(Eden Blackthorn)
Tranthor Lore came bursting onto the Tower grounds like a whirlwind. The Tower informed everyone of his presence. In short order, the main hall was filled with people: Maphesto, GoldenMane, Sir Edmond Guillory, Atlan, Clyos, Ballarius, Bretonius, Be'ornhelm, Alagorn, Donnan, Valaria, Elea and Tranthor Lore.
Tranthor unrolled a map. "They want you to think that Janort is in Stoink. That's why all the noise is there. And that's why making noise back has been so helpful. However, in the sudden changes of adding legions to guard this 'very valuable prisoner,' several of the soldiers where complaining about being shifted from one course to another. That other course? They were headed to Rift Crag. Only, none of the soldiers knew why they were being sent to guard such a desolate place." Tranthor stabbed at the map with his finger. "That is where Janort is being held."
Donnan sat back amongst the murmurs of everyone as they contemplated what this meant. Finally, he raised his hand for silence. "This is a big risk we are taking. We don't know for sure that Janort is not in Stoink. However, I believe Tranthor is right. And if he's right, our saber rattling in Yarnik is not going to last long and Iuz will figure out that that is all it is. Saber rattling." Everyone nodded, looking around. "If we are going to save Janort from Rift Crag - it has to be now. As soon as possible. A quick penetrating strike with a small group of people." He looked to Elea. "What do you think?"
That startled her. She was not used to being asked her opinion on military matters. She covered her surprised by looking at the map... "I - don't know how it would work. It's a good seven to ten days of hard riding to get there to Rift Crag. Not to mention passing the border. Then, finding and saving Janort and then getting out again." She frowned, her mind working quickly. "If could fly... if Sparky would take us..." She mused.
Donnan nodded accepting her words as true. "You're right. But, if we could go by air.... that would be two days in as the crow flies." He frowned. "But that means we have to go *now*. There is no time to loose."
Bretonius cleared his voice. "Would horseshoes of the Zephyr help?" He smiled innocently. Horseshoes of the Zephyr were a magical item that allowed a horse to walk on air as if it were the ground. They also gave the horse extra energy to continue on longer than normal.
"Oh yes, I suppose you have ten pairs of those hanging around in one of your closets?" Donnan's voice was joking, but a bit scornful.
"Why... yes. I do." Bretonius grinned as everyone stared at him. Suddenly, rescuing Janort's father looked a lot more feasible. Everyone leaned in on the map as Donnan began pointing out his plan.
Eight hours later, the party and horses were rested, camouflaged and on their way again. After seventeen hours of travel, the group set down about a league away from Rift Crag near to the Rift Canyon. They left Clyos with the horses to make sure that everything was ready when they returned. In all likelihood, they would running for their lives. The rest of the party slunk towards Rift Crag, keeping a very low profile. Rift Crag was an impressive fortress that would be almost impenetrable for a large army. But, for a smaller, unexpected group, Fortune was smiling on them.
Once they got to the wall of the fortress, Elea quietly cast the spell, "Detect Good." This would be their guide through the enemies' evil force. Using her infravision, Elea was able to indicate to Donnan that there was only one guard in the far Watchtower. He nodded and waved Maphesto forward to deal with the wall. Maphesto melted a doorway in the rock, allowing the party to slip through, unnoticed.
Elea then pointed out the scant number of heat signatures throughout the compound. She was surprised at the lack of people here. She began to worry that this had all been for naught. Then, Donnan silently urged her to detect any Good within the area. She closed her eyes and concentrated hard. She could feel the Good from various members of her party and then, she felt Good from two spots: one high in the tower in the middle for the fortress and one low, to the far back right corner. She quietly told Donnan what she had discovered.
Donnan brought Goldenmane forward and quietly instructed him to scout around the area. Goldenmane disappeared into the darkness without a sound. Elea followed his heat signature for as long as she could. Then, they waited. The minutes ticked by like years. Then, suddenly, Goldenmane was back and he was not alone.
He held an unconscious (or dead) guard in his arms. He deposited the body at Donnan's feet and then plucked at Donnan's shirt. Donnan's eyes widened as he figured out what Goldenmane was saying - put on the guard's uniform. It was something Donnan had not thought of. Donnan grinned wide and quickly striped and put on the enemy uniform. Atlan stuffed Donnan's clothing in his pack. Then Goldenmane picked up Donnan and bounded into the darkness once more.
Elea kept her eyes peeled, staying alert for possible guard movement or an alarm. Again they waited and waited and waited. Her internal clock said that only ten minutes had gone by. Too soon for much to happen. Still, she nervously wondered what Goldenmane and Donnan were doing. This was the hardest part about such a plan - the waiting.
Ten more minutes past by and then Elea caught the sight of Goldenmane's heat signature bounding silently towards them. This time, he had three people with him. All three, two men and a woman looked dirty and ragged. Goldenmane growled to Elea softly. "Janort." He pointed to the older man with one leg.
As the party clustered around Goldenmane and his three companions, Janort whispered hoarsely, "A pleasure to meet you, milady. This is Lord Matthew, son of Reynald, Duke of Furyondi and this is Lady Morena, his wife."
Elea stared at the two in shock. It took a supreme act of will not to let the implications of this discovery to overwhelm the young bard. "A pleasure." She managed to whisper. Then she turned to Ballarius. "I am charging you with getting these three home. I don't care what kind of magic you have to use. Just do it." This discovery was too important to her and the Great Kingdom.
Ballarius bowed shortly and smiled. "It will be done." He motioned Sir Edmund to his side, then the five of them slipped away.
Elea turned back to Goldenmane. "Donnan?" She whispered quietly.
"I'll get him." Tranthor murmured. Then, he and Goldenmane disappeared, once again, into the darkness.
Elea moved back next to Maphesto and Atlan as they hunkered down together, waiting for Donnan, Goldenmane and Tranthor to return. Adrenaline was making Elea jumpy as she peered into the darkness. Then, she saw three heat signatures moving to the base of the central tower. One was definitely Goldenmane. She had to assumed that the other two were Donnan and Tranthor.
She watched as Goldenmane leapt into the air and landed in the window of the tower, about three stories up. The sound made her wince and quickly look around to see if they had been discovered. Then, she watched as the two humanoid figures quickly scale the wall and disappear inside. Elea sensed as the "Good" thing she had detected was moved, surmising that they had found the sword, El Cortina. Very soon after that, she watched as the three figures left the central tower and headed in their direction.
Donnan appeared first, then Goldenmane with the sword wrapped up and strapped to his back and then Tranthor. Elea looked at the three of them, all grinning madly. "Can we go now?"
"Where's Ballarius, my father.... and the rest?" Donnan asked looking around.
"I sent them home - that was the first priority. Their safety. We waited for you." Elea responded, looking around nervously. Still, there was no sign of alert or alarm.
Donnan grunted his agreement. "Let's go then."
Maphesto opened another doorway in the wall for the party to slip out. He closed it behind them as he was the last to leave. Quickly and quietly, they made their way back to Clyos and the horses. Mounting up, they took to the skies and headed homeward.
There was no sign of alarm or anyone following. It was hard not to want to shout for joy. However, they were still over enemy territory. They made their first stop to rest about sixteen hours into the journey home. By this time, everyone was beginning to feel the strain of the non stop forty-eight hour run. They only rested for four hours, figuring that there would be time enough to rest once they were one friendly soil.
About twenty minutes from the border, Goldenmane snarled and called out to Elea, "Bad smell, funny birds behind us."
His warning snapped Elea out of her doze. She looked behind them to see eight figures in the distance - catching up to them. Elea called out to Donnan.
He looked back and cursed fluently in Oeridian. "Dragon Riders! To the Clouds!" Everyone spurred their tired horses on. Adrenaline gave them to strength to move quickly. Dragon Riders were deadly foes and everyone knew it. They were one of Iuz's most elite forces.
As they crossed the border between Iuz and the North Kingdom, they found that the Dragon Riders stayed with them. Donnan thought quickly as the Dragon Riders rose into the clouds, intent on engaging them. "Dive back down and scatter! Head for the tower!" His voice was barely heard over the rushing wind.
The group obeyed, diving down and scattering. Elea had Goldenmane with her as he was tethered to her horse. She watched as arrows rained out of the sky towards them and the return fire from Donnan and Atlan. She was not going to fire unless she or Goldenmane were fired on. Even as she thought that thought, pulling Thunder from its place, she fell a Dragon Rider position itself above her. Several arrows rained down, almost hitting her and Goldenmane. "That's it." She growled. Looking up, she could easily see the Dragon above her. She let loose a set of magic missiles through Thunder at it.
To her surprise, instead of the five or six expected magic missiles, about twenty of them burst forth from Thunder, striking a death blow to the Dragon and its Rider. Elea blinked in surprise as the enemy plummeted to the ground. While this eliminated that enemy, it also had the unfortunate effect of drawing two more of the Dragon Riders to her as a deadly foe to be dealt with immediately. She urged her horse onward, but she could not out pace the Dragons.
Just as it looked like she would have to stand and fight, Elea felt a Presence with her... It was Britage. There was no mistaking it. She heard a whisper in her ear, "I said I'd always be there for you."
"Britage." She breathed, not believing it.
"I am here and I will protect you." The Presence of Britage told her. Then, she felt a *surge* of raw magic power and suddenly, the skies opened up with fierce lightening bolts that struck each of the Dragon Riders - and only the Dragon Riders, killing them with the force of their power. The air was filled with the stench of burning flesh as the seven Dragons and Riders fell from the sky.
The rest of the party was stunned at their good fortune, slowly moving back into a group - all save one. Elea looked around. "Britage? Britage! Don't leave me!!" She cried out to the air.
She felt his hand cup her face. "I have always been here... and I will always be here..." Elea reached, grasping the air as Britage's Presence slipped away.
"NO! Don't go!" She was frantic to not lose him again. But he was gone, leaving her sobbing. Her horse rejoined the rest of the group as she bent over the saddle, crying. She had regained control of herself by the time the tower came into view. She could not decide what she wanted more - whether to check on Janort, Morena and Matthew or to tell Be'ornhelm and Bretonius about Britage or to seek her bed and sleep for a couple of days.
Donnan made up her mind for her. He was off his horse before they had even landed, bolting towards the Tower, yelling something about having to see his father.
Elea quickly dismounted, stopped the levitation spell on Goldenmane and untied him from the horse. Then, she took off after her friend and partner.
Continue on to: 27. A Dinner of Peers