Robert Keller - The Heart of Shadows

When the two charging barbarians reached Lannon, there was no discussion of surrender. They tried to cut him down where he stood, their bearded faces contorted with fury. These were Legion Knights, and their blades were enchanted by sorcery. They swung at him viciously, their strokes guided by their magic. But thanks to the Eye, Lannon's blade was faster and he blocked their attacks.

Lannon seized one of his foes by the wrist, and-with his power surging through his arm-hurled the man against the tunnel wall. The barbarian struck the stone hard and collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

The remaining barbarian's eyes widened, as if he couldn't believe the strength Lannon possessed. He drove his sword at Lannon's chest, but Lannon sidestepped the thrust and struck the barbarian in the head with his sword hilt. The warrior fell to the floor, bleeding from a head wound.

Both warriors were still alive but unable to fight, and Lannon left them where they lay. He whirled around to find Shennen still battling Ulmason Deathhand. The two Knights were locked in a vicious duel, and when Lannon started toward them, Shennen ordered him to hold back.

"This one is mine!" Shennen hissed. "Guard my back, Lannon!"

Lannon glanced behind him, but the hall was empty.

Ulmason grinned. There was no doubt that the Dark Knight believed he was invincible. Aside from winning duels against Dremlock, he'd also slain many Divine Knights in combat. His heavily muscled body was covered in scars beneath his armor from his many battles. Luck had always been on his side.

This was not an official duel, and there were no rules. The combatants were free to unleash everything they had-and in that regard, Ulmason had the advantage. He was known to fight dirty, using tricks that an honorable Knight would sneer at. Shennen, however, was still bound by Dremlock's sacred laws that governed combat against human foes.

"I love killing Birlotes," said Ulmason, laughing. He swung at Shennen's neck with his huge axe. Shennen ducked and the axe tore stone from the tunnel wall. The axe was smoldering with crimson fire amidst which dark shadows squirmed. This was a Gnome-forged axe from ancient times, fused with evil sorcery.

In spite of missing his target, Ulmason continued to grin, swept away in his own glory. Always he'd found some way to prevail over his foes, and killing Shennen would just be another badge of honor in a long and bloody career as a Legion Dark Knight.

But Shennen's eyes were cold and focused beneath his mask. He was a swift and deadly shadow in the torchlight, twisting and dodging, and Ulmason struggled to match his speed. Shennen's Flayer, which burned with the green flames of divine fire, slashed a wound in Ulmason's shoulder, cutting through his dark armor and into the flesh beneath. The Dark Knight bellowed in pain and stepped back.

Lannon could have interfered and perhaps helped end the battle quickly, but he obeyed Shennen's commands and held back, staying alert for enemies while keeping an eye on the battle. This was an unofficial duel and a matter of honor to Shennen, and Lannon had no right to interfere. But Lannon didn't like it. They were here to find the Black Flamestone, not fight duels-but when it came to matters of honor, logic didn't seem to always apply.

Ulmason threw all his strength and fury into one blow, driving his blazing axe down in an effort to split Shennen in two. The blow was so swift that Lannon thought Shennen had been caught off guard-but Shennen somehow dodged it and the axe slammed into the floor, throwing up blinding red sparks and chunks of stone. For a moment, neither combatant could see.

Yet Shennen's Flayer slashed out blindly and on instinct-and this time it caught Ulmason Deathhand in the throat. The giant staggered, dropping his axe. His single eye was wide with shock beneath his horned helm. Still charged with sorcery, Ulmason lunged at Shennen and tried to get him in a bear hug, but Shennen twisted out of his path and ended up behind the giant.

Ulmason cried out in pain as Shennen's Flayer drove into his back. He tried to turn, but the damage was too much and he collapsed to his knees. He cursed Shennen and all Birlotes, and then slumped forward in death.

Shennen motioned to Lannon. "We must try to free the others. We need Aldrek's power or we're doomed."

They raced back into the storage room and Lannon seized the iron door. Now, with all the noise of battle having alerted the Blood Legion to their presence, there was no need for stealth. They pulled furiously at the door handle-as Lannon tried to break the lock with the power of the Eye-and there was a loud crunch of metal as the door came free.

Aldrek and the other Blue Knights stepped through the doorway, relief on their faces. "What happened out here?" Aldrek asked.

"No time to explain," said Shennen. "Now that our foes know we're here, they will use Jackals to try to sniff us out. We must hurry!"

They stepped out into the hall, to find six Legion Soldiers running toward them, as a loud warning horn blew throughout the keep. But the Soldiers didn't even glance at them. Instead, they checked on the fallen men-then ran right on past. Aldrek's power had come through for them once again.

Dremlock's warriors hurried off down the hall, staying close to the walls like shadows, as more Soldiers rushed past them. Lannon continued to scan for Timlin and the Black Flamestone. Old Hammer Hall consisted of three levels-the Soldier Barracks at the top, the Dining Hall, Kitchen, and Library on the middle level, and the Old Forge on the lowest level-aside from the many tunnels and chambers that connected these areas. It was a broad expanse, crawling with Legion Knights, Soldiers, and Goblins. Searching the fortress without getting caught was extremely difficult and required a bit of good luck-but luck seemed to be on their side as they managed to avoid being sniffed out by Jackals.

At one point they overheard a conversation between Soldiers and learned to their frustration that Timlin had fled the keep before they even arrived-and he'd taken the Black Flamestone with him. They learned of a second exit from the fortress that Timlin had used to escape. Their only choice was to leave Old Hammer Hall through that passageway and set off in pursuit of Timlin, who was already several hours ahead of them.

The passageway was located in the Old Forge. The Forge was guarded by a pair of Jackals, who'd been sent there to sniff out the invisible intruders should they try to escape by that route, as well as three Soldiers and an enormous Ogre (the largest Lannon had ever seen). The Forge also contained several blacksmiths hard at work crafting weapons and armor-muscular men who would be sure to seize weapons and join in the fight if the intruders tried to overcome the guards.

Lannon found this chamber quite bizarre and ugly compared to the Great Forge at Dremlock. Four pillars stood in the room, carved with evil, leering Gnomes. The furnaces were molded to look like great iron faces with bloated cheeks and gaping mouths-waiting to be fed weapons and armor. The evil of the Deep Shadow hung about the forge. This was an ancient chamber where the Dark Dwarves had crafted malicious weapons, a forge that remained unchanged for centuries and still harbored a wicked aura even though the Gnomes were extinct.

The intruders hid behind pillars, wondering how they were going to get past the Jackals without a fight. Finally, Shennen shrugged his shoulders, drew his Flayer, and nodded toward the guards. He signaled to Lannon and the Blue Knights that they would strike quickly and by surprise.

They moved as close to the Jackals as they could-until the Jackals began to sniff the air and growl-and then charged at the guards. Shennen cut down one Legion Solider before the unlucky fellow knew what hit him. Three of the Blue Knights-and Aldrek the sorcerer-went for the Ogre, knowing the massive beast would be very difficult to kill, leaving Lannon, Shennen, and two Blue Knights to deal with the smaller foes.