1060 lines
67 KiB
Plaintext
1060 lines
67 KiB
Plaintext
+-+ +-+ +-+
|
|
+-+--+-+--+-+ VOLUME SEVEN NUMBER ONE
|
|
| | ==========================================
|
|
+___________+ FFFFF SSS FFFFF N N EEEEE TTTTT
|
|
| ++ | F S F NN N E T
|
|
| ++ | FFF SSS FFF N N N EEE T
|
|
| | F S F N NN E T
|
|
|_________| F SSS F N N EEEEE T
|
|
/___________\ ==========================================
|
|
| | BITNET Fantasy-Science Fiction Fanzine
|
|
___|___________|___ X-Edited by 'Orny' Liscomb <CSDAVE@MAINE>
|
|
|
|
<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>
|
|
|
|
CONTENTS
|
|
X-Editorial 'Orny' Liscomb
|
|
*If Looks Could Kill Glenn Sixbury
|
|
*Gasmelyn Llaw: Part 2 of 2 John White
|
|
|
|
Date: 010987 Dist: 236
|
|
An "*" indicates story is part of the Dargon Project
|
|
All original materials copyrighted by the author(s)
|
|
<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>
|
|
|
|
X-Editorial
|
|
Well, greetings, all, and welcome to the new year! This is a
|
|
notable time of year, for three reasons. Firstly, we are beginning a
|
|
new volume, number seven. Secondly, we are marking the first
|
|
anniversary of the Dargon Project, which has been remarkably
|
|
successful. And, finally, it was two years ago that FSFnet's first
|
|
issue was sent out. So please excuse any sentimentality which follows.
|
|
As we enter our third year of publication, I'd like to send out
|
|
some very special thanks to everyone involved in the production of
|
|
the magazine. Without their aid, FSFnet would not have seen the end
|
|
of the first semester. I'd also like to thank those who distribute
|
|
the magazine onto other networks, and who knows where else (*I*
|
|
certainly don't)! And, of course, I'd like to thank the readership
|
|
for their interest and support. That's what it's all about. Special
|
|
thanks go to Joseph Curwen, Jim Owens, Chuq von Rospach, Mike
|
|
Murphy, Alan Clegg, Chris Condon, and Bob Boag.
|
|
Well, enough of the sentimentality. Thank you, one and all, for
|
|
making the zine a success. Best wishes, one and all.
|
|
-'Orny' Liscomb <CSDAVE @ MAINE>
|
|
|
|
<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>
|
|
|
|
If Looks Could Kill
|
|
It was already late afternoon and Tara n'ha Sansela estimated
|
|
that she still had close to three or four leagues to travel before
|
|
reaching Tench. She didn't want to stop, but her horse, Boxter was
|
|
an older animal, and it was obvious that the rapid pace she had been
|
|
forcing him to go was beginning taking its toll. At the top of a
|
|
hill, she dismounted, leading Boxter over to a tree, and took the
|
|
opportunity to rest herself in the cool shade. As she sat down, Zed,
|
|
her pet Shivaree, trotted over and curled up beside her, immediately
|
|
falling asleep. The big ferret-like creature wasn't accustomed to
|
|
running all day. Several times Tara had lifted him up to the saddle
|
|
with her so he could catch his breath as they had traveled.
|
|
It had been two days since her parents were killed by bandits,
|
|
and Tara still hadn't managed to grasp the reality of her situation.
|
|
It all seemed like a dream. Each morning, she woke up with the idea
|
|
that it would all be over, and she would be back in the small farm
|
|
cottage where she had lived her whole life. But it was not to be.
|
|
The cottage was now little more than ashes and her parents were both
|
|
dead. She'd buried them herself in their old cellar and set out for
|
|
Tench, where she hoped to find a guide or at least a map which would
|
|
get her to Dargon and to her uncle's.
|
|
As Tara sat under the tree, she surveyed the countryside. It was
|
|
still green, but there was a chill in the morning air. The snows
|
|
would come soon. As Tara scanned the horizon, which held clouds in
|
|
the threat of an evening storm, she noticed some activity in the
|
|
valley. In the middle of a clearing stood a fortress, surrounded by
|
|
several cultivated fields and three oval tracks. Looking closer,
|
|
Tara could see people scattered about, and as they moved, she caught
|
|
the glint of metal reflected in the evening sun. Tara had never seen
|
|
so many people in armor. Surely this was an army camp of some kind.
|
|
It was hard to see, but the people down on the clearings seemed to
|
|
be training, although some could also be seen tending fields. It was
|
|
all very interesting,and Tara would have liked to stay and watch a
|
|
little longer, but she knew she had taken up as much time resting as
|
|
she could afford. She would have a hard time making Tench by sunset.
|
|
Tara had been afraid that she had lost her way in the dark until
|
|
she finally spotted a group of lights, revealing Tench's location.
|
|
The town was nestled in between large, tree-covered hills, and had a
|
|
small river running through it. Riding down towards the lights, Tara
|
|
was glad this leg of the trip was finally over. It would feel good
|
|
to have a bed to sleep in again. It would also feel good to have a
|
|
chance to be around other people, even if they were strangers. The
|
|
last two days had been lonely ones.
|
|
Tench was little more than a cross-roads town. As Tara rode down
|
|
the main road which provided Tench with most of its travelers, the
|
|
few buildings she saw were either inns or taverns, with stables
|
|
tucked away behind them. She did notice a small dwelling or two, but
|
|
from the looks of things, Tench had very few permanent residents.
|
|
Tara had expected the streets of the town to be almost deserted.
|
|
In the few tiny villages located near Tara's old home, people went
|
|
to bed shortly after sundown, raucous laughter came from one of the
|
|
nearby taverns, and several people were wandering up and down the
|
|
road. Few of them took notice of Tara, although some took time to
|
|
glance suspiciously at this strange girl rider with a Shivaree
|
|
trotting behind her.
|
|
Tara was looking the town over, and she didn't see the man step
|
|
in front of her. The horse bumped him in the back, and he turned
|
|
around and snarled, "Watch where yer goin', or I'll--" Then the
|
|
man's face changed from arrogance to fear, and his voice softened as
|
|
he apologized, "I'm sorry M'Lady. If I'd o' known it was you, I'd o'
|
|
never...." And then he turned and walked hurriedly away.
|
|
Tara had started to apologize to the man, but he had left too
|
|
quickly. His change of attitude was also very puzzling. He didn't
|
|
seem like the apologizing type. Too tired to worry it, Tara turned
|
|
her attention back to finding a place to stay for the night.
|
|
The next inn Tara found was in an old well-worn building, but it
|
|
was well lit. Tara read the sign above the door: The Lame Duck Inn.
|
|
It didn't look like much of an inn, but at least the nearest tavern
|
|
was almost out of earshot, so she would get some sleep tonight.
|
|
Cheered by that fact, Tara tied Boxter to a post and went inside.
|
|
The room was dimly lit and had a stale, musty odor. A small,
|
|
balding, round-faced man was bent over a sheet of parchment, making
|
|
a scratch here and there as he counted on his fingers. Tara shut the
|
|
door and walked to the counter. The small man didn't seem to notice.
|
|
"Hello," Tara said shyly.
|
|
"Evenin'."
|
|
"Could I get a room?" The man did not answer, but seemed to
|
|
count a little more furiously on his fingers. "Hello?"
|
|
"Yes, yes, yes," the man muttered, recounting his fingers. "You,
|
|
uh, wanted a room?"
|
|
"Yes, if you have one."
|
|
"We do have one," the little man said, and then he looked up,
|
|
and his face immediately brightened. "Why didn't you say it was you?
|
|
Tryin' to fool me again, were ya? I thought you were just another
|
|
traveler come to interrupt my bookwork."
|
|
Tara put a puzzled look on her face. Then she answered, "You
|
|
must have mistaken me for someone else. My name is Tara n'ha Sansela."
|
|
"Oh, I see," the inkeeper laughed. "It's Sarah this time, is it?"
|
|
"No, Tara. Tara n'ha Sansela."
|
|
"Ah, good. I will try to remember." Then the little man laughed
|
|
again. "Your usual room, uh, Tara?"
|
|
"My usual room?"
|
|
"Yes, the corner room at the top of the stairs."
|
|
"Whatever you have."
|
|
"Fine, fine," the little man beamed. "Boy! Boy!" The little man
|
|
grumbled to himself, and stomped around impatiently for a moment.
|
|
Then he disappeared into the back room, and when he came back, he
|
|
was carrying a young boy by the back of the neck, which he tossed in
|
|
front of the counter. "Take her horse to the stable, boy, and get to
|
|
it!" The boy was little more than skin and bones, and bruises could
|
|
be seen on his cheeks and arms. Tara started to say something, but
|
|
then checked herself. This was no time to get involved. The little
|
|
boy said nothing, but stared sleepily at the man. Then he rubbed the
|
|
sleep from his eyes on his way out the door.
|
|
The innkeeper had noticed Zed. "What's this?" he asked, putting
|
|
his hand out towards Zed. The shivaree growled, baring his teeth,
|
|
and the man quickly pulled his hand back, putting it in his pocket.
|
|
"Never mind," he blurted out before Tara could answer. "Normally we
|
|
don't allow animals to stay in the room," he continued, "but since
|
|
he's yours, I'll make an exception."
|
|
Tara just nodded an acknowledgement, and then she headed up the
|
|
stairs. As she reached the top step, the innkeeper called to her,
|
|
"You never did fool me. Not this time. The animal is a new twist,
|
|
though." Tara thought about answering, and then decided to let
|
|
things lie as they were and disappeared into her room.
|
|
Once inside, she pulled off her boots, and layed back onto the
|
|
bed to rest a moment. Zed jumped up beside her, curled up into a
|
|
ball, and was immediately asleep. Tara knew she needed sleep, but
|
|
too many things were bouncing around inside her head. The inn keeper
|
|
seemed to recognize her and even gave her special treatment, even
|
|
though she'd never seen the man before in her life. Also, Zed was
|
|
always friendly, but he almost bit the man's hand. And what about
|
|
the boy? And the stranger she'd bumped in the street? Tara's turned
|
|
over the thoughts in her mind as she lay on the bed.
|
|
Zed rolled over sleepily and settled his head on Tara's belly.
|
|
|
|
Tara sat up in bed. Midmorning daylight was streaming through
|
|
the window. She was disoriented for a moment before she remembered
|
|
where she was, but she didn't remember going to bed. Then she
|
|
realized she was still fully dressed. Quickly she put on her boots
|
|
and made sure she still had the small bag of gold attached to her
|
|
belt. As soundly as she'd slept, she was glad no thief had taken it
|
|
in the night. Then Tara walked to the door. Zed trotted up from the
|
|
corner, expecting to go along. After thinking a moment, Tara ordered
|
|
him to stay, pushing him back from the door with her foot as she left.
|
|
Several minutes later, Tara was sitting at a table downstairs,
|
|
eating the best breakfast she'd had since leaving home. The
|
|
innkeeper had given her breakfast for free, but when Tara asked him
|
|
to have someone take care of Zed for the day, he agreed to do so,
|
|
but it cost her several extra copper pieces. When Tara finished her
|
|
meal, she went to find the things she would need to get her to Dargon.
|
|
Tara soon discovered that it was easy to find supplies, but that
|
|
they weren't so easy to buy. Everything was over-priced, and after
|
|
purchasing a warm cloak, dried food, a couple of water skins,
|
|
another blanket, and some bones and meat scraps for Zed, she only
|
|
had half her gold left. She also found guides who were eager to take
|
|
her to Dargon, but not for the amount of gold she had to offer. They
|
|
did tell her that the road to Dargon was fairly well-traveled and
|
|
she could find her own way there, if she lived that long. They
|
|
portrayed many dangers of the road for a girl traveling alone, but
|
|
Tara listened to them with her father's teachings firmly in mind. As
|
|
he used to say, "Those preaching loudest about the dangers of the
|
|
night are the ones selling lanterns."
|
|
It was afternoon before Tara had finished all her tasks and had
|
|
started back to the inn. Her arms were laden with her supplies, but
|
|
she felt good. Things were going as planned, except for the message
|
|
she had wanted to send to her uncle to let him know she was coming.
|
|
Such a message had turned out to be too expensive and too slow.
|
|
There was the chance she might be in Dargon before the message.
|
|
Then, suddenly, someone stepped in front of Tara, gave her a bear
|
|
hug and planted a passionate kiss on her lips. Tara was caught
|
|
completely off-guard and dropped everything, but as soon as she
|
|
recovered, she slapped both hands onto the man's head and he
|
|
immediately let go with a yelp. "Yeoww! What'd you do that for?"
|
|
Tara didn't reply, but drew her sword instead, holding him at
|
|
sword's distance. "What's wrong?" he asked. "You said you'd see me
|
|
as soon as you came back, and then I find you out roaming the
|
|
streets, so I come to welcome you back, and you attack me?"
|
|
"You are wrong," Tara told him. "You attacked me."
|
|
"No, Honey, I didn't. . . ."
|
|
Tara cut him short with a poke of her sword in his belly. She
|
|
didn't hurt him, but it was enough to change his plans. He quickly
|
|
mumbled an apology, and walked away through the crowd which always
|
|
formed when ever a fight broke out. When it was over, the people
|
|
also dispersed, leaving Tara alone to gather up her things. She was
|
|
shaking and had trouble hanging onto things, but she managed to get
|
|
back to the inn without further incidents.
|
|
Once in her room, Tara calmed down, and then realized that she
|
|
was hungry. She decided to get some supper and try to figure out
|
|
whether the man that attacked her made an honest mistake or whether
|
|
he had just tried to protect himself after seeing her reaction. When
|
|
Tara went downstairs, she was told that the inn didn't serve meals
|
|
in the evening, but there was a good tavern just down the street and
|
|
around the corner, so Tara set off in that direction.
|
|
The tavern served her a good meal. It was a little expensive,
|
|
but everything in Tench was more expensive than what Tara was used
|
|
to. She ordered some of the strong, bitter ale that was common in
|
|
this country, and found that she couldn't stand to drink it, so she
|
|
had it taken away and replaced with a mug of a sweet cider. Then,
|
|
after finishing her meal, she decided to sit and relax a little
|
|
before heading back to the inn. It was going to be a long time
|
|
before she had the chance to socialize with people again.
|
|
The tavern had been empty when Tara had arrived, but now it was
|
|
crowded, and Tara enjoyed looking at so many different kinds of
|
|
people. Then she noticed that one of them was looking at her. He was
|
|
a tall man with a powerful body and hair blacker than ashes. He was
|
|
also a handsome, noble-looking man, but his eyes were strange.
|
|
Hard-grey eyes, their stare chilled to the bone. As she watched, the
|
|
man said something to the serving wench, gave her a few coins and
|
|
stood up. He's coming over here, Tara realized suddenly. She quickly
|
|
pulled out enough gold to cover her meal, and wrapped her cloak
|
|
around her as she headed for the door. The last thing she needed was
|
|
another event similar to what had happened to her earlier that day.
|
|
She didn't bother looking back as she rushed out, shutting the door
|
|
behind her.
|
|
She only made it fifty yards before several rough-looking men
|
|
sprang from around a corner and surrounded her, drawing their
|
|
swords. A short, stocky man with a mouth that wore a constant sneer,
|
|
blocked Tara's path.
|
|
"You made a big mistake comin' back here, or are you still so
|
|
scratchy that you think you can't be beat?" Tara tried to speak, but
|
|
failed to find her tongue. "This time you will not live," the man
|
|
snarled and started towards her, motioning for the other men to do
|
|
the same.
|
|
"You're making a mistake," Tara blurted out, drawing her sword."
|
|
"Not this time," the man told her confidently. "Last we met, you
|
|
managed to walk away with all my money. You made a fool out of me.
|
|
Now you will die." With that, the man swung his sword at Tara's
|
|
head. She managed to block the blow, but it sent her sword sailing.
|
|
Quickly, she ducked under the man's second blow and tried to escape,
|
|
but all she managed to do was trap herself between her attackers and
|
|
a wall of a building. Slowly the group closed in. There were five
|
|
brutes in all, and the burly man who had talked before let an evil
|
|
sneer of a smile crawl across his face. "I will enjoy this," he
|
|
beamed, raising his sword for the death blow. Then, just as he
|
|
started the sword forward, a powerful hand wrapped around the wrist,
|
|
squeezing so tight, the man let out a painful cry and dropped the
|
|
sword. Then he was knocked to the ground. It was the man from the
|
|
inn. He seemed almost to glow. This man was comfortable in battle.
|
|
The other four brutes were stunned for a moment, but they
|
|
quickly recovered. Two on each side of the man attacked at the same
|
|
time, but he glided smoothly out of the way, causing them to clash
|
|
swords. Then, in the blink of an eye, he had disarmed one and sent
|
|
the other sprawling to the ground. As the other two attacked, he
|
|
again avoided their blows, sending one to the ground with a push and
|
|
swatting the other in the side of the head with the flat of his
|
|
sword. He took a step back, ready for another assault, but all save
|
|
one of the attackers grabbed their weapons and scrambled away down
|
|
the alley. The remaining one was on the ground, unconscious,
|
|
bleeding a little where he had been struck.
|
|
Tara stood in awe a moment before she recovered enough to thank
|
|
the man. Then she picked up her sword, resheathed it, and admitted,
|
|
"I'd be dead now if it wasn't for you."
|
|
"Yes, you would."
|
|
Tara was surprised by his frankness. "Thanks anyway." Then she
|
|
added, pointing to the man on the ground, "He isn't dead, is he?"
|
|
"No. He will have a headache when he awakes. That is all."
|
|
"Why didn't you kill them?"
|
|
"I only kill when I must. These men couldn't harm me."
|
|
"But there were five of them."
|
|
"Yes, I believe there was." Then he managed a smile. "My name is
|
|
Sir Morion," he said, taking her hand.
|
|
"I am Tara n'ha Sansela. Where did you learn to fight like that?"
|
|
"That is a long story," he replied, his eyes growing distant.
|
|
"Instead I should learn of who I saved. Come, we can talk while I
|
|
escort you home."
|
|
"You can't take me home," Tara said sadly, "but I'm staying at
|
|
the Lame Duck Inn." They started down the street.
|
|
"You are very foolish to wander about these streets, unescorted,
|
|
after dark, when you cannot protect yourself," Morion scolded her.
|
|
"The sword you wear implies you can fight. That's a bluff that will
|
|
only keep an honest and sober man from bothering you.
|
|
"But I wasn't bluffing." Tara explained. "I didn't know better."
|
|
Morion seemed unimpressed by her naivete. "Where are you from?"
|
|
"From a farm near Myridon." Tara saw Morion's blank expression,
|
|
so she continued, "It's a small village about sixty leagues east of
|
|
here. I came here because--" Tara paused, and then changed her mind.
|
|
"I'm headed to Dargon to live with my uncle. I don't know why those
|
|
men attacked me. One of them said something about getting even for
|
|
the last time we'd met, but I've never seen him before."
|
|
"Perhaps they mistook you for Lana."
|
|
"Lana?"
|
|
"I almost did myself, but after watching you a little while it
|
|
was obvious that you weren't Lana."
|
|
"Who is Lana?"
|
|
"You are too quiet and shy. Too well-behaved. You didn't fool me
|
|
for long at all, but then, I know Lana better than most."
|
|
"Who. Is. Lana?" Tara asked, stamping her foot.
|
|
"She's a bandit and assassin who you greatly resemble in
|
|
appearance. She kills and steals in her travels and then she returns
|
|
to Tench to hide, usually in disguise and under an alias name, until
|
|
whoever she has wronged has stopped searching for her. I'm surprised
|
|
more people haven't mistook you for her."
|
|
"Ah, I understand," Tara said, her face brightening. "That's
|
|
what's been happening. The innkeeper, the man who kissed me--now
|
|
things make sense!"
|
|
"Yes, well, I would advise that you exercise caution while you
|
|
are in Tench. Many people know Lana here. Some will be friendly.
|
|
Others will not."
|
|
Tara thought about that for a minute, and then she asked, "How
|
|
do you know Lana so well?"
|
|
"Everyone in Tench knows of Lana."
|
|
Unsatisfied, Tara prodded him, "You said you knew Lana better
|
|
than most. If I have to wear her face, I'd like to know something
|
|
about her."
|
|
Morion put a nasty look on his face and his eyes grew distant
|
|
again. He shook his head and remained silent. Then he sighed. "I
|
|
will tell you the story since you have a reason to know." Morion
|
|
gather his thoughts before he continued, "I run a school about three
|
|
leagues north west of here."
|
|
"That must be the army camp I saw yesterday on my way here,"
|
|
Tara blurted out.
|
|
"Actually, it's a Citadel containing a school," Morion corrected
|
|
her. In any case, Lana came to my school four years ago. She was
|
|
very young, but she had potential and money, so she became one of my
|
|
students. For almost two years, she was trained in methods of
|
|
fighting and fitness. She was always a very good learner, but she
|
|
was also always a trouble maker. Every chance she had, she would
|
|
travel here to drink. Always a fight would break out. Always more
|
|
men were killed. One night Lana--" Morion stopped a moment, his
|
|
emotions catching up to him, but it quickly passed. "I do not train
|
|
my students to kill for no reason. I expelled Lana from my school."
|
|
"She sounds terrible."
|
|
"She's not bad to everyone. Just those who cannot help her.
|
|
Actually, she can be a very nice, sweet girl when she wishes it so,
|
|
but I think she is too full of hate."
|
|
"What's wrong with her? I mean, how could a girl do anything
|
|
like that?"
|
|
"I'm not sure," Morion said thoughtfully, "but when she was
|
|
drunk one night, she told me she never knew her father, and her
|
|
mother was a serving wench at one of the local inns who used to take
|
|
men--" Morion cut off the thought. "How old are you?"
|
|
"Seventeen."
|
|
"You look older. Let's just say Lana had a very rough
|
|
childhood." As Morion finished his story, they arrived at the Lame
|
|
Duck Inn. "You will be safe now. Please don't travel after dark
|
|
without an escort again." "I won't. Thanks again." Then as Morion
|
|
started to leave, Tara pulled some gold out of the pouch around her
|
|
waist. "Please take this as a reward for you help. I can't give you
|
|
much, but--"
|
|
"No thank you," Morion interrupted. "I could not accept money
|
|
for an act of kindness."
|
|
"Please take it," Tara pleaded.
|
|
"No!" Morion growled, spinning on his heel and walking quickly
|
|
away into the dark. Tara was confused by his reaction, but she
|
|
shrugged her shoulders and put the coins away before heading into
|
|
the inn for the night.
|
|
|
|
Tara was up early the next morning, eager to get started for
|
|
Dargon. After she had saddled up Boxter and given Zed something to
|
|
eat, she was ready to go. Making sure she hadn't forgotten anything,
|
|
she rode out of the stables, and found a cloaked rider blocking her
|
|
path. Tara tried to ride around, but the rider grabbed the reins of
|
|
her horse, pulling Tara up short.
|
|
"Let me go," Tara demanded, raising her head defiantly. The
|
|
rider let loose a defiant laugh. Then, as Tara's face grew
|
|
perplexed, the rider said in a feminine voice, "So, they spoke
|
|
truthfully. I do have a twin." With that, the rider pulled her cloak
|
|
away from her head. Tara gasped. She was looking an image of herself
|
|
in the other saddle.
|
|
"I hope you have had fun, Sister."
|
|
"I don't know what you mean," Tara replied, trying to pull the
|
|
reins away from the rider.
|
|
"You have done quite a job of ruining Lana's good name in Tench.
|
|
It's all over town that I couldn't defend myself last night. The
|
|
story claims I had to have some man save me." Lana made an ugly
|
|
face, and then she spit, as if the words had left a bitter taste in
|
|
her mouth. "Now every horny, drunk, or greedy man will think he can
|
|
treat me as he would any other woman. My reputation was all I had,
|
|
and it was much too valuable to allow some miserable little girl
|
|
with a nose like mine to destroy it in one night!"
|
|
"But it wasn't my fault," Tara explained. "I told them they were
|
|
making a mistake."
|
|
Lana seemed not to hear. "Do you know what I'm going to do,
|
|
Sister?" she asked in her sweet voice. "I'm going to cut off your
|
|
head and hang it from my saddle. Then people will know I am Lana,
|
|
the Snake, to be feared." Tara was frightened now and looked
|
|
desperately around for help, but although a few people had gathered
|
|
to watch, none looked willing to get involved. Franticly, Tara tried
|
|
to pull the ruins away. Lana held the reins tight and casually
|
|
planted a foot in Tara's chest, knocking her to the ground and
|
|
letting loose another laugh.
|
|
As Tara lay on the ground, desperately trying to catch her
|
|
breath, Lana jumped down beside her. Then she grabbed Tara by the
|
|
hair and yanked her to her feet. "You really are a wretched little
|
|
creature," Lana told her, pulling on Tara's hair to keep her off
|
|
balance. "You don't deserve to wear my face, do you?" Tara just
|
|
whined. She felt like her scalp was bleeding where her hair was
|
|
being pulled. Lana didn't seemed satisfied, and she pulled harder.
|
|
"I asked you a question, Sister."
|
|
Tara let out another yelp of pain, and then she managed to reach
|
|
up and claw Lana's face. "You little bitch," Lana swore, letting go
|
|
of the hair and reaching for her sword. Tara backed away, dizzy from
|
|
the pain, and grabbed her own sword from where it had fallen.
|
|
"Good. At least you are woman enough to die honorably." Then
|
|
Lana stepped forward and casually flipped her wrist, knocking the
|
|
sword out of Tara's hand. "And you will die," Lana taunted her
|
|
before almost leisurely swinging her sword in a horizontal line
|
|
across Tara's belly. Tara was trying to move out of the way when the
|
|
sword grazed across her stomach, just below her breasts, and she
|
|
tripped and fell over backwards. Although the pain from the cut was
|
|
terrible, the amount of blood oozing down her ribs told Tara she
|
|
wasn't hit bad enough to kill her. She looked frantically about for
|
|
her sword, spying it a few feet away, but she never had a chance to
|
|
get to it. Lana had grabbed her by the hair again, pulling her up
|
|
enough to expose her throat. Apparently, she was going to make good
|
|
on her original threat.
|
|
Then, Tara heard a low, gutteral sound as something flashed by
|
|
her face. Lana let go, and Tara rolled away, hearing Lana cursing
|
|
and fighting. Tara managed to sit up enough to look over and saw
|
|
that Lana was on her back, her sword several feet away, and she was
|
|
trying in vain to fend off the attack of a large furry animal. It
|
|
was Zed.
|
|
Lana managed to pull out her dagger and swiped at the Shivaree.
|
|
she missed her mark, but did manage to take off an ear, which put
|
|
Zed into a complete fury. He mutilated Lana's arm, and she dropped
|
|
the dagger, crying out in pain. Then she felt the bones in her
|
|
shoulder crush as Zed worked his way, biting, toward the throat.
|
|
"Stop him, help me! Call him off!" Lana was pleading for her
|
|
life now, and Tara had recovered enough to call to Zed. At first, he
|
|
continued to maul Lana, but then, when Tara called again, he sprang
|
|
back, growling, blood dripping from his mouth. Tara never dreamed
|
|
Zed could do anything like that. She called him again, and he
|
|
trotted over to her as if nothing had happened.
|
|
Lana was still alive. She was covered with blood, and her left
|
|
arm, which was her fighting arm, was almost shredded. With her right
|
|
hand, Lana pushed herself up to a sitting position. Tara walked over
|
|
to help her, but Lana fended off the assistance with a menacing
|
|
gesture. "Get away from me, you slut," she growled, dragging herself
|
|
to her feet. Then she hobbled over to her sword and dagger, leaving
|
|
a trail of blood. After getting her weapons, Lana turned towards
|
|
Tara, "This is not the end, Sister. You will not live to see the
|
|
Spring, and the next time we meet, your animal will not be able to
|
|
save you." Then Lana pushed her way through the crowd and was gone.
|
|
The crowd that had formed to watch the fight had not dispersed,
|
|
but were shuffling in closer to Tara. Many of them seemed troubled
|
|
by the outcome and several were glaring at her. Tara was shaking
|
|
now, and all she wanted to do was to get away. She was still
|
|
bleeding, and so was Zed, but she knew she couldn't stay here. She
|
|
managed to fight off the pain long enough to lift both her and Zed
|
|
to the saddle. Then, with a touch of her heels to Boxter's sides,
|
|
she found her way through the crowd to the edge of town.
|
|
Tara dismounted and found her old tunic, which she tore into
|
|
bandages. She tied the large one around her torso, and she used some
|
|
of the smaller strips to bandage Zed's head. It was not a very good
|
|
job, but it would serve to stop the bleeding until she made camp
|
|
that night. Once again, Tara heaved herself and Zed back on to the
|
|
horse, and they headed out of town.
|
|
As Tara struggled in the early morning sun to fight off the pain
|
|
and dizziness just to stay in the saddle, she made a wish for the
|
|
rest of her journey to be much less eventful.
|
|
-Glenn R. Sixbury <VMAQ5 @ KSUVM>
|
|
|
|
<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>
|
|
|
|
Glasmelyn Llaw
|
|
Part Five: The Problem
|
|
Je'en followed Maks, who followed Cefn, up the spiral stairs of
|
|
the fifth and tallest turret. Previous turret rooms had been
|
|
outfitted as sun rooms, studies, or libraries, but the last one they
|
|
came to was very different. Cefn recognized various trappings that
|
|
indicated it had once been a laboratory, but it no longer served
|
|
that function. The walls were draped in heavy, black cloth, covering
|
|
the windows that certainly pierced the outer wall of the turret. But
|
|
it wasn't dark here, either. The same pallid green light filled this
|
|
room, and the source was obvious: the thing that sat on the
|
|
massively built table in the center of the room.
|
|
The sight of the thing on the table obviously confirmed all of
|
|
Cefn's suspicions, but Je'en and Maks' attentions were drawn to the
|
|
two figures in the room. Against one wall, a low table had been
|
|
draped with some sort of silvery cloth, and a black candle and
|
|
holder had been placed at each corner. On that table, naked and
|
|
lying supine, was a lovely young woman who Maks' moan told Je'en had
|
|
to be Syusahn. She was breathing very shallowly, and her skin seemed
|
|
to be very pale, although that was hard to truly tell in the strange
|
|
light. Standing by the table, near Syusahn's head, was the shadow of
|
|
a young man, or something like a shadow. It had the form of a medium
|
|
height, thin, red-haired man, wearing a strange clothes, but it was
|
|
translucent - they could see the covered wall through the figure.
|
|
Maks' moan attracted the attention of the shadow-man, and it
|
|
turned to face the three intruders. Je'en nearly flinched from the
|
|
raving madness in the washed-out grey eyes.
|
|
When it spoke, its voice was like a whisper, but it echoed
|
|
strangely in the room, so all could hear. "So, more new friends
|
|
brought to me by my Hand? The woman one can stay, but you two must
|
|
flee, or I will not like you, and you will die. Ha ha! Two women
|
|
ones! So long alone, and now two woman ones. When the short one has
|
|
joined me out of her body, then it will be your turn, masked one.
|
|
"Well, you two, what are you waiting for? Get out! I think I
|
|
don't like you. You better get out, before my Hand kills you!"
|
|
Maks had not stopped staring at his love on the table, and at
|
|
the shadow's words, he made to charge the shadow, and rescue
|
|
Syusahn. But, Cefn flung out an arm across both Je'en and Maks'
|
|
path, and urged them to take a step back. He said quiet enough for
|
|
only their ears, "I know what is going on now. Have either of you
|
|
ever heard of the Glasmelyn Llaw?
|
|
Je'en gasped at the name, but Maks shook his head. Cefn said,
|
|
"Long ago, a very powerful wizard enchanted the tower he had built
|
|
to protect him from his jealous peers. But, the spell was too good.
|
|
It protected him from everything, including age. I think that that
|
|
shadow man over there is the magician Tarlada.
|
|
"Over the years, the tower had been doing its job. But, at some
|
|
point, something happened, and it began to spread its influence. The
|
|
vines outside are the tower's way of taking control of the forest -
|
|
they are its link to the land around it. And, it is spreading.
|
|
"That object on the table is the focus of the enchantment,
|
|
almost the brain of the tower. If we can destroy it, we can both get
|
|
Syusahn away from that poor madman, and free the forest from the
|
|
encroaching evil. Stand back."
|
|
Je'en and Maks took another step back as Cefn pointed his wand
|
|
at the thing on the table. It looked like a cross between the tower,
|
|
a man, and (perhaps) a tree. It was ugly, and glowed a bright and
|
|
sickly pulsing green, and thin little green and blue and yellow
|
|
strands of itself grew from it, across the table, and down into the
|
|
floor. Je'en had been frantically trying to recall the tale of the
|
|
Emerald Hand, because she had a nagging sensation that Cefn was
|
|
making a big mistake by attack the core directly. But, she didn't
|
|
want to say anything, because he was, after all, the mage of the team.
|
|
Finally, just as a bolt of light pulsed along Cefn's wand and
|
|
flashed at the thing on the table, Je'en remembered. There was
|
|
another tale that concerned the exact same spell as the one in use
|
|
here which told of the only way to defeat the spell - and what Cefn
|
|
had just done wasn't it.
|
|
Cefn's wand began to build up a charge again, even before the
|
|
first had hit its target. Je'en shouted "NO!!", causing the wizard
|
|
to flinch. The bolt fired while the wand was pointed at Tarlada.
|
|
The first bolt hit the thing on the table. The thing pulsed
|
|
brighter as it did, and then kept getting brighter and brighter. The
|
|
oppressive atmosphere got worse, and Je'en knew that the presence
|
|
was finally aware of them. Then, the second bolt passed through the
|
|
shadow Tarlada, and the thing began to glow with an eye-searing
|
|
brilliance. And a sound began, a subtle vibration at first, but
|
|
getting louder by the second. It sounded like the tower was roaring,
|
|
and that sound frightened Je'en.
|
|
She said, "Run! We cannot stop it now - we don't have the proper
|
|
materials. Run - it knows we are here and intend to hurt it!" And
|
|
she followed her own advice, turning and heading for the stairs.
|
|
Maks, though eager to rescue his love from what was sure to be a
|
|
horrid fate, especially for one of the Wind Riders, also had an
|
|
instinctive fear of magic. So, he followed Je'en without question.
|
|
Je'en reached the stairs, and went down three risers before
|
|
noticing two things. The first was a horrible pressure on her head.
|
|
No, it was not on her head, but on her mind - she could feel the
|
|
essence of the tower trying to take command of her mind. And, when
|
|
she turned around to see if the other two were in the same
|
|
difficulty, she saw that Cefn hadn't moved. She was about to turn
|
|
back to get him, when she saw a ripple of light cover him, and when
|
|
it was gone, there was a flakey stone statue of him in his place.
|
|
Her eyes went wide, and then she began to run again, Maks still
|
|
at her heels. The pressure in her mind was getting worse, and she
|
|
began to recite the first and second Measures of the first
|
|
Apprentice Bard lesson to try and fight it off. She seemed to be
|
|
successful - at least she was still running, and not a stone statue.
|
|
They reached the sixth floor, and headed for the next set of
|
|
stairs. Je'en was very occupied with trying to keep the tower out of
|
|
her mind, but she managed to notice something odd about the statues
|
|
around the room. First, several were missing. And, another was
|
|
moving. She watched as an inert statue began to shimmer, and then
|
|
turn into a man. But, before he could raise his sword, he shimmered
|
|
again, and fell to dust. One by one, the other statues in the room
|
|
came to life, then fell into dust. As she passed those pedestals she
|
|
had noted as being empty, she saw the little mound of dust that was
|
|
all that was left of them.
|
|
Je'en and Maks hurried down the stairs past the fifth, fourth,
|
|
and third floor, catching glimpses of powdering statues as the went,
|
|
as the tower tried to use previous victims to snare the two
|
|
remaining interlopers. As they reached the head of the stairs to the
|
|
second floor, one of the statues that flanked it came to life, but
|
|
it didn't disintegrate. As it happened, it was one of the younger
|
|
and more fit of the gypsies that the tower had captured earlier, and
|
|
now, with a vacant stare, and a menacing sword, he tried to attack.
|
|
Je'en was startled to see the statue come back to life properly,
|
|
but she was so keyed up trying to escape that her reaction was
|
|
instinctive. Her sword came up swiftly, engaged the gypsy's in a
|
|
bind, and then riposted right into his heart. She was halfway down
|
|
the stairs before the body hit the ground.
|
|
There were two more "alive" statues to be taken care of, but
|
|
they posed little problem to one with Je'en's reflexes and will to
|
|
stay alive. When they reached the first floor, the door was still
|
|
open, and they could see the vines that lined the path waving and
|
|
thrashing madly, some even reaching blindly into the tower, feeling
|
|
for their prey. Je'en took several seconds to get out her cutting
|
|
knife, and then had an idea.
|
|
She dragged a table under the chandelier, and climbed up on it.
|
|
She could just reach the oil reservoirs, and she was happy to find
|
|
that they were not fixed to the frame (for easier refilling), and
|
|
also that they were full. She took several down, and handed them to
|
|
Maks. Then, she hastily lit one of the wicks with a spark-striker,
|
|
and went to the door. Dodging out of reach of the thrashing vines,
|
|
she took one of the reservoirs and hurled it out onto the left-hand
|
|
vine-wall. Then, she threw another onto the right wall, making sure
|
|
that the oil scattered. Then, she lit one, and threw it to the
|
|
right, and another to the left, causing the oil already on the vines
|
|
to catch fire. She was gratified to see that the vines weren't
|
|
fireproof as both walls flared up, the flames eating up the vines
|
|
like they were kindling.
|
|
The tower howled, almost as if in pain, and the vines stopped
|
|
darting around, and tried to beat out the flames, which only caught
|
|
them on fire. Maks and Je'en waited for the right moment, and then
|
|
dashed between the flaming walls of vines, unhindered except for the
|
|
danger of the fire, and the heat it generated.
|
|
When they reached the forest, Je'en turned to look back at the
|
|
tower. She saw the vines at the edge of the clearing begin to pull
|
|
back from the forest itself, creating a firebreak. As the vines
|
|
retreated from the forest, she also noticed that there were several
|
|
mounds that ran along the ground from the tower to the trees. They
|
|
looked like mole tunnels, or maybe shallow roots - and she knew that
|
|
even without the surface vines, the tower was still in contact with
|
|
its forest. She began to run again while the tower was busy trying
|
|
to put out the fires at its base.
|
|
|
|
Part Six: Solution
|
|
Maks and Je'en slashed their way madly through the vine-infested
|
|
part of the forest, and managed to reach their horses in under a
|
|
day. Then, by pushing the horses and themselves to the limit and a
|
|
little bit beyond, Maks and Je'en managed to reach Dargon in three
|
|
more days. When Maks complained about the pace, Je'en just reminded
|
|
him of the fate that was creeping closer to his love every minute
|
|
that they were away from the tower. That made him shut up and hurry
|
|
on in silence for a long while.
|
|
She had plenty of time to think as they rode dangerously fast
|
|
through the forest. She wasn't exactly sure of the fate of Cefn, but
|
|
having seen him turned to stone, she figured that he would be safe
|
|
for a while. After all, those of the gypsies that had been petrified
|
|
had been alive when turned back - those that had turned to dust had
|
|
just been statues too long, she hoped, and the tower couldn't truly
|
|
prolong their existence so far past their time of dying. She fully
|
|
intended to rescue Cefn long before he reached that limit.
|
|
She knew exactly what she had to do to destroy the tower. The
|
|
tale she had remembered told of something called 'prenia' which
|
|
acted as an antidote, almost, to the specific kind of magic that had
|
|
given a pseudo life to the tower. The only problem was that she had
|
|
no idea just what prenia was, or even what it looked like. She could
|
|
only hope that someone in Dargon did.
|
|
Pausing only long enough for a proper meal and bath when they
|
|
arrived in Dargon, both Je'en and Maks began to scour the city for
|
|
anyone who knew of prenia. They searched everywhere, in the markets,
|
|
on the docks, in the business district, everywhere they could think
|
|
of - and no one had so much as a clue to the identity or whereabouts
|
|
of the thing called 'prenia'.
|
|
Two days passed in their search for the mysterious element they
|
|
needed, and they were both getting desperate. Then, Je'en had an idea.
|
|
The secretary in Kroan's office knew Je'en, and admitted her
|
|
with no trouble into his office. They hadn't seen each other in a
|
|
while, and they greeted each other warmly. Je'en introduced Maks to
|
|
her brother, and then they got down to business.
|
|
Je'en told Kroan why Maks had come to her and Cefn (whom Kroan
|
|
had met several times, and liked). And then, of what they had found
|
|
in the tower, and what had happened to Cefn, and what was happening,
|
|
hopefully very slowly, to Syusahn. And lastly, of the thing called
|
|
prenia that would save them both. "I hope you know what it is," said
|
|
Je'en, "because no one else in this town does."
|
|
Kroan searched his memory, but found nothing. He called in one
|
|
of his employees, an inventory clerk, and asked the young man to
|
|
quickly ask around about prenia. While the youngster carried out his
|
|
errand, Je'en and Kroan talked trivially to pass the time.
|
|
Finally, almost an hour later, the clerk returned to Kroan's
|
|
office bearing no good news - no one in the employ of Fifth I knew
|
|
what prenia was, either. Je'en sighed, and wondered what to do next
|
|
as she rose to leave. Then Kroan said, "Wait, Sis. Did you talk to
|
|
the local physician yet? His name is Aardvard Factotum, and he lives
|
|
a little way from town to the east. He has the most knowledge in the
|
|
area about things magical and/or ancient."
|
|
The man's name hadn't come up before, but Je'en had heard that
|
|
he was competent if a little ostentatious. She also knew that he was
|
|
unlikely to part with any information he had for free, so, after
|
|
thanking her brother for the lead, she went to the moneylender where
|
|
she kept her savings and withdrew almost all of what she had left,
|
|
converting the disparate currencies into gold marks. And then, with
|
|
Maks still following her, they rode off to Aardvard's cottage.
|
|
Ostentatious suited Aardvard and his home to a tee. Displays of
|
|
his wealth were everywhere, and the cottage itself was almost a
|
|
small villa. Je'en hoped that Aardvard was as knowledgeable as he
|
|
was rich.
|
|
They were admitted to a large sitting room by Aardvard's
|
|
servant, Hansen, who then departed with Je'en's request of an
|
|
audience with the physician. Hansen didn't return for a long time,
|
|
and Je'en recognized the ploy from her years in Court circles. Maks,
|
|
however, was not so learned, and he was pacing restlessly, fingering
|
|
the various objects that adorned the tables, and wall shelves of the
|
|
sitting room. He almost dropped a small, delicate china mouse when
|
|
Hansen finally did return, saying, "Excuse me, m'lord and m'lady,
|
|
but Aardvard will see you now." With a frown at the sheepish Maks,
|
|
who had returned the mouse to its shelf, Hansen led the way through
|
|
the house to Aardvard's receiving room.
|
|
Je'en studied the man sitting with his back to the only window
|
|
in the room as she and Maks were offered seats, and then glasses of
|
|
what looked and smelled like a delicate red wine, but which tasted,
|
|
at least to Je'en, like grape-flavored water. Aardvard Factotum was
|
|
as richly garbed as was his home, and he had the look of a rich man
|
|
about him - well fed, a little slothful, perhaps even a little
|
|
bored. But his eyes were keen and intelligent, so that Je'en wasn't
|
|
quite sure how much of what she saw was a front that he put on for
|
|
his rich clients.
|
|
The physician said, "So, what can I do for you, Je'lanthra'en
|
|
and Maks of the Gold Rim tribe?" Maks couldn't hide the astonished
|
|
look on his face when Aardvard addressed him by his full name -
|
|
neither he nor Je'en had given so complete an introduction to
|
|
Hansen. Je'en, however, was amused by Aardvard's tactics, and kept a
|
|
straight face.
|
|
She said, "We heard of your widely renowned knowledge, and we
|
|
have a question to ask you. Do you know of something called 'prenia'?"
|
|
Aardvard's eyes narrowed, and he took a few puffs on his
|
|
scrimshaw pipe. "What might you be needing with such a thing, my
|
|
dear?" he finally said.
|
|
"There is a tower to the south and west of here called Glasmelyn
|
|
Llaw. Long and long ago, a wizard enchanted it, and since then, that
|
|
enchantment has begun to go awry. The tower is beginning to take
|
|
over the whole forest. Prenia is the only thing that can stop it -
|
|
and save our two friends, who have been caught by the tower. If you
|
|
have any information about prenia, or even better actually have
|
|
some, we are willing to pay for it."
|
|
Aardvard got crafty at the mention of money. He said, "How much?"
|
|
"As much as you want, healer. It is very important to us, far
|
|
more important that a few gold marks. Can you help us?"
|
|
"Perhaps. I think I have a book in my library that refers to
|
|
this - what was it, 'pranya'? But I'm not all that sure..."
|
|
Je'en pulled the pouch of gold from inside her cloak, and
|
|
spilled it out on the table. "It's 'prenia', healer, and is it worth
|
|
thirty marks to you?"
|
|
"My, my, thirty marks is rather a lot for just a tiny bit of
|
|
information, isn't it. Here, keep ten, and I'll go get my books."
|
|
Aardvard quickly scooped up twenty marks, and hurried out of the
|
|
room. By the time Je'en had stowed the remainder of her gold within
|
|
her cloak, Aardvard had returned. bearing three large, musty tomes.
|
|
He placed them on a table to one side of the room, and began leafing
|
|
through them. Je'en rose, and peered over his shoulder. He seemed
|
|
about to snap at her to stop it at one point, but perhaps the size
|
|
of the payment cooled his temper, for he just turned back to the
|
|
books silently.
|
|
He found what he was looking for in the first book, and, using
|
|
some notations in the margin, quickly found what he wanted in the
|
|
other two. He turned to Je'en, and said, "As, I thought I was right.
|
|
Prenia is an ancient term for what we now call ice-wood. Its a kind
|
|
of tree that has no color at all: you can see right through it. I'm
|
|
afraid its very rare, though. I've never even seen a piece - its
|
|
very, very valuable."
|
|
"Ice-wood. Yes, I've heard of that - I've even seen it used as
|
|
jewelry in the south." Je'en frowned. "Well we now know what to look
|
|
for. Thank you, Master Factotum. I was sure you could help us. Good
|
|
bye." She and Maks retraced their way through the house, and back to
|
|
where their horses were tethered. Aardvard looked after them for a
|
|
moment, then went to stow away the gold. He briefly wondered if it
|
|
had been fair to take such a high price - but, she had offered it.
|
|
Je'en went straight back to her brother's office when they got
|
|
back to Dargon. If anyone would have something as rare as ice-wood,
|
|
it would be a large merchant firm, and if Fifth I didn't have any,
|
|
then Kroan would know who did.
|
|
"We found what prenia is - ice-wood. Does Fifth I have any
|
|
stored away anywhere?"
|
|
Again, Kroan had to search his memory, but this time, he found
|
|
what he was looking for. "Yes, we do! But, gods, Je'en, do you know
|
|
what that stuff costs?"
|
|
"I have a pretty good idea, Kroan. But, I have no choice.
|
|
Ice-wood is the only thing that will save Cefn and Syusahn. And we
|
|
need enough to make two small cages. I'll find some way to pay for
|
|
it, but I need it now. Please, Kroan, please..."
|
|
Kroan was not a ruthless merchant, and he knew that his sister
|
|
was sincere. So, he said, "It will take a little time. I'll bring it
|
|
to your house, Je'en, in about two hours. Okay?"
|
|
Je'en hugged her brother. "Fine. We'll be waiting. See you."
|
|
As they walked their horses back to Je'en house, Maks asked,
|
|
"Why do we need two cages? There is only one core up in that room."
|
|
Je'en said, "I know, but we have to increase our chances of
|
|
success. You felt the pressure as we were trying to escape, didn't
|
|
you? I don't know why the tower was 'asleep' when we approached
|
|
before, but it is sure to be awake and aware when we return. And, it
|
|
will know that we are enemies. I think we can sneak into the tower,
|
|
but the closer to the top room, and the core, we get, the harder it
|
|
will try to capture or kill us.
|
|
"Because we are going in, and not out, it is going to be even
|
|
harder to resist the influence of the tower. There is a good chance
|
|
that, if you concentrate on Syusahn, you will be able to get
|
|
through. I...I'm not quite as sure about myself. So, we will have
|
|
two cages, one for each of us, so that whoever reaches that thing
|
|
will be able to nullify it."
|
|
All Maks could say in reply was, "Oh."
|
|
By the time Kroan arrived at Je'en's house, both she and Maks
|
|
were pacing. Je'en was getting more and more worried. What she had
|
|
told Maks was the simple truth. She knew that his love for Syusahn
|
|
was great enough to sustain him through whatever mental influences
|
|
that the tower might throw at him. But, she had no such anchor, or
|
|
at least not such a strong one. Cefn was - well, a possibility. She
|
|
was extremely fond of the wizard, and perhaps more, but there was no
|
|
certainty, even within herself, much less between the two of them.
|
|
So, she would have to rely solely upon herself to carry her through
|
|
the attacks of the tower to rescue Cefn.
|
|
Kroan was carrying a large, iron, well-locked box when he
|
|
knocked on Je'en's door. He opened it, using three keys, and two
|
|
secret levers, in her living room, revealing a much smaller cavity
|
|
within that was full of four to six inch long twigs of wood that
|
|
were transparent. They did indeed look like ice sculptured to look
|
|
like wood. Je'en was sure that the box contained a kingdom's ransom
|
|
of prenia.
|
|
He also produced two spools of silver wire, and then set to work
|
|
with Je'en and Maks to build two cages, each a foot high, and eight
|
|
inches deep, with open bases. The silver wire served well to hold
|
|
the ice-wood pieces together, and was sturdy enough to help the
|
|
cages to keep their shape without a lot of wasteful cross-bracing.
|
|
When the cages were completed to Je'en's satisfaction, there was
|
|
still enough ice-wood in the box to make, perhaps, a third.
|
|
Kroan locked the chest back up, kissed his sister good bye,
|
|
shook Maks' hand, wished them both luck, and left. Je'en said, "We
|
|
had better get some rest. We leave tomorrow, as early as possible."
|
|
|
|
Part Seven: Rescue
|
|
Je'en and Maks could feel the awareness of the tower as soon as
|
|
they saw the first of the vines. The sense of an actively malicious
|
|
presence was acute, and the vines themselves were far more active
|
|
than they had been before.
|
|
It was difficult, but not impossible, to move at speed through
|
|
the vine-forest. In about half a day, though, they had reached the
|
|
point where it was impossible to keep going with the horses. So,
|
|
they dismounted, secured the four horses, and went on on foot. Je'en
|
|
didn't want to further alert the tower to their presence by cutting
|
|
through the vines, so, after a little survey work, she and Maks took
|
|
to the trees, traveling branch to branch up above the ground where
|
|
the vines were much less thickly interwoven.
|
|
By sunset of the day they left their horses, Je'en and Maks
|
|
reached the tower. There was still enough light to notice the
|
|
changes their previous escape had caused - mainly the absence of the
|
|
matting of vines that no longer surrounded the tower. Apparently, it
|
|
learned from its mistakes. Je'en could see that it had re-grown the
|
|
vines that had been burned away, but now they grew straight down the
|
|
wall, and into the ground.
|
|
They had come upon the tower directly across the clearing from
|
|
the door, and Je'en was surprised and happy to see that the door had
|
|
apparently burned away with the vines - all that was left of it was
|
|
melted hinges, and some of the other fittings lying in the ashes on
|
|
the ground. Fifty feet separated them from the open doorway, and
|
|
Je'en could feel the presence of the tower already beginning to
|
|
weigh on her mind, though it didn't yet realize that they were there.
|
|
She signaled to Maks, and they both unlimbered weapons and the
|
|
expensive ice-wood cages. Maks helped her attach her cage to the
|
|
bracer on her right wrist - she hoped that she didn't forget and try
|
|
to use the bracer to block a sword-blow if there were any
|
|
animateable statues left within.
|
|
Then, at another signal, they both began sprinting toward the
|
|
tower. Almost immediately, vines began to spring up out of the
|
|
ground and catch at their ankles. Je'en almost tripped several
|
|
times, but managed to keep her balance and footing, and keep on.
|
|
Neither stopped running when they reached the door and entered
|
|
the tower, but headed directly for the stairs. Je'en noticed in
|
|
passing that the fire had been carried into the main room, and very
|
|
little was left. It seemed that the tower didn't have a very
|
|
effective fire-fighting system.
|
|
Nothing physical hindered them inside the tower, but by the time
|
|
they reached the third floor, Je'en could feel the pressure on her
|
|
mind becoming almost unbearable already. She stumbled once on a
|
|
step, but recovered and kept on climbing. The little concentration
|
|
tricks that she had been taught as a bard helped, but the pain grew
|
|
too great by the fifth floor, and she had to go on to something else.
|
|
She continuously glanced at Maks, who was still following her.
|
|
There was a faraway look in his eyes, but it was a look of
|
|
concentration, not the look of possession. They had both slowed
|
|
down, now climbing the stairs to the sixth floor at little more than
|
|
a walk, and both beginning to sweat from the effort of moving
|
|
against the will of the tower, but Maks seemed to be having the
|
|
better time of it.
|
|
A sword flashed in Je'en's line of vision, and reflexes alone
|
|
moved her own up in time to block it. She focused on her gypsy
|
|
attacker, wondering how or why the tower had kept one in reserve.
|
|
She attacked back, very glad that the man was very young, and not a
|
|
swordsman. Though her movements were slowed by the tower, the gypsy
|
|
was slower, and in two strokes, Je'en had disarmed him, and then
|
|
disabled him with the flat of her blade on his temple.
|
|
Then she dropped her sword, and began ascending the fifth
|
|
turret's stairs, pulling herself along the wall with her good arm.
|
|
Maks followed, oblivious of everything around him, his mind set on
|
|
Syusahn who was being slowly robbed of her body in the room at the
|
|
top of the turret. Je'en tried to concentrate on Cefn, just a
|
|
statue, fated to be kept here and to be used against further
|
|
intruders until the time when he would be reanimated, and fall to
|
|
dust. It helped her, that image, but she still had to struggle,
|
|
clawing her way up the winding stairs one at a time, with the tower
|
|
beating incessantly at her mind.
|
|
By the time the topmost room came into view at the top of the
|
|
stairs, Je'en and Maks were moving very slowly, with long pauses
|
|
between movements. Je'en's mind was moving in tiny circles, thoughts
|
|
moving at random, her body moving automatically. The pain was
|
|
intense, crippling, and only the briefly glimpsed images of Cefn
|
|
that she had created before, but which she didn't understand
|
|
anymore, kept her moving at all.
|
|
Finally, with a sense of achievement that managed to pull her
|
|
fragmented consciousness back together, Je'en reached the top step,
|
|
and pulled herself into the top room. Little had changed here,
|
|
unlike outside. Tarlada-shadow still stood next to the table where
|
|
Syusahn lay, and the statue of Cefn was still in the room, though it
|
|
had moved against one wall. But, the thing on the table was pulsing
|
|
even more brightly now, and there was a throbbing that coincided
|
|
with its pulsing that sounded a lot like a heartbeat.
|
|
She began to advance on the table, as slowly as she had climbed
|
|
the stairs. Tarlada turned at the sound of her boots plodding across
|
|
the floor, and he said, "Ah, the masked one returns! Good. Good.
|
|
See, the short one is almost ready - I can free you very soon."
|
|
Je'en looked at the low table, and saw that Tarlada was right.
|
|
Syusahn was even paler than before, and her limbs almost seemed to
|
|
be as transparent as Tarlada. She took another step toward the
|
|
table, and looked for Maks.
|
|
The gypsy was there, right behind her, still gazing off into
|
|
nothingness, but his face had screwed up into a fierce mask of
|
|
concentration. His steps were as slow as hers, but Je'en could sense
|
|
that his determination to free his love was far stronger than her's
|
|
to stay alive and free Cefn.
|
|
Advancing a step at a time, she neared the thing on the table.
|
|
Tarlada began screaming at Maks and her after they removed the
|
|
cloths that had covered the ice-wood cages. Je'en's cage had taken
|
|
up the greenish glow of the core, and it began to glow on its own.
|
|
She hoped it was supposed to do that.
|
|
The tower redoubled its efforts to halt Je'en and Maks, causing
|
|
Je'en to cry out, and slow down. She could almost see the waves of
|
|
force directed at her form the core. She could feel each one as it
|
|
hit her body and sent lances of pain into her head. When she
|
|
couldn't take any more standing up, she went to her knees, and
|
|
pulled herself along. But, Maks never wavered, and kept going.
|
|
Then, just a few more feet from the table, Je'en felt her
|
|
control slip. Just for an instant, but it was enough. She was
|
|
reaching out her arm to pull herself along another few inches, when
|
|
she found she couldn't move. Her head was up enough to see the
|
|
table, and Maks, but she could no longer make any movement, not even
|
|
to blink her eyes. Maks, though, was still plodding along, step by
|
|
step closer to the thing.
|
|
The statue of Cefn was within her range of vision, and as Maks
|
|
reached the edge of the table, she saw it come to life. The wand in
|
|
his hand was still raised, and it pointed at the table. But, somehow
|
|
his cowl had been lowered, and just as his body returned to flesh,
|
|
and the wand began to glow, Cefn screamed, and covered his eyes with
|
|
both hands, dropping the wand which ceased to glow.
|
|
Maks raised his left hand, which was holding the cage, with the
|
|
same slowness he had moved. Now, his eyes were focused on something
|
|
- the table against the wall, and the attenuating Syusahn. Sweat was
|
|
streaming down his face, and his dark tunic was visibly wet from the
|
|
perspiration that ran down his body, but still he moved.
|
|
Enough of the wizard remained in Tarlada to recognize the
|
|
composition and purpose of the cage that was nearing the core. The
|
|
shadow man finally moved from his position by Syusahn's table, but
|
|
he moved as slowly as Maks did. Curses streamed from his mouth,
|
|
alternately directed at Maks and the tower itself. The core
|
|
responded by glowing even brighter, and the waves of force it was
|
|
sending out really did become visible. Je'en saw them hitting Maks,
|
|
making him stagger a little or flinch, but they couldn't stop him.
|
|
The waves got thicker, and hit harder, but Maks was almost finished
|
|
what he had to do. The cage was finally directly over the core, and,
|
|
as the waves of force began to draw blood as they struck the gypsy,
|
|
Maks began to lower it over the core.
|
|
Je'en watched, motionless and free of pain, as the cage slowly
|
|
settled into place. She saw the waves being cut off as they struck
|
|
the ice-wood of the cage as it covered more and more of the core.
|
|
Slowly, with Tarlada beating his shadow fists ineffectually on Maks,
|
|
and Cefn recovering enough to slip his cowl back on properly, the
|
|
cage trapped more and more of the core's essence. And, just as Cefn
|
|
was groping for his wand, ready to make a last ditch defense of his
|
|
master the tower, the cage touched the table.
|
|
When it did, the whole ice-wood construct flared a deep, healthy
|
|
blue, and rays of light joined the base points of the cage,
|
|
enclosing the core completely. Then, blue light bridged the open
|
|
spaces between the lattices of the cage, rapidly enclosing the core
|
|
in a solid form of blue light. As the last opening filled in with
|
|
light, the whole tower shuddered, and screamed. Tarlada, getting
|
|
even more transparent, added his thin voice to the noise, and then
|
|
Je'en was so suddenly and completely free that she collapsed.
|
|
Relief washed over her - relief that she was able to move, and
|
|
free of pain, and relief that the spell on the tower was finally
|
|
broken. She picked herself up slowly, and looked around. She saw the
|
|
blue box of light on the table, and noticed the vines that had
|
|
connected the core to the floor of the room were shriveling away,
|
|
having been severed from the core. She saw Maks, still bloody, over
|
|
by Syusahn, who was still pale, but no longer fading in the
|
|
extremities. And, she saw Cefn slumped against the wall, also
|
|
surveying the room.
|
|
After resting up a few minutes, she stood up, and went over to
|
|
Cefn. "Are you all right?" she asked.
|
|
"I think so. It was strange, though, to be in the control of the
|
|
tower like that. Just a momentary confusion, and it had me. And
|
|
then, I could see and hear, but not move. Even when I was attacking
|
|
you two, I couldn't feel myself move. The tower did it all.
|
|
"Well, think we should see about Maks and Syusahn?"
|
|
She helped him up - he seemed to be very weak, but otherwise
|
|
okay. They went over to the table where Maks was trying to wake
|
|
Syusahn up. Cefn knelt down beside Maks, and checked the girl's
|
|
pulse. Then he said, "She'll be fine, but I suspect she needs a lot
|
|
of rest. Je'en, if she could borrow your cloak..."
|
|
When Syusahn was bundled up, Maks turned to the cage with the
|
|
core in it. "What about that thing?" he asked. "Will it be safe
|
|
there, or do we have to do something else?"
|
|
Je'en said, "Once the cage is closed, nothing can open it again.
|
|
The ice-wood will slowly leach away the magic in the core, and when
|
|
it is all gone, it will disintegrate, along with the core. We have
|
|
done all that needs to be done."
|
|
"Good," said Cefn. "Let's get out of here."
|
|
Maks carried Syusahn, and they all began descending the many
|
|
stairs of the tower. On the fourth floor, one of the shelves
|
|
standing next to a wall caught Je'en's attention. She detoured over
|
|
to it, and stared in open-mouthed amazement at what was there. She
|
|
said, "Cefn, Maks, come look at this." They were both as astonished
|
|
as she was, but for different reasons.
|
|
Set up for display was an exquisitely carved King's Crown game
|
|
set. The board was made of dark, polished wood, with inlaid squares
|
|
of what looked like some kind of ivory, and triangles of some
|
|
lavender colored stone. One set of pieces were carved from what was
|
|
probably sapphire, but the most astonishing thing about the set to
|
|
Je'en was what the other set of pieces was carved from: firestone.
|
|
Each delicately carved piece had an ember of fire imbedded deep
|
|
within it, and she knew that that flame would respond to the touch
|
|
by flaring up and filling the whole figure with fire.
|
|
Maks ogled the storage boxes for each set of pieces. They were
|
|
each made of the same material as their pieces, but they were lined
|
|
with ysgafn, a kind of soft stone that was a perfect cushion for the
|
|
valuable game pieces. And Cefn, alone among them, recognized who had
|
|
made the set - a Master craftsman from ages and ages ago, whose work
|
|
was very rare and highly prized.
|
|
Je'en began picking up the firestone pieces, and putting them
|
|
away. Maks followed suit with the jade ones, and found that they
|
|
reacted just like the firestones, glowing palely as he touched them.
|
|
Je'en said, "I wonder if Tarlada knew what a treasure this is. Well,
|
|
he won't be needing this now, will he. I think that this will do
|
|
nicely in lieu of a fee, Maks - it'll help Cefn and I through the
|
|
lean winter months."
|
|
Maks just smiled, and continued to help her pack.
|
|
-John L. White <WHITE @ DREXELVM>
|
|
|
|
<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>
|
|
|