“Are you really sure about that?” asked my friend.
“Yes,” I lied. “Now be quick. It will make him think twice, if you do it before he begins his attack again.”
Walter stared at me for a long moment, holding his breath, before at last reaching out and touching the appropriate rune on the stone pedestal. Given my current state, I couldn’t sense or see any change, but I could guess from the way that he expelled the air from his lungs, that Walter had finally lowered the barrier.
We waited… and then waited some more.
“What’s happening?!” I asked in exasperation.
“Nothing,” said my friend frowning. “They seem to be just standing there. I can sense them a lot more easily, now that the barrier is down.”
“He’s scared,” I announced suddenly.
“What?”
“We did the last thing he expected. First, we insulted him, and then, after having mocked and teased him about it already, we did the unthinkable. We lowered the barrier and dared him to come in. He’s wondering if it’s a trap,” I explained.
“Is it?” said Walter hopefully.
I gave Walter a long appraising look. “Can you feel the pressure of the god’s mind yet?” I asked.
He blinked at my sudden change of topic. “It’s like an ominous thundercloud on the horizon at this distance. Is it a trap, Mordecai?”
I let the air out of my lungs dejectedly. “No, not without my strength; currently it’s the furthest thing from a trap. Our only hope is to guide him away and hope that he doesn’t get any hint of the Ironheart Chamber from our minds.”
“You mean my mind, don’t you? Yours is currently unreadable,” corrected Walter.
“Yes,” I agreed. “Currently the only people that know of its existence are the two of us, and the Knights of Stone.”
“Aren’t you worried he’ll get the information from them?”
I laughed, “You haven’t tried to peer into any of their heads, have you?”
“I’m not generally an intrusive sort of man,” he answered a bit huffily.
“The bond between them and the earth interferes with any attempt to reach into their minds, much like the old bond between a mage and his Anath’Meridum did,” I explained. “I doubt even one of the shining gods could see into their hearts.”
“That’s some comfort then, though we still have to worry about me,” said Walter, tapping on his skull to illustrate. “Perhaps I should cloak us both magically, so that he can’t find me,” suggested Walter, referring to the trick he had used earlier to escape the god’s oppressive influence.
“No,” I said immediately. “I need you to help me distract him with more of those wonderfully realistic illusions.” A pang of guilt shot through me, as I realized how coldly and cruelly I was about to use my old friend, but I quickly pushed the thought aside. I’d have time for remorse later. No you won’t, said my inner spectator, you’ll be dead too. Either the god will get you, or the poison will. I put a little more effort into shutting my inner voice down, he was depressing… as well as annoying.
Walter’s face changed, and his posture became tense. “They are entering now. The fighters are running forward, toward the keep, while the god is following behind them more cautiously,” he informed me.
“Show me from the top of the keep, making sure I appear to have some magic. Try waving at them,” I told him.
“I’ll be sure to add your most foolish grin as well,” replied the other mage.
“That’s the spirit!” I agreed. My nausea was all but gone now; though a sudden vibration in my feet made me wonder if I was developing new symptoms. It was followed by a loud crack, as though lightning had struck close by. A shiver in the stone walls told me that something unprecedented had just occurred. “What was that?”
“He just blew the top of the wall and part of one tower away!” reported Walter.
The keep itself consisted of four large corner towers, enclosing a large square stone structure. Between the four towers there were merlons and battlements to protect defenders that might be positioned there. After a short discussion, the other wizard explained that the invading deity had destroyed part of the top of the keep, along with the uppermost part of one tower.
“When you say destroyed…” I said again.
“I mean he damned well reduced it to dust. It simply isn’t there anymore, other than as a pile of rubble. He threw this massive purplish bolt of power at it!” said Walter, as he described what he had sensed. “It was the spot where your illusion was located,” he added.
“He seems a bit irritated,” I noted drolly.
Beads of sweat were forming on Walter’s forehead. “Do you think so?!”
I chuckled, “Come along, we need to start moving. He’ll be inside soon.”
Walter was squinting now. “I think you should let me hide us.”
“Is the pressure getting worse?” I replied, referring to the god’s increasing proximity.
“Much.”
“Alright,” I said. “Just until we get below, then I’ll need you to create another illusion.”
At my agreement, Walter immediately acted and his face relaxed. We could still see one another, so I could only assume that he had just made us invisible to magic. “That’s a lot better,” he announced. “I can’t sense anything now, but at least I can breathe without feeling like I have a giant standing on my chest.”
From my own encounter with Celior, I knew exactly how he felt. Clapping him upon the shoulder, I began leading him out the door. I kept my hand on him too, just in case I suffered anymore sudden bouts of vertigo.
“What did you mean, below?” asked Walter.
“We’re heading for the cellars,” I told him.
His face was a picture of puzzlement. “Won’t that put us closer to what we are trying to hide?”
Don’t ask questions, and I won’t have to lie to you, I thought silently. “He won’t think to look near where he finds us. He should be expecting us to lead him away from the God-Stone, not toward it.”
“Makes no sense to me either way,” declared Walter with a shake of his head.
I smiled, “Just make sure I don’t stumble and fall. I still feel a bit unsteady.” Leaning carefully upon him, the two of us made our way out into the corridor and toward the door that led into the cellars.
Chapter 25
Dorian Thornbear looked out from the keep’s main entrance and breathed a sigh of relief, as the last of the soldiers passed inside. A light touch on his shoulder drew his attention to the man standing beside him. He gave a simple nod to indicate his readiness to listen.
“Sir Dorian, what instructions would you have me give my men?” asked Carl, the most senior of the soldiers and their primary leader, when both Dorian and Cyhan were absent.
“Captain, I’d like you to have the men take up defensive positions throughout the keep. Put bowmen in the windows and embrasures, and make sure there are spearmen close by in case they manage to reach the top of the walls,” Dorian told him.
“How many would you have remain here, at the entrance?”
“None, the Knights will secure the main door here,” replied Dorian firmly.
Carl gave a quick bow as he acknowledged the orders, “Very good sir,” and then he was gone.
Harold had been listening and stepped up beside Dorian. “Are you sure? There are only twelve of us here to guard the door.”
“From what you told me, I don’t think I want our men anywhere near the enemy. I’d rather they keep them at range if possible, or at worst, spear’s length,” answered Dorian.
“The ones that got inside were fast,” said Cyhan, coming up behind Harold. “They slaughtered the door guard and made it through quite a few of the halls before we caught the last of them.”