Into The Abyss (Demons of Astlan) (11 page)

"If he marches all night, then he'll be here before dawn.  Otherwise we should expect him around sunset tomorrow, sir," the young scout reported to Lenamare in his private study.  It was about two candles after sunset, and the scout had just arrived on a worn out horse.  He had just ridden straight from the enemy camp.  He hadn't spared his horse
; he knew that every moment of advance warning would be needed.

It was a good thing he had
, the wizard thought.  Lenamare really hadn't expected Exador for a minimum of four to five days.  There was no way Zilquar could get his troops here by tomorrow.  The best he could hope would be for Zilquar to help lift a siege.  Well, that should be no problem, Lenamare knew his defenses were strong enough, and supplies large enough to survive a siege for a few days.  The problem of course, was how Exador managed to get so close so fast.  "Tomorrow evening then," Lenamare said, no sane general would march all night and then go into battle at dawn.  He waved the scout an absent-minded dismissal.

As the scout left his office, Lenamare turned to Jehenna.  "How the hell did he move so fast?" 
He demanded as soon as the door closed.

"I have no idea.  He would have had to either use magic or our previous scouts were badly mistaken."

"I think mistaken is an understatement, they would have to have been blind, to misjudge an army's march by three days."

"Perhaps blinded by magic?"

Lenamare frowned at that.  Exador could have done that, but to so carelessly waste one's energies on cloaking and illusion spells, when one was about to go into battle, just didn't make sense.  "Possible, I just have a hard time seeing Exador cloak and hide his army for several weeks.  That's too insane."

"Well then, what if he didn't.  What if he is now?"  Jehenna asked speculatively.

"You mean put an illusionary army three days ahead of himself?  Then arrive later?  No, that's almost worse.  We'd eventually see through the illusion if it just sat out there.  True, one could speculate that we would arm up, and then when we'd relax because no attack came from the nearby army, he could hit us with the real thing.  However, I trust Exador to know that it wouldn't take me too long to investigate the army and discover the illusion and deduce his plans. 

"No, we must assume he'll attack tomorrow.  Exador is no fool.  He has something planned.  If only we knew what."

"Well, whatever it is, we'll just have to be ready.  We won't get much sleep tonight."  Jehenna said.

"No, let lesser individuals do things tonight.  Tonight all people truly essential to the defense should get a good night's sleep.  We probably won't get many in the next several weeks."

Jehenna nodded. "Very well, I'll instruct the students and masters to finish all the wards, except for the final primings, tonight.  Then tomorrow afternoon, we'll perform the final rites to prime them, and when Exador's army shows up, we set them."

"Good, will you be
interested in...meditating...with me this evening, before battle," Lenamare asked, giving her a knowing little smile as she stood.

"Of course.  We will need to generate all the
…psychophysical energy we can...for the battle."  She smiled back as she opened the door to leave.

As the door closed, Lenamare spun in his chair to look out the window at the horizon, where his enemy slept. 
Exador thought to take me unaware...no, old adversary...Lenamare is never unaware.
Lenamare knew his defenses could and would hold.  Thanks to his ingenious planning and strategy, his defenses would be completely ready for the army.  True, it was regrettable that they hadn't been able to gather in as much food and storage as they'd hoped; but, in war, peasants died, and dead peasants didn't need food anyway.

The
sound of voices woke him.  Tom looked to the sky, it was shortly after dawn.  Startled, he sat up; somehow he'd slept the rest of the afternoon and all night.  He hadn't been that tired, at least not physically.  Maybe the peace of the forest had lulled him.

That peace was broken now.  Voices, a ways off, were arguing.  Tom focused his attention on the voices.  "Please, lord, I have no more
...my wife and I have given you all we've got,"  whined a scratchy old voice.

"But, peasant, it's not enough, Baron Orscezy demands four coppers for every man, woman and child in his domain.  That's twelve coppers for your family.  Yet you only give me nine.  Can you not see the justice in paying your fair share of
taxes?  After all, the Baron graciously protects you and your family from harm,"  a smooth and arrogant voice replied. "Surely, now that I have shown you reason, you will give me the other three coppers."

"But lord, I have no more.  I cannot give that which I do not have!"  The voice was becoming defiant.

"Liar!  All you peasant scum are the same.  Greedily you grab at each little piece of money.  Little do you think of the comfort and purse of your betters.  What right have you to hoard coppers?  This is not your land...it is the Baron's.  All that comes from it is rightfully his, and so should you pay him what you indisputably owe him.  Pay, now.  Else I will take payment in your hide."

"Please, we have no more, he's telling the truth
,"  a woman's voice begged.

"Keep out of this
, woman, your man knows what he owes."

Was this for real? Tom wondered.  He thought this sort of thing only happened in corny medieval melodramas and fantasies.  He decided he had probably better investigate though.  Slowly he got up.  As quietly as possible, which was slightly difficult in this form, he walked towards the voices.

"Please, no,"  begged the woman.

Crack.  Snapped something that sounded like what Tom imagined a whip on a man's back would sound like.  A grunt of pain came through the undergrowth.

Crack.  This time it was followed by a moan.  "Please, we don't have any money!"  cried the woman.

Crack.  The arrogant voice laughed.  "I might just believe you old woman.  But if you don't, then your man must pay ten lashes for every coin he doesn't have."

By this time, Tom was close enough to peer through the trees and bushes.  In a small clearing stood a small stone cottage with a thatched roof.  Outside the open door to the cottage, near a small well, stood a stout, but older woman.  Between her legs was a child about four.  Nearby in some hay, lay a man, he was probably in his late fifties, but looked to be in his late sixties, as did the woman.   Over the man stood another man.  This man wore a red and black uniform.  Actually, it was a red hauberk, trimmed in black, which covered a set of leather armor.  In his hand was a massive bull whip, with which he was striking the downed man.  At his side was belted a fine sword, behind him, near the edge of the clearing was his horse.

Crack.  "Aaahhhh!" cried the old man and arched his back in pain.  His eyes shut as he blacked out.

"Granpy ..." screamed the young child, who suddenly dashed from the woman's skirts towards the old man.  She tried to catch him but failed.  The soldier, whose attention had been fixed on the old man, and was raising the whip again, was startled. Turning quickly, he brought the whip down on the child.

The child screamed in pain.  The whip lanced across his face and down his chest, through his thin shirt.  The child's frail skin could not withstand the might of the whip.  It split
wherever the whip hit.  A large gash appeared, down the child's face, and down his entire torso.  The child fell to the ground.

Horrified and angered, Tom stepped from the forest, onto the path opening into the clearing.  "Little bastard got what he deserved, trying to interfere
," the soldier said as he turned back to whip the man some more. 

The old woman was on her knees by the child, frantically trying to stop the bleeding.  Tom stepped into the clearing, breathing quite heavily in his frustration and anger, forgetting
that he didn't need to breathe.  The sound must have alerted the soldier.  He turned, and his mouth fell open.  Fear lighting his face.

Tom said
nothing; he simply advanced into the clearing.  The woman looked up, scared, but too concerned with her grandchild.  The whip was still in the soldier's lax hand.  He simply stared in terror at the nightmare that approached him. 

Suddenly he seemed to realize what might happen to him if this creature got its hands on him.  Fear for his immortal soul provided the impetus.  He brought up his whip.  Quickly, and without thought, he brought it down.  Down upon Tom's chest.

Tom didn't even notice, he was too wound up on hurting the man in front of him.  The soldier however did.  His whip didn't even touch the demon, it simply seemed to pass right through him.  Hastily, he dropped the whip and drew his sword.  He waved it a few times in front of himself and then brought it around in an arc to slice through the demon. 

The sword did register on Tom's mind, mainly since the soldier had waved it right in front of his face.  As the sword came around, Tom stuck out his hand to block the slice.  The broadsword struck his palm, and
clanged loudly as it broke.  The sword simply stopped on his hand and broke in two.  The soldier winced in pain, as his arm and shoulder were severely jarred. 

Wasting no more time, Tom struck out as he
had been taught, palm upward, fingers extended, in a strike intended for the diaphragm.  As usual Tom forgot his strength, and his five inch long finger nails.  His hand slid right into the man's stomach, his finger nails came out the other side.  Blood went everywhere.  Gushers streamed from the man, squirting Tom and the ground around him.  The man would have screamed, but his chest cavity was punctured and all he could do was make a wheezing noise as he expired like a popped balloon. 

Surprised and not knowing what to do with the corpse, Tom simply lifted his hand with the man on it, and flung the soldier over his shoulder, into the forest.  Shocked by his own action, Tom stared at his bloody hand, his right
hand; the left one which had blocked the sword wasn't even scratched.  The soldier's blood ran down his forearm and dripped off his elbow.  He simply stared.

Slowly he looked up, he saw the old woman looking on in horror and fright.  Simply staring at him, wondering what the demon would destroy next.  Scared and frightened by his own action and ashamed of the reaction he had caused, Tom launched himself into the air, and flew away as fast as he could.

The bird sang sweetly in the meadow
; clouds passed through the spring sky, seeming to dance with the wind.  Trees swayed gently with the breeze.  Everywhere she looked there was peace.

Until the bird went off key.  She glanced over at the bird in the tree beside her.  It had suddenly opened its beak wide and was pouring out an ungodly wailing noise.  It was extremely unpleasant, and the more she listened the more she hated it.  Violently she shook her head, trying to clear it of the horrendous screeching.

As she shook her head she seemed to rise through layers and layers of reality.  The forest disappeared around her; slowly in its place was her darkened room.  Suddenly she realized she was shaking her head back and forth and she stopped.  The screeching didn't.

What the hell
?
  Jenn thought. She jumped from bed with a start as she realized what it was. 
Attack
.  Those were the warning horns of an attack.  They meant an enemy was attacking.  Exador! but he wasn't supposed to arrive till evening.  She swung open the shutters on her window and looked out.  Torches were appearing in the courtyard below as servants quickly lighted the way, and soldiers hurried to the walls.  She couldn't see beyond the walls because her room wasn't high enough, but she thought she could detect extra light beyond the walls, like the fires an army might light as they prepared for siege.  She couldn't tell if there was more noise than the people in the courtyard could make, which one would expect if there were an army outside ones gates, because of the blaring horns.

She glanced at the sky
; from the position of the stars she judged it to be shortly before dawn.  She had no time to waste; if there was an attack, then she had her job to do.  She must gather all of the youngest students and get them down to the hospital area, where they could help the doctors and healers tending the wounded by running small errands for water and bandages.  Quickly she slipped into her robe and sandals.  She didn't have time to check her hair.

She opened her door and hurried down the hall to the stairs that would take her to the youngest students.  As she passed their rooms, she saw the other senior students getting around and hurrying off on their assigned missions.  Quickly she came to the top of the stair
way and ran down it. 

She exited on the younger
students’ level and hurried to their study room.  Unlike the older student levels, the youngest students' level was arranged around a common study/play room.  All the rooms adjoined the common room.  Already, even as she arrived, the children were coming out of their rooms.  The girl who served as nanny to the children was busily trying to get them dressed.  All of them appeared bewildered and frightened. None of them had ever been involved in anything like this before, and as any child facing the unknown, they were afraid.  All of them that was, except one, Jenn noticed that Rupert had a curiously determined look on his face.  As if something he had been waiting a long time for, was about to occur.  Unfortunately, she didn't have time to wonder about it now; she, and they, had work to do.

~

Jehenna heard the word "Shit," in her left ear, and then she noticed the horns blaring in both.  She sat up quickly, even as she did, Lenamare was already up and throwing a robe over his naked body.  He walked to a nearby window and threw open the shutters.  It revealed the courtyard beginning to rouse to the horns' incessant wailing.  She was about to say something, but then noticed the look of concentration on Lenamare's face.

"Damn, the son of a
bitch must have marched his troops all night."

"He's here?"  Jehenna asked, she could he
ar the horns, just not believe them.

"Bastard.  I want you to get those wards up now.  We haven't got time to spare."  Lenamare looked over the edge of the window, the courtyard was eight floors down, and then he'd have to cross it and climb to the top of the gate house.  There wasn't time
; Exador might launch an immediate attack.  Turning to Jehenna, he said, "Set those wards and join me as soon as you can."

With that, he spread his arms outward, and chanted a short phrase.  As he completed the phrase, he raised his arms above him, keeping his arms rigid, and touched his hands together above his head.  As
his hands touched he shouted some word Jehenna couldn't catch, but which she knew by heart.  Purplish light spread out from his center, engulfing his entire being.  Reddish beams lanced outward from the center of where his chest would have been, and then the light dimmed.  Even before all of the light could fade, she could see he was gone, even as she knew where he would be.  In her mind's eye, she could see him appearing in the same manner on top of the gatehouse, impressing his soldiers; and notifying the enemy of his position.

She stood up, and dressed herself.  There wasn't much time.  How Exador
had gotten here so fast was a mystery, it wasn't like him to march his soldiers to death, just so they could go exhausted into battle.  Besides, what was the hurry; it wasn't as if Lenamare and her were going anywhere.  As she finished dressing, she left the room and walked down the stairs to see to the pentacles.  She felt hurried, but she knew that one of her position could never let her inferiors see her flustered or in a hurry.

Jehenna entered the pentacle catacombs as calmly as she could manage, given the circumstances.  She noted approvingly that Masters Elrose and Hortwell were already there and ensuring that the senior students took their positions as they arrived.  Master Trisfelt along with Rex and three other senior students arrived right behind her.

The catacombs were a series of linked chambers below the keep.  The center of the catacombs was the dome room; the heart of Lenamare’s famous wards.  The floor of the dome was inscribed with pentacles that upon first glance appeared similar to those used for demon summoning.  However, they were quite different.  Rather than being pentacles of containment, these were pentacles of warding. 

In particular, they were far more complex and permanently engraved in stone and the engravings lined with rare elements.   These pentacles when activated would surround the keep in a sphere of power.  From the outside, it would appear to be a dome; but the wards actually surrounded the entire keep in every direction.

A key feature of these pentacles which was different from every similar prior work was that they could block both magical and physical attacks and were adjustable, allowing the controlling wizards to alter the amount of energy dedicated to either physical or magical energies as required.  Of course, this caused problems for the people inside firing out, as well as for those outside firing in. 

The big trick was that one could quickly cycle between magical and physical energy block in a manner that was hard to detect from outside; except by either trial and error or a very good wizard.  The advantage being that the defenders could prepare an all magical or all physical attack; adjust the pentacles quickly to let the defenders strike those outside and then have the equilibrium resealed before the outsiders realized that the balance of power had tilted one way or the other.

In complete magic mode, only the most extremely powerful spells had any chance of penetrating, which were unlikely to be used by Exador, but almost any physical attack against those inside would succeed.  In complete physical mode, nothing physical could penetrate the barrier, but only the most trivial of magics would be stopped.  Normally the wizards would keep the levels equal, so that only moderate to fairly powerful magical, or large scale physical attacks could succeed.

The center pentacles in the dome room connected to sympathetic pentacles in outer rings via five evenly spaced tunnels extending from each of the five points of the principle pentagram to the rest of the catacombs via radial tunnels that led to a ring tunnel just outside the walls of the keep

Together with the pentacles in the catacombs they formed the most formidable, versatile, long lasting and stable wards in the world.  The only other place to come close was Freehold.  Those were arguably larger, covering an entire city and very similar, but they required a much larger circle of wizards to maintain and control. 

Lenamare had designed and implemented those as well based on his original design.  After constructing those formidable yet power hungry wards, Lenamare came back and redesigned his own, incorporating numerous improvements.  Therefore his improved wards provided a far better ratio of protection to power input than those in Freehold.  Meaning he needed fewer high-powered wizards to maintain them.

Of course, there was one slight problem.  For maximum performance and stability, the wards had to go through a couple levels of priming.  Exador had beaten them to the punch and arrived too soon, before they had completed the final priming of the wards.  They would just have to do their best.

Jehenna glanced around the dome room and down each corridor making sure everyone was in place.  She gestured to let everyone know she was about to
begin.  She met the eyes of each member the team in the dome and had them confirm their readiness.

There were five braziers in the dome room, one for each point of the pentacle.  Master Trisfelt and the students: Rex, Bromagni, Howard and Levi stood at each of the inner braziers, ready to add their ingredients at the right time.  The outer pentacles along with their braziers in the outer ring were manned by senior students: Cleo, Ygreddin, Willis, Warren and Alvea.

Master Hortwell, tall and thin, joined her and the dignified Elrose at a large central brazier, the heart of the pentacles.   She reached out with her mind to confirm the students in the outer ring were also ready.

Jehenna reached over the unlit central brazier to touch hands with Hortwell and Elrose and form the initial rapport for the wizard link.  She brought up the link and the three wizards began to chant in unison: “
Yri ep lestion
, angels of light guard our work this day.  Evil assails this our domicile and we seek to call upon the forces of nature to aid us. 
Alpheros son leptos, quant erat sed vitum, akselos per unem
.  Lords of Power come to our aid. 
Nec sid falcos, ton maltos sig fallum, netristem som exaltus.  Provenderaum sid Merinos
.  Aid and guard us, Keeper of the North Wind.  Grant us mercy oh Lord of Death, Master of Earth.  Bringer of Light deliver us the power we seek, King of Fire bring thy purging flame, Guardian of the Tides wash the evil from our beings and our sight.

"Within this room we conjure thee, we the Lords of Men seek to join you the Lords of the Spirit in the Five that are one.  Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Man, five who are separate yet one.  Let the strength of each aid the strength of all. 
Sec zistum sed nostrus sed falom
."  As they chanted, the lines and runes of the pentacles began to glow with a soft yellow light.  In each of the small rooms under the outer walls, the relay pentacles glowed in resonance.

"Strength of one is strength of all.  Might of all is might of one.  Eternal winds of fate bind and mold us.  In recognition of the debts we owe, this offering we make to aid our strength and cause."  The wizards chanted in unison as each of the outer wizards joined the link.

The ten, now lit, braziers, burned higher as precious materials were added to their fires.  Different braziers received materials precious to their respective realms.  Each of the five inner elemental braziers was matched to the opposite elemental brazier at the end of the tunnel.  The pentagram of Man was naturally in opposition to itself.  Thus the circle of outer braziers went Man, Air, Fire, Earth, Water and the inner pentagrams were Man, Earth, Water, Air, Fire. 

With one voice the wizards intoned:  "
Varkos sed nophial
, the offering is given, we are taken together.  Let space and time unite us as one. 
Sis Velkos, nor pleatrium nos becrum
."  The lines and runes of the pentacles were all glowing brightly now.  The central three wizards now concentrated on the material in their brazier, a spherical ball composed of dirt from all over the world and from different geological eras, sulfur, water, and blood surrounding a hollow cavity filled with oxygen.  Slowly the ball began to smolder, small flames beginning to appear on it. 

All but the three
core wizards fell silent, "Now all is complete, we the Trinity of Power, Jehenna, Elrose and Trisfelt, have brought the Five Realms together as one, Man, Earth, Fire, Air and Water.  We have bound them together with Space and Time so that the Seven Essentials of Spirit and World are joined."  Now, the inner circle joined in, "All is contained by the Eleven Pentagrams of Power, now and forevermore."  The voices and minds of the other wizards joined their brethren, "We are the Thirteen Who Control.  Our hands are the guiding force, our wills the pillars of power.

"Thus it is Thirteen controlling Eleven, holding Seven, made of Five, based on Three.  Three, Five, Seven, Eleven, Thirteen, the prime conditions now met, all power unite! 
Dominae provebem se fiat lux
."  With these final words, all met as one.  Bright white light of the entire spectrum radiated from the central brazier. 

Rays of magical energy sprang from the center, striking each of the three.  A circle of light was formed.  Where the circle of light intersected the primary pentagrams inner pentagon, light walls formed, creating a wall of light along the inner pentagon, and then speeding out along the arms of the inscribed star.  The energy was controlled by their united minds, it was shaped and molded by the power they had summoned.  Mentally they chanted the ancient words that would guide the force, the combined will of the thirteen wizards which dictated the growth of power.  The power was constrained by the pentacles, but the direction it grew in was controlled by their will.