War of the Merranai

By Kevin J. Herbst

Malthus Kierin always dreamed of adventuring, of making his mark upon the world of Kalan. After he earns his robe and staff, rewards for passing the tests required to become a wizard, the door to his dreams stands open. However, a nightmare lurks on the other side, a black-hearted wizard who, along with his vile undead minions, systematically assassinates all of Kalans heroes, and then hunts Malthus.

After a narrow and expensive victory that nearly split Malthuss band of companions apart, they control the Stone of Zoral, a powerful artifact that can reverse the tide of darkness sweeping across the land. A decisive battle approaches as the enemys forces converge on the few remaining outposts of free peoples remaining in Kalan. Can the Merranai of prophecy, wielding the Stone, reclaim lands lost and avert an age of darkness?

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jan 17, 2012
• ISBN: 9781468525885

Kevin J. Herbst

The Stone of Zoral is the sequel to The End of Heroes, which won the Arizona Author's Association award for "Best Unpublished Novel" in 2004, an international competition. Look for his future book, War of the Merranai, which concludes the trilogy of the struggle for Kalan. A native of Wisconsin, Kevin has worked in various capacities in the banking industry. An avid hiker, he has been to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. He lives with his wife, Becky, in Chandler, Arizona.

Book preview

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

SYNOPSIS

PROLOGUE

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII

IX

X

XI

XII

XIII

XIV

XV

XVI

XVII

XVIII

XIX

XX

XXI

XXII

XXIII

XXIV

XXV

XXVI

XXVII

XXVIII

XXIX

XXX

XXXI

XXXII

XXXIII

EPILOGUE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thank you to the Arizona Authors Association, who discovered and awarded my first novel in 2004. The saga of the Merranai is in print, and finds its completion here, because of them.

SYNOPSIS

This is the third part, the conclusion, of the Chronicles of Kalan.

The first part, The End of Heroes, told how Malthus Kierin was forced to flee his home shortly after passing the Tests and earning the robe and staff that marked him as a wizard.

With his last breaths, Malthus’s father sent his son a warning to leave Alphi and seek Aleena Merrin, a loremaster who dwelt in Corsand, far to the south. Malthus didn’t flee alone; he was joined by his childhood friends Karnin, Arkon, and Zylyn, as well as Micah, the dwarf Captain of the Guard of Alphi, and Aloria, an elf wizard who passed the Tests with Malthus.

Only after escaping the besieged city did Malthus share their true danger: they were quarry of the Darkener and his undead minions, who’d massacred the world’s powerful heroes in a quest for total dominion of Kalan.

The group fled into the countryside, but eventually liches, dread undead servants of the Darkener, waylaid the harried band just before the boughs of the Aliand Wood. Arkon fell, slain, but the rest of the group found the temporary respite of the enchanted forest. There they were captured, tortured, and nearly driven mad before escaping the wood.

Reunited, they reentered civilization a short journey from Corsand, only to learn that the Darkener and his allies had invaded Kalan from the north, and charged toward Aleena’s hometown.

But the group reached Corsand first and found Aleena. There they learned the prophecy of the Darkener and of a group, the Merranai, capable of reclaiming the lands taken. They learned, too, of the Stone of Zoral, an artifact that could help defeat the Darkener and save Creation from a fall into evil.

The Darkener’s forces attacked Corsand before the Merranai could escape, and they had to fight their way free, becoming separated in the process, an inauspicious beginning for the Merranai of prophecy.

The second part, The Stone of Zoral, followed the Merranai as they sought to reunite.

Karnin reached their rendezvous point in the city of Mylor first, but only after going unrecognized by a lich scouring the countryside. Malthus and Aloria hid themselves amongst the Ekkai tribe in the Uninhabited Lands for a time before making their way to Mylor. Zylyn, Micah, and Aleena fled Corsand together by ship, only to be discovered and recognized by a lich. The three eluded their enemies and lost themselves in the hills for some time before finally making their way to Mylor, the very day the others decided to leave Mylor and leave them behind, fearing the worst.

The Merranai were betrayed and fled the city mere hours after Zylyn, Micah, and Aleena arrived. Soon after, liches blasted their rendezvous point to pieces, and the hunt began anew.

Back into the countryside the Merranai fled, and they lost their pursuers. Aleena told the group more about the Stone; it could paralyze undead, including the liches, with a mere word and could also stop time. This power came with a price: on its third use, the wielder died, and the Stone vanished.

However, she didn’t know its location, so the group sought a great seer, a hermit named Zalaman, who dwelled in the middle of one of Kalan’s largest deserts and who might have the answer.

After stopping for supplies in the border town of Blanqua, they entered the desert and reached Zalaman. Though he didn’t know its precise location, he did know it rested somewhere in the caverns beneath the volcanic peak of Mount Selendron.

As the Merranai made their way to Mount Selendron, their trail was picked up by their pursuers. Upon entering the mountain, they were soon separated by a dreaded Hood. The Darkener and his liches found Zylyn alone and poisoned her. She agreed to hand over the rest of the Merranai in exchange for the antidote.

Released to find her friends, Zylyn lost her enemies and discovered the Stone atop a pillar that could only be reached by a thin catwalk spanning a swell of fire and magma. She defeated the invisible guardian of the Stone, barely escaping with her life. Soon after, the rest of the Merranai found the cavern. But so did the Darkener.

A great battle ensued. Zylyn stopped time to attempt (and failed) to find the antidote, but several liches were destroyed, and the Darkener barely escaped with his life, ceding the Stone to the Merranai.

The group learned of the last bastion of resistance for refugees of the Darkener’s war atop Drehfal Plateau, and they agreed to head there, in order to organize a last defense against the final strokes of the enemy.

The final part, The War of the Merranai, unveils the conclusion of the Merranai’s efforts to prevent the Darkener from achieving utter victory.

PROLOGUE

What news, Pharasi?

The lich’s eyes glinted; they always did when the powerful undead creature delivered good news. Mayrakor fell early this morning, Darkener.

Rakeen Duvay, the Darkener prophesized twelvemoons earlier beyond count, nodded slowly. Well done. Casualties?

Minimal.

Pharasi’s answer earned another nod from its master. Move the armies south and east. Claim the road. Guard the Border Wall. Then wait for me. You won’t wait long; the final days for elves on Kalan near.

The lich’s jaw shuddered, and the bright red light inside its eye sockets intensified. I look forward to that day with great anticipation.

I know that well, Pharasi. My southern army draws nigh to the Blood River. After the elves fall, we will snap the rest of Kalan shut in a vice so tight the gods above shall howl in agony.

Yes, Darkener.

Look for me the night before the invasion of the elven lands, as always.

After a nod of its skeletal head the lich vanished, leaving shimmering air for several moments where it had just stood.

The Darkener closed his eyes and placed his hands inside the opposite sleeves of his jet-black robes. He leaned back in his favorite wood chair and, with a wicked smile on his face, ticked through the ever-decreasing lands not yet under his dominion. The noose grew tighter with each passing day, ever nearer to choking off the last of Kalan’s unliberated buffoons.

His upbeat mood surprised him. Less than a moon earlier he’d been forced to retreat from Mount Selendron without the precious Stone. Worse, hated enemies actually retrieved the Stone and used it to destroy two of his liches.

But the Darkener saw the cup half full. He never expected all seven liches to survive the conquering of Kalan. And more than just liches perished beneath Mount Selendron: both Maldamar and Jorin fell in that same battle, leaving but one cowering Master wizard remaining out of the six he’d addressed inside Drayden Tower only a few twelvemoons before. Those positives eased his mind considerably.

Yet his optimism did not blind him. Only three liches remained; he could not afford to lose another. And Kierin’s group grew ever more formidable. Stone in hand, they represented a very real threat to his power. Yet depriving them of allies and eliminating hiding places was the best way he could think of to tie up such a loose end. They would reappear, and he’d deal with them once and for all.

I need more allies. He’d nurtured this thought night after dark night in his castle, ever since the Stone slipped through his grasp and the growing chance of failure gnawed at him. The idea to enlist the allies he now considered had been fermenting like a fine wine in the back of his brain for twelvemoons. Now he dug the thought up again like a bit of buried treasure.

But treasure hidden away could always carry a curse. Dangerous, such allies as these.

Yet he needed to ensure victory, and these allies also provided a way to draw at least some of the Merranai into the open. He could no longer spare any of his liches to hunt them down. For the past few days he’d debated back and forth, and now he spent hours more in intense mental debate.

At last he opened his eyes. Day had turned to night in the meantime. Zephron’s light shone through his study windows, or he’d be sitting in pitch darkness. A slow, long smile came to his lips. He nodded, content with his decision.

Time to visit the drow.

I

The Merranai found the dragon’s lair by accident the first time, so to actually relocate the two hills again without magic would have been more difficult than teaching a goblin to read. Or more difficult than curing Micah’s foul temper, thought Aleena with a smile. Despite that thought, she nevertheless missed the dwarf’s company. Or any company, for that matter. Seventeen days had elapsed since she left the rest of the Merranai behind and headed north, alone.

The debate over her course had been heated. None of them, especially Zylyn, wanted to give up their gifts. But Aleena insisted on returning them, and Malthus sided with her, in the end.

The priestess paused atop a grassy hill, one not dissimilar from the rest that rolled for several miles in all directions. She looked back at the northernmost of the Pryiers, mercifully far back on the horizon behind her. Invisible, she harbored little concern for her safety despite having been hunted for what seemed ages.

She closed her eyes, though not to enjoy the pleasant afternoon. Instead she concentrated, chanting the words to a spell, a spell to find Ekraisan the Traveler.

Soon the spell was cast, and the needed information obtained. With a smile, she adjusted her course slightly and set off down the hillside.

black.jpg

There was no good time to disturb a dragon, so the saying went. But the worst times, Aleena knew, were dawn and dusk, for dragons woke from naps slowly and with great irritation. Some of the great lizards preferred to sleep through the day and stir at sundown. Other dragons slept through the night and were just getting comfortable atop their piles of gold ere the world grew dark. At those times, the unfortunate fools who disturbed the beasts found dragons particularly irritable.

For this reason, Aleena bypassed the giant cave mouth between two hills that served as the entrance (at least the one they’d found; dragons always maintained two or three) to Ekraisan’s lair. Instead, she moved past and into the thin forest nearby.

The priestess smiled as she climbed a tree that would pass for her bed that night. Not long ago, the Merranai had stood in almost the very same spot, eyeing Ekraisan nervously for the first time.

Aleena’s limbs ached to the bone. She’d spent more than a quartermoon of her trip from Mount Selendron in the Pryier Peaks; autumn evenings in the mountains, even so far south, set in brutally cold. Only in the height of daytime had her breath not shown frosty in the icy air. At least no clouds had mounted, threatening snow.

Here, in the lowest of the Pryier foothills, the evening blanketed the forest quite pleasantly. Aleena snacked on some nuts and dried fruit and drank most of the water out of her waterskin. Plenty of brooks for refills flowed nearby, though she decided to save that task for morning. She arranged her cloak as best she could among the branches and settled back to watch the setting sun which painted the western sky a fiery orange.

However, no sunset could assuage the feeling that her time was approaching. She felt it in her bones. Though the sky to the north and east remained clear, she sensed the black clouds, and armies, of the enemy. The final showdown with the Darkener and all his minions neared, and she was but a single grain of sand, helpless against the oncoming storm and its terrible rising tide.

But ever since that day as a child when Zalaman the seer uttered his vision of her future, she’d attempted to put his words out of mind as best she could. Though all but impossible given the nature of Zalaman’s prediction, she thought she’d gone about the business of living her life as well as she could. Prophecy, at least hers, was cruel, and certainly not something with which to burden a child. Yet she’d never faulted Zalaman for it. In his way, he had given her a most valuable gift.

Now events flowed ever more swiftly, and Aleena increasingly struggled to ignore the seer’s prophecy when making decisions. But that feat was near impossible. Would she have fought so hard to visit a dragon for a second time if she wasn’t quite certain the dragon would not kill her? Or was this an unconscious attempt to avoid what fate Zalaman claimed awaited her?

She frowned. How could she not take the opportunity to help save Kalan, if such a chance fell into her grasp? Even should it cost her life, would she really still proceed? From afar, as if analyzing another’s decision and not her own, it seemed a small price to pay to save the countless others who would live on after her. It would prove far worse to live, only to watch the Darkener claim victory. What kind of life would that be? Better to live on in legend, if not in body.

With a harrumph, Aleena leaned back against a high branch. The moment would come, or it would not. She vowed to do her best to put that moment out of her head until it stood before her.

black.jpg

So you have returned, priestess.

The voice caught Aleena completely off her guard. She’d just settled into that comfortable zone between the waking world and sleep, where sudden consciousness is both irritating and disconcerting. Aleena had no idea where she was or what was happening.

She recovered quickly, but not quickly enough. Not used to sleeping in trees, the priestess plummeted out of the branches. Twigs scraped her face and arms as she fell toward the forest floor below.

Nasianal! she cried. Her boots’ magic kicked in, saving her from serious injury. She hovered halfway between her makeshift bed above and the ground below.

The sun had set, and Zephron, a quarter full, provided sufficient light to silhouette a massive form a quarter mile away outside the grove of trees. It laughed at her in a booming howl; only a creature unafraid of predators could act so boldly in the middle of the wilderness at night.

Aleena levitated the rest of the way down to the ground. May you be the Traveler, or I’m in a kettle filled with boiling water.

The giant figure snorted, and some sort of liquid flew from its nose. The ground hissed where the liquid fell. What makes you so certain you do not find yourself in such a state anyway, Traveler or no? It laughed again. But come, the Traveler indeed returns, and even welcomes company for a time. To see you here, alone, sparks my curiosity and eases my anger over events to the north.

black.jpg

A short time later, Aleena sat atop the same shelf in Ekraisan’s cavern on which she’d stood only short moons earlier. The multitude of torches along the walls made for an atmosphere nigh upon cozy. The dragon’s green scales glittered atop its heaping piles of coins. The oddest of allies, Aleena thought with a smile.

Come now, said Ekraisan. "Your demeanor suggests other than disaster befell you since leaving me, though you come alone. What became of your group ere you took my gifts, and are my treasures safe?

Ahh, but how rude of me; are you hungry? I typically feast upon intruders, and do not often entertain.

Give it not a second thought, said Aleena, laughing. I have eaten, and to be twice invited to parley with you without battle is gift enough.

The dragon nodded, pleased. So, what of your tale?

We skirmished with the head of the enemy’s great, foul body. Some of our allies fell, though none were those you saw with me just two moons ago. Still, the losses were grave to our cause.

You keep secrets well, said the dragon, which ordinarily would be wise. But know that of one of the losses I am aware. The Grey Master, the Head of the Nine, lies among the fallen, does he not?

I fear you speak truly, said Aleena drearily. Maldamar perished. Yet we struck well, and if possible, gave nearly as well as we received. And we achieved a crucial goal, thanks in large part to your aid. We now prepare for a final, decisive battle, which I fear lies not very far off.

Ekraisan eyed the priestess gravely. "Maldamar was a rare sort. He observed and learned much, yet judged little. I fear much useful knowledge died with him. I can scarcely conceive of the blood needed to equal his loss.

But tell me, you say a final battle approaches. That certainly matches my view of things. Why then have you returned here? Much needs doing, and I allowed my gifts into your care until the threat was removed. I have just returned from a foray north, and not far, I fear. The threat comes nearer than you know, priestess.

I felt an update might be in order. While Maldamar’s name is well known, his loss of great note, our loss would find fewer tales. I fear you might have considered us vanquished as well, your prized possessions gone or taken. That is not so. The Merranai live. Aleena took out a pouch, a Bottomless Bag, from her traveling cloak. See here, I have returned your gifts, as promised. The battle ahead could claim some or all of our lives, and your gifts have already provided much needed support. In fact, it would be no overstatement to suggest the outcome could have changed for the worse without your help. We again thank you, and offer now their safe return, while we can.

Ekraisan considered Aleena for some time. Slowly a smirk spread across its face, and its eyes narrowed. "Well spoken. You have some of Maldamar’s wisdom in you. No, perhaps more even than he.

Interesting times, that a dragon should refuse treasure. And further, borrowed treasure returned to him! But I must refuse. My offer stands as made. I knew the risks, and the threat certainly is not yet removed. Though I appreciate the consideration, go and make further use of them if you can. In fact, before this battle you foresee concludes, do not deem it unlikely to find me involved in one fashion or another.

Aleena nodded. The few remaining free peoples would be both honored and in your debt, Traveler.

The dragon snickered. While true, it is in my interest, priestess, no more. My home lies but a few moons from destruction, I fear. My foray north nearly ended in death. As the Merranai seem to me the last hope, there I shall put my faith and effort.

Were prophecy not in agreement with your words, I could respond modestly, said Aleena, shaking her head. "As it stands, then, I will simply hope your trust is well placed.

By your leave, allow me to depart your company, for a lengthy journey awaits me ere I rejoin my companions.

The dragon snorted in amusement. By my leave indeed! Have you tired already of my hospitality? But I did say I wished to parley for but a short time. Very well, then. But rest here tonight. Tomorrow may bring pleasant surprises.

Aleena blinked, pondering the alternatives to acceptance. She quickly decided to bet her life that had Ekraisan cared to trick or kill her, he’d have done so before now. And she couldn’t quiet the small voice in her head reminding her that death here was not her fate.

The priestess sighed, and then smiled up at the dragon. Very well. Until the morning, then.

You shall find my abode more comforting than that tree. For this one night, you shall enjoy resting as I do, among ten kingdoms’ worth of treasure. Dream well, priestess.

black.jpg

It was all Malthus could do not to cheer aloud. At long last, after hours upon tedious hours of study, he’d mastered the Teleport spell. He could finally travel anywhere on Kalan—anywhere he knew well, at any rate. His enthusiasm was quickly tempered with the sobering knowledge that most wizards, in a pinch, could teleport home.

As he let his deep concentration lapse, the sounds of the desert returned to him. The sun had set only a turn of the timeglass earlier; the sand nearly boiled below his blankets. A light, stifling breeze gave little comfort, except perhaps that it was not a heavy breeze. Twice sandstorms had swept past Malthus and his companions since they’d reached the mighty Sheehad Desert.

Though flush with their victory under Mount Selendron, the journey from the Stone of Zoral’s hiding place had proven far from easy. First, Aleena insisted on returning their gifts to Ekraisan. Malthus had learned to trust the priestess through their travels thus far, and he agreed to allow Aleena to find the dragon. This won him grousing the entire way from the others, especially Micah, regarding his decision. He hoped he had not made a mistake.

It took five tedious and difficult nights to climb down from the mountains, traveling south according to directions given Zylyn from Maldamar. For more than a quartermoon after that they trudged east through the foothills of the Pryiers, though they ever inched south as well. They’d turned due south four nights previous, right into the belly of endless sand, toward the Drehfal Plateau.

Unlike the Solon Desert, no hiding places sprouted from among the vast dunes that spread before them in an endless sea. Malthus cast his Ice spell in a protective cocoon around them during the day while they rested, and Aloria hid them from sight with illusions. This gave them comfort through the worst of the daylight, though they learned that even magic ice could melt under the desert sun.

Malthus glanced around. At night, even with the moon’s light just past full upon them, the companions walked about, taking down camp, as a whole far more confident and less fearful than they’d been since the whole horrifying travail started back in Alphi. Malthus held the Stone, and even the three remaining liches together would attack the Merranai at their great peril. Malthus smiled as he rubbed the artifact, safe inside a pouch at his waist. His angrily shouted vow to the liches from inside the Aliand Wood, a hollow vow screamed in frustration and despair so long ago, now held a ring of truth.

Malthus stood. I did it!

Zylyn swiveled her head from a piece of dried, salted meat that served as her breakfast. You can teleport? About time. She snickered at him between bites.

Good, Aloria added with a sly smile of her own. That makes two of us.

Malthus’s eyebrows shot up. We both learned it the same night?

It appears so, said the elf.

Zylyn rolled her eyes and returned to her meal.

I can’t wait to see what you wizards do next, said Karnin. It wasn’t that long ago you could barely create one glowing arrow.

Watch it, said Malthus playfully. You don’t want to get on my bad side any longer.

Karnin snorted. Big talk for someone that can’t absorb one swing from my sword without losing his head. Your protective ring’s on its way back to the dragon, remember? How about you eat something, mighty wizard, and let’s be off.

The Merranai gathered their belongings and soon plodded off on another night’s journey across the dunes of the Sheehad.

black.jpg

Malthus put a hand on Micah’s shoulder a short while after they set out. You’ve been quiet. Something wrong?

Zylyn overheard. Always something to complain about, right, captain? She giggled, to make sure Micah knew she was joking.

The dwarf scowled at her anyway. Tart tongue for one standing in hot water. Zylyn frowned and turned away, and Micah addressed Malthus. Does it bother you that after a quartermoon in the Pryiers and another in the hills nothing has attacked us? We couldn’t go two days without an ambush on the way to Selendron.

Malthus considered a moment. Our only adventures on the way were deemed by us unnatural roadblocks, set intentionally by our enemies. Their attention must lie elsewhere. Remember, Zalaman thought the hills were mostly uninhabited.

Optimistic, said Micah, one eye squinted almost shut. Consider also that nothing has molested us in the desert, and Aloria can’t hide us all day. We haven’t even felt the rumblings of a sand worm.

Zylyn and Karnin both frowned, overhearing. What are those? Karnin asked.

Are you certain you want to know? Micah’s eyes glinted at the muscled youth.

Why do you love bad news so much?

Micah blinked at the thief, who had interrupted him. He fixed her with a beady stare. You often call me captain. It’s usually my job to consider all the worst scenarios, so no one gets surprised.

Why not tell us about these worms before?

Most of you aren’t very appreciative of my warnings. I bit my tongue until Malthus asked. Malthus asked me, remember.

Zylyn nodded, and an odd expression crossed her face. I’ll try to give you less hassle, Micah.

The dwarf almost fell over. Speechless? Malthus asked him, smiling. Maybe now he sees a glimpse of the Zylyn that I know. How about you tell everyone about these sand worms. I know only a small bit, what we learned at Drayden Tower.

Micah needed several moments to collect himself, still considering Zylyn thoughtfully. The Sheehad hosts great sand worms that spend much of their time hibernating or burrowing under the desert floor. Their foul mouths stretch three times wider than Malthus is tall, and fifty times as long. I’m shocked we’ve not yet heard their rumbling.

Maybe they sleep at night, Karnin suggested.

Micah snorted. Aloria, have you felt anything during the day while we sleep?

Nothing.

How many sand worms exist? Do you know? Karnin asked.

I have no idea, said Micah.

According to what we learned, said Malthus, only about a dozen in all roam under the sand.

So, said Karnin, what do we do should we feel one?

Vibrations of the sand only tell us that one moves near, said Micah. By near, I mean as much as a day’s walk away. The real danger comes when one pops its head out of the sand. Then you can panic, Karnin. He paused. It just worries me that we haven’t felt one by now.

Don’t complain over good fortune. Karnin glanced up at the southern horizon. How long until we reach the plateau?

Hopefully midnight tomorrow, said Aloria. We should see it soon.

Good. Then enough about sand worms, and let’s get on with it.

black.jpg

Another night passed uneventfully, but near dawn, as they stopped for what they hoped would prove the final time before reaching the plateau, a wicked wind kicked up out of the south. Early that evening, the plateau had slowly stole into view from that same direction, and now hovered perhaps ten or fifteen miles distant, beckoning them with its proximity.

Zylyn eyed the increasingly large landform thoughtfully. We could reach it before sunset if we keep going.

The trek would prove pure torture under this blazing sun, said Aloria. Then she gasped. And now we dare not, sun or no. Look! She pointed toward the plateau, but it took several moments for the others to see what she meant.

The plateau vanished from sight.

Sandstorm! Malthus cried. Come near. The Merranai closed ranks, and Malthus watched the approaching cloud of dust and sand anxiously.

Fascinating, said Karnin, mouth agape, as he watched the brown wall approach.

Malthus waited as long as he dared in order to maximize the duration they would be protected, then cast his Ice spell.

A frozen perimeter of ice enclosed them in a cube. Protected from sun and wind, said Malthus with a smile. The rest of them looked around, waiting for the storm to strike.

They did not wait long. The brisk wind whipped into a fierce howl. Malthus had left an air hole open to the north side of the cube, and he watched it intently, hoping the wind would not shift. The others glanced warily at the top and sides, and then nervously back at each other.

The wind intensified further, as if ten thousand screeching hyenas stalked the group. Sand racked the ice like rain on a tin roof. The companions fell into pitch-black dark for several seconds before Micah could light a torch.

Good thinking, said Malthus.

Micah nodded. I hope this doesn’t last long. Sand already covers your air hole, Malthus.

With a groan, the wizard followed the dwarf’s line of sight. Grains of sand spilled into their walled-off space as if through a timeglass. The others nodded grimly, noting the same problem.

Minutes passed, though it felt as hours to them. The wind shrieked, sand flew, and the companions paced like caged animals.

After a time, Karnin voiced the question Malthus had just started to ponder: How long before we think about taking down this spell? We’ll need fresh air soon.

Malthus sighed heavily. Only Aloria can leave the ground, and until this storm abates at least a little, she could get carried off in it.

You’d have to walk a hundred miles back through the desert again, said Zylyn, laughing.

Real funny, said Karnin.

All right, said Malthus. Conserve air.

That means keep your mouth shut, Zylyn, said Micah, not unkindly. She flung some sand at him.

Conserve air, said Malthus more forcefully.

So they waited.

II

Karnin looked at Malthus pleadingly. Though his friend didn’t speak, Malthus knew Karnin wanted out. For that matter, only Zylyn seemed completely at ease, staring at all corners of their haven in fascination.

Malthus blinked at their makeshift ceiling in consternation, hoping for but not receiving a sign that the storm’s strength waned. He swore softly, and then looked at Aloria.

The elf shrugged. What do you want to do, Mal? You said it yourself; only I can leave the ground, and at great peril.

All right, said Malthus, nodding. As soon as any of you have trouble breathing, let me know. Until then, we wait.

Time dragged past. I wish we had a timeglass, Aloria muttered. The storm may outlast your spell, Mal. We’re in for it if our shelter disappears all of a sudden.

Malthus nodded, gulping for air. It might be about time to take our chances.

Shh, said Zylyn, interrupting. The thief stood, one ear cocked upward. The wind’s dying down.

Good, because I feel lightheaded, said Aloria.

The rest of the group noticed the wind ease moments later. Then it stopped altogether. Silence descended around them, almost as disconcerting as the storm itself.

Malthus eyed Aloria. Do you want to cast your Fly spell before I take down the ice?

The elf thought a moment. I hate to waste it, but to be safe, I’d better.

If only I still wore my boots, said Karnin wistfully.

You can thank our fearless leader for that, said Micah. He elbowed Malthus and smirked.

Aloria cast her spell but remained on the desert floor. I haven’t the energy to fly right now.

Malthus nodded. Just be sure to burst upward when the ice goes away. Ready? Each of them nodded, though despite the danger of their present predicament none looked eager to face the avalanche of sand.

Wait! Micah blurted out just as Malthus was about to cancel his spell. Can you cancel only part of this cube? That might prove safer.

It would, but it’s all or nothing, I’m afraid. Otherwise, I would have opened the north face much sooner. The dwarf nodded, disappointed. All right then. Kazartum!

The ice around and above them vanished.

The sand that had piled atop the ice flooded in on the Merranai. Aloria shot upward, and for her part broke through the sand relatively easily, for only a non-life threatening amount piled into the void created by the protective cube. Even so, the rest of the others were buried up to the waist, Micah up to his neck.

It took the better part of an hour, by their estimation in any case, for the group to dig out, then empty the sand from every nook, cranny, and pouch. By the time that task was completed all of them were sweating profusely, thanks to a scorching sun that beat down out of a cloudless sky.

Zylyn peered up as she wiped her brow. We can’t stay here like this all day or we’ll roast. And Mal’s spell is gone, so we’ll go unprotected through the worst of it.

Do you suggest we walk? Micah scowled.

All options seem lousy, actually.

"It’s not too hot yet, said Malthus. Keep in mind we’ve been hard at work digging for the last bit. We might as well get somewhere if we’re unprotected. If our enemy still hunts us, we’re just as plain to see moving as not."

Micah wiped his sweat-soaked face with the back of his meaty hand. The act did nothing but dirty his face further. We do have the Stone, I suppose. All right, Malthus, I agree with you, but … oh no.

Beneath them, the dunes rumbled.

Everyone, relax, said Malthus. It only means there’s a sand worm within, what, twenty miles?

About that, said Micah grimly. I hope it’s not traveling south of us.

I guess we’ll find out, said Malthus.

I hope we don’t.

The Merranai hurried south amid the shaking, shifting sands. None of them noticed the heat any longer; they merely struggled to keep their balance. Ahead, suddenly impossibly far, loomed the Drehfal Plateau, a rocky crag still half a day’s march away.

If need be, said Malthus to Aloria, can you take someone with you?

The elf pursed her lips. I can, but someone light. Zylyn, that would be you. The thief’s face flushed, less than comfortable with her good fortune.

And I can teleport, said Malthus. Karnin and Micah, you two get to battle the sand worm. Two on one’s not such bad odds.

Funny, said Micah through a snarl.

I’ve only got about a turn before my spell runs out, said Aloria, then things turn even uglier for us.

Then let’s hope the sand worm comes soon, or not at all, said Micah.

Once again, I’d love to levitate. Karnin said.

All right, all right, said Malthus. Let’s make do as best we can.

Easy to say for someone who can teleport. Zylyn said with a giggle. Malthus merely shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.