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Back to the previous chapter: Shadows
First Draft
The sun rose the following morning far too soon for the exhausted army. As cold men gathered around fires, Sir Goudge made his report to Eric.
"General Ithell, we have supplies for two to three days. It's not enough to reach Kells."
"We can send out hunting parties. Jamie's Band should do well for that. We will sacrifice oxen if we need to. Where's Bilbus?"
Sir Goudge shrugged.
"Never mind," Eric said. "Get the army ready to go. The Church Knights can pray for food. That might help."
Eric wandered through the debris of the orc city, looking for the missing mountebank. Bilbus had not returned to the camp after the fight. After wandering at random through the rubble of the city, Eric found Bilbus, asleep on a low wall of rocks. Eric fought the urge to kick the wall to see if it would collapse.
Bilbus opened an eye. "I wondered when you would come looking for me."
"I would have left you here if Adria didn't need you."
"Uh-huh." Bilbus sat up. "So, how bad is it?"
"We have food for two to three days. No tents, and few sleeping rolls. At least the weather is a little warmer right now."
"We should talk to the Sun Knights," Bilbus suggested. "Sir Atenburg might know where we can find some keeps. The new order of Sun Knights most likely haven't had a chance to come down here yet to indoctrinate their men. Yeti Pass is going to be closed for another month, and they don't know the Middle Range is clear of orcs."
"That might be a good idea," Eric admitted.
He and Bilbus went back to camp. They found Sir Atenburg with the other rebel knights.
"I was about to look for you, General," Sir Atenburg said as they approached. "There's a Sun Knight hold near here. We can be there by late afternoon. They're far enough from Yeti Pass and Arabel Cinlu that I can just about guarantee the new order of knights have not sent their men here. We can get supplies, and possibly men, from there."
"I was going to ask you just that," Eric said. "Do you think they will join?"
"I can't say for certain, but I know that most Sun Knights do not agree with the Inquisitor's ways."
"We'll head to that hold, then," Eric decided.
He led Bilbus away from the troops. "I think I owe you an apology for last night," Eric said.
"Well, we all were stupid," Bilbus replied. "We did not have to find the Brallian Portal. We have to go through Kells, anyway."
Eric switched to the elven tongue. There were things he needed to discuss with Bilbus that he did not want the troops to overhear. "We need to reorganize the army. I'd like to cross train the knights so they can work better together."
"The orcs have a better system," Bilbus observed in elven. "They have small groups of four orcs who work together as a unit. They group those units into larger forces, all the way up to fingers and fists. You could take any small group of orcs and drop them into another fist and they would still function, because they all use the same system of command. If we really want to make the army fight well, we need to adopt something like that."
Kasey was approaching the two men. Bilbus switched back to Kelltic. "Kasey, you're better at this army thing. What is wrong with ours?"
Kasey immediately answered, "We're weak on cavalry."
"Thanks, Kase," Bilbus said. It was an obvious answer. Bilbus switched back to elven. "We have an army of orcs somewhere. When they catch up, they'll add a lot of bodies to this army."
"We need help," Eric said. "What about the elves?"
"No," Bilbus replied quickly. "They refused Uther Paendroeg. Why would they help us?"
Eric nodded. "No matter. We need to get moving."
The army marched off, heading southeast at Sir Atenburg's direction.
Late in the afternoon, Eric and Breanna were riding next to each other.
"It's about time to start planning the spring tiger traps back home," Eric said wistfully. "Father will have to do it without me this year."
Breanna sighed. The tiger traps usually were dug during the spring planting. It was always a busy time of year. "And dad won't have Jamie around to dig for him."
Bilbus sighed loudly. "What is your fascination with tiger traps? Armagh is the only town I have ever heard of that digs tiger traps."
"We don't have a tiger problem," Eric pointed out.
"No one has a tiger problem!" Bilbus retorted. "Tigers don't exist! They're just some funny monster that people made up. Why dig traps for something that is fictional?"
"I've seen a tiger," Eric pointed out.
"Sure. And Rishala's been to Phaeree." Bilbus exhaled slowly. "Okay. I'll play. Where did you see a tiger, Eric?"
"On mainland Azir. Near an outpost of my grand-uncle's."
"So you dig traps, half a world away, in case they come after you?"
"You wouldn't understand," Breanna protested.
"Never mind," Bilbus said. "It looks like we found the Sun Knight castle." He pointed.
The castle was far larger than Hold Asam. Finding such a sizable fortification so far from any inhabited regions was impressive. A small village had grown around the keep in order to provide housing for the support personnel needed to keep the castle operational. A lonely road, hardly used, trailed away to the south, away from the Middle Ranges. The walls of the castle were manned, and it was obvious that the occupants of the building had taken notice that an army approached. The castle was closed tight.
"We should ride out for a parlay," Eric suggested. "With Sir Atenburg. They should recognize the head trainer of their organization."
Eric, Bilbus, Sturm, and Sir Atenburg rode towards the keep. After a few minutes, several riders emerged from within. They met a few hundred paces from the sullen gray stone walls of the castle.
"You rode out of the Middle Ranges?" one of the Sun Knights asked.
"Yes," Eric answered.
"What about the orcs? There's a city near here."
"The orcs have had ... a civil war," Eric replied. "I don't think any of them in the Middle Ranges survived. Do you know Sir Richard Atenburg?" He gestured towards Atenburg.
"Of course! Sir Atenburg, I am Sir Crovan, commander of this hold."
"What is the situation here?" Atenburg asked.
"It's been quiet for weeks. A courier delivered a letter saying that we would be hosting a reeducation camp in the spring. The Lord High Commander seems to be too serious about changing our Order."
"He is. Not all of the Order agree with him."
"So no one knows that the Middle Ranges are clear?"
"We are the only ones," Eric assured Sir Crovan.
"Sir Crovan," Atenburg said. "The new Lord High Commander is dead. But he has already purged the command structure of any rational replacements. The Sun Knights are going to continue to pursue Heka users and ignore any other dangers to the Kelltic peoples. These men and women," he gestured back towards the army, "are former Sun Knights who still believe in the Order's original cause. And we are helping General Ithell, here, to save the world from the Dark One. I know it sounds hard to believe. But we are. General Ithell can give you the details. Join us. The Middle Ranges do not need Sun Knights any more. But General Ithell does."
Sir Crovan thought for a long moment. "You may as well bring the army up here. Let's go inside and talk."
The talks lasted well into the night. By the end of them, Sir Crovan agreed to abandon the keep and throw his lot in with Sir Atenburg. The following morning, the army once more marched, bolstered by three hundred new footmen and a small supply of wagons. The army marched towards Kells.
The march to Kells went quickly. Warmer weather made the days tolerable, and the nights survivable. The supplies gathered from the now-abandoned Sun Knight hold were enough to get the army to Kells. As the army got closer to settled lands, Eric ordered the remaining Church Knights to ride ahead and to the sides of the army's path, in order to prevent any panic from outlying hamlets that might notice such a large force.
It was midday when the army came in sight of the golden spire of the Cathedral Kells. The Church Knight outriders had gathered back at the head of the army, preparing to ride ahead to the city to announce the arrival of General Ithell and his forces.
"You know, Kasey," one of the outriders said conspiratorially as he rode next to his fellow Church Knight. "The ones who ride ahead will get the better bunks in the castle, and the hot food. And we get a chance to relax before everyone shows up."
Adria overhead the suggestion. "Do they have hot baths, too?"
The knight turned in his saddle to face her. "I'm sure that would be easy to arrange."
Just then, Sir Goudge called out, "Outriders! Forward to Kells! Let them know an army approaches!"
The outrider took off. Kasey and Adria both followed quickly, as did two other knights.
Bilbus shook his head as he watched them depart. Adria had been irritated about the cold weather and the lack of warm baths. She had had all she could take, apparently.
Once the army was within a mile of the city, Sir Atenburg offered to get a camp organized, northwest of the city. A column of nearly a thousand people would be disruptive, even in a city the size of Kells. The Church Knights would head into town to report at the Castle Kells. Eric agreed with the plan.
He looked around for Breanna. She was riding with Jamie's Band, heading towards the camp.
"Bree, we're heading into town," Eric said.
"But, I need to go help set up camp..." she protested.
"Bree, the army can take care of themselves. We need to report in at the Church to see what is going on, and whether we can get some more help."
Reluctantly, Breanna left the other riders to go with the party into town.
They reached town without fanfare. A few townsfolk had taken note of the army, but there was a crowd standing on the Via, facing the grounds between the Church's castle and cathedral. They paid the party no heed.
Bilbus shifted on his saddle. Certainly an army approaching town would generate some notice. The party then passed the edge of the castle, where they could see into the grounds.
In a line, next to the door to the Church's administrative offices behind the Cathedral, stood sixteen elves at rigid attention. Each had a bow in hand, a sword at the hip, and an intricately-engraved breastplate over silk-covered padded clothes. Bilbus's face got pale as he slid off Acquisition 2 to lead the horse.
"What's wrong with you, Bilbus?" Eric asked.
Looking at the crowd around him, Bilbus switched to elven. "I was in the Marketplace once. Ever been there?" Eric shook his head. "It's a walled town in the Elven Forest. The elves hate having humans running around in their forest. Well, one time I tried to slip through their gatehouse to see what they were hiding. They must have finally caught up with me."
"Bilbus," Eric said quietly in Kelltic. "You do realize that the elves can understand what you're saying. That's not exactly a good way to keep them from noticing you."
Bilbus looked startled for a moment as he followed the party towards the door nearest the elves. Bilbus carefully kept Acquisition 2 between him and the elves. Even so, he was sure one of them was watching him, waiting for a chance to strike.
When the party reached the door, several pages ran across the grounds to the party. "Sir Kasey ordered us to tend to your horses," the oldest page announced.
The party handed their horses over to the pages, then went into the Church administrative building. Inside, they spotted Father Ilsinan in the hallway. The priest from the Erelhei Cinlu safehouse smiled and waved a greeting.
"We have been expecting you," he said warmly. "Please, come in." He gestured towards the meeting hall where the party had met with the Church the last time they had been heading south from Kells.
Within the hall, Bilbus drew out a tabac stick and started to light it. He recognized some of the priests at the long table on the far end of the hall, but he did not see Father Lahiff.
Father Ilsinan reached for the smoldering tabac stick, pinching the end of it to extinguish it. "He's in Brallian," he answered to the unasked question.
Eric recognized the priest sitting at the center of the table. "High Father Gillifin," the explorer said in greeting. "We're here to ask the Church for help. You already know what is going on. We need an army to get across the desert to the Dark One's palace."
"Yes, of course," Gillifin replied. "The Church has already sent a number of knights to al-Rhayidh to accustom themselves to the heat. We also have a diplomat meeting with the Caliph to secure permission for those knights to be in the Caliph's country. Additionally, we are sending half of our detachment here with you. The other half will remain here, just to be safe." Gillifin leaned back into his chair. "We are also sending a number of priests along, including those in this room," he added significantly.
Bilbus grinned. There is no "Sword of the Church". But all of these priests are coming along. And High Father Gillifin is not the commander of the non-existent "Sword of the Church", either.
"We appreciate the offer," Eric said graciously. "These will be trying times, and we need any help we can get. I also wanted to ask you if you knew the reason for the elves outside of this building."
Gillifin nodded. "As you said, we need any help we can get. A representative of the Church has been in negotiations with the elves to secure some assistance from them." The door to the meeting hall opened. "Ah. Here is the commander of the elven detachment."
The party turned to see an elf step into the room. His armor was more ornate than that of the others outside, but he carried himself with the cool detachment common to elves.
Coolly, the elf spoke in Brytho-Kelltic in his musical voice. "The Elven Court has heard your arguments about the interdependence of the fates of our worlds, and they believe the evidence they have supports your view. My archers stand ready to assist your effort. Who commands this army?"
"I do," Eric said. "I am Lord General Eric Ithell."
The elf half-bowed to Eric. "General Ithell, I am Commander Solaemon Greenbough. I lead the contingent from the Elven Court. We have two hundred archers and five mages at the ready outside of Kells. When do we travel south?"
Bilbus gasped. Five mages?!? Elves were renowned for their magickal abilities. What would five of their mages be like?
"We appreciate your contribution, Commander Greenbough. We leave in the morning."
The elf half-bowed again and left.
Quietly, Bilbus said, "I just realized something that I have never before realized, Eric."
"What's that?" Eric prompted.
"We're gonna to win."
A priestess arrived at the door. "Excuse me, High Father," the priestess said apologetically. "I am looking for a Lady Breanna Ceiturin Ithell. I was told she may be here."
Breanna squeaked nervously.
"Are you Lady Ithell? I am here to escort you to our records hall."
"Okay," Breanna stammered. She followed the priestess as if she were being led to her doom.
Once Breanna had left, High Father Gillifin spoke to Eric once more. "I understand you are now a general."
"I understand that, too," Eric admitted. It was still odd.
"The Church recognizes your rank."
Bilbus interrupted. "Just what does that mean?"
"It means the Church will back him in any way he needs," Gillifin said. "I am sure you would all like a chance to get some rest somewhere warm. We are outfitting your army, and sending provisions. Please, feel free to relax for a while."
The party went back into the hall. Rishala glanced down the hall and spotted some priests talking. "I'll catch up later," he said before approaching the priests.
The elves no longer stood in the grounds. The crowd that had watched them from a distance had thinned. Eric stood outside the door for a moment, wondering what he should do next. Perhaps briefing Sir Atenburg and the rest of the army would be a good idea.
At that moment, a horn started bellowing from the castle across the grounds. Knights started riding out of the castle's entrance, heading north. Eric ran towards the castle, the rest of the party following. One of the knights rode towards Eric, with a page running behind him leading Eric's horse.
"General Ithell?" the knight began. Eric nodded. "There is an army approaching along the Via north of town. They sent no outriders ahead. The Church Knights are moving to prepare an ambush, and your army is taking positions to block the army."
The page caught up. "Your horse, general."
Eric climbed onto the horse. Sturm ran towards the castle to get his horse. Adria rode out of the castle, following the knights north. Eric raced after her, wanting to keep an eye on the battle.
Bilbus turned and ran back inside. Rishala still stood in the hallway, talking to some priests. Bilbus ran up to him. "Army! North! Attack! Come on, tower! We can see!"
Bilbus ran off, still shouting incoherently. "I'd better see what he's babbling about," Rishala said.
"Very well. We will arrange for the test later this afternoon," one of the priests answered.
Rishala chased after Bilbus. The mountebank had located the stairs that led to the cathedral's tower, and he was scrambling up them as quickly as he could. Rishala kept pace with Bilbus, who stopped near the top of the stairs at a window. The window gave an incredible view north of the city.
From this height, nearly seventy paces in the air, Bilbus and Rishala could see the battle taking shape. The rebel Sun Knights had taken a blocking position across the Via Avillonia north of town. They were about even in number to the army that approached, about five hundred strong. Church Knights had ridden along the side streets of town, gathering behind buildings and in alleyways as far north as they could, waiting in ambush for the approaching army to get close enough for a charge. Bilbus was sure he saw Kasey with the mass of knights. The detachment of elves were running up the Via towards the Sun Knights, still maintaining a loose formation despite their sprinting.
"Is that another army?" Bilbus asked. Indeed, behind the first formation was a second, larger formation. "Eric can't see them from down there."
Bilbus pulled out his spyglass and swept it around the Sun Knight formation. It took him only a moment to spot Adria, still mounted, her blonde hair brilliant in the sunlight. Eric was a few paces away, talking to a Sun Knight. Bilbus surged some Heka towards Eric, fixing the mental image of the second army and sending it to the general.
Eric jumped, then looked around. He spoke rapidly to the knight, then looked back to see elves kneeling behind the Sun Knights, readying arrows.
"Rishala, do that clairvoyance thing. Fly over the armies and see who they are."
"I already am, Bilbus," Rishala said distantly. "The first army is a mix of drow and orcs. Maybe six hundred of them. The second army... Uh-oh."
"What?"
"The vampire is leading them. It looks like a bunch of zombies or something. They're falling apart as they march, but there's a thousand of them."
"Okay." Bilbus focused on Eric once more. Instead of sending a visual thought, Bilbus instead narrated what Rishala had seen, relaying the information to Eric.
Within the cathedral, Breanna had just finished the paperwork the priestess insisted needed to be completed to record her as an "Apothecary of the Church". Outside the records hall was pandemonium, with priests and priestesses running about.
"What is happening?" Breanna asked one of the priests who ran by.
"An army is approaching. The Church Knights are ready for battle. We're heading up to tend to the injured."
"I'll come with you," Breanna decided. She rushed after the priest as he ran out of the cathedral and turned north.
Eric looked around at the force. The Sun Knights alone almost matched the approaching orcs and drow. With the two hundred elves, the defending force outnumbered the first army. Eric had no idea how many Church Knights were in town, but there were hundreds hiding in the north end of town. And now there were close to a hundred priests scattered with the Sun Knights. Eric recognized several of them from the meeting he had left minutes ago.
Eric climbed down from his horse and tossed the reins to Adria. She remained on her horse, where she could watch the approaching army.
The elven archers had all kneeled, except for their commander. He stood, staring north.
"Commander? Why are the elves kneeling?" Eric asked.
The commander spared him a glance before resuming his vigilance. "Drow arrogance is legend, but this goes well beyond the pale. They attack in broad daylight, at a significant disadvantage. They close on this city, unaware of the defenses laying in wait. They still have made no effort to use magicks to survey us. They are not aware that we are here, waiting for them. And they have not seen any of the thousand of your Church Knights waiting to charge. They deserve a lesson. Perhaps, when their leaders hiding in their caves wonder what happened to this army, they will be able to divine an answer. None of these attackers will survive the day."
"What about the undead army following them?"
The commander sniffed. "A thousand undead from a dying world, rotting in the sunlight. They will make good fertilizer for the fields when the spring comes."
Five hundred paces away, the orcs roared. The lead army broke into a dead run, charging towards the rebel Sun Knights arrayed against them. The Sun Knights had braced for a charge. None of them had bows, but the front ranks had spears readied. They held steady.
Commander Greenbough watched the charging force. When they were four hundred paces away, he shouted in elven, "Stand!" The two hundred elves stood in unison. "At closing army, FIRE!"
The elves sent a salvo of magickally flaming arrows into the air. As the first volley still climbed towards apex, the elves launched a second volley. A third followed quickly thereafter. Eric watched in amazement as the magickally fast elves loosed hundreds of arrows at the charging army. He looked forward again, watching as the first volley fell into the ranks of orc and drow. The impact was devastating. The line of attackers quickly started to break, and parts slowed. Drow stopped to ready bows for long range return volleys, still not realizing who the defending archers truly were.
"Sun Knights!" Sir Atenburg shouted from his massed forces. "Charge!" With a roar, the five hundred footmen charged forward. Elves continued to fire, their volleys less organized and more opportunistic as they sought targets instead of concentrating on creating a hail of arrows. The priests who had lined up in the rebel Sun Knight formation fell slightly behind the charging footmen, but they followed closely.
On top of the roar of the charging Sun Knights came the thunder of horses. Hundreds of Church Knights raced out of Kells, splitting into two formations as they circled wide around the Sun Knights to strike the flanks of the orc/drow assault. Belatedly, the attackers tried to form a defensive ring. The Sun Knights and the two formations of Church Knights were going to hit from three sides, nearly simultaneously. And the deadly barrage of elven arrows still fell from above.
The ground erupted in front of the Sun Knights. Several balls of fire exploded among the charging Church Knights. Eric could hear startled shouts, and the Sun Knights slowed their advance. Shortly thereafter, he could clearly hear High Father Gillifin shouting, "Sword, strike!" Magickal flames shot from the priests towards the orc ranks, and lightning crashed down from the blue sky above.
Commander Greenbough bellowed, "Mages! Defend the army!" and the intensity of the magickal explosions among the Sun Knights slowed to a stop. The hair on Eric's arms stood on end, shivers of goosebumps as tremendous flows of Heka energized the very air around him. He had seen Breanna react to Bilbus's use of Heka before, but he had dismissed it as something that only those sensitive to Heka could feel. But now he felt it.
Eric watched as the two groups of Church Knights closed on the orcs and drow. Hundreds of lances had been leveled at the now defensive force, and it erupted into a violent melee when the armies met.
Kasey had dropped his lance immediately after skewering an orc. He had released his reins, steering Farran only with his legs and knees, as he swung the greatsword Caladbolg in deadly downward arcs, slaying orc and drow with utter mercilessness. Farran relished in the battle as well, rearing to drive hooves into the chest of an orc, or kicking viciously with his steel-shod rear hooves to kill drow. What little organization the attacking army may have had was gone, and it was now a vast killing field.
Kasey took advantage of his high perch to look about. The battle was going well -- there were friendly casualties, to be sure, but far fewer than there would have been had the drow been ready for a fight. From a low rise north of the fight, Kasey saw several drow watching the battle. One of them shouted orders, but no one seemed to pay him any mind.
"Knights!" Kasey shouted. "Follow me! The enemy commander is vulnerable!"
Several knights followed Kasey, hacking their way past the hordes of orcs until they were clear of the melee. They charged around the fight, approaching the drow commander from the side. The commander's guards raised bows to stop the attacking Church Knights, but they were too slow to react. The Church Knights struck them down, leaving Kasey a clear path to the commander. Kasey swung Caladbolg at the commander, twisting the greatsword so that the pommel hit the drow in the side of the head. The drow crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
Kasey jumped down from Farran and roughly threw his prisoner across the front of his saddle. He climbed back onto Farran, then turned to bypass the battle once more. Kasey could see Eric near the elven archers. The General might want to talk to the attacking commander.
Kasey reached Eric at about the time the undead army reached the battle. The fight ended quickly as the rotting bodies of the zombies fell to the furies of the combined army.
"Hey, Eric?" Kasey asked. "I mean, General Ithell? I captured the drow commander."
Eric watched the aftermath of the fight for a few moments. Church Knights and priests were tending to the wounded, and Eric could see Breanna amongst them.
"General?" Kasey repeated.
"The commander?" Eric asked, now looking at Kasey's quarry.
"Yeah. He lost control of the army, but he didn't realize it before we got to him. What should I do with him?"
"Take him back to the castle so we can question him."
Adria circled her horse around to inspect the unconscious drow. "That's a bad idea. We don't want a drow in town."
"We need to question him," Eric said. "The Church Knights and the priests can keep him under control."
Kasey, Eric, and Adria rode back towards town.
Several priests worked together to create a magick-resistant shell around the drow prisoner. The Church Knights provided a room in their castle for the questioning. Eric, Bilbus, Adria, and Sturm were in the room with the priests.
When the drow stirred at last, Eric stood in front of him. "Who are you?" Eric asked.
"Human, you do not address me in such a manner," the drow spat. "You will speak to me as you do a superior. I am Lord Lotyas Silverthorn."
Bilbus paced behind Eric. "Silverthorn... Silverthorn... The name sounds familiar." He stopped pacing to glance at the drow. The smirk on the drow's face was irritating. "Oh, yes. Lord Silverthorn. We blew him up in Londoun. Quite a nice mess he made, as I recall." The drow's expression darkened. "Was that your daddy?"
Eric interrupted before Bilbus could taunt the prisoner any more. "Is this your only attack? Why did you send undead with your army?"
Lord Silverthorn said nothing.
"Do we really need to waste our time?" Bilbus asked crossly.
"Give him a chance to answer," Eric said.
"I answer to no human," Lord Silverthorn sneered.
The questioning continued for several minutes, with Silverthorn refusing to answer any questions. Bilbus grew clearly impatient.
"Maybe he's thirsty," Bilbus suggested. "Adria, could you be so kind as to offer this gentleman some tea?"
"Spicy tea?" Adria asked.
"Oh, yes," Bilbus replied. "Drow love spicy teas."
Adria looked to Eric, one eyebrow raised in question. Eric nodded, resigned that he was going to get no information from Lord Silverthorn. He left with Adria. Sturm followed him out, leaving Bilbus alone with the drow and the priests. Adria returned a few moments later with a steaming cup of tea.
"Tea, Lord Silverthorn?" Adria asked sweetly. She offered the cup to the drow.
Lord Silverthorn took the cup. He took a sip of the tea, then looked sharply at Adria.
Any semblance of etiquette vanished from Adria's face. "I suggest you drink deeply. It'll be far quicker, and less painful." She spoke coldly. "It's more mercy than you would have shown us, I'm sure."
Lord Silverthorn started to convulse. His death was quick, but painful.
Adria and Bilbus left the interrogation room to go find their friends.
They found Eric and Sturm standing with a few Church Knights in the grounds.
"Silverthorn?" Eric asked when Bilbus and Adria were close.
Bilbus drew a finger across his neck.
Eric nodded to himself.
"What gives?" Bilbus asked, nodding towards the Church Knights.
"No one recovered Vladdomani's body. We have to assume he's still alive."
"Unalive," Bilbus corrected. Rishala's explanation had made no sense, but the Caledonian had insisted the difference mattered.
"Right. Whatever it is. We have no idea where the vampire is, so I am having the Church Knights keep watch on him, along with at least one or two priests. It followed us here. We can't let it get to Sturm."
Eric stopped speaking when he saw an elf approaching, in armor and carrying his bow. Several other elves stood next to a wooden target near the far end of the grounds. The elf walked up to Adria and stopped in front of her.
In a lilting Brytho-Kelltic accent, the elf said, "I was told that the golden-haired human woman was the champion archer of this army. Are you she?"
Bilbus chuckled.
Adria asked, "Who said this?"
"After the battle, I asked the footmen. They told me to seek you." The Sun Knights had watched her practicing her archery. "I am interested to see how good you are." He held up his free hand. There were three gold coins in his palm. He raised an eyebrow.
Adria looked at the target. It was two hundred paces away. Six elves stood to one side of it, watching impassively.
"At such a close target?" Adria asked.
The elf smiled. He called out to his comrades, who lifted the target and walked away, into the middle of the Via Avillonia. The owner of the tavern just paces behind the target looked out and saw the archery target, then saw the distant archers three hundred paces away. His eyes widened as he slammed the stout shutters of his windows closed, then shut the front door of the tavern.
Bilbus chuckled and walked towards the elves and the target. As he got closer to the elves, he noticed Kasey approaching.
"What are you doing, Bilbus?"
Bilbus pointed a thumb over his shoulder towards the elf and Adria. "That elf is making a bet with Adria about who's the better archer. I figured I would see if these elves want to play, too."
"An elf versus Adria?" Kasey asked. He thought for a moment. Adria was deadly with the bow. "I'd put my coin on Adria."
"So'd I, if I had any," Bilbus grumbled as he felt his coin pouch.
"I'll back you," Kasey offered.
"How much ya got?"
Kasey stopped to count out coin. "Thirty Drakes." Bilbus whistled.
Bilbus stopped next to the target. In elven, he said, "I see no reason why those two should be the only ones betting. Thirty gold coins say my wife bests your archery."
The six elves huddled close. They counted out coins, argued quietly, then turned back to Bilbus. "Agreed," one of them said.
Bilbus glanced over at Kasey. "Hey, Kase. Step to one side. I think they're ready to start. You're in the way."
Kasey glanced back towards Adria. He waved, then walked several paces away. Bilbus stayed close to the target, a pace to the side and far closer than the elves were standing. He smirked at them.
The elf took the first shot. His flaming arrow streaked high into the air, then plunged down through the center of the target. Bilbus nodded appreciatively. Adria fired next. Her arrow landed on the target, close to the center, but a couple of rings outside of the bullseye.
"She's playing," Bilbus said assuredly in elven.
The elf shot again. His arrow landed farther away from the bullseye than Adria's first shot had. Adria loosed again, her arrow landing closer to center. Each fired a third arrow. The elf's struck the target solidly. Adria's plunged through the bullseye, striking the elf's first shot.
"Way to go, Adria!" Bilbus shouted.
The elf shot again. The arrow plunged towards the side of the target, close to Bilbus. When it was clear to Bilbus that the arrow was going to land close to him, he moved his foot to the side. The arrow struck the paving stones and slid to a stop in front of the tavern door.
Bilbus shrugged. "My wife shoots at me regularly," he said in elven.
Adria loosed another arrow, striking the target. Both shot again, each hitting the target one last time. The elf had missed once; Adria had struck with all five of her shots.
One of the elves near Bilbus grudgingly offered the coins to the mountebank.
Chuckling, Bilbus walked back towards his wife.
The elven archer dipped his head towards Adria. She shook his hand. He offered her the three gold coins.
"Why do you use such a crude bow?" he asked her suddenly, looking at the drow long bow she carried. "An archer of your skill and grace should use a weapon worthy of her." He held his bow towards her. "Let us trade."
Adria caught her breath. The drow bow, when held next to the elven bow, truly looked poor in comparison. The dark purple of the wood, with the strange artwork carved into it, was no match for the pale, elegant wooden bow of the elf. Adria accepted the trade, feeling the light, sturdy heft of the elven bow.
The elf nodded to her again, then walked back to his companions, who had hefted the target. The elves walked south down the Via, heading back to their encampment.
The small crowd quickly broke up. Bilbus went quickly towards the priests' apartments. Breanna had said something about the baths in them, and Bilbus wanted a chance to try them out before the army got underway once more.
Inside, Bilbus climbed the stairs to the upper floor. A door blocked his way. Bilbus softly tried the latch. It did not budge. Grinning to himself, he kneeled and channeled Heka into the latch until he felt a "click". He tried the latch again, and it moved. Bilbus stood and opened the door. A junior priest stood on the other side of the door, his arms crossed.
"I am sorry, m'lord. I can not let you in. These are priests' quarters."
Bilbus scowled. "I just want a bath."
"There are fine baths at the inn across the way. The castle has some, as well, if you but ask. I can not let you in."
"Move, Bilbus," Breanna called out from behind him.
As he stumbled to one side, Breanna giggled. She passed Bilbus, Eric close behind her, and walked past the junior priest.
"Mother," he said in greeting as she passed.
"You let him through," Bilbus protested, pointing at Eric.
"Priests, priestesses, and spouses. I am sorry, m'lord."
"Give it up, Bilbus," Sturm growled from the stairwell. "I already tried."
Bilbus sighed loudly. He passed Sturm on the way down the stairs. Maybe the castle would have nice baths.
The five priests stood around Rishala, a few paces away from him. They had led Rishala to a barren stone room in the basement of the cathedral. There was but one door, and a magickal circle inscribed in the floor, but no other markings or decor. Rishala stood in the center of the circle.
The one directly in front of him repeated the warning he gave Rishala when Rishala had asked about the test earlier in the day.
"The test of priesthood is uncomfortable. Few people are capable of channeling Heka to the full extent needed to be a full priest. There are many within the ranks of the Church of Kells who are partial priests, those who have taken a vow of service, as opposed to a vow of priestcraeft.
"The test of priesthood can also be hazardous. Most who fail merely pass out. But a very few are so overwhelmed by the energies coursing through them that they lose the ability to sense Heka forever. You may walk away from this test now, with no consequences."
"I am ready for the test," Rishala said.
"Very well. The test begins."
Rishala felt a surge of Heka from the priest in front of him. He could feel the energies coursing through his body, a torrent of magickal power. He shut his eyes to filter out any distractions. Rishala felt another surge, as a second priest started sending Heka through Rishala's body. The sensation was intense. Then a third joined in. The sensation no longer bordered on pain; Rishala's body felt like it was on fire. Then the fourth added his magicks. The excruciating pain went on forever, every nerve in Rishala's body shouting in agony. And the fifth started. Rishala opened his eyes. He could see nothing but light. He felt like he was screaming, but he could hear nothing but a roar. The endless pain keep building, and building, until...
It stopped. Rishala saw the priest still standing in front of him. He looked around. The other four were still there, as well. All of them looked surprised.
"You're still standing?" one of them asked.
"Aye. What does that mean?"
"You passed. We threw as much Heka at you as we could, and you still were able to take it. Congratulations. I think you're the oldest person who's passed."
"Thank you, I think," Rishala said.
"You leave tomorrow?" the head priest asked. He led Rishala out of the chamber and back upstairs.
"Aye, we still have a long journey ahead of us."
"We will need to get through the ceremony tonight." They were back in the main temple of the cathedral. "Do you have anyone you wish to invite to the ceremony?"
"How much room is there?" Rishala asked.
The priest swept his arm across the empty cathedral. "As many as will fit in here."
Rishala's eyes goggled. "That's plenty..."
The cathedral was nearly empty. Several Church Knights, wearing their polished ceremonial armors, stood along the central aisleway near the front. A handful of priests had taken seats in the front rows. Rishala led his friends forward and directed them to sit in the frontmost row. He walked forward to the altar, where an older priest in ornate black robes stood.
Bilbus gasped loudly.
Adria elbowed him. "Behave," she whispered.
"That's the... That's the," Bilbus stammered. He took a deep breath. "That's the Highest Father! The Highest Holy Father. The head of the Church."
"What, head of this church?" Adria hissed. "Be quiet."
"No. Head of all the Churches."
Adria inhaled sharply. "How do you know?"
"He visited Brallian once when I was in the orphanage. I knew a way to climb up to a nook in the church there, where I could watch him ordain some priests. They never knew I was there."
The priest started the service, a solemn pronouncement of the duties of priesthood. He directed his speech at Rishala. At the end of it, he had Rishala repeat a vow of priestcraeft. Rishala repeated it, dedicating his service to Edain, goddess of horses.
When the ceremony ended, Bilbus muttered, "I knew there was something about him that he wasn't sharing."
"Yeah," Adria agreed. "He is a priest. He was holding out on us." She glanced around. "Party for Rishala!" Her voice echoed slightly in the enormous cathedral.
The Highest Father was walking towards a side exit. Bilbus saw him pull a tabac stick from a pocket in the robes. Grinning, Bilbus said, "I'll be back."
The mountebank followed the Highest Father into the grounds. The priest had already lit his tabac stick. He glanced over at Bilbus, who held a stick of his own. The priest took it away from Bilbus. "If you are going to smoke that weed in my presence, it had better be good tabac." He offered Bilbus one of his own rolled sticks.
Bilbus accepted the tabac stick and lit it with a small surge of Heka. The Highest Father tipped his head to Bilbus. "Is there something I can do for you, son?"
Bilbus nodded, taking a slow draw from the burning stick. The flavor was definitely much smoother than the tabac weed he was familiar with. "I wanted to talk to you about getting some help starting an orphanage in Portsdale. There isn't one there. I can offer my family's mansion."
"Really?" the priest asked. Bilbus nodded. "That would be very kind of you. I can send a dispatch to the priests in Portsdale. We have few orphanages in the Dales."
"Thanks, your Highest Holy Fatherousness. I need to get back to my friends." Bilbus quickly went back inside, still puffing on the tabac stick. The party was nearly out the front entrance of the cathedral, so Bilbus jogged after them to catch up.
The four days of marching from Kells to Brallian had gone smoothly. During the evenings, the army had camped outside one of the numerous villages that dotted the land between the two cities. The Church Knights kept drilling Jamie's Band, and the Sun Knights and Church Knights would spar together, or practice archery.
During the days, the Church Knights kept outriders ahead and to the sides of the long column of men and wagons, in order to prevent a panic at seeing such a large formation marching down the Via Avillonia towards Brallian. Several knights had also ridden ahead to Brallian to notify the king of the army's approach, so that by the time the army reached Brallian, King Kelaghan had sent a delegation of riders out to meet the army.
"The harbor awaits your army," the leader of the delegation said. "The King would like to meet with you before you embark. Please, follow me."
The party rode ahead of the army, following part of the delegation back to town. The remainder of the delegation stayed behind to escort the army to the harbor.
The throne room of the King of Eiresud was as colorful as the rest of the city. Brilliant tapestries adorned the walls, and large, airy windows let in plenty of sunlight to illuminate them. The king himself sat on his throne, surrounded by a retinue of advisors. Near the throne stood Father Lahiff.
The king eyed the men of the party suspiciously. "We've met before. You woke me in the middle of the night to claim a reward for stopping the killings in the city."
"Yes, your majesty," Eric answered as he bowed. "The circumstances now are little better."
"Yes, yes. Father Lahiff has told me what is going on. The Dark One's prison is failing. That would explain the chaos in the Middle Ranges, wouldn't it? Orcs are getting restless." The king shifted in his throne. "Were it another time, I would go with you. I understand you have quite an army in town. Five hundred Church Knights, another five hundred former Sun Knights. Elves. Priests." He sighed. "I've heard of the attack on Kells. I can not go with you, nor can I send my army with you. However, I can spare the Caledonian Guards Legion from my castle. Five hundred Caledonian mercenary swordsmen should be quite a boon to your army."
"We thank you, King Kelaghan," Eric said. "That is very generous."
"I know there is a lot to do to prepare your army to sail. I've ordered what supplies we can spare to be loaded onto your ships. I will not keep you any longer." The king looked at them. "Best of luck. We all depend on your success."
The party took their leave from the king. They followed Bilbus down to the harbor to watch the army loading into ships. A huge, motley fleet filled the harbor, and smaller boats ferried men and materiel out to the ships. Most of the ships were familiar Kelltic hulls, but there were a half a dozen larger ships. Even at a distance, their distinctive lines identified them as elven.
Commander Greenbough spotted the party. "General Ithell. We have decided that you and your command staff should ride aboard one of our ships. It is far sturdier than the Kelltic ships, and it can arrive in al-Rhayidh a day ahead of the fleet. This way, you have a day to talk to the Caliph before your fleet arrives. It would not do to arrive with an armada at the Caliph's front door."
"You are right," Eric said. "Thank you."
Greenbough returned to overseeing his troops preparations.
"Bilbus, is there an al-Rhayidhian quarter in Brallian?" Eric asked.
"Yes."
"Show me to it. I would like to get an al-Rhayidhian outfit. I suspect it will be better in the heat."
Bilbus led Eric to the al-Rhayidhian part of town. The area was distinctive within town for its white buildings and swarthy inhabitants. Bilbus picked a clothier's shops and went in. As Eric negotiated with one of the proprietors, Bilbus approached another.
"I would like a real outfit," Bilbus said to him. "The kind that your people would wear. I am not worried about the price of authenticity." He put a tabac stick into his mouth and channeled Heka into it, lighting it. Al-Rhayidhian people were comfortable using magick, and Bilbus thought it would be a subtle way to indicate his intent.
"Of course, m'lord," the shopkeeper said. "Please, step into my fitting room. What color of robe did you want?"
Bilbus thought of the robes the Great Lord wore. "Black."
"Black? The color of nobility?"
"Yes. That would do well."
The shopkeeper helped Bilbus into a robe. With several small Heka flows, the al-Rhayidhian man adjusted the fit until it was perfect. Bilbus paid the man, changed back to his armor, and led Eric back to the inn the party was using for headquarters.
Once there, Eric sent a runner to the church in town. Bilbus insisted a package for Breanna was there. The runner returned an hour later with a wagon. A wooden crate, about a pace long, a pace wide, and half that thick was on the bed of the wagon. The runner carried it in, up to Breanna's room.
Breanna unpacked the crate. Within large, dried fungi that served to cushion the package was a breastplate and backplate. The breastplate was anatomically detailed, and it was clearly intended for a woman.
"Um. Adria?" Breanna called out. "I think I need some help with this."
Adria entered Breanna's room. She laughed as Breanna held the breastplate out. She looked closely at the armor. The interior front and back was lined with a soft leather. The workmanship, both aesthetically and functionally, was impressive.
"Bree, you're going to have to take off your bodice if you want to fit into this," Adria said, looking at the shape of the breastplate. "And probably your underdress." She chuckled again.
Breanna stripped down, then stood as Adria attached the shoulder straps. With some work to avoid pinching anything or squeezing it into the wrong part of the armor, Adria and Breanna managed to get the front and rear of the armor assembled. Breanna stopped to look at herself in the mirror. The armor really fit well, far more comfortably than Breanna would have imagined. Even if it was too explicit with some of its detailings.
"Maybe I can wear this under my wedding dress?" Breanna asked, only half joking.
The party arrived at the docks the following morning. Their army had loaded over the course of the prior day and night, and provisions had been shuttled out to the dozens of ships in the harbor. One of the elven ships was at a dock, waiting for the party. It was larger than any of the human ships, and even at berth it looked fast. Its two masts had no sails on them, but elves rushed about on the deck, bringing large, rolled bundles out to the masts.
"What happened to Acquisition 2?" Breanna asked Bilbus. The mountebank rode a large, feisty warhorse, not the sleek racing horse that he had had for all the months that Breanna had known him.
"We're riding off to war," Bilbus said, tugging on one of the reins to keep the warhorse from nipping at Breanna's horse. "Acquisition 2 wasn't built for war. He was built for racing." He patted the warhorse's neck. "Acquisition 3, however, is built for war." Acquisition 3 once more tried to snap at Breanna's horse. Bilbus slapped the horse's neck and yanked one of the reins, forcing Acquisition 3 to turn away from Star and towards Farran. The kelpie-warhorse snaked its neck at Acquisition 3, ears laid flat and eyes glowing red. Acquisition 3 immediately began to behave.
Elves took the reins of the party's horses. Once the party had dismounted, the elves led the horses to a wide loading ramp that led to an opening on the side of the ship. The elf leading Farran spoke softly to the kelpie, and Farran seemed visibly relaxed, making no effort to bite or otherwise harass the elf.
"This way, please," an elf at the top of a gangplank that led to the deck of the ship. "We shall be underway soon."
The party walked up the plank. The elf led the party down a flight of stairs to a corridor. "You will be staying on the passenger deck. You each have separate rooms. They are somewhat small. Those of you who are married will find your rooms adjoin." The corridor was noticeably warmer than the deck above.
"Warm," Adria sighed blissfully.
"All rooms and corridors are heated," the elf said. "They will be cooled when we get closer to al-Rhayidh. You may control the temperature of your rooms by way of a panel next to the door." He stopped next to one of the stateroom doors. "Sir Kasey Bittrand, this is your room."
The elf opened the door and stepped aside. "If you will all step in, I will demonstrate the room's controls."
The party shuffled into the small stateroom. The elf stood in the doorway. "This is your temperature control," the elf said as he pointed at a brass plaque, a few inches wide and a few tall, next to the doorway. "Touch here to make the room warmer," he said as he touched the upper right corner of the plaque. An engraved, stylized sun was underneath his finger. "Touch here to make it cooler," he said as he touched the lower right corner of the plaque, on top of an engraved snowflake.
"Ooo! What's this do?" Kasey said excitedly as he touched the upper left side of the plaque. A lantern had been engraved there. The room got noticeably brighter. "Neat!" Kasey then pressed the lower left corner, over a crescent moon. The room dimmed. "Light on, light off," Kasey said, pressing the corners again.
The elf looked perturbed. "I will show the rest of you to your rooms." He led them down the hallway, pointing out each of their rooms.
When he had finished, Breanna asked, "When do we get underway?"
"We already have."
"Really? I don't feel us moving."
"Indeed," the elf said. "Not everyone enjoys rocking, pitching ships. You have free rein of this deck and the above deck regions. I will notify you when it is time for the afternoon and evening meals. Good day."
"Friendly," Bilbus muttered as the elf walked away. He went over to the portal in his room and looked out. Sure enough, the ship was moving, at a good clip, southwards through the harbor. But there was no motion in the room, and no whisper of the sea against the hull. It was as if the ship were sitting still, on land.
Bilbus stood on the deck of the elven ship, near the prow. The ship still did not pitch or roll -- it cut through the sea as if it were unaware of the water around it. Bilbus had changed into the al-Rhayidhian robes he had ordered. Even though they were darkly colored, they were comfortable in the heat. A week and a half had passed, with little of interest taking place, and Bilbus was ready to get on with the journey ahead.
Breanna approached him. She leaned on the rail, trying to ignore the sweltering heat that they had been in for days.
"We're close," Bilbus said without turning to her.
"How do you know?"
Bilbus pointed off to the right, ahead of the ship. A white triangle had been rising above the horizon. Soon, a second one appeared near it. Then two more.
"The Great Pyramids of Duzai," Bilbus said as the four pyramids slowly rose above the horizon. "The largest Heka reservoirs on the planet. If the Great Lord gets to them, we lose." He turned to look forward again. "We should be able to see the Caliph's Lighthouse pretty soon."
Minutes passed before the top of the lighthouse was visible, a white limestone cylinder that towered into the sky. A brilliant glow, visible even in daylight, shined out of the huge windows at the top of the tower. Powerful magicks provided the light for the structure, far brighter than any natural fire could ever be. The size of the lighthouse slowly became evident, as the city of al-Qayir now came into sight on the horizon. The tower stood well out into the city's harbor, and towered over eighty paces into the sky. The spire of Cathedral Kells was taller, but this structure was tall and massive, a tapering stone column that seemed to touch the very sky.
The city itself was now within full view. It was a sprawling metropolis of mostly white buildings, but brilliant spots of color were everywhere to be found -- mosaics on walls, tents on the sides of roads, people in colorful robes. The harbor itself held a varied array of ships, from the familiar Brytho-Kelltic shapes, to the boxy Hellenic hulls, to the exotic local fishing boats. A few ornate Karasimian ships had dropped anchor in the harbor, and there was even a ship from the fabled Corsairs of Heracles.
The elven ship sailed straight towards one of the long piers in the harbor, slowing only as it got close to its berth. When at last it stopped, elven deckhands quickly tied the ship off.
"We have reached al-Qayir," the captain of the ship announced. "We will have your horses delivered to the Caliph's palace."
"Very well," Bilbus said. "Where is the palace?"
The elf pointed up a broad avenue. "Follow that road. It leads through the bazaar, past the library, to the palace."
"Library?" Breanna asked hopefully.
"No time," Bilbus said.
The elves lowered a gangplank. The party disembarked and walked along the pier to the avenue. The crowd on the streets parted way, looking curiously at Bilbus and his dark robes. There was only one Caliph in al-Rhayidh, and the man in these dark robes was clearly not he. But anyone wearing such high-ranking robes did not warrant trifling, so the crowd kept their distance.
Bilbus strode up the colorfully tiled avenue, heading towards the bazaar, unmindful of the respectful distance the crowds gave him or of the curious stares they gave him once he passed, his friends following close behind him.
Back to the previous chapter: Shadows
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Original Draft 16 February 2004
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