“King Syphon will see you now,” the liveried butler proclaimed, with deep bow.
Iovita Honor was led down a long hallway, with stone floors and walls and a high ceiling with large windows set a dozen feet up. Tapestries and other knickknacks lined the walls, and she wouldn’t have minded stopping to inspect them, but she’d waited days for this audience, and she wouldn’t dare to keep the King of Kings waiting. There was a throne and the far end of the hall, but she was led past it into a more intimate greeting area.
Sitting on a small couch was a black man in his late fifties or early sixties. He sat at a table that seemed to function as both a lunch table and a desk. A stack of scrolls was pushed to the side and a plate with fish bones and cutlery was also pushed aside. He wore a simple off-white shirt with a wide neck and ruffles at the wrists. He stood when she got close and greeted her with a wide, bright smile.
“Sorry, you had to wait so long miss. I have so many responsibilities, they make me take lunch while working!” The butler pulled out a chair for her and then whisked away the lunch utensils. “Have you eaten?”
“Iovita Honor, sire. Thank you for meeting with me. I’m not hungry, though I appreciate the offer.” She took the seat he offered. “I am the third child of House Honor, and I am not in line to hold any position in my house. It was very kind of you to grant me this meeting.”
“Please, I feel remiss in meeting with representatives of your people. I understand that you had no nobility until just the last few years, since coming to Xoran from the Underworld.”
“That is correct, milord. My father was a village chief in… that other place, and his exceptional ability to lead and delegate allowed him to quickly create a small empire in this land of plenty, here beneath your deep blue skies.”
“That is quite commendable. I see the same drive in you.” He waved the butler over, “You’ll have some wine? We have some fine O’Bell reds from last year’s harvest.”
“No thank you, milord. Though many of my people indulge in alcohol, I do not.”
“Spring water then?” She nodded in the affirmative. “Regie, please bring a bottle of the new red wine and spring water for Lady Honor.” He turned back to her, “Does anything aside from improving relations bring you here today?
“Nothing urgent sire. The wait was entirely tolerable, and spending time in your kingdom is truly a pleasure. We are still struggling to get fully established and self-sufficient. I am not coming to ask for any financial assistance, we are a proud people and will soon see our fortunes rise; of that, I have no doubt. What concerns me are outside influences. Problems that may require diplomatic assistance and possibly some military intervention.”
“I’m aware of the volatility between your newly established cities and the Inoan tribes that used to hunt those lands. We have always had good relations with them. I can send an envoy to try and smooth the way, negotiate a compromise.” He thought for a moment, “There is another issue?”
“I encountered a creature near my city. Deep in the woods, we were attacked by what looked and acted like our God of the Dead. It gave off a wave of fear that caused half my men to flee, the other half, including myself were knocked unconscious. Half of those died on the spot, their hearts exploding in their chests.” She tried to remain emotionless, but he could see the pain in her expression. “I heard that you were one of the first people in your country to encounter a savage beast, one that was thought to be only a myth.”
“That is true. My friends and I were on a hunting trip when we were attacked by horrible monsters. I lost my hand, and my friends lost their lives.” She looked at the hand he was flexing, “I was blessed by Lord Magnus himself, who replaced my lost hand.”
“You can understand that for us to see Nigide, our death demon, it was both unbelievable and terrifying at the same time. What I can’t explain is how one of our gods came to haunt us in this world. In the one spot in Xoran where the elves live. I do not subscribe to coincidences.”
“It does seem unlikely that they would attack you and not attack the Inoans that have roamed those lands for thousands of years. It smells of some intentional attack. Other than your skirmishes with the Inoans, you have no enemies?”
“Not in this world,” she replied.
“I know where your mind is going, but I thought that all doorways to the Underworld were sealed. If this is a gift from your old masters, I don’t know how it was delivered to this world.”
“Neither do I. I will continue to look for the puppet master, but for now, we need to kill the demon. He’s taken too many lives already and keeping people away from a major transportation route will only last for so long.”
“Agreed. I will send my nephew with you to ‘the mage’s’ estate. One of his mages will be able to transport you instantly to your country and hopefully, they can help you to defeat the beast.”
“Your kindness will not be forgotten King Syphon. I pray that House Honor can call you an ally for all time.” She shook his hand to seal the agreement.
It had been several days of pleasant riding through the Chuo countryside, but now there were closing in on the mansion of Jorn Anant, commonly known as ‘the mage’. The main house was built into the shape of a large triangle, and this was surrounded by lush gardens and fountains, with an impossibly tall steel fence surrounding the several acres that made up the grounds. They were met by armed guards at the gate, and when learning that Prince Syphon was one of the prospective entrants, they were let in directly. Near the front door, they dismounted, and a boy took their horses. What met them at the door was something that neither of them had ever encountered personally. Jorn’s manservant Riku opened the door with his two left arms and showed them a wide grin that showed his dagger-like fangs. He was every inch of seven feet tall, his skin was a dull yellow color, and his ears were pointed on top and bottom.
“Good evening,” he said with a deep, creaky voice. “Please give me your names and I will fetch the master.”
“You, you’re a Telnor?” Hristo asked.
“Indeed.”
“I am Hristo Syphon.”
“And I am Iovita Honor,” she said, bowing deeply.
“Young royalty. Quite the honor, to turn the phrase.” He chuckled at his own joke, “Please wait here and I will see if Master Michael is available.” Turning on his heel, he lumbered off down the well-lit hallways. In about two minutes, a man in his late twenties came out to greet them, his dark blonde hair and beard neatly cut, and his light green robe giving him a casual appearance.
“Welcome! Michael Boorman at your service.” He led them to a small room off the hall and indicated couches for them to sit on. “I hope you’re not looking for Mage Anant, he’s been on sabbatical for these last three years.”
“We were told that he was away,” Hristo said. "It is common knowledge that you are also a highly skilled mage, and we were hoping to enlist some assistance.” They went on to describe the situation with the elven God of Death. Michael sat there listening carefully, considering.
“I will go with you, and I’ll bring one of my apprentices. Please tour the grounds, we can leave early in the morning.”
They thanked Michael and followed a young woman as she limped briskly from the mansion. Hristo gave her a cursory look. He was a man of God, but still a man. Her figure was hidden in a deep violet cloak, though he could tell she was neither a waif nor overweight. She wore a hood on her cloak that didn’t quite hide the red and blue scar that marred her otherwise beautiful right cheek.
“Valya, is it not?” Iovita asked.
“Yes.” She looked over her shoulder while they walked, “You are the first Elf noble that I’ve ever heard of. Is your family very influential?”
“Among our people? Yes. They saw a power vacuum and filled it. My father and older brothers are the founders of Aquila.” They walked for another minute. “You will be able to see it when we get there.”
“Oh, I’m not going with you.” She smiled, “I am a novice still. Michael wouldn’t let me go on a mission till I had become much more confident in my abilities. You will be traveling with Micheal and Ingram Jerome. You never stop learning, but Ingram’s knowledge is enough that he could go off on his own if he chose to.”
They entered a small cabin workshop that was several hundred feet from the main house. Inside was a woman, barely out of childhood, standing at a table that was heaped with magic tomes. She was so deep in thought that she didn’t look up till Valya called out to her.
“Lucette! We have guests.”
The young blonde looked up, still not registering for several seconds. She collected herself and walked over to shake each of their hands.
“Lucette Standish,” she introduced herself. They each in turn gave their names.
“Syphon? Like the king?”
“My uncle.”
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“Nice to meet you. I’m sorry about being so scatterbrained. I’m studying a new enchantment and it’s a bit tricky.”
“I know nothing about magic. Can you explain what you are doing?” he asked.
“Mages have stronger magic than most people. I’ve learned that all of us are surrounded and imbued with some magical energy. In most people, it is weak, hardly noticeable to even a high-level mage. For people like Valya and I, we give off a strong signal. If I was not concentrating as hard as I was just now, I could have sensed her as she walked over to the workshop. I see a very fine aura around you miss,” she looked Hristo over carefully. “I see a strong energy field around you, sir. Like our friend Father Sebastienne, you don’t radiate magic ability, but more of a sense of divine power.” She couldn’t take her eyes off of him, “Very interesting. I almost wish that I was going with you. I’d like to study you more…”
“Tell them what your research is really about!” Valya said.
“Oh yes! So… all mages have a strong, heightened magic ability. We can all do spells of many disciplines if we study and practice them. Aside from that, we all have a special ability that comes to us like someone who falls in a lake and somehow just knows how to swim.”
“What’s your special ability?” Iovita asked.
“I can disenchant, at least that was how I discovered that I was special. I can touch an enchanted item and suck the magic outta it. What I’ve learned is that I can also do the opposite. I can imbue items with spells and protections.”
“That’s amazing,” Hristo said. “What kind of items can you give magic to?”
“I enchanted the ring that Valya is wearing. It can cast a weak sleep spell. As her aura feeds into it, it can recharge in hours. For a non-magical person, it might take a day to recharge.” She looked at the pair of knights, both knights were in their plate armor. “I can add some protection to your armor. It won’t stop a crossbow bolt, but it might make you take less damage from getting knocked around. I can also add fire and ice resistance, though if you were going against Master Jorn, he would blow through my spell and freeze you into an ice sculpture.”
“I have gold with me. I would gladly accept your enchantments!” Iovita said hopefully
“Gold? I don’t need any gold. We have what we need here, and what we don’t have, Michael can conjure. I could use the practice. I would hate for a spell to fail, and you had paid for it an all.” She smiled at them.
Iovita began removing her plate, and Valya helped her with some of the trickier pieces. Hristo looked at the three women around him and cautiously began to remove his armor as well. When they were down to their long undergarments, Lucette began to shoo them away.
“This takes a lot of concentration, so please get out and maybe enjoy the pools. There is a hot spring with healing waters. You will be able to relax a while before jumping back into danger.”
It added an extra day to their departure, but when Michael heard about the enchantments Lucette was working on, he agreed that the delay would be worth the wait. When they were summoned to the workshop, Lucette had the two sets of armor laid out on a large work table. Each of them had their family crest etched into their breastplates. What was new was the markings made on the inside of the armor pieces. Written in a language that none of them but Michael and Lucette could understand were brands, made from a magical ink that could somehow soak into any substance, including the steel of their armor. They were curiosities for the knights, but the mages were able to faintly detect the spells and when looking at the marks, could see a glow of magic from them.
Michael picked up a small metal gauntlet and inspected the inscription inside the wrist. He turned it around, seeming to weigh it.
“This is amazing Lucette! You have reduced its weight by more than half.”
“It is every bit as strong as it was, maybe more so.”
Hristo picked up his chest cover and shock crossed his face. He knocked his knuckles on the metal a couple of times, the ringing sound familiar to him. “Yes, this is an incredible gift. I thank you Lady Lucette.”
“Daylight is burning, we should get ready to go,” Ingram said. He’d just come from a trip to the city and was eager to have another adventure.
The knights put on all of their armor and other gear, then they led their horses to an open area between the workshop and the practice grounds. Michael formed a large circle in the air, creating a doorway to the fields of Pyrros. Ingram walked his horse through and both knights eyes the portal warily before following, their mounts pulled behind them. A minute later, they had traveled thousands of miles and were half a day’s ride from Aquila.
Iovita led the party down the highway towards Glaucia. At her side was Hristo Syphon and just behind them rode Keshet, Michael, and Ingram. They had somehow convinced ten additional soldiers to join the mission; no additional knights were with them. A mile or so before the place where Iovita’s first party had been attacked, they came to a roadblock. Four guards were loitering around a tree that fell across the road and signs were placed along its length. They came alive when they saw the dozen or more riders heading for their position.
“In the name of Lord Honor, halt and be recognized,” one of the guards called out.
Keshet rode to the front and was instantly recognized by the men. He put his open hand across his heart in a salute.
“I have Lady Honor with me, and we’ve brought human mages to see if they can help to banish the ‘dark one’. I ask for the good of all of our people, that you let us through.”
The men turned to each other, whispering energetically. They had orders to not let anyone pass into the dangerous forest ahead, but two members of House Honor were requesting permission to pass. Not only that, but there were also a dozen swords and two unarmed men who were described as being mages. This was a no-win situation, and they were not pleased. After a brief deliberation, they came to a conclusion.
“We have orders to not let ‘anyone’ pass, but we all know that we cannot stop you. This will all appear in our report to the Sergent at Arms. Your father will sort it out, or not, miss.” The man bowed slightly.
“A well-thought-out decision,” Iovita said calmly. “I had no desire to have these mages turn you into frogs.”
“Rats,” Micheal cut in. “I don’t know how to turn men into frogs, but I’ve turned more than a few into rats. Beady little eyes, sharp teeth.” He made the sound of a rat chewing. The men blanched at the thought and parted to allow them to pass. They walked their horses around the obstacle and soon were back on the main highway.
“Rats?” Hristo asked.
“Sorry, I got caught up,” Michael chuckled along with Ingram.
“You can change a person into a rat?” Keshet asked
“I never tried, but no. I can do some amazing things, and my master could do almost god-like magic; but I never saw a person transformed into a rat, a bat, an insect, or any other pest.” Michael was laughing so hard that he could barely get the words out.
“I sense something,” Hristo said, his intense tone cutting through the light atmosphere. “Evil. There is evil ahead of us, and it's coming this way.”
“He can sense evil?” Ingram asked.
“Enough talk!” he said, pulling his sword. The others quickly followed suit.
“I can sense life, any kind of life, and there’s nothing out there,” Ingram said.
“You will not last long if you only fear the living,” Hristo said, pointing his sword to a dark area ahead. It was still daytime, but their immediate area grew dark, and a dozen figures trudged out from the swirling mist.
“By Domina, what in Xoran is that!” Hristo lifted his shield and poised, ready to strike with his longsword. “They reek of evil!”
“They are Aror,” Iovita answered. “They are mindless minions that serve Nigide. Legend has it that they are created from the flesh and bones of the dead, and they hate and fear the living almost as much as they fear their master.”
A cold rain started abruptly, and the darkness flowed at them from all directions. More of the Aror came at them from behind and from both sides. They were all sizes from five and a half feet tall to nearly seven feet tall. They were hairless and dressed in rags or clumps of earth and brush as if they had been recently exhumed. Their hairless heads were covered in pale, diseased skin, their fingers were long and thin with sharp nails. Each of them had a wide grinning mouth, filled with short, sharpened teeth. Their eyes were dark where the white should have been and glowed brightly in the center.
A soldier screamed as three Aror grabbed him from behind and tugged at his limbs. The one directly behind him opened its maw widely and dug its saw-like teeth into the back of his skull. The other two pulled at his arms till the sound of bone breaking and tendons snapping filled the air. They twisted like a crocodile with its prey, twisting till the arms came off at the shoulders.
The Aror were like spirits, able to appear and disappear as the fog rolled through their position. Soldiers would swipe at them with their swords, connecting occasionally, but missing just as often. When approached, the ghouls seemed to fade away.
Hristo was more agitated than scared, he showed no fear at all. “Damn you, foul scourge! May the light of Domina wash you in her grace!” The mages could tell that the power emanated from Hristo himself, but to everyone’s eyes, it looked as if a brilliant, pure white light came from his sword, pushing back the shadow and seemingly melting the fog. The Aror recoiled from the light, their mournful wails making it sound like they were harmed by the righteousness of Hristo’s presence. They tried to get away from him, but Hristo chopped at them, his sword slashing through their tough, rubbery hides. Arms and heads were separated as the creatures died, his blows dealing them an immense amount of damage.
Ingram used his ability to control nature, causing vines and branches to reach for the Aror and bind them. There were no animals near the fighting; he could sense from them that they feared the Aror as much as the humans and elves did.
Michael cast simple fire spells, launching fireballs at the Aror. When struck by his magical fire, the flames stuck to them like an insect caught in tree sap, and they burned, even as they fled the scene. Iovita and Keshet claimed their share of the kills, each of them cutting down several of the enemies. The regular soldiers were the only ones to suffer casualties, three of them died in the battle and three more were injured.
“Praise Domina,” Hristo said, looking for more opponents and finding none. “She has blessed us with victory this day over the forces of evil.”
“She especially blessed you, friend,” Michael said while staring at the mounds of bodies in the young prince’s wake. He’d killed as many as the rest of the party combined.
“I abhor evil, and it seems that when fighting against men or monsters with such strong ‘ill intent’, that I am especially effective.”
“I would agree with that assessment,” Iovita announced. “These… things, were not easy to defeat, at least not for us non-mages, but you tore through them like a knife through wet paper.”
Hristo was about to respond when he jerked and looked again at the road ahead. “We are not alone.” Looking intently, he pointed into the woods. “That direction. I feel there is an evil in that direction that dwarfs these mindless beasts. An intelligent mind and a twisted, utterly evil soul.”
“I sense life,” Ingram added. “I can communicate with intelligent life, and I can control less intelligent plants and animals, but what lies in that direction is beyond any mind that I’ve ever tried to touch.” He turned to Iovita, “You claim that he is a god, and from the briefest of touches with its mind, I do not doubt that.”
“We have several injured, a few of your men have died.” Micheal looked to Iovita as the leader, “My master Jorn would have faced this ‘god’ without a second thought, but I am not him. Would you want to reconsider going forward?”
Before she could answer, Hristo stepped forward, “Evil lives here, controls this road, and kills your people.” He waved at the dead elven soldiers. “We must avenge these brave men and see that this false god is vanquished!”
Ingram placed his hand on a nearby tree and closed his eyes, listening to something only he could hear, “There are more of these things out there. Hundreds of them, and they are coming this way.”
“We need to get out of here. We need to get better prepared and come back for these Aror and for Nigide. I need to check the scrolls to see if there are any other devils and demons that we must prepare for.” She looked hard at Hristo. “You can do things, things that I’ve never seen before. You are not a mage, yet the mages say that you have power. Power gifted to you by the Old Gods. I must learn this. When we face Nigide, we’ll need as many like you as we can get.”