Chapter 8: Ranger 8

It was quiet on the mountain. Aerick hung from the ropes on the side of the peak, overlooking the main Aerie, his eyes taking in the magnificent dragons as they sunned themselves on the specialized rocks that ringed the ancient mountain fortress. A gust of wind threatened to take his perch from him as the sun above dimmed, and he looked up at the hovering dragon. It seemed to stare right through him, before wheeling on a wing to rise further into the air on the thermals. Aerick checked his harness before rappelling down the cliff face to the small ledge that led to one of the balconies of the Fortress. With a sigh he returned to the halls of the Fortress, his mind remembering the stillness and beauty of the mountains. He was met at the juncture by a pair of Dragon Riders, who escorted him to one of training halls. Syrena was overseeing a training exercise between several Imperial Army regulars and their Inquisitorial counterparts. Aerick had little interaction with any of the regular army soldiers or the Inquisitors. He had heard many stories about the Inquisitors, and their methods, and he did not relish meeting any under these circumstances.

Syrena nodded as he approached, and motioned for him to take his place beside her as she observed the training. This training hall, called the Hall of Storms, held several thousand warriors, many of which were sparring one on one and company vs. company. The very nature of the hall allowed this, created shortly after the formation of the Empire a thousand years ago. It was a product of great magick cast long ago with the help of Dwarven artisans from the Runestone Protectorate.

"The time has come for all things to be revealed." She spoke. Beside her was an ebon skinned elf with silver-platinum hair that Aerick immediately recognized as one of the Moon Elf Tribe. "This is Inquisitor Sharie, head of the Inquisitors stationed here. The Inquisition also runs the Intelligence service in the surrounding kingdoms."

She led him and the Inquisitor back to her office where she sat wearily. "Well Inquisitor? What is it your Mistress's message."

The Moon Elf sat and relaxed. "There has been a great deal of communication between Iceholme and the various Gilead Houses as of late. From our last reports, that communication doubled within the last week. We do not expect the armies of Gilead to mobilize, there is way too much friction between the Houses and the Fae. Iceholme, on the other hand, has been mobilizing ever since the survivors of the abortive rebellion in the south marches made it to their destination. We estimate that they will attempt to invade the Empire."

"Is that even possible?" Aerick inquired.

"There is... a complication." Sharie spoke. "They have created an artifact that could possibly render our forces ineffective against their forces. That artifact must be destroyed."

"Hence my presence here," Aerick spoke.

"You will not be going in alone. There are three others that are finishing their training as we speak. The four of you will destroy this object."

"What is my part of this mission?"

"You will lead them to the Castile Torment. There you will assist the one who is being trained to destroy the artifact." Syrena said.

"What is the nature of this object?"

"It is Psionic in nature. Beyond your ken." Sharie spoke. "The High Inquisitor herself is overseeing his training."

"What of the Castile? What are its defenses?"

"The Castile is located near the Great Ice Wall. It is relatively large, similar in scope to that of a Gilead fortress. There are, however, extensive underground chambers and levels. The fortress used to belong to a northern wizard that died during the Wars of Azoura the Mad. It was taken over by then apprentice of Azoura, Makiri, then a mortal, if a Sun Elf could be called that, sorcerer. The defenses of the Castile are standard for a fortress of its size; the main protections are against hostile magicks. There are ways around the magicks that can be devised, but it would take an army just to fight its way to the Castile so that those defenses can be neutralized. It is relatively open to the Mental Disciplines of the Inquisition, but the artifact therein prevents any such attempts to breech the Castile."

"Are there any maps of the area?"

"They will be provided." Syrena spoke. "Right now I need you to make out a list of equipment that you will need besides the standard campaign packs."

"That will be simple." Aerick replied. "How many will be going on this mission?"

"Four, including yourself."

"Four? Is that not a bit small for a raid?"

"Your mission will require stealth instead of brute force. Your object is to get in, destroy the artifact, then get out. Once the artifact is destroyed, the northern army will disperse."

Aerick frowned. "When do I meet the rest of the team?"

"Soon. We have confirmation that the Lady Inquisitor Hallia will be arriving within the week with her forces. The Lady Esmerelda and the Lady Murelle should be arriving shortly after that."

"One thing we will definitely need will be mountaineering gear." Aerick said, scribbling a list out for the Lady General. "Any fortress like you describe will be looking for magickal support or activity of some kind. Rappelling up the walls would be the safest bet."

"I'll have the gear added to the packs." Syrena spoke, accepting the list. "The kitchens will be serving the evening meal soon so I will see to the additions before then. I will see you then Sharie." The Moon Elf rose and bowed gracefully, then left. Syrena leaned back into her chair and rubbed her eyes.

"There are times I feel I am getting too old for this." She spoke, then looked up at Aerick. "I want you to rest up as much as you can for this. I want you back in one piece."

The days flowed one into the other, drawing down to the day when the four would be gathered. Aerick trained hard, honing his skills for the mission ahead. He knew the day had arrived when the entire dragon wing took flight and the garrison went on high alert. Aerick took his place with the General as she led him toward the gate hall. The hall was situated near the heart of the fortress, designed and built to re-supply the fortress in times of war, not to mention allow reinforcements to arrive in safety. Because of the function of the hall, it was larger than the training halls by several hundred meters. He had no idea that such a structure even existed in the fortress, even after all this time. Great frescos of Dragons lined the hall, paintings of great battles of a bygone era, as well as sculptures of great warriors, and the vaulted ceiling was painted with elaborate motifs of visions of the past. The general wore her full armor to the hall. It was dragon hide armor, master crafted in a scale armor pattern, and quiet enchanted. He could feel the magick radiating off it. She handed her helm off to an aide and turned to him.

"The Lady Inquisitor is bringing the first wave of her forces through the gate very soon. Accompanying her will be her pet. See to it he is kept out of the way for the time being."

"Anything specific I should do?"

"Be yourself."

At the far end of the hall stood a vertical stone circle, marked with runes and glyphs of warding and traveling. A small dot of incandescent energy appeared at the heart of the circle, and began to pulse until it became a gate. Syrena began to walk towards the gate just as a pair emerged from the gate and began to walk down the steps. It was a Moon Elf that led them in full armor. Behind her walked a human male dressed in similar armor. Syrena approached the Moon Elf and embraced her warmly, then she stood before the human who knelt and kissed her boots. More Inquisitors began to emerge from the gate, until the hall was nearly full of troops, both Dragonriders and Inquisitors. The young human was shuffled off to the side and looked a bit lost. Aerick made his way from the wall where he had positioned himself. The young man seemed to be no more than twenty years, but he wasn't sure. He reached out and took the human's arm and pulled him to the side.

"You might want to stick over here for right now. It will be a while before every one is settled in for the night."

"Thanks, I'm Kieron."

"Aerick," The half elf replied. "You have the appearance of a man who has just been handed a handful of snakes."

"I have no idea what is going on. All I know is that Iceholme is preparing to invade."

"Invade is a minor word for it." Aerick snorted. "This is shaping up to be a fight to the death."

Kieron seemed nervous.

"Trust me kid. I've fought in wars all over this world. This fight is going to be bloody."

Lady Hallia appeared before them, followed by Syrena.

"Oh, good," Syrena spoke. "I'm glad you two have met. It will make things easier." She looked at Aerick. "Commander Rochelle needs to pick your brain on the southern holdings." She pulled him close, her hand squeezing his ass. "And afterwards, my room." She released him and swatted him on the ass. "Now scoot."

Hallia smiled at the exchange. "Pet, it is time for us to retire." She kissed Syrena. "I bid you a good night sister. Let me know when it is time for the others to meet."

Aerick nodded and disappeared into the crowd. He made his way to one of the garrison command centers where he reported to the Commander in question. It was a routine briefing, where he related everything that happened as he commanded the Ghost Wood Mercenaries during their last campaign. He observed the large map set into the floor of the command center, detailed down to the last shrub, and the force markers of all armies involved. He left as soon as he was able, returning to the living areas of the fortress. He was ushered into the General's quarters without a word. Syrena sat at the desk that dominated the left side of her quarters, going over paperwork. She waved him to take a seat as she finished filing the reports. "Forgive me of the illusion earlier. Hallia has a certain... ideas about the proper relationship between a Mistress and her slave. I, on the other hand, have my own ideas."