The Tomes Of Magic (4 page)

He entered the room first and took his place at opposite end of the table that sat in the middle of the room. The others poured in and found their seats, quickly filling up the round table. Those gathered had come from many walks of life, but all of them swore to serve the Holy Order. The Swords of Justice were chosen based on a proficiency in stealth. Out of the twenty members of the group, fifteen could have just as easily joined the Rangers of the Old Forest, but chose the Holy Order instead.  Another four were reformed thieves, used for spying and stealing. Zeltos was the lone assassin of the group. More often than not, it was his blade that completed missions for the Holy Order. They were a tightknit group, which many of the Holy Order attributed to their less than reputable methods. Gareth had been slow to call upon their services, but under Bartholomew they thrived.

“As many of you know, we’ve been asked to disrupt the dragonwizards rule. The Grand Cleric has left it up to us as to how we will accomplish this task. I want to hear your opinions on the matter,” the assassin opened the discussion up to his group as he often did.

“We should cater to our strengths. Most of us would be more effective ambushing caravans. The others can gather dirt on some of the sympathetic mayors and governors to use as blackmail. You can assassinate those who fail to bend to the will of the light,” Kergan, a former Ranger, answered.

“A sound plan. Unfortunately, I cannot assist you in this. My mission is to assassinate the King of Cardinia and, if possible, make it look like the Sardinian King was involved,” Zeltos placed the jeweled dagger on the table as he spoke.

“Kergan’s idea is still a good one. We can blackmail the local rulers into turning on the dragonwizards. The others can draw attention away from us by attacking the caravans like he proposed,” Amy, one of the spies, said.

“It is decided then. Amy shall lead the four of you in this gathering of intelligence and Kergan will lead strikes against their caravans. If at any point in time the dragonwizards catch on to your schemes, move to another location within their kingdoms. With the war brewing, we should be able to disrupt at least three or four counties before they catch on. No unnecessary risks,” the assassin stood as he spoke.

*

Serith, one of the few Crusaders of the Holy Order, held her ground as the ogres came rushing toward her. Though her troops and the Barbarians had plenty of experience against the ogres, they had lost their nerve when they saw the charge. She could hardly blame them. Since their arrival in the north, seventy-five out of the hundred soldiers had been slain in battle. Their Barbarian allies had lost even more men. None of that bothered Serith. She had been tasked with purging the Barbarian lands of ogres and she would accomplish that feat or die trying. Two of the ogres broke free from the pack and attacked first. She ducked under their attacks and rammed her shield against the knee of the ogre on her left side. It stumbled forward, leaving an opening. She leaped up and thrust her sword into the ogre’s back. As the beast crashed to the floor, she pulled out the sword and sprung at the second ogre. It tried to hit her with a fist, but she dug her sword into the oncoming forearm.

The ogre yelled in pain as she yanked the sword out and stabbed it in the kneecap. She spun to face the remaining ogres and was pleasantly surprised to see that several of her comrades had joined her. They took out two of the oncoming ogres, leaving one for her. It was still moving at a quick rate when she slid by and sliced at the back of its calf. The ogre crashed to the ground and one of the Holy Order soldiers finished it off. Several Barbarians joined the fray when they saw that there was a chance of holding off the ogres. Serith took the lead and charged toward the remaining ten ogres. She bashed the closest with her shield before spinning to the side and stabbing another in the gut. Her soldiers and the Barbarians each engaged three ogres, leaving the final ogre for her to deal with. It was slightly taller than the others and significantly stronger looking. She lunged at the leader with her sword, but it jumped backward. The ogre smiled as it whipped its club around at her head. She ducked, narrowly missing the weapon, and rolled forward. Her opponent attempted to kick her, but she brought her shield up in time to stop the attack.

She thrust her sword into the snow and braced the shield with both of her arms. The bottom of the shield was planted against the ground and the ogre was pressing down on the middle of it. She grunted as she shoved with all her might. The ogre toppled over backward and hit the ground with a resounding crash. She grabbed her sword before springing to her feet. Her opponent tried to get back
up, but was too dazed to move fast enough. She closed in the distance and drove her sword through the ogre’s chest. It stopped thrashing and she removed the sword. Holy Order soldiers and Barbarians alike were staring in awe at her accomplishment. She sheathed her sword and ordered the troops to form up. Their main objective was the ogre outpost somewhere in the wintry lands of the north. Neither her scouts nor the Barbarians knew the exact location, but the increase in ogre sightings was a sign that they were getting closer.

“Gather the troops, we rest for the day and then move out in the morning. I want everyone to be prepared for a fight tomorrow. We don’t know what we are up against, but the last thing we need is to be caught unprepared,” she said as she walked back into the makeshift camp.

*

Ector dismounted from his horse as he got to the cave entrance. Sev’s directions had been perfect, but the cavern was still difficult to find. The Archwizard signaled for the others to dismount as he peered into the darkness. He gripped his staff tighter and his eyes began to glow. The depths of the cavern were easy to see as the spell began to take over. His men joined him at the entrance and their eyes started to glow as well. Ector looked back at his men to ensure that he hadn’t missed any of them with his spell. They warily entered the cave, half expecting an attack. The elves soon found that the entrance was as deserted as it had first seemed.
Where did he find a cave like this?
Ector wondered as they continued further into the cave. This part of the caverns looked as though it had not been used in years.

“Be wary of what may lie ahead,” Ector said, using his magic to shield his voice from anything that could be lurking.

The elves nodded as they followed the Archwizard deeper into the cave. Ector pulled out the map that Borfin had given him. It didn’t have the branch that they were currently in, but it provided details on where to go once they reached the main artery. The band of elves slowly made their way further along until they reached a crossroad. A foul smell wafted down the tunnel and soon after they heard voices. Ector readied his staff and rounded the corner. There was a small camp of orcs and goblins. They were arguing about whose turn it was to take watch. The Archwizard thrust his staff forward and a bright light appeared in the midst of their camp. Orcs and goblins alike began scurrying about in fear. Ector and his men descended upon the small camp and quickly dispatched the enemies. He created holes in the ground to swallow up the few that had managed to escape the battle.

“Let’s move, the dwarves will be waiting.”

*

Leoth grunted as the wooden training sword struck his ribs. Cassandra smiled and winked at him before launching into her next attack. She had insisted that if he wanted to claim the title of Emperor, he need to act like one. His trusted hammer was traded in for an elegant sword. It didn’t stop there. She also forced him to wear clothes befitting of an Emperor as well as act like one.
It seems as though she has been waiting for all this to happen,
he thought as he parried one of her strikes. The sword felt strange in his hands, though it was much better than the one she had tried to get him to use originally. This sword had a considerable amount of heft to it and many a weaker man would have required two hands to wield it. He couldn’t shake the feeling that his wife enjoyed watching him struggle to master the sword. It didn’t help that she was using a training sword while he was wielding a real one. Septimus entered the training area and cleared his throat.

“I hate to interrupt, but I need to get my hands on one of those tomes,” he said, ignoring the troubles that Leoth was facing with his sword training.

“Now is really not a good time, Warlock!” Leoth snapped at Septimus.

Cassandra used his momentary lapse to strike another blow with the training sword. The Emperor-in-training dropped his sword and stormed out of the room. He nearly smashed one of the mirrors in the room when he saw how ridiculous he looked in the clothes his wife had encouraged him to wear.
How can she expect me to change after all these years?
he asked himself as he began to take off the puffed up shirt. The door swung open and he stopped unbuttoning his shirt. He turned to face whoever was interrupting him. His anger waned slightly when he saw Cassandra with a worried look on her face. It was one of those times when his stubbornness wanted to put up a fight, but his heart wanted to reach out to his wife. She recognized the look on his face and ran over to hug him. He pulled back slightly so that he could address her more easily.

“What is the matter, my dear?” He asked.

“I was not treating you kindly,” she answered.

“You wounded my pride, nothing more. My pride could use a shrinking at times.”

“It isn’t that, love. I made a promise to myself a long time ago. Whenever they would push me too far in training me to be a noble, I would tell myself that I would never be that way. I broke that promise to today.” She turned away and covered her face after speaking.

“Nonsense, you were overeager to see me become an Emperor. These things take time. It took you nearly a year to adapt to our ways. With your help, we can speed up the process, but you must understand that it will take time.”

Cassandra turned to say something to him, but she was interrupted by a knock at the door. She let out a sigh and answered with a “come in.” Both Leoth and his wife were surprised to see Talia enter the room. The majority of their interaction had been with Septimus. Beyond that, they conversed little with Thanos and even less with Talia. Leoth looked to Cassandra for any indication as to whether he should stay or leave. He could not detect an opinion either way and decided to stay for the moment. Talia slowly walked into the room and took a seat on one of the chairs. She looked as though she had much to say, but knew not how to say it. Cassandra took a seat next to her and Leoth headed for the door. He could hear them whispering about something, but could not make out the words.

“Hold a moment, dear,” his wife said as he reached the door.

“You have need of my opinion?” He asked.

“I believe that your ability to judge a man’s character will do Talia much good. You see, she is worried about the Warlock. In between training you and making sure that we don’t allow Septimus too much freedom, I began consulting with Talia about his past. It seems that he lives by a different moral code than most would consider normal.”

“He seems to be a man that is willing to go to the very ends of the earth for what he seeks. I would not like to get between that man and his goal. Let us hope that his cause is just.”

*

Cormac raised his head off the ground. His entire body felt as though it had been torn apart, yet he remained in one piece. King Aithen and the gnomes had warned him of the treachery of the naga, but, in his arrogance, he had ignored their advice. The gnomes, with their newly working automaton machines, had fought bravely against the vile creatures. Though the naga had been driven deep underground, it came at a great cost. Cormac was the lone survivor on the island and was in bad shape. His wounds were as much his own fault as the fault of the overeager gnomes. The two months of preparation had been nullified in a matter of seconds.
If only they had listened
, he thought as he surveyed the rubble. The once terrifying symbol of the naga’s might, their strange stone castle, had been leveled. Many gnomes had given their lives to trap the naga beneath the structure.

The dwarven Archwizard surveyed the scene. His boat was still intact, but the gnomes would not be happy if he returned alone. On the other hand, he had promised his assistance as a Wizard. To break a dwarven oath was bad enough, but to break a Wizard oath was punishable by banishment or death. Cormac took one last look at the dead gnomes in among the debris with their massive machines.
There must be a better way to deploy these creations of theirs
, he thought as he walked back to the boat. He instantly wished that Janessa was with him when he realized how difficult it would be to sail the boat alone. It took several minutes to get the ship ready to leave. As he took the wheel, he conjured up a wind to drive him back to the gnomish shores. His attention was drawn to the other side of the lake. The once booming minotaur town could be seen from the island in the middle. While the craftsmanship was terrific, the town itself was nothing short of eerie. A shiver went down the Archwizard’s spine as he stared at the ghost town.

He was quickly drawn back to the gnome city when he heard shouts coming from their shores. It seemed that the gnomes had seen the naga structure collapse and were eager to find out what had happened. Cormac could see the faces of those on shore change when he got close enough for them to see that he was the only survivor. Many of the gnomes left, but Theros stood at the shores with a small contingent of the King’s guard. The Archwizard waved to them as the boat slowed before slamming into the dock. His expertise at magic allowed him to control the ship, but his lack of experience kept him from easing it back into its place. He jumped down from the boat and walked straight to where Theros was standing. The gnome looked at him with animosity in his eyes.