by John Migacz
CHAPTER 23
The Sorcerer’s gesture of peace and his mild demeanor didn’t calm Duke Lothogorn’s council. Although Adrianna didn’t feel that the stranger was a threat, she unsheathed one of her throwing knives and sidled to the stranger’s right. Balthus, with sword drawn, had edged around to the man’s left. She curled the fingers of her left hand, leaving the thumb and pinky extended. She shook her hand until Balthus noticed and nodded once. She had signaled that she would distract and he would attack.
Before she moved, the Duke stepped to the fore. “First, you will tell me how you got in here,” he commanded, “then we will decide whether or not to throw you into the dungeon!” Adrianna knew Lotho’s words were more bluster than courage.
Dieya smiled. “I am sorry to alarm you gentle folk, but I am here to help. To answer your question, your Lordship, I arrived here by a small bit of magic.” He clicked the end of his black staff on the floor for emphasis. “I have been in this room many times before and transported here using a spell.”
“Impossible! I have never seen you before in my life,” exclaimed the Duke.
“Quite true, your Lordship. I was here counseling Duke Corlin Lothogorn some time ago,” said the stranger.
“Corlin has been dead for twenty-five years,” protested Lotho.
Lord Faltast spoke up. “But it was said Dieya the Sorcerer was a guest here from time to time, your Lordship.”
“True, Corlin and I were equals in Shallcross and I enjoyed a game with him now and again,” replied Dieya.
“That would make Dieya the Sorcerer over sixty. But you can’t be much more than thirty,” stated the Duke.
“Your eyes can be fooled, your Lordship. Trust only your heart,” said Dieya as he touched the amulet strapped to his forearm. His staff never moved, but the figure holding it shrank and became a long-bearded, gnarled old man. “Is this what you expected to see, your Lordship, when meeting Dieya the Sorcerer?” he said, extending a withered arm. He again touched the amulet and the image of the old man wavered, then was replaced by the original form.
The Duke’s hands shook. “I never believed much in magic,” he muttered, glancing down at the floor. “I thought all were charlatans or worse.” He looked back to the stranger. “But now…” He moved to within a few feet of the sorcerer and stared into his eyes. “You give good advice, the same advice that Balthus usually gives me – trust your heart.” He stared a moment longer into Dieya’s eyes. “You may or may not be the famed sorcerer, but I can see there is no malice in your breast to me and mine.” He nodded then spread his arms. “Though these are times of trouble, welcome to Castle Lothogorn, Sorcerer Dieya.”
“Thank you for your hospitality, your Lordship.” Dieya looked at Balthus who was still slowly advancing with drawn sword. He shifted his staff to his right hand and raised his left palm up to Balthus. “Sir, I mean no harm, truly.”
“If so, I would feel more comfortable if you lowered your palm,” said Balthus. “The last sorcerer I saw today holding up his palm tried to fry me with a red beam of light.”
The man in black quickly lowered his arm and took a step toward Balthus, a questioning look on his face. “Today? He used a death ray?” His face darkened and his hand clenched into a fist. “They grow bold,” he muttered, glancing down in thought. He raised his eyes to Balthus. “If you escaped the death ray, you must be a very lucky man, Sir – ?”
The Duke raised a hand to his forehead. “You must excuse my manners at a time like this,” he said and gestured to his friend. “This is Sir Balthus, my very good friend and counselor.”
“Balthus of Steradam?” asked Dieya. Balthus nodded. Dieya turned to Adrianna who had closed to his right flank. “Then this must be the Lady Adrianna.” He smiled and gave an expansive bow. “It is my pleasure to meet you.”
Adrianna advanced to within a step of Dieya, her knife a foot from his throat. The Sorcerer ignored the knife and held his smile. Meeting and holding his gaze, she realized that the Duke was correct. This stranger held no malice toward them. With a little twirl, she sheathed her knife. Smiling, she laced her arm through the sorcerer’s.
“You must forgive our mistrust, please,” Adrianna said, patting his forearm and guiding him toward the table. “Have a cup of wine and tell us why you have chosen to grace us with your presence.” She glanced behind the sorcerer and nodded to Balthus. He sheathed his sword and walked toward his seat. She knew he would form his own judgment of the man, but for right now he would go with her instinct.
“First I’d like to hear Sir Balthus’ tale,” said Dieya. He laid his staff behind his chair and sat down at the table. “Tis not a tale many men have survived to tell.”
“Well, it was easy,” said Balthus without cracking a smile, “the beam bounced off my sterling character, it’s as simple at that.” Chuckles came from around the table, the first smiles seen since this morning’s fiasco. Balthus stood, lifted the wine pitcher and filled everyone’s cup while he related the happenings in Baron Yorburg’s tent to the sorcerer.
When he finished, Adrianna hoisted her cup to Balthus. “That is a true, unembellished account of today’s action. Balthus, you must still be upset by what went on in that tent to tell it so straight.”
“Nay, lass. There is a time for embellishments and that is after the cutting is done. This is not over by a long toss, and our guest must know what we face before throwing in his lot with us.” He glanced back to Dieya. “But from your comments, I take it you have had a previous acquaintance with the Baron of Yorburg – or whoever he is now. Would you care to share that information?” he asked, staring deeply into the sorcerer’s eyes in challenge.
“Of course, Sir Balthus. I believe in the saying, ‘unity will vanquish a common foe.’ Perhaps we might band our strengths together to handle this problem – to that end, I will tell you all I can.”
“All you can or all you know?” said Balthus, smiling quickly to take the sting from the remark.
“All I can. There are certain oaths I’ve taken and trusts I will not break, but I will tell you all that is necessary to rid ourselves of the Baron of Yorburg.” He stared back at Balthus.
“Fair enough,” said Balthus, leaning back in his chair, “and I feel better knowing you respect a trust. Tell on, Sir Sorcerer,” he said with a flip of his hand.
“Please, just refer to me as Dieya. It will be easier for all.” He took a sip of wine and also leaned back in his chair.
Adrianna, looking back and forth between Balthus and Dieya, wondered if they were done taking each other’s measure. Balthus’ relaxed position indicated he had decided to trust Dieya to a certain extent. Balthus was excellent at reading first impressions – just as he was terrible at creating a good one.
“First,” said Dieya, “I must give a little background on the powers at work here. There are certain forces in the world, gods if you will. Some encourage what is good and just, and some perpetuate evil and hard times. The bad ones gain power from the evil deeds and the misery they can create.”
“And the good ones?” interjected Balthus.
“Let’s just say the good ones benefit from the lack of power amassed by the bad ones. The creature that now inhabits the Baron of Yorburg’s body is called a Krill. A construct of the evil powers designed to bring mayhem to Ravar. A ‘demon,’ you might say, has invaded the Baron’s body and remade it with a strong metal frame with the Baron’s skin as a shell.” He gestured to Balthus. “That is why your sword did so little damage.”
Lotho threw open his hands. “What does it want?”
“Well…” Dieya paused for a moment. “Let me continue.” He took a sip of wine. “The world is filled with power that flows like the currents and tides of the sea. A power which can be good or bad. Did you ever come to a meadow that was just bursting with life where it was impossible to even try to entertain negative thoughts?” He recei
ved nods from around the table. “And some places that just felt bad and made you angry for no reason?”
“Kroutan Valley,” Balthus said, glancing at Adrianna. She nodded in agreement.
Dieya continued. “There is an unseen power generated by every living thing, and to a lesser extent, every non-living thing. Sometimes the power turns negative, from pressure inside the earth or living beings’ attitudes and experiences. This negative power can be gathered by magic and formed into pools we call dark nodes. The Krill’s job is to funnel the power from these nodes to a central location for collection by the bad gods.” Dieya gestured to the surrounding walls. “Duke Lothogorn’s castle is sitting on such a location.”
“You mean to say,” said the Duke, “that my castle is a place of evil power? I dare say this is all poppycock. The Castle of the Lothogorns has never been an evil place!”
“True, your Lordship,” responded the sorcerer, “your castle and lands are not evil. But imagine several pools of water, high up in the mountains. If you create a channel from each pool to a lower meadow, the water will flow downward and gather at the lower meadow, will it not? The area we are in is like the lower meadow, not that it has anything to do with height, just location. That’s why the Krill needs you out of here. This area is too populous. If he worked his collection magic without being in charge of the locale, word would spread.”
“Word would spread to whom?” asked the Duke.
Dieya smiled. “Well, word would get to me actually, and he doesn’t want any interference with his scheme.”
Adrianna let the sorcerer’s words sink in, seeing how they fit in with her understanding of the world. Balthus’ squirming told her he had already made up his mind.
“Good gods, bad gods. I’m sorry Dieya, but I can’t buy any of it,” said Balthus, playing with his empty cup. “I’ve been around long enough to experience that God is only good. Evil is just the lack of men’s understanding.
“When some calamity like a fire happens, people cry ‘Oh, God is not happy with us!’ In reality, God gives us all free will and a choice every second. No one made them live in that house. It was their choice. A child dies and it is seen as a tragedy – which it is from our perspective – but what if the purpose of a body is just to hold the spirit for a while, and when the body is no longer needed it is discarded like an old shirt? It may seem that God is uncaring, but perhaps He is only doing the laundry.” Balthus waved his empty cup at a servant, then continued. “God has given us everything we could ever need in this world. It is only our perspective that needs changing.”
Dieya nodded. “I agree completely, Balthus. But you are talking about the Creator who has made us all.” Dieya looked down and tapped a finger on the table. “Perhaps I used the wrong analogy when referring to ‘gods.’ How about this?” He sat forward in his chair. “Imagine creatures so advanced they are like alarats to lusedung beetles. The beetle is never aware of the presence of the flying alarat because he cannot look up. But what if the alarat had some use for the luse dung as shaped by the beetle? Would it not be in his best interest to try to create an environment that favored the beetle? Especially if it involved killing the beetle’s enemies?”
“It depends. Which are we, lusedung beetles or their enemies?” Balthus grinned.
Dieya laughed and shook his head. “I can see your reputation is well deserved, Sir Balthus.”
“Again, it depends who you heard it from, the beetle or its enemies,” said Balthus. Everyone had been intently listening to Dieya’s tale but now they laughed, releasing a little more of the day’s stored tension.
“Tell me, Dieya the Sorcerer, can you kill the lusedung beetle that resides in that ugly purple tent outside?” asked Balthus.
Dieya looked down at his hands. “Yes. Yes I can. But we are evenly matched. I would like to enter that contest with a bit of an edge.”
Balthus paused for a moment, stroked his beard then looked at Adrianna. “Perhaps we can give you that edge… But I have one other question.”
“Ask away and I will answer it if I can,” replied Dieya.
Balthus leaned toward the sorcerer, looking him dead in the eyes. “If the Krill outside is a construct of the bad gods, are you a construct of the good gods?”
Adrianna was startled to see a blush begin at the base of Dieya’s neck and creep upward to his cheeks. Then, with a slight shake of his head, it vanished.
“Balthus of Steradam,” said Dieya, also leaning forward and meeting Balthus eye to eye, “you must be an excellent Shallcross player. Perhaps we could play sometime.”
“Yes, we shall. Perhaps after this is all over – but I must warn you, I have an unfailing strategy.” Balthus leaned back again in his chair and looked at his nails.
“What is that, pray tell?” asked Dieya.
“I cheat,” said Balthus, folding his arms.
Adrianna smiled and Lotho grunted.
“Does that always allow you the win?” asked Dieya.
“No,” chimed in Duke Lothogorn, “if things are still going badly he will cause a distraction, so as not to finish the game. Once, in Freetown, he set fire to the board when he was losing.”
“Purely an accident I assure you, Lotho. But enough about Shallcross. Let’s discuss the Baron of Yorburg.”
“See,” said the Duke to Dieya and nodding to all, “he’s doing it now.”
Everyone smiled.
Balthus put on his best hurt look. “Friends, you cut me to the quick,” he said, holding his hand over his heart.
“Balthus, if your intention is to cover your soul, you’ll have to move your hand downward a bit,” said the Duke.
The entire group erupted with laughter and the episode helped transport the group into the category of friends rather than just acquaintances with the same goal. Adrianna wondered if that was Balthus’ plan all along and glanced at him. Balthus gave her a wink.
“Dieya, you mentioned needing an edge,” said Adrianna. “Why don’t you just use magic to appear in Yorburg’s tent and kill him?”
“If I use that spell to appear that close to the Krill, he will be forewarned and ready for me. Even my presence closer than one hundred feet will warn him.”
“Can your magic destroy him from greater than one hundred feet?” asked Balthus.
“Yes. If I can see him before he sees me, he is dead.”
“Good,” said Balthus. “Now if you will excuse us, I would like to have a word with my beautiful lady.” He pushed his chair back and led Adrianna to a corner of the room. They bent their heads together and Balthus whispered to her.
Dieya glanced at them and gave the Duke a questioning look.
“Oh, do not worry,” said the Duke. “Balthus probably has some hair-brained scheme that he wants to first tell Adrianna. She is his safety line.” Lotho raised his voice. “She stops him from getting too carried away with his less intelligent ideas.”
Balthus, never looking up, shot Lotho an obscene gesture.
The Duke laughingly returned the salute and continued his explanation. “Thank goodness she is such a calming influence on him. You should have seen him before he met her.” The Duke chuckled. “No idea was too bold, no fight too tough,” he shook his head, “and no one could tell him otherwise.”
Dieya looked at the couple. Balthus pantomimed something then wind-milled his arms. Adrianna listened intently.
“They seem to fit well,” said Dieya. “That is something of great worth.”
“Yes, it is,” said the Duke, smiling as he watched the two. “Great worth.”
A squire entered the hall and whispered into the Duke’s ear. Lotho grimaced.
“Something amiss, your Lordship?” asked Dieya.
“Yes, I guess it is. Our lookouts have reported four large covered wagons arriving at Yorburg’s camp.”
“Wagons, your Lordship?” asked Dieya
“Oh, that’s right, you weren’t here for Balthus’ arrival.” The Duke recounted how Balthus discovered Yorburg’s plan to fire the castle with naphtha and how Adrianna destroyed the wagons.
“A remarkable couple,” said Dieya, as the Duke finished the tale.
Balthus and Adrianna walked back to the table, arm in arm. All eyes were on them.
“What?” Balthus asked as he and Adrianna took their seats.
“Nothing.” said the Duke. “We were just wondering what devilish plans you two were hatching.”
Balthus shrugged. “I was telling Adrianna what I’d like for tomorrow’s breakfast, that’s all.”
“That’s the only reason you love me,” said Adrianna. “Breakfast.”
“That’s not true,” he said, shaking his head. “I can think of two more reasons – lunch and dinner.” Adrianna made as if to throw her wine cup at him and he flinched. “But we do have an idea and we’d like to see what you think of it.”
“Whatever the plan, we’d better do it at break of dawn,” said the Duke, “because several large, covered wagons have arrived in Yorburg’s camp.”
“Damn!” said Adrianna.
Balthus explained his plan, and they began to work out the details.