Frostborn: The World Gate (6 page)

She wondered what the Dux of the Northerland would think when he learned that his former son-in-law had taken a sorceress of the Wilderland as his lover. 

Her lips thinned. If Gareth Licinius did not approve, he could take his disapproval and…

She felt Rakhaag’s golden gaze shift to her and rebuked herself for inattention. It was best to think of the lupivirii as feral, dangerous wolves that had somehow acquired the power of speech. 

“Rhogrimnalazur,” said Calliande. “Are you sure that is what this spiderling…”

“Quinta,” said Ridmark. 

“Peculiar name for a spiderling,” said Jager. 

“Evidently her father was named Quintus,” said Ridmark, “and as proof of her loyalty to her mother, Quinta killed him.” He hesitated. “And probably ate him.” 

“Well,” said Jager, grimacing. “I suppose, Brother Caius, we cannot claim that the spiderlings do not honor their fathers and mothers.”

Caius grunted. “I suspect that is not quite in keeping with the spirit of the commandment.”

“Then you have encountered this urdmordar before?” said Morigna before Caius and Jager could begin another one of their arguments. When Caius, Jager, and Kharlacht started arguing about theology, they would not shut up for hours. Even the normally taciturn Kharlacht would sometimes say more than two or three sentences in a row. 

“Yes,” said Calliande. “Long ago. Over two hundred and thirty years past.”

Rakhaag let out a doubting rumble. The lupivir sat on his haunches without any sign of discomfort. He had shifted to his more human-like form, which made him look a great deal like a large, naked man. “Human women do not live that long.”

“I am the Keeper,” said Calliande. “Does not the great memory recall my scent?” 

“The Staffbearer wields great power,” conceded Rakhaag. 

“What happened when you encountered Rhogrimnalazur?” said Ridmark. 

“It was near the end of the war,” said Calliande. Her blue eyes were distant as she gazed at the ashes of last night’s campfire. “The Frostborn and their armies advanced on all fronts, and the High Kingdom was in danger of collapse. Kalomarus and I and a few other companions traveled north to Cathair Solas, in hopes of asking the help of Ardrhythain of Cathair Solas.”

“Just as the Keeper did during the war against the urdmordar,” said Gavin, “which led to the creation of the Magistri and the Swordbearers.”

“I see you have been paying attention to Brother Caius’s lessons in history,” said Arandar with approval. 

“We traveled through the northern Wilderland, following the River Moradel to Cathair Solas,” said Calliande. “There was a dark elven ruin along the river, a place called Urd Cystaanl.” 

“Quinta claimed that Rhogrimnalazur resided there,” said Ridmark. “Apparently she still does.”

“Rhogrimnalazur sent out arachar and spiderlings to take us alive before her,” said Calliande. “We fought our way free, but barely. Two of our companions fell in the fighting. We eluded the arachar, crossed the River Moradel, and continued north. I think Rhogrimnalazur lost interest in us, and Kalomarus and I continued to Cathair Solas.”

“Where he became the Dragon Knight,” said Gavin. 

“Yes,” said Calliande, her eyes still distant. 

“Just what is the Dragon Knight?” said Mara. “I have heard the story all my life, but…well, no one seems to know what the title meant.”

“Before the elves split into the high elves and the dark elves,” said Calliande, “before the elven kindred even walked this world, there were dragons. You saw one of their skulls in Dragonfall. They died out long ago, but before they did, they took the last of their magic and placed it into a sword. The high elven champion who wielded that sword was called the Dragon Knight.”

“What happened to it?” said Mara.

“I don’t know,” said Calliande. “I…think I removed my memory of it for some reason.” 

Morigna let out a groan. “After all the effort we went to recovering your memory from Khald Azalar, you still have not reclaimed all of it? Perhaps in the ancient legends of the Greeks, this is how Tantalus felt in Hades when the boulder rolled back down the hill yet again.” Caius snickered at that.

Calliande showed no reaction to the barb. “I must have had a reason for it, but I did not bother to inform myself of it.”

Mara shrugged. “Perhaps you wanted to keep the power of the Dragon Knight’s sword out of Shadowbearer’s hands. And your stratagem did succeed.”

“At great cost,” said Calliande. “And thanks to you all.” 

She was right about that. Still, once Calliande had recovered her memory, Morigna had half-expected the Keeper to become arrogant and commanding, to start ordering them about like servants. Instead, she seemed…exactly the same. More confident, certainly. More humble. A bit haunted, as if she could now remember horrors she had forgotten before. Yet for all that, Calliande now seemed more…complete. As if Morigna had only known a piece of the woman, not the totality. 

To Morigna’s mild irritation, she found herself liking Calliande. Even though Calliande was in love with Ridmark. 

“The sword,” said Ridmark. “On the day you awakened, Calliande. Shadowbearer asked you about the location of a staff and a sword. The staff, obviously, was the staff of the Keeper. But the sword…”

“It must have been the sword of the Dragon Knight,” said Morigna. “If Shadowbearer could not find the staff of the Keeper, perhaps he could not find the sword as well.”

“He wasted his time,” said Calliande. “I don’t know where the sword is. Is it in Tarlion? Kalomarus was a loyal and determined man. He might have left it in the High King’s Citadel for safekeeping.” 

“He didn’t,” said Ridmark, looking at Arandar. “At least not that I know. Unless it was a secret the High Kings kept for themselves.” 

Arandar laughed. “I am a bastard, remember? If it was a secret known only to the High Kings, it would not be shared with me.”

“Kalomarus escorted me to Dragonfall where I hid my staff,” said Calliande, “and then to the Tower of Vigilance. I know not what happened to him after that.”

Ridmark shrugged. “He disappeared from the chronicles of the realm. No one knows what happened to him.”

“And I knew,” said Calliande, “but I removed the memory from myself.”

Morigna frowned. “Is it possible that you simply never knew?”

“No,” said Calliande. She smiled a little. “Because I can remember casting the spell to remove the memory.” 

“One observes,” said Morigna, “that you have a remarkable penchant for plans of excessive complexity.” 

“I don’t think I am in any position to argue,” said Calliande. 

“Enough!” said Rakhaag, his voice just shy of a snarl. “We speak of a man long dead while the end of the world draws near.”

“Rakhaag,” said Calliande. She regarded the hulking lupivir without fear. Morigna wasn’t sure if that was a mask, or if Calliande really was that calm. “Does the great memory speak of Kalomarus the Dragon Knight?” 

“A warrior with a sword of flame accompanied the Staffbearer in the war against the cold ones,” said Rakhaag. “After the defeat of the cold ones, he passed from the knowledge of the great memory. How shall we stop Shadowbearer? If he succeeds, the True People shall perish with all other kindreds.”

“We are pursuing him,” said Ridmark, “because we know where he is going.”

Rakhaag nodded with approval. “A sound hunter’s strategy. Where does he flee?”

“To the Black Mountain, on the northern borders of the High King’s realm,” said Ridmark. “He has an empty soulstone in his possession, stolen from the caverns of Cathair Solas. He can use that stone to open a gate to the world of the Frostborn on Black Mountain, and summon them back to our world once more.” 

“Then we must hunt him and tear out his throat,” said Rakhaag. 

“A splendid idea,” said Jager. Rakhaag fixed Jager with a baleful glare, but the arrogant little thief had the wit not to look away. “However, we have a particularly large spider-shaped problem blocking the way.” 

Rakhaag scowled. 

“The urdmordar?” said Jager. “Rhogrimnalazur? You know, have you been paying attention?”

“The halfling uses too many words,” said Rakhaag, looking back at Ridmark. “Words are useless. Long ago, when the urdmordar ruled, they bred halflings as cattle and feasted upon them. Did all the clever words save the halflings from their deaths?” 

“Well,” said Jager, “my clever words have gotten me out of trouble many times.”

“Or into it,” muttered Morigna. 

“He’s right,” said Mara.

Rakhaag growled, his fur flattening. “I can smell the taint of the dark elves upon her, Ridmark son of Leogrance son of Rience. She is a child of a dark elven lord. You travel with such a creature?” 

“Given that she slew her father,” said Ridmark, “it seems safe enough.”

“Mmm.” Rakhaag did not seem mollified, but the beastman looked away from Mara. Likely he thought the argument not worth the effort. “Then how shall we reach Shadowbearer? The great memory knew when the Staffbearer recovered her power. The True People have come to her aid, but we cannot aid you unless we reach Shadowbearer.” 

Kharlacht grunted. “How shall we proceed?”

###

Calliande looked at Ridmark. 

His face was hard, his blue eyes distant, the broken-sword brand upon his left cheek half-hidden beneath several days’ worth of stubble. He was thinking about something, but she knew he would not speak until he was ready. 

“It seems to me,” said Jager, “that our best approach is to avoid the urdmordar and her servants entirely.”

“They already know we are here,” Caius. “Enough of the arachar escaped to report back to Rhogrimnalazur.”

“The spiderlings escaped as well,” said Morigna. “Three of them, I think. It is beyond doubt that the urdmordar knows we are here. Likely she shall send her minions in force.” 

“The urdmordar are terrible enemies,” said Rakhaag. “Better to avoid them. They ruled most of this world for long millennia, and they slew many of the True People.” 

“You fought an urdmordar at Urd Arowyn, did you not?” said Morigna.

Rakhaag looked at her, his nostrils flaring. 

“This one,” said Rakhaag. “This one has the stink of dark magic about her. She should be put down before she turns rabid.”

Morigna’s eyes narrowed.

“No,” said Calliande. “She saved us from a trap of dark magic in Urd Morlemoch. That is why she smells of dark magic. Had she not broken the trap, we would have perished in Urd Morlemoch, and I never would have found my staff again.” 

Rakhaag still looked tense, though his fur bristled a little less. “We fought the urdmordar at Urd Arowyn, with the Gray Knight and the Staffbearer. But the urdmordar had taken our children. We had no choice but to fight.”

“But this time, we do have a choice, don’t we?” said Jager. He looked Rakhaag in the eye, but Calliande note that he was staying close to the Swordbearers. Probably a wise choice. “It’s not like Rhogrimnalazur has taken any of us captive. The webbed forest must be her domain. If we go around it, maybe we can elude the arachar and Rhogrimnalazur entirely.” 

“We could,” said Calliande. “But that will add several days to our journey.”

“It is hard to track through these forests,” said Kharlacht. “We must head south, and the River Moradel flows in a nearly straight line south to the Black Mountain and Dun Licinia. Following it is our best chance of reaching the Black Mountain before Shadowbearer and the Mhorites.” 

“That is true,” said Jager, “but Urd Cystaanl is right on the river’s bank, correct?”

“It is,” said Calliande. She remembered that much, a half-ruined fortress of pale white stone standing on a finger of land, its towers like white bones jutting from a grave. 

“We could go around it,” said Arandar, “but as the Keeper has said, it will add several days to our journey.”

“It would be no guarantee of our safety, either,” said Caius. He gripped his wooden cross for a moment, frowning. “If Rhogrimnalazur decides that we are too much of a threat, she might send her arachar after us. Or if she is annoyed that we slew her warriors, she might attack in revenge.” 

“Then it seems our best course is to go around Urd Cystaanl,” said Kharlacht. 

“We will lose several days,” said Arandar. “Shadowbearer might reach Black Mountain with his army before we do.” 

“It appears that is the risk we must take,” said Calliande, though the delay alarmed her. “Rakhaag. Can your pack scout a path for us?”

“We can,” said Rakhaag. “It would be well to keep my pack away from your companions anyway. We are…unused to the presence of other kindreds.”

“I noticed,” said Jager. 

“Morigna,” said Calliande. “Could you bind some ravens to scout as well? Rakhaag can scout the ground, but you can give us a view from overhead.”

“I can,” said Morigna. “It will be difficult.” She looked out the gate at the web-wreathed forest. “As one can imagine, one suspects that animals prefer to avoid this place.” 

Ridmark straightened up, the end of his staff rasping against the ground. 

“No,” he said. 

“I’m sorry?” said Calliande. She knew him well enough by now to recognize the look on his face. He had come to a decision.

“We won’t go around Urd Cystaanl and Rhogrimnalazur,” said Ridmark. 

Jager raised an eyebrow. “Then what are we going to do?”

“We’re going to go through her,” said Ridmark.

“Through her,” said Jager. He was silent for a moment. “Then…you want us to fight an urdmordar?”

“Yes,” said Ridmark. 

“Might I point out,” said Jager, “that is utter madness?”

“It is…something of a bold plan,” said Mara. 

“Is it?” said Ridmark. “Consider. The urdmordar once ruled most of this world. The dark elves summoned them, and they in turn enslaved the dark elves. The high elves of Cathair Solas fought against them, but could not overcome them. The urdmordar and their armies almost destroyed Andomhaim and laid siege to Tarlion, but they were stopped. What stopped them?”

“The power of the Keeper,” said Arandar, looking at Calliande. 

“And then the Keeper journeyed to Cathair Solas,” said Caius, “and Ardrhythain founded the Two Orders, the Magistri and the Swordbearers.”