 |
  |
 |
|
|
|
Back to the previous chapter: Portals
First Draft
Lord Sir Kasey Bittrand's Londoun home was in one of the nicer sections of that sprawling city. Many wealthy merchants lived in the area, as did other minor nobles who did not jostle for favor in the King's courts -- those nobles bickered over houses closer to the King's castle.
Although Kasey's city home was large, it was also filled with guests at the present: Lord Eric Ithell and Lady Breanna Ceiturin of Armagh, a young noble couple who had finally decided to wed, although they had yet to tell their respective families; Lady Adria del Cartach, the erstwhile wife of Bilbus, who had married the mountebank when she discovered that her father had committed great injustices against Bilbus's parents; Rishala of Orkney, a Caledonian son of a shepherd's family who had traveled Avillonia, searching for Bilbus because of a dream he had that warned him that Bilbus was pivotal to the survival of the Kelltic peoples; and, of course, Sir Kasey, a Knight of Kells. Sir Sturm Sunblade had stopped briefly with the party before continuing to the hold of the Knights of the Sun to report in. He planned to return for dinner.
Kasey had kept his servants busy for hours. As was oft the case, the Church Knight had returned home with no notice, accompanied by half a dozen tired, dirty travelers, and he had immediately asked for a large meal.
Several servants were kept busy heating water for the downstairs bath and hauling dirty water out between baths. Miss Ciara, Kasey's head housekeeper, had long ago learned to keep one of the large metal tubs on the ground floor so the servants did not have to haul the water as far.
More servants were busy preparing a meal for Kasey and his guests. They had already scrambled through the guest rooms on the upper floor to ready them for Kasey's guests.
Rishala sat at a small table separate from the rest of the party. He studied the interior of an empty cup for several minutes, looking at the tea leaves within. He set the cup aside and sketched on a sheet of paper, drawing the positions of the moon and stars. Racking his brain, the storyteller remembered what he could of Bilbus birthday and year. When he finished, he was not satisfied with the accuracy of the results, but he thought that his information was coarsely accurate, and it was sufficient for his current needs.
Satisfied with the results, he joined his traveling companions. "I've done a reading on Bilbus, based on what I know of him. He is not dying any time soon. I can not tell when he will meet us again."
Eric leaned back on a couch, stretching arms stiff from travel. "We can not wait here forever. We do not know what the situation is in Clemendeev, and there may not be much time until the orcs assault the Citadel. We must get Caladbolg before they can."
Rishala nodded. "I agree. First, we need to get a ship."
Eric stood. "I will see if the Aquasition is in port." He turned to look at Adria, who sat alone on another couch, arms crossed with a distant look of consternation. "Adria? Do you think we can use one of your father's ships?"
Adria paused before replying. "No. My father would not let me use his ships after what happened in Portsdale."
Eric sighed. "Then I will go to the docks."
He left the sitting room.
Kasey watched the Azirian leave. "Hey. I know! I can see if the Church can spare a ship!"
The large blond jumped to his feet and quickly left the room as well, heading to the back of the house and the stables.
The rest of the party waited in the sitting room. Breanna arranged herself on the floor with her apothecary's packs opened and their contents placed in a semi-circle in front of her as she inventoried supplies, mixed poultices, and otherwise busied herself. Adria sat alone on her couch, half asleep. Rishala sat on one of the couches, head against the back of it, snoring lightly with his mouth open.
Eric returned first. He found Breanna packing away her supplies and the other two asleep.
The young apothecary stood to greet her fiance. "Is the Aquasition here?"
Eric shook his head. "No. I asked around a little and checked with the harbor master, but it has not been in port for over a month." He looked again at Rishala and Adria. "Where is Kasey?"
"He went to the Church to see if one of their ships is available."
"Ah." The explorer sat down on an empty seat and leaned back, shutting his eyes as he waited.
Kasey returned twenty minutes later. "We have a ship waiting at the Church's docks," he announced before he realized everyone in the sitting room was asleep.
The Church Knight instead turned and went into the kitchen of his household. Ignoring Miss Ciara's shouts and snarls, the knight started sampling the meal the servants were preparing.
It was twenty minutes later that Sturm arrived at the house. A servant let him into the house, then led him to Kasey, who had retired to the dining room.
The Sun Knight took a seat across the table from Kasey. His dark hair contrasted with Kasey's fair hair, but both shared the tall, powerful frames of warriors.
Kasey tossed Sturm a roll. The Sun Knight caught it and started eating.
Kasey wiped his mouth with the back of a hand. "Did you make your report?"
Sturm swallowed a mouthful of the bread. "Yes. Sir Gittoes was much more ... amenable ... to relaying my report to Sir Leith this time. Of course, Sir Leith was at Camelough, but I also wanted to inform him that we were going to investigate the dwarven kingdom."
"Oh, yeah! We need to wake everyone up soon, so we can sail." A servant walked into the room, carrying an armful of linen napkins. Kasey gestured to the servant. "Tell Miss Ciara that we will not be staying tonight. We have a ship to catch."
The servant nodded and left. Miss Ciara arrived moments later.
She stopped next to Kasey, fists on hips, scowling. Her matronly countenance gave the impression she was about to scold a wayward child. "What do you mean you are not staying? You showed up this afternoon, ordering rooms for everyone and a large meal -- like you ever have any other kind -- then have the nerve to tell Giles that you and your friends are leaving already!"
Kasey raised his hands defensively. "I know. Well, we found a ship sooner than I thought we would, and we really have to travel to Clemendeev. I am sorry."
"What do I do with all this food?"
"Pack what we can take with us, and take the rest to a charity shelter."
With a terse curtsy, Miss Ciara took her leave. "Yes, m'Lord."
Sturm stood. "It's time to wake the sleepers."
Kasey stood as well. He followed Sturm into the sitting room, and the two waked their companions.
They arrived at the docks shortly before the sun set. The Church's ship, the Chulainn's Spear waited at its docks. It was a low, fast ship -- one of the fastest on the Vasmar. The crew greeted the party as the party boarded -- most of the crew had met them just over a month ago when they sailed to Caledonia with a Church diplomat.
The ship was soon underway, quickly sailing out of the mouth of the River Llwelyn into the Vasmar, the great freshwater inland sea.
The captain approached the party once his ship was in open water. "Where are we sailing?"
Eric thought for a moment. "Clemendeev..." he answered uncertainly.
"Aye, but where in Clemendeev?"
Eric scratched his head absently. "Do you have charts of the dwarven coasts?"
"Aye. In my cabin." He started towards a door. "If you will follow?"
Eric and Sturm followed the captain to his cabin. The captain rummaged through several racks of rolled maps before pulling one out. He spread it across a table in the room, and pointed to several towns marked on the coast.
"Ye have four coastal cities in the dwarven kingdom: Hinterton on the south, then Hillsend, Spire's Mouth, and Fools' Mine on the north."
Eric drew his finger along a line from Spire's Mouth towards the nearby edge of the map. "This town is at the mouth of Altspire's valley. That would be the direct route."
Sturm nodded. "It would make a good place to land. Shorter overland distance."
Eric agreed. "Spire's Mouth it is then, captain."
The captain nodded and put the chart away. "Aye, sirs."
Sturm and Eric rejoined their friends on the main deck to watch the sun drop below the horizon.
"You know, Acquisition, you don't carry conversations very well," Bilbus said as he approached the Portal. "You could at least make some noise, so I know you're listening."
The horse plodded along next to Bilbus silently.
"Well, it beats Adria's constant shouting, anyway. She has a lot of nerve, you know? She chastises me for every thing I do, because I am a mere commoner, then makes me into a noble. Then what does she do?" He glanced at the horse, whose head was even with his. "She doesn't want anything to do with me. And she's my wife!"
Bilbus stopped for a moment in front of the Portal. The last two days walking back from Erelhei Cinlu were stressful at the least -- the only light he had was the dagger he carried, and the only companionship in the utter darkness of the Portals was his horse. Even the continuous monologue he had carried for the last hour had not helped, and more than once Bilbus had suddenly shut up when he had a creeping sensation that something was watching him.
A quick channeling of Heka and the Portal started to dissolve.
"Women! Sheesh! Walking through the Fourth Hell -- even after its renovations -- would be easier than trying to make one happy. At least this particular one..."
Not paying attention, Bilbus walked through the Portal and right into a wall.
"Who put this wall here?" Bilbus stuck his face against the two inch wide gap between the frame of the Portal and the wall outside.
"Hey! Is anyone out there? Let me in! Come on, guys! Sturm, are you trying to do a practical joke? This isn't funny! Let me out!"
A gruff voice from somewhere out of sight on the other side of the Portal called out, "Who is there?"
Bilbus unconsciously straightened and put his hands on his hips. "I am Bilbus the Great! Perhaps you've heard of me?"
A second voice conversed quietly with the first. After a moment, the first one replied, "Is that the same as Lord Bilbus del Cartach?"
Grumbling to the absent Adria, Bilbus finally answered, "Yes! Let me out of here."
A few moments later, Bilbus could see fingers curled around the edge of the Portal. More fingers appeared as several knights grabbed the edge of it. Bilbus experienced an odd sensation as the wall he was watching started to move away on one side of the Portal. It was as if he thought he should feel motion, but he felt nothing different.
The movement stopped.
"Hey, guys! Nice work, but I have a horse in here, too. A little more room?"
The motion began again, until there was enough room for Bilbus to step through and lead Acquisition 2 out of the Portal.
"Nice work," he said as he looked at the Church Knights standing on the dais that was once King Uther Paendroeg's throne room. The throne room itself was still an incredible sight -- big enough to hold a modest mansion, and tall enough to stack several smaller buildings.
There were ropes blocking most of the smaller doors out of the grand throne room. Bilbus realized only the main entrance, the tall double doors directly across from the dais, was not blocked.
"What gives? I didn't think Church Knights looted facilities."
One of the Church Knights scowled at Bilbus, but he answered, "No, we don't. Some Sun Knights were killed the other day when a magickal drow trap exploded. We suspect there are more, so we are not letting troops onto the grounds except as needed. Some priests who are skilled in detecting magickal traps will be arriving in a few days to scour the Imperial Palace."
"Oh," Bilbus replied casually, "members of the Sword of the Church?"
The knight's expression remained level. "I don't know of a Sword."
The diplomat Bilbus and his friends had escorted to Caledonia was a Sword of the Church, a branch of priests who had trained to use magick in all its forms, not just those powers granted by the gods. Bilbus did not know much about the Sword, but he could spend an afternoon speculating on what sort of roles they held, and he was sure most of his guesses would be reasonably accurate.
Bilbus changed the subject. "I gather my friends got tired of waiting for me?"
The knight nodded. "Kasey and the rest of them left the day after we attacked the Imperial Palace. They were under the impression you knew where they were going."
Going to the dwarves to take that sword, Bilbus decided. "Well, they have a few days' lead on me. I won't catch up, I'm sure. Do you knights have some grain you can spare? Enough for about a week?"
The knight nodded again. "We can spare some grain."
"Great. Can you bring it in here? I am going back into that Portal so I can catch up with them."
One of the knights flagged down a page who then scurried out of the throne room. He returned a few minutes later carrying a pair of large grain bags on his shoulders.
Of course, they supply a week's worth of warhorse grain... I should have realized.
"Well, thank you, knights. Enjoy guarding the Portal, and don't forget to put it back in place once I leave. Who knows what will come out of it."
Once Bilbus had secured the feedbags to his horse, he again channeled some Heka into the Portal, watching the middle dissolve into a black doorway. Leading the horse through the Portal, Bilbus again disappeared into the darkness.
He led Acquisition 2 to the signpost in the center of the island. Reaching into a hidden pocket in his jacket, he pulled a folded sheet of paper out. Holding his dweomered dagger close to the paper, he read his notes. There we go, that is the tunnel to follow.
Bilbus circled around the stone post until he found the orcish letters he wanted. The same letter appeared on the second island he had seen. We'll see what is so interesting about that island.
Bilbus walked towards the edge of the island, tugging Acquisition's reins and clucking a couple of times when the horse failed to catch up immediately.
After countless hours walking through the numbingly unchanging tunnel, Bilbus reached the island. He walked to the signpost in the center and circled it until he saw the glyphs that matched the island's name. Turning to face towards the edge of the island, he walked the half mile to the Portal slab.
A quick burst of Heka from the mountebank opened the Portal. Rubble and soot blocked the entire opening, and debris fell through the new opening quickly. Bilbus thought he saw a familiar brazier behind a couple of burned support timbers.
The thief quickly unwound the Heka flows in the Portal. The Portal became solid once more. Bilbus pushed some of the rocks around on the stone floor of the island before kicking them into the fog wall.
We're now in the southern end of the Dales. This has to be that witch's tower.
Months earlier, Bilbus and his companions had found a witch helping orcs who wanted to enslave a small village in the southern extents of the Dales. The party had killed her and a Shadow Kindred, then burned the tower to block the Portal. Looks like the blockage worked.
Bilbus turned his horse around. "Come on, Acquisition. Let's get some sleep, then head back to Camelough. There's one other Portal I want to try." The other route from Camelough had a two-letter name instead of a three-letter name, and Bilbus wanted to see where it led.
After putting hobbles on Acquisition and making sure the horse was happily sated with grain, Bilbus tossed his sleeping roll onto the ground. He untied the tight knots on it and spread it out, then dozed off on the dark and quiet island.
It was two days later that Bilbus reached the island with the short name. He found the Portal and once more directed a burst of Heka into the strange granite slab. The middle disappeared gratifyingly, revealing a surprising view.
The Portal was on the top of a low hill, in a compound surrounded by a three pace tall wall. The hill was tall enough that Bilbus saw past the hill and into a large city. Hundreds of buildings, most one or two stories tall, stretched into the distance.
Of more immediate interest were the two orc guards staring at Bilbus from five paces away. Both quickly approached, one reaching for the large sword strapped to his waist.
Channeling a different dweomer, Bilbus stepped out of the Portal, raising his hands and leading Acquisition 2 into the late afternoon sunlight.
Speaking in the growling tongue of the orcs, Bilbus said, "Stop! I am an agent sent to determine progress here!"
The orcs slowed to a stop, still eyeing the mountebank warily.
Undaunted, Bilbus continued. "Do you think the enemy knows how to use the Portals? What news do you have?"
One of the orcs answered uncertainly. "There was an agent here recently."
"Which agent was that?"
"Lord Silverthorn. He visited Claw Fang recently."
Bilbus waved a hand dismissively. "Lord Silverthorn has not reported in. The Baroness requires current information." The name 'Claw Fang' clicked with Bilbus. He switch to a conversational tone. "How goes the battle at Citadel Altspire?"
"We have surrounded the entrances to the mountain. No dwarf enters or leaves. We will wait until they are too weak to fight, then destroy them all. I am told that the dwarves in their port city have made excellent slaves." The orc paused to lick his lips. "And even better meals. We are sending another column of troops and supplies in a few days."
"I must go with them," Bilbus interjected. "The Baroness requires an eyewitness report of the battle. Take me to your commander."
The orc escorted Bilbus and Acquisition out of the compound. Bilbus noticed that nothing else was in the walled area -- just the Portal sitting alone on top of the hill.
Outside the compound was a dusty, chaotically planned city of buildings, all slightly larger than human size. Roads twisted and doubled back, others ended abruptly, while others were wide, straight, and empty. Huts were built in the middle of roads, and some buildings looked like they stood more from accident than design.
All about were hundreds of orcs. Some in armor marched in formation, while others carried baskets or sacks, or walked empty-handed. The traffic on the roads looked like that in a larger human city, at least on the surface. As Bilbus watched, he noticed that most of the shops he saw were more martial in tone -- weapon smiths, armorers, and so on. No jewelry stores, no cafes, none of the shops any large population of people would expect to find. The few examples of artisanship were utilitarian chairs and tables and paintings of battles and statues of soldiers.
After ten minutes of walking, the orc entered a barracks building -- one of a dozen they had passed along the way.
Bilbus led Acquisition into the barracks. He stood inside the large, open building, looking at the rows of stacked bunks, while the orc entered a small office/bedroom at the end of the building.
When the orc returned, another, larger, orc came with him.
The second orc spoke. "What do you want, human?"
"The Baroness requires a report from the fronts. I am to act as her eyes and view for myself the siege of Citadel Altspire. This orc," Bilbus nodded towards the other one, "tells me that another column of troops leaves soon for the Citadel. I wish to travel with them."
The commander considered Bilbus's demands. "Very well. We will put you in a visiting officer's quarters until the column departs. You can keep your animal there with you. Do not wander the city. We will fetch you when we are ready to depart. Understand?"
"Seems simple enough," Bilbus grinned. "I get to take a break for a few days, then ride to the Citadel with an army."
The commander turned to his subordinate. "Escort our guest to an empty quarters. Make sure he receives food for himself and the animal."
The subordinate saluted the commander, then passed Bilbus on his way out of the barracks. Bilbus followed him.
The visiting officer's quarters were a series of one room bungalows arranged along one of the numerous sidestreets of the city. It was surprisingly roomy inside, and there was a fenced space behind the bungalow in which Bilbus could turn loose Acquisition. A table with an attached bench seat was against the front wall of the room, and a padded pile of furs on the floor against the back wall made a bed. An iron stove was against one of the side walls, and a small stack of logs had been placed next to it.
I may need to use that thing. It is chilly here.
The sun was just touching the horizon to the west, and a chill had crept into the city over the last hour.
The orc escorting Bilbus left, shutting the front door behind him. Bilbus stepped out and led Acquisition through the bungalow into the back yard. He spent some time removing the saddlebags and saddle, the bit, and the bridle, then gave Acquisition a large helping of grain.
Back inside the room, Bilbus placed some of the small split logs into the stove, then directed a weave of Heka into the wood. It burst into flames. Bilbus dug into his saddle bags and found some dried fruits and a little jerky -- beef, not human -- for a meal. He dropped tiredly onto the warm furs of the orc bed and settled down to relax and pass a few days until the orcs were ready to travel.
The Chulainn's Spear had made fast progress to the coast of Clemendeev. The party had kept busy -- the knights sparring and practicing, Rishala watching the waves and the stars, Eric and Breanna cooing at one another, and Adria laying in her bunk, sick, and miserable.
Early in the afternoon, the ship was close enough to shore to see the city of Spire's Mouth. It was a sprawling city, stretched along the shore and a single river that emptied into the Vasmar. The smokes from numerous fires gave the city a sooty haze, but the cold of the sea air made even the soot look warm and inviting.
There were a myriad of ships floating near the city, all with furled sails. More ships lined the docks of the city, flanked by a variety of smaller boats.
The city itself was nestled in a wide valley -- it was easily forty miles across at the mouth -- between two steep ranges of mountains. The mountains of the Heavens' Comb Range were uniformly tall and steep. Most got steeper towards the peaks, instead of rounding at the top like the mountains of other ranges. From a distance, a row of these mountains did indeed appear like a gigantic comb pointed upwards.
The Chulainn's Spear got steadily closer to the city of Spire's Mouth. Eric stood on the prow of the ship, holding his spyglass to his eye. He scanned the cityscape, trying to spot some sign that the dwarves were aware of the approach.
Sturm stood next to the Azirian, his arms crossed as he surveyed the city.
"You know," the Sun Knight began, "there are a lot of ships sitting in that harbor."
Eric continued to sweep the spyglass back and forth. "A lot of dwarves sailed home from our lands."
"That is still too many ships."
Eric stopped scanning and lowered the spyglass. "I think there are orcs in Spire's Mouth." He offered the small telescope to Sturm.
Sturm took the telescope and looked. After a minute of scrutiny, he answered. "I see a lot of orcs. No dwarves, or not very many. The orcs see us, too. I can see some running towards ships."
Eric felt a chill. He turned back to the rest of the ship and started waving at the crew manning the wheel on the poopdeck. "Turn the ship! Change course! Hurry!"
The captain of the ship was on the main deck. He shouted to Eric, "What is the matter?"
"Orcs are in the city! They are heading towards ships. Sail north! We can make port in Fool's Mine!"
The captain turned to his crewmen and ordered them to change course. The Chulainn's Spear leaped forward as it turned to parallel the shore. The occupied city of Spire's Mouth and its armada of ships soon disappeared behind them.
Fool's Mine appeared late in the afternoon the following day. It was much smaller than Spire's Mouth, but it had a similar veil of smoke above it. Few ships were in harbor, however.
Eric addressed his fellow travelers. "Before we get too close to the town, perhaps we need to survey it. Rishala, you were able to scry Camelough. How far away do you need to be to look over that city?"
Rishala rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Four or five miles."
"Okay. We shall get closer. I would like to know if there are orcs before we get too close."
The ship continued along the coast, a mile from shore, until it was closer to the city.
Rishala shaped a weave of Heka, and directed the dweomer to fly over the city. He moved his point of view about for an hour before reporting.
"There are no orcs in town. I saw a lot of dwarves, more than I would expect in a city of that size. Most of them are wearing armor and carrying weapons. I think I saw some sort of camps just opposite the shore. The dwarves have several weapons on the shorefront pointed out to sea. I do not think we can get this ship up to any of their docks -- the shore looks less friendly here."
"Okay. Thank you, Rishala," Eric said. He approached the captain. "Please sail us towards the Fool's Mine harbor, captain. We shall put to shore there."
The captain relayed the orders. The Chulainn's Spear sailed closer to the town. Once the crew had dropped anchor, Eric again approached the captain. "Captain, I would like to use one of your longboats to go to shore."
"Very well. Do you need a crew for it?"
"No, we will be fine. We shall return as soon as possible to update you on our plans."
The captain ordered a longboat to be lowered. Once it was in the water, the party climbed down rope ladders. Eric and Kasey rowed the boat towards shore.
During the approach to shore, dwarves watched the party warily. Some manned the large, powerful ballistae mounted on emplacements near the shore, while others crewed the large trebuchets that could hurl hundreds of pounds of stone or iron shot at the ships.
The longboat stopped next to one of the piers. Kasey climbed onto the pier and tied the boat to a post while the rest of the party climbed out. Adria sighed loudly and contentedly as she put her feet on a steady floor. Already, her color was returning to normal.
A pair of dwarves approached. Both were just shy of four feet tall. They wore burnished plate armor with steel caps. One carried a battle axe that was as tall as he was, while the other wielded a heavy crossbow. Both were stout but strong. The dwarf with the axe had a thick salt-and-pepper beard that hung below his belt. The other had a graying blond beard that had several ribbons tied into it near the tips.
The one with the crossbow stopped four paces shy of the party. The other stopped two paces away and addressed the humans.
"You Kellts?" he asked with an accented voice.
Eric nodded. "We are. We sailed from Londoun."
"Hrmph. Why you here?"
"We wanted to see how things were going here. Is it true that Altspire is besieged?"
"Hmm. Ya, the orcs surround the entrances. No dwarves have gone inside for a long time."
"I see. It appears that the orcs did not come here? Did they attack from the south?"
The dwarf nodded. "The orcs came along the coast from south, but turned inland at Spire's Mouth."
"They are here for the same reason we are."
"Why is that?"
"The orcs want to prevent us from taking Caladbolg."
"Hah. You think you can take Hard Lightning?"
"I? No, I do not think I can. But my friend Kasey, the Church Knight here, may be the one it was meant to go to."
The dwarf regarded the towering Church Knight for a moment. "You can keep talking. Come with us. I need to check the refugee camps."
"Refugees?"
"Hrm. Ya. Many of the dwarves fled over the range from the Spire Valley." The dwarf pointed towards the south at a towering range of peaks, all snow-capped.
"Wow. That must have been a difficult retreat."
"Ya, it was. The orcs did not follow them, which was good for us. We now are making ready to fight the orcs, but too many of the dwarves are not trained well."
The dwarf walked back down the pier towards shore. The dwarf with a crossbow -- Eric realized with a start that it was a female dwarf behind that beard -- walked along next to the other one.
The dwarf with the axe spoke over his shoulder. "I am General Alyard Deepwell. I am the senior commander of the dwarves who are still outside the Citadel. I am trying to organize enough of the refugees that we can harass the orcs by cutting lines of supplies."
"Well met, General. I am Lord Eric Ithell of Armagh. My companions and I have been opposing the orcs and their masters in our own lands. We heard that they had besieged Altspire, and we wanted to prevent them from taking Caladbolg."
"Hmph. I would be hoping too much for you to have an army with you."
"I am afraid so. It is just we six who are here."
The dwarf led the party through the town of Fool's Mine to the refugee camps. Hundreds of dwarves were sequestered in tents in the pastures beyond the town. Some of them were organized into rudimentary military formations, learning the basics of weapon handling. Others assisted in hastily-assembled smithies, preparing countless axe blades and crossbow parts. Still more worked on cutting and carving wood for the weapons needed.
"General," Eric prompted, "what legends do the dwarves have about Caladbolg?"
"Well, certainly you have heard our stories. Citadel Altspire was carved from the mountain thousands of years ago. Your Caladbolg has been in the throne room essentially since the beginning. The Citadel has never fallen to attackers, and it never will as long as Caladbolg remains there."
Eric looked at his comrades.
The general continued. "We knew a day would come when someone had a need for the sword greater than our need to keep it. Perhaps we should have realized that it would happen during our kingdom's greatest threat."
Sturm spoke to Eric. "If the Citadel is surrounded, how do you plan on getting in there?"
"Perhaps there are gaps. I do not know yet. We really need to see what is happening before we will know how to get into Altspire."
Sturm nodded. "The dwarves want to disrupt orc supplies. We may be able to help them with that plan. If we go with a group of dwarves to cut supply lines, we can try to get close to their mountain."
"That sounds like a good idea. If we can get close, we might find a way in before the orcs do. A small group may be able to slip in and get the sword."
Kasey cleared his throat. "Uhh, guys? Why do we need to take this sword?"
Eric looked at the Church Knight. He glanced at the dwarven general, who had continued to walk when the party stopped. Eric looked back at Kasey. "Have you ever had a seven course meal?"
Kasey grinned. "Of course! I could use one right now."
"Never mind that. You know how each course leads to the next? You have to get through the appetizers before you can have the main course, and you have to finish the main course before dessert." Eric was unsure if Kasey really understood. "Well, I think that Caladbolg may be the first course. Once we have it, we will know where to go to get the sword I dreamed about, or maybe one of the spears. All of it will lead towards the dessert, the Dark One."
Kasey's forehead was furrowed. "Why not just bribe the chef?" He grinned. "That way, you can have dessert first."
Eric sighed. Sturm coughed what may have been a strangled laugh. Rishala and Eric answered in unison, "We don't know who the chef is!"
Kasey shrugged. "Oh. Well, whenever you guys figure out what we are going to do next, come get me. I am going to help the dwarves with their training. They need it."
The Church Knight walked towards a group of dwarves practicing with axes. After a quick talk with one of the instructors, Kasey started helping with the drills.
Sturm looked at Eric. "Why don't we talk to the general. He may be willing to supply some dwarves to help with our reconnaissance. Especially if we offer to take out some orc supplies while we are at it."
Eric nodded. The two quickly caught up with the general and outlined their plan.
The last few days had been difficult. Eric and Sturm had readily convinced the dwarven general to supply some troops to guide the party into the Spire Valley and disrupt the orc supply lines. The general was enthusiastic enough that he sent a full one hundred troops to accompany the party -- half of them armed with the battle axe that the dwarves favored, the other half armed with crossbows over half as tall as the men and women carrying them.
Everyone was on foot -- Kasey led Farran, since his friends were on foot. The chill of late Ngetal was even worse this far north. Following the dwarven guides, the party climbed through the mountains separating the Fool's Mine Valley from the Spire Valley. Snow, sometimes a pace deep, covered the passes. Bundled in warm clothing, and wrapped with furs the dwarves supplied, the party trudged through freezing conditions for several days before reaching the Spire Valley.
The Spire Valley was vastly warmer than the mountains, but still chilly. Most of the valley had turned brown already, and there were no herds of animals in the pastures.
The dwarven guides led the party towards the main supply road from Spire's Mouth to Citadel Altspire. From a low ridge several hundred paces from the road, the party watched the sparse traffic along the road.
Sturm lowered a spyglass. "Another orc convoy. Lots of troops on ground, wagons piled with supplies, and a long line of oxen on each wagon. Even with all the dwarves we have," he nodded his head towards the hundred short soldiers resting on behind the ridge, out of sight of the road. "We can't take that many orcs. Even if only half of the orcs have longbows, they could pick us apart before we could effectively return fire."
Eric sighed quietly. "I agree. These supplies have to come from somewhere. Not all of it could be from the occupied city. Perhaps we can close the mountain passes. They are natural choke points."
Sturm nodded. "Let's talk to the dwarves' commander."
Sturm and Eric crawled backwards, staying low in order to avoid any watchful orcs. Once they were well below the crest of the ridge, they walked quickly down the slope to the waiting dwarves.
Eric addressed the leader of the dwarves. "Detachment Commander Geldvein?"
"Ya?" the grizzled warrior replied.
"The orcs use heavy escorts on their supply trains. What if we block the passes into the valley? We can stop most of the orcs' supplies."
The dwarf shook his head. "We have fortresses in each pass..."
"That the orcs now control," Eric finished.
The dwarf nodded. "It is a good idea, but we can not take even one of the pass fortresses."
Sturm scowled. "So much for that idea."
Eric nodded. "Well, I guess we travel to the Citadel, then."
A few minutes later, the column of dwarven troops and the human travelers started marching northwest.
Citadel Altspire had been visible for the last two days as the party marched up the Spire Valley. The mountain that held the dwarven stronghold towered out of the middle of the valley. It was neither as tall nor as steep as the mountains bracketing it in the valley's walls, but it was still an impressive peak.
The morning had been crisp, with the remains of a chill lingering after the previous day and its light dusting of snow. The party had circled wide around the Citadel, going towards the northern wall of the valley in the hopes of evading orc patrols.
Finding a safe vantage point in a patch of trees with dense bushes to their south, the detachment stopped to rest. Eric and Sturm again moved away from the party to survey the mountain.
Eric scanned the mountain for several minutes, focusing on the locations where the dwarves had said there were entrances. He started a narration of his observations.
"The main entrance is on the southeast side of the mountain, close to the foot of it. I can see the stonework from here. It looks like a large castle wall, almost. There are hundreds of orcs there. Maybe even thousands. A lot of campfires in the area, in any case." He pointed the spyglass farther up the mountain, towards the side. "And there is the Crop Entrance. It looks like a small village up there, but I see many orcs again. Fires in a few places -- I think the orcs have burned crops, as well. I would not think anything was still growing this late."
Eric handed the telescope to Sturm. The Sun Knight scanned both entrances as well, then followed the mountainside up to the top. "The tower is still standing on the top. It is large -- didn't the dwarves say it was about fifty paces tall? It looks it at this distance." He continued to scan the mountainside. "There are no patrols. The orcs are concentrated at the main entrance and the crop entrance. None of them are watching the tower, and they are not bothering patrolling the region." The Sun Knight lowered his spyglass. "I think we can get to the tower."
"That is a long way to go. They will see us approach."
"Not if we circle around to the far side of the mountain. If the orcs aren't bothering to patrol between their camps here, they probably aren't sending anyone around to the far side."
"Okay. We should get moving soon."
Eric and Sturm returned to the party and relayed their plan to their companions. The column of dwarves moved out once more, circling north around Altspire, keeping close watch to avoid exposing themselves to the orcs on the side of the mountain.
The trip around the mountain passed without event. The party, with their escort of a hundred dwarves, had managed to scale the mountain without incident. They had reached the base of the wide, tall tower that jutted from the peak of Altspire.
"Well, now what?" Adria asked, irritation clear in her voice. "Does anyone have a long rope with a grapple? Oh, wait. I forgot. Bilbus has the climbing ropes, and he was too busy to come with us."
Eric scowled at the assassin-noble. He turned pointedly away from her to face Rishala.
"You used a casting on us when we were in the dungeons of Griffon's Beak that allowed us to climb walls."
"Aye. It would work here, as well."
Adria called out, "And the orcs will have an easy time picking us apart as we crawl up the tower!"
Rishala snorted. "I can make us invisible. As long as everyone stays close to me, we can make it up to the top of the tower before any of the castings expire, and we will never be spotted."
Eric turned to the detachment commander. "Some of your people should go with us." He turned back to Rishala. "How many can you help up the tower?"
Rishala considered for a moment. "I can hide ten people, total."
Eric nodded and turned back to the dwarf. "Send four of your troops with us. We can get them inside, and they can introduce us to whoever is in the tower. We would not want the guards to think we are helping the orcs."
The commander nodded. "Hrm. Very well. Four troops." He turned to his detachment, addressing them in the dwarven tongue. Four of the soldiers stepped forward reluctantly. The commander turned back to the humans. "Four troops. This magick of yours will not harm them, ya?"
Rishala shook his head. "We have used this magick on ourselves before. It is safe."
"For tallmen, perhaps, but we dwarves are a different matter, hmmm?"
"I am sure it is perfectly harmless for dwarves as well," the Caledonian insisted.
"Hmmp. Our gods dislike magick for a good reason, and I am not one to question their judgment. These circumstances are different enough that, perhaps, the gods will not be overly offended. We shall find places to hide with your horse until you return."
Rishala sighed quietly as he started working the Heka into the appropriate weaves for the castings he needed. Within a few minutes, the party and their four dwarven escorts had disappeared. They crawled slowly up the tower, effortlessly moving on hands and knees straight up the age-smoothed stones of the fifty-pace-tall tower.
Bilbus reined his horse to a stop next to the orc identified as the Arm Commander. The orc ignored the human for several seconds, surveying the armies arrayed around the entrance of the dwarven stronghold. After a long wait, the orc turned to face the human.
Bilbus looked at the orc -- whose head was about even with Bilbus's chest -- for a moment. The orc stared without blinking.
Bilbus cleared his throat. Using the dweomer that allowed him to speak the orc's tongue, he addressed the commander. "I have traveled with some of your soldiers from the city of Claw Fang for the last two weeks. We just arrived today."
The orc continued to stare at him.
Bilbus grinned briefly. "Well, it was quite a fortnight, let me tell you. Do you know what it is like trying to sleep surrounded by two hundreds orcs muttering about 'fresh meat'? No, I suppose not."
The orc growled, "You are making a point?"
"Of course, my good orc! Look." Bilbus pointed at the mountain Altspire. "You have hundreds or thousands of orcs right here. You have hundreds more guarding that other entrance."
"Make a point or I will make you jerky myself."
"Well, what I am saying is this: look at that tower. On the top of the mountain. Why are you not covering it? A mere observer like myself sees a possibility here. Some troops could get into this Citadel from up there, you realize."
"And the dwarves will fail to notice you why?"
Bilbus looked around at the encampment. "Perhaps your orcs could assault the front gates of the citadel while I -- and a handful of your fine warriors -- sneak up that tower. With enough fighting down here, we should be able to get up that tower without too much difficulty."
The orc looked thoughtful. "Assault the gates... Excellent idea, human." The orc looked around for one of his subordinates. "You! Get a platoon and follow this human to the tower on the top of Altspire. You will sneak into the citadel while we distract the dwarves with an assault on their gates!"
The orc platoon leader saluted the commander and ran off. He returned with forty other orcs and a Shadow Kindred. The Shadow Kindred moved back and forth impatiently, like an agitated, caged animal.
The Arm Commander instructed the platoon to follow "Lord Hogain" up the mountain and to enter the dwarven citadel-mountain.
Bilbus addressed the platoon. "Follow me, men! We shall infiltrate the citadel and open the gates for your brethren!" Bilbus trotted Acquisition 2 towards the mountain.
The orcs followed him on foot, easily keeping pace with Bilbus's horse. The Shadow Kindred flowed back and forth in front of the column of orcs, gliding across the terrain as if it were flying.
Sturm crawled up the face of the tower. Even after experiencing the magick one time in the past, it was still disconcerting to crawl on hands and knees straight up the sheer face of a tower, not having to wedge fingers into the tiny spaces between the tightly-fit stones.
Pausing for a moment to let the slower dwarves above him a chance to get ahead, Sturm looked around at the mountain below him.
The fires of the sieging army continued to burn in a semi-circle around the main entrance, five miles away and a few thousand feet below him. The orcs were moving about, organizing. A group of orcs had split away and were climbing the mountain, heading straight for the tower.
Are we visible? Sturm wondered briefly.
He squinted, wishing he could free both hands to use a spyglass. The group of orcs that were climbing the mountain were moving quickly. Is that a horse in front of them? Other than Farran, he had seen no horses since the party had arrived in the northern kingdom of the dwarves.
Snarling quietly, Sturm said, "Bilbus." He did not know why he recognized the horse and rider from this distance, but he knew it had to be the thief-turned-noble.
Minutes later, the party had reached the top of the tower. One of the dwarves had crawled over the low wall and addressed his comrades who were in the tower, watching the siege. After a few moments of panicked discussion in their gruff tongue, the dwarves peered over the edge of the tower and waved the party up.
Rishala let the invisibility dweomer dissipate. The two dwarves who were on watch in the tower were wary, clearly disturbed that half a dozen tall humans were able to climb the one hundred fifty foot tower without drawing any attention.
Eric glanced at Sturm. "Did I head you say something while we were on the tower?"
"Yes. Bilbus is leading a platoon of orcs towards the tower."
Everyone froze and looked at the Sun Knight.
Eric was disbelieving. "How could you see it was Bilbus?"
"Who else would be riding a horse with that many orcs around? Look with your spyglass." Sturm walked over to the side of the tower and pointed. "He's right there."
Eric took his spyglass and trained it where the knight pointed. "I will be damned... Is that a Shadow Kindred with him?"
Sturm shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised."
Eric turned to the dwarves who had climbed the tower with him. "We need to talk to the rest of the guards. Some orcs are coming, and we need to reinforce the tower."
The dwarf relayed the message. They started down a spiraling staircase.
The party followed the dwarves. Eric stopped at the stairs. "Adria, you and I should remain here. We both have longbows. We can soften them before they get close to the tower."
The assassin stopped. She strung her bow and leaned it against one of the tall battlements. She inspected the tower top. Several of the battlements formed pillars that supported a sloped roof overhead. The roof appeared to be heavy timbers, but Adria thought she had seen stone of some sort on the exterior of it.
As Adria inspected the roof, Eric once more watched Bilbus and the orcs approach.
Two miles away, Bilbus raised his spyglass again. He thought that he had seen a glint of some sort at the top of the tower. Scanning the tower top, he spotted someone looking out from between two of the stout battlements. The glint had come from the person -- the reflection of sunlight from glass.
Eric? the mountebank wondered. He looked around at the orcs following him. "Come along, orcs! We need to hurry! The attack on the gates will start soon, and we must be ready to take the tower!"
Several of the orcs grumbled loudly. Bilbus pulled out the pass he had received in Erelhei Cinlu and waved it around. "I was put in command of this platoon. Do you know what this is?"
One of the orcs -- Bilbus thought it was either the commander or sub-commander of the platoon -- produced a nearly-identical pass. "Yes, human. It is a pass to Erelhei Cinlu."
Bilbus grabbed the orc's pass, dropping his own. "Yours looks much nicer than mine." And I can forge a different name later.
From this close distance, Bilbus could readily see Eric and Adria when they popped out from cover to fire arrows at the orcs. The orcs returned fire, but the height of the tower made most of their fire ineffective -- they had to get well within the range of the humans' bows before they could get arrows close.
After a minute of ineffective return fire, Bilbus jumped down from his saddle and rummaged around his saddle bags. He withdrew a heavily padded box. After unwrapping the cloth around the exterior of it, Bilbus opened it. Inside were some glass arrowheads.
Exaggerating his movements, Bilbus took one of the arrowheads and waved an orc over to him. "Orc, put this arrowhead on an arrow. Get close enough to shoot it into the tower. You will not need to hit the humans."
The orc glanced at his commander, who merely nodded.
As the orc grabbed the glass arrowhead, Bilbus admonished him. "Careful! Break it and we will be killed!"
More gingerly, the orc took the head and replaced the steel head on one of his arrows. Once he finished, he called out to his comrades, "Suppressive fire, tower top!"
Twenty of the orcs ran forward, loosing arrows in a hail upon the top of the tower. Eric and Adria both fell to the floor of the tower top, out of sight of the withering barrage of arrows.
The archer with the glass-tipped arrow shot it at the tower. Bilbus lost track of it in the hail of arrows, but its results were unmistakable.
The arrow shot between two of the battlements, hitting the timbers of the interior of the roof. The top of the tower exploded violently, sending fragments of stone and wood out all sides.
Shouting "The tower is down!", Bilbus charged forward, passing the orc archers. Weaving Heka into a formation around himself, Bilbus shot into the air, flying towards one of the openings. A quick glance behind him at the orcs on the ground showed that they were falling back out of archer range.
Bilbus slowed as he reached the top of the tower. As soon as he landed, Eric and Adria pounced upon him, dragging him down in a hail of punches and kicks. Adria screamed, a primal shriek, as she assailed the thief with kicks.
Bilbus shouted, "Okay, okay! Good show! They saw you bring me down!"
The assault stopped as the thief rolled over and sat up. A grin on his face slipped as he looked at his friends.
Eric had some lacerations on his hands and a bruise on his forehead. Adria's golden hair was tangled and messy, and she had a nasty cut on her forehead.
"You two saw me draw the explosive arrows! Why did you stay up here?!? You could have been killed!"
Adria shrieked. "Why in the Nine Hells did you blow the roof up if you knew it was us two up here? Did you want to kill us?"
"What are you talking about?!?" Bilbus replied as he stood. "I was surrounded by orcs! They didn't trust me, and I had to show them that I was on their side! You saw the arrows! You saw what I was doing! You should have taken cover!"
Adria snarled, "I didn't think you would really try to kill us. I should have known better."
She stormed away down the stairs, still snarling viscerally.
Eric looked at Bilbus. "That really was not a good idea, Bilbus. We did not know what you were really doing."
Eric led Bilbus down the stairs. The stairs descended for fifty feet before they emptied into a guard room. Half a dozen dwarves surrounded a round table, and Breanna, Adria, and Kasey were standing together by one wall. Breanna was dabbing the cut on Adria's forehead.
Kasey spotted Bilbus before Breanna did. With a stern expression, he rushed over to the mountebank and lifted him by the arms. The Church Knight shook the thief while Bilbus kicked his legs futilely.
"Are you better, Bilbus?" Kasey asked in consternation. "Adria told us what happened! Why did you shoot one of those exploding arrows?"
The knight stopped and let go of Bilbus. Bilbus staggered for a moment before he steadied himself. "I'm glad to see you too, Kasey. Look, I gave them as much warning as I could without blowing my cover. I don't know why they just stood there when the orcs opened fire."
Sensing Adria's tension, Eric interrupted before anyone else could say a word. "We need to meet with the dwarven King."
One of the dwarves who had climbed the exterior of the tower relayed the message to the other dwarves. One of them nodded and stood. He pointed to the humans, then motioned for them to follow him. He started down the stairs.
Bilbus stopped at the top of the stairs. "Where is Rishala? And Sturm?"
Breanna answered. "They went down the stairs to some arrowslits to shoot at your orc friends out there."
Adria muttered behind Bilbus, "Too bad they didn't get Bilbus while they were at it."
Bilbus half-turned. "Most people know how to duck when they are shot at."
Adria exploded again. "I did duck! Your arrow exploded against the roof! Thank the gods I had armor!"
Bilbus started walking down the stairs, ignoring her rant.
"Fine! Ignore me! You try to kill me, now you won't even acknowledge me!"
Breanna turned, blocking Bilbus. Her fists were clenched tightly, and her face had turned bright red. "ENOUGH! By the gods! You two are still at it! You've been apart for how many days, and here you are sniping and bickering at each other like nothing has happened. I have had enough of this! Of you two! We need to get downstairs and get out of this place before the orcs attack, and all you can do is fight with each other!" She pointed at Adria as she squeezed up the stairs past Bilbus. Shoving the mountebank ahead of her down the stairs, she stomped down the stairs.
Adria glared at the back of Breanna's head, imagining the mahogany hair bursting into flame.
Breanna ignored the scowl she knew Adria was directing at her. Instead, with a lower voice, she spoke to Bilbus in front of her. "Good grief. Do you and Adria never get along?" Bilbus glanced over his shoulder at her, an unreadable expression on his face. "I'm glad you're back, Bilbus."
Behind her, Breanna heard Adria grumbling again. Her ire was now directed at Eric, who was behind her on the stairs. Breanna tried to ignore the constant complaints, which still focused on Bilbus's explosive arrow injuring both Eric and Adria. Adria was now mad at Eric for not stopping Bilbus, or not getting both of them to cover, or some combination of the two.
Adria's voice kept rising, louder and louder, until she stopped suddenly. The metallic ring of something striking metal echoed down the stairs, followed quickly by a sharp gasp from Adria and a string of expletives in at least two different languages.
Eric's voice followed quickly. "That must have really hurt, Adria. Perhaps next time you will not hit a man wearing a steel breastplate with your bare hand." He laughed.
Adria snarled once more and continued to complain to Eric.
Breanna looked over her shoulder at Adria. "Do you want something to help your hand, Adria?"
"No." Adria glared at Breanna. "I am fine."
Breanna continued down the stairs as Adria kept grumbling, far quieter than she had been.
They reached the base of the tower a number of minutes later. Sturm and Rishala stood at arrowslits, the knight steadily firing arrows from his longbow, the storyteller intermittently shooting from the purple bow the party had captured from the drow Lord Silverthorn.
Runes on the bow flashed every time Rishala fired an arrow, and Bilbus could feel the magickal crackle of energy being released with each shot.
Both Rishala and Sturm whooped and shouted after Rishala fired his latest arrow. Rishala stepped back and noticed the rest of the party for the first time.
He held the drow bow triumphantly. "I just took out a Shadow Kindred with this bow!"
Sturm clapped him on the shoulder. "Good shot, Rishala!" He noticed the rest of the party. "I've been picking apart orcs while Rishala shot the Shadow Kindred."
Eric called down from the back of the column, "Excellent! We need to move, now. The dwarves can defend the tower. We must speak to their king."
The party finished descending the inexorable flight of stairs. Several dwarves waited for them.
One of the dwarves addressed the party. "Come along. We will take the lift down to the main level of the Citadel."
Winded, Bilbus asked, "This isn't the main level? We've been on those stairs for days!"
The dwarf looked at Bilbus, confused. "Hrm. No, this is the upper level. Our surface crops grow outside here. Come along. The lift will take some time."
The dwarf led them through a vast, spacious tunnel. The fronts of buildings had been carved on the sides of the tunnel, and an intricate system of lanterns gave the entire interior a uniform level of light.
The tunnel was easily a hundred paces wide, and at least four hundred long. At the far end was a massive door, shut and barricaded. Hundreds of dwarves guarded the door, and a dozen ballistae had been erected, aimed towards the door.
On the near end of the tunnel were several large rooms, each with a pair of stout ropes in the middle. Lanterns hung on each of the sides of the rooms, which were ten paces on a side.
The dwarves led the party into one of the rooms. One slid a large folding door across the entrance to the room, leaving the party in a square room. Two of the dwarves started pulling one of the ropes, as if they were trying to climb it. The room felt like it was slowly dropping.
"Hey, can I help?" Kasey offered. He started to pull on the other rope.
One of the dwarves jumped, and, in his own tongue, tried to explain to Kasey that he should not pull that rope. Kasey started pulling the rope the dwarves had been pulling. The room started dropping faster.
"Sturm, this is great! Help out!" the Church Knight called.
Sturm started pulling on the rope as well. The room was noticeably dropping.
Rishala looked at Bilbus. "What in the hells were you thinking, charging into Camelough by yourself? Do you have any idea what could have happened?"
Bilbus sniffed loudly. "Yeah, I know what could have happened. I got a lot of information." He looked at Rishala seriously. "I was in Erelhei Cinlu."
The quiet in the elevator was palpable.
"I saw the drow city. It's in a cave. I can find it again if we find another Portal. Oh yeah," Bilbus grinned, "I know how to open the Portals now, Rishala."
Bilbus described his time in the Portals -- the lack of heat, light, or color -- and the day he spent in Erelhei Cinlu. "Oh, and the Portal near Hillsdale still works, but it is buried."
He briefly described the time he spent in the Claw Fang city, then skipped most of the overland trip from the orc city to Citadel Altspire. He did linger on some details.
"Rishala, the orcs slaughtered just about everyone they encountered south of here. We went through at least two dwarven cities that were burned to the ground, with bodies left rotting in the countryside. I stopped counting when I reached a hundred, and that was just the first town we reached." He looked soberly at Rishala. "The city at the end of this valley, on the Vasmar? Orcs control it."
"We know," Rishala interjected.
"They are using the population as slaves. At least, the ones who can still work. The dwarves are being used to repair equipment. Others are being used to prepare food for the orcs." Bilbus's face looked gaunt. "The slaves are being forced to kill other dwarves, cut them like a side of beef, and lay the remains out to dry and salt. The slaves who refuse are butchered." It was a weighty silence that followed Bilbus's narration.
"Bilbus, what you did was stupid. You could have wound up on one of those meat racks." Rishala clapped Bilbus's shoulder. "Still, I am glad to see you here."
Bilbus dug into his backpack. He pulled out a half bottle of wine. The label had a drawing of a familiar scowling knight. The mountebank flashed a grin. "I have some wine!"
Bilbus passed the bottle of red wine around to Rishala and the two knights. By the time the bottle was empty, the lift had stopped moving.
One of the dwarves opened the folding door and ushered everyone out of the moving room. The tunnel beyond was larger than the one the party had been in on the upper level of the citadel. A hundred fifty paces across, the tunnel stretched for five hundred paces to the right. A constant thumping came from that end of the tunnel, and the thousands of dwarves at that end of the tunnel were facing the gigantic portals at the end of the tunnel.
Bilbus commented dismissively, "That would be the orc distraction. They're late."
Rishala looked at the thief uncertainly. "Distraction?"
"Sure. I told the orc commander to assault the gates so I could 'sneak' into the tower."
Several of the party members exclaimed in unison, "Bilbus!"
"What?!? I didn't think they would actually get through the doors!"
The dwarven escorts ushered the party towards a set of doors on the near end of the tunnel. These doors were tall and intricately carved stone. They pivoted on hidden hinges as they swung into the tunnel. The dwarves led the humans through into a throne room that rivaled the grand throne room of the Imperial Palace in Camelough.
Where the Imperial Palace throne room was tremendous, this one was smaller -- but only somewhat. The dwarven throne room had gold inlay on almost every surface. Solid gold candle stands and other appointments were everywhere.
At the far end, on a low dais, were the thrones of the dwarven king and queen. They, too, were solid gold, with the glitter of innumerable gems covering most of the surfaces. A dwarf with a pure-white beard sat on one of the thrones, his armor gleaming silver in the light of the hundreds of lanterns.
As the party approached the dais, they noticed a tall sword on the dais behind the thrones. It was large -- five feet long -- with the drooping crossguards typical of Caledonian greatswords. The tip of the blade touched the dais, and the rest of the sword stood straight above it, as if something unseen held it upright.
Eric kneeled at the foot of the dais. "Your highness, we are from the Kingdom of the Five Crowns." He paused, uncertain of how to continue. "We are here..."
The king interrupted, his voice low. "...for Caladbolg. Why else would strangers have found a way into the Citadel while it is besieged?"
Eric met the king's gaze. "We have heard your legends... That Citadel Altspire would fall when the sword was taken."
A dwarf ran into the throne room. He shouted something to the king.
The dwarf king translated. "The orcs at the gates have broken through. My army is trying to stop them."
Breanna shivered. "Orcs at the gates? Someone should get the sword."
Adria snorted. "Maybe Bilbus should. He told the orcs to attack."
Bilbus ignored the jibe. "Rishala, what is a Caledonian sword doing in the dwarven king's throne room?"
"It is an ancient sword. Every king has been called 'Seeker of Caladbolg', but I think they had to have known it was here. I don't know why it still is here."
Eric looked at Kasey. "You need to get the sword, Kasey. We do not have much time."
Kasey looked at the sword, then at his friends. "I don't want to cause the mountain to crumble. If I take it, I will be responsible for the fall of the citadel."
Eric reasoned with the knight. "Kasey, if we do not take Caladbolg, it will fall into the orcs' hands. If they get it, we will lose."
Kasey turned to the king. He kneeled in front of the dwarven king. "Your Majesty, I will defer to your decision."
The dwarf looked haggard. The sounds of battle echoed into the throne room. "What was meant to be was meant to be. You are welcome to try to take it."
Kasey stood and walked past the throne. He put his hands on the long grip of the greatsword and lifted. He swung it experimentally. "Hey! This sword is light! Wow, it is fast. Uhh, Your Majesty? You said I was welcome to try to take it? Have other people tried?"
"All others who have touched Hard Lightning died."
Kasey gulped loudly. "Now you tell me."
Eric readied his bow. "We have to get out of this mountain. The nearest exit is the front gate."
Sturm drew his hand-and-a-half sword. "You want us to fight out the front gate?"
Eric nodded. His companions readied weapons. Bilbus started channeling Heka, shaping weaves on each of his friends. All of them moved unnaturally fast, speaking quickly and moving at a rush. Rishala and Breanna likewise channeled Heka, shaping protective castings on each member of the party.
"Let's go," Sturm said.
The party moved towards the tunnel. Dwarves around them moved slowly as the dweomer sped the party along. At the far end of the tunnel was a tremendous fight. All the combatants moved slowly from the party's viewpoint, an exaggerated, almost comical ballet of motion, with arrows and crossbow bolts flying, swords, axes, and spears swinging and thrusting, and dwarves and orcs falling slowly. Screams and shouts competed with the clash of metal.
With Kasey and Sturm in front, the party waded into the battle. Adria, Rishala, and Eric fired arrows into ranks of orc archers. Sturm and Kasey stepped forward, a pace and a half apart, the Sun Knight wielding his sword and a shield, the Church Knight wielding the ancient greatsword.
A Shadow Kindred charged Kasey, moving quickly even for the accelerated humans. Kasey snapped Caladbolg into a wide, horizontal cut. The blade sliced through the Shadow Kindred, flashing slightly as it did. The Shadow Kindred fell to the ground in two pieces. Somewhere overhead, thunder rolled.
Following close on the heels of the Shadow Kindred were orcs. Both knights swung into motion, cutting and parrying, dispatching orcs as arrows flew.
Three orcs on the lead wave threw heavy curved, metal knives at the knights. Sturm and Kasey each deflected one of the knives, but a third hit Kasey's arm.
The wave of charging orcs were soon on the ground, dead or dying, when a second wave -- this time led by a pair of Shadow Kindred -- rushed the party's section of the line. The dwarves to either side had been steadily losing ground, putting Sturm and Kasey at the tip of a bending line of warriors.
The next wave rushed forward, quickly being thinned by the rapidly firing human archers and the two hasty knights.
Bilbus remained behind the knights, but in front of the archers, in case any orcs made it past the two formidable warriors. He sidestepped quickly as another barrage of arrows shot from the orcs who were still standing.
A sickening shout resounded behind the thief. Bilbus turned to see Eric collapsing, a pair of arrows jutting from his chest. Blood trickled from the corner of Eric's mouth as he dropped his bow and collapsed.
Breanna turned and saw her fiance collapse. "Eric!" she screamed as she leaped to the Azirian, easing his fall to the ground.
Bilbus turned towards the orcs, a white rage rushing through him. Grabbing onto the flows of Heka around him, Bilbus forced them into a casting a hundred paces away. The energies were difficult to control, and Bilbus felt his knees buckle as he rushed through the intricate formulation of magick needed. With a final burst of effort, Bilbus completed the casting.
A dull, faint greenish wall formed between the orcs and the knights. One of the orcs charged, ignoring the field. He hit it at a full run and fell back, shouting in pain. Other orcs backed away from the field warily, shouting insults and hurling foul expletives at the humans.
The few orcs who had been caught on the knights' side of the field were quickly dispatched by the dwarves and the humans. An uneasy silence that lasted for a heartbeat was quickly replaced by the moans and screams of the wounded.
Bilbus looked back at Eric. The explorer was laying on the ground, bleeding profusely from the two arrow wounds. Breanna held him cradled in her arms, sobbing.
Bilbus kneeled next to her. "Is he alive?"
"Yes," Breanna replied. She choked back another sob. "But barely."
Bilbus reached for Eric's shoulders. Propping him up, Bilbus dragged the semiconscious archer farther from the gates. "Breanna, that casting I just activated will stop the orcs, but it is not going to stop their arrows. We have to get away from the gates."
Breanna fell back with Bilbus. She quickly pulled out some prepared poultices, thankful that she had the foresight to organize her healing packs.
Bilbus pulled Eric into a side passage, where the Azirian was shielded from orc arrows. He helped Breanna pull the arrows from Eric's chest, then propped the Azirian as Breanna placed a poultice against one of the grievous wounds.
"Come on, Eric," Breanna whispered as she reached for a second poultice.
"Bree?" Eric asked. He was wracked by a fit of coughs, and wiped some more blood from the corner of his mouth. "Ummm. Are there supposed to be black spots flying through the air?"
Breanna smiled, but there was no mirth in her eyes. "No, sweetheart. Hang on. We'll take care of the flying spots in just a minute."
Bilbus felt the surge of Heka as Breanna channeled some energies into a healing flow. The apothecary started digging into her packs, cursing quietly under her breath. Bilbus picked out a few choice elven expletives mixed with the more common Kelltic curses.
The rest of the party had withdrawn to the side tunnel. Most of them were injured, but none were as badly hurt as Eric. Breanna continued to work on him, ignoring everyone else until she had exhausted every technique and magick in her repertoire.
Rishala kneeled next to Eric. Putting his hands on the Azirian's head, he channeled some additional magicks into Eric. When Rishala looked up at his companions, he said, "It will help with his healing."
Breanna started tending the other wounds, applying poultices and uttering prayers over the worse wounds.
Bilbus's shouting voice drew everyone's attentions. He had gone back into the main tunnel, and he was shouting in the orcs' tongue, while making obscene gestures towards them. When he realized his friends were looking, he stopped and instead started helping the dwarves pull the wounded out of the tunnel.
When he joined his friends again, Eric started chuckling.
"Shhh," Breanna admonished him gently. "Rest, Eric."
"Do you realize what today is?" he asked quietly. "It's Samhain. Sunset is Allhallows Eve. Tomorrow is a new year."
Back to the previous chapter: Portals
Continue to the next chapter: Falls
Back to the Book III Index.
Back to the Dark Mysteries Campaign Chapter Index.
Original Draft 15 October 2001
Contact for this page: JourneyMaster@BabylonByCandlelight.com