“There’s no escaping this time,” General Thane said gleefully to his captives. He towered over them as they struggled on the ground, trying to free themselves. The magical braces that held them had been forged by the Warlord himself. Their bond was so strong, Thane observed, that not even Kelm’s power could break their hold.
The woodsman laid beside Kelm, squeezing his eyes in anguish, grunting and gnashing his teeth as he tried to break free.
“Resistance will only make your situation worse, tall woodsman,” Thane said. “The more you fight, the tighter the braces will become around your body.”
The woodsman continued tossing upon the ground, thrusting his legs, his face growing darker with each body jerk. After several long moments, he went limp from exhaustion. Thane could barely hear the words the woodsman muttered to himself: “I knew we were being watched. I should have been more alert.”
“You should have stayed in the woods where you belong,” Thane replied before stepping away from his captives.
He took a moment to admire his surroundings. Never in his life had he seen so many books and artifacts in one place. The knowledge in their collective contents could surely make him more powerful than the Warlord himself—if he were an ambitious man. But Thane was only a soldier; a hunter, rather. And right now his only interest was his prey.
He’d tracked Maebus clear across the Realm only to be repeatedly thwarted. But not this time.
“Stand them up,” Thane ordered his men. Briskly, they picked the captives off the ground and lined them up against the labyrinth walls. The captives stood in silence as Thane approached, walking past each of them.
“I’ve waited a long time for this,” he taunted, stopping at Maebus. “I knew it’d only be a matter of time before I had you.”
“And what made you so confident?” Maebus asked.
Thane leaned in close. “Because I never fail.”
The King winced at his foul breath.
“I must share with you a secret,” the General continued, “I’ve always held you in high regard. I’ve heard how you once refused an offer to join our Legion, only to rise to your own kingdom’s defense. With my own eyes, I’ve watched you fight shoulder to shoulder with your men. Indeed, you have the heart of a soldier.
“But as admirable as your intentions were, you must now accept that you’ve lost. Your kingdom is no more, your Council is no more, your defenses are no more, and upon my discretion, you will be no more.”
Thane turned his back toward him, allowing his words to settle in. “Because of my respect for you, I’ll allow you to live. But no one is leaving this lair until I have the Realmsic Crystal. And if I have to, I will hurt you to get it.”
“We don’t have the crystal!” Kelm shouted.
“Don’t patronize me, Wizard!” Thane snapped. “You and I both know that isn’t true.”
“You won’t find it. It was taken from the castle during the invasion. Not even we know where it is,” Kelm explained, his eyes were big and sincere.
It sounded plausible. But Thane knew it was a lie.
“How foolish do you think I am, Wizard? You expect me to believe that you’d allow the source of all magic to be hidden without your knowledge? And you actually expect me to believe that you’d entrust it to anyone beyond your own person?” Thane approached the Wizard cautiously, although Kelm’s arms were bound at his side.
“You said yourself that you’ve tracked us across the Realm. How would we have been able to carry the crystal?” Kelm reasoned.
Thane threw back his head and laughed. “Now I know for certain you lie. You’ve just overplayed your hand.” Thane stroked his grizzly beard before speaking again. “It’s true that I’m but a simple soldier; that I care nothing about politics, history, or conquest. But the Warlord Damian has armed me with knowledge as well as with a strong Legion of men. Few people realize the truth about the Realmsic Crystal.”
Thane grabbed Kelm’s face as he tried to avert it, forcing the Wizard to stare directly at him.
“It’s easy to believe that an item as powerful as the Realmsic Crystal would be a massive stone. But this is only a misconception. In fact, the crystal is rather small. Small enough, say ... to be worn.”
He moved in even closer to Kelm, narrowing his gaze upon a silver necklace.
“Perhaps it can even be carried upon the necklace of the Grand Wizard himself?” Thane snatched it from his neck.
“No!” Kelm shouted, his voice amplified his terror.
Instantly, Thane felt the power emanating from the gem. Momentarily, it frightened him. Even with his non-magical presence, the object’s invisible force filled him with a sensation he’d never before felt. The gem glowed the color red within his hand.
“Yes!” Thane exclaimed. He’d finally found the Realmsic Crystal!
As Maebus collapsed to his knees, Thane knew it was all over.
“Go on! You have what you came for. Kill us!” Maebus shouted, his voice shaking with anguish.
“Oh, no, I’m a man of my word. I told you that you’d live, and so you shall ... at least for now.”
The General turned to his men. “You!” he pointed. “You know what to do.”
Several Legionaries ran through the labyrinth and began tipping over the bookshelves, knocking their contents onto the floor. The others bashed artifacts with their swords, and smashed them with their feet.
Fable, though bound, wrenched her shoulders back and forth and broke free of her captors.
“What are you doing!?!” she shouted hysterically, her voice shaking. Her thin frame fought against the magical brace that held her, but her arms couldn’t move, and it only brought her more pain as the embrace tightened.
“The knowledge contained within these books would make one even more powerful than the Warlord himself. I cannot allow that,” Thane said to her.
Grabbing a candle off the surface of a nearby table, he dropped it on the floor. The books at his feet instantly ignited. The flames slowly crawled in every direction, increasing in intensity. The orange firelight flickered in the stunned faces of his captives.
“Noooooo!!” Fable cried, tears streaming down her face while she watched her home and all of its history catching ablaze. Dark smoke began filling the room, carrying with it the overpowering smell of burnt wood and paper.
Thane inhaled as deeply as he could, taking in the aroma of victory. All the while. flames continued to incinerate the toppled books and shelves, the hanging maps, the ancient relics and artifacts. Their ashes blew through the air.
“Lets go before we all burn,” Thane said to his men. “Take them outside. The prison carriage should be arriving shortly.”
The Legionaries quickly unsheathed their weapons and forced the prisoners toward the exit.
“You ignorant heathen,” Maebus said furiously, fighting against his captor.
“Stop!” Thane commanded. Sweat beaded his forehead from the intense flames flickering behind him. His massive hand cupped the back of Maebus’ neck, pulling his face closer to his own. “You caused this to happen by not surrendering your crystal,” he said to the King.
Maebus’ eyes grew wide with rage as Thane released him.
The captives were forced upstairs, Thane followed closely behind. He reached into a pouch hanging at his waist and retrieved his mobile device.
“My Lord,” he called into it while walking up the stairs of the temple. It took but a moment for Damian’s face to appear.
“General?” he asked.
“I have the Realmsic Crystal,” he said as he held it towards the mirror to show Damian.
The Warlord’s eyes expressed the joy his face wouldn’t allow. “And the Realmsic King and Advisor?”
“They are my prisoners of war,” Thane replied.
Chapter Thirty-Eight