Part 3

(Tongue of Flame)

Chapter 11

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It was late in the evening and hours had past since the siege had been routed.

Raelag marched into the tent, barging past the sentry that had stood guard outside. Without a word to his clansmen inside he walked up to they table upon which the still body of his enemy, Thralsai of the SoulScar clan.

Raelag looked down at the grey body, the wound which had claimed in life still visible through his stomach.

"So he is dead then." He muttered and then added; "Good!"

The Soulscar army had not lasted long after their Hydra had been turned against them. Clearly their morale had relied on their giant beast and once they had lost it they had been revealed for the cowardly opportunists they all were. Their retreat had been blocked off by the lizard cavalry of the Dark Raiders who had swung around wide to prevent them from escaping through the cavern they had used to attack.

Once they were pinned in one place, Raelag had ordered the advance of the Minotaur elite guard.

Minotaurs were the slaves of the Dark Elf people but many of these beasts had been trained for battle and armed with mighty axes and armour. For such feral creatures they fought with tremendous discipline, remaining in ranks as they advanced, cutting down the SoulScar army row by row until the attacking force had been completely destroyed and the siege of Virbeth had been routed.

News of these events was quickly disturbed by runners to the other cities of Clan Shadowbrand and to other, allied clans. The SoulScar had crossed the line, violating the laws of Ygg-Chall and the peace treaty that had been written after Queen Isabel's war.

Raelag was not a forgiving person. He had granted the SoulScar amnesty after the war, allowing them to rebuild their cities so long as they remembered their place. This attack threw such forgiveness out the window.

This time, when he raised war against them, Raelag would not leave a single one of them alive.

Outside the city itself, tents had been pitched so that healers could properly tent to the wounded and help clear the battlefield of the dead before they began to rot. Underground there were few places the stick from decomposition could dissipate.

"We'll need additional troops to reinforce the city barracks." He told his commanders after leaving the tent. "I want forces along the Grimheim border to withdraw and convene here immediately."

"But… but my lord… that would leave us vulnerable in the north. We can not, in our present state, risk leaving ourselves open to an attack by the Dwarves."

Raelag shrugged as if it wasn't that much of a concern.

"If King Tolghar wants to nibble off little bits of our territory while our backs are turned then that's fine. Once we clean house here we'll just go right back and 'retrieve' it from him." He managed a wry expression. "Are you suggesting that our forces aren't any match for the dwarves, commander?"

The dark elf, realizing that he had put his foot in his mouth, began to splutter.

"No… of course not my lord." He replied quite quickly.

That was that. The Orders were given. The Dwarven frontline generals, Agbeth and Ranleth were to return to the homeland of Ygg-Chall with their forces immediately. All knew this would not sit well with them for their fierce hatred for Dwarves were almost legend. Raelag was unrepentive however and cared little if the generals liked his decisions or not, so long as they obeyed orders.

Sareth winced one final time as Leanna finished stictching up the last of the wounds on his back. The shards of wood and metal had not penetrated deep enough to cause serious injury, although he had lost quite a bit of blood and he had needed more than half a dozen sutures before his self appointed healers were finished.

"There." Leanna remarked, tying off the end of the switch that was to keep the largest of the wounds from reopening. "All things considered, you got off lightly."

He wasn't listening.

His thoughts were fixed on that dreadful moment when, filled with an intense and unexplainable bloodlust, he had kicked Thralsai off the top of the Hydra and to his death.

It had been a moment of utter savagery, a horrible almost irredeemable act to commit.

And yet he could not deny that he had enjoyed it. He had actually enjoyed watching Thralsai plunge down until he impaled himself on the Hydra's spiky crest. Sareth had been actually happy to see the blood burst from his chest upon impact.

While an argument could be made that it was something that happened in the heat of the moment, Sareth found that he could not bring himself to feel remorse.

He had killed Thralsai… and while he resented himself for being capable of act, he found that the deed itself did not bother him.

That was that had kept him awake all through the minor surgery to remove the shards in his body, despite the drugs and salves they had used to numb the area and attempt to put him to sleep.

And then, even after that, he had used the Hydra to stampede over the attacking SoulScar.

How many Dark Elves had he killed then? They didn't bother him either. He hadn't even seen their faces yet he had run roughshod over them like ants.

This is a war, he told himself over and over again, people die in war.

The thought did not help him much and he found himself growing more and more disturbed by what he was apparently capable of.

Xana clicked her fingers in front of his face, causing him to blink.

"No day dreaming." She told him with an almost stern expression, although her eyes had a mischievous twinkle to them. "So all done?" She asked, looking aside to Leanna.

"All stitched up." The Mage girl replied, patting Sareth's back affectionately. "Try not to move around that much, Sareth, give those wounds a chance to heal."

She smile turned into a little frown.

"Although you're going to be left with some ugly scars I'm afraid."

Sareth let out a pent up breath through his nose.

"I can live with scars." He remarked.

Leanna and Xana were not exactly friends now. Their obviously mutual affection for Sareth kept them at odds and their other differences kept them from connecting that much.

Still, they had cooperated together in assisting Sareth with the ballista and that had knocked down one or two walls between them. That put them on speaking terms but not much else.

"Ah, Sareth… the conquering hero."

Sareth looked up at the sound of the voice. Standing in the gap of the tent mouth was Lethos. The dark elf assassin bowed extravagantly to him with a graceful arch of one arm.

"I understand I am to offer congratulations." He added, looking up with a broad almost cheeky grin. "Not many warriors can claim to capture a Foul Hydra while killing the General of a besieging army." He straightened and clap enthusiastically. "Let the bards begin singing your name, my brother!"

He cleared his throat and began to actually sing, his fingers tracing the strings of an imaginary lute.

"He came to us from the world of light,

A hero for our time of plight;

Unarmed he scaled the Hydra's neck

To place upon the villain a fatal check."

"Are you done?" Sareth asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh I'm never done." Lethos retorted, dropping out of prose with an even broader smile. "If I can't make a quip at a friend then I've lost my edge."

His light hearted easy manner actually succeeded in making Sareth smile. The dark elf's eyes were drawn to Leanna all of a sudden.

"Oh…" He began. "And who is this lovely flower?" He asked. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure m'lady."

He dropped down to one knee and taking her hand in his, kissed it formally.

"Allow me to introduce myself. Lethos, Stalker of the Assassin's guild."

Leanna looked a bit perplexed at this behaviour but had a faint tinged blush on her cheeks.

"The… the honour is mine, good sir." She told him, not quite sure of what to say. She introduced herself and stumbled over it, clearly a little put off by Lethos' boyish attitude which was uncharacteristic of his race.

Xana made no attempt to stifle her giggling.

"Well my brother, you certainly surround yourself with beautiful women." Lethos began again to Sareth. "A hero and a ladies man. Ah you will be the envy of all of Ygg-Chall is not all of Ashan." He laughed, ignoring the embarrassed look on Sareth's face. "Ah but let us be serious for a moment. Our patron lord has called for a council in the wake of the siege on the city."

"A council?" Sareth repeated.

Lethos nodded.

"Yes, nobles, generals, leaders of the guard… all must report to the main hall of the citadel. Lord Raelag wishes to say a few words, and to dispense instructions. I've been told that he wants us to attend."

"Us?"

" 'Us' as in those cleared for tutelage in the arts of dark magic." Lethos explained. "I do believe, dear brother; that we going to be drafted."

"What?!" Sareth stood up too quickly and winced at the pain in his back as the stitched strained to hold the wounds together.

Lethos held up both hands.

"I can go only by rumour." He asserted. "Raelag has been talking with his generals most of this morning so I can not pretend to know his mind, but given the state of emergency he may deem that more trained defenders are needed to defend the city."

Sareth looked dismayed.

"I just wanted to learn the magic, not use it to help fight a war!"

Lethos levelled a gaze at him.

"Well you were doing pretty well in a war early this morning I heard." He commented. "But right now we have something of an opportunity…"

"What do you mean?"

"When I say all the important people will be at this council meeting, I include visiting dignitaries in that." The dark elf levelled a gaze at him and that boyish façade was now subdued. "Dignitaries that like to tinker in 'dead' things, for example."

Arantir.

The Necromancer.

The one Sareth suspected of being responsible for the Wight that had caused the death of Leanna's uncle, Menelag. He looked back at Leanna. She had doted on her uncle, loved him more than any other relative. He had been like a father to her and then he had been taken from her.

Areth had vowed, both to her and to himself, that he would bring whoever had been responsible to justice.

But now, in light of what had happened during the battle, the question was raised; did had desire justice or vengeance?

Was there a difference? The new question bubbled in reply from some deep part of his mind.

"We can post pone our arrangement if you like." Lethos offered. "But this is certainly a good opportunity if ever I saw one."

Sareth nodded once in agreement and grabbed a shirt to cover his new scars.

"But let us talk of this when perhaps we have more details to go on." The dark elf continued. "Right now, our patron summons us." She side stepped and raised the curtain of the tent with one hand. "Let us not keep him waiting, dear brother."

The city of Virbeth had escaped mostly unmolested by the siege. Only the citadel itself had been damaged, most of which was caused by the rampaging Hydra.

The breeding of Foul Hydra's was illegal so as soon as Sareth had handed over the reins of the creature, it was put to death.

The carcass of the beast lay on the cavern ground nearby. Its heads had been severed and a small army of Minotaur slaves and dark elf labourers were busy picking it apart, disputing the bones to merchants and the substantial meat to those in need of food.

It was ruthlessly efficient but it was effective.

Stonemasons and blacksmiths were busy too, forging new weapons out in the open for the garrison and barracks that were going into recruitment overdrive to the point of press ganging. Large wooden scaffolding shot up and down the palace so that workers could attend to the damaged areas and affect repairs.

Minotaur guards had replaced Dark Elves who had fallen in battle. Like the slaves, these Minotaur's were still chained and muzzled but they were bulkier and stronger, armed with a pair of axes which they held with ease despite the heavy chains on their wrists.

Quite a few people had been called to this meeting. Dark elves, mostly of noble birth, were walking in through the large front entrance. Sareth felt more than a little out of place here, a feel he had had since coming to Ygg-Chall although that feeling was intensified greatly now.

Leanna hissed and turning around to follow her gaze, Sareth watched as the crowd began to part. The scared faces on the dark elves showed that something was coming that they did not want to get in the way of.

Pushing through was a small procession of people, most of them clad in jet black armour plating and even black chain mail. They marched protectively around a single figure Sareth had seen before.

It was Arantir himself. The Necromancer marched with his armed guards confidently up towards the fortress as if he were oblivious to the startled glares all around him.

"Observe, brother." Lethos began in a whisper. "The Necromancer takes at least ten of his Black Guards with him."

"Which means his manor house will be scantly guarded." Sareth continued in the same low tone. Lethos smiled and patted the Youngman on the back.

Coming through the large stone gates to the interior of the main hall, light by braziers in each corner, Sareth spotted Raelag who was standing up upon a central dais where he was talking to a few other dark elves in armour. Ylaya in her scanty black attire stood nearby as well, always ready to defend her lord now more than ever.

Arantir and his armed men went up to the front to stand with the nobles and other people of importance, although those same people kept a safe distance from the necromancer all the same.

Lethos directed the four of them to a secluded spot on the sidelines where they could watch the proceedings without being noticed.

Raelag finally finished his business with the armoured dark elves, who Sareth assumed where his generals, and then turned to face the crowd. He raised his arms, a gesture for silence.

It took a moment but eventually the bubble of conversation died down.

"Friends and allies." Raelag began. "We stand here today, alive and undefeated!"

The dark elves in the crowd roared in exultation and everyone else simply clapped.

"The dregs of the SoulScar had been driven back." Raelag continued. "And they have paid dearly for this affront to us. They will pay dearly for their crimes this time. We offered them forgiveness and they spat in our faces, tell me my kindred shall this stand? No I say. I promise you that they will pay for the dead brothers and sisters we were forced to put to rest this day."

Sareth could also sense the boiling resentment in the room. Many here had indeed been forced to loose someone dear to them in the attack and their desire for retribution was strong indeed.

"And so I call upon you, vengeful families and injured men, to contribute to the cause of justice upon these murderers."

The recruiting drive was clearly effective as Sareth could see in the faces of a few dark elves around him. Raelag was a skilled manipulator if he so chose and the young man was not entire sure how he should feel about the clan lord using the natural anger of grieving relatives for a military service pitch.

"But first." The Clanlord carried on. "We must honour those who fought today, who defended us and gave their lives. We will remember them and honour them." He gestured down towards a dark elf who had a scroll of paper and quill at the ready, who stood at the front of the dais. "Once my address is complete, I would compel you to come forth and list your known relatives who have died in this attack."

He let the crowd murmur for a moment before he continued.

"The dead will be honour but this is one among the living to whom we owe much, a survivor who battled courageous and turned the tide of the battle in our favour."

As Raelag turned to face him, Sareth felt a stone drop in his stomach.

"Sareth, a lone human hardly older than a boy, a stranger in our land came to our defence."

The crowd turned to look directly at him and it was about then that the young man discovered that he found being in the spotlight uncomfortable.

"Sareth…" Raelag began and his tone was strangely soft. "Come forth."

Not entirely sure why he was obeying, Sareth walked forward through the parting crowd up towards the dais.

Lethos and the two girls exchanged confused glances. The dark elf assassin was no more in the loop about this than they were.

As Sareth ascended the dais, Raelag stood aside so that the crowd could see him.

"This young man is to be rewarded for his heroism." The clan lord announced and then turned back to Sareth, laying both hands on his shoulders. "Do not be scared of what you see." He remarked cryptically.

As Sareth raised an eyebrow, Raelag gestured towards the wall at the far end of the chamber.

Looking at it now, Sareth could see that it was not a wall but rather a massive iron door with huge rusty hinges. A woman's face was painstakingly carved into it, the same face as on the statue that stood outside the citadel.

There was a moment of silence and slowly the door began to swung out and open.

The crowd gasped at the sight and Lethos stood there watching the door slowly open with wide, alarmed eyes.

Raelag got down onto one knee towards the opening door and after him, all over dark elves in the room began to bow as well. Arantir and those not of Ygg-Chall in the chamber kept their erect posture.

Sareth just watched as a strange violet light began to pulse out from behind that door and suddenly, he felt a presence.

It was a power sense of presence, a feeling impossible to ignore the feeling that something larger and far more powerful than oneself was there.

When the door was all the way open, Sareth beheld a large crystal that ran vertically from the ceiling to the floor, glowing with an intense purple light.

"Where is the one who comes to the defence of my children?" A whispery voice asked out of the depths of the crystal it seemed. Despite that quite tone the voice's effect was almost like a blow for it came from the mouth of something…divine.

"He is here, Great mother of darkness." Raelag announced without looking up. "We pray thee, bestow your blessings upon this human, this young man by the name of Sareth."

There was a long moment of silence.

Then Sareth's throat seemed to almost chock itself when he saw that something was coming out of the crystal. The light parted as if a curtain and… something emerged.

The body was sleek and reptilian and the scales black to grey, the tail whipping out behind it. Its spine had a ride that ran from tail tip to the top of the edge and it was jagged and covered in spikes. Its neck was relatively short for the body and the head was small but the mouth was large. The eyes were glowing an intense yellow and seemed to burn almost like two small fires. The wings on either side were folded by clearly when stretched they would provide the beast with tremendous lift.

Sareth knew what a dragon looked like but this was far more than just a dragon.

The presence he felt, the raw power coming from this tremendously large creature that only just managed to fit in the room was that of a god.

"Malassa." He found himself saying out load.

This was no mere Dragon.

This was Malassa, dragon of darkness, goddess over the Dark Elves.

"You do not bow." The goddess remarked, floating up to the dais and towering over it. The reptilian lips did not move as she spoke.

"No." Sareth said although he found his responses were automatic. "I don't."

"Why not?"

"Because you are not my god."

"Do you have a god?"

"No."

"Then to whom do you bow?"

"No one."

The fiery eyes in the goddess' face actually appeared amused.

"Yet you come to the defence of my children. Why? What do you, an atheist; owe those who worship any of the gods whom you reject."

Sareth had never considered this before but he supposed, confronted with it now, that he was an atheist. He worshipped no god, dragon or otherwise and felt absolutely fine despite religious dogma that he should not.

"Because I have made friends with those who live here." He explained. "They offered me protection and shelter and so… I fought to protect them for their generosity."

Malassa's head dipped low and she regarded him slower, her nostrils a mere foot away from him. She expected him long and hard as if scrutinizing every tiny detail of his face and form.

Then she straightened up and let her leather wings unfold as much as the room would allow.

"You have found favour with me, this day…Atheist Sareth." She announced. "As such I heed my children's request and bestow my blessing upon you."

Without warning she reared back her head, taking a deep breath before unleashing a torrent of fire. Breathing flames, she directed them down onto Sareth.

The young man raised his hands to ward it off, expecting the searing heat to burn him alive… but there was no heat. The flames danced around him, melting off either side as if they were alive and conscious enough not to touch him.

The inferno raged; melting down like ice in sunlight until it came to a point directly in front of him. There it condensed, becoming smaller and smaller before finally the fire became solid.

Hovering there before him was a blade, curved at the tip with a jagged edge. The blade was long, almost to the point of being a claymore and was straight from the tip to the hilt, which was shaped like a dragon with spread wings, the mouth open where the blade began. The pommel stone was dark but with a red outline, as if it were pulled from flowing magma.

Sareth just stared at the sword for the space of five breaths before, slowly at first; he reached out and took a hold of the hilt.

The instant his hand was there, the blade burst into flame. It was as if the sword were suddenly a mighty tongue of fire, lashing upwards with all the ferocity of a dragon.

"Behold the blessed of Malassa!" Raelag announced and Sareth glanced up, finding the clanlord on his feet and Malassa was gone.

The massive doors through which she had come were now closed, all happening in an instant while the sword had captivated his attention.

The crowd burst into cheering and then the event turned into a chaotic melee of questions and counter questions to which Sareth had no answers.

Thankfully, Raelag spirited him away and into an adjacent chamber, leaving the crowd to gossip and spread rumors. Just before the door was shut after them, Sareth saw through the crowd that watching him intently was Arantir.

The Necromancer's eyes were probing and his expression profoundly suspicious.

Sareth was taken through several stone corridors before he came into a small chamber that had the comforts and furniture of an office.

The young man was still holding the flaming sword forth like it were live snake. The fire was not hot to him but he wasn't taking any chances. He did not want to set anything on fire by mistake and he didn't know how to… turn the thing off.

"You're in a heightened state of emotional stress." Raelag told him once he closed the door after him. "What you are holding there is the Dragon Flame Tongue, the sword of the Dragons. It responds to the emotional distress of its wielder. If you relax, the flames will dissipate."

Sareth nodded once and took a deep breath, and then another… and another. Forcing himself to calm down with a fiery blade in his hands was not easy but force regular breathing eventually took its toll and the fire that dances along the blade began to lessen and lessen until finally it went out completely.

"I hope you realise what an honour you've been given there." Raelag began, folding his arms behind his back. "That sword was part of a set, a sword, shield, crown, armour, mantle and ring, forced by all the dragons. You have earned possession of the Dragon Flame Tongue, the sword of fire."

Sareth tested the weight of the blade. He knew basic and advanced swordsmanship as that had been apart of his education under Phenrig. The blade was perfectly balanced despite its weight

"That sword has magical properties… I mean besides just being a light source when you need one." The clan lord continued. "Its fire will ward off any spells cast at you that rely on the elemental power of the cold. Ice and snow will melt in your path… once you master the blade that is."

There was a knock at the door behind them.

"Come in, Lethos." Raelag remarked and then he frowned and looked at Sareth. "And you can tell that little raven haired minx of yours that she can stop ease dropping, I know she's there."

There was a short flash and Xana appeared beside Sareth, a guilty smile spread across her lips.

Lethos entered the room the more conventional way, bring Leanna along with him.

"Forgive us for taking our time, clan lord." Lethos began. "But the crowd was… needless to say… a bit rambunctious."

"Now that is a sword!" Xana remarked, admiring the weapon in Sareth's grasp. "Go on; make it go all fiery again!"

"Ah, no, I'd rather my fortress not burn down after I fought so hard to protect it." Raelag told her quite sternly. "And as such, lessons on elemental control and dark magic, for all of you here."

"What?" Leanna asked looking surprised. "Me as well?"

"You have basic magical training." Raelag told her with a shrug. "Sareth and Lethos have allreadu qualified and I think you can make the training regiment if you try."

"Me as well?" Xana asked putting on the best innocent expression that she could.

Raelag fixed her with a steady and quite unfriendly gaze.

"Yes." He said. "Even with your unique nature, you are suitable for such training."

Sareth paused.

"You're not…drafting the four of us are you?" He asked then.

Raelag pushed his lips together and then paced back and forth.

"I am in need of mages and warlocks right now yes." He admitted and then he shook his head. "But no; I have another task in mind for you, one equally as important. A task that will take place as soon as your training is complete."

He walked over to a chest that lay onto of a stone table nearby and opened it. From inside, the clan lord retrieved four identical scrolls. They were all rolled up with black silk ribbons and bound by wax seals.

He shared them out between them.

"These scrolls will give you the basics on Dark Magic incantation and Elemental Chains." He said. "Study them well tonight… and then come to me again the next morning. There we will begin the training proper."

His frown suddenly quickly into an uncharacteristic and wicked grin.

"It will be a memorable experience for all of you."