Sulla noticed his greedy look.
“I doubt very much either will live long. Take your pick but keep it quiet, for the men would not like it. And know this-the boy Gar’rth and the girl were last seen running into the inferno. I doubt very much they could have survived. It seems your mission is finished, so we will have to work out a new purpose for you.” He paused to allow what he had said to sink in.
“If you wish, you can join the Kinshra, for your strength and abilities would be an asset.” Sulla stared at the two men who lay in contorted pain. “Think about it, while you eat.”
The lord of the Kinshra walked silently away, pulling the tattered curtain across before returning to his planning. He tried to block out the sound of the powerful maw crunching a man’s bones into powder.
Moments later the captain came bursting into the room in obvious excitement.
“We have located more survivors, Lord Sulla!” he said. “It is the girl and the boy, Gar’rth. They are alive-trapped in a cellar under the archives.”
“Take me to them,” Sulla said gleefully. At long last he would force the mysterious girl to tell him who she was, and why she had plagued his dreams.
Gar’rth could not lift the beam that had shielded them from the falling debris. Now it prevented them from escaping. Kara had seen the black-armoured men look down into the pit and she knew they would return in greater numbers.
“Kara! Help me!” Gar’rth said, straining at the beam once more.
“I cannot reach it, Gar’rth,” she moaned, still weak from the smoke that she had inhaled. She looked upward to the grey daylight behind the charred black rafters that hung precariously from the burnt ruins. Her mind was numb and she was overcome by sudden terror. If the Kinshra were still there, then what had become of her friends?
And what would become of Gar’rth and her?
Suddenly she wept. She wept because the Kinshra had won yet again. They had destroyed her life years ago, they had defeated her in her first quest for vengeance, and they had sacked a monastery and murdered innocents-and still they went unpunished!
“Is this what you want, Saradomin?” she asked, a futile whimper in her voice. “Is this all you can promise those who follow you?” She ignored Gar’rth’s stare and pulled her legs up under her chin and cried, overcome by the injustice that seemed so prevalent in the world.
Suddenly a harsh voice intruded upon her sorrow from above.
“It should teach you the value of worshipping false and weak gods.” Kara knew to whom it belonged even before she raised her tear-stricken face. Whether heard across fire or ice, the voice remained the same.
It belonged to Sulla.
“I will enjoy finding out about you, for there are many questions that I need to have answered,” he continued, sneering at them from above. “But it will not be easy for you.”
He turned away.
“Get them out. But mind the boy,” he added, impatiently.
“The boy will not be a problem,” a voice said from out of sight. “Not while I am here.” This voice, too, was familiar.
From behind Sulla the shadow of a large man emerged, his cloak and features stained in fresh blood, his red eyes staring triumphantly at Gar’rth.
Theodore stopped again, attracting the frustrated attention of his companions.
“Is there something wrong with your horse, squire?” Doric called uneasily.
Theodore glanced grimly at Kara’s sword, and then back over his shoulder in the direction of the monastery.
“You cannot go back, Theodore” Castimir warned him, strength returning to his voice in his eagerness to prevent his friend from acting foolishly. “If you go, you will die.”
“Castimir is right,” Ebenezer added. “Kara and Gar’rth were trapped in that inferno. They could not have got out.”
Theodore looked hard at the old man whose determination and science had saved them. Gone was the fool of an alchemist who experimented with chemicals and challenged wisdom passed down through the ages, replaced by a quick-thinking old man who had known instinctively what to do. He knew it was wisdom that training alone could not provide.
Still…
“How do you know, Ebenezer?” he asked. “Is it not possible that Gar’rth could have carried Kara to safety?”
“I have thought long on that possibility but it is unlikely, Theodore” he said ruefully. “The Kinshra had guards on all sides. If they had escaped the fires, they would have been caught.”
It was an answer that Theodore could not accept.
The old man continued. “There is another reason we must return to Falador, Theodore. The knights must be warned of Sulla’s new weapons. The walls of Falador were built to withstand marauders and cavalry-but not this new technology. If Sulla can make his way south in the next few weeks, then the city will be in danger.”
Theodore nodded.
“The knights must be warned” he agreed. “Take this to Sir Amik.” The young squire handed the alchemist Kara’s sword. “It shall convince him. Tell him everything. Mention Doric and me by name, and Kara. Tell him about the werewolf, also, for he shall be happy to know that the monster walks no more.”
Without waiting for anyone to speak, the squire turned his horse around.
“Theodore, this is madness,” Castimir despaired. “We only just escaped from that place!” He seized Theodore’s reins to prevent him from going any farther, but the squire took them back.
“Goodbye, old friend.”
Theodore turned away from Castimir to look at Doric.
“You know my answer, squire,” the dwarf said. “I promised Kara to fulfil my vow after she saved me in Falador.” He nodded in the direction they had come. “Let us not waste any time.”
And without another word, the two companions goaded their horses back along the path.
Castimir gave Ebenezer an awkward look.
“I should go too,” he said, knowing with a grim certainty that he could be of very limited use now that his runes were near exhausted.
“I understand” Ebenezer nodded, smiling grimly. “But let me give you something first.” He reached into his saddlebags and handed over a pouch. Castimir groaned inwardly, wondering what chemical he would pull out this time.
“Here, you will find them of more use than I ever did” the old man remarked with a subtle expression as Castimir opened the pouch. The wizard gave a yell of happy surprise, for inside were several dozen runes.
“Where did you get these?” he asked, feeling the tears come into his eyes.
“I am an old man, Castimir, and I have spent years travelling the world, attempting to unlock nature’s secrets. But I was not always a scientist, you know. When I was your age I tried my hand at wizardry-I just wasn’t terribly good at it.”
Castimir cried in gratitude at the precious gift. He pulled his horse close, and the two friends embraced.
“And take this also.” The alchemist handed over a small but heavy case. “It is a spyglass. It will help you see your enemies from a safe distance.” Castimir noted a warning in his eyes. “Just remember, Castimir, it is a rescue mission only-you are not riding into battle. Make certain Theodore knows this also.”
“I will.” The wizard bowed to his friend for a final time. “When I come back, Ebenezer, I look forward to continuing our debates on your science-especially in the context of this latest revelation.” He managed a smile.
Then he turned his horse to follow after Theodore and Doric. As he did, his eyes fell on Arisha. The barbarian priestess was watching him, her large blue eyes reflecting the hopelessness of her thoughts.
“Goodbye!” he said with a wave and another smile. “Please look after my yak.” His voice broke as she lowered her head and turned away, her long dark hair hiding a tear-streaked face. All humour in Castimir’s soul died instantly.
He tried to speak again, but the lump in his throat prevented him from forming the words. In silent agony he mouthed a single word to her, Goodbye.