The Shrine of Kallen (The Tales of Zanoth Book 3) Read online

  The beautiful maiden first enchanted an area just outside the shrine in the Fortress of Donmar before doing the same thing in the courtyard of Kal Tammon. She explained to Paul – between these two tasks – that she hoped this would allow her to teleport them back to either of those places, should the need arise. For instance, once she and Nyssa knew how to get around the magic protecting Parmoor – should there prove to be any – she would be able to bring them back instantly; saving days of travel.

  At least, she would if her spell worked. What she was attempting to cast was a temporary version of the spell she had cast in her chamber at the Tower of Daelfaun. In time, she intended to do something just as permanent at the Fortress of Donmar. Until she could do that, however, this new spell would – in theory – serve the same purpose. She had spent the last few weeks considering how to do it and was very confident that she had figured it out.

  As soon as her task was complete, she tested the spell by transporting she and Paul nearly ten feet across the courtyard. Her spell worked like a charm. Having attended to this, the pair joined their remaining companions.

  They were no sooner ready than on their way; wanting to get as far as they possibly could before the sun set. In the last lingering rays of daylight, Paul sanctified the ground on which they intended to sleep.

  The journey was filled with avoiding undead patrols, discussing a wide range of topics, and a fair amount of flirting. Myra seemed extremely pleased about the current situation and possible future. Paul, of course, was extremely pleased that she was extremely pleased. Nyssa was constantly pelting Joey with questions about the ballroom and the price – all of which he refused to give any direct answers to. Needless to say, she found that fact downright intriguing. Joey was very satisfied with his ever-increasing fairy flirting skills, and not satisfied at all with his progress on scale and spell reversal. Alena was incessantly annoyed by Sarrac's newly developed habit of flirting with her. For his part, he seemed very amused with himself – constantly laughing aloud at her relative overreactions. Several times, Darek mused aloud about the possible fate of that vampiress that had a crush on him, always ending with the observation that: it didn't really matter because she's dead anyway.

  On the afternoon of the fourth day, the band decided to stop more than an hour before nightfall. Sarrac was so sick of eating roasted grain that he decided he was going to forage up something – anything – else to eat. He claimed that he would even welcome swamp roots as a variation on their monotonous repasts. No one else agreed with him but, as they weren't in an area where swamp roots could be found, they let him go anyway. For safety's sake, Nyssa and Darek went along with him.

  While they were waiting, Joey decided that he had something to show Paul. Which, as is happens, he did.

  “Check this out,” he said, holding his hands a short distance apart and causing bolts of electricity to leap between them.

  “You mean Chinese black magic?” Paul asked, clearly referencing Big Trouble in Little China.

  “That's how it always begins,” Joey nodded, “very small. Seriously, though, it's called intuitive casting and it's how Myra and Nyssa slaughter our enemies with dark power and magical fire, respectively.”

  “And, now, you can shock them to death,” the paladin suggested.

  “Not yet,” the wizard replied, shaking his head, “but, I'm getting there.”

  “How goes the old spell reversal?”

  “It's not,” Joey sighed. “Well, okay, it is – it's just going really slowly. It's not like you can just read a spell backwards, you know?”

  “I didn't,” Paul pointed out with a chuckle, “but, I'll take your word for it.”

  “You have to understand what the spell is actually doing,” he explained, “and then come up with a spell that does the opposite. Having a spell to reverse is usually easier than starting from scratch, but not always – and not by much. My life would be a lot easier, not to mention a lot more pleasant, if I could just find a growth spell.”

  “You think so?” the paladin asked with a knowing grin.

  “Are you kidding me?” Joey asked. “I've got her on the ten-yard line.”

  “Is that all you two ever think about?” Alena asked from where she sat a short distance away.

  “It's almost all they think about,” Myra said, offering Paul a coy smile.

  “Well, they need to stop,” the ogress asserted. “Or, at least, they need to keep it between themselves. They're a bad influence on Sarrac.”

  “We're a what?” Paul asked, bursting out laughing.

  “A bad influence!” she snapped. “Don't act like you haven't noticed.”

  “Haven't noticed what?” he said, sitting straight up and pretending to be serious.

  This caused her to sigh in frustration before taking a deep breath through her nose.

  “Noticed,” she said, her voice slightly edged, “that he keeps saying things that he shouldn't.”

  “I haven't heard him say anything improper,” Myra replied with a slightly confused look on her face. “Has he?”

  “Well, no,” Alena admitted. “Obviously, he hasn't said anything improper. He would never do that. I just mean; he shouldn't be saying things like that to me.”

  “What shouldn't he say to you?” Joey asked with half a smile.

  “You know exactly what I'm talking about,” she snapped again. “The kind of stupid things you and that other genius are constantly saying to Nyssa and Myra.”

  “Ah,” Paul nodded. “You mean; you'd rather he was saying them to someone else?”

  “Certainly not!” she replied with a touch of heat.

  “Why not?” Joey asked, his smile widening.

  “It is really difficult to deal with children sometimes,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Sarrac and I are partners.”

  “I think he's noticed,” Paul replied with a wink.

  “Our relationship,” she continued, ignoring the paladin, “is perfect just the way it is. The last thing I want is for him to have some wife he's always missing or that we're having to go hundreds of miles out of the way to visit every few weeks.”

  “I know,” Joey said, snapping his fingers, “you could make sure that never happens by marrying him yourself!”

  For several silent seconds, the ogress simply glared at him.

  “You really are a colossal idiot sometimes,” she said, shaking her head, “you know that, don't you?”

  “Now, now, Alena,” Paul laughed. “Don't be a cow. He's just trying to be of help.”

  “That,” she said, “is a lie. He's trying to annoy me, just like you are. If the two of you aren't careful, I'm going to give Nyssa a reason to heal you both before the night's over.”

  “Alright,” Joey said, throwing his hands up, “I surrender. I've got no desire to have you humiliate – as well as hurt – me. You're right; I'm wrong. You're brilliant; I'm not very bright. You're beautiful; I'm not very attractive.”

  “She is beautiful,” the fairy replied, fluttering into the camp carrying a relatively large bag in her tiny hands. “But, you are very attractive. So, you're only half right. Which is hardly surprising considering how mentally challenged you are. Either way, here you go.”

  As she said this, she set the bag down at his feet.

  “Now we're even,” she asserted, brushing her tiny hands together.

  “Sorry,” Joey said, shaking his head, “Unncar worms aren't the payment.”

  “Unncar worms?!” Myra asked excitedly.

  “A whole little bag full,” he replied, showing her the contents.

  “Those are just yours,” she explained. “Sarrac and Darek have more.”

  “No,” he said, shaking his head. “These are yours.”

  “You're sure Unncar worms aren't the price?” she asked, gazing into his eyes.

  “They're not,” he sighed. “Which is too bad, because you were so close.”

  “Was I?” she asked excitedly. “In what way?”

&nbs
p; “I am shocked!” he said, pretending to be just that, “trying to trick me into ruining the surprise.”

  “I wasn't!” she instantly replied. “I just wasn't thinking. I think your stupid must be rubbing off on me. I need to spend less time around you.”

  “More,” he said, shaking his head. “You have to build up an immunity.”

  “Wow!” she replied, fluttering back a few feet. “Joey, you are literally a genius.”

  “Yes,” he smiled with a contented sigh. “Yes, I am.”

  Immediately after he made this claim, Darek and Sarrac strode back into camp, each carrying a bag containing the delicious insects they had managed to collect. While the worms were being cleaned, Nyssa and Joey worked together to build and start the fire. Just minutes later, the entire band sat around the little blaze, thoroughly enjoying the meal. All of them had to agree that Sarrac had been right: it was worth taking an hour or so to vary their meals occasionally.

  The entire party – with the exception of Joey and Nyssa, who had volunteered to take first watch – collapsed quite contentedly into the arms of sleep shortly after their meal. If everything went according to plan, they would reach Parmoor early the following afternoon. All they needed to do was make contact with the Warriors, work out how teleportation magic was being blocked, and then head back to the fortress. Considering the difficulty of most of their exploits, this would likely prove simple.

  Chapter 9: Getting In

  “So, what's our plan, exactly?” Paul asked, turning his gaze to the fair maiden riding at his side.

  “We make our way in,” Myra replied with a smile, “get the information we need, and make our way out; contacting Rex Shane somewhere between the in and out part, obviously.”

  “Obviously,” he agreed. “What I'm actually asking is: how are we going to ‘get the information we need’?”

  “It all depends on what the information is that we end up needing,” she explained. “Once we're in the city, we'll be able to tell if it's shielded from teleportation magic. If it isn't, that's all we need to know. Well, that and we'll have to calculate the coordinates of where we want to put the gateway.”

  “And, if it is shielded?” Paul asked.

  “We'll have to work out how it's being protected,” she replied. “There are a couple of ways of doing that. The first – and possibly easiest – is going to be getting our hands on a capture stone.”

  “Metaphorically speaking,” Darek pointed out. “We certainly don't want to just grab one, Joey.”

  “We certainly don't,” the wizard chuckled.

  “If we can't find one of those,” she continued, “we'll have to take a look at the runes that actually create the shielding. Which could be considerably more difficult as we don't know exactly where they are. Still, Nyssa and I...”

  “And Joey,” the red-robed wizard interjected.

  “And Joey,” she replied, smiling at him, “should be able to figure out where their power is emanating from and track it down.”

  “I'd prefer not having to do that,” Darek said, shaking his head. “You can be sure that – wherever they are – they're well-guarded. Let's hope that luck feels like a lady today and sends us a capture stone.”

  “Or that the providence of the gods offers us one,” Sarrac added.

  “Yeah,” Darek replied with a wide smile, “that would do just as well.”

  “There's a patrol up ahead,” Nyssa said between panted breaths, suddenly becoming visible and pointing behind her. “They should be easy to avoid. We'll just need to leave the road for a few minutes”

  “How many are there?” Alena asked.

  “Just seven mounted ghouls,” the fairy replied.

  “That's a bit of luck,” Darek said, turning to face the ogre. “Or, it could be providence, I suppose.”

  “It could be,” Sarrac nodded. “Nyssa, do you think we could kill them without anyone spotting us? We are getting rather close to Parmoor.”

  “We could,” she speculated. “They were heading into a secluded little wood when I spotted them. It's not half a mile from here.”

  “Then, let's hurry,” Alena replied, “Gods willing, they'll have what we need.”

  “Don't turn them unless you have to, Paul,” Darek said. “I'm sure we can slaughter them and we might as well take their uniforms after we're done. If you burn them to dust, they won't be much of use for running false flags, as Joey calls it.”

  “I can see that,” the paladin chuckled. “I'll do my best to hold back.”

  “So will I!” Nyssa added excitedly. “There are only seven of them and I tend to ruin our enemies' uniforms when I engulf them in the magical fires of my arcane fury!”

  “Yes,” Joey smiled. “You do.”

  “Let's go,” the ogress said, kicking her mount into a canter.

  Within minutes, the band encountered the patrol they sought. Their enemies immediately fanned out, attempting to surround the party – having no idea how truly dangerous were the foes they faced. Paul charged the foremost of the undead band; ending his unlife almost instantly with a few well-placed thrusts. As golden flames enveloped his falling foe, a small stone struck him on the face, only to fall harmlessly to the ground. At almost the same instant, a wave of blue light flashed behind him – which he caught out of the corner of his eye – causing both Alena and Nyssa to cry out in surprise.

  The young man blocked a blow with his shield before severing the sword, and then the head, of his attacker. This done, he spun his mount around to find Sarrac, Alena, and Darek slaughtering the three of their enemies that yet lived. What he found much more compelling, however, was the fact that he didn't see Myra or Joey.

  Their horses stood rider-less; their outer clothing and equipment lying scattered on the ground beneath the beasts.

  “What happened?!” he cried.

  “They got hit with capture stones!” Alena replied, having just stabbed the foe she faced through the chest.

  “That wasn't part of the plan!”

  “Obviously!”

  “Stay calm, Paul,” Sarrac said, slipping from the saddle.

  “That's easy to say!” he snapped. “It's not exactly easy to do, though, is it?! They could be being tortured to death as we speak.”

  “That's hardly likely,” Darek pointed out. “They just got there. We've got plenty of time to rescue them.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “Blind optimism,” Darek replied with a shrug. “Either way, getting excited isn't going to help them.”

  “Neither is staying calm!”

  “Yes, it will,” he asserted. “It will help us come up with a reasonable plan.”

  “Let's grab another of the capture stones and go in after them!” Paul exclaimed.

  “We may be able to do that,” Sarrac nodded. “But, we need to start by seeing if there is another one.”

  “I'm sure there is!” he replied. “I think I got hit in the face with one!”

  “Try to calm down, Paul,” Nyssa said soothingly. “It's not like the stones announce that they've captured someone. As Darek just explained: we have time.”

  “Their clothes and equipment are right there!” Paul snapped, pointing at the piles. “They could be trapped in a cell, all alone and completely naked!”

  “We have to hurry!” the fairy cried.

  “I'm sure they wouldn't...” the ogress began, rolling her eyes.

  “I don't mean like that!” the paladin interrupted. “I mean: they're defenseless; helpless!”

  “Hardly that,” Darek chuckled. “Out of all of us – except for Nyssa, I guess – they can probably handle themselves the best when captured and stripped naked.”

  “Thank you!” the fairy replied with a wide smile. “I've never been in that situation – I mean; being captured, obviously. I've been... well... you know... plenty of times. I have to bathe, don't I? I've often thought, though, that I should come up with a spell that could summon my clothes, just in case. Or ma
ybe an illusionary spell that made people think you had clothes on. Of course, with that, there's always the possibility that they'll be able to disbelieve in your outfit. In which case...”

  “Not a capture stone on them,” Alena observed, shaking her head.

  “I'm sure there's one on the ground,” Paul replied. “Everyone be careful not to step on it.”

  After just over a minute of searching, they found it.

  “Alright,” Paul said, lifting it from the ground. “I take it The Ward is what's keeping it from working.”

  “Almost certainly,” Sarrac asserted.

  “So,” he continued, “I'll need to take it off in order to go in after her.”

  “That's a bad idea,” Alena said, shaking her head. “For one thing, now we have a capture stone. Nyssa will be able to work out how to bring the fortress here. Once she does that, we'll have an army to free them.”

  “That will take days,” Paul replied, shaking his head. “We're not going to wait that long.”

  “You really think,” she said, crossing her arms and gazing into his eyes, “that you rushing to the rescue, with nothing but the clothes on your back, is going to help them? You'll just end up in the same situation they are.”

  “Even if I do,” he replied, “you guys will still be able to rescue us. I'm not going to leave her deserted in a dungeon for days on end. I not leaving Joey, either, for that matter.”

  “Neither am I,” Darek said, shaking his head. “I owe her a prison break.”

  “Alright,” she sighed. “We'll all go, then.”

  “No, we won't,” Sarrac replied, shaking his head. “You and I have to keep all the equipment safe, and Nyssa needs to work out how to bring the fortress here.”

  “You two can handle that alone,” the ogress asserted.

  “Maybe,” the ogre replied, “but, we're not going to. You and I are partners and you're going to help me track down Rex Shane and come up with a plan to get the rest of our little band out of that prison.”