The War of the Moonstone: an Epic Fantasy (12 page)

The Borchstogs roared their love
and approval.

Giorn could still not quite believe
it, that he was setting eyes upon the One. His mind spun, and his breath came
fast and shallow. Sparks
danced in his vision.

Vrulug knelt before his Lord,
proffering a glittering, pearly white jewel or stone. The light it gave off
drove back the darkness, and the Borchstogs cursed and grumbled fearfully. The
Moonstone! Giorn gasped. Finally, he was about to see what the Enemy wanted it
for, though it was too late to prevent them from doing it.

Gingerly, Vrulug set the Last Gift
down before the Dark One. Gilgaroth opened his mouth and the fires of the
Second Hell issued forth to burn and blister. Smoke shot up, and when it parted,
the jewel was revealed once more. It was no longer white and glittering but
blackened and foul.
So
, Giorn thought.
The Dark One had wanted the Stone so that he could taint it, infect it with his
corruption. Now he and his creatures could use it—though how exactly Giorn
still couldn’t guess.

Gilgaroth appraised the gathering
once more.
“It is done! Rejoice as I do
now in the partaking of flesh and soul.”

His massive jaws of shadow closed
on the maiden, and the chamber suddenly grew very still. Giorn heard the girl’s
final pitiful wail and fancied that he could even hear the brittle crunching of
her bones. Fire gushed forth from Gilgaroth’s unseen mouth as though a log had
been thrown on the fires of Hell, and perhaps it had. His eyes blazed brighter,
and smoke curled up from his maw. Giorn did not know if he wore the shape of
the Wolf or if he wore some other shape now, or any at all. Could this be his
naked self, all shadow and malice?

He
ate her soul
. Giorn tried not to imagine the elf girl’s spirit writhing
over the flames of Illistriv, there to be consumed by ethereal fire for
centuries until she was utterly burnt up, her essence mere fuel for Gilgaroth’s
furnaces.

It was then that Gilgaroth reared
up and the shadow emanating from him swelled and gave off a burst of power. Gilgaroth
roared, and the great hall shook.

The Borchstogs seemed to bask in
the power he loosed, and they bellowed their love for him. They tore out
daggers and slashed themselves, flinging their blood toward him. Some severed
fingers or ears or ripped out their eyes, or worse, and all threw their
offerings toward him; all vanished within his devouring shadow. At the same
time his eruption of power overwhelmed Giorn, who felt something heavy and cold
fall over him. Pain suffused him. He fell to the gallery floor, groaning and
tearing at his hair. Fire coursed up his spine.

Slowly the pain relinquished him,
or rather he pried himself loose from it. At last, sweating, he returned his
attention to events below. Gilgaroth had vanished and Vrulug was just then
flying upward and disappearing into the gloom, the corrupted Moonstone gripped in
his claws. The Borchstog host stirred and stood, milling out of the great
chamber—or temple, Giorn realized—in the same direction as Vrulug.
Returning to Wegredon
, Giorn thought. Good.
Then all he need do was follow them.

Still shaking, he lowered himself
carefully from the gallery to the black temple floor, taking his lantern but not
lighting it. Then, pulling his sword from his belt with his right hand, he made
his way toward the vanishing Borchstogs, swinging wide around the altar and the
circle of pillars.

The hairs on the nape of his neck
stood up as he thought on the horrors here in the darkness with him, some of
which he had just borne witness to. Of the hunched winged things on the pillars
there was no sign. Where was Gilgaroth? Was he returning to Oslog, or was the
Black One still here in these lightless labyrinths? Could he be watching Giorn?

Expecting death or worse at any
moment, Giorn followed the column of Borchstogs up toward Wegredon.

Chapter
9

For days Raugst’s host traveled south, riding over hills and
plains. They came upon several cities overflowing with refugees, with scorched
farms and hamlets all around. Fields were blackened, and monuments to Gilgaroth
and Vrulug had been raised in their midst—great, monolithic stones with human
bodies heaped in fly-covered mounds at their bases. Vultures and ravens pecked
at them. Raugst dispatched his scouts and spies, gathering reports from around
the land, and at last word came of the Borchstogs. They had besieged the city
of Ielgad to
the west.

Raugst led the host thither. Niara
knew he could not be bringing them to save Ielgad, and she kept on the lookout
for hints of duplicity, but if he meant to betray them he gave no sign—not that
he would.

He stopped at Hasitlan to buy
supplies for the host. Hasitlan, the so-called City of the Golden Head, was a
large township of some two hundred thousand people sprawling along the banks of
Lake Varren. Niara could see countless boats
afloat on its glassy surface: a large, curving lake, filled with fish and bordered
by green forests. It was a bright, clear day, and the sight of the pleasant
city with its gray walls and red roofs, with smoke curling up from the
chimneys, cheered her.

She rode in with Raugst to barter
for supplies, and inside the city she saw the throngs of peasants choking the
thoroughfares, Borchstogs having sent them from their farms and villages. Raugst
briefly met with Duke Avin Welsly, a tall, proud man, bowlegged from too much
time in the saddle, with a small gut overhanging his belt. The Wergild Head,
the crest of his family, shone on the breast of his jacket as he informed
Raugst that roving bands of Borchstogs terrorized the land all around. There
seemed to be many, he said, for they would strike in several places
simultaneously, then retreat to the Wylath
Mountains to the west.

“It will be dangerous going to
Ielgad,” the duke added. “From this direction you must pass through the Vale of
Irrys, and it lies square in the midst of the Wylath range. Once the two dukes
guarded the Vale, but . . . well, you will be familiar with the story of the
Golden Head.”

Raugst nodded. “We will be wary.”

“Is it true your family still keeps
the Head?” Niara asked.

Lord Welsly smiled but did not
answer. Likely he was tired of the question, or perhaps he wished to keep it a
mystery. Niara did not press the issue.

Shortly they left Hasitlan, loaded
down with their provisions, yet Niara was uneasy as she stared at the mountains.
She wished that the ancient feud between the two dukes had never occurred, that
the Vale was still guarded.
And all
because of a girl
.
If not for her, or
the love she engendered, we would be safe.

Hiatha saw her unease. “What is it,
Mother?”

“Nothing.”

They rode in silence for some time,
and the wind whispered across the scorched fields, stirring ash and dust. They
rode west, through the grassy hills, past the blackened villages and farms. The
land mounted higher in this direction, becoming the foothills of the mountains
shimmering on the horizon. Ielgad waited on the other side.

“I heard Hasitlan is called the
City of the Golden Head,” Hiatha said. “Why do they call it that?”

“You don’t know the story?” Niara
said.

“No.”

Niara pointed toward the two
highest mountains, and the vale that lay between them. “That’s the Vale of Irrys,”
she said. She indicated the blasted, broken ruin of a castle that perched on
the mountain to the right of the vale. She could see it, just barely, a dark blur
on the mountain, but she was not sure if Hiatha could. “That’s Maddar Keep,
where it all happened.”

“Where what happened?” asked
Lisilli, coming up.

Niara smiled. “Have you too never
heard the tale?”

“Never, Mother. Tell us.”

“Yes, tell us,” Hiatha begged.

“Very well, then.” And, as the wind
waved the high grass of the plains, Niara began. “Long ago there were two dukes
that guarded the Vale of Irrys. Duke Madrast lived there, in Maddar Keep, and
ruled over his people with a firm hand. Across the vale lived Duke Celborne on
the neighboring peak. He was a kind man and ruled his people gently, so it’s
said. But he was locked in a bitter feud with Duke Madrast. Their families had
hated each other for centuries, and they often clashed—over grazing rights, stolen
sheep, anything. Well, one day Duke Madrast was out riding. He was an old,
lonely man, his wife having died many years before. Maddar Keep was long
rumored to be haunted, and some say it unhinged his mind, though whether this
is true or not I can’t say. But he was out riding with some of his men one day—some
claim he was looking for Celborne goats to steal—when he came across a fair
maiden with her sheep, idling near a stream in the vale.

“She was a beautiful girl, tall and
fair, with straight blond hair and clear gray eyes—Eria. Duke Madrast fell in
love with her at first sight, and he fell to his knees before her and asked her
to accompany him back to Maddar and be his wife. Little did he know that she
was Duke Celborne’s daughter, and that she loved the outdoors and often tended
to her people’s sheep. But she knew him by the fox-and-sickle crest he wore,
and she refused. He was thrown into a rage, as he thought she was a common girl
and he was honoring her by asking for her hand. So he had his men tie her up
and throw her across his saddle, and he bore her away to Maddar.

“Well, as you can imagine, Lord Celborne
was quite displeased with this when he heard the news, and he decided to ride
to Maddar Keep and confront Duke Madrast personally. His only son Harryd
prevailed upon him not to, however. Harryd was a tall, handsome lad, given to
be reasonable and courteous. He knew that if his father confronted Lord Madrast
there would be war between their two peoples. So he himself rode across the
vale and up the mountains, to Maddar Keep, and there asked to parley with the
lord of the caste. Madrast met with him over dinner, heard his demands to
release Eria, and agreed. Harryd would spend the night there, then return the
following morning with his sister. But his wine was drugged, and he fell into a
deep sleep, and sometime in the night Duke Madrast crept into the guest
chambers and gutted him, then fed his body to the pigs.

“When Harryd did not return, Duke Celborne
summoned his townspeople, armed them, and rode across the vale. There was war. Duke
Celborne put Lord Madrast’s towns to the torch, and Madrast’s subjects fled and
took refuge in Maddar Keep. There was a long siege, and it’s said that terrible
things happened in that haunted castle, that Duke Madrast grew even more
unhinged, and haunts prowled the halls at night, and many of the people that
had taken refuge there perished in grisly and horrible ways. Meanwhile Eria
shared Duke Madrast’s bed, though she was far from willing. He raped her daily,
and the sounds of her screaming could be heard by her father, who was camped
with his host beyond the gates. Infuriated, Duke Celborne stormed the Keep,
again and again, but Madder’s walls were high and thick, and the approaches
treacherous and girded by cliffs.

“The siege stretched, and months
passed, and before long Eria whelped a child. Now Duke Madrast had a son. But
so wroth was Eria that she slew her own babe to spite him—dashed the babe’s
head against a wall. Enraged, the duke locked her in the highest tower, where
the wind shrieked and howled, and all she could hear was the wind. They say she
heard the sound of her baby crying in the wind, and the sound drove her mad.

“At last Duke Celborne pleaded with
Duke Madrast, and they had a parley. Celborne demanded wergild, recompense for
Harryd’s death and Eria’s suffering. If he had that, he said, he would end the
war. With a grim smile Duke Madrast agreed. But there was a strange light in
his eyes, and Duke Celborne fretted. The next day Duke Madrast lowered the
drawbridge and rode across it, bearing a stout chest. ‘This is the finest
treasure in all the land,’ he said, and so saying he dismounted and sat the
chest before his foe.

“It was a windy day, and stormy,
and Duke Celborne felt a grave misgiving. Yet with trembling fingers, he opened
that oaken chest, and sure enough there was a pile of gold coins that glimmered
by the light of lightning and torches, but atop this pile was the golden head
of Lady Eria, his only daughter, still warm, her blood running across the
golden coins, sticking them together. Duke Madrast laughed as his foe held up
that bloody head, and there was madness in that sound. Duke Celborne was
madder, and lunged at his foe and plunged his dagger into Madrast, again and
again, not giving a thought to the scores of Madrast archers that had him in
their sights. Madrast’s men feathered him with arrows, and he collapsed to the
ground, dying. His men roared and charged over him, through the open gates, and
a terrible battle ensued.

“Not one fighting man survived, only
a few refugees, and they spread the tale far and wide. That castle was haunted
before, they say, but now it is ruled by haunts. The dead can still be heard
shrieking to this day. Some say it’s the wind off the cliffs, but who knows? All
that is known is that Duke Celborne, riddled with arrows, dragged himself over
to Duke Madrast, who was dying on the sward at the lip of the drawbridge, and
sawed off Madrast’s foot with his hunting knife. ‘This is my wergild,’ he said.
‘But it is not enough.’ Then he sawed off an arm at the elbow and held it up to
Madrast. ‘This is my wergild. But it is not enough.’ Then he took his manhood. Bit
by bit he sawed at Madrast, who struggled but was too weak to fight, and with
every part he took he would hold it up and say ‘This is my wergild. But it is
not enough.’ At last he took Madrast’s head. ‘Now,’ he said, holding it up. Some
say the eyes were still blinking, that there was still life in Madrast yet. ‘Now
I have my wergild.’ And with that Duke Celborne collapsed dead, the head
clutched to his breast.

“Wanting to make peace, the
villagers who had survived gathered Duke Madrast’s head and presented it to
Duke Celborne’s widow, the Duchess, along with the tale. She had the head
dipped in gold. With no sons or daughters, her line vanished, and so did the
town, but her distant relatives received Madrast’s head after she died, and
they still keep it to this day. The Wergild Head. It has become their family
crest. Have you never heard of the Golden Head of the Welslys, rulers of
Hasitlan? That’s where it comes from.”

They rode on, and the wind
whispered dark thoughts, and the bright day turned darker. Hiatha and Lisilli
stayed quiet.

At last, Lord Raugst led his host
up a rise overlooking the sharp, mountainous land.

“Here we come to it,” he said. He
swept an arm before him, indicating a broken, treacherous landscape, with
narrow rocky peaks and plunging, twisting valleys. “On the other side of these
hills is Ielgad.” He turned to one of his generals. “How long has it been under
siege?”

“Nearly a week, my lord.” The
general was one Niara recognized, not one of Raugst’s recruits.

Raugst pointed. “There is the Vale
of Irrys. We must use it to go through.”

“It’s no longer guarded by the two
dukes,” Niara said. “Borchstogs could be anywhere. Remember what Lord Welsly
said.”

“The Borchstogs are at Ielgad. There
may be a few left in the mountains, but there cannot be many.”

The Vale of Irrys was narrower than
Niara remembered. Astride her white mare, she shared a dark look with her
priestesses.
Yes
, their looks seemed
to say.
This is bad.

She directed her attention at
Raugst. “Surely you don’t mean to go through. It’s the perfect place for an
ambush.”
Let him deny that.

“That’s why I’ve already sent
scouts ahead to determine the feasibility of our approach,” he said. “It’s
possible we may have to go around. If so, however, that means two weeks before
we can reach Ielgad.”

General Havlin shook his gray head.
“They will fall before then—if they’ve not already.” His eyes saddened. “I hale
from Ielgad, and I know: their walls are thick but low, and their store of
grain cannot be great.”

Niara trusted General Havlin, for
she had known him a long time, and what he said was true. Just the same . . .

“If we rush, and we all die in an
ambush, we can do Ielgad no service,” she said. “Nor anyone else.”

“True, true.” Raugst paused,
considering. Then an idea seemed to occur to him. He turned to her. “Perhaps
you
would like to go up into the hills
and scout the lay of the land.”

Taken aback, she stared at him. “I
. . .” She opened and closed her mouth, not knowing how to respond. Was this a
trick? Was this part of his plan, to get her away from the others, to let the
Borchstogs take her when she was alone? On the other hand, she could not trust
his “scouts” to tell the truth about a possible ambush.

Again she looked to her sisters. They
looked uneasy, and, like her, indecisive. At last she straightened, looked
Raugst full in the face, and said, “Hiatha and I will go immediately.” When
Raugst started to smile, she added, “But I will leave Lisilli behind to . . .
aid
you . . . if needed.”
And kill you if you betray us
.

“Very well,” he said. “Do you
require an escort? I would be happy to send some soldiers along with you.”

I’m
sure you would
. “Hiatha and I will be fine on our own.” When she looked to
Hiatha, however, the young woman did not look entirely certain about this.

“Are you certain about this?”
General Havlin asked Niara. “I know you’re powerful, but to send you, even two
of you, alone into the mountains . . .”