Delver Magic III: Balance of Fate - Jeff Inlo (ready player one ebook .TXT) 📗
- Author: Jeff Inlo
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“So you think that because your book of fairy tales told you the goblins would take the city that this would somehow save you?” Consprite questioned with more than a hint of sarcasm.
“Save us? No, only Godson can save us, but that’s not what you asked. You wanted to know why we could appear so calm in the face of such danger. We are not happy about what is going on, but we realize it’s all part of Godson’s plan. Giving in to panic would not help us, only faith can help us.”
“I’m happy to hear that,” Consprite laughed. “I didn’t want to ruin any false hopes. The truth of the matter is that you are anything but saved. You wanted to know why I was here. I am here for a good long time, and no one is leaving this place until I send them away. You see, the serp that now rules Connel is in need of some humans. It seems he made a deal with a sorceress out in the desert. This sorceress wishes to practice her newfound craft, but there really isn’t anything out in the desert other than some scorpions. She needs something a bit bigger. Knowing you as well as I do, I felt you and your followers would be perfect for the task. The serp asked me to select ten of your followers and send them to the Lacobian so they might assist the sorceress in her practice. What do you think about that?”
Reader Matthew adjusted his stance so he could hold both canes in his left hand while he kept his weight balanced on his remaining leg. He pulled a worn book from his pocket and he began to read.
“‘A snake will walk out of the sand but to the hot wind he pays his mind. Those of faith must retrace the path to appease a witch’s bargain.’” Upon completing that passage, Matthew looked back to the former mayor. “Would you like to read that yourself? It’s right here.”
Matthew opened the book wider and held it out for Consprite to see. The ex-mayor slapped it out of his hand, but Matthew simply watched it fly to the floor and did nothing more.
“That’s not a problem,” Matthew revealed. “I have the book memorized by now. What’s important is that you understand that none of this will weaken our faith.”
“Is that so?” Consprite growled. “Well, since you’re so prepared for this, I will give you the honor of selecting the first ten. You will go back to your followers and pick out six men and four women, make one a child, I don’t care which, and these ten will be sent to the Lacobian.”
Matthew stiffened his back and looked defiantly into Consprite’s eyes. “I will not. You can order these beasts to rip my arms off, and then my remaining leg. You can throw me to the bloat spiders I’ve heard encase this city. I will not do what you ask. You can threaten me with anything, but I will not do your dirty work for you.”
In a moment of pure defiance, Reader Matthew held out his right arm to the largest of the two shags and waited for Consprite to give whatever order came to his depraved mind.
Consprite, however, showed his depravity went much further then Matthew would have considered. He turned to the large shag and gave his order.
“Take him,” Consprite then yelled to one of the goblins behind him, “but he is not one of the ten. He will go to the Lacobian with the ten and all that follow. He is to watch as every member of his church is turned over to the will of the sorceress. You are to make sure that message is given to her. He is not to die until the last of this church’s followers are exhausted. Then hopefully she will test a particularly painful spell on him.”
Consprite then looked into the eyes of Matthew as he hung in the tight clutches of the shag. “I will pick the ten and then ten after that. I will review the logs of this church and make sure that every member of your church is located no matter where they are hiding. I will send them all and you will watch them die.”
Reader Matthew threw no curse at the ex-mayor. He simply asked a question.
“Don’t you want to hear how this is all going to turn out? Aren’t you interested in what’s going to happen to this city? Let me give you one last quote. ‘An enemy past, a friend in the future, a debt repaid in full. Cities linked, one below saved by the light of speed, one above rescued by what moves in shrouded passage.’ I know what that means, but I have no desire to tell you. May Godson have mercy on your soul.”
“No one is going to have mercy on yours,” Consprite retorted. “And I could care less what’s in your book of fairy tales. Get him out of here.”
#
Up in the dark rafters of Connel’s Church of Godson, a silent Lief Woodson watched with an anger growing within him. His fury boiled until he felt the rage running further up in his throat, but he managed to remain quiet. At one point, he took an arrow from his quiver and readied his bow to fire at Consprite’s heart. Unfortunately, he also knew a very real truth, and so he never took the shot.
Even if he killed Consprite at this very moment, he would only gain the people of this church a momentary reprieve. He could not defeat the whole goblin army or get these people past the shags and bloat spiders that surrounded the city. Sazar remained beyond his reach, always protected by hook hawks and other dark creatures. Killing Consprite would not free Connel, and thus the people of this church would still end up being sent to Tabris.
He returned the arrow to his quiver and cursed silently. If he was going to truly save these people, he needed help.
Sy considered what he heard so far from the elf. The news was grim, but not completely unexpected. The captain of Burbon’s guard knew something of significance had transpired to the east, and he made it clear that the report the elf gave him was not truly a surprise.
“I’ve had reports come in from all different sources over the past day and a half,” Sy confirmed. “I’ve heard from scouts and merchants traveling the roads. It’s been pretty clear Connel was the target of something big. None of the news was good, and most of it came from fairly reliable sources. It’s getting rather common to hear about strange events and strange creatures, especially from those that travel this far out. When reports start to pile up, though, you know it’s time to worry. I was just about call to for Ryson and ask him to go scout the farmlands to the west of Connel when I was sent word you were at the gate.”
Lief Woodson waved aside any need for such an endeavor. “I can tell you anything you need to know. I have been tracking the goblin movements for some time. I was hoping they would lead me to Sazar. Unfortunately, I never was able to pinpoint the serp, though I am absolutely sure he is in control and currently in the city.”
“From what you’ve told me, I would have to agree.” Sy shook his head in disgust. “I knew this serp was going to be a problem the first time I saw him. I just didn’t dream he could cause this much trouble.”
“Indeed, he is now a great danger. His army is large and well coordinated. They moved through the forest with a single purpose, and yet they never formed into one large unit until they hit the hills outside of Dark Spruce. When they came together, they moved with care and avoided detection until they were ready to attack. They took over the city without resistance. “
“The fact they took the city without having to fight isn’t really a great surprise to me, either,” Sy said. “Connel was pretty much devastated by the dwarves. I know they were focusing on rebuilding their army ever since the dwarf attack. They seemed to be moving fairly well along to that end, but there’s no way they could have trained enough soldiers in this short of time to really form an effective brigade. From my reports, the only unit of any true experience that was not decimated by the dwarves was their cavalry.”
“Their cavalry left the city under the banner of surrender. They were allowed to leave without casualties. They moved out of the city from the south and then turned due east. They rode out well beyond the farmlands, beyond my sight.”
Sy raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
The conversation was interrupted as three individuals quickly entered Sy’s command post. Lief Woodson had asked for Ryson and the wizard Enin, but he was more than somewhat surprised to see Holli. The sight of her opened up a painful wound.
“So here is where you’ve decided to live out your exile?” Lief asked of the elf guard.
“It seemed reasonable,” Holli replied simply.
“An elf guard living among humans? Even if it is a human town you have previously helped protect, even if there are those here that you can call friend, it seems very wrong. You were trained to protect the elves of the forest.”
“Now I am training in a different way. While I do feel I help protect the people of this town, my true duty is to the wizard.”
Lief eyed Enin, but Sy cut off the conversation.
“Lief asked that I bring you here,” the captain stated with authority. “He has some rather bad news. We were all wondering what Sazar would do when he teamed up with the sorceress, well now we know. An exceptionally large force of goblins reinforced with shags, hook hawks, and razor crows has taken Connel.”
“Connel was attacked?” Ryson blurted out in obvious concern.
“Attacked is not the appropriate word,” Sy responded quickly. “From what I have heard, the goblins encircled the city and forced a surrender. Every report I have, including from Lief who was in the city at the time, indicates that the people in Connel surrendered and there were very little casualties.”
“This can’t be right,” Ryson argued. “How could he force Connel to surrender? He’s a lousy serp.”
“A serp with the assistance of a powerful sorceress,” Sy reminded him. “Lief has reported to me the size of the goblin army was massive enough to completely surround the city. You know how big Connel is. Think of how many goblins it would take to encircle the whole city. Now add some shags for support and hook hawks for aerial assaults and it’s not unreasonable to believe that Connel surrendered, especially after the beating they took from the dwarves.”
“But why Connel?” Ryson persisted, “And what’s he doing there now?”
“As your captain stated,” Lief answered, “I have been in Connel. The serp appears to want to hold the city for his own
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