The Adventures of Brandar Odaron
Book 1: The Hidden Continent
Chapter 2 Brandar’s Desire
When Brandar reached his twenty-fourth year of age, he was brought before the Northron Elders and in a solemn ceremony declared the High Chieftain, and therefore became the Honorary King of the Dunjularians of Andaria, according to the tradition set by Good King Thoron in the early days of the First Invasion. And straight away Brandar sought an audience with the Queen’s brother, Prince Tarl, grandson of Thoron Dol, while the Queen was wielding the Scepter in the Southmarch. And there Brandar confessed his desire to go East in secret, to seek aid from the Dwarves of the Anaurian Mountains, for the Long Siege was ever reducing the strength of Andaria, and bringing the Marches ever closer to the City. So, surely the kingdom would fall. But the Prince was loath to let Brandar go without the Queen’s blessing. And he bid Brandar await the Queen’s word. Messengers he sent to inform her of Brandar’s request, at which Brandar, downtrodden, returned to his duties. Receiving the message about Brandar, Queen Idrisil left off from commanding her forces in the Southmarch and returned to Romin, where she summoned Brandar to appear before her, wishing to speak with him herself, for she was surprised that such a valued Warrior deigned to leave the realm at such a time. “By no means shall I approve such a departure, Brandar” said she, after a brief discussion with him, where he voiced his desire. “It is the tradition of this realm to support your people, for you are dear to us. But that also means protecting you from your own rash actions. Are not the Dunjilarians among the greatest of my Wielders? We require your strength now more than ever before. But why would you wish to call doom upon yourself in such a foolhardy manner? Surely you do not fear the Siege, any more than your beloved sire, Brodar. But to go forth into the enemy’s ranks is folly.” “Such doom would not mean death”, said Brandar, “if I were disguised as one of the enemy. Then should I be through them and in the mountains east ere they are ware of my nature and purpose. And while I do not fear the leaguer, I fear that Andaria will not be able to free herself from the enemy’s grasp. And so, in time, shall fall.” “You would perish in the attempt”, said the Queen. “I forbid it, do you hear me? You cannot leave us at this time. And I shall consider it no further.” And she refused to give in, no matter how much more Brandar begged of her.
Then Brandar once again returned to the Westmarch, but fought as hard as ever, for he was honorable, and would put the will of the Queen above his own, whatever betide. Yet, Idrisil did not then forbid her brother from granting Brandar’s desire should he inherit the Scepter, for she was very aged, and deemed that she would not long remain among the living. And ere she returned to the Southmarch, where she intended to spend her last days, she had secret words with the Prince, saying: “Listen to me, Tarl. I did not let Brandar go, not because we do not need him to go, but because I love him as a son, and could not bear to see him leave us. And I would not sleep, knowing that he has gone, disguised or no, though he held the mightiest of the Palaklar in his hand. Yet, not much longer shall I abide in this land of misery and death. I feel it deep in my bones that my time is soon to come. Then shall you become King, and may do as you wish. Therefore, I lay no charge upon you that you must keep Brandar against his will, for it is clear that he has a most magnificent spirit. Yea, the spirit of Odar himself is in Brandar, and the best of my Warriors would follow his commands sooner than my own, though I doubt not their loyalty, nor his. And he could get some portion of them through to the East, just as Odar led the Remnant from the slaughter upon Rillguman. But, dare I say it, he would go someday in any wise, whether we have approved of it or no. This, therefore, I say to you. When my life is no more, you may let Brandar go. But I require of thee, let but few go with him, and those unmarried and childless. Let no Andarian widow nor orphan result from his decision to go forth.” And to this Tarl agreed, though he was troubled to hear his sister foretelling her own fall. Yet, it happened that the Queen lay herself down three months from that day, weary of fighting in the Southmarch, and died peacefully in her tent.
The Scepter was brought to Tarl, who thus knew that she had passed, though he was comforted when the messenger said that she had died in her sleep. But she was buried in the Southmarch, as she had said she wished to be. And all in the kingdom were many days in mourning.
A fortnight since Idrisil’s passing, Tarl summoned Brandar, and when he presented himself two days later, Tarl granted him leave to go; knowing full well that the realm would perish if aid came not soon. And thus did Tarl and I support Brandar in the preparing of the young man's plan.
Six volunteers did Brandar choose to go with him; two of pure blood each from the Three Tribes of the Northrons, but no Andarians, even of mixed blood, for Brandar held that this task belonged to Warriors of Northron descent in payment to the Andarians for their former kindness to the Remnant, so long ago. And those Seven Northrons trained long under the direction of the King and his Knights, though the Knights were not told the secret plan. But I also instructed the Seven, as best I could, about the nature and whereabouts of the enemy in the direction they intended to go. Thus were they made fit for that fateful sojourn; straight it seemed into the jaws of a grim and tortured death.
None but I and Brandar, not even the Volunteers, nor King Tarl, believed then that any of them would reach the mountains alive.
When at length the time was come, the brave Seven were given clothing from slain enemies, and captured badges of authority of the highest ranks in the armies of MorLome. And I worked then disguises upon their bodies, to make them appear as Gress and Kobo. A spell I also cast upon them, that imparted to their minds the speech of the enemy. And while they were utterly disgusted with the stinking and rotten clothing, the spell made them so ill that three of them wretched upon the ground.
Lastly, I gave to them necklaces made with fine silver chains, each affixed with a different precious gem. And the gems held within them different powers of magic. But should the Seven all remain within a hundred paces of each other, then each gemstone would possess the powers of its sisters. Thus must I instruct the Seven in the proper words for commanding the powers of each of the gems, and that was no simple task, for the words were from an archaic tongue known only to Wizards of the foremost orders, and they must learn the proper way of voicing them.
Having previously said their goodbyes to family and friends, while saying only that they were “Off to the Marches”, the Seven could not move about freely once their disguises were complete, lest they be attacked by mistake. And they were kept hidden deep beneath the Castle at Romin while preparing to leave; spending much time memorizing the commands for the gemstones, and practicing the use of their magicks. Then, at length, King Tarl led us all through the dungeons and into secret tunnels below, which Andar the Great had his workmen delve long ago, but of which I too had knowledge. And therefore, none but the King and I knew of the Seven’s departure, as we were well aware in those days that everywhere lurked enemy spies.
“I still do not understand why you cannot magically send us to some safe place in the Eastlands,” said Brandar, as we trudged along holding torches. “You are such a great wizard. Will you not even try?” A strange troupe we must have looked, with lordly King Tarl in the lead, followed by an aging mage conversing so intently with seven dirty monsters, marching in a line down those dank and dark tunnels. “There is no such thing as a safe place any more!” said I. “Remember what I have been saying. We are under a siege from a powerful Sorcerer. There is a great ring of foes all around us, including many users of magic, and an unseen power over our heads. You cannot see it, but it is there. And that is what prevents me from sending you off with the mere voicing of a spell and a wave of my hand. Oh, I wish I could do just that, but it is simply not possible. You must go on foot, in the night, by this very way, unmarked. And all the help I can give you has already been given.”
There was silence for a while. Then the King spoke up, saying to the Seven: “I must confess that I am yet torn between yay and nay, in this matter. But I am resolved to let you men go. Soon will we be desperate for aid in force of arms, as you already know only too well. And may the Gods grant that such aid comes swiftly. The borders shrink yet again, as ever more Rangers fall. And the cries of their children are like arrows in my heart.” “Indeed,” said I, in sympathy. “Surely we need not counsel such warriors in the way of things on the Marches. But in the ways of the enemy, they may be all too ignorant, as well as that may be under other conditions. Here they are to mingle with the enemy, not merely fight them.
"Remember that while you are among them, you must behave as wickedly as you can possibly manage. And you must dominate, confuse, escape from, or else defeat any who oppose you, if you cannot at least avoid confrontation. The Thralls of MorLome are ugly and evil on the inside as well as on the outside. They are not kind to each other, not even to their closest kin. They will quarrel and fight for the least of reasons. And it is only by the Sorcerer’s will that they band together in this war.” “And remember, you have provisions for only seven days in your packs,” said the King. “You must therefore have reached safe hunting grounds within eight or nine days from now, but fresh water you must also find on the way. Else you must have met with the Dwarves ere your food runs out.” “But do not forget to remove your disguises,” I said, “when you come to the mountains. For the Dwarves may slay you as soon as you enter their realm. And tarry not once you have left the ranks of the enemy. Some of the Sorcerer’s servants will have sensed your magicks, whether you use them or no. And be watchful for attacks from the air. Keep a watch on the skies! For the Sorcerer will have control of the very clouds above. And there are many winged monsters flying about, including Dragons and Drakes, hiding in the Dwarves’ own mountains. Beware winged-ones in the sky.
"Have I not shown you how far the enemy likely stretches east, and in what strength, as such things can be judged in these days of uncertainty? The way you have chosen is fraught with the gravest of perils. You have come to a test from which only the Gods can deliver you. And there is no returning once you leave this tunnel. Nevertheless, for some reason I cannot explain, I feel, or hope, that you may prevail, after all. And that is why the King and I have both consented to your quest.” “True enough,” said Tarl. “I am dismayed that you intend to go forth of your own accord, with no command from me. But we need you to do this. Hence, against my better judgement I am allowing it, and I pray to the Gods that they see fit to assist you in your efforts.”
Nigh a third of a league the tunnel went east, but it seemed that we had walked much farther, lighting new torches picked up on the way ere we reached the end. And there we entered a cave with dripping roots beneath a very great tree. But in the midst of the tangle was an old wooden ladder going up through a hole into the hollowed out middle of the tree. So, up that ladder we climbed and emerged into a room beset with small closed doors to the four directions of the winds. And there was yet another ladder to a locked trap door in the ceiling, but we did not go there. Then I cast a spell of scrying upon myself, and made to seek for whereabouts of enemies outside.
Around the room I moved, searching, and discovered that indeed there were enemies camped all about the grove of trees in which grew the tree we were in, and also marching in companies upon nearby roads, but none were too close to us. Then said I: “By all means avoid roads and paths that are heavily traveled. Thralls on errands for their masters tend to go along straight routes in a determined manner, but are easily led off course. So, you must appear to be doing just that, while steadily making your way east.
“And all honestly, try not to use the necklaces I have given you. They will only give you away. There are many among the enemy who sense magic by nature, even if they cannot use it. But there are Mages among them, also. Wield the Gems only in the face of certain death. And avoid meeting Mages and magical creatures of any kind. Recall that I have explained why you were not given magic weapons. Magic is like a fire in the night, when unleashed. So, if you use the gems, you must flee swiftly from that place."
More I said to the Seven. But when I finished my scrying I turned then to Tarl, saying: “It is quite clear for the moment, Sire. But we haven’t much time. The enemy is encamped all around this grove. The Northrons must leave now. And we must be going, as well. There is no telling when the secret of this tree may be discovered.”
Tarl explained that the hollowed-out tree stood in a dense grove due east of the City, near the edge of the Valley of Niehosc. And the doors were under a spell of concealment, and had been for many generations. Then he suggested that the Seven should go northeast whence leaving the tree, and then north for a while, ere turning east, so as to throw off any direct trail back to the grove.
“Perhaps you could steal some horses,” said Tarl, “after you have traveled some ways eastwards. Else you shall have to go all the way afoot, which will stretch your supplies to their limit. Yet, you have been given the most you can carry in those packs.” Then I said: “You might also have to capture or kill some higher-ranking Thralls, if that can be done safely. Question them for knowledge of the whereabouts of their friends, and take their badges, so as to help bluff your way through. Otherwise, do not risk it, and avoid conflict whenever you can. But should you use magic, extinguish the gems' powers straight away, once they are no longer needed.” “When you reach the mountains,” said Tarl, “look to paths southeast, as you were shown on the maps. There lies the way to the Dwarf-Realm of Barador. But you must remove your disguises ere seeking out the Dwarves.” “You can go right away, out that door”, said I, pointing to the south door, instead of the east. “It is the middle night. And while many of the Durwolc see better than Men in darkness, we should not wait for daylight. This tree is in rather a large grove, and after you round this tree, then leave the grove sidewise, so that it appears to the enemy that you are merely passing through the edge of the grove rather than emerging from its midst, whence you come to their attention. In any event, the King and I shall return to the City forthwith.” “Good fortune,” said Tarl. “And send aid to us very soon.” “Good fortune,” said I. But with that, Brandar went out, followed by the Six Volunteers. And Tarl closed the door behind them, saying: “Never again shall I see those men.”
Again, I cast a spell of scrying, to discern what I could of the brave Northron’s progress, where at length I sensed that they left the grove untroubled. But I soon lost the sense of them. “Bah!” says I. “It is no good now. The glamory above us will not abide such a link. And I must not keep trying or I shall draw the Thralls to this place. Doubtless, they will find it soon enough without my aid.” “Aye,” said Tarl. “And I shall have the tunnel blocked up, for the enemy will surely try to use it whence it is found.” “Then I shall set a barrier herein,” said I, “beyond which none may pass.”
Well it was that we returned when we did, and the tunnel forever sealed, as later I would learn. For the hollow tree was discovered by a company of Gobba sent to fetch firewood. And while the Thralls attempted to go down the tunnel, they found the way barred by bricks that seemed to go forever, as they attempted to attack it with pick and hammer, or to dig around it. Nor could mages dispel it. So, at last the Thralls gave up, but burned then the entire grove to the ground. And while the enemy had long been digging tunnels, they were enraged by the magic barrier; redoubling their efforts elsewhere. And that was troublesome, as the more often would they spring from the ground behind our warriors, and slew many a good Ranger in that manner.