FARRELL’S ESCORT led them to a side door closest to their quarters. As they exited the temple, they could hear dwarves singing in the distance. Farrell thought they were going to stop for the night while he’d been in the meeting.
“Miceral?”
“Farrell? Are you back in Colograd?”
“No, I’m still in Agloth. The Door allows me to send my thoughts through as well.”
“Right, I forgot about that.”
Farrell refrained from telling his partner there were a lot of things about magic he didn’t know. “Are you planning to keep sending troops through all night?”
“Actually, we sped things up as much as we could after your update.” The singing abruptly stopped. “Only the kings and their guards are left. Klissmor suggested we pause so you can let the amelt and high priestess know the dwarf kings are coming through.”
“Good thinking. I’ll see that word is sent.” Farrell searched the area for a temple guard.
“Thanks. Let us know when they’re ready.”
“I will.” He broke the contact and moved closer to Greigel.
“I’ve already alerted Amelt Randgar and Mother Jolella.” Nerti’s voice stopped him. “They’ll be here shortly.”
“Thank you, Nerti. As always, you are riding well ahead of me.” He felt her laugh, but she didn’t respond.
He explained to the others the new development. The guards turned back toward the temple and led the way to the western side.
Jolella had arrived before Farrell’s party. She finished speaking to her staff before she turned toward her guests. “Randgar will be along soon. He’s assembling an appropriate honor guard to welcome our new allies.”
Soldiers soon began setting out torches and lanterns. Penelope watched them for a moment and shook her head. “What kind of welcome is that?”
Balls of wizard’s fire sprang from her palm and quickly grew in size. She sent ten globes on each side of the avenue. Once they were in place, she adjusted the intensity to ensure the way was properly lit.
Randgar arrived from the north, leading two long columns of soldiers. The troops to his right lined the north side of the parade ground, and the others moved to the southern edge. When they were in place, Randgar joined Farrell and Jolella.
“We should move to the reviewing area over there.” He pointed to a platform in front of the first building on the south side of the road. “It will be easier to meet the kings there than have them walk through the Door and need to spin around to find us.”
Farrell waited for them to reach their destination before contacting Miceral. “Everyone’s ready, Ral.”
“I’ll let the others know.” He “left” for an instant and “came back.” “See you soon.”
The sound of dwarves singing announced the imminent resumption of troops coming through the Door. When it sounded as though the voices were right at the wall of the temple, a row of guards, ten across, in Colograd’s livery emerged in perfect formation.
After six rows came through, a block of empty space appeared in the middle of the next line, as four of the ten dwarves were missing. Three more partial rows followed before Thrinton appeared in the center of the empty space. He carried a large war hammer in his left hand and marched in time with the troops. More soldiers followed until they formed a rectangular formation around their king.
The company stopped short of the viewing platform. The four guards in the center of the first six rows continued walking when the rest came to a halt. Thrinton followed behind them as they split off two to each side until none stood before their king and his hosts.
Thrinton walked up the stairs and saluted Farrell. “Your Majesty.”
“Welcome, brother.” Farrell extended his arm. Thrinton smiled and accepted. “High Priestess Jolella, Amelt Randgar of Ze’arder, may I present Thrinton, king of Colograd, who offers his dwarves in defense of Agloth.”
Thrinton banged his gauntlet-covered right fist against his chest and bowed.
Randgar returned the salute.
Jolella bowed politely. “You honor us with your generosity, King Thrinton. Khron has ever looked after His Sister’s well-being. We’re humbled by your gift. The blessings of Seritia to you and all your brave warriors.”
Thrinton nodded to his captain, and his guards marched down the field.
“Interesting that Thrinton came first,” Farrell said to Nerti. “Since they arrived from Colograd, he ought to have been second if not last.”
“Thrinton offered the honor to Drendar as the elder king. Thrinton is a wise dwarf. I like him quite a bit.”
Farrell tried not to laugh. “Drendar’s not so bad. He is an honorable and loyal dwarf, and we should not doubt his commitment. This has been a lot for him to take in at one time.”
“Agreed, but I still like Thrinton more.”
Drendar arrived in similar fashion to Thrinton. He looked stoic and resolute as he marched in the center of his guards. He strode amid his warriors until he arrived before Farrell, Randgar, and Jolella. Farrell made the introductions once Drendar joined them, and the group waited for Miceral.
A last chorus began from the other side of the Door, and they could see the final company begin its march. Unlike Thrinton and Drendar, Miceral did not appear in the center of his guards. The entire company cleared the portal before he appeared riding Klissmor.
Jagwin led the guards and brought them to a halt before the dais. The entire company turned in unison and saluted their other king before walking past the gathered dignitaries. With practiced ease, Miceral dismounted and took the stairs two at a time.
Randgar smiled broadly as Miceral walked over. “You left here an honored warrior and return a high king. As a new fellow monarch, I’m not sure I ought to offer condolences or congratulations.”
“Remarkable changes have happened in recent days. Let us hope they are good omens for the future.”
As Miceral exchanged greetings, Farrell reached out to Takala. “I’d like to see firsthand what Vedric is up to, brother. Would you be willing to merge when I go?”
“Why is there any doubt that I would not?” Takala’s eagerness stoked the tiny flame of self-doubt Farrell had about the mission.
“Farrell?” Miceral’s voice prevented Farrell from answering his brother. “What are you doing?”
“He and his brother were discussing going off to spy on our enemy.” Nerti’s tone indicated how she felt about his plan.
Farrell silenced a curse he forgot she could hear and then a second one when the entire company turned to face him. “You had to tell everyone?”
“If the plan is sound, you should not mind. If it’s not, everyone needs to know about your foolishness.”
“You’re planning to do this now?” Miceral asked; his tone made clear he disapproved. “In the middle of the night?”
Flushing from the reprimand, Farrell paused before answering. “Yes, Miceral, it needs to be done now. If they march through the night, they could be here by midday tomorrow. Vedric also believes we don’t know they’re coming. So now is the perfect time to strike.”
“How do you know he doesn’t think we’re aware he’s coming?” Miceral asked.
Although he recognized Miceral wanted to protect him, Farrell still chafed at the comment. “If they thought we knew they were coming, they wouldn’t expend the effort to try to hide themselves. It also makes sense they don’t think we know. Vedric took great care to conceal their use of a Door and has hidden his army’s movement. And he’s protecting himself as if we’re limited to the usual ways of spying. There’s no way he could know I have the Eye of Honorus and can see through his magic.”
“Okay, but why can’t this wait until morning? They’ll still be far away.”
Everyone watched the exchange, causing Farrell to flash back to his days as a teenager training under Master Heminaltose’s critical eye. “The sooner we slow them down, the more time we’ll have and the more energy they’ll have to waste.”
“Even if they force march and arrive tomorrow, that’s enough time.” Miceral crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t think the small benefit is worth the risk to you and Takala.”
“Actually, his idea has a lot of merit.” Penelope’s sudden input calmed Farrell’s temper. “Right now Vedric probably believes he’s got the advantage and is going to catch us by surprise. If we turn this around and attack him when he’s not expecting it, we may undermine his confidence as well.”
“To reiterate King Miceral’s question, at what risk to you and your peregrine brother?” Randgar asked.
“We’ll be hidden the entire time,” Farrell said. “After we make our attack, we’ll be away before they can figure out what happened.”
Miceral shook his head. “It doesn’t sound like you expect to cause much damage. The risk hardly seems worth the small gain we can expect.”
“Even a tiny attack will cause outsize results.” Out of the corner of his eye, Farrell saw Penelope nod. “Apart from the added time, Vedric’s wizards are going to spend considerable effort shielding his army, and for a longer period of time. That plus the self-doubt I hope it will create are well worth the minimal risk Takala and I will face.”
“To my mind, anything that causes our enemy to use time, energy, and resources on something in this manner is a boon to our cause,” Drendar said. “So long as the risks are as small as you suggest.”
Instead of looking to Farrell, Miceral turned to Penelope. “Is he being honest in his assessment of the risks?”
She nodded. “I believe he is. If they’re using a cloaking spell, they won’t be scanning for an attack. When wizards hide a large group, they expect they won’t be noticed. Even something as small as a detection spell can give away their location.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll only be gone an hour.” Farrell leaned over and kissed his partner. “And, as I keep forgetting, Nerti is still linked to my mind. She’ll know everything that happens and report back to you.”
IT TOOK another hour of conversation regarding what Farrell should and should not do before Takala leapt into the night sky. Farrell silently joined his adoptive brother, flying just above Takala’s position.
Looping in a wide circle, Takala maneuvered his large body to pass inches below Farrell’s feet. Farrell lowered his weightless body onto Takala’s broad back and reached out with his mind. The two seamlessly merged as they had days earlier and winged their way north.
Takala maintained a steady glide as Farrell used a spell to conceal them from any unexpected searches. Once he felt confident they were hidden, he wrapped them in as strong a shield as he could.
Farrell removed the Eye from his pocket and asked it to show him Vedric’s army. Two images of the ground rushing below them appeared in his mind. It took a second for him to realize the Eye was showing both him and Takala the requested information. Dismissing the request, he asked again but specified the Eye show only him the image.
As he’d hoped, Vedric had camped for the night. But they must have stopped within minutes of when he’d checked on them earlier in the day. The decision to halt didn’t make sense until he noted the army had grown considerably. With a small nudge, the image in his mind flew over the soldiers and looked north toward the Door in the ruins of Zeron. He spotted at least four large groups of Chamdon moving toward Vedric’s encampment.
Farrell returned his attention to the mission at hand. Takala worked hard and had them moving with all speed toward their goal. Even with his brother’s full effort, it was going to take longer than he expected to reach Vedric’s force. Farrell used the extra time to examine how Vedric managed to hide such a large group.
First he asked the Eye to show him who had cast the spell, but nothing happened. Trying again, he asked it to show him how Vedric’s wizards hid the army. This time, the image focused on a large bundle of sticks. He watched his brother and three other wizards cast a series of spells on the stack and then distribute them to a large group of wizards standing behind them. These men and women scattered across the army.
Impressive. Farrell heard the word from his brother’s thoughts. Without answering, Farrell directed the Eye to show him the area covered by the spell. As he suspected, everything inside the perimeter of the sticks showed up. He wasn’t sure how well the magic would work if a powerful wizard searched a specific location, but it would easily fool a general, unfocused scan.
Takala maintained direction, and in due course, they approached Vedric’s camp. Using normal vision, Farrell saw no signs of the vast army marching on Agloth. But once he requested the Eye show him their adversaries, the ground shimmered to reveal their foes.
Because they had to see the image with the help of the Eye, everything appeared as if covered by fog. The cloudy overlay, however, didn’t prevent them from seeing their targets.
Farrell directed Takala toward a line of staffs on the eastern edge of the encampment. Each location had a pair of sleepy-looking wizards in close proximity to the wooden pole. Farrell couldn’t imagine a more boring assignment, even if it was vital to the army.
Takala tucked his wings and dove at the bearer on the southeast corner of the formation. The power dive left no room for error, but Farrell shared the adrenaline rush with his brother. They leveled off ten feet above the tallest tent, and Takala belched wizard’s fire from his mouth.
Caught completely unaware, the hapless wizards and their staff were incinerated before either could react. Takala streaked down the line, maintaining a constant assault that killed everyone in its path. The second group tried to raise a shield around themselves and what they guarded, but they were overmatched.
As they approached the next defensive position, the wizards managed to erect a stronger shield. Farrell had his brother stop his attack, and he leveled his staff at the third group. The balls of blue energy Farrell created tore through the protections and killed the lower-level wizards.
An alarm sounded and echoed throughout the camp. Chamdon woke from their imposed slumber and added to the chaos while their handlers tried to control them. Farrell lobbed attacks at several clusters of Chamdon even as they altered course. Wizard’s fire flew in several directions from desperate wizards blindly launching counterattacks at anything that moved.
Takala flapped his wings furiously to gain altitude. After a few seconds, he veered sharply left, carrying them over the frenzy of activity below. The evasive maneuver paid off as three powerful blasts emanated from the middle of the camp. The wide sheets of power scorched the darkness, barely missing the pair. They’d been sent to cover a wide area along the path Takala had been on before he changed course.
By the time they’d reached the western edge of the army, the attacks had stopped. An instant later, a powerful mind brushed against Farrell’s cloaking spell. Although he was confident his magic would work, Farrell still held his breath when the scan came back for a return sweep. Their enemy found nothing, and the probe moved away.
As quickly as it began, the attack was over. Vedric’s camp erected a powerful shield around the now visible command area. Although the three staffs could easily be replaced, Farrell doubted they’d resort to a failed spell. Not doing so required they take a more cautious approach and shield key elements of the army. Satisfied, he decided on their next move.
“Head north.” He “voiced” the thought so Nerti would hear. Takala moved higher and changed directions immediately.
“Why are you not heading home?” Nerti’s immediate response made him smile.
“Vedric is bringing reinforcements through the Door in the ruins. I need to shut it down.”
“The last time you tried to close a Door, you nearly severed your hands. This is an unwise move.”
Farrell anticipated the response. “I’m going to cover the entrance with a sheet of wizard’s fire that can only be taken down from this side. I’m hoping that after my attack, Vedric won’t want to spare anyone powerful enough to fix the problem. And if he does, they won’t be with him for the invasion. Either way, it’s a small thing on my end that will pay large returns.”
Nerti didn’t answer immediately. Takala continued to push northward, and Farrell saw the first of the Chamdon units reach the main army. The second group was in sight when he felt Nerti’s mind touch his.
“Your mate is angry at you, but he agreed stopping our enemy from gaining reinforcements is a good idea. He asked that I remind you both to be careful, do only as much as you need to do to achieve your goal, and come home. I second his sentiments.”
“You have my word we’ll just do what we need to and then come back.”
Given the distance to the ancient lands of Zeron, Farrell decided to check in on Vedric. His half brother’s dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and he wore a suit of well-made armor. He glared around at a group of wizards who avoided his gaze. A wizard a few years older than Vedric, whose aura set him at or very near to grand master status, stood apart from the others. Despite the extra effort it required, Farrell coaxed the Eye to let him hear the conversation.
“What happened?” Vedric yelled, and several wizards cringed. “How did that wizard detect us? And how is it we can’t find him?”
Everyone held their tongue. How could they explain what they didn’t know? When no one spoke, Vedric turned to the one standing alone. “Even you have no thoughts, Brezlaw?”
“Your Highness.” He moved away from the tent wall and closer to his leader. “Like you, I’m shocked they pierced your spell. When we tested it, I was not able to detect it despite knowing what I sought and where to look. It was—it is—a masterful spell. Clearly we face a powerful wizard whose skill surpasses mine.”
Farrell knew instantly the man lied. The spell wasn’t designed to hide anyone from a focused search.
“So you counsel we abandon the attack?” Vedric’s voice was just short of a yell.
“It does seem the prudent course.” The man kept his voice calm. “Our greatest weapon was surprise. If they know we’re coming, they’ll have time to activate Agloth’s outer defenses.”
Vedric shook his head, picked up a pitcher, and poured himself a drink. “We always planned for that possibility. Why do you think you and the extra wizards are here?”
“Ved…. Prince Vedric.” The man bowed his head slightly. “Our plans did not account for fighting someone powerful enough to pierce your shield and defending against Agloth’s defenses. At a minimum I suggest we call in more reinforcements and rethink our plan.”
“I’ll not turn back.” He drained his cup and refilled it. “We can call for reinforcements, but the gate is too far for them to make it here in time.”
“We should delay our attack until they arrive.”
“No, that is what they’ll expect. Whoever did this”—he waved his hand around the tent—“is probably congratulating themselves on their victory and counting on a delay. We keep to our schedule.”
“Very well.” Whatever else he thought, the wizard kept it to himself. The silence lingered for a few moments before he continued. “Given they know our position, I suggest we open a new Door and have our reinforcements come directly here.”
Vedric stared at a wall while everyone waited. Finally he nodded. “That sounds good, cousin. See that it happens.”
“Of course, but….”
Vedric’s eyes narrowed. “Yes? What now?”
“Before we rush blindly to Agloth, I also suggest we spend some time to find out how this wizard found us. My concern is that while it might be reasonable to believe a grand master wizard could pierce the spell, they couldn’t have known how it worked. The attack targeted three staffs that helped hide us. That is extremely disturbing to me. It speaks of either a traitor in our midst or divine intervention. Either of which is troubling.”
“Seritia cannot have aided them directly.” Vedric put his cup down and rubbed his temples. “The Six made that mistake once. You can look for a traitor, though I think it unlikely. I also suggest you ask my father or our grandmother what they think.”
“As you say, Your Highness.” The man bowed deeply and motioned for the other wizards to leave with him.
Farrell watched his half brother for a bit longer. Vedric paced slowly, poured himself another drink, and stared at the map on a table. He set the cup down and grasped both sides of the board. Farrell could see the tendons in Vedric’s arms flex as he tightened his grip on the wood. More than a few times Vedric’s expression reminded Farrell of himself; not his twin, but similar.
Vedric kept his gaze on the map for some time, and Farrell felt a tiny spark of sympathy for his half brother.
“Who are you?” Vedric said to the empty tent. “How did you find us?”
Vedric began to growl softly at first, but it got louder by the second. He removed his right hand from the table and snapped his fingers into a fist. The map crumpled in a ball as his snarl became a loud shout of frustration. He flung the parchment against the wall. “Damn you to Neblor, whoever you are.”
Vedric left the tent and Farrell ended the vision.
“Head home, Takala.”
“Home? What about the Door?”
“It doesn’t matter anymore, and I won’t risk our being found out for no appreciable gain.”
“As you say.” The lost glory disappointed Takala and nearly weakened Farrell’s resolve to go home.
“I’d rather go destroy their Door, but they’re not going to use it for anything important.”
A powerful wind from the north appeared suddenly and pushed them along.
“A good omen you made the right choice, brother,” Takala said. “With this at our tails, I’ll have us home soon.”
Farrell couldn’t get the vision of Vedric out of his thoughts. Finally he realized his real brother, the one who mattered, had just helped him achieve a great victory. “You did well, Takala. Father will be proud.”
“More importantly, Grohl will be jealous.” Takala’s glee caused Farrell to smile. A small one, but it helped improve his mood a bit.