The Resurrection of Finglas
Anterias looked up from the floor hopefully at his sister.
Val frowned and wrapped her black wings around her shoulders. After a moment of thought she looked at the dwarf in front of her and nodded. "Yes Anterias. I'll help you."
"Thank you, Val. I wasn't sure..." The dwarf looked back at the floor again.
"I may not have been fond of him, but he is family. And I'd do anything you asked me to. You know that." With a fond smile Val patted Anterias on the head and then bent down to give him a hug and a peck on the cheek. "If we do it quickly we can even get it done before Mom has to know and get all heartbroken."
Anterias looked up with a smile and nodded, then turned to start preparations. His mind was awash with thought. This was a dubious venture from the begining. His dear brother Finglas had died while preventing the Lords of Chaos from engulfing the world in their rule. The elven way was to bury the body under the trees and allow the spirit to venture onto the next world. On rare occasions a powerful resurrection spell would bring back a spirit to it's body to finish something very important. Anterias simply could not believe that Finglas was not needed. He was a young elf, only a few decades into his adulthood, and yet he had done so much. He had served his god faithfully and started a new elven city from nothing. What more could he do if he had his full decades of life? Anterias knew he would do whatever had to be done if it would bring back his brother. Even if it meant his own life.
Leaving the building the siblings called home, Anterias walked into the courtyard of the grand temple. The boughs of the great tree that the temple was built around cast their sun dapled shadows on the courtyards surrounding the temple. A large centaur walked over to Anterias and bowed respectfully to him. Anterias nodded in return and patted his side.
"Bradwarden my friend, I am leaving you in charge of the city. Val has agreed to accompany me. Make sure you keep an eye on those drow. They can't be allowed any further footholds than we agreed to, even with Finglas' absence."
The centaur nodded and smiled. "Good luck with your quest my short friend. Bring back our leader to us." With these parting words he turned and cantered away, toward the city and his responsibilities.
Anterias returned to the cathedral and bowed his head in silent prayer. He heard the flap of leathery wings behind him and turned to see Val descending from her balcony with a grin on her face. "You ready to go yet? I have no idea where we're going to start looking, but I'm all packed and ready to go."
With a chuckle Anterias nodded. "Yes. I'm ready, and I have an idea of where to go. My Father. I have never asked him for anything all these years, and I hope that he might give us some help. If not the means to bring back our brother, than a direction to go in."
"Great. I've always wanted to meet a dragon. Hope he doesn't eat me..."
"I doubt he will. He didn't seem overly fond of demons from what I heard. The thing is, I dont' know where he is."
Val frowned and tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I may know a person... I've thought of going to him before regarding my own father, but maybe he'll know something or someone to get to yours. He's a guy who's been known to traffic with demons and the like." Val raised her hands to quell the argument she knew would be coming. "I know you won't like him because of all that, but if it gives us a direction, yeah? Anything it takes, right?"
With a grim look Anterias nodded. "Very well. We'll go visit your dark man and hope he may prove helpful. Where do we go to him?"
"He is in Hallstatt."
"Hmm... Over the mountains. I have an idea. Tonight, during the midwatch we will use the tree again. From there we should be able to jump into the pool in Roadhaven to get to Gon. That is where Kylia usually has it focused. We should be able to make the run without being noticed if we're quiet. Then perhaps Sir Paul? will help us reach Hallstatt in speed. If the pool does not look to Gon, then we will slip out into the pass and begin our journey the old fashioned way."
With a mischievous grin Val nodded her understanding. "Wouldn't that ice queen be upset if she knew we were going to help ourselves to her precious pool. I'll grab some potions from the stores and an acolyte to lock the gate behind us. Go get your sword and meet me at the tree."
Anterias nodded and left. It was time to bring his brother back.
Two figures appear in the darkness of night in the middle of Gon. The dwarf and winged woman look around, then approach the nearest guard tower.
"Hail guard!" The dwarf calls out. "It is Anterias and Val from Greenborough. I have a request for the Lord Paul. I know it's late, so if you can put us up in the Inn for the night we'll have a talk with him in the morning at his convenience."
Val looked down at her brother. "Morning? At his convenience? Anterias, we need to go."
"Relax, sister. I'm sure your contact will be there still tomorrow. If we're asking Sir Paul for help we can't be rude."
Val looked away and grumbled, "He might be there tomorrow. You never know with his line of work."
Anterias frowned as he walked toward the Inn. "Just what does this person deal with? You never did say, just that he might be able to help."
"Let's just say he's in the daddy finding business. I might have tried once before." Val refused to meet Anterias' eyes with this, clearly uncomfortable with the topic. After a few paces of silence she turned and said in a rush, "I was young and silly and it was before you came along anyway."
"I won't pry or judge, sister. You know you can always come talk to me about these things. I'm not the same as- as our older brother."
Val nodded quietly as they went into the Inn and went gratefully to sleep in the common room.
The next morning as the two met with Paul Anterias stepped forward and plead his case. "Good day, Sir Paul. I hope all is well with you and your household. I have a favor to ask. You may have heard of Finglas' death, and my returning to Greenborough to care for the business of the city there. Val and I have a need to visit someone she knows of in Hallstatt. We would be greatly appreciative if you could point your pool to there so we may pass through to there quickly. The winter is upon the passes and Val and I would have to wait for several months if we had to take them. In this season even our wing riders would have a hard time passing through. We will not require transportation back from there as we know not where we head from that point. After we step through you may return the pool to it's usual location and we could be gone from your business. Will you help us in our errand?"
Anterias and Val looked about them at the place they appeared. The day was bright and the air cold. The two appeared a mile out of a city where they were going to meet a wizard.
“Tell me about this wizard again, sister.” The dwarf looked up at the half demon next to him.
“Well, he’s… he’s got this thing where he’s kinda… he likes to, well… he’s a necromancer.” Val looked away embarrassed. “But this is the best guy for what we need, so you’re just going to have to deal with him.” She poked his shoulder with her tail.
“Fine, fine. We’ll get the information we need, then I want to get out. I don’t like the idea of bandying about with a necromancer.”
The two walked to town and found a tavern in the town square. Val sat cloaked in the shadowy corner while Anterias went to the bar to get a couple of drinks. Val scanned the crowd, hoping to get some information on the wizard they were going to meet. As Anterias sat down, Val nodded to a nearby table. The two sat listening to the men there. The wizard in question was wanted for tax reasons. Apparently all the men who have gone there so far have not returned. Anterias frowned at this.
“Maybe he won’t kill us if we’re not there for taxes?” Val said hopefully.
“Maybe he will.” Anterias replied gruffly. “I don’t know if going to talk to this guy is such a good idea anymore. An evil necromancer won’t help us out.”
“Maybe he will. I know some things he might have an interest in.”
The dwarf raise an eyebrow in a silent question.
“I know a few names he might have an interest in.”
Anterias nodded knowingly. “Ah, I see. Then yes, maybe we can get some information from him.”
“Excuse me,” a voice said from behind them. Two men stood there, both in robes, one with a holy symbol dangling around his neck. “I couldn’t help but hear, that you want to go and meet with the town problem.”
Val stared at them silently, but Anterias nodded. “Excelent. Then I would ask that you let us accompany you. We are interested in seeing this necromancer ourselves. I’m hoping he would like to share some magic information and such.”
Val frowned, but again, Anterias spoke up. “We might need some extra hands down there, sister. Maybe we should bring them along.”
“Hrmph. Fine, but they better keep their mouths shut and stay out of the way until we do our business. Then they can do whatever they want.”
The two men nodded. “Very well, you get us in the door alive and we’ll let you deal with your business first. That’s fine.” The group ate dinner and waited until nightfall and the city quieted down. They approached the tower unobserved in the darkness and Anterias knocked on the door with his armored fist. “I can’t believe we’re knocking on the door.”
The door cracked open and an old woman peered out at them. Val stepped forward and drew her cloak back. “We’re here to see the master of this tower.” She spoke to the old crone with an authority and confidence Anterias certainly didn’t feel. The old woman’s eyes widened slightly as she looked over Val’s half demon features. She then silently opened the door and bade them enter.
Val and Anterias followed the woman down a flight of stairs deep underground. There a man robed in black waited for them. “What do you want, half breeds? You don’t look like tax collectors.”
Val sneered at him. “We’re here for information. “You’re lucky we’ve even come to you for it.” Anterias shifted in place behind Val.
The wizard looked amused. “So I’m lucky that you have come crawling to my doorstep, begging for information. Do tell. This should be an amusing story to listen to before I do with you what I did to those other fools who interrupted my studies.”
“Begging? Who said I come begging foolish human? I have information to trade with. Information I have no doubt you would be interested in. Names.” Val smiled.
The necromancer’s face split into a greedy smile. “Well then. Maybe we can do business. What information do you desire?”
“We have come to find the dwarf’s father. The gold dragon Empyrinaphisan.”
The wizard’s eyes narrowed. “And why would you be seeking that creature?”
Val returned his cold look. “Our reasons are our own. You need only be concerned with helping us find him, and knowing that you will get powerful names in return.”
“Fine. I will want the names of three major demons, and five lesser ones.”
Val tapped her chin. She didn’t know of that many major demons specifically, but that was only his opening offer. “One major, two minor. I only want a location.”
The man crossed his arms. “Two major, three minor.”
Val thought about it. She knew of one power demon, and one other that might be considered a major one. At least as long as the necromancer didn’t already know of him. She nodded. “Fine.” She told him the names of the demons she knew, and he brought them into a room that held a binding circle.
“Stand in the doorway and keep quiet. I will use one of the names you have given me to summon a demon. Then, I will get you your answers.”
Val looked at the binding circle, a small frown passing across her lips, but she kept quiet. If he summoned the wrong demon, she wasn’t all that sure the circle would hold it. The necromancer began a summoning ritual, bringing for the first, and most powerful of the demons Val knew. The wizard chanted, and weaved his hands through complex motions in the air in front of him. With a powerful explosion of light and fire a demon appeared inside the circle. The being glared at those present with red eyes.
With a voice that sent spikes of terror down their backs, the demon spoke. “Why have you brought me here?”
The necromancer took a step back, then stood upright again. “I am your new master, demon. I have brought you here and you are bound by my circle. I have need of information, and will release you when you have given it to me. Until I have need of you again.”
The demon sneered and looked at the circle he was caught in. “What do you need to know, human?”
“Tell me where the dragon Empyrinaphisan is.” The necromancer glared back at the demon.
The demon nodded and growled something in the tongue of the demons. “I will find you that information, but it will take some time.” He knew of the dragon already, but he wanted some time to examine this circle. Something tickled at his senses, and he wanted some time to examine what it was. He looked at the glyphs forming the circle holding him carefully, testing their strength with his mind. Then he saw it. One of the glyphs was scratched, and now incomplete enough to weaken the circle. It was a tiny crack in the magical field that held him, but that was all he needed.
The necromancer grew impatient at the demon. “Well demon? Where is he?”
Distracted, the demon told him, “The dragon can be found in the mountains to the north and west. Look for the tallest mountain, and at its western base is a cave where you will find him.”
The necromancer smiled and turned to Val and Anterias. “There you are. Now be on your way. And out of mine.”
Val and Anterias looked at each other and nodded, then turned and beat a hasty retreat out of the tower. This moment of distraction was all the demon needed from the necromancer, and he forced all his considerable strength against the barrier holding him in.
As Anterias and Val hurriedly turned to go the five people in the room stopped and turned as the demon roared. Their eyes all widened, and the cleric ran for the door. The other man, grabbed Val and Anterias and muttered something. Suddenly, they found themselves outside under the moonlit sky. No sooner had they gotten their bearings, then the ground trembled violently under them.
Anterias had drawn his sword and turned toward the tower. “We have to go back for the cleric-!” But as they turned they saw the tower crumble down, blocking the way back in. The dwarf turned to the wizard, “Get us back down there. We must help the cleric.”
The wizard scoffed at him. “You must think I’m crazy. I may not have gotten the spells I wanted, but I’m not going to go down there and face a demon. You want to go down there, you’re going to have to find your own way. As for me, I’m vacating this town right now.” With that he said another incantation and disappeared.
Val touched her brother’s shoulder. “Anterias, there’s nothing we can do now. We know where your father is. Let’s go and find him to get our brother back.”
Anterias nodded and slowly turned to follow his sister as she walked off into the night.
Continues in The Dragon! The Dragon! The Dragon!
