“What about them?” said the chieftain his eyes wide with fury, “why is getting a simple report from you so difficult?”
“I don’t…,” started the darkling but then, catching glimpse of the storm clouds that gathered in the eyes of the chieftain, switched in midsentence, “they came below ground just a few minutes ago but in the old mine shafts,” he finally said with a blurt.
“The old shafts,” said the chieftain his face scrunched up so much that his wrinkles appeared to multiply many times. “There’s nothing down there at all.”
There was silence in the room for a moment.
“Shall I tell Thantos?” said the servant as it cringed.
“Damn,” said the chieftain as looked up at the ceiling of the chamber. “It all has to happen at the same time, doesn’t it?”
No one said anything.
“Fine, tell Thantos and have a dozen or so men take him to the old mines,” said Ramkall with a long sigh. “Wizard, tell me everything you know about the staff.”
“It belonged to a great leader of the dragon children long ago, a creature named Sakatha. He worked with His August Magesty, the Great Emperor himself and rode a terrible dragon whose very pores exuded a toxic gas so poisonous that only the holder of the staff could ride the beast,” said the wizard.
“What else,” said Ramkall tapping on his large desk with rapidly moving fingers.
Just at that moment the cringing figure re-appeared, a look of abject misery on his face, “Master,” he said and dropped to his knees and placed his forehead on the ground. “I informed the ghoul and he goes to the old mines. I wonder if I should now inform Tenebrous of this?” he said as he pathetically wrung his hands together, his face still down on the floor.
“By the Dark Demon Lords I cannot take any more of this,” said the chieftain and slammed his fist into the table.
The little servant made a weak little grunt of a sound and kept his head glued to the floor.
“Yes, of course, tell Tenebrous, let’s get as my people involved in this thing as possible,” he stated and the creature on the floor immediately began to crawl backward and toward the door.
“The staff, damn you Melwani,” said the chieftain and turned back to the wizard as he moved to within a few inches of his face. “I don’t care about the history, I don’t care about Sakatha or this dragon; what powers does the staff have and why would the reptiles want it, why does Thantos want it, what does Tenebrous want, and what in the Nine Hells can the freeriders want with it?”
“It is a sovereign remedy against poison, I suspect,” said the wizard with a shrug of his shoulders. “It might have some power over dragons.”
“These are not facts but speculations,” said the chieftain as he spun around. “It’s pointless. We cannot betray or support one cause without risking the wrath of the others. Can we use the thing ourselves? No, that is insanity. There is no solution.”
“Yes, it is speculation merely, great chieftain,” said Melwani with a shrug. “These relics of the Old Empire are thousands of years old and their exact powers are unknown. If it is, indeed, even the real staff.”
“Get out, all of you get out!” screamed the chieftain and suddenly put his hands to his head. “I must make a decision and I can’t think with all of you talking so. Get out of my sight now!”
The two remaining darklings immediately left the chieftain on his own, and he paced back and forth along his room for several minutes as his hands waved and little disjointed statements came out of his mouth. The two stood in the antechamber and looked at each other until little servant returned. They said nothing and waited in silence as an occasional outburst came from the room. At one point a tall darkling with a thick wool cloak and leather leggings entered the waiting room, went into the corner with the servant for a moment, and spoke for a short period of time. The little servant’s face became a mask of terror as the conversation progressed and he looked at the wizard and the warrior for a moment and opened his mouth as if to say something, but then closed it again.
“Out with it,” said the wizard.
“Our scouts report on the movement of the lizards, Thantos, Tenebrous, and the freeriders,” he said as tears began to form in his eyes.
“Oh the sake of the Black Lord, spit it out you coward and I’ll tell Ramkall,” said the warrior, grabbed the poor creature by the collar, and lifted him into the air.
“They have found a secret chamber unknown to our miners,” said the pitiful creature as it clutched at the warrior with weak fingers.
“We’ve mined these mountains for a thousand years,” said the warrior suddenly dropping the little servant, who fell to the ground with a thump and gave out as squeal as his knee twisted under him. “A secret chamber? How is this possible?”
The wizard strode immediately to the door and opened it with a burst, “Chieftain, a crisis approaches, and you must make a decision!”
“A crisis, you tell me a crisis, as if I didn’t know that. I must choose between the Lady of the Abyss, Tenebrous, the reptiles, and my own tribe,” he shouted. “Do you think I’m in here twiddling my thumbs and calling for girls?”
“They have uncovered a secret chamber hidden all these years,” said Melwani as he looked hard at his leader. “They are guided somehow into areas hidden by great magic. We must decide whether to unleash our warriors on all of them, or to back one side or the other. The time of decision is now, chieftain. You cannot dawdle in your thoughts any longer.”
Ramkall suddenly stopped and glared at the wizard, “Of course you are right. Thantos works for the Lady of the Abyss and her power is greatest. The children of dragon are far away and can largely do nothing. The freeriders are dangerous on the plains yes, but they cannot hurt us in the mountains or below the ground, at least not severely. We must back the Mistress of the Abyss.”
“And Tenebrous,” said Melwani in a quiet voice.
“That creature is doomed,” said the chieftain with a dismissive wave of his hand. “He thinks to betray the Great Lady of Death. He will undoubtedly return to the Deathlands once again to see if he can find his way out. His power is not for us to worry about. Samprokus,” he shouted suddenly and walked to the door, “gather your warriors, we will attack the reptile men and the freeriders and disperse them to clear the way for Thantos.”
“And Tenebrous,” repeated the wizard.
“Let him fend for himself,” said the chieftain with a smile. “This is about the survival of my people and he can ooze into the wastes as far as I care.” Ramkall turned to the warlord and looked him steadily in the eye, “You heard my orders and will carry them out?”
Samprokus nodded his head, “I will gather the warriors for the attack.”
Chapter 27
“I don’t like this traipsing about underground,” said Odellius looking up at the low ceiling only a few inches above his head as he put his hand on the rough cut stone wall.
“These mines are old,” said First Rider Vipsanius as he also put his hand on the stone. “No one’s cut here in centuries and the support beams are rotted to nothing. I suggest we move cautiously from here on out.”
Jon nodded his head, “It does seem dangerous in here, but those reptile men went before us and nothing looks caved in. Maybe it’s sturdier than it looks?”
“We move with caution,” said the First Rider again as he ran his hand over the rough wall. “The lizard creatures are even less used to underground travel than us and if they set off a cave-in, we might suffer the consequences.”
“Their trail is easy enough to follow,” said Odellius looking at a webbed footprint in a little muddy rivulet that emerged from the nearby wall. “They take no precautions and do not imagine they are followed.”
“Nor do we take precautions,” said Vipsanius and looked into the darkness; the glow stone in his hand penetrated just far enough ahead to see the narrow corridor sweep around to the right. “These caves are occupied by darklings I’d guess and they do not like visitors.”