The chieftain smiled happily, “Then, you should know that your friend Thantos is not more than two hundred steps from this location. He awaits word of news from the surface dwellers and, when given that, plans an excursion into our territory. When that happens I will inform you of his further movements and keep you abreast during his stay in my territory. In the meantime, can I offer you anything? Food, drink, women, boys?”
“I have little need for such things,” said Tenebrous, “a simple chamber in which to meditate and perhaps receive visitors is sufficient.”
The little darkling nodded his head and smiled again to display his many teeth, “Very well, Tenebrous. One of my assistants will make sure your needs are accommodated. Now, if you don’t mind I’ve important tribal business to which to attend.”
Tenebrous slid out of the chamber and under the door, his smoky form capable of movement through apparently even the smallest opening. Ramkalla watched for a moment, shook his head, and then snapped his finger; within a few seconds another little darkling of the same species entered the room from a small side door cleverly built into the chamber to look like nothing more than the cave wall.
“Yes, chieftain?” he said and bowed deeply.
“See that Tenebrous is given a room in which to mediate, it need not contain any amenities,” he said with barely a look up from his desk where some thick papers awaited his attention. “Inform me as soon as the reptiles head underground.”
He servant bowed deeply again, “Sire?”
“If you have important news then say it,” said the chieftain with a shake of his head. “You don’t have to ask for permission.”
“Yes, great chieftain,” said the underling with another deep bow. “It does not come under your direct orders but there are some freeriders who follow the lizards in the mountains.”
Ramkalla looked up sharply, “Freeriders you say?” he said. “That is most unpleasant news. That first batch of them killed my best warriors.”
“Yes, master,” said the simpering subordinate.
“How many of them and do they appear powerful?” went on the chieftain and looked at his hireling with steady black eyes as he fingered the little knife at his side.
“Four master, and Unglata reports that he thought one was the leader of them, the First Rider,” said the creature and took a step back and his eyes wide.
“What!” shouted Ramkalla. “Why was I not informed of this immediately. The First Rider in the mountains? There is more to this than I realized. First Thantos shows up wanting to track a group of reptiles in the mountains, then that devious Tenebrous wants to keep track of Thantos, and now the leader of the freeriders tracks the creatures as well. Why was I not informed immediately?”
The little darkling fell to his knees and raised his hands to the prayer position, “Oh great chieftain, mighty leader of the Skullbone Tribe, our scouts only just found out about this and we reported it as quickly as possible.”
“Lies!” shouted the leader of the darklings. “My orders didn’t cover these circumstances and you assumed they were outside the scope of this operation. Don’t deny it!”
“My master, forgive me,” pleaded the little darkling creature his head bowed, “I came to you as soon as I knew but our scouts did not report it to me immediately.”
“Then you are to blame for not giving them correct orders,” said Ramkalla. “Leave me alone to think for a moment.”
“Yes, master,” said the poor little servant, his legs shaking so badly he had to put his hand on the large desk to pull himself to his feet. “I await further commands,” he said stumbling out of the room, his already ashen face almost ghostly white and his hands trembling.
“I should have held out for a higher price,” said the chieftain to himself as he looked up at the stone ceiling where little sparkly minerals glinted back at him. “I should have guessed as soon as Tenebrous showed up that this was more than a simple job for the Mistress of the Abyss. I’ve been a fool again! A fool.” He snapped his fingers once more and immediately the aide reappeared from the hidden door.
“Summon the war master and my wizard,” ordered Chief Ramkalla without a glance up from the papers he now held in his hand. “Immediately with no delay. If you can manage this, I might let you live.”
“Oh, thank you master,” said the creature and bowed down so far his head touched the floor and his voice rose a couple of octaves. “I won’t let you down, chieftain, you can count on me.”
“Stop yammering and start following my orders!” shouted Ramkalla and suddenly looked up with fire in his eyes. “There is no time for this sort of simpering. You need to follow my orders quickly, immediately, and without question from here on out. The fate of our tribe rests in you doing this, do you understand?”
“Yes, master,” said the servant who bobbed his head up and down quickly. “I understand.”
“Then go right now and bring me the war master,” said Ramkalla as he stood up suddenly from behind his desk and walked to the other side of the room. Here he paused for a long moment, wheeled around, and then marched to the other side of the chamber, a process which continued for quite some time.
That is how the wizard and warlord of the tribe found him fifteen minutes later when they arrived in the chamber. The warlord was a tall creature with mottled white and black fur that looked vaguely like an upright hyena while the wizard was of the same species as the chieftain although somewhat taller, thinner, and with a strange bluish tint to his skin. Both men waited as the chieftain paced up and down in the chamber as they awaited his orders.
“Melwani, Samprokus,” he finally said as he came to a halt. “When the damned white dragon, the dragon child, and my brother interrogated those freeriders we captured did either of you overhear what they said.
Both men shook their heads but it was the warrior, Samprokus who spoke up, “Your brother did not allow us access, chieftain,” he said.
“I’m well aware of what my brother did and did not allow,” said Ramkalla, “What I asked was if either of you two showed any initiative and tried to find out the results of their conversation.”
The two looked at each for a moment and then the warrior spoke again, “I was unable to learn anything, chieftain. The white dragon did not want us involved and those creatures have superior hearing and sight as you well know. We did not want to risk being found out.”
“Likely enough you didn’t even try,” said Ramkalla with a dismissive wave of his hand, “but that is not of any importance whatsoever. Those damned freeriders are up in the mountains again and this time following reptiles. My brother was up to something and now that despicable Thantos is involved and so is Tenebrous. We must find out what this Staff of Sakatha can do that it is so important.”
“The Staff of Sakatha,” blurted out Melwani suddenly.
“Yes, you know of it?” said Ramkalla and suddenly turned on his wizard. “Why didn’t you say anything before?”
“This is the first I heard of it,” said the wizard with a bow. “It is a relic of the Old Empire and belongs to one of the great lords, Sakatha.”
“The Old Empire,” said the chieftain suddenly and smacked his fist into his palm. “That lying piece of undead waste. He said it was a fight between the Mistress of the Abyss and her sister. What does this staff do exactly?” he said to the wizard and moved over to stand directly in front of the man.
Melwani looked to the warrior, then back to Ramkalla, and managed to somehow keep from a shrug “It’s not easy to say exactly, chieftain.”
“Then say inexactly,” said Ramkalla just as the first little servant came into the room, a look of pained fear on his face. “What do you want?”
“The reptile men,” said the cringing little darkling as he tried to look anywhere in the room except at one of its occupants.