Authors: James Wolf
‘I spent the summer of Eight Four Five walking in the World’s End Mountains,’ Hirandar glanced secretively at Logan, ‘searching for an ancient prophecy. When I returned to Calledron in the autumn, I sensed the darkness that had grown there. The Fortress of Magic was full of rumours of strange lights in Calagar’s tower by night, of black ceremonies and Dark powers. There had been a string of suspicious deaths. And there were whisperings that Calagar had begun to speak of the closeness of Light and Dark. On the eve of my return, I gathered all the High Wizards of the Celestial Circle, and we set out for Calagar’s tower in the wall of the Fortress. We crossed the courtyard, and Calagar strode forth from his tower, alone, to meet us. I could see the change in him, from the young man I once knew. I remember the shadow in his eyes. And I sensed the terrible power within him, knew that he was a match of the entire Celestial Circle.’
‘Calagar,’ the Sceptrebearer, Ymain, said, ‘we are entering your tower.’
‘You will call me
The Lord of Storms
,’ Calagar said. ‘And none may enter my tower.’
I can still remember now, the shiver that voice sent down my spine.
‘Do you deny the Sceptrebearer?’ Ymain said. ‘And the Celestial Circle?’
‘A new order has risen to replace the old,’ Calagar said, and I heard the lust for power in his voice.
‘What do you mean, Calagar?’ The Watcher of the Flames, Kadoth, raised his staff.
‘Join me, sister,’ Calagar said to me, ignoring all the other High Wizards. ‘We will form this new order, together. We will rule Hathlore from the Dredgen to the Worlds End. The power is
ours
. Yours and mine! There are none who can stand against us.’ Calagar looked at the other wizards with contempt. ‘Do you not see, Hirandar?’ He said. ‘You can
help
all the peoples of this world. Bring them peace with your wise and controlling hand. There are some who do not know what is best for them. But we will
tell
them the way it
should
be! Force them to understand, if needs be – it’s for their own good! You and I will be the rulers of Hathlore. Nations will fall at our feet... or they will be destroyed. The strong must rule the weak!’
‘In that moment, I saw Calagar for the evil he was. The fact I had unleashed this madness on the world – that I had been so blind – made me sick to my stomach.’ Hirandar shook her head. ‘I looked around me at the rest of the Celestial Circle, and saw they all knew I was the only one who could stop him.’
‘Careful,
great
Lord of Storms,’ I said. ‘You are not the first to speak in such a way. I know of other great warriors and wizards that spoke like that, long ago. It was those traitors that started the Great War of the Dark.
You are not the first to speak of such tyranny
!’
‘Fool!’ Calagar hissed at me.
‘I looked around the Fortress’s courtyard, and saw Calagar’s disciples appear from the shadows.’
‘Ymain,’ Calagar said. ‘Give me the Sceptre.’
‘
Never
!’ Ymain said.
‘Calagar obliterated her with a blast of Anti-Fire. The Dark Fire is the most evil of spells, and Calagar’s turning from the Light was laid bare for us all to see.’
‘Destroy them!’ Calagar howled, and the battle that followed was the greatest use of magic that Hathlore had felt since the Great War of the Dark.’
‘Calagar killed most of the Celestial Circle that night, but I managed to best him. I wounded him, but he got away. And that is the darkest chapter in The Order of the Sceptre’s history. The few Wizards of the Order that remained, voted to cover up this dark secret. It was decided that if people knew the truth, all trust in wizards would be gone, forever. I did not agree with keeping such a secret. I believed the truth should be known by all, that to cover it up would make it even worse. But I was out-voted. They wanted me to be the Sceptrebearer, to preside over this lie – but I refused. I stepped away from The Order, as I could not stomach their deceit. That was the beginning of The Decline, and now magic fails in the world.’
Baek’s mouth was gaping wide open in shock. Taem felt shaken to his core. Everything Forgrun believed had been smashed to pieces.
‘But did you not hunt Calagar down?’ Taem asked Hirandar.
‘I, and many others of The Order,’ Hirandar said, ‘searched
everywhere
for Calagar. Even with the help of the last of the Sodan, we could not find the “Lord of Storms”.’
‘He might be dead?’ Baek said.
‘Not likely,’ Hirandar murmured, ‘I believe he is the highest Maliven in Hathlore. A dark and evil spider, at the centre of a great web, pulling strings that cover the whole world.’
Taem felt himself shudder with dread, and he could see Baek and Forgrun were also shaken by mention of such evil.
‘And you have taken no pupil since?’ Baek asked.
‘No,’ Hirandar said sadly. ‘I would not risk unleashing another Calagar upon Hathlore.’
‘What about Amos?’ Taem said. ‘You have just taken him as your apprentice?’
‘Yes, Hirandar nodded, ‘it was a moment of recklessness on my part, but I want Amos to be a wizard. If that means taking him as my next apprentice after Calagar, then so be it. But Amos will never be a
Lord of Storms
. He has only one tenth of the power, and – more importantly – Amos has a good heart.’
‘We should be goin’ ter kill this Wizard, Isornel!’ Forgrun stood up and reached for his axe.
‘It’s not that simple, Forgrun,’ Hirandar held up a pacifying hand. ‘What are we going to kill Isornel for? We cannot just kill him for
mentioning
the name of a known Maliven. There have been Dark rumours swirling around Isornel for years, but even with those I cannot condone his killing. It would not be right.’
Forgrun’s grimace said he disagreed.
‘I worry for Balthus,’ Logan said, ‘he stands trapped between two poisonous snakes, unsure which way to go.’
‘Yes,’ Hirandar considered for a moment. ‘But perhaps, he is not so unwilling to be charmed by the snakes. Perhaps, over time, his will has been broken, and he too has become one of them.’
Taem saw Logan’s eyes go grim and his jaw muscles tense up.
‘Balthus is a friend and ally,’ Logan said angrily. ‘And a great warrior.’
‘A strong body does not make a strong mind,’ Hirandar said sagely. ‘Look beyond the battle brother and into his heart.’
‘His heart
is good
,’ Logan murmured, as he held up a fist to emphasise how much he believed that. ‘I have seen Balthus risk his life to save others, many times. What greater goodness is there than that?’
A tense silence followed, as Hirandar did not answer. Taem found the strain palpable. Baek’s lowered eyes darted around, and Forgrun began to hum a nervous tune.
‘It is your gift, Logan,’ Hirandar said softly, ‘to always see the best in people, even those who cannot see the best in themselves. I do not trust Balthus. He is not a moral man. Never has been, never will be. He would betray us.’
‘Enough of this!’ Logan said angrily. ‘You of all people are free to speak your mind, but you
go too far
!’
There was a loud knocking at the Sceptre Room’s secret door. Baek sighed in relief. Forgrun leant back in his chair. And Taem felt thankful for the interruption. He had never before seen his guardians argue. Disagree maybe, but never shout.
‘Please forgive the intrusion,’ Bessie said formally. ‘You have two guests, the ones you were expecting.’
‘Ah, yes,’ Hirandar said as she stood up, ‘send them in.’
Behind Bessie, a tall olive-skinned woman came forward. Taem saw the tanned woman had long brown hair and blue eyes. She had a striking face, with prominent cheek bones and a sharp nose. She was garbed in a brown leather waistcoat that bared her tanned arms, and brown leather trousers. She strode into the room as if she owned the place, moving with an athleticism that said she was a warrior. Her brown hair was tied back by a woven leather headband, and she had similar armbands, of bound leather and gold tassels, twisting round her upper arms and wrists.
Logan stood up and welcomed the two new arrivals. ‘This is Jvarna, of Shacain.’ Logan introduced the woman.
Jvarna eyed them all intently. Taem could tell she was sizing them up. She stood tall and proud, confident in her own abilities. Jvarna carried a simple spear of planed oak, six-feet long and wrapped in leather bindings, with a leaf-shaped blade of tempered steel. Taem saw how Jvarna held that spear, with a familiarity that showed she knew how to wield it. He also noticed there were knives in Jvarna’s belt and strapped to her calves.
Behind Jvarna followed the largest man Taem had ever seen. He was almost seven foot tall, and – to Taem’s amazement – his shoulders were even wider than Forgrun’s! Taem guessed this giant man must have weighed thirty stone – and all of his bulk was muscle. The man had a mane of shaggy black hair, and a full, thick beard. Taem saw his eyes were as grey as mountain rock, but there was a clarity in his gaze that said he was more than just an exceptionally strong man. His trousers were made from brown reindeer hide, as were his boots. Both were trimmed with wolf fur. The barbarian’s massive chest was bare, except for a thick leather cross that met at a hefty steel ring, which sat between his slabs of pectoral muscle. The straps of leather were studded with steel rings, and held a wolf’s-fur scabbard on the huge man’s back.
‘This is Ragad,’ Logan said, ‘a Northman from Cromarch.’
The giant of a man dipped his head.
Taem could see a massive two-handed sword in Ragad’s scabbard. Over Ragad’s colossal shoulders was a bear pelt cloak, lined on the inside with red cloth. Taem noticed the heavy signet ring on his left hand. Ragad carried a giant double-headed warhammer that Taem would never be able to wield. It was crafted entirely from steel, shaft and all. One blow of that warhammer would crush a man’s skull as if it were a water melon.
‘Please sit,’ Hirandar gestured to the empty chairs, ‘and be welcome at our table, friends.’
‘A woman warrior?’ Forgrun growled.
Before anyone could tell Forgrun to watch his tongue, Jvarna swept a dagger from her belt and pounced. The shining point of Jvarna’s dagger slammed in between where Forgrun’s thumb and index finger sat rooted to the table. As Jvarna moved, Taem jumped to his feet, drew his sword and laid the flat of the blade upon her neck. Forgrun’s eyes shot wide, and his body was frozen solid.
Without a thought for the sword blade at her throat, Jvarna said fiercely, ‘A woman’s blade is no less deadly,
Rhungar
.’
‘And sometimes more ruthless,’ Logan said wryly, as he gestured for everyone to sit back down. Taem took note that Logan had not bothered to draw his blade. Forgrun remained as still as a statue. At long last, Taem thought, someone had rendered the Rhungar speechless!
Jvarna retrieved her dagger and sat back in her seat.
‘Try to engage that thick head of yours,’ Hirandar snarled at Forgrun, ‘before you let those stupid words out your mouth!’
Forgrun stared at the floor.
‘You’re fast, young one,’ Jvarna said to Taem, without even glancing at him. ‘What is this quest you spoke of?’ She demanded of Logan. ‘We came here in search of adventure and coin – under good faith – but this Rhungar of yours would choose to trade insults.’
‘Forgive him,’ Hirandar shot Forgrun a stern glance. ‘His ways are very
different
, and he is still learning ours.’
‘I do not have your names?’ Jvarna said.
Taem could see she spoke for the Northman as well; Jvarna had an air about her that said she was in charge.
‘Not even yours,’ Jvarna eyed Logan suspiciously.
‘I am Logan Fornor.’
Jvarna did not recognise the name, or showed no sign of caring if she did. Taem thought she was a forceful women. Jvarna was not the slightest bit intimidated by being shown into a luxurious secret room, hidden inside one of the roughest taverns in Dolam.
‘This is Hirandar of The Order,’ Logan motioned to Hirandar. ‘Baek, an Aborle of Borleon Forest; Forgrun, of the Rhungari Empire; and Taem.’
Taem got a closer look at Ragad’s signet ring. It was made of faded silver and incredibly intricate. Etched onto its flat surface, there was a scene of a long boat moored in a mountainous estuary of snow-capped peaks.
‘Pleased to meet you all,’ Jvarna said, and Taem thought she was fascinated to hear there was a Wizard of The Sceptre amongst them. ‘You look like a worthy band. I hope my first impressions prove right when we go through The Gate. May I hear of the quest now, Logan? You were very secretive yesterday, hidden beneath your hood,’ Jvarna’s gaze measured Logan. ‘Made me wonder what you were hiding. Today you wear the clothes of a nobleman, but you are a warrior. Blademaster, by the look of that sword and the way you carry it. I’d guess the boy to be your apprentice.’
Taem did not like the way Jvarna was calling him
boy
and
young one
.
‘All will be revealed soon, Jvarna,’ Hirandar held up a placating hand. ‘We await the arrival of one other.’ Hirandar pointed to the one free chair at the dark wood table. ‘Then we will begin.’