The High King: A Tale of Alus (43 page)

The two spies just stood there in the doorway looking into a portal leading to another world. As they watched, shadows began to taint the shimmering, desert scenery shown through the glowing portal. The couple tensed.

"Something is wrong," Serra breathed timidly. "Maybe we should leave, Baitrum?"
The soldier felt the strangeness as well, but, looking at the bodies scattered across the floor, the soldier wondered how he could feel anything but uneasy. The shadows seemed to darken a moment and then fade. "Just a minute. We came to find out what was going on here. I think that we should investigate a little further first."
The shadows flickered again in the portal. Even as the lieutenant stepped through the broken doorway to search through the sickening miasma of blood and gore, his intuition told him to flee. Refusing to show any cowardice before this girl, the soldier let his bravado carry him deeper into the room. "It looks as if these men were torn apart like the others. I wonder if it was the gargoyles or the dragons?"
"Does it matter?" Serra breathed from where she stood in the doorway. Her eyes never left the flickering shadows of the portal. "Can we leave please? I am afraid that more of the gargoyles will show up any moment to kill us."
"Don't be silly, girl," Baitrum retorted, but, even to his ears, he sounded frightened. "I don't see anything here though, so I guess we might as well leave. Knowing that the gargoyles have turned against their callers should be important enough to satisfy Alyanna. I'm no wizard, so I doubt that I can find anything else anyway."
He turned to see Serra staring open-mouthed at the portal. Turning to look there also, Baitrum watched as one of the shadows, the largest one, suddenly solidified. A pair of jaws capable of snapping a man's torso in half poked their way into the room. Red, narrow, slitted eyes came soon after and then the neck began its slow entry into the room. The eyes caught sight of the girl and seemed to narrow even more. A forked tongue snaked out to lick its scaly lips.
"Run, Serra!" Baitrum cried out and tried to race past the threatening head to exit the room. The long tongue snaked out as the dragon's head thrust forward suddenly quick and wrapped around Serra's right arm. Too shocked to scream, the girl was pulled wordlessly into the room.
"No!" the soldier shouted turning in a rush with his sword prepared to strike the dragon's tongue.
Unfortunately, the dragon was much quicker than he. With a flick of the creature's huge head, the snout hit Baitrum in the chest and arms. Though the movement may have been a light tap to the dragon, its mass was much greater than the man’s. The soldier flew backwards and nearly struck the wall behind him, which had been almost a dozen feet away from the attack.
Dazed from the blow, Baitrum fought to keep his wits even as he watched the dragon move further into the chamber. A second smaller shadow solidified as the dragon lazily crawled inside. The second was followed by a third and two gargoyles turned as they appeared to face the soldier who was slowly getting to his feet.
Looking to his hand, Baitrum realized that his sword had come loose from the impact. The arm that had been holding it hurt badly and he thought that it might be broken from the fall. The gargoyles were looking at him unblinkingly. Their stares were unnatural in their intensity. He knew that no man could ever give such a cold and uncaring look. It was a look unique to the gargoyle's race alone, he was sure.
It was as they all stood looking at each other that Baitrum realized that these gargoyles were unusual in appearance. Never had he seen one of their race clad in anything other than their tough leather armor. These wore kilt-like skirts around their waists and an amazing amount of golden circlets wrapped decoratively up and down the lengths of both arms. Each wore a pendant that hung to the center of their great chests, one gold and the other silver. The patterns on the circular pendants were different as well, though the work may have come from the same artist based on the style and quality.
The one with the silver pendant noted the girl still held in the strong, wet embrace of the dragon's tongue. "Elk'gen, don't play with your food," the gargoyle spoke to the massive creature in his native tongue. Baitrum had learned enough of the gargoyle language in the past year to follow along, however, a talent few knew about.
The red scaled dragon turned an eye lazily towards the gargoyles and stated as best it could with its tongue occupied, "I am not playing. This is the first mortal that I have had a chance to see. It's a female, I believe."
If Baitrum had known the mannerisms of the mar'goyn'lya, he would have noted the sarcasm of the next retort. "You’ll have plenty of them to look at here. Perhaps we should kill these before they can escape to tell of what has happened. Why don't you eat them for us?"
The dragon had nearly all its body within the chamber now. The beast was huge, larger than any Baitrum had seen before and the army had brought over ones that were larger than most homes in Hala. The dragon lay down and grasped Serra with one giant clawed hand. With its elbow braced on the stone floor, Elk'gen lifted Serra nearer to his face. Giving a brief sniff, the dragon turned its head away and sneezed a surprisingly delicate exhale of air for one so huge.
"She smells like some form of flowers. Interesting. The male is quite different, more musk. Neither smell overly tasty to me, Fa'duk. You eat them, if you want. I would rather take the time to study them."
"Bah!" the silver emblemed gargoyle scoffed. "Che'ther, you amaze me. Your race is entirely too soft for creatures with such big teeth." Fa'duk turned to look at Baitrum and a glow of blue fire shimmered between his outspread fingertips. The soldier gasped. These were wizards. He had not known that the mar'goyn'lya knew any magic, but this one obviously did.
"Please, do not be so hasty," the soldier spoke stumblingly in the alien language. "I think we can surely come to some better arrangement, friends."
The other gargoyle's right eye widened ever so slightly, or Baitrum would have never have noted the surprise of the giant. "You know our language, human?"
"I have learned some. Serving at your warriors’ sides, they took the time to teach what they could of your race including your words."
Fa'duk shrugged his massive wings before nudging his fellow. Baitrum noted the flames had faded for the moment. "What does it matter, Fa'makel'zer? Let us kill them and be done with it. The others will expect us to follow them north as swiftly as possible."
The mar'goyn'lya with the golden emblem was no larger than the other, but Baitrum swore that he looked down on his fellow. The golden one had the greater rank, he could tell now. "Fa'duk, you are too hasty as the human said. Go back through and have the others enter now. You will help hold open the portal until everyone crosses and then return."
The lesser gargoyle looked ready to argue or fight, Baitrum could not say which, but finally he nodded and strode back through the portal. More shadows began to cluster faintly behind the glowing window. But that mattered little as the golden gargoyle looked at the soldier with that cold look once again. "So human, tell me why I should not lay you to rest with your fellows that stink this room with their blood already. Were you a coward who hid from his fate as these others died?"
Baitrum stood holding his injured arm gently. He was sure it was broken now, but the man could neither worry about that nor the sword that lay only a few feet away. The sword would be useless against the gargoyle's strength anyway, let alone its magic. Thinking quickly, the lieutenant answered, "These were not men I knew, nor were they friends, Fa'makel'zer. I was sent by the queen who dislikes her king to see what the wizards were up to here. If you mean to betray Merrick as I guess you do, then perhaps you could use our help as we would be glad to have yours as well."
"Bargains, human? You are bold." A strange rasping came from the gargoyle. The soldier had lived with the mar'goyn'lya long enough to recognize their odd form of laughter. "You offer your help and then ask for ours in the same breath. Impressive, eh, Elk'gen?"
The dragon looked over in surprise at hearing his name. He had been examining Serra, much to the girl's dismay. Body rigid in the dragon's grasp, her cloak had been removed and the silky gown had a small tear from snagging the dragon's nail. "Their bodies are so soft, Makel, it is a wonder their race has survived. Small and soft. The male is bold for one so frail, indeed."
The gargoyle seemed to dislike the lack of title from the dragon's addressal. Baitrum knew that both fa and zer must be a part of the wizard's title. To use Makel, the dragon would have to be either friend or superior. The gargoyle chose to ignore the slight as he continued, "How could you help us, human?"
"I assume that you have finally discovered the secret to the portal's magic or you would not have killed these wizards. I can supply you with a good place to start over and even supply you with a guide if you are so inclined to live in this world. You also need information on the nations of man that surround you that could threaten you."
Makel snorted, "We can settle where we wish and need fear no human. You cannot help us then." Amber flames licked the mage's fingers as the decision was reached.
"Wait!" Baitrum cried quickly. "You are wrong, great one. You know as well as I that you are still few in number compared to the world populated by men. We have numerous mages besides the ones that you have slain here. These were just the ones left behind to open the portal. The rest fight beside Merrick. If you turn against the king, he will surely hunt you down. I would even hazard the guess that his enemies would join him. They can hardly leave such a threat alone in the heart of their lands, now can they? Do you believe that you have the strength to fight all of humanity?
"Our enemy used golems in the last battles to force Merrick to call more of your race. Your enemies already know how you can be killed, Fa'makel'zer. You must see that you will need some help to survive very long here."
The flames slowly snuffed themselves. The dragon chuckled where he lay watching the exchange. "The human may not know our language that well, Makel, but he does know the truth." Looking at Baitrum, he continued though the dragon's words were meant for the wizard as much as the man. "Less than two hundred dragons and three thousand gargoyles, will not stand long against their magic. Your wizards and mine are few enough, Makel. Face the truth and accept it. We know that the humans may lack physical strength, but their numbers and magic will end our threat as he says. Let us accept his help.
"Besides I find them both intriguing. I would like to know more of these humans. Flowers in a spray, you say?" the dragon finished by turning back to Serra and spoke in the language of the North Continent.
Thus left to themselves, the gargoyle stood silently staring at Baitrum. Finally, the mage asked, "What do you propose, little man?"
The soldier smiled.

Merrick paced before his generals furiously. The men feared to speak knowing the king's temper and the king continued to stomp back and forth.

Kar'esh?" Turning with a scowl to the generals, he hollered, "I want some answers or I swear that someone will die!"

Suddenly the generals were all talking at once. The cacophony only served to anger Merrick more. The king drew his sword from his scabbard furiously and leveled the blade at the general in the center. "Komus!"

"Yes, sire! We have sent word to Kar'esh to come immediately. The gargoyle will be here shortly, I'm sure."
Twisting the blade to the next general, he questioned, "Have the assassins been sent, Mairgar?"
"Yes, sire. We believe that the enemy has no idea that they have been infiltrated yet, so the wizards should die tonight."
The king nodded. "With the golem wizards dead, we won't need any more reinforcements. Good. Bragus, have some scouts sent back towards Hala and find out what has happened to our reinforcements. There are thousands of those warriors in their home world. I can see no reason that they should not still be coming."
Bragus bowed. "As you command, sire."
"Also send a messenger to Hala, I would have news from Krulir."
Again the general nodded.
The king turned in dismissal. The generals all let out their collectively held breaths. Merrick had not killed anyone after all. For that, they were all thankful. If the assassins failed, however, they all knew that at least one of them would not be so lucky next time.
A few minutes later, Kar'esh's giant form darkened the entryway to the command tent. "You requested me, Merrick," the gargoyle's voice lacked emotion, but that only served to fuel the High King's annoyance.
"I did not request, Kar'esh, I ordered. I would appreciate you showing a little respect for me, since I am the one who is saving your people. You could learn to show up on time."
"The savior of my race?" The gargoyle's raspy laughter came mockingly to Merrick's ears. "You bring only enough to fuel the slaughter. I find more of my warriors dying each day. For each one you bring through the portal to serve your war, I have to risk losing that warrior on the battlefield. This is a war of your making and we will help you win it, but do not try to make me believe that you care whether we live or die. You don't care if your own people die, only if they fail."
"Don't push me, Kar'esh," the king snarled his anger.
"Or what? You can do nothing to me or my warriors will turn on you. Do not dare to threaten me or this agreement between us ends now." The giant folded his arms across his mighty chest and scowled down upon the king whose face was turning red trying to contain his fury.
Taking an unsteady breath, Merrick gritted through his teeth. "Fine, then you will hold to your word that you will continue to serve my interests in this war?"
The gargoyle nodded.
"Good. My assassins should slay the golems' masters by morning. Have your warriors prepared to attack at dawn. I want this war over tomorrow. If we destroy their magic, they are finished. I will still need you when we face Kardor. Do I have your word that you will finish what we have started?"
"My word will stand as long as you continue to honor yours."
"Then we are understood, Kar'esh. I will expect to see your warriors to be in motion by dawn's first light and not to be late."
The gargoyle turned without further word to prepare his soldiers leaving Merrick to contemplate what had happened.
Shaking his head worriedly, the man took his seat. Stroking his brown beard nervously, the High King took a moment to consider the moment. Things were coming apart even as he dominated more of his enemies. Merrick was frustrated, but he felt that once Sileoth and Maris were finished the High King would no longer need Kar'esh or his soldiers anyway. His wizards could duplicate the golem magic with a little time, he figured. Then they could slay those gargoyles already in his world. The wizards could shatter the portal and strand the rest of the dragons and gargoyles ending their threat as their world burned from their exploding sun.
With a sigh, he poured wine into a goblet. It was crystal, the last in a set of six. His temper had taken its toll on the others. Taking a small sip, Merrick grimaced. The drink was bitter. It had spoiled on its journey. Wine had a way of doing that, he thought. Wine and other things as well unfortunately, but the High King would do what he could to prevent anything else from spoiling. It was his destiny to prevail.