Chapter XXV
"The Staff of Kings, you astound me!" Cain said with some admiration. "This is clearly an auspicious sign. Where did you find it by any chance?"
They were sitting on benches near the port, the afternoon had turned hot and the only respite was the sea breeze. They weren't the only ones, children played dangerously close to the edge while their mothers gossiped, old men traded war stories or gambled on the throws of bone dice.
"At the bottom of a hole guarded by an overlarge sand maggot," Talina replied. "Was it used by a king of old?"
"No, merely that it was only worthy to be used by a king," Cain explained. "It was crafted long ago by the Horadric Mage Aread Telel, only he was worthy of using it. When he was slain unexpectedly it was hidden," he turned the staff over in his hands with reverence.
"I trust that you are well now?" Geldar asked.
"The heat has never is kind to me," the sage replied, placing the staff gently beside him. "Guard it closely." He said to Talina.
"I will," she promised. "If you don't mind, I have to see Fara now."
She stomped off without looking back.
"She still thinks that I'll be going to Philios with her," Cain said when she had left.
"And won't you?" Norleche asked.
"It depends how events have unfold here," Cain replied. "Diablo nears his goal; we have little time to lose. Remember my friend, Andariel gave herself willingly to Diablo's cause. It would be prudent to assume that the other Evils will attempt to aid their master as well."
"You talk as if Diablo is still here," Geldar said. "I was under the impression that he left before we arrived. Meshif was saying that another ship took out a dark cloaked stranger at the request of Jerryn, a quite expensive request if I understand."
"But was that the Wanderer?" Cain asked. "Drognan told me that the Lord of Terror brought a mortal man with him to see to his needs, could it be that the man the ship took was not Diablo but that man?"
"It is entirely possible," Norleche said. "But would we know we know if the Tomb has been breached?"
"Drognan would have read it in the stars," Cain replied. "As he foretold our coming and our plight."
There was a long silence.
"You were talking about Lesser Evils," Geldar said after a while. "To what extent could they penetrate into our realm without our knowing?"
"What do you mean?" Cain asked.
Geldar told Cain about his dream and what Norleche had said, the Horadric Sage thought long and hard about this for a while.
"I won't disagree that it might have been Malevola," Cain said finally. "But the Lady of Fury has only been known by name, none have seen her form. While many foolish mages have sought to evoke Terror, Betrayal and Destruction there are no records—as far as I know—of what this demoness would look like."
"Not that I can blame them for not evoking her," Geldar said. "Even thinking about it makes my skin creep."
"There's enough evil in the hearts and minds of mortal man without bringing it in from other realms," Cain said. "Not that it was our doing entirely."
"What do you mean by that?" Norleche asked. "You mean to say that even we mortals could have brought about the Sin War?"
"Not like that," Cain replied. "I mean that perhaps by having power over other beings, even other humans, may have thinned that curtain between Heaven and Hell."
"So if someone could so choose the good of all over power they could turn the tide?" Geldar asked.
"It will not be as simple as that," Cain told him. "But as for your dream Geldar, I'll ask Drognan. He has many tomes of knowledge and may have some answers.'
"So this is just in?" Talina asked as she tested the weight of the pilum she held.
"More like a few months ago, before the port was closed," Fara answered rather mournfully. "We had quite good equipment coming in, now I'm managing with what I have and making copies if I can. There should be a caravan arriving from Khanduras in a few days, perhaps I'll have some more then."
"The arms and armour from the West aren't nearly as good as the ones of the East," Talina reminded her.
"Yes, but there could be some traded from Kingsport," Fara said.
"Impressive," Talina said, testing the balance in one hand. "Most impressive." She got out her moneybag. "How many can I get?"
"I can give you twenty five for two hundred pieces of gold," Fara said.
"That isn't much," Talina said.
"I'm sorry, but that's all I can offer," Fara replied.
"It'll do," Talina said, surrendering her money reluctantly.
"Pleasure doing business with you," Fara said with a half-smile.
Carrying her pilums under one arm, Katana walked back to the Desert Rain Inn.
The sun was setting on Lut Gholein and people were heading indoors, the Jewel of the City began to fill with the usual crowd. Cain, Talina, Norleche and Geldar sat in the usual table by the window in the far corner of the tavern.
"I spoke to Griez this afternoon and he said that he'd never heard of a sand maggot lair," Geldar said, spearing his food with his fork. "And the Far Oasis is only a name on a map to him."
"Well we've been in uncharted territory before," Talina said. "It's nothing new, we just keep going through the desert."
"There's supposed to be a city hidden somewhere out in the desert," Cain said. "A river used to run through it but it long ago dried up and the people left."
"Was it around when you were here last?" Geldar asked, he had told them a little of his last journey east.
"No, it was long since abandoned," Cain replied. "The name is lost to the ages, all it is known as is the Lost City."
"That reminds me," Talina said. "There's some sort of stele out in the desert where travellers have carved their names, you name is on there."
"That was an old watering hole, also gone since the Evil have emerged," Cain said. "It's been some fifty years since I have last been in Lut Gholein, and many things have changed since then." He stared into space for a moment. "The city was somewhat larger," he said. "There were little townships outside the main walls, now gone. Jerryn's father Pazair was Lord of Lut Gholein, he was making war in the north, trying to add to his empire but the druids kept repelling him."
"He tried to conquer Scosglen?" Geldar asked incredulously.
"Like it or not Geldar, history is written by the victors using the blood of the vanquished," Cain said. "These past few years it's died down mainly because the Three have emerged from hiding."
"Wouldn't that stir up unrest in the hearts and mind of men?" Norleche said.
"If that is the intent then yes," Cain said.
"But you say as if it isn't," Talina pointed out.
"First they plan to unite," Cain explained. "If that happens the world will cease to exist as we know it. That's why they have to be stopped."
"Fara said a caravan is expected in a few days," Talina said to Elzix when they returned to the desert rain.
"Should have been through ages ago," Elzix replied. "We received word last night when Lord Jerryn's messengers returned. But there were two men who arrived last late night, they said they saw something strange."
"What was it?' Talina asked, nothing could be discounted in these times as false.
"They said they had witnessed some form of evil magic," Elzix replied. "The story goes that there was a gathering of giant snake creatures performing some arcane ritual."
"And what do you make of it?" Talina asked.
"They sound like the Serpent Men of the desert," Elzix replied. "Though if you wanted to know more you'd have to ask Fara or Drognan, they would know more."
"Thanks, it might be useful," Talina said then bid him goodnight.
"So what do you think?" Talina asked Geldar when she had finished telling him of the Serpent Men the next morning when they were on their way again.
"I'm not quite sure what to make of it," Geldar confessed. "Did you ask Drognan or Cain?"
"Cain confessed his own ignorance and Drognan is looking through his manuscripts," Talina confessed. "They didn't have any answers."
"In my order snakes are held in special reverence," Norleche said as they climbed up a mesa. "The fact that they shed their skin is an allegory of immortality."
"I though that your order welcomed death when it came," Geldar countered.
"Yes, but knowing the limits of our own mortality allows us to reach beyond it," Norleche replied, then he added when he noticed their confusion. "Their venom is strong medicine as well. But as for Serpent Men…" his voice trailed off. "I've heard stories of course, but it is had not to discount them given what is happening."
"That's what I thought," Talina agreed.
"You've come a long way," Geldar teased. "I seem to remember a time when you would dismiss any kind of fantastic story as an elaborate perversion of the truth."
"Shut your mouth," Talina rebuked, they had come to another mountain pass meaning they were entering a new area. "What's beyond here?"
Geldar looked at the map. "The Lost City it seems," he said. "I suppose this is what Cain was talking about."
"Look sharp," Talina said as they left the mountain pass.
At that moment it all went dark as if a large cloud had passed over the sun. They kept walking but it persisted.
"Is it an eclipse?" Talina asked, she looked up cautiously. "Great Athulua!"
"What is it?" Geldar asked, following her line of vision. "By Akarat!"
Norleche uttered a curse in a language no one could understand, but it was in all their minds. This was no eclipse; the sun had completely disappeared from the sky as if it never had existed.
"I have a very bad feeling about this," Geldar said, staring at the sky.
It was this moment that the saber cats chose to attack.
