The Gateway (Harbinger of Doom Volume 1) (3 page)

“
I’m doubting that Gabe,” said Ob.
“Dwarves and gnomes wouldn’t build in a wood. Elves and hobbits
don’t work much in stone, and lugron and their kin don’t have the
brains. Humans had to make it; there’s nobody else it could’ve
been. But who cares about the damn ruins anyways. All I care about
is what happened to our people.

“
They must’ve been ambushed.
That’s the only way that patrol could’ve been defeated or captured
to a man.”

Tanch shook his head. “Between Par Talbon,
Donnelin, and Talbon’s apprentices, we had a formidable magical
force in the field that night. Such men cannot easily be
overcome.”

“
And rangers cannot easily be
taken unawares,” said Gabriel. “There’s more to this than a simple
ambush.”

“
Is it possible that those flashes
and explosions were spells thrown by the enemy, against our
patrol?” said Claradon.

“
Aye, maybe that could be
Claradon,” said Ob, “Some type of magical ambush. But Aradon is no
fool; I doubt he or Stern would walk into such a thing.”

“
Perhaps they met some enemy force
so powerful it overwhelmed them quickly,” said Tanch.

“
Perhaps this, perhaps that. We’ll
not know nothing until we get our behinds out there,” said Ob. He
looked over at Gabriel. “Only question is - who and how many is to
go?”

Gabriel paused for a few moments, gathering
his thoughts. He turned toward the younger Eotrus. “Ector,” he
said, “you are needed here.”

Ector grumbled and clenched his jaw, but
offered no protestations.

“
You must take command of the Dor,
and try to quell the panic of the people.” Shifting his gaze he
said, “Claradon, in your father’s absence, you are Lord of the Dor.
The expedition is yours to command.”

“
--Unless he defers command to the
Dor’s Castellan,” said Ob, “Which he does - and I’ll pass it to
you, Weapons Master - and there will be no more debating about it.
There can’t be any fooling with this one, it’s too damned
important. In a standup battle, either Claradon or I could lead,
but that’s not what we have. There’s something queer about this
whole business, what with the wailing and the circle and such. It’s
just not natural, not natural at all. It stinks of sorcery and the
like. In this, the only man amongst us that has the experience to
lead is Gabriel. He must take command.”

“
I agree,” said Claradon as he
turned toward the Weapons Master. “You can handle this much better
than me. You must lead us. I don’t have the experience.”

Gabriel stared down at the table for several
seconds. “For good or ill, it’s your place to lead us Claradon, not
mine. But Ob’s points are well taken; Aradon’s life may depend on
our course, for that reason only will I agree to this.”

He stood up. “We’ll take a full squadron of
knights. Ob, you will choose them and captain the squadron. Be sure
to include Glimador, and Indigo, they’re amongst my best students.
And my squire and sergeant shall accompany us. The rest of the
garrison will remain to defend the Dor. Par Tanch, you’ll come with
us of course.”

Par Tanch’s face blanched.

“
Ector,” said Gabriel, “If there’s
no word from us by midday on the morrow, you will send word to
Lomion, Kern, and Doriath Forest, asking them each for aid. You
will also send scouts to each town and hamlet within our demesne,
instructing them to prepare for battle or to flee to Lomion or to
the Dor. Understood?”

“
Understood,” said
Ector.

“
Perhaps I should stay behind and
assist young Master Ector,” said Tanch. “What with my delicate back
and such I may not be—“

“
We need your skills, wizard,”
said Gabriel. “You’re going.”

Tanch slumped back in defeat.

Gabriel’s gaze, and then everyone else’s,
shifted toward the two foreigners.

“
I shall accompany ye,” said Lord
Theta before any could address him, “and Dolan as well.”

“
I thank you, Lord Theta,” said
Claradon, “but this isn’t your fight. Don’t feel
obligated.”

Theta cut Claradon off with a wave of his hand
and a shake of his head. “I shall accompany ye.”

“
Then you have my
gratitude.”

Theta nodded.

“
Everyone, go now and make ready
your equipment,” said Gabriel. “We’ll meet in the chapel in one
hour.”

III

ON MAGIC AND MUMMERY

As the men filed from the room, Theta motioned
to Claradon to remain. He walked over as Theta gathered up his
shield.

“
Your wizard was reluctant to
speak of magic,” said Theta. “I would ask that you explain
this.”

“
He behaved that way, because in
Lomion it’s considered rather improper to speak of such things. One
reason being most people believe magic is no more than mummery. The
greater reason being it’s illegal to practice the true arcane arts
publicly. Those that do so face ostracism at best, and prison or
exile if things go against them. I gather that in your lands such
is not the case.”

“
Indeed, things are different
there. With your laws as they are, how is it that ye have a House
Wizard?”

“
Ah, well- being a wizard, or
rather, proclaiming yourself a wizard is not illegal. On every
street corner in the great cities of the realm, there are those
that call themselves wizards, sorcerers, or seers. But they are
charlatans all. They trick the unwary and unwise with sleight of
hand, and fool the foolish with palm readings, astrology, and other
such bunk. As far as the common people know, that’s all there is to
magic and wizards. All that they know of true magic comes only from
legend and superstition. We’re a superstitious people you see, so
the people fear those olden tales. They fear the olden magic and
those that weave it. It’s better to believe only in the card
tricksters and their ilk.”

“
So they think thy House Wizards
are no more than well-dressed street hawkers.”

“
Exactly.”

“
And I gather that that isn’t the
case.”

“
Indeed, it is not. There are
those few, those most singular few that belong to the Order of the
Arcane. These men are learned in the true mysteries of the magical
arts of thaumaturgy, divination, sorcery, necromancy, and other
such esoteric fields of study. A goodly number of their members can
command fantastic magics and enchantments to accomplish all manner
of wondrous deeds. Par Talbon, our House Wizard, is such a man, as
is Par Tanch. These men are sworn to never use their skills
publicly, save in the defense of their lives, the lives of their
master, or by order of the Crown. Rare it is that such vows are
broken. When magic is used, the authorities quickly cover up the
incidents and remove the evidence; the government long ago having
decided that the common people mustn’t know of such things. For
good or ill, that’s the way of things.

“
And no one other than those in
the Order can command the magical arts?”

“
Some few members of certain
militant orders are trained in the ways of magic. But their command
of the arts is typically far more limited than members of the
Arcane Order.”

“
I take it that these knights are
under the same restrictions regarding using their arcane
skills.”

“
They are.”

“
You have such skills,” he said in
a manner that could easily have been mistaken as a question –
though it most certainly was a statement.

“
I do,” said Claradon, not quite
holding back a slight grin at Theta’s insight. “As you’ve no doubt
already discerned, my brother and I are knights of the realm of
Lomion, each holding membership in one of the militant orders. I
serve the Caradonian Order of the Knights of Odin, and they afford
me the title of ‘Brother’. Ector and my brother Jude are members of
the Tyrian Order, whose patron is Tyr, god of justice. Jude and
Malcolm, my youngest brother, are in Lomion, our capital city, on
House business.”

IV

THE PRAYER

“
Hear me my brothers,” said
Claradon as he stood beside the lectern, “now gather close and
harken to my words, for they art passed down to us from the before
time.”

The assembled knights of Dor Eotrus dropped to
one knee and bowed their heads. Lord Theta and Dolan stood alone in
the rear of the chapel.

“
Now look to the north and behold
ancient Asgard, shining and bright, though hard and cold as the
stone, the ice, and the sea.”

“
To the north lies Asgard,” said
the men in unison.

“
Now look unto the east and behold
thy brothers, thy sons, and thy comrades.

Now look unto the west and behold thy sisters,
thy wives, thy mothers, and thy daughters.”

“
Around us are our kinsmen,
always,” said the men.

“
Now think not again of them until
we march on the homeward road.”

“
Not until the homeward road,”
said the men.

“
Now look unto the south and
behold thy father, and thy father’s father, and all thy line afore
thee, back unto the beginning.”

“
Unto the beginning,” said the
men.

“
Now look forward and behold thy
fate. For before you lay the paths to victory and glory, and the
paths to defeat and disgrace. Intersecting these paths are the road
to tomorrow, the road to Valhalla, and the road to
darkness.”

“
Beware the dark road,” said the
men.

“
Now look above thee and behold
the all-father. He beckons us forth to meet our fate. He tells us
that the path we choose is of our own making.”

“
Our path is our own,” said the
men.

“
Now my brothers, vow thy
path.”

“
We choose the path to victory and
tomorrow if we can, to victory and Valhalla if we must,” said the
men. “This we vow.”

“
We shall bring Lord Eotrus home,
or take vengeance on his slayers if he has fallen. This we
vow.”

“
This we vow,” said the
men.

“
Rise now my brothers,” said
Claradon, “and go to thy fate with Odin’s blessing.”

The men arose and stood silently for several
moments.

“
--All right, you slackers,”
bellowed Ob. “That’s enough standing around. Check your weapons and
secure your packs. We’ll be heading out forthwith.”

As the men prepared their equipment, Claradon
moved to where Theta and Dolan were standing. “I hope that our rite
did not offend or make you uncomfortable,” he said, as he removed
his clerical vestments.

“
Not at all,” said
Theta.

“
Vowing thy path,” said Claradon,
“is an ancient prayer amongst our people. We wouldn’t embark on a
quest or go off to battle without speaking it.”

“
We have a similar rite in our
land,” said Theta.

“
Then why may I ask did you not
join us and reaffirm your path?”

“
I chose my path long ago, Eotrus.
I know its every crag and crevice. I could no more divert from it,
than could the sun choose not to rise in the morn.”

“
Then I’m glad that we’ll face
this road together, since you know it so well.”

Theta stared off into the distance. “Mine is a
perilous road; those that walk it with me are seldom long for
Valhalla.”

Dolan raised an eyebrow at this.

“
Ominous words, my Lord,” said
Claradon. “I’d gladly end the day in Valhalla, if before I drew my
last I avenged my father.”

“
Be not so quick to fly to
Valhalla, young Eotrus, it will still be there however long your
journey. It is…eternal.”

V

DARGUS DAL

As the men adjusted their gear, Gabriel
unlocked an ironbound chest that he and his aides had earlier
dragged into the room. When he opened the lid, an unnatural glow
crept from within. The men gathered about to get a closer look.
Gabriel reached in and pulled forth a long dagger in a bejeweled
leather sheath. When he bared the silvered blade, it glowed with a
soft white light. Similar blades filled the chest.

The men gasped at the sight of that eldritch
blade, ensorcelled as it was with some forgotten magic of bygone
days to luminesce so. Most retreated several paces and some drew
their swords.

“
Sorcery!” said one
knight.

“
Witchcraft!” cried
another.

“
Hold,” boomed Gabriel. ‘There is
no danger here. This blade and its kin are weapons for us to gird,
not foes for us to fight. Cover your blades. Now.”

The men complied, though fear and doubt filled
many a face.

“
What’s this humbug, Gabe?” said
Ob. “We’ve no need of fairy magics, we have honest steel to gird
us.”

“
And honest steel is all one needs
when facing mortal man or beast,” said Gabriel. “But today I fear
we face something more.”

“
Bah,” said Ob.

“
Sir Gabriel is right,” said Par
Tanch. “We’re facing something whose howls carry for miles, that
spouts evil fog and waylays our finest men. To face such an enemy,
we need a bit of the arcane I think.”