Robert Keller - The Heart of Shadows

Lannon felt a rush of power as the Eye flooded into his blade. He almost felt invincible-like he could toy with his foes and dispatch them easily. It was a feeling Lannon had never experienced before, but he liked it. He beheaded a Jackal with ease, and the feeling grew stronger.

One of the Soldiers-a stocky fellow with a thick black mustache and insane eyes-charged at Lannon, his chest puffed out to show his strength. The soldier's helmet was shaped like some bird that reminded Lannon of a duck. If the helmet was supposed to be intimidating, it fell well short of the mark. The soldier paused, shaking in mock battle fury, and pointed at his helmet while nodding. Lannon simply stood and stared, unable to comprehend the gesture.

With a growl of frustration, the Soldier swung his battle axe at Lannon's neck. Lannon ducked the blow and then hurled the Solider into the cavern wall. The Soldier slumped to the floor, his battle axe slipping from his fingers. His precious duck helmet lay next to him, and he pulled it close before passing out.

Meanwhile, the massive Ogre managed to grab one of the Blue Knights and crushed the poor fellow in a bear hug, killing him instantly. The Ogre flung the dead Knight aside and roared in triumph. But its victory celebration was brief, as a pair of burning swords pierced its torso.

The blacksmiths did indeed seize weapons and join the fray, but they were dispatched quickly (being poorly trained for combat). Shennen killed the remaining Soldier, and Lannon slew the other Jackal with a sword thrust through the Goblin's dark heart.

All that remained was the Ogre, wounded by several sword strikes but still on its feet. It swung at the Knights with its fists, but was unable to make contact. Soon the giant was pierced by multiple blades, smoke rising from its scorched flesh. It staggered and then finally went down.

They didn't check to make sure it was dead. Instead, they ran for the passageway that they hoped would lead them out of the keep and to the Black Flamestone. They could hear shouts coming toward the forge and a clanking of armor. Now that the Jackals were dead, they became invisible again as they entered the narrow tunnel-though Aldrek complained that his energy was running low and he didn't know how long he could sustain the illusion.

Eventually the tunnel led them to a Glaetherin door with a wheel lock-but the door stood open. Not far beyond that was the tunnel's end, and they soon found themselves standing beneath the night sky in the chill air. The scent of some nearby pine trees filled their nostrils. They stood in silence for a moment, mourning the Knight the Ogre had crushed, and then Lannon scanned the snow with the Eye in search of Timlin. He found traces of Timlin having passed that way, and they set off in pursuit.

A bit farther along the trail, they found five dead Legion Soldiers-their armor scorched black and split open by some terrible sorcery. The Eye revealed the truth: It was the power of the Black Flamestone.

Somehow, Timlin had unlocked it.

Dremlock's army traveled for two days along the shores of the Grey Lake, until they reached a stretch of rugged hills not far from the Watchman's Keep. They camped atop a hill and waited, watching for Bellis' army to draw close. They built fires on the hilltop so the smoke would alert Bellis to their position. Dremlock had an ambush planned, but it did not involve hiding. Rather, the Divine Knights expected Bellis to come to them.

At last they glimpsed Bellis' army advancing through the hill country-over a thousand Knights on horseback along with three huge siege engines. The largest of those three siege engines was the pride of Bellis. It was known as The Colossus, a long, narrow, worm-like monstrosity made of three sections able to maneuver through forests and mountains, and protruding from the front of it was a great battering ram molded to look like the head of a golden lion. It was a massive catapult pulled by twenty Thallites-giants from a dying race. The Thallites were the largest beings on Gallamerth, standing twelve feet in height on average and protected by heavy plate armor. They had once been enemies of the Grey Dwarves and many wars had been fought between the two races in ancient times. Now only a few hundred Thallites remained, due to a disease that killed off most of their young. The Thallites were fiercely loyal to Bellis and its king.

A wooden platform was constructed atop the hill for Prince Vannas to stand on. Surrounding the prince was the Divine Shield (minus Shennen and Lannon who were still seeking the Black Flamestone) and then a wall of about a hundred Knights on horseback, many of them the Brown class with stout shields. The remaining Knights-mostly Red-were gathered at the base of the hill, where they would attempt to distract Bellis' warriors while Vannas targeted the siege engines. The goal was to keep Vannas alive so he could hurl the White Fire down upon their foes. Dremlock was putting all its hopes into their gift from the Divine Essence. They showed strong faith in their god by trusting in its wisdom. It was that faith that had sustained Dremlock throughout the ages-the unyielding belief that they had divine power on their side and therefore must surely prevail.

The Thallites pulled The Colossus to the top of a nearby hill and then the army stopped its advance. It was the prince on one hill and the massive catapult on another. It was a warm spring day and the snow had melted into patches. The sun shone down on gleaming weapons and armor, and proud banners flapped in the wind. Knights sat like statues on horseback, waiting patiently for the battle to begin. The twenty giants stood atop the hill holding crimson hammers and wearing crimson armor that shone like fire beneath the noon sun. It was a magnificent scene that was unfortunately destined to turn ugly and brutal. Bellis was there for one reason only-to eliminate the Divine Knights and lay claim to the White Flamestone.

"We will let our foes make the first move," Taris called out from the hilltop. "Let the burden of this war be on them!"

Cheers arose from the Divine Knights.

"Aldreya, stand by my side," said Taris. "Help me shield the prince with your sorcery."

Aldreya's ability to generate magical shields was weak, but she vowed to throw everything she had into protecting her cousin. She took position beside Taris, at the base of the platform. She knew she would be in grave danger there-as Bellis was sure to launch a furious attack against the prince. But she wasn't concerned with her own safety, only that of Vannas. The White Flamestone seemed to be Dremlock's only hope and she was compelled to guard it with her life.

"Why are they hesitating?" asked Trenton, his face tense and his sword in hand. "Shouldn't they be charging at us, or hurling boulders? Or both?"

"I don't know," said Taris. "Perhaps they're waiting for us to make a move so they can adjust their strategy. If so, they will be waiting a long time."

"Maybe we should attack first," said Vannas, fire in his eyes. "I've got a clear shot at that big siege engine."

Taris shook his head. "Be patient, young prince."

The tension grew almost unbearable as they stood and waited for something to happen. This was not how Aldreya had envisioned the prelude to the battle. She'd assumed Dremlock was planning some type of surprise assault-instead of simply standing on a hilltop and in a valley in the open, waiting for boulders and arrows to start raining down on them. It made no sense, and she could tell by the confused expressions around her that she wasn't alone in her thoughts. Only Taris and Furlus seemed confident, an expectant look in their eyes.

"I wish we would just get on with this," said Jerret, his knuckles white as he grasped his broadsword.