Ways of Power 1: Power Rises (24 page)

41

              Without a break in the unending forest the stars could not help to light their path. Rancoth and Dorbin stumbled through the foliage, tripping on unseen roots and landing hard on the spongy ground. The progress they made was slow, but eventually they stopped, feeling that enough distance had been put between them and the living wood city.

              "Rran arre you surre about this?" Dorbin asked, sitting down on a rock.

Rancoth mistrusted Pordly more than any of his demons. A keen and evil intellect existed within the smoky creature. Pordly always found some way to twist his orders around to mean something other then what he intended.

"I just don't see any other way. The chieftess said her daughters have been missing for two months Dorbin. Two! And despite her people’s best efforts they haven't been able to find them, and they live here." He gestured at the dense growth around them. "Can you tell me how else we'll find them?"

Rancoth waited for an argument, but Dorbin only stared at him with concern. Deciding the risk was worth the potential benefits, he summoned his vapor demon, bracing for whatever devious tricks it might employ.

Dorbin went still at the sudden unnatural silence muffling the jungle. Out of all the times Rancoth had summoned one of his minions this was the first time it had been done in such a vibrant local.

Rancoth spoke aloud for Dorbin’s benefit.  "Pordly, you are not to interact with anyone or anything in any way except by my orders."

Trying to spoil my fun again, master? You don't learn very quickly do you?
The demon said within Rancoth's mind.

"I am in need of your unique ability to find people once more."

Naturally, a weakling like you would take the easy route.

"Be quiet and listen!"

Silence

"That's better. Now, a couple of months ago Dal'Asaid's two eldest daughters disappeared. They haven't been able to find them, and we were asked to help. I need you to do this for me.

"You will find them, but you are not to interact with or manipulate them, or anyone around them. Nor are you to interact with or manipulate
anything
around them. Simply find them, then return here immediately and tell me where they are. Is that clear?"

More silence.

"I said, is that clear?"

Rancoth was getting angry that Pordly seemed to be ignoring him. "Answer me damn it!"

There is no need to shout, master. You told me to be quiet. I was trying to be diligent in your ever important orders. Of course it was clear. Everything you say is always clear.

Even through telepathy, it was easy to sense the entity's sarcasm and disgust at having to take orders from him.

"Then do it," Rancoth said, hoping that this time he left no room for the sinister demon to work his evil.

Without another word Pordly's mass moved in low to the ground and began to spread out across the surface of the globe in a ring of smoke. Dorbin sighed as the vapor demon disappeared into the dark night, passing through tress as if they weren't even there.

Rancoth looked up to the treetops, wishing he could glimpse the stars through the dense foliage. He thought he spied a flash of pale movement, but decided his imagination was playing tricks on him.

"How long do you suppose it'll take?" Dorbin asked.

Rancoth shrugged. "It depends on how far they are from here. Assuming they’re still alive that is."

The little man looked around curiously as the sounds of the night time creatures slowly began to rise again. "I don't rrememberr any o' yourr demons having that effect beforre."

Rancoth took a deep breath before sitting down next to his old friend. "I do," he said quietly as he leaned back against a tree and closed his eyes.

"Humph, well. I'll keep watch for anything. It's not like home. Therre's all mannerr o' beasties to be carrefull o' out herre."

"Good idea. Let me know when Pordly comes back, and wake me when you get tired."

"Aye, I will lad. Don't you worrry about that."

42

Pordly didn't have much to go on, but how hard could two lone Elfkin princesses be to find? Its real concern was how to interpret the master's orders in a way it could benefit. Unfortunately, Pordly wasn't sure it would be able to this time.

Gliding across the land gave Pordly plenty of time to think however, and lost in its thoughts it almost missed its prey. The section of its form that passed through the area stopped short and returned to pass through it again. Once Pordly was certain it had found what it had been looking for it raced to coalesce itself back at its masters location.

A giddy maliciousness at its luck growing at the center of its gaseous form.

It seemed like Rancoth had just fallen asleep when Dorbin woke him. "Is it my turn to keep watch already?"

"No lad, I think yourr demon is coming back."

"What?" Rancoth stood up, conscious of a slight bruise on the back of his head where it had been resting against the tree.  "Where is it?"

"Not herre yet, but the forrest went quiet as death again."

"How long do you think it’s been since it was sent out?"

"Two, maybe thrree hourrs."

A few moments later Rancoth, spotted a swathe of night that became fathomless. Two points of shimmering light broke through the abyss and Pordly could finally be seen, the last remaining bits of its smoky form still feeding into the growing cloud figure.

"Well--did you find them?"

The two Elfkin princesses you seek are no more.

"What? Do you mean there dead?"

No--not exactly. Your Elfkin princesses simply--no longer exist.

"But how is that possible?"

Dorbin looked back and forth between Rancoth and the vapor demon. "What's he saying lad?"

"It said the princesses don't exist anymore."

You told me to find and report, not investigate what happened.

"What?" Dorbin growled.

Rancoth waved Dorbin off. "Shhh, I'll catch you up in a minute. Pordly, where are they?”

You really are quite stupid, aren’t you? They aren't anywhere. I told you they no longer exist.

Rancoth lost his patience. "Then where exactly were they last!?" he shouted.

A little over onehundred miles, slightly northwest from here.

Rancoth began to pace. It would take them days to get there, and he wasn't entirely sure what they were looking for. He knew however that he would never forgive himself if he turned back now. He simply had to do something to prove to Dal'Asaid that Grecrum hadn't misjudged in keeping and caring for him.

"Well? What did he say?" Dorbin asked with a scowl.

Rancoth took a deep breath before summing up his demon's report.

"Not verry specific if you ask me," Dorbin said after hearing his explanation.

"Well you should have heard the rest of it."

"What if we…" Dorbin finished his statement, but Rancoth didn't hear him because Pordly interjected its thoughts.

You're boring me. Return me to my home, and don't summon me again.

Rancoth whipped around to face the billowing creature once more. "I'm trying to think and have a conversation with Dorbin," he spat impatiently. "Yes, go back to your realm, so you can quit bothering me."

The smoky creature dissipated, leaving a hint of regret upon Rancoth's consciousness, as if it hadn't really wished to leave.  Rancoth shook his head in confusion and then put it out of his mind.

"I'm sorry, Dorbin, you were saying?"

"It's all rright, I wouldn't want that vile thing in my head eitherr. I was saying what if we werre to rride on the back o' that Kujos pup o' yourrs? It wouldn't take that long to coverr the distance."

"True, but it would still just be a shot in the dark," Rancoth said, pacing. "So we head a hundred or so miles northwest, then what? We still don't know exactly what we're looking for, and even though I've seen a map of this country, I don't know the territory. Do you?"

"No, not rrealy."

"So, the only one who really has any idea…" Rancoth trailed off as a thought occurred to him. "Pordly come."

It was now only an hour or so before sunrise, and already the first bits of dawn were starting to glow. With the added light Pordly's billowing form could be easily seen returning.

What now, you tiny tanned fool?

"You will take Dorbin and I unharmed to the location where the princesses last were. Once there you will release us--again unharmed."

As you command, master.

Was that a hint of triumph that he detected in Pordly's communication? Rancoth couldn't be certain, but he was already wary of the decision he’d made.

"WAIT JUST ONE DAMN MINUTE!" Dorbin growled as he and Rancoth were enveloped in billowing darkness.

As the trees disappeared around them Rancoth saw Cha'Modera drop down from the trees infront of him. The Elfkin warrior had a mixed look of fear and anger on his mauled face as he turn and ran towards the Elfkin tree city.

Rancoth was upset with himself; he shouldn't have dismissed what he had seen so readily. Who knew how Dal'Asaid would react when he gots his war advisors report. Unfortunately he didn't have time to think about it now. He was simply going to have to live with his decision, so he turned his attention to this new sensation of being transported by a vapor demon.

He wasn't sure what to expect, but for some reason he had thought being transported by Pordly would feel like floating in water. Instead he and Dorbin were rigidly locked into place, and unable to see anything other than the ebbing mass of Pordly's flowing form.

"Rran, I don't like this. It's a bad idea, lad."

Rancoth could hear Dorbin somewhere to his right, an undertone of fear clearly wavering in his normally gruff and confident voice.

"Pordly, why can't we move?"

The demon’s piercing white eyes floated down to within a few inches of Rancoth's own.

You wished to remain unharmed. Was I mistaken in this?

"No."

Then you must stay as you are, little master.

"But--"

Rancoth's heart began to pound against his ribcage as the first of what would be many massive tree trunks zipped past.

"Dorbin, I think its best that we remain fixed where we are."

"Aye, so it would seem."

Mustering every bit of confidence he could to his voice, Rancoth added, "I told Pordly we were to arrive unharmed, he cannot disobey a direct order. We'll be fine."

Yes--Pordly will take good care of you.

The silky quality with which the demon added this last comment made Rancoth's heart skip even faster than the trees had.

43

After what seemed like no time at all, Rancoth felt himself being lowered. As his feet made contact with the solid ground, the rest of his body was released from its shadowy bonds. He stretched and flexed his muscles; it felt good to be able to move freely again.

Pordly's mass moved off to the side, and Rancoth could see Dorbin a few feet to his right. He rubbed his joints and stretched as well.

They stood in a clearing of the forest, and a hole in the green canopy gave way to the azure morning sky. Rancoth could hear the rushing sounds of a river nearby, eerily loud without the added sounds of jungle creatures. Those would remain muted until Pordly was released to his own realm, but not yet. Rancoth needed to get some more information from the demon.

"First Pordly, let me thank you for delivering us swiftly and safely here."

Dorbin too grunted his gratitude.

Pordly hung in silence. Rancoth had never thanked it before, he assumed it was surprised by the gesture. He hoped that he was finally making some progress with the vapor demon.

"Now, where exactly in this clearing did you detect the last of the existence of the Elfkin princesses?"

Pordly slowly began to rise into the air, until it appeared to be nothing more than a dark raincloud in the sky. There it hung, waiting and watching what played out below.

Behind it stood a high cliff on the other side of a deep gorge. At the base of the gorge flowed the river Rancoth had heard. Standing halfway between the dropoff and them were two short, remarkable trees. Neither stood any taller than Rancoth, and both were brilliantly colored.

The closest one had bark the color of dried orange peels with golden leaves that reminded Rancoth of wheat fields in the fall. One of its branches stretched out as if it were reaching for the other tree.

The second tree was even more astounding than the first. As Rancoth and Dorbin approached, its color from root to leaf seemed to change before their eyes. At first it had appeared to be the brightest of pinks, then its hue darkened to deep red, and now it was becoming a rich purple.

Rancoth found that if he stayed still, the color remained static. It wasn't until he moved again that its hue began to dance once more, ebbing and flowing as his angle of sight on it changed. Mesmerized by the two lone beautiful trees, both men were caught off-guard by the smooth and menacing male voice behind them.

"Well, well. What have we here? You two aren't pretty pointy eared monkeys. What brings you to my post?"

Rancoth and Dorbin whirled to see a man in a blood red robe. His pale skin and dark hair accentuated his glowing blue eyes.

The man crossed his arms in front of his chest.  "Nice stick, Lighty. What's the matter, haven't got any real talent so you have to pummel things to death like a filthy Hulden, or your stumpy pet over there?"

Rancoth's throat had gone dry, and his hand tightened around his staff. He had never seen a Dark Magi before. He was always told that there was a red tint to their eyes. This was not the case with this one. So either this wasn't a Dark Magi, or the description he grew up with was wrong. Somehow he thought it must be the latter. All too familiar with evil, Rancoth recognized it immediately, and was more than a little intimidated.

"Who arre you?" Dorbin demanded stepping out in front.

"Oh, how cute--it talks."

Dorbin roared as he whipped his shield in front of him, and brandishing his ax leapt for the stranger.

"No, no none of that. Stonlish." The Dark Magi stepped aside and Dorbin transformed in the air. His body contracted in on itself, and his skin hardened. A small boulder landed where Dorbin should have. Within the contours of the rock the clear depiction of the wolf form on the front of Dorbin's shield could be seen.

Rancoth's voice shook as he spoke. "I thought a transformer couldn't turn a living being into an inanimate object?"

"Oh don't worry. Your pet's still alive. His life force was captured in the moss on the stone. Pretty ingenious, don't you think?" He tapped his temple. "Relax, Lighty, you're going to break your pretty stick."

Rancoth eased the tension in his fingers, unsure of what to say or do next.

"Now, that's better," the man said. He began to circle around Rancoth and the two trees. He stopped in front of the gorge, and flung his arms out to the side. "Again I ask, what brings you to my post?"

"I was looking for two Elfkin princesses who have been missing for a couple of months. Something told me they might be here."

"I see," the man said, running his fingers across his clean shaven chin. "Well, you won't find any monkey princesses here. I suggest you look elsewhere."

Rancoth looked behind him at the Dorbin rock, and then to the two trees. "Turn these three back to their original forms and we'll be on our way."

"Hmm, well you are a little braver then I thought. What's your name, Lighty?"

"Rancoth."

The man smiled, revealing perfect white teeth. "Well Rancoth, I'm Darien and you are in no position to make demands of me. I guard the border between the Dark Magi Kingdom and the savage monkey race that call this jungle their home, and I have no intention of letting any of my…garden decorations go.

"So unless you having something more formidable to coax me with then that pretty stick of yours, I suggest you leave before I add you to my collection."

As Darien, spoke Pordly slowly descended behind him, blocking the view of the cliff face and gorge.

Let me help you master, I can make him return Dorbin and the princesses to their proper forms.

Not wanting to alert Darien to Pordly's presence, Rancoth communicated telepathically with his minion.
That's probably true, but can I trust you, Pordly?

When have I ever disobeyed one of your orders?

Rancoth laughed in his own mind.
When have you ever not twisted them to suit your own purposes is more like it.

Master please, I will twist nothing. Tell me what you wish done, and I will do it. No tricks.

Rancoth hesitated; Pordly had been unusually cooperative this morning. He would have never found the princesses without the demon’s help, and it would have been a long and dangerous journey here without the demon as well. He also thought that perhaps some small bond had been formed when he thanked the demon.

Very well, take him. Just don't hurt him in anyway, and you must continue to follow orders even after the possession.
Rancoth felt nauseous as he gave the order, but couldn't think of any other way out of the situation.

Of course master, as you command.

When Darien opened his mouth to speak once more, Pordly instantly flooded within it. Darien's head whipped back, and he fell to his knees, his body convulsing as the demon’s mass flooded every inch of his being. Finally he fell forward as the last wisps of the demon were absorbed.

"Pordly?" Rancoth said, as he tentatively took a step towards the now possessed Dark Magi.

"Yes, master?" Darien looked up, his blue eyes replaced with Pordly's white ones. His voice took on the same strange quality that Crujen's had.

"Turn Dorbin and the princesses back into their original forms. Do nothing else to them or to me in any way. Then release that man--though perhaps in an unconscious state."

Pordly twisted Darien's face into a menacing grin. "How quickly you forget, master. If you remember the last time this happened, I told you the host will die if I leave."

Rancoth's stomach dropped, and a cold sweat began to trickle down his spine.

"So you have a choice, continue with your first orders of not harming this man, and I stay in him. Or, he can die a horrible torturous death. Either way, I will be only too happy to oblige your decision."

Once again Pordly had found a way to turn Rancoth's good intentions to its advantage. Rancoth stood silent, his mind racing to figure out a way to escape the mess he had just gotten himself into. But nothing came.

Rancoth dropped his gaze in defeat. Releasing a long sigh he said, "Fine, keep him. Now return Dorbin and the princesses to whatever state they were in immediately before Darien transformed them."

Pordly's cold laugh cut through the morning air like a knife severing Rancoth's heart. "As you wish,
master
."

Rancoth looked up as the demon-possessed Darien turned to the beautiful trees, and waved his hand in front of them. The demon's keen mind had no need for words of focus, using its puppet's magic in instantaneous silence. The display sent a renewed shiver down Rancoth's spine.

The bark on the trees softened as it returned to supple flesh. Leaves narrowed and stretched into long strands of flowing hair. Delicate orange fingers finally touched a multihued shoulder. Both Elfkin women fell in a heap of naked flesh, weak and unconscious.

Rancoth turned at Dorbin’s groan. The Dwalish man was only stunned after his short transformation. Within moments, the old man's wits returned. He spun in a small circle, shield raised, and ax ready.

"Wherre is he?!" he growled with fury.

Rancoth surveyed the clearing, but the Dark Magi, made even more evil with a demon for a soul, was gone.