Mighty Hammer Down

by David J Guyton

"Red Master, the Vindyri woman is demanding to see you," came a voice from behind him.

  Uritus closed the book that was open on the table in front of him and let out an annoyed sigh. "I have no interest in seeing her at the moment, Brother. I am quite busy preparing for tonight."

  "Yes Red Master, I am sorry to bother you. It's just that we believe she is the one that attempted to kill General Tirinius. I thought you might want to speak with her."

  He paused and looked up to the wall in front of him in thought. "Very interesting. Perhaps I will take a few moments to speak with her. Where is she?"

  "She is here in one of our holding cells, Red Master. We did not put her in irons, but she cannot walk through stone walls. She has been fed and not treated harshly," the man said from under his black hood.

  "I see. Have the Purple Mages arrived as I ordered?"

  "Yes Red Master. They are prepared to assist you in any way they can. Is it really true? Is tonight the night?"

  Uritus turned to face the man from the table where he sat. "It is true that we will try, but this has never been done before, so there is no way to know if it will work or not. Place your faith in Inshae, Brother, not in me. I will do what I can, but I can promise you nothing."

  "I do place my faith in Inshae, Red Master, but I cannot help but believe in you as well. Everything you have said would happen has come to pass. We follow you without question."

  "Yes, yes. Enough of that." Uritus waved his hand to dismiss the man's comments that were probably intended to secure his position after Uritus took full control. He didn't blame the man for trying, but it was getting boring. The man was obviously embarrassed because he left abruptly, closing the door quietly behind him.

  Uritus opened the book in front of him once more. He had no need to do so, for he knew each word by heart. He would make no mistake in the ceremony, and if all went as planned, the whole world would change. His soul sang with joy at the idea. So far things had gone much easier than he had hoped, so in the back of his mind he waited for bad news; but none ever came. He watched the tattered pages as he let his grip on the magic slip. The words faded and disappeared before his eyes. He was thankful that the Mages before him had not thrown away books that to them must have appeared completely empty. He wondered why no one had written anything over the blank pages. Perhaps in the distant past, the Mages did know what they were doing and were careful to maintain such ancient texts. Maybe the Silver Mages in Vindyrion had too a wealth of their own knowledge ripe for the taking. He would soon find out.

  He closed the book and decided to go to see the Vindyri in the holding cell. A few of the Mages had seen her and captured her on the night Rommus was killed, and they kept her so that she could not tell anyone what she had seen. If this was indeed the right Vindyri, her attempt on Tannis's life seemed to fit perfectly into his plot; so well that he thought perhaps Inshae himself had sent her. Although that was unlikely, he certainly would feel terrible if it was true and he had held her in a dark and damp cell all this time. She could at least be thankful she was still alive and not being tortured.

  He walked down the long corridors that ran from the Temple of Inshae out under the streets of the city. Only Mages knew of the secret passages, and since no new buildings were ever erected in the center of Brinn, no one would ever stumble across them while building. The Mages used them to escape to different places when they needed to do so in a hurry. It was another trick that they could use to fool people into thinking they had magical powers.

  He came to the door leading to the small hallway that lead to the three holding cells and placed his hand over the lock. He focused his magic through his hand until he heard a loud click as the mechanism unlocked. He walked through the door and closed it behind him. The first two cells were empty, so he walked to the dark corner at the end. He startled the girl who was sitting on the cold stone floor. She quickly stood when she saw him through the thick cell door made of heavy wood and iron.

  "I hope my men are treating you well," he said.

  "That seems to be a common saying here in Medora. The General said the same thing to me when his men caught me."

  "Ah so you are the Vindyri responsible for the assassination attempt," he said as he smiled in the blackness under his hood.

  "Yes I am," she said coldly.

  "Then why were you with his son on the following day? And why did our men find you following him during the storm?"

  "His son was the best way to get close to the General again. Unfortunately you killed him before I got the chance. It would seem that we have a similar agenda. Why do you hold me here in this cell?"

  "I hold you here because I do not know you. We are not familiar with your agenda. You also killed a few of my men in that alley."

  "Look," she said, "I know you are interested in killing the General. It may not be in your plans, but it only makes sense that it would help your cause."

  "How do you figure that, my dear?" He was impressed with her intelligence.

  "Because anyone on the side of the Medoran army would not go to such lengths to kill the son of the General. It's obvious to me that having him killed would make your plan go smoother."

  "Maybe, maybe. I admit that your timing was perfect. It helped us out tremendously. Perhaps I owe you thanks."

  She walked coolly to the cell door to come closer to him. "I do not need thanks, but if you wish to grant me something, get me close to the General again. I'll need my knife back as well."

  "Any other prisoner might beg for freedom. You wish only to complete your task? Who sent you to kill General Tirinius.?"

  "Forgive me, but I cannot say. I am dedicated to my mission, and that mission involves a certain amount of secrecy. I will only tell you that I am here to kill the General of the Medoran army and then I am to return to Vindyrion."

  "I see. I admire your courage and dedication, Vindyri. Perhaps you are right and our agendas are similar. I will get you close to the General if that is your wish. What is your name?"

  "Alana," she said.

  "Just Alana? No other name?"

  "Take notice, sir, that I did not ask you your name or anything about your agenda. You will just have to live with knowing only my first name."

  His smile broadened under his hood. This woman was truly a professional. She had great courage to stand up to a Mage, let alone the courage to kill the General of the Medoran army. She was driven and dedicated to her cause, and wanted only to complete her task. He decided that he would use her. He put his hand over the lock on the cell door and heard a loud click. The door swung open as he used his mind to pull on it. She looked amazed.

  "Impressive sir. I wish I had such powers."

  "So do all who do not have them. You will stay here tonight, but I will find you more suitable quarters. One of my men will return your knife to you and in the morning you will be free to complete your mission. I will arrange to have you brought to the Emperor's Hall. In one of our robes, you will not be detected. No one will bother you except the guards inside the Hall. I cannot help you with them."

  Her eyes turned from him as they walked together down the corridor. "That's all right. I think I can deal with them. I have dealt with them before."

  "No, you haven't. Any guards you have encountered have been normal soldiers, not the Elite Guard. They are specially trained guards that are more deadly than your average soldier."

  "I will take that into consideration, sir, but they are just men. All men bleed the same way, and all men die."

  "I guess I can't argue with that, Vindyri. You seem wiser than your years. But remember that women bleed the same as men also."

  She smiled at the comment. "Of course I know that. I am not afraid to die if that's what you mean. I came here to Medora fully expecting to die in my attempt. Luckily I have been able to avoid it so far."

  They made their way toward the large circular room made of all black marble, but they did not enter it. Instead he opened a door nearby where she could rest c
omfortably. He wanted her to be near the room so that he could keep an eye on her, but he wasn't about to let her see the sacred area.

  "Forgive me Alana, but I must have one of my men guard this door. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't, but you must understand that I can't have a stranger roaming around in these sacred halls. The door will remain unlocked, and your guard will escort you around if needed. Simply open the door and he will take you wherever you need to go or bring you whatever you need."

  "I understand. I make no complaint. I am grateful that you have taken me from that dirty cell and that you understand my intentions. Luckily your men captured me and not more men from the Medoran army. Can I ask for soap and water so that I can clean myself?"

  "Of course. I will have someone bring it right away. I will also provide you with a robe as I mentioned before so that we can get you close to the General tomorrow."

  "Thank you sir. Your help is much appreciated," she said as she entered the room and sat on the bed inside.

  "Certainly Alana. I thank you in advance for your help in our cause and I wish you luck with yours."

  She nodded a single respectful nod, almost like a bow as he closed the door. He was amazed at how well she seemed to fit into the plan. There was no doubt in his mind that her intentions would do nothing but simplify his strategy. The General's murder was going to make things so much easier in the future. He smiled as he considered his plan as a whole. All the pieces were now on the board, and after tonight, he would control every single one of those pieces.