over at Kordem when there was no answer. “How much time do we have? Tell me.”

  Both dragons had heard him. They always seemed to be listening. Neither at first answered, clearly hesitating. That worried Karus, for he knew it would be bad news.r />
  The nearest enemy army is two weeks’ hard march from the city, Kordem said. At least, they were when we saw them last. The wyrms obviously can reach Carthum much quicker should they desire.

  “And when was that?” Karus asked, pressing them. “When did you last see that army?”

  Four days before we saved you from Castor’s minion, Cyln’phax said.

  “That close?” Karus said, dismayed. He would never have agreed to come had he known the enemy was so near. It was likely why the dragons had withheld that information. “I had hoped they were farther away.”

  “It is why my people left,” Amarra said, as if it surprised her not at all. “Horde was getting close. It was leave or risk being trapped.”

  “What are their numbers?” Karus asked. “Are they marching to the city?”

  They were pursuing the remains of a dwarven army, Cyln’phax said. The dwarves are falling back on Carthum. So, in answer to your question, yes, the Horde is moving toward the city.

  Karus rubbed his jaw, feeling a headache coming on. Whether it was from lack of sleep or the news he had just received, he wasn’t quite sure. He had pulled in much of Valens’s cavalry to impress and awe the refugees with the legion’s might. Valens was to have pushed his scouts back out, but Karus was now wondering how close the enemy had come in that span when most of his eyes had been pulled in. Had he made a mistake? Perhaps. He suspected he had run out of time, or was about to, at any rate. They needed to get this magical sword and return as rapidly as possible. The legion had to move west, and fast, lest they become closely pursued or caught. Such thoughts reminded him of the Greek general Xenophon, who had arrived late to a war and discovered his allies had already lost and the enemy was after him.

  Tactically speaking, the wyrms were also a problem. He suspected that the dragons would be a good counter, if there were enough of them. It all depended on how many wyrms the enemy had and how they used them. There were more dragons on the way, but right now there were no dragons to protect his legion from the enemy’s wyrms. Karus rubbed his jaw. There had to be a way to deal with the wyrms when the dragons weren’t around. Perhaps the bolt throwers might be the answer, he considered. They would need reconfiguring. It bore some thinking on. He would also need to speak with his engineers to get their thoughts.