NOVEL WEB Chapter Twelve
Chapter 12
Carter came to as light pierced his eyes and drove a spike into his head. He brought his hand up to shade them, but was brought short. A jangling told him he was chained. After a few seconds, he managed to look around. Dust, kicked into the air by horses’ hooves, hung in the still air until the caged wagon passed through it, coating the other prisoners with grey. A train of horses, ridden by dark elves, paced the caged wagon.
Carter traced the chains at his wrists with his eyes, finding them attached to the bars of his pen. He pushed himself to his feet and gripped the bars of his cell. One of the elves rode closer and shouted at him.
“What’re you staring at, human?”
Carter stared through him and refused to answer.
The rider drew his sword and pointed behind his prisoner. “Get back there, or I’ll run you through.”
When Carter continued to ignore him, the elf jabbed his sword into his stomach, piercing the ragged, heavily patched leather armor. As blood trickled down his belly where the point nicked his flesh, Carter tensed minutely.
Another elf rode up behind the first and slapped the back of his head. When he whipped around, the second glowered. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m teaching this human to mind his place.”
“Harming the merchandise isn’t your place. Get in the back of the line.”
Chastened, the dark elf turned his horse to the back. The other one cast a spell, closing the wound in his belly before riding back to his place.
The rocking of the wagon stopped as the dirt road became paved. Carter noted the stricken trees, bare of leaves, strangled by the pink Tianarri moss of the Abyss. Spikes of Stygian grass stabbed through the rotten patches of native grass. The corruption of the demonic realm grew more evident the further the wagon rolled. The prisoners who either were able, or still cared enough, crowded around the bars of the cage, staring wide-eyed at the coming end of their journey. Carter remained in place as the approaching scent of decayed vanilla informed him the wagon drew close to L’Arc demons.
After the wagon halted, a stunningly beautiful and statuesque woman with milky skin, raven hair and batwings sprouting from her back strode up to the back. She flicked her hand at Carter who stared back impassively, noting her blackened gold plate cuirass. When he didn’t budge, she hissed at him.
“Move, meat.”
He released the bars and took a solitary step back.
The demon sneered at him and unlocked the bars. The entire back dropped down, forming a ramp from the back of the wagon. A misstep would cost someone a broken ankle, or worse.
“Do you need an engraved invitation? Get down here, meat.”
Without blinking, Carter slowly, heavily strode down the makeshift ramp until he stood before the demon. She glared up at him.
“Get over there with the rest of the meat. Mistress Haavastaad will be eager to crush your insolence.”
Again moving with deliberation, he moved to where the demon directed. After a couple of steps, he felt the demons hand on his back, between his shoulders, forcing him to move faster.
“Move with alacrity, meat.”
He pressed into the ground hard with his left foot and pivoted toward it. The L’Arc, focused on hurrying him, overbalanced and stumbled past before she went sprawling. As other demons laughed, the fallen L’Arc leaped to her feet and made to run him through with her serrated blade.
A blue-skinned hand locked around the demon’s hand, stopping her strike cold.
“This will not do.”
Carter glanced over to see the lithe frame of the demon who saved him. Horns sprouted from her temples and wrapped around her head like a crown. Orange hair flowed down her back, over her ebony dress.
“You should have more care when attacking the Patchwork Knight, Eyiness. Even when chained.” Silver eyes locked on Carter. “Isn’t that right, Sir Lavitz?”
Carter tilted his head in a bow. “Lady Haavastaad, Tyrant of Knowledge. I was wondering who’d managed to capture me.”
***
“…One thing I should like to say on this day which may be memorable for others as well as for us Dwarves: In the course of my life I have very often been a prophet, and have usually been ridiculed for it. During the time of my struggle for power it was in the first instance the Half-Elfish race which only received my prophecies with laughter when I said that I would one day take over the leadership of the State, and with it that of the whole nation, and that I would then among many other things settle the Half-Elfish problem. Their laughter was uproarious, but I think that for some time now they have been laughing on the other side of their face. Today I will once more be a prophet: If the international Half-Elfish financiers in and outside The Realm should succeed in plunging the towns and villages once more into war, then the result will not be the assimilation of the world, and thus the victory of Half-Elves, but the annihilation of the Half-Elfish race in The Realm!
...The villagers are no longer willing to die on the battlefield so that this unstable half-breed race may profiteer from a war or satisfy its Old Blood vengeance. The Half-Elfish watchword "Warriors of the world unite" will be conquered by a higher realization, namely "People of all classes and of all races, recognize your common enemy!"
Sera listened to the cheers as Drago finished his speech. ‘I have to admit, he is very persuasive.”
A couple of moments later, the dark dwarf strode up. She looked him over, noting a couple new scars on his muscular grey-skinned arms. An open bascinet sat on his bald head. His ebony eyes locked on hers.
“Where have you been?”
“Doing my job.”
“You’ve not been by my side for a fortnight.”
She rolled her eyes. “My other job.”
“Did you learn anything from the Keeper?”
“Yes. You were right about her turning to blood magic.”
Drago nodded. “And what of Corath?”
“Last I knew, he was heading to Dunskillen to track the Walker.” She snorted in derision. “He believes he’ll be able to kill him.”
“Don’t underestimate your Gorauch. It only takes a little luck to catch the Walker off guard.”
“Surprise has been the downfall of many.” A raspy voice said behind Sera.
She whipped around and caught the lanky turquoise scaled half-dragon by the throat. “Sneaking up on people and announcing yourself is a good way to get killed.”
“Sera, release Jeroen. He’s important to our cause.”
She did as the dwarf ordered. “How is this abomination important?”
Ignoring the slight, Jeroen answered. “The Walker trusts me and my sister.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“We are True Name mages.”
“What does that mean?”
“True Names are how the universe itself knows you. When you use a being’s, or object’s True Name, you can exert unparalleled control and power over it. The cosmos itself seems to hear the True Namer’s instruction, and reorders the universe in accordance with the spoken words.”
Sera raised her eyebrow. “Are you saying you would be able to control Carter simply with his True Name?”
“With his True Name, I can remove his very existence.”