Dragons' Onyx (23 page)

As Bin-lu was carefully retreating to the room with the open doorway, he heard voices from a room down the hall. He froze with one foot in the air as he strained to listen. Satisfied that the voices were not coming closer to him, Bin-lu allowed his free foot to lower to the floor. With excruciating slowness, Bin-lu stealthily crept towards the room where the voices were emanating from.

The door to the room was neither open nor closed, but Bin-lu could see spider webs spanning the opening crack, which indicated that the door had not been used in some time. He frowned as he thought about the dangers of another entrance to the second floor. Slowly, he eased the door open further. The spiders protested by scampering away.

The room was totally dark. The light from the torch near the staircase did nothing to ease the blackness as it did in the hallway. Bin-lu stood in the dark doorway with a puzzled expression on his face. The voices were louder, but it was obvious that they were not coming from this room as he thought they had been. He tried to listen to the conversation, but he could only pick words out. That whetted his appetite all the more.

Bin-lu slipped into the dark room, one slow step at a time. With each step the voices became a little louder. Bin-lu nervously looked around the room expecting to find people in it, but he could see nothing in the dark. Eventually, his eyes were drawn to a small speck of light in the center of the floor. The pinprick of light was like the tiniest of fireflies, but it became the center of Bin-lu’s attention as he crept slowly towards it.

When he reached the center of the room, he gazed down at the small light and realized that he was looking at a small hole in the floorboards. The voices were almost understandable, and the Knight of Alcea smiled inwardly as he realized that the meeting was taking place directly below him. Silently, he lowered himself to the floor and peered through the hole.

The room below was sparsely furnished, but it did have a long table in the center of it. Men sat around the table, and a shudder of recognition ran through Bin-lu’s body. He stared through the hole at Emperor Hanchi and his eight bodyguards. Giddy with excitement, Bin-lu twisted his head and placed his ear against the hole.

“I am sure that he was one of Lattimer’s men,” said a voice. “I have seen him at Sarac’s castle.”

“We have all been at Sarac’s castle at one time or another,” countered another voice. “That means nothing. He could have been sent by Tashlan.”

“Tashlan would never compromise my security in that fashion,” stated a voice that Bin-lu recognized as the emperor’s. “He was given a specific task to accomplish, and that is what he will do. He would not leave Tagaret until I tell him to, and he would not send anyone down here.”

“Then we are right back where we started,” sighed a different voice. “Black Devils are coming here with increasing frequency. Somebody is sending them.”

“It is Sarac or Lattimer that is sending them,” sighed the emperor. “There can be no other explanation.”

“Do you think they know that you have taken over Emperor Hanchi’s body?” questioned a voice.

“No, I don’t,” answered the emperor. “I think Sarac is attempting to do the same thing. He is trying desperately to take control of this army. He wants to use it to crush Tagaret and end the Ancient Prophecy.”

“So he keeps sending Black Devils to cast Reflecting Pool on you,” chuckled a voice. “If only he knew who he was dealing with.”

“That is something that he must never know,” scowled the emperor. “Nobody must know until the time is right. Why do you think we are going through all of this trouble to eliminate the people Sarac sends down here, instead of trying to convert them to our side? One slipup and Sarac will send his minions against us instead of against King Arik.”

“He could not afford to,” countered a voice. “If he wasted his resources on us, King Arik would fulfill the Ancient Prophecy. He would die if he did that, and Sarac thinks of himself first in all occasions.”

“Of course he does,” sighed the emperor, “but he would also realize that we are helping King Arik to root out his men in Tagaret. He could not afford to let us continue with my plan. Besides, he would gain this army by coming after me. Don’t you think he could crush Tagaret with it? I certainly could.”

“And will,” cackled another voice.

“Not until Sarac is gone,” warned the emperor. “Let us never forget that timing is everything here. We cannot get lost in our zeal to conquer Sordoa. If we arrive at Melbin too soon, many will wonder why we don’t press onward to Tagaret. We must make it appear that Melbin is our true goal. Perhaps we will even suggest a treaty with Tagaret to lure them into a false sense of security.”

“So that is why you called off the attack after only two hours?” questioned a bodyguard.

“Yes,” answered the emperor. “I am not in a hurry to take Trekum. If we did not attack at all, it would be suspect. We can stretch this siege out as long as we need to. We have the Sordoans surrounded. They aren’t going anywhere, and they certainly can’t do anything to hurt us. Perhaps we will attack them for two hours every day. They will plead for death by the time we are through.”

“How will we gauge the timing, though?” asked a voice. “I mean, when do we need to finish here at Trekum?”

“King Arik is working on restoring the Dragons’ Onyx now,” replied the emperor. “We do not need to be at Melbin before he restores it. We will dally here at Trekum for a while and then move on at a leisurely pace. We must let the men get their thrill of ravishing the Sordoan countryside before we reach Melbin. Once we are there, we must act like we have come to rule Sordoa. There will be no more pillaging or plundering. We want Alcea to look upon us as a neighbor. Not necessarily one that they trust, but certainly one that they don’t see as an imminent threat.”

“And King Arik will be so absorbed with completing his quest for the last gem that he will not think much about us?” questioned a bodyguard.

“Exactly,” agreed the emperor. “By then Tashlan will have exposed all of Sarac’s Black Devils in Tagaret. There will be nobody to oppose us except their puny army.”

“What about Jenneva?” asked a voice.

“She could become a problem,” sighed the emperor, “but she cannot stand up to the nine of us. Eleven if you count Tashlan and Zorn. I may even have Tashlan try to take her out by himself before we arrive at the city walls.”

“Do you think he is capable of that?” inquired a voice.

“Only if he can surprise her,” replied the emperor. “Do not underestimate that woman. She has powers that are enormous. Still, no magician can stand up to multiple threats for long. That is one thing that Sarac proved to the world when Jenneva was forced to use the Origin Scroll. His defense of concentric circles is one to be studied by everyone. He defeated three very powerful mages at the same time utilizing that defense.”

“We are fewer in number, though,” a bodyguard pointed out.

“We are now,” agreed the emperor, “but after Sarac dies, we will be free to recruit his people. They will have nowhere else to go. Our ranks will swell quickly. Enough about Sarac and his infiltrators. We will continue to deal with them as they come. I like this arrangement of setting up the imperial tent as a lure for intruders. It shall become our standard procedure whenever we camp in the future.”

“I will see to it,” assured a bodyguard. “What schedule of attacks do you want for tomorrow? The same as today?”

“No,” replied the emperor. “I do not like being predictable. Set the attack for midday with a duration of three hours. That will keep them guessing.”

Bin-lu felt something crawling along his arm. As much as he tried to ignore it, visions of poisonous akatids whirled in his mind. Finally, he used his other hand to swipe the unseen creature away. As he moved, the floorboards underneath him creaked loudly. Bin-lu froze with one hand in the air. He heard the men below questioning the sound with alarm in their voices. The Knight of Alcea knew it was time to go.

As Bin-lu arched his back to move away from the hole, the boards cracked again. Chairs were being knocked over and abandoned in the room below as the Black Devils rose from their seats. Bin-lu cringed with fear as another crack resounded through the dark room. With a sinking feeling in his heart, he felt the floorboard giving way beneath him.

As the old wooden floorboards cracked and snapped, Bin-lu’s body started slipping through them. A burst of light from the torch below invaded the dark room, and Bin-lu fell amidst a shower of decrepit wood. His eyes took in the meeting room as he plummeted. The Black Devils were all standing and looking up. The table was directly below him and rising quickly. Bin-lu stretched his feet out to let them take the impact. As he landed in a crouch, swords flew for sheaths at the bodyguards prepared to attack.

“I want him alive,” snarled Emperor Hanchi. “He has many questions to answer before he slowly dies.”

Bin-lu knew that he was in trouble. His only chance of escape was a swift and violent attack. A plank from the floor above was still stuck to one of his hands. As he landed he twirled and lashed out with it. He caught a bodyguard on the head and the man staggered back into the wall. A sword swung at his hand and struck the piece of wood. It clattered to the floor as Bin-lu rolled on his back and kicked another bodyguard in the chest with his feet.

The bodyguard slammed into the wall, and the force propelled Bin-lu across the tabletop. Still on his back, Bin-lu’s eyes looked up into the face of another bodyguard. His hands rose swiftly to the man’s jaw. As the man staggered away, Bin-lu flipped his legs over his body and landed on the floor with the wall at his back. He brought his left leg up high and slammed into his neighbor on the left, while his hands pummeled the face of the man on his right.

Bin-lu leaped over the fallen bodies towards the doorway. A bodyguard swung his sword at him. Bin-lu ducked and viciously struck out at the man’s torso with his fists. The man’s sword fell, and he staggered back into the man behind him, blocking the pathway to the door. Bin-lu placed his hands on the table and vaulted his hips into the air. He slid his body across the table, feet first into a bodyguard on the other side of the table.

The Knight of Alcea saw a bodyguard near the door raising his naked hand towards Bin-lu. An icy blue orb flew from the man’s hand toward him. Bin-lu hugged the table as the projectile flew over him, but his eyes opened in wonder as he watched the bodyguard’s face change. It was as if he was watching a man turn into someone else.

“No magic,” spat the emperor.

The momentary delay cost Bin-lu the small edge that he had had. As his head turned to seek his next victim, he felt something strike his head. The room spun at first and then turned black as Bin-lu slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

Lieutenant Montbalm ran to King Devon on the roof of the Castle of Man. He panted heavily as he reported.

“The first battlement is taking heavy losses,” the lieutenant announced.

“The ogres can’t catapult bodies onto the battlement anymore,” replied the king, “they should be safe as long as they keep under cover. Send some men down to relieve them so they can rest.”

“It may be more serious than that,” the lieutenant informed the king. “We are killing so many ogres that the bodies are filling the moat. They are starting to climb over them.”

“Jami,” ordered Alex, “take your men down to the first battlement. Take fire glue with you. Make sure that the ogre bodies burn well.”

“I understand,” nodded Jami Witzak as he signaled the other three Rangers to accompany him.

“Fire glue?” questioned Lieutenant Montbalm. “What is it?”

“It is a substance that will burn through anything,” Jenneva answered. “Applied to that pile of bodies that you described, it will create a blazing inferno in the moat. The ogres will not be able to continue attacking in that fashion.”

The king’s eyebrows rose as he listened. “It is not magical is it?” he asked

“It is not magical ” glared Tanya.

“It is a secret formula,” explained Jenneva, “but there is nothing magical about it. I truly do not think you understand magic very well. It is not something evil. Magic can accomplish much good in the world.”

“It is evil to me,” scowled King Devon. “It is unnatural. Nothing good can ever come of it.”

“You ideas regarding magic are not shared by King Arik,” announced Alex. “The Castle of Man will come under a magical attack. That is why Sarac sent his Black Devils here. You will not defeat that attack without the use of magic on your side. Why can you not see that?”

“Last I looked,” retorted the king, “this was not Tagaret. If King Arik wishes to use magic in his kingdom, that is his prerogative. Here, we do what I want, and I abhor magic.”

“Where does your kingdom end?” questioned Tanya.

“What do you mean?” frowned King Devon. “What kind of question is that?”

“A very practical one,” replied Tanya. “If there is any chance of survival for your people, magic will be required. If you refuse to allow it in your kingdom, then we need to know the boundaries of your law.”

“Nobody can leave the Castle of Man until this battle is over,” countered the king. “I certainly would not allow the gates to be opened, and King Arik has ordered you to come here. You need to get your emotions under control, lass. Are you so willing to disregard his wishes as well as mine?”

Alex winced as Tanya continued, “King Arik has sent word to us that we are free to leave the Castle of Man. He sent us here to help your people survive, not to be sacrificed to Sarac’s men. Your forbidding the use of magic endangers us all.”

“King Devon,” pleaded Alex before things got out of control, “you have to understand what is going to happen.”

“No,” scowled the king, “you have to understand. Magic has been banned in the Castle of Man since its earliest days. There are traditions that my people have that cannot be abandoned because some outsider thinks he knows better.”

“Do you mean traditions like sacrificing dwarves to the dragons?” retorted Tanya.

“Enough, Tanya,” scowled Alex. “Please take a walk to the other side of the roof and see what Sarac’s men are up to.”