The Caverns of Kronos

The Chamber of Discourse - Part 5

     The chamber quieted down and Tragius resumed speaking. “I said that Malefactos learned more about the enemy than we’d dared hope, and now I will tell it all, after reminding you all that you are under the Oath of Lexandros.” He cast an eye around the chamber to see that they understood. He might be impeached, he might be put to death, but so long as no word of this leaked out and reached the enemy, the priests of Samnos might still be able to go ahead on their own. How much hope they would have without the support of University raks was problematic, but at least they’d still be able to try.

     He then told them everything that Malefactos had told him, putting exactly the same emphasis on all the bad news as the rak had. If it affected them the same way it had affected him, then maybe they’d be stirred into drastic action and agree to a changing of the rules. And indeed there was a good deal of anxious shuffling and murmuring among the wizards as he spoke, and when he happened to glance at Elmias he saw that his face was a mask of sheer terror.

     “How sure are you that everything he told you was the truth?” asked Justarian as Tragius paused to sip from a glass of water handed to him by an attendant.

     “He was speaking under oath. An oath sworn in the name of the Gods. He was not lying.”

     “So are you saying there’s no hope?” said the Director, pale and trembling. “Is your solution that we all turn ourselves into raks and flee into another plane of existence?”

     “Not at all,” replied Tragius. “There is hope. I haven't told you everything that Malefactos told me. He discovered a weakness in their defences. A weakness that we can exploit if we only have the courage and the determination to do so.”

     He then told them about the Shadowbeast and the Puncturium; the rupture in the fabric of reality through which the Shadowlord’s power was spilling into their world. “So you see,” he finished triumphantly. “If the Shadowbeast can be slain, the Shadow will dissipate and a team of living wizards will be able to enter Arnor itself and dismantle the Puncturium. The flow of the Shadowlord’s power will be cut off, and all the Shadowarmies will break apart into chaos. The threat to all civilization will be ended. You can see the problem, though. That first team of wizards will have to enter Arnor while the Shadow is still present, and no living creature can do that. Only the undead may enter the very heart of the Shadow. That is why they must first transform themselves into raks.”

     The Director's mouth opened and closed as if he had no control over it. His eyes were staring in horror as if the Shadowlord himself had appeared in the room. “And then what?” he managed to croak out when his throat finally loosened. “We’ll be left with a crowd of University raks running loose in the world! How long do you think it will be before they lose their humanity, as all raks inevitably do, and turn into monsters with all the teachings of the University at their disposal?”

     Now it was Tragius’s turn to stare in disbelief. “You cannot compare a few rogue raks with the threat posed by the Shadow!” he exploded. “The Shadow threatens the whole world! All civilization! If the raks turn into monsters after they’ve helped defeat the greatest threat our world has ever faced, then I still call it a good bargain.”

     “A good bargain! You know the power of raks better than anyone! How powerful and terrible they can be! A good bargain?"

     “You're right, I've faced a few raks in my time,” agreed Tragius. “Not least of which Malefactos himself, so I know what I’m talking about. Believe me, I wouldn't ask such a thing if it weren't for the threat posed by the Shadow. Have a look at some of the countries overrun by the Shadowarmies. Turn your crystal ball on Callinia, Galla, Amanopple, Brost, Fannaria...”