Intervention

A Chapter by Eddie Davis

Sophia and Khord try to convince Archmage Drake to intervene in the battle of King's Reach.

14.

Intervention

“They’re in BIG trouble, Khord!” Sophia told her adopted brother as they peered at the scrying image on the computer screen.

“Check back on Aurei and Eleazar, Sophie; they’re in as much trouble.” Khord said as the Sorceress typed in Aurei’s name.

The screen shifted, but instead of the castle of Soric, it revealed a very dimly lit room.

“What?” Sophia exclaimed, “They’re not in Nofesylvia! Something has happened! So quickly, too! What has happened to them? Where are they?”

“Is there any way you can make the screen lighter so we can see?”

“No, not with the scrying program. It just shows what it shows. I see movement… it looks like they’re both there. It looks like… a church! They’re in a dark church sanctuary.”

“But where?”

“It couldn’t be Nofesylvia, and probably not King’s Reach or they’d be with the others. It looks like… Aurei’s waving at something.”

“Waving?”

“Yeah, like she’s trying to get someone’s attention.”

“Sophie, she could be trying to get our attention, if Eleazar told her what happened. But for them to be there, something would have had to have happened to Soric. Could they have killed him?”

Sophia shrugged, “Wow, that would be great! But how did they get back to Westmark? The helmet you gave them could only be used once a day.”

“Can you get sound, to hear what they are saying?”

“No, I’m afraid not with this one. What are they trying to communicate?”

“They are calling for you, Sophia.” A stern voice came from the doorway and they both spun around to see the tall form of Archmage Drake standing there, annoyingly waving away the haze of Dart’loxinchu smoke that hung in the air.

“Archmage Drake.” Sophia addressed her boss, quickly trying to come up with something to convince him to allow them to help.

“Sophia, I want you to close down your scrying device and get on with your archiving work.”

“Sir, you can’t be serious, do you not realize what is going on?”

Drake frowned, taking her comment as an insult, “I know far better than you do, Sophia.”

“Well then why aren’t you doing something!?”

Drake sighed in annoyance, “I thought we went through all of this several days ago.”

“Well sir, I fail to understand how the whole fate of the world does not concern you!”

“What concerns me right now is that you are being insubordinate.”

“If that is your biggest worry right now, Archmage Drake, then you are the biggest idiot I’ve ever seen! Do you really know what is going on down there, sir? Have you looked recently at what is going on in King’s Reach?”

“The Necromancer’s Guild is invading. I know this, Sophia.”

“Well then what do you think of the two demons that were brought into the battle, sir?” She asked sarcastically.

Drake looked alarmed, “What?! Demons? What are you talking about? There were no demons aboard those airships; I checked myself only twenty minutes ago.”

“Well maybe you need updated, sir. Look for yourself.” She typed in her mother’s name again and a desperate scene of battle from her mother’s view point popped up on the screen.

In front of her was the chilling form of Torvus Messorem, swinging his scythe right and left. Whoever his blade touched instantly dissolved to dust. Zeatt seemed to be chanting a spell as Queen Eioldth used her magic ring to keep the demon back, at least temporarily.

“T-that’s the Grim Reaper!” Drake stammered, pointing to the screen.

“Yes, we know that sir, and guess what, a certain huge bat-like fellow named Vallex is also there with what looks like about 100 Anthrodracoi.”

“Yesh save them!”

“Well, maybe he would if we could help them, sir. I thought that the demons were not allowed to leave Hell?”

“They’re not, Sophia!”

“Well, sir, wouldn’t that mean that we would have a good reason to intervene?”

Drake thought for just a moment, but nodded, “I’m going to get Kinzer! You have permission to do whatever you think is best, Sophia, but whatever you do, do it quickly, for they are in deadly peril!” He spoke but one arcane word and vanished in a flash.

Sophia was already on her feet and Khord ran after her as she hurried into the inventory room. He didn’t need to ask her why she was there, but immediately grabbed up what healing potions and wands he could find.

She grabbed a staff, a couple of giant strength girdles, and several scrolls then motioned with her head for him to come close to her. Sophia chanted the teleportation spell quickly and they disappeared in a flash of blue light.

***

“Aurei, you’ve got to calm down, hon, there is nothing we can do.” He tried to soothe her, but the girl was pacing like a caged Dragon.

Suddenly there was a flash of blue light causing both of them to cry out in alarm.

To his relief and surprise, Sophia and Khord stood in front of them, loaded down with magic items.

“Here!” Sophia said to him, thrusting her armful of stuff into his arms with a smile.

“Hi there!” She said to her cousin with mock cheerfulness, “How have you been? Kill any Archliches recently?”

“We didn’t; it was St. Kinnis. He’s gone; he used the Light of Yesh.”

“Heavens!” Khord exclaimed, “How are you still living.”

“Autocaster rings.” Aurei responded, and then turning to Sophia, “You heard me!”

“Well, not exactly, but we figured it out. Are you both whole?”

“Yes, one of the autocaster spells was a Heal spell.”

“Good; you are going to need it. We’re all heading to King’s Reach, even Kinzer and Drake.”

“Really?” Eleazar said, amazed, “How’d you convince them to help?”

The beautiful sorceress smiled, “I didn’t convince them of anything; the two demons that the Liches summoned convinced them.”

“Demons!” Aurei and Eleazar exclaimed together.

“Yes, it is very, very bad, I’m afraid. Vallex the Great, the demon lord of Dragons and Wyverns and Torvus Mesorem. They both brought about a hundred of their minions with them to the party.”

“Torvus?” Eleazar gasped, “You mean the Death Reaper?”

“Yep, I’m afraid so.”

“I thought he was just a myth to scare children.” Aurei commented.

“Well, he is a myth with a really wicked looking scythe that will turn you to dust if it hits you. We brought all the stuff we could quickly grab. Do you still have all of your magic items?”

“My belt of giant strength was destroyed by Soric.” Aurei replied.

Sophia smiled, “Well that can be remedied, because I know how well those Liches love to use fire and I figured one of your gang’s belts might be destroyed.”

She snatched one of the belts out of the stuff Eleazar held and she looked closely at a sticker she had placed on the belt just weeks before. “Let’s see; this one is the most powerful version, so this is the one you’ll want. The other two give the strength of lesser giants; I didn’t have time to go through the museum exhibits to get the better stuff.”

“Put this one on, Aurei, because I think we’ll teleport into utter chaos and we had better be ready. We didn’t have any armor or swords in the inventory room, so we’ll use what we’ve got.”

“Those belts, by the way, came from the same source as the ones you were wearing; the Emperor’s treasury. It seems, Eleazar, that you missed quite a few things last winter when you were quickly gathering up everything. Khord and I went there a few weeks ago after all the snow melted and spent two days picking up things, including these three magic belts.”

“Thank Yesh!” The Half Drow replied.

“Are we all ready? We’ll be appearing in the middle of the fight of your lives, so be ready, okay?”

The three nodded as Aurei finished fastening the magic belt around her waist. As Sophia began chanting the teleportation spell, Eleazar took Aurei’s hand and mumbled, “Stay close this time, okay?”

She nodded with a sad smile as they vanished.

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