Mighty Hammer Down (35 page)

"Yes Master Rommus. I carry two of the
rings I mentioned, along with a pendant that gives me strength.
This sword is also magical, and is made to be lighter and faster
than an ordinary sword. Its name is Tursari."

"Your sword has a name?" Rommus said
as he eyed the man.

"As does yours, Master
Rommus. That sword is called Archenarius. It means
‘
The Might of Arius’
."

Chapter 25

"Where are you leading me, Denura?"
Uritus asked as the man strode quickly through the network of
secret halls under the city of Brinn.

"To the section of the labyrinth that
cuts into the mountain behind the Emperor’s Hall. It’s a place we
usually avoid since it is so close to where the Nobles meet at the
Forum, but I think it’s quite worth the risk."

"What have you found there?" he asked
with concealed excitement.

The man’s bristled cheeks rose in a
wide grin. "You will see, Red Master. You will see."

Uritus let the man keep his secret. He
knew that he was both loyal and worthy, and he had proven it over
and over again ever since he had appointed him to recover the
artifacts of the gods. Although he had not found any yet, he found
countless amulets and items of magic that would come in handy in
the future. Any man would probably be tempted to keep such things
for himself or to sell them, but Denura showed no interest in
profit or personal gain. He was content knowing that his efforts
advanced the cause of the Mages, and that his master was proud of
him.

The fact that he had not yet found any
of the artifacts was not really his fault. The ancient book that
held the secret locations was not written in a way that was easy to
navigate, and finding the proper sections was difficult. It seemed
like a lot of the text was totally irrelevant, but Uritus believed
that there was some sort of secret code hidden in those strange
words. When he had time he would work to unravel the secrets, but
for the time being, he was concerned only with the
artifacts.

Denura led him through dark hallways
and up stairways of polished black marble. There were not many
torches along the way, but Uritus could see that the deeper they
entered the mountain, the more elegant the craftsmanship was
becoming. Soon they reached a point where there were silver accents
just like those found aboveground in the Temple of Inshae. He
realized that he had never been in this section of the maze beneath
Brinn.

"It’s not much farther Red Master.
Look in there," Denura said as he pointed.

Between the large marble columns that
now lined one side of the corridor, Uritus saw that there was a
massive room beside them. There were giant twisting staircases that
led to heights unknown. There were colossal statues of pearly white
marble lining the huge room, all of them facing the same direction.
The walls and the columns were still as black as pitch, which made
the sculptures stand out like ghosts in the night. Shafts of light
came down from unseen openings in the ceiling and did their best to
pierce the darkness. Uritus felt dizzy as they walked by the
gigantic room. The far columns and statues were so distant that
they did not seem to slide by in his vision as they should have. He
shook his head to clear his eyes of the effect.

"What is this place? Why have I never
heard of this before?" he asked.

"It is a secret place, Red Master, or
at least it was. These halls were sealed long ago, although I
cannot guess how long it has been since anyone has been here. From
a paragraph in the book, I found the way to open a wall at the end
of a corridor which led us here. There may be more than one way to
get here, but this is the only way I know of so far."

"This place is much grander than our
secret chamber we use for ceremonies," Uritus said. "How close are
we to the Forum?"

"We are no longer close to the rear of
the Emperor’s Hall. We are somewhere near the center of the
mountain," Denura said as he finally turned and went through the
columns out into the enormous room. Uritus followed.

"We will use this place from now on,"
Uritus said as he looked to the ceiling that seemed to be miles
above him. "I am in absolute awe of it. Is this what you wanted to
show me?"

Denura smiled again, but then turned
away from Uritus and continued on without a word. Uritus followed
with almost unfathomable excitement and wonder brimming. He knew
that the man had found something truly special, and he was able to
contain himself; at least for a few moments more.

"In there, Red Master," Denura said as
he pointed to an open archway at the center of the rear wall. It
was covered in silver adornments, but its exquisite details did
little to draw Uritus’s attention. He knew that there was something
far more interesting inside the next room.

"What is it? What is in the room?"
Uritus asked absently as he stared into the dark doorway. Denura’s
only answer was a hand held out, urging his master to
enter.

Uritus stepped into the room and
immediately he felt a surge of magic at his feet. The stones in the
floor slowly began to glow a soft purple color to light the room,
and the highly polished black marble ceiling and walls caught the
light and aided the effect. There was so much purple light that the
shadows seemed to cancel out, giving the room an eerie
feel.

In the center of the room stood a
statue, but this one was not large like the others in the previous
room. This one was the size of an ordinary man, but on the
sculpture was something that was not ordinary by any means. Uritus
stared in disbelief for a moment at the tattered fabric that swayed
gently in a wind that could not be felt. He put a proud hand on
Denura’s shoulder as he continued to stare at the sight. He found
himself smiling uncontrollably. There was no doubt; these were the
sacred robes of Inshae.

"It is nearly the same as when the
armor of Arius was found," Denura said. "The vambraces were found
on a statue as well, although there was no special room built for
it. They were found behind the first archway built in Medora, a
section of aqueduct that was bricked over. It seems odd to me that
these robes were placed here in such a worthy place, and the armor
of Arius was tucked away in some dirty underground cave where an
ancient aqueduct was built."

Uritus could not take his eyes from
the robes before him. He tried to remember the details of when the
other Mage had brought the vambraces to him in a sack in the small
library. "Tell me, Denura, did you see the other
statue?"

"No Red Master, I was not the one who
found the armor."

"Do you know if the statue was a
depiction of Arius himself?"

"Yes it was. That I am sure
of."

"Did the statue have other armor
carved in the marble? I mean, was there a cuirass or other armor
besides the vambraces that were actually real armor?"

"I cannot say for sure, Red Master.
But I don’t think that the Mage who found the armor would have
known it was a statue of Arius if he was not depicted wearing his
armor. Why?"

"Because if the statue was wearing
armor that was carved from stone, then I don’t think that there is
any more armor than the vambraces alone. There would be no need to
carve armor on a sculpture that you only intend to cover up with
real armor. I think we can stop looking for the rest of the armor
now and concentrate on the other artifacts."

"As you command, Red
Master."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Uritus ran his thumb over the gold
pendant that hung from his neck. This particular one held no
magical powers, but he felt more powerful wearing it nonetheless.
It was the one that Rommus had created for Mirra, and it brought
him a little flame of joy whenever he touched it. She had seen it
many times, but she never asked what it was or where it came from.
He was amazed that she didn’t seem to notice it, but he never
rehearsed what he would say if she ever did inquire.

He pulled a nearby chair closer to his
own and kicked his feet up on it. He spent a moment studying the
fresco on the wall of the first war with Vindyrion while he waited
for his father to arrive. The bright sunlight flooded through the
large open windows and lit the painting with an almost unbearable
brilliance. Outside the open window he could hear the roars of an
eager crowd waiting to hear news from their Emperor. His father had
been insisting recently that he be in the room to hear him make his
speeches to the crowd from his balcony. He assumed that the Emperor
thought that it was some sort of required training for his son’s
eventual role as ruler of Medora. The thought of it made him
yawn.

A voice came from behind him. "Has the
Emperor arrived yet?"

Uritus turned to see the Earth Legion
Commander, Battus Gredda standing in the doorway. "No not yet. He
likes to make the crowd wait a while. Is everything
ready?"

"Yes, I will bring the Moon Legion
Commander here after your father’s speech."

"Are there any other military leaders
lingering in Brinn, or have they all gone off to war?" Uritus asked
as he put his hands behind his head and went back to examining the
fresco.

"All the Commanders are gone with
their five Legions. He and I are the only high-ranking officers
that remain."

"Excellent. Bring him here after the
speech then."

Battus bowed his head and left the
room. Uritus again fingered the charm that hung from his neck from
sheer boredom. He wished his father would arrive and give his
stupid speech so that this would all be over and he could return to
his halls under the city. He was making so many discoveries and
advancements that he was nearly numb with excitement; at least when
he was able to avoid things like waiting on an old man.

After what seemed like hours, his
father finally arrived. He was dressed in white robes with a dark
red sash thrown over one shoulder. Even the man’s clothing was
boring. Uritus wondered briefly if the man had ever considered
wearing more normal clothing with buttons and sleeves and pants.
Such clothing was more popular in Vindyrion than it was in Medora,
but the look just seemed so much more attractive to him. Robes were
just silly unless they were all black. Uritus smiled to
himself.

"Ah there’s a smile," the Emperor
said. "How is my oldest son? It has been a while since I have seen
you, let alone since I have seen your smile."

"I am well father. How are
you?"

Piro’s shoulders slumped a little.
"Honestly my boy, I have been better. These times have become so
stressful lately, and it is difficult to know what to do. It’s
especially hard with the General gone."

"I’m sure it has been. Is there any
news from the assassins about catching the girl who stabbed
him?"

"No I’m afraid not. I think that girl
is long gone by now. She is certainly not here in Medora anymore,
and we just don’t have the time to find her. This war is what we
are focusing on now."

"I understand father. I’m sorry that
we did not catch her. Perhaps one day she can be brought to
justice. Have you heard anything from the General’s
son?"

"No I am afraid Rommus has not been
seen for many days. He’s one to disappear though. He might be off
in the woods somewhere. Who can tell?"

Uritus nodded absently. "Well I hope
we see him soon."

Piro took a deep breath and clasped
his hands behind his back. "I guess it’s time to address the people
of Medora. They need to be told about what their army is doing." He
walked slowly to the balcony and Uritus yawned again as his father
began to speak.

"My fellow Medorans," Piro said as the
roaring crowd hushed, "I stand before you to inform you all of the
events that have occurred in the last few weeks. I am sure many of
you are confused and afraid, but do not fear. This nation will
stand no matter what evil is thrown at it. Our Legions will not
fall no matter what enemy stands before them.

"It is important to know that we have
gone to war not to destroy a people, but to protect our ways of
life that we hold so dear to us. It is hard for many to comprehend
the idea that war is necessary, and it is their right to voice
their opinions on the matter. But know that no Emperor, King or
General desires bloodshed. Freedom is the byproduct of war. Without
raising arms to defend a nation or its allies, freedom would soon
fizzle out like a wet torch. War is as important as peace, for both
are corresponding pieces of the same puzzle. I hope that those
among you who do not agree with this war can hear the truth in
these words, and the sincerity in my heart.

"Some time ago a Vindyri woman tried
to kill General Tirinius. We believe that it was part of an
elaborate plot to disrupt the Medoran army. The woman has escaped
and has probably returned to her homeland by now. We believe that
she and others have orchestrated a plan to weaken Medora so that
the Bhoors can overpower us when they reach our borders. They are
busy attacking the Vindyri for now, but without Vindyrion standing
strong to our east, there would be nothing stopping the Bhoors from
bringing war to us.