I can't explain it verbally, but there was a growing feeling in all of us that something dire was afoot, some unnamed, undefined evil. But its origin was the same — the Black King. It felt like him. Prodding, investigating weaknesses, gaps in our defenses.
Janiver had our Wizards, even those still in school, working overtime along with the priests to create a kind of sanctuary over Nez Ambril and the Tree Palace. Ranji felt it too, and he came to me alone that day as I was watching May riding her stallion from our veranda. She liked to make herself available to her subjects in that fashion and there was no room for my protestations.
“You are a very fortunate man, Your Majesty. She is incredible."
“Yes, and I know how Bards work, so don't overthink it, Ranji."
“Oh, I am not that type of Bard, Your Majesty. I am much more focused on the martial aspects of my trade. One thing the Orcs instilled in me was the importance of music to a war effort. Battle hymns and marching songs. Anthems to amplify morale and elan. And, of course, the use of the rapier when the song is done.”
"How go your studies in that regard?”
His smile told me all I needed to know.
"I am the best in the school, Your Majesty. Of that, there is no doubt. I am a match for our instructors as well.”
I wheeled on him, "Draw steel, I say!”
And he did, in as fluid a motion as I could draw, and we touched blades. I tapped his blade twice and slid mine into his so that both blades were pointing straight up and we were face to face.
"It wouldn't be fair to give you a lesson at this point in your learning. You need the confidence the wins give you. I won't burst the bubble so easily.”
"If you're scared, My Prince, I promise to hold back my best.”
He twirled his sword off of mine and tapped my steel twice.
“First of all, young colt, you're not ever to suggest that a superior might be scared.”
I flicked my blade across his belt, sending his scabbard clattering to the wooden deck and causing his chausses to fall to his knees.
"You've surely heard of my reputation, yet you still challenge me. Admirable yet unwise. You must test a man's mettle before you speak of challenges. Especially in games of life and death.”
Surprisingly, he began to sing.
He was singing in a sonorous baritone more mature than his face would suggest and, before I realized it, his blade was at my neck.
"Sing a song, My Prince? I've a trick or two up my sleeves."
He picked up his scabbard and chausses and excused himself so that he might repair his wardrobe. I liked that young man. I liked him very much. Using his ability to enchant in the middle of a fight. I was not prepared.
As I looked back over the veranda’s railing, I noticed May stopped in the middle of the broad avenue speaking to an unfamiliar Elf. Copper tinted skin with short black hair wearing a fine outfit of scarlet brocade with gold jewelry.
I was on high alert because her horse seemed to be trying to draw away from this mystery man. The animal reared on his hind legs and the other did not move. Rather, he extended his hand to May. In it was a parchment scroll with a red wax seal. She took it, and he disappeared. Just like that.
She looked up to me and mouthed “I love you," and headed for the stables.
I met her as she was waiting to get on the lift I had taken down.
“Who was it?"
"Shardish Corminyón, Wrath as he calls himself now. The God of Pain.”
"What message did he deliver, May?”
"This is merely a formal version of his words. He is challenging me to a duel.”
"You're not going to do it, May, are you? Say you're not!”
"Oh, but I am, My Sweet Prince. I must.”
She was unnervingly calm.
“May! This is not what we're doing. This is why we have a team! I shan't allow it!"
“You haven't the power to disallow me anything, Love. And I do love you, dearly. But this is part of who I am. If I'm called out, I respond. Don't fear, Tendil. I'll be victorious. He is an Oathbreaker. That weakens him already. The rest is narcissism.”
"By élois, Love, please don't do this! We've only just begun our journey together!”
"Do you doubt my abilities so? Maybe I'll go some practice rounds with you to remind you what you married.”
"Yes, I've seen you, My Dear, dreadfully gruesome indeed. But there's something about him, May. Something that chills me. There's a finality in him. Oh, I can't explain it! My vocabulary is insufficient to the task!
When is the date?”
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"Two days hence, at sundown, at the Daggers. He said you'd know them.”
"Aye, I do. Are you allowed a second? I don't mean to send you against him unaccompanied.”
"Yes, My Love. And Lasca will be there with him. You two will not engage, nor will you interfere. Is that understood?”
"May, if you don't survive this, I'll be joining you shortly if I don't kill them first.”
"Yes, My Prince, you may do that. But the fight will be a fair one. No help from you or her.”
My mind, like my heart, was a whirlwind. I did trust my wife's abilities as a warrior. But Shardish was such an unknown commodity. And Paladin he may be, but he was an evil Paladin now. I needed more information on him, anything to possibly give May an advantage. Anything.
With Janiver's help, I did find one thing to help May, but I was concerned she'd refuse it. Janiver had one of her lesser Wizards concoct a pair of . Her strength would be amplified many times over when she was in god form. Surely her adversary would be similarly equipped.
One thing that concerned me about May was that she was a Paladin. Paladins wield divine magic and have many useful spells at their disposal, yet I'd never seen her use them.
She thanked me for the gauntlets and assured me she'd use them. When I asked about her magical ability, I was informed that Paladins only learn a limited number of spells, far short of what a priest might know — many of them of a defensive or healing nature. The spells on which she focused were of an offensive variety, and she only brought them to bear when the tide of a fight needed to be turned.
One particular thing she said greatly comforted me.
“When we battle, I'll have the power of élois supporting me. I don't know if Shardish has sworn his oath to Carca or the Black King, but I'll take élois over either any day.”
"You know, May, we haven't spoken to Him directly about this, but how big do you think this thing is? How many other gods and planes are part of the struggle?”
"As far as I know, Love, it's just what we've known. It's a coup of sorts devised by the Black King. Why do you bring that up?”
"It concerns me that Shardish may have two gods as his seconds to your one. Why hasn't élois enlisted any other help? Surely there are other Elf gods?”
“There are, but they are in a trance. They have been since we came to this world those 9,000 years ago. They still inhabit the Great Tree on our home plane. It's one of the reasons élois brought us here, to exercise our wills. The path of the Others is one of introspection, navel gazing. élois declared life to be an active interplay between Elf and environment. But in truth, He's a fairly mid-level god in our great pantheon.”
"If there was a time for some of those ‘Others’ to snap out of it and help, I believe we're in it.”
"My people don't even pray to them any longer except for on the high holy days. They've become a fairy tale.
The most powerful, the true ‘All Mother,’ is Mev, élois’ mother. She has never taken a lover. It's said that élois is forged from Her will. He could awaken Her if His own faith in the Others could be restored. But He's a man.”
“And that means?"
"Like all men, He must try to do it by Himself first. To admit the need for help would be dishonorable in His eyes.”
“I'm not going to complain about that generalization. It's pretty accurate. And we do NOT need to interfere in a Mother-Son relationship."
"The Elf gods are so old, Tendil. I'm not sure that They would be of any use to us anyway.”
"Are there any among Them who might be of any help at all? To be honest, My Queen, I'm not terribly happy with where we're currently situated. We could use more help, and help of a seasoned variety, not new gods like us.”
"We'll discuss it with the Holies once they've Ascended, ok? They will be the ones to go through for anything like what you're talking. Circumventing them would be a very impolitic move.”
“You're right. Of course and always. My Love for you is not ill-founded.
Ah, I forgot to mention a little meeting I had earlier with Ranji, May. He's going to be brilliant once we can bring him aboard.”
I related our encounter, his swordsmanship and the enchantment he used on me.
"Is there anything I can do to ward off enchantment like that?”
"The problem, Love, is that you're intelligent, but you're not wise. There are some magical fixes for that, but they're minor. The way your bracer improves your speed for example. We'll find something like that. Fortunately, none of the Pretenders seem like the type to perform enchantment magic.”
"I need to have another talk with Veralia tomorrow, see if I can nudge her opinion in our favor.”
"She plans to adopt the boy, Tendil. Be careful how you approach her. She'll be more protective now than she has been. Perhaps the better move is to let Ranji do the talking for himself.”
"Yes, that sounds like it would be for the best. You'll have to forgive my excitement. The boy is just growing into something formidable right before our eyes.
He's sticking with the Orcish style of Bard practice — focused on the martial aspects and the benefits of music for morale in battle.”
"You know I'm not the greatest fan of Orcs or their culture, don't you?”
"I understand that you haven't been exposed to very much of it,” I countered.
"Many of the Orcs of Kruklig are Sea Orcs. I wasn't familiar with the variant until our brief time there. It truly is very different from your typical Mountain and Cave Orcs. They are closer in philosophy to the Deep Orcs. Much more interested in art for its own sake rather than just being used to glorify war. I really should go back to Kruklig some time with you. Get you out of these woods.”
"Speaking of getting out of these woods, let's go to the Daggers and do some sparring. I'd like to get the lay of the land and I need the exercise.”
Moments later, we were there, in god form, the rough desert wind slashing across our faces, our eyes tearing up, our teeth gritted. I grabbed May's arm and made for the rocks we stood behind the night we met Brevid and her father.
Even over a hundred feet tall, the windbreak was effective. Such was the height of the Daggers.
“When you come here to face him, come behind these spires. He's certain to come at you with his back to the wind and with an immense advantage. We'll take that away here out of the brunt force of it.”
She stared at me quietly and unsheathed the monster blade she favored. I really hadn't had a proper chance to practice with my . I needed to see what it's worth was against such heavy steel.
May grabbed the blade of her sword with her gauntleted left hand, pushing the blade forward with her right, and lunged at me, using her sword as a makeshift spear.
I easily guided the blade to miss to my right and came at her armpit with my small blade.
“Too confident, My Dear! Mustn't do that!"
We both withdrew to our spots, five feet from one another. I beat her blade with my sword several times just to be annoying and distracting.
For a moment, it seemed that she was whispering a prayer to élois. Perhaps trying to throw me off. But she burst into a radiance so bright, I had to avert my gaze. Before I could regroup, her sword was at the back of my neck.
“Is that the magic you seek, Dearest?"
“Well-played, My Love! You surely had me with that one."
This was my greatest weakness. I was untested against magic in battle. I was a fool to think my swordsmanship would be enough on this stage.
But then it occured to me, I had seen what she did before she did it. I just didn't know how to react. It was my special ability showing itself again. Just the briefest glimpse into the future.
“Try something like that again, Dear. I think I have an effective counter."
As soon as she began her prayer, I grabbed a handful of sand and slung it into her open mouth. As she reeled back, my rapier was instantly at her throat.
She held up her hand in surrender, still spitting the arid dirt from her tongue. Making a cup with her left hand, she tilted her head back and water trickled from it into her waiting throat.
“Very good, My Prince. I owe you one for that!"
We kept up the sparring at a brisk pace until the sun began to set in the East and we decided to head back.
We learned many lessons that day, about each other and about ourselves. May was a formidable warrior. There was no doubt. I got to see a little more of her magic.
But I wouldn't be facing her. The magic-users seek each other out and we had a Ranger for their Ranger. I was worried about facing the Monk, Lasher, with his whip and fists like lightning. I would need to pay a visit to our own monastery in Nez Ambril in the morning to see what I could learn there. That would be my fight. Speed against speed. I had to know what I should expect.