When Heroes Fall Read online

  “Did it hide from us?” Kel asked. “Trellham has been empty for three thousand years. Demons consume living creatures for sustenance. Even it could not survive that long without feeding.”

  “Which means it snuck into Trellham without our noticing it.” How many others were there they didn’t know about?

  “Agreed,” Kel said. “But it is not as bad as you think.”

  “Really? If these creatures can enter the city without being noticed, that sounds like a big problem to me.”

  “Were able and was a problem.”

  “What?” He’d been on edge since Geena’s nightmare, and Kel’s flippant attitude pushed him over the edge. “That makes no sense.”

  “Doesn’t it? You can determine if there are any more in the city, and once we’re sure the city is free, we can bar any future incursion.”

  “I can do that?”

  Kel sighed. “You have the Eye of Honorus.”

  “I have….” Farrell came to a halt, and the guards nearly trampled him from behind. “I have the Eye.”

  “And I know a spell to keep them out.” Kel motioned for Farrell to keep walking. “As I said, this won’t be a problem.”

  Farrell nodded. Unfortunately it might already be too late.

  FARRELL’S PRIVATE rooms in Trellham were many times larger than his suite in Haven, but they felt small with so many beings assembled. Rothdin believed the creature had used Tixel’s attack to enter Trellham. Once inside, it hid in the palace and waited to find a suitable target.

  Having failed to detect the danger in his home, Farrell wanted to swim to the bottom of the ocean and hide. Not finding a creature of Neblor in his children’s rooms was unforgiveable.

  “From our brief contact with the priestess, we know she used the creature to gain access to Bren,” Rothdin said. “We also believe it is still in Trellham waiting for new instructions.”

  “Speculation or did you glean something from her mind?” Kel asked.

  “Some of both,” Klissmor said. “Something prevented the creature from entering Haven, and that irritated the priestess. Bren was too little to be useful and her attempts to get to Geena were thwarted. I saw glimpses of Urana, Teless, and Lisle and more frustration.”

  “I put wards around them because they were working with Geena.” Farrell wished he’d thought to do the same with Bren. “What I want to know is why I couldn’t feel its presence?”

  “The spawn of Neblor who avoided our purge after the war became adept at hiding,” Kel said. “It takes a very focused approach to root them out. Or an Eye.”

  The explanation should have salved his guilt, but Farrell wasn’t in the mood for absolution. He dug into his pocket and retrieved the Eye. “I don’t want this creature around. What do we do when we find it?”

  “We kill it.” Kel’s lack of remorse mirrored Farrell’s mindset.

  “Exactly,” Rothdin said, matching Kel’s tone. “It cannot be allowed to leave.”

  Farrell almost asked the Eye to show him all the creatures of Neblor inside Trellham, but the thought there could be more than one unnerved him. Better to get the one they knew and then check for others.

  His blurry visions swirled around for a moment before it focused on a small speck of black in the corner of a room. Farrell’s stomach flipped as he realized the creature could be watching them. He relaxed when he saw it hid in a common area of the palace.

  Unable to resist, he asked to see any other creatures from Neblor in Trellham and almost dropped the Eye. He tightened his mental voice to be certain there would be nothing to overhear.

  “The creature we’re after is in the vestibule to the throne room.” He kept his voice steady. “But there is another one in the corner behind Father.”

  Kel’s face gave away nothing. “Where in the corner? Top, middle, or bottom, and how large a space is it occupying?”

  It took every erg of control not to glance in the direction of the creature. “Bottom. The size of an egg.”

  “Come,” Kel said, his voice startling Farrell. “Our target is in the armory.”

  Kel took a step toward the door. When he cleared Rothdin’s body, he spun around faster than Farrell thought possible. The red jewel on his staff pulsed even before he aimed it toward the corner. At the same time, a stream of blackness shot from the corner toward everyone. It slammed into Kel’s burst of red energy.

  The crimson fire burned the darkness and pushed it back toward the wall. When Kel’s magic reached the corner, a small popping noise ended the fight. Kel stared at the creature’s hiding place.

  “I detected nothing.” Kel turned to the others. “Did anyone hear it send a message?”

  “I heard nothing,” Klissmor said.

  “Good. Let’s hope the other one didn’t feel this one’s death.”

  “How…?” Farrell let the question drop. No one knew how it got there, and Kel had already explained they were adept at hiding.

  “Did the Eye show you more than this one and the other?” Kel asked.

  “No, but I… I stopped looking when I saw that one.” Farrell raised the Eye, but Kel stayed his arm.

  “Look on the way to the other. We’re going to seal the city and hunt them down.”

  BEFORE KEL closed Trellham to the world, Farrell summoned his mother and Heminaltose. Kel chafed at the delay, but Farrell used the Eye to keep tabs on the four other creatures hiding in the city.

  “Four?” Zenora asked. “I didn’t think that many still were left on Neblor.”

  “They don’t breed like humans or other beings,” Kel said. “They multiply by taking living, intelligent hosts. Likely only one snuck in and has been picking off lone dwarves.”

  “I’ve not been told of any unexplained disappearances.” He also hadn’t been paying too much attention to Trellham’s needs either.

  Kel shook his head. “I doubt you would. These demons are highly intelligent. If they chose their targets with care, no one would notice. With all the dwarves who died in the war, it would be hard to keep track of everyone who returned from the void.”

  Father Aswick had chided Farrell for neglecting Trellham. Though he hadn’t meant magically, this proved the priest’s fears had been valid. He hadn’t taken the time to seal the city like he had Haven. Nor did he bother to check for any lingering threats. He’d correct that before he and Kel left for… wherever they were going.

  The four dark beings of Neblor had scattered to different parts of the city. Kel taught each of the wizards one spell to find the creatures and a second one to destroy to them. To facilitate communications, the peregrines and unicorns split up.

  Farrell walked beside Nerti, taking comfort in her strong presence. If she felt as anxious as he did, she didn’t show it. She’d experienced so many dangerous things in her life, why should this concern her?

  The tunnels in the outer part of the city where Farrell and Nerti hunted were lower than in the main areas. Farrell dismounted after the third time he had to duck to avoid banging his head. He strengthened his shield and led them toward the target.

  “The creature might be intelligent, but it isn’t very smart.” Farrell made sure his mental voice didn’t leak. The creature might sense them coming, but he didn’t need to let it hear his thoughts. “Once we enter the next corridor, we’ll cut off its only avenue of escape.”

  “It no doubt trusts it is able to hide from us. Didn’t Kel say they could detect the spell used to find them?”

  “He did.” Which reminded him he needed to make sure the four hadn’t moved.

  They arrived at the tunnel that emptied into the one they were using. It was the only way in or out of the small warren of tunnels that marked the edge of the city’s limits. He extended his shield to block the three approaches to their position. Nothing in, nothing out.

  He summoned the Eye in his pocket and ran his fingers along the smooth facets of the jewel. It only took a moment to check on the other three. Once he confirmed their locations, Nerti
relayed the information to the other wizards.

  He directed the Eye to show him the creature they tracked. The cloudy image appeared superimposed over his normal vision. It was standing now, looking straight ahead, almost like it was staring at him. He disengaged with Honorus’s Gift and peered into the darkness. Something moved, and he jumped back when he realized the demon stood inches from the other side of the shield.

  “Back!” He leveled his staff at the motionless figure.

  Rather than retreat, the creature held up both hands. “Hello, Champion.”

  The greeting put Farrell back on his heels. He recovered and immediately strengthened his shield. “It’s a trap!” he sent Nerti.

  She didn’t answer but moved nearer. That allowed him to bring his shield closer and strengthen it.

  “What do you want, demon?”

  “I bear a message.” The voice had an alien quality. It sounded forced, as if the speaker didn’t talk often.

  Farrell readied the spell Kel had taught him. “I have no need of a message from anyone you know.”

  “The Holy Father Neldin sends His regards.” The creature’s face twisted into what Farrell assumed passed for a smile.

  Before it could speak again, Farrell released the spell. The energy hung in the air between his staff and the shield. Panic froze him for an instant. He’d seen spells deflected, blocked, and dismissed, but never stopped like this. If the demons from Neblor could do this, they might be unstoppable.

  “Nerti, you need to get away. I’m not sure I can protect you.” He kept his attention on the creature, but it hadn’t moved. After a moment he realized he hadn’t gotten a response. “Nerti, did you hear me?”

  He glanced over, and she was still as his spell. Flicking his fingers in front of her eyes elicited no reaction. Farrell swept his gaze around the confined space. Nothing stirred.

  “How…?” There was little point voicing a question no one could answer. At least the creature hadn’t found a way to stop his attack.

  “What a vile thing to do to my messenger, Halloran.” Farrell jumped and turned toward the voice. Neldin smiled and walked through Farrell’s shield. “But then we both know you’re not a nice person.”

  His fear abated once he understood what had happened to his spell. Neldin was far more dangerous than one of His underlings, but He hadn’t come to harm Farrell.

  “I wasn’t trying to be nice. We’re enemies. It attacked my dwarves. I’m protecting them.” He met Neldin’s gaze. “And only You think I’m evil like You. Everyone else disagrees.”

  The smirk faltered a hair, but only for an instant. “As you say, but they are hardly objective.”

  “Are you done?”

  “You dare much with your insolence.” All hint of humor left Neldin, and his fair features turned darker and more sinister. “I could swat you like a bug and think nothing of it.”

  “I follow the Six. I don’t want to speak to You.”

  “You, little being, do not get to choose.” Neldin grew until he nearly hit the roof of the cavern. “I am a god. I make the rules.”

  As Champion of the Six, Farrell had a measure of protection. If nothing else, Neldin couldn’t kill Farrell without giving the Six the chance to strike back. Small comfort if he was dead, but if Neldin had wanted him dead it would have happened by now.

  “You are a god, not the god. The others have a say in things.”

  “So confident and yet, where are these devoted masters of yours to defend you?” His sneer returned. “You still cling to the belief They care about you. So foolish.”

  “Foolish would be listening to Your poisonous words. If You kill me, so be it.”

  Provoking Neldin hadn’t been his intent, but he might die fighting Meglar anyway. This way at least meant his friends and family would survive. Farrell braced himself for a blow, but Neldin snorted and shook his head.

  “Did you really think that would work?”

  Farrell shrugged. “It was worth the try.”

  Neldin laughed loudly. “I shall enjoy having you serve Me. Your spirit is worthy of your place.” He snapped his fingers and was gone.

  Farrell’s killing spell moved again while he kept his attention on where Neldin had been. He didn’t see the blow connect, but the creature exploded. Black bits of… something hit his shield and burned away on contact.

  “You killed it.” Nerti’s voice surprised him.

  “Wasn’t that the point?” With the creature dead he didn’t care if anyone heard him.

  “He said he had a message from Neldin.”

  “Neldin showed up.” He tore his gaze from where the creature had stood. “Let’s go find the others and I’ll explain.”

  RECOUNTING HIS meeting with Neldin left Farrell frustrated. He hadn’t expected anyone would know what Neldin really wanted, but no one had anything useful to add. Not even Nerti or Rothdin. His irritation faded when they discussed the other three demons.

  “They exploded right about the time you killed yours,” Heminaltose said. “Were they all connected?”

  Everyone looked toward Kel. “During the first war we learned demons replicated themselves using captured dwarves or humans. A few, however, created mindless copies that they controlled.”

  “That sounds eerily similar to Chamdon,” Zenora said.

  Kel nodded. “Indeed, with one difference. Velchuck noticed a demon who appeared to be directing the fight. Assuming this was a general, he targeted the creature. When it died, so did the entire legion our troops were fighting. They just burst apart, just like their leader. Eventually we determined that demons could reproduce or copy themselves. If they did the later, the new demons were linked to their creator. Kill it and the copies would die as well.

  “We didn’t encounter widespread use of this tactic, so our knowledge of how it works is limited.” Kel stroked his chin and when his fingers met, he pressed them to his lips. He didn’t speak for a few seconds, then exhaled and let his hand drop. “I’m not sure what to make of this.”

  “Make of what?” Klissmor asked. “Your explanation is consistent with our experience.”

  “No, not that part.” Kel turned to look at Farrell. “Neldin sent this demon to find you, to draw you off so He could speak to you. This would be like Honorus sacrificing Sanduval to speak to Meglar.”

  Farrell hadn’t made that connection, but like Kel, he didn’t understand the significance. Throwing away a valuable asset for no purpose didn’t make sense.

  “Neldin isn’t stupid.” Farrell glanced around to be sure he had their attention. “He didn’t sacrifice anything of worth today.”

  “Kel’s assessment of the demons is accurate,” Rothdin said. “Only a demon of power could have created dependent copies.”

  “Agreed.” He nodded to Kel. “But that assumes things we don’t know for sure are true. Were these creatures tied to the one I spoke to as we think? I don’t know. Also, did I kill the demon I faced or did Neldin remove him from the area before my spell struck?”

  “Neldin couldn’t interfere like that,” Zenora said. “It’s against the rules.”

  “Is it?” Farrell looked to Heminaltose for support. If anyone loved to dig deep into a mystery, it was his former master. “Falcron and Seritia were allowed to stop me from killing the Belcin because we are both tied to Falcron. Neldin lays claim to me and the demon. Why couldn’t He stop me from killing the creature?

  “The same with the other theory. Is there a prohibition on killing His own followers? Even if it’s to keep them from us?”

  “Interesting.” Heminaltose’s gaze looked through him. “Those are at least as plausible as what we came up with, but why do either?”

  Farrell shrugged. “To speak to me without wasting a powerful tool, perhaps? I don’t know, but I think it more likely than not He didn’t sacrifice anything important to reach me.”

  “I agree,” Nerti said. “He doesn’t need to sacrifice anything to speak to Farrell. Why waste a resource Meglar co
uld use in the war?”

  Kel pinched the bridge of his nose and held it before looking up. “Whatever the reason, the demons are gone and we are reminded of Neldin’s interest in Farrell. I think it is best we not dwell on this too much.”

  He swept his gaze around the group, but no one responded. As if the silence meant they all agreed, Kel nodded. “Let me check the seal on the city again and we can return to Haven.”

  Chapter 3

  “HE’S MASSING troops closer to the borders of Honal and Pelipan,” Farrell said. His mother and grandfather had joined him, Miceral, and Horgon for dinner. “He’s trying to hide his movements, but the Eye found it.”

  “I find it interesting the ‘rules’ allow for us to see Meglar’s movement, but he can’t see ours.” Zenora used a fork to spear a slice of fowl from the dish. “Why would Neldin agree to such a disadvantage?”

  Kel leaned away from the table, his meal only half-eaten. “Has he? Do we know Meglar can’t see us? And who said Neldin agreed to a bad bargain?”

  “So Meglar can see what we’re doing?” Horgon sounded alarmed.

  “No.” Farrell shot a glare at Kel. “But we need to remain careful to shield our activities. His wizards are working like the hordes of Neblor chase them to find us.”

  “I already told him where to find me.” Kel avoided Farrell’s gaze by returning to his food.

  “How do you know he’s searching for us?” Horgon asked. “Did you use the Eye?”

  Farrell nodded. “And the Ear. They know we’re somewhere around here, but they can’t see our forces. Meglar fears walking into a situation he doesn’t control.”

  Zenora snorted. “He won’t come to Gharaha until he knows where we’re hiding our army.”

  “Which means he’ll focus on Honal and Pelipan,” Miceral said. “Honal first if I had to guess.”

  Before his attack on Kentrish, Farrell expected Meglar would conquer the Seven Kingdoms one at a time. Now, he suspected that had changed. Meglar had enough troops to attack Pelipan and Honal at the same time, defend Kentrish, and pressure the west coast of Ardus. The only advantage to capturing Honal first would be to save Chamdon. Meglar could use the captured population of Honal to invade Pelipan.