“Go check him out,” Tarlak whispered. “And keep it quiet.”
Harruq ducked low and ran, Aurelia chasing after. Tarlak stroked his goatee and frowned. From his distance, it looked like a priest of Karak, but why would one wander so openly in their camp, with a torch so all could see?
“Son of an orc lover,” Tarlak said. “I’m an idiot…”
He felt a tingle of magic all over his body, his knees went weak, and then he collapsed as sleep tugged at his eyes.
“H ey stranger,” Harruq said as they neared the cloaked figure with a torch. “What brings you here so late?”
The torch shifted, and in its light they saw an old man with graying hair.
“Sleep is hard for one as old as I,” he said, his hand slowly waving before them. “But perhaps not for you.”
Harruq felt his eyes droop, and his whole mind blanked. He fell to his knees as beside him Aurelia slumped to the ground.
“You better be gone when I…” he said before succumbing.
A hooded man slipped inside the large tent, where the ten priests lay on various blankets. A wave of his hand and he cast another spell, deepening their sleep. He drew his dagger and waited. Moments later an old man stepped inside and pulled the hood from his face.
“Careful, Greer,” he said. “We must be quiet while we work.”
“I’m no fool, Hayden,” Greer said. “You take the left, I’ll take the right.”
“Actually, you’ll take neither,” Tarlak said, flinging open the flap of the tent. “Word to the unwise, sleep spells are pretty easy to ward against.”
He whistled, and at the sharp sound many of the slumbering priests stirred. When they saw the intruders they bolted awake, kicking and pulling at the others who slept. Hayden and Greer glared as they found themselves surrounded and outnumbered eleven to two.
“Won’t you two make a wonderful gift to the queen?” Tarlak asked.
Hayden laughed. It was a tired and ragged sound.
“After tonight, you won’t step foot in the castle without the guards striking you down,” he said.
Greer let out a vicious cry. Ethereal shadows stretched from his back, protecting him and Hayden from the other priests. Hayden grabbed his holy symbol with one hand and waved the other. Tarlak crossed his arms and summoned a shield as a bolt of dark magic shot for his face. He grunted at the impact. The priest was far stronger than he thought. The priests of Ashhur cast their spells, but could not penetrate Greer’s wall. Its creation appeared to pain him greatly, for he arched his back and screamed a long, constant wail.
“The queen will see the truth,” Tarlak said, still tensed and waiting for a second attack. Hayden only shook his head.
“She’s ours, wizard. It’s to us she prays. You’ll have no victory here.”
Tarlak uncrossed his arms, and from his chest a bolt of lightning leaped across the tent, swirling around Hayden. The priest raised a hand and let the bolt gather at his fingertips, having done no harm.
“Karak be with you,” Hayden said, returning the spell. Red electricity joined the yellow, and together the barrage hit Tarlak like a thousand hammers. He flew out the tent, smoke trailing from his robes. Before he landed, his body halted in air. Aurelia held him with a spell and gently lowered him to the ground. From the open flap Hayden made an ancient symbol with his hands.
“It was by my hand King Baedan banished your kind from our kingdom,” Hayden said. “And I will not let you insult our presence further.”
He hurled two bolts of shadow, but Aurelia batted them aside with her hands. She glared with sudden intensity, and all around her the dust rose into the air.
“You caused the war?” she said, magical power sparkling white in her eyes. “You banished us from our home?”
A pure beam of magic shot from her hands, a swirling rainbow of colors. Its raw power slammed into Hayden, who had no strength to shield himself. He screamed as his body shuddered and weakened. His robe ripped. His bones broke. He fell to his knees, his arms limp and useless at his sides.
“A mistake,” he said, gasping for air. “That was… a mistake.”
Inside the tent, Greer finally collapsed, so weakened from his shield that he fell unconscious. In the sudden silence they heard shouting and rustling armor. From the city hundreds of soldiers of Mordan came marching, holding torches high.
“What nonsense is this?” Aurelia asked as the soldiers approached.
“Arrest her!” Hayden shouted, ignoring her. “She has struck a loyal servant of her majesty!”
“Keep your hands off me,” Aurelia said, lightning sparkling around her fingers.
“Just go with them,” Tarlak said as he struggled to his feet. His hat hung crooked on his head, and pieces of his goatee were still smoking. “We’ll get this sorted out in the morning.”
“I have only defended myself,” Aurelia said, her glare daring any guard to touch her.
“Killing a soldier will only get you in real trouble,” Tarlak said. “Just go.”
The elf sighed and lowered her hands. The magic left her fingers. The soldiers grabbed her, two to an arm, but they were careful not to hurt her. More guards surrounded them as the priests of Ashhur exited the tent.
“What is going on here?” one of them asked.
“Go get Bernard,” Tarlak told him. “And hurry.”
In one large mass the soldiers took Aurelia back to the castle. Tarlak limped over to where Harruq lay sleeping.
“Sorry, buddy,” the mage said as he dispelled the sleep magic. The half-orc sputtered and woke with a start.
“What the Abyss is going on?” he asked.
“They attacked the tent,” Tarlak said, helping him to his feet. “They cast a sleeping spell on all of us, but I had warded me and Aurelia against it. Now promise me you’ll stay calm.”
“Where’s Aurelia?” he asked, looking around.
“Promise me.”
Harruq stopped, put a hand on each of Tarlak’s shoulders, and pulled him close.
“Where is Aurelia?” he asked again. Tarlak swallowed.
“They arrested her.”
The half-orc shoved him aside and stormed off toward the castle.
“We can handle this,” Tarlak said, scurrying after him while trying to fix his robe and hat at the same time. “She’s an elf, and the queen practically kissed her butt when we arrived.”
“I’ll kill all of them,” Harruq said, his swords already drawn. “Every single bleeding one of them, Tar.”
“You will do no such thing!” Tarlak shouted.
Harruq meant to ignore him, but then he felt something sweep against his legs. His balance lost, he tumbled. As he hit hard on one knee he realized Haern stood before him, his sabers also at the ready.
“What happened here?” Haern asked.
“Where the Abyss have you been?” Tarlak asked.
“Forget it,” Haern said, frowning at Tarlak’s ragged appearance. “What happened?”
“They’ve arrested Aurelia,” Harruq said, still on his knee. “Claimed she burned down the temple.”
Haern grimaced, and slowly he shook his head side to side.
“This city is sick, Tarlak,” he said. “It’s poisoned and wounded, and none of them have a clue.”
“What do you plan on doing about it?” Tarlak asked.
“I plan on seeing just how deep the sickness goes.”
Haern turned and vanished into the night. The two waited, unsure of what to say to one another. When Bernard arrived, Lathaar and Mira in tow, Harruq finally sheathed his weapons.
“Are you all right?” the priest asked.
“We’re good,” Tarlak said. “I just got a little singed. Were you guys attacked?”
“All quiet in our camp,” Lathaar said. “I take it you were not so lucky?”
“My priests told me what happened,” Bernard said. “But I fear things are more complicated than we thought. Someone burned down our temple, and left two priests of Karak mutilated. A third was killed.”
Harruq shot a glance at Tarlak, who glared at him to keep quiet.