“That charzen didn’t die.”
Eril was suddenly fully awake. He had accelerated the thing at the ground over one thousand feet down. How could it not be dead? “What!” he asked, not at all tiredly this time.
“I said it’s not dead. I saw it hit and assumed it was done for, after the way you slammed that thing. But, I looked ten minutes ago where it had landed, and it was gone. It left a bloody trail, but the thing is moving, and I don’t know where it’s got to.”
Eril didn’t think they’d have to worry too much about the charzen attacking, at least for a while. He knew they could heal rapidly, but not magically, so they probably had at least several hours or a day before the thing could possibly be a threat. Unfortunately, it now knew of Eril’s existence, and if it could get the information to its peers, things could get much more ugly.
Eril walked to the edge and looked where the charzen had landed. The trail it left behind suggested that it was retreating. He would have to deal with it, but the army was the more immediate threat.
Eril asked General Durge, who had just approached them, “General, how long until the rest of your forces get up here?”
“Hmm,” the general said, “if they’re moving at best speed, and with the urgency our departure left them with, I’d say they’ll be here by dark.”
“So, these troops we have need to hold out for another three or four hours?”
“Yes, if they can hold. I don’t think it likely. I was just about to order a retreat.”
Eril paced in a tight circle, staring at the ground, then looked up at the general. “Don’t call a retreat yet. I think I can convince the enemy to stop, at least temporarily.”
“What are you thinking, Eril?” Turek asked.
“Two things. I’m going to bring down some big rocks to block the road, and then I’m going to see if the fear of the void convinces troops where fire and explosions haven’t.”
“I’m not sure what you mean,” the general said. “But if it will save us in this dire situation, I say, do it.”
“Eril,” Turek whispered urgently in his ear, as the general left. “I get bringing stones down to block the road. But, what do you mean about The Void?”
“I told you earlier that I’d already been studying a book about portals and gateways?”
“Yes?”
“Well, one of the first things it mentioned was that portals can go to lots of places. Everyone knows the spell to open a portal to the demon realm. The book explained that portals can go to many other places or realms, an almost infinite number. The reason most people don’t know about this is that almost all of those other places are empty.
“Not just empty, as in nothing is interesting there, but truly empty. No air, no light, no ground, nothing. If you open a portal to one of these empty places, it is called opening a portal to The Void. The book warned against ever doing it without proper preparation because the portal will tend to suck whatever is on this side through.”
Eril watched expectantly as Turek stood there, processing what he’d just said. “Oh . . . That could be devastating. And if you move the portal . . .”
“Yeah,” Eril said. “Yeah. I’ve never tried it, but I know how, so if they see a huge portal of blackness that sucks everything in, do you think that might panic them?”
“I don’t know, but go ahead and try.”
Eril re-invoked his invisibility amulet, but when he tried to invoke the shield amulet, it didn’t work. He guessed those swords must have done something to damage it. He would just have to fly on without that protection.
He jumped into the air and immediately started creating a large energy ball. He threw it straight into the leading elements of the troops coming up the mountain road. He didn’t give them time to regroup and followed it with three slightly smaller ones in quick succession. The troops retreated hastily behind a bend in the road.
Once he had them penned there, he started pulling large boulders from higher up the ridge and stacking them at the bend. Occasionally he would send another energy ball into the massed troops to keep them from advancing.
In twenty minutes or so, he had built a pile of boulders over twenty feet high that spanned the road. It would not stop determined troops from climbing over them, but there was no way any horses or wheeled vehicles could pass, and it made anyone crossing easy targets for archers. The boulders were too large for men alone to move. They would need ropes or chains and teams of horses, so Eril felt reasonably confident that their reduced forces could hold the road.
Having stopped the initial advance, Eril now needed to inspire enough fear that the main body of troops would abandon the attack, and he also needed to find that charzen.
Chapter 66
Eril took a moment to go back to the ridge to get something quick to eat. He wasn’t sure the last time he’d had anything to eat or drink. He ended up draining the first water-sack he was given and then quickly chewed his way through two large chunks of jerky. He also took a moment to relieve himself.
Feeling renewed, he took to the air to survey the scene. It was now late afternoon, and several of the army elements were setting up camp for the evening, as it was clear the entire army couldn’t cross the pass that day.
Eril saw lots of tents, but couldn’t immediately identify where the new command area was setup. He decided that he could find out more quickly if he stimulated some action. He pulled in energy and found that the lowering sun did not give him the power he needed. When we went to pull stored power from his master ring, he discovered that he had significantly depleted it when he was overcoming the effects of the poison.
Nevertheless, he blasted several of the most organized groups with energy balls. This had the desired effect of recreating the confusion he’d had earlier. Observing, he saw at least three different couriers head towards a non-descript group of tents, set up to one side of the valley. He surmised this was where the new army command was located.
Knowing that if he wanted the army to retreat, he had to convince the commanders that withdrawing was their best course of action. Therefore, he didn’t attack the new command center. Instead, he found a place clearly visible from the command area and opened a portal to a random plane.
It started as a fist-sized circle of blackness several feet above the ground. As predicted, there was nothing on the other side of the portal, and it immediately began sucking in anything close. At first, this was hardly noticeable. Eril moved the portal closer to the ground and enlarged it to a circle three feet across.
This had a dramatic effect. Dust and loose plants began being sucked into the black maw. The sound was frightening. The air being sucked in howled with an eerie wail that continued to increase in pitch and volume.
A soldier walked nearer to inspect the strange sight and was knocked to the ground by the winds and sucked, screaming, into the void. Eril was sickened by the sight, but made the portal larger still.
A pile of supplies was next sucked in, followed by two wagons, and a few more unlucky men. The sight of an enormous black hole (it was now over ten feet in diameter) screaming and sucking in everything in reach terrified the troops in a way that none of the previous attacks had. Everyone ran in all directions, as long as they were putting more distance between themselves and the insatiable void.
Eril slowly floated the portal up the hill towards the command tents. In moments, a flurry of highly ranked officers decamped in panic, calling for retreat. When they had left, Eril brought the portal near, and the entire group of command tents were devoured by in seconds. Then Eril abruptly caused it to close.
The sudden silence, coming after the unearthly wailing of the portal was deafening. Eril looked around and found the command staff huddled together, conferring half a mile from where their command tents had been destroyed. Floating some forty feet above them, he called down.
“Commanders,” he tried to pitch his voice as low and powerfully as possible. “This is a fight you cannot win. If you do not retreat, I will open up
an even larger void and suck up your entire army!”
The generals conferred rapidly among themselves, and then one stood apart from the group and looked up to where Eril’s voice came down from the sky.
“Who is this? Are you a demon that commands us? Show yourself!”
Eril was annoyed by this response and decided that he would not give them grounds to argue. He opened a three-foot portal, horizontal to the ground, directly above the yelling officer and dropped it low enough that the man was sucked off his feet and straight into the black hole. As soon as he was gone Eril closed the portal.
The officers stood in shock for several moments, then an older man, who, judging from the number of decorations on his uniform was probably the most senior man left standing, spoke.
“Oh powerful lord demon, we bow before your power. Our forces will retreat. Please do not destroy more of them.”
Eril considered replying, but then thought that his silence would have a greater impact than anything he might say. The officers stood for several moments, staring all around, unsure what Eril’s silence might mean.
Eril floated lower, so he could hear their conversation. “You heard me, you fools,” the head commander called to the other officers. “A full retreat. You saw what that thing was doing. It could destroy our entire regiment and leave no trace. It may be listening even now to see if we comply. Get your units moving within the hour, unless any of you have a desire to end up like General Gurlich.”
This last comment seemed to galvanize the various commanders into action, and they each moved off to order their units to retreat. Eril floated slowly higher, grinning humorlessly. He wished he had thought of this method of attack previously. It could have saved a lot of lives.
Now, he had a charzen to catch.
Chapter 67
Eril briefly considered going back down to the main commander and asking about the charzen, but felt that would weaken his current position, and there was a good chance the commanding general might not know.
The sun was slanting low from the west. Eril only had another hour of sunlight at most. He went high and looked for the charzen by trying to find someone or something moving differently than anyone else. He scanned for several moments with no result. He could see that the various commanders were working to form their troops up to retreat, but saw no sign of the charzen.
He worked his way further and further west until he was above the road the army had arrived on. Then he had his break. He saw an odd track where something was dragging and leaving a dark substance, possibly blood behind.
He quickened his pace and another mile further down the road found the creature. The charzen was limping using an improvised crutch. The left leg was twisted at an unnatural angle and hung uselessly, dragging in the dirt, while the charzen limped with its right leg and crutch. What surprised Eril was that in spite of the tremendous damage the thing had suffered it was moving at what would be normal walking speed for a man, though it was clearly in great pain and horribly injured.
Eril knew he couldn’t let it escape. He also knew that with his shield broken, he dared not get into any sort of protracted fight, since it might have more of those poisoned spikes.
Remembering his earlier resolve, he silently moved well ahead of the rapidly hobbling beast and opened a man-sized portal directly in front of it. If it made a sound as it fell forward into the portal, Eril never knew, because the noise of the rushing air, dirt, and rocks that were also sucked in obscured any other sound.
As soon as he was sure it was gone, Eril closed the portal, or tried to.
To his horror, he saw that somehow the charzen had managed to get a hand out and was hanging onto a branch from a low bush. Eril tried to close the portal again, but it wouldn’t constrict further with the arm still projecting through.
Screaming with fatigue and frustration, Eril shot a ball of energy at the hand, but it bounced off. Then he sent another one at the bush itself, which promptly exploded. Having lost the only thing keeping it from being sucked into the portal, the hand and arm, still holding the piece of branch, finally slid the rest of the way through and Eril promptly closed the portal.
§ § §
All Eril wanted to do at this point was find someplace to sleep. He felt a weariness that only had a little to do with physical exertion. It was mostly mental and spiritual weariness. He felt he’d seen and dealt enough death and destruction that he never wanted to see it again. He knew that this was only the first battle. He only wished it was the last.
He flew back to the ridge and as soon as he dropped his invisibility, he was thronged by the troops.
“I don’t know how you did it, young wizard, but I don’t care. The entire enemy force is retreating!” General Durge exulted. As Eril looked around at the celebrating troops, he realized that the rest of the border unit had arrived while he’d been out fighting.
Master Turek walked up to him. “I was watching. Even from here, we could see that larger portal you opened. I’ve never heard of what you did before, at least outside tales of the Great War and the zdrell masters, but if all it involves is a variant on the portal spell, I might even be able to do it. Most devastating.” He patted Eril on the shoulder. “I hate to ask this of you. I can see you’re exhausted, but we really need to get back to Jull city. Are you up for flying the two of us back tonight?”
Eril sighed. “I guess I can. You have a shield amulet, right?”
“Yes, why do you ask?”
“Something in that fight with the charzen, I’m guessing when it threw its swords at me, somehow damaged my shield amulet. It’s not working now and flying at any speed without a shield is no fun.”
“That makes sense. We’ll want to bring those swords and at least one of those spikes the charzen used back with us,” Turek said. “Oh, and we have to be physically touching for my shield to cover both of us.”
“Okay,” Eril said, thinking. “We’ll probably want a crate or something similar that we can both sit on, and that should let us stay in contact without hugging or holding hands.”
“Good idea. I’ll work on getting us a large enough crate, and you gather the swords and spike.”
With a new objective to think about, and to take his mind off the last few hours, Eril went to where he’d left the swords and the spike he’d pulled from his heel before leaving the last time. With the new troops arriving, things had gotten shifted around a bit, but he found the items as well as the backpack he always wore. He had wrapped the spike in a cloth so that the poison couldn’t rub off on anything else. Lacking a proper scabbard for the swords, he wrapped them in a cloth and then tied that to his backpack.
In a few moments, Turek had secured a case for them to sit on. Eril put all the loose items in the case and sat. Turek sat close to him and invoked his shield amulet. Using his sight, Eril checked that the shield indeed did cover them, invoked his invisibility amulet, and brought them into the air.
§ § §
They had nearly made it back to Jull city when Turek began cursing and dug into his pockets. He pulled out the communication stone he’d given to Carge.
“Carge, this had better be good!” Turek yelled into the stone over the sound of the rushing wind.
Eril could just barely make out what Carge replied. “You have to send Eril to help,” Carge yelled. “The charzen is destroying the forces here. The entire force is in full retreat and the Nitholians aren’t even chasing us. The charzen is everywhere, cutting through everyone. Nothing stops it. If you or Eril can’t stop the thing, there’ll be nothing left of this army, it’s already killed hundreds. I’m only alive because there are so many easier targets to kill. I can cast a shield spell that is barely enough to keep it off me, but only for a little while before it breaks the spell. You’ve got to help!”
Jull city was now in sight. Turek looked to Eril and shrugged helplessly. Eril nodded.
Turek said, “We hear you, Carge. Eril will be coming. He already managed to kill the char
zen with the Espilonian forces. I think he should be able to help you. Try and keep as many alive as possible until he gets there.”
While Turek had been talking, Eril had brought them down onto the roof of their tower in Jull city. As soon as they touched down, Turek stood up and took off his shield amulet.
“You’ll need this,” he said, handing the amulet to Eril. “Don’t mess around. Give the charzen no time or opportunity to fight you. It will be dark by the time you get there. I expect that will work in both yours and the charzen’s favor. I fear for the troops. It may not slow down and just keep slaughtering them through the night, or it might retreat. Either way, you need to find it and kill it.”
Eril nodded. “I need to piss and get a fresh water skin, and then I’ll be gone.” He didn’t wait around for Turek’s reply but went below, all the while thinking about the best method to kill the charzen, and possibly deal with the wizards accompanying the Nitholian’s army.
Having taken care of the barest biological necessities, Eril went back up to the roof to leave. He found Turek there talking to one of the senior officers. The officer, Eril couldn’t remember his name, said, “I hear you’ve done very well, so far, young wizard. I only hope you can find it in you to save our northern force. I have many friends and colleagues in that army. I would rather not see them all dead at the hand of that infernal beast.”
Eril said, “I’ll do my best.”
“Do you need anything?” Turek asked.
Eril shook his head no. “I think I have everything I need, except sleep.”
Turek and the officer grinned and nodded at Eril’s attempt at a joke.
“Good luck and good hunting,” the officer said.
Eril nodded, invoked the shield and this time didn’t bother with the invisibility amulet as it was now full dark.
Flying high, using the moon and starlight, Eril raced north. He kept the main trade road visible below him. This time he had the benefit of having traveled this way when he arrived in Jull.
In less than half an hour, he saw the lights of ranked campfires from a stopped army. It took him several seconds to realize that those were the fires of the Nitholian forces, rather than those of Jull. He looked down and saw that he had already been passing over the confusion of the Jull forces. There were no fires and almost no lights here.
The Journeyman for Zdrell Page 39