LITMIR.BIZ

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near the top of an overlooking ridge, beside a small path that led up from the beach. The creature was easily ten or eleven feet tall, clothed in black and waving long arms within huge sleeves. A spectral voice issued from within a giant cowl, hiding the creature’s face. ‘Despair! All who trespass upon the Black One’s island are doomed! Flee now, or be destroyed in agony!’

      Erik felt the hairs rise on his neck and arms. Biggo made a sign warding off evil, while Jadow and Jerome both drew their swords and crouched low.

      Calis stood motionless, while Robert de Loungville pointed a thumb at the creature with a backwards wave of his hand. ‘I think he means it,’ he said with a grin.

      Facing the advancing creature, de Loungville said, ‘Why don’t you come on down here, me darling, and I’ll give you a big wet kiss.’

      Erik’s eyebrows shot up, and Calis smiled at his friend. The creature tilted, as if the brashness of de Loungville’s words caused it to lose its balance; then Erik was astonished to see it collapse.

      He saw long wooden sticks fall within the hooded robe, and a small man emerged from inside the folds of black cloth. He was a bandy-legged fellow, obviously an Isalani from his appearance, and he wore a tattered robe of orange cloth, slashed at the knees and sleeves. ‘Bobby?’ he said. Then his face split in a grin and he let out a yelp of pure joy. ‘Calis!’ He raced down to the sand and almost leaped into de Loungville’s arms. Erik thought the two men daft as they slapped each other on the back.

      Calis embraced the little man. ‘That’s quite a show you have going there, Nakor.’

      The little man’s face split into a grin, and suddenly Erik realized that he was standing with his sword drawn, while his heart was still beating rapidly. He glanced around and saw the others were also holding their weapons ready.

      The man called Nakor said, ‘Had some trouble with some Quegan pirates a few years back. That little blue light didn’t scare them away, so I added those lightning bolts. Impressive, I think,’ he added with a self-congratulatory note. ‘It starts whenever someone gets close enough to see the island on the horizon. But when you kept sailing toward us, I thought I had better come down here and scare you away.’ He pointed to the fallen contraption of robe and sticks.

      ‘The Black Sorcerer?’ said Robert.

      ‘For the time being,’ answered Nakor with a grin. He glanced at the four guards and said, ‘Tell your men I won’t hurt them.’

      Calis turned and, with a wave of his hand, said, ‘Put your weapons away. He’s an old friend.’

      ‘Where’s Pug?’ asked De Loungville.

      ‘Gone,’ said Nakor with a shrug. ‘Left about three years ago. Said he’d be back one of these days.’

      ‘Do you know where he went?’ asked Calis. ‘It’s very important.’

      Nakor shrugged. ‘It’s always important with Pug. That’s why he left, I think. All the troubles down south –’

      ‘You know?’ said Calis.

      Nakor grinned. ‘Some. You can tell me the rest. You want something hot to eat?’

      Calis motioned yes, and Nakor waved for them to follow. Calis told the two sailors, ‘Take the boat back to the ship and tell the captain he’s to do as I instructed. And have him send word to the Ranger, as well.’ To Erik and the other three guards he said, ‘Follow along, and don’t be alarmed by anything you see. There are some very odd-looking creatures about, but none will offer you harm.’

      The little man named Nakor led Calis and de Loungville up the path. Erik and the others followed behind. They reached the crest of the ridge, but rather than follow the path toward the castle, they paused. Nakor closed his eyes and waved his hand in the air, and the lightning suddenly stopped. He put his hand to his forehead a moment, then said, ‘Oh, shutting that off gives me a headache.’ Then he turned and led them all down another path that led into what appeared to be a small valley overgrown by a thick forest.

      Then suddenly the forest vanished, and Erik almost tripped, he was so startled. Instead of thick woodlands, he was now staring at a pasture that stretched away for nearly a mile. In the middle of it sat a large, sprawling estate, a low, white house with a red tile roof, and several outbuildings, all surrounded by a low stone wall.

      In distant fields, Erik could make out horses and cattle, and what might be deer or elk. Around the estate, figures moved, but they didn’t appear to be entirely human. But, keeping in mind Calis’s instructions, he decided to trust his leader and follow orders.

      They reached the small yard before the main house and Nakor opened the gate in the low stone wall. They entered, and from the door of the house a creature appeared. Erik glanced at Jadow, Jerome, and Biggo, and judging by their expressions, all were as astonished as he.

      The creature was tall, man-size, and had blue-tinged skin, large ears, and a bony, heavy forehead. It smiled, revealing an impressive array of teeth; its eyes were black and yellow. Erik wasn’t sure, but the creature resembled every description of a goblin Erik had ever heard.

      But it was dressed in the height of court fashion: a tight-fitting blue jacket cut at the waist, over a loose, billowing-sleeved white shirt, tucked into a wide waistband of black silk. Tight grey hose and ankle-high boots finished the ensemble, and the creature looked like nothing so much as one of Prince Nicholas’s court dandies.

      ‘Refreshments are served,’ said the creature.

      ‘Gathis,’ Calis greeted it.

      ‘Master Calis,’ replied Gathis. ‘It’s so nice to see you again. It has been too long between visits. And Master Robert. Good to see you as well.’

      Calis said, ‘Did Pug leave you in charge, Nakor?’

      With a squint-eyed grin, the little man said, ‘No, Gathis runs everything. I’m still just a guest.’

      Calis shook his head. ‘Guest? For what, twenty years now?’

      Nakor shrugged. ‘Lots of things to discuss. Lots of things to study. Let those fools in Stardock become constipated with their rules and vows of secrecy and orders and the rest of that foolishness.’ He made a chopping motion with his hand. ‘This is where the real learning is taking place.’

      Calis said, ‘No doubt.’

      Gathis said, ‘I’ll see to your guards, sir.’

      Calis and Robert went inside, followed by Nakor. The creature turned to Erik and the others and said, ‘You men follow me.’

      He led them around the building, and Erik was surprised to discover that it was larger than he had first suspected as they had walked down the path from the ridge above. The building was, essentially, a large square, with entrances in all four walls. Through one they passed, Erik could see that the building was also hollow in the center, a large fountain at the heart of a garden glimpsed briefly as they walked past.

      Behind the building, a pair of very odd-looking men, black as soot and with eyes of red, hurried by, and as the four guards turned to gawk, Gathis said, ‘Come along, please.’ He led them to the door of a large outbuilding and motioned for them to follow him inside. ‘You’ll see many beings here you might count strange or fearsome, but none will offer you harm.’

      That was again reassuring to hear, because within the building they found what could only be called, in Erik’s judgment, a demon. Jadow had his sword half out of his scabbard when the creature turned and struck him across the knuckles with a long wooden spoon. ‘Put that away,’ it said with a deep rumbling growl.

      Jadow let out a yelp and released the sword hilt, letting the sword slide back into its scabbard. ‘That hurt!’ he exclaimed while sucking on his bruised knuckles.

      ‘Don’t talk with your mouth full,’ admonished the creature, motioning for the four guards to sit at a table.

      Erik paused and realized

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