An Alliance of Mortals, page 33
part #6 of The New Earth Chronicles Series
“Do not hesitate, Shaman,” Antoine said sonorously. “If you do, you will die and you may allow others to die as well. Regret comes later.”
“Well, that was succinct,” Hallic said as he looked at Magnus. “Can you focus on the task at hand? If not, tell us now and you can remain in the rear and just let us know where the emissary is when the time comes.”
Magnus shook his head.
“Don't worry,” he told the group. “I know why we are here and what needs to be done. I just recognize that the goblins are not simply animals. But they want to wipe us out and that makes them our enemies. I will not hesitate to do what must be done when the time comes.”
“Good,” Antoine said. “Let us go. I will lead the way.”
He walked through the opening that led to the ramp and turned to the right. The ramp rose gradually as it spiraled up into darkness and Antoine disappeared from view as he climbed it.
Malcolm moved quickly to follow him and the others trailed after them.
The ramp was as hard as concrete, pounded down by countless numbers of goblins. The walls glowed with a phosphorescent sheen that was tinged with a noxious green color. The air smelled of foulness and damp rot and Sarah wrinkled her nose at the heavy odor.
“How can they live like this?” she whispered, trying not to gag.
No one answered her, but both Hallic and Magnus looked disgusted as the three of them followed Antoine and Malcolm upward.
After a minute of slow climbing, Antoine held up a hand and everyone stopped immediately.
“There is an opening ahead,” he said softly. “I can hear several voices, but there is no way to tell how many of them there are.”
“Do we just charge in and take our chances?” Sarah asked him nervously.
A very small smile flickered across the vampire's face.
“No, we do not. I will take a quick look and let you know what awaits us.”
Hallic looked puzzled.
“But how are you...”
An odd shimmer passed over Antoine's form and suddenly he disappeared.
“What?” Hallic gasped.
A tiny squeak made him look down and the entire group gasped as they saw a large black rat staring up at them.
“Antoine?” Magnus exclaimed.
“It is,” Sarah said with a smile. “He has more powers than you might think. Shape-shifting is one of them.”
The rat scurried up the ramp and vanished into the gloom above them.
“Well, he's just full of surprises, isn't he?” Hallic said with an amazed grin.
“You have no idea,” Sarah replied.
The group waited, straining their ears as they listened for any cries of alarm. But only silence surrounded them and a feeling of anxiety descended on the group.
After a few moments, Malcolm growled softly and looked at the others.
“The longer we wait here, the more chance there is of being discovered by some random goblin coming up or down this ramp. We have to move!”
“That would be most unwise.”
Everyone jumped as Antoine appeared, walking soundlessly down the ramp.
“What did you see?” Hallic asked him,
“The room outside of the next exit from the ramp is some sort of central guard post,” the vampire told them. “I counted at least a dozen warriors in there, most of them sitting at their ease along the walls. Others are coming and going from further inside that level, or traveling up and down the ramp. We are fortunate that no one has descended into the storerooms below us. Even if we were able to quietly overwhelm the guards stationed in that room, others would notice the attack as they went about their duties.”
He looked directly at Hallic.
“So what should we do?” he asked him.
The rogue looked around at the expectant expressions on the faces of the others.
“Are you electing me the leader of this assault?” he asked them.
“Someone has to coordinate this thing,” Malcolm told him. “If we all run off in different directions, we'll be dead in minutes. And this attempt has to succeed, for the safety of all of our people.”
Hallic glanced at Magnus, who nodded.
“You are experienced in infiltration, my friend,” he said quietly. “And you lead the rogues guild in Kingstone, or so I was told by Ethmira. That means that you have done more than I have when it comes to coordinating an attack and, I suspect, more than Sarah and Antoine as well. Malcolm commands the troops in Nottinghill, so if you do not wish to take charge, I think that he should do it.”
“Malcolm?” Hallic said with a questioning look at the big man.
“Take it,” he replied with a smile. “Once I transform, I will be focused on the fight, not on formulating strategies.”
“Very well then,” the rogue said with a sigh. “I know what Malcolm and Antoine can do, more or less, and Sarah, you can use magic, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm. Well, I'll leave you to fight to your strengths. But Magnus, I do not know if you can fight or if you even want to.”
He looked at the shaman, who lightly touched the feathers tied into his braids.
“Yes, I can fight,” he replied heavily. “I do not want to take life, but this is war. If we can remove the dark emissary, perhaps we can at least lower the body count in the long run.”
“Okay then, I think that we have to concede that this won't be quiet.”
Hallic looked at each person in turn.
“Once we attack, the entire stronghold will learn of our presence very quickly. So what we have to do is deal with the guards quickly and then press on to the upper level and find our target. This will get bloody and chaotic, so try to keep track of one another during the battle. We don't want to harm each other.”
He gestured at Malcolm and Antoine.
“You two are our shock troops. You'll go in first and attack hard and fast. Keep the goblins off-balance and focused on you. The rest of us will deal with any goblins who are either attempting to flee or who are drawn to the fight. We'll watch your backs.”
“Good to know,” Malcolm replied with a feral grin. “Are you ready, Antoine?”
“Let us go,” the vampire said, sounding impatient. “The more we talk, the more we risk discovery.”
“Follow us up,” Malcolm told the group.
Hallic nodded and watched as Malcolm hurried up the ramp along with Antoine.
“Oh darn it,” Sarah exclaimed irritably.
Magnus looked at her in surprise.
“What's wrong?” he asked.
“I wanted to see him turn into a werewolf,” she said petulantly. “Now I'll miss it.”
“You wanted...?”
Magnus shook his head in amazement.
“You may be a fully-grown woman now, but you still remind me of the young girl that I knew so many years ago,” he told her with a fond smile.
“Do I? Thanks, Magnus!” she said with a wide smile.
“If you two are quite done?” Hallic said sarcastically. “We're about to be late for a battle.”
Both Magnus and Sarah looked at him guiltily and the rogue rolled his eyes.
“Humans,” he muttered.
He ran up the ramp and the other two followed him. As the pathway curved to the right, they heard a sudden burst of sound from above them. Screams, howls of pain and the sounds of fighting rang out.
Hallic cursed in Dwarven.
“That didn't take long,” he told the others. “Get ready.”
They reached the wide opening leading out from the ramp and skidded to a stop on the dirt floor. A circular room with an arched ceiling was the scene of the battle and the group took a moment to observe the fight.
At least a dozen goblins, dressed very much like the dead guards from below, were shouting in a mixture of anger and terror as they tried to defend themselves from Malcolm and Antoine. There were already bodies sprawled on the ground and blood was splashed on the walls.
Magnus and Sarah stared wide-eyed at the battle, trying to absorb what they were seeing. It was difficult to make out because of the speed with which both Malcolm and Antoine were moving,
The vampire was a blur of black and white. His pale hands were red with gore as he slashed throats and ripped off limbs, leaving corpses in his wake. His face finally showed a real emotion. Pure rage. His eyes burned with red fire and his lips were pulled back from his fangs, which gleamed like daggers. The goblins were obviously terrified of him and several of them tripped over their fellow warriors as they tried to get away.
But it was Malcolm who caught the group's attention. He was unrecognizable now, a raging monster of fur and fangs. As a human, Malcolm was the largest person that Sarah had ever met, even taller than Antoine. But as a werewolf he was enormous. The ceiling in the room was at least nine feet high and the tufted ears of the werewolf brushed against it as he leaped to attack the goblins. His black fur was soaked with blood and his enormous hands tipped with inch-long talons tore his foes apart. His snarling was constant and his eyes were as red at the vampire's. It was a scene out of nightmares and the observers were stunned by the level of violence they were seeing.
“I...don't think they need any help,” Magnus said, his voice thin with shock.
“They do seem to have things well in hand, don't they?” Hallic replied as he watched the battle intently. “But stay alert. If any goblins respond to the noise, we may have to deal with them. No one can get to this ramp and run up to alert the warriors on the next level.”
“Do you really think that they can't hear this?” Sarah asked, raising her voice to be heard over the sounds of battle.
“It's possible,” the rogue replied. “You two keep an eye on matters here. I'm going up to see what is happening above us.”
He smiled at them and disappeared into the shadows so quickly that he seemed to vanish.
“Are you okay, Magnus?” Sarah asked as they reluctantly watched the carnage.
The shaman swallowed several times before answering.
“I'm fine,” he replied. “I've seen a fair share of blood in my time. But this is...”
He winced as Malcolm ripped the head off of a screaming goblin. It soared across the room and bounced off of a wall.
“...beyond my experience,” he finished faintly.
“Mine too,” Sarah said as she held her wand with a shaking hand. “I have killed monsters before; many of them. But those deaths were mostly clean and quick. This? This is a slaughter.”
Malcolm and Antoine quickly ran out of victims and they ended up standing side by side, glaring around the room as if thirsting for more carnage.
The werewolf was breathing heavily, his panting very loud as his tongue hung out of his mouth. Antoine simply stood motionlessly, flicking droplets of blood from his fingertips. He glanced over at Magnus and Sarah and raised an eyebrow.
“Is that all there is?” he asked them hollowly.
“So far,” Sarah replied. “Are you all right?”
“I am uninjured,” Antoine assured her. “As for our lupine friend, you will have to ask him.”
“Um, Malcolm,” Magnus said carefully. “Can you understand me?”
The werewolf turned his heavy head, his jaws still wide open as he caught his breath. His red eyes reflected the torches that burned in brackets hanging on the walls of the room. He nodded once and made a low guttural sound in his throat.
“Good. Are you hurt? I can heal you if you need it.”
Malcolm shook his head and then suddenly lowered himself on to his haunches as if preparing to spring. He raised his talons as he glared at the darkness behind Magnus and Sarah.
They spun around just in time to see Hallic appear out of the shadows of the ramp above them. He grinned easily and moved to stand in the opening to the guard room. He looked at the dismembered bodies and puddles of blood and shook his head.
“Messy,” he muttered as he stared at Malcolm and Antoine. “But effective. No reinforcements came to assist the guards from beyond this room?”
“None,” Antoine assured him. “And I do not hear the sound of anyone approaching. These must have been the only warriors on this level.”
“Then we are getting luckier than we deserve,” the rogue said with relief. “Because it is quiet above us as well. Unlike this floor, there is a locked door sealing the upper level off from the ramp. A security measure that I did not expect. The lucky part is that those doors seem to have blocked out the sounds of battle from down here.”
“Can you open them?” Sarah asked him anxiously.
Hallic chuckled.
“My dear young lady,” he said with an elegant bow. “I have never found a lock that I could not open, and I suspect that a mechanism made by these goblins will not be the first. I did not attempt it, of course. I wanted to wait until this area was secure. But I was able to peer through the crack between the two doors. And what I saw was not encouraging.”
“More warriors?” Antoine asked, a hint of eagerness in his voice.
Malcolm's ears perked up and Hallic sighed.
“Yes, more warriors,” he told them. “A lot more. But they are not what I am worried about.”
“Who else is in there?” Magnus asked him.
“I saw at least two goblins wearing robes. One was holding a crooked staff.”
“Magic-users?” Sarah asked with dismay.
“Almost certainly. Mages, at least. Possibly wizards.”
“Damn it all,” Magnus muttered. “I'd forgotten that goblin wizards existed. They might be very powerful.”
“Oh, they will be. But we have two advantages on them,” Hallic replied as he looked at each of the group in turn. “One, they don't know that we are here. And two,” he added as he stared at the werewolf and the vampire. “You two are incredibly fast and strong. Once I get through those doors, you will have to hit them at full speed and keep their attention. Try to kill the robed goblins first.”
Malcolm nodded as he growled softly.
“As you say,” Antoine told the rogue.
“Good. Magnus, you and Sarah and I won't be able to sit out this one,” Hallic warned them. “While our large friends attack the enemy spellcasters, we will have to take out as many of the warriors around them as possible. Remember, the emissary is up there and we would be fools to believe that she won't respond to the sounds of battle.”
He frowned as he gazed darkly at the dead goblins scattered around the room.
“If Callius was correct when he said that he could block her, the agent of the Chaos lords will not be able to Gate out of here once she realizes that it is under attack. And if that is so, she will undoubtedly use her powers against us.”
“How powerful is she, I wonder?” Magnus said.
“Let us assume that she is at least as dangerous as one of those wizards,” Hallic told him. “Sarah, can you cast a Shield spell?”
“In my own way, yes,” she assured him.
“Good, because I have a feeling that we will need that protection very soon. All right, everyone. We can't waste any more time. I will unlock the doors above us as quietly as possible and Malcolm and Antoine will lead the attack. After that, well, we'll have to react as the situation evolves. Are you all ready?”
Everyone either nodded or replied in the affirmative. Malcolm simply bared his fangs eagerly.
“Well, may whatever gods watch over us give us strength,” Hallic said heavily. “Let's go.”
Chapter 25
Callius stood next to the dark, pulsing anchor and watched the crooked lines of ley energy as they crackled with energy. The pillar had suddenly come to life and both the scryer and Ethmira had sprung from their chairs at the conference table.
“What is happening?” Ethmira asked him urgently.
“The dark emissary is trying to escape from the goblin stronghold,” Callius replied as he reached out and placed both of his hands on the anchor. “She is pushing against the wards I have set around it.”
“Can she break through?” the ranger asked anxiously.
“The energy of this world repels her,” Callius told her. “She will not be going anywhere, Captain. I can promise you that.”
“Which means that she is trapped in there with Hallic and the others,” Ethmira said with grim satisfaction.
“Or they are trapped in there with her,” the scryer replied with a worried frown. “Whatever she is, that being is very powerful. I do not know what she will do once she realizes that she cannot retreat. But we both know that an animal is most dangerous when it is cornered. I fear for our allies.”
Ethmira nodded at she stared at the anchor.
“As do I, Callius,” she replied heavily. “As do I.”
Sarah wiped blood out of her eyes as she backed away from a leering goblin that stalked toward her, a crooked sword raised above its head.
“Up yours,” she hissed at it.
She raised a hand as if lifting an invisible weight and the ground beneath the goblin lurched and buckled. A spear made of hard-packed dirt shot straight up and impaled the grinning creature.
It screamed and writhed like a mad thing, tossing its weapon away as it convulsed in agony.
Sarah turned away from it and looked around, trying to get her bearings. She had run away from the guard post after things had devolved into chaos and now she had no idea where she was.
The group had burst through the doors leading from the ramp after Hallic had quietly unlocked them. But instead of surprising the goblins inside, they were met with a wall of blades. The warriors had obviously been waiting for them.
The room outside of the ramp was much larger than the one in the level below and it was packed with goblins. Torches lit the scene, but they threw long shadows and made the scene unclear.
The stench of unwashed bodies and filth made Sarah gag and she hung back as she tried to decide what to do.
But Malcolm and Antoine did not hesitate. They leaped into the fray and their swift, savage attacks drove back the enemy troops.
However, that moment of surprise did not last and both Sarah and Magnus watched in horror as several blades cut into the werewolf. Antoine was also swarmed by dozens of goblins and he disappeared under a mass of writhing bodies.
