“I always get my facts wrong. It is the mark of the journalist.”
Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls (Karkov)
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Instinct
“I’ve studied and maybe learned
how things are, but I’m not even close to why they are. And you must not expect
to find that people understand what they do. So many things are done
instinctively, the way a bee makes honey or a fox dips his paws in a stream to
fool dogs. A fox can’t say why he does it, and what bee remembers winter or
expects it to come again?”
John Steinbeck, East of Eden (Cyrus Trask)
Labels:
John Steinbeck Quotes
Friday, March 9, 2012
Information
“There’s no such thing as useless information.”
David Eddings, The Seeress of Kell (Beldin)
David Eddings, The Seeress of Kell (Beldin)
Labels:
David Eddings Quotes
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Chapter Twenty
from THE FORGOTTEN TEMPLE
FARCHRIST TALES - BOOK TWO
Speculative Fiction
Approximately 46,000 words
Copyright © Eric Lanke, 1990. All rights reserved.
Approximately 46,000 words
Copyright © Eric Lanke, 1990. All rights reserved.
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In the next
couple of years Sir Gildegarde Brisbane II carried on a secret relationship
with the young peasant woman named Amanda. He would continue on his missions of
conquest away from Farchrist Castle, preparing himself for the day he hoped to
face and defeat Dalanmire, but each time he left and each time he returned he
would secretly go into the City Beneath the Castle to visit the girl with whom
he was quickly falling in love. She became everything to him and the more they
learned about each other, the more perfect their coupling seemed. She was
beautiful, intelligent, loving, passionate, and had a great love for her
creator throbbing in her heart. Indeed, the only problem they faced, the
problem that forced them to carry their affair on in secret, was that she was a
commoner, and a Knight was forbidden to socialize with one so far below his
station. Time and time again, Brisbane said he would leave the knighthood for
her, but Amanda would not hear of it. His knighthood was as important to her as
it was to him.
+ + +
The fifth day out from Queensburg was an eventful one. Before the
sun set on them, they had fought a massive battle, uncovered a great deal of
treasure, and had found the temple for which they had been searching.
The day itself, however, started like any other. They arose at
dawn, woken by Shortwhiskers, who had stood the final watch the night before,
ate a quick breakfast, packed up their camp on the two mules, and continued
their journey up the Mystic. The river was noticeably thinner now, really only
a stream, and Roystnof predicted that at their present pace, they should reach
the source of the Mystic within a day or so. The mountains around them were
also growing taller, creating more and more shade and shortening the length of
time they could walk in daylight.
They marched for most of the day in peace and it seemed that
another day of quiet journey would come to a close when the small party
stumbled across the cave.
It was in one of the mountains on the north side of the river, the
side they were following to the source. It was a huge gaping maw in the
rockface, shaded by the mountain it bore into so that near the entrance it was
almost like night. When it was spotted, the party was called to a halt to talk
about what should be done. A vote was called for and, surprisingly, everyone
agreed that at least one of their number should take a peek inside.
The arguing came about when the decision was to be made of who
should go in and, of course, the main instigator of the argument was Dantrius.
Brisbane noticed how the mage was seemingly incapable of going along with any
suggestion that was not his own. The obvious choice for the job was
Shortwhiskers, who had spent a good deal of his life living in underground
caverns and who had the corresponding racial attributes to aid him in the task
of slipping in and out unseen by whatever might lair in the cave. But Dantrius
said he did not trust the dwarf and he felt he should be the one who scouted
out the cave.
But, as usual, a vote was taken and Dantrius was silenced by democracy
in action. The party moved silently up to the cave and Shortwhiskers went in
alone.
Brisbane peered into the blackness hopelessly. His eyes were too
weak to penetrate the dark. Dwarves, on the whole, had much better night vision
and were actually able to see the glow given off by warm objects or bodies. It
was a trait developed over years of living in caverns more finely crafted than
this one, or it was, as some people said, a gift given to them by Grecolus to
aid them in their lives beneath the earth. Brisbane wondered what
Shortwhiskers, who worshipped his supposedly pagan dwarven gods, thought of his
special eyesight. But regardless of from where the talent had actually come,
Shortwhiskers had it, and with it he was exploring a place in which Brisbane
would get lost, two feet away from the door.
They waited. They waited for a long time until Brisbane began to
get worried and wanted to know what was taking so long. If Roystnof hadn’t
demanded total silence for the time Shortwhiskers was inside, he would have
voiced his frustration. Brisbane could only look helplessly at Stargazer and
she could only shrug her shoulders back.
Finally, Shortwhiskers emerged from the cave. He quietly put an
index finger to his lips and crept slowly away from the cave. The party
followed. When they were back down by the babbling of the river Mystic, the
dwarf gathered everyone close and told them what he had seen.
“The cave,” Shortwhiskers said, “extends a far way back into the
mountain before opening up into a large cavern. This cavern’s floor is
cluttered with boulders and has a ceiling about thirty feet above it. Right
now, sleeping among those boulders are three large humanoids.”
“How large?” Roystnof asked.
“Large,” Shortwhiskers said. “Standing, each one would easily be
over ten feet tall. They’re dressed in rough animal hides and they look rather
primitive.”
“Anything else unusual about them?” Roystnof asked.
“Thought you’d never ask,” Shortwhiskers said. “Each one has two
heads. Both of them ugly.”
“Two-headed giants,“ Dantrius scoffed. “You must be kidding.”
“Go check it out for yourself, weasel,” Shortwhiskers said.
Dantrius scowled at the dwarf and then turned to Roystnof, begging
with the look on his face for help with the peons that surrounded them.
“No,” Roystnof said. “I have heard of such creatures. They are
called ettins. I’m not sure how, but they are supposed to be related to orks.”
“Well,” Dantrius said. “I’ve never heard of them.”
“There’s something else in there, too,” Shortwhiskers said,
bringing a coin out from his pocket. “Gold.”
“I knew it!” Dantrius said, raising his voice. “How much did you
steal for yourself?”
Shortwhiskers flipped him the coin and the mage bobbled it a few
times before he caught it. “Just the one,” the dwarf said. “Why don’t you hold
it for me?”
“How much gold is in there?” Brisbane asked.
The dwarf looked at him. “A lot. Some gems, too. They have it in
their sacks, but one is torn and some of the gold has spilled out.”
“You’re sure they are all asleep?” Roystnof asked. “All six
heads?”
Shortwhiskers shrugged. “None of them moved while I crept among
them. There was a lot of snoring.”
“What are we going to do?” Brisbane asked.
Roystnof looked at all of their faces. “We’re going to get that
gold.” He turned to Shortwhiskers. “Nog, can you get their sacks without waking
them up?”
Shortwhiskers looked uneasy.
“Ettins are nocturnal,” Roystnof said. “They’re probably sleeping
deeply at this time of day.”
“I’ll give it a try,” Shortwhiskers said.
“Now wait just a minute…” Dantrius said.
Roystnof turned on the mage. “Shut up, Dantrius. Just shut up. I’m
tired of your complaining at every move we try to make. In case you haven’t
noticed, you’re not winning any popularity contests around here. So if you
can’t get with the program, why don’t you just leave us alone and go back down
the river?”
Dantrius eyed Roystnof maliciously. “I was only going to suggest
that someone go in with him,” he said smugly. “The less trips in and out the
better.”
Roystnof did not apologize for his outburst. “Who else can see so
well in the dark?”
“Allison can,” Shortwhiskers said.
All eyes turned to Stargazer.
“Her elven half,” Shortwhiskers explained. “Elves have even better
eyesight than dwarves, so a half-elf should see at least as well as a dwarf.”
“Well, Miss Stargazer,” Roystnof said. “How about it?”
“What will we do with this gold?” Stargazer asked.
“Divide it up equally,” Roystnof answered. “You may do whatever
you like with your share.”
Stargazer pondered. “You say these ettins are related to orks?”
“Yes.”
“Then, I will do it.”
The party, decided on a course of action, went quietly back to the
cave mouth. On the way Brisbane moved closer to Roystnof and asked him if he
thought what he had said to Dantrius was the wisest thing he could have done.
Roystnof said he doubted it, but he couldn’t have held his anger at Dantrius
back any longer.
Brisbane was not too happy about Stargazer going into the ettins’
lair, but there was very little he could do about it. He tried to reassure
himself by remembering how well she had fought against the orks. In any case,
Brisbane planned to stay ready at the cave mouth with Angelika in hand in case
anything went wrong.
Shortwhiskers and Stargazer disappeared into the cave and left
Brisbane and the two wizards standing outside, waiting again. Brisbane’s head
was filled with images of Stargazer being trampled and torn apart by the
two-headed giants and it took quite a bit of willpower to keep himself from
rushing in to save her.
And so he waited, waited outside for either Shortwhiskers or
Stargazer to come creeping back with the sacks of gold, or for the sounds of
slaughter to come pouring out of the cave. Brisbane did not have to wait long.
Angelika spoke to him milliseconds before the noises started.
Help them,
Brisbane. They need your help against the evil beasts.
Brisbane started in. He could no longer help himself. He ran
blindly into the cave, racing down the dark tunnel to the chamber Shortwhiskers
had said was there. The first sound to reach his ears was that of gold coins
spilling all over a rock floor, the second was the roaring of the awakening
ettins, and the third was a battle cry sounded out in Shortwhiskers’ strong
voice.
Brisbane was still blind and he thought to slow down before he
plowed into something or someone just as the cavern filled itself with a bright
light that seemed to have no apparent source. It took him less than a moment to
figure out Roystnof had cast a spell, but his thoughts were quickly focused on
the scene he found before him.
Shortwhiskers stood over the struggling body of one ettin,
chopping at it mercilessly with his sword, while Stargazer guarded his back,
her staff braced against her thighs, as the other two ettins rose to their
feet, picking up heavy wooden clubs, one in each of their hands.
The ettins were monsters indeed. They stood well over ten feet
tall, their hardened bodies covered loosely in filthy animal skins, each of
their heads an ugly rendition of a sickening mix of orkish and human. Low
foreheads, pig noses, sharp tusks; if savagery had a pure form, these ettins
had to come close to it.
Brisbane rushed into battle, hoping Roystnof was coming in soon
behind him. He swung Angelika at one of the ettins closing on Stargazer and
managed to draw it away from her. Up close and in combat, the ettin was much
larger than Brisbane had first thought. The creature was larger than both the
ogre and the demon he had fought before, and each of its two huge hands
expertly wielded clubs that looked like they might once have been tree trunks.
Each of its two heads had mouths slobbering with white foam and gnashing with
sharp teeth.
Brisbane quickly realized he had his hands full and had no time to
look around to see how his friends were doing. He knew he could help them best
by killing this ettin as quickly as he possibly could.
I’ll help
you, Brisbane. This evil giant cannot stand against us. He shall be vanquished.
Brisbane let Angelika weave her spell about him. It boosted his
confidence and tuned everything else out of his universe. Suddenly, Brisbane
found himself trapped in the battle with the ettin, and the only way out came
with the death of his opponent. He had to kill the ettin, if he didn’t he would
never escape from this prison.
Yes, young
Brisbane, that’s the way. Throw yourself at him. Evil is your enemy and it must
be destroyed.
Brisbane felt himself lose control of his body. His reflexes
became quicker and his strikes became more deadly. He dodged away each time the
ettin brought one or both of its heavy clubs down on his head. He was in a
combat trance, his body working like a perfect machine apart from his mind. His
consciousness sat up in its high tower and watched the action through his eyes
as if it was watching a chess match.
Angelika guided him now, striking the ettin time and time again in
the abdomen and upper legs until its blood poured out of it like a waterfall.
Brisbane sliced Angelika though the ettin a final time and the monster
collapsed to its death.
Brisbane was suddenly in control of himself again.
There are
more to fight, Brisbane.
Brisbane spun around and saw the results of what had transpired
while he killed the first ettin. The ettin Shortwhiskers had been hacking away
on had managed to get to its feet and was trying to fend the dwarf off
bare-handed. The ettin absolutely towered over the dwarf, but it was unarmed
and Shortwhiskers was using his sword with the skill of a veteran warrior. The
sides seemed evenly matched. As Brisbane watched, they traded blows, the ettin
with its powerful fists and Shortwhiskers with his blade. The other ettin had
its clubs and was using them in combat against Stargazer and Roystnof. The
slow-moving giant was no match for Stargazer and her quick-moving staff. She
would dodge away from the heavy clubs and quickly rap the ettin somewhere on
its body with the iron hand of Grecolus that topped her staff. But these
contacts were light and not troublesome to the ettin. If Roystnof had not been
behind her, casting his offensive spells, Brisbane was sure Stargazer would
have been crushed long ago. As Brisbane watched, another burst of red lightning
flung out of Roystnof’s fingers and slammed into the ettin, driving the monster
back a pace or two. Dantrius stood at the entrance of the cavern, a pair of
daggers in his hands, but he was doing apparently nothing.
The ettin fighting Shortwhiskers was the one closest to him, so
Brisbane charged into combat with that one. He slipped, easily this time, into
the trance that Angelika provided, and he watched as the ettin grew weaker and
weaker before his deadly blade. He attacked so aggressively that Shortwhiskers
had to back off to give Brisbane room and to avoid the seemingly wild swings of
his sword. But each swing, no matter how sweeping and wild it seemed, scored a
dire wound on the body of the two-headed monster. Its four eyes were wide in
amazement and fear at the ferocity of its small attacker and, before long,
those four eyes bore only the glassy stare of death.
And as the second ettin fell under his blade, Brisbane, watching
coolly from behind his own eyes, thought, for just a moment, that he might very
well be invincible and that he could defeat anything.
The deed is
done. Praise Grecolus for his wisdom and Brisbane for his courage.
Stargazer and Roystnof together had defeated the third ettin and
the battle was over. Brisbane tore off a piece of the ettin’s clothing and
began cleaning Angelika. He felt good, calm, and confident. Shortwhiskers
thanked him for the help against the ettin and then asked Stargazer to come
over and tend to his wounds. They were mostly bumps and bruises and Stargazer
simply rubbed some of her ointment over them and covered them with strips of
clean cloth. When this was done and all had caught their breath, they gathered
about the pile of treasure they had won.
Brisbane eyed Dantrius smokily as he joined the circle, a little
upset the mage had done nothing in the battle, but he decided to forget about
it. The less Dantrius did for him, the happier he felt he would be.
Shortwhiskers dumped out all the sacks and, for a moment, no one
said anything as they all stared at the glittering pile of gold and gems.
“Wow,” Brisbane said finally. “That’s a lot of gold.”
“Damn sack had a hole in it,” Shortwhiskers said. “Otherwise we
wouldn’t even have had to work for it.”
Everyone laughed nervously at that. Brisbane decided it was too
spooky in the cave, with the fresh dead surrounding their newfound hoard. He
suggested they pack it up and get the hells out of there. There were no
objections and that is what was done. They bagged it all up and Shortwhiskers
tied it securely to their pack mules, this time, without any complaint from
Dantrius. It seemed that the mage had decided not to be such a pest and that
was fine with Brisbane.
Then, they were on their way again, following the thinning Mystic
deeper and deeper into the mountains. The farther he got away from the
incident, the less Brisbane could remember about the way Angelika had actually
controlled him in the battle with the ettins. When he did think about it, he
remembered himself playing a larger part in the proceedings and, personally,
was shocked at the bravery and skill he had shown in defeating the monsters. If
Roundtower had been there, perhaps he could have helped Brisbane sort through
these unusual feelings, but probably not even he could have protected Brisbane
from the danger of using Angelika in combat. She was one of the finest swords
in the realm and, armed with her, anyone with the strength to lift her could defend
himself against aggression. But Brisbane’s natural and learned talent of
weaponry combined with Angelika’s magic in a special and potentially dangerous
way. Armed with Angelika, Brisbane was not invincible, but it became
increasingly likely that he would begin to think so.
The battle with the ettins took place late in the day and the
party only had an hour or two to travel before they were forced to make another
camp for another night. Nearly as soon as they had left the cave of the ettins
over their backward horizon, they began to hear a noise that at first none of
them could identify. It started low, but as they walked on, it grew louder and
louder until it was positively roaring in their ears. No longer could there be
any doubt as to what was making the noise. They rounded a curve around a jagged
peak and saw the waterfall they had been hearing for miles.
The water fell from a cliff high above their heads, gathered into
a small pool, and began to flow down the mountain slopes to the sea. Here was
the source of the Mystic and sitting beneath and slightly ahead of the falling
waters was a low stone building. It had two major wings, one on each side of
the virgin river, and a wide section connecting them, spanning over the surface
of the water. It faced them like a squared letter C, and at each of its ends
was an opening like the one at the shrine so far down the river.
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The Forgotten Temple
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