Send a spelling or grammar correction to: Tracy Johnson
This site sponsored by Agenda Games LLC
Back to Empire on the HPe3000
... and ...
"Bind his hands." Telenstil said to Gytha.
"What will we do with the sword?" she asked.
"I do not know. I hate to just leave it, but it is dangerous to
touch or even posses." Telenstil eyed the blade lying cold and naked on
the ground.
"Can you destroy it?" she asked.
"No, not even if I had my rest and the most powerful spells
at my command. This was crafted with both evil and power." he nodded
toward the sword. "It will take much power to destroy."
"Good cleric." a voice spoke. Ghibelline the elf came from the
cell. "Can you see to my friend, he is injured."
"Certainly." Gytha said, she had tied Derue's hands behind his
back and tied his feet as well. "Does he wake?"
"No, he is senseless." Ghibelline replied.
"Here," Telenstil asked the elf, "Help me bar the door."
Ghibelline left Gytha to attend Jalal and went with Telenstil
to the huge door. A wooden beam could be dropped between metal brackets
to keep the door from being pulled open, but now it lay propped up
against the wall.
Both elves wrestled with the beam, Ghibelline would have been the
stronger of the pair, but starvation and torture had weakened him,
he was only a thin shadow of his former self.
"You are of the High Brethren." Ghibelline said to Telenstil.
"And you are of the woods, and for the woods, are you
not?" Telenstil replied.
"Yes." he answered. The two swayed back and forth with the beam,
they managed to place one end against a bracket and struggled to raise
the other side, but could not.
"We will need Gytha's help." said Telenstil.
"She is of the lands below, you are far from home." said
Ghibelline.
"You seem to have strayed far as well." Telenstil said.
"Yes, these hills are not my home, but I came to find someone,
they may have been taken by these giants." Ghibelline said to Telenstil.
"They were not here, I was taken instead. I did not think I would be
struggling to lock myself inside these cells."
"We have companions coming," said Telenstil, "and those orcs
outside may object to us leading away our scout as a prisoner. They seem
to have taken a liking to him."
"He seems just their sort." said Ghibelline.
* * *
"Harold." Ivo called quietly to the halfling. "Harold."
"Shhh!" Harold hissed back. He ran from the stairwell to the
pantry door where Ivo, Harald and Talberth padded slowly in. "I'm
glad you've come, there is something going on below, I can hear the
shouting."
"They are in trouble." the ranger shook his head. "Come on, we
better go help."
"We don't know what is happening down there!" said Talberth.
"Then we had better find out." Harald shrugged the chain from
his shoulders and let its length come crashing down.
"Watch That!" shouted Talberth.
"It'll be allright, come on!" Harald cried to them.
"Talberth, prepare a spell." Ivo told him.
"I can do better." said Talberth taking a wand from a sheath he
wore on his arm. "I have magic enough left in this to give anyone or
thing we might meet below quite a shock."
They ran to the steps, both Ivo and Harold looked askance at the
cliff-like treads the giants used.
"Follow us as quick as you can." said Talberth. The ranger was
already dropping down the steps with reckless speed.
* * *
(To Be Continued)