Waylander II: In The Realm of the Wolf

'Out with it, man!'

'There are beasts guarding the crystal. There were three, but their hunger was great and they turned upon one another. Now there is only one. They were men sent by Zhu Chao to kill me. Karnak's son, Bodalen, was one of them. The crystal merged them.'

'You could breach the power all along! What treachery is this?' stormed Dardalion.

'The girl will die down there. It is written!' The shaman's face was pale and stricken. 'I have destroyed the line of the Uniter.'

'Not yet,' said Dardalion, surging to his feet.

Kesa Khan lunged out, grabbing the priest's arm. 'You don't understand! I have made a pact with Shemak. She will die. Nothing can alter it now.'

Dardalion tore himself clear of Kesa Khan's grip. 'Nothing is inalterable. And no demon will hold sway over me!'

'If I could change it I would,' wailed Kesa Khan. 'The Uniter is everything to me! But there must be a death. You ca

Dardalion ran from the room, down the winding stair to the hall, and on to the deep stairwell leading to the subterranean chambers. Just as he was entering the darkness Vishna pulsed to him from the ramparts. 'The Brotherhood are attacking, brother. We need you!'

'I ca

'Without you we are lost! The castle will fall!'

Dardalion reeled back from the doorway, his mind whirling. Hundreds of women and children would be slain if he deserted his post. Yet if he did not, then Miriel was doomed. He fell to his knees in the doorway, desperately seeking the path of prayer, but his mind was lost in thoughts of the coming chaos. A hand touched his shoulder. He looked up. It was the scarred, ugly gladiator.

'Are you ill?' asked the man. Dardalion rose and took a deep breath. Then he told all to Angel. The man's face was grim as he listened. 'A death, you say? But not necessarily Miriel's?'

'I don't know. But I am needed on the wall. I ca

'I can,' said Angel, drawing his sword.

19

Zhu Chao stood on the balcony, leaning on the gilded rail and staring at the battlements of his palace. There were no vulgar crenellations here, but sweeping flutes and curves as befitted a Chiatze nobleman. The gardens below were filled with fragrant flowers and trees, with elaborate walkways curving around ponds and artificial streams. It was a place of quiet, tranquil beauty.

Yet it was still strong. Twenty men, armed with bow and sword, walked the four walls, while four others– keen-eyed and watchful – ma

I am safe, thought Zhu Chao. Nothing can harm me.

Why then am I so afraid?

He shivered and drew his sheepskin-lined robe of purple wool more closely about his slender frame.

Kar-Barzac was becoming a disaster. Kesa Khan still lived, and the Nadir were defending the walls like men possessed. I

Zhu Chao shivered. It was all going wrong.

And where was Waylander?

Three times he had cast the search spell. Three times it had failed. But tonight all will be made well, he assured himself. Midwinter's Eve, and the great sacrifice. Power will flow into me, the gift of Chaos will be mine. Then I shall demand Kesa Khan's death. Tomorrow the Ventrian King will be dead. His troops will turn to the Brotherhood for leadership, as will the Drenai soldiers. Galen was not the only loyal knight among them. Asten would die, as the Emperor would die.

Three empires become one.

Not for me the petty titles of King or Emperor. With the crystal in my hands I shall be the Divine Zhu Chao, Lord of All, King of Kings. The thought pleased him. He glanced at the nearest wall, watching the soldiers marching along the parapet. Strong men. Faithful. Loyal. I am safe, he told himself once more.

He glanced up at the mock tower to the left. The soldier there was sitting with his back to the outside. Sleeping! Irritation flared. Zhu Chao pulsed a command to him, but the man did not move. The sorcerer mentally summoned Casta, the Captain of the Guard.

'Yes, Lord,' came the response.

"The guard on the eastern tower. Have him brought to the courtyard and flogged. He is sleeping.'

'At once, Lord.'

'Safe? How safe can I be with men such as these guarding me? 'And Casta!'

'Yes, Lord.'

'After he is flogged, cut his throat.' Turning on his heel Zhu Chao returned to his apartments, his good mood in tatters. He felt the need of wine, but held back. Tonight the sacrifice must be conducted without error. He thought of Karnak in chains, the curved sacrificial knife slowly slicing into the Drenai's chest. His mood brightened.

This is my last day as the servant of others, he thought. From tomorrow's dawn I shall be the Lord of Three Empires.

No, not until the crystal is in your power. For only then will you know immortality. Only then will you be whole again. A muscle at his jaw twitched and he saw again the unholy fire and the sharp little dagger in Kesa Khan's hand. Hate suffused him, and shame rose like acid in his throat.

'You will watch your people die, Kesa Khan,' he hissed. 'Every man, woman and babe. And you will know who is to blame. That is the price for what you stole from me!'

His memories echoed the remembered pain, and the months of terrible suffering that followed the mutilation. But the crystal would change everything. The Third Grimoire told of it. An ancient knight had been carried into the chamber, his arm cut away by a weapon of light. They had laid him upon a bed, and unleashed the power of the crystal. Within two days a new arm had sprouted from the severed limb.

But better even than this, according to the Fourth Grimoire, leaders of the Elder Races had been trans­formed by the crystal, their aging bodies made young again. Zhu Chao's throat was dry, and this time he succumbed to a small goblet of wine.

'Lord! Lord!' pulsed Casta, fear radiating in his spirit voice.

'What is it?'

'The sentry is dead, Lord! A crossbow bolt through the heart. And there is the mark of a grappling hook on the turret.'

'He's here!' screamed Zhu Chao, aloud. 'Waylander is here!'

'I ca

Zhu Chao fought for calm. 'Get the men from the walls. Search the gardens. Find the assassin!'

The oil-dipped torch sent crazed shadows across the rippled walls of the stairwell, and black smoke swirled in Angel's nostrils as he descended the stairs. There was a fear in him greater than any he had experienced. It was a fear of death. Not his own – that he was prepared for. But his terror grew as he considered Miriel and the monster, her young body broken, her dead eyes staring up, seeing nothing.

Angel swallowed hard, and moved on. He could not afford the security of stealth, but blundered on down the stairs, ever down. Dardalion had said the crystal chamber was on the sixth level, but the beast could be anywhere. Angel hawked and spat, vainly trying to dampen his dry mouth. And he prayed to any god that might be listening, Dark or Light, or any shade in between.