Stones Unbound (The Magestone Chronicles Book 1) (29 page)

"I suspected these harnesses were the reason they were
able to fall without hurting themselves, but I wasn't sure until now."
Thandria responded with a smile.  "Let's get going!" she finished,
starting for the stable door twenty paces away.

"Suspected!" he yelled after her as they sprinted
across the now mostly empty courtyard toward the stable doors.  "What do
you mean suspected?!"

She grinned at him as they got to the stable doors that were
open slightly.  Keyth pulled one of the rolling doors to the side, and dodged
as one of the stable riders lunged with a sword.  He gripped her wrist and
slowly, carefully removed the shortsword from her grasp, and handed it back to
her, hilt first.

"Sorry sir," she said as she saluted, sheathing
her weapon.  "Thought you were a Goralonian soldier.

"Understood soldier.  You have a ride ready?"

"Yes sir, two of them."  She gestured to the back
of the large building that smelled of straw and leather.  Another rider was
holding the long reigns for two of the beasts, each wearing their saddle.  They
were obviously agitated, as they nipped at each other every once and a while.

A figure in yellow robes appeared at the doors and stepped
through past the watching Thandria.  "The surviving soldiers are
regrouping.  I believe they saw us come in here," Verdagrisha stated.

Thandria turned from her vantage point at the door,
"She's right.  We maybe have two minutes before they gather the courage to
come in here.  Time for you to go sir."

"Well then, you're coming with me," he said as he
was helped up into the back saddle on one of the reptilian beasts and strapped
into place.

"Not this time sir," she replied.  "Got work
to do.  Don't want to make this too easy on them, do we sir?  Thought maybe I
would drop the portcullises on their snarkin' asses.  What do you think?"

He looked her in the eye for a long moment.

"Besides," she offered, "I got this neat trinket." 
She fingered the harness that she had taken from one of the shadowy enemy. 
"To get away, I just have to jump."  She winked and then moved into
the shadows and vanished.

"Come back to me," Keyth whispered to himself.

He looked over to see that Verdagrisha was mounted on the
other drake behind the second rider.  The rider moved the drake into position
in front of the doors, and crouched down on the beast's neck after Verdagrisha
whispered something in her ear.  The rider for Keyth's mount pulled open the
right side door, then ran over and pushed the left door open.  She then turned
and sprinted for her drake as the other drake began its ungainly movement out
of the building.

Keyth could see ranks of soldiers, weapons drawn, moving
towards the stables.  They stopped advancing as the large creature emerged from
the stable, looks of uncertainty on their faces.  Suddenly lightning spewed
forth from the Shilaar's hands, arcing through the ranks of the enemy, causing
some to drop, the rest to scatter.  The rider leapt the drake into the air as
soon as the lightning was done, and was given the all clear by her passenger.

The drake Keyth was on lurched forward, the rider now on and
strapped in, and took to the air, climbing almost vertical as it gained altitude. 
Several arrows flew through the air, but none had any force behind, as the ones
that hit bounced off the beast's thick hide.

As they levelled off, Keyth tapped on the rider's shoulder
and made a circling motion with his finger.  The rider banked the drake, and
from about thirty spans above, got to survey the situation in Farad'avor.

Goralonian soldiers were swarming throughout the citadel in
the torchlight, entering buildings and hauling out the soldiers that were
resisting.  They were cutting down his remaining troops like so much wheat.  He
felt guilt that he was escaping; felt he had betrayed his men by leaving them. 
But the Empire had to know what happened this night.

He noted that a group of enemy soldiers, along with the two
shadowy assassins were attempting to break into the control spire, but were
still held at bay by those within.  Without warning, a loud screeching sound
broke the darkness, followed by the sound of chains rattling as all eight of
the portcullises in the radial walls dropped to the ground with a resounding
boom, locking the citadel into eight separate sections.  It would not stop
them, but it would certainly make using the citadel inconvenient.  Keyth smiled
for the first time in over a bell - Thandria had succeeded.

The drake flew wider, circling the citadel away from its
walls.  What Keyth saw below was what he expected, but still could not fathom. 
Tens of thousands of Goralonian soldiers attacked the Fort below.  He could see
in the torchlight that the gates were just about sundered from the battering
ram that was pounding against it.  It was only a matter of moments before the
pass was lost.

Keyth tapped the rider on the shoulder again, and signalled
west.  The drake turned and flew as hard as its wings could carry it.

The sun was setting over the expansive forest below, shadows
creeping east to west across her field of vision.  Maricha'ilea loved coming up
onto the walls of Mahad'avor ever since she had arrived.  It gave her a sense
of freedom from the confines of the stone walls.  How any race would prefer
stone walls to open forest bewildered her, and so she came to view the vista
below that reminded her of her homeland.  It was even possible that they were
over the edge of the elven realm in the forests below, but she would never
know.  But it didn't matter, the vista soothed her.

Tonight would have no moon, and tomorrow was the Spring
Planting Festival celebrated by the humans.  Already some of the Shilaar were
celebrating, drinking moon wine and toasting to the health of any passersby. 
It was a festive occasion, and she should be happy, but she was uneasy. 
Something was bothering her that she couldn't put her finger on, something
ethereal, like a bad dream lurking in the shadows of her mind.

She left the wall and began to wander the stone halls of
Mahad'avor trying to nail down the unsettling feeling in her mind.  She was
unsure how long she had been wandering when she thought to check the felia'shilaar
rooms, to see if a message had been sent in that could explain her ominous
sense of danger.

Moving quickly down the stairs and towards the nearest
message room, she came around the slight bend in the hallway and came to an
abrupt stop.  The door had been blasted outward from the room, and was hanging
by one hinge, most of the door cracked and broken.  It was as if something
large and strong had kicked it in the dead center.

She cast a protection spell upon herself and stepped
carefully and quietly to the door.  Peeking around the doorframe, she witnessed
a scene of horror.  Carefully scanning the shadowy room by the light of the
torches in the hall, she noted the body on the floor and the pattern of runes
around it.  Noticing no movement, she assumed the attacker was probably the one
who had destroyed the door.  Casting another spell, a small ball of amber light
appeared over her right shoulder, casting enough light to light the room as she
stepped inside.

She surveyed the entire small room.  There was a desk to one
side, on which sat the smashed ruins of the felie'shilaar, used to send and
receive messages, its frame twisted beyond recognition.  She could see the
small quafa'shilaar dimly glowing, scattered around the room, not that she was actively
looking for them.  Two chairs were shattered and cast about the room.

In the center of the floor was the body, pale beyond what a
dead body should look like.  Dark candles were set at eight points along the
circle drawn in black chalk along the floor around the body, and a dagger was
stuck in the body's chest.  Marisha'ilea recognized the body as that of one of
the junior Shilaar, Griffan.  It appeared that the body had been drained of
blood, though there was no evidence of blood anywhere in the room.  Something
evil was loose in Mahad'avor.

She left the contents of the room as it was, and cast a
series of protection spells upon her person before she began her hunt to track
down whatever was now threatening her home.  Leaving the room, she turned left,
away from the direction she had come, now noticing that the torches had been
knocked out of their brackets and had guttered out on the floor.  Apparently
this creature did not like the light.  She continued along the circular hallway
until it branched to the right to a set of stairs up.  She looked down the
hallway that continued further on, but it was lit, and the stairs were dark. 
Following the darkness, she ascended the stairs.

She came upon two bodies of servants also drained of blood
several levels up, where the stairway emptied onto a more travelled corridor. 
The hallway was dark, her orb of light casting solid shadows.  She followed the
trail of guttered torches and dark passageways.  She came around a corner and
found Doretellan kneeling down, inspecting another drained body of a junior
Shilaar.

He looked up at her questions in his eyes.  "What do be
happening Marisha'ilea?"  Her name rolled off his tongue like silver, but
there was a seriousness in his voice that made her feel reassured.

"There is a creature of darkness here.  I found the
remains of some sort of ritual in one of the message rooms, along with a body
much like this one.  Two others have been killed the same as her," she
gestured to the body.

"We must be finding it and killing it.  If such a thing
be possible." Doratellan stated.  He stood and cast a spell of protection
about himself.

The two of them set off, following the trail as it led them
up and out onto the upper walls.  They sprinted along the wall towards the
central spire, thinking they knew where the creature was headed.  They opened
the door to a brightly lit room with two Shilaar talking to each other and
drinking from goblets.  They sat forward when they sensed the urgency of their
expressions.

"Send out an alert.  The citadel is under attack."
Marisha'ilea stated.

"By whom?  We have heard no such thing," said one.

"It's been quiet here all night," stated the
other.

"A creature being of the darkness," Doretellan
answered the first Shilaar's question.  "Be on your alert.  Best be
setting off the alarm bells.  Also be making sure that the creature does not be
reaching the control room," he ordered, and as one of The Seven, he
expected it to be followed.

"Well, if this isn't its first target, what could
be-" Marisha'ilea stopped as she was finishing her question.  Other than
dropping Mahad'avor to the ground below, how else would someone or something
cause chaos in the ranks of the Shilaar?  And then she knew - Endergot.

She raced from the room, calling for Doretellan to hurry as
she raced for the main tower, willing herself not to be too late, to get to him
in time.

---o---

Marisha'ilea stopped to catch her breath as they reached the
top of the stairs, at the landing in front of Endergot's chamber door. 
Doretellan had passed her two flights before, having the longer legs.  Now he
stood facing the door having caught his breath while she ascended the last few
steps.  She leaned over and rested her arms on her knees, gasping.

"You do be better getting your breath if you do be
standing," he offered as he studied the door before him while casting a minor
detection spell.  They could hear loud crashing and roaring noises within, but
if they did not remove the protections on the door, neither would make it
through safely.

"Hurry please!" she pled.

Finally Doretellan cast another spell and there was a flare
of light from the door, which faded to nothing.  He stepped forward and
cautiously opened the door, stepping to one side.

Marisha'ilea could not believe what she saw.  The main
chamber was in shambles, furniture strewn everywhere, some on fire as the fire
sprites from the hearth jumped around the room freely.  But what froze her to
the core was the large, black-skinned creature a span and a half tall, muscles
rippling along arms and legs, which held Endergot off the floor in one claw. 
She barely noted the window that was shattered inward, some of the stone casing
knocked into the room with it that was the creature's obvious path in.

The creature turned its glowing red eyes on the two of them
as it flicked Endergot against the stone fireplace like a wet cloth.  She heard
the crack as his back broke against the stone.  Doretellan cast the quickest
spell they were taught "Cravash!" he intoned as marbles of light
darted from his fingertips to strike the creature in the chest.  It screeched a
horrible sound and darted forward, faster than her companion could react and
struck at him with a backhand that sent him off his feet into the corner,
regardless of protection spells he had cast upon himself. 

She ducked underneath the claw it swung at her and ran into
the room, trying desperately to reach Endergot.  She tripped over a piece of
broken furniture and fell to her knees.  She crawled over to him, noting the
dazed look on his face, and the cuts all over his body.  A fire sprite jumped
onto a piece of wood from the side table in front of her, and she backhanded it
towards the hearth, causing her robe to briefly catch fire and singe her.  The
other sprite squealed and made a face at her, then leapt onto the curtains
hanging near the broken window.

She looked back as the heat of the room started to reach
unbearable levels.  She thanked her forethought as the protection spells she
had cast earlier that now allowed her to ignore most of the distraction of the
heat.  The smoke was still getting to her however, causing her to cough.

She turned to see Doretellan swing his staff, which had
appeared out of thin air, in a wide arc, striking the beast on the side of the
head.  The small magestone mounted in the end flared briefly and the creature
screeched again and stepped back onto a burning stick of furniture, causing
another scream of pain.  It recovered quickly however, and as Doretellan swung
again it grabbed the staff and wrenched it from his grip.  The creature flung
it backwards towards the shattered window, hitting a fire sprite in mid-leap,
sending it out through the gap in the wall.  The staff landed among the flaming
ruins of furniture on that side of the room, out of reach.

Doretellan cupped his hands together in front of his chest,
creating a large ball of light, which he forced into a beam aimed at the
creature's face.  At this the creature turned away, screeching in pain, its
skin appearing to melt away.  Marisha'ilea thought she saw a human face behind
the facade of the creature, but could not be sure through the smoke and flame. 
She had finally managed to crawl her way to Endergot's side, and knelt over him
stroking his face.

"My dear," he said quietly, "You're in
danger.  You must flee!"  She could hear the sounds of battle behind her,
and glanced back to see that Doretellan had been joined by another Shilaar, but
they were not doing so well.  It appeared that this creature was resistant to
many of their spells.

"I came to save you," she said on the verge of
tears.  She did not understand why she was emotional.  All elves outlived
humans, why should this human be so different as to cause these feelings within
her.

"You have," he said.  He then pointed to one
side.  "Now it's my turn to save you."  He coughed several times,
Marisha'ilea noting the blood frothing from his lips.  She ripped open his
bloody robes, ignoring his persistent fingers, to see several puncture wounds
from the beasts claws across his chest.  They were all bleeding, two were
bubbling.  She then began to cry as she took his right hand in hers.  She felt
his other hand grip her chin with extreme strength.  She opened her eyes as he
turned her head towards the flaming sofa and said, "Look!"

She looked at where he was pointing her, but could not
understand what she was to look for.  Abruptly, she saw it.  It must have
rolled under the sofa when Endergot was startled by the beast breaking through
the window - the Staff of Everilon!  Suddenly her mentor's hand went slack and
fell from her face.  She turned to him and saw a serene smile on his face.

He whispered something that she couldn't hear over the
screeching and crashing behind her, the flames beginning to roar around her,
and the cackling of the remaining fire sprite.  She put her ear closer to his
mouth, "It's now up to you," he whispered, as his voice gurgled with
blood.

"But I cannot wield it!" she protested.

"You are now the only one that can." he responded
in her ear.

"But I am not ready," she said, feeling the grip
of Endergot's other hand go slack as he died.  She wept for a few seconds more,
and then crawled over to the flaming sofa.  The heat was now enough that she
was extremely uncomfortable, and the sofa was burning almost to the stone
floor.  She gritted her teeth and shoved her hand under the flame, ignoring the
pain until her hand closed upon the shaft of the staff, her arm almost up to
the shoulder under the sofa.  She screamed as she pulled the staff out, amber
magestone the size of her fist cradled in the scrollwork metal at one end.

She looked up to see Doretellan sorely wounded, one arm
hanging uselessly by his side, his other hand out in front, maintaining a
shield that the beast was now pounding against.  Sparks of yellow danced out
from where the massive claws hit it, and she could tell by Doretellan's face
that his shield would not last much longer.  She saw the body of the other
spell wielder over against the side wall.  Of his head, there was no sign.

The Staff of Everilon was in her hand, given to her by its
previous master, head of the order of Dar'Shilaar.  She could feel it power,
its awareness, and suddenly she felt her mind opening up and she did not resist
as she had the first time when Endergot had let her hold it.  She was scared,
not of the staff, but of all it represented, the power and the responsibility. 
But she let it into her mind - and accepted.  And then she felt it, like a
river of life, all of its secrets revealed, all of the secrets of every one of
its owners back for a thousand years, all now memories within her, but not
her.  Spells she had never heard of, knowledge beyond understanding, knowledge
lost to time - all were now hers.  And she used it.

At her scream, the beast had turned to face her, and she
thought she saw fear cross the creature's face, but it was there and gone again
so quick that she could not be sure it was ever there at all.  It screeched at
her, oblivious to the smoke and fire all around.  Doretellan saw her, and she
nodded to him as his spell failed and he fled the room, stopping at the top of
the stairs as two more Shilaar arrived on the scene.