Chapter 23
“Lord Whitebone,” said the ghoulish creature with a smile, as he looked at the great skeletal lord with his sharp teeth evident and his lips curled back in a huge grin, “in your weakened state the Great Queen of the Abyss suggests that I return to the darkling lands through your portal and proceed with the retrieval of the staff.”
Whitebone sat on his throne, his sleeve empty, his red eyes glowing a wan and dull color. He waved the hand that remained at Thantos and his voice was weak and without power, “Do as you wish Thantos. I am no longer interested in the Staff of Sakatha. I have ordered my creatures to release their hold upon the green dragon, and I no longer require your services as to the identity of the men who slew Snowball. My portal is yours to use for the usual price. Now begone from my presence.”
Thantos bowed deeply, “Your wish is my command oh great Lord Onearm,” he said and licked his lips with his huge tongue and turned his back on the throne. When the skeletal knight did not rise to the taunt he continued out and chuckled to himself as he left the room.
Silence reigned in the chamber for a long while as Whitebone sat alone on the throne with only his own thoughts to occupy him. He noted the shadowy presence before it spoke but could not rouse himself to address the creature.
“Lord Whitebone,” said Tenebrous as he emerged from the darkness and flowed forward in a liquid sort of way, “I apologize for my long absence. I offer no excuses nor do I bring false gifts to gain your support. I simply ask you to join me in an endeavor that benefits us both.”
Whitebone looked up at the shadow creature and nodded his head wearily, “I am greatly exhausted by my recent ordeal and cannot offer you much in the way of assistance Tenebrous, before I can give you anything you must simply ask.”
The shadowy creature moved so close to Whitebone that his black and insubstantial form seemed almost to envelop the white of the large warrior. “Lord Whitebone, the Staff of Sakatha is coveted by my mistress, you know this, but I do not want her to have it. As we both well know, I cannot disobey her orders.”
“I am weary, Tenebrous,” said Whitebone and leaned over on the throne and feebly waved with the one hand, “what do you want?”
“Allow me to use your portal to the darkling lands and follow Thantos,” said the shadowy form, its shape seeming to coalesce for a moment. “I cannot pay you the usual fee nor do I hold any hope to immediately relieve my debt for this service. There is some chance that if my plan comes to fruition I will return your good will, but that is unlikely and sometime in the distant future in any case.”
“Your honesty is appreciated Tenebrous, and your brevity. You may use my portal for your own purposes to travel to the darkling lands near Elekargul, but I might be in a less pleasant mood by the time you desire to return. I will not promise such access in the future,” said the great lord of the land.
“I accept your terms, Lord Whitebone,” said the shadow and slowly oozed backward and away from the throne. “I hope your health improves and our alliance proves fruitful,” said Tenebrous. “I know the way to the portal and I thank you for your boon.”
With that the shadowy creature slipped out of the room and left Whitebone alone to his thoughts once again.
Chapter 24
“High Priest Usharra, the fearsome knights patrol the region all around the hill,” said the smallish lizardman with orange and red scales along with a trio of horns, one to each side of his neck, and the last from the base of his skull. “We cannot penetrate their formation without being detected and all of our warriors are dead, the assault is impossible. We must retreat back to the ships and hope that Great Sakatha guides us home.”
Usharra waved a dismissive hand at the young acolyte and said, “Force was never our objective, young one. The loss of the warriors is a blessing from Sakatha and not a hindrance. After the horsemen patrols move on we will find the path to the Staff of Sakatha clear. Chusarausea has revealed all to me in my dreams. The Toxic One is unfettered now and able to aid us completely. The staff shall be ours, we shall raise Great Sakatha, and he shall lead us.”
“Yes, Master Usharra,” said the acolyte with a deep bow, “your wisdom is without peer and our people will owe you a debt of gratitude that cannot be repaid. Great Sakatha shall reward you with eternal life in his golden reign. The Old Empire will rise; the humans and the Usurper reborn will feel our wrath. Praise Sakatha, praise Usharra.”
The high priest nodded his head and again waved the acolyte away, “Go now, alert the other acolytes to keep close watch on the knights and prepare to cross into the mountains at a moment’s notice.”
The acolyte bowed again and slowly backed out of the room as he whispered words of worship to the high priest.
Chapter 25
“Shall we continue south,” said Jon pouring the dregs of the coffee on the smoldering fire the next morning as the four pondered their next move.
“We’ll eventually run into patrols,” said Odellius as he looked at the First Rider and stowed some pans in his large saddlebag. “If they’ve kept up with the remaining reptile men then that will guide us.”
“Where are the patrols most likely to be?” said Jon with a look to Odellius and then the First Rider, while Sorus worked carefully to pack away the remnants of the camp but remained silent.
“South,” said Odellius. “That’s where we met them in battle. We know they’re trying to get to the Mountains of the Orc, so our patrols are working their way up and down the region.”
“That’s a lot of ground to cover,” said Jon as he again looked to the First Rider for an answer.
“There aren’t that many passes up into the mountains,” said Odellius, “and our men can cover those pretty well. I doubt they can slip past us completely. All of their warriors are dead and only their clerics and mages remain. Once we catch them it’ll be easy enough to destroy the few that are left.”
“We don’t want to destroy them,” the First Rider interjected himself into the conversation for the first time since his talk with Jon the previous evening. “We want to follow them. They are the only ones who know the location of the staff. We follow them to the staff and then take the thing by force.” He did not say what happened after that, leaving the question open for debate. Jon did not pursue the matter and they quietly continued to pack their gear until all stood ready. Then all four mounted their horses, the First Rider turned his steed south, and the rest followed.
They traveled for a good part of the morning without encountering anyone and the conversation was largely about the birds and small animals they saw, as Jon proved eager to learn as much as possible about the region. He and Sorus rode together in the middle while Vipsanius rode ahead and Odellius, on his massive draft horse, brought up the rear. The mountains to their left rose majestically high, with snow covered peaks visible early in the morning, but then clouds rushed in to hide their tops. Their slopes were green with trees and the sounds of a thousand birds sang through the morning. To their left the Frosty Run River occasionally meandered into view and at one point Odellius rode over to it and plunged his head into the cool waters.
When he caught up with the others his face bore a huge grin and his wet locks hung down alongside his ears, “Ahhh, the only thing better than a cold bath is a big-breasted woman with an itch that only a man such as myself can scratch.”
“How’s that,” said Jon and nudged his trotter over to Odellius.
“Ah, they used to call me Odellius Buffalodick when I was young and chased the fair sex, but I’m an old man now and shrunk down to a mere foot and half long in the pants,” said the mammoth rider as he grabbed his crotch and smiled broadly.
“It’d have to be about that long to get past that belly of yours,” said Jon, “and I fear for the poor girl trapped
