Forbidden Places
By Richard LeBlanc
Chapter Twenty-Two: the hunters
Within his sacred hall, deep within the core of the mountains to the west, the demon lord known as the Mountain King was watching the progress of the spider wizard through the caves that led to the Spider Lords' Tomb.
"Such righteous indignation - such nobility from a black mage," he chided to himself. It was then that he heard movement from the shadows on the other side of the hall. With a wave of his hand the scrying crystal vanished.
"You're early," he commented. It was then that a reluctant - angry Markys walked out from the shadows and made her way over to where the muscular demon was sitting.
"The way you sent for me - I presumed it was urgent," she muttered in disgust. The Mountain King looked at the woman with a curious fascination and smiled a grim smile.
"You actually let him get to you," he commented.
"What? That's absurd," she began.
"Please. I am not some fool hearty traveler. I have heard everyone of your - private discussions with him," he stated as he slowly got up and walked over to where she was.
"A - a ploy. I've used such tactics many times," she replied - turning her back to him.
"You told him the truth - about you - how you became what you are. You never told any of the others," he pointed out. Markys sighed began to walk away - his large hand lashed out and grabbed her by the wrist.
"Lie to yourself if that makes you feel better - but do not think that you can lie to me - anymore than I could lie to you. You actually loved that spider wizard," he stated seriously. She jerked her arm free.
"You've been hanging around the orcs too long," she retorted. With a wave of his hand - the scrying crystal returned and showed Lord Arachnid making his way through the tunnels. Markys blushed and smiled faintly at seeing him again. She then shook her head and looked up at the smug looking demon.
"How - how I feel is unimportant," she muttered. Her hand clenched into a fist. She then drove her fist through the crystal and glared at the towering demon.
"Normally I would agree. But he has gotten under your skin. Are you going to be able to deal with him?" he asked seriously. Markys shook her head and sat down on the floor.
"I - won't have too. He will war with Toy Maker - as good as he is - he won't stand a chance," she answered grimly. The Mountain King quietly chuckled.
"You - would stand by his side? Help him fell the artificer? Then what? That fool boy thinks that I hold you prisoner. He only knows what you told him - but you left out the most important part," he began as he shrank down until he was to scale with her.
"I told him enough," she muttered.
"You - left out - the oath," he whispered into her ear," she hopped to her feet and glared at him.
"I was young! I had no idea what I was doing!" she exclaimed.
"You were warned by your sister - you wanted it. You wanted the power - the control - everything that your heritage denied you. I know it - you know it - and it is too late to back out now," he said with a quiet chuckle.
"You used me," she muttered as she glared at him.
"I did. I had no way to tap into the power of the land - you did. Were our roles reversed - you know - you would have done the same. So - this love you feel for the spider wizard - that clingy - scrawny little thing that he is - is so pure and strong - that you chose not to explain - our - arrangement?" he asked curiously.
"Which one is that?" she retorted.
"That by your own greed - your own ambition - you bound our souls together. I warned you - no - I begged you not to do it. But you didn't listen. Now - like it or not - we are one. If your boy does kill me - he will kill you," he commented.
"Perhaps death would be better," she muttered.
"Oh - come now Markys. I know we've had our rough times - but we've - had our ups as well as downs. It took some time - but we did come to an agreement. Did we not - my wife?" he asked seriously. Markys looked down at the floor.
"Yes - my husband," she reluctantly agreed.
"That - is more like it!" he bellowed with an evil laugh. "Now, how soon can we act against these interlopers? The time must be soon," he asked seriously.
"The artificer and Enchanter have parted company. I believe Toy maker will find what he is seeking first. I don't know how long it will take Enchanter - to complete his quest - but I know that Lord Arachnid is close. He will act against Toy Maker - then he will die," she answered quietly.
"Huh, you don't say? I will assemble my forces and prepare for the long march. Portals or no - it will take us a couple of days minimum to reach Tithian's Pass," he stated seriously. He looked over at his wife and saw that her thoughts were still elsewhere. "You - are going to be able to handle this - aren't you?" he added curiously.
"I will do as I must," she replied flatly.
"I feel it only fair - to advise you - that if you are imagining doing anything foolish - like helping these doomed wizards - don't. The artificer and Enchanter know what you are and what you plan to do. And if you even think of going to your new boyfriend - I will tell him exactly what we are to each other," he stated seriously. Markys groaned and glared at him from over her shoulder.
"You play a dangerous game threatening me right now," she mentioned as white mana flared around her.
"Who said threat? I never threaten - I advise - and then I act. True - your power dwarfs mine at this instant - but in a week or two - tops - your power will be done - until the cycle starts anew. Tell me - what would your precious Arachnid do to you - a helpless child - if he knew where your loyalties truly lied?" he asked seriously. Markys clenched her fists. She flew at the demon and threw a powerful punch that sent the demon soaring like a comet into the stone wall. Markys watched as he fell limply from the wall and then slowly forced himself up.
"Holy strength - cute," he muttered.
"Do not push me," she warned.
"As you say - mistress. I was just reminding you of our situation - in case your memory was fading," he stated calmly. With a wave of his hand - Markys was sent soaring into his waiting arms. Before she could react - he began to passionately kiss her. Her body began to tremble. She slowly went limp in his arms and fell shivering to the floor.
"I'm glad we understand each other," he stated coolly as he stepped away from her. Just then, the Orcish Demon Lord staggered into the hall and bowed before the demon that was his master.
"Problem?" he asked hesitantly.
"Dwarves - acting up again," he slurred. The Mountain King looked over where Markys was still shivering and then looked over at the orc.
"Are they becoming militant?" he asked.
"No - yes - sort of," the orc replied.
"Explain," he reworded.
"Burning big fires - all orcs and goblins near territory killed," he slurred.
"Is this like before?" he asked.
"Yes master," he slurred.
"Markys - get yourself together and get over here," he called over. Markys slowly forced herself to her feet and limped over to where he was standing.
"The dwarves are acting up again. They are up to something - something big," he stated seriously.
"Don't care," she muttered timidly. He reached over and grabbed her by the throat.
"Listen here princess - Chaos - that little giant you brought here almost took these mountains apart. These dwarves worshiped him like a god. Worship in a place like this can do dangerous things. Now we both know that they are up to something - a ritual of sorts - I don't know. But whatever they are up to - we will have to stop - and stop soon," he warned. A surge of red mana knocked the demon away from her. He looked over and saw Markys standing in the center of an inferno.
"We will deal with the dwarves after we deal with our current guests - not before," she stated strongly. The demon began to laugh as he hopped up to his feet. He graciously bowed to the sorceress and rose up.
"As you say Markys my dear, but we don't have much time. You are reaching the end of your cycle. Your power will be spent if we do not act soon," he warned.
"I know what I am doing - and I know how much time I have," she interrupted. He backed up and raised his hands defensively.
"As you say Markys. Now what say we retire - and catch up on - missed time?" he suggested as he extended his hand out to her. Markys sighed and looked over at the Orcish Demon Lord that was still looking at the floor.
"See to it that my husband and I are not disturbed," she said passively. The orc hopped to his feet and hurried out from the hall. Markys shook her head and then walked with the Mountain King into the shadows of the great hall.
At that moment, back in the cave where Arachnid was questing, a red wizard was holding him at bay.
"Feel the power of my inferno spell!" the wizard shouted. A wall of flames shout out from the red mage and flowed towards the spider mage like a tidal wave of fire.
"No - I think not. You need - focus," Arachnid said lowly. Black mana swirled around him and then formed a funnel of sorts between him and the approaching flames. The red mage watched as the inferno seemed to flow into the dark funnel and vanish. He then saw the cold expression on the spider wizard's face. "That which was taken - I return," he continued. A focused pillar of flames the size of a spear shot out from thin air and impaled the red mage. Arachnid watched as the mage burned from the power of the spell that he had brought into play. "I have come too far to be deterred by your likes," he concluded as he watched the wizard turn into a pile of ashes.
It took him almost half a day of trekking through the tunnels - avoiding some of the traps - and evading the ones that he missed. It was then that he found himself in a large - dimly lit cave. On the ground were hundreds of skeletons of hundreds of races of beasts ranging from man to demon. He looked up and saw almost as many skeletons trapped within webs along the roof of the cave - much like helpless flies. But what slowly captured his attention was the ancient looking shrine that stood on a large mound within the center of the cave.
"The Tomb of the Spider Lords - that must be," he began as he made his way across the field of shattered skeletons and webs - taking care not to step on the spiders that scurried along the ground and webs around him. Within minutes he found himself at the base of the tomb. From there he could see the ancient doors with a seal on it that was identical to the tattoo he had seen on Markys. "This is the place," he muttered. he looked over and saw a dusty scroll that was under several layers of webs. He carefully pulled the scroll out from the webs. As he did - he could hear the sound of thousands of spiders waking. "Wherever you are - whatever force that binds you - it is time you return," he stated confidently. He opened the scroll and began to read the scroll that was written in the language of spiders. The magical seal on the stone doors before him began to glow. when the last word was chanted - the seal exploded. Hundreds of spiders - all of which Arachnid had never witnessed or heard of before flooded out from the sealed tomb. He looked up and watched as seven mysterious looking people - garbed in tattered black robes slowly emerged from their long induced slumber.
"Who - has awakened us?" a female asked.
"I did," Arachnid stated as he displayed the scroll.
"Your reward - is death," a male hissed. With a wave of his hand all of the spiders in the cave began to race towards Arachnid - but none dared touch him. the mysterious looking people studied the man before them and then motioned for the spiders to be off.
"The spiders - see you as one of their own," one of the other males commented.
"They say - you are one of us," another female added.
"That you have protected their brothers - and brought glory to our kind," the remaining three added as one.
"I am known as Lord Arachnid - I have come from afar seeking the secrets of the Spiders of Crae. Are you the Spider Lords of old - the ones that know of the secrets I seek?" he asked seriously. The seven looked at each other and then slowly knelt before him.
"We are," the said as one.
"Then there is much that we need to talk about," Arachnid pointed out with a confident smile.
At that moment on the northeast of where Arachnid was, Toy Maker and Tuly were taking a break from their travels.
"Are you sure you know the way?" she asked hesitantly.
"Almost positive - I can feel the place where I need to be - it is calling to me," he replied as they exited the swamp and found themselves in a more serene environment in the form of lush forests.
"But Enchanter has the only map of the place," she commented.
"You know the lay of the land better than any map - I'm sure," he replied.
"I suppose," she replied.
"You are troubled by my deal with Enchanter," he stated - more than asked.
"I know what he is like - he claims one thing - but I know he will try something. I just don't want to see you get hurt," she stated sincerely.
"Our paths - will lead in different directions. Once I free you from whatever bond that binds you to this place - we will leave - and not look back. Enchanter - he will be free to do whatever he pleases - unless - it concerns us," he justified with a smile. She walked over and gave him a hug.
"What about that other one - that spider guy?" she asked.
"Him - I wished it could have been different. I let my temper cloud my judgement. I shouldn't have acted as I did - but what's done is done. He will come to me - and he will try to kill me - unless I kill him first," he answered quietly.
"You - feel bad about that? What happened between you and him?" she asked seriously.
"I know that it was just a spider - to us anyway - but to him - it was akin to slaying a loved one - or family member. If we can resolve our differences peacefully - I shall - if he seeks my end - I will have no choice but to defend myself," he stated rationally as he looked over at Tuly - who was smiling at him.
"What?" he asked.
"A wizard with a soul - I never thought I'd see one," she commented.
"I have one - but it is stained," he replied downly.
"Then we will just have to clean it up - some soap - some water," she began - making him laugh.
"If only it were so simple," he replied.
"It can be - if we try," she stated as she gave him another hug. "Tell me how it will be," she requested contently.
"How what will be?" he asked curiously.
"Your palace - our new home?" she subtly asked. Toy Maker allowed himself to smile.
"Yes - it would be our home," he said as he placed his arms around her.
"Are you going to tell me or not?" she teased.
"Okay - the outer walls - will be made of a polished crystal - so that when the sun shines on it that it will glow like a sun - and when the moon's rays touch it - it will seem even more magical," he began as they resumed walking.
"What about the rest?" she asked.
"I'm sure that we can make the rest up as we go along," he replied humorously as they continued deeper into the forest.
To be continued...
Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

1