Demonkin (2 page)

“Such as?” asked D'Cavan.

“Such as securing young elf women from the reeducation centers of the Federation,” answered D'Artim.

“Elf women?” asked D'Lycind. “Why elves?”

“It is what the spell requires,” shrugged D'Artim.

“Well,” mused D'Cavan, “we have plenty of time to dwell upon that problem. Twenty years may be like nothing to us, but it is a long time to elves and humans.”

“We have no time at all,” retorted D'Artim. “The plan that I discussed with our master needs to be started immediately. If the Ancient Prophecy unfolds as he suspects, strong nations will evolve on both continents. We need to start putting people in place immediately. We have a new religion to create.”

“A new religion?” questioned D'Wycaram. “What are you talking about?”

“Our demonkin will be priests of this new religion,” explained D'Artim. “It is the religion that will move the people regardless of the rulers.”

“And who will the people worship?” asked D'Cavan. “We cannot have them pray to Alutar, or we will alert our enemies, and we dare not give any of the gods the power that such worship entails.”

“They will worship Alutar,” replied D'Artim, “but he will not be called such. We shall use another name for our lord, and the people will worship him. He shall be known as Balmak in memory of this place.”

“What of Balmaka?” asked D'Lycind. “If the Universes are collapsed, this forest is no longer ours alone. I flew over human cities on my way here.”

“And ogres,” added D'Wycaram. “They are already swarming the woods east of here.”

“That is something we can address immediately,” replied D'Artim. “Ogres are easily swayed, and we can use them to keep the humans out. Let us turn Balmaka into a forest of death that the humans will fear to enter. D'Cavan will accompany me to get our first elven females while the rest of you secure our Forest of Death.”

Garth Shado and Baron Stikman walked through the corridors of the castle in Herinak, the capital of Korocca. Their discussion was centered on the best use of the Occan lancers during the coming war, but a familiar voice distracted Garth. With a silent hand motion to suspend the conversation, Garth turned and walked out onto one of the balconies overlooking the city. The baron nodded and followed. On the balcony Kalina was discussing magic with Sigfrid, the Royal Sorcerer of Korocca. The two mages were so engrossed in their discussion, that they did not notice the two men entering the balcony.

“I do not think we have the power necessary to fight whatever is in the Forest of Death,” stated Kalina. “That forest is not simply enchanted by a mage. There is a far greater power involved.”

“But that is the only way that we will get troops to the cities of the Federation,” argued Sigfrid. “If we cannot gain passage through the Forest of Death, Occan lancers will not be involved in the coming war.”

“There is truth in that statement,” interjected Baron Stikman. “I have just been discussing that very point with Garth.”

The two mages turned with surprise at having company, but Kalina shook her head.

“The way to the Federation cities is through the Sands of Eternity,” Kalina insisted.

“How?” questioned Sigfrid.

“I do not know,” sighed Kalina, “but I am sure of it. You must trust me on this.”

“Trust her,” stated Garth Shado. “She was told by the Mage that our path must traverse the desert.”

“The Mage?” scoffed Sigfrid. “You seek to win an argument with fairy tales? If the Mage ever did exist, it was so long ago that no one remembers.”

“Need I remind you that fairies do exist?” retorted Kalina.

Garth smiled at his wife's reply and walked to the railing to gaze upon the city below.

“Even if I grant you the thought that the Mage might still exist,” countered Sigfrid, “surely he would not give counsel to the likes of you and me. Such a supreme being would only associate with the world's greatest masters. I am sorry, Kalina, but I cannot advise the king to follow a path based upon such statements as you are offering me.”

Kalina was about to offer a retort to the Royal Sorcerer when she heard the sharp intake of Garth's breath. She turned away from Sigfrid and glanced down towards the city.

“K'san,” spat Garth.

Kalina scanned the crowd in the square below until she spotted the large black priest. Two black-cloaked mages flanked K'san.

“What is the matter?” Baron Stikman asked as he sensed the concern in Garth's voice.

“The tall black man below is a demonkin,” answered Garth.

“And the two men flanking him are mages,” added Kalina. “How did they get here?”

“And what do they want?” mused Garth. “Surely, they cannot expect to find followers of Balmak up here in Korocca.”

“Demonkin?” questioned Sigfrid. “Is such a thing possible? I thought those possessed by demons were nothing more than babbling fools.”

Just then K'san looked up and saw the four people looking down on him. His lips curled upward as he spoke quickly to the men next to him.

“Not these ones,” replied Kalina. “They have been created to further Alutar's desires. Raise some shields!”

The words were barely out of Kalina's mouth when a bolt of lightning smashed down on the balcony. A brilliant flash outlined the transparent shield that Kalina had erected, and Baron Stikman swore as he shielded his eyes against the blinding flare.

“I have a shield up now,” declared Sigfrid. “You can drop yours, Kalina.”

Kalina dropped her shield and sent a fireball at the three mages below. As the fireball impacted, it showed three strong shields surrounding the three men in the square.

“They are well shielded,” frowned Sigfrid. “We will not get through such protection.”

Citizens cried out in alarm as they realized that a magical battle was taking place. People in the square scattered, seeking refuge wherever they could find it. Baron Stikman leaned over the railing and shouted orders to the soldiers below.

“Call them back,” Garth warned the baron. “K'san will not yield to your lances and swords.”

“We shall see about that,” scowled the baron as two riders rode out through the castle gate.

One of the black-cloaked mages saw the horsemen approaching. He unleashed a fireball that blasted one of the riders from his saddle. The other rider managed to close the distance before the mages could react. He lowered his lance and drove it straight into the chest of K'san, but the lance merely splintered. K'san raised his hand towards the charging rider, and man and horse flew sideways into a building.

“No man can withstand a lance hit like that!” Baron Stikman exclaimed.

“K'san is no normal man,” Garth replied. “His skin is akin to rock.”

“They have no physical shields,” Kalina commented calmly. “Their arrogance might be their undoing.”

Three simultaneous bolts of lightning smashed into Sigfrid's shield and Kalina saw the Royal Sorcerer nearly stumble from the strain of the impact.

“Where is Tedi?” asked Garth.

“He went with Natia and the Royal Stablemaster to an Occan ranch outside the city,” answered Kalina. “His staff will be of no use to us today.”

Kalina threw a fireball at K'san and immediately followed it with a lightning bolt. Neither spell had any effect except to jolt the shields of the three mages. Three more lightning bolts slammed into Sigfrid's shield and the Royal Sorcerer dropped to one knee with a grimace.

“We should retreat,” gasped Sigfrid.

“No,” Garth quickly replied. “Kalina take over the shield. Do not waste energy on attacking them, but stay here and keep their attention. Baron, get some archers on the roofs and aim only at the black-cloaks. Do not waste arrows on K'san.”

“What are you doing?” Kalina asked with concern as she took over Sigfrid's shield.

“I am going after K'san,” answered Garth. “Keep him distracted.”

“You will barely scratch him,” warned Kalina.

“A scratch is all I need,” Garth smiled thinly as he patted his quiver of myric quills.

Kalina tried to object, but Garth was already gone. She sighed as three more bolts of lightning slammed into her shield.

“You cannot stay here and distract them,” warned Sigfrid as he rose to his feet. “Another triple bolt will destroy your shields.”

“Regain your strength,” instructed Kalina. “I will be fine, but when Garth gets into position, you will need to take over the shields again. I must aid him when the time comes.”

Baron Stikman alternated between shielding his eyes from the glare and watching the progress of his men. K'san noticed the archers getting into position, and he sent lightning bolts to each of the rooftops. Bodies flew through the air as the archers were destroyed before they could release a single arrow. Baron Stikman cursed as the remaining archers fled from the rooftops.

“Don't think about Garth,” Kalina warned softly as another triple blow impacted her shield. “K'san is trying to read our minds. That is probably how he knew about the archers.”

“You can't be serious?” scoffed the baron.

“Listen to her,” Sigfrid said as another triple bolt hit Kalina's shield without significantly weakening it. “Her power and knowledge is far greater than I thought. We would be dead now if we were depending on my shields alone.” Turning to Kalina respectfully, he continued, “Let me know when to take over the shield.”

Kalina merely nodded as her eyes scanned the streets below for Garth. Another trio of lightning bolts slammed into Kalina's shields before she spotted her husband. Garth slid out the front door of an inn and dashed to the cover of a large tree behind the three mages.

“Now, Sigfrid!” Kalina said anxiously. “Put everything into it.”

Trusting the Koroccan mage to act quickly, Kalina dropped her shield and stretched her arms towards the square below. As three lightning bolts slammed into Sigfrid's shield, two powerful, continuous streams of fireballs soared from Kalina's hands. The magical projectiles blasted the shields around the black-cloaks, but not K'san.

“You are missing the big one,” warned Baron Stikman.

The shields surrounding the Federation mages glowed brightly in the shape of a butterfly as Kalina continued her attack on the black-cloaks. Garth raced forward and swung his sword hard at K'san's back. Expecting the sword to rebound as if it had hit a rock, Garth was surprised when the blade sliced deeply into the priest. K'san cried out in pain, and his shield dissipated. As soon as K'san's shield fell, Kalina's streams of fireballs punched through the remaining shields and struck the black-cloaks. The two lesser mages flew backwards, their bodies burning brightly, as their screams roared through the square. K'san turned slowly to stare at Garth Shado with disbelief. Even though it was obvious that the priest was dying, Garth swung his sword again. The blade easily sliced through K'san's neck, and the priest's head toppled to the ground before his body slowly followed.

“Blessed steed!” remarked Sigfrid. “I have never witnessed such power. Their shields did not weaken at all. You just punched right through them.”

“I thought a sword would not harm that creature?” frowned Baron Stikman as he gazed at the carnage in the square.

Kalina frowned in agreement until she remembered the words of Fakir Aziz. Suddenly, she realized what the second spell was that the Mage had bestowed upon the swords of the Alceans. “Garth carries no ordinary sword,” she declared. “It has been enhanced by the Mage.”

Sigfrid glanced at Kalina with wonder. “I must talk to you about the Mage,” he said reverently. “I suspect that I have much to learn from you.”

“We will discuss much,” Kalina promised, “but now it is imperative to secure this city. Baron, you need to identify all foreigners in Herinak and then discover how those mages managed to get here. Their presence here is disturbing. I will be in Sidney's suite.”

Kalina glanced once more at the square and saw Garth heading for the castle. She turned and left the balcony and headed for Sidney's suite. When she arrived, she found Sidney, Queen Romani, King Myer, and General Skye discussing the patriot movements in their homelands. From the way they casually noted her entrance, Kalina realized that they were unaware of the magical battle that had just taken place outside. She filled a glass with water and sank into a soft chair as the others continued their conversation. A few moments later, Garth entered the suite and sat to clean his sword.

“What happened?” asked Sidney Mercado.

“K'san and two Federation mages showed up in the city,” explained Garth. “It would appear that they are spreading everywhere. We ended their Herinak tour earlier than they would have liked.”

“Their arrival in Herinak was no coincidence,” retorted Kalina. “They were here to kill us.”

Garth looked questioningly at his wife. “How would they even know what we look like?”

“I am not sure,” Kalina admitted, “but I am sure of their purpose. They did not choose to strike just any balcony in the castle. Their spells were aimed at me, even when Sigfrid held the shields. K'san recognized me. I could feel it.”

“That makes no sense.” Garth frowned.

“Unless the K'sans have a herd memory,” mused Kalina. “That thought has been nagging me since the temple attacks in Alcea. They certainly have some method of communications that defy reason. It would explain a lot about them.”

“The K'san I just killed stared at me before he died.” Garth nodded. “His gaze gave me an eerie feeling. I think it is time for us to be moving on. We accomplish nothing by staying here in Herinak.”

“I concur,” Kalina agreed. “We still have not visited Valdo or Despair, and the time for saving the elven children is fast approaching. I would also like to spend some time in the Sands of Eternity.”

“The desert?” questioned Garth. “What on earth for?”

“Something Fakir said to me,” Kalina replied vaguely. “Did you happen to notice the effect of your sword on K'san?”

“How could I not?” replied Garth. “Has the nature of K'sans changed?”

“No,” answered Kalina. “The nature of your sword has changed. It is the Mage's second spell. We need to inform the others. I suspect their blades are likewise enchanted.”