Chapter 8 Part 6

The trio of dragons met their passengers at the appointed time. Brandor, noted that Armegon was much quieter than usual, but did not press the issue. For two more days, they flew, and late in the afternoon of the second day since their departure from Allentown, the dragons delivered their charges to the slopes above Gly-ou-vogue. Farewells were extended, and the dragons departed for parts unknown.

Armegon and Ultrecht led Avery into the Valley of Time and they spent the next week in the hidden vale planning their strategies and digging into the secrets of the Tome of Creation. They made a trip to the Well of Time where Ultrecht collected several vials of water during the Well's manifestation. He insisted that should things go wrong, some of the spells in the Tome might provide aid. The water from the Well would substitute for several of the material components.

The evening after visiting the Well, they relaxed on the shore of the island and spoke at length at the plans they had for the approaching confrontation.

"I am unconvinced that we should make a united front," Ultrecht was saying to his comrades. "Even with my command over the elements, I would be hard pressed to defend myself if Armagon loses control of his temper. You, Avery would fare worse, I fear."

"I’m not terribly worried in that department," Avery stated. "I’m not without defenses. This enchanted sword seems capable of turning aside a direct assault from even the most powerful of mages."

"You forget," Armegon reminded with a grin, "I’m a god." There was a chuckle after which Armegon continued. "Still even though your sword may protect you from a direct attack, it may not be able to protect you from an indirect attack. Ten tons of solid rock suddenly materializing above your head doesn’t use magic to crush you, it uses gravity. As powerful as the sword may be, I’ve never seen and enchanted item that could oppose even the least law of physics."

"Are you two suggesting that I should stay out of the fight?" Avery said with evident hurt in his voice.

"Not at all," Ultrecht assured him. "I think, that we may be better off splitting up. There’s a forest near our chosen battle ground. If you take up a position there, you would be at an advantage against whomever chose to attack you."

"What if they all choose to attack me?" Avery asked. "What if they choose to concentrate on us one at a time? Seeing as we have so conveniently divided our forces, that’s what I’d do in their place."

"Ah," Ultrecht exclaimed, "but you’re a modest ranger. You have no need for glory and prestige. Blackheart does, or at least the god he has become does. As you bear the sword the demons call Godslayer, you will most likely be Ragnera's target. I am sure that Morteous wants a piece of either me or Armegon. If we can arrange it, I will try to let Armegon tackle Quickdraw. I have a score to settle with Tyson.

Avery frowned. "Be careful," he warned the mage. "I’ve noted that though best served cold, revenge is also a dish that sours the stomach."

"Don't worry about me," Ultrecht said. "I know Tyson fairly well." he took a stick and drew a rough outline of the geography of the wasteland, mountains and forest. "When they arrive," he explained, "all you need to do, Avery, is challenge Ragnera to a fight. By his honor he would have to accept. I mean what kind of god is he if he cowers from a mere mortal, even one who wields the Godslayer."

"That sounds reasonable," Armegon observed.

"Then while Avery leads Ragnera into the forest and occupies him there, you, Armegon launch a minor attack on Quickdraw. Don't try to take him out in one shot, just get his interest, then head out into the wasteland. Tyson will immediately get suspicious when he can't find me and then he’ll either go to help Quickdraw or Blackpuss."

"Tyson was always a boot licker," Avery noted. "He’ll more than likely throw in with the one most likely to win, Ragnera."

That is when I will be waiting for him," Ultrecht said. "As soon as he enters the forest I will visit the poor monk and there will be a reckoning."

"It sounds as if you have everything figured out," Armegon said, "assuming that they do as you expect."

"If they don't, then I have a spell here in this book," Ultrecht patted the Tome of Creation, "that should settle things once and for all, albeit a little more messily and we would not fare well in the end, but there would be an end to it."

Later that night, Ultrecht read from the Tome by the light of the campfire. He was attempting to fathom the meanings of a particularly unusual ritual when he became aware of a light buzzing inside his head.

Ultrecht.

Ultrecht looked up and around. Had he imagined it?

Ultrecht.

Ultrecht closed the Tome and closed his eyes. Someone was trying to make contact with him mentally. It was a rare and tiring form of communication, but as the receiver, Ultrecht would not be exerting the main effort. He wondered who it could be.

"I hear you," he whispered so as not to wake his companions.

Ultrecht, it is I, Tyson.

Rage flared inside Ultrecht and as he answered there was no doubt that Tyson sensed the emotion. "What do you want?"

I must talk with you. I must warn you. Blackheart is after you.

"Tell me something we don't know."

Had it not been for me, the boy and the druid would have been killed.

"Had it not been for you, neither Sam nor Nikki would have ever been in danger."

There was a pause before Tyson's voice returned. I had hoped to make amends. I wanted to help you beat Blackheart, but I can see that you are going to be difficult. Fools, I name you. All three of you.

"Come then, you and your master," Ultrecht challenged. "I look forward to our meeting.

The contact was broken. Ultrecht felt fairly certain that Tyson had located them. After all that was his obvious intention, and Ultrecht felt that he was ready to face his former friend.

He patted the Tome of Creation. His fingers felt the raw power contained within its pages. He had decoded a spell that he had not told Armegon and Avery about. It was a last resort spell, because he was not certain of its effect, but it was evident that it invoked the evolutionary transformation and combined it with some other power source. The formulas manipulated energies that Ultrecht hand never considered as even remotely possible. He was not even satisfied that the entire planet could contain that much energy, but the Tome insisted that the incantation was usable. If so, Blackpuss was in for one heck of a surprise.

Morning came, but Ultrecht kept the night's events to himself when he was asked how his watch went. They broke camp and made their way out of the valley. Ultrecht wanted to get into the forest below the mountains. He stated that he wanted to scout out the area before Blackheart located them. He wanted to be in familiar territory.

"I have no idea how long it’ll take them to locate us, if we don't give ourselves away," Armegon mentioned as they descended the mountain side.

"We could always use a little of my magic and let the warlock zero in on me," Avery offered.

"That’s a possibility," Armegon agreed, "but let's wait until we’re ready. Until then we must assume that they know where we are right now and be ready now."

"So what is the plan?" Ultrecht asked.

"I think the one we discussed is the best one," Armegon answered. "I’ll wait in the wasteland. When they show up, Avery can call Ragnera out and I’ll take on Quickdraw. You can handle Tyson. I think you want to do that anyhow," Armegon added with a knowing look. Ultrecht had been dreaming of revenge for some time.

"When, then?" Ultrecht asked.

"Not yet," Avery said. "I want a chance to scout out the area. If I’m going to have to fight a god I want to know where I am."

"Be careful," Ultrecht said suddenly. "As I remember, old Blackpuss was showing some druidic powers the last time we fought."

"Oh?" the ranger took notice.

"Say," Armegon recalled the episode, "he's right. I do remember Marlena complained that another druid was opposing her, and he seemed uninhibited by her plant barriers."

Avery frowned deeply. "Is there anything else I should know?" he asked. That news did not make him comfortable.

"Good luck?" Armegon asked.

The ranger shook his head slowly and turned aside and disappeared into the trees as they approached the base of the cliff. "I'll meet you at the edge of the wasteland," his voice came back.

"That was cruel," Ultrecht noted.

"He needed it," Armegon smiled. "Fighting gets him down."

"I hope that sword of his will protect him," Ultrecht added. "God or not, Ragnera will be a tough opponent."

Armegon agreed. "He may need help."

Ultrecht gazed out at the flat wasteland of Gly-ou-vogue. "He will have to at least stand his ground until we can deal with Quickdraw and possibly even Tyson as well."

"I expect Tyson might show, but he won't make a frontal assault. If anything, he will try to slink in like the slime he is," Armegon added with an air of disgust.

"Slime is flattering for him," Ultrecht agreed.

Armegon absently walked out into the wasteland. The ash underfoot erupted into small puffs at each step. "Well this place hasn't changed much," he said.

Ultrecht followed. "I noticed as we came out of that mountain that there is a crater further out."

Armegon grinned. "Did you have any idea how much power that siege spell would unleash?"

"Not really," Ultrecht admitted. "The fissionable material was not pure and we lacked the technological capability to refine it any further in that time period."

"It was a good trap though," Armegon recalled. "I don't suppose they would fall for it again."

"I doubt it," Ultrecht replied. "Besides, we don't have any more plutonium."

"We do need some kind of trap though," Armegon decided. "I don't like the idea of slugging it out with all three of them, assuming Ragnera does not pursue Avery."

"I have an idea about that," Ultrecht said. "We will draw them here and if you stand out here and get their attention, I can attack from the edge of the trees."

"How do you plan to draw them here?"

"With elemental magic. Quickdraw will sense it and come a-running," Ultrecht answered.

"What are you going to do?"

"I am going to run a dimension door from out here to the tree line. It is not a very powerful spell, but it will get the warlock's attention. It uses the time dependent part of Shrow-Dinger's equation of space/time magic. I can open a tunnel from here to the trees inside which time will move more rapidly. From the outside, it would appear as if I jaunted from here to the trees in the blink of an eye. For me, it would seem as if I casually strolled to the trees while everything outside the tunnel was frozen in time."

"The warlock will zero in on the point of spell casting. By the time he gets here I will be in the trees and can attack from seclusion."

"Well," Armegon agreed, "that sounds feasible. But, what do you expect me to do when they arrive, call them nasty names?"

Ultrecht shook his head. "Avery will challenge Ragnera as planned, leaving Quickdraw and Tyson to deal with you. If you’re prepared for their initial volley, you can counter with some serious whipping magic."

"While you watch from a hide-behind?"

"No," Ultrecht laughed. "If Tyson sticks with Quickdraw, then when you have their attention, I will lay into them without warning and with the full strength of the elements. I don't think they can hold up under that attack."

"Are you going to kill them?" Armegon asked.

Ultrecht nodded. "I am afraid we have no choice. I hurt at the though of having to kill Tyson after all the times we have had together, but his crimes demand no less."

Armegon understood. "We’ll have to kill them then, because there won’t be any quarter given from their side. It’s all or nothing. If we leave a single one of them alive, they’ll come after us again and again until all of them or all of us are dead."

"That’s the way I see it," Ultrecht said.

"There’s one more thing," Armegon added. "What if Tyson does sneak in as you suggested?"

"Then I’ll personally pull his heart from his chest," Ultrecht assured him.

Armegon stopped. As they talked they had moved far out into the wasteland. The trees were far away and detail was difficult to discern. He breathed deeply of the mid day air.

"It’s a good day to die," he said dramatically.

"That sounds familiar," Ultrecht noted. "Who wrote it?"

"A human from another time and place," Armegon said absently. "I guess this is the time for us though."

Ultrecht looked around. "I suppose you are right. Maybe we are just procrastinating, but this has to happen. We didn't ask for it."

Armegon glanced briefly at the twin suns. "By sunset, we may be dead, you know. I’ve never really appreciated how beautiful sunsets can be. Now, I may never see another one again."

Ultrecht cuffed the half elf. "Stop talking nonsense. Don't fool around. Waste Quickdraw and go help Avery. Don't worry bout Tyson. He will be my first target."

There was a motion in the trees and they saw Avery emerge. He waved his readiness and then vanished into the bushes. "Well, it is time," Ultrecht said.

Armegon drew his cloak about him. He began to enter an incantation, Ultrecht recognized the protective charm and offered encouragement. "Good luck Armagon."

Armegon nodded in mid cast and completed his word oblivious of Ultrecht. When the charm was complete, Armegon could feel the writhing force of the protective field about him. Ultrecht was gone.