sure you can start afresh."
"Wrong, dear cousin," Sarnak said, a thin smile lighting his features. "You see, I have a surprise for you."
As the code words were spoken Sarnak stepped back.
His thirty sorcerers turned as one, hands extended.
Thirty flashes of light snapped out. Before Uthul could even whisper a cry or begin to raise his shielding, his body had already snapped into a blinding incandescence.
A single stunned sorcerer stepped out from the doorway, hurling a blast at Sarnak, who was already prepared, his shield up to maximum. The bolt flashed, causing the shield to momentarily glow. Half a dozen sorcerers turned their attention away from the charred remains of Tor's son and slammed the one defender to the ground.
Warily the other sorcerers backed up, hands kept carefully down.
Sarnak walked up to the smoking remains and drew the signet of rule off a blackened hand. He put the signet on his finger and almost languidly looked over at the terrified sorcerers.
"He made one mistake, you know," Sarnak said gently, a sad smile lighting his features. "He just should have said the kingdom was mine and all of this unpleasantness could have been avoided."
"Are there any objections to this little change in power?"
One by one the sorcerers fell to their knees in obeisance.
"Good, very good, there's been too much bloodshed today. Your pay is doubled as of now, if that will prove any additional incentive to the lot of you."
Greedy smiles lit the faces of more than one kneeling man.
Sarnak nodded knowingly. "Excellent, gentlemen, then we do understand each other. I guess it's time that I moved in and started with my work. It's said that many artifacts from Tor and even my dear grandfather Horat are hidden within. Perhaps they can be of use in the coming struggle."
With a look almost of pity, Sarnak stepped past the corpse of his cousin and started for the entrance.
"Bala."
"Yes my lord," A sorcerer with piggy features and lifeless eyes rushed to his side.
"Be sure the body receives a proper burial."
"As you wish, my lord." and the sorcerer started to turn away.
"And Bala--one other thing. Before taking care of that, go into the private living chambers. My cousin had a wife and three small children. I would think they would prefer to join their dearly departed loved one. No sense having resentful rivals about the place."
A grin of evil delight crossed Bala's features as he motioned to several of his companions and scurried away.
"Too bad," Sarnak whispered to himself, "these family squabbles can be such distasteful affairs."
The meeting Allic had called was winding down to a close.
After the encounter with the demon Kultha in Sarnak's office, Jartan had ordered a complete investigation and sent two of Allic's sisters, Storm and Leti, to assist.
This time the search had been conducted with crystal-shattering sonics and several more traps and escape holes had been detected and dismantled. A fair portion of Sarnak's old fortress was now in ruins, torn and blasted by the thoroughness of the investigation.
The sorcerer in charge of the last area searched was completing his report, and everyone was starting to shift restlessly. It had been a long meeting and it was time to wrap it up.
Finally Allic raised his hand and said, "Thank you, Faltre." The sorcerer stopped and sat down.
Allic continued, "We are all agreed, then, that there are no more portal openings of sufficient size to be any danger here?"
There was a murmur of agreement and Leti spoke up, "I'm amazed that Sarnak could even set up what he did, much less have more than one. The years of effort to construct such a trap and the sheer power he had stored there merely to keep it in standby mode is incredible."
"Leti and I will leave at first light tomorrow for Asmara," Storm continued. "I'll report everything that's transpired here to Jartan. We can assume for now that the danger in this region is past."
"It's an old rule of war," Ikawa said
"Wrong, dear cousin," Sarnak said, a thin smile lighting his features. "You see, I have a surprise for you."
As the code words were spoken Sarnak stepped back.
His thirty sorcerers turned as one, hands extended.
Thirty flashes of light snapped out. Before Uthul could even whisper a cry or begin to raise his shielding, his body had already snapped into a blinding incandescence.
A single stunned sorcerer stepped out from the doorway, hurling a blast at Sarnak, who was already prepared, his shield up to maximum. The bolt flashed, causing the shield to momentarily glow. Half a dozen sorcerers turned their attention away from the charred remains of Tor's son and slammed the one defender to the ground.
Warily the other sorcerers backed up, hands kept carefully down.
Sarnak walked up to the smoking remains and drew the signet of rule off a blackened hand. He put the signet on his finger and almost languidly looked over at the terrified sorcerers.
"He made one mistake, you know," Sarnak said gently, a sad smile lighting his features. "He just should have said the kingdom was mine and all of this unpleasantness could have been avoided."
"Are there any objections to this little change in power?"
One by one the sorcerers fell to their knees in obeisance.
"Good, very good, there's been too much bloodshed today. Your pay is doubled as of now, if that will prove any additional incentive to the lot of you."
Greedy smiles lit the faces of more than one kneeling man.
Sarnak nodded knowingly. "Excellent, gentlemen, then we do understand each other. I guess it's time that I moved in and started with my work. It's said that many artifacts from Tor and even my dear grandfather Horat are hidden within. Perhaps they can be of use in the coming struggle."
With a look almost of pity, Sarnak stepped past the corpse of his cousin and started for the entrance.
"Bala."
"Yes my lord," A sorcerer with piggy features and lifeless eyes rushed to his side.
"Be sure the body receives a proper burial."
"As you wish, my lord." and the sorcerer started to turn away.
"And Bala--one other thing. Before taking care of that, go into the private living chambers. My cousin had a wife and three small children. I would think they would prefer to join their dearly departed loved one. No sense having resentful rivals about the place."
A grin of evil delight crossed Bala's features as he motioned to several of his companions and scurried away.
"Too bad," Sarnak whispered to himself, "these family squabbles can be such distasteful affairs."
The meeting Allic had called was winding down to a close.
After the encounter with the demon Kultha in Sarnak's office, Jartan had ordered a complete investigation and sent two of Allic's sisters, Storm and Leti, to assist.
This time the search had been conducted with crystal-shattering sonics and several more traps and escape holes had been detected and dismantled. A fair portion of Sarnak's old fortress was now in ruins, torn and blasted by the thoroughness of the investigation.
The sorcerer in charge of the last area searched was completing his report, and everyone was starting to shift restlessly. It had been a long meeting and it was time to wrap it up.
Finally Allic raised his hand and said, "Thank you, Faltre." The sorcerer stopped and sat down.
Allic continued, "We are all agreed, then, that there are no more portal openings of sufficient size to be any danger here?"
There was a murmur of agreement and Leti spoke up, "I'm amazed that Sarnak could even set up what he did, much less have more than one. The years of effort to construct such a trap and the sheer power he had stored there merely to keep it in standby mode is incredible."
"Leti and I will leave at first light tomorrow for Asmara," Storm continued. "I'll report everything that's transpired here to Jartan. We can assume for now that the danger in this region is past."
"It's an old rule of war," Ikawa said
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