The Chronicles of Articia; Children of the Dead. K.D. Enos

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СКАЧАТЬ balance that the children's existence represents." The dark sorcerer crossed the room and started turning the pages of a tome that rested on a stand in the middle of the chamber.

      The chamber was the place where the citadel's master performed the strongest of the dark arts. It was a round room with obsidian black walls. For those who knew of their existence, the barely visible runes etched into the walls represented all of the classes of the dark arts. The runes circled the most powerful symbol of the dark deity, the head of a dire wolf.

      The master of sorceries is the most powerful of the dark practitioners and occupies the chambers at the highest level of the citadel. Had the citadel been on an open plain, its four identical sides rising to a single point would have been observable, its form, and shape, of the dark citadel, known only by the practitioners who carved it out of the base of the mountain with their dark magic.

      The master sorcerer flipped through the pages of the tome. "I remember a story in the archives about demons of significant power. Summoned to signal a catastrophic event, certainly an appropriate answer to the problem we have with the children. Those beasts would be a worthy match to their growing power."

      "Have you the magic to summon such creatures?" the scribe queried.

      "No, it is beyond my power. But I believe that if we align with the demons that have taken residence here on our world, we should be able to find a way to bring the demons through the rift between our worlds." The dark master turned to the scribe. "I have found this incantation, which may help to bring about the unbalancing." As he found the page, the practitioner stepped aside to allow the scribe to view the book. "What do you think?"

      The scribe stepped up to the podium to read what the master had found. "Hmm, it is an interesting option. Clearly a good match for our situation, but can we control the beasts?"

      Many years before the discovery of magic, demons had entered the world of Articia. They caused havoc wherever they passed. It was not until the elves of the other world arrived that Articia found some peace. The elves and the demons have an uneasy truce. When the people of Articia discovered magic, they learned that they could control some of the weaker demons and imps, but the more powerful demons worried the master sorcerer and his scribe. He would need an alliance with the lord of the demons if his plan were going to work.

      "I think with the help of the demons already in our domain, we should be able to bind them," the practitioner said as he crossed the room and grabbed a scroll from his desk. "Take this to our contact in the demon territory and we will see if we get a positive response."

      The scribe took the scroll and left to accomplish his dark task. He could not help but think that this proposal had the ring of disaster about it. If they could not control these new demons, it could mean the destruction of Articia.

      The master continued to read the tome to look for additional clues to creating an unbalance that would give the darkness more power. King Henry's brood is troublesome, especially the young princess, he thought. Her reported power is immense. We will have to eliminate her soon be!ore she matures and has the ability to take the citadel down.

      …

      "Baron Gerund, you take great risks meeting with our kind," the demon in the center of the chamber said to the lord of the northern wastes. The demon stood a full twenty hands tall, much larger than the man who stood nervously beside the great beast. It seemed rather impatient with the man from the north. "We have not had our morning meal yet and you know we prefer man meat to any other sustenance on your world."

      "I appreciate that you have not succumbed to your natural instincts and have accepted my request for an audience," the baron responded. The baron was tall for a human but seemed like a dwarf standing next to the demon. "I have a proposal for you and your kind that I think you will find agreeable."

      "You assume too much, human. Our kind rarely finds our dealings with your species to be agreeable. But I will tolerate you for the moment; it might be interesting to hear how you think we can have any kind of alliance." The demon stopped walking and stared down at the baron.

      "You know of course about the birth of the royal children. They have now reached the age of fourteen." The baron was on the verge of terror having the demon stare at him; it took all of his willpower to keep from fleeing from the chamber.

      "Yes, we felt their arrival long ago. It created quite the uproar here in our domain. Do not think that we are not aware of the relevance of their fourteenth year," the demon replied.

      "It created quite a commotion amongst my allies as well. We have come to like our current position and our authority, and the larger royal family threatens our lifestyle." The baron moved back a step to put more space between him and the demon.

      "We care not of such things; your human politics are trite and meaningless to us," the demon responded.

      "Yes, but you do care about the royal family's relationship with the elves of the Vale. An alliance with me and mine is an alliance against the elves and the dwarves."

      The demon considered the words of the human at his feet. How he despised their existence. The demon thought of the weak truce they had with the accursed warriors of the light, though the elves and the dwarves were not natural Artician beings, they were loyal to the Artician king. The elves had come in pursuit of the demons. The dwarves had arrived by accident. Being miners, they had come through the rift in search of rare metals and could no longer return to their own world. Both races had become a thorn in the side of the demons.

      "Go on." The demon seemed more interested now.

      "Our practitioners of the dark arts, our mercenary soldiers, and the noble families that do not support Henry would join the demons and goblins against the royal family and their allies. This alliance will give those who support the dark lord an advantage." The baron finished, waiting for a response from the demon.

      "Your proposal is intriguing, Baron, but I foresee a problem," the demon cautioned.

      "What problem?" the baron asked.

      "The youngest children of Henry must die before my kind will take action to usurp the throne of Articia."

      "We have a plan in place to eliminate the royal children; it has already been arranged," the baron replied. "My people have had our eyes on Henry's heirs for years and have started moving to eradicate the brood."

      The baron noticed the demon had raised eyebrow and heard him murmur, "So you think you can exterminate the whelps." The demon crossed the room so quickly that the baron, caught off guard, howled as the demon grabbed the startled baron with one of its enormous hands and held him against the wall.

      "It will be interesting to see your people at work. I will give you this one chance to get the job done." The demon dropped the baron to the floor. "I suggest you leave our domain before the feeding frenzy begins." The demon left the baron shaking on the floor as it exited the main chamber.

      …

      "So, do you think they have any chance of successfully completing that task?" the lesser demon asked as it stepped out of a hidden clutch in the wall of the room.

      "No, I think they will fail miserably. They do not know what they face in the brood, and when they return to report their failure, we will be able to bind them to us. Soon they will come to beg us to complete the task that they cannot." The demon looked away as if scanning something a great distance away. "And they cannot even guess the great deception that has been placed in front of them."

      "Our СКАЧАТЬ