In Harmony We Trust - Ryan Matthew Harker (most popular novels of all time txt) 📗

have four times as many people in one group as the other because Jeshux mercenaries are a force four times smaller than that of the four lords.”
“That is correct my lord,” Jirseka smiled winsomely. “I’ll be directing the larger of the two groups as I am the more talented of us two.” She spoke humbly, merely stating a fact.
“Indeed. The lady Jirseka is most capable,” Pwami agreed.
“Excellent,” Zakeriah said. “I appreciate what the two of you are doing but time may be very limited here, so if we could proceed.”
“Of course your highness,” Nefarious clapped his hands together and began to rub them together vigorously. “”On your command I will drop our shields and as soon as everyone is clear I will raise them again.”
Jirseka and Pwami had both walked over to their respective transport parties and waited patiently. Both appeared totally calm as did the men and women they stood with.
Pwami gave a slight nod to Jirseka and she said to Nefarious, “We are ready.”
The powerful mage nodded and concentrated an enormous portion of his will and faith on interrupting the electrical connections in the three massive brains that comprised the super computer matrix sustaining the shields. “Sheld auf!” he shouted and instantly a faint light began to grow around the two groups of teleporters.
While of the same basic color the two lights were slightly different in shade from each other and one seemed to shimmer a bit as if it were being emitted at a different frequency. Both lights grew steadily in intensity until a peak was finally reached and with a sudden blinding flash the top of the moon tower became illuminated like a giant torch.
Then a familiar boom sounded and as Zakeriah blinked away the afterimages floating in his vision he thought, Oh no the canon!
“Sheld aun!” Nefarious shouted.
“We’re still alive!” Zakeriah yelled with his ears ringing. He had not realized how loud the repercussion was safe in the confines of the palace. “How is that possible?”
Nefarious rushed over to the low wall of stone surrounding the perimeter of the towers top. “Look my lord!” he too shouted deafly but he also pointed out over the edge.
Another boom sounded shaking the top of the tower but the king ignoring it ran to the towers edge and what he saw stunned him. Out on the plain Harmony’s army seemed to stretch on for miles and at the armies extreme outer edge were two smoking craters about a quarter mile in diameter. One of them had missed while the other had partially impacted the army and completely vaporized the bodies of all who were touched.
A brilliant lavender beam suddenly pierced through the heavens and struck further into the armies midst. There was a deafening boom and another crater appeared. Then the beam disappeared.
“They’re shooting at themselves!” Nefarious was amazed.
“Come Nefarious!” Zakeriah shouted as he turned away from the carnage below and headed for the stairs that led down from the moon tower’s parapet. “This might just be the chance we’ve been waiting for!”
“How much time do we have until you drop the shields for the teleporters return?” Zakeriah asked as they ran. His hearing had just started to return a little.
“Approximately twenty-six minutes!”
“Excellent!” The king was ecstatic and his eyes gleamed fiercely. If Nefarious had seen that gleam in the eyes of his king he would have shivered with fear.


Absinthe’s first glimpse of the army through the trees made her gasp in disbelief. Never in her life had she seen so many people gathered in one spot. It seemed to her that it went on forever.
“Oh my God!” Candlelite said equally stunned by the sight.
It had taken them six days of hard travel to get them where they were.
Earlier that morning the Archmagi had paid her daily visit to the Chosen Ones. She told them that they would be in the sorcerer’s camp by nightfall and now the zombie army made its final descent out of the mountains and into the foothills. It would not be long now and they would meet with the unbelievably large army that Harmony had gathered on the plains around the AnEerth capital city Dirsellia.
“Perfect,” Absinthe said to Candlelite right after the Archmagi had left them. “We'll be center stage attraction. Everyone there will see us change.”
“It won’t be so bad,” Candlelite responded. “At least everyone there will be used to the horror.”
“I suppose,” Absinthe said sadly. “You know, in a way, I was hoping that we’d never get there.” And when Candlelite looked at her strangely she said, “Well I know that we’re stuck in this cage and all but the Archmagi has been awfully nice to us. I almost feel like we’ve become friends or something.”
“Or something, is about right,” Candlelite agreed. “I wouldn’t go so far as to call her a friend but you’re right, she is very polite and treats us well. I almost feel bad for her.”
“Yeah, you can tell she thinks that she hasn’t any other choice but to do what she’s doing.” Absinthe took a deep breath and said with determination, “Candlelite, we really do have to stop Harmony. If he can make such a nice person as the Archmagi act so badly then just imagine what he’ll do to everyone else.”
“I know,” Candlelite agreed. “We will. Somehow, we will.”
And now as they rolled their way down through the hills, periodically catching a glimpse of the army below, both of them wondered just what it was that they could do to stop something so impressively huge.
It was just after midday when the undead caravan reached the point where hills stopped and plains began. The plains were strangely level and in some spots nearly as smooth as glass. Both of the caged prisoners were surprised to find that the surface of these areas were almost reflective and quickly concluded that this must be the work of the arcane energy bomb. This firsthand look at the weapon’s destructive power made them glad that there was still a city for Harmony to lay siege to.
“Oh, the poor people,” Absinthe said horrified. “All of that beautiful country gone. Do you think it'll ever be the same again?”
“I don’t know.” Candlelite put an arm around her shoulders. “I hope so.”
As the afternoon wore on the black strip that was the dark sorcerer’s army grew steadily larger on the horizon. So did the city and palace that was the capital and central seat of government for the entire planet.
Candlelite and Absinthe’s anxiety of their arrival mounted higher the closer the caravan got to the army. They both eagerly watched the sun make its way across the sky and tried to calculate their chances of making it before nightfall. It was looking like the Archmagi’s estimate of the morning was going to be a little slower than the actuality and they were relieved at the thought of maybe getting settled in their enemies camp before their appointment with the night.
The sun was just hitting the high peaks of the western mountains when the caravan reached the periphery of Harmony’s encampment. Rays of light streamed through a diffuse layer of clouds causing them to glow blood red and casting an orange glow about the land.
The Archmagi was out in front of the column and was met by a small group of warriors consisting mostly of scimitar clad goblins from Harmony’s personal guard as well as a few men and two werewolves.
The werewolves started to whine as they approached the caravan and when they caught sight of Candlelite and Absinthe where they had stopped inside their cage the two animals began to growl and bark furiously. Their goblin masters were hard pressed to quiet them and eventually they were led off.
After a few words to the Archmagi the goblins strode away seemingly satisfied. Florencii gave a couple short commands to her zombies and then she too left, walking towards a big black silk tent in the center of the camp.
Most of the zombies shuffled over to an area that seemed pre-designated for them while a small group led the horse drawn cage to a cleared spot next to the big silk tent.
The sun sank faster and faster while Candlelite and Absinthe waited, for what, they did not know. Just as the last of the evening rays were disappearing behind the western mountains the tent flap was pulled aside and the Archmagi exited. She did not appear to be very happy but she kept her head held high, full of pride and her posture dignified.
She walked briskly over to the cage and managed to smile. “Lord Harmony will be with you shortly.”
“He’d better hurry,” Candlelite said. “Or the conversation’s going to be pretty one sided.”
“A monologue,” Absinthe added. “I think.”
“Yeah, a monologue,” Candlelite confirmed and he squeezed her hand slightly so that she smiled at him.
Suddenly it seemed as if the entire army went silent. What had been a steady background noise of conversation, laughter, and curses suddenly stopped; and while the arcane energy canon still boomed periodically, the sound of the tent flap as it swished open drew everyone’s attention.
A tall man stood engulfed by the blackness of the entryway, silhouetted by an eerie red glow that pulsed rhythmically from within the tents interior. He was dressed in a loose fitting black robe that reached all the way down to the ground and trailed in the dirt. The hood was thrown back to reveal a shaved skull lightly dusted with black stubble. His face was thin, some would call it gaunt, and his two eyes seemed to contain no irises but were all pupil. They burned with the vacuum usually associated with black holes above a thin, hooked nose. His hands were clasped but hidden inside the sleeves of his robes which crawled and moved as if they had a life of their own.
“Behold,” the Archmagi intoned solemnly. “The Dark Lord Harmony, sorcerer supreme, ruler of Earth and Master Grand Mage of all the unholy arts!”
Harmony radiated energy like a hundred million candle power spotlight. It poured from every pore of his body and was only overshadowed by the presence of inhuman evil that involuntarily produced a sense of primal dread within everyone in the immediate area. All of the organic life that was gathered within the entire army took an involuntary step backwards and every animal let out a call of pure terror.
Only Candlelite and Absinthe stood their ground. They refused to flinch or cower in the face of such raw and untamed power. The only outward sign of the unbridled fear that they felt inside was a tightening of her hand in his.
When Harmony spoke his voice, although soft and low pitched, carried across the entire camp and conveyed his absolute authority with every word.
“So these are the so called ‘Chosen Ones’,” he said with contempt and then crossed the distance from the tent to the cage with startling swiftness. His feet seemed not even to move, as if he glided rather than walked.
“Destined to save AnEerth from the scourge of my evil,” he continued, eying the caged duo thoughtfully. “You don’t look very threatening.” Then he smiled an evil smile before staring meaningfully towards the west and the fading light that was little more than a faint illumination seen from behind the lowest of the magnificent peaks.
The light fully vanished and Harmony turned once more to give his full attention to his captives. “Why don’t the two of you entertain us with a show,” he suggested, venom dripping from every syllable.
Candlelite scowled down at the sorcerer. Black waves of hate literally poured from his gaze and washed over Harmony who