Darkness Falls (Tales of the Wolf) (20 page)

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Gray heard the approaching cöteries long before he saw them but more importantly, he smelled them. Tamina was in one group, of that he was certain. All three groups exited the tunnels at about the same time. Directly below him was the trio of girls. Gray took a second or two to ponder the significance of the sizes of the cöteries. Only those taught by Mortharona operated in pairs like the Shadow Wolves. The Ravens were in groups of threes and the Cobras hunted in packs of four.

All three cöteries paused for a second to size up their opponents before attacking.

Only the trio of girls stood their ground and waited for the impending attack. From their methods and calmness, Gray guessed that they had been trained to fight defensively. Judging from the way the duo of warriors from the Panthers attacked, it was obvious that they had trained to work together but to also compete against each other for the glory of the kill. The Cobras….well, they just charged in mass. No teamwork, no tactics, just raw brutality or at least that seemed like their plan.

Unfortunately for the Ravens, both groups had targeted them to be the first to fall. Almost immediately, one of the girls fell to the onslaught of blades. The other two were on the defensive, dodging and parrying as best as they could. One was Tamina, the other a redhead. They both moved well but it was only a matter of time before they fell.

Gray did not think. He acted.

Both the Cobras and the Panthers’ attention were completely taken up with the Ravens and each other that they never even considered the possibility of an ambush and the Shadow Wolves capitalized on it. Dropping down from above, Gray’s first attack was swift and efficient. The Blademaster had drilled into his students that efficient strikes were deadly strikes. Knowing effective locations of where to strike your opponent to maximize the effect and damage of your attack was the most important aspect.

In the limited time Darnac had to prepare his students, he had shown them seven strikes from this position. One that would kill slowly, two would kill silently, one would maim painfully and three would incapacitate quickly. Gray chose the incapacitation strikes since his opponents were slaves just like him. However, the effect of his first strike on an unsuspecting Cobra caused him to rethink his tactics.

As he slid his dagger into his opponent’s lower back, Gray really did not know what to expect. He expected blood of some sort. Having the blade pass through his body without breaking any skin was surprising. Nevertheless, the real surprise was the jolt of blue-white lightning that flared from the gem attached to the sicáe and flowed down the blade.  The resulting electric shock incapacitated the unsuspecting Cobra in an instant.

Gray was elated when he realized that Kralm had figured out a way to test and train his slaves safely. Now that he knew his attacks would not kill his friends, he became a blur of motion.

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Lalith giggled and clapped her hands at the spectacle playing out below.

“Outstanding Kralm, absolutely outstanding! You figured out a way for them to train full speed without killing each other. Phenomenal!”

The grey-skinned half-orc beamed at the compliment but bowed his head slightly. “Many thanks for the praise Dark Lady but I cannot take credit for this. I wish I could but I can’t.” He gestured to Darnac. “The Blademaster came up with the idea.”

“Interesting…please elaborate.” Lalith turned to face her former bodyguard and raised one eyebrow.

Darnac met her gaze but did not flinch. She held his life in her hands and could end it at any time with naught but a simple word. However, he was long past worrying about currying favor. He would walk his own path and honor his commitment until either he died or completed his servitude.

After a brief moment, she nodded and he began his explanation.

“When Kralm explained his problem, I remembered an idea an old gnomish engineer once explained me about a weapon he wanted to create. It was during my time in Avaris as novice weaponsmith. Back then, it was beyond my skills but the theory was sound.” Darnac drew out his own sicáe, popped off the gem and handed them both to his mistress. “The principle is very simple. The blade acts as a conduit for the magic stored in the gem. However for it to work the blade must be crafted with certain silver-metal alloys and a small silver tube must run through the center of the blade to allow the magic to flow through.” Darnac shrugged. “Unfortunately I have been unable to create a viable weapon longer than these daggers…well, I do have a few other designs in the work but they aren’t ready yet.”

Lalith studied the blade as her slave spoke and nodded at its craftsmanship. When the Blademaster paused, she gestured to the gem in her other hand. “And this?”

“The
cantatis lapis
are basically a storage device for spells. The Dôminus has a crew of gnomish gemcutters crafting the stones which are then enchanted with a wide variety of spells.”

“Such as?”

Darnac pulled out his pouch and emptied it on the table. The gems sparkled with a rainbow of colors. He picked up the blue stone first. “You have already seen a variation of the
fulmen lapis,
the lightning stone,
at work. The
exercitium lapis
, the training stone negates the physical damage of the blade while casting the lightning spell.” He pointed to the red, white, yellow and green stones. “These cast similar spells of fire, ice, poison and acid. All five of these gems are multi-strike stones. They do naught but add a magical effect to the Sicárii’s attacks. However,” he paused as he displayed the black and purple stones, “these two are my pride and joy.”

“And what makes them so special?”

Darnac presented the black gem first. “These last two are considered single strike stones. This is the
mors lapis
, the death stone. On any strike, a powerful death spell is cast which virtually guarantees a successful assassination.”

Lalith smiled as she realized the implications. With this weapon, she could use less skilled operatives to complete a near impossible mission.

Darnac could tell what she was thinking from her devilish grin. He handed the purple gemstone to her. “This is the
ánimus lapis
, the soulstone. I am told that it acts basically the same as the
mors lapis
but also captures the essence of the target.”

If Lalith was smiling when she was presented with the black stone, she was literally beaming with this one. “Impressive. And who did your enchanting?”

“Kâlikâ.”

“The blind witch from Avaris?”

“The same.”

“I never realized that she was so talented. How did you get her to help?”

“Let’s just say that I called in a favor.” Darnac shrugged and left it at that. He did not volunteer anything more and she did not ask.

The whole room turned silent as their attention returned to the drama playing out below. Gray’s ambush had worked perfectly. As the Cobras reacted to his attack, Galvorn struck. Reeling from this, the remaining Cobras joined the Panthers and attacked the deadly pair. That was when Dovan and Nergüi joined in the fray and within moments, the attack was over. Only one of the Ravens was still ‘alive’ to face the four Shadow Wolves.

Surprisingly, Gray did not dispatch the girl but ordered her to fall in and moved his little band to a new location and set up another ambush. This time, it was two groups of Panthers that fell to the trap although Dovan was cut down in the brief flurry of battle. Once again, Gray offered the lone survivor a chance to join his little band or a quick death. His group grew by one and they went hunting again.

One by one, every group they ran across fell to their tactics. Not every attack left a survivor and not every survivor joined their merry band. As their numbers increased and their targets decreased, Gray knew that he would have to shift tactics soon. Eventually, one of the strays would take it amongst themselves to strike out at his band.

After all, in the end there could only be one.

Chapter 21

Lalith pointed at her son’s partner as they broke away from the hunting pack and moved into dark passageways by themselves. “Blademaster, who is that young man?”

“Isengrim.”

“A half-elf? Hmmm…”

She watched as he and her son ran afoul of a much larger group and made short work of them. As they fought, she mentally compared the two young warriors. They were nearly exact opposites in how they fought and moved but at the same time their styles complimented each other.

Galvorn was happy and cheerful in battle, jesting and taunting his enemies while using fancy techniques to accomplish his goal. Isengrim was extremely serious and used the minimum force necessary to gain victory.

Once the two Shadow Wolves were done with their brief skirmish, they moved back into the tunnels and continued their hunt. Here was another place where their differences became obvious. Galvorn seemed to blend into the shadows while Grim stalked his prey.

“Shadow and Stalker, I like it. I bet that they will be the last two standing.” Lalith turned to face the small gathering. “Any takers?”

Espen croaked, “What’s the wager?”

“How about a year off your service if one of your students wins?”

“And if we lose?”

“An additional year of course.”

Espen noticed that Lalith’s favorite pair was approaching two of his aciës. One of them had two of his most promising students in it and so he nodded. “You’re on.”

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The two Shadow Wolves felt the rush of excitement as the eight Cobras surrounded them. Even with their helmets on Gray could tell who was who by their scents and mannerisms. However, judging from the way they held their daggers only two of them felt confident with their weapons and he knew that one of them was Jardan.

Galvorn and Gray stood back to back and waited.

The Blademaster had harped on this particular strategy many times in their limited training sessions. He had suspected that at some point, they would be outnumbered during the competition. Now, it seemed as if they were going to get a chance to put his theories into practice.

The biggest limitation that Gray felt was not the odds against them but the fact that he only had one weapon. Then, a crazy idea rolled through his mind. The Cobras had begun circling them with a slow deliberate pace, as if that strategy was going to unnerve them. Gray never took his eyes off his opponents but reached up with his off hand and pulled free the hard leather sheath of his sicáe. It was not perfect but it would work as a makeshift parrying stick. The
Cobras charged and the two Shadow Wolves reacted.

They blocked and stabbed, parried and thrust, never staying still for more than a second. Never concentrating on any one opponent, nor did they stay on one side. They fought as one. When Galvorn moved forward, Gray would step back. When Gray attacked to his left, Galvorn shifted his guard to cover his backside. They did this almost instinctively. Partially it was Darnac’s training but mostly it was the fact that they trusted each other. They knew that their partner’s life was just as important as their own, if not more so. The simple concept of trust allowed them unlimited freedom in combat. It was this fact, more than any other, which was the deciding factor in their victory.

In the end, seven Cobras lay twitching and unconscious from the aftereffects of their attacks. Only Jardan was left standing and his left arm was numb from a glancing blow. It had not been from Galvorn or Gray’s dagger. It had been from one of his own men. Shadow and Stalker could only account for five kills. The other two had been the result of friendly fire but as the old saying went, there was no honor among thieves.

The Shadow Wolves moved forward to flank the last Cobra. Even though Gray suspected the answer he would receive, he made his offer. “Jardan, it doesn’t have to end here. Submit and join our hunting band.”

The nobleman laughed. “Why? So you and this dark elf can claim all the glory for yourself? Never!”

Galvorn smiled at the Cobra’s defiant attitude. Gray noted that it was almost the same grin he had seen on the Dark Lady. It was not a comforting sight. Galvorn began to clean his already
immaculately clean fingernails with his dagger. “Listen here human,” the half- dark elf added some extra venom on that last word. “You don’t even deserve the effort of our words.”

At first, Gray was hurt by his friend’s words until he made eye contact with Jardan and noted the hint of sadness in them. But it was more than that. There was fear in them as well. Not fear of Gray or Galvorn but of his Döcent. Jardan was not trying to be mean or hurtful with his words, he was just protecting himself. He realized that Espen was watching and if Jardan showed weakness or surrendered to them, he would be punished by the cruel gnome. Without another word or warning, Gray stabbed his friend in the heart.

The strike was so lightning fast and so unexpected that Galvorn actually jumped in surprise. “What the? Why did you do that?”

Gray shrugged. “He wouldn’t submit and even if he did, he’d be too dangerous to leave behind.”

Galvorn looked at the twitching form of Jardan and back at his partner. Evidently there was a malicious streak in him that he did not know about or suspect. “There is truth in your words.”

Gray nodded his head toward the dark passageways. “Come, let’s continue our hunt. There are others who need to fall to our blades.”

Galvorn smiled and slid into the shadows. Gray took one last look at his immobilized friend. Setting a dour expression on his face, he turned back to the task at hand, conquering those he once called friends. 

*    *    *   *    *

In the end, the Dark Lady was correct; Shadow and Stalker were the last two standing.

Lalith laughed. “Oh how enjoyable. Those two make a formidable pair.” She gazed down on them and spoke her thoughts aloud. “I wonder which one of them is better.”

She was about to give the order when her gargoyle familiar floated down from the rafters and landed on her shoulders. Jinx leaned in and whispered, “Mistress, you have a very important meeting in less than an hour.”

“Quite right, another time perhaps,” Lalith said softly. She placed one hand on Espen’s shoulder. “Your extra year of service has been recorded. You know, I think I’ll make that a standing wager. As a matter of fact I will even sweeten the deal. If both Shadow and Stalker fall during a Cërtatüs, I will hold that Döcent’s account paid in full. But,” she paused for added effect, “every time they win, an extra five years will be added to your service.”

Espen grinned, while Darnac and Chikk turned pale. It was obvious from the Dark Lady’s self-satisfying grin that she realized the moral dilemma she had just placed the two dark elves in. Neither one wanted to be here and would do almost anything to be free of their geas but they both had a strong sense of personal honor.

Mortharona just looked on impassively. As the saying went, he had no dragon in the fight but he was thoroughly enjoying the drama.

Lalith turned to leave but paused at the door.

“By the way, if something unfortunate were to happen to either of
them in training that would prevent them from competing, I will be highly upset. You don’t want to see me upset, trust me on this.”

Without another word, she and her gargoyle familiar left the arena.