Delver Magic II: Throne of Vengeance, Jeff Inlo [graded readers .TXT] 📗

full-fledged goblin assault at this moment? My forces can move in the day as easily as in the night. I have a shag at my disposal. I would lose goblins, I do not deny that, but what would be my reward? I could own this town. Take the tunnels by force. You can not afford to fight me now. Admit it. The plain truth is so simple. You would have survived the dwarf attack only to be decimated by an army of goblins. Everything you own would be mine.”

Sazar held up a clawed hand to hold any rebuttal until he was finished. “We have diverged from my true point. I do not want to attack you this day. The reward would not be worth the effort, especially when a more profitable bounty waits at the end of the dwarf tunnels. That is what I will have this day, with or without your acceptance. The question for you is simple. Will you make me take the tunnels by force, or will you accept my proposal for a temporary truce?”

Sazar allowed a knowing smile before continuing. “Perhaps you should consult with your elf friend. Oh, do not act surprised. I know there is a contingent of elves here, allies in your battle against the dwarves. I also know that they are just as tired and out of position. Elves like to fight from elevated positions. Look around at the crumbled buildings and at the shattered wall. Where will the elf archers perch themselves? There are no rooftops left in this section of town. The dwarves saw to that.”

Sy turned from the serp. He looked far into the hills. He tried to guess how many goblins might be hiding out of his sight. He thought of his soldiers. He didn’t believe they could survive another attack. Still, the thought of offering assistance to this abominable creature gave him pause.

“I don’t think I can help you,” he said almost despondently.

“Then you invite attack.”

Sy rubbed the back of his neck. Fatigue clouded his thoughts. “What other choice do I have?”

“You can accept the inevitable.”

“Maybe I can’t. The thought of helping you makes me sick.”

“Do not be so stubborn, human. Do not think of it as helping me. Think of it as protecting those that live in this town. Is that not your responsibility? You are not helping me; you are simply giving me passage. That is all I want from you. Don’t be foolish.”

“I could take you prisoner, use your worthless life to bargain for time,” Sy shot back suddenly.

The serp did not hesitate for a moment. “Then do so. Do so right now. Lead me away from this spot. As you do, watch the hills. My goblins will rise over them before I move more than three steps.”

“Maybe not. If I threaten your life, they might stay back.”

Sazar laughed, a deep hearty laugh. It surprised Sy.

“What’s so damn funny?”

“You give the goblins more credit that they deserve. Do you think they can act on their own? They have their orders. They will follow these blindly. They would walk into their own stupid death. They are as dim-witted as the rocks around you, but they do not question my commands. They will attack if you even try to take me hostage. It will probably mean my death, but it will mean yours as well, and the death of everyone you’re supposed to protect.”

The serp’s eyes sparkled. His forked tongue danced with the rhythm of his words. “Don’t you understand why I came here like this? There is only one choice for you. It is not between giving me what I want or sending me away. It is between giving me what I want or seeing the complete obliteration of everything around you. I know you won’t have that. You fought too bravely against the dwarves to let it end like that. But that is why I am here. There is no bargaining, no alternatives. You give me what I want and we all live. Deny me, and there is death. Death for me, yes, but also death for you, and more importantly death for the other humans you are sworn to protect. I understand that. Do you not accept this?”

Sy did not respond.

Sazar did not wait for a reply.

“Good. We finally understand each other. If it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth, I take pleasure in that.”

Sy folded his arms at his chest. “Before you leave, I want more assurance from you. You say you won’t attack if I let you pass, but what happens when you return with whatever it is you want? I have no idea how long it will take you. You could be back before noon and then order an attack. My people will still be tired, the wall will still be down. Seems to me that I really don’t have any alternatives at all. You have an opportunity to attack, you just want to wait until you get your hands on some of the dwarf treasure first.”

Sazar responded as if insulted. “I assure you, I will want nothing from you after I succeed with my initial quest in Dunop.”

“Not good enough. Right now, you want the tunnels, but after you get what you want, you might not resist attacking us anyway. Now, I’m not foolish enough to believe you will stand by your word, but I think we can come to a different understanding.”

“And what might that be?” Sazar asked with a growing dislike for the human’s tone.

“You say you’re willing to die right now. I don’t believe that. I think you’re here alone only because you know I won’t do anything while the threat of your army hangs over my head. What’s more, I think if you get what you want from the dwarves, you’ll want to stay alive that much more. So here’s my deal. You come through with your goblins and your shag. We won’t stop you, but when you come back, you stay with us for two days. That will give us time to rest and rebuild some of our defenses.”

“You can’t be serious,” Sazar said.

“You stay,” Sy said firmly. “You and you alone. You can send your shag and your goblins back, but you remain here. It’s very simple. I know that you won’t order an attack if your life is really in danger. I can bet on that.”

“And how do I know you’ll keep your word.”

“I promise,” Sy responded with a wry smile.

“No, no. Once you rebuild your wall, you might simply kill me. I can not take that risk.”

“Then go order your attack,” Sy said firmly.

“You would sentence the humans of this pathetic town to their death so quickly?”

Sy stood firm. His tone indicated he would not move from this stance. “I’m here to protect them and I believe I found a way to do just that. We’re not safe as long as your goblins are ready to attack. I can ensure that won’t happen if you remain our guest for a couple of days. You want access to the tunnels, that will be the price. You stay with us for two days after you return from Dunop, then you can leave. As for your worries about me keeping my word, I have no reason to break it.”

Sazar took one last stab at Sy’s fears. “You realize I could simply order an attack now and take the tunnels without making any bargain.”

“You can, but it is a risk. How much time will you lose if you have to fight us? What if we offer just enough resistance that you miss your opportunity? You wouldn’t like that. And what if we all realize we’re fighting for our lives. Maybe we won’t be as tired as you think. And maybe our wizard isn’t as tired as you hope. From what I’ve learned, I know that dwarves are resistant to magic, but goblins aren’t. I bet you aren’t either. What if our wizard has enough power for one last spell, a spell to fry you where you stand? That’s your risk. Do you wish to take that or accept my proposal?”

Sazar frowned. Then, he laughed. “You speak with a sly tongue, human. I honor that. Though I do not believe you could stop me from taking the tunnels by force, we will have it your way this day. I will accept your invitation to stay with you when I return. I expect you will honor our agreement. I will return shortly with my escorts.”

#

Deep in the caves of the sandstone mountain, hundreds of giant statues waited for the animation of magic. They stood with blank faces in simple lines. One looked much like the next, the positioning the same for each. They were not created for the purposes of art, as an expression of someone’s creativity, or to convey some meaningful message. They were tools, tools that would soon hold great power.

The carvings were composed of the same sandstone that surrounded them. The rock was nowhere near as hard or as durable as granite, but it was easier to carve. The statues were given powerful arms as well as sturdy legs by their algor sculptors. They stood in lifeless, unmoving columns. They stood near the tunnel ways the dwarves used to attack the algors. It would be the second time this day that an enemy would invade Dunop using the very tunnels dug by the dwarves themselves.

Groups of algors stood in circles about the giants. They pressed their hands upon the statues in the same way an algorian healer would tend the wounded. The magic flowed from them in similar fashion, except it was not intended to heal living flesh. Instead, it brought life to lifeless rock.

Statues began to act. They moved at first as if waking from a long sleep. They took small steps, stretching their arms, turning their heads. The cave began to rumble as more and more of the once immobile sculptures took to their own movements.

The sight was beyond comprehension. Solid rock was turning, twisting, and moving like any other creature of the land. It defied the very fabric of reality. Objects carved of sandstone - without muscles, without joints - they walked, they turned, they grabbed and held. It was a spectacle that perhaps only the algors could witness with such detachment.

The algors, however, were not alone in their appearance of aloofness. Despite the miraculous power bestowed upon them, the sand giants themselves lacked any true appreciation for their own spectacular birth. They did not stare in wonder at their own flexing fingers. They did not look to each other with amazement. They did not even draw a connection between their own bodies and the abundance of lifeless rock that surrounded them. They appeared as if their awakening was nothing of any magnitude.

If anything, the deficit of expression was almost frightening. As there was no curiosity, no substance of emotion, there was proof that this was not truly life, but simply the animation of rock. At that moment, their limited consciousness was almost completely blank. They had no purpose, no direction, no will and no desire. Though they had the capacity for each, at the moment of animation their awareness was limited to the fact that they could now move. Further awareness would be pressed upon them by the algors.

As the sand giants now stirred about like dullards, they awaited their instructions, the command from their creators that would give them purpose. They remained harmless for the moment. There was no intrinsic thought of malice or destruction. They would only become the terrible weapons of war after the algors instructed them to be so.

The algors that survived the dwarf attack now clustered about the animated