SPECIAL NOTE: I had to reformat the chapters because this way flowed better. I could either have lengthened this chapter (formerly called "The Folly of Mortals") or split it in two, and so I did that. If you have already read a chapter called "The Folly of Mortals" the second half of the next chapter (now called by that same name) is the only new stuff, just start at the first chapter break (the bar that I sometimes use to separate parts of a chapter).

Chapter Twelve:

Forces at Work

Following the reports from the intelligence sources within Bound Kingdom Maxim, Sir Guy of Tanbel, and Sir Dekar made the four-day's journey to the tower of Fordon. There was nothing impressive in the tower's architecture once they reaced it, no prominent features, nor did it reach a great height. Still, the stone structure did make an impression, standing amidst the desert landscape.

It was early in the afternoon when the trio arrived at its foot, yet in the presence of the tower one felt as though the sun was a distant memory. Fordon not only shadowed the dead, dry land beneath it, it shadowed one's heart, burdening it with uncertainty. Was it dread or anxiety or did it simply banish hope? The tower's mystic grasp on one's heart was just as relentless in its attack as the sun had been in its heat upon their journey.

Maxim thought it manageable, however, and briefly raised the other men's spirits by pointing out the fact that they were three days early of Gades' deadline. There was little hope given to Gades' honor in keeping his word, so an early arrival allowed them more time to thwart his attack, perhaps to even surprise the one who called himself a Sinistral.

This bright spot, however, was soon to dim just as the day began to darken into night. With no more hesitation (there was not much to begin with) all three men dismounted their slightly spooked horses and strode towards the building's entrance.

The next moment (that they were aware of) it was considerably darker, they were turned away from the tower twenty feet or so back from where they dismounted (with their horses loose and further back), and shaking off a feeling that was something akin to a concussion, their brains seeming "foggy" as Guy later recalled.

There behind them close to the tower's entrance stood the creature that they had come for: Gades. Guy and Dekar rushed towards him fiercely, but were tripped up, apparently by something of Gades' handiwork, and so Gades spoke with them on the ground.

"It is not our appointed time to fight, good Sir Knights," the dark figure said, with a distasteful pronunciation of the word 'good'. "You are most welcome to this most sacred of places." By this time Guy and Dekar had arisen, but Maxim held them back with a hand, to allow Gades' speech. "I can feel what has been done in and around this tower in years past. I doubt you know even little of its history, but the magic here is deep.

"It will be an honor to battle such as yourselves in three days' time. I've waited for your appearance for nigh ten days, but you must tarry just a short while longer, for I am a man of my word. And my word is three days away. What you so recently experienced is something that will ensure that of happening. The deepness of the magic here is very strong and exacting."

Here Guy and Dekar rushed again towards Gades, only to find the same experience awaiting them. As they caught their surroundings and wits, they turned to see Maxim and Gades standing where they were before, but no one was talking.

As they walked back towards the two figures Gades cried, "So good of you to rejoin our conversation. I have tired waiting for the effects to wear off. I do not care for being left alone with only a commoner as company. Now that your brains are at least as clear as they were before, do you see the truth in my words about your situation." Maxim confirmed this and advised them to just listen to Gades' tiring welcome.

After a few more pleasantries from Gades, Guy was the first to address and gain a response from the dark one, asking, "Why are you playing games with us, Fiend? You seem to think yourself superior to all men no matter the number, yet you aren't even man enough to face us now. You hide behind taunts and magic spells that keep you safely from us. Are you weary or injured perhaps?"

"Who would have injured me?" Gades boastfully answered. "In due time, gentlemen, in due time. You still have three days left on my summons. If I were to dispense of you today, what would keep my interest until the destruction of these pitiful lands and those that inhabit them?"

"Sounds like a coward's talk to me," Dekar shouted back.

"My words do not measure up to your standards of courage, good Sir Knight? You would rather that I mimic the pitiful mood that you all have shown since you saw this grand tower, even from a distance? Not to mention your spirits in having to combat one of my strength. Or perhaps I fall below the cowardly discord within those you sent to save the inhabitants of Parcelyte?" Gades countered. Fear shortly gripped Maxim's heart, as Gades was aware of their plan.

"Yes, Seim and Parcelyte are more than names of places, good Sir Knights, Guy and Dekar. They give a name to those who live there as well. They are both places and people. I find enjoyment in bringing ruin upon them both, wherever the people lie. The third morrow shall be a grand day. This conversation is lacking, however. Sleep well tonight, gentlemen; you'll need your strength. How does the fifth hour of sunlight, three days hence of course, sound for our meeting?" And then Gades disappeared back into the tower. Whether he stayed there in the waiting days to come, they were unsure, but they knew that they would not see him again until his word would allow it.

After some initial discussion on what Gades was up to, whether it was trickery or not, it was decided that all they could do was trust Gades' word and prepare to fight him in the days to come. If he wanted to, he could have left the tower, and while they would search for him, they might not catch him in time to stop his destruction of Parcelyte and its neighboring lands and people. They wouldn't even know where to start looking, since they had not seen him depart. But, it was decided that a watch should be kept, in case Gades should be spotted wondering from the Tower.

A feeling just told Maxim that Gades wanted to fight and would be there as he said. He saw the dislike that Gades had for his social standing (or lack thereof), but he saw a sense of honor, if distorted, within the beast as well.

So, all the trio could do now was wait it out. Well, Dekar was a bit more stubborn and it took him two more times of trying the tower's mystical defenses before he conceded what Maxim and Guy had already accepted. None would admit this to each other, of course, but this was quite unsettling and very frustrating.

Guy and Dekar, amidst their cursing of Gades, passed time by sparring with each other, honing their abilities for their truest test of skill. Both men had fought in service to their king, as well as in defense of their honor, but even more so out of the passion for the fight itself and the glory attained from its result. A battle with a creature of skill such as Gades, would be their most apt opponent, and if won, a harvest of glory would be reaped by all three warriors. Still, there was plenty of time between these friendly (if you could call them that) battles. Too much time, Maxim thought, to hear the griping and impatience of the knights.

Maxim, apart from some work with his sword-skill, spent much time in thought concerning the mysterious energy that kept them from entering the dreary tower before them to pass the slow-moving time. No solution or understanding was grasped within his mind, however, and it began to drive him crazy. They had too much time on their hands before Gades' deadline.

Guy and Dekar felt this, too. Their object of desire was right before them, housed within an impenetrable tower. They were forced to simply wait out as Gades wished it, or perhaps it was this Tower's wish. It was certainly a cruel torture for battle-thirsty knights to have to endure. Despair was weighing heavily upon them, maybe most so on Maxim.

As the second day of waiting began winding down, their latest friendly dual spilled out with frustration and anxiousness into something fiercer. Tempers flared and the two knights' swordplay was beginning to get out of hand. A particularly strong blow from Dekar, brought a sharp counter from Guy, which in turn riled up Dekar further. Maxim succeeded in finally breaking them apart from each other's grasp long enough for them to cool off and catch their thoughts about them.

Dekar apologized for his initial blow, and then quickly went into another rant, releasing his anger towards who it would rightfully be aimed at: Gades. But Maxim had grown weary of Dekar's talk and needed to get away. So he bid them farewell for a time, leaving them with each other, a bit confused as to why and where he was going off to. There was little they could do to stop him and really did not think he was angry, so they paid little attention to it. In fact, they were quite ready to best the other knight in some feat of sword-play. Thus, they were especially surprised when three hours had passed and Maxim had not yet returned.

Despite the fact that they were knights, and that Maxim was only officially a commoner, they held him in high respect. He seemed more in control of himself than they did. He seemed like a natural leader, even a step above themselves, although they considered themselves to be natural leaders as well. What really struck them about Maxim, was his heart and his honesty.

But where had Maxim gone? He had left the other two, annoyed at their impatience and inability to manage their emotions. Maxim had always been able to keep his emotions in check, so it was hard for him to understand and allow for Dekar's outbursts. Even when anger raged within him, he didn't let it affect his demeanor nor his actions. He was a logical thinker who was also skilled with the sword. He faulted Guy and Dekar for being warriors so completely, even to the point (he thought in the heat of his frustration) of banishing reason for raw emotion. They were reactive, where he felt that they would need to be calm and collected in battling a foe such as Gades.

Maxim felt that all they were doing was losing their focus and wasting their energy. And so he wondered whether they would prove to contain enough poise in the battle that was sure to face them. Still, he was almost as anxious as they were to trade steel with Gades. He even envied them, if just a bit, in this regard, for they seemed less tortured in thought than he had been over the past few days.

His thought then turned away from them, for he was determined to get away from what troubled his mind now; he needed an escape. He wanted some time to himself, and then, when the fifth hour came the next day, they would come together and hopefully be strong enough to defeat Gades. At this point, he wasn't even sure if they would win. He remembered well the result of his last encounter with this dark being. And he feared that this outcome would repeat itself this time as well. Despair stoked the feelings of doubt within him, like a fire ready to blaze.

It was then that the burden of this task weighed so heavily upon him. He had never battled in this way before. He was a tracker, not a knight. And what he was about to do was the stuff that legends were made of. But he saw in himself a non-existent hero. The heroes his grandfather told stories about were of noble births, spectacular strengths, and seemingly unattainable for him.

He did not even feel like he was capable of leading these two other men into any sort of battle. It was true that his leadership was not something officially cast upon him, but in a way he knew that Dekar and Guy looked to him for encouragement and leadership in this time, despite him being younger than them both.

But was not this simply because it was my task first? Are not they simply joining with me, as their trials are taking them? Who am I to even think myself a leader of these noble men? Their experience and privilege is so much greater than mine? Aren't we are simply men who have come together for this impossible task of defeating Gades? Why would they even desire for me to lead them into battle, much less fight alongside them?, he continued to question himself and struggle in the answers.

Obviously doubts were again flaring up before him. He fought the doubts away, but their attack was unyielding and tempting (if unreasonable to clear-thinking minds). Maxim's mind certainly was not clear at the moment. One doubt would be stricken out of his mind, simply to return with another in tow.

But then, as night descended on the world, new insights and hope came into his mind. He physically felt the crowded, unclear thoughts almost lift out of his brain. He said it was much the same feeling you get when, after having a cold where one can hardly breathe, you take you first clear breath in days. At this point he looked up and discovered that he was right up against a large, strange tree of some sort that he did not recognize. Then he discovered he was actually in a grove of such trees. He had not seen plant life higher than one's knee nor a color of green in days (it seemed like weeks by now).

He had only seen wasteland for days as they approached and then waited at the Tower of Fordon. How long had he been walking to reach this place and why did he come to this place he wondered. And how strange it was that this oasis of sorts showed him for the first time how empty his surroundings had been. He loved to be in nature, but the land around Fordon did not seem natural in any sense. This alone cheered his spirits up, turning him from his burdening thoughts.

The trees were ragged, but in a manner that showed them to be strong. The bark was white-grey as if salt-air whipped across their surface continually, with dark green leaves. The tree itself leaned sideways (to the west) as it rose up, appearing to be perpetually blown in a strong wind, even if the air was calm. Their roots seemed strong, and must have delved deep to find water in this wasteland.

Perhaps, he had now escaped the reach of the Tower's deep magic. Perhaps this was a haven that somehow warded off the attacks of the neighboring tower. He soon realized what a hold of pessimism Fordon had gained upon him. This also made him wonder what affect it had on Guy and Dekar. Maxim was more sensitive to deep magic, it had seemed, than either Guy or Dekar, both for good and for bad, but it still affected his fellow companions.

Regardless of how he came to be here, or even how these trees had so vibrantly survived within the surrounding desert area, it brought to mind his encounter with the Foomy. His thoughts now revolved around his encounters in the Ilberet Woods and the wonders that came before him there. All memories were now extremely vivid in his mind, except for his encounter with the Keeper of the Forest, that heavenly being that welcomed them and introduced them to the Foomy. The memory of that encounter began to fade as soon as her visage had departed many weeks ago. Fantasy and reality seemed to mix and all hopes of remembrance seemed but a trifle when one was in the Keeper's presence.

How he longed to return to the safety and serenity of those woods he had stumbled upon almost two months before. It was a stark contrast between where he was now and what he was up against. Peace and light versus battle and darkness.

Still, these thoughts cheered him up. He also thought of Cai, the priest of Gordovan. What strength and wisdom he had seen from him amidst terrible atrocity. If Gades went uncontested, or if they fell short of defeating him, it was those atrocities that would continue.

Maxim thought of the joy and innocence of his childhood friend Tia. He remembered Guy's heart when he had decided to join T and himself on their journey. He thought of the grace and strength of Commander Selan. Lady Selan, he corrected himself. He could easily see why the Parcelyte citizens would refuse to call her simply Selan. She had a certain aura about her that seemed to lift her out of the normal considerations when a man addressed a noble woman. The mystery housed behind her eyes, within her mind, he only now had time to ponder, which only intrigued his curiosity more. He did not know what he thought of her. He realized, though, that if this mission failed, or perhaps even if it was successful and they each went back to their hometowns, he might not have the chance to pursue that mystery. This formed within him a confusion of feelings and a desire for neither scenario to come about.

And then he found that he was thinking too much about Lady Selan, unaware of how much time he had actually spent doing so. As the night wore on, and he rejoined Guy and Dekar, thoughts of Selan continued to slip in here and there.

Guy and Dekar were happy to see Maxim finally return, inquiring what had kept him away so long. He answered that he needed to clear his mind and unburden his heart. He also determined that this had succeeded convincingly. But now he had stepped back into the burdening gloom of Fordon and felt its touch, without giving in.

"I must apologize for my actions over this last day or so. I have brought little to you in ways of help and have harbored wrong judgments within myself. My attitude has been damaging," he started, before Guy interrupted him.

"I haven't noticed it to be much worse than our own, but what did we say about all of this formal talk?" Guy exclaimed.

"I have a life of practice in shrouding it," Maxim responded.

"I know that our frustrations are high and our patience wears thin at having to wait to face Gades," Maxim continued noticing the mood that had overtaken his companions even stronger than before he had left, "but I hope that you will regain any lost focus as I now have. Gades wants us to be weakened in strength, fractured in our purpose of mind, and torn from each other. This tower has a strange work about it, weakening our resolve and stealing our hope. But it only shrouds, it cannot destroy, our hope and our reasons for being here. Let us reclaim that.

"He wants us to fight from our own selfish motives and glory-hunger. We must enter the fight tomorrow unified and focused. Thousands of lives may lie in the balance and our roads have brought us here for one end alone."

"Let us perform deeds worthy of the stories our fathers heard and our great grandchildren will hear," Dekar added.

For the next few hours the men shared stories, inspiring each other. Laughter, joy, and courage flowed up from their camp amidst the shadow of the tower as water surges from a spring once trapped by earth. Unity was easily strengthened within them that night as they came together at a truer, more intimate level than they had yet done. Their purpose was clear and set before them and their resolve to see it through matched it.

So, Gades' intended effect in making them wait for three days did not have the outcome he had envisioned. He had hoped to make them weary, impatient, unprepared, and disunited, but they actually came out of this hiatus better prepared to fight him. They were allowed enough time to really focus on why they where there and what was needed of them. The only positive left for Gades was that the magic at work within and around Fordon Tower was still moving heavily upon them and their spirits, trying to regain its former holds on their spirits. It still had half a day's time to steal away the men's joy and courage anew, if they would allow it.

Author's Notes

Yes, C.R. Carter, we are our own toughest critics and I hope you do enjoy this chapter, since you've waited over a month to get it. I hope that doesn't mean it has to be really, really good…

I renamed the Tower of Taur to the Tower of Fordon, because I realized how dumb of a name Taur was and how it would most likely be pronounced like "tower." Fordon has an English origin and means to destroy. I also refrained from calling Gades the Sinistral of Destruction (without going back and changing the other chapters) because it seems like that would be a title given to him after the fact by history and hindsight. He would probably refer to himself as a Sinistral, since that is his race, but I took out the description.

Another thing I changed is that Gades doesn't really talk to Maxim, for Gades is a proud Sinistral and I thought would only talk to the ones that are knights, like he's kind of judgmental of Maxim's lack of status.

I wonder if this chapter is even much needed now that I split it? I guess it is, simply because it helps the reader to stop and think about what is really going on and I can get into Maxim's mind some more. Tell me what you think.