Chaos Descending (32 page)

Lorik was seething, but the charges were true, and with his shoulders dislocated, he couldn’t even struggle against his bonds. The crowd fell silent for a long tense moment, and then a small voice spoke up.

“I will.”

Lorik knew immediately who had spoken. His mind felt as sharp as a razor and he scanned the crowd for Stone as Vera made her way forward. The young warrior was nowhere to be found, but Lorik had no doubt his friend was nearby. Unfortunately, there was no way for Lorik to free himself. If Stone tried to help him, he would be on his own.

Vera climbed the wooden steps up the platform as the crowd booed and hissed. They were caught up in the excitement of the moment, but he doubted they were as supportive of their fat, imposter king as they seemed. She moved with dignity and grace, her clothes simple but clean and well made. She was the exact opposite of the king and his entourage who were wearing the most expensive garments they had been able to lay their hands on with no thought about how foolish they looked. Most were oafish and homely, which only made Vera’s beauty stand out. In that moment Lorik realized how much she truly meant to him. She was his oldest and dearest friend, once more putting her life on the line to save his. He swore to himself that he would find a way to make it up to her.

Vera bowed low before Yettlebor, then spoke in a loud, clear voice.

“I have known Lorik of Hassell Point almost my entire life,”
she said. “His family took me in when my own parents died. He has been my friend and stalwart supporter ever since. I was with him when he traveled north to help fight the Norsik invaders. I was one of nearly a thousand women and children captured and taken through the Wilderlands by the raiders. He rescued us all, single-handedly. I saw it with my own eyes. He held off the invaders and led us safely through the forest. He routed the army that remained in Ortis. He stood against the witch’s invading army, risking his life to keep this kingdom safe. And I was with him in Baskla when he rescued Queen Issalyn. He has been Ortis’
protector. He deserves mercy.”

The crowd had gradually grown silent as Vera proclaimed the deeds that Lorik had performed. He knew that if Vera were given a chance she would sway the crowd in his favor, but Issalyn knew that too. Lorik saw her whispering in Yettlebor’s ear.

The king stood, and Vera dropped to one knee in respect. The fat king cleared the phlegm from his throat then spoke, but his voice wasn’t as strong or clear as Vera’s.

“Isn’t it true that you were a whore in Hassell Point?”
he asked.

Lorik’s fury was so great that despite the pain his efforts caused, he struggled against his bonds. Issalyn had used her intimate knowledge of Lorik and his friends against them. He felt like a fool for ever caring about her. She watched him now, and he could see the glimmer of delight in her eyes. He hated himself more than he imagined possible for letting himself be vulnerable and trusting someone so completely vile as Issalyn had proven to be.

“Yes,”
Vera said, without a note of shame in her strong voice.

“And in that time was Lorik your lover?”

“At times.”

“And the man you are married to now. Was he not an outlaw?”

This time Vera’s head fell a little. She didn’t answer right away, but the king didn’t wait.

“You are a whore and a liar. You are the pawn of outlaws and traitorous rebels. We will not listen to your stories or consider your testimony.”

“My husband,”
Vera said, her voice rising with conviction. “Is no more an outlaw than the nobles you have sold Ortis to in order to protect your crown.”

Yettlebor hit Vera with a savage blow that knocked her down. Then he grinned as if his strength were something to marvel at, rather than an indictment of his own masculinity. Lorik raged against his bonds, his tendons snapping as he struggled futilely to break free. Then a blur moved across the platform. Lorik saw it out of the corner of his eye and knew what it was before he saw it clearly. Stone was there, his twin knives and spinning attack unmistakable.

There were six soldiers on the platform, and two died before anyone knew what was happening. Then suddenly the crowd began to scream, almost as if the city were one huge creature instead of thousands of individual citizens. The king’s entourage scattered as two more soldiers moved toward Stone in a halfhearted attempt to stop him. He knocked the first guard’s spear away and rammed his knife into the man’s side. The soldier toppled over in pain, blood spurting upward like a crimson fountain, and knocked the spear out of his companion’s hands. Stone kicked the fumbling guard’s legs out from under him and then ended his life with a vicious slash across the man’s throat.

For an instant Stone was caught between two guards who were rushing at him from opposite sides, their spears leveled at him. Stone waited until the last possible second and then spun away, the blades missing him by inches, while his knife found the side of one soldier’s throat. When the guard fell at Stone’s feet, the last remaining soldier on the platform backed slowly away.

“Stop!”
Yettlebor snarled. “Stop or I’ll kill her. I swear it.”

The cowardly king was behind Vera, his fat arm around her throat, a jeweled dagger already digging into her side.

“Don’t,”
Stone said, his voice low and menacing. “Let her go. We’ll take Lorik and leave Ortis. You’ll never see or hear from us again.”

“You don’t think I’m going to just let you leave,”
he said, but his soldiers were struggling to reach the platform through the massive crowd.

“If you hurt her, I’ll kill you. That I swear on my life and soul.”

“Your black soul isn’t worth a pissing pot to me,”
the king snarled.

“Let them go,”
Lorik said. “You have me. You can rip me apart for all I care, but Stone will kill you.”

Then, almost like a dream, the unthinkable happened. An arrow came flying onto the platform and slammed into Stone’s side. He wore a thick leather vest, but no armor, and the arrow punched into his abdomen with a sickening thunk. He staggered, Vera screamed, and Lorik saw it all as clearly as anything he had ever witnessed in his entire life.

Stone fell to his knees, his deadly knives clattering on the wooden platform. Yettlebor’s face twisted in a look of gleeful victory as he jammed his dagger between Vera’s ribs. Time seemed to stop as the light in her eyes winked out. She was dead before her body hit the wooden boards at Yettlebor’s feet.

Stone tried to scream but couldn’t. He lunged forward, his bloody hands keeping Vera’s face from smacking into the platform, but there was no way to save her. She was dead, and Lorik realized that he and Stone were dead too. It was only a matter of time.

The mob had fallen silent, but Lorik heard the wooden steps of the platform creak as someone heavy ascended them. He turned his head to find Ulber staring back, a bow in one hand. The other was balled into a fist and swinging at Lorik’s face.

The first punch slammed his head back into the stiff wood of the torture rack. The second snapped it around to the side, where he saw Stone, laying beside Vera, their spilt blood mingling together.

“Tomorrow at noon the traitor Lorik shall be executed for his crimes!”
Yettlebor shouted triumphantly.

Then the third punch landed, and Lorik’s mind grew foggy. There was a fourth, a fifth, and a sixth. He tasted blood, felt bones breaking and cartilage crunching, but the herbs kept him from passing out. The seventh punch finally did the deed, knocking Lorik senseless and shattering his nose in the same, sudden, violent act.

Chapter 31

Erendruss was by far the most beautiful place Zollin had seen in the dwarf caverns. There was an ominous looking crevice that separated the entrance from what looked to Zollin like a magnificent garden. There were large moss covered boulders, ornately carved statues, shafts of sunlight filtering in from the ceiling of the cavern which was lost in the darkness high overhead. Exotic flowers bloomed along a river that encircled the garden and then flowed into a dark lake.

“This is beautiful,”
Zollin said, even as he bent forward and propped his hands on his knees, gasping for breath.

“It is the most sacred place of our kind,”
Reenah said. “You are the first human ever to see it.”

Moss grunted and then set off across the sturdy looking hanging bridge. Zollin and Reenah followed. Zollin was amazed at what he saw. Many of the plants that grew around the beautiful grotto were luminescent, their petals and flowers glowing softly in the semi darkness of the cave. The shafts of daylight made Zollin suddenly crave to feel the sunshine on his face. He wanted to be out of the caves and back in the wide open spaces, to feel the wind in his hair, and smell the sweet scent of pine and cedar once more. His only regret at that moment was that Brianna wasn’t with him. He knew he would most likely die in the cavern that Reenah called Erendruss, but he still wished Brianna was there to see it. She would have marveled at the cave’s beauty.

Once they reached the far side of the crevice, Moss stopped and began pounding on the thick pillar that held the hanging bridge. His intent was obvious, but Zollin stopped him.

“Wait,”
he said. “I can do it without destroying the bridge supports.”

Moss grunted and stood back. Zollin let his magic flow into the bridge. He could feel the hempen fibers of the thick ropes, the slate plates that made the floor of the bridge, every support, and the leathery wrappings along the handrails. As his magical senses spread, he could feel the army of oremites approaching. He let his magic drift down into the crevice, wondering just how deep it was. He felt no bottom, just the slick walls that seemed to reach down to the center of the earth. And a very sinister presence.

Zollin jerked his magic back up to the cavern they were waiting in, his face revealing his shock at having felt the evil deep down in the darkness. Reenah looked at him for a moment then shook her head.

“Isn’t wise to delve into the darkness,”
she chided.

“I’m learning that,”
he admitted sheepishly.

There was no more time for talking as the oremites emerged from the tunnel. They spread out quickly as they came into the Erendruss. The bridge was only wide enough for one creature at a time to pass along its length, and as soon as the first oremite was almost across, Zollin ripped the swing bridge in two at its weakest point. The magic of the Star Stone raced through his reservoir of magic and into his mind before shooting out into the bridge and obeying his will. The warm, windy sensation brought a smile to Zollin’s face, as did the result. Nearly two dozen of the creatures fell into the abyss, while Zollin, Reenah, and Moss backed slowly away from the edge. The far side of the cavern was quickly filling with oremites, but the trio on the garden side hurried across the shallow river, which was cold and swift. Then they climbed up onto the moss-covered boulders to see what the oremites would do. There was nowhere else for Zollin and the dwarves to run. They were surrounded by water, the bottomless crevice, and the huge underground lake. Zollin collapsed onto his knees, his whole body aching from their flight through the tunnels. There was nothing left to do; they simply had to wait and see what the oremites managed. If they found a way to cross the crevice, Zollin knew they would be overwhelmed and killed. He held the Star Stone in his palm. It was glowing a bright green color. Just looking at the strange gemstone made him feel better. Next to him, Reenah and Moss sat in the beautiful garden of the dwarves. They were silent, watching their enemies, and waiting to learn their fate.

* * *

Grenda led her army to a small cavern. Most of her warriors were elderly, the rest barely old enough to be considered adults. Still, they were armed and ready to fight. Grenda knew that even a dwarf army made up of elders and adolescents was not something to take lightly. And her army had nothing to lose. The crynods had found Kelladoon, and they would eventually return and overrun the fortress. If the dwarves of the Northern Highlands had any hope of survival, they had to destroy the crynod queen.

“This is it,”
she said in a low voice. “This is where we make our last stand. For the children, for the infirm, to the last of our strength, for the deliverance of our race, we must not stop until the queen is dead.”

Her soldiers grumbled in reply. It was not a rousing speech, and dwarves were not a jubilant people. There would be no shouting, no war cries or emotional appeals. Just a steady, relentless fortitude that would carry them to success. She had doubts, but she forced herself to believe that it could be done. If the drones had followed the wizard, then they would only have to contend with newborns, the diggers, and the queen's guards. The first two would not be a threat. Grenda doubted they had the numbers to resist her forces, but the queen’s guards were much larger than the average drone or digger. They were large creatures with long, multi sectioned limbs. They were fast as well, but they weren’t unstoppable. If the dwarves could strike fast enough, they might be able to catch the queen and her minions off guard.

“Don’t forget,”
she warned her troops. “Focus on the queen’s guardians. We take them out, then we concentrate on the queen. Don’t get distracted by the easy kills.”

More grumbling acceptance, then she waved and jogged forward, leading her troops into battle. The cavern they had been in led to a much larger vertical shaft. Far below was a pool of magma, its heat rising up through the hive. The walls of the cavern were uneven and easy to climb up or down. Below them, the queen was digging into the soft, volcanic rock to lay more eggs. In various spots crynods peered up. The dwarves weren’t loud, but they weren’t sneaking quietly into the shaft either. The soft rock crumbled as they hopped from ledge to ledge, making their way down toward the queen as quickly as possible

The first of the guardians appeared. They were at least three times as large as the other crynods. They climbed up toward the dwarves with reckless abandon.

“Attack!”
Grenda shouted, just before jumping down toward the nearest guardian.