The Serpent Cult (Heroes of Ravenford Book 2)

by F. P. Spirit

  “That’s... quite... alright...” Aksel managed to squeak out as she embraced him.

  Kailay held onto him a few moments longer, then let go and stood up. She spun around and peered at Glo strangely. Before he could say anything, she strode up to him and threw her arms around his neck. Standing on her toes, she brought her face up to his and kissed him full on the lips. Glo’s head swam as the ardent young woman hung onto him tightly. She smelled like fresh flowers, and her soft lips were wet against his. He felt his face grow warm as she continued to press up against him. Glo lost track of time, not sure whether it was moments or minutes that passed. Finally, Kailay pulled back. She looked up at him, a warm smile spread across her tear streaked face.

  “Thank you, Glolindir,” she said in a soft tone. “Those Angel Tears must have been awfully expensive.”

  “You have no idea,” Seth murmured quietly off to one side.

  They heard a moan from behind Aksel—it was Gristla. The wizard’s apprentice was beginning to stir. Kailay let go of Glo and rushed to her sister’s side. She knelt down next to her on the bed, grasping her hand. Glo still felt a bit flushed from Kailay’s display of gratitude. He turned to see Seth smirking at him. The halfling’s eyes danced as he stared back at Glo. Surprisingly there was no smart remark accompanying it. Glo smiled wanly, then strode to the edge of the bed.

  Gristla’s eyes were open as Kailay helped her to sit up. Kailay then sat back and grabbed her sister’s hands. She sat there contently, a smile across her tear streaked face. Gristla appeared somewhat bewildered. She shifted her gaze around the room, momentarily startled to see them all standing there.

  “It’s okay,” Kailay said, her tone reassuring. “You were hurt, remember? These folks healed you.”

  Gristla’s expression changed from one of confusion to fear. She pulled back and cowered in the corner of the bed, a moan escaping her lips.

  “Shhhh, shhhh,” Kailay said, sitting up on the bed. She reached out and took her frightened sister into her arms. “It’s okay. Everything’s going to be okay now,” she cooed, stroking her sister’s hair gently.

  Glo felt horrible. He did not blame Gristla for being afraid, considering all she had been through. He forced himself to smile and spoke in as reassuring a tone as he could muster. “You have nothing more to fear. The assassins are all dead.”

  “Dead?” Gristla peered up at him uncertainly from her sister’s arms.

  “Yes. They were caught in the master’s trap.” Glo continued to smile, despite the fact that he was lying. Some of the assassins had survived and made away with Voltark’s body. However, he did not have the heart to tell that to the frightened woman. His words definitely had the right effect. The fear slowly drained from Gristla’s face. She sat up a bit more, though she still held on tightly to Kailay. Now that she appeared calmer, Glo decided to question her. He would have liked to wait until she was fully recovered, but if there were still assassins out there, he couldn’t chance it. He sat down on the edge of the bed and spoke to her in a soft voice. “Gristla... can you tell us what happened?”

  A trace of fear momentarily rekindled in Gristla’s eyes, but it quickly disappeared. She spoke slowly at first. “It was terrible. The Master had just left.”

  Glo’s eyes moved from Aksel and Seth. That confirmed their suspicions. Maltar had not been there when the assassins attacked. As Gristla continued with her story, the words tumbled out quickly, her voice rising as her excitement grew.

  “I was up in my room when I heard a commotion downstairs. Then I heard a scream! I rushed down the steps to see what had happened. When I got to the bottom, I saw these strange figures in black robes. Two stood just inside the hallway, and the other two knelt on the floor in the foyer. She paused a moment and flinched, her eyes growing wide. She began again in a hushed voice.

  “There was something on the floor between them in the foyer... something grey. I suddenly realized... it was Abracus!” Her voice faltered on the apprentice’s name. Tears welled in her eyes and streamed down her cheeks.

  Kailay sat forward and drew her sister closer. Glo bowed his head as he thought of Abracus. Once again he saw him lying there in the foyer, surrounded by a pool of his own blood. He felt his anger rise. These Serpent Cultists and their blatant disregard for life infuriated him. Glo caught himself—getting angry wouldn’t help now. He took a deep breath and gazed at Gristla. Kailay had managed to calm her down, and she began to speak once more. Her speech was halted, her voice thick with emotion.

  “The two men... in the hall... must have spotted me. Without a word... they rushed down the hall... toward the stairs.” Gristla’s eyes widened and unfocused as she continued. It was as if she were seeing the events unfold before her again. “Without thinking... I turned and ran back up the stairs. When I reached the second floor... they were right behind me! At that point, I panicked. I forgot the Master had left. I ran up the next flight and yelled for him.”

  Her voice grew quiet. “They caught me on the landing. They grabbed my arms and held me. Then I felt this sharp pain in my stomach. I looked down and realized... I had been stabbed...”

  Kailay gasped. She pulled her sister closer and hugged tight. Gristla gently pushed Kailay back. She smiled at her wanly. “It’s okay, Sis. I need to tell them the rest.”

  Gristla’s eyes fell on Glo. He forced himself to smile back. Gods, she’s brave.

  “I figured my only chance was to play dead. I let my body go limp. It must have worked because they dropped me to the floor.” Gristla paused, shifting herself around on the bed. She appeared very tired. “As I lay there, I heard footsteps going up the next flight. There was a loud click and then all these swooshing sounds and screams.”

  A thin smile spread across her lips. “I knew they had walked into the Master’s trap. Abracus had warned me about it. He said if I ever had to fetch the Master, to avoid the third and fourth steps on the last flight.”

  Glo’s eyes flickered toward Seth. A thin smirk crossed the halfling lips.

  “The screams finally stopped, and I heard two thumps on the stairs above. Then there was dead silence.” A look of satisfaction crossed Gristla’s face. “I silently counted to ten, then opened my eyes. The assassins lay on the stairs above me, sliced into pieces.”

  She took a deep breath. Kailay opened her mouth to speak, but Gristla held up her hand. “I’m almost done. My stomach felt as if it were on fire, but I managed to lift myself up. That’s when I heard another scream from downstairs.”

  She paused once more and closed her eyes. She was tiring fast. Her eyes snapped back open, and she began to speak once more. “I carefully made my way down the steps and peered into the main hall. I was just in time to see the other two men in black enter the basement. I slipped out the front door and came straight here to the Inn.”

  Gristla sat back against the headboard. She looked exhausted. Glo found himself admiring this woman. Her courage and wit in such a dire situation was remarkable. He wanted to let her rest, but there was still one more question he needed to ask. He smiled at her with compassion. “You wouldn’t happen to know what happened to Maltar or Flibin?”

  She shook her head slowly. Her expression was puzzled. “No. I don’t know where the Master went. Flibin was in the house with the rest of us, though. I thought maybe it was him I heard scream.”

  Glo shook his head. “That was the cook. We found his body in the pantry.”

  Gristla bowed her head, a pained expression on her face.

  “However, there was no sign of Flibin. We searched the entire house.”

  Gristla gazed back up at him. “That is odd. I am sure I heard him downstairs before the whole thing started.” She suddenly sat up, her eyes going wide. “You don’t think he had anything to do with this? Do you?”

  Glo shook his head again. “Sadly, it kind of looks that way.”
/>
  Gristla’s face took on a faraway look. “Now that you mention it, he had been acting kind of funny lately. He seemed very jumpy. Almost... nervous.”

  Glo let out a long sigh. His eyes shifted from Aksel to Seth. The latter had an I told you so look on his face. Deep down, Glo had known as well, but it was his nature to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Well, that confirmed it. Flibin had turned on them. Glo put aside his thoughts and smiled warmly at Gristla. “Thank you. You’ve been a tremendous help. Rest now.”

  Still smiling, he stood up and backed away from the bed. Gristla smiled back, then her eyes closed. “You’re... welcome...” She wearily slumped down into her bed.

  Aksel stepped forward and ran his hands over Gristla’s body. When he was done he whispered, “She’s fine, just fast asleep.”

  “Rest now, Sis,” Kailay said softly, gently rubbing her sister’s forehead. She looked over her shoulder and mouthed the words, “Thank you.” Glo smiled and nodded, then he, Aksel, and Seth left the room, closing the door to the servant’s quarters quietly behind them.

  Maltar’s Journal

  It is described as a giant fireball with the power to level an entire city

  Back in the common room, Lloyd waited with Martan for the others to return. Both had scoured the town for Maltar and his apprentices, but failed to find anyone who had seen them. They had been sitting in their usual booth for a short while when Martan nodded behind them. “There’s the others.”

  Lloyd saw Aksel, Seth, and Glo coming out of a door next to the kitchen. He stood and waved in their direction. The trio saw him and came over. As they slid into the booth, Lloyd noted how tired they all looked. He nodded toward the door they come through. “What room is that?”

  “It’s the servant’s quarters,” Aksel said. “Seth found Gristla in there.”

  “Really?” Now he was even more curious. “What’s she doing here?”

  “She’s Kailay’s sister,” Glo said.

  Lloyd nodded. Kailay’s sister. The thought of the young barmaid made him momentarily flinch. Although they had worked out their differences at the party, Lloyd still felt guilty about hurting the barmaid’s feelings. Although he still wasn’t sure exactly what he had done to offend her. Lloyd’s thoughts were interrupted by his rumbling stomach. The others laughed. Lloyd grinned sheepishly. “What? I haven’t eaten since we made it back to Ravenford.”

  It had been a long day, and none of them had eaten in quite a while. It was dinnertime now, and they ordered a meal. While they waited, Glo recounted Gristla’s tale. Lloyd listened intently. He was angry when he heard how she had been stabbed. He slammed his fist on the table. “I wish I had been there.”

  “I wish you had been there, too,” a female voice agreed.

  Lloyd spun around and saw Kailay standing next to their table. She held a large circular tray with their dinner on it. The young woman smiled warmly at him.

  “I’m really sorry about what happened to your sister,” Lloyd told her.

  “Thank you, Lloyd,” she smiled again. Kailay placed the huge tray on their table then stood back. Her eyes flickered around the table, her expression rather fond. “She’s sleeping soundly now, thanks to all of you.”

  Lloyd was surprised by what happened next. Kailay bent in front of Glo. “And as for you... you let me know if you need anything special.”

  Glo turned a bright shade of red. “Umm... th—thanks...”

  Kailay laughed and stood up, then slowly sauntered back toward the kitchen. She glanced back over her shoulder and flashed Glo a devastating smile.

  Seth smirked at Lloyd. “I think you’ve been displaced.”

  “I guess...” Lloyd trailed off. He was completely mystified by what had just happened.

  Glo’s face was flushed. “She’s just... very friendly.”

  Aksel finished Gristla’s story while they ate, then proceeded to tell them about their meeting with the Baron. Lloyd got excited when he heard about the tournament. When he found out that Gryswold had entered him, he was both surprised and touched. He vowed he would do his best to make Gryswold proud. When dinner was over, they all sat back. It was the first break they had gotten all day. Glo, silent all this time, finally spoke up.

  “We should probably let Elladan know what’s going on.”

  “Good idea.” Aksel turned toward Martan. “Would you mind looking for him?”

  “Will do,” Martan promised. He slid out of the booth and stood up.

  “Thanks. When you find him, tell him everything that happened, both out on the coast, and here since we got back.”

  Martan began to walk away.

  Aksel called after him. “Oh, and one more thing.”

  Martan spun back around.

  “Ask him to meet us here first thing in the morning. We should all be involved in the planning for tomorrow’s party.”

  Martan nodded, then strode away to look for Elladan. Lloyd watched him exit the tavern. Once he was gone, Lloyd turned back toward the others. “I guess we should go report to the Baron.”

  Glo held up a finger. “Actually, since no one seems to know where Maltar is, I think we should look at his journal first.”

  Aksel agreed. “Good idea. There may be clues in it as to his current whereabouts.”

  “That makes sense,” Lloyd said.

  They all got up, left Kailay a good tip, and headed upstairs to their rooms.

  The four of them reconvened a short while later up in Lloyd and Glo’s room. Glo sat on his bed, took out Maltar’s journal, and laid it out in front of him. The rest sat on Lloyd’s bed facing the wizard. The sun had just set outside, the darkness of the night descending over the inn. Glo reached for the table lamp next to his bed. He drew it closer and adjusted the knob. The lamp flame sprung to life. Its flickering form cast dancing shadows against the walls of the room. Glo watched the shadows for a moment, an eerie feeling washing over him. He cast a sidelong glance at the others. Aksel and Lloyd were somber. Even Seth was abnormally subdued. Glo shook his head, then glanced back down at the journal. He opened it and began skimming through it, looking for entries of relevance. Lloyd, Seth, and Aksel continued to watch him in silence. Even the town outside had grown quiet. The only sounds that could be heard were the flipping of the journal pages in front of him. A few more minutes went by when Glo suddenly stopped. He had found a reference in the journal to the mage Telvar—the one they had crossed swords with up at Stone Hill. The entry was from about ten days prior.

  Glo cleared his throat. “I think I’ve found something.” Aksel, Seth, and Lloyd all sat forward.

  “What is it?” Aksel asked.

  “It’s about Telvar,” Glo said. He placed his finger on that section of the page and traced along as he read aloud.

  “Iunius the 8th, 1047. It was only through luck that I heard about Telvar’s find. Obviously bad luck for him since he now lies dead in my cold cellar. So intent on my preparation to face the council exam, I had scarcely credited the story, only bothering to send the usual crew of bumbling adventurers to recover the scroll, and expecting only a pile of charred ash for my small trouble.

  But lo, what I now hold in my shaken hands is not what Telvar thought was a mere lost Magi spell but is instead a legendary incantation of supreme power and incalculable danger. It seems likely from what the crew of adventurers I hired say that somehow Telvar came across a stash of the Golem Master, Larketh.

  The Golems that Telvar employed are of a type created from manuals that Larketh mass produced from the true Tome of Rarknothar during the Thrall War. They are mostly lesser creations compared to Larketh’s main works but still far beyond Telvar’s meager power. It is possible that the scroll was from a time before Larketh turned to undeath, perhaps a spoil from the ill-fated Invasion of Shadeanon, although the chronicles are uncle
ar...”

  Seth’s eyes flickered around the room, a smug expression on his face. “I was right! That was no mere scroll.”

  “Maltar obviously didn’t think so,” Glo agreed. Maltar’s description of a legendary incantation of supreme power and incalculable danger had him quite worried.

  “And now we know what happened to Telvar’s body,” Seth added.

  Aksel stroked his chin. “Indeed. Maltar must have retrieved it and kept it in the basement. That’s what that second casket contained.”

  Seth wore a wide smirk. “Well, Glo, that Master of yours is looking darker and darker by the moment.”

  Glo hung his head. “Thanks, but I don’t think I will be calling him Master again anytime soon.”

  Lloyd’s face was a mask of uncertainty. “Does this mean that The Boulder is actually one of the Golem Master’s creations?”

  Glo smiled. “Yes, Lloyd, I believe it does.”

  “And this Tome of Rarknothar was Larketh’s?” Lloyd asked.

  Aksel answered this time. “Indeed. It was Larketh’s primary manual of golem creation.”

  Lloyd sat back on the bed looking quite impressed. While Aksel and Lloyd talked, Glo continued flipping through the journal. The next few entries caused him to raise an eyebrow.

  Aksel peered at him curiously. “What now?”

  “You’re going to want to hear this,” Glo responded. He recited the next group of entries.

  “Iunius the 9th, 1047. I transcribed the spell and made a few brief test cants before I realized the dark power contained therein. Now I fear my shield not strong enough to hide what I in hasty folly have trifled with.

  Indeed, for, if as I suspect, the source of this spell’s power is one which shakes the very foundation of the world and gains notice from the hosts of both Infernal and Abysmal Darkness. If all is, as I fear it may be... perhaps, cold, dead Telvar is the lucky one after all...”