The Tomb of the Dark Paladin (23 page)

To Zach's dismay, the priest jabbered incessantly as they went, complaining about his miserable lot in life. He claimed that his new benefactor, Tartarus, had given him his reptilian hand and had even given him terrifying new powers. Zach had been personally responsible for the deaths of many of Tartarus' followers under the guise of the Phantom, and it didn't take Ebonaar long to connect him to that too. Zach knew he would have to sleep with one eye open.

By the fourth day, the going had become too steep to continue with horses and the foursome had to set their mounts free. They decided it was time to make camp and found a cave which was large enough for all to sleep in. Unfortunately, a sleeping bear was displeased when it was awakened by Ebonaar's obnoxious voice. When the bear attacked, the priest killed it by inflicting a withering disease upon it. Then Urelis cursed the priest for wasting the meat which could have been used for food. The priest threatened to afflict the apprentice wizard with a vile plague, forcing Zach to step in tell them both to shut up. Meanwhile, Balzath started a fire and hummed to herself, occasionally stopping her song to laugh and at a joke that only she knew.

"What a wonderful place you've found for us, Ebonaar!" hissed Urelis. "I'm going to get all bruised sleeping on these rocks. And all this dust will show up like a boiling sore on my black robes!"

"Urelis," said the priest with a gap-toothed leer and a hideous chuckle. "You know that if you sustain any injuries to your delicate backside, I have a nice spell that will take your mind off the pain." Urelis, to his credit, did not engage the priest further.

Zach retired to a corner of the cave and laid out his bedroll, hoping to avoid contact with all three of his companions. Just as the man began to drift off to sleep, he felt a presence next to him. He knew it was Balzath and he tried to ignore her, but the witch had wiggled her way into his bedroll and Zach knew there would be no ignoring her advances.

Zach emerged from the cave before dawn and scouted the area higher up on the trail ahead while his companions prepared themselves for the day's climb. The pre-dawn air was still and cold, and the harsh wind and dark clouds told Zach this would change for the worse the higher they climbed.

The road that had become a trail now became little more than meandering spaces between boulders used by mountain goats and other highland game. It was treacherous on the rocky slope and rocks constantly shifted loose beneath their feet. The large boulders, which had made good hand-holds and places to hide from the wind, disappeared as the grade steepened. A thin layer of snow made the trail more difficult to find and the bitter cold seeped through his leather gloves.

Zack only ranged far enough to find a suitable place for the group to make their next stop. While he could move about the boulders fairly well, despite the treacherous ground, his companions were not so well suited to climbing and the next stopping point would take time for them to reach. Once he found a suitable location, Zach paused and looked out over the world below. He hadn't really understood just how high, and how far, he had come on this journey. He let out a sigh as he looked out over the snow-covered hills. Their beauty was incredible. There was nothing like this in Hybrand and he was pleased with himself for making the decision to flee that doomed land. Zach had heard news that Hybrand was now completely under the wizard's control, having been liberated from the Arnathians by King Cannath and Commander Coronus. He grimly wondered what sort of deal Cannath had struck with this lot. 

He leaned back against a boulder reaching for a piece of jerky, staring at the world. Losing focus, getting absorbed in the moment, could prove to be a fatal mistake in this harsh environment and Zach forced himself to snap out of it. With rumors of dragons and wyverns dwelling in these high places, and of course ogres, he was continuously concerned about the possibility of ambush. It was certainly possible that one of the great beasts had been watching their entire climb. Or perhaps the ogres were watching, waiting to set an ambush.

Ogres,
he wondered. 
What on Llars are they?
 Zach had never seen one and had never met anyone who had. He had heard many rumors, some said that the ogres were large as giants. Other rumors alleged that ogres were man-sized, and others told of ogres that were smaller than dwarves; Zach doubted those rumors. Some folk said ogres were primitive and lived in caves and that they barely knew how to make fire, while others said that ogres were so advanced that even the gods feared them. Zach assumed there were kernels of truth among all these rumors and in the end, they would find out about ogres when they met ogres. He would satisfy himself, for the moment, to believe that they were, in fact, formidable.

Zach stood up from the boulder, brushed himself off and made his way back down the treacherous mountain path, dreading his unpleasant companions. His appointment to accompany Balzath on this mission seemed more punishment than reward, and the constant tension among his traveling companions was difficult to bear.

"It would be easy enough for that filthy priest to have an accident," offered Zach's companion voice. He smiled, imagining the diseased priest tumbling down the mountainside, his body battered and broken. What a shame that would be.

Zach returned to the cave to find his companions had broken camp and were ready to move out. He said nothing to them in the way of greeting and simply turned to lead the way back up the mountain. He was becoming increasingly dissatisfied with their varied and annoying personalities. He particularly detested the priest who seemed to enjoy casting his filthy afflictions upon healthy animals that could have been used for food.

As the day wore on, the air became thinner and the going became significantly harder. The group was forced to stop for frequent breaks to catch their breath and even Urelis' incessant whining had ceased because he was having enough trouble just breathing.

Finally, the foursome reached the location Zach had scouted and they stopped to eat a cold meal somewhat protected from the wind. The longer this day wore on, the more Zach felt like the group was being watched, though he did not know if the source of his uneasiness stemmed from mountain dwelling ogres or something far worse. They were nearing a large plateau, Zach hoped the group would reach it before nightfall, but something intangible troubled him. The plateau might prove to be a good place to halt for the night, but it might also be occupied by something that would not want visitors.

"I'm going to scout farther ahead. We don't know what's up there waiting for us," he said to Balzath. The witch nodded, respecting Zach's experience in these matters, giving her assent.

"Where are you going?" hissed the priest as Zach shouldered past him. Zach stopped and glared at the ugly, pox-scarred, man who was not intimidated. "Looking for a way to betray us the way you betrayed your other friends?"

Zach's anger flared up. He reached for
Morloth
instinctively; he wanted to kill the disgusting priest. Before he could strike, Balzath drew a long slender wand and cracked the priest across the forehead.

"That was for your insolence!" she hissed. "Shadowblade works for me, not you." The priest had been put in his pace by the witch, yet Zach did not miss the hateful glare from his dark and beady eyes; and silent promises were exchanged between the two men. With a smirk, Zach turned and began his trek upward toward the plateau.

The climb was cold and arduous, his hands stung from the biting cold. Zach climbed as far as he felt he could go and still allow enough time to return for his companions. A stretch of sheer cliff face lay between him and the top of the plateau some twenty feet above. He paused to consider the options before him. He searched for a way around the difficult section but could find nothing easy. Returning to the cliff face, Zach realized it was not entirely sheer, there were enough small hand and foot holds that the four should be able to climb over it. It would be a difficult climb but he was confident the group could reach the plateau. However, his warrior's instincts also told him that it would be the perfect place for an ambush and his erstwhile companions would be hard pressed to defend against one. He knew that he should climb the face now and conduct a reconnaissance of the plateau, but there would not be time for him to climb it and return to the group if they wanted to reach the top before nightfall.

Zach knew he should return to his companions but thoughts of going on alone tempted him. He detested them, and the affections of that insane witch were grating on his nerves.

"Leave them behind, they are slowing you down!" urged the disembodied voice that had been plaguing him at inopportune moments ever since he left the Underllars.

"I'd like to, believe me," he admitted to the voice. "Balzath is mad, Urelis is an insufferable whiner and the priest just wants to kill me."

"We could kill him first."

"Perhaps," he said, enjoying that thought. "If he is not careful I will gut him like a fish."

"He is no match for us!" agreed the voice. "But we must be wary of his foul touch."

Zach turned around and made his way down the treacherous path, thoughts of spilling the dirty priest's innards bringing a smile to his face. He returned to the camp to find the priest and the wizard sitting by a small fire of dark flames. Zach wondered if the magical flames were in fact making things colder. The priest rubbed his hands vigorously and cast Zach a hate-filled glare. Urelis muttered to himself but gave the assassin a nod of respect. Zach was surprised at that but held a healthy level of distrust for the wizard anyway.

Feeling mischievous, he stalked up to the fire and pretended to slip on a stone. As he feigned a fall to the rocky ground, Zach leaned over and fell onto the back of the huddled priest. Zach's forearm landed heavily on the man's back and propelled him headlong into a large rock. When the quivering priest arose from the dirt, blood trickled from a cut on his forehead.

"Oh, sorry about that," said Zach insincerely, on his feet again in a flash and brushing himself off. "Someone should remove that rock, it's liable to hurt someone."

The priest growled and began muttering a spell. As Zach drew his dagger and prepared to end the life of the pathetic priest, a shadow blocked out the sun and a terrifying shriek split the air.

"Dragon!" shouted Ebonaar, turning from his near duel with Zach to hide and cower among boulders which would provide them almost no measure of protection anyway. Urelis sneered at the sniveling priest and thrust his hands into the air, preparing to bend the power of magic to his bidding. Balzath drew her considerably powerful wand and chanted softly.

The dragon was as an impressive sight as any Zach had ever seen. It was at once graceful and proud and yet it seemed to embody the essence of hatred and malevolence. It was sleek and gray. Its eyes were dark, looking down upon them with seeming scorn as it passed. The intelligent beast flapped its wings to push it into a higher altitude. Then it circled lazily far above the companions. The dragon had to be at least three times the size of the biggest wasp dragon Zach had ever seen.

To Zach it seemed as though the dragon were keeping its distance, watching and wary. Perhaps it sensed the power that the companions collectively wielded for it did not venture any closer.

"I suppose that is one of the dragons that serve the Frost Elves," wondered Zach.

"No," replied Balzath. "That is a rock dragon, they are only found in these mountains."

"Will it eat us?" asked the priest, his voice quavering.