Niran, the renowned Sword Master of the island T’thalian Empire, watched as the demon materialized in front of him in his hidden throne room in the mountains of Ingold. Summoned by the power of the bloodstone gem around his neck, Xyphren had no choice but to appear and serve him; Adrammelech and Ashima, two of The Six, had seen to that. Niran didn’t trust his divine sponsors anymore than they trusted him but each possessed something the others needed, requiring them to cooperate for their schemes to bear fruit. Xyphren, despite his awesome power, was little more than a pawn in their game of empire.
The hideous creature bowed. “I come at your command, master.” His grating voice matched his appearance.
Niran, slender and athletic, was ordinary-looking to the point of invisibility in a crowd but if his scheme worked, he’d soon become ruler of the whole world and then everyone would see him whether they wanted to or not. “Was your search successful?”
“Yes, master. The information you received was accurate. There is a girl who lives in two places.” Xyphren tilted his misshapen head. “Although, who told you so is a mystery.”
Niran’s lips compressed at the demon’s brazen attempt to change the subject and his childish insistence on answering no more than the bare minimum. He gripped the bloodstone gen and pain lashed the demon, driving it to its knees. “That is not what I need. Who, when, and where?” His monotone voice remained unchanged despite his insistence on a complete answer.
The demon snarled through his suffering. “Her name is Krista, the granddaughter of Sodan the Fairhand, owner of the Merks.”
Merks was the common name for the Fairhand Mercantile Company, based in the city-state of Zered. Everyone on the East Coast had heard of it or done business with it or both.
Niran shook his head, clutching the bloodstone tighter. “That’s still not the whole story. Is she staying there or being moved?”
The demon howled in fresh agony. “She’s going to be transported to Robling. Sodan is hiring a barbarian to lead a small caravan.”
Niran, hearing the truth in the demon’s words, released the gem. “And the barbarian’s name?”
Xyphren levered himself to his feet, towering over the sword master. “Someone you know quite well, Storm of the Bear Clan.”
Niran blinked. He sat carefully on his throne in the darkened room. This was unexpected. Storm was one of the few people he actually liked. Putting the final polish on his swordsmanship had been a true pleasure, the man was a natural-born fighter. He was unusually gifted in warfare, as well as determined and implacable. His involvement meant extra trouble. He sighed. “I’d prefer not to kill him but he’s in the wrong place at the wrong time so it can’t be helped.”
Xyphren grinned in anticipation of being ordered to kill, one of the few things he enjoyed about coming to this world. “I will kill him for you.”
Niran shook his head. “That would only alert the girl’s family. I want them relaxed and complacent when we strike.” He rose and paced around the vast room, his boots echoing in a military cadence on the hard floor. “There’s only one road he can take from Zered to Robling and it will take him right past Danrick and his men outside Breckenridge. They’ll ambush him for me. If they miss, you’re the backup plan.” He sat down, dismissing the demon back to his otherworldly home.
He lifted his voice to a shout to carry to the slaves quivering in fear outside his throne room. “Bring me three warriors for a mission!” He leaned back, waiting patiently, listening to the running footsteps and hurried whispers outside his throne room from 70 cubits away. Soon enough, three warriors stumbled in, running to drop to their knees before him, out of breath.
“We exist to serve you, Sire!” The iron grip of his magic forced them to utter the required words in unison.
He rose. “Gather around me. I’m taking you to an outpost near Breckenridge where you’ll be assigned to a wizard named Danrick.” They crowded around him without question. His divine patrons had bequeathed more powers to the bloodstone gem than merely summoning demons. He clutched it and he and the three warriors vanished. An instant later they were standing in the middle of an underground cavern. Startled exclamations greeted his sudden appearance. The men around him dropped to their knees as the power of the bloodstone settled over them like a shroud.
He looked around. “Danrick, come here.”
The middle-aged wizard, who’d been eating at a nearby table, jumped to obey. “I exist to serve you, Sire.”
“I have a small job for you and your men, an ambush.” He glanced around the cavern. “And, considering the target, I’ve brought you a few more soldiers.” He indicated the three warriors he’d brought with him.
Danrick glanced at them in confusion. “Sire?”
Niran smiled indulgently. “The target is unusually dangerous.” That was something of an understatement. Once he’d finished training Storm in his sword fighting skills, they’d fought to a draw every time. It was a shame to have to kill him.
“Soon, I’ll be alerting all the other units in Ingold but yours will have the first shot at ambushing a small caravan that will be coming through here before long. It will be led by a mighty barbarian warrior from the Bear Clan. They’ll be transporting a girl who lives in two places. With her, I can perform a ritual to increase my power a hundredfold. You will kill all of them and capture her no matter the cost then, bring her to me.”
Danrick bowed his head. “At your command, Sire.”
It was too bad, Niran thought, as he transported back to his throne room, but he couldn’t allow anything or anyone to stop him and Storm was one of the few men who might be able to do it. But, with magic and enough soldiers, anyone could be overcome. He nodded to himself in satisfaction. It was a shame really, but Storm was as good as dead.
