Adventurers Wanted, Book 4: Sands of Nezza (38 page)

“What do you think he has planned?” Colesum asked as he climbed onto his horse.

“I don’t know,” Alex answered, climbing into his own saddle. “But whatever his plans are, we are the only ones who can stop him.”

“Men,” Colesum shouted, wheeling his horse around to face the company. “Our king is in peril, and we few are his only hope. I call upon you to ride now with me, to save the king or to die in the attempt. For the king!”

“For the king!” came the reply.

Without waiting for Alex, Colesum spurred his horse forward, galloping away from the camp. Alex caught up to him and fell in beside him. They rode for several minutes before Colesum spoke.

“Magnus could have two or three hundred of his black guards waiting for us. Do you have a plan to deal with them?”

Alex didn’t answer. Only two thoughts filled his mind: save Rallian, and destroy Magnus. Nothing else in all of Nezza mattered.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Magnus and Rallian

As Alex rode into the darkness, his brain started to ask questions. What game was Magnus playing? Did he plan to hold Rallian hostage, to use the king to hold off the armies of Nezza? Did he already know that the lords of the inner kingdoms had sworn allegiance to Rallian? Where was Lazar, and where was his army? Answers did not come, but a different idea came into his mind.

I will take my other form,
Alex thought.
I will become the dragon. I can catch the men who have taken Rallian before they reach Karmus. I can free Rallian and then fly to Karmus and destroy Magnus.

No,
his O’Gash answered.
Your dragon form cannot help you now.

Why?
Alex questioned.

Nezza needs heroes—heroes who are from this land. The men you ride with will become those heroes, and Nezza will be a better place because of them,
his O’Gash answered.

Alex didn’t like it, but he knew his O’Gash was right. Nezza needed heroes. If he did everything, if he saved the king and destroyed Magnus, what would Nezza have? They would have a king, and they might have peace, but the king would only rule because a wizard had put him on the throne. The peace would not last once Alex left Nezza. He had to let others do their part. He had to help them become heroes, even if that meant Rallian would not live long enough to be crowned as king.

Being a wizard is never easy,
his O’Gash whispered, and said no more.

The ride to Karmus was both too long and too short for Alex. He wanted more speed, but at the same time he feared what they would find when they reached the city. The coming day seemed to echo his dark thoughts: the eastern skies turned bloodred as the sun started to rise.

“The city gates are open and unguarded,” Colesum commented as the company slowed their horses.

“That can only mean Lazar’s army is not guarding the city,” Virgil said from behind Colesum.

Stonebill came flying through the open gate, landing on Alex’s shoulder. “They have taken Rallian to a massive building on the south end of the island fortress. There are no guards between you and the building, and I have seen no sign of Lazar’s army,” the raven reported.

“A massive building on the south end of the island?” Alex questioned, looking at Colesum.

“He must mean the halls of the dead,” said Colesum. “It is the burial place of the ancient kings of Nezza. Why would Magnus take Rallian there?”

“I don’t know,” Alex answered. “Not for anything good, I’m sure.”

“What more can I do?” Stonebill questioned.

“See if you can discover where Lazar’s army has gone,” said Alex. “Search the lands near Rallian’s army first. If you find anything, take word to Hathnor. He is an elf friend; make him understand you if the army is in danger.”

“It won’t be easy, but if there is danger I will make him understand,” Stonebill said and took flight once more.

“There are no guards between us and the halls of the dead,” said Alex. “But I have no idea what we’ll find inside the ancient building.”

“Then we’d better go and look,” said Colesum, starting his horse forward.

The city appeared to be empty. There were no people to be seen, no smell of smoke in the air, and no sounds but the echoes from their horse’s hooves. Alex knew that the city was not empty. He could feel the emotions of the people who were hidden in their homes. Fear and despair had driven all hope from Karmus, and Alex struggled to keep his own hopes up.

The company made their way onto the island fortress without any trouble. They rode up the hill at the center of the island before turning south and riding back down. Alex discovered that the entire south end of the island was a graveyard, filled with house-sized crypts and giant gravestones. One building, however, stood out. It was, as Stonebill had said, massive.

“The tomb of the ancient kings,” said Colesum as they approached the building. “It holds the remains of more than a hundred true kings of Nezza. It has not been opened for nearly five hundred years.”

“It’s open now,” said Alex, pointing to two giant doors that were only just hanging in place. It looked as if some great force had hit them, crushing them into the building and then roughly pulling them out again.

Colesum’s face flushed red at the sight, and he hurried forward and dismounted. “Magnus holds nothing sacred,” he said. “For this act alone, he should be put to death.”

Alex moved toward the doors and looked inside. There were no torches or lamps in the entrance hall, but the high windows in the walls allowed light in. The light reflected off a polished marble floor, and everything seemed to glow as red as the sunrise.

Alex moved into the building with the others, and they soon found a path they could follow. Torches had been lit along one of the walls, and following the torches was the only guide they had. They moved forward with caution, expecting an attack at any moment. No attack came, though, and they continued deeper into the building. Soon they were beyond the reflected sunlight, and only the flickering torches showed them the way. They were led to a wide set of stairs leading down, and Alex gave Colesum a questioning look.

“There are many levels under this building,” Colesum whispered. “I don’t know how many there are or where they lead. It is said that the ancient kings are buried in separate chambers under the island. The tunnels might even go under the river and the rest of the city as well.”

Alex nodded and started down the steps. He felt sure this was a trap, but there was nothing he could do about it. They had to find Rallian, whatever the cost. He shifted his staff to his left hand and stretched the fingers of his right. He thought about drawing his sword but decided to wait.

They went down two sets of stairs, and then the torches led them down a wide hallway. The air was cold, and a slight breeze blew into their faces. After about fifty yards, the hallway seemed to vanish from sight as it dropped down a steep ramp. The bottom of the ramp was completely dark.

“Be ready,” Alex whispered as he moved toward the darkness.

The ramped ended in what appeared to be a chamber with a single torch on the far side. Alex was about halfway across the dark chamber when he felt something move. Without hesitating, he ignited the end of his staff and at the same time conjured a dozen weir lights.

His magical lights spread out around the chamber, revealing the chamber to be a giant circle with several passageways leading out of it. Shadows suddenly appeared, some in the middle of the hall, others moving out of the side passages.

“Into the passage!” Colesum yelled.

Alex ran forward with Colesum, stopping when he was several yards into the passageway. He turned and looked back, checking to see who was still with him. Five of Colesum’s men were fighting black guards at the edge of the round chamber, slowly backing into the passage. Colesum was standing behind them, but there was no sign of the others.

“Virgil! Tom!” Alex shouted, moving back toward the main chamber.

“I think they are in the hallway we came down,” said Colesum, catching Alex before he could go too far.

“Then we go back,” said Alex, reaching for his sword.

“No,” said Colesum, grabbing Alex’s arm. “We must get to Rallian.”

“But . . .” Alex started and stopped.

Colesum was right and Alex knew it. He couldn’t fight his way back to the others and save Rallian at the same time. There were too many black guards in the chamber, and probably many more in the other passageways.

“You are the only one who has a chance to defeat Magnus,” Colesum said to Alex. “Go, and save the king. We will hold them here as long as we can. We will guard your back.”

Alex nodded his acceptance of what had to be and turned away from the chamber. He would go on alone, hoping against all hope that his friends would be able to hold back the guards. He would do whatever he had to do to save the king of Nezza.

Alex moved down the dim hallway, feeling like he was trapped in a terrible dream. He couldn’t help his friends, and he didn’t know what new danger awaited him. The torches continued to lead him, and after what felt like a long time, the floor dropped away once more. He moved forward but stopped a few feet away from the edge where the floor dropped.

A strange cobweb-like magic hung in the air in front of Alex. He focused his mind on this new magic, and after a moment, he understood what it was. It was a spell of suggestion and control. The magic would give Magnus some control over anyone who walked through it, and it would also make anything he said sound more reasonable than it normally would.

If I let this spell take me, if I can make Magnus believe he has the upper hand, I might be able to discover more about the Brotherhood he works for,
Alex thought.

A risk,
Alex’s O’Gash warned.
You don’t know how strong Magnus’s magic is.

Some risks are worth taking. If I can discover more about the Brotherhood, if I can learn who is part of it or who is controlling it, I might be able to stop them. I can save other lands from what Nezza is going through now,
Alex reasoned.

Would you gamble with the lives of your friends—with your own life?
his O’Gash questioned.

If the Brotherhood isn’t stopped, none of the known lands will ever be safe,
Alex pointed out.

Then protect yourself as much as you can before walking into this trap,
his O’Gash answered.

In the dim passageway, Alex worked his magic. He pulled all the wizardly magic he could inward, wrapping it up inside his mind to protect his thoughts from Magnus. With his first barrier in place, Alex did something more. He remembered the fear he had felt in the dungeons of Karmus, the magic Magnus had used that had almost destroyed him. Calling on the power of the dragon, he created a second barrier around his emotions and his heart. He put his emotions in the care of the dragon, and then he stepped into Magnus’s trap.

Alex hardly noticed Magnus’s magic as he moved forward. He walked down the slope, all his senses alert, and found himself at the edge of another round chamber. This chamber was much larger than the last. The ceiling was a high dome, and there were no passageways leading out of the room except the one he had just come down. Torches were lit all along the walls of the chamber, and there were candles burning everywhere, filling the room with light.

Alex saw Rallian as soon as he entered the chamber. Rallian was tied up and gagged, lying on the floor near the wall to Alex’s left. He wasn’t quite halfway across the room, and it looked like he was still drugged. There was a pale green light around Rallian, like the light that had been around the lockbox in Magnus’s rooms. Alex took a few steps toward Rallian and stopped, his staff up, ready for battle.

“You’ll not need that, at least not yet,” said Magnus, appearing from the other side of the room.

“I’ll decide what I need and when,” Alex answered, shifting his position to put himself between Magnus and Rallian.

“Yes, of course you will,” said Magnus with a smile. “I thought we might talk a little before things get out of hand, that’s all.”

“Talk?” said Alex. “I have little to say to you, Magnus. I am here to call you to account for your evils, and to save the true king of Nezza from whatever fate you have planned for him.”

“Save him?” Magnus laughed. “What terrible fate do you think I have planned for the young king?”

“I don’t know, but I know you need him alive,” Alex answered. “I won’t allow you to make him your puppet, Magnus.”

“My puppet?” Magnus repeated. “Oh, no, nothing like that would do for the true king of Nezza.”

“You said you wanted to talk, so talk,” said Alex, shifting closer to Rallian.

“Put down your staff, young wizard. Put down your staff, and I will enlighten you,” said Magnus, his voice calm and soothing.

Alex felt his left arm drop to his side. He didn’t try to fight Magnus’s magic; he let it work while at the same time putting his own magic to work. His magic touched the edges of Magnus’s mind, slowly, gently asking questions, looking for the answers that only Magnus could give him.