The White Shadow Saga: The Stolen Moon of Londor (34 page)

"Very well…" Helfare straightened his
clothing and maintained the elegant appearance of an officer of
Valadure. "I am a former general of Lord Adian in his vast realm
far to the south of here. Six months ago he summoned me, his
closest officials, and his high priests to his innermost keep and
revealed to us his horrid plot of taking the moon from the
heavens."

"Reason?" Arnanor asked impatiently. "There
has to be one."

"He told us of a grand offer he received from
the Enchantress. Though I have never seen her, I have heard many
tales of her peerless powers and beauty that surpasses all that one
could hope to understand." He saw that all were intrigued and
shocked at his story, but more lay ahead to be told. "This offer
would exchange Beldas for the enchantress's land, which Adian
desired badly."

"And this Adian agreed?" Randor asked. "This
is the most extreme barter I have ever heard."

"At first he did not agree," Helfare
remarked. "Only after the enchantress offered Adian immortality and
her hand to him in marriage did he so agree. The power promised to
him only made the task easier to do."

"So now Londor suffers for his gain? What a
selfish fool!" Malander laughed darkly.

"Did he not care how it would affect those
outside his grasp of magic?" Seth asked, being the first voice of
reason.

"No," the general replied. "All that concerns
Adian are his armies and his citizens. The world could lie in ruin,
but as long as he reigns on his throne, he would feel divine."

"Now the Banner of Aldrenos makes way to
Valadure in the hands of Bharot," Randor said. "It appears that
Adian's bane has caught the tail of his realm, and the banner will
cure any illness that creeps in. He will now be invulnerable." He
started toward the exit, followed by the company and Helfare. "We
must reach Bharot before he can return to his master's side. I now
regret our delay here."

"They will not escape us, even with our small
respite," Gildan said.

"You may be correct," replied Randor.

"I know the very road they take, and by your
grace I will lead you to a cutoff point," Helfare offered, and
without a word, he sidestepped over to the wall and retrieved both
his and Malander's swords. The chain fell to the ground and
dissolved into smoke and was no more. "These steps ahead will take
us outside this castle. Ready yourselves."

"Helfare!" a strong voice yelled from behind
the company, still at a distance. All turned to see who spoke.
"Helfare!" it called again.

"Who is calling you?" Seth asked the puzzled
general. "Do you have a squad with you?"

"No. I came alone."

"I wonder who that is," Malander hissed.
"Maybe it is Bharot, returning to play."

"I think not, but I will remain here and
see," Helfare assured him.

Running toward them at great speed was a man
clad in black, his shoulder-length hair whipping behind him. With
sword drawn back, he locked eyes with Helfare, who brought his
sword upward to greet him. "Lord Adian sends his greetings in my
blade!" As he completed his declaration, he slashed with all his
might at Helfare's head but was parried by the general's quick
reflexes. Helfare managed to drive him back to the center of the
chamber, where the attacker spun his sword by the long hilt as if
it were a staff, thrusting and slashing at the general. But Helfare
bided his time, putting forth only enough effort to keep from being
struck.

"Give yourself into my custody!" the wild man
demanded. "Give yourself to Master Ghelok!" Helfare suddenly came
alive, unleashing his reserve in one swift upswing of his blade,
but Ghelok blocked it easily with mind and sword working as one.
Ghelok laughed, "You shall fetch me quite a reward from Lord Adian.
He will bless me with a promotion to high general and an undeclared
amount of the enchantress's land! I will not allow you to escape
and deprive me of my rightful earnings!"

"Then kill me if you can," Helfare taunted
him.

"You will regret those words!" Again they
closed in battle, and Bharot's lead on the company grew ever longer
as time went on. Randor muttered a spell quietly to himself and
held his magic inside, waiting for a clean shot at Ghelok. With the
intruder in his sight, he let fly a little ball of blue flame,
which streaked toward Helfare's unknowing back. Sensing the
stealthy magic, Helfare leaped high into the air, over the path of
Randor's projectile, which hit Ghelok full in the chest. Dropping
his sword, Ghelok fell backward over a body length from where he
was struck, skidding along his back for many feet. Giving one last
look at his fallen foe, Helfare was the last to follow his new
company out of the tunnel, and before Ghelok realized his
situation, he was left alone, ravaged by pain.

Chapter Fourteen: Among the Granite
Tombs

Determined to succeed, Bharot had escaped the
traps and snares of the castle and prepared himself to return to
Valadure--a journey long overdue. The light of the morning
scattered high in the wispy clouds as the sun crept over the
distant mountains. "Mount up and ride onward!" Bharot commanded,
taking the reins of his steed.

As the squadron rode away, suddenly eleven
horsemen crested the nearby hills to either side and bore down on
Bharot and his remaining four. But seeing their own coat of arms on
Bharot's men, they quickly broke off the attack and instead greeted
him in Valadure fashion. Bharot, ever in control of the situation,
rode forward. "One of you, I don't care who, explain to me what
brings you here."

"Lord Adian dispatched us, sir, to aid Master
Ghelok in his task of retrieving General Helfare," one spoke before
silencing himself again.

Bharot was amused by this news, relishing the
thought that these two men he despised were both in the vicinity.
His hatred for Helfare had begun many years ago, during their many
uncomfortable years in training together. It was a jealousy that
ran deep in his cold veins, and the mere thought of his rival drove
him into a quiet rage. He had always hated being considered second
best to Helfare, and wanted only one chance to prove his
superiority. "Lord Adian has blessed me this day," he proclaimed.
"Not only do I get to humiliate the former general Helfare, but I
can put the posturing Ghelok in his place as well. Finally will I
receive my due." He surveyed the newly arrived soldiers under
Ghelok's command, only recognizing three, though apparently they
all knew who he was, detectingfear and respect in their bearing.
"How many days have you traveled?"

"Seven days, General."

"Superb timing, my brothers," Bharot
congratulated them. "You glorify what we have taught you these many
arduous years." The distance from Valadure to Nar-Fhandon was far
greater than seven days, but Of-Adians were hardy enough to travel
far and fast under the most grueling conditions.

"Thank you, sir!" the eleven replied in
unison. No one could ask for a better or more disciplined company
of men.

"I cannot wait much longer for those two
foolish souls to appear before me," Bharot said. "Perhaps I should
wait a moment in hopes of one appearing."

"Permission to speak, General?" one of his
own men asked respectfully.

"Go on."

"Lord Adian would not be pleased with our
lack of haste. I, for one, do not wish to see harm come to you or
any of us."

Another of the general's men spoke up without
permission. "If these two have come after you, we shall meet them
on the Kaidren road ahead. Make them follow after us despite their
weariness."

"My dear sirs, you speak true," Bharot
answered with his head lowered in admiration. Though he longed for
the downfall of his enemies, it would have to wait. "In my anger I
had forgotten strategy, for my wrath had captured my sense." He
turned his horse to the road ahead. "All who wish to follow me to
Valadure are welcome. Those who are received by Lord Adian,
bringing the Banner of Aldrenos to its new eternal home, shall be
rewarded."

To his surprise, only the four men of his
party came to his side. He took one last look at his compatriots
and shook his head. "Very well. I respect your binding to Ghelok,
since Lord Adian did command it so. I will not think differently of
any of you, I promise." He paused. "Pray for us."

"Ride hard and ride well, General," one
soldier called out as Bharot and his squadron hastened up the steep
path before them.

"Eaen Ada ven
maladen!"
the five shouted as they disappeared over
the hill, and the remaining soldiers echoed the call, an Of-Adian
Brotherhood proverb of victory known to all who came to their way
of life.

As the eleven soldiers watched their
departing comrades disappear over the hill, their ears were
suddenly filled with the grinding screech of the castle door
swinging open. Randor stood in the open doorway, taken aback by the
sight of almost a dozen drawn swords; the soldiers covered all
avenues of escape except for the grim, ill-starred castle behind
the company. In the corner of his eye, the wizard noticed Helfare
drawing nearer to his old kindred. "I gather they are not with
Bharot," Randor said.

"They are here for me," Helfare answered,
"and led by Ghelok." Far enough away now from the rest of his new
company, Helfare sought the full attention of the soldiers. "Why
have you come?"

"We came for you, vile traitor to Lord
Adian!"

"Following a mercenary?" Helfare asked,
laughing. "What has come over your master? It looks as though he is
slipping in his old age."

"Do not degrade my master again with your
foul words! We follow Ghelok without question or regret. He is a
superb leader, much more so than you."

"Your 'superb' leader now lies on the floor
of the castle." His gray eyes glared coldly at them as he pressed
on, "Not so mighty now, is he? Ghelok is a foolish man."

"What have you done with him?" cried the
soldier, obviously distraught.

"Let us pass," Helfare demanded. "I do not
wish to harm you. Though I am no longer of your brotherhood, I
still care for those within its ranks."

"We cannot let you pass." Sympathy from an
outsider of Lord Adian was never welcome. The only things mattering
to Adian were the affluence of his beloved Valadure and of his High
Order, now and continuing into the next age of the world. "Our
orders are to arrest you at once."

"You will have to overthrow us first," Randor
added. "Helfare is in my service, and I fight dearly my
companions--which now include him."

"Let him remain here, Randor," Malander
advised. "Prolonging this only creates a colder trail for Aldrenos.
We do not need a traitor."

"I will not let Helfare out of my service,
and this, Malander, is final."

Helfare surreptitiously scanned the area,
looking for a weakness in the surroundings. There, to his far
right, along the castle wall, he could just make out a smaller path
through the deep pines. "I will only ask you once more to stand
aside," Helfare spoke to his captors--none responding to his
sincere threat. "You are leaving me little choice," he said as he
reached into his jacket.

But before he could grab firm hold of his
weapon, Helfare and the rest of his new companions were shoved
forward by an abrupt force coming from the castle's exit. As the
company found their balance once again, they looked upon Nugalas,
who now stood between the mounted soldiers and Zelok's party. The
monk snarled, turning his attention to the soldiers first, thinking
these were the same ones who had infiltrated his home.

Randor kept watch on Nugalas, who moved away
from him, and in this moment, Randor slowly led the company towards
the castle once more. "This is our chance to flee," the wizard
whispered as he slid his hands and back against the dark, rough
stones of the castle.

"That is one sneaky priest," Gildan said.
"Looks like he waited for everyone to leave before showing his ugly
face again."

Nugalas lashed forward against the eleven
horsemen, and rage consumed him like never before. As the priest
dove into the middle of the dark collection of soldiers, he clawed
the air, dividing their ranks. Quickly he drove back six of the
horsemen onto the path where Bharot recently departed. At first the
soldiers hesitated in their own attack, never before having seen a
creature like this--though it was not much longer before they began
to fend off Nugalas.

The remaining five soldiers met Nugalas' back
and, they too, began battle with the red-cloaked devil. Nugalas
controlled the clash with his mighty attacks, and the evil radiance
he generated caused the steeds to grow unsteady.

Without so much as a sign to his companions,
Helfare darted away, making a desperate bid for freedom. Along with
the rest of the company, they slipped away from the soldiers, soon
finding themselves on the path seen earlier by Helfare--free of
obstacles. In great strides Helfare sprinted on ahead, the company
following hard on his heels. In the near distance, to the south of
Nar-Fhandon, stood a small range of snow-capped mountains,
Helfare's intended safe haven.

* * *

After many long, grueling moments of battle,
Nugalas came to realize that these particular soldiers did not
possess what he desired most. The priest released his chain into
the air and swung it over his head in a circular motion, granting
him a large space of safe ground. The eleven soldiers, now able to
take hold control over their horses, kept well out of the way of
the whirling metal, which showed no sign of slowing. Nugalas let
out a hellish scream, and a bright flash of white light filled
Nugalas' circle, forcing the soldiers to shield their eyes from the
intense glare. The light faded, and as the soldiers attempted to
spy Nugalas' next move--the priest was gone.