Mighty Hammer Down

by David J Guyton

  Chapter 19

  Uritus waited in his throne room impatiently; his eagerness outweighed only by the excitement churning deep in his soul. Not only had his men found the book beneath the head of the entombed third Emperor of Medora, but another Mage claimed he had found something more. That Mage refused to tell anyone but Uritus himself. Uritus knew it was something important. He drummed his fingers on the arm of his throne as he waited for a messenger to bring him the book or any news.

  After an hour of staring wide-eyed at the floor in anticipation, a messenger finally arrived. Two Mages entered the room before him and bowed before taking a position at either side of the doorway. The third Mage entered, carefully holding something wrapped in purple satin. He wasted no time and approached the throne, falling to a knee before his master.

  "What do you have wrapped in the satin, Brother?" Uritus asked, barely able to contain himself.

  "It is as Inshae said it would be, Red Master. I did not open it, for I feared I would damage it, and I did not want to offend you."

  "You have done well, Brother. Rise and give the book to me."

  The Mage rose at once and came to the black marble throne, handing him the book still wrapped in satin. "As you command, Red Master. Take care with it, for it is very fragile. Some pages are falling out."

  Uritus placed the bundle in his lap and carefully pulled back the layers of cloth. The book looked exactly how he imagined it would, somewhat larger than the average book, leather-bound and worn all over the surface. He checked the spine for a title but found none. The pages were tattered from use and neglect, most of them dry and thin. He opened the book cautiously, knowing that the slightest tear might ruin valuable information. On the first page, he found the title. Some of the words were not spelled how they would be in more modern times, but he understood what they meant:

  The Book of Eternal Wisdom

  He smiled to himself as he stared at the page. "So this was indeed found beneath the head of the Medoran Emperor?"

  "Yes Red Master, his name was Erratus Ridoria."

  "I do not care what his name was. Did you find anything else buried with him?"

  "He was nothing more than a dusty skeleton, but with him was buried a sword and some jewelry. We left it all there undisturbed, and only took the book. It was under the cloth that he lay upon, and we damaged it because it was brittle. We did our best to make it look as it did before we took the book, and I do not think anyone would notice if they happened to open his tomb."

  "Excellent. People don't make it a habit of opening old tombs very often anyway. You did well in your task, and you will not go unrewarded."

  "Thank you Red Master," he said as he bowed and turned to exit the room.

  "Wait Brother," Uritus said. "As you know, this book has information leading to artifacts placed here by the gods. In addition to the main artifacts related to each god, there will be more items that will benefit us. I appoint you to be in charge retrieving these items. We will all work together, but you will be the one to physically obtain the items. I cannot be there for each and every discovery, for I am a busy man."

  "I am honored, Red Master. I will not fail you," he said as he bowed his head.

  "What is your name brother?"

  "I am Denura, Red Master."

  "Remove your hood and reveal yourself, Denura."

  The man hesitated a moment but did as he was told. Free from the shadows of his hood, Uritus could see a pair of piercing blue eyes, a straight nose and a strong, wide jaw. His cheeks were covered in short bristles from an apparently unending battle to keep a beard from growing in. The man looked like he was probably a soldier, or at least he was in the past, as soldiers were required to be clean-shaven at all times.

  "For your dedication and service, Denura, I raise your rank to the rank of Blue Mage. You will wear the robes of a Blue Mage, and when we are not in the presence of other Mages, you may call me by my name if you wish."

  "Thank you Red Master. Again I am honored. I will perform my duties above even your expectations."

  "Very good. Now leave me as I study this book."

  The man bowed his head and went to the door, pulling his hood over his head again as he left. Uritus watched him stride away proudly, the two other Mages at the door falling in step behind him as he exited. After they were out of sight, his eyes fell again upon the book in his lap. He gently ran his fingers over the frail leather binding, caressing it as if it were a shy woman. He wondered why such an important book would be laid in the tomb of such a random and unknown Emperor, and beneath his head of all places. Certainly the Medorans at the time recognized that it was an important book, so why did they bury it with this fallen ruler? Was this man tied to it somehow? Was he the last guardian of the great secrets it held in its pages? He decided that he would go to the trouble to remember the name of this Erratus Ridoria.

  He was excited to start unfolding the mysteries of the book, but he suddenly became aware of a presence in the room. Something prodded him in an irritating manner, and although he could not see the culprit, he knew who it was. It was Zidaoz, pestering him again from the world between worlds. He folded his hands over the treasure in his lap and closed his eyes half way, letting the shadow world fill his mind. It was much easier to navigate now that he had a little experience, and it really took no effort at all. His vision swam slightly as the room turned to darkness. A wild rush of sparkling lights whirled around him in vivid colors, filling him with a dizzy, yet pleasant feeling. Colorful mists hung motionless in places, giving the blackness a depth that he could not fathom. Eventually he found himself before the bright light that was the soul of Zidaoz. The light faded and his dark form appeared when he got close.

  "I do not have time to wait for you to answer at your leisure, Medoran."

  "I answered when I felt your presence. Do not blame me for your weak ability to contact others. What do you want?"

  "I have just finished our journey into the sealed lands to the south. We are now encamped just south of the southern wall. I have destroyed the barrier, although I do not think that men will know of it for some time. It was not easy, and now we face a great hardship. My men are weak from the travels, and I am too weak to adequately protect them with magic. If any rogue bands of Vindyri confront us, we will have more trouble than we can handle."

  Uritus gritted his teeth in anger and frustration. "Why did you not take more men with you? You are delaying the plan. What do you intend to do?"

  "I can do nothing but retreat to Zuhr for now. I will gather strength there in men and magic, and be on my way as soon as possible. I could not afford to take a large group of men, for I feared that we would be detected."

  "You fool. The Vindyri do not waste time watching the southern wall like the Medorans do. And what do they care anyway? You are safe there. Send riders back to Zuhr to call your men to arms and be on your way."

  There was a long silence as he watched the dark figure before him shimmer in the darkness. The Zidaoz was obviously considering his words, and was probably embarrassed by them. Finally he heard his voice again. "I will do as I see fit, Medoran. Do not forget that I am ruler of the Bhoors, and you are not."

  Uritus ignored the comment and pressed on. "What of the Dirujen? Did you wake this beast as planned?"

  The Dirujen did not need waking. I needed only to open the barrier. But fear not, I have accomplished our goal. It did not go exactly as I had planned, but rest assured, the Dirujen will be a powerful weapon against our enemies."

  "I hope so. If not, you are in a great deal of trouble."

  "No, Medoran, if things do not go well for me, we will both be in a great deal of trouble. Be thankful that I have the decency and forethought to keep you informed. I cannot sit here in this vulnerable state and make small talk. I have preparations to make and I must be going."

  Uritus did not waste time and effort on a goodbye; he simply slipped back to the real world without saying a word. The shimmering lights rushed
by him and the darkness gave way to the calm light of the torches hissing quietly in the room. He was growing tired of the insolent Zidaoz and his childish demands for respect through displays of impudence. The Bhoor was not aware of it, but he was adding bricks to his own tomb every time he treated Uritus with anything but respect. When he was finished using the Bhoors, he would crush them into the dirt they set their tents upon. He sneered as he imagined living a life in the miserable land of Bhoor-Rahn.

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