Chapter 3

Banished, Drachar must seek to undo the spell that has robbed him of his power. His quest for even greater power is doomed otherwise.

 

That night Drachar cursed the cold as he lay huddled beneath a bush. His folly had brought himself to this end and he could blame no one but himself. He mulled over his mistakes and vowed to learn from them. He would rule, he would replace Darwyl. This was but a setback. What bothered him most though was the thought that he was betrayed by his own shaol. Although he had dismissed it in front of others, the explanation almost made sense. How else would Ashona’s dreams be so affected?

He turned his thoughts to the rune. Salar would not let him down and he would do his utmost to place a scanth amongst the intricate letters.

He traced a rune and instantly agony lanced through him, like needles thrusting through his flesh. He tried a less demanding spell, the pain was just as intense and he failed in the casting before it was complete. “It is pain, nothing more,” he announced.

He drew runes into the soil, as simple a spell as he dared. Agony threatened to crush him. He failed. Whimpering he crawled deeper under the branches and sought sleep, awaiting the coming of the dawn.

 

“Master,” a hand shook his shoulder and he stirred.

“Salar, is that you? You found me. By the Kalanth, but I am freezing to the marrow.”

Salar’s youthful face was staring down at him, behind him sombre clouds blocked what little sunlight there was. To be banished was one thing, but this late into the year was another. He could perish in these conditions, especially without shelter and magic.

“We must hurry,” Salar said. “They may know that I’ve left by now. But first you need to warm yourself by a fire.” Salar had piled sticks in readiness and with a wave of his hand these burst into flame.

Drachar cupped his hands over the flame. Shivering he said, “Did you place a scanth in the rune?”

“Yes master.”

Drachar smiled. “Oh, that is good. So very good.”

“But master, how will that help?”

“Necromancy. We have only to undo a small part of the rune and then the whole spell will unravel. Where the scanth is, the spell will be weak.”

“But master, a spell once cast is complete.”

“That is true, but the fools have overcomplicated it. The spell turns magic in upon itself. With the scanth I can turn the spell in upon itself, thereby nulling it.”

“Tell me what I must do.”

“Summon the imp, but first…,” Drachar admonished, “…use spells of protection, especially about me.”

Salar did as instructed and within moments a small, hairless creature apart from a main of hair running down its back, sat before them. Its tongue flashed across small pointed teeth as it studied them intently.

Drachar shuddered. Never before had he felt so afraid. The imp was a lesser demon, but it could inflict dreadful hurt, or take his soul to hell. He hated this vulnerability without his power.

Drachar spoke to he imp. “I want to talk to the demons,” he demanded.

The demon glanced at Salar as though judging his strength. Drachar knew why. The imp, once summoned, required power to keep it in the world. For its every action, more power is required to keep it under control. Judging the moment to release the imp was critical, otherwise it would have the upper hand. Drachar could only guess at Salar’s abilities, for without his own power, he was effectively blind.

The other problem was he had no kara-stone. He would not be able to see the demons to negotiate. Drachar smiled, he relished a challenge.

“Are they assembled?” Drachar asked. The imp nodded.

“Offer them my soul,” he stated.

“Master!”

“Be quiet.”

The imp didn’t appear to do anything, but simply nodded.

“I shall not die tell them, for my alliance requires that I live. My soul, if taken, will become their Lord. Offer them ten thousand souls. That should help convince them of the seriousness of my pledge.

“Tell me what they say,” Drachar said.

Never before had Salar heard the imp speak and his flesh crawled, “Long have my kind awaited this moment. Bring us one hundred thousand souls and the bargain is made.”

Drachar didn’t even flinch. “Agreed, but first, return my power.” Drachar smiled and even Salar stepped back, horrified by what he had heard.

The imp bowed, “It will be done, Lord.”

 

Ashona could not bring herself to leave the assembly room. Some doubt lingered. Throughout the night she had studied the intricate pattern. It was a marvel and as far as she could see there was not a flaw. And yet still she searched.

A weak watery sunlight pronounced the dawn. Ashona rubbed her temple, seeking to relieve a nagging headache. Her brow knitted in concentration as she raked fingers through her hair. The dreadful feeling that all was not right persisted.

“Have you been here all night?” Tanal asked as he entered the room. He, too, looked as though he had slept poorly.

Ashona flinched, “You made me jump. I had not heard you enter.”

She continued to look at the rune, doubt gnawing at her like a cancer.

“What is the matter, the rune is perfect? We both saw to that.”

“I don’t know. It’s just that I have a feeling something is wrong,” again she ran her fingers through her hair.

Tanal joined her, looking down at the spot where she stood.

“By the Kalanth! No!” he uttered all at once, crouching down.

“What is it?”

“See there!” Tanal pointed. “That dot.”

“It’s in the right place,” Ashona said.

“That is true, but it isn’t ink.”

Ashona bent closer and then sucked in a breath. “God’s teeth, it’s an insect.”

They looked at each other, “What does this mean?” she asked.

“That the rune is flawed. Not at this moment, but if the insect is moved then the rune is incomplete and then the spell can be attacked.”

“Bind it in place,” she said.

Tanal shook his head, “We would only delay the inevitable. Eventually it will decay and fade. The insect is part of the rune and bound to it. By the Kalanth, who drew this part of the rune? We must know immediately.”

Ashona closed her eyes in concentration. “It was Salar,” she announced at length.

Tanal screwed his eyes shut. “His apprentice? Please tell me we were no that stupid. We are trusting fools. Guards!” he yelled getting up and heading for the exit.

“We must find Salar and Drachar, at once!” he shouted over his shoulder.

Behind him Ashona shouted out in horror. Tanal raced back. The insect stirred as he watched. Long dead wings unfurled, but no longer in a condition for flight they beat uselessly against the morning air. With tentative steps the creature moved and both sorcerers knew at once that the spell had been made vulnerable.

 

Drachar knew he was whole once more. Not satisfied, he traced a rune in the air and fire sprang from his palm.

“Unbelievable! Their spell broken and less than a day to do it! I am outstanding!”

Salar scowled.

“My pardon, my faithful apprentice. You have my thanks for your part in my release. Be assured that riches will follow.” He slapped his apprentice across the back, grinning broadly.

“Come, we need to be away from this dreary place”.

Later that day they stopped to eat. Salar had a pack and Drachar watched as he fished out a loaf and ham. Drachar was fretting on the one hand that they had not made much progress, but wanted to try out his new powers on the other.

Something caused him to glance across the open fields, back towards the city of Namthrall. “Oh but they must have risen early to get here this quick. This should be so much fun. And it will be a start, redeeming my pledge to the demons.”

Salar glanced to where Drachar was looking and he jaw dropped. “There must be a hundred of them. Surely we cannot fight, Master.”

“No matter, do not worry yourself,” Drachar grinned. “A hundred men at arms is nothing. No doubt there will be a few sorcerers as well, but they are an inconvenience, that is all.”

 The oncoming men had crossed through a gap in a hedge line and were spreading out across the field. A shout went up that they were spotted.

In a blink Drachar summoned the imp. He then traced runes in the air, muttering words that fell from Salar’s mind moments after they were spoken.

Between them and the advancing soldiers three demons appeared. Their glow easily marked them out against the field. Abruptly cries went up from the soldiers and then arrows rained down on the apparitions. Even Drachar was impressed by the speed of the soldiers’ response. He was even more impressed by the demons. If the soldiers reacted swiftly, the demons reacted even faster. The first demon breached their line before the first arrow hit the ground where it had stood moments before. Screams rent the air and Salar covered his ears to block them out.

“Come,” said Drachar. “We should leave. We are not needed here.”

Without further ado he turned his back on the carnage and started to walk away, as though he didn’t have a care in the world.

 

 

Ashona fell behind as the troops marched along a well worn and rutted road. How they were going to find Drachar she did not know. Tanal dropped back to speak with her.

“Are you all right, you look very pale?”

She nodded but the pain in her skull seemed to intensify. Raising her hand to her temple she grimaced, “A headache, that is all.”

Tanal nodded. “I’m not surprised. Up all night and insisting on coming along. No wonder your head hurts. Look, over there…”

Ashona looked to where Tanal was pointing. He indicated a hedge line, away from the road, crossing open fields. “We are going that way. Follow us as best you can.”

With that he ran to catch up with the others. The morning was cold and Ashona felt it to her very marrow. Her hands were white and she felt dreadful. She would not give up and although she was dropping back she plodded on as fast as she dared. When she reached he hedge line, she saw the gap the others had crossed through but she needed to rest. She could see them spreading out. An entire haft accompanied by four sorcerers.

She sat down, her headache suddenly much worse. She barely registered the shouts of alarm. Looking up it seemed as though she looked into a nightmare. Archers were loosing arrows at figures that seemed to be moving incredibly fast. She held her breath, recognising the green glow about the racing forms.

Talons lashed out and the first soldiers fell. Arrows bounced off thick armoured hides and the demons seemed not to even register their effect. A soldier came up behind a demon, bringing down his sword on its neck. The weapon barely cut the flesh, but even still the demon howled. One moment the soldier was behind the demon and the next it was standing facing him, its talon sunk up to its elbow in his chest. It was seeking his soul and the soldier stood upright, unable to die as the demon ripped his soul from his body. Long after he had fallen dead to the ground his screams echoed across the field.

Tanal was shouting commands. The sorcerers were huddled together, summoning elementals. She could see the small forms wink into existing and could sense power being drawn. She wanted to scream out loud to Tanal, to warn him of his folly. The power they drew was like a summer breeze compared to the demons’ hurricane.

The demons sensed the attack and turned in unison towards the threat, sprinting at an impossible speed across the intervening distance. None of the sorcerers were killed outright. As with the soldier, the demons took glee in harvesting their souls. For a moment Tanal was not attacked. He fought, casting a fireball at the nearest demon, but its hide prevented any serious harm.

Then the soldiers joined the assault and a demon was wounded, its arm hanging limply by its side and for a moment it looked as though the soldiers would win, but then the demons began to strike with greater ferocity; their gorging forgotten; the feast turning instead to war. They ignored their previous soul snatching and instead slew all in their path. Soldiers fled, throwing down their weapons, unable to stand against the screaming horrors attacking them.

Ashona came out of her lethargy. She cast a rune summoning an elemental with no clear intent of what she was going to do. A small fire elemental danced in frenzy as it appeared. Its every manner was alien to her usual experience. She sensed rather than knew that it was afraid. Were elementals as afraid of demons as they were?

Screams came to her from across the field; instinctively she crouched deeper under the bush. Of the sorcerers, Tanal alone survived. A demon evaded vitriol he cast towards it. Its talon flew into Tanal’s chest and his eyes flew wide in shock. Ashona screamed. Horror overwhelmed her and she cried out Tanal’s name. The screams from the wounded drowned out her own pitiful cries.

Anger coursed through her and remembering the elemental she started to cast a rune, but looking down, the elemental was already tracing out the pattern of a spell. This was unheard of. Elementals were a conduit, they never cast spells. She recognised the enchantment, it was one of concealment.

She looked up. The demons and wounded were all that remained on the field. The demons were going amongst the wounded, feasting on flesh and claiming souls. The nearest demon was sniffing the air, its snout moving towards her place of concealment. It was a massive brute with long limbs ending in vicious looking talons, soaked with blood and gore.

Her anger turned to fear. She lowered herself, hugging the ground as though it would swallow her up. She glanced at the elemental, willing the spell to be cast and then crying out in horror. The elemental was killing itself, she could sense its life force nearly spent and with a wail it expired. Looking up, she feared the demon would attack, but it seemed it had not sensed her after all as it returned to its feeding.

For long moments she lay hidden, waiting for the demons to depart. They could not remain in this world long, and would have to return as their summons faded. The screams of the wounded and of their souls being dragged from their bodies haunted her every waking moment. Sobbing, she buried her head beneath her hands, knowing she would never ever be able to forget this day.