Possessing the Grimstone - By John Grover Page 0,23
the table, tall, statuesque, his movements fluid. “We know it as the Ebon stone. It harnesses the abyss and the world of magic. Its power cannot be tamed. It is not of our world. That is why the Mulcavrii warred over it, and in the end, knew they had to rid themselves of it. It cannot be put back together… not by any being.”
“Why should we care what these creatures want?” Drith said, his brother grabbing hold of his arm. “So far, I see that they attack those whose cups run over.”
“That is not all they will attack!” Sooth-Malesh thundered, turning his enflamed eyes toward the King of the South. “They will stop at nothing to get the stone; they will crush every kingdom until they get it. And once they do, all of Athora will fall. The stone could destroy every living thing on our world. This army means to take our land and wipe all of us from it. No one is safe. This problem is all of ours.”
“Hence why I have summoned each one of you,” King Endrille said. “Dear friends, let us fight for what is ours. I ask you to join Cardoon in our crusade.”
“If we agree,” Drith said, “if we fight for all of our land, we in the South want compensation.”
“Of course,” the King bellowed. “What do you wish?”
“We want some land in the North. Our lands are dry and hot, and we cannot grow food. We want fertile land to keep our people from their harsh lives. What good is saving our lands if we still suffer?”
“Never!” Nachin raged. Olani turned to him in shock. “We would see you dead, first.”
“Northern dog!” Drith whipped his scepter. Its crown sprouted spikes and detached with a chain.
“Enough!” Olani yelled. “Enough of this fighting! Enough of this prejudice and hate! We have common enemies: foes that will destroy us all! In that matter, how can we fight them? They have already conquered all of the North, they march on, unstoppable, unchallenged. They have magic and familiars, and the power of their stone.”
“Together,” said Tolan. “They are but one army. Together, we can defeat them.”
“They are not the only ones with power,” the emissary from Gwythroth said. He vanished from his spot at the table, and then reappeared on the other side of it. Everyone in the room gasped.
“You can teleport,” Sooth-Malesh said.
“Yes, we can. Short distances. It can be useful in battle.”
“They are not the only ones useful in battle,” Drith said. He backed away from the table and headed for the nearest wall. He jumped onto it and scaled it like a spider. When he reached the top, he crawled across the ceiling, and dropped to the floor.
“Very good!” King Endrille clapped. “We will work out compensation: it is the only fair thing to do.”
“Please do,” Drith said, panting. “We have suffered enough; we will not help without bettering our situation.”
“So be it,” King Endrille said.
Nachin snarled. “M’lady, this cannot be allowed. The North will never surrender its land.”
Drith’s brother, Gyrn, walked up to him, and whispered into his ear. “Do not be so hasty to withhold, my brother. If we were to help defeat these creatures, we could claim the stone for ourselves. Then we could destroy the North and take all of its land, at last.”
Drith smiled. “You always know better, Brother.” He rejoined the table.
“Excellent,” King Endrille said. “My brothers and sisters, this scourge threatens our way of life, our very existence. Our Lord, Thet, would want us to work together. In his name, we must meet this threat head on, and vanquish it. I decree it. My good men, stop them from reaching Cardoon!”
Jorrel saluted the king. “Aye, your grace.” He turned to Tolan. “Easy for him to say.”
“Excellent.” King Endrille smiled from ear to ear, then pushed himself away from the table. “When will the enemy get here?”
Sooth-Malesh turned to the King. “About three days. Their beasts do not gallop as fast as our horses, and many of them are pulling great war machines. They are moving slowly, but steadily.”
“Fine,” the King said. “I will be in my chambers. Keep me informed on the battle.”
A sick feeling filled Tolan’s stomach. He had a bad feeling about all of it… the alliance of kingdoms, the new enemy, the stone… what was it, anyway? Thousands of years of no one knowing of its existence, and now…
“I know what you witnessed, my friend.” Jorrel leaned over to him. “After seeing the kingdoms