Delver Magic III: Balance of Fate, Jeff Inlo [most popular ebook readers .txt] 📗

Fires from torches lit up the darkness all around Connel. Even as the snow continued to fall, fear of what now surrounded the city replaced any worries about a simple dormant season storm. The goblins also set several of the farmhouses ablaze, and the flames licked the darkness of the waning night. To the east, only a dull, faint glow could be noticed on the far horizon, but the sight of what stood between that horizon and the city limits destroyed any ray of hope from the coming dawn.

Sazar himself was on the march toward the northern entrance of the city. With his small contingent of goblins at his side, he appeared as nothing more than another dark creature joining the ranks of the monsters that now encircled the city. His horde made no further attempt to hide their presence, to remain quiet in the darkness, or to avoid the approach of enemy scouts. Just the opposite, Sazar had ordered his minions to make their numbers quite clear to the human inhabitants of Connel. He ordered all torches lit, several farmhouses set ablaze, and every goblin to shriek with murderous delight.

The main body of Sazar’s goblin army closed ranks, blocked all roads surrounding Connel, and formed one continuous circle around the doomed city. No longer did they skulk in the shadows or crouch low against the dirt. Not a single clear path existed through their dark ranks. As the torches and surrounding fires danced with hell-like glee, the snow that reached the flames sizzled into steam. Newly wet wood gave off a white smoke as it burned, and the host of goblins appeared as if blessed by some unholy dragon’s breath.

“Chal,” Sazar called out to the goblin behind him. “Does this meet with your approval?”

“I like that we are not hiding, but why don’t we attack?” the goblin asked almost innocently, if that were possible.

“Because I do not believe we will have to,” the serp answered firmly.

Sazar then channeled his commands to the razor crows and hook hawks that remained near the trees to the west. In mere moments, the dark, thin, almost knife-like crows circled the goblins overhead. Their V-shaped bodies floated in the glow of the fires beneath them and their black wings accented the white snow falling out of the shadows from above. The hook hawks took to flight at a much higher altitude and soared in swooping patterns over the center of the besieged city. Shrieking upon the serp’s orders, their calls penetrated every dark alley and every basement shelter. No one in Connel could ignore the horror they now faced.

“I am ordering the shags and bloat spiders to move as close to the city as possible without coming in range of any foolish archers. I am also calling for several goblin raiding packs to advance forward ahead of our main line. We will do the same and appear as just another pack of goblins. I want to be ready to enter the city when the time is right.”

#

“It’s very early, still dark outside,” Enin professed as he looked up at the night sky. As he looked into the blackness above him, hundreds of snowflakes seemed to materialize out of nothingness.

“I know,” Ryson said as he waited on the grass in front of Enin’s home which was now dusted with a thin layer of cotton soft snow, “but it’s snowing and I wanted to take the dogs out to play and for a run before it gets to deep—or muddy if it warms up and melts. I didn’t think you’d want a house full of muddy dogs.”

“I don’t mind that much. Actually, I’m very glad you’re here. I would like a moment to talk to you. It won’t take long and then you can be on your way with the dogs.” The wizard looked back behind him at the four tail-wagging canines that waited at the front door. “They won’t mind as long as I don’t keep you too long. Please come into my study. Holli’s already there and I would like her to hear this as well.”

This piqued the delver’s curiosity and that was all it took to get him inside. He followed the wizard down the hall and into a large room where Holli waited near a window. Ryson nodded and the elf returned the greeting.

Enin began immediately, not even waiting to sit down.

“Ryson,” he began, “I want to make sure you understand something. I see in you someone that cares very much of what happens to others. You involve yourself because I believe you think it’s your responsibility. I admire that and I wish more people would have even a slight degree of your willingness to help and contribute.”

The wizard let that statement stand for a moment and then continued what he believed was an obvious truth. “I’m sure you’re thinking right now that you wish I was more willing to contribute, and that is what I want you to understand. We have talked often and at great lengths about things like choices and balance and interference. I never try to read your thoughts, but I do believe I can sense your reactions now and then. In the past few days you have helped in Pinesway, and gone out of your way to make sure a friend did not stray into danger. At the same time, I did nothing to stop Sazar in Pinesway and I make no attempt to stop Tabris from assisting this monster now. You must wonder why I do not do more. Am I right?”

Ryson simply nodded.

“You have always gone well beyond what is expected of you,” Enin continued. “You do so much for so many. When I see what you can accomplish, I am envious and I really wish I can do more. Unfortunately, I must be very careful.” Enin stopped and sighed. “There I go again. I am not saying what needs to be said, going in circles, saying the same thing over and over again. Let me try this again with as much clarity as possible.”

Enin rubbed his hands together and focused his thoughts clearly on what he wanted to say. “When I talk about balance, I am often referring to the equal weights of all things, especially good and evil. I have done my best to remain on the proper side of events. I have strived not to use my power for selfish desires, or out of anger, and especially not out of arrogance or pride. That being said, I think it’s time you understand there is another being that exists that does not have that same outlook. I believe he is malevolent in spirit and would certainly act without the care I have tried to exercise. In many ways, he is to evil what I hope I am to good. It is a way that the balance can be maintained throughout the land. I believe this creature exists to keep me in check, to remind me that if I start to interfere in the choices of humans, elves, dwarves, and so on, it would then give this creature the opportunity to intervene in his way. Holli has now seen this creature and I believe she can verify some of what I’m saying.”

Enin turned to the elf and raised an eyebrow. “Well, not clearly seen him, but has been in his presence. He is not a figment of my imagination, yes?”

“He is real,” the elf responded simply.

“And what do you think of him?”

“I believe he can and would do great harm.”

Enin turned back to the delver.

“You see? I never was making excuses. For whatever reason, there must be balance and if I break the balance by interfering there will be consequences. In fact, it is actually very simple. Whatever good I do, it will assuredly be offset immediately somewhere else by something very bad. There are times I can act, and there are times I don’t believe I should, otherwise I might invite disastrous results elsewhere. This part is hard to explain, in truth because I don’t really understand it myself, but if I do something like say interfere with Sazar and Tabris, it opens the door for this other being to interfere elsewhere. As long as I am responsible with my actions, it keeps the balance.”

“But there are times you acted before,” Ryson pointed out. “You stopped the dwarves from destroying Burbon, you destroyed Yave, you warned us about Sazar attacking Pinesway, and there are countless smaller things you do daily to keep us all safe. Isn’t that interfering?”

“I don’t think so, then again perhaps it is,” Enin answered in his usual and somewhat confusing fashion. “It all depends on how you look at it, and it all depends on the results. With the dwarves, they attacked us, they made a choice. I responded to that choice and to their actions. I never took away their ability to attack before they chose to do so. It was also not a struggle between right and wrong or good and evil. The dwarves that attacked did so because they felt threatened. The people of this town and the elves that fought with them did so to defend themselves. I ended that battled but I did not intervene in the struggle between good and evil.”

“That’s where you’re going to lose me,” Ryson proclaimed. “I didn’t see anything good about the dwarves attack.”

“That’s because you’re not a dwarf,” Enin replied. “Anyway, let us not get sidetracked from what it is I want to say. I want you to understand that there is evil out there and if I act out of haste simply to do what I think is right, I believe that evil will be given an opportunity to gain strength. I can not let that happen. You may not understand that fully, but perhaps it is enough. What do you think?”

“Well, the fact that you’re telling me there’s something out there as powerful as you that is evil isn’t going to make