GODSWAR: The Spear of Athena, Chapter 7

Today, our heroes reach the Freehold -- and confront the problem of how to get past the Salandaras who are there to prevent anyone from passing!

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Chapter 7.

"We must be getting close," Urelle said.

Victoria nodded, seeing the same signs as her niece. The path into Wisdom's Fortress was broad, not terribly difficult, but wound somewhat through the foothills. However, the way the slope of the path was changing, and the depth to which they had now penetrated the mountain range, argued that they must now be approaching the single pass through the range which was guarded by the Freehold.

"I sure hope so," Ingram said with a grimace, rolling his neck side to side. "Another week on the road after just one night in the Long Bar is really getting tedious."

"I, too, appreciate more sheltered resting places," Quester buzzed, "but at least that night was free, thanks to Urelle."

"Well, you all were watching—"

"—but we were not doing," Victoria cut off Urelle's attempt to minimize her work. "You found the problem, you undertook to solve it, and you did. The fact that you later discovered we had been observing does not in any way detract from the work you did. And Outas Salandar will remember it as well."

"I… I guess."

"By the Wisdom he certainly will!" Ingram's voice was affectionate and just a touch exasperated. "Stop minimizing your own work! You're an Adventurer like us, and with the three of us to testify to things you've done, you'll end up Guilded in no time once we can reach a Guildhall again."

Victoria nodded, pleased by the others' vehement insistence that Urelle take credit for her own work. And it was a good little bit of work; pests damaging the stores which turned out to be a bit more than ordinary pest control might handle, but a wizard with field experience? Not so much a problem.

They rounded a curve and could see before them… and all four of them stopped dead in the middle of the road, gazing incredulously at the sight before them.

After a few frozen moments, Victoria shook her head, leaning on Twin-Edged Fate as she gave vent to a soft laugh. "The world does not cease to amaze, does it?"

"How?" was Ingram's only word, staring forward and up.

She was asking herself the same question.

Twin mountains – the Guardian Twins, she thought they were called – reared before them, fifteen thousand feet high – and they were smaller than the ones flanking them. Between the Twins was – had been – a pass, a gap that had been narrow on the scale of such things.

But instead of the slopes of the mountains coming smoothly down to a pass, perhaps guarded by an ordinary fortress…

It was a wall, but a wall such as she had never seen, a wall beside which the barrier surrounding Zarathanton itself was but a temporary barricade. A towering, squared-off barrier looming fifteen hundred feet into the air, level for its entire mile and a half of breadth, lay before them, composed of the granite and basalt of the mountains, jumbled together as though they were a cross-section of an avalanche.

Glancing upward, she saw sharp divots in the shoulders of the Twins, and thought that – perhaps – that was precisely what the great wall was. Though how in the name of the Balance it became so straight and smooth and solid, I cannot imagine. Only the descriptions I have heard of the walls of Hell's Edge might compare with this.

In the air above the great wall… was tumult. The air itself flickered like heatwaves, clouds skirled and spun along the length of the stone bulwark, and other shapes danced and dove, in motions that might have seemed random but that Victoria could tell were nothing of the sort. Even were we to assay to fly over that wall, we would not find the passage easy; the air between the Twins is, itself, a wall, less substantial but I think no less effective than the stone beneath it.

Exactly in the center of that mighty barrier was a castle – a fortress that in any other setting might have been imposing indeed, but was here, before and against the titanic grey backdrop of that wall, somehow diminished. There was a tower on either side of the path they were following, flanking walls of the castle's own that rose over a hundred feet, with a broad set of double doors in the exact center.

Bright lights glittered along that wall, and flickers of firelight and lightglobes sparkled from the windows that showed the multiple floors within the fortress. The area before the gates was brightly lit, and as they approached Victoria could see that there were numerous soldiers watching, both from atop the castle walls and before the gates.

"Stop there!" called a guard wearing gold-striped mail. "Who are you? What brings you to the Freehold?"

"I am Victoria Vantage, Adventurer, Zarathanton Guilded," she answered. "With me are two other Guilded, Ingram Camp-Bel and Quester, and my niece Urelle Vantage, a wizard of some skill."

"You advance alone," the gold-striped one said. "We see your patch, check it."

"Of course."

Up close, the guard had black hair and darker skin than the other Salandaras she had seen thus far, but there was still something in his face and bearing that marked him as one of that clan. A scar ran across his face, and one eye was covered with a patch. "I am Nogra Salandar, First Guardian of Freehold Gate."

He tapped her patch, nodded at the response. "Good. You two, we check also," Nogra said, and in a moment Ingram and Quester had passed. He nodded at Urelle and gave a brief smile. "You come long way here. What reason? Freehold is closed – Aegeia has declared Seal of the Cycle. No passing here."

"Surely you would not deny travelers shelter, though?"

A rumble of laughter. "No, we have beds – not many, but we can find four more. War has crowded us; we prepare, in case war go badly."

"Have many Salandaras gone with the army?" Ingram asked.

Nogra nodded. "Many. Half our warriors go with Sauran King's army. Maybe enough. Most of others here… in case Black City does not fall." He glanced at them with a shrewd glint in his eye. "But you ask questions, not answer mine. What reason you come to Freehold? No one take this road by accident!"

She heard Ingram exchange thoughts with Quester, so swiftly that she could barely get a sense of it. They have been linked much longer than either Urelle or myself. Quester bowed to Nogra. "You are correct. We seek Druyar Salandaras, if he is indeed The Salandaras, as we have heard."

The thick black brows came together, then rose. "Yes, Druyar is Freehold Lord, the Salandaras, and he is here. You know him?"

Ingram tapped his shoulder. "It was he who awarded us our Guild Patches, and his companion of the White Robe who administered our final test."

"Hm! Sounds like something he might remember. Good, then. Come in."

The interior of the Freehold was only less impressive than its exterior by the fact that even the Dragon's Palace would have been small compared to the impassable bulwark surrounding and above the Freehold. The entryway was more than sufficiently grand, ornamented in statuary of bright colors that included many figures of warriors, women and men both, and a wide variety of monsters, strange mechanical beasts, and individuals of every species Victoria had heard of, and a few she hadn't.

They didn't have much time to study the scenery, though, because Nogra led them straight through another set of doors, past a vacant throne, and behind it to a smaller set of rooms.

A huge man wearing silvery-polished armor was studying a map with the air of someone trying to focus on a lesson several steps beyond them; next to him, a brown-haired man of average build in white-and-gold robes was speaking quietly.

The big man turned quickly, a student rescued from lecture by an unexpected but welcome interruption. "Nogra! What you bring…" He paused, and abruptly the square, stolid face lit up with pleasure. "Young adventurers! Have not seen you for long! Come, sit, talk!"

Ingram's face had also lightened. "You do remember us!"

"HA!" The laugh was quick and cheerful. "Druyar forget many things, yes, but not swear in many adventurers. And never one boy and one bug, no! You are… Ingram, yes, and this is Quester. Remember that. Quest mean adventure!"

"You appear to have made quite the impression," the other man said with a gentle smile. "Of course, I remember you both very well. Thank you, Nogra – you may return to your post." As the guard left, the smaller man went on, "now, Adventurer Ingram, if you would be so kind as to introduce your companions…?"

"Of course, sir! This is Victoria Vantage, also Zarathanton Guilded, and her niece Urelle, who is quite a wizard and should really be Guilded already, herself." He turned to Victoria and Urelle. "This is Frederic of the White Robe, and Druyar Salandaras, Guilded Adventurers—"

"—and Adjudicators of the Dragon Throne, yes," Victoria completed, and bowed low; she saw Urelle copy her motion. "It is an honor to meet you both. Your reputations most certainly precede you."

"As does yours, Lady Victoria, if you are indeed the same who once traveled with our newly-crowned King."

Druyar's brilliantly green eyes brightened further. "Oh! That Victoria! Yes, we hear many stories!"

Victoria saw a glint in that gaze that confirmed her suspicions. He may be far from the brightest man I have met, but he is certainly not as dull as he pretends. As befits a man of his reputation.

Druyar insisted they all sit, and then bellowed cheerfully for refreshments to be brought. Victoria did not argue; after all the time on the road, a chance to rest and eat would never go amiss. And here, at least, she felt safe, indeed.

Only after they had all eaten something did Druyar lean forward in his chair and speak. "Come long way to see me. Why?"

The others glanced at her. You want to tell him? Ingram's mindvoice asked.

I suppose I might as well. It is your mission… but it is ours now. "Because we have a mission which cannot succeed unless we can find a way to enter Aegeia."

Druyar frowned. "Can't just let –"

"Druyar, let the Lady finish," Frederic said quietly.

"Sorry. Go on, then."

"Ingram here," she gestured, and Ingram nodded, "is a native of Aegeia, a Camp-Bel, as I believe you knew. We have found of late that he has been hunted by others representing the god Ares, and have other reason to believe that he, and possibly the rest of us, are specific targets of theirs."

Frederic pursed his lips, but said nothing.

"Moreover, we have learned that Ares' actions are not normal for the Cycle. We suspect something far worse is happening, and that it may be a matter of prophecy that we, or at least one or two of us, will be vital to the opposition of Ares and the victory of Athena.

"Of course, we also know that Aegeia has been Sealed. But it is also certain that there is a point at which the Seal is weaker, perhaps able to be passed through by those with the skill to find that weakness and exploit it. Calladan Mystraios, the current Regent, worked with us to determine that the only likely location for that weakness is here, likely in the depths to the rear of the Freehold."

Druyar was silent for several long moments, his deeply-tanned brow furrowed under his peculiarly golden hair. Finally, he sat back with a deep sigh. "How you sure this Cycle bad? Not same as others?"

"Ares hunted down the Camp-Bels," Ingram said. "Half of them fled Aegeia entirely but he sent ships after them, and if we hadn't caught up with them at the right time all my Clan-brethren would have been killed. Assassins were sent out after us, tracking us with magical coins that showed our enemies the direction to find us. And the survivors of my Clan told me that there was some kind of prophecy associated with me, and maybe my friends, too."

"Huh." He paused again, then looked to his companion. "Guardian?"

Frederic – who Victoria now remembered was one of the Guardians of the Wild, serving under Willowwind Forestfist, the Warden of Nature and Chosen of Eonae – frowned and was also quiet for a moment. "Taking your words at face value – and I believe you, for as well as knowing you are Guilded I was the one who administered your final examination – you have, indeed, a powerful reason to find a way to enter Aegeia. And with the importance of Aegeia and Athena to the State of the Dragon King, there is also strong reason for us to support you in this quest."

"But…" Ingram said, speaking the implied word.

"But cannot let through." Druyar's tone was both regretful and final. "Oath clear. The Salandaras hold the Freehold. When the Seal made, we are part of Seal."

Which implies that Athena was very much aware of the one possible vulnerability when first she Sealed Aegeia. And the fact that no one has ever exploited it says that either no others have ever sought to enter that way…

…or that the Salandaras have done very well in their task, Ingram finished bleakly.

Urelle looked up. "The Salandaras are part of the Seal?"

"Is way oath worded, yes?" Druyar looked to Frederic again.

"Well… yes, I suppose. The Salandaras and the Freehold 'become the completion' of the Seal, if the ancient records are correct, and 'their wills support and uphold the Seal as one with their oath'."

"Then a Salandaras could pass through the Seal without breaking their oath, right?"

Druyar stared blankly at her, but his expression was matched by that of his companion. It was another minute before a smile spread like slow dawn across Frederic's face, transforming his ordinary visage to one of startled amusement. "I… cannot fault your logic, Urelle."

"Then if you come with us –"

Druyar cut his hand through the air, chopping the words off. "Defender of Freehold. Need to be here to protect people. If leave, will be to join army against Black City, or protect Salandar. Like to Adventure, but not this way."

"Druyar is correct." Frederic's expression held nothing but regret. "We have too many responsibilities, and there is no telling, first, if we even can find a way through the Seal, and second, if we could return, having done so. And," he held up his own hand, forestalling the next question, "our other, more formidable, Adventurers have nearly all answered the call of the Sauran King. There are no others here who could be both formidable enough to accompany you, and could be spared from the potential defense of the Freehold."

"But sir…" Victoria could hear the strain in Ingram's voice, trying to stay controlled and reasonable when part of him was so desperate to move, to go forward, "isn't there something you could do? This is part of your job too, right? To protect the State of the Dragon King? You are Adjudicators! There must be some way!"

"Can't see way. Not many Salandaras, really. Most good ones at battle."

Victoria sighed. He is right. In a way, it is like Ingram; the Camp-Bels have only so many people, and it will take them many years to recruit…

She felt a flash of light from Quester. Recruit?

"What is it, Quester?" Ingram asked, obviously having felt his friend's moment of enlightenment.

"What if," Quester said, with the deliberation of one just understanding their own idea, "What if… one of us were to become a Salandaras?"