by Brian Murray
Rayth opened his eyes and smiled weakly, then his eyes closed and his head rolled back. “Live damn you, Rayth. Live . . . HEALER!”
***
In the banqueting hall, Dax fixed his cold eyes on the priestess. He turned around and coolly threw one of his axes. As the priestess’s arms passed the horizontal on her way to plunge the ornamented dagger into Thade’s heart, Dax’s axe carved through her thin neck. and thudded against the Shadow standing behind her. Worshippers looked up in shock, and then anger overtook them. Turning, they faced the three intruders. One hooded worshipper walked towards Dax, carrying a decorative black sword. Dax could not see the man’s face inside the deep hood as the worshipper raised the sword. Without hesitation, he ploughed his other axe into the man’s chest.
***
Krondo wanted to leave the hall. He walked towards the warrior who had killed the high priestess. As the warrior got closer, Krondo recognised him as one of Felix’s friends. He raised his hand to push back his hood and suddenly realised his mistake. In his hand was his ceremonial sword. Krondo’s last thought as the axe blade touched his chest was, I’m sorry. For the first time, he should have listened to his son.
Krondo lay on the floor of the hall with a gaping wound in his chest, his dead eyes staring up at his slayer.
Marva screamed.
***
Dax stepped over the fallen worshipper and without much trouble cut his way towards Thade until he saw the Shadow step out of the darkness, Dax’s axe still embedded in the creature’s chest. Pushing people away from him, Dax beckoned the beast to him. Fighting to reach Dax, Tanas heard the creature hiss and move forward to where Dax stood. Kicking a temple follower in the chest, propelling him backwards into others, Tanas went to Dax’s aid.
Dax watched the beast charge and prepared himself for the attack. As the beast loomed over him, Dax dropped to his knees and with all his might swung his axe at the Shadow’s ankle. At the same time Tanas dived for the beast’s face, plunging his short swords into the cat-like red eyes, which crunched out of the beast’s skull, releasing thick green slime. The creature hissed in anger and pain, then dissolved into a plume of black gas. Tanas fell forward heavily and Zane arrived to help him up. Dax walked towards Thade. Now the blood-covered axe-wielders entered the hall and the worshippers of the Path fell to their knees, dropping any weapons, choosing to live. Dax swept the bones from Thade’s chest and they rattled onto the floor in a heap. Cutting him loose, he handed Thade his short swords.
“You all right, boy?”
“What took you so long? I thought I was a going to have to rescue myself when she held that dagger above me.”
“Ye of little faith,” said Dax, smiling, touching Thade’s face tenderly. “You well?”
“Yes, thank you,” whispered Thade as Zane and Tanas arrived at the altar, smiling when they saw that Thade was still alive.
“Now where are this Darklord and his three halfwits?” asked Dax.
“I don’t know, but we’d better spread out and find them.”
“Thade, you stay here, I will be back,” said Dax, retrieving his axes.
The three men parted and started to search the palace.
***
Before leaving the hall, one of the men collected the bones, put them into a pouch, then moved off.
***
On the outer wall, the fighting continued but the hailstorm of arrows ceased. The Rhaurn army moved swiftly forward outside the city. More and more of the Horde dropped their weapons, discovering that the Rhaurn army outnumbered them. Slowly the army rounded up the Horde. General Brooks remained outside the city and ordered several companies of Royal Lancers to ride to the palace and bring back news.
***
Inside the palace the torches had been extinguished, and all was black. The three men moved carefully, searching for the Darklord. Tanas was the only man comfortable in the darkness. This was his realm – the realm of perpetual night.
Zane turned a corner. He was luckier than the others, as he knew his way around the palace even in the dark. He stopped. Before him two red eyes glowed and a voice said,
“I heard your father wept like a babe when the bolt flew into his reddened eyes.”
“Then it was not my father,” hissed Zane.
“I could kill you now with my crossbow, but I will enjoy killing you with my sword. Come, let me kill me a king.”
The two men clashed.
***
Dax walked carefully through the passageway and turned a corner. In front of him two red eyes glowed. “We finally meet.”
“And you are? Do not tell me, I already know. But you are already dead.”
Then Dax did what Dax did best, charged the warrior, swinging his mighty death-dealers.
***
Tanas halted his striding through the palace. “Stop hiding, I have come for you.”
“Who says I was hiding?”
The warrior in silver armour attacked Tanas with two short swords. Tanas defended himself, being pushed backwards by the man’s power and speed.
***
The man’s speed surprised Zane and he was driven backwards, defending himself in the gloom. But Zane was the king and this was his home. Digging deep into his soul, he took the fight to his opponent, slashing and hacking with extra venom.
***
The clashing of steel echoed throughout the palace passageways as Dax used his axes to back his opponent against a wall. “Now you die,” hissed the old warrior.
Dax hacked through his opponent’s neck, lodging his blade into the wall. He let go of the axe and watched the warrior’s body crumple. The axe blade struck the wall, still holding the head up. Reaching out, he wrenched his blade free and the head toppled to the floor with a squelching thud.
***
Tanas was pushed further backwards by his rival. He stopped a double sword chop to his skull by crossing his swords above his head, but was kicked in the chest and fell down some stairs. His opponent grinned, turned, and stalked off to find the next opponent to fight. Tanas landed heavily at the bottom of the stairwell.
***
Zane fought like a man possessed with the short swords made for him by Gammel. He kicked his opponent in the groin and the man dropped his sword.
“I am King of the Rhaurns! Do not return to my lands.” The young king plunged his sword into the back of the man’s neck, killing him instantly.
***
The warrior in the silver armour with the two swords stopped and smiled. He turned slowly to see two red eyes blazing in the blackness. “So you are here.”
“Aye, I am here, Death is here,” said a warrior coldly.
“Let’s dance.”
“Yes, but this time I will not just mark you, I will finish you and you will again be lost in the mountain.”
As soon as the fight started, it finished, in a blur of blades.
The victor stepped over the body of his dead opponent and shook his head. Turning quickly, the warrior’s eyes blazed and he levelled his dripping blades.
“It is I, Gan-Goran.”
“We meet again, old man,” said the warrior, his voice deep and rumbling. “Take these and hide them somewhere were no man can find them.”
Gan-Goran held out his hand. The warrior delved into his pocket and placed the relics into the old man’s open palm.
“Be sure they are hidden well.”
“I will.”
“And be sure never to mention my name, not to any living man will you utter my name.”
“I promise I will not,” said the old man, bowing.
“Good, now leave.”
As Gan-Goran left. The warrior began to calm himself and his eyes stopped blazing red, now only glowing. Soon they were a dull red, then nothing. No longer any sign of his true being.
***
Zane called out and received no reply.
“Zane, it is I, Dax.”
“Dax, it’s good to hear you. If only I could see you,” replied the
young king.
“Do you know where we are?”
“Aye, I do.”
“Well we’d better go and find Tanas.”
“Hold on Dax,” said Zane who lit a lantern bathing the passage in light.
“Tanas?” called Dax, “Tanas!”
“Here,” came a weary call.
The two men turned a corner to find Tanas sitting on the floor, rubbing his skull.
“Are you all right?”
“Bumped my head falling down some stairs,” he moaned.
Dax reached down and helped the blind warrior to his feet. The three men walked back to the banquet hall. When they reached the hall, Thade was gone. Looking around, they saw the former gladiator walk in through a different door.
Dax walked over and the two men embraced. “Good to see you boy, but I thought I told you to wait here.”
“When have you known me to listen to you?”
“That’s true. Come, let’s get some fresh air.”
Dax stopped halfway through the hall and saw a hooded woman weeping over a body. Dax recognised the face of the dead man and reached down for the woman. She looked up and stared at the warrior.
“You killed my husband, but I feel no hate towards you. You did the right thing as he was blind to the evil we had joined."
“Marva, your son should be outside, and is waiting for you. I promised him you would come out of this alive.”
“Does he still want to know me?”
“You are a good woman, and the boy loves you.”
***
Dax held the woman close as they left the hall behind Zane and the others. Outside, the place erupted as Zane stepped out into the new dawn. Dax appeared next, searching the crowd, and spotted Felix sitting to one side, looking downcast. Dax guided Marva to Felix, who looked up. Rising to his feet, Felix’s eyes asked the question and Dax nodded. Marva looked up and saw her son. The two embraced and Dax walked away leaving them to their privacy.
“I am sorry, my son,” whispered Marva.
“Don’t be, Ma, we’re still together and have each other.”
“Your father is dead.”
“I know, Ma. Let’s go home.”
The two left the palace and walked home through the city.
***
Dax walked down the palace steps and knelt by the fallen body of his friend Gammel. Reaching down, he touched the man’s bloodied chest.
“Gammel, my friend,” he whispered, “you died a heroic death and I have, so far, failed to avenge you and your kin. However, hear this, my friend. I saw the fear in the man’s eyes and he will not live for much longer. I will hunt the vermin down and send his soul to Hell.” Dax looked up and saw Thade, Tanas, and Zane walking down the steps. They paused by the body of their fallen friend.
They all had the same thought, I will avenge you.
Epilogue
Gan-Goran slowly headed away from Teldor, across the green, rolling hills of the Kingdom, moving north hugging the coast. Over the next few days, the old man completed his mission.
At dusk he made camp in a small hollow near a cliff face and lit a small campfire. As he settled down, three warriors in silver armour appeared with a small, robed man. In unison the men removed their helms, revealing their blazing red eyes.
“What took you so long?”
“My apologies my lord, the wind was against us on the sea,” explained Malice.
The old man stood up. “Well, it will be good to rid myself of this disguise.”
‘Gan-Goran’ moved before the ‘Darklord’. The body of Gan-Goran glowed and his features changed. His limbs became more skeletal as flesh evaporated and the ashen skin pulled tight on the bones. His face changed and his eyes hollowed, his skin pulled taut to his skull. At the same time, his eyes glowed and bright red light flashed from him to the Darklord. Inside his hood, the Darklord took a deep breath and smiled.
“Darklord, it’s good to see you again,” said Malice, bowing low. “Having to bow to that charlatan was more than I could take.”
“It was necessary, my friend,” said the Darklord, raising his hand and uttering a spell. Gan-Goran’s body combusted in blue flames and shrivelled into a withered black cinder. “Now I have all the pieces we need.”
“You got the crystal?” asked Chaos.
“Aye, that was the easy part, my friend. Come, let us return to the Grey Castle, we now need to wait for him to complete the rite.”
“Can you guarantee it will be done?”
“Aye, with the help of some friends, he will spill innocent blood. We will be ready, for the resurrection will be completed.”
“How did you trick people into believing that was the true resurrection rite?”
“I gave the Temple of the Path scriptures many, many years ago, which included the rite.”
“So it was all a ruse,” exclaimed Chaos. “Fools!”
“Yes, all a ruse.” The Darklord chuckled; it was a dry, rasping sound. “For the true ritual to be completed, he only needs to spill innocent blood. Now come, my friends, we have a long journey and preparations to make.”
The men walked to the road and waited for several hundred Dark Brethren warriors to arrive. Soon the surviving Dark Brethren arrived with the Darklord’s blackened carriage. He entered and the three warriors mounted their stallions.
***
Deep in woodlands near Thade’s home, an old man woke from a deep trance. Rubbing his leathery head, the old man stretched. Suddenly, the cold bit him and he looked around. Things had changed; the leaves had fallen from the trees and . . . At that moment Gan-Goran realised he had been tricked, tricked by the darkest, foulest means.
***
Standing at the base of the palace steps, looking down at Dax and the fallen Gammel, Zane heard the words of a woman with a sweet, musical voice whispering to him.
“He is blocking me with dark power . . . remember fate cannot be stopped . . . Death will be the start of dark times . . . and this will arrive soon after you have been crowned king . . . will spill innocent blood and that will be the start. The . . . and Caynians will rule your lands and beyond. Remember your friends, all of them, for you will need them in the darkness . . . only then will you be ready . . . Death will bring you to . . . dark place . . . only then . . . the light shine again.”
***
Two words kept replaying in his mind over and over again: Dark Times.
