The Serpent Cult (Heroes of Ravenford Book 2)

by F. P. Spirit

  “Sure.” Seth reached into a small pocket in his vest and handed the ring over to Aksel.

  Aksel put the ring on and faced the door again. A look of fierce concentration crossed his face. A few seconds later, he relaxed. Through the open doorway, Glo saw The Boulder move. The creature stepped over the short fence and slowly marched up the path to the front of the house. Its heavy footsteps resounded on the flagstone walkway. When it reached the open doorway, it bent down and inserted its huge frame through it. Once inside, the golem slowly turned around. When it stopped moving, it stood facing out toward the open door. “That’ll stop anyone from sneaking up on us.”

  Seth nodded approvingly. “Not a bad idea.”

  Aksel ushered Seth before him. “Well then, let’s start searching the rest of the house.”

  Seth smirked as he strode forward and slipped past Aksel. Glo followed the other two into the main hall. The house was silent as a tomb. A long hallway ran down its center. It was sparsely furnished, a red carpet stretched along its entire length, a small table against one wall. Lamps sat on sconces at regular intervals along the hallway, with a few paintings hung in between. The hall ended at a pair of glass double doors covered with opaque material that let the light in from the outside. On their immediate left and right were two closed doors. The one on the left led to the parlor where they had previously met with Maltar.

  “The parlor’s empty,” Seth whispered over his shoulder.

  Aksel pointed to the right door. “Where does this go?”

  Glo called up a mental image of the house. “That leads down to the basement.”

  “I took a peek down there. It’s pretty dark,” Seth told them.

  Aksel stroked his chin for a moment before speaking. “We’ll come back to that later. Let’s work our way up first.”

  The trio continued down the hall. A few feet farther up on their left was a finely varnished wooden staircase. An ornately carved banister rose along its side. At the top they could see a landing with more stairs visible through the dark wooden railing.

  “What else is on the first floor?” Aksel whispered.

  Glo pointed down the hall. There was a second hallway ahead, a few feet off to the right. “That leads to the apprentices’ apartments.”

  “I checked those, too. All empty,” Seth whispered.

  At the end of the hall were two more doorways, one on either side. “And those?” Aksel pointed.

  Seth ticked off on his fingers. “Dining room, and closet, and small porch behind the glass doors. All empty. There’s also a back door off the porch. It was closed but unlocked. There was no sign of anyone out back.”

  Glo marked off the rooms Seth had mentioned in his mind. “That just leaves the kitchen. It’s off the dining room.”

  “I peeked in there, too. Didn’t see anyone,” Seth acknowledged.

  Aksel gazed up at Glo, his expression pensive. “Anything off the kitchen?”

  Glo tried to picture the kitchen. He recalled two doors in that room. One led to the dining room. The other was lined with shelves of food. “Just a pantry.”

  Aksel peered past them down the hall, his hand still on his chin and his brow furrowed as he decided what to do next. “Let’s take a quick look anyway.”

  Seth led the way. The kitchen indeed appeared empty. The inside walls were lined with dark grey stone counters and mahogany-colored cabinets. In the center of the room was a small island, topped with the same dark grey stone as the counters. A slab of beef, some utensils, and a few jars lay out on it. It appeared as if someone had been preparing a meal. Inset into the outside wall was a decently-sized hearth. A medium-size cauldron hung in it. It appeared as if the hearth had been lit, but the fire had long since died. Only orange embers remained now, scattered across the floor of the fireplace.

  Seth entered the kitchen ahead of them. He crept around the island and suddenly froze in place. He gazed over his shoulder at them and silently raised a finger to his lips. He then pointed behind the island. Aksel and Glo quietly stepped forward and peered over his shoulder. There on the floor, between the island and the hearth, was a small pool of blood.

  Glo closed his eyes and shook his head. This doesn’t look good. Something brushed his arm. Glo nearly jumped out of his skin! He spun around and saw Seth behind him. The halfling pointed toward the pantry door. There was a faint red stain at the base. Seth crept to the door and carefully pushed on it. Glo felt himself tense as it swung inward. On the floor in the middle of the tiny room lay the cook! Aksel quickly pushed past them and knelt down beside the body. After a brief examination he gazed up at the others, his expression grave.

  “Stabbed, just like Abracus.”

  Glo hung his head. He had only met the cook briefly. He had seemed like a nice enough fellow. He certainly did not deserve to die like this.

  Aksel stood up. His face had gone ashen, but his voice sounded hard. “Let’s move on upstairs.”

  The trio returned to the main hall, Seth leading the way once again. When they reached the base of the stairs, the halfling held out his hand.

  “You two wait here,” he whispered.

  Glo and Aksel merely nodded. They watched in silence as Seth climbed the stairs and disappeared above.

  Seth stealthily ascended the staircase. He could clearly see the upper flight through the wooden banister. It appeared empty. Seth crept across the bare floor of the landing and continued his upward climb. There was a hallway above and another flight of stairs visible through the banister. Seth stopped just before the last step. From this vantage point, he could see all the way down the hall to the right. This hallway was similar to the one on the first floor. A long carpet ran down the center, just like below. The walls also had lamps at regular intervals, but were otherwise bare. The hallway ended at a window. Seth leaned forward and peered around the corner to his left. This hallway ran the length of the house as well, ending in another window. The silence up here is eerie.

  Seth carefully stepped out into the hall and gauged his surroundings. There were three doors to his left and three more to his right. The stairs upward were identical to the ones he had just climbed, made of finely varnished wood. The ornate banister continued upwards, but stopped a few stairs beyond the second landing. The rest of the flight was hidden behind a solid wall.

  Something caught his eye on the staircase. There was a substance dripping down from the landing above. It was dark and red. Seth’s eyes narrowed, his hand instinctively unsheathing a dagger from his belt. He slowly ascended the stairwell, his back to the wall as he went. The top of the landing finally came into view. It was covered with blood!

  Seth peered through the banister at the upper stairwell. Just where the wall began, he caught a glimpse of something black. He stood perfectly still and listened sharply, but all remained silent. There was no hint of movement from above. Seth began his ascent once more. A black shape became visible on the upper stairs. It was a body—a body in a black robe. He reached the landing and skirted carefully around the pool of blood. He could now see all the way up the next flight. There lay not one, but two black-robed figures in a heap about halfway up the steps. Neither figure moved.

  Well, I found the assassins. Or what’s left of them, Seth amended.

  Their faces were still shrouded in hoods, but the robes were sliced in a number of places. Cut flesh could be seen in those tears, blood dripping from the wounds, down to the landing below. The rest of the stairs appeared clear, but Seth knew better. Something had ripped these two to shreds. Blade trap most likely. The trigger must be hidden under one of these stairs.

  Seth carefully climbed to the step just below the bodies. He knelt down and examined the corpses. One of the figures’ lower arm lay bare, a tattoo of a serpent clearly visible on it. Well, that answers that. Not just assassins, but Serpent Cult as well. Pretty bold move to
attack Maltar’s house... or desperate.

  Seth shifted his search to the stairs underneath the bodies. The second step up moved a bit under his hand. Pressure plate. Nice little trap.

  He checked the next stair beyond and found a second pressure plate. Seth’s mouth twisted into a half smirk. Maltar doesn’t trust anyone.

  The next step beyond was clear. Seth cautiously maneuvered his way over the two steps to that one, then climbed toward the top of the stairwell, checking each stair as he went. He also examined the walls. Somewhere, there had to be a mechanism to disarm the blades. Seth made it all the way to the top. The stairwell ended here, at a door to the third floor. He found the trap control mechanism right next to it. Seth shook his head. Maltar probably came upstairs, armed the device, and then went about his business. If anyone was foolish enough to follow him up here, it was just too bad for them.

  The mechanism itself was fairly simple, a gear-and-pinion type device. Seth had it disarmed in less than a minute. Once the trap was disabled, he went back to the two bodies. He searched them thoroughly. Aside from a pair of nasty-looking knives, one of the men was carrying a huge diamond. The sparkling jewel must have been an inch in diameter. He just caught himself from letting out a low whistle. This has to be worth a small fortune. Payment for the job of hitting Maltar’s home, more than likely.

  That would explain why these assassins were so brazen. Greed made people do almost anything. Seth knew that only too well. Oh, well, no use letting this go to waste.

  Seth pocketed the shiny stone, stood up and returned to the top of the stairs. He examined the door closely, but could find no trace of any wires. There was nothing to suggest another trap. The door was locked, of course. Well, not for long.

  He got out his pick and began to work the lock. He almost had it when his pick scraped something next to the tumblers. Dragon dung!

  Seth yanked out his pick, but it was too late. He felt a gust of wind suddenly pick up around him. Seth immediately spun around and bolted down the stairs. He leapt over the assassins’ bodies, grabbed the railing, and vaulted himself over the landing. Seth’s feet hit the flight below, not stopping as he ran down toward the second floor. He had almost reached the bottom when he vaulted over the banister again and landed on the next flight. Seth charged down those steps and yet again flung himself over the banister, this time yelling a single word ahead of him.

  “Run!”

  Aksel immediately heeded him, turning and sprinting down the hallway toward the front door. Unfortunately, Glo hesitated, a bewildered look upon his face.

  “I said run!” Seth scrambled down the last steps, skirted passed the waiting wizard, and bolted down the hall beyond. Behind him, Glo began to move, but it was too little too late.

  A quick glance over his shoulder confirmed what he expected to see. A whirling vortex came sweeping down the steps. Paintings flew off the wall, the small table in the hall upended, and lamps were blown off their sconces. It caught up to Glo and swept him off his feet, then stopped there at the bottom of the steps. The whirlwind whipped the elf around like a rag doll, spinning him mercilessly.

  Seth screeched to a halt, whipping back around to face the creature that had his friend. The whirlwind was large. It spanned the width of the hallway and reached all the way to the ceiling. Dragon dung! This Maltar doesn’t fool around.

  It was a Great Air Elemental. The winds from the creature would soon tear Glo apart! We need to get him out of there fast.

  Seth drew his knives and ran forward. He was not sure what his small blades would do against a creature made of air, but he had to try something. Suddenly the hallway around him began to shake. What now?

  Seth halted and glanced over his shoulder. He was just in time to see the doors to the foyer fly off their hinges. They sailed out into the hallway, slamming into the walls on either side. A large figure marched through the entryway and lumbered straight for him. It was The Boulder. Seth jumped back and flattened himself against the wall, just in time. The stone golem stomped by him and marched toward the stairs, halting in front of the whirling elemental. The Boulder was tall, but the air creature towered over him. Glo was still caught inside the vortex. Seth could hear his cries as he was whipped around.

  “Woahhh! Woahhh!”

  The Boulder raised its huge arms. Seth flinched. If the golem started flailing away at the creature, Glo would be pulped! Yet, instead of swinging at the elemental, The Boulder took a step forward. It stretched its long arms out into the whirlwind.

  It’s trying to catch Glo! Smart, Aksel, very smart.

  The little cleric had drawn up next to him. Seth nodded curtly to him, but Aksel’s eyes lay fixed on the scene before them. The duo stood there, side by side, grim-faced as The Boulder attempted to grasp the spinning elf. The sudden sound of heavy footfalls caused Seth to whirl around and crouch into a defensive stance. A tall form rushed down the hallway toward them. Seth immediately recognized the figure. Lloyd!

  Lloyd rushed passed them, drawing his twin blades, both coming alight as he did. Seth, daggers in hand, followed close behind. The Boulder’s arms were now completely immersed in the elemental, its great weight preventing it from being buffeted by the fierce winds. Glo was now at the top of the whirlwind, the elemental trying to keep its captive out of the golem’s reach.

  Lloyd and Seth got as close as possible without being swept up themselves. Man and halfling swung and stabbed at the creature. They must have hit something in all that wind because the monster visibly shuddered from each swipe. Without warning, there was a blinding flash and a resounding boom.

  Krrraaaacckkkk!

  Seth and Lloyd jumped back instinctively as the elemental lit up from the inside. That’s lightning!

  Seth blinked his eyes until his vision cleared. Up above, Glo still swirled around at the top of the whirlwind. Seth was impressed. Somehow, Glo had managed to fire off that spell. In spite of the high winds, Glo’s arms began to move again. Seth immediately recognized those motions. He’s trying to cast another spell.

  The elemental must have realized it as well. Without warning, it ejected Glo from its body. Seth’s eyes went wide as Glo flew overhead. He arced through the air, landing far down the hallway. The hapless elf tumbled end over end until he finally stopped by the broken doors where he lay in a heap. Aksel was already on the move, reaching Glo’s side in seconds and kneeling over the still form. Seth fought down the urge to run after them as well. Glo was in good hands, and they still had an elemental to take care of.

  After a momentary pause, Lloyd weighed back in. He swung furiously at the elemental, both his blades burning bright. Seth darted in and out once more, stabbing at the creature with both daggers. The elemental continued to shudder, but neither man nor halfling slowed down or backed away. The Boulder then joined the fray. Overhead, two huge grey arms swung at the giant whirlwind. The creature visibly flinched from each blow. After a few more swings, the elemental tried to withdraw. Suddenly a red-hot beam arced overhead. It lanced past the golem and caught the elemental full on. Seth glanced over his shoulder. At the end of the hall, Glo was up again. He knelt on one knee, his right hand pointing down the hall while Aksel supported him under the other arm. A grim smile crossed Seth’s lips. As he spun back around, he noticed something strange. Is it my imagination or are the winds dying down?

  Inside the dervish, he could vaguely see the outline of a transparent figure. Its back was arched, and it appeared to be silently screaming. The winds died down a bit more, and then the form abruptly vanished! The whirlwind slowly sputtered to a stop and then completely disappeared.

  Seth breathed a sigh of relief. It’s over.

  Lloyd was flushed from exertion. “That was some battle!”

  Seth peered at the tall young man and for once genuinely smiled. “You can say that again.”

  Down the hall, Aksel held o
nto Glo, the latter with a look of keen satisfaction on his face. Seth sheathed his daggers and strode toward the duo. A number of smart remarks came to mind, but before he could utter a single word, Glo closed his eyes and slumped down. Aksel struggled but managed to keep him from falling. Seth and Lloyd reached them as Aksel eased Glo onto the floor.

  Lloyd’s voice was laced with concern. “Is he alright?”

  “He’ll be fine,” Aksel assured them. “I told him you guys could handle it, but he insisted on shooting the thing.”

  Seth shook his head and let out a short laugh. “If he’d just listened when I said run...”

  He was interrupted by a voice from the foyer. “Did I miss anything?”

  Martan stood in the entryway, newly-fixed bow in hand. The archer’s eyes were wide as he took in the smashed doors, the thrown furniture, and the general destruction up and down the hallway. “This place looks like it was hit by a hurricane!”

  Seth, Aksel, and Lloyd all laughed.

  “More or less,” Seth quipped.

  Martan eyes came to rest on Glo. His face went pale. “What happened to Glolindir?”

  A wide smirk crossed Seth’s lips. “I guess you could say he spun out of control.”

  Dark Magic

  Here was clear evidence that he was dabbling in dark magic

  Glolindir opened his eyes. He quickly shut them as brilliant light flooded his vision. He slowly reopened them. The light itself emanated from two small glowing hands that hovered over his body. Glo blinked a few more times until he was finally able to focus. The serene face of Aksel floated a couple of feet above those hands.

  I’m being healed, but why?

  Glo tried to move, but his entire body ached.

  “Lay still,” Aksel admonished him.

  “What... happened?” Glo’s throat felt dry. He barely managed to form the words.

  “You mean aside from the fact you were tossed around like a rag doll?” a familiar voice responded.