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The small wagon that was traveling through the Mountains of Shiraz
stopped. Facing the lone driver and the strange horse that was pulling
it were a pack of ten Orcs, from the Spiked Fist tribe, which had been
absorbed into the Bloody Peak tribe several decades ago, before Tormoth
the Destroyer had risen to power.
However, the Orcs could not have known that the wagon driver was
Veldrane of Sengir, the special servant of Baron Sengir, and that the
wagon held the coffins containing two of the Baron's Vampires. Not only
that, but the horse was in fact a Nightmare, but its mane, tail and eyes
were black rather than blood red, as it was distant from the dark
regions of home.
"Stop," one said. "No humans are allowed here!"
"Really," Veldrane said. "I am shipping goods to Azak-Kaghk-K'korr. The Paladins patrol this route. There should be no reason for you to be
here. Now move before the next patrol comes and runs you off."
"No. You will be killed. No more Paladins patrol this route. They're all dead!" The Orc leered at him, hoping for a reaction of fear.
"I know that," Veldrane said. "That's why the Baron sent me here." He was instantly upon the Orcs, sword flashing. Three were down before they
knew what was happening. And before they could react, the Nightmare had
joined in. Within a minute, the Orcs were dead, and Veldrane continued
on his way.
As night fell, the Nightmare grew stronger in the darkness, and the vampires were awakened. The small group had reached their destination. From there, they would fly into the Valley of the Tribes and liberate
the prisoners of Tormoth: the Paladins Ihsan and Leillani. The Nightmare
and the vampires took to the skies, silently flitting through the
mountains. Veldrane rode upon the Nightmare as a knight might ride upon
a warhorse.
Within a few minutes, the group had reached the Valley of the Tribes, where millions of Orc and Goblin warriors waited for the moment to sweep
south and prepare for the great assault on Northkeep. As it was, Tormoth
and his counselors were planning the attack, and little attention was
made to the areas outside the valley. No army existed that was as large
as all the tribes of the Mountains of Shiraz together. But vampires and
Nightmares were not typical soldiers, and neither was their living
commander.
In the light of the torches from the camps, Veldrane could see that the
prisoners had been placed in a former stable for now dead animals.
Special doors had been made to keep them there. Designed by Orcish
engineers and built by Anaba mercenaries, they were quite solid. But not
solid enough to stop a vampire.
Naturally, there were guards. But like the fencing, they were no match for the powerful undead who accompanied Veldrane. He made a curt gesture
with his hand, and the vampires descended, unseen and unheard, until
they reached the enclosure. Only the guards felt their presence as they
were suddenly killed.
Veldrane rushed down, taking steps to avoid notice. By now the Paladins were well aware of what had happened, and they were as far back as they
could get in their enclosures.
"Come with me!" Veldrane hissed as the vampires quietly broke open the pen doors. He spoke again, slower this time: "My master wishes to speak
with you, and if you do not come with us, you will be slain here."
Leillani and Ihsan looked at each other. Death as a certainty from the Orcs or vampires was less pleasant than any kind of talk with Baron
Sengir, who was known for his civility. They stepped out and allowed
themselves to be held by the vampires, who began to fly towards the
Nightmare, which was still waiting for Veldrane.
"They're escaping!" an Orc roared. Veldrane turned for his Nightmare and bolted. Before any of the Orcs could reach him or ready crossbows,
he had leaped upon the dark mount and was soaring off, just behind the
vampires. They left the enraged Orcs far below them.
"What?!" Tormoth yelled, incredulous. "They escaped! How did they
escape!"
"It was Sengir's Vampires," the Orc he was questioning managed to say, squirming under the warlord's powerful gaze. "And the vampire's leader
rode on a flying dark horse!" He looked up pitifully at the looming
warlord.
"He's telling the truth," Gnorrbb announced. The shaman had cast a
spell that would allow him to discover the truth, while Tormoth had been
ranting. He inwardly sneered in contempt for the warlord. Though he was
a brilliant Orc, he did not seem to realize that his closest confidante
was really going to be his puppeteer.
Tormoth crushed the jailer's head with a blow from the hollowed wyvern
skull he was using as a mug for Orcish ales. He turned away, furious,
and motioned for the guards to throw the body away.
"How goes your plans?" Gnorrbb asked. Tormoth had been spending the last week preparing his detailed plan of the assault upon Northkeep.
"They are complete!" the warlord exclaimed proudly. "We march tomorrow for Northkeep, and if my scouts are correct, we have found a path that
will take us from here to there in two weeks. More than enough time to
head off those three survivors, who are headed off to the Elven forests.
We will prevail Gnorrbb - I can feel our victory all ready!"
Gnorrbb smiled cruelly, thinking of the devastation that was about to occur at the hands of an army of Orcs, Goblins and mercenaries larger
than anything Shiraz himself had possessed.
The three young humans trudged on, weary, tired of their long march. Although they had found enough food and water to get by, they were
tired, and there seemed to be no end in sight of the drudgery of
marching through the mountains. Fortunately, the attacks had stopped
some time ago, and the boys had found a lower altitude path that kept
them in the woods.
"There's an end to this forest ahead," Turth said, pointing to where the trees ended. Gerrold and Talen followed his lead and soon the three
had come out of the woods onto a clifftop. They had emerged at the edge
of the Mountains of Shiraz. Below them stretched the vast forests which
were home to the elves and An-Havva who worshipped Autumn Willow.
"Damn!" Talen snarled. "We'll never get to Northkeep now," he said, more sorrow in his voice.
"Maybe we can get someone who knows powerful magic to take us there," Gerrold suggested.
The three consented to this idea, and began searching for a way off the clifftop and down into the lush forests below.
End of Chapter Four
Coming Next - Chapter Five: Sylvan Forests