Richard Tuttle - Web of Deceit

Rejji’s puzzled face frowned as Mistake handed him a lit torch. Her face was aglow with a mischievous, elfish grin and he nodded slightly.

“Take only items that have no historical value,” stated Rejji. “Like coins and ingots. And take only what we will need to buy food and tools from Lord Marak.”

“And lumber to build a dock and a building to store the food in,” chirped Mistake as she looked around for something to carry the treasure in. “And some extra to persuade the tribes to work for us.”

Rejji shook his head and shut out the rest of Mistake’s chatter. He raised his torch and headed towards the far end of the room. Next to the table was a large rack of weapons. He felt Bakhai next to him and turned to look at his brother.

“Find a weapon that will not offend your animal friends,” instructed Rejji. “You may need more than just your hands to get out of this city.”

Bakhai nodded and headed towards the rack while Rejji approached the table. Sitting on the table was long, oblong case made of black glass. The case was several feet long and looked like it could hold the staff, which was pictured in the mural. Rejji felt drawn to it and he examined the case, looking for some way to open it. Eventually, he felt the front of the case move slightly and was able to fold it down. He stooped to peer into the case and saw the long staff pictured in the mural in the temple. He reached in and seized the staff and felt a surge of power burst through his body. He almost shattered the glass case as his arm trembled when he removed the staff. He held the staff and stared at it. It felt much lighter in his grip than he would have imagined and he swung it back and forth a few times.

“It suits you,” grinned Bakhai as he adjusted a quiver of arrows so it hung comfortably on his back.

“A bow?” asked Rejji. “That won’t help you close up.”

“I picked up some daggers too,” replied Bakhai. “I did pretty good with a bow at Fardale and it doesn’t glint in the sun to give away my position.”

“I trust your judgment,” smiled Rejji. “Let’s get Voltak and leave this accursed city.”

Rejji strode back towards Mistake and Mobi who were at the far end of the room. Suddenly, the staff grew hot in his hand. His first reaction was to drop the staff, but then he saw the black-cloaked figure enter through the door and sneak towards Mistake’s back. He dropped the torch and called out an alarm as he charged towards the hellsoul. The hellsoul turned and raised its sword. Rejji swung the staff at the hellsoul and heard a resounding crack as it connected with the hellsoul’s head. The hellsoul’s head lolled to one side and it collapsed to the floor. As Rejji stood over it, ready to swing again, the body of the hellsoul disappeared in a wisp of smoke. An empty black cloak and a sword on the floor were the only things left.

“That is one powerful staff,” commented Mobi as he helped Mistake hoist a large sack onto her back. “Now that you have it, I suggest we get out of here.”

“That is one hellsoul that will not get up again,” stated Bakhai. “Did the staff do that?”

“I think so,” nodded Rejji. “The staff felt warm just before the hellsoul entered the room. Let’s go get Voltak and leave the city.”

Rejji picked up the fallen torch and climbed the stairs. He proceeded carefully along the hallway and parted the velvet curtain so he could see into the throne room. Nothing moved in the room and he held the curtain open for others to pass through before going through himself. Rejji led the way back to the front door, which was still barred.

“How do you suppose he got in?” asked Rejji. “If the door was open, I would expect more of them in here.”

“He might have already been inside,” suggested Mistake. “The real question is how do we get out.”

“Not through this door,” frowned Rejji. “This staff is downright hot in my hand. I suspect there quite a few hellsouls on the other side of it.”

“The king always had a private entrance,” informed Mobi. “I would suspect it would originate in his private residence, if we can find that.”

Rejji nodded and Mistake held the other torch up and led the way back through the palace. It took them over an hour to find the king’s chambers and locate the latch for the private entrance. Rejji led the way down the small tunnel until he came to another door. He held the staff close to the door and nodded.

“I think it is safe,” he announced as he laid the torch on the ground and fingered the latch mechanism.

The door opened to reveal a large bush. Rejji peered through the branches of the bush and saw that they were in a large garden. The garden appeared well maintained, but Rejji was not fooled by the appearance. He remembered the lack of dust in the temple library and pushed through the bushes.

“I think we are behind the palace,” Bakhai said softly. “I don’t think trying to cross the square would be a good idea. Maybe we should head down a street or two before heading towards Voltak.”

“Sounds like a good way to avoid them,” nodded Mistake as she tossed her torch inside the tunnel and slid the door closed.

“I could go get Voltak while you make for the gates,” offered Mobi.

“No,” Rejji stated. “We stick together. If this staff can kill the hellsouls then we have a chance of getting out of here, but only if we stay together. Let’s go the opposite way from the gates and then swing back towards the temple.”

Nobody objected and Rejji turned and led the way out of the garden. Bakhai nocked an arrow and Mistake withdrew a dagger. The group reached a street and Rejji leaned out far enough to look both ways before scampering across it. When he reached the next corner he again looked both ways and then turned towards the temple. The first of the three blocks they had to traverse went without incident. At the next cross street Rejji saw a hellsoul in the street leading to the square and he pulled his head back in and waited for several moments before checking it again.

“It’s gone,” he said softly and then he ran across the street.

The second block was also trouble free and Rejji was beginning to feel their chances of reaching the temple were pretty good. As he stuck his head around the next corner, a hellsoul was only a few paces away and it saw him. The hellsoul raised his sword and attacked. Rejji swung his staff at the hellsoul and hit him hard around the waist. The hellsoul staggered, but it raised its sword again and attacked again.

“The staff didn’t kill it,” Rejji scowled as he heard the snap of a bowstring.

Bakhai’s arrow sailed past Rejji and hit the hellsoul in the chest. The hellsoul fell to the ground.

“Touch the staff to him now,” suggested Bakhai.

Rejji did as Bakhai suggested and the hellsoul dissipated in a puff of smoke.

“It vanquishes them if they are dead,” stated Mobi. “At least they can’t rise again. Why didn’t the staff alert you to him?”

Rejji looked sheepishly at his hand holding the staff. “I guess I have been gripping it so hard that I did not feel the subtle warmth. I will try to be more careful.”

Rejji sighed and ran across the street as the others followed. He concentrated on holding the staff more lightly and being more sensitive to its warnings. They made the end of the third block uncontested and Rejji felt the staff before sticking his head around the corner to peer at the temple. There were no hellsouls in sight and Rejji turned the corner and raced up to the end of street where the square met the temple. He peeked around the corner and surveyed the square. At first he thought it was empty until he look closer to the palace at the far end of the square. Hundreds of hellsouls were gathered outside the palace.