The Hand of Tharnin

A war, unlike anything they'd imagined, had begun.

***

Tenneth Bard stood before Lannon in silence, as if waiting for the Squire to make the first move. The ancient sorcerer seemed unfathomable to Lannon, with his face and body that were half blended with shifting shadows. Somehow Lannon had known all along they would meet again. But Lannon was in no mood to deal with Tenneth Bard. Vorden's betrayal of his trust-as predictable as it should have been-still smoldered within Lannon, and when the shock of seeing Tenneth Bard wore off, his anger returned. The strange force within him was so insistent on breaking free that Lannon felt like he might explode.

"Glad you could make it," Tenneth Bard said, in a low, inhuman voice. "I wasn't sure I would ever get this amazing opportunity. You see, in this land, my power is much greater than it is in your realm. Here, I can force you to submit to the will of Tharnin quite easily."

"I'll never serve you!" Lannon said, his rage suddenly directed at Tenneth Bard. "And furthermore, something is wrong with me. You better stay away. I feel like I'm going to explode."

Tenneth Bard seemed to contemplate Lannon's words. Then he said, "You're terrified of this realm. I can see your body tremble. And a shadow like blood hangs over you-your fear revealed in physical form. Emotions can sometimes be seen here by the naked eye. You cannot hide your terror, young Squire of Dremlock. You could make it easy on yourself and just give in. You'll come to love this realm and feel restored by it. I'm giving you a chance to submit willingly, but if you refuse, I'll force you to surrender."

Lannon realized Tenneth Bard had no clue what Lannon was experiencing. The sorcerer seemed so certain of himself, his ego and arrogance having grown to monstrous proportions over the centuries he'd been alive. "It isn't fear. Something else is going on-something that could kill both of us!"

Tenneth Bard laughed. "You are no threat to me, Lannon Sunshield. You never were. You think I haven't dealt with your kind before? Some of the Dark Watchmen fell victim to me and became my servants-and they were older and more experienced than you. You're just a lad who can't even begin to understand his power. You arrived at Dremlock as its savior, but it was far too late in the game. You are witnessing the fall of the Divine Knights. And in spite of my hatred for Dremlock and their grotesque god, it is a sad passing for a kingdom that has endured so long. Having lived for well over a thousand years, I have a deep sense of history, Lannon. I hate to see ancient traditions come to an end. Yet Dremlock stands in the way of the expansion of Tharnin and simply must be destroyed."

"You only care about Tharnin's expansion," said Lannon, "because you're a puppet. Why else would you care?"

"Such a naive lad," mused Tenneth Bard. "You don't understand the ways of the Deep Shadow. My relationship with Tharnin is mutually beneficial. I serve it, and in return I receive power beyond your comprehension."

"Then why did you break Tharnin law?" said Lannon. "You weren't supposed to use the gauntlet or summon the Dragon."

"I didn't use the gauntlet," said Tenneth Bard, "or summon the Dragon. Vorden did those things by his own choice. It was a stroke of good fortune that the Hand of Tharnin ended up in possession of someone like Vorden. The gauntlet is perfectly suited to his personality and immense talent. You should be proud of what your friend has become and what he has achieved."

"I don't have time for pointless discussion," said Lannon, overwhelmed with disgust at Tenneth Bard's words. "I need to help the Knights deal with Vorden and his Dragon. I strongly suggest you don't try to stop me. Not this time." Lannon started toward the stairs

With a hiss, Tenneth Bard lunged forward and seized Lannon's shoulders. Lannon was instantly paralyzed as dark sorcery flooded into him. "It is time for you to serve me!" said the sorcerer. "The only puppet will be you!"

The dark force inside Lannon began to writhe about frantically, filling him with panic. The pressure inside him became unbearable. "Let go of me!" he yelled. "Or we're both going to die!"

But Tenneth Bard ignored Lannon and continued to flood him with dark sorcery. The pressure turned to pain inside Lannon, as if his insides were being torn apart, and at last the dark force congealed into something recognizable-a dense wave of energy fueled by the Eye of Divinity. The pain and pressure vanished and Lannon found himself in complete control of the wave.

With a cry of triumph, Lannon unleashed the energy into Tenneth Bard, ripping the sorcerer away from him. For a moment, Tenneth Bard was suspended in the air, his violet eyes wide with shock as the energy hammered into him. And then he was flung from the platform and off into the mist.

Lannon fell to his knees, the breath rushing out of him. The energy wave was gone, leaving him feeling empty and drained. He now had a pounding headache and was dizzy. But Tenneth Bard was gone-struck with a force so terrible it might have finally sent him to his doom.

Lannon rose and headed down the stairs that wound around the pillar. He wanted to hurry, but the perils of the stairway wouldn't allow it. Everything seemed to have a dream-like quality in his mind-Vorden tricking him, the sudden appearance of the Dragon, the encounter with Tenneth Bard-and most of all, that astonishing wave of energy that had burst forth from within him. Could that have been the mysterious power called Dark Wave that Taris had told Lannon about when the Squire was first on his way to Dremlock? "What does the Eye of Divinity do?" Lannon had asked. And Taris had replied: "The answer to that question is shrouded in mystery. As far as I know, it works in three stages-Sight, Body, and something called Dark Wave. Sight allows you to gain knowledge of things-even secret or guarded knowledge. Body creates physical changes upon a person and their surroundings, which can vary greatly depending upon the user. Dark Wave, however, is a mysterious force that few have ever gained use of. Little is written about it in the records of Dremlock Kingdom."

If Lannon had indeed gained the use of Dark Wave, could he use it again to help defeat the Dragon? He felt thoroughly drained, and he doubted he could summon even a trace of it. Also, it had seemed to appear on its own, in reaction to the extreme presence of the Deep Shadow. Lannon suspected it was a force he would never be able to call upon at will or control.

After a long and frightful journey through the fog, in which the strange shadows lurched out at him frantically yet never touched him, Lannon at last climbed from the pit and into the cavern of Dorok's Hand.

Lannon stood by the edge of the hole for a moment to catch his breath, and then he spotted Vorden-who lay slumped against the wall. And in the tunnel that led from the cavern, Lannon saw the broken bodies of some Legion Soldiers lying about. Lannon hurried over to Vorden and knelt by him. Vorden's armor was split open and he was sitting in a pool of blood.

In spite of everything, Lannon's heart lurched the sight of his fallen friend. He shook him, and Vorden opened his eyes. "What happened to you?"

Vorden gave him a pained smile. "The Dragon went crazy and attacked me and some of the Soldiers. Guess it wasn't so easy to control after all. Did Tenneth Bard manage to convert you? Are you on my side now?"

"I think I killed him," said Lannon.

Vorden sighed. "A lot of planning for nothing, then. Why are you so foolishly stubborn? You deny yourself a far better life. Anyway, I haven't quite healed yet. Now is your chance to finish me off."

Lannon rose. "I never wanted to kill you, Vorden. And I won't do so now, even though you served me to Tenneth Bard on a platter."

Vorden chuckled. "Of course. How endlessly noble you are."

"How can we defeat the Dragon?" Lannon asked, his heart fluttering with panic. "There has to be a way!"

Vorden shook his head. "Just stay here, Lannon. If you go out there, you'll get yourself killed. The Great Dragons of Tharnin are invincible."