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Back to the previous chapter: Armies
First Draft
Bilbus strode up the avenue, enjoying the warmth of the day. The chill of the Avillonian winter was already a distant memory, and the heat was milder than Bilbus had expected. The crowds on the avenue were courteous, giving Bilbus and his friends plenty of room as the walked along towards the noisy bazaar ahead. Even from here, it was obvious that the bazaar was larger than all of the markets of Arabel Cinlu combined. It was also far livelier. Colorful tents and colorful merchants created a tapestry of clashing colors, and the noise of competing merchants formed a wall of sound that only got louder as the party got closer.
Breanna squealed in delight. Bilbus looked back at her. She was pointing skyward. Bilbus looked up. A carpet flew overhead, a hundred feet above the ground. A pair of people sat upon the carpet, bypassing the crowded streets.
"Eric! That looks like so much fun!" Breanna gasped. "Where can we get one?"
The party had reached the edge of the bazaar. A nearby tent had a sign that read in Brytho-Kelltic as well as al-Rhaydhian, "Carpet Rentals".
Breanna ran over to the tent. "How much to rent a carpet?"
"You're too eager," Bilbus muttered to himself.
"One Neb," the merchant replied in accented Kelltic. "One Neb will hire the carpet for a day."
"How much is a Neb?" Breanna asked. "We just arrived."
"It would be one part in five of a gold coin. Ahhhhh." He scratched his head. "Eiresud currency, eight Silver Crown."
"Oh," Breanna, dejected.
"How much to buy?" Eric asked.
"Oh... Not cheap, you understand. Twenty Aten. Twenty gold coins."
"You'll never talk him down," Bilbus muttered. "He's already seen Breanna squeal about them."
Rishala wandered to a nearby tent. The vendor offered assorted lanterns and torches.
"What is special about these lanterns?" Rishala asked. From the pricing, it was clear they were expensive.
"Ah. Watch," the merchant said. He picked up one of the lanterns and pressed against the side of it. A cool glow came out of the lantern, casting a pure white light inside the tent. "No fuel needed. You will not find this in Avillonia, yes?"
"Do you have anything smaller?"
The merchant picked up a smooth, rounded stone, one that would have served well as a skipping stone. "Just squeeze," he said as he offered it to Rishala.
Rishala did as instructed. The stone glowed, casting a dimmer, but still noticeable, light within the tent. "I'll take both," Rishala said. "Can you take Avillonian coin?"
"Of course, of course!"
Rishala paid for the magickal lantern and light stone. He dropped the stone into his sporran pouch on his belt, then went to find his friends.
They had continued through the bazaar. Kasey had stopped at a brilliant blue tent a dozen paces away. Even from here, Rishala could see the weapons within the tent. A myriad of swords, most of them straight bladed, as opposed to the curved blades popular in al-Rhayidh, adorned wooden stands and racks under the tent.
Rishala stepped into the tent with Kasey. A woman, in her twenties, was also in the tent. She had the fairer complexion of a Kellt, with pale blue eyes that watched Kasey closely as he hefted a sword.
"This is fine work," Kasey said. "What do these mean?" Kasey pointed at inscriptions on the blade, just above the crossguards.
Rishala raised his eyebrows. The inscriptions were magickal.
"They make the sword more accurate," the woman said.
"How?" Kasey asked.
"Magick, Kasey," Rishala interjected. "I'm Rishala," he introduced himself.
"Daenra," she answered. "You're Caledonian?"
"Aye."
"I'm from Brallian."
"I gathered you weren't a local."
"I don't get that magick stuff," Kasey said. "Hey! Want to see my magick sword?"
Rishala snorted, but Kasey drew Caladbolg from its hangar on his back. He set the sword on a pair of wooden sawhorses.
Daenra inspected the sword for a moment. Her eyes widened as she looked at the workmanship and markings. "Where did you get this?"
"Oh, from some dwarves. Well, it was in there castle. Or cave. Whatever it is they used to live in. I picked it up and it didn't shock me."
"May I?" she asked, reaching for the grip.
"I think so. I don't know if it will shock you or not. Be careful."
Cautiously, Daenra hefted Caladbolg. "This is incredible. The sword must be old. Caledonians don't make magickal swords these days. At least, none admit to it." She inspected the stylized lightning bolts on the drooping crossguards as she set the sword down. "It looks like someone was trying to duplicate the legendary Caledonian kings' sword."
"Caladbolg?" Rishala asked, an amused grin spreading on his face.
"That's it," Daenra quickly said. "What is the king's title... 'Defender of Caledonia, Duke of... something... Baron, and so forth, Seeker of Caladbolg."
"He's still seeking it because Kasey has it," Rishala said.
"What?"
"That sword is Caladbolg. Kasey took it from the dwarven Citadel Altspire moments before the citadel fell to an army of orcs."
"Really?" she asked, eyeing the sword as Kasey put it back in its hangar.
"Yeah. That was a hard fight," Kasey said. "Although we ran away more than we fought. There were just too many of them. Hey! You know how to make magick things, right?"
"I tend to work with metals. Swords, armor..."
"There's something I need. I can pay you for it. Oh. Can you join us for dinner?"
Daenra shook her head. "Dinner?"
"Yeah. At the Caliph's. I'll have someone come get you."
She eyed Kasey suspiciously. Still, he carried an impressive magickal sword. And if these two had been to Citadel Altspire, they may have other interesting stories.
"Sure," she said. If they were making up stories, it was no loss for her.
"Great! I'll see you tonight."
Kasey and Rishala left the tent, hurrying to catch their friends.
They had nearly made their way through the bazaar when a voice called out from the crowd.
"Breanna Ceiturin! We found you at long last!"
Adria groaned. She recognized the voice too easily. It was Sassy.
The party turned towards the familiar surviving members of the Company of Unusual Headgear. Sassy stood a pace ahead of the other members, who were in a line to the rear of the party. Neurth and Toady were to one side of him, and two other men stood to his other side. One of the two strangers was a local, judging from his darker skin and his local style of dress. The other had shockingly red hair and pale skin with freckles. He was obviously Eiresudian.
"What, no hats?" Adria asked sarcastically.
"It's too hot," Sassy snapped to her. He turned his attention to Breanna. "Your father, the dear Lord Ceiturin, has hired us to bring you home. He believes you are in great peril, and he wants to ensure nothing happens to you before you get to marry the young Lord Ithell."
"Oh?" Breanna asked innocently. "Eric, dear? Has anything happened to me?"
"No," Eric said.
Kasey was fingering the grip of Caladbolg as it towered over his shoulder. Adria had casually strung her longbow. She had fingers resting lightly on the quiver of arrows at her hip. The two "new" members of the company slowly started backing away, fading into the crowd. The crowd was pulling away from the confrontation, curiosity piqued at the encounter between the foreigners.
"How much did my father pay you?" Breanna asked.
"He offered us ten gold Drakes. He was kind enough to pay in advance to ensure prompt delivery. Come on. We want to get out of this hothouse."
"I'll make you an offer," Eric said calmly. "You will give us five Drakes to deliver a message to Lord Ceiturin."
"Why..." Sassy blurted.
Eric spoke over him. "And you will give us another five Drakes for us to let you live to deliver the message."
Sassy looked at Adria, with her elven longbow held casually, then at Kasey, with the large sword at his fingertips. Sassy stammered, "Oh... Okay."
Breanna quickly scrawled a quick note. Once she gave it to Sassy, Eric said, "While you're in Armagh, send regards to my father."
"Who's your father?" Sassy growled.
"Lord Janus Ithell."
"You're Young Lord Ithell?" Sassy asked, worried.
Eric nodded.
Sassy collected his two remaining members and disappeared into the crowd. The crowd lost interest in the party, other than a few glances askance at Bilbus in his dark Caliph's robe.
Once the Company was out of sight, Breanna turned to Adria. The noble-assassin was unstringing her longbow.
"Adria, I thought you said you were going to kill them if you ever saw them again."
Adria shrugged. "I didn't have a clear shot. The arrows would have gone through them and hurt bystanders."
"Oh..." Breanna said distractedly. "Eric," she said abruptly. "Do you see those people?" She pointed towards the crowd.
"Which people, Bree?" he asked.
"The ones in the light colored robes with the covered faces? The ones we saw in Erelhei Cinlu?"
Eric spotted them now. Sure enough, three figures stood close to one another wearing light pastel robes. Their faces were covered by thick veils, and their heads were wrapped in matching cloth. "Just like Bilbus and I saw in Arabel Cinlu, too. I imagine that they're spies for the Dark One."
The three beings realized that they had been spotted. They quickly scurried away in the crowded bazaar, losing themselves quickly in the crowd.
"No sense chasing them," Eric said. "Let's get to the palace."
The party finished navigating through the crowded bazaar, finally reaching the broad avenue that led to the Caliph's palace. Up the road they walked, over colorful mosaics of tiles depicting abstract designs.
"Eric!" Breanna said. "Look!" She pointed at an opening in a wall that lined the left side of the street. The wall was over two hundred paces long, spanning several city blocks, and it had but one large opening. On an metal arch over the entrance were stylized al-Rhayidhian letters. Engraved metal on both sides of the entrance translated the sign overhead: "Library".
"Can we stop for a few minutes?" Breanna asked excitedly.
"No, Bree. We need to see the Caliph first."
"But it's going to be boring there. And you don't need me. No one is going to get hurt at his palace. And this is the Caliph's Library. I've read stories about it. It's got everything that's ever been written!"
"Bree," Eric said gently. "We need to save the world, first."
Breanna started to form a protest, but she stopped. Surely there would be time on the way home to stop here. If there was a way home.
The party reached the gate to the Caliph's city palace. The enclosed compound was larger than the library's area, but not by much. And, where the library had many buildings, the palace had few.
Guards stood at the open gates to the palace, watching the party curiously. Bilbus stopped in front of them and swept his dark robes grandly. He channeled Heka to allow him to address the guards in their native tongue. "We are here to see the Caliph."
"And who are you?" one guard asked.
"I am the Lord Bilbus del Cartach, patron of General Lord Eric Ithell." Bilbus gestured grandiosely towards Eric. "We need to see the Caliph."
The guard eyed them, then said, "Follow me."
The guard led the party into the compound. It had a vast gardens of flowers, a small grove of trees, and burbling streams. In the center of the compound was the largest of the buildings, the Caliph's Palace proper. The guards approached the gigantic double doors at the front of the Palace, sequestered in numerous delicate columns. The doors opened outwards silently, with no one touching them. Once the party was through the threshold of the doors, the temperature dropped noticeably, until it was comfortably cool. The vast hallway was lit, but there were no torches, nor were there lanterns.
"The books said the al-Rhayidhians like magick," Breanna said. Magickal lighting. Magickal cooling. Flying carpets. It was almost too much to believe.
Several small doorways led off of the long colonnaded hallway, but the guard led them straight to the end of the hall, where a pair of double doors matching those to the outside slowly opened, revealing the Caliph's grand throne room.
The throne room was every bit as vast as the hallway leading to it, with a ceiling that was lost in the darkness above. Magickal orbs of light glowed brilliantly along the walls and columns of the room, lighting the lower parts of the room in a pleasant golden-white light. The floor was an intricate mosaic of small, colored tiles, fit closely together so they appeared to be a single, textured, multi-hued stone. Plush pillows, each about a pace square, were arranged along the sides of the throne room, with more of them clustered at the far end, around a raised pedestal. The raised pedestal was covered with pillows, and a man in dark robes lounged on the pillows, looking at the party as they stood in the enormous doorway. A few other people were in the throne room, including a few armed guards, several other men who had the stern countenance of guards but bore no obvious weapons, and some women near the throne platform.
The party crossed the cool room quietly, approaching the throne and its occupant. When they were close to the throne, Kasey realized that one of the women sitting on a pillow next to the throne was Meridaun, dressed in a gauzy blue outfit that showed much more flesh than traditional Kelltic garments. Kasey bowed, blushing, when he noticed how much sun-bronzed skin Meridaun revealed in her al-Rhayidhian clothing.
"There is no sword of the belly dancer," Bilbus mumbled as he stared at her, agape.
"Ah, but there is. It is a wonderful belly dancing bar," the man on the throne said. "Or so I am told," he added.
Bilbus bowed, flourishing his robe grandly. "Caliph," he greeted the man in al-Rhaydhian.
Adria stood a few paces behind Bilbus, shaking her head slowly. Her husband wore a robe very similar to the robe on the Caliph. He had been adopting the airs of a noble for some time. Ever since she had married him, and he had proven that he had a noble past. But he had lands thanks to her. It was her fault he acted this way now.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly to Eric. "This is my fault."
"What?" Eric asked.
Adria pointed at Bilbus. "That. It's my fault he is like that. If he didn't get my family's land, he wouldn't act this way."
"I don't know if that's why he does..."
Meridaun stood. She gestured towards Eric. She spoke in Brytho-Kelltic. "Caliph, this is Lord General Eric Ithell of Armagh, of the Kingdom of the Five Crowns. He commands the army."
The Caliph nodded towards Eric. "Lord General," he said in an accented tongue. "I am Caliph Homat bin Ammar bin Yamin bin Qayir bin Rhayidh. Why are you here, and why did you bring an army of a thousand knights into my desert? Your Church's representative has given me an explanation, but I would like to hear it from you."
"Of course," Eric said. "I apologize for the army arriving so far in advance of me, and without advance notice. I am sure you know that the Dark One's prison weakens. We have found a way to fix the prison, but it will require us to get to the prison, past the armies that defend the Wasted Lands. Time was critical, so the Church started sending men down as quickly as possible."
"I see. This is much like what Miss Byddir has said." The Caliph gestured to the pillows near his throne. "Please, take seats." To one of the servants, he said, "Bring drinks for my guests."
"Caliph, I must add that there is another, larger army on its way. It should arrive tomorrow. They will come straight to your harbor."
"I will tell my men in the city to allow them to land and to direct them to the camp your knights already have outside of town."
"Thank you, Caliph."
Bilbus leaned towards Eric. "Pssst. Orc army, too. In the desert."
"Bilbus reminds me, we believe that there is a friendly orc army in the desert somewhere. They will not be bearing the banners of orcs, and they will not have Shadow Kindred with them. If your men spot such an army, please do not attack it. They have joined our cause."
"Very well."
Servants arrived with a number of pitchers, each containing a chilled fruit drink. Others carried glasses for the party. Once the party had drinks, the Caliph spoke again.
"I will send a thousand of my finest warriors with you on your cause. Stopping the Dark One is important for us, as well. If he were to take control of the Pyramids, there would be no end to the malice he could unleash. For this reason as well, you will have use of my ship." He paused. "We will have a feast this evening, to celebrate this grand endeavor. You will take rooms in my palace. I will assign each of you a servant to take care of your needs."
"May I invite a couple of guests?" Eric asked. "We have friends in al-Qayir."
"Of course. It would be my honor to host friends of yours as well."
"You mentioned a ship?" Bilbus asked. "We're crossing a desert, aren't we?"
"You may see it tomorrow. You will understand."
Once the party finished their drinks, the Caliph called for servants to show the party their rooms. The rooms were on a second story of the Palace, facing towards the sprawling city of al-Qayir. Below the rooms was a garden that spread clear to the north wall of the palace. Spacious noble residences filled the space from the walls north to the city proper. From here, the walls of the Caliph's Library were visible, a dark red stripe across the cityscape. Beyond it, the motley colorful tents of the bazaar broke up the white sea of buildings.
After Bilbus gazed out of his window for a while, he turned towards the servant who waited patiently by the door. "Tell me about this 'Sword of the Belly Dancer'," Bilbus commanded.
The servant grinned briefly. "The best belly dancers of al-Qayir are there, as are the finest drinks. It is an expensive place. Many of the rich merchants, and the nobles of the city, go to the bar. Some go in disguise."
"Take us to it," Bilbus said. "I would like to see this dancing. Adria, you should go, too. It might be interesting for you." He paused. "We should take Bree. She might learn something."
Bilbus and Adria collected Breanna, interrupting her re-sorting of her healer's bag, then followed the servant to the belly dancing bar.
Once Bilbus had taken Breanna out, Eric turned to his own servant. "There is a merchant, I believe in the bazaar, who is called Quaeven. He is a gnome. We met him in my lands many months ago. If you can find him, invite him to the feast tonight." Eric fished out a number of gold coins. "I would also like you to get me a red flying carpet. Bring it back here, rolled, with this note attached to it." Eric handed the servant a note.
"Right away, sire," the servant replied while bowing. The servant had very little accent. Eric idly wondered if the servant were using magicks to speak.
Kasey's servant waited patiently in the hallway as Kasey changed into some lighter clothing that was more comfortable in the al-Rhayidhian heat. When the tall knight finished dressing, he stepped into the hallway with the servant.
"Hey, a runner needs to get Daenra. She is a Kelltic blacksmith in the bazaar. I think she does some Heka forging, too. She is my guest tonight at the feast."
"I will get to it," the servant offered.
"No, I want you to take me to the stables. I want to see a camel. I've heard of them, and I saw some when we were coming up here, but I want to see one up close."
"Of course," the servant said. "Please, we will go to the Caliph's stables."
Kasey followed the servant into the gardens, then towards the east end of the compound. Kasey looked at the exotic trees in the garden, with their slightly curving trunks and large leaves sprouting from the top, instead of smaller branches and many smaller leaves. Brilliantly colorful flowers bloomed on bushes beneath the trees, and noisy, brightly colored birds flitted about overhead.
The stables were a sizable building with numerous roomy dirt pens surrounding it. The servant stopped at the first pen, where several camels stood, staring idly at Kasey.
Kasey had already focused his attention elsewhere. Several horses, much smaller than Farran, raced along the fence of another paddock. Their tails were raised, and the long hair of the tails flowed behind the horses like banners.
"Wow. Those are nice looking horses."
"Al-Rhaydhian horses are the best on Oerth," the servant said proudly.
"Well, they wouldn't handle me in full armor, but, for a riding or racing horse..." Kasey walked towards the stables building. "I have to talk to the stablemaster."
Kasey found the stablemaster with some help from the servant.
"Do you speak Kelltic?" Kasey asked.
The man shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.
"I can translate, sire," the servant said.
"How can I get some of those horses? They are like nothing at home. A stallion, maybe two or three mares. Enough for breeding stock."
The servant translated. The stablemaster laughed, then rattled off a reply.
"He says that the Caliph's private collection, the best of the finest breed, are not for sale. They are the Caliph's."
"I'll talk to him at the feast, then," Kasey decided. "Thank you, stablemaster." Kasey bowed towards the man, then went back outside to watch the horses for a while longer.
Bilbus, Breanna, and Adria returned much later in the afternoon. Bilbus still had a lopsided grin on his face as he went back to his room. Adria lingered with Breanna for a few minutes.
"Well?" Adria asked after Bilbus had gone back to his room.
"I took notes," Breanna admitted. "I watched Bilbus's reactions as they danced." She smiled. "We'll see if Eric reacts the same way."
"Good girl," Adria said, smiling to herself. She had been watching Bilbus, as well. And she already knew a few non-courtly dances.
Breanna walked into her room, then stepped out right away. "There's something on my bed."
Adria looked into the room, alarmed. There was a red cloth, rolled tightly and tied with a length of fine rope, on the bed. A note was attached to the cloth.
"What does the note say?" Adria asked.
"It says it's an early wedding present. I need to find Eric."
Adria sighed. "I'm going to lay down for a bit before dinner."
Breanna found Eric in the gardens, sitting and meditating in a shaded grove of exotic flowering bushes.
"Eric?"
Eric opened one eye. "Yes, Bree?"
"There's something on our bed."
"Did you like it?"
"I didn't look at it. It said it was an early wedding present."
"It is. I got it for you while you were out."
"Oh." Breanna blushed slightly.
"Why don't you go open it."
Breanna went back into the palace and up to her room. She removed the note and read it once more, embarrassed that she did not recognize her husband's writing. She then untied the rope holding the red cloth closed and unrolled the material. She realized that the sturdy cloth was a rug. And, in the middle of it was a sheet of rolled paper held closed with a gold ring. She took the ring off of the paper and read the Brytho-Kelltic title.
"INSTRUCTIONS for the Use and Care of the al-Rhayidhian Flying Carpet."
Breanna sat down abruptly on the carpet, which covered her bed, and quickly read the paper, then read it again. She squealed delightedly and ran back down to the gardens, where Eric still meditated.
"Eric! It's a flying carpet! A real one!"
"Do you like it?"
"YES! I've got to show Adria!" She leaned over to plant a wet kiss on Eric's lips, then she ran off once more.
Low tables had been arranged in the throne room, with the pillows lined along the sides. The party had taken seats near the Caliph, with Daenra seated next to Kasey and Quaeven next to Eric. The feast was plentiful, and the party spent time talking with the Caliph and with their two guests.
Eric discussed spice trade possibilities with Quaeven, seeing a possibility to combine his family contacts in Karasimi with the contacts of Quaeven to gain access to an incredible variety of spices from across most of the known world.
Kasey split his attentions between the Caliph, praising the Caliph's horses, and Daenra, praising her forging abilities. He really wanted to get some al-Rhayidhian horses, and he realized that Daenra could create magickal protective gauntlets.
Throughout the feast, there were musicians, acrobats, or dancers performing at all times. The music had an alien quality to the Kelltic listeners, with unusual harmonies and unexpected pitches. The acrobats were much more conventional to Kelltic tastes. And the dancers -- belly dancers -- captivated the men. Breanna and Adria watched Eric and Bilbus's reactions to the dancing; both women were making mental notes throughout the night.
The feast lasted until near midnight. As the festivities wound down, the Caliph offered to have guards escort Quaeven and Daenra back to their respective homes. The party, meanwhile, retired to their rooms for sleep.
Eric's eyes snapped open. The small bag of herbs that he wore on a leather thong around his neck was tingling and cold. Something bad was happening. Just as he sat up, Eric heard the crash of metal striking metal, and the grunts and shouts of fights. There were fights going on in both rooms that adjoined his -- Sturm's and Bilbus's. The explorer sprang out of bed, reaching for his robe and his sword.
In Bilbus's room, the mountebank had awakened to a sense of foreboding. He had just reached for the adamantine sword he kept next to the bed when he realized there was a Shadow Kindred in the room. The Shadow Kindred lunged towards Bilbus, slicing its malevolent sword downwards to cut Bilbus in two. Bilbus raised the adamantine sword up to block just in time, then he rolled towards the Shadow Kindred, who stood at the side of the bed. Bilbus could feel Adria rolling out of bed on the other side of the bed as he slammed into the Shadow Kindred's legs.
The Shadow Kindred fell forward, upper half on the bed. It squirmed to pick itself up. A shrill hiss followed rapid bowshots as Adria shot a pair of arrows through the Shadow Kindred's shimmering head, stapling it to the bed. Bilbus stayed on the ground, below the lower half of the struggling creature, and chopped at its legs with the black sword. Additional rapid arrowshots punched through the creature, and the bed below it, until it was unable to do anything but flail its legs. Within moments, it was writhing in death throes.
Meanwhile, Eric ran into the hallway, sword in hand, to assist Sturm. Between Bilbus and Adria, there was little that those two could not face, but Sturm was too valuable to lose. Eric slid to a stop in the hallway and glanced towards Bilbus's room. A drow stood outside the room, bow readied. A quick glance towards Sturm's room revealed a second drow. Eric was in between them.
"Kuso," he cursed.
The swear word triggered a magickal shield Breanna had placed upon him, just as both drow loosed arrows at Eric. The first arrow stopped, slowed by the protective magicks well before it struck its target. The second one slowed, but still pierced Eric's side. Eric charged towards the drow guarding Sturm's room.
Adria heard the bowshot from outside her room. The door to the room was open, framing a dark elf perfectly. Adria quickly salvoed arrows at the drow, who turned towards her and returned fire. Adria's arrows fell short of their mark, while the drow struck her with one of his shots. Bilbus crawled out from under the Shadow Kindred, stabbing it once in the back for good measure, then charged the drow.
Before he reached it, Kasey cleaved the dark elf with Caladbolg. The thunderclap as the blade struck its target was thunderous in the hall. Before the drow hit the ground, Kasey had withdrawn the greatsword and charged on down the hall, heading towards the other drow. Bilbus followed Adria into the hallway. As Adria set up her shot on the remaining drow, Bilbus raced down the hallway.
Breanna ran out of her room just in front of Bilbus. The mountebank sidestepped past her as she dropped to the ground. An arrow shot past Bilbus to strike the last drow's magickal protections. On the far side of the drow, Rishala ran into the hallway, undressed, with bow in hand and a quiver of arrows hanging from a belt slung over his shoulder. A quick salvo of arrows, and the strike of swords, and the drow fell to the ground.
Eric winced at the second arrow that had struck him, hearing Breanna's repeated admonishment of "No holes!", but he could hear the fight continuing in Sturm's room. Kasey kicked the door open, and he and Eric ran into Sturm's room.
The Shadow Kindred had backed Sturm against the wall. A nasty gash crossed the Sun Knight's midsection, and the Shadow Kindred continued to press its advantage. Eric and Kasey charged the monster, striking from behind with a pair of deadly blows. It fell to the ground, writhing and flailing. Kasey kicked the Shadow Kindred's sword, sliding it across the floor, well away from the dying creature.
The three men stumbled back into the hallway. Eric leaned against the wall, angry at the wounds he had received and angry at the attack.
"Gods, Rishala!" Bilbus exclaimed when he saw the naked Caledonian. "Go put a skirt on!"
Rishala ducked back into his room. When he returned, he no longer carried his bow, and he had a kilt wrapped around him. He was still tightening the belt that held the kilt. Rishala and Breanna started tending to the party's wounds.
"Where in the Hells is the security here?" Eric snarled. He could hear alarm bells ringing within the palace grounds.
He then noticed the open door at the end of the hall, the door that closed the guest wing off from the rest of the palace. Two men laid on the ground, throats visibly cut, in pools of blood.
More guards arrived noisily. When they spotted the wounded party members in the hallway, they shouted for healers. Moments later, more al-Rhayidhians arrived. They helped to heal the wounds.
When Sturm's cut did not respond to their magicks, they asked him what had cut him.
"A Shadow Kindred's darkblade," Sturm growled.
The healers exchanged looks. "We are sorry. We can do nothing for the wound."
"It can be healed," Breanna interjected.
"What? That is not possible. Only the horse-men of the north know a cure, and they teach no one."
"I know the cure," Breanna insisted. "I can teach it to you. I need an asylphar."
"Then you will have one," the Caliph announced. He had arrived while Breanna and the healers talked.
Breanna started detailing the cure, pointing out that it had to be administered on the night of a full moon. And the full moon had passed just four days ago. After a look at Sturm, Breanna decided that he would survive to the next full moon, provided he did not take much more injury.
The Caliph went to Eric. "I am sorry about this attack. I do not know how it could have happened. My men would never allow the neverborn nor the dark elves into my palace."
"There is a spy somewhere," Eric replied. The healing magicks had restored most of his vigor, but he still felt sore. "The spy told them right where to go. But who is the spy?" He went into his room and out to the balcony.
In the moonlight, he could see three figures in pastel robes, standing closely together. Their faces and heads were covered. They were the mysterious merchants. "Maybe they are the spies?" Eric shouted.
One of the Caliph's healers ran out onto the balcony. The merchants were scurrying away, but the healer directed a bolt of bright orange Heka at them. The bolt exploded into a vicious ball of fire, throwing three flaming bodies into the air.
Eric went back into the hallway, to the Caliph. "Who are those people? We have seen them in a number of places."
"They call themselves 'Merchants from Leng'," the Caliph said.
"Where is Leng? I'm unfamiliar with the name," Eric said.
"I do not know. It is far from here, I believe. These merchants trade unusual, large rubies for various goods."
"Slaves?" Eric asked. In the dreamlands, the merchants traded rubies for slaves.
"Slavery is not permitted in the Caliphate. We do not have slaves." The Caliph looked around. "I will post mages on guard in your hallway. There will not be another attack."
"Good," Eric said. "You should warn them about a vampire. There is a supernatural vampire that has been following us, as well."
"I will warn them," the Caliph assured his guest.
Once the healers had left, the party returned to their beds to sleep off what was left of the night.
The breakfast the following morning was every bit as elaborate as the evening feast had been.
"I sent men to the Lengite ship," the Caliph said as the party ate. "It had put to sea already last night. I do not know where they have gone, but I will sign a decree this morning announcing that the merchants from Leng are no longer welcome in my caliphate. Any found violating my decree will be detained or executed."
After breakfast, the party gathered to go see the Caliph's Zephyr. Breanna was on her carpet, still trying to master basic control of it.
"Nice rug, Bree," Bilbus said as he climbed into the saddle of Acquisition 3. The warhorse was much taller than his previous horse, and he still had not had time to accustom himself to the differences. "Did you steal it?"
"No," she said.
"Oh," Bilbus said disinterestedly.
"Eric got it as an early wedding present." She flew the red carpet over Bilbus's head.
"Have fun with it."
"I am!"
The party rode out of town, following a guide on one of the Caliph's private horses.
The Caliph's country estate was nearly as large as his city palace. It was nestled against one bank of the river that flowed through al-Qayir, and it had a small dock, but there was no ship at the dock.
Their guide led them to a large building that looked like a barn or warehouse. He dismounted from his horse, then led the party into the building.
Inside was a ship, a double-masted ship about the same size as the Aquasition that the party had captured in the Vasmar. The masts had been dismantled, and the ship rested on a wooden frame. A rope ladder hung off of the side of the ship, and a crew bustled about on its deck.
One of them men stopped when he saw the party. "Ahh! Welcome! This is the Caliph's Zephyr, and I am its captain, Captain bin Nekhen."
"This is an interesting ship," Eric said. "But I do not understand how it will help us when we must trek over the desert."
"Yes, yes. If this were an ordinary ship, that would be a problem. But." He switched to al-Rhayidhian and rattled out some orders. Several men climbed down the rope ladder and ran to some large turncranks. As they turned the cranks, the roof slid aside. "This is no ordinary ship."
The captain climbed up to the steering tiller. The Caliph's Zephyr rocked slightly, then lifted off of its cradle to float a few feet in the air. After a few seconds, it lowered back down to the frame.
The captain walked back to the railing, so he could see his visitors. "What do you think?" he asked.
"That is amazing," Eric said. He turned to Bilbus. "Do you realize what this could do for trade? Goods wouldn't have to be carried by oxcart over land..." His eyes glazed briefly as he thought about ways the ship could revolutionize trade. "There are no weapons," he observed.
"No, it is not a warship."
"Considering where we're going, a ballista or something like that would be worthwhile."
"Why?" Bilbus asked. "We put Adria and you up there, and we have a lot of firepower. We can rain arrows from above the enemy formations."
"True," Eric conceded. To the captain, he asked, "Can we take it for a test ride? I'd like to get an idea of how it feels."
"We need to do that anyway," the captain replied. "Come aboard."
Eric walked to the rope ladder and started to climb it. He then paused. "What do you mean you need to do that anyway?"
"We have not flown the ship, except to lift it from its cradle as I just did. The Caliph has ordered us to fly with your army, so we need to see if the ship can fly. Do you still want to go?"
Eric finished climbing the rope ladder. Bilbus joined him, but the rest of the party declined to board the flying ship.
"Can this thing float?" Eric asked as he looked about the deck of the ship. Now that the roof of the hangar was open, the crew were working quickly to get the masts raised.
"Yes," bin Nekhen answered. "This is a normal ship in all respects, but it also has the ability to fly above the water."
"Can it do a water landing? So it can look like a normal ship?"
"Let us find out."
The crew soon had the masts in place. Sails were raised on slanted cross-arms -- the ship was lateen-rigged, with two large triangular sails. The Zephyr floated into the air, and it soon caught the breeze. The crew frantically worked to turn the ship until it was sailing northwards, towards the Brythomar. Breanna flew along near the ship, riding on her carpet, as the ship plied its way over the sands way towards the open sea.
Once the ship was well over the sea, bin Nekhen dropped it down until the bottom caught water. The Caliph's Zephyr pitched forward precipitously, throwing a wave ahead of it, but it quickly righted itself and settled into the water.
"It lands well in the water," bin Nekhen announced. "We will slow down more next time, to keep from making such a wave."
"What are you thinking, Eric," Bilbus asked quietly. "Should we go catch this Leng ship?"
Eric shook his head emphatically. "That's a bad idea. We have no weapons, and only minor magicks. We don't know what their ships can do." He turned to the captain. "Captain bin Nekhen, this is a fine ship. It seems to me that it has successfully made its test flight. Let's return to the Caliph's estate."
Under the captain's guidance, the ship soon was flying south, back towards the estate.
Breanna flew ahead of the ship, leaving it behind as she experimented with driving her carpet quickly.
When the ship finally returned to its hangar, Breanna was nowhere to be found. Neither was Adria. When Eric and Bilbus climbed down from the deck of the ship, Sturm reported that the two had decided to fly back into town to visit the Caliph's Library for a while as they waited for the men to ride back into town. A camel had taken a liking to Rishala, and it was following him around, despite the Caledonian's protests and efforts to shoo it away. Rishala was all too ready to head back to town to escape the affectionate camel's attentions.
Later that afternoon, back at the palace, Eric and Bilbus were in one of the reading rooms. They had notes spread between them on a table.
"Just what does this mean?" Eric wondered. He read a passage from an orc poem the party had recovered months earlier. "'Answerer steals the foe'?"
"The sword you have is called 'The Answerer'," Bilbus reminded his friend.
"I know that. But what does it mean, 'steals the foe'?"
"It's prophecy. It doesn't have to make sense."
"And what about Sturm? 'Sun feels soul eater/Great Lord falls to soul eater'."
"Sturm stabs the Great Lord," Bilbus interpreted.
"I don't think that's it. I think there's more to it than that."
Bilbus looked around. Sturm was nowhere to be seen. "I'd suggest you ask him, but he's not here. And he probably wouldn't answer, anyway." He glanced at the notes. "How do we get into the Palace? Maybe, once we find the orcs, we should have them go ahead of us and integrate themselves in the Great Lord's army, so they can wreak some havoc so we can sneak in."
"I don't know," Eric replied. "There's too much we don't know yet. We can't really start planning until we have all of the army together." He started to gather the notes. "We can work on it more later."
It was late afternoon, and the fleet carrying the Kelltic army had not arrived. The party was concerned about the missing fleet, so Eric and Bilbus decided to see if Meridaun had a way to contact or detect it.
When Bilbus rapped on the door to her room, she called out, "Enter."
Bilbus opened the door and stepped through. He almost choked when he saw Meridaun. She was laying on a rug on the balcony of her room, wearing only smallclothes that covered her hips and bottom. Her bare back was exposed to the sun, revealing a very un-Kelltic tan. She lazily lifted her head to see who was visiting.
Bilbus managed an incoherent noise. He was looking at a nearly nude priestess. Somehow, he was sure there was something in the Church's books forbidding such a thing. He could picture Mother Evaleen, the Mother of the Orphanage, striking his wrist for staring at Meridaun.
Eric gently pushed Bilbus aside so he could step into the room as well. "Mother Meridaun, I am sorry to interrupt your..." Eric was not sure what she was doing. "Anyway. The fleet with our army has not arrived. It should have been here hours ago. I was wondering if there was something you could do to spot it?"
She thought for a moment. "Hand me that towel," she instructed, pointing at a towel that was draped across a chair in her room.
Eric could see a blush creeping onto Bilbus's face. The mountebank cleared his throat and excused himself, then hastily left Meridaun's room. Eric grabbed the towel and stepped onto the balcony to give it to Meridaun. She slid it underneath her chest, then sat up, wrapping it around herself as she did so. She shut her eyes for a moment, concentrating. After a few minutes of silence, she opened her eyes.
"I can't sense them anywhere near the city," she said.
"We need to search for them. I'll see if the Caliph can supply a carpet. Could you go on the search with us?"
"I can, but the caliph expects us for another meal. We can leave early, but it will still be after sunset before we can go." She started to stand. "I need to get dressed for the feast. You should probably leave." She grinned at him.
Eric took his leave, heading back to the room he and Breanna shared so he could get ready, as well.
A larger carpet waited for the scouting party in the dark of the palace's gardens. There was room on the carpet for six to sit comfortably. At the front were two of the Caliph's men. Meridaun and Rishala would ride out on the carpet to use their scrying abilities to locate the missing fleet. Kasey insisted on going along to protect Meridaun.
"How high can one of these things fly?" Eric asked as the scouts made ready to leave.
"No one knows," the driver of the carpet said. "Maybe forever. People pass out when they get too high, and the carpet flies back down to the ground. It is cold at high altitudes. Maybe people fall asleep from the cold."
"We're ready," Rishala said as he sat on the carpet.
"Good luck," Eric said. He stood back as the carpet lifted noiselessly into the air. It quickly flew out of sight in the darkness, flying towards the sea to the north.
It was an early hour of the morning when the scouts returned. A servant apologetically woke Eric and led him to a room in the palace where Meridaun, Rishala, and Kasey waited.
"We found the fleet," Rishala reported. "They are perhaps a half day out, now."
"What happened?" Eric asked.
"They encountered a storm. Not a natural storm, either. It was very violent, and it threatened to sink the entire fleet. But the priests and the elven mages were able to counteract the storm enough to get the fleet through."
"But they will be here tomorrow?"
"Aye. Or later today, since we're past the middle of the night." The Caledonian yawned. "I'm going to get some sleep, now." He trudged towards the guest quarters.
Early the following morning, Eric and Bilbus rode out to his army's garrison area. The Church Knights who had been in the country for a while had organized an encampment a few miles out of al-Qayir, and they had settled into a routine of training to help them acclimate. Most of the Church Knights dressed like the locals, eschewing their heavy plate armor in the searing light of day.
The Caliph's contribution to the army, a thousand light mounted warriors, had joined the encampment. The two forces practiced together, both mounted combat and dismounted fighting. The din of crashing wooden practice swords was loud.
From the north, the Caliph's Zephyr approached, riding a few paces above the desert sands. Eric watched the sailors aboard the ship furl the sails. The ship drifted forward for a distance before stopping and floating downwards until the bottom of the hull touched the ground.
"We should get carpets for scouting," Eric commented. "Having a ship is helpful, but faster scouts that don't have to rely on the wind would be better as screening units." Eric tracked down the commander of the Caliph's light cavalry. He repeated his comment.
"I will send men to get some," the commander promised.
Eric went back to watching the training.
The army had arrived late in the afternoon, and it had spent much of that day and that evening, as well, unloading from the fleet of ships and marching out to the encampment. The following morning found the army readying to head out.
The party arrived at the encampment around mid-morning. Bilbus had collected half a dozen carpets from the Caliph, and the Caliph's cavalry had likewise collected six. Most of the carpets were distributed to al-Rhayidhian scouts, who quickly fanned out to the south to start looking for any signs of interference along the army's planned route.
The party boarded the Caliph's Zephyr, and it set sail ten paces above the rolling desert floor.
Bilbus took two of the remaining carpets and gave one to Adria and another to Rishala. He waved Breanna over to join them as well. "I want all of you to make sure you can use these things." He gestured towards the carpets. "We've seen the prophecy. There are four 'Instruments of Power'. Kasey, Eric, Sturm, and I have them. We have to go through with whatever lies ahead. You three don't." He noticed Breanna's eyes widening. "If something really, really bad happens, get out of here. Flee. Don't try to save us."
Breanna shook her head. "No. We can't just leave you."
"If it's that bad, there's no reason to risk yourself on a hopeless cause. Just get away, so you can survive. Do you understand?" Breanna still shook her head, refusing to accept what he had said. At least Adria was nodding, albeit grimly.
Adria and Rishala looked over their carpets. Each had a control ring -- the ring had to be worn in order for the carpet to respond. Bilbus had found instruction pamphlets written in Brytho-Kelltic, so the two started skimming through the instructions. Breanna had already climbed onto her carpet, and she was practicing flying alongside the Zephyr.
Sometime around midafternoon, as Breanna flew past the marching army, she realized that one of the elves was waving to her, trying to get her attention. The elf wore dark robes, but no armor. He must be a mage, she decided.
"What does an elven mage want with me?" she blurted.
Nervous, she slowed the carpet down and lowered it until she landed near the mage. As she stood up on the carpet, he approached.
"You are traveling with the commander, yes?" the elf asked in a musical voice.
"Yes," Breanna said cautiously.
"And with the Caledonian priest?"
"Yes."
"He is aboard the flying ship. Take me there. I have something you two need." He stepped aboard the carpet and sat.
Breanna sat back down on the carpet, folding her legs, and made the carpet take off once more. She quickly flew back to the Zephyr, enjoying the cooling effect of the breeze in the hot afternoon. Once the carpet had landed, she led the elf to Rishala, who was looking out across the desert as he leaned against a railing.
"Rishala?" Breanna asked. When the Caledonian turned, she quickly said, "This elf wants to talk to us."
Rishala looked at the elf curiously.
The elf held something out in his palm. There was a cube of material there, just over an inch wide, but it was difficult to see. It was as opaque as thin smoke, but glistened with internal flashes of light.
"Do you know what this is?" the elf asked.
Breanna shook her head, but Rishala answered breathlessly, "Aye."
"This is Hekalite," the elf said for Breanna's sake. "It is pure, elemental Heka. This is a very rare substance on my world, and it is even more scarce here." He offered the cube to Rishala, then took another one out of a pocket in his robe. He gave it to Breanna. "We are heading into difficult battles. Our mages learned long ago that Hekalite has certain properties that can be exploited. There is a technique we call 'Heka Lensing', in which a shaped flow of Heka is directed through Hekalite. The flow of Heka strips Heka out of the Hekalite, increasing the power of the casting twofold. It is destructive to the Hekalite if too much Heka is consumed too quickly, but the resulting effect is substantial." He paused to look at the two humans. "Do you understand what I am explaining?"
"Aye," Rishala said. "Does one need to hold the Hekalite to direct the Heka through it?"
"If you need the visual and physical aids when shaping the flows, yes. Typically, mages keep the Hekalite in a pouch worn on the body, so the flows can be kept close until they are sent to their target. If you can control your Heka flows without physical action, simply shape the Heka, then push the flow through the Hekalite before sending it to its destination."
"Thank you," Rishala said. He studied the transparent cube in his hand.
"Yes, thank you," Breanna said. She was still trying to grasp what she had been told, and she still did not comprehend that she held real Hekalite in her hand.
"Can you return me to my army?" the elf asked her.
"Oh. Yes, sorry." Breanna stepped onto the carpet. As soon as the elf sat down, Breanna flew the carpet back down to the army.
She returned to the ship to talk to Rishala.
"Do you understand what he was talking about?" Breanna opened.
"Aye. You know what you do when you're applying Heka to one of your poultices, to get it to release its healing energies?" Breanna nodded. "This is basically the same. But, instead of pushing the energy into the poultice, you push it into the Hekalite. Then you push it into whatever the destination is."
Breanna looked at her cube of Hekalite. "Okay." She paused. "This is really Hekalite, isn't it. I've read about it..."
"Aye. It's the rarest substance on Oerth. That block of it you hold can probably buy Armagh." He paused, contemplating the value of the elemental gem. "You could buy more than just Armagh, actually."
Kasey walked over to the two. "Hi, guys." He spotted the shimmering, translucent gems each held. "Wow. What is that? Magick smoke?"
"Something like that," Rishala confirmed.
"Hey, do you need something to keep them in? I'm not really doing anything right now. I could sew some pouches."
"Could you, Kasey?" Rishala asked.
"Oh, yeah. I'm sure I have some material scraps somewhere in my backpack. I'll see what I can make."
"Thanks, Kasey."
"Oh, it's not a problem." Kasey quickly strode towards the ladder down to the hold, where his gear was.
That evening, once the armies had prepared their encampments for the night, Eric noticed that the bands accompanying the armies had started informal competitions. The Caledonian bagpipers, the horns of the Church Knights, the drummers of the Footmen of Camelough, and the exotic musicians of the al-Rhayidhian forces and the elves had gathered in a central location to play against one another.
"That's a good idea," Eric noted when he noticed them interacting. "We should organize it, and add other contests. Archery, horsemanship..."
He called the commanders together to work out details of some competitions.
Several nights later, once the army had settled into an encampment for the night, various riders from the Church Knights and the Caliph's Army competed contests of riding prowess. One of Jamie's Band tried to join the competition, but he humiliated himself by falling off of his horse.
Kasey watched the competition for a while, but he lost interest and stared off to the south.
Eric found him still looking some time later, after the evening's competitions had subsided.
"Kasey, what are you looking at?" the general asked.
"Well, it's weird. There is a storm coming. I don't see lightning. But I can hear thunder somewhere out there, very far away."
"I'll have scouts sent out to see if they can find the storm."
The scouts reported back much later that they had found nothing.
The afternoon sun was hot overhead as the Caliph's Zephyr sailed a twenty feet above the ground. The army marched alongside, trailing back until the long support trains were lost in the shimmer of the heat. White sands stretched in all directions, but the first faint shadows of mountains appeared in the distant south, ahead of the army. The horizon below the mountains to the south looked dirty.
"Is that a sandstorm, Captain?" Eric asked as he pointed towards the dark stripe on the horizon.
"It is a low one, if it is," the captain replied as he gazed ahead of the ship.
One of the carpet scouts approached from the direction of sandstorm. Even as his carpet descended towards the deck of the Caliph's Zephyr, the scout was standing. He spoke rapidly in his native tongue, then stopped and switched to Brytho-Kelltic.
"Orcs ahead! Many. Ten Fists, in battle line. Marching this way."
"What banners did they fly?" Eric asked. It could be the missing Tree Eaters Tribe.
"None raised."
Eric shook his head.
"Ten fists is seventy-five hundred orcs," Sturm pointed out.
It was almost double the size of Eric's army. "Order the army into battle formation. Have them prepare for attack." The likelihood of defeating such a large force of orcs was minimal. "Stop the ship."
The Caliph's Zephyr slowed, until it drifted lightly in the breeze. Below, orders were relayed as the army under Eric's command moved into battle formation, unaware of the odds they faced. Once the forces were arrayed, they waited.
The dust of the orc army was much more dominant on the horizon. Soon, a distant rumble of thunder could be heard on the breeze. The thunder got louder and louder, until it was clear that the thunder was an intricate drum cadence played on hundreds of large drums. Shouts of thousands of orcs chanting in unison punctuated the primal drums, and the noises of metal armor soon were adding to the cacophony of the approaching orc army.
Eric watched, his heart sinking as he surveyed the wide battle line of orcs. Even with fifteen hundred heavy knights, and the thousand mounted warriors of the Caliph, there was not enough shock power to break that large of a formation. And once the orcs closed to melee distance, the fight would quickly favor them.
The ten fists of orcs closed until they were no more than a mile from the human army. They then stopped, orders bellowing through the ranks audible even at that distance. In the center of the line, the orcs raised enormous banners.
The largest banner was a blue field with two stylized white towers upon it. It was the banner of the Camelough Guards, the army that fought to slow the orc advance so that people could escape the doomed capitol of the Sun King's empire. A smaller banner next to it was the familiar sun-with-a-sword battle flag of Uther Paendroeg himself. Other banners, each torn once horizontally, fluttered behind those two large flags.
"It looks like the orcs found us," Rishala observed.
"Captain, land our ship," Eric commanded. "We will ride horses out to greet them."
Once the ship touched sand, a crewman threw a rope ladder over the side. The party climbed down. Pages readied horses for Bilbus, Eric, and Sturm. As they did so, Breanna quickly put magickal protections on all three of them.
As the three prepared to ride forward, Eric turned his horse so that he faced Bilbus. "Bilbus, if you pull a stunt like you did in the Tunnels, something that endangers this army, I will kill you personally." He stared levelly at the mountebank-noble. "I want to know whose side you are on." Eric had lost his composure after Bilbus had held the entire army hostage in the Tunnels, costing the army its supply wagons. Afterwards, Bilbus had apologized, after a fashion. But the seed of doubt about Bilbus's allegiance had taken hold in Eric's mind, and there was little time left for Bilbus to walk both sides of the fence.
Bilbus returned the level gaze. "I'm with her," he replied, pointing at Adria.
Eric looked at Adria.
"I'm with you," she said.
Eric nodded. "Come on." He turned his horse towards the orc army and rode away.
Sturm and Bilbus followed him towards the army. Several orcs were jogging forward from the battle line. When the two smaller groups were close, Eric stopped and climbed down to meet the orc commander on foot. Bilbus and Sturm dismounted as well. Eric swaggered towards the orc commander with an arrogance befitting a military commander. Bilbus walked alongside the Azirian, leaving Sturm to hold the horses' reins.
As the two approached the orcs, Bilbus looked at the torn flags hanging with the battle flags.
"Those flags are the flags of defeated enemies," Bilbus explained. "The orcs believe in honoring those who fought valiantly and lost, so a worthy, powerful enemy is remembered as part of the tribe's history. The tear is done to remember that the foe was defeated." He looked at the flags, naming them as he recognized them. "The oldest one, the one closest to their battle flag, is the flag of the Camelough Guards, the same banner they're using as their own battle flag. The next one is the Camelough city flag. Those next three I don't really recognize, but, I would guess from the style of flag, that they're Dalesian city flags. Probably cities they sacked while they were looking for a place to settle. Those last two flags are orc tribal flags. Stone Fists Tribe and Wet Foot Tribe."
The two were now standing in front of the orc commander.
"We meet once again," the commander said in orcish. "I am Fists Commander Krag. I lead ten fists of orcs."
Bilbus translated for the other two men. He added, "He's the one we met at Hold Asam."
"I am Lord General Eric Ithell," Eric said. Bilbus dutifully translated. "We are glad to see your army made it to the deserts. The battle will be difficult, but it must be done if we are to survive."
The orc sneered, revealing sharp teeth. Bilbus translated, "This is a battle we would not miss. We are ready to free ourselves from the Great Lord at last."
"Bilbus, I will let you be the liaison with the orcs. Just remember what I told you before we rode out here. Tell Fists Commander Krag that all army commanders will meet onboard the Caliph's Zephyr immediately. We will continue the march south. His army should fall in behind the Footmen of Camelough, ahead of the support trains. Maybe they won't be noticed from the front behind the knights and footmen."
Bilbus relayed the orders, and Krag nodded. He shouted orders back to his formation, then followed Bilbus and Eric back to their horses. Once they and Sturm were riding back to the human army, Krag jogged alongside them.
Once the three were back onboard the Caliph's Zephyr with Krag, Eric ordered the army forward. He introduced the various commanders to Fists Commander Krag, and introduced them to the orc as well.
As the orcs fell into the column of the army, Bilbus stood at the railing of the Zephyr, looking at the army stretching into the distance. The orc drums beat a strong cadence, and all of the footmen were keeping pace with it.
"Eric," Bilbus said as he watched the column of over ten thousand fighting men and women. "You are commanding the biggest army since the Fall of Camelough."
Back to the previous chapter: Armies
Continue to the next chapter: Wastes
Back to the Book IV Index.
Back to the Dark Mysteries Campaign Chapter Index.
Original Draft 9 March 2004
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