Army of the Dead Read online

  Army of the Dead

  Book 8 of Forgotten Legacy

  by

  Richard S. Tuttle

  Copyright © 2004 by Richard S. Tuttle.

  All rights reserved.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious.

  Any resemblance to persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  Our story so far…

  Young Lord of Khadora is the story of a young soldier who is unhappy with the culture of his country. His superb military skills, and the loyalty of his troops, enable Marak to take the reins of a minor Situ estate when the opportunity arises. When the neighboring lords conspire against Lord Marak, he uses cunning, courage, and unconventional warfare to subdue them. When his own protector, Lord Ridak of the Situ Clan, turns against Lord Marak, the young lord strikes a blow for a new culture. He creates his own clan, the Torak clan, and defies the norms by freeing his slaves. At the end of volume one, Lord Marak secretly controls five small clans on the frontier of Khadora.

  Star of Sakova introduces Lyra, a young mage student who is thrust into an unfamiliar world by an attack on her father’s magic academy. Running for her life, Lyra enters the dreaded Sakova, expecting death at every turn. Instead, she finds that the god Kaltara has chosen her to lead the Sakovan people. Young Lyra unravels the mystery of the attack on the magic academy and the kidnapping of her father, Master Malafar. During the struggle to save the Sakovan people from extinction, Lord Marak visits and discovers long lost ties between the Sakovans and the people of his Chula father. By the end of volume two of the Forgotten Legacy, Lyra displays magic talents that only Kaltara could have given her. She faces off against the false Katana Alazar and defeats him in a public display that eliminates the threat of war.

  Web of Deceit features a young villager from a remote area of Fakara. The story opens with the destruction of Rejji’s village and a chance meeting with Mistake, a young elf-like woman. Rejji and Mistake are captured by slavers and sold to a Khadoran estate where they befriend a young Fakaran with the rare ability to speak with animals. Lord Marak frees the trio from slavery as he seeks to learn more about the strange country of Fakara. When the trio returns to Rejji’s homeland, they become embroiled in a power struggle between the Jiadin tribe and the rest of the tribesmen, known as the Free Tribes. On a trip to the Sage of the Mountain, Rejji discovers that he is the long-awaited Astor of prophecy. He finds a painting in the ancient lost city of Angragar that depicts Lord Marak, Lyra, and himself. By the end of volume three, Rejji succeeds in uniting the Free Tribes under his banner and defeating the Jiadin. He immediately makes plans to rebuild his native country.

  Aakuta: the Dark Mage introduces a new mysterious figure. A powerful dark mage suddenly appears in a country devoid of male mages. The mage appears to have no allegiances in the growing struggle between Lord Marak and the forces of evil, but he has the habit of always showing up when conflict erupts. Meanwhile, Lord Marak tries to arouse Khadora into stopping an invasion by the Jiadin. Not only do the other lords refuse to help him, but they actively try to ruin him through attacks and assassination attempts. The secret alliances long held by Lord Marak are eventually discovered as Marak first ascends to the Lords’ Council and eventually becomes Emperor of Khadora. At the conclusion of volume four, Emperor Marak is consolidating Khadora under his banner. His plan is to rally all of the armies to help him combat the coming invasion of evil.

  In Island of Darkness, a false Katana again rules Omunga. War is declared on the Sakovans as Vand’s people poison the food supply of Omunga. Emperor Marak guides Lyra as she attempts to win the war without inflicting too many casualties. She knows of the coming invasion and is forced to preserve as many of the Omungans as possible. Meanwhile, Mistake and MistyTrail discover that they are sisters. They set out on a sea voyage and are shipwrecked off the Island of Darkness. As they search for a way to get home, the sisters discover elves, which were long thought to be extinct. In their bid for freedom, the sisters must rescue a pair of elves and get them off the island. During the rescues, the women discover many dark secrets of the evil enemy. At the end of volume five, Emperor Marak has ordered his people to deliver Mistake and her new friends to Khadoratung where he hopes to learn more about Vand and the lost nation of elves.

  In Elvangar, Eltor and Caldal, the young male elves rescued by Mistake and MistyTrail, learn the truth about the ancient relations between the humans and the elves. They witness the awakening of the ancient city of Angragar before escorting Mistake and MistyTrail to the hidden land of Elvangar. Mistake and MistyTrail find that Elvangar is not the utopia that they expected. The land is ruled by a moody queen who turns out to be their mother. Arrested for attempting to assassinate the queen, Mistake and MistyTrail escape from Elvangar and return to the Island of Darkness to rescue their father, Avalar, King of the Elves. The young females elves discover that they are the lost princesses, Alahara and Alastasia, and accompany Avalar back to Elvangar to reclaim his throne.

  In Winged Warrior, the Torak learns that the dragon Myka is a creature of Kaltara that he is to ride to war against the evil forces of Vand. A rebellion is foiled in Elvangar, and a spy is discovered in the Sakova. A movement by lords in Khadora is squashed and the Khadoran lords are introduced to the Chula tribal leaders to unite the country. In Fakara, Bakhai becomes a shaman while Rejji brings the Jiadin outcasts into the brotherhood of horsemen. Fisher has discovered how Clarvoy manages to roam the mainland without detection and is hot on his trail. While all of these developments bode well for the followers of Kaltara, the Time of Cleansing has begun with the total destruction of the Sakovan city of Duran. The Motangans have clearly shown that there will be no negotiations to end the war. There will be no prisoners taken by Vand. There will be no mercy given. The Time of Cleansing will be a fight to the death. Either the forces of Kaltara will be successful, or they will be annihilated.

  Prologue

  Thousands of years ago inside the temple at Vandegar…

  “Your people grow, Vand,” the Great Demon praised the errant priest of Kaltara. “When Angragar is crushed we shall destroy Kaltara.”

  Vand gazed around at the violent landscape, a wide smile spreading across his lips. The volcanoes spewed towering columns of smoke as lava flowed freely down their slopes. The ground below the mountains was parched, and long cracks ripped along its surface. Vand found comfort in the wasteland.

  “I have already given the word,” grinned the disciple of Dobuk. “The people of Vandegar have begun the rites that will result in the fall of Kaltara. Soon you will be the only god to exist. I thought you would want to come and witness our victory.”

  “No!” shouted Dobuk, his voice blasting through the wilderness.

  Instantly the volcanoes burst open sending their molten mass flooding into the valley. The air filled with shards of burning rock, and Vand felt a shiver of fear course through his body.

  “Stop it this instant, fool,” demanded the Great Demon. “Kaltara has too many followers. Angragar must be destroyed first. Do you not understand anything?”

  “I thought you would be most pleased with my initiative,” quivered Vand. “We have over a million people preparing for Kaltara’s downfall as we speak. How can Angragar stand after Kaltara falls?”

  “Kaltara will not fall if Angragar still stands,” snarled the demon. “He must be shed of his followers before the rites are issued. Halt the ceremony immediately, or you will suffer. Go!”

  The ground shook mightily under the disciple’s feet, and Vand fell to the ground. He looked up at Dobuk and saw raw fury in the demon’s face. Dobuk’s claws rose and pointed threateningly at Vand. The disciple scrambled to his feet and raced out of the room. He slammed the door shut
and leaned against the wall in the corridor of the temple at Vandegar. Sweat poured off Vand’s body, and his limbs were shaking wildly. A frown of confusion creased his brow as Dobuk’s words thundered through his mind.

  Pulling himself together, Vand raced through the temple and out onto the roof. He ran to the northern edge of the roof and gazed down at the magnificent city of Vandegar. Over half a million people had gathered in the city to begin the rites to bring about the fall of Kaltara. Vand watched with pride as his people scurried about, but his smile faded quickly as he remembered Dobuk’s words. He turned and waved for a soldier to come to him. The man ran towards the disciple and bowed before him before falling to his knees.

  “Go down to the city,” ordered Vand. “The rites are to be halted immediately. Spread the word to every quarter. If the rites continue past the hour, I will have you sacrificed. Go.”

  The soldier swallowed hard and rose erect. He bowed once more and then ran into the temple. Minutes later Vand saw the soldier far below running towards the city. He dismissed the messenger from his mind, and Vand’s smile reappeared. His eyes focused on the four tall towers rising up out of the distant city. Each of those towers was the object of a select group of priests conducting the coordinated rites. Vand shook his head in sadness that Dobuk had called off the rites. He still did not understand the need for crushing Angragar before the rites, but he knew better than to defy the Great Demon. Disappointment raged through his body at the thought of his great day being postponed.

  Unexpectedly, lightning flashed in the clear blue sky. Vand gazed up at the sky in search of the storm front, but there was not a cloud to be seen. His eyes narrowed suspiciously as he refocused his attention on the distant city. He wondered if the rites were ahead of schedule.

  Again the sky flashed brilliantly, and thunder filled the air. Vand looked on in awe as lightning danced in the sky and began to circle over the city. The sky darkened almost instantaneously, and the sun disappeared from view. The bright circle of lightning grew more brilliant and lit the city below it. A tremor of fear raced up Vand’s spine as he worried about what was happening. The show in the sky had nothing to do with the rites, but it was obviously a show of power, if not from Dobuk, then it had to be from Kaltara.

  In answer to Vand’s unspoken question, the circle of lightning suddenly split in quarters, each quarter striking one of the four tall towers. The stone towers exploded in a frenzy of rocks, showering the citizens of Vandegar. The lightning continued downward past the bases of the towers and pierced the ground that the city was built upon. Great geysers of water spouted from the ground where the towers had stood just moments before.

  The people of Vandegar panicked, their screams vying with the thunder rolling through the air. Hundreds of thousands of people screamed and started running away from the towers. The ground shook with tremendous cracks snapping through the air. Buildings crumbled and fell to the streets crushing the citizens trying to flee.

  Since Vandegar was a coastal city, the panicked hordes ran in every direction except the sea. Their only thought was to get away from the crumbling buildings. Some raced towards the temple, which sat well inland from the city, while others merely ran along the shortest path out of the city. None of them survived.

  Vand watched as earthquakes ripped along the city’s three edges. Huge cracks widened, and columns of seawater shot thousands of paces into the sky. The fleeing citizens turned from the edges of the city and raced inward, dodging the still crumbling buildings. The entire floor of the city buckled and crumbled as monstrous, towering waves rose up from the sea and crashed down on the city. Within minutes the city was gone. The angry waves of the sea tore at the new shoreline, now much closer to the temple of Vandegar than it had been before. As large chunks of land crumbled into the advancing sea, Vand turned and ran. He shouted orders for his remaining people to gather to him, but the masses that had not been in the city were already running southward, heading as far away from Vandegar as they could get.

  Vand snarled in disgust and walked towards the special room in the temple that hosted Dobuk, the Great Demon. He entered the room and found Dobuk in the foulest of moods.

  “You have failed me, disciple,” snapped Dobuk. “It will be a long time before we can threaten Kaltara again.”

  “I tried to stop it,” explained Vand. “I will gather the remnants of my people and set out for Angragar. We will crush the city and return here.”

  “No,” Dobuk shook his head. “Your people are too few. For now you have failed me. Vandegar is no longer safe to dwell in. Gather your people and take them southward to the coast. There you will build a great fleet of ships to take you into exile. You will not be allowed to return here until the time is right. This will be your punishment.”

  “Where will we go?” asked Vand.

  “Where I tell you to go,” snapped Dobuk. “No longer can you be trusted to act without my orders. Go and do as I have commanded.”

  Chapter 1

  Clarvoy’s Return

  The spymaster entered the throne room of the temple on the Island of Darkness. Emperor Vand stopped in mid-sentence as he saw Clarvoy enter. He noticed the haggard look on the spy’s face and saw his left arm hanging limply.

  “Everyone out,” ordered the Emperor as he waved Clarvoy towards him.

  Xavo joined the others in the throne room as they headed out of the chamber. He halted near the doors when he heard the Emperor’s voice speak softly in his ear.

  “Stay, Xavo,” the Emperor whispered through an air tunnel. “Clarvoy may need your healing.”

  Xavo nodded subconsciously and turned around. He saw the Emperor drop the air tunnel as he approached the throne.

  “What happened Clarvoy?” asked the Emperor as the doors at the far end of the throne room closed.

  “I was attacked in Meliban,” answered the spymaster. “It is only a knife wound and not very serious, but I cannot focus on it myself. I need a healer to look at it.”

  “See to his needs, Xavo,” instructed the Emperor. “Heal him well. Clarvoy is most vital to my plans.”

  Xavo nodded and approached the spymaster. He cut away the fabric of Clarvoy’s tunic and examined the wound. It was a fairly deep cut, but Xavo had seen much worse. He probed the wound, causing Clarvoy’s arm to twitch.

  “Sorry,” apologized Xavo.

  “Just heal it,” frowned the spymaster. “It has become infected. I will not faint from your efforts.”

  “It is unlike you to be noticed on the mainland,” frowned the Emperor, ignoring Xavo completely. “How did this happen?”

  “Perhaps I grow careless,” Clarvoy shrugged, causing Xavo to halt his ministrations for a moment. “It is truly nothing serious. I pay no mind to it, and it should not trouble you. There is troublesome news, though.”

  “Oh?” prompted the Emperor.

  “The Jiadin are moving into the Astor’s fold,” reported the spymaster. “Wyant has agreed to release the Jiadin from the cities in return for their loyalty.”

  “That will not last long,” laughed Vand. “Do not let it trouble you. The Jiadin are like children. Within days they will be seeking to raid Angragar once more. It is an alliance that cannot possibly hold together.”

  “Wyant has agreed to take six of the leaders of the Jiadin to Angragar,” Clarvoy shook his head. “I fear that this time the Jiadin may actually remain loyal to your enemies.”

  “He will actually take Jiadin to Angragar?” balked the Emperor. “You must follow them and find out where the lost city is.”

  “I would have been one of the six,” frowned Clarvoy, “had it not been for this wound. I would have been discovered if I tried to impersonate one of the six with my arm bleeding as it was.”

  “How fortuitous for the Astor?” seethed the Emperor as his eyes narrowed. “Tell me how you became wounded.”

  “I was placing a spell on Wyant in his room during the night,” explained Clarvoy. “I heard a noise in the hallway and
drew my knife. Within seconds the door opened wide and a Jiadin appeared. He saw me and moved more quickly than I had expected. I cast a blinding spell to destroy his vision, but his throw was most unfortunate. It struck me in the arm. I heard Wyant roll off the bed as the intruder shouted an alarm. I had no choice but to withdraw from the scene. Within minutes the entire city was awake searching for a man with a knife wound in his arm. I could not possibly stay in Meliban without detection, so I fled.”

  “Extremely bad luck?” the Emperor asked suspiciously, “or is there more to it?”

  “I think there is more to it,” Clarvoy hesitantly admitted. “Wyant’s room was at the end of a corridor. No Jiadin should have been there. Also, I had to maneuver carefully past peanut shells on the floor outside the marshal’s door. I assumed that Wyant had left them to alarm him, but upon reflection I realize that they were placed there by the Jiadin.”

  “So the Jiadin were expecting an attack on Wyant?” questioned Vand.

  “It would appear so,” nodded Clarvoy as Xavo cast the last of his healing spells, “but it is worse than that. If the Jiadin expected one of their own to assassinate the marshal, they would have posted guards outside the room.”

  “So they were expecting an outsider?” mused Vand. “Is there any reason that you think they might have been expecting you?”

  Xavo continued casting healing spells on the spymaster’s arm even though the wound was healed. He listened intently to the conversation, knowing who tried to kill Clarvoy and how the assassin had found out about the spymaster’s planned visit to Meliban.

  “I had a great deal of time during the voyage back to think about it,” nodded Clarvoy. “I am convinced that my attacker knew who I was. I am also sure that I was expected in Meliban.”

  “But who knew where you were going?” inquired the Emperor. “You do not even tell the ship captain your destination until you leave port. How could anyone know for sure where you would turn up?”