At one point Lannon stumbled over a loose stone and started to fall, but Vorden whirled around and seized him with the Hand of Tharnin.
"Be careful, Lannon. It's a long drop."
Lannon flinched away from the gauntlet. "It's hard to see anything. Why all the fog, anyway?"
Vorden shrugged. "It's just the way of things here. As I said, we are on the edge of Tharnin, and it is a very foggy realm…filled with hidden secrets. The fog should slack off a bit as we climb higher. And why should the one who possesses the Eye of Divinity move so blindly?"
Lannon didn't answer. He had no intention of using his power to scan the fog, but instead kept it close to him to shield his body from harm. He didn't want to know what terrible secrets the mist concealed. This world was so different from his own it seemed to shock his system. It was as if he'd entered some spirit realm where living energy existed but life as Lannon knew it did not belong.
They continued upward until they reached the top of the pillar, which was a stone platform with three towering statues of Knights standing in a triangular formation. Each Knight held a different weapon, the business end of which rested on the floor-sword, axe, and hammer. Between the three statues was a circle of runes on the floor. The mist was more distant here and seemed to have an almost bluish hue to it, emitting a bright light upon the platform.
The sight of the Knightly statues left Lannon feeling a bit relieved. This, at least, was something he recognized and understood. The statues looked evil, and like the pillar itself, they were webbed with veins as if made of living rock-but they were a sign of human life and of a world Lannon could relate to.
Vorden stepped into the circle and raised his gauntlet. The blue stones became white hot, and the metal of the gauntlet glowed red. Lannon shrank back from the sudden heat and shielded himself with the Eye of Divinity. For a moment, Vorden stood there with his glowing gauntlet, as the three statues around him began to burn with a blue fire. Then the device seemed to cool again, along with the statues, and Vorden lowered his arm.
He turned and smiled. "Well, that takes care of that."
Something about Vorden's smile chilled Lannon. "So…so you sent whatever beast you'd summoned back to its lair? It's finished, then?"
Vorden laughed. "Look behind you, Lannon."
Even as Vorden spoke, Lannon became aware of a terrible stench-like a mixture of wet earth, decayed flesh, and pure evil. A blast of foul breath hit him from behind. Lannon whirled around-to see a nightmare.
The beast was a winged worm, a Great Dragon of Tharnin, hovering in the fog next to the platform. It was at least sixty-feet long from its horned head to its spiked tail-looking like a giant serpent with rows of small wings that beat so swiftly they were barely visible. It hovered like a dragonfly, and Lannon knew in an instant that it was capable of immense speed in spite of its bulk. Its scales seemed like living entities, shifting about as if each one were aware of its surroundings. Hanging from the scales were tube-shaped extensions that, with a black, curved spike on the end of each, resembled stinging weapons of some sort. The Dragon's head was the most hideous (yet captivating) thing Lannon had ever looked upon-two large, bulbous purple eyes with a hypnotic depth of color shades and textures and a long, wrinkled snout full of oversized teeth. Aside from all that, the creature seemed half-blended with shadows that squirmed over its body-shadows that, along with the moving scales-made the Dragon's entire bulk writhe in a repulsive fashion.
Lannon simply stood and gazed into the endless depths of those purple eyes, waiting to be destroyed. The Eye of Divinity retreated back inside him, his power useless against the colossal might of the beast before him.
But then the Eye suddenly exploded to life, and Lannon again felt sick to his stomach. Something as hideous as the Dragon seemed to be clawing its way to the surface within him-something utterly terrifying. Glancing down, Lannon saw that a shadow seemed to be covering his body-a shadow that had a crimson hue like blood. He thought the Eye was having some strange reaction to the overwhelming presence of the Deep Shadow, but he had no idea what it was. He remembered Jace's vision-of Lannon covered in blood-and wondered if this was what he'd seen.
Suddenly, Lannon was overcome by rage. He turned his back on the Dragon, not caring if it devoured him. He was flooded with a righteous anger that dissolved his terror. "You betrayed me, Vorden!
"Of course I did," said Vorden, laughing. "And it was so easy to do. Don't think ill of me, Lannon. I brought you here for your own good."
Lannon could only shake his head. "How is this for my own good? You're full of lies and you don't even know it!"
"I will be returning to my fortress," said Vorden. He pointed beyond Lannon at the Dragon. "And my little friend here will follow me. Soon it will emerge from the gates of Dorok's Hand and begin its assault on Dremlock and the Divine Essence. Nothing will stop it. There is no force in existence that can destroy a Great Dragon of Tharnin. They have existed since the dawn of time. To be honest, this gauntlet was not created to control all of the great beasts, for that would be impossible. It was created specifically to control this Dragon, after decades of careful research and sorcery experiments. It was created to destroy Dremlock Kingdom!"
"I believed in you, Vorden," said Lannon. "Even as you are now, I still believed there was some of your old self left in there." He clenched his hands into fists, overwhelmed with bitterness. "Well, I don't believe it now!"
"You were a fool to come here," said Vorden. "The Hand of Tharnin holds complete dominance over my soul-yet I willingly embrace it. This device was banished by the Tharnin Lords. They fear its power and consider it unstable. It was on its way to be destroyed when it fell into the hands of the farmer Vellera. My master-Tenneth Bard-then opted to violate Tharnin law and attempt to use Vellera to assassinate you, Lannon. When that failed, and the gauntlet fell into my possession, my master decided to go all the way and summon the Dragon to destroy Dremlock. And that's where things stand."
Lannon stood in silence, glowering at Vorden. Whatever dark force was writhing inside of him seemed about to break free.
Vorden sneered at him. "Goodbye, Lannon." With that, he started toward the stairway. "By the way, I betrayed you even worse than you thought. Soon you will find only love for the Deep Shadow in your heart."
As Lannon watched, a figure stepped out from behind one of the statues-a figure cloaked in black, with a face of violet eyes and shifting shadows.
"Tenneth Bard," Lannon groaned, his anger instantly replaced by sheer dread.
Chapter 20: The Behemoth
Before the gates of Dorok's Hand, with a few stars beginning to burn in the evening sky, Timlin and Furlus sat facing each other on horseback. Jerret and Aldreya sat beside Furlus on their horses, holding torches. The Tower Master had requested they ride with him to speak with Timlin in the hope that they could help persuade Timlin to surrender. The Squires gazed up fearfully at the catapults and archers on the torch-lit platforms by the gates, knowing that death could strike from above in an instant. They didn't want to be there-such easy targets out in the open-but Furlus Goblincrusher was not to be refused.
Jerret needed only a brief glance at Timlin's cold eyes and hard face to be convinced Timlin would never surrender. Timlin seemed to harbor a new confidence and maturity to go along with his fantastic-looking white and blue armor. He seemed like a leader, and even though Timlin had aligned himself with evil, Jerret couldn't help but feel impressed and a bit overshadowed. Aldreya, however, looked saddened and was clearly not impressed by Timlin's aura of importance.