Party at Castle Grof (11 page)

Aranok paced around the dais, examining the arms of the construction.

“There are jewels inlaid in the stone. Ari, are they magical?”

Ariana laid the Tear up against one of them.

“Yes. They link together. I can see the lines of magical force holding the four arms apart and guarding the crystal. The top set is suspending the stone.”

“So if we smash each jewel, the magic will go and we’ll be able to take the crystal,” her brother surmised.

The Mage nodded and Aranok brought out a pair of small hammers from his bag. He handed one to Ariana.

“Here, take this.” She took the hammer and started attacking the jewels on the arm closest to her.

“That’s a daring plan,” Erendell said from behind them. “What makes you think you’ll even be able to free the crystal, let alone escape with it?”

“We haven’t got time to stand around and discuss this, Erendell. Why don’t you use the hilt of your dagger to smash the jewels on one of the other arms?” Aranok replied, the effort of the task distorting his voice.

There was a sharp crack and the crystal faltered for a brief moment as Ariana cheered.

“I’ve smashed one! Keep going brother.” She turned to look at Erendell. “Why aren’t you…” her voice tailed off.

“…helping?” Erendell finished for her with a wicked smile. She stood with one arm around Grald’s waist. “I’ve had a better offer.”

Ariana looked around.

“Aranok, you’d better stop.” Her brother didn’t look up.

“Why? I’ve smashed two of them here.”

“The young Mage is correct, Ranger Aranok,” a familiar voice said.

Aranok spun round, dropping the hammer and drawing his sword.

“YOU!”

The Lych Mistress smiled. “Who else?”

“Erendell, Grald what are you doing?” Panic entered Ariana’s voice as the two of them moved to bracket the Lych Mistress. “I thought you were our friends!”

“They still could be, young one.” The Lych Mistress held out her hands towards Ariana. “Join us and you will not only gain more power than you have ever dreamed of, you will be with friends on the side of Right.”

“I would never become one of the Aracan Katuvana’s slaves,” Ariana spat at the beautiful elf.

“We aren’t slaves, Ariana.” Erendell rolled her sleeve up, exposing the whole of the rose tattoo. “The coloured rose tattoo with black thorns mark us as willing converts to the right side.”

“I chose to join them, Ariana. They didn’t torture me while I was captive, I was treated with every courtesy and comfort.” Grald smiled softly at the Lych Mistress who inclined her head in return. The hand that was around Erendell’s shoulders had a red rose tattooed onto it.

“Your mother’s heart will break when I tell her about this.” Aranok shook his head. “And what will Liana say?”

“That stuck up bitch can say what she likes. I remember her whispering about the colour of my skin when we were children,” Erendell shrieked back.

“My sister always could be arrogant. Just because she was born three minutes ahead of me,” the Lych Mistress mused. “I am so glad that it will be I that inherits the throne of Alethdariel and not her; once Lord Katuvana’s work is done of course.”

Erendell and Aranok stared at the beautiful elf.

“Sister? But that would mean…” Aranok frowned, then the colour drained from his face. “Loriel?”

“Liana is my twin sister. You and Liana left me for dead after the Alethdariel raid. My dearest Lord Katuvana had my form brought to I’Mor Barad,” the Lych Mistress laughed, her voice rolling richly around the chamber, “where Dr Cutznstix healed me and I became more powerful than my conceited sister could ever be. I cannot die!”

“We checked you. You were dead – a stab through the lung and heart!” Aranok was distressed “Liana tried to heal you, but she couldn’t.”

“I lived and now unless the Heart Kingdoms bow to the power of Aracan Katuvana, I shall take great pleasure in wiping out any of his enemies – even if it is my sister.” The Lych Mistress slipped one arm around each of Erendell and Grald’s shoulders. “If you survive the next few minutes, give my sister my regards and tell her I will surely see her again.”

The last word echoed as the three of them disappeared into thin air. Aranok turned and using the pommel of his sword hurriedly smashed the remaining gems holding the crystal.

“Hurry Ariana, we have to get the crystal and get out of here!”

Ariana nodded and attacked the gems on her arm as Aranok moved to the next.

In short order, all sixteen gems were in pieces and the crystal pulsed on the floor. Aranok wrestled it into a bag he had brought for the purpose and Ariana turned to go out through the treasure chamber.

“No! Wait. I have an item that will take us back to the entrance,” Aranok cried. He began rummaging in his bag.

“Do you really think that you’ll be able to escape me?” another voice said as every door leading to the dais room slammed shut, the locks clicking shut.

“It’s that Devil demon again!” Ariana breathed.

“I am Morian the Wicked, Lady Ariana of Alethdariel.” The creature bowed, a sardonic smile upon his face. “I am here to make sure that you never leave this Dungeon alive.”

“You killed Arnhammen!” she said, her voice shrill.

“You and your companions trespassed upon my private quarters, so of course I killed the dwarf. Wouldn’t you?” His golden eyes gleamed with amusement and Ariana shivered.

“Hang on Ariana, I’m almost there,” Aranok said, still searching through his bag.

Ariana frowned and looked at the Tear on its chain around her wrist. She smiled.

“I’ll bet you’ve never come up against this power before!” She thrust her arm in the air and the Tear burst into blue flame. The flame ran down her arm and around her body.

Morian laughed.

“What a pretty trick, Lady Mage; look, I can do it too.”

The devil demon’s eyes glowed and his body blazed with deep red flames.

Ariana concentrated on the Tear and sent balls of blue fire to crash against the creature. Morian rolled his eyes and swatted them away like so many wasps, each ball igniting the surface it landed on until the whole room was a mass of blue fire.

“I’ve found it, Ariana!” Aranok called, waving a red crystal on a short chain at her.

She ignored him and attacked the devil demon with lightning bolts. He deflected several, but two struck flesh and the foul stench of burning skin and fur spread through the room.

Ariana suddenly became aware that Aranok stood beside her unprotected. Without an initiating spell, she enclosed him in a protective bubble shield.

“Aranok, I have never felt such power before! This must be how a God feels!” she exulted.

“I have a transportation crystal, Ariana. You must come now!” he yelled, trying to reach through the bubble and grab her arm.

“NO! I will not give this up. I will destroy this evil creature and rid the world of its taint!” Ariana snarled. The power of the Tear pulsed through her veins and made it difficult to do anything other than react.

“You will never destroy me! I am a Devil demon of the highest Calibre, one of the Overlord’s most trusted servants.” The demon stepped towards her, his scythe appearing in his hands. “I destroy the enemies of the Overlord and the Dark Gods and I do it with a smile!” The scythe blade raised high, Morian smiled at Ariana.

“Aranok! Go, use your Crystal and go!” Ariana gasped, feeling the power running through her body increase. She tried to bring it to bear on the Devil demon. “I’ll vaporise him!”

“I can’t leave you like this!” the Ranger replied, tears starting in his eyes.

“If you don’t leave now, the backlash might kill both of us! Alone I have a chance of controlling it.” The blue flame around her brightened to a white glow, so incandescent that Aranok couldn’t look at her.

He backed into the door to the Treasure Room, the bubble shield moving with him. The door disintegrated as the bubble touched it and he paused on the threshold. “Ariana! I will wait for you in the Treasure Room!”

She nodded and advanced on the demon. Aranok backed into the other room, his eyes squarely on Morian.

Morian screeched as the glow touched him, but he brought his blade down anyway. It crumbled into dust in his hands.

“No! I am Morian the Wicked! I cannot die!” Ariana raised the hand with the gemstone.

“Tear of Espilieth, allow me to rid the world of this evil being.” The gem flared a multitude of colours, then a broad band of white light hit Morian square in the chest.

The devil demon shrieked and where the light touched him, tiny threads of white light began to writhe over his body. From where Aranok stood, it looked like he was cracking up and where the light touched, dust floated upward.

“In the name of Espilieth, Goddess of Healing and Magic, I command you to be gone!” Another, more powerful voice overlaid Ariana’s and another form surrounded her.

Is that the Goddess herself?
Aranok squinted into the light surrounding his sister.

The mage’s final sentence reverberated around the room, knocking dust from the dais stones and shaking the Dungeon to its foundation. Aranok found it hard to keep his feet and he clutched the transport crystal tighter.

There was a boom and a shower of ash and stone as the devil demon exploded into pieces. The dust cloud expanded, then just as suddenly contracted as it was sucked into the space in front of Ariana. All that was left of Morian was a large golden gem lying on the floor of the dais room.

Aranok rushed to his sister’s side as the Goddess’ presence left her and hovered in front of them. Ariana collapsed into his arms, her eyes closed and barely breathing.

“Aranokkinadiel.” The amorphous Goddess coalesced into a faint image of Espilieth as he had always seen her in pictures; golden cascading hair, white pupiless eyes, and petite and curvaceous, wearing a short white and gold robe over green tunic and trousers.

“Can you do something for my sister? She’s almost completely drained!” Aranok pleaded with Espilieth, the tears in his eyes overflowing.
I can feel her life being consumed.
He blinked and sniffed.

“Aranok…Nokkie…” Ariana coughed and a trickle of blood dribbled down her cheek to stain the shoulder of her white robe.

“Ari, you have to rest. Try not to speak – Espilieth will heal you!” Aranok glared at the goddess, “…won’t you!”

“I cannot heal Death, no one can. Ariana has given her last strength to rid the world of great evil and for that I will grant her a peaceful ending and a place at my side.” Espilieth ran a hand over Ariana’s face and wiped the blood from her face.

Ariana stared up at her, a gentle smile forming on her lips.

“Thank you, Espilieth.” This time her voice was stronger, but Aranok could feel her heart faltering and breathing slowing.

“Do something! I don’t want to lose my sister,” he shouted at the deity, his pain growing.

“Nokkie, listen to me.” Ariana raised one hand to stroke his face and he looked down at her. “I knew what I was doing when I summoned the power from the Tear. Only a Paladin or a cleric can channel Espilieth’s power without dying. I’m not a cleric, so I knew I would die. The Goddess has given me a gift beyond price by easing my end. For my sake as well as yours.” She coughed and wheezed.

“Aranokkinadiel, I must ask you to do something that will impact on the whole of Quargard, not just the Heart Kingdoms.” The Goddess’ voice soothed his pain, but he fought it.

“If you can’t save my sister, then I will do nothing for you!” Aranok snapped.

“Nokkie, please. Do what she asks of you. If not for Quargard, then for me.” Ariana grinned at him, but he was shocked by how weak her smile was. “Mother will never forgive you if you tell her that you not only let me die, but refused to do a Goddess’ bidding, and I will never forgive you if you don’t.”

Aranok felt his sister’s heartbeat stop for one long, terrifying second, then start again. He sniffed and wiped his eyes on his sleeve. Then he looked up at the Goddess.

“What do you want of me?”

“I have a loyal Cleric in Galivor. She was part of a similar expedition that claimed the lives of the whole party except her. I wish you to go to her and become her Guardian. No one, but you and I will know of your affiliation, not even Kalytia. With My Tear she is destined to be the one to destroy the evil that threatens to take over Quargard and she will need your help.”

Aranok glanced down at his smiling sister and without hesitation replied, “Yes. Will you do me a favour, Lady Goddess? Allow my sister to travel with me to the sunlight outside and see the end of what she has sacrificed herself for.”

Espilieth nodded and stroked Ariana’s face.

“Allow me to merge with you one final time child, so that your brother may have his wish.”

Ariana nodded and closed her eyes. The Goddess’ form disappeared and flowed into Ariana as she took a breath. Then Ariana pushed herself up and stood, stretching slightly.

“That’s better, even if it is only temporary.”

She looked around at the devastation and picked up the Tigers Eye nestled in the pile of ash that had been Morian.