Alutar: The Great Demon (78 page)

The two Knights of Alcea turned and ran for the stairs. When they reached the third floor, they turned towards the front of the palace. Their footsteps echoed off the walls of the empty corridor, almost masking the sounds of swords being drawn from their sheaths. Garth instinctively slowed before the turn in the corridor and handed his bow to Kalina. He grabbed two Lanoirian stars from a pouch and stepped into the intersection. Two soldiers stood before a door a dozen paces away. Both of the soldiers held their swords ready, and neither of them had torn sleeves. Garth did not hesitate. He let the stars fly and drew his sword as he raced towards them. Both soldiers dropped to the floor, but only one of them was dead. Garth brought his sword down on the wounded soldier before slowly opening the door and slipping into the office. No one was in the office, but there was another door in the room. He moved cautiously across the floor and opened the other door. The room was empty, and there was a door to a balcony. Garth threw it open.

“That was Kyrga’s office we just passed through,” Kalina said as she stepped into the second room. “That is why it was guarded.”

“That fact that the guards were still at their post indicates that Kyrga did not come this way when he fled the throne room,” Garth replied. “Set up your shields for the balcony. I want to have a look below.”

Kalina nodded. “You will not be able to shoot straight down,” she warned. “The physical shield will cover the bottom of the balcony and angle outward to waist level. You will have to shoot over it. If we get a lot of soldiers shooting at us, you can step back a pace for complete protection.”

Garth nodded as they stepped out onto the balcony. No one below seemed to notice them, but Garth knew that would change after his first shot. His eyes scanned over the thousands of soldiers massed before the Imperial Palace.

“There are two sets of black-cloaks,” he said to Kalina. “I will attack the four on our left. You get the four on our right.”

“Wait,” Kalina said quickly. “Your first arrow or my first spell will alert them to our presence. Get your arrows ready, and I will tumble them. We will have a short window to attack before they recover.”

“Won’t they feel your spell building?” asked Garth.

“Not with ten thousand men stomping around them,” answered Kalina. “I will let the spell build at the extreme edge of the crowd and move it when the time is right. It will catch them unawares. Trust me.”

“You know that I do,” grinned Garth. “Work your magic, witch.”

“I will make you pay for that later,” chuckled Kalina as she focused on the edge of the gathering below.

Garth extracted five arrows from the quiver and placed them on the railing of the balcony as he carefully watched his set of black-cloaks below. Without any visible signs of warning, the ground below rumbled. Thousands of men fell to the ground. The black-cloaks were among them. Garth fired his arrows as quickly as he could, peripherally aware of the fire spewing forth from Kalina’s hands next to him. He heard shouts from below as people realized where the threat was coming from, but he did not let the noise distract him.

“Back!” Kalina shouted.

Garth instantly obeyed as arrows bounced off the invisible shield at the level of his knees. Only one arrow rose above the physical shield and it slammed harmlessly into the palace wall above his head. Garth glanced down at the black-cloaks. He had succeeded in getting all of his, and his eyes moved to the right. Where Kalina’s black-cloaks had been, there was a cloud of smoke rising from a tangle of black cloth.

“The elves,” Kalina said softly as she nodded towards the city.

Garth looked farther out and saw thousands of elves racing towards the palace. He smiled broadly. Shouts of alarm rippled through the crowd below as the elves engaged the soldiers. The long reach of the elven arrows stirred a panic among the Federation attackers as they realized that they were trapped between two enemy forces. Those nearest the palace drove their swords into the ground and begged for entrance into the palace, but the doors were not opened. Those nearest the elves either charged the elves or tried to flee. None of them attempted to surrender, and none of those charging the elves even got close. The rain of elven arrows was like a scythe mowing down unruly weeds.

“They fear the elves more than Clint’s men,” noted Kalina.

“And rightfully so,” nodded Garth. “They do not know if the elves will respect their surrender. Can you magnify my voice?”

Kalina nodded.

“Kneel and live!” Garth shouted over and over, his voice carrying through the air like thunder.

It took a while for the message to be believed, but slowly the Federation soldiers complied. It started with those closest to the palace and spread outward. Those facing the elves proved to be more hesitant than the others, but once the elven arrows flew past some kneeling soldiers without them being targeted, the others quickly dropped to their knees. The battle was over.

* * * *

The assemblage in the emperor’s office was already large when General Hartz entered the room.

“The Imperial Palace is secure,” General Hartz reported, “as is the city. We will have no more trouble.”

“What of Grand General Kyrga, General Brennus, and Lord Kommoron?” asked Clint.

“Kyrga and Brennus have been captured,” answered General Hartz. “Brennus was found in the crowd out front. Kyrga was found cowering in the Temple of Balmak in the city. I do not know the whereabouts of Lord Kommoron.”

“There is no need to search for him,” stated Taerin. “Lord Zachary discovered his frozen body in the deep closet in the next room. My father’s body is in there as well.”

“It appears,” offered Lord Zachary, “that the black-cloak decided that he didn’t need Lord Kommoron any more. No one else knew that he was merely portraying Emperor Jaar, not even Kyrga. He thought he could just live out his days as the emperor.”

“He hadn’t counted on General Forshire and his A Corps,” nodded Taerin.

“Taerin,” General Hartz interjected, “I would like to bring something to your attention regarding the fighting today. I know most everyone in the Federation looked upon the A Corps as a bunch of misfits, but they performed superbly today. If it were not for them, we would have lost the palace. The same number of my own 3
^rd
Corps could not have done what they accomplished. I think the record should honor them for their skills and their sacrifices.”

“And so it will,” smiled Taerin. “And I will absolve every member of the A Corps of their past crimes. They may either be freely released from their service commitment or be allowed transfers into the Baroukan army, whichever they desire.” Colonel Donil grinned broadly, but the future emperor was not done. “General Hartz, you are about to lose a valuable member of your team. You will need a new colonel to handle the security of the Imperial Palace and work closely with the emperor. I would urge you to consider Colonel Donil for that position if he desires it. I know him to be an intelligent and loyal man who can hold a confidence when secrecy is required.”

“There could be no better recommendation as far as I am concerned,” nodded General Hartz. “It shall be done.”

“What of the Federation, Taerin?” asked Lord Kimner. “Will you walk in the footsteps of your father or your grandfather?”

“Neither,” answered Taerin. “The Federation is dead, and it will remain so. What I would like to see in its place is a series of trade agreements with individual countries. Perhaps over time we will once again evolve into some kind of an organization of equal countries, but it will never again be a military alliance. I could use some expert help with that, Lord Kimner. You served my grandfather well, and I would like your counsel.”

“Then you shall have it,” promised the old lord. “What of the elves?”

Taerin frowned as he glanced at Prince Saratoma. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “We have wronged the elves for far too long. I am tempted to cede the Elfwoods to them, but there are problems in doing so. Barouk will still need access to the mines of the Badlands. Perhaps we can sit down and discuss what the elves see as a reasonable solution.”

“I cannot speak for King Elengal,” replied Prince Saratoma, “but I would like my people to leave the Elfwoods. There are far too many bad memories there for relations between our peoples to recover quickly, although my goal would be for that to eventually happen.”

“Where would you go?” asked Kalina.

“Somewhere where we can live as a free people,” answered Prince Saratoma. “We will always owe allegiance to Valon, but we will allow no others to rule over us.”

“I think a meeting between the emperor and the elves is a necessity,” stated Garth, “but there is no emperor at present. With the discovery of Lord Kommoron’s body, there is no longer an impediment to a coronation. Have you given thought to the coming arrival of King Arik, Taerin?”

“Some,” frowned Taerin. “I am not sure what the Alcean king will demand of us, but I have been told that he is a fair man. The Empire of Barouk will offer whatever he wants as long as we are able to provide it.”

“He wants peace,” smiled Clint, “and it is within your power to provide it. I think Garth was asking if you wanted King Arik here for your coronation.”

Taerin smiled and nodded. “I would be honored to have him here for the ceremony. I will hold off on the coronation to make it possible for him to attend.”

“That will not be necessary,” replied Kalina. “Set the time for your ceremony and he will be here.”

* * * *

The mages gathered around the mound of blood red sand that sat amidst the barren plain. In the center of the mound was a shiny black staff, and Fakir Aziz pointed at it. Sparks flew from his fingertips, and letters suddenly appeared down the length of the staff. The letters spelled out, “Sands of Eternity”. With a flick of the Mage’s wrist, the staff turned to stone.

“A fitting end to a desert wasteland,” remarked Atule as he gazed around at the barren land that had been uncovered. “Will the land of Sirocca ever flourish again?”

Fakir Aziz smiled and nodded. “The seeds are dormant, but the rains will renew them. Within a season the land will be bountiful once again.”

“We could speed that up,” offered Eulena.

“Perhaps later,” frowned the Mage. “Our task is not yet complete. The demonstone was not destroyed, and that makes the next part of our mission more deadly.”

“What do we have to do?” asked Dorforun.

“We must enter the Forest of Death and deal with Alutar,” declared the Mage. “I must warn all of you that you are about to test your powers as you have never before. The Forest of Death is a deadly place. There are no friendly creatures within it. You will face ogres, poisonous revenant creatures, demons, and Alutar himself. Even the trees will seek to seize you. It is a place of pure evil.”

“I can build pillars to protect us,” offered Crystil.

“Pillars will not protect our minds,” replied the Mage. “Evil comes in many forms. Not all of them can be seen.”

Fakir Aziz dismounted in a large clearing and waved for the other mages to do the same.

“Do not tie the unicorns,” instructed the Mage. “They must be able to defend themselves. Zynor, look after them. Crystil, take Valera with you and set up some pillars. Make sure that Valera understands what you are doing. Kalmar, Dorforun, gather bark for a fire. Gather only bark. Do not bother with wood. It is not fit for a fire. Atule, you will get the fire going as soon as you have something to burn. Eulena, you may start preparing a meal for us.”

The mages took to their assigned tasks without complaint. Atule turned in a slow circle, examining the forest around him.

“I can feel the evil of this place,” Atule remarked softly. “Why are we riding through it rather than flying over it and landing where we need to?”

“It would be very dangerous to descend through the canopy without knowing what waited below for us,” answered Fakir Aziz. “Besides, there is no need to rush. Alutar knows that we are coming.”

“You have fought the Great Demon before,” said Atule. “What should we expect?”

“The unexpected,” frowned the Mage. “Realize that Alutar will not be defeated here. We can only hope to contain him. I had sought to deprive him of the demonstone, but he learned of our plans too early.”

“Because of the black-cloak that flew to the Forest of Death?” asked Atule.

“No,” Fakir Aziz shook his head. “That black-cloak delivered no message. Someone managed to cause the demonstone pain, and that pain called out to Alutar. I suspect my own enchanted sands were used to wound the demonstone.”

“Now Alutar will be whole,” frowned Atule. “Are you sure he will still be there when we arrive?”

“He will be there,” the Mage replied without hesitation. “He may have his legs back, but it will take time before they are once again useful to him. Besides, he feels quite safe where he is. The Forest of Death is his lair, and he is comfortable here. He has many minions at his command, and all of them will seek to kill us. If he can destroy all of you, he will seek to permanently weaken me.”

“That is not an encouraging thought,” replied Atule. “Why not just burn this entire forest to the ground?”

“The forest is salvageable,” answered the Mage. “In fact, if we are successful, it will become the home of the Dielderal.”

“The Forest of Death?” questioned Eulena. “I do not think my people would move here. There is a taint to this forest that smells of death.”

“Who better to restore it than the elves,” smiled Fakir Aziz. “It will offer your people a new homeland unencumbered by past enemies. It will also provide a defining purpose for the Dielderal. It will serve you well for many generations.”

Kalmar and Dorforun delivered armfuls of bark, and Atule began a fire. After a while, Crystil and Valera returned.

“The pillars are set,” smiled Valera. “We will not have to worry about evil disturbing us this night.”

“Take nothing for granted,” warned the Mage. “The pillars are meant to keep evil out, but evil can still exist within the area defined by the pillars. We will have sentries during the night. Arrange the schedule as it best suits you.”