Deliverance (3 page)

The City of Magi was located in a
mountainous domain directly between the northern border of Cierith
and the southern border of Dwyp, the winter tundra home to dark
elves. The city itself was set against a wall of mountains that
circled a large area of rocky plains. The wall stretched for a mile
or so and a path to the city started just outside of the valley.
The wall of mountains stopped on either side of the path and when
the rebels walked through the opening, they gazed in awe at the
beautiful mountain valley. The city was only barely visible from
the opening of the valley, and by nightfall on the fifth day after
they had set out, the rebels finally arrived at the front gates of
the mystic city.

“Who goes there?” the gatekeeper standing on
a walkway atop the gate called. Thaddeus stepped forward and
removed his hood.

“I am Thaddeus Coburn, younger brother to
High Elder Malcolm Coburn. My brother has requested the immediate
aid of myself and my comrades. May you please grant us entrance
into the city?” he shouted up at the gatekeeper.

“Very well then,” the gatekeeper replied. He
then turned around and shouted, “Open the gates!”

The enormous doors then opened inward to
reveal marvelous marble buildings lining cobblestone streets. The
streets were lit with glass globes that held small balls of light
floating around in each one. The rebels stepped through the gates
and passed by several different stores, such as scroll and book
shops as well as magical ingredient and herbals shops for potions
and alchemy. There was also a shop with colorful robes and other
clothing in the window. It not was a sight that the rebels often
saw due to their humble living situation.

Thaddeus beckoned the other rebels to follow
him to the Elder’s Hall which was located directly in the middle of
the city. As Crystal followed by his side, the others trailed
behind them. Messenger fairies of all colors fluttered about
overhead. Sigurd shooed away an old, ginger-colored cat that was
following him and trying to latch onto his cloak, which was
dragging across the ground; this of course got a laugh out of Taryn
and Maryn. Kerali hid his chuckle while Gavril tried in vain to
help the dwarf, whose ears where turning red again, to keep his
cloak off of the ground.

“This city is enormous! How much further do
we have to walk?” asked Taryn.

“After all this walking, I think my legs are
gonna fall off,” Maryn added.

“And we’re halflings. Our short legs have to
work harder to keep up!” Taryn griped.

“Bah! You complain too much! Dwarves can
walk for days without tiring, and our legs are much thicker as well
as much shorter,” said Sigurd.

“They are only kids, Sigurd. They tire much
easier than more experienced travelers like you and me,” Kerali
retorted.

The dwarf snorted in retaliation but said
nothing more.

“We are nearly there, everyone.” said
Thaddeus, “However, before we can sleep, we must hear details of
the situation and decide what our plan of action will be.”

“We must inform the high elder that many
others will be arriving and that we have given them a special code
phrase to use with the gatekeeper,” said Crystal.

“Do not worry, Crystal. I am certain that my
brother will see to it that they enter the city without a problem,”
replied Thaddeus.

Soon they reached the steps of the Elder’s
Hall. The hall itself was well more than five stories tall, and the
front steps took up an entire story. The hall was built on a large,
rocky hill that had apparently been carved away to add the hall,
for the walls on the sides of the building were covered in rock and
the steps in the front of the hall had been carved into the
hill.

Once the team reached the top, they were
amazed by the tall, white marble pillars lining the front of the
hall. The entrance was a tall archway that nearly reached the
ceiling. Thaddeus stepped in first and then the others followed. It
was then that Crystal saw the seven elders lined up in the foyer
waiting for them.

Crystal assumed that the old man in the
middle was the High Elder not only because he resembled Thaddeus,
but also because his robe was different from robes the other elders
wore. Each of the other six elders wore a light gray robe with
silver trim, but the High Elder wore a white robe with gold
trim.

The High Elder approached them first. “I am
grateful that you came on such short notice, my brother,” he said.
Thaddeus put a hand on his shoulder and held out his other for a
handshake, which the high elder accepted and returned the
gesture.

“Anything to help, Malcolm,” he replied.

“It has been so long, Thaddeus,” Malcolm
said to his brother. He then turned his attention to the elders
behind him and said, “These are the elders elected by the people of
the city. I am sure that you recognize most of them, my brother,
but I believe they would like to introduce themselves to your
comrades.”

Malcolm then stepped aside and motioned to
the first elder, a shy, short, plump man. The round little man
timidly stepped forward and adjusted his round glasses. Under his
arm, he carried a stack of papers and parchment. “I am Elder
Bredewig,” he said in a weak voice.

As the round elder stepped back, the next
elder stepped forward. He was the polar opposite of the timid
Bredewig. Standing well over six and a half feet tall, this elder’s
rugged appearance hardly gave away his magical talents. He had
long, ragged, dark gray hair that covered his shoulders along with
thick sideburns and eyebrows. His dark skin and eyes only added to
his brutish appearance. “Elder Halmez, at your service,” he said in
a loud, rough voice.

The following elder was a thin, aging woman.
Her long silver hair was tied in a loose bun high on her head. Her
facial features were bold and sharp. “I am Elder Orwynn,” she said
in a soft voice.

Next was a tall, thin man with gray hair
that was slicked back out of his face. His pale features were sharp
and thin and his gray eyes were sunken into his head and had dark
circles around them.

“I am Elder Saitar,” he said.

Next was an elf. Though he appeared to be no
older than twenty-five or so, he was well over four hundred years
old. Capable of living for nearly a millennium, elves aged even
slower than halflings and dwarves. This elf had long, platinum hair
that was tied on the ends with a ribbon.

“I am Elder Ydon,” he said in a calm,
soothing voice.

Next the final elder, a tall man with gray
hair and a mustache, stepped forward. He removed his pointed hat
from his head and tipped it to the rebels.

“Good day to you all. I am Elder Leldor,” he
stated.

“I am pleased to see you all again,” said
Thaddeus, “It has been far too long since my last visit.”

“We are thankful to have you return,
especially under such dire circumstances,” said Malcolm.

“Well now that the elders have introduced
themselves,” said Thaddeus, “I am sure that our leader and the
others would like to make their introductions.”

“Is it not you?” asked Saitar.

“I beg your pardon, Elder?” Thaddeus
replied.

“My apologies, Thaddeus,” replied Saitar,
with an embarrassed smile, “I was under the high elder’s impression
that you were the rebel leader.”

Thaddeus chuckled.

“No, my friend.” he said, “I am not.”

“Oh well, no matter. Who is the leader then?
Where is he?” asked Saitar.

“She is right here,” replied Thaddeus,
motioning to Crystal who was standing next to him. She then stepped
forward and bowed slightly.

“My name is Crystal, dear elders.” she
greeted, “I am the leader of Deliverance. Allow me to introduce my
closest comrades.”

She then turned and motioned to Gavril.

“This is my second in command, Gavril
Fletcher.” she stated, “Despite his age, he is an adept warrior and
teacher, and if anything were to happen to me, he would take my
place.”

She turned to Kerali. “This is Prince Kerali
Gladomain of the wood elves. The elves have respected the royal
family for generations, as did the dwarves.” She then motioned to
Sigurd, “And the leader of the dwarves, Sigurd Olvirsson, is a dear
friend of mine as well.”

Sigurd straightened up in a proud manner.
Then Crystal gestured to the twins.

“The halflings have also aided us and Maryn
and Taryn Acker here are very skilled rogues.”

Malcolm then stepped forward. “I am pleased
to meet all of you, and I wish we could have met under better
circumstances, but we must retreat to my study and speak in private
immediately,” he said.

“Yes, sir,” Crystal replied politely,
“Please lead the way.”

The rebels followed Malcolm and the other
elders down several corridors of the Elder’s Hall. Crystal heard
Orwynn whispering to Leldor briefly about how she was surprised how
young she was to be a leader. Crystal didn’t think much of it and
continued walking. An enormous staircase led them to the different
floors of the structure. Taryn and Maryn struggled to climb the
stairs while Sigurd growled, “Suck it up!”

They reached the top floor and finally
cleared the staircase. Malcolm led them to the right and stopped at
the door at the end of the corridor. He pushed the door open and
beckoned everyone to go inside ahead of him. He held the door open,
standing to the side as, one by one, elders and rebels entered the
study.

“WHOA!” exclaimed Taryn and Maryn
simultaneously. The study was so enormous and elaborate that even
the other rebels stood their ground in awe. The walls were white
marble and lined with pillars holding a second-story walkway. The
walkway was connected to the floor below by a spiral set of stairs,
and several bookshelves lined the walkway all the way around the
room. The staircase led further up to yet another walkway with even
more bookshelves.

Also on the top walkway was an elaborate
telescope that stood on three legs before a large, round window. On
the ground level, an enormous fireplace sat directly across from
the entrance, and the chimney ran up the wall and through the
ceiling. The floor was gray marble and lined with a rich, mahogany
carpet with gold trim. Malcolm’s desk was to the right of the
entrance, directly across the room from the spiral staircase. In
front of the fireplace, two antique chairs with a small table in
the middle welcomed visitors forward.

Taryn and Maryn dashed to the chairs and
took each a one before anyone could blink. They sank in and nearly
fell asleep on the spot.

“They’re more comfortable than they look!”
said Maryn in a dreamy voice.

“And they look like heaven covered in rich,
velvety clouds!” added Taryn.

“Stop that right now!” shouted Sigurd. “You
two are a disgrace! Have some respect for the High Elder’s
property!”

“Oh it’s not a problem.” said Malcolm,
chuckling, “I know they must be exhausted, so I have no problem
with the two of them resting while we elders discuss the situation
with the rest of you.” Malcolm then shut the door behind him.

“Now, let me start by expressing my
gratitude once again.” said Malcolm, “I would especially like to
thank you for coming to our aid on such short notice. It is lucky
that Elder Bredewig heard of the attack when he did.” He then
turned to the plump elder and said, “I will let you explain it from
here, Elder.”

Bredewig timidly stepped before the rebels.
He adjusted his glasses and in a shaky voice began to speak.

“W-well, I am the lead scholar here in the
Elder’s Hall, and I often travel to other kingdoms to visit scroll
and book dealers and bring the materials back to the library here,”
he said, “On my way back from a collector in Ordale, I stopped in a
tavern in a mining village east of Cartigo. While there, I happened
to overhear a conversation between several Daldussan soldiers. They
were quite drunk and loud, so the whole tavern, myself included,
overheard them. They were bragging about their next mission, which
was an invasion of the City of Magi.”

“Go figure,” said Gavril, “those pig
soldiers get away with everything and think the whole world has to
hear about it.”

“Good thing they’re all morons,” said
Sigurd, “Those obnoxious soldiers hurt Bogdan’s cause more than
they benefit it.”

“Yes, but he trains them well and they are
not to be underestimated in battle,” said Crystal.

“You must never underestimate any enemy, or
else you will dig your own grave,” said Kerali.

“You’re absolutely right,” said Crystal. She
then turned to Bredewig, “Elder, did you have any idea why they
would attack the city? What do you think Bogdan has to gain?”

Bredewig adjusted his glasses again and
cleared his throat. “Actually,” he said, “I heard them say
something else, and I may have figured out what they want.”

“What is that?” asked Crystal.

“They mentioned that their king wanted ‘the
big red gem’ that is hidden in the Elder’s Hall,” he replied.

“There are many artifacts here in the city
that we all protect, but there is one that very few know about, and
it fits the description,” added Malcolm. “Unfortunately, it is also
the most dangerous of the artifacts. If Bogdan gets his hands on
it, it could mean the complete and utter destruction of life as we
know it. The world we live in will cease to exist.”

Crystal’s heart sunk as she remembered the
nightmare that had been haunting her mind. She then stammered, “Wh
. . . What on earth is this gem? How can it cause such
destruction?”

“It is a large, blood red gem known as the
Eye of Gaull;” explained Orwynn, “it sits in the heart of the
Elder’s Hall sealed away in a secret chamber. Only the seven of us
know about it.”

“I have heard stories of a dark entity known
as Gaull,” said Thaddeus. “Might this be the same Gaull?”