The door swung open and Roland stumbled inside. It had been hours since the mage had left to perform his ritual and contact the Eva’Scarra. His face was pale and his eyes looked haunted.

Pandora resisted the urge to immediately embrace him. Roland offered no comment as he strode across the room and got himself a much-needed glass of water. But no sooner had he lowered the glass than her arms surrounded him from behind.

“Idiot,” she said gently. “Are you alright?”

Roland stiffened for a moment and then hugged her with one arm and refilled his glass with the other. “Better now. Ian is being held in a pocket realm known as The Key. You’ve already been there once, Ban, when you retrieved the Star Chart. Apparently, it has a lot of doors that lead all over the place. The Court built their version of the Transmission Springs. And there is an entrance right here in Landorei.”

“The price?” Ban’Koliath asked. He had been silently regarding Roland from the bed since he entered the room. To him, Roland’s information made perfect sense and explained how the Court was able to smuggle creatures like the chimera around without being detected.

Roland only shook his head. The set of the mage’s jaw made it clear that he would not answer. Whatever the information had cost him, Roland had made his choice.

Ban’Koliath rose from the bed. He let the subject drop and reached up to grip Roland’s shoulder. “Thank you, my friend,” he shifted his attention to Pandora, “Please send a message telling the Order to assemble here, same as before. When they arrive, we will storm this Key and rescue Ian,” The minotaur grabbed his hammer and headed towards the door motioning for Roland to join him, “Let’s get you some Jara Ink and something to eat. You look like you could use a meal.”

……

It took the Order of Brass only an hour to mobilize and that was due to the size limitations on the Transmission Spring. Watchman Kalidor directed the Commander toward Mal. The lupine had returned after seeing to it that his companion was laid to rest, determined to claim vengeance. The Order leaders followed behind the shadow wolf acting as though this kind of thing happened all the time. He led them to the Hearthfelt Inn common room.

Commander Urgot Reige cut an impressive figure for a human. Clean, close-cropped black hair, graying around his temples, a full handlebar mustache and a set of plate armor that made his already muscular frame appear that much more imposing. The armor had runes inscribed upon the silver breast, and it gleamed with a fine polish in the light of the inn’s crystal orbs.

Despite being the leader of a dying order, Commander Reige took great pride in his position. And everyone knew it. He had always been a favorite amongst the Brothers and Sisters of the Order of Brass. He made them all feel necessary, that their jobs were still noble, still important. It was one of the many reasons Ban’Koliath respected the man so much. Listening to Ban'Koliath’s report the Commander exuded an air of confidence and ease interrupting only when he needed further explanation.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Beside Reige were his Sub-Commander Prax Gormath and the First Ranger of the Fallen Kings, Trendal Adoris. Trendal had insisted that he and his people be included in this mission based on the fact that the Harlequin Court had murdered his subordinate. The First Ranger was dressed for battle and still managed to have a pompous air about him. His gilded armor was unblemished and his red cloak unsullied. The only thing he accomplished with his look was gaining the attention of a room. Reige had him pegged as a bureaucrat from the moment the pair met, but the rest of the Fallen Kings looked battle-hardened and ready for revenge. So Reige had accepted the First Ranger’s offer of aid.

Sub-Commander Gormath, on the other hand, was not immaculate, his armor was not perfect, and his exposed scales were scarred. He was a half-dragon. He stood a hair's breadth shy of nine feet tall. What few scales his chain mail didn’t cover glittered through with a golden sheen. No badges or insignia adorned him; his mere presence was enough to command a room. Across his back rested a weapon that fit a creature of his stature a cavalry sword. The blade was nearly as tall as Gormath, the tip hovering only a few inches from the floor, but it was the width of the blade that made it truly fearsome. Almost a foot wide the weapon was made for dealing with mounted riders.

Outside the room were several members of the Tomb Guard an elite unit of twenty-one who were positioned to guard the Nyeberian Emperor’s final resting place. When Ban’Koliath had seen them away from the Tomb, the weight of the situation truly struck him. This was no mere rescue; the Order sought to obliterate the Court.

Ban’Koliath was concise in his explanation. Ian had been taken by the Harlequin Court over five hours ago. They had found the location of the Courts access to Landorei, a warehouse pretending to be an elven wine distributor. He glossed over how they had come by that information and instead merely cited a reliable source. It would not bode well to mention the Eva’Scarra. He recommended a frontal assault against the portal to The Key. He stepped back from the table with a small bow to Reige.

“Thank you, Brother Ironroar,” Reige began, bringing a hand up to stroke along his mustache, “We’ll divide into two teams. The main force, under the command of Gormath, will assault the front of the building. Trendal and I will go with you and your friends along with ten fighters to make up the rescue team. While the Court is engaged at the front, we shall sneak in through the back and secure the doorway into The Key. Once you have dealt with whatever is inside the storehouse, Gormath, you will join us inside where we will end this menace once and for all.”

“Go and pick out five of your rangers for the rescue team to join us,” Reige said, addressing Trendal, “Gormath, send another five of our men to join me and then get the rest of the troops into position. I will let you know via pscry when we are ready for you to engage the enemy. Make as much of a raucous as possible to ensure you draw the enemy away from us.”

“Sir,” The Sub-Commander said, he brought his right fist to his chest in a salute. Trendal offered no comment, nor salute, and left with Gormath.

When the others, departed it left the Commander alone with Ban’Koliath and the others for the first time. He gave a heavy sigh, “I know you have risked much, sacrificed much. But now I must ask even more of you. I cannot ask you to come but, if even half of what the Custodian here has told me is true, we could use the help. We’ll meet at the backside of the building in two hours. Rest up, if you can, and join the rescue team when ready.” With that, he left the common room to make preparations.

The four of them stood and gathered together but could only stare at each other. Ban’Koliath made to break the silence but couldn’t find the words. They might all be dead in a few hours and, in those moments, he found it best to contemplate and prepare. He offered his hand to Roland, who took it, and Pandora placed her hand atop theirs. Mal quickly placed his nose to the pile.

After a moment Ban’Koliath broke the heavy silence. “Thank you, my friends.”