Sword of the Stars Part 11
Biding Time
The beautiful half-moon shone down on the Imperial camp outside Garrania Palace, illuminating the armor of the soldiers on patrol. Garrania was quiet. None of the citizens wanted to come outside at night, afraid they would anger the Triantians, but Talpa could care less what they did. He had whom he needed: the one who would revitalize his master. Once the boy reached the Dark Lord, this world-conquest farce would end, and the Dark Lord would reign.
Talpa walked through the camp at a steady pace. He had arrived only a couple of hours before. Since Ling had once again exhausted her powers by teleporting and hiding him and the soldiers in Daylonia, they had been forced to ride back to their camp in Garrania. That meant more lost time, but now that they had the boy, it wasn't as crucial.
Still, he would have liked it if Ling watched how she used her powers more carefully. With the Dark Lord so weak, Ling did not have much power to draw from, giving her less magical strength than usual. If she kept using it all before it had a chance to come back fully...well, he knew nothing of magic, but he was sure it wouldn't be good if they ever needed her powers and she could not call upon them.
After searching the camp to see all was well, Talpa turned and entered his large tent. Ling was waiting for him, pouring them both a goblet of wine and settling the pitcher on the table. When she saw him enter, she slammed her hand on the table, causing the wine to swish around.
"Why did you not let me deal with the boy with the mark, Talpa?" she demanded angrily.
Talpa held his temper firm. "Were we ordered to do anything other than get the boy we needed?"
"No," Ling consented, "but he bore the mark! Do you not know what that means?"
"Yes, yes." Talpa shook his head. "Ling, do you honestly think that child could possibly have the strength or skill to handle a weapon like the Star Sword? I think not. He's just a boy. The Stardragon Mages had no warrior to fight us, so they simply picked a little boy. We should not feel threatened by him. Besides, teleportation saps your magical energies more than anything else you do. I could not allow you to make yourself inefficient again by also battling a child." Ling opened her mouth, but Talpa forestalled her. "Where is the boy?"
Ling glared at him, but answered in a neutral voice. "He's in the tent next to ours. He regained consciousness only half-an-hour ago. He refuses to even tell me his name."
"Tomorrow we send him back to Triantia," Talpa said. "And let the Dark Lord deal with him." He paused.
"Speaking of which, have you told the Dark Lord of our victory?"
"I will do so now, if you wish."
"Then proceed."
Ling brought her hands together in a prayer, and murmured something in an arcane language. It wasn't long before the Dark Lord appeared before them, shrouded in shadow.
YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY, MY SERVANTS?
Ling took a deep breath and explained their situation. The Dark Lord was overjoyed when he heard of the capture, but as Ling went on, the Dark Lord grew angry. Talpa felt uneasy as Ling explained about the boy with the mark. When she was done, their master was seething with anger.
YOU HAD THE STAR SWORD'S CHOSEN WARRIOR LYING UNCONSCIOUS IN FRONT OF YOU, AND YOU DID NOTHING? FOOLS!
Talpa and Ling fell to their knees. "Forgive me, my Lord!" the Sorceress cried. "It was Talpa who told me not to kill him!"
/How quick you are to sacrifice your allies, Sorceress,/ Talpa thought. "I did not see him as a threat, my Lord! Forgive me!"
Talpa's muscles stiffened, and his insides seemed to be contracting.
I WANT THAT BOY STOPPED. HE MUST NOT GET TO THE STAR SWORD. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?
Talpa felt as though his body would be crumpled to nothing. "Y-yes, my Lord," he managed to croak. The Dark Lord's power released him, sending him to the ground face-first. "It will be as you say," he added in a breathless voice.
GOOD. NOW GO, BOTH OF YOU. STOP THAT BOY! The image of the Dark Lord faded away.
Talpa pushed himself to his feet, doing his best not to appear shaken in front of Ling. He stole a glance at the Sorceress. She was staring at him with irritated eyes. "I told you we should have dealt with the boy when we had the chance! Now we have failed our master!"
Talpa glowered at his ally. "Ling, I simply thought he was too young to be the real--"
"Fortunately for you, Talpa," Ling said with a smirk. "I am here to save your hide from the Dark Lord. I will stop the boy."
"How?" Talpa demanded.
Ling smiled and brought her hands close together. A black flame ignited between them, suspended in the air. Ling became enveloped in an eerie green aura. She began to chant in an arcane language Talpa did not understand. "Mia ayende vitna nostak shakara swalom harak!" [1] The flame in her hands grew as she chanted. Soon, she threw her arms up and allowed the flame to divide into five parts. The embers scattered onto the ground and grew into shadowed, wispy, figures. Ling smiled proudly at them.
Talpa frowned at the things she had created. What did the woman hope to solve with this? He asked her as much, and her reply was sharp.
"Fool! Do you not know what these are? They are Shadows! They can mold themselves into any form they wish, and weapons are useless against them. They can also travel great distances at great speed. These will hunt down the boy and dispose of him."
Talpa shook his head. "Are these Netherworlders I have never heard of, Ling? How did you get them past the seal?"
"Not Netherworlders," Ling corrected. "Magical manifestations. I created them with my own power. No doubt you can guess how much of my energy that took."
"All of it?" Talpa asked.
"Not quite, but you are not far off. Let us say I will be useless for a little while." She turned to her new creations. "Listen carefully, Shadows. Traveling the world now is the boy with the mark of the Star Sword. You are to find him and destroy him. Go!"
At her whim, the Shadows whisked out of the tent at amazing speed, startling the soldier who was just about to enter. The Triantian entered the tent with an uneasy glance from the things to Ling, but said nothing. The soldiers were even more frightened of her than they were of him.
"G-General Talpa," the man stammered. "You summoned me?"
"Yes," Talpa replied. "Have two wagons prepared for the morning. One should be filled with enough supplies to sustain a fairly large group of men for several months. The other is to be a prison wagon."
The soldier nodded slowly. "General, if I may ask, what will we be needing those for?"
"The prisoner in the next tent," Talpa replied. "Some of you will be taking him to Triantia."
"The boy?" the man asked, confused. "What is so important about him that we need to spare men to take him to the Empire?"
"Let us say the Emperor will be overjoyed to see him. Now, have at least ten men ready by dawn to take him away. He *must* reach Triantia alive. Understood?"
"Yes, General." The soldier left the tent.
"I pray your Shadows deal with the boy before he gets the Sword, Ling," Talpa said.
"You and I both, Talpa," the Sorceress replied.
~*~
Grantis glanced at the Dark Lord with hope. "Is your host coming, my Lord?"
ALL IN GOOD TIME, GRANTIS. YOUR EMPIRE HAS TAKEN GARRANIA. SEE THE REWARDS I GIVE FOR GOOD SERVICE? THE MORE MEN YOU DEPLOY FOR ME, THE GREATER YOUR LAND BECOMES!
"Yes, my Lord," Grantis said excitedly. "You are most generous, my Lord!"
INDEED I AM. WHEN THE BOY ARRIVES HERE, HAVE HIM BROUGHT TO ME IMMEDIATELY.
"As you command, my Lord." Grantis bowed deeply on his way out of the castle tower.
TBC...
[1] Ah, Robert Jordan...how many times has the Old Tongue inspired me...?
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