Dark Lord

Rod gaped at her. His taxes were due, and on Monday his editor was sure to call, and…

'I can't!' he started to shout, as there came a splintering crash from the far end of the house, and Taeauna bounded up from the floor, shattered armor clanging. A forest of black blades reached vainly for her amid snarls of anger, and gauntleted fists beat at the windowsill.

'Lord, we must, or we'll die!' She clutched his upper arms fiercely, her fingers like claws, and those emerald eyes blazed into his. 'Falconfar needs you!'

Booted feet were thundering, far down the hall. Rod looked helplessly at the doorway, and then at a Dark Helm trying to climb through his missing window, armored shoulders splintering and gouging a way through the frame, and shouted, 'How?'

Taeauna's smile was like a flame. 'Open a dream-gate, as we did to get me here! Think of one place in Falconfar just as hard as you can. See it, dwell on what you see and feel and smell, and keep on doing that, no matter what the Dark Helms do!'

And she whirled away from him to snatch a bookshelf too heavy for him to budge away from the wall, and flung it to the floor. It crashed down, books spilling in a thunderous wave, just as the first Dark Helm raced through the doorway. Tripping on the flood of toppled books, the black knight staggered and stumbled, and Taeauna was on him like a pouncing cat, driving her dagger through the slit in his visor and wrenching his sword out of one massive gauntlet almost in one motion.

Rod's bed cracked under the hard-booted landing of the first Dark Helm through the window. Taeauna whirled around, her gaze like green flames, and shouted, 'Close your eyes, lord! Watch not me, but see Falconfar!'

There was a second black knight in the hall, and a third, but Rod shut his eyes and thought of his favorite castle, thrusting up into the morning sky atop its grassy hill. The one with the great gnarled trees shading the winding lane that led up to it, to where tall, silver-armored knights with long war-horns in their hands stood guard in the sunlight, gazing out over a peaceful valley…

There were crashes, and the loud skirl and clang of steel ringing on steel very close by. Rod heard Taeauna grunt with effort, and then there was a ringing crash, the clanging thud of someone in armor falling heavily, and the skitter of glass sliding underfoot.

He was just about to open his eyes, expecting a black blade to come racing at him, when the Aumrarr laughed merrily just beside his ear, and cried, 'For Falconfar!'

Blue-edged silver fire suddenly flickered around him, and the scene of the castle seemed to rush up larger and brighter before him. 'Hollowtree Keep!' Taeauna said delightedly..'Lord, take us there!'

And her arms were around him, a sharp edge of armor clawing at Rod's bare shoulder and the blood-and- sweat scent of Taeauna all around him. The light at the edges of his vision was more blue than silver now, and a hurrying wind was roaring through leaves. Trying to ignore everything else, Rod peered hard at the castle gates- where the knights were now standing up, and looking in his direction.

Suddenly he was stumbling and staggering, barefoot in the dusty lane, stubbing his foot on a tree root and almost falling, with Taeauna laughingly holding him up. The wind in his face smelled of cow dung and green, growing things, and the bright knell of a war-horn rose into the air.

And behind him, where it was darker, half a dozen black blades crashed together in the empty air of Rod Everlar's bedroom, where he and Taeauna had been standing moments before.

CHAPTER TWO

The wind made him shiver, and Rod abruptly realized he was standing almost naked in the land of his dreams. Falconfar!

His dream world.

Alive and vivid and sun-dappled, on all sides, with tree-cloaked hills rolling away to the horizons-and rising into purple mountains, back that way-and woods like he'd always thought Sherwood Forest must look like right beside him, across the lane… the lane that led up to a castle that was towering up into the sky, just over there.

He stared around at rustling leaves and dancing boughs. The dark and mighty trees stood on both sides of the lane, just ahead, and between them the rutted lane ran up from his bare feet, around a snake-like pair of bends, to the castle gates.

Taeauna laughed lightly beside him, and then said earnestly, 'Thank you, lord. Oh, thank you!'

Rod gave her an uneasy smile and let out a breath he hadn't noticed he was holding until then. 'Uh…'

She was taller than him. And slender, long-limbed. Graceful, too, despite her hacked and shattered armor. Bone-white skin visible here and there, where her war-plate had fallen away, sleek curves that… that… God, she was beautiful. Long, tangled night-black hair, those bright emerald eyes, lips like…

'Uh…' Rod began again. Like what? I'm supposed to be a writer, to have the words ready for…

Oh, shit. Staring at Taeauna, he waved one hand helplessly to indicate his near-nakedness, and with the other pointed urgently at the two knights, and at another man in armor who'd appeared out of the castle and was now peering their way.

Taeauna had seen them, too. She turned quickly to Rod. 'Please be guided by me, lord.' Her voice was low. 'Keep silent, give no one your name or the titles I've addressed you by, and pretend you remember nothing of who you are or where you're from.'

Rod gave her a rueful smile. 'That won't be hard.'

Those glorious emerald eyes were serious. 'I'm very pleased that you chose Hollowtree-this is a good place-but all of Falconfar is dangerous these days, goodman.'

'Ah. I've stopped being a lord?'

'Yes. If anyone asks if you're a wizard, do or say nothing that could be taken for agreement, nor familiarity with magic. Just act dazed.'

'How will I understand anyth-'

Taeauna made a sharp chopping motion with her hand that clearly meant 'be silent!' Rod obliged.

Hastening down the lane were four men: the stout armored warrior who'd stepped out between the two guards, and three bowmen in ragged clothes of what looked like soft, well-worn hides sewn together. The knight in the middle drew his sword as he strode around the first bend, and the archers readied arrows and spread out to either side of him.

Taeauna sheathed her dagger and stood waiting for them, head held high. As the knight approached, slowing warily after his boots slipped twice on moss-covered cobbles, she gently spread her hands wide in front of her, palms out to show they were empty. The archers raised their bows but kept their shafts aimed off into the trees.

All of them were peering keenly at Taeauna and at Rod-especially at Rod, covered in blood and wearing only his boxers.

'You are come to Hollowtree in strange array,' the knight said flatly as he came to a halt three paces away. He was a stout, hard-faced man with an air of importance and a belt bristling with silver-hilted daggers.

Rod stared back at him. So they spoke English here. Well of course they would, if his dreams shaped things…

'Indeed, Warsword Lhauntur,' Taeauna replied. 'Yet we mean no harm to any here, and crave but a night's rest. Unlooked-for magic, not of our weaving, has delivered us out of desperate battle against Dark Helms.'

The warsword gave her a sharp look. 'You know me?'

Taeauna smiled a little bitterly. 'We toasted each other in yon garden last summertide, Lhauntur. I had wings then.'

Lhauntur frowned. 'Brae… no. Taeauna?'

The Aumrarr nodded. 'Taeauna am I. Or what is left of her.'

'And this?'

'A man who came out of the fray to fight beside me… with a hayfork. Where he left his clothes, I've no idea,