D&D 5E Tap Tap Tap

[BoldItalic]

Before answering, BoldItalic cast a protective sphere around the three of them, to ensure that they could not be overheard. "Gil-Galad has not forgotten about us," he began. "He is even now planning an attack. Worse, Heian is an unwitting spy. Gil-Galad has been reading his mind all the while, even at this distance, and knows all about our defences."

"How do you suddenly know all this?"

"I have turned the situation about, and read Heian's mind myself. There can be no doubt."

"I wish you had not done that. You know that this business of reading minds makes me uncomfortable. But what's done is done. What made you suspect him?"

"After a warning I received from the goddess, I cast a divination spell and it revealed, albeit cryptically, what was happening. I did what I had to do, to confirm it."

Clotbert was visibly startled. "What warning? What goddess?"

"I'm sorry, there has not been time to tell you. A hour or so ago, I went to your shrine looking for you. As I turned to leave, the statue of Myrristra spoke to me. She said It is not yet over. A greater task yet remains."

"I see," said Clotbert. "That is undeniably a warning. I wish I had been present. It must have been quite a shock."

"It was."

"Very well," interposed Rylnethaz, "I believe you, BoldItalic. We have a problem. What do you advise?"

"I have a plan. It is very risky but I believe it is our best chance. Gil-Galad is about to attack us in force. We cannot match his army and we cannot defend this castle. We must take the fight to him, and where he least expects it, and we must use subterfuge."

"Go on."

"You and I, Clotbert, will travel the planes, supposedly to construct a secret stronghold elsewhere. But we will take Heian with us, supposedly to advise on its defenses. Of course, Gil-Galad will know what we are doing but will not know that we know that he knows. He will seek to attack us in force with his army, surprising us before we are ready. But it will be a trap. I will close the planar path behind them and open one to the abyss. They will be stranded and will have to face the demons. That will eliminate one part, at least of the threat."

"And what will I be doing all this while?"

"Before we set out, for Gil-Galad's benefit, you let it be known that you are done with adventuring and intend to take your ease. You will give no hint otherwise. But as soon as we are gone, you will travel back to Gil-Galad's citadel, in disguise, taking Fingers with you. There you and he will forment rebellion amongst the common-folk of the citadel. When Gil-Galad marches out with his army to attack me, leaving the citadel weakly guarded, as soon as his back is turned, you will engineer a coup and seize power yourself. After trapping our enemy in the abyss, Clotbert and I will join you."

"A cunning and devious plan, indeed," said Rylnethaz. "As you say, it is extremely risky. But what have we to lose? If we do nothing, we will certainly be overwhelmed right here. Any plan, however doubtful, is better than none. What say you, Clotbert? Shall we dare to succeed?"

 

[BoldItalic]

Clotbert frowned. He glanced at BoldItalic, then spoke. "It is a good plan," he began tactfully, "but I do not think Gil-Galad will be trapped so easily. His wizards can open gates too, and it is a reasonable assumption that he has a teleport circle somewhere in his citadel that he can return to with a force of his guards the instant that trouble starts."

BoldItalic looked crestfallen. He sensed his plan falling to dust.

"We reached this haven by way of the staircase that the dwarven watchman opened for us," said Rylnethaz carefully. "Will Gil-Galad and his army have to do the same? Can we block that entrance? Will that keep them out?"

"Yes, I believe it would. But we would also be trapped here indefinitely and unable to strike back."

"Then seal the entrance," decided the king. "Do it immediately. I will keep Heian out of the picture so that Gil-Galad is not warned."

BoldItalic and Clotbert left, discussing the best spells to move landscapes around and block staircases with magic. At that moment, Fingers arrived, without the melon hat, but looking awkward. "Well?" asked Rylnethaz curtly.

"There was an elf arrived at the gates, sir, just now. Said he was a friend of yours. A bit odd. Wouldn't give his name. I took him to Captain Heian."

"Describe him?"

"Quite old, I'd say, even for an elf, begging your pardon, sir. Dark skin, rather weather-worn. A hooked nose. Eyes that looked as if he'd lived a long time and seen a lot of trouble. Wearing a leather cloak and hood, good quality gear, not your average traveller but no pack or bags at all, and his boots were clean so either he hadn't come far or he used magic to get here.

"You took him to Heian? Did they seem to know each other?"

"No, or at least they pretended not to. There was just a moment, a little gesture of the fingers that might have been a secret signal I wasn't supposed to see. But it wasn't a cant signal."

Rylnethaz demonstrated a few elvish signals, but Fingers didn't think it was any of those. "It was more ... middle finger down, I think."

"Go back to the captain's quarters and keep the stranger there. Don't let him wander about and don't tell him anything. Just let him wait. But send the captain to me, here. Just say I sent for him but don't say why."

Fingers departed and Rylnethaz helped himself to some refreshments. This was going to be a long day.

 

[BoldItalic]

Heian came into the hall and saluted. "You sent for me, sire?"

"The stranger. How do you know him?"

"I do not know him, sire. He will not give a name, nor say whence he came or how he got here."

Rynethaz had heard enough. Heian was plainly lying. "Give me your sword."

"Sire? I do not understand."

Rylnethaz waited no longer. He drew his own sword and struck off Heian's head. Then he called loudly for servants. "Clear up this mess," he ordered as he went out into the courtyard. There, he saw a sergeant of the guard and called him over. "Ah, Bearwin isn't it? You are promoted to Captain of the Guard with immediate effect. Your predecessor has been executed. Go to your office, where you will find a stranger, an elf in travelling garb, with Fingers the Halfling. Bring them both out here to the courtyard. Do not let them discover that Heian is dead. Do you understand?"

"Yes, my liege. Thank you," said Bearwin and left at the double, calling two other guardsmen to him as he went. Rylnethaz nodded to himself. "Useful man, that. Quick on the uptake."

While he waited, Rylnethaz paced about the courtyard, looking up at the battlements and calculating lines of fire. He chose a likely spot beside a small tower on the south wall and marked it in his mind. After a few minutes Bearwin returned, followed by the stranger escorted on each side by a guardsman, and with Fingers bringing up the rear. When they were a short distance away, Rylnethaz held up his hand for them to halt. "Fingers," he commanded, "Take up position up on the battlements by yonder tower and draw your bow. Keep this stranger covered. On my command, fill him with arrows. The signal will be, that I put hand on sword-hilt."

"This is monstrous," said the stranger, though seeming curiously unmoved. "I come unarmed. I am no enemy." He looked around and frowned, seeming as if he expected to see someone, as if he was searching for someone in his mind and not finding him.

Rylnethaz noticed this, and dissembled. "Who are you, and why do you seek audience with my cousin, the king?" he demanded.

"My business is with Rylnethaz alone. I do not deal with mere cousins."

"Then you have had a wasted journey. How did you arrive? You will be escorted hence."

"I come and go as I please. If you do not take me to Rylnethaz, you will regret it."

"I think not. I will ask you once more for your name." As he said this, he motioned a hand meaningfully towards his sword hilt.

"My name is my own affair. I will see Rylnethaz."

In answer, the king drew his sword and three arrows struck the stranger from Fingers' bow. But the stranger did not fall, He merely shrugged. "A foolish attempt. But your discourtesy is noted," he said quietly. He turned and drew a crystal orb from his cloak. A streak of fire sprang from the orb and struck the south wall beside the small tower. But Fingers was not there and when more arrows came, it was from a different place.

Drawing his own sword, Bearwin barked a command. His two guardsmen reacted quickly and caught the stranger in a double armlock, forcing him to his knees. The knew how to use leverage; had the stranger resisted, both of his arms would have been dislocated at the shoulder. The orb fell from the stranger's hand and rolled away across the cobblestones. He cursed as the hilt of Bearwin's sword came down on his skull with a force that would have stunned an ordinary mortal. Yet, mid-way through the oath, he fell oddly silent. His mouth worked but no words came out. For the first time, his arrogance faltered and he looked dismayed. He glanced up and met the steady gaze of BoldItalic, who had teleported into the courtyard a moment ago and, seeing the situation, cast a spell upon the stranger that had struck him instantly dumb.

"I thought I smelt a sorcerer," remarked BoldItalic, kicking the orb away with his foot. "You can always tell."

"Bind him, gag him and throw him into the dungeon," commanded Rylnethaz. "And send for a barber to pull those arrows out of him. Slowly."

 

[BoldItalic]

"What do you make of that?" Rylnethaz asked BoldItalic a little later. "Was he another spy, sent by Gil-Galad, or just a wandering idiot?"

"We should assume he was dangerous," was the cautious reply. "He may have arrived by the stairway before we demolished it, or he may have teleported in, perhaps using Heian's thoughts as a key to focus on. Now that Heian is no longer alive that way is closed, but the sorcerer himself, or something he was carrying, could allow more to arrive. You should execute him immediately to prevent any possibly rescue attempt. Also, we must destroy all his belongings or a least bury them inaccessibly. I have dispelled the magic from his orb, so that is now safe."

"So. Come with me to the dungeons. You may be able to learn something from him before I strike off his miserable head."

"I know how you feel about mind-reading, but do I have your permission to use it on the sorcerer? It may be the only safe way to interrogate him. We cannot risk letting him speak or use his hands to write anything down."

"Oh, very well. Needs must, I suppose."

The sorcerer, though bound, gagged and chained to the wall, seemed strangely unconcerned by his situation. He had ceased to struggle against his confinement but his arrogance was undiminished, as if he seemed confident of release. BoldItalic cast a mind-reading spell and the sorcerer tried to scramble his own thoughts by mentally reciting the words of a children's rhyme over and over again. But something leaked through.

"Strike now!" called BoldItalic urgently. Rylnethaz struck off the sorcerer's head so swiftly that BoldItalic did not have time to withdraw his contact with dying brain. He fell to the ground, clutching the sides of his head.

"Are you alright?" asked Rylnethaz urgently, "What has he done to you?"

BoldItalic stood up slowly, looking grey-faced. "I have experienced sudden death," he said quietly. "It was ... not as I had always imagined. It ... doesn't actually hurt. Something else takes over. Something ... I cannot describe. Afterwards, there is peace."

Rylnethaz didn't quite know what to say. BoldItalic had changed and become, somehow, stronger. He seemed to radiate a quiet sort of power that was imperturbable. "You need to talk to Clotbert," Rylnethaz suggested. "Meanwhile, what do we do with this corpse? Is it safe to bury it, along with its head and all its belongings?"

"Mmm? Oh, leave it to me. Go back upstairs and see if Clotbert is back yet." It was rather impolite of BoldItalic to order the king about like that, but Rylnethaz put it down to shock and left. When he had gone, BoldItalic cast a spell on the sorcerer's orb and tossed in on the floor of the cell. He quickly went out, slamming and locking the door behind him, and retreated some distance around a corner. There was a bright flash of red light as a fireball errupted inside the cell and reduced the corpse and everything else to ashes. "Do not unlock that door," he said to a gaoler who came running down to see what was happening, "Have it bricked up."

 

[BoldItalic]

Later that day, they all gathered in the great hall to talk over recent events. "We believe that we are now safe, at least for the present," began Rylnethaz. "It is time to turn our attention to the well-being of my subjects." He looked towards Fingers. "How goes the preparation for my coronation?"

"You have but to declare the date, sire."

"Very well, let it be one week hence. It shall be a holiday in the town of Overbridge," declared Rylnethaz. Turning to Clotbert, he asked "Does the worship of Myrristra flourish in the town? Or do we need to do more to encourage it? You are on cordial terms with the local priests, I seem to recall."

"The temple in Overbridge is not dedicated to Myrristra, but to the earth-god Faslu. One has to be tactful. It is an understood thing amongst us clerics that we do not trespass on each other's territory. I could perhaps set up a small shrine in another part of the town. Perhaps on this side, by the gate on the bridge?"

"Yes, let it be done."

BoldItalic had been quiet all this time. Now he spoke up. "I have cast a divination. The signs are very favourable. There will be many years of peace and prosperity in this land. Not forever, for nothing is forever, but for all our lifetimes, at least." And here he smiled, stood up and raised his goblet, calling for a toast. "All hail King Rylnethaz the Red, Coronal of this realm!"

As all drank to the king, there was a tapping at the window.

[ Tap! Tap! Tap! yelled the audience with extra vigour, for they sensed that this story was near to its close. ]

BoldItalic rose and threw open the casement. A raven flapped in with a croak, and settled itself comfortably on the back of a chair. It seemed quite at home.

It was the same raven.

 

[Rylnethaz]

That raven became to the residents of the realm something like a guardian spirit. Whenever it would pass away, another would take its place, seemingly from nowhere and it would always be welcomed in the castle as a symbol of happiness.

BoldItalic would help the king and the realm prosper with his wise advice and foresight.

Fingers actually became quite adept in the various odd missions that Rylnethaz would have him undertake and was of immense help in his own unique way.

Clotbert never again stuttered and was always regarded as a well respected religious figure.

And Rylnethaz? Well, Rylnethaz did his best for his people as a true Coronal would. And according to even the sceptics among them, he succeeded in leading a happy and prosperous realm.

But what about a princess? A princess eh? Yes, there was a princess too but not the kind you thought at first. In one of his visits in Overbridge, Rylnethaz met and fell in love with a merchant's beautiful daughter. Smart and quick of thought, she was everything Rylnethaz ever truly wanted. What if she was not a princess to begin with? Rylnethaz was not a Coronal when the story began, was he?

And they all lived happily ever after.

THE END!