Part 8 (1/2)
The G.o.d of Strife summoned his sorceress, Tarana Lyr. Moments later, a beautiful young woman wearing the ebon robes of Bane's dark order entered the ma.s.sive throne room of the G.o.d's temple in Zhentil Keep. Her long, blond hair was regally styled and held in place by a silver headpiece. A red sash pulled the robe tight about her slim waist, and a slit up the side of the robe allowed a glimpse of her long, shapely legs. Her eyes were a deep, unearthly blue.
”Milord,” Tarana purred, her voice rich and melodic.”I am at your command.”
”I have summoned you to open a scrying portal to Scardale,” Bane said. ”I wish to contact our garrison.”
”Of course,” Tarana murmured and immediately started the spell. The instability of magic did not trouble the sorceress. She relished the thrill of tampering with forces that might one day destroy her. Taking risks had been an integral part of her upbringing, and the magical chaos since the time of Arrival had allowed her many talents - and her madness - to be put to full use.
The Black Lord stepped back cautiously from the enchantress as she released her spell. A fiery frame was carved in midair, and through the portal, Bane saw three men in soldiers' garb sealed around a wooden table. It was obvious from the dice and coins strewn over the table's surface that they had been gambling. At the moment, the men were arguing over a bet.
”Gentlemen!” Bane growled. His voice brought the soldiers to instant attention. News of Bane's acquisition of Fzoul's body as an avatar had spread to Scardale quickly, and these soldiers knew Fzoul's voice well from past dealings with the high priest.
”Lord Bane,” a stocky, red-bearded soldier named Knopf said as he quickly shoved his chair back and rose from the table. The other soldiers, Cadeo and Frost, hurried to do likewise.
I see that you have been 'busy,' ” Bane snapped, gesturing toward the table.
As the Black Lord glared at the dice and money, the face of the red-bearded soldier paled. ”The occupation of the dale has been very quiet of late,” Knopf said, trying to placate his master.
Actually, the occupation of Scardale had been very quiet for several years. It hadn't been long ago that Lashan Aumersair, a young, aggressive lord of the dale, overran Harrowdale, Featherdale, and Battledale with his armies. But Lashan's empire hadn't lasted for long. The Dales, Cormyr, Sembia, Hillsfar, and even Zhentil Keep all banded together to halt Scardale's expansion. Now each of the kingdoms that had supplied troops to defeat the young lord had a garrison in the city. Like the other garrisons, Zhentil Keep's contingent of soldiers was limited to twelve men-at-arms. The balance of power among the garrisons in Scardale s.h.i.+fted from one day to the next, but little of consequence ever happened to change the status quo in the occupied city.
”In other words, there has been no progress!” Bane exploded. ”I expect you to be doing more in Scardale than playing dice and keeping the peace!”
”Actually, we engaged the Cormyrian soldiers in a small skirmish only last week,” Cadeo mumbled, trying to smile feebly.
”Any casualties?” Bane asked, encouraged.
”Cadeo broke one of their thumbs,” Knopf muttered as he pointed to the young, flaxen-haired soldier. ”I'm afraid there really hasn't been much excitement here recently, Lord Bane.”
”I see,” Bane said slowly. ”That sounds like something we can remedy. Where is Jhembryn Durrock?”
”Lord Durrock?” Knopf asked. He s.h.i.+fted his feet nervously for a moment, then ran his hand through his beard.
”If that is the pompous t.i.tle he has a.s.sumed, then, aye, 'Lord' Durrock,” the G.o.d of Strife growled, his voice hardening. ”Find him and bring him to this portal immediately! I will be waiting.”
Bane folded the arms of his avatar as the three soldiers hurried from the small room. Looking away from the magical opening, he c.o.c.ked his head slightly and glanced at his sorceress. ”I suppose every moment this portal remains open increases the risk to you.”
”It is not a problem,” Tarana responded. Her eyes narrowed to mere slits, and a mad smile stretched across her face, marring the illusion of delicate beauty. ”I enjoy the danger.”
Moments later, a huge, dark-skinned man appeared before the scrying portal. His flesh had been seared almost black, and severe burns grossly disfigured most of his face. A thick beard and mustache succeeded in hiding only some of the damage. A black-visored helmet, which had been removed in respect for the Black Lord, acted as a mask to further conceal the worst of the a.s.sa.s.sin's deformities. In fact, the other garrisons had demanded that Durrock wear the helmet at all times inside the city, since the a.s.sa.s.sin's appearance had been known to give nightmares to Scardale's children.
”I live but to serve you, Lord Bane,” Durrock said, his voice a hoa.r.s.e whisper. The a.s.sa.s.sin bowed slightly, but he didn't allow his eyes to wander from the scrying portal.
”Yes, Durrock. I know that you do,” Bane said in a low voice. ”And that knowledge pleases me - especially in light of what I am about to tell you.” The G.o.d of Strife smiled an evil grin.
”My spies have informed me that a mage, a raven-haired wors.h.i.+per of Mystra who opposed me at the Battle of Shadowdale, is heading toward Scardale. She is traveling down the Ashaba.” The G.o.d of Strife paused for a moment and let the smile melt from his features. ”Capture her... alive. I am coming to Scardale to interrogate her personally.”
A scowl crossed Durrock's ravaged face, and the a.s.sa.s.sin bowed again. ”As you wish, Lord Bane,” he said flatly. ”How will I find her?”
”That is not my concern!” the G.o.d of Strife screamed, curling his right hand into a fist. ”If you cannot accept this mission, 'Lord' Durrock, then tell me now so that I can find someone more suitable.”
”That will not be necessary, Lord Bane,” the a.s.sa.s.sin replied. ”I will find her.”
The Black Lord smiled again. ”Good. You will find her on theAshabaRiveritself. I understand that a contingent of dalesmen are heading towardBlackfeatherBridgeto intercept her flight. You may wish to begin there.” Bane turned to Tarana and waved his hand. ”Oh, by the way,” the G.o.d of Strife said as the scrying portal started to fade. ”She has two others with her. Do with them as you please...”
The portal vanished, and Durrock found himself staring at a circular, polished s.h.i.+eld on the wall of the soldiers' quarters. He scowled again and headed for the door.
As he left the hastily constructed barracks, Durrock allowed the full effects of the sun to play on his ruined face for only a moment. Then he heard footsteps approaching and lowered the visor. Greeting a pale-skinned fighter from Hillsfar with a brief nod, the a.s.sa.s.sin pa.s.sed him by silently. As he walked, Durrock surveyed the port town that stretched before him.
The Scar, the steep ravine for which the town was named, lay to the north. Port Ashaba, the town's busy harbor, was to the south, at the other end of town. In between the two landmarks, a host of buildings ran the gamut from functional houses where hardworking residents of Scardale raised their families, to abandoned shacks and workhouses that had fallen into various stages of disrepair since the war. There were also gigantic warehouses, where supplies for s.h.i.+ps preparing to cross the Dragon Reach were plentiful. One such warehouse was Durrock's present destination.
The guards who stood watch before the warehouse moved aside quickly when the a.s.sa.s.sin approached. ”Lord Durrock,” one said humbly, opening the large wooden door for the forbidding, black-robed figure.
”I ride in an hour with my lieutenants. Inform the necessary parties,” Durrock snapped to the guards before he dismissed them and entered the warehouse alone.
The warehouse was almost empty. A rickety, rotted wooden staircase led to an open trap door at the top of the stairs. A single shaft of light shone through the opening, bathing three suits of armor that lay in the lower room's center in an intense, macabre brilliance that almost made them seem attractive. On closer examination, though, the armor's appearance proved more ghastly than attractive - night black, covered with rows of razor-sharp spikes. Durrock and two of his most trusted men would don that armor soon.
Next to the armor lay three fine leather saddles. They were magnificently crafted, but far too large for any normal steed. As Durrock waited for his fellow a.s.sa.s.sins, he busied himself with checking the armor and tack.
Within five minutes, two more a.s.sa.s.sins quietly entered the empty, cavernous warehouse. Durrock nodded a silent greeting to the two men and moved toward the armor. The other a.s.sa.s.sins followed. Soon all three were fully clad in the frightening, deadly mail.
”Summon your mounts,” Durrock said flatly as he placed a thick metal chain around his neck. A glowing black pendant hung on the end of the chain, in the shape of a small horse with glowing red eyes.
In unison, all three a.s.sa.s.sins held up identical pendants and slowly repeated a series of powerful commands. Bolts of red and black lightning flashed across the room. A swirling blue cloud appeared in the center of the room, high in the air, accompanied by a wave of noxious-smelling mist.
Three sets of glowing red eyes appeared in a rift in the cloud, and the a.s.sa.s.sins could hear the sound of heavy, thunderous hoofbeats. Their mounts were approaching.
First one, then another, then a third gigantic black horse leaped through the swirling rift and landed heavily on the floor of the warehouse. Fire flashed from the horses' hooves, and the creatures' nostrils flared orange. The huge ebon steeds reared and bared a set of perfectly white fangs.
”You are ours to command!” Durrock cried, holding the pendant out toward one of the nightmares. ”Lord Bane has given us the tools to call you from the Planes to do our bidding!” The nightmare mounts reared again, breathing clouds of smoke from their nostrils.
The nightmares whinnied nervously as the a.s.sa.s.sins moved toward them, but the horses could do nothing to prevent the humans from saddling them. The special magical pendants Bane had provided for Durrock and his men gave them complete control over the strange otherworldly beasts.
Durrock wheeled his nightmare around and spurred it toward the huge double doors at the front of the warehouse. The nightmare reared up and gave the doors a mighty kick with its flaming hooves. The doors burst open, and the three a.s.sa.s.sins raced out into the street. At the sight, the nearby villagers gasped and shrieked. Several fainted dead away.
Durrock laughed and pulled up on his nightmare's reigns, and the creature leaped into the air. Within a few minutes the scarred a.s.sa.s.sin and his lieutenants were racing across the sky, the nightmares' hooves pounding flaring gouts of fire into the air as they flew towardBlackfeatherBridge.
Earlier in the day, Cyric had made the decision to portage the skiff around the dangerous rapids that lay ahead, where the horseshoe curve of the Ashaba led southwest and sprouted two tributaries before finis.h.i.+ng its arc and traveling northeast. Midnight gazed at the violently churning water and felt relieved that they weren't going to attempt the pa.s.sage. Fallen trees groped over the sh.o.r.eline, their branches half buried in the water. The trees looked like gnarled gray hands with thousands of skeletal fingers. Large, craggy rocks rose up out of the water in the distance. Clouds of froth gathered before the rocks, calling attention to areas where the flow of the river was temporarily slowed by the stones.
Heavy woods stood sentinel on either side of the Ashaba, but there were occasional clearing on the sh.o.r.e, left, perhaps, by fishermen or other travelers. Cyric guided the skiff toward the eastern bank, where a small clearing was visible. As the heroes approached sh.o.r.e, the thief barked out orders for his companions to get out of the boat and guide it toward land.
Cyric jumped out of the boat, too, and together the three heroes dragged the skiff to sh.o.r.e. Beyond the small clearing lay a path that followed the bank of the river. Obviously they weren't the first to choose not to brave the rapids downstream.
”We'll have to carry the boat awhile,” Cyric grumbled as he pulled his pack from the skiff. ”That path should take us to the edge of the woods. We can follow the Ashaba for a little ways, then cut overland through Battledale and get the boat back into the water beyond the bend.” The thief paused to wipe sweat from his eves. ”Is that simple enough for everyone to follow?”
Midnight flinched. ”You don't have to treat us like children, Cyric. Your meaning is quite clear.” The raven-haired mage grabbed the sack containing her spellbook and slung it over her shoulder.