A dragonslayers tale

The young man walked forth and he did look rather shaky still, he was breathing fast and he appeared to be in pain but he bent down and put a hand on the dead mage’s head. He did focus, followed the thin trails of power back and saw what the dark mage had seen. He formed a wish, a desire and felt a jolt as the natural magic of the land suddenly gave him enough power to do so. As he opened his eyes again he knew that the idea was a good one, it would be efficient, and it would work.

Back in the city the next group of dragons were ready to be sent forth and the beasts were bellowing and pawing at the ground, eager to go. The mages who did control the transport were hard pressed, they had to make sure that no mistakes were done and they focused entirely on their task. The area where the dragons were kept was well lighted and the magic surrounding it strong, it had to be. The beasts gathered there were hard to control even to their masters and the valley had a solid magical barrier only the chosen ones could pass through. The ones who worked there now had been busy since dawn the last day and they were tired and annoyed and their heads were spinning too. Food and drink wasn’t what you thought off when dealing with something like this and they were after all just human. None of them did discover the faint pale green light which seemed to flicker here and there, followed by a scent of a meadow in summer. The natural magic was a stark contrast to the one the dark brotherhood did use, it didn’t try to control or manipulate things into submission, it wasn’t there to subdue or use. Instead it was liberating as life truly is and locks and chains did let go and open up. This magic would free the bound and tear down any barriers and it did. Ivran’s wish was to release everything there and now the magic did allow him to do just that. His will carried along by the wild magic of that untamed dimension.

The mages didn’t notice anything as it did its work, slowly and with meticulous precision. It wasn’t until the first of the many creatures held there sprang forth with a triumphant roar that they saw the truth. The work of opening the gateway to the plains was abandoned there and then, instead they had to fight for their lives and since they were few they were overpowered fast. The dark spells didn’t harm the creatures they themselves had created since they had been made to be immune to the use of magic.

The mages did die screaming and the beasts were free, the barrier did hold though, they were trapped within the valley and roars and bellows of anger could be heard from afar. They attacked the barrier again and again, most of the dragons were hungry and they were also hurting. Being transformed hurts and they also hated being controlled. The combination of feelings did turn them into uncontrollable killing machines. There were both dreghil and elementals there, and the monsters didn’t exactly cooperate well, instead they did try to kill each other and the valley became a slaughter field. Had anyone seen it they would have believed that they had descended into hell itself, the scene simply unbelievable. Blood was covering the ground, black and red and green, fire flickered and roared and heavy booms could be heard as creatures collided and tried to tear each other apart. It was mayhem, and more and more got free from their pens and joined the melee.

Siverel had been working rather hard and he was tired, the mages he had sent out to guard the wall hadn’t reported back so he assumed that everything was fine. Maybe he was just paranoid and seeing dangers where there were none but his instincts told him that this was the still before the storm. He had been reading and preparing and he had ordered that some of the most valuable of the books in the library was to be sent to one of the deepest vaults. There were so many things there which were valuable and he didn’t want them destroyed, no matter what happened. He got up from behind the desk and found some wine, enjoyed the sweet taste of it. The city couldn’t import anything large from the south so they had to make do with what they had and they used some sort of berries which grew on the naked carrocks to brew wine. The small black berries were rather sour but whence fermented and mixed with honey they became a very nice brew indeed. The meat came from wild deer and they did also have livestock. The city wasn’t that different from the cities of the south, they were just isolated and the population had gotten used to that.

Siverel wasn’t hungry, he had eaten some chicken earlier that day and he walked over to the window and looked out. The city lay in perpetual twilight and there wasn’t any sun there but the magical lights were just as beautiful and he smiled at the sight. For all it was worth, what they had done there had been grand, nobody could deny that. He just hoped that he would have enough time to save as much as possible, he was trying to prepare the others for resistance and attacks, but subtly. If he just went out there and said that yes, the old prophecies were the truth they would surely make sure he ended as old Badrian, imprisoned in his own chambers and deemed as stark raving mad. He was about to return to the desk and his work when there was a frantic knocking on the door, he felt a sting of fear and answered but heard that his voice did shiver. It was a servant and he was chalk white. “My lord, the pens…the creatures are on the loose”

Siverel just stared ahead of himself, blankly. Then his mind worked again and he grasped onto the wall for support. “By every God, it has started!”

He straightened himself and tried to smile. “I will be there, shortly”

He walked over to his chair and grasped his cloak and tried to appear as calm and collected. He knew that the end could be coming now, and he feared that there would be little he could do to stop it. He had been too late, his preparations wouldn’t matter at all, not anylonger.

The group was getting closer to the magical wall now and Zaray was staring at it with her eyes fixed upon the base of it. Ivran was not very strong and it was obvious that something was very wrong somewhere. Phraan was getting nervous on the young man’s behalf and he did see that Thiana and Taurin too stared at him with narrow eyes. Zaray had asked the two wood elves if there were more monsters there and they hadn’t felt any, the wyrm and the undead wolf beasts had been the only things which had had time to slip into this dimension so far. The dragon and the cat had been wandering about to prevent any unexpected attacks and things did look peaceful enough. They just hoped that the natural magic would be able to do something about the heart stone. Zaray was thinking, they could all feel that and she got off the mule and started watching the ground with narrow eyes. “There has to be footprints here somewhere, I doubt that dark mages do hide their footprints. If we find them we do find where they got through, it will be a weak spot, excellent for our purpose”

Ivran had to sit down, he was shaking all over and Fastonar grasped him gently, tried to push his saddle roll inn under the young man. “Something is very wrong with him, there has to be something you can do?!”

Thiana was kneeling, she placed a hand on Ivran’s forehead and the young man did smile but the smile was a pale one. “I am sorry, I don’t think I will make it all the way this time.”

Thiana frowned and closed her eyes, as a wood elf she did have some healing abilities and she gasped and opened her eyes again, staring at Zaray. “It is the magic of the heart stone, it tries to kill him. I think it knows he is dangerous, what are we to do?”

Zaray swore and sat down, putting a hand onto his shoulder. “Oh damnation, we have to close him off from that magic completely.”

Phraan was feeling a bit frantic. “How? And how does it find him in the first place?”

Zaray shrugged. “Magic seeks magic, it must be able to sense his presence, and since it is transformed by the dark mages it sees him as a threat, one even greater than you and I”

She stroked Ivran’s hair. “Can you somehow shield yourself off?”

Ivran groaned. “Too weak!”

Taurin bit his teeth together. “Not for long, there is something we can try”

He sat down on his knees and grasped Ivran’s hand, then he pressed his fingers into the ground. “We can use the magic of this realm to make him stronger”

Zaray tilted her head. “Yes, but that is dangerous, I don’t think it is wise. His magic is untested”

Thiana caught her gaze. “He will die if we don’t try”

Phraan remembered the many things Vitile had achieved and he gave Zaray a pleading glance. “Do it, please”

Fastonar did look eager too and Phraan saw that Dhokay and Shaluun were rather quiet. The dwarves and Tersus and Peter did look scared.

Taurin got a nod from Zaray and he seemed to slow down somehow, his breath became very slow and his eyes were shut. Thiana sat down next to him, put one hand on Ivran and the other in the ground and Phraan gasped when he did see that they both for a moment looked like wooden statues, as if their skin was replaced with wood. There was an odd light coming from them and it seemed to flow through them and into Ivran and the young man let out a scream and his body convulsed. Zaray got down on her knees. “Grasp him, hold him down”

Phraan sat down by Ivran’s head and held it down and the man was making some absolutely horrific rasping sounds, his eyes were rolling in his head and the body was shaking, Thiana was chanting and her voice was strained, as if she was fighting something, Taurin was pale and his face covered with sweat. Phraan realized that this was far from simple and he hesitated but reached out and put a hand on Taurin, just too if possible give the wood elf some extra strength. What he felt next made him jerk back with a sort of howl, it felt like floating fire in his veins, like ice and acid and it was so powerful it was overpowering.

But Phraan did for a fleeting second sense something alien there, something dark and tainted and not at all natural and he stared at Ivran and felt a surge of nausea. So that was it, he caught Zaray’s eyes and reached out to her through his mind. He rarely did for it took a lot out of him but he felt that he had to, there was no other way this time. “He has been weakened deliberately!”

Zaray nodded, she didn’t reveal what she was thinking at all. “Yes, I can believe that, there has to be something here which draws his strength, even more than that blasted heart stone”

Taurin was moaning and the glow seemed to increase in strength, Ivran wasn’t shaking anymore and he was looking way better, the skin had a natural colour now and he was breathing better. Thiana was panting and she grimaced and seemed to give one last boost of power.

Ivran did open his eyes and they let go of him, he was obviously very dizzy and he rubbed his head and looked disoriented. “What happened?”

Phraan tilted his hand. “You were cleansed, how do you feel?”

Ivran blinked a few times. “I feel…fine, better. I feel normal?”

He got up and they brushed the grass of his clothes, he was swaying a bit but found his balance. Phraan did look at Zaray and she was staring at the ground, her expression one of hidden anger. She took a deep breath. “Do you feel the heart stone now? Is it still trying to drain you?”

Ivran shook his head. “I can sense it yes, but it has no power over me anymore, I cannot understand how it managed to get that much of a hold over me. I was so weak?”

Zaray smiled. “Well, you do look better indeed, and do you think you can use your magic freely now?”

He sort of checked and smiled, nodded. “Odd, I can. I can feel it so much clearer now, there isn’t anything hindering me. Yes, I think I can use it rather well”

He did smile and Phraan was shocked by the change. Taurin caught his gaze. “There was some sort of spell put on him, one which made him vulnerable to the dark taint of the heart stone. I think it must have been there a while, weakening him, making him unable to really use the magic”

Taurin’s voice was tired, even the one of his mind. Phraan answered the same way, through mind speech. All elves were capable of that but they didn’t use it unless they had to. Phraan answered the same way. “Was it a strong spell? Is it gone now?”

Taurin didn’t look at Phraan at all, his face did look closed off. “It is gone yes, it wasn’t a very complicated spell, I bet it was the type you can buy and inflict on a person through some object”

Phraan went over to Drake and pretended to be fidgeting with the saddle, he felt anger churning within. An object, that could be anything, from the smallest little item to something more important and if nobody was aware of it, well then nobody would bother looking for it in the first place. He remembered Imeah’s last words and his teeth did grind together, he had to lean his forehead against the warm neck of his horse to calm himself. He heard Zaray’s voice in his head. “Something has upset you”

He answered. “Yes, we have been tricked, someone has made sure that Ivran couldn’t reach his full potential”

She was quiet for a while. “Yes, I have thought of the same thing, he did control the magic when he and Shaluun were practicing, Shaluun said it was rather easy. But after that…”

Phraan took a deep breath. “Don’t mention this to anyone”

She didn’t even look over at him. “I won’t”

Ivran was grinning from one ear to the other and Zaray stared at the wall again. “We have to find the point where the mages got through, Ivran, do you think you can see it now?”

The young mage formed a request in his mind and then he nodded. “I am sure I can, follow me!”

The others took their horses by the reins and followed the young man, finally things seemed to go their way.

Siverel was running through the dark corridors and his heart was racing, he could feel that something had happened to the magical source and it did confuse him for he hadn’t read anything about that being a target? But now they had other things to worry about, the barriers around the dragon pens were failing one by one and the valley had been transformed completely. There wasn’t any mages left there at all, everyone had fled and he ran out onto the balcony and stared down at the area. He staggered back, by every dark deity and by his ancestors, this was…very bad. He turned around and saw that brother Buraz and some other had come running, he took a deep breath. “Gather all our mages, even the novices. We have to contain this, immediately!”

Buraz did throw him a long and lingering glance before he took off and Siverel leaned against the railing. He stared down and made a grimace. There wouldn’t be any chance of sending these last dragons out there or would there? He saw the chaos and realized that yes that was their only option. If they were fighting so be it, out there no damage would be done to the city and there was no way in hell they could calm all these beasts down.

He ran down the stairs and before long mages did arrive, they had about a hundred in all and he stared at them, some were missing and he realized that some had died when the dragons did break free and then there was the five he had sent out. He did for a second consider sending some guards to get them back but decided against it, five more wouldn’t matter much. He glared at the assembled group and his face was rather stern. “Brothers, we have a serious situation on our hands, some runaway spell has released the hold we had over our creations and they are threatening to break free. We have to send them all through now, we cannot wait”

One of the other more experienced mages swallowed hard. “That will be very hard, just transporting them all like that is…it takes a lot of power.”

Siverel nodded. “I do know this of course, I am not daft. But we have to get the goddamn beasts out of here before the last barrier gives way”

The other mage was frowning badly. “It cannot have been just some runaway spell, the pens are supposed to be very safe. This could have been done deliberately”

Siverel realized that the other mage was right, he felt a chill running down his back. What one mage could be strong enough to undo such strong magic? He took yet another deep breath. “Alright, four of you, go and see if you can figure out what went wrong. Our brothers out there are dead, it could be that they have used some faulty spell, or encountered some sort of disturbance which has backfired upon them.”

Four of the oldest mages did step forth and he sent them off with a nod. The others did look a bit nervous, something like this had never happened before. “You, all of you, we have to form a link and get those beasts away from here, I don’t bloody care where they go as long as they don’t stay here”

He saw that some did hesitate, not really knowing what to do. Linking several mages together would boost their power a lot and enable them to use spells no single mage would be able to control but it wasn’t something the brotherhood was used to doing. Cooperation wasn’t their strong side at all. But slowly they grasped onto each other’s hands and let the magic start to flow through them. When forming a link someone has to be the so called tail and another one the head. The tail would make sure that the magic didn’t run amok and the head would speak the right spells and aim them at the target, whatever it was. Siverel would be the head and he smiled swiftly at the mage who volunteered to be the tail. He would be in risk of being drained of power if something went wrong, the man was indeed very brave. They were in a hall just outside of the pen area and the magical barrier which kept the dragons contained was flickering and crackling, something was breaking it down and Siverel fell into the link and gasped. The combined magic of so many dark mages was enormous and he felt relieved for a moment, there shouldn’t be a problem with sending the dragons out of there.

The beasts were roaring and fighting and he did see dreghil and other monsters too among them. An elemental was trying to get through the wall as he watched it, the thing made the ground around it dissolve and boil and he shivered as he tried to find the right spells to utter.

He started to chant and the others fell inn and the voices did rise above the roars and shrieks and formed a powerful and even beautiful harmony, a dark mage has to be able to use his voice to get anything done, every mage has to read the spells out loud and clear and in olden days the most common way to make a mage harmless was to cut out his tongue. Siverel was giving himself over to the magic, letting it flow through him and he started to think that he had been wrong, the prophecies were perhaps just fairy tales after all for this they could handle just fine. They could yet win. This had to have been a mere accident after all. He increased the power of his chanting and a sort of glowing wall appeared in the middle of the bowl formed valley, they didn’t bother finding the right point of exit, now it was just about getting the dragons out of there. Some of the mages started to chant another spell, and dragons were being pushed towards the mirror like substance with loud howls if anger. They did cooperate well, this was going the right way and Siverel did allow himself a small smile.

They had stopped by the magical wall on a spot where a grove of trees did grow close to it, footprints did lead away from it and Ivran pointed at the glowing structure. He was frowning and tried to pinpoint the exact point where the dark mages had come through. They would have had to use some sort of device enter this dimension for the wall was after all made to keep them on the outside. The fact that they had been able to get the dragons through didn’t automatically mean that they themselves could just walk straight through the magical structure. Ivran tried to open himself up to the magic of his grandfather and allow it to show him the way and suddenly he did notice something odd. A small portion of the wall seemed less shiny and glossy than the rest. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, the rest of them were holding their breaths. “It was here, but it was sealed again, I think there may be others on the other side of the wall”

Zaray was cussing, so bad it was strange she didn’t catch fire. “What are we to do then? Can you get us through Ivran?”

The young man nodded, he could feel the very structure of the wall, it was like a huge glowing tapestry in front of his inner eye, and by moving some of the threads he could get through, without much trouble at all. “Yes, but like I said, I think there may be a sentinel on the other side”

Tersus stepped forth. “I can handle that.”

Ivran frowned and stared at the alchemist, the man did look more insane than ever for now he had gotten even dirtier than before and he did stink so bad the horses did shy away from him. “Are you sure?!”

Tersus nodded and grinned widely, he held a small vial in his hand and shook it vigorously!

“Yes damn it, just get me through. I can deal with this!”

Ivran took a deep breath, he nodded and closed his eyes. “Alright then, but be swift”

Tersus just grinned even wider, he did look absolutely insane. “I will”

The weave of the wall was not fragile by far but Ivran willed the magic to sort of split apart for a few seconds. Tersus took two steps forwards and was gone.

The mage who had been waiting on the other side had grown very impatient and he was also getting a bit nervous, he could feel some sort of disturbance in the magic surrounding him and he didn’t know from whence it came. He was ready to leave and return to the city to hear what this was about when the wall in front of him shimmered. He prepared to meet the four with some well-chosen and rather crass words about being irresponsible but what came wandering through wasn’t any of his friends. It was a man who did look like he had taken a bath in a public sewer. The mage did stumble back a few steps, the man did stink so bad he felt nauseous and his eyes were watering, what in hells name was this creature? Not even undead creatures smell that bad! The human saw him and tilted his head with a wide and insane grin. “Ah, a mage, how wonderful, I have always wanted to meet one of ya guys”

The mage frowned, he didn’t feel any magic from this person and in his eyes that automatically made him harmless. “Ah, who the hell are you?”

The man bowed down with a theatrical motion. “I am an alchemist you see”

The mage scoffed with disbelief, this man was insane whoever he was, but how had he gotten through the wall. “Who let you through?”

The stinking man tilted his head, his eyes were really creepy. “Through the wall? This”

He held forth a small vial and the mage felt no magic from it, this was a fat lie. “You lie!”

He prepared to smite the man with a rather nasty spell but the man just smiled and threw the vial towards him. “See for yourself, catch!”

The mage was after all human, he instinctively reached out and managed to catch the vial with his hands and it was warm and not much longer than his index finger. It had a very beautiful green colour and he had time to admire the emerald like shine before the thing simply exploded. A thick green mist spread around him and he gasped for air and backed off to get away from it but suddenly he felt a piercing pain in his chest and looked down. A throwing dagger was buried in him all the way to the hilt and he blinked and couldn’t understand, there was so little blood? He slowly collapsed onto the ground and Tersus did walk forth and pulled the dagger out. “You see, alchemy can be used the same way as magic, to create tricks, to lead the mind astray. Yes, just like those wanna be mages sitting on street corners tricking money out of people”

He cleaned the dagger off on his pants and the others did appear through the wall, Ivran stared at the dead mage with huge eyes. “Tersus, you did this?”

The alchemist nodded and there was a dangerous glimpse within his eyes. “Yes, oh don’t tell me that I have to do everything with the help of alchemy, I do know how to use a blade”

Phraan sent him a rather thoughtful glance. “Indeed you do, that was a very smart move”

The ground was covered with green powder and the two dwarves did stay clear of it, they didn’t seem to like the things Tersus did at all. Zaray stared at the alchemist who shook himself a little and put the dagger back in its sheath, it had been hidden on the inside of his sleeve. “So, now what?”

Tersus smiled at Peter. “We go forth as planned, I and Peter do see if we can create some distractions before the rest of you move in”

Zaray did turn to Rhuk and Dabin. “You two, go with them. You know how to navigate tunnels and the city is a maze if you aren’t born there”

The dwarves did look at each other and they didn’t look happy at all, in fact they did look less than pleased but they sighed and nodded. Tersus grinned again. “Excellent, we do need someone to watch our backs”

Phraan sat down on his haunches and went through the dead mage’s robes. There was nothing there of value, just a pipe and a box of what had to be pomade. The man had been vain. Phraan looked at Zaray. “So, what is the plan now, what do we do?”

Zaray sat down onto a rock and she was frowning. “Well, Ivran, can you check if the things we did back there had any effect?”

Ivran nodded and let the magic flow again, he felt the heart stone and its connection to all the dark mages and there was something different there now. A sort of dissonance and he smiled. “It did work to a degree, but I don’t think it will hamper them in any way”

Zaray cussed. “Too bad, I had hoped that it would mess things up”

Phraan did get up again, he had heard something in the distance and he closed his eyes, listened intently. “Listen, what is that?”

Dhokay did look very tense. “Dragons!”

Shaluun nodded slowly. “Many dragons!”

Taurin and Thiana looked at each other. “The magic of that other dimension, it has released their dragons with the help of what Ivran did, we can feel it!”

Fastonar did freeze, Phraan did see it, and the man did move his lips as if reciting something, there was shock and disbelief in his eyes and Phraan felt a surge of something he couldn’t quite describe. The soul sworn was staring at the ground, not speaking, as if something had shaken his resolve and shaken it badly too.

Zaray took a deep breath. “Great, just what we needed. Tersus, go now but be careful and do not let yourself be seen. Your task has changed. There is a gem somewhere in the citadel, it is very powerful and I bet you will find it in the basement somewhere, probably in the area where the high mage resides, or in the chambers of the leader. That gem will be the thing which controls the wall from their side, you have to destroy it and I don’t bloody care how! Just do it!”

Tersus did look eager. “Great, what does it look like?”

Zaray made a grimace. “I have no idea but it could be rather large and my best guess is that it looks like the wall in some way, perhaps the colour will be like it.”

Tersus did grasp the dead mage’s cape and threw it over himself, he smiled at Peter. “You are my servant now, and you two shorties, you try to remain unseen”

Rhuk and Dabin did made some angry faces but they didn’t protest and the four did set out, running rather fast. Zaray sighed and looked at the remaining group. “If the dragons are on the lose the mages will be busy with them for sure. If Tersus manages to break that gem they won’t be able to get them through the wall. We on the other hand have to think of the very source of their power, the heart stone.”

Phraan swallowed. “I can feel it, it is faint but there. “

Zaray smiled swiftly. “I warned you, it may recognize our magic and seek it. So, here is the important thing, we have to remain unseen for as long as possible. We cannot allow ourselves to be spotted by the enemy”

Thiana did bite her lower lip. “This land, it was once lush and green. I can sense it, it remembers. It wants to return to that state.”

Zaray did look a bit puzzled. “That must have been a long time ago? It is rather cold and barren now?”

The wood elf smiled. “Yes, but the will to life is still there, buried in the ground. It was a sacred valley remember? It was special before the dark mages twisted the magical source. I think we can try to reawaken the land”

Taurin nodded and his eyes were stern. “We can try yes, it will take a lot of us I fear but if we succeed the dark mages can be weakened”

Zaray was thinking fast. “Great, do it. What do you need?”

Thiana looked at her mate. “Somewhere peaceful, where we won’t be disturbed. Somewhere with soil, and preferably grass or trees”

Zaray grinned slowly, there was an almost wicked glimpse within her eyes. “You know what? I think I know the perfect spot!”

She petted Thiana on the back. “The dark mages and their masters will get the surprise of a lifetime for sure!”

Dhokay stared down the narrow canyon they stood in, he frowned. “Are we going to go down there now?”

Zaray nodded “Yes, we have to, if the dragons are ready to be sent out we can possibly save many by hindering that?”

Shaluun did bite his lip. “We have to be careful not to be seen, so, what about our horses?”

Zaray grunted. “Ah, yes, they will have to stay here, I don’t think the mages will come this way and the canyon is not home to any predators. They will be safe here, there is even a little grass here”

Phraan did pet Drake. “I don’t like leaving him here”

Thiana stepped forth. “I can put a spell on this area, make sure nobody sees them?”

He frowned. “You can do that?”

She nodded with a smile. “Yes, how do you think we wood elves hide? It is an innate magic of our race, don’t worry, they will be safe”

They shrugged and pulled the animals together into one of the small side canyons, they took off the bits but not the saddles and then Thiana seemed to weave a sort of illusion over the entire gorge so when you looked at it there was just rock. Phraan swallowed, he wasn’t fond of this but a herd of horses is extremely hard to hide in a city. Zaray did clap her hands. “Right, let’s go, I have a feeling that time is of the essence here!”

Siverel and the others had been working very hard to get the dragons out of the valley and one by one they were pushed through the wall, the problem should be solved very soon and then things would return to normal. There were more than enough dragons and monsters out there now to get them what they wanted and he had to chuckle when he thought of the attempts the mages of Oakfell and Twelve towers would make to stop them. Of course it would be in vain, the dragons were too strong to be damaged by magic in any form. They were almost done when the four he had sent out to investigate returned, all four were obviously tired and their eyes were filled with disbelief. “Siverel, the pens and gates, it was all opened by some sort of strange power, we haven’t been able to identify it at all.”

Siverel did pull himself out of the link, the rest was easy so the other mages could finish it without him. “What do you mean?”

The oldest among them was staring at the ground and his moustaches did hang, he did look like a dog someone has scolded for having crapped on the table. “It was so fleeting, like it came from some source outside of here, but it was strong too. The magic of the pens had simply dissolved itself”

Siverel stared out over the valley, he didn’t understand anything of this but alright, it had happened. “Was it still there?”

The other mage shook his head. “I don’t think so, we could only sense remnants of it. It was so distant and frail”

Siverel stared over at the linked mages, they were strong, the source they fed from was strong, and they shouldn’t have anything to fear. “Don’t worry brother, I am rather sure that this simply was some remnant of very ancient magic. After all, the orcs did hold this valley sacred. Just go around and make sure that there aren’t any pockets of magic left anywhere.”

The four bowed and took off again and he saw that brother Buraz was standing by one of the tunnel entrances and he did look pissed. “So, what is really going on? Can’t you mages control your own creations?”

Siverel just sent the man a very polite smile. “Oh we do, but this was something unexpected altogether. Probably some small pocket of very old and degenerate magic, we have used some very hefty spells here so it did probably awaken it by chance. There is nothing to worry about”

Buraz was staring at him, Siverel didn’t like the man or his other friends but he never showed that. They did all rely on the fact that these noble men had the finances and contacts to keep their businesses going. Most of the mages were connected to one of the noble houses represented there and they were rather loyal too. Siverel didn’t approve of this, the mages ought to be loyal only to each other but it was a sad fact that they couldn’t use precious energy creating food, clothing and other things needed to have a pleasant life. He saw that the link was finished, the valley was empty and not a second too early for the surrounding barrier did give one last weak flash of light and then it was simply gone. Well, it was not as if they couldn’t arise another one when they were ready for it, Siverel didn’t think that would be needed for a long time though, they had dragons enough.

The mages gathered and stood there chatting, they did sound rather excited and Siverel searched out with his mind to check on the five he had sent to the magical wall. He frowned, he didn’t feel any of them? He was a bit shocked, what the hell? Oronor was very ambitious and he started to fear that maybe the young one had managed to get the others to join him on some idiotic quest. But Ambaru was older and wiser and ought to be able to stop them. Siverel was still wondering what they could be doing when some guards came running as if their feet were on fire, they did look absolutely terrified. “Masters, dragons, there are dragons out there, heading for the city!”

Siverel blinked. “What?!”

The officer among them was heaving for air. “They came from out of thin air, just a few farthings from the city gates. We are closing off the gates and every other access right now”

Siverel gaped, his mind did stand still for a moment. “Dragons? But…where”

The officer held his eyes on the ground. “We don’t know, but there are many, and other creatures travel among them”

Siverel swallowed hard, what in hells name had just happened? Oh by every deity he had ever heard of, what had gone wrong? They should have sent the dragons out of the area, not just moved them over to the other side of the city? Siverel let out a shout and everybody turned their heads and stared at him. “The dragons didn’t reach the plains, they reappeared on the other side of the city. Everybody, we must make haste and prepare to defend the city and the citadel”

There was a shocked silence, then everybody ran and Siverel joined them, they couldn’t allow a whole horde of pissed off dragons into the city, it would be a complete disaster. What had gone wrong? The spells had worked before?

The heart stone did rest deep in the ground under the city, it had lain there for countless millennia and it had given off its energy and magic to the surroundings. When the orcs did discover that it made the area into an oasis they did worship it even without knowing what it was. The mages did discover the flow of magic from it and started to explore and the ancient force did feel them and in curiosity it reached out to them. They had left their mark on it, transformed it and turned it into a tool for their own use and the ancient force hadn’t seen anything wrong with that, at least in the beginning. It had been content with being useful and needed and when it slowly got corrupted it hadn’t reacted. Lately there had been something else there, something oddly pure, like a beam of bright light, telling it that it was being manipulated, that it was wrong to let the mages spend its energy thus.

To begin with it didn’t listen but now something had changed. Some sort of other magic had touched it and even though this force was weak compared with it the ancient power did somehow recognize it. It was a free and unbound energy and it was as the heart stone had been before. The voice was constantly whispering, creating images of things the heart stone didn’t quite understand but it did sense that something was off. There was a difference between the worship it had sensed before and these new souls it felt there. The vague natural energy did remind it of what it had used to be and slowly the heart stone did do something it hadn’t done in ages. It expanded its horizon, tried to seek knowledge of the world outside of the valley in which it rested and what it felt made it reel back in shock. It had been used, a sensation of anger did awaken within and slowly it started to pull back the power it once had given out freely. It hadn’t given its permission for this and like a sulking kid it did pull back into itself. They could do without its help when this help had been used to destroy. It felt strong souls out there, pure souls and it felt that its new masters would have wanted it to pull these people inn, to harness their power and use it. It had already harmed one such being and it felt ashamed and shocked, what had it done? What had it become? No, it would be a slave no more, the darkness could forget about feeding off its energy, it sealed itself off from the dark mages, the fresh natural magic from the dimension behind the wall had shown it the right way to go, the path back to what once was and it wouldn’t stray again, never!

Tersus and Peter did move forth with relative ease, something was most definitely wrong and they saw guards but they were all rushing towards the city and didn’t notice the four figures hiding behind rocks and corners. The path towards the city was indeed like a maze, it was several canyons which once had been filled with rivers and now they were dry but it was rather hard to navigate them. Luckily the mages and the guards had left footprints in the sand and they followed them. After a while they did see the city and Tersus did wet his lips and stared at the place with large eyes. The citadel was standing in the middle of the city, as an extension of the cliffs surrounding it and it did look as if it was looming over the smaller buildings. It was a majestic sight but the alchemist just mumbled something which sounded rather derogatory and turned to the two dwarves. They stood high above the city and there were paths leading down to the ground level. The city was well light and the cliff face they did stand on did continue all the way over to the citadel. It was a long stretch though, it would take them hours to get there and even if the cliff was filled with tunnels Tersus did doubt that there were any which would give them quick access to the citadel.

Rhuk and Dabin did stare out at the city and their eyes were rather wide too, the masonry they saw was expertly done and the city itself did look very beautiful. It was a sort of very controlled beauty but it was real. Rhuk was swearing to himself and Dabin did scratch his chin. “Dwarves, for sure”

Peter did look at them. “What?”

Rhuk looked up at him. “Much of this must have been built by dwarves, humans cannot create something like that out of rock. See those spires? Most definitely dwarf work”

Tersus frowned. “So?”

Dabin almost sneered. “No dwarf would freely make things for the forces of darkness. They must have been forced into this”

Rhuk nodded. “Yes, we are a proud race.”

Tersus had to grin. “I do not doubt that for a second but so what if this was built by dwarves, it must have been centuries ago”

Rhuk shuddered visibly. “Yes, but there could still be dwarves around here, we are hardy and our lives are long compared with those of humans.”

Dabin stared at Tersus and his eyes were narrow. “You see, dwarves will always leave clues behind when they build something, things which identify the builder and we do have a secret language of signs which none other understands. If there are dwarves in the city I bet they can help us”

Tersus stared over at the citadel, it was probably very well guarded and he was just one person. Peter was brave but no fighter and slowly an idea did form in his head. “Alright, if there are dwarves in the city, can you find them?”

Rhuk and Dabin nodded in unison. “Most certainly. Just give us some time”

Tersus did use his eyes and saw a small building close to where the path from the pass ended and met a real road. “We’ll go down there and hide, you two go and see if there is any dwarves and if you find them see if they can help us, then you return for us and we will try to make it for the citadel”

The dwarves did nod but Rhuk tilted his head. “If we do not return within two hours you are on your own, deal?”

Tersus nodded. “Deal, I guess I can sneak my way inn somehow, but I prefer it if you do come back, be careful”

Rhuk and Dabin did look very excited and they sped down the path and used the terrain to hide themselves. The guards had been called back and they heard a lot of racket coming from the front area of the city, where the huge wall was. The building was a small lodging made for guards and it was empty now, the two dwarves did run off and Peter sat down by the table and his face did reveal that he was nervous. “Do you think we can make it? Destroy that gem?”

Tersus grasped a flask from the table and did to his disappointment find that it was empty. “Yes, I think we can do it”

He sat down and scratched his head, dandruff and other less describable stuff did rain down onto his shoulders. “I just wonder…”

Peter tilted his head, he was carrying several bags of equipment and his shoulders were aching. Tersus didn’t carry anything at all and the young man was a bit envious of that. Trying to be fast and stealthy while carrying half your own weight in chemicals isn’t that easy, nor is it safe. “Wonder about what?”

Tersus crossed his arms, his eyes distant. “I think that we can help the people with all those nasty dragons yes? The beasts don’t have any weaknesses, but maybe we can create some?”

Peter looked rather shocked. “What are you talking about? You are no mage?”

Tersus chuckled. “Exactly, but I do know how to make people talk young man, whether they want to or not.”

He shook his finger like a schoolteacher at a disobedient kid. “I bet the mages have spell books, and lots and lots of knowledge. Getting someone to remove the blasted protection ought to be doable, don’t you think?”

Peter just blinked. “When I thought you couldn’t go more insane?!”

Tersus stretched his legs. “Oh I have already dealt with one of them chaos worshipers, I can deal with one more now can’t I? I bet there are plenty of them in the citadel”

Peter just rolled his eyes, why the heck had he volunteered to help Tersus? He had to have been completely bonkers back then, this was going to end with a complete and utter disaster!