Time passed; I wasn’t sure how long but I had made a breakthrough; it didn’t solve the problem but I was a step closer. I looked up and was surprised to see that it was dark outside. John was still engrossed in his own work but the library was mostly deserted with only our bodyguards present; all eight of them looked very bored now. My books had been carefully stacked near my elbow; odd; I hadn’t noticed anyone putting them there. Anyway, by this point, I was feeling quite hungry. I went over to see how John was doing and saw what he was working on. There was a point when it was convenient to interrupt him and we both went to get something to eat.
Then we went back to the library; after all, there were still a good couple of hours of working day left. The War Council was going to be held the next day and heavens only knew when I would get another chance like this. By the end, I was very satisfied though; the normal version of the spell was safely in my book and I had made a breakthrough in the matter of the shaping. I began talking about how I was planning to do this with John and he listened intently and asked several very pertinent questions.
After our conversation, which had in fact given me a few other ideas, we both went to bed, our ever vigilant bodyguards outside our doors.
The next day dawned and we prepared for the Council. We cast various spells which lasted a long time; then we ate the fine breakfast provided courtesy of Felix and finally we set out for the Council Chamber.
This was the proper Council Chamber, the one which had held the previous Council so many months ago; unlike Simeon’s study it was far more formal; it was circular, with several windows and tables in the centre. This circle in the centre was surrounding by ascending rows of audience seats. As we entered, these were full, there were people milling around and functionaries and bureaucrats were trying to manage seating and speeches. Frankly, the whole thing looked pretty chaotic.
As soon as Simeon saw us, he must have made some sort of signal because some of the Lyceum guard and our bodyguards began to usher the vast majority of the people out. It took a little time but ultimately, it left mostly representatives and their staff in the chamber. Out of those, we recognized Xavious Foebane, the dwarven general, Kiernan and Simeon. We also saw another familiar figure, to whom we hurried:
“Duke Gallo, how good to see you. What are you doing here?”
The tall nobleman smiled at us and replied:
“Gentlemen, it is also good to see you! I’m told you have done the impossible….again. I am here as a representative of Dassen; the King would have come himself but we still have a Ragesian army threatening our country so he felt it would be wiser to stay in Bresk just in case the situation changes. But tell me, how did you obtain the Torch…..?”
Simeon’s voice interrupted at this point:
“Gentlemen, Duke Gallo, I hope you will not find it offensive but we must get on with the Council. I am sure that Longhelim and the others will be delighted to tell you of their adventures as soon as we are finished but many people are waiting on the decisions we make here.
So, first let me introduce you to two friends from the Monastery of the Two Winds.”
He pointed to two figures that were sitting in the audience seats. I had not noticed them previously but I saw that they were typical monks, shaven heads, one wearing white robes while the other black, representing the Masters of the East and West Winds. I had forgotten which one was which.
Once he had made the introductions, Simeon continued:
“Kiernan, please put your scepter on the table.”
As the dwarf did so, Simeon resumed:
“Now that we are safe from attack, let us get down to the main topic of our plan; namely the defeat of the Scourge.
The information we have been able to discover is from a combination of spies, stolen papers, magic and visions provided by several groups of people.”
He glanced at us and I saw that several others in the audience were also looking our way. I remembered the mysterious case which contained papers stolen from the Ragesians all those months ago. It seemed as if they had been even more precious than we had thought.
Longhelim was mumbling angrily to the rest of us:
“What does Simeon think he’s doing? There must be fifty people here! The enemy will know of our plans in hours!”
Simeon had resumed talking at this stage:
“First, after examining it and testing it, we have found that Rhuarc damaged the Torch even more than we had thought. Although Longhelim and the others have done an admirable job in repairing it to the best of their abilities with the resources available to them, the fact remains that it does not seem to be as powerful as when Coaltongue used it. Nevertheless, all is not lost and we can still use it to transport large amounts of men, we just have to combine it with the power of the Wayfarers. According to our calculations, they will still be protected from the fires of the Burning Sky as they are being magically moved.
So, following on from that, the major question is where do we strike first? Well, our hand is being forced on this. From information that we have received from various sources, Leska has been working on a back up scheme to the Torch. She has put her Chief Inquisitor Kreven in charge of a project which has been codenamed The Scourge.
First: Kreven used to be Leska’s deputy when she was the Chief Inquisitor and now that she’s made herself Empress, he’s become Chief Inquisitor in turn. He shouldn’t be underestimated. I don’t know the man but for him to become the Chief Inquisitor, he must be a formidable spell caster and very well versed in those magical perversions of which the Inquisitors are so fond. He has acquired a reputation and he is quite unusual in one aspect; unlike most Inquisitors, he is actually an arcane caster and he has one signature spell. It is a devastatingly powerful casting which severs limbs. It has proved very successful for him in the past. His loyalty to the Empress is fanatical.
He also has a powerful wife; Koren, who was a member of the Wayfarer’s Guild so one must presume she has knowledge of their secrets.
Second, the Scourge: this is a magical device which is capable of striking anyone, anywhere with a spell. We are not yet sure about the details but think of it! A device that can literally target our leaders, sages, and casters from thousands of miles away and we have no defense against it. That is what is forcing our hand.
Thankfully, Kreven has not quite perfected it yet. We know he has been summoning devils who have been transporting themselves throughout the land reporting on possible targets and advising on the best possible use of this power; they may even be testing it somehow.
However, most importantly of all, we know what it is, where it is and how to eliminate it!
In Northern Ragesia, there is a landmark called the Frost Needle’s Eye. This landmark is at the entrance of a small valley. The whole area is warded so strongly that it is almost impossible to gain any sort of information by magical means. In addition, there is an ice sheet under this valley that has been somehow enchanted to reveal intrusions of the area by anyone who is not Ragesian. There is also another strange enchantment, the full nature of which we have not been able to discover, which strikes down those who are not loyal to Ragesia. This is mentioned in various reports or papers that we have obtained but it is unclear just how that works or if it can be circumvented. Physically, the only way in is past the Frost Needle’s Eye and that has been heavily fortified.
So, the valley’s defences are strong, but not impregnable.
Our prize lies in the middle of the valley. There, a bunker has been built. Inside this bunker rises the Koren Obelisk; from what the papers say, this is a pillar of ice which has been somehow ensorcelled to focus and direct spells to such a level that they could strike anyone in the surrounding lands. However, to power this Obelisk, Kreven needs the eldritch energy of all the spell casters that the Ragesians have captured recently. There are hundreds of them. Somehow their magical abilities are being harnessed to power this device. They are being kept in a prison below the bunker.
So, now that I’ve told you this, there is a plan. However, to explain it, I will hand you over to our military commander to brief you. Xavious?”
The old dwarf stood up and nodded to one of his assistants. This young lady cast an illusion and a small valley with a spire at its entrance appeared on the table. Foebane began to speak in his gravelly voice:
“In military terms, the valley is quite small; yet, as Simeon said, it has formidable defences. It also has a sizeable force within it. However, its greatest strength was that it was a secret; now its greatest weakness is that we know about it. If we transport an army nearby, then they will have to react. They cannot afford to be trapped inside the valley so their forces will have to come out. These forces have to hope to delay our army so that Leska can send reinforcements. Once the forces leave, the bunker will be relatively undefended and allow a strike team to assault it.”
Foebane was looking straight at Longhelim at this point; obviously, the strike team was already chosen in his mind. I was already phrasing several questions when another voice interrupted the conversation:
“Excuse me”, said one of the monks. It was the one who was wearing white robes.
“My master has information that will be relevant to your planning. I hope you will forgive our presumption but it will be best if he is able to talk to you directly, so to speak.”
With that, the black robed monk took out a black mask and let it go in the air, where it hovered magically. Moments later, it seemed to acquire a visage and we were able to discern the features of Pilus, the Master of the East Wind.
“Congratulations on the success of your mission. Your plan is sound so far as it goes but your information is out of date. The Ragesians have already threatened our Temple so my brother and I plan to aid your assault on this fortress. Fully twenty or our brothers from the Temple intend to join your assault and we can provide something else which you will find priceless.
I have been spending all my time building, crafting and ensorcelling a flying vessel, fully capable of overlooking the current defences of the valley. I will offer all the information I am able to obtain to aid your enterprise. What you have not been able to obtain by divining the area due to its wards, I will relay to you from direct observation.
My brother and I do not want any payment or services for this; this is a show of good faith for our future co-operation. “
Having finished this speech, the mask became expressionless.
After all I had heard, I had so many questions I didn’t know where to start. Longhelim was still looking stony faced at the large crowds that had heard all of this. Drudge was idly playing with his bow while John and Felix were talking quietly about what they had heard. Victor was just standing, looking at the seats vigilantly.
I had just opened my mouth when……
An incisive, keening noise invaded the chamber, cutting off all speech, all motion and all thought; wildly I looked around to see that the audience, the secretaries, the assistants, even Gallo and his staff, still and motionless. Simeon turned to Kieran wildly:
“Kiernan! What’s happening? Your staff….”
He was interrupted by the shattering of glass as two creatures burst through the windows into the room. They were air elementals. I recognized them from my reading and the last time we met them at the Monastery of the Two Winds, except that these were subtly different. True air elementals took the form of small cyclones, gusts of air spinning around in a tight funnel; these were the same except that I could see objects inside; they looked like shards of ice.
Tendrils of ice shot out from them, enveloping us including Xavious, Kiernan and Simeon. Thankfully, we all managed to dodge most of them, except for Longhelim, who became bound by the ice tendrils. This was new and dangerous. A by-product of all this ice was that it made the floor very slippery. My footing was not very sure but I saw Victor moving effortlessly and then I remembered the magical boots we had picked up from the elves in the Haunted Forest of Ycengled and how they allowed the warriors to move over snow and ice.
Victor by now also had his shield floating in front of him as the creatures paused briefly. Then, one of them emitted a blue ray of intense cold. It struck Victor and visibly staggered him; it must have been powerful indeed and I feared for the warrior. Despite this, he moved calmly forward and prepared himself to meet the onslaught.
The other also emitted another of these rays and this one struck Felix, hurting him badly, but the priest immediately healed himself. Longhelim was still struggling furiously, when John moved nimbly to him and cast a spell which allowed the paladin to break free. As a stop gap, I put an invisible, magical barrier in front of the elementals, to slow them down more than anything and to allow us to gather ourselves slightly.
Kiernan, Simeon and Xavious were all trapped by the ice tendrils while everyone else was still motionless in terror at this invasion. Rather irreverently, I couldn’t help but think: “Welcome to our world, Seaquen”, before I cast a spell of speed on everyone. Drudge was still waiting and then let loose his usual barrage when he received a very nasty surprise; his target produced a gust of wind of such magnitude that it blew his arrows away and then charged the ranger.
I had powerful spells of fire but unfortunately, I was afraid of hurting the spectators still in their seats and I became even more determined to solve this conundrum I had with shaping spells. Drudge, nothing loth, had drawn his rapier and was facing against one of the elementals on his own, while Victor, now joined by Longhelim was facing the other. The warriors were practicing their mantra of concentration of force on one enemy as they hewed into the creature. It was difficult to tell just how effective their weapons were being against a funnel of air and ice but at least the creature seemed to be trying to avoid their blows, suggesting that it wasn’t completely immune to their weapons.
I tried to cast a weakening ray at the one facing Drudge but a gust of ice and wind made me dodge hurriedly, ruining the spell; I saw John suffering the same fate. Xavious, Kiernan and Simeon were still encased in the ice. I was beginning to think that I would have to begin thinking about my powerful spells but I still had a few tricks left.
The two elementals emitted more ice slivers, encasing Xavious, Simeon and Kiernan in ice even more if that was possible. The rest of us managed to dodge the majority of them, with the exception of Felix who also became encased but he just shook himself and with a prayer to Farlanghn, completely ignored the binding.
Then, incredibly swiftly, Drudge change weapons and fired a volley into the elemental facing him; he seemed to take the creature by surprise as it was unable to react to his arrows; however, individually the arrows seemed to do little damage and the creature then swung his fists into Drudge’s face, injuring him badly, judging by the blood spurting out of his nose and mouth.
The warriors were still concentrating on the other elemental. Victor seemed to be having trouble keeping his footing and was more flailing around with his sword as opposed to hitting it. Longhelim however, was wielding his flaming axe with great vigour, so much so that his style was attracting the attention of Xavious. Victor had finally connected, taking a rather wild swing that sunk deep even into otherworldly of the creature in front of him. As it staggered, Longhelim took one final swing, consigning it back to whatever elemental plane it had come from.
As soon as it disappeared, Longhelim stepped in front of the other elemental and engaged it. Not a moment too soon either, since it had been unopposed. Drudge had had to retreat hurriedly after its last onslaught; I had tried to cast a lightning bolt at it, only to find that it had been warded in such a manner that the spell rebounded on me, causing no small amount of hurt. I had not realised such a ward could be placed on such a creature but yet again, my perceptions of the boundary of magic were stretched.
Xavious was now taking much greater notice of the events and even shouting instructions at us:
“Wait for it boys! It’s going to shoot ice again; that’s easy to avoid if you know it’s coming. Wait for it……there!”
His perception was uncannily accurate and when he shouted, it did actually make it easier to avoid the icy tendrils that had shot out again. Victor had just joined the fray against the last elemental when Xavious began shouting instructions at Longhelim.
“Wait for the opening boy, wait for it…..now! There it is! Take it!”
Again, following those instructions allowed Longhelim establish a rhythm which became quite devastating. However, that last elemental was not done yet. With a mighty effort, it swung both fists at Victor and this time, it must have really hurt the warrior because he almost went down.
Everyone else in the hall was crowded behind my magical barrier, thankfully protected from all the ice and cold fury that was flying around us. I shuddered to think what would have happened if the barrier had not been there; there would have been a lot more corpses there, although I had to give them that they were enthusiastic and brave.
At this point, I went over to Simeon and gave him one of my healing potions; he was looking very feeble; then I watched the combat and I was also fascinated how hypnotic and commanding Xavious’s voice and instructions were. They really did make a difference and it was very much thanks to his prompting that the combat against the last elemental was shortened. It finally dissipated.
When the elemental went, we all paused briefly, waiting to see of any more enemy made an appearance, but then I began to free the three Lyceum members; Xavious was the first to shake himself from the ice bonds; then Kiernan and finally Simeon who was still looking pale and shaken. Xavious had gone to the window and stared out of it.
