“Good morning… or goodnight, as the case may be,” said Lief smiling, glad to have someone to talk to. He was sitting against one of the more stable walls, polishing a short sword with a golden handle.
“What happened?” Darci broke from her reverie, pausing to rub some sleep out of her eyes.
“I mean, what happened to my watch. Weren’t you supposed to tell me a while ago?” She sighed, already knowing the answer. Her Elven friend was once again being his kind and caring self.
Lief smiled again sending a warm feeling down the back of her spine. “I was going to, but you looked so peaceful. Anyway, with whatever you have to do tonight, I didn’t have the heart to disturb you.”
Darci wondered how she could have looked peaceful considering what had actually happened, and then her thoughts focused on the other part of her friend’s comment. Tonight was the night; the decision would be made that countless lives depended on. Who would be victorious? Good or evil? She snorted as she thought of the old cliché she had seen and read about so many times back on Earth, how at the last moment, the hero suddenly knows what to do and saves the day. Would she be the hero tonight?
Again, doubts rained down upon her mind like a monsoon. What could she do? What was she supposed to do? How could she, an average teenage girl, possibly defeat such an evil monster such as Demolish, a demon she knew nothing about? Could she be the hero they so badly needed?
Lief stood up to sheathe his sword before walking over to her, his movements unnoticed until he placed a hand comfortingly on her back. Darci jumped out of her thoughts at his touch, taking a moment before her heartbeat began to slow again.
“Do not worry, we will defeat this demon and then everything will be fine.” He gave her a quick hug, squeezing her tight against his body with his chin on her head. “Just think of what we can do after we return victorious. Perhaps you can take a holiday before being sent home. I could take you to see the wonders of the Elven Lake City…” he trailed off has he thought about the wondrous world that had banished him.
“Thanks, I could do with a holiday.” Darci’s emotions could not decide between relief or sadness. Relief that Lief had not forgotten she was not from this place, or sadness at the thought that she may not be able to go home.
“It’s just that I keep thinking, what am I supposed to do?” Darci snuggled back into his embrace, finding momentary comfort in his arms.
The young elf paused for a moment as he considered how best to phrase his words. “You’ll know when we get to it, and whatever happens, happens; there’s no point worrying about it.” He moved some hair out of her fringe as he again rested his chin on her head, giving her what comfort he could.
“Yeah,” Defyance was now also awake. She rolled over to look at the two, propping her head up on her elbow. “Like he said, we’ll burn that bridge when we get to it. Now, what’s for breakfast?”
* * *
Sounds of nightlife seeped through the charcoal walls of the former farmhouse; the hoot of an owl, the occasional squeak of a bat hunting in the night sky and the sigh of the now familiar breeze running over the grassy tundra that surrounded them.
Within the relative safety of their camp, the air was thick with the tension and agitation that was often brought on by fatigue. Nobody knew what they were supposed to do so they were preparing themselves as best they could. Maledorian was oiling his body armour to make sure that it was in perfect condition. Defyance had pulled out an arsenal of blades and daggers, checking each their sharpness in the glint of the moonlight before placing them all over her body in hidden sheathes, showing everybody why she was called the Dagger Bearer.
Taslessian was dressing himself in multiple layers of silk-like material that had been with him ever since their meeting with Sahat, waiting for the right time to accept his status as a fully-fledged wizard. His face bore a solemn expression as in his mind he tried to review all the spells that might come in handy. He had learnt so much and his mind swam with the seemingly limitless information he had been given, yet inside, he felt a new sense of contentment. He was ready.
Lief was putting on some light, golden chain mail while Darci was packing up what was left of their camp with unusual dexterity; each occupying their own mind so that they did not have to consider the night to come.
“Okay everyone,” Taslessian said to get their attention. “I’m going to scout out where we are going.” Everyone looked at the young man as he sat down on his makeshift bed. The tell-tale wind of magic began to swirl around his body, picking up the farmhouse’s carpet of coal dust in a spectacular mini whirlwind.
Concentrating, the young wizard began to feel the world around him; the four people sitting close, the disjointed thoughts of the horses, the nose twitch of a mouse whose home they had temporarily invaded...
Transcending the confines of his body, Taslessian’s consciousness began to float in the air unseen to those present. Swiftly he drifted over the short distance between their camp and their destination. The grass blew swiftly underneath his unseen presence as a wild dog stopped to sniff the air; heckles rising on the back of its neck. The animal’s howls were but an echo as Taslessian reached the bottom of the mountain.
Before him lay the ugliest mountain he had ever seen. Using his unconscious sight, he could see everything that lay before him. The mountain that was their destination looked as if it had just erupted out of the earth, spewing newborn rocks around the countryside to announce its presence. A small jagged path led a steep trail up to an unseen building just beyond. Following it up, he saw a flat wall with a door, guarded by what appeared to be Dashagi warriors. He stretched forward as the realisation dawned. The mountain itself was the demon’s fortress. As he was about to enter the building he sensed another presence, something evil, powerful, unknown.
Taslessian had the briefest sense of Domati mixed in with the massive power that assailed him before being rushed back into his body.
As if struck by an invisible blow the young wizard was knocked back against the burnt-out wall of the farm. Ash fell down around him yet it appeared to simply slide off his fine cloaks leaving not a mark. Lief was first to reach the young man with a helping hand. But much to everyone’s relief, Taslessian had only been winded. The impact caused by the attack had been so immense it had caused his spell to end abruptly. The whirlwind that had surrounded him had stopped mid cycle, falling to cover a perfect circle of dust around where he had been. He shook his head to clear it from the power resonating through his life force to witness an argument in process.
Both warrior woman and knight had been uninterested in watching his magical display, instead busying themselves with their own preparations. It had been their differing views that had caused a slight difference of opinion.
“You can’t wear your armour, Maledorian,” Defyance stated flatly. She stood with her hands on her hips in front of the knight. “If we’re going to sneak in, it will be too loud and it will get us caught. The world we know will die because of your armour, and it will be all your fault!” Defyance waved one of her hands in the air to emphasise her point before using it to tuck away some stray hair.
“I never go into serious battle without my armour,” Maledorian replied with steel in his voice. He continued fitting himself into his large metal suit, not bothering to look up at the woman who stood resolutely in front of him.
“Now, now, children.” Taslessian rose off the ground so that he could step in to become the mediator, a role that was not usually needed. “Normally, the armour would be a hindrance, that’s true.” This comment drew a scowl from Maledorian and a nod of agreement from Defyance.
“However,” Taslessian continued, “Luckily for you, I can fix the sound problem with a spell so that we can all be relatively silent.” With this news, Defyance turned away in a huff, kicking up some black dust as she went to pet her horse. The young wizard may have solved the problem but it still made her feel as if she had lost the argument.
&nbs
p; Finally, when the sun had set, they sat down to go over their plan. Maledorian, in his now silent armour, drew diagrams in the ashes with his finger. In the darkness his map glowed eerily, illuminated by a small ball of light, courtesy of Taslessian.
“So far, from what Taslessian has been able to see, it would appear the mountain fortress is surrounded by harsh rocky outcrops, which means that we’ll have to leave the horses here.” Defyance patted the nose of her mysterious horse, whispering in its ear before loosening the other horses’ ties. If they did not make it out before morning, at least the horses would be able to escape.
“These rocks may be an advantage,” the knight continued. “They will help us stay hidden so that we can approach undetected, but it could also hide whatever the enemy uses as guards. Once we reach the fortress we are going to try to sneak in, however, we are not counting on that. Expect to be hard pressed as soon as we get close, because from all indications, they already know we’re here.”
Taslessian nodded in confirmation. Domati knew they were in the area, but whether that information was general knowledge for the army they controlled was another matter.
“With luck, we’ll break through their defences, do what we have come here to do, and be back here in time for breakfast.”
If only I could be that confident, Darci thought as she looked absentmindedly at the rough schematic. A small square showed where they were and a simple line to a large circle showed the way to the mountain. Other, assorted circles and squares showed the possible deployment of enemy camps, with trails of Maledorian’s finger showing which way to take back should they become separated. She closed her eyes tight as she rubbed them with the back of her hand. For some reason, she could not hold the image in her head. She shrugged it off, knowing that they would get there regardless. It’s what happened when they did that was the problem, anything after that would be a gift.
Maledorian stood up from his crouched position on the floor, brushing off his blackened finger. This was it, the moment he had been training for his whole life. He knew now that no matter what happened, he had lived his life with an honour that his ancestors could be proud of.
Defyance walked over from where she had been standing to slap her knightly comrade soundly on the back. “One more thing,” she said as they all stood. “If I’m going to go into the battle of the century, I’m going to go in looking like my wonderful self.”
Darci had grown accustomed to Defyance looking like her father, so much so that she had completely forgotten that both of them were not wearing their own faces. Lief and Maledorian headed carefully outside to check that their path was clear. They had witnessed this disjointed form of magic before, no longer marvelling at its uniqueness. When it was over, the oddly unfamiliar features of their own faces once again adorned their heads.
The warrior woman gave Darci a wink as they followed Taslessian out of the deserted farmhouse, heading off towards their destiny.
* * *
Uneven terrain underfoot made it difficult for the silent group of five as they carefully climbed up the hilly pass towards the hidden fortress. Large rocks, as big as an ogre and larger, were strewn haphazardly in their way, as if caused by an almighty avalanche. Yet there was nothing natural about their surroundings. The rocks that lay around them on the steepening upward slope were all part of the unnatural birth of this fortress and the evil that lay within.
The terrain was covered with dust that barely held the newly struggling undergrowth to the ground as the wind blew a moving carpet of sand, only known by touch in the darkness. Eerie shadows seemed to close in on them. Off to the far south, occasional flashes of light could be seen but whether it was a battle or a party, not even Lief’s eyes could tell.
Being the knight that he was, Maledorian reasoned that all had gone to the battlefield, not expecting anything to happen in their own territory. A fact that relied upon the battle having almost begun and not that their enemy was simply lying in wait.
When they finally reached the base of the mountain, as one, their footsteps slowed and their heart rates quickened as they became even more cautious. Occasionally, Lief would signal all to stop, straining his ears for any kind of sound, all of them obeying him instantly as they jumped behind their rocky coverage to wait for what was to come. Bodies were crouched in readiness, hands on weapons and minds set to kill. But nothing happened. Whatever it was that had spooked the elf, proved to be nothing but the wind, as he again signalled them to continue.
Closer and closer they came, sweat dripping from their furrowed brows as they continued the upward climb. Thanks to Taslessian’s spell, the only noise that they could hear was the beating of their own hearts. It was a strange feeling stepping on a twig or knocking a rock with a foot without hearing the sound that usually accompanied the action. But the unnatural feeling was dispelled with the relief they would not be discovered by a simple sound from a careless foot or hand.
Lief motioned for them to stop again while his eyes searched the rocky outcrops. Maledorian boosted him to the top of a nearby boulder with minimal effort. As soon as his feet hit the ground, the nimble elf was off, jumping from rock to rock, pausing only long enough to allow his eyes to pierce the darkness.
With the mountain stretching up on either side of them, the only way to go was forward, a path that was not without possible dangers. Waiting again, tense in the darkness, there was finally evidence of the enemy. A silent flash from Lief’s bow signalled the first encounter.
* * *
When the elf returned, he was met with a barrage of whispered questions from both Maledorian and Defyance, eager to know what enemy they faced
“They look human… sort of,” replied Lief. After a moment’s pause to listen to the wind, he continued. “At a glance, I’d say that they’re Dashagi, but they seem too big and hairy, as if they were a cross between an ogre and a human.” The elf shrugged. It mattered little who or what they were, as long as they could be defeated.
Taslessian stood straight and still while his eyes scanned the rocky path ahead. His wizard vision left him sure there was no one approaching. Darci attempted to do the same, straining her eyes for any hint of movement from behind. With next to nothing to see, she had an idea. While waiting in the darkness, she passed her gauntlet over her closed eyes. When she opened them again, she was amazed at how the world had changed. It was not like day, but she could see everything clearly; the outlines of the rocks, the details of the leaves on the stunted plants, even a bug crawling across their path up ahead. The thought of Elven vision had worked better than she could have hoped. As the wind blew whispers past her ears, Darci was confident that there was nothing lying in their path, giving her a momentary sense of relief.
Soon the elf was off into the night again. This time when he returned, he told them they were almost there. Two more guards blocked their path and just behind them, lay what appeared to be a wall much like the one Taslessian had described, but he could not be sure as he dared to go no further. The strange man-beasts stood tall and at attention, so they would both have to be taken out together lest one raise the alarm.
When Lief left this time he was accompanied by the almost as agile Defyance. He had to slow his usual pace only slightly so that she could keep up. With another silent flash, this time accompanied by the flicker of a thrown dagger in the moonlight, the door was guarded no longer. Quickly, they dragged the bodies into some nearby bushes, scant covering, but it was all they had to work with.
In single file with weapons drawn, they half jogged, half dodged around the remaining jagged rocks, following a small path towards a wall that appeared to grow more daunting with every step they took. The path began to descend as the rocks around them grew. With the moon peeking out from behind the mountain summit, the smooth face of a building was revealed, marred by a single wooden door. Once there, an experimental tug on the metal ring handle told them what they already knew, the door was locked.
Defyance and Maledor
ian scanned their surroundings, looking for any signs of danger in the darkness while Lief fiddled with two thin bits of metal. Mixtures of relief and impending danger assailed them all as they heard the resounding click, signalling that his lock picking skills had been successful.
Slowly, Maledorian opened the door, its well-used hinges creaking barely, but the noise feeling like fingernails down a chalkboard, setting everyone on edge. His sword drawn, he stepped forward into the darkness, waiting for his eyes to adjust, but tensed and ready to fight blind. With no immediate reaction to his presence, he stepped forward into the unknown.
Lief came next, drawing his magical bow. In the resounding silence, the magical arrow hummed with power. All had to blink to adjust to the sudden light, yet still no alarm was raised. Nothing lay ahead of them except an empty hallway, impeccably carved out of the hard rock of the mountain. Near the edge of their sight, the hallway turned into darkness, hiding whatever lay beyond.
Darci inched forward, the fear of discovery and the anticipation of what was to come almost too much to think about. Truth be told, in the back of her mind she still could not believe that she was even here in an evil fortress in an attempt to save a foreign world. Yet every step carried her towards her fate. All she could do was followed the rest, praying to whoever would listen that she could do something when the time came.
“Lookout!” Taslessian suddenly yelled in warning, but no one needed to be told. The entire hallway instantly lit up as bright as day, causing all to shield their eyes with their arms. As they eyes adjusted they realised that their path was blocked by a group of Dashagi soldiers.
Three rows containing four men each stood like a human wall blocking their path at the end of the hallway. The first two rows crouched down on one knee to stare down the intruders. All had a single hand on the hilt of their weapon, yet none had their weapons drawn. Standing behind them however was another row of Dashagi. Unlike their comrades they held crossbows in their steady hands. Each and every weapon was trained on Darci.