An Alliance of Mortals, page 27
part #6 of The New Earth Chronicles Series
“Welcome, Magnus,” he said warmly. “It is good to meet you in person.”
The shaman returned his smile and shook the summoner's hand.
“Thank you, Chao,” he replied, his voice a pleasant baritone. “I am happy to be here. I've long wanted to visit Nottinghill Castle. It is regrettable that it has to be under such dire circumstances.”
Tamara and Sebastian moved to join Chao, and the smaller man introduced them to the shaman.
“We are honored, sir,” Tamara said as she and her brother shook his hand. “Since Chao told us that he had contacted you, we have looked forward to speaking with you about current events.”
Magnus looked around the enclosure and stared at the dwarven warriors who were watching him warily.
“Ah, so that is what they look like,” he murmured. “I have never seen a dwarf before. They certainly look competent, don't they?”
“They are that,” Sebastian agreed with a grin. “And thanks to their king, they are now a permanent presence here in Nottinghill. We may not be completely safe from our enemies, but at least we'll be able to put up a respectable defense should we be attacked.”
Tamara led them out of the enclosure into the courtyard and Magnus stopped to gaze at the towering castle that loomed over him.
“By my ancestors, I had no idea that it was so big,” he said in amazement. “Surely the original castle wasn't this large, was it?”
“No, it wasn't,” Tamara replied as she looked up at the towers of the castle. “It was all but destroyed years ago by our enemies. Thanks to the dwarves and our combined magic, we rebuilt it even bigger and stronger than it had been. And since then, we've added several wings to it as our population has grown.”
“Remarkable,” the shaman said as he turned his gaze to the high ramparts. “If the goblin army attacks this fortress, they will have a difficult time getting through its walls.”
“They managed to do so once before,” Sebastian said soberly. “But we've strengthened them since then and, now that we've added the dwarves to our ranks, it gives us some hope, sir. But we are realists here in Nottinghill and we know that the goblins have the numbers on their side.”
“And now there is an envoy from the Chaos lords themselves helping our enemies,” Magnus noted. “The game has changed, which is why I am here tonight.”
The small group made their way through the courtyard and Magnus commented on the many stalls and buildings that were used by tradesmen.
“It really is a small town, isn't it?” he remarked with a smile. “As much as I love living in the wilds, I find that I have missed having some contact with civilization.”
“Civilization? Is that what this is?” Sebastian joked. “In that case, welcome to humanity's last bastion of civilization.”
The shaman chuckled as Tamara frowned at her brother.
“Be nice, Bastian,” she snapped.
“I'm always nice,” he replied airily. “Our new friend deserves nothing less.”
Even Chao had to smile at his teasing and Tamara rolled her eyes as she looked at Magnus.
“Forgive my brother,” she told the shaman. “He's never really grown up.”
The four of them were ascending the main steps leading to the castle's front doors and Magnus was trying to look everywhere at once, taking in the strength of the fortress even as he listened to his hosts.
“We've gathered the heads of all of the trades, as well as the rest of the leaders, sir,” Sebastian told him as they reached the entrance. “They are waiting for us inside.”
Magnus waited as two guards opened the double doors and then he smiled ruefully at his hosts.
“It has been a long time since I've addressed a large group of people,” he told them.
“They won't bite, sir,” Sebastian said with a smile. “Honest. It's just that you are the one who was contacted by your...”
He hesitated and the shaman chuckled.
“My spirit guide?” he said. “Yes, that is true. The spirits of nature are on our side in this. They recognize the agents of the dark gods as invaders and seek to aid us in removing them.”
Tamara led the way into the castle and down a long, wide hallway. Many paintings hung from the walls and a red carpet covered the stone floor.
“Will they add their powers to our struggle?” she asked Magnus as they walked down the hall.
“They do not get directly involved in mortal affairs,” he replied. “But their eyes and ears are everywhere and information can be as powerful in its own way as military force, if used correctly.”
“That is true,” Chao agreed. “And do they know where that envoy of the evil gods is right now?”
Magnus nodded as he looked with interest at the many paintings. There were pictures of people, both modern and historic, and many landscapes. He smiled at a particularly beautiful painting of high mountains topped with clouds.
“Yes, they know where she is. Whether she will stay there for a while or not is unknown, but no matter where she goes, we will find her.”
The corridor opened up to the main entrance hall, a huge round room with staircases the wound up on both sides to the second floor. Several couches and low tables were scattered around the hall, along with statuary and two large bookcases filled with heavy tomes.
The floor was covered with brightly colored rugs and everything was clean and neatly placed.
A large chandelier hung over the center of the room, dozens of candles brightly illuminating the room.
“Lovely,” Magnus murmured. “And it is so quiet. You would never know that hundreds of people lived in this place.”
“People tend to retire early here,” Tamara told him. “Once the sun goes down, Nottinghill Castle becomes almost ghost-like in its silence. But the troops are alert and on watch at all hours, of that you can be sure.”
She continued to lead the group across the entrance hall and down another hallway. They passed several pairs of guards standing at every intersection where corridors met. All of the guardsmen saluted as they passed and Tamara nodded at them in return. Some of the guards watched Magnus in wonder, his buckskin clothing and feathered braids obviously not something that they had seen before.
The shaman found their reactions humorous, but said nothing and simply absorbed his surroundings as he moved through the castle.
The group finally reached their destination, a pair of heavy wooden doors reinforced with metal strapping at the end of a long hallway. Two more guards were on duty here and they watched as the foursome approached.
“Are the others gathered?” Tamara asked one of them, a tall woman with short black hair.
“Yes, ma'am,” the guard replied stiffly, her chain mail armor ringing softly as she saluted. “The commander just arrived a few minutes ago. He's the last of the leadership that you invited to this meeting.”
“Good. Thank you. Please open the doors.”
Both of the guards grabbed a handle and pulled the two doors open. Magnus took a deep breath and Chao smiled at him.
“Courage, my friend,” he whispered as Tamara walked through the doorway. “They are really quite nice, I promise you.”
“I will hold you to that,” the shaman replied lightly.
They both entered the conference hall and Sebastian brought up the rear. The doors closed behind them and Magnus stopped for a moment to take in the scene.
The hall was immense. The beautifully paneled walls rose almost thirty feet to many stained glass windows that were now dark as the sun had set a few hours earlier.
At the far end of the hall was an enormous fireplace that took up the entire wall. A large fire blazed beneath the marble mantelpiece, adding a warm light to the room.
A long conference table ran the length of the hall, on top of which were dozens of candelabras adding more light to the scene. There were people sitting in chairs along both sides of the table, a very disparate group that represented all of the different tradesmen and people of the castle.
Tamara waited patiently until the shaman met her eyes and nodded.
She smiled and gestured for him to follow her to the head of the table.
Magnus could feel everyone's gaze lock on to him as he stood next to Tamara and he reminded himself that this was a group of allies, not enemies. It helped him to relax slightly as the mage introduced him.
“Good evening, everyone,” Tamara began. “Thank you all for coming. We have a special guest with us tonight, someone whose talents have allowed him to locate the new leader of the enemy forces arrayed against us.”
She looked around at the leaders and then turned to the shaman.
“This is Magnus, a shaman of the Algonquin tribe and, sadly, the last of his people,” she told them. “He has been living in the wilderness in Canada for years, but has generously agreed to join us tonight to share his knowledge with us. Magnus, on behalf of all of us, allow me to welcome you to Nottinghill Castle.”
As one, all of the people at the table stood up and began to applaud.
Magnus stared at them in surprise, not quite sure how to respond. After a moment, he held up his hands and gestured for the crowd to take their seats.
“Thank you, Lady Tamara, for your warm welcome,” he said, raising his voice so that everyone could hear him. “And thank you all as well. I must admit that I am a little overwhelmed by all of this. After living alone for so long, standing in front of so many people is a little intimidating.”
Many of the leaders smiled reassuringly at their guest and Magnus relaxed at their show of support.
Chao and Sebastian took seats on either side of the table while Tamara remained standing beside the shaman.
“All of you have the notes I sent to your quarters?” she asked the assembly.
There were nods and the sound of papers being shuffled.
“Good. Then you know the story of this new leader of the dark armies. She tried to infiltrate the palace of the dwarves and, when that plan failed, she attacked the elves in the town of Caladur. Fortunately, the dwarves aided them and defeated the goblin forces before they reached the elves' anchor. That leader got away.”
“Who is she, Tamara?” someone near the end of the table asked loudly.
The mage turned to Magnus.
“Our guest knows the answer to that better than I do. Sir, if you would?”
“Yes, of course.”
Tamara sat down and left Magnus to stand alone, the center of attention.
Lit by the flickering light of the many candles on the conference table, the shaman looked stern and almost alien in his buckskin clothing and long braids. He took a moment to look at each leader, trying to gauge their resolve.
Every one of them returned his gaze steadily and Magnus felt reassured by their obvious strength and determination.
“I do not know much about the powers that your people were gifted with when magical energy returned to the world on the wings of the dragons,” he began. “As a shaman, I have never used magic. I do not know what it is or what it can do. Since my childhood, I was trained to look to the spirits for their wisdom. The spirits of nature never left the Earth, back when the gods withdrew into the Void, taking their war and their power with them. They have been here since the beginning and are not beholden to any divine entity.”
Someone held up a hand and Magnus nodded at the man.
“What exactly are these spirits, sir?” the woman asked him. “I am Katherine Hastings, by the way, the senior cleric here in Nottinghill.”
Magnus smiled warmly at her.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Hastings,” he replied. “I have great respect for those give aid and comfort to others. As I understand it, your gifts come directly from the lords of Light, yes?”
“That is correct, sir.”
“Ah, then we have something in common. You see, the powers that a shaman commands are given to him or her by the spirits. The difference is that we have never lost our abilities. The spirits are safe from the machinations of the gods, both good and evil. They never involved themselves in the divine war, and have no interest in doing so now. Instead, they care for the natural world itself. Every animal, bird, insect, fish, or any other creature that exists in nature has a spirit that is connected to it.”
He looked around the table and saw more than a few confused expressions.
“I understand how strange that sounds to many of you. All I can do is assure you that it is true. My presence with you tonight is proof of the powers of the spirits. My spirit animal, the mighty Crow, carried me on his astral wings from the western forests of Canada to this castle in mere moments. I doubt that he will aid us directly in our battle against the forces of Chaos, but he and the other spirits are willing to provide us with information about their troop movements and other things that could at least let us prepare for the war that we all know is coming.”
Katherine nodded thoughtfully.
“I understand, I think,” she told the shaman. “Thank you. And the spirits have located this leader that Tamara told us about?”
“They have. At the moment, she is secreted away in the goblins' main base, a hive-like structure located in central Russia. The spirits tell me that this person is an envoy sent by the lords of Chaos to take command of the goblin forces. It is obvious to the spirits, as I suspect it is to all of you, that the goblins want to take control of the anchors connecting the three mortal races. And if they cannot seize these anchors, then they will destroy them.”
Chapter 20
After the meeting, Magnus spent some time speaking with each of the leaders individually. He was pleasantly surprised to find that none of them had any airs and that they all seemed to be ordinary people trying to do their best for the survivors living in the castle.
He was particularly impressed by the commander of the guards, Malcolm Deschamps. The huge man warmly welcomed the shaman and the two of them stood in front of the fireplace and spoke for a few moments.
“You say that your spirit friends will not aid us directly,” Malcolm said as the logs in the fire snapped and flared with sparks.
He was wearing brown leather trousers and a long black tunic that hung to his knees. He was almost a foot taller than the shaman, who was not a small man himself.
Magnus nodded as he watched the big man closely. All that he sensed from Malcolm was a good heart and a concern for others. The shaman could not think of a better personality for a leader to have, especially one who commanded troops.
“That is true,” he replied. “The ancient spirits do not intervene in the affairs of this world. Even back when our race was exterminating animal species by the thousands, through pollution and over-hunting and fishing, the spirits did not interfere. That is not their way.”
“And yet you were transported here by one of them,” Malcolm reminded him. “Isn't that a kind of interference?”
Magnus chuckled.
“You might see it that way. Crow has always been more directly involved in mortal affairs than others of his kind. He was the spirit animal revered most by my ancestors. My mother, a powerful shaman in her own right, was beloved by Crow. Her strength of character and her advocacy for our people with the governments of the day, attracted him. And when she died, Crow took me under his wing, so to speak, and shared many secrets with me.”
He looked into the fire, musing silently for a moment as he relived old memories.
“He predicted the return of the dragons, you know,” he told Malcolm softly. “On the Night of Burning, I was far away from any city, hiding in the deep forests to the north of Ottawa. I stood on a hill and watched the skies burn as the dragons rained fire down on every city and town within fifty miles of my campsite. It was the most horrific thing that I have ever experienced.”
Malcolm stared at him in surprise.
“My friend Aiden and I were from a small town not that far from Ottawa. I didn't know that you came from the same part of the world. Amazing coincidence. We were locked away in an underground room when the dragons sent their drakes to ravage our home town. When we managed to escape our confinement, all we found was devastation. Everyone that we had ever known was dead.”
Magnus looked up at him with a puzzled frown.
“Why were you locked away?” he asked Malcolm.
The big man smiled wryly and tapped his chest.
“I was not always the man you see before you. Both Aiden and myself were just a couple of skinny kids before magic began to seep back into the world and started to change us. We were both outcasts to begin with. I was the only black kid in town and Aiden was the only Korean kid. It was natural for us to be drawn to each other, I suppose. Mutual support and all that. And when we began to Change, both of us were locked up in a deep underground chamber, 'for our own good'.”
His tone was bitter.
“The sad irony is that we might have been able to defend our families and friends and the others in town who eagerly locked us away, if they hadn't been so frightened of our changes. Instead, they assured our survival while condemning themselves to death.”
“But now you command the troops here in Nottinghill Castle,” Magnus reminded him. “From such a tragic beginning, you have risen to a position of respect and power. Surely that counts for something?”
“Does it?”
Malcolm shook his head and glanced across the room to where Tamara, Sebastian and Chao were waiting for the two men to finish their conversation. He smiled fondly at them and looked back at the shaman.
“I am proud of what we have accomplished so far,” he admitted. “We've survived a hell of a lot longer than I ever thought we would. But we've lost so much too. Aiden is dead, killed defending the people of this place. So many others have died as well. The enemy forces keep growing stronger with every passing day. And now you tell us that they have a new leader, one that takes her orders directly from the Chaos lords. If your spirit friends won't help us in our fight against that evil then, no offense, what good are they?”
Rather than being insulted, Magnus understood how Malcolm felt and he nodded sympathetically.
