“Excellent, my lord. I will notify Falrinth at once.”
You must find her! Iuz said, the insistence washing over Hedrack like a wave of cold black water. That is your main charge in my service. Discover her prison and bring her forth.
Hedrack bowed lower, touching his head to the floor before him. “I hear and obey, my master.”
With that, Iuz was gone, leaving the priest alone in the chapel, reflecting on his thoughts.
How much longer can I delay in unearthing her? he wondered.
Hedrack shook his head, dismissing the thought. He knew he would obey his god’s commands in due time. Indeed, it was the timing that was important here. Too soon, and he would lose control of the feuding factions on the levels above. Too late, and he would risk his master’s ire.
In the meantime, he had other matters to attend to, including dealing with this band of would-be heroes who had stuck their noses into something they shouldn’t have. Thinking of these cretins as he returned to his chambers, as well as having been forced to report unpleasant news to his master, had put the priest in a foul mood. When he arrived, Deus and Ahma snapped to attention and saluted him. He dismissed the ettin and unlocked his chamber door.
Stepping inside, Hedrack surveyed the room. Mika was busy straightening the place, while Astelle was stretched out upon the bed, chin in hands, a petulant pout upon her face. She had been acting this way ever since Hedrack had brought the new girl in.
Sitting in the corner, the young woman stared at Hedrack with fearful eyes, her hands and ankles bound tightly. Her dress was torn and dirty, a result of her capture by Lareth’s men the night of the field commander’s last, fateful raid on Hommlet. Her dark hair was matted about her sweaty face. Hedrack smiled at her, which caused the terrified girl to shrink back further into the corner.
There was a knock upon his door. Hedrack turned back and unlocked it, swinging it open to admit Barkinar, the commander of the temple troops and Hedrack’s second-in-command.
“We have a new batch of sacrifices,” Barkinar began, peering at Mika as she hurried to fetch a cold drink for the visitor. “I thought you would want to witness their delivery to the nodes.”
Hedrack sighed, thinking how much there was to do and how he wished at this moment to be left alone to brood. To brood and to spend time with his new plaything. He turned to look back at the young woman tied in the corner, then at Astelle, who was still flopped on the bed, not lifting a hand to aid Mika in making Barkinar comfortable. Perhaps, he thought, I could use a bit of spectacle.
“Yes,” he said to Barkinar, “I would like that very much. I will be along shortly.”
Barkinar nodded and took his leave.
Hedrack shut the door behind the man and turned to look at the girl in the corner. He strode across the room and squatted down in front of her, reveling in her terrified squirms to pull away from him. Smiling, he pulled a knife from his boot and sliced the bonds from the girl’s wrists and ankles. As she cowered, he waved his hands in front of her and spoke a few words of prayer. As the girl’s visage changed from fear to eagerness, the priest said, “Now, young thing, what is your name?”
“P-Paida,” the girl replied, beaming that he had deigned to speak to her.
“Be a good girl, then, Paida, and go to Mika. She will help you learn what is expected of you.”
Paida smiled and leaped to her feet, running to the other girl.
Hedrack turned to Astelle, who was still pouting.
“You,” he said, grabbing her by the wrist and lifting her to her feet. “You and I are going to take a walk.”
Astelle’s face brightened as she fell into step beside her master. Hedrack led her out the door, locking it behind him. As the pair of them headed toward the staging area of the nodes, Hedrack smiled, thinking that Astelle would make a fine sacrifice to one of his precious elemental creatures.
12
During the night, Shanhaevel had a dream. Burne came to him, the wizard’s face hovering insubstantially in front of the elf’s field of vision.
“Shanhaevel, you must remember this when you awaken. I can only assume that something terrible has befallen Melias, for I cannot reach his mind. If Elmo still lives, he will be able to explain further. It is time you and the others knew the full truth. The forces of the temple are on the rise again, and you must stop them from releasing a terrible evil, an evil we could not destroy ten years ago. I am sorry we kept this from you before. Melias and I felt it best not to reveal this until the time was right, but now, there can be no more delay.
“You must find a golden key and return it to me. I will have determined the means to destroy it by then. The key is in the form of a skull, missing its lower jaw. It contains four gems, one for each of the elements, set into the crown line at the compass points. You must infiltrate the temple ruins, discover the whereabouts of this key, and return it to me. Whatever happens, get the key. Many lives depend on your success.”
Burne’s face faded from view, and Shanhaevel’s dreams were troubled by looming golden skulls and demonic faces. When he awoke, the pink of dawn was just brightening on the horizon. Shivering, he sat up, remembering Burne’s dream message with perfect clarity. When the rest of the Alliance had awakened, the elf shared the message with them.
Elmo nodded when Shanhaevel finished. “This skull is known to me, at least somewhat. It was created during the initial rise of the temple, as an object of power. It must be the orb of gold mentioned in the poem. So we must do this. We must find this key, before it’s too late.”
“What does ‘too late’ mean?” Ahleage asked, worry on his face.
“‘Too late’ is when the temple leaders find this key and use it to release the demon.”
“What?” Ahleage choked. “No one said anything to me about demons last night! This is way over my head.”
“She was sealed there when the temple was defeated,” Elmo explained. “Burne, Lanithaine, and others rode with the prince to combat her at the Battle of Emridy Meadows. Their losses were heavy, and when the time came to destroy her, they were too weakened. Instead, they sealed her deep within her own lair, trapping her and making it impossible for anyone to reach her again. Except that she must have seen it coming, and somehow she attuned this object, this key, so it became the means to free her. She knew it would be only a matter of time before someone found it and unlocked the seals on her prison.”
“Boccob,” Shanhaevel breathed. “Melias knew this the whole time. He and Burne. And Lanithaine. Why didn’t they just tell us?”
“They felt that you would never agree to do this if you knew the full extent of the problem. I disagreed with their reasons, but it wasn’t my expedition, so I acquiesced.”
Despite Elmo’s eagerness to be underway, the group had to bury Melias. They knew they had no time to return to Hommlet for a proper ceremony, so they chose a quiet spot near their camp. Govin spoke a few words in honor of the man he had never met. The grave was flanked by two large maple trees that were just beginning to leaf out, their buds blazing crimson in the morning sun. It was a fine marker, Shanhaevel decided as they mounted up and set out toward Nulb.
Nulb was a dirty, seedy, dangerous place, and since they wanted to attract as little attention as possible, the Alliance left the road and went around the town to avoid the place entirely. Instead they headed directly for the temple, hoping to find a safe and hidden spot close to the ruined structure in which to rest for the night. With most of the day gone, the sky had grown overcast, and Shanhaevel could smell the threat of rain as they rode.