Jeff Inlo - Nightmare's Shad

Most of those he spoke to, however, climbed back up the cliff walls and entered the array of tunnels and caves. Eventually, thousands upon thousands of algors spilled out of the cliffs and came down to give audience to the delver's warning. It was more than he could have hoped for.

They drew very near, crowding him, giving him little room. They spoke openly among each other, and as the multitude grew in size, the clamor became a near deafening and completely incomprehensible roar.

Then, without anyone calling for silence, without a single demand for attention, the crowd hushed. Not a single word was spoken, not a single algor moved. All of them stood silent with their bulging eyes fixed on the delver.

Ryson spoke quickly. Having their attention and hoping to keep it, he spelled out the danger first.

"A very powerful slink ghoul has gained command of the dark creatures both here and in the realm where they breed. His name is Baannat. He has made his intentions clear that he will attack all of the lands in force. He intends to send an army of beasts here into your desert. They will attack your home and they will attack very soon. I've come here to warn you and to aid you in your preparation."

As he took a breath before continuing and waited a moment to gauge their interest, the silent attention of the algors dissolved.

"We have been attacked before," one voice cried out.

"The desert is always dangerous," another shouted.

And then a chorus of shouts followed.

"This is nothing new."

"We are always attacked."

"Dark creatures are now a way of the land."

"Goblins will wilt in the desert."

"They will end up in the forest."

"Let them raid the outer lands."

"There is nothing here for them."

"That's where they always go."

"None last in the desert for long."

Ryson held up his hands hoping to regain their attention. It worked unbelievably well. It was as if the algors were commanded as one unit to be silent, and they complied.

"It isn't just goblins and it's not just raids," Ryson offered, as he hoped to alert them to the true severity of what they faced. He remembered how Baannat used the dark creatures after the Sword of Decree destroyed the vessel of captured magic. The monsters moved against him, Holli, and Lief as a single body, much like the algors listened to him at that moment. "All of the dark creatures are now united. They are not fighting amongst themselves. Baannat has control over them all, and he will use them all. It won't just be a single camp of goblins, or a flock of hook hawks, or even a pack of shags. It will be all of them and more. It will be a deluge of creatures bent on clearing the desert of anything in their way. They want to take control of this land, and to do so, they must remove you."

This time as the delver paused, the algors remained quiet. Ryson believed he struck the proper chord as they no longer called out any dismissive responses. He continued with a renewed hope, but in his desire to keep the warning open-ended in regards to timing, he made a critical mistake.

"A portal to the dark realm is opened that cannot be closed. It is to the east of here, at the outer edges of the desert. It is being manipulated by the slink ghoul. Beasts and monsters will utilize it to cross over in great numbers. We can't be sure of when, but there is great concern that you will be targeted."

One algor from the crowd shouted out a single question.

"Are you certain they will come?"

Ryson stopped to consider the point. It was truly a question of significance and it went beyond the simple concern of a single algor.

Was he certain?

In all honesty, Ryson wasn't certain of anything. It was Enin who believed the desert would be attacked. The wizard convinced him of the threat, but that's all it was, just a threat. Ryson had seen no sign of an invading army on his trip to the desert. Baannat said nothing specifically about attacking the algors. Everything was based on Enin's interpretations.

Once more doubt made its presence known. Would Baannat attack in the desert? Should he have left Linda? Was any of this really necessary?

Rather than acknowledge those doubts, he replied with a simple perspective regarding what brought him to the desert in the first place.

"The wizard Enin has sent me here because he is sure about the attack. He wants you to prepare…"

A different voice interrupted him.

"Do you believe we will be attacked?"

"Enin wouldn't lie," Ryson responded quickly this time, not allowing his own concerns to confuse the matter.

As if that answer was not sufficient, another voice repeated the question with an emphasis on the delver.

"Does Ryson Acumen believe the algors will be attacked?"

In a moment of weakness-a release of the frustration and fatigue growing within-Ryson spoke of his own doubts.

"I think there's a danger, but I don't know what to believe."

And just as quickly as he finished his answer, the intermittent shouts began again. One algor after another yelled out his or her own view of the matter.

"We have nothing for them."

"Why would they come here?"

"They will target the forest or the humans."

"It's the spell casters. They will bring them here."

"Why would dark creatures unite against us?"

"We should listen to the wizard. He is powerful."

"The wizard is not one of us."

"There is only concern. Nothing is definite."

"Sentinels are needed."

"A waste of time."

That was all Ryson could hear. After that, one shout merged into another and he could not distinguish a single word.

He held up his hand again, but the algors ignored him. He tried to shout over them, but even he could barely hear what he said.

Ryson shook his head. He had lost them. He almost allowed it to be the solution. If the algors ignored the threat, there was no need for him to stay.

Something inside him, however, held him, kept him from issuing a farewell and leaving it to the algors to decide. For some reason, he couldn't just abandon them, and though he couldn't put that reason into clear perspective, he acknowledged it in the form of a question. He asked the closest algor that simple question, and the answer turned out to be the true reason he was there.

"Am I one of you?"

Other algors continued to shout, but those nearest to the delver gave Ryson a long, appreciative look.

The algor that Ryson asked directly answered first.

"You are Acumen, you are delver… you are algor."

Another algor repeated the response, "You are Acumen, you are delver, you are algor."

Another algor answered, but only slightly different.

"You are you, you are them, you are us."

That was also repeated.

Almost immediately the shouts from the crowd diminished and then ceased completely. Whispers of acceptance echoed from the crowd.

"Acumen, delver, algor."

With that, Ryson understood. He was actually three things. He was an individual. He was also a delver, but even that wasn't all. He belonged to the community of algors as well. Through his past trials and his willingness to not only assist the algors but to share their suffering, they had accepted him. Somehow in their collective thoughts, they viewed him as truly another algor.

That thought, however, proved Enin's theory. Baannat wanted Ryson to suffer. The delver was sure of that, and if Ryson was part of the algors, then Baannat would attack them. Any doubts regarding what the algors faced vanished.

"I'm afraid because you have accepted me, you have also welcomed attacks from my enemies. The slink ghoul is out for revenge-revenge against me, my wife, and the wizard Enin. Enin believes that will make you the prime target for an attack. That is why he sent me here."