“Swordlady’s blade,” Vi’s voice ricocheted off the tunnel walls, “what is that doing–”
***
The faery ches-piece warmed slightly against the chest of the White Acolyte. Though he could not see it, he pictured it easily in his mind: dark, finely carved jet in the shape of a unicorn. He opened his mind. The presence of the Black Acolyte flooded in.
We’re nearly in place. Are you ready?
Yes, the White Acolyte replied. I’ll be waiting.
Good.
The link vanished and silence echoed once more in the vaults of the White Acolyte’s mind.
***
“Vi, put down the sword,” Gavriel said calmly.
Vi stood like a colossus. The tip of her sword was pointed directly at Valeral’s left kneecap. Behind said kneecap, a small, white gobliness cowered. Valeral’s arms were crossed stubbornly across his chest.
The trio had escaped through a convenient hole in the ground and found themselves rescued by an unexpected and diminutive figure. She had been the one to trip the trapdoor and rescue them from their increasingly untenable situation. Valeral had taken it well. Too well, in Vi’s opinion. The sword entered the discussion immediately, prompting the current standoff. Valeral was not prepared to budge.
“Leave her alone, Aunt Vi. She saved us.”
“She’s a goblin,” Vi said coldly, “same as the ones that just attacked us.”
“Point of fact, if I may,” Gavriel slid in smoothly, “I have to say that she is not, actually, at all like the goblins that attacked us up there.”
The sorcerer waved his hand negligently in a generally upward direction. The gobliness shot him a shy smile. Valeral kept his stony gaze firmly fixed on his aunt.
“Point primus,” Gavriel continued, “she is not attacking us. Rather, you are attempting to attack her.”
“I’m trying to protect us,” Vi snapped.
“From what? One goblin? She hasn’t even done anything to you!” Valeral protested.
“She will,” Vi said grimly. “Trust me, she will.”
“Point secundus,” Gavriel’s voice sharpened, “the gobliness here is of an altogether different color than the goblins above, indicating she is very likely of an altogether different tribe, if she’s not an exile. In either case, you can’t in good conscience judge her based on what happened up there.”
“I don’t see why not. A goblin’s a goblin, be she blue, white or green.”
“Oh for—” Gavriel growled. “Is the architecture going to your head? Stop acting like the situation is so cut and dried and black and white. It’s not. She helped us. You are honor bound not to kill her.”
Vi’s eyes sparked white hot for a brief second. Slowly, she lowered her sword. Valeral grinned triumphantly. Gavriel shot him a warning glance.
“At least,” Gavriel said pleasantly, “until she betrays us. If she does, you can kill her.”
A lazy smile crept across Vi’s face.
“Oh, I doubt that will be necessary, will it, dear?”
She practically purred at the gobliness. The little creature shrunk back and smiled far too widely whilst vigorously shaking its head.
“No! Not at all necessary. No, no! I’s all good.”
“Good.”
Valeral slowly uncrossed his arms. He glanced back and forth between Gavriel and Vi.
“So, uh, what do we do now?”
“Good question,” Vi murmured. “What say we ask your little friend here what she knows?”
“I’s knows nothing,” the gobliness squeaked.
“Her name is Dhurka,” Valeral said.
Vi stared at him for a long moment. Gavriel shot her a glance. Before either could speak, a sphere of light drifted into view at some point down the corridor. Vi grabbed Valeral and pulled him behind her. Her sword was in her hand a split second later. Gavriel scooped up Dhurka, and fell back into a defensive position.
The light bobbed closer. Voices drifted towards them through the darkness. Gavriel and Vi stiffened.
“Oh goddess, no. Not them. Anything but them,” Vi muttered.
The light froze in place. An overly-cultured, feminine voice let out a peal of laughter. The globe of light split into seven, and each one burst into a thousand glittering motes of light. The darkness boiled away, revealing the tunnel in its full black and white glory.
The floor was the same pattern of black and white marble squares. There was less dust down here, however. The walls were alternately black with white bas-relief and white with black bas-relief. Gavriel winced at the scenery.
“Someone had no compunction about hitting their theme home with a sledgehammer,” he muttered.
Down the tunnel, a group of four figures stood, bathed in light. The light was kindest to the curvy figure of a luminously beautiful woman. Her hair was long and the palest platinum blond. Her eyes were blue as ice and twice as hard. She wore the robe of a sorceress, ensorcelled an adamantly pristine white and charmed to cling suggestively about her body. She raised one delicate hand to her mouth, in all too obvious mock surprise.
“Leigh…” Vi muttered under her breath.
A hugely muscled barbarian stood behind the woman in white. Grinning like an idiot, he towered over the slim white sorceress. The hilt of a massive greatsword was just visible over his left shoulder, stuck through the loop on the back of the warrior’s bandolier. He was garbed in nothing more than said bandolier and a furred loincloth. He locked eyes with Vi and flexed his pecs.
“Drang…” Gavriel groaned into his still-bound hands.
Gavriel and Vi stood dumbfounded, facing a pair of faces they had hoped to never see again.
“…hell.”
Silence.
***
The pieces on the board had taken on a unique arrangement. This was something new. Dusty eyes watched with interest as a standoff sharpened into focus on the board. One long finger tapped thoughtfully on the arm of a massive throne before the hand it belonged to reached out and placed two new pieces on the game board.
***
Gavriel and Vi faced off against Leigh and Drang. There was a young man standing behind the duo. He was dressed in dark fighting leathers and carried a sword. He also bore a striking resemblance to Leigh. At his side was a small black goblin. The look on their faces mirrored the look currently occupying the faces of Dhurka and Valeral.
“Uh, do you know these people?” Valeral whispered to Gavriel and Vi.
“Yes, yes we do…” The sorcerer smiled sourly.
“Two of them, anyway.” Vi’s eyes flicked between the youth’s face and Leigh’s and back again several times.
Leigh was striding towards them, hips swinging seductively. Drang followed, still leering in Vi’s direction. The two unknown quantities trailed behind. Two pairs of eyes, at least, were not otherwise occupied glaring daggers or leering salaciously.
“Vi, darling,” Leigh cooed, “what a surprise, running into you here!”
“Why, Leigh! What,” Vi paused, “an unexpected surprise to see you here.”
“Gav!” Drang clapped the sorcerer heartily on the shoulder. “What brings you down to play with the big boys, eh?”
What a remarkable lack of irony. Gavriel smiled too widely back at Drang. If Drang kept this up, he’d throw Vi at him. Literally.
“Vi, as usual.”
“Ah, the old ball and chain dragged you along for the ride, did she?” Drang burst out laughing, a huge booming guffaw.
“Something like that. What brings you two—”
“And who is this?” Vi interrupted brightly, looking at the young man with Leigh and Drang.
Leigh smiled at Vi for just a moment to long before turning to the young man. She took him by the arm and drew him forward.
“Leibrev, dear, I’d like to introduce you to some dear old friends of mine.” Leigh giggled. “Drang and I have known them since the, ah, Placeholder Incident. Vi here is an excellent swordswoman—”
“With an even better rack,” Drang leered.
“—In fact, I think she may very well be the oldest swordswoman still working! Isn’t that fabulous?”
“What was the Placeholder Incident?” Valeral whispered to Gavriel.
“Something to never, ever mention to your aunt if you want to live to see your next birthday,” the sorcerer muttered back. “Let’s just say it involved a horseless carriage run by alchemy, a lightning-bolt spell, a dire hamster and three kinds of cheese. Worst world-domination plot ever.”
“And Gavriel,” Leigh continued, “ Gavriel is—”
“A faery!” Drang interjected before busting out in the booming guffaw he called a laugh.
“Oh dear,” said Leigh, “well, yes, but I was going to say that Gavriel was some sort of dark sorcerer. I’m not entirely clear on the details.”
“Or any details, for that matter,” Vi murmured.
Gavriel snorted. Vi winked at him and unscrewed the cap of her waterskin. Leigh continued to speak. The words that oozed out of her mouth practically glowed.
“And this,” she said, gesturing to the youth at her side, “is my son, Leibrev.”
Vi choked on her water. She began coughing violently. The fit went on slightly too long. Gavriel raised one elegant eyebrow.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Leibrev. And…?”
The sorcerer leveled a significant look at the small black goblin currently hiding behind Leibrev’s left leg. It bared its fangs at him. Leibrev patted it on the head.
“This is Glag. She helped us out of a nasty situation one level up.” The young man smiled.
“We had everything under control,” Leigh said primly.
“Completely.” Drang crossed his arms over his massive chest.
“Who is this?” Leigh purred and slunk up to Valeral. She ran one hand slowly down his chest. Vi’s smile went tight around the edges.
“This is my nephew, Valeral. Valeral, this is the White Sorceress. She’s an equally old friend of mine.”
Leigh’s smile went flat. Vi continued on, blithely.
“Her traveling companion is Drang. He’s an idiot, but if you need to smash something, he occasionally comes in handy.”
“You have something in mind that needs a pounding, Vi?” Drang leered again.
Valeral’s eyes narrowed. Vi reached out and snagged his arm.
“Why don’t you and Leibrev go trade horror stories? I’m sure you’ve each got a few.”
With a mother that dresses like that, how could he not? Vi’s eyes flicked from Leibrev to Leigh’s all too obvious cleavage. Valeral withdrew, slowly, his eyes still hot. Drang was busy needling Gavriel. The look on the sorcerer’s face could have frozen boiling soup. Leibrev crossed his arms and glanced at Valeral.
“Are they always like this?”
“Who? The pair with me, or the whole lot of them?”
“Both. Either.”
“I’m guessing they are. What about yours?”
“Mother’s behaving herself, actually. I think she thinks she’s trying to set a good example.”
Leibrev snorted. Valeral grinned.
“You should see my aunt when she gets going.”
“I’d like that. I get the feeling that it’d be quite entertaining.”
“So long as you can watch from a safe distance.”
“There is that. Mother’s antics are best viewed from afar as well. Trust me, I would know.”
There was a flash of light from the group. Leigh’s smile was too sweet, Gavriel’s eyes too dark. Drang was bleeding from a shallow wound and Vi was wiping her new sword clean with a strip of cloth torn from who knew where.
“No means no, Drang.”
“Not always.” The barbarian grinned lewdly.
“In my case, no always means no. In fact, in instances of magical compulsion, yes means no as well.”
“Leave her alone, Drang,” Leigh snarled. “We’re not here to play games. We’re here to train Leibrev.”
“I think we’ve established that already,” Gavriel noted coolly. “What is currently under discussion is who shall withdraw and leave this territory to the others.”
“No discussion,” Drang rumbled. “You and Leigh can take the kids further down, and Vi and I can stay here and—”
Vi smacked Drang with the flat of her sword. The barbarian just grinned at her.
“Ooh, swordlady likes it kinky!”
“Will you two knock it off,” Gavriel and Leigh snapped in unison. Each caster froze and deliberately refrained from looking at the other. Drang made another pass at Vi. The conversation degenerated hopelessly at that point.
***
The voiceless communication lasted no longer than strictly necessary. They did not dare risk being overheard by either of the magic-users below.
Ready?
Steady.
Go!
***
Shouts of alarm knocked through the quarrel. The group turned as one to look for Valeral and Leibrev. All their eyes found were a pair of goblins, one white and one black, dancing around and pointing frantically upwards. Something moved in the darkness near the ceiling.
White wings sliced through the shadows. Valeral struggled and shouted, but could not seem to free himself from the creature’s grasp. It was something akin to a gargoyle, reptilian and winged. It was pure white, save for a black domino mask. Leibrev’s call for help was a match for Valeral’s. He was carried by a creature that was a matching counterpart to the one that held Valeral in its stony arms. Where the other was white, this one was black and vice versa.
“Leibrev,” Leigh shrieked. She pulled back her hand. A lance of searing white light appeared in it. Before she could loose the bolt, Vi slapped her full across the face. The lance fizzled and went dark.
“You might hit him, you idiot.”
“That’s my son.”
“You’re not helping him by flying off the handle. Pull it together or we’ll never get them back in one piece. Gavriel!”
“Already there, Vi.”
Twin waves of utter darkness rolled out from Gavriel’s outstretched palms. They lashed out to a distance of perhaps fifty feet in either direction then, as if slamming into an invisible barrier, blew out in all directions. Two identical walls, black and featureless, sealed off a short length of tunnel.
“That should hold them long enough.” Gavriel’s hands leapt into another intricate dance, calling forth his next spell.
“Drang. You go black. I’ll go white.” Vi’s sword seemed almost to gleam with reflected anticipation.
The barbarian nodded. His massive sword slid free from its scabbard with a steely hiss. With a blood-curdling battle cry he charged for the creature carrying Leibrev.
Vi’s movements were silent, focused. She ran toward the wall and leapt for it, springing off and launching herself towards her adversary. The thing squawked and veered off, narrowly escaping loss of tail.
The things on domino wings swooped around the confines of the enclosure. Brought up short by Gavriel’s spell, they keened in distress.
“We’ve got them,” Vi shouted triumphantly at Drang.
The barbarian whooped and sprinted towards his ebony adversary. The two creatures continued to keen as they went spiraling into low incline dives. Valeral and Leibrev were caught somewhere between screaming and groaning.
Vi drew back her sword, holding for the moment when the creature would come within reach. She tensed. Her eyes locked onto her target. It came closer. Closer. It was hit the wall or turn and face her.
It hit the wall. Vi blinked. Or rather, it went through the wall. The thing had vanished through solid stone. From across the tunnel, the meaty smack of flesh on stone echoed off the walls.
“Drang, you idiot,” Leigh shrieked. “It’s not an illusion. Get out of my way!”
Bursts of pure primal light lashed out at the way. The stone remained impervious. Leigh shrieked in fury and redoubled the blows. Light strobed out, blow after blow flying towards the wall so fast that the entire tunnel was washed in strange stop-motion radiance.
It was surreal. A part of Gavriel’s mind noted the little black gobliness that had accompanied Leibrev dash over to where Leigh and Drang were making their frontal assault on the wall. Then Vi’s voice broke through the strange spell of the lights and commanded his attention.
“Gav!”
Vi’s voice was anguished. She pressed frantically at the stone wall. It was solid, smooth and seamless. The sorcerer cast forth a tangle of shadows, to seek and pry into every nook and cranny. There were none.
“No, no. Like this, this way!”
Dhurka scrambled over to them. With quick little hands, she began running her claws across the stone, making a strange skittering sound with them.
“Many are the ways of the gameboard,” she said. “Many are the hidden places. It has saved— Aha!”
Something within the stone clicked. Gavriel and Vi were hit with a wave of vertigo and darkness swallowed them once more.
To Be Continued…
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