Mordecai squinted down at him. “I’m sorry! It must be this damned barrier spell! I think it is blocking sounds as well. Perhaps if you spoke a bit louder… I could almost hear you.”
Karenth uttered a scream of pure rage and frustration, which shook the walls and put the birds of the forest for miles around into sudden flight.
Before his scream was done, the Count put his hands up, waving them apologetically at the apoplectic god below. His mouth was moving as well, and Karenth cut off his own primal scream so that he could hear the wizard’s response.
“I really can’t hear a damned thing!” shouted Mordecai. “Give me a moment. I’m going to go inside and lower the barrier so I can hear you, then maybe we can talk properly, without all this silly shouting! I’ll be right back!” The wizard went back inside one of the towers and disappeared from view, leaving Karenth below, staring upward in complete amazement.
“Surely he does not truly mean to open the barrier for me?” said the god to himself. “Even he cannot be so foolish.” Still, he withheld his attacks against the barrier for a moment on the odd chance that the mortal might be as stupid as his words indicated.
Minutes passed with no sign of the wizard, and Karenth grew bored. It might have been just as well to say he grew angry, but he hadn’t really stopped being angry at any point in the recent past. At last he decided that the Count was making a fool of him. Clenching his will, he began assaulting the barrier again.
After half a minute, Mordecai reappeared atop the wall and shouted down, “Will you be patient a moment! Undoing this enchantment isn’t as easy as you might think, and it certainly doesn’t get any easier with you pounding upon it!” Disgruntled, he went back inside.
The god of justice paused again, staring up at the empty space where the wizard had recently stood. “He is mad…” he muttered to himself. “Can he truly not realize I am here to kill him?”
A few seconds later, the wizard reappeared, grinning widely. “I bet you were wondering if I had gone mad. The truth is I just wanted to see how stupid you could be. Did you really think I would open this barrier for a big, blustering buffoon like yourself?! Ha!” Turning around, the wizard lowered his trousers and presented his naked posterior toward the god, before standing back up and giving the deity a stern gesture with his left hand.
Karenth was stunned. In over a thousand years of dealing with human beings, he had never been so directly and crudely insulted, not even by those that had defied his priests. He stared blankly at the human as he continued waving his hands and making odd gestures. “Now he’s sticking his tongue out at me,” he noted aloud, with a sense of complete astonishment. “No one has ever… ever done that before.”
Before the god could gather his anger to renew his attack, Mordecai stopped and looked at him carefully. “Now that you know how I feel, I will go and lower this barrier. I hope you are brave enough to enter once I do, because I have a lot of interesting plans for you. Your brother will enjoy having some company.” The human went back inside the tower.
Karenth’s rage reached new heights, as the wizard’s words echoed in his mind. Drawing his strength to him, he prepared to assault the barrier once more, when something truly astonishing happened.
The magical barrier vanished.
Karenth looked about, staring at the warriors around him, each of them housing a portion of his brother Doron, the Iron God.
Each of them returned his look of utter amazement. That meant little however, for Doron was not known for his intelligence, even among his own kind. A chill went through Karenth, a sensation he was unfamiliar with. If he had been mortal, he might have had a better name for it. Fear.
Chapter 24
“Ooh! He’s really upset now!” I said to Walter, as the echoes of Karenth’s rage faded away. I couldn’t quite understand the words from where we were inside the keep, but his meaning was clear and it caused me to giggle a bit.
Walter stared at me as if I’d gone mad. “You realize he’s going to take us apart when he gets in here, don’t you? Like a child playing with bugs…,” he muttered.
“He was planning to do that anyway. If we are going to be squashed like bugs, at least we can thumb our nose at the hand that does it. Right?” I retorted. “Put my hands up, like this,” I said, demonstrating the motion in front of him. “Then cock my head to the side, as if I can’t hear him.”
Walter did as I asked. “He seems to have stopped for a moment.” An unearthly howl cut through the air at that point before Walter spoke again, “No, forget I said that. He seems to be losing it now. I think you’ve driven him insane.”
“Tell him this,” I said, dictating carefully, “…I really can’t hear a damned thing. Give me a moment. I’m going to go inside and lower the barrier so I can hear you, then maybe we can talk properly, without all this silly shouting. I’ll be right back.”
“You aren’t serious are you, about lowering the barrier?” asked Walter concernedly.
“No, I’m just teasing him for now,” I reassured the other wizard. After a moment the howling noise from outside the castle stopped. “What’s happening now?”
“The attacks on the barrier have stopped,” reported Walter.
I grinned back at him, “How are the people in the courtyard faring?”
“It’s still a confused jumble, but they should all be inside within another couple of minutes, I think,” answered Walter.
“Let’s see how long our guest is willing to wait,” I replied.
Minutes passed before the attacks resumed. Frankly, I was surprised at how patient the shining god had been. “Is everyone inside?” I asked.
“Not quite.”
“Send my image back out and tell him this, ‘Will you be patient a moment?’” I said, as I began to dictate another message to our irritated foe. The attacks ceased again. “What do you think?”
Walter blew out a lungful of air to release his tension. “I think, that whichever god that is out there, must think you are a madman. It also appears that everyone is inside now.”
“Time for one last message then,” I said, rubbing my hands together. Then I began explaining to Walter what I wanted him to say, describing the visual aids and gestures I wanted to accompany my monologue.
The older wizard seemed to have caught a bit of my madness, because he began to chuckle. Perhaps the stress of our situation was beginning to get to him. Still, I approved of his change in demeanor. Humor is generally a better way to face adversity, in my opinion.
After a moment Walter spoke up, “I think I delivered your message with the appropriate artistic style.”
“What do you mean?”
“I embellished it a bit,” said Walter, “not the words, just the gestures.”
“How so?” I asked. I thought my directions had been fairly inspired, so I was curious as to what my fellow wizard thought could have improved upon them.
“I mooned him,” said Walter, with a sudden laugh. “Or perhaps I should say, ‘you mooned him’.”
I groaned, “I hope none of the townsfolk saw that.”
“If you’re worried about your reputation, it’s a bit late for that,” said Walter. “You gave your true nature away back when you covered yourself in mud to greet the previous Baron of Arundel, all those years ago.”
“True enough,” I responded. “Now let’s make good on our promise and lower the barrier for him.”
“Are you really sure about that?” asked my friend.
“Yes,” I lied. “Now be quick. It will make him think twice, if you do it before he begins his attack again.”
Walter stared at me for a long moment, holding his breath, before at last reaching out and touching the appropriate rune on the stone pedestal. Given my current state, I couldn’t sense or see any change, but I could guess from the way that he expelled the air from his lungs, that Walter had finally lowered the barrier.
We waited… and then waited some more.
“What’s happening?!
” I asked in exasperation.
“Nothing,” said my friend frowning. “They seem to be just standing there. I can sense them a lot more easily, now that the barrier is down.”
“He’s scared,” I announced suddenly.
“What?”
“We did the last thing he expected. First, we insulted him, and then, after having mocked and teased him about it already, we did the unthinkable. We lowered the barrier and dared him to come in. He’s wondering if it’s a trap,” I explained.
“Is it?” said Walter hopefully.
I gave Walter a long appraising look. “Can you feel the pressure of the god’s mind yet?” I asked.
He blinked at my sudden change of topic. “It’s like an ominous thundercloud on the horizon at this distance. Is it a trap, Mordecai?”
I let the air out of my lungs dejectedly. “No, not without my strength; currently it’s the furthest thing from a trap. Our only hope is to guide him away and hope that he doesn’t get any hint of the Ironheart Chamber from our minds.”
“You mean my mind, don’t you? Yours is currently unreadable,” corrected Walter.
“Yes,” I agreed. “Currently the only people that know of its existence are the two of us, and the Knights of Stone.”
“Aren’t you worried he’ll get the information from them?”
I laughed, “You haven’t tried to peer into any of their heads, have you?”
“I’m not generally an intrusive sort of man,” he answered a bit huffily.
“The bond between them and the earth interferes with any attempt to reach into their minds, much like the old bond between a mage and his Anath’Meridum did,” I explained. “I doubt even one of the shining gods could see into their hearts.”
“That’s some comfort then, though we still have to worry about me,” said Walter, tapping on his skull to illustrate. “Perhaps I should cloak us both magically, so that he can’t find me,” suggested Walter, referring to the trick he had used earlier to escape the god’s oppressive influence.
“No,” I said immediately. “I need you to help me distract him with more of those wonderfully realistic illusions.” A pang of guilt shot through me, as I realized how coldly and cruelly I was about to use my old friend, but I quickly pushed the thought aside. I’d have time for remorse later. No you won’t, said my inner spectator, you’ll be dead too. Either the god will get you, or the poison will. I put a little more effort into shutting my inner voice down, he was depressing… as well as annoying.
Walter’s face changed, and his posture became tense. “They are entering now. The fighters are running forward, toward the keep, while the god is following behind them more cautiously,” he informed me.
“Show me from the top of the keep, making sure I appear to have some magic. Try waving at them,” I told him.
“I’ll be sure to add your most foolish grin as well,” replied the other mage.
“That’s the spirit!” I agreed. My nausea was all but gone now; though a sudden vibration in my feet made me wonder if I was developing new symptoms. It was followed by a loud crack, as though lightning had struck close by. A shiver in the stone walls told me that something unprecedented had just occurred. “What was that?”
“He just blew the top of the wall and part of one tower away!” reported Walter.
The keep itself consisted of four large corner towers, enclosing a large square stone structure. Between the four towers there were merlons and battlements to protect defenders that might be positioned there. After a short discussion, the other wizard explained that the invading deity had destroyed part of the top of the keep, along with the uppermost part of one tower.
“When you say destroyed…” I said again.
“I mean he damned well reduced it to dust. It simply isn’t there anymore, other than as a pile of rubble. He threw this massive purplish bolt of power at it!” said Walter, as he described what he had sensed. “It was the spot where your illusion was located,” he added.
“He seems a bit irritated,” I noted drolly.
Beads of sweat were forming on Walter’s forehead. “Do you think so?!”
I chuckled, “Come along, we need to start moving. He’ll be inside soon.”
Walter was squinting now. “I think you should let me hide us.”
“Is the pressure getting worse?” I replied, referring to the god’s increasing proximity.
“Much.”
“Alright,” I said. “Just until we get below, then I’ll need you to create another illusion.”
At my agreement, Walter immediately acted and his face relaxed. We could still see one another, so I could only assume that he had just made us invisible to magic. “That’s a lot better,” he announced. “I can’t sense anything now, but at least I can breathe without feeling like I have a giant standing on my chest.”
From my own encounter with Celior, I knew exactly how he felt. Clapping him upon the shoulder, I began leading him out the door. I kept my hand on him too, just in case I suffered anymore sudden bouts of vertigo.
“What did you mean, below?” asked Walter.
“We’re heading for the cellars,” I told him.
His face was a picture of puzzlement. “Won’t that put us closer to what we are trying to hide?”
Don’t ask questions, and I won’t have to lie to you, I thought silently. “He won’t think to look near where he finds us. He should be expecting us to lead him away from the God-Stone, not toward it.”
“Makes no sense to me either way,” declared Walter with a shake of his head.
I smiled, “Just make sure I don’t stumble and fall. I still feel a bit unsteady.” Leaning carefully upon him, the two of us made our way out into the corridor and toward the door that led into the cellars.
Chapter 25
Dorian Thornbear looked out from the keep’s main entrance and breathed a sigh of relief, as the last of the soldiers passed inside. A light touch on his shoulder drew his attention to the man standing beside him. He gave a simple nod to indicate his readiness to listen.
“Sir Dorian, what instructions would you have me give my men?” asked Carl, the most senior of the soldiers and their primary leader, when both Dorian and Cyhan were absent.
“Captain, I’d like you to have the men take up defensive positions throughout the keep. Put bowmen in the windows and embrasures, and make sure there are spearmen close by in case they manage to reach the top of the walls,” Dorian told him.
“How many would you have remain here, at the entrance?”
“None, the Knights will secure the main door here,” replied Dorian firmly.
Carl gave a quick bow as he acknowledged the orders, “Very good sir,” and then he was gone.
Harold had been listening and stepped up beside Dorian. “Are you sure? There are only twelve of us here to guard the door.”
“From what you told me, I don’t think I want our men anywhere near the enemy. I’d rather they keep them at range if possible, or at worst, spear’s length,” answered Dorian.
“The ones that got inside were fast,” said Cyhan, coming up behind Harold. “They slaughtered the door guard and made it through quite a few of the halls before we caught the last of them.”
“I found five bodies upstairs near the Count’s apartments,” offered up Sir Aaron. “They looked much like the ones you fought down here. They were already dead though, with burns and marks all over them. We aren’t sure who dispatched them.”
After a brief exchange of descriptions, Cyhan offered his opinion, “Sounds like Mordecai, and perhaps Penny or some of the soldiers stopped them.”
“Where are they now?” asked Harold.
Dorian took up the question, “The Count had his own plans for evacuating his family. Wherever he has taken them, I sincerely doubt we need to worry about it at this point.”
“I hate to ask the question then,” said Sir Thomas, in a quiet voice, “but what is our purpose here then? There are none left to guard but sold
iers and perhaps twenty or thirty of the townsfolk.”
All the knights looked at him then, and the Grandmaster of the Knights of Stone squared his shoulders as he stared back at them. Dorian waited until he was sure everyone was listening before he spoke and he made sure his voice was loud and strong when he did, “We are here, to be last. We remained so that others could escape. We were not given our strength to save ourselves, but to protect our fellow man.”
“There’s almost no one left to protect,” said Sir Edward from across the room.
“Then we’ve already won the best part of this fight, but so long as there is even one man, woman, or child remaining, our fight is not done. Do any of you feel differently?” questioned Dorian bluntly.
Sir Edward had always been a bit rough around the edges but he was a solid knight through and through. “Nah, you know better than that, Your Lordship. I just thought Sir Thomas had a good point. We aren’t really fighting to protect very many people, now that most are gone.”
“And what if all of them were gone?” asked Cyhan suddenly.
Sir Edward smiled, “Then I’d fight just to be stubborn. I didn’t take the oath to die old and in my bed.” A chorus of laughs and words of agreement went up among the knights at that remark.
“They’re on the move. I see men running toward us now, from the courtyard gate,” announced Sir William from the doorway.
“Close the door,” commanded Sir Dorian, preparing to order them into defensive positions. His command was interrupted by a deafening noise, followed by stone and dust falling to the ground outside.
The sound was so unexpected that everyone stood still for a second, unable to comprehend the source of the cacophony. Harold was quickest to recover, but his speed was almost his undoing. Leaning out, he looked up to find the source of the sound. Only Cyhan’s good sense saved his life, for he hauled the younger knight back just as a colossal piece of stone masonry passed through the area where Harold’s uncovered head had been but a second before. It crashed to the ground sending shards and splinters of stone flying in all directions.