Legends of the Dragonrealm Vol IV Part 45

"It was Darkhorse," he insisted. "I know Darkhorse's magical trace. There's nothing like it in all the Dragonrealm. He's seized Aurim's mind . . . and now it seems he's forcing our son to serve the king of Zuu, even if it means fighting us!"

Chapter Ten.

Yureel.

If there was a thing in all of creation that Darkhorse feared, it was Yureel. He had believed he had seen the last of the monster, but here Yureel was, once more turning living beings into puppets to be wasted in horrific tableaus of violence all for the sake of the mad creature's personal entertainment. That was all any other being was to Yureel, a thing to be utilized for his enjoyment, then discarded when of no further value.

The shadow steed still could not move. The spell that Aurim had cast was a thorough one thanks to the guidance of the macabre little figure. Aurim Bedlam had probably been the thrall of Yureel since soon after his capture, a thrall now eager to do whatever his master desired. Somewhere deep inside, the young sorcerer's mind might still be active, but it hardly mattered. Darkhorse had seen few who could escape the control of the shadow man.

He himself had been one of those few, but now Yureel had him again.

Through Aurim's sorcery they had moved him to a stone structure that had, until recently, served as part of the royal stable. That was all he had been told by the king of Zuu, who, whenever he visited, stared at the shadow steed with a greedy eye. Darkhorse had been here for two days now, unable to move or even use his power to send a mental summons to Cabe or the Gryphon. It was clear that Yureel had spent much time plotting Darkhorse's capture.

Why this, Yureel? Why not simply do what I know you desire? Why not finish me? The sinister little demon had some wicked torture in mind. That had to be it. Yureel wanted him to suffer great mental anguish, vengeance for the ebony puppet's long imprisonment in the empty realm known only as the Void.

Perhaps that was why Darkhorse was here. Perhaps Yureel planned on keeping him here for a few centuries . . . but, no, that was ridiculous. Besides, King Lanith seemed expectant about something. If the madman thinks- A dread rolled over him. Darkhorse sensed another presence, one so much like himself that only he could have noticed the difference.

The insane giggle floated about the chamber. A tiny speck of darkness in one far corner suddenly expanded until it formed a nearly human figure only a foot tall. Once fully shaped, Yureel floated serenely toward his prisoner.

"I do hope you've been enjoying the accommodations, brother dear!" The miniature phantom drifted to eye level. "I wanted you to feel at home since you enjoy that absurd form so much!" Yureel c.o.c.ked his head. "Oh, dear. I forgot that you're speechless for now, aren't you? That'll teach you to be impolite to our gracious host."

Briefly granted speech in the room where he had been captured, Darkhorse had used it to tell King Lanith what he thought of his part in this. The would-be conqueror had not been amused, although Yureel had been. Nonetheless, the shadow puppet had ordered Aurim to silence the prisoner and Cabe's son had obeyed without hesitation.

"We had quite an interesting time shortly after you were captured, Darkhorse. A little side note to my growing epic. It seems a loyal friend of yours wanted to visit. He tried to enter without great Lanith's permission." Yureel giggled. "I'm afraid that we had to destroy him. I hope Aurim won't miss his father too much!"

Cabe? Cabe had already tried to rescue him? What was Yureel trying to say . . . that Darkhorse's dearest companion had been killed in the process? Impossible! he wanted to roar. You are as bald a liar as ever, Yureel!

"You have a twinkle in your eye! Are you trying to tell me something?" He giggled again.

Darkhorse felt the tingle of sorcery. An instant later Aurim Bedlam joined the pair. He bowed to Yureel, completely ignoring his friend.

"I've done as you requested."

The tiny figure turned. "Really? So soon? I'm so proud of you! Show me, quickly!"

Aurim stretched forth his arms. Something made of leather and metal appeared on the floor before him. It took Darkhorse a few seconds to identify the creation as a bridle and bit.

"Is that all right?"

"Lovely, lovely, indeed! And the best of all?"

The sorcerer actually smiled. It was a smile that made the shadow steed want to cringe, so much did it seem more the expression that Yureel would have worn . had the latter actually had a mouth.

"Here." Aurim pointed next to the bridle. A glittering, golden saddle materialized. A strip of silver lined the edge of the saddle and the horn vaguely resembled an equine head. To Darkhorse the object was gaudy, which meant that it likely had been designed by his counterpart, not the sorcerer. "Is that the way you wanted it?"

Yureel clapped his tiny hands together. "Perfection! Simply perfection!" He turned to Darkhorse. "You should be extremely proud of him, brother! He's overcome all of his inadequacies quite quickly, hasn't he?"

"He can't talk," Aurim commented.

"Let him . . . for the moment."

"Release me, Yureel!" cried the ebony stallion the moment he realized that the spell of silence no longer held. "End this folly before it comes crashing down on you!"

"You do like to pontificate." His tone switched, shifting from taunting to bitter. "Perhaps I should throw you into the Void so that you can try listening to yourself as you float trapped without hope! Trapped!"

"You were responsible for your own imprisonment, Yureel! You tried to turn a land into chaos and disaster! You caused death and destruction on a grand scale and felt nothing for the mortal lives you wasted! The sorcerers who finally discovered you and found a way to bind you could have destroyed you instead!"

The shadow puppet's icy eyes narrowed. "But they couldn't, Darkhorse! They couldn't! For a long, long time, I wished that they had . . . for having tasted so much life, realizing that there were so many epics to create, I wanted more!" He giggled again. "And now, I shall create my greatest!"

He is more insane than ever! "Again with the stories, Yureel? What is it with you and your pathetic yearning to create these so-called epics? Is it because you so little understand the lives of the creatures you torment that you think you can learn something by manipulating them in scene after scene of devastation?"

Without removing his gaze from that of Darkhorse, Yureel snapped, "Replace the spell!"

Darkhorse found himself silenced again. He had apparently touched upon a tender point. Yureel looked ready to say something else, but was interrupted by another newcomer.

It was Lanith. The horse king was alone, probably because he wanted no one else to see his phantom servant . . . if the shadow man could be called anyone's servant. From what Darkhorse knew of Yureel, it was the horse king who was the puppet.

"How much longer, imp? I've been more than patient! When will he be ready?"

"Your timing is impeccable, 0 great emperor!" Both Yureel and Aurim performed bows before the king of Zuu, although the former's was decidedly perfunctory. Lanith, however, did not seem to notice the lapse. "Only this moment has your young but so capable master sorcerer completed the tasks I set before him!"

Aurim indicated the bridle and saddle. The horse king, unable to sense the incredible amount of power imbued into the items, seemed somewhat disappointed.

"This will do it? I've a hundred saddles better-looking than this, all made carefully by the best craftsmen in the kingdom. This hardly looks like a suitable saddle for a king, much less an item that'll make him behave as he should."

"You don't like the design?" asked Yureel with what sounded like actual disappointment. The floating figure indicated Darkhorse. "Well, you'll like what it does, I promise you that! Aurim?"

Retrieving the saddle and bridle, the young sorcerer turned to Darkhorse and stared.

The shadow steed felt the bit in his mouth and the strap of the saddle around his torso. Try as he might, Darkhorse could not free himself of the magical items his ensorcelled friend had constructed. Aurim's spell still held sway.

"Now release him."

"Yes, Yureel."

Darkhorse felt a great weight lift off of him, but it was immediately replaced by another, more subtle spell that he quickly realized emanated from the bridle and saddle. He could move his head a little, but that was all. The shadow steed still had no control over his general form.

"He's ready, Your Majesty," the sorcerer announced.

Yureel laughed, then floated to the stallion's head. Dark- horse could just barely see him in his peripheral vision. "As promised, great majesty, the only mount fit to be yours! A steed perfect for the conqueror of the Dragonrealm, the future emperor of all!"

"Magnificent!" Lanith strode to Darkhorse, who wanted to rise up and kick the king away but could not. The tall human stroked his neck, whispering what the eternal considered inane comforting noises that might have worked on a true animal but only served to annoy him further.

Lanith mounted, the action marred only by a brief giggle from Yureel. The warrior king adjusted his seating slightly, then said, "I want to take him out and run him around the yard."

"You have only to guide him as you would any other horse," Aurim replied. "He'll show only as much spirit as you desire, Your Majesty. The saddle and bridle ensure that."

"Seems a bit of a pity. I normally like to break in my own mounts."

Flittering around so that Darkhorse could see him, Yureel chuckled. "You will still have that pleasure, my wondrous majesty! The longer you ride him, the more he will see that he now only lives to serve you! There is plenty of spirit there to be broken and with a little guidance from me, he will soon be yours in mind as well as body!"

More lies, Yureel! Darkhorse tried to shout. I will not break! Never! And if I know you, you do not expect me to. You have something else in mind eventually, don't you? This was merely the shadow puppet's way of weakening Darkhorse. The ebony stallion already knew what fate awaited him. Yureel would not be satisfied until there remained but one of them.

"Open the gates."

"As you've got things well in hand, my glorious monarch, I'll not bother you with my unworthy presence. In my place I shall leave our most loyal Aurim."

Darkhorse could clearly hear the sarcasm in every word, but King Lanith noticed nothing. For the first time, the eternal began to realize how great were the strings with which Yureel manipulated his human "master."

"You're dismissed, imp. Aurim! Open the way to the yard! I want to see what he can do."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

As the sorcerer obeyed, Darkhorse caught one last glimpse of Yureel. The shadow puppet stared back at him, icy eyes glimmering with glee, as he faded back into the shadows.

"Come on, you."

It took Darkhorse a moment to realize that Lanith meant him. At first he thought how absurd it was that the king of Zuu would a.s.sume that he would quietly obey his dictates. Then, when his body began to move of its own accord despite his best efforts otherwise, Darkhorse realized just how powerful the bridle and saddle were.

Aurim stood by the open entrance of the stable, beaming with pride as the king and Darkhorse moved by. The shadow steed found he could move his head, though not turn it around. His body seemed to have the normal limitations of a true equine. Darkhorse looked at his young friend, but the golden-haired spellcaster merely smiled smugly at him, then looked up at the king.

Lanith urged Darkhorse out into the yard, where he forced the shadow steed to trot. The saddle and bridle functioned as if linked to the monarch's mind; they made Darkhorse do whatever his rider desired. The eternal watched in frustration as his ensorcelled body performed like a trained animal for the horse king.

Feminine laughter accompanied by clapping caused Lanith to finally rein him to a halt. Standing near one wall of the yard was Saress. The enchantress was clad in a very low-cut leather riding outfit. "May I ride him when you're done, my darling?"

Lanith patted Darkhorse on the neck in an obviously possessive manner. "Not just yet, Saress. Perhaps after I've grown more accustomed to him myself." The king stroked the eternal's mane. "Perhaps."

The enchantress pouted theatrically, then pretended to notice Aurim. "There you are!" She crossed the yard slowly, each step designed to attract the attention of both men. "Did you make the saddle? I can sense the spells on it, but they're tied together so intricately I'm amazed that anyone could do it!"

The king had guided Darkhorse around just enough that the eternal could see both spellcasters. Aurim did not seem to take Saress's compliments in the manner that she no doubt hoped he would. In fact, the young sorcerer looked very uncomfortable. Small wonder as the woman practically wrapped herself around him the moment she was near enough.

If she sought to make Lanith jealous, it was a losing cause. Saress's devotion to her king was so clear that Lanith had to know that all he had to do was snap his fingers to summon her to his side. The enchantress might find other males of momentary fascination, but her soul belonged to her master. In some ways, it was ironic justice, considering what she had done to Aurim and others.

"I made them, yes," Aurim answered somewhat hesitantly. No mention was made of Yureel, which confirmed to Darkhorse that Lanith did not share all of his secrets with Saress. The shadow steed wondered what she thought of Aurirn's sudden loyalty to the king or if she even thought of it at all. The enchantress was not a thrall like the younger Bedlam; she was a willing servant. Surely Saress noticed some trace of Yureel's foul presence.

"Come." Lanith, sounding bored with the shift in conversation, turned Darkhorse away from the pair. He made the shadow steed trot once around the yard, then forced him to pick up the pace. Darkhorse tried to reject each command, but the saddle and bridle continued to override his will. Yureel had planned his revenge very well.

Around and around the yard Darkhorse raced, Lanith putting him through a variety of maneuvers that would have pushed even the strongest of mounts to their limits. The eternal performed all of them with ease, which only served to encourage the horse king to try yet more difficult stunts.

He could neither see nor sense his counterpart, but the shadow steed knew that Yureel watched him from somewhere, no doubt giggling merrily all the while. A startling thought occurred to him. Was this part of Yureel's plan all along? Did he somehow manipulate matters so that I would be the one to come rescue Aurim?

The macabre little figure had probably not planned things quite so perfectly, but if he had been in the Dragonrealm even for a short period, then he would have had time to study his adversary. He would have known enough about Darkhorse and his relationship with the Bedlams to know that sooner or later the shadow steed would involve himself if one of his mortal friends was kidnapped. That would explain the number of spell traps that Yssa had located around the barony of Adderly. Yureel could not predict exactly where Darkhorse would show up, but he could make a fairly good guess . . . and had.

"He handles magnificently!" Lanith called to the others, reining Darkhorse up in front of them. "Never has any king had a finer mount!"

"You look perfect, darling!" The enchantress abandoned Aurim, who looked quite relieved, and put a caressing hand on the king's leg. "Like a warrior G.o.d!"

"I do look good, don't I?" Lanith reached down and cupped Saress's chin for a moment, then looked up again and said, "Aurim, you've served me well. He obeys my every command perfectly. Every movement is flawless. He'll serve me well in battle. He'll put the fear into my enemies . . ."

Put fear into his enemies . . . Darkhorse had tried to keep from thinking about what Lanith might desire from him. He had hoped that the horse king might simply keep him in Zuu, but it was clear now that Lanith wanted to take full advantage of the eternal's abilities. The shadow steed was to be the king's warhorse.

He wanted Darkhorse to attack the very people the eternal had always fought to protect. Yureel's vengeance was to be even more terrible than Darkhorse had supposed; the shadow man wanted his counterpart to watch as his own substantial powers were turned on his friends.

King Lanith dismounted with a flourish. His face was flushed from excitement. "Saress! Summon Belfour and the others for me! Why wait any longer? Everything I need is mine!"

"Surely you're not-"

"And why not? There's no power strong enough to stop me! I've got an armed force like none other in the realm. My Magical Order's proven itself against the greatest sorcerer of the realm, Cabe Bedlam himself! Better still, the legendary demon Darkhorse is mine to control, mine to ride! I can't lose now! I will triumph against all foes! I'll be Emperor Lanith, ruler of the Dragonrealm!"

Aurim smiled obediently and Saress, after some initial expressions of concern and confusion, laughed and clapped her hands. They were the perfect puppets, Darkhorse decided, for the puppet king.

He wished that he could speak. Surely Lanith did not think that even with magic and arms behind him he could conquer the entire continent. The Aramites had managed to do that on the other continent, but they had only done so with a power rumored to be greater than Yureel and Darkhorse combined. Even so, their empire had crumbled, unable to stave off numerous rebellions that had risen nearly simultaneously under the Gryphon's guidance.

The monarch of Zuu tossed the reins to Aurim. "See to him. Make sure that he's ready when I need him. I want to ride him slowly through Zuu at the head of my personal guard, to show the people that our destiny is a.s.sured." To Saress he added, "Tell Belfour and the others I'll meet them in the throne room. They're to be gathered there in half an hour, no more."

"Yes, darling."

Aurim pulled on the reins. "Come."

Unable to resist, Darkhorse was led back into the stable even as the king gave Saress some last commands. The eternal heard something concerning "that witch," which either referred to Gwendolyn Bedlam or, more likely, the still missing Yssa.

With a gesture, Aurim sealed the entrance behind them, then led Darkhorse back to his stabling. Only then did the human look Darkhorse in the eye. "You won't be able to move now, so don't strain yourself trying." Perhaps he saw something in the shadow steed's stare, for Aurim abruptly removed the spell of silence. "You want to say something?"

Darkhorse forced himself to remain calm. This might be his only opportunity to break the lad free of Yureel's insidious spell. "Aurim, you must listen to me. This is not you. You would never serve a monster such as Yureel or this pathetic, would-be conqueror. You would never attack your own family or use your abilities to rain down destruction on people simply trying to defend themselves."

"If the king commands me to use my powers to aid his efforts, I'm bound to obey."

"You are not! It is a spell that binds you, not loyalty. Think! This is Yureel's foul doing! He has seized your mind, twisted your very thoughts. This is not you."

The sorcerer's face went blank,then slowly his expression twisted, as if he fought with some inner demon. "No. . I'm simply loyal to the king . . . but . . . Saress . . . she fooled me . . ."

Darkhorse's eyes flashed. "Fight it, Aurim! You are stronger! You are not Yureel's p.a.w.n!"

"Darkhorse." The young human looked ready to scream. "I can't-"

"You must!"

"I can't . . . really believe you'd think my hold on him was that weak, brother!" Aurim flashed a smile and giggled, sounding much too much like someone other than himself.

The eternal tried to probe the chamber, but the spell that bound him did not allow him that much power. Still, there was no doubting that Yureel was present nearby. "So, only a game again, eh?"