At the Gates of Darkness Part 9

'Whoever's building that monstrosity.'

'I feel like we should be seeking cover,' said Farson.

Glancing around, Sandreena said, 'I will be happy to oblige you as soon as you show me some.'

They stood on an exposed mountainside. If there were sentries on the wall of the strange building, the three on the trail were still too distant to be noticed, but if they stood guard at the bottom of this long trail, or anywhere closer, they were only visible if anyone looked in their direction.

Sandreena pointed to a depression about a dozen yards below the trail. 'That's a stream bed when it rains here,' she said. She turned off the track and carefully led her horse down the loose rocks and scrub, weighing each step for treacherous footing. When she reached the gully, she saw that it quickly deepened. Reaching the bottom, she halted. 'We'll leave the horses here and tonight get as close as we can to investigate.'

'Leave the horses, Sergeant?' asked Farson.

'There is no cover along the trail, those below can just sit there and start shooting arrows at you like swinging targets in the marshalling yard, as soon as they spot us.' She glanced up. 'We have three switchbacks above us and five or six more below.' She looked at the two knights. 'Farson, I want you to lead the horses back up to the top.' She pointed to a point directly above their hiding place. 'Wait up there. Untack them, clean them, water them and wait until sundown. Then tack them up again and be ready to ride at a moment's notice.' She sensed he was about to object, but cut off anything he might have said. 'You have the most critical duty. If we are not back by sunrise tomorrow, you a.s.sume we are dead. You must get back to Durbin and take the fastest route to Krondor, by ship if you can, or trade the three horses in for fresh mounts, and get to the Temple.'

She realized that only one man at the Temple was on Creegan's safe list. 'Find Brother Willoby, in Father-Bishop Creegan's office. Tell him what we've found. He'll know what to do.'

Brother Farson said, 'Whathave we found, Sergeant.' He pointed in the general direction of the distant construction. 'I don't even know if I can describe that, let alone divine it's purpose.' we found, Sergeant.' He pointed in the general direction of the distant construction. 'I don't even know if I can describe that, let alone divine it's purpose.'

'It is an invasion point,' said Sandreena. 'Can't you feel them?'

'Who?' asked Jaliel his dark brow knitted in concentration or worry.

'Demons,' said Sandreena. 'The place is crawling with them if my skin is any indication.'

Farson said, 'Sergeant, I'm a little on edge, but...I just don't feel it.'

'Me, neither,' agreed Jaliel.

Sandreena studied them both for a moment, then turned her attention back to the task at hand. 'You have your orders,' she said to Farson, and he nodded. He turned the animals around slowly; she knew he didn't relish the idea of leading three horses back up that trail.

She watched closely for any sign they might have been observed, while the returning Knight-Adamant tied her horse's reins to the saddle ring of Jaliel's, then that mount's reins to his own. 'See you tomorrow, Sergeant, Jaliel,' he said as he led the three horses back up the shallow gully and started the tedious climb back to the top of the ridge.

'Now what,' asked Jaliel quietly.

'We wait,' she answered, looking at the sky. 'Best if we rest now. You try to sleep. I'll stand watch.'

The more experienced of the two knights she had recruited nodded, not needing further urging. It was only morning and they might have a long day ahead of waiting, but years living in the wilderness had taught him to take rest when it was offered.

Left to her own thoughts, Sandreena crawled up to a boulder so she could rest her arm on it and then her chin on her arm and study the distant construction. Flickers of movement gave tantalizing hints of something going on, but she could make out no useful detail. She would have to be content to wait until dark-ness fell, which was a good nine hours or more away, and then creep down for a closer look. She offered a prayer to the G.o.ddess, that they would remain undiscovered, because she had no illusions that they would be able to make it back to the top of that long switchback while being chased if they were on foot. Hiding was their only hope.

So she settled in, prayed, and waited for the sun to crawl across the sky, trying very hard to drive thoughts of Amirantha from her mind.

Night arrived slowly, but after the sun had set, Sandreena and Jaliel began to move carefully down the side of the mountain.

The failing light frustrated Sandreena: even as she got closer to the building, she could make out even less detail. Little Moon was the only one rising this early in the evening and the smallest of Midkemia's three moons provided scant illumination. Middle Moon wouldn't be seen until just before dawn and Large Moon wouldn't rise until well after dawn. Still, as their greatest need was stealth, she would rather deal with having to get closer now, than trying to approach the demons on a Three Moons Bright night.

Sandreena did notice that a small tower, barely two stories tall, had been erected near the base of the trail. Had they continued down earlier in the day, they would have been spotted by the sentry on duty. Sandreena used barely visible hand gestures to inform Jaliel they were going to circle even farther away from the trail.

The gulley down which they crept emptied out into a basin a hundred yards across, before running into a dry river bed that wound around the base of the hills. A fairly large river must have flowed through here in ages past, although Sandreena found it hard to imagine this area lush, or with rain enough to fill a brook, let alone a river. Yet the evidence of water erosion was under her feet, and currently hiding her from view as she and her companion crawled along the southern edge of the basin.

Both knights were battle tested and ready for any trouble, but both knew this was a reconnaissance mission not elective combat. Something this ma.s.sive, in a place this far removed from any civilized authority, could only be the work of forces inimical to those authorities, which made it a matter of concern for the Temple as well. And the stench of demon was so strong here Sandreena knew those concerns were urgent.

She stood for a moment and studied the walls. Large flaming braziers hung from chains attached to tripods evenly s.p.a.ced along the battlement, for it was indeed a fortress. But it was unlike any fortress Sandreena had ever encountered or heard of.

'What is this place?' whispered Jaliel.

'No place good,' answered Sandreena. 'We need to split up. I want you to go that way.' She pointed towards the southern-most end of the basin and moved her hand to indicate where he should make his way along the line that ran parallel to the walls. The entire structure appeared to be circular, but she would need to get closer, and have better light to be certain. The curve of the wall before her suggested it was a ma.s.sive circle of stone with a gigantic gate in the middle.

She gripped him by the arm and whispered, 'Go; return here by midnight. If I'm not here, make your way to the top as best you can. If Farson has already left for Durbin, make your way to the Oasis at La-amat-atal, and wait for a caravan to get you safely to civilization. If you get there before he leaves, tell him what you see, and go with him to Krondor.'

'Yes, Sergeant,' he replied. 'You?'

'I'm going to circle in the other direction, and then I'm going to do my d.a.m.nedest to be at the top of the trail before Farson leaves with my horse.'

He chuckled, and said, 'G.o.ddess be with you, Sister.'

'And with you, my brother,' she replied.

He set off at once, moving surprisingly quietly for a man with armour and a shield strapped to his back. Sandreena waited for a moment, not wanting too much movement in this area, and when he was gone from her sight, set off up the side of the basin and onto the flat above. She crouched, though it was no easy feat with her shield on her back and her sword clutched in her right hand. She found a small stand of scrub brush between the lip of the basin and the watch tower. She prayed to the G.o.ddess that whoever was stationed up there was watching for movement along the road and not for anyone coming from behind.

Occasionally, she turned and glanced at the far wall of the fortress, to try to discern some more detail: like who was on the wall and what they were doing, but it was still too far away. She came to an outcropping of rocks and knelt behind it, slowly raising herself up to observe the guardhouse. Then she sat down hard, barely able to believe her eyes. An elf stood guard in the guardhouse, and from his apparent size, she judged him to be one of the newly arrived Star Elves.

She sat down, her back to the rock, and felt completely confused. She sensed demon presence in huge numbers, yet an elf stood watch. Given their reputation for being able to see in dim light, she counted herself and Jaliel very fortunate to have made it down that gully undetected; had they stayed on the switchbacks, even at night, the elf would certainly have seen them half a mile away.

Now she knew she had to get closer to this structure and see if she could make any sense of what was occurring here. She waited until she saw the elf turn his back to watch the trail above, and she hurried across what felt like a vast open s.p.a.ce, moving as silently as she could, until she found more rocks behind which to shelter. Holding her breath so she could hear any hint of alarm, she waited. Only the distant sounds of working from the fortress distilled the silence of the desert night.Where was the wind when you needed it? she thought, then off she went, moving around the perimeter, seeking a place that would allow her to get closer to the construction. she thought, then off she went, moving around the perimeter, seeking a place that would allow her to get closer to the construction.

Sandreena crouched below some empty wagons; their traces were empty and there was no sign of the mules or horses that pulled them. She doubted those inside stabled their draft animals. They most likely just ate them. The venture had all the appearance of a one-way enterprise, with the final destination stretched out before her. She felt as if she might scream from frustration, but fear and caution combined to keep her focused and silent. There were so many questions plaguing her, but all she could do was creep around in shadows and continue to observe.

The ma.s.sive gate was currently open, allowing Sandreena tantalizing glimpses inside. Her mind reeled at the image of dwarves, humans, elves, and even a troll, labouring under the watchful eye of demons. It looked as if they were using mortal beings as slave labour, something unimagined in the annals of all the demon lore she had been exposed to. Now more than ever she wished Amirantha was here, and not because he had broken her heart and she wanted to punish him; she needed him to make sense of the tableau before her.

A demon overseer hove into view. He paused, staring in her direction for a moment. She felt her heart jump and she held her breath. She had never faced a demon as formidable in appearance as this one. It had the head of a deformed ape, with two upswept ears, a grotesque parody of an elf's, and it wore a ma.s.sive chest piece with a human skull set in the middle like a heraldic device. The monster's shoulders were covered with black steel spaulders that swept up and ended in gold tipped points. Its legs were covered in black armour, and it wore a circlet of gold with another skull set in the brow. The ma.s.sive sword it carried in its right hand pulsed with an evil red light.

The demon sniffed the air, then after a moment turned away and shouted something to one of the humans. The human bowed and hurried off.

On top of the walls workers scrambled up wooden scaffolding to hoist large stones in order to raise the ma.s.sive arching columns. Now that she was closer, Sandreena could see that the columns were being installed with great care and she could see their placement being watched closely. Two robed men studied the scene, and when the stones were in place, both began an incantation. The sound of their words was lost, but the feeling that descended upon her as she watched this part of the construction filled her with cold fear.

Something gigantic, impossible to decipher, and holding no good purpose was being fashioned here by demons, who oversaw a workforce of mortal workers and mages. None of this made any remote sense to her, and she knew her cause would be better served if she started back now, to make sure her report reached Father-Bishop Creegan. What she had seen could not wait for a messenger, even by fast ship or swift rider; she would rather make the voyage to Sorcerer's Island. Pug and his confederates had devices that could get her to Rillanon in days instead of weeks; the island was far closer to Durbin than Krondor, and a great deal closer than Rillanon. Besides, she thought in pa.s.sing, the last place she had seen Amirantha had been on that cursed island.

Yet her curiosity tugged at her, for she wasn't sure she had seen enough. Perhaps more information could be gained.

As she mused, she heard footsteps approaching from behind, and by the time she had turned, the dwarf warrior was charging towards her. There was something in his eyes that warned her that she had no time to waste on discussion. He carried a short sword and swung it with deadly intent.

Sandreena managed to roll out of the way and get to her feet, slipping her shield off with a single motion and reversing it so she could slip her arm through the straps on the back; she had her sword up just in time to block the dwarf's following strike.

The shock that ran through her arm as she took that blow made her realize this was no untested swordsman she faced, but an experienced dwarven warrior who would offer no quarter. She had never faced one before, not even in a practice melee, their fort.i.tude and prowess were renowned. She knew she could not wear him down; he could fight until she collapsed from fatigue and then dance on her grave. She certainly could not overpower him, and she doubted she could disable him. Her only hope was a quick kill.

Two strikes and the dwarf hesitated, and Sandreena noticed that his eyes were slightly unfocused, but she was nearly over-whelmed by an unexpected sensation. She had fought in more than a score of life or death battles, and three times that amount against men whom she was only trying to subdue. She had experienced every type of male body stench, and a few females, and thought nothing of it, but she had not antic.i.p.ated that dwarves might stink like demons.

He aimed a skull-crushing overhand blow at her and over extended slightly. In that moment, she noticed a talisman hanging from a leather cord around his neck. It was a foul thing with red glowing stones for eyes and was also where the demon stench was originating.

She danced away and rather than take his head from his shoulders-although she found the opening-she turned her blade and struck him with the flat of her sword on the side of his head. It was like hitting a tree bole and the shock that ran up her arm nearly numbed it to the shoulder.

The dwarf barely blinked and came straight at her. She hesitated only a moment, then leapt to her left, straight into the dwarf's next blow, but rather than take it anywhere vital, she couched under it, which was no mean feat against a foe barely taller than five feet, then came up behind him.

Before he could turn, she reached out and s.n.a.t.c.hed at the leather thong holding the talisman in place. She ripped it from him and tossed it away.

It was as if she had struck him between the eyes with the hammer he was holding. He stumbled, half-turned, then fell backwards, landing on his rear. He sat in the dust, blinking as if blinded by brilliant lights, then let out a long sigh. His eyes finally focused on her and he said, 'What? Who are...?' He looked around, and Sandreena followed his gaze.

No one on the wall had witnessed their confrontation, but more workers were coming into view. Instead of leaping to his feet and alerting the others of an intruder, the dwarf crawled towards her, grabbed her by the leg and hissed, 'Get down, for the G.o.ds sake!'

Sandreena knelt, but kept her sword pointed at the dwarf. 'You going to keep trying to kill me?'

The dwarf looked confused. 'Kill you? Woman, I don't know who you are, but if you're not working for them-'-he pointed towards the fortress-'-then you're my new best friend.'

'Who are you?'

'I'm Keandar, son of Kendrin of Dorgin.'

She nodded, motioning for him to crawl with her back under the shelter of the wagon. Dorgin was the dwarven city closest to their current location, a tiny state on the border of Great Kesh and the Kingdom of the Isles.

'What is this place?'

'That's a long tale, one I would prefer to recount as far away from here as possible.' He glanced under the wagon and said, 'Some of my kin are in there, and I mean to get back to Dorgin, tell the king, and return with every war hammer we can raise.'

Sandreena knew it would take more than a small army of dwarves to deal with what was forming here, but she decided that debate could wait. 'Can you tell me what is going on in there?'

'Aye, some,' he said, 'but only a bit. I was used as a guard, mostly, though those of my people with skills, the engineers, smiths and mongers, and the stone masons, were given jobs inside. But we spoke a little while we ate, when we ate.'

'Come on,' she said, glancing at the position of the Little Moon. 'I have a horse and we can ride double, but it's some distance from here and we need to reach it by sunrise.'

'Sunrise?'

'Or one of my order will be taking it back to Durbin without me.'

'Ah,' said the dwarf. 'You're not alone?'

'No,' said Sandreena. 'There are two others.'

'Well, let's have a leisurely chat when we're miles from here. You lead, I'll follow.'

Sandreena nodded once and crouched, then scampered from the wagons to the first pile of rocks and began the long return to the gully that would take her past the guard house. When she reached it, she turned to Keandar and said, 'We need to slip past that guard.'

'Why not just go there and quickly kill him? It's only an elf.'

'We may have them after us when you don't return,' she said, 'but they'll send a larger hunting party if they find a dead sentry in that post.'

He sighed, as if he were disappointed, then said, 'Very well. They don't keep close track of us, mostly because of those things they make us wear. They sap our freewill and muddle our minds.'

'Tell me about it later,' said Sandreena, and Keandar nodded. To herself she muttered, 'If there is a later.'

Dawn found a very nervous Farson waiting in the designated spot, with all three horses tacked up and ready to ride. He had his sword out as Sandreena hove into view, and was about to strike when she called him by name.

'Sergeant?' he asked looking at the dwarf.

'This is Keandar of Dorgin. If anything happens and I fall, you must get him to Sorcerer's Island.'

Farson's eyes widened. 'Sorcerer's Island? Sergeant, no one goes to-'

'Sorcerer's Island.'

'But Krondor-'

Firmly, she said, 'Sorcerer's Island.' She looked around, then asked, 'Jaliel?'

Farson shook his head.

'We wait until the sun clears the horizon, then we leave without him.' She knew he was probably lost; had he been close, they would have encountered one another in the gully or on the upper trail even if he was coming from the other side of that fortification. Still, she honoured her word to him to wait.

The sun rose. When she could see it was full above the horizon, she said, 'G.o.ddess watch over him.' Taking the reins of Jaliel's mount, she handed them to the dwarf. 'Do you need a leg up?'

The dwarf grinned. In the morning sun his hair and beard looked especially red and his eyes were a glinting blue. He was, like most of his race, barrel-chested and broad of shoulder, with powerful arms and thick legs. 'I'm short,' he replied, 'not a child.'

His vault into the saddle was impressive and he took the reins in hand like a practiced rider.

Farson and Sandreena mounted and she took one last look around, half-hoping to see Jaliel come into sight. Then, taking a deep breath, she said, 'Durbin!'

They turned their horses and rode to the north.

CHAPTER NINE - War.

GULAMENDIS LEAPT.

The lizard scuttled away, but not before the Demon Master seized it in a single motion and bashed it hard against the rocks. He hurried back to the cave where his brother waited. A small fire burned at the back and the Conjurer was huddled before it, trying to stay warm in the early morning chill.

The nights on this world were bitterly cold and the days scorching hot. The sun had just begun to rise on the seventh day of being stranded on this alien planet. They had found fresh water in a small stream running down the side of the hill and they had contrived to catch lizards and birds for sustenance; a bare subsistence, but despite being filthy, tired, and hungry, they were at least alive.

But they were more puzzled about the demons than when they first arrived. Having rested for a day, they had then ventured out to look down upon the ma.s.sive army twice. Both times they had proceeded cautiously and avoided detection. Something was stirring down in that valley, but they were uncertain what it was. Had this been an elven army, they might have guessed its behaviour, but demons organized in this fashion were outside their experience and knowledge.

The brothers barely spoke, they had talked over everything they knew about this situation over the first few days. They could not have ported into the demon realm, as had that been the case they would have perished in minutes. They might not be on the world they called Home, but they were in that same sphere of experience. Despite the less than hospitable surround-ings, the air was breathable, the water drinkable, and the wildlife edible. Though one of the reptile species they had encountered had induced severe stomach cramps and other unpleasant reactions.

Gulamendis held out his hand as he reached the back of the cave where his brother waited.

'Lizard,' said Laromendis, dryly. 'How unexpected.'