Chapter 10: Liberation and Premonitions
Pirotess and Arodon silently made their way through the twists and turns of the labyrinth. After nearly two full hours of wandering with no end in sight Arodon started to get discouraged. The look on his face said it all; his jaw was clenched tightly, his nostrils were flaring and his brow dipped sharply at its center. Pirotess too was starting to get frustrated with the maze, but she continued on, unwilling to give up.
"I don't think we're getting anywhere Twig." Arodon moaned. "I think we've passed that same crack in the wall over there a couple times already."
"I know, I know, everything looks the same in here, but we have to keep moving..." Pirotess replied aggravated. "…and quit calling me Twig."
"Do you think Beld is really worth all of this trouble Twig?" Arodon asked, ignoring Pirotess' objection to his pet name for her.
"What do you mean?" Pirotess asked, raising an eyebrow as she stopped and looked at him confused. "What are you talking about?"
"We're looking for the Emperor; that is what that human said earlier right?" Arodon came to a stop as well, staring right back at her. "So I'm asking you, do think he is worth this much trouble? Because personally, I do not."
"Yes Arodon." Pirotess replied. "I do think the Emperor is worth our trouble, but mainly because Beld is no longer the Emperor. He was killed several weeks ago."
"Was he?" Arodon asked kind of nonchalantly.
"Yeah." Pirotess answered. "You really didn't know that?" She asked raising both eyebrows. He just looked blankly at her. "That's sort of an important piece of information to know there, isn't it Mr. Intelligence officer?"
"As a matter of fact I didn't know a thing about it at all." Arodon replied with a slightly annoyed tone. "I've been away, out of the country for weeks on a mission for our recently deceased Lord Beld. He sent me on a wild goose chase to Moss. He wanted me to find the witch Karla there if she could be found. After days of unproductive searching I was unable to locate her there, so I was returning to report to him and ran into you in Tiberius. What can I say; it's kind of hard to keep up on current events when you're sent out to the middle of nowhere."
"Well, I guess I can cut you some slack in that case." Pirotess said quietly.
"Yeah, well when General Baltus said the Emperor was missing, I figured I could deliver my report to Beld when we found him. But I guess I can't tell him much of anything now, eh?" Arodon joked coldly, unmoved by the fact that Beld was dead.
"Well, as it turns out, he didn't need your report anyway." Pirotess started walking again. "He found the witch himself, that's pretty much the reason he's dead now and why we have a new Emperor."
"Alright then Twig, so if Beld isn't who were looking for in this shit-hole, just who is?" Arodon asked seriously while walking fast to catch up with Pirotess. "That seems like another piece of important Intel that I should be made aware of."
"I'm sure you still recall the big, tall, and scary General…?" Pirotess turned her head back and flashed Arodon a wicked smile.
"Of course I do, who could forget a man who was so..." Arodon began to rant before realizing what Pirotess was getting at. "Wait a second, your saying he's in charge now?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying. The former General Ashram is now Emperor Ashram." Pirotess said with a hint of pride. "And I wouldn't make any off-colored comments about Beld in front of him. He has somewhat of a sore spot about that."
"Great." Arodon said in a low tone. "I'm not so certain about that guy."
"You have nothing to worry about brother." Pirotess assured Arodon. "Ashram is just as capable, if not more capable of being the Emperor of Marmo than Beld was. You've witnessed his cunning in battle yourself. I don't think we could ask for a better leader than him." Pirotess said with pride.
"You are quite taken with him, aren't you Twig?" Arodon slyly accused. Pirotess stopped dead in her tracks. "I haven't seen you act like this in a long while. What is it about you that makes you always want to do things that are forbidden?"
"That's not true Arodon." Pirotess snapped back at him defensively. "Having feelings for a human is not forbidden."
"Ah, so you do feel something for him!" Arodon declared mischievously, having tricked her into admitting what he suspected.
"What?" Pirotess was getting irritated with him. "That's not what I said you little shit, you're putting words in my mouth. I simply said that it wasn't forbidden." She was quickly trying to backtrack, which only served to fuel Arodon's suspicions.
"Perhaps it isn't an official rule, but all self respecting dark elves know humans are below us. They are an inferior race." Arodon said smugly.
"Inferior?" Pirotess asked. "Really…? I don't know any dark elf who could fight Ashram one on one. On a level playing field I don't believe any of us could beat him. At best, it would end in a draw. He is just as fast and smart as us and you've seen first hand how quick he is. On top of that he has tremendous strength and endurance.
"How can you know this?" Arodon asked doubtful. "You spent most of the war by my side with our own kind."
"I know because I watched him closely during the final battle of the War of Heroes. He was magnificent; breathtaking to watch." Pirotess answered.
"Well I…" Arodon tried to say something more, but Pirotess interrupted him.
"Even dark elves from our bloodline would be outmatched by him." She continued. "The man is an absolute prodigy, have you forgotten the night by the fire? You didn't seem overly eager to start a fight with him then. I saw the look on your face, you were frightened." Pirotess pointed out. "And so was I." She admitted. "We both could feel it. He is not like a normal human. He is touched by something very special."
"Yes... well I do admit this human in particular has some impressive qualities. I don't know about touched, but he is unique among humans. There is some unusual trait in him that I can't explain." Arodon said looking down for a moment. "Ashram is a credit to his race. Actually, I'd say he has almost an elfin quality to him." He remarked arrogantly. "He seems to have more in common with us than the typical piggish humans we see. Perhaps he had an elfin ancestor?"
"I doubt it." Pirotess leaned against the wall. "He doesn't seem to have any supernatural powers from what I've observed. I've never seen him weld any magic aside from his sword, Soul Crusher. Actually, he doesn't seem to care much for the use of magic. I think he finds it dishonorable in combat. Furthermore, there's not even a hint of pointed ears, which you would expect in someone of mixed descent."
"Alright then, maybe he is one-hundred percent human." Arodon sighed. "I'll admit he's something else."
"Thank you." Pirotess smiled in victory.
"But keep in mind Twig, although I can see your point of view on this matter, other dark elves will not." Arodon warned. Pirotess' smile melted away. "The two of you can never be together, they won't allow it."
"That remains to be seen Arodon." Pirotess replied resolutely. "I think the clans would allow it. Ashram has dominion over our dark forest homeland within Marmo. If you heard what he said at Beld's burial, you'd know he intends to conquer and rule all Lodoss and I for one believe he is capable of doing it."
"Maybe, it's possible." Arodon more or less agreed to avoid having to argue further. He could she that there was no winning this disagreement with her.
"I personally scouted the remaining powerful kingdoms of Lodoss, Arodon." Pirotess began. "Most are either too weak or unprepared for another war. That or too distracted with other problems. Do you really think any of the dark elf clans would be bold enough to move against a man like Ashram; a man who could very likely unite all Lodoss under his banner?" Pirotess asked. "They would be up to their ears in blood if they tried."
"Well, as you said Twig, that all remains to be seen." Arodon looked to the ground again. "However, there's one minor factor you failed to mention that is vital to this whole equation to work out for you."
"And what would that be…?" Pirotess asked curiously.
"Even if the clans would overlook your choice in lifestyle, are you so certain Lord Ashram would return feelings to you?" Arodon asked. "I've never seen that man show a single hint of love, compassion, or any other strong emotion. I too was at the final battle of the War of Heroes and I saw him fight. He did not show fear or anger in the heat of battle, that's not normal. I think he is a man who has lost his heart somewhere in life. How can you believe such a man could be capable of love?" Arodon asked. "I don't think he is anymore."
"You are wrong Arodon." Pirotess replied. "I saw him show true emotion once."
"When was that?" He questioned.
"When Emperor Beld died at Lake Stillness..." Pirotess then hesitated.
"Well, go on." Arodon invited.
"I came upon him holding Beld's lifeless body here." She continued. "At that moment Ashram shed a tear; I saw it trickle down his face and I saw the pain in his eyes. He does have emotions, but he hides them behind a mask. I believe all he needs is someone to help bring them out again."
"Perhaps Twig." Arodon said scratching his chin. "But doesn't he have to marry into royalty or something? I don't think our titles count in the human world."
In another part of the tunnel system, Baltus and Loganos continued to search with their men. They had been underground for almost four hours and the morale of the men was dropping more and more with each passing minute.
It was beginning to seem as though they would never again see the light of day. Their encounters with the ogre, the traps, hostile spells, and the depravation of the cavern was enough to get most of the men edgy. Being separated from Pirotess and Arodon wasn't helping matters either.
"Baltus, do you think Pirotess and Arodon are O.K.?" Loganos' question echoed throughout the cavern.
"Don't worry nephew, they're elves, they know how to survive in tight spots like this." Baltus answered. "I'm sure they're fine. I'm more worried about us at this point. We're a little lost at the moment and who knows what else is waiting for us in this miserable tunnel." Like the rest of the men, Baltus was no longer confident they'd be walking out of the tunnel alive again.
"Do you think we will run into any of the other groups down here?" Loganos asked nervously. "I'd feel better if we could regroup."
"I wouldn't be too surprised if we did run across the others." Baltus replied. 'Or their remains.' He thought to himself. "This place has so many tunnels and I'd bet at least a couple of them intersect each other."
"This place is starting to get to me... and from what I've seen, the other men too." Loganos whispered to his uncle.
"Well this mission keeps getting stranger and stranger as we go along, eh boy?" Baltus said confidently, making a mark on the wall using his sword. "We could use some good luck right about now. I haven't seen a single one of my other marks yet. This is all uncovered territory so far."
"Good luck huh, what about this?" Loganos pulled out his lucky rabbit's foot from his pocket.
"Loganos, grow up. You should know by now that the old wives' tale about a lucky rabbit's foot crap doesn't really work." No sooner had Baltus said this, when he heard a voice from ahead.
"Sir I think we've found something!" One of the men shouted from the front of the group.
"Of course, I guess I could be wrong." Baltus grumbled.
Ashram could feel warmth around him. He wanted to open his eyes, but was unable to. Unknown to him, he was trapped in an enchanted sleep. The spell prevented him from staying focused on any one thought for long so he couldn't wake up. Images rapidly past before his eyes, some were images of from his past and other images he did not recognize. One might say they were a type of dream.
Ashram first found himself back in the throne room in castle Conqueroria, the very moment Karla had initially appeared. He watched as she offered her assistance to Beld and then turned her head and stared at him as if something about him interested her. The first time Ashram was in this situation he had simply stared back at her and remained silent, but this time he felt inclined to speak.
"What are you looking at you back alley whor..."
Ashram was unable to finish his sentence. He was suddenly in another time and place. He was amidst the flames of Myce's ruins, on his horse. He watched as the Fortress burned and crumbled before him. His keen eyes spotted a figure on horseback rapidly approaching him through the flames.
'Well, I didn't expect to see you again captain, at least not alive.' Ashram thought to himself. Despite having killed the blond Alanian captain nearly two years ago during the war, he was now clear as day charging at him, sword held high, yelling just as before. He was five feet from away when Ashram pulled his sword and slas..."
Again, in a blurred second, Ashram's surroundings had changed. Now he found himself on his knees. Blood soaked the ground and his clothes. He was a child again, back on the old farm. He was surrounded by bodies, Orc bodies. Their unmistakable stench filled the air. Ashram looked around for a short while, taking in the carnage. Then his head sank to the ground and he wept. Everything he valued, gone.
He saw his mother and father dead across the yard. His father was stuck to their home's half opened front door, held in place by a spear. His mother was almost unrecognizable, there was so little left of her. She looked like an animal had mauled her. Ashram walked past her into the house. When he entered, he couldn't bear the sight that was waiting for him.
His sister was in a corner, dead. She grasped a knife in her cold hand. It had been her final defense. Ashram took the knife from her, and ran his hand across her eyes closing them. He walked back outside. And it was in that instant that something changed inside him. Although tears still flowed down his cheeks, his face revealed no other hint of sadness. His face revealed nothing at all, it was void of emotion.
When he reached the middle of the yard Ashram stopped and turned the knife inwards against his chest and prepared to fall forward to the dirt. Just as his body began to tilt forward a hand touched his shoulder, stopping him from moving any further. A gruff voice began to speak to him.
"That would be a very wasteful thing to do boy." Ashram looked up and saw a man with fire red hair looking down upon him. It was a younger version of Beld standing over him. "Perhaps I can offer you something better."
Ashram flashed forward to an unfamiliar place. It was dark, yet he could feel intense heat coming from below him. He also felt something gripping his neck. He looked down to see what it was. He was surprised to see it was Pirotess holding him, her arms encircling his neck.
He was even more surprised to see that he was fully returning her embrace. It seemed like a tender moment at first, but then Ashram noticed something was wrong. Pirotess' face looked pale and worn, she didn't look right and for some reason he felt panicked.
It was then that he noted that his heart was thumping hard and fast. He felt as though it would burst from his chest at any moment. The circlet that was usually on Pirotess' forehead was missing, but somehow she looked pleased despite everything that seemed wrong.
"Pirotess, what is..." Ashram's voice seemed to echo forever as he arrived somewhere else.
"...going on?" He found himself on a balcony above hundreds of people at midday.
He looked behind him. There were several guards standing at attention, but he didn't recognize their uniforms. They were not from any nation he had ever heard of.
Ashram knew of a few other kingdoms on the continent that were north of the Island of Lodoss, but he'd never been to any of them. The trip to the continent took months of sailing and he had never had any reason to make the journey. The men behind him wore dark blue vests and capes over polished silver armor.
'Am I a prisoner?' Ashram thought. 'If so, where the hell am I?'
"Well…?" A who was in fact a knight stepped to his side. "What are you waiting for? The people down there are interested in what you have to say." The man's face was halfway covered by his helmet, yet he somehow seemed familiar.
Ashram's hand went to pull off the helmet completely to reveal the man's face, but before he could, he jumped into the darkness of his dreaming and it was over.
'What does this all mean?' Ashram asked himself.
Pirotess was crouched ready to strike. Moments earlier she and Arodon had both heard a noise coming from around a corner just in front of them. The sound was strange, like a hissing breathing.
Pirotess glanced quickly over to Arodon; she was surprised to see that he looked nervous. When it came to fighting, Arodon normally was confident to the point of being cocky. This time he looked dead serious.
"Here it comes." She whispered as a scaled hand with only four fingers appeared from around the corner. 'What the...?' She thought as the entire creature became visible. It appeared to be a large humanoid-reptilian creature that walked on its hind legs. It carried a large wooden spear and was dressed in thin dark clad leather armor.
The creature turned its head and spotted the two elves with its yellow, snake-like eyes. In an instant, it was striking at Pirotess. It jabbed at her with its spear. She easily dodged and countered its attack by kicking it hard in the stomach, driving in her pointy-heeled shoe.
Arodon moved to flank the creature, but it recovered from Pirotess' attack quickly and used the knob end of its spear to lift Arodon up over its head. Arodon was flung into one of the crystal walls and fell to the ground. He got back up and threw one of his knifes at what he thought was the creature. To his surprise his knife shattered one of the crystal mirrors instead.
In the fall Arodon had hit his head, disorientating him to the world at large. His disorientation, combined with the sudden appearance of his enemy's reflection in the mirror in front of him proved enough to trick him. He gritted his teeth angrily as he scrambled back to his feet to rejoin the fight.
The reptilian creature tried to swipe Pirotess' legs out from under her using its tail, but she managed to jump up out of the way. She threw two knives while still in the air; one of which stuck in the creature's tail preventing it from moving. As Pirotess came back down from her jump she stabbed the creature in the chest with her rapier near the collarbone. The sword was only a few inches above the heart.
'Damn, I missed.' Pirotess thought bitterly. She had only managed to wound it. The beast grabbed her by the throat and started to squeeze, but before it couldn't do much else Arodon ran up and thrust his sword into its back, effectively finishing it off. The creature released her.
Pirotess and Arodon pulled their respective weapons out of their mortally wounded adversary. The creature fell to the floor and gasped for air several times. It was bleeding black blood from its various wounds. It slowly crawled over to the wall, leaving a black trail smeared along the floor where it went. When it reached the wall it sat itself up straight and shocked both of them by speaking.
"Thank you... you have set me ff...freeee..." The creature sank back to the ground, gradually transforming into a human youth. Pirotess and Arodon looked at each other in puzzled amazement.
"What the hell is this?" Arodon's hand reached down and turned the young man's head so they could better look at him. "It's a human." The youth looked to be about nineteen at the most.
"Yes, that was...odd." Pirotess replied. "But it looks like you found something even more interesting over here." Pirotess peered into the shattered crystal mirror, walking away from the youth's body. "There's a new tunnel down there."
"Yeah, I guess I kind of found that by accident." Arodon walked over and looked inside. "Do you think we should chance going down there? It could be another trap." Just then another hiss echoed from somewhere else close by in the labyrinth.
"I doubt we could survive many more attacks from those things, I say we chance it." Pirotess said as a second hiss echoed, this time closer.
"You got me sold on the idea." Arodon replied. Just after they ducked inside the opening he pulled his knife out of the wall that had shattered the mirror. "I didn't like wandering around in that fun house anyways."
Pirotess and Arodon made their way down a long and narrow passageway. Unlike all the previous tunnels, this one was very straight. Wherever it went, it was very direct.
Eventually it led to another mirror. Through the glass, they could see there was a fancy white room on the other side. Without much regard for the mess it would make, Arodon raised his sword and struck the glass. The mirror shattered and the shards rained down into the White room.
"I think I'd better get you out of here before you start getting used to doing that." Pirotess noted.
"What do you mean?" Arodon asked.
"You seem to like doing that a little too much." Pirotess remarked as she stepped across the jagged frame into the other room. Some glass shards crackled as they splintered under her weight. "I wouldn't want you picking up any bad habits while we're here."
"Hhhmmm... I'd say someone has a fetish for white." Arodon noted with a grin, as he came in after Pirotess.
"You said it, look at this place." She agreed as she surveyed the room. "Have you ever seen so much white in your life? Whoever lives here is a freak."
"Judging by how spotless this place is I think the chambermaid is going to be pretty pissed when she sees the mess we made." Arodon said as he surveyed the broken glass scattered about and the dirt they were trailing in from the tunnel, which plainly stood out against the white floor.
"Let her be pissed." Pirotess replied as she quietly crept through the room. "I'm not exactly happy to be here either."
"You think this is the place?" Arodon asked quietly, watching for guards. "This could be another elaborate trap. Our host has managed to surprise us a couple times already."
"It could be, but I'm fairly certain this is the place. Keep on your guard just the same." Pirotess replied as she cautiously moved further into the room, step by step. It didn't take long for her to find her way into a second room, and there she spotted Ashram lying on a bed across from them.
'Ashram!' Pirotess swiftly, but cautiously, made her way to the bed. He appeared unharmed.
'He looks so peaceful when he's asleep; it's a shame to disturb him.' She thought tenderly for a moment. 'Oh well, it's time for this nap to come to an end.' She shook his shoulder firmly. "Ashram, wake up." She bent over and whispered in his ear. She figured a warm breath of air there would be sufficient to get his attention if her words alone where not.
"That is futile my dear." Mistress Paulden said from a chair next to her chessboard twenty feet away from Pirotess, the surprise made her jump.
'Where did she come from?' Pirotess thought crossly as she tried to recover from being caught off guard. 'That woman wasn't there when we came in.' Pirotess was certain the room had been empty upon their arrival.
"Only I can make him rise again." Paulden continued as she looked at Pirotess with her bizarre white eyes. The cold stare made Pirotess feel very uneasy. Paulden's eyes looked dead to her, and her white skin only exaggerated her deathly appearance. It was like watching a living corpse speak.
'What manor of creature is this?' Pirotess thought nervously. 'A ghost?' She was not really paying attention to what Paulden was saying.
"You have broken my favorite mirror, killed several of my pets, and now are trying to deprive me of what I have so rightfully claimed. What am I to do with you?" Paulden asked with a peculiar smile.
"Claimed?" Pirotess responded. "I think you mean stole." She continued, ignoring Paulden's question.
Meanwhile, Arodon was trying to sneak around into Paulden's blind spot. He tried to unsheathe his sword, but was caught halfway through when Paulden raised her hand and pointed at him.
"Don't even think about it elf, you're not a threat to me." Paulden turned her head to look at him. "You're not faster than me either." Paulden declared firmly as Pirotess tired to reach for one of her daggers, but was frozen in place as well. "I suppose you two could make good pets, your hair is appealing." Paulden kept talking to them as if nothing had happened. "It's long, smooth, and a very pleasing shade of white."
"What are you?" Arodon growled as he struggled against Paulden's magical grip.
"Well, since you fought so hard and endured so much to get here, I would be glad to tell you my story." Paulden walked back over to the chair she had first appeared in. "No one has heard it in so very many years. It might be pleasant to reminisce a bit." Paulden leaned back into her white furred chair.
"But let's clean up a bit first." Paulden made a simple gesture with her hand and all the pieces of the mirror Arodon had broken lifted off from the floor and merged back together before floating back to the empty frame as it had been before. "There."
"How rude of me to forget my guests' comfort." Paulden looked back to the pair of elves. "Please have a seat." Two chairs quickly slid themselves across the room and hit Arodon and Pirotess in the back of their knees, forcing them into them.
"Well, let's get to the story, shall we?" Paulden asked them as she smiled. "Having lived a couple centuries I'm sure you two have heard of Karla, the infamous grey witch." She said in a half-sarcastic tone. Pirotess and Arodon both nodded.
"Good, then you must also know of her origins in Kastuul." Paulden asked assuming they had.
"Actually, we don't." Pirotess replied gritting her teeth.
"Well then, I'll just have to tell you. Kastuul was the once glorious Kingdom of Sorcery." Paulden began to explain. "Karla is thought to be the soul survivor of Kastuul, but that is not accurate. I also lived through the fall of Kastuul. I too, found a way to escape the cataclysm that destroyed our kingdom."
"How?" Arodon asked.
"I found a way to survive that no one else thought of. Not even Karla." Paulden answered. "When I first realized our magic was failing I had my slaves dig this all out." She motioned to their surroundings.
"And so when the final days of our rule came I was prepared. I withdrew myself to here and weathered the worst of it in my subterranean fortress. I avoided a horrific death when the slaves finally revolted and the barbarians invaded."
"What caused your people to lose their magic?" Pirotess inquired.
"It was our own doing." Paulden admitted. "Ironically enough it was through a ritual to increase our power that most of our people lost their ability to use magic." She explained. "Those of us who participated in the ritual still retained our power. Indeed, we few had succeeded in increasing our power ten-fold, but only by drawing it from the rest of the population. Everyone else was striped of their power entirely."
"But there were six of us who still had power. Among those six there was myself, Karla, the Governor of Kastuul Saluvan, and three others of less importance."
"After we figured out what had happened we tried to keep it a secret, but that just wasn't possible. Before long, the word had gotten out and the fighting began. The slaves we kept rose up against us. With most of our people powerless, the fighting was devastating. The other three sorcerers who had retained power fell trying to quell the slave rebellion. What was strange was that we found as each individual died, the rest of us gained their power through the spell."
"The slaves were eventually put down, but by that time word had reached the savage nations of men outside of our realm." Paulden continued. "They had long hated us. Our slaves came from their stock and they had not forgotten or forgiven us. They had also long coveted our power and domination of the Island. With our powers gone, it was only a matter of time before they attacked us. Nothing could stop our kingdom from collapsing. It was at that point that I fled.
"Karla and the Governor remained in the capital to make one last stand. The barbarians attacked swiftly as I foresaw and the city fell. Karla escaped, but the Governor refused to abandon the city. He was killed in the resulting battle, but he put up a fight that devastated the entire countryside and leveled the city. The only thing that remains of our Kingdom as it was is the ruins at Lake Stillness."
"How could you live down here so long?" Pirotess asked, changing the subject. "I overheard Beld tell Ashram weeks ago that Karla has only managed to live so long due to her circlet. She steals people's lives and bodies. How have you managed?"
"How did I survive…?" Paulden stood up and walked around Arodon teasing him by tickling his ear as she passed. "It's quite simple my dear. You see, before the dark times came to pass all the citizens of Kastuul enjoyed eternal life. There was a grand supply of a plant that could be made into an elixir that would prolong a person's life indefinitely. So long as the person ingested a small amount every once in a while, they would remain young and live forever."
"When the Great War came, I took as much as I could and came here. Unfortunately, the plant that produced the elixir was wiped out with the rest of Kastuul, so there is no longer a way to make more. Fortunately I still have enough elixir to last several more centuries, enough to rival even an elf's natural lifespan. It should give me enough time to figure out an alternate way to prolong my life." Paulden smiled.
"Of course as you pointed out Karla found an alternate way to preserve her life. I could do that too if I had to, but I wouldn't want to live that way if I have a choice. Being trapped as a rusty piece of jewelry for eternity?" Paulden smiled again. "I'm not so sure it isn't due to that fact that she's lost her mind and on her futile crusade to preserve the balance of power on this accursed island. What a waste of time. Karla's a fool, don't you think?"
"Perhaps..." Pirotess replied. "But a feared and well respected fool. Why do you hide from her?"
"I never said I was hiding from her." Paulden snapped back.
"Then why are you still down here?" Pirotess asked. Paulden didn't answer. "You said that whenever one of the sorcerers fell the others would gain their power through the spell." Pirotess pointed out. "I think you are afraid Karla is seeking all of the power for herself. I image she was pretty sore when you abandoned her and your people to their deaths. They might have stood a chance if you stayed and fought."
"Don't speak of things you know nothing of!" Paulden scolded her. It was clear Pirotess had hit a nerve.
"Why have you kidnapped Ashram?" Pirotess demanded. She was tired of arguing with Paulden about her motives, at least the ones that didn't involve Ashram.
"Ashram?" Paulden replied. "I possess him as much as I do this." She picked up one of the black knight pieces from the chessboard. "After living so long it becomes necessary to keep company. Every couple of years I search for an attractive man and bring them here to live with me. Typically, I grow tired of them after awhile, so I send them to join my minions in the labyrinth. You know of what I speak of, you've seen them."
"Yes, nasty brutes." Arodon sneered.
"I think Ashram is my greatest find yet." Paulden sat down on the bed next to him. "I can't help but wonder how long he will keep me satisfied. He is resisting me now, but that makes the game all the better. It will be so much more exciting this way." She stroked Ashram's hair. "He will probably resist longer than any of the others, but I will break him eventually." Paulden could see her words were eating away at Pirotess' patience. She took pleasure in this and decided to press it further. "But as soon as he becomes unappealing, which he eventually will, I'll throw him away like the rest."
"What gives you the right to just steal someone away from their life?" Arodon said flatly. "You profess a dislike for Karla, but you are no different than her." Paulden made a fist and he felt his windpipe begin to pinch close. "Actually I take that back, you seem even worse. Karla at least serves a purpose; you just sit down here idle."
"Insolent wrench, I can do whatever I like." Paulden snapped her finger and Ashram's hair turned pure white. "In this place I decide who lives and who dies. There's no one who can..." Paulden stopped. Someone was coming into the room from another chamber. She looked over to the entrance and stood up.
"What in the hell is going on in here?" Baltus barked from across the room as everything came into his view. Paulden turned to face them and thrust her open hand toward them. Baltus flew back into the rest of the men that followed behind him.
Arodon suddenly gasped. He dropped to the floor, but he could breathe again. Pirotess also felt the magical grip on her weaken. She took full advantage; grabbing a dagger and letting it fly. Paulden was too distracted with Baltus to notice. She turned back and the dagger struck her dead center in the forehead.
'Didn't miss that time.' Pirotess thought satisfied as Paulden dropped. When the White Sorceress hit the ground Ashram sprang up from the bed. And as he sat up the white in his hair began to melt away. He looked around confused. As he looked down upon himself he was surprised to see that he was only wearing his leather pants.
"What am I doing here?" Ashram asked in a groggy, aggravated voice. "Where are my clothes?"
"Here my Lord, we found these just before we entered this room." Loganos handed a suit of armor to him. "I think this is yours Sire... but they're white." Ashram grabbed the armor and suited up as quickly as he could. For a brief moment, Ashram appeared to be the white knight, but then the bulky white armor slowly returned to its normal gloomily black hue. "Another illusion?" Loganos asked.
"Yes, it would seem so my boy." Baltus brushed past him. "Are you sure you're o.k. Sire?" Baltus helped Ashram with his shoulder guards.
"I'm fine." Ashram growled as he stood fully suited up and looking more like himself. "Let's just get out of here." He walked away past the glass table where Paulden had been sitting. He paused for a moment. "Baltus, bring that with us." He pointed to Paulden's chessboard.
Baltus had one of his men gather the small pieces and the board, then stuffed them into a drawstring bag. The group left via the passageway Baltus had come in through. They planned to backtrack, using the marks Baltus had made in the caverns as a guide. Pirotess was the last to leave the room. She grabbed a large jeweled flask from the same table the chessboard came from. She examined it for a moment, then tucked it away following the rest of the group out.