by Paul Barrett
“When I returned home, I told your mother that the priest was completely irrational and threatened us with death if we went to town. My words were so adamant she never had any reason to disbelieve me. She ran to her room and wept, but soon accepted it, as she knew she must.”
Corby cleared his throat, catching Darric’s attention. His soft voice had a slight waver as he spoke. “You told Fathen the book had to be destroyed, and then you told him it belonged to the Necromancers. Which was the truth?”
Darric gave a grim smile. “Both. At least, so I thought at the time. Although I had learned about the book’s strength, I didn’t truly understand. There is a vast difference, young scholar, between knowing about a thing and experiencing it.
“The minute I touched the book, it tried to claim my mind. My thoughts grew twisted. The book told me secrets of great power, demanding I keep it for myself and not destroy it. But it didn’t belong to me; I belonged to it.”
“How can a book have that sort of power?” Elissia asked.
“All books have power,” Erick said, reciting one of his mother’s favorite mantras. “The power to teach, to amuse, to terrify, to make us think. The power of the Teloc Sapah is just more,” Erick shrugged, “...powerful.”
“That’s a dangerous understatement,” Darric said. “The book is all power, filled with words and Elonsha directly from the black souls of the Inconnu.”
The morning darkened for a moment. Elissia and Corby glanced at the sky, but Erick kept eyes on his father.
“How come it didn’t affect Fathen?” Corby asked.
“It only works on Necromancers,” Erick explained.
“Not exactly true,” Darric said. “It affects other people, but slowly, and only if they’re in close proximity or trying to decipher the book. Since Necromancers are the only ones in constant contact with Elonsha, we are more susceptible to the book’s corrupting influence. After I left with the book, I had Sniffer spy on the town.”
“Sniffer?” Elissia asked with a faint smile.
“My familiar,” Darric answered, and his father’s smoky eyes brimmed with sadness. “A name given by a child to one he loved. Sniffer listened to Fathen’s sermon as he told the town we were to be avoided on the threat of death. No one was to approach the manor, lest the evil Necromancers take their souls. So we became isolated, no longer even able to bring our surplus food to the docks to sell. That’s why so much of our land went unused.”
“Why didn’t you tell me any of this before?” Erick asked.
Darric’s misty form swirled in agitation. “Haven’t you been listening? The book wouldn’t let me. There were days—even months—when I could forget its existence, but it always festered at the back of my mind. It constantly tempted me with hints of power, visions of glory. There were occasions when I almost told you or your mother, but the words stuck in my throat. Or worse, I would tell lies. I went to destroy it any number of times but always failed in the end, stopped by the book’s will to survive. I held out for twenty years. But, as you already know, the book finally won.”
Erick nodded. “I saw the ritual. What did you summon?”
“I summoned the one thing I would have given anything in the world to avoid. I summoned the soul of the Master of Shadows.”
Blink gasped as darkness covered Erick’s vision and a whispery voice from a barely remembered dream echoed through his head. I will come for you and destroy your world and everything in it. His father had done the thing Erick feared and released Eligos into the world. An ancient evil unleashed by a person he loved and respected. Black motes swam before his eyes. The world tilted, and he collapsed.
Blink, Corby, and Elissia ran to his side; Erick barely noticed Elissia’s gentle hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?”
The words came to him as if she spoke through mud-filled cotton. Erick’s entire will centered on his father’s ghost. He jumped up and pushed back the dizziness that tugged at him. “You bastard! How could you do that? What about Mom? What about me? What about the Covenant?”
Darric’s face twisted in anguish. He stepped forward with his hands held out. “Do you think any of that mattered? The book had me under its will. All it cared was that I bring forth its master. I fought it. The Gods know I fought it, but I didn’t have the strength.”
“I escaped the book and burned it without a second thought. Are you telling me I’m stronger than you were?”
“The Ritual drained much of the book’s power, so it was weaker when you found it. I had the will to save you, so please don’t be too angry.”
At Erick’s perplexed frown, Darric continued. “At the Ritual’s end, Eligos entered my body. He commanded I kill you and your mother, the first of the Necromancers we slay together. But I fought him; and this time, I won.”
Understanding threatened to crush Erick. He stared at the ground. “You killed yourself to save me?”
“Yes,” Darric answered as he moved closer. Misery roiled off his father’s ghost. “The Master could have demanded I kill anyone else, and I wouldn’t have been able to resist. But his first order was your death. I would never let that happen. Your mother didn’t understand what I was doing. In trying to stop me from jumping, she perished with me.”
Erick let the tears fall, ashamed of his misunderstanding. His anger drained away. “How did you become the vampire?” he asked, voice tight.
“The Master’s ‘gift’ for my disobedience. My self-death didn’t drive him out as I hoped. It opened my soul even further to him, giving him more power over me. He ritualized me into a vampire, but I was still trapped within my body and could see everything.”
“But vampire creation requires a human sacrifice,” Erick said.
Darric’s mouth pressed in a grim line. “I wish your mother hadn’t fallen with me.”
Erick sat down, unsure how much more he could take. His stomach twisted. “So mom is—”
“No.” Darric knelt beside his son. “Her blood is what Eligos needed, but her selflessness freed her soul of his power. She is well beyond his reach.”
“At least that’s something,” Erick said. His vision blurred and he found it difficult to breathe.
“Eligos wanted me to watch you suffer and die, and become a gateloah under his control. But you surprised him. My soul screamed in joy when you destroyed my body.”
Darric looked at Elissia. “For the death of your friend and all the others in the town, I’m truly sorry.” He turned to Corby. “I must also apologize to you, for the vampire’s attack. I discovered your visits a few months ago but didn’t stop them. It pleased me Erick had at least one friend outside the manor, though it pained me that I couldn’t allow him more. The vampire used that knowledge against Erick, but I imagine you already figured that out.”
“We did,” Corby said. He ran a hand over his hair. “At this point, logic would suggest that since Eligos was the vampire Erick killed, then Eligos is now dead, but instinct tells me such malignance is not so easily destroyed.”
Darric nodded. “You have good instincts.”
Corby smiled.
“Eligos did not die, but the loss severely weakened him. It will take him time to regain strength and find a host. Even now he calls to his followers, and the dark energy of Elonsha builds in the world again. The Eligoi who attacked last night were an answer to his summons.”
“Those were Eligoi?” Erick asked. At his father’s answering nod, Erick trembled. The Eligoi was a name of darkness from his earliest childhood. Fanatic assassins loyal to Eligos, they existed only to kill in his name. Blink’s nocturnal wandering was all that had saved them from death. “What am I going to do?” he choked out.
“You have to go to Broken Mountain,” Darric answered.
“Broken Mountain?” Erick knew the name well, its history drilled into him.
“What’s Broken Mountain?” Elissia asked.
Before Erick could answer, Corby spoke up. “Once known as Ter Krinnik, the Summit of the Earth, Broken Mountain’s tre
acherous peaks and cliffs witnessed the final battle between the Inconnu and the Ten Necromancers. The ensuing destruction shattered the mountain, scattering tremendous slabs of stone and reducing the peak to a fraction of its former height. The Necromancers won the day, destroying the Inconnu and sending them forever from Krinnik.”
Elissia stared at Corby, her mouth open. Corby said, “Why does my wealth of knowledge always surprise you?”
“That’s very concise, but Master Katlish’s account is not totally accurate,” Darric said.
“How’s that?”
Darric gestured to Erick, who continued. “Only Bolfri and Saburoc were killed. Eligos, being the most powerful, could only be banished. According to the Covenant, if Eligos returns, the surviving Necromancers are to gather at Broken Mountain, where the souls of the four who died will show them how to again trap the Master of Shadows.”
“Wouldn’t it have made more sense to write it down in a tome?” Elissia said.
“Tomes can be lost,” Erick said, “or fall into the hands of our enemy, and give them a chance to plan against us. And we have to gather somewhere since a Necromancer alone can’t defeat Eligos. The site of the Master’s banishment makes the most sense.”
Darric smiled. “Exactly. Because of my sins, Alakanath has suspended judgment on me until Eligos is removed from the world. Until then, I am a spirit, tied to this location. After, I will be judged.”
“I fear I will be judged wanting,” the ghost told his son, “but there is still hope for you. You must help trap the Master. It will not be an easy journey. As Eligos grows in power, so too will his followers. They will be on the move, seeking you and the others. Your only defense is to stay ahead of them and reach Broken Mountain.”
“Is that all?” Erick asked in a bitter voice.
Darric did not react to his son’s tone. “No.” He pointed at the sacks of books. “I know you made a great effort to save those, but you need to leave them behind as soon as possible. You rely on them too much, which is my fault for letting you use them for so long. Start using the mnemonic procedures I taught you to learn the rituals and formulae. At some point your life may depend on remembering the proper Ritual at the right time; besides, you won’t have the books much longer.”
“Why not?”
“You need to destroy them before you reach the mainland.”
Erick didn’t have to ask why. The tomes could not fall into the hands of Eligos’s followers. With the Master free again, he could begin training new Necromancers to his cause. Without the rituals, they would be crippled, giving Erick and the others more time. He forced a smile. “Then I guess I’ll have to study them on the ship and learn quickly.”
“Farewell, son. Help banish Eligos and free my soul. Whether I go to Caros or the Demons, I will accept my fate. I’m sorry for more than I can ever tell you. But I believe in you. Take what we have taught you and use your will and strength to do what I couldn’t.”
“I miss you, dad. I miss mom.”
“I know, but know that at least your mother waits for you in the Heaven of Caros. If you succeed, perhaps Alakanath will show mercy, and I too will be there when the day comes that you join us. Luck of Denech, son.”
The barest pink light of dawn appeared on the horizon. Darric faded away.
Erick wiped his face. He looked at the ruins of his home, and then glanced at his mother’s necklace, still in his hand. Wearing Denech’s symbol was supposed to bring luck. Perhaps it was a good omen the necklace survived the all-consuming fire, a divine sign.
Or maybe it’s just a nice way to remember your parents, our home, and all the other things we’ve lost, Blink thought to Erick.
Maybe. Erick slipped the talisman over his head. He turned away from the house and found Elissia and Corby engaged in whispered conversation.
“Blink, grab one of the sacks.” Erick picked up the other heavy bag. “Thank you for being my friends,” he said to Elissia and Corby. “I wish I could have stayed longer, to get to know you better. I...” he stopped, terrified at the prospect of leaving. The manor was the only home he had known. He had to go before he lost his nerve. He forced himself to continue. “I’ll probably never be back, so goodbye.”
He started to walk away, but Elissia blocked his progress. She had a crooked smile on her oval face, and Corby stared anywhere but at Erick. “You can’t get away that easily,” she said. “We’re going with you.”
10
I’m often asked if, given a chance to do things again, would I still have traveled with the Dark Savior? I find such musings an exercise in futility since I will never have the chance, but the answer is always yes. I lost much, but had I stayed behind, my life would have been so much the poorer for my timidity.
-Excerpt from a lecture by Corberin of Draymed, given at the University of Straph
Things had worked out flawlessly for Elissia. After being here for three long years, trapped, Erick now had a way for her to return home. She had learned early in life to take advantage of an opportunity when it presented itself.
Erick stared at her and Corby with an expression of shock so earnest that she almost laughed.
“What are you talking about?” Erick asked.
“We’re going with you,” Elissia repeated.
“No, you’re not. Broken Mountain is a long way away, and you can’t travel that far.”
“Are you aware of how far it is?” Corby asked. “Or how to get there?”
“Not really,” Erick admitted. “But I can...”
“First, you have to go to Keyport, which is a day’s walk. Then you have to find a ship to Kalador and take at least a five-day journey across the World’s Circle Ocean to the mainland; then you go northwest up the Routh Krinnik about sixty leagues. On foot, since I doubt you can no longer afford a horse.”
“Thank you. Now I know the way.”
Corby shook his head. “I’m trying to show you I can be helpful. We’re your friends.”
“And that’s why I don’t want you to go with me,” Erick said.
Elissia smiled. Erick thought he was protecting them from danger, but he had no idea how little he knew. “You’re going to Kalador?”
“I guess I have to since that’s what Corby said.”
This time, Elissia did laugh. “Then I most certainly have to go with you. I couldn’t live with myself if I let you march blindly into that wyvern’s nest without some protection.”
Erick frowned. “I can protect myself. And I have Blink.”
Elissia walked up to Erick and took his soft hand in hers. “Kalador is a completely different world. As soon as you step off the ship, the Procurers will steal you blind, and then the Royal Force will ‘recruit’ you as a soldier or sailor, depending on which they need at the time. That’s assuming some rich noble doesn’t spot you and take a liking to your beautiful blue eyes and curly brown hair. As for Blink, the only way he’d be welcomed is stuffed and mounted.”
“Is it really that bad?” Erick asked
“I’m downplaying it to keep from scaring you,” she answered.
Corby spoke up. “And if the things we can see on the mainland are half as intriguing as what I saw here, I’ll learn enough to earn my journeyman’s diamond.” He pointed to the apprentice’s ruby in his ear.
“What about your aunt and uncle?” Erick asked her.
“What about them?”
He turned to Corby. “And your parents?”
The apprentice scholar shuffled his feet and ran a hand over his hair. He started to speak, stopped, turned to Elissia.
Although Corby had never shared the reason, Elissia knew the friction between her cousin and his parents rivaled that of hers with her Aunt Beatru. He had almost shouted with joy when she whispered that she wanted him to come along. In many ways, he wanted to escape more than she did, but he didn’t have her experience with defying authority. “What his parents don’t know won’t hurt them,” she told Erick.
Erick’s round face s
crunched in indecision, so she pressed on. “We don’t have time to argue. We’re going, and that’s all that matters. The town will be stirring soon. There’s no telling what Fathen and Keven might be planning. We need to move before he rouses anyone against you, if he hasn’t already.” Hating herself even as she did it, she moved closer, rubbed her hand against his upper arm, and said, “Now let’s go before it’s too late.”
Arrows of delight shot through Erick at Elissia’s touch, but he tried to ignore them. He had no idea how he would get to Broken Mountain, but he didn’t want it to be through endangering his friends. Dire enough he had Eligoi assassins coming after him; he didn’t want to see Elissia and Corby under their knives.
Who’s to say they’re any safer here if the Eligoi come searching for you after you’ve left. Blink thought. Maybe you should let them come along. We’ll be safer in a group than going it alone. I imagine Elissia knows what she’s doing. She’s full of surprises.
Yes, she is, Erick agreed, remembering how easily she threw him off last night, and the knives she had pulled seemingly from nowhere. He sighed, realizing he had little choice. “Okay. What do we do?”
Elissia smiled and let go of his arm. Erick immediately missed the contact.
“We need to get you past town and waiting out of sight,” Elissia said, “then Corby and I will gather supplies as quickly as we can and meet you.”
“Do we have time for that?” Corby asked.
“We’ll have to make time. We can’t get far without money. I’ll be fine as long as I can get in and out before Beatru wakes up. And your parents sleep late. What rotation is Cary on?”
“Night,” Corby said, “so he’ll have just gone to bed.”
“Then let’s move.”
“I have one thing I need to do,” Erick said.
“Be quick,” Elissia said as she frowned at the horizon.
Erick walked to the priquana near the outbuilding. Here stood the last ties to his old life, and deep reluctance to say goodbye made him pause. Others thought them abominations, perversions of nature, but to Erick, they had been his family and only friends for seventeen years. He couldn’t take them with him, but to let them go admitted his life here had disappeared beyond recovery.
