Keeper of the Realms: The Dark Army (Book 2)

by Marcus Alexander

  Surprisingly the young Stoman didn’t retreat, but bowed deeply. ‘Winged One,’ he began in a soft but well-spoken voice. ‘I mean no harm. I-I only came to see if I could offer some help.’

  Nibbler didn’t know what to say. It was obvious that he was in dire straits yet he was wary of allowing anyone he didn’t know close to Charlie.

  ‘Don’t … trust … him …’ groaned a voice.

  Turning round he found Charlie revived, but her eyes barely open. Disturbingly and somewhat frightening to behold, a flicker of both black and gold flames flittered and fizzed round her fingertips.

  ‘Can’t … trust … strangers … can’t … trust …’ Charlie’s eyes rolled up in her head and with a long shuddering sigh she passed out. Thankfully the shadowy flames disappeared too.

  Nibbler didn’t know what to make of the change coming over Charlie’s Will. Neither too, by the look of things, did the Stoman. Eyes wide, the boy took a step back.

  ‘Is-is she OK?’ he asked.

  ‘What does it look like?’ snapped Nibbler, fear for his friend causing him to grow angry. ‘She has suffered more –’

  ‘Winged One,’ interrupted the boy. ‘I can help.’

  ‘You what?’

  ‘I can help.’ The Stoman pointed at Charlie. ‘I can heal her leg.’

  Nibbler hesitated. He stared at his suffering friend and her cruelly twisted shin, then back to the Stoman boy with his large brown eyes and honest expression. Realizing he was risking everything, but also aware that he and Charlie were in terrible jeopardy, he struggled to reach a decision.

  ‘OK,’ said Nibbler at last. ‘But don’t hurt her. She … she just can’t take any more. OK?’

  The boy nodded. Walking forward, he knelt by Charlie’s side so he could better study her wound.

  ‘It’s a bad break,’ he muttered, talking more to himself than Nibbler. ‘It’s fractured and … No matter. This I can fix …’

  Shutting his eyes he began to sing, his hands taking on a soft blue glow.

  ‘Whoa! Whoa! What do you think you’re doing?’ asked Nibbler, alarmed by the presence of stonesinging so soon after his fight beneath the Stubborn Citadel.

  The soft blue glow disappeared when the boy stopped singing. ‘It is my Stonesong. I need it if I am to heal her leg. With it I can manipulate the calcium in her bone and the iron in her marrow.’

  Nibbler hesitated before consenting.

  Once again the boy started to sing and when his hands glowed blue he gently placed them on Charlie’s shattered leg.

  ‘First for the difficult bit. This will hurt your friend, but it will be quick.’

  Without waiting for Nibbler’s permission, he yanked Charlie’s shin straight. It was a violent motion and it obviously pained Charlie as, even unconscious, she arched her back. Strangely enough the boy’s glowing hands seemed to have a calming effect and Charlie stirred no more after that.

  Bowing his head, the boy began to chant a simple melody with a lilting voice. His hands glowed brighter, the blue colour grew more intense … and then he stopped.

  ‘It is done,’ he said simply. Rocking back on to his heels he waited in a crouch.

  Nibbler, still eyeing him with slight misgivings, padded over to inspect Charlie’s leg. Leaning in he sniffed at her leg. ‘It’s still bleeding,’ he said accusingly.

  ‘Of course, but I have welded her bone back together. It is as good as new. Winged One, if your friend was awake now I am certain that she would be able to walk again.’

  Nibbler looked at the boy with new-found wonder. ‘Amazing. But what about, you know … all the fleshy bits?’

  ‘Stonesinging has its limits. I can mend bone, but healing flesh is a talent that only lies with Treman healers. Surely you should know that?’

  ‘It’s a long story,’ grimaced Nibbler, not keen to explain yet again why his education was lacking. ‘What are you doing?’ he asked as the boy pulled a length of thread and a needle from the small bag he wore at his waist.

  ‘This? Well with the weight of the rock fruit that I carry to the market, my pannier often breaks so I have to repair it all the time. I thought I could use this to stitch her wound and … oh, wait a minute! I must recover my pannier. It has my pot in it and we will need it if I am to sterilize the needle and thread.’

  ‘Sterilize the thread?’

  ‘Sure, to stop any chance of infection. And if I look around I’m sure I can find some Birolac Stone.’

  Nibbler looked confused again. ‘Birolac Stone?’

  ‘It has healing properties in it. Please, Winged One, I will be back in a moment.’

  ‘Wait!’ urged Nibbler. ‘How do you know all this stuff?’

  The boy smiled brightly as fond memories filled his head. ‘My uncle. He taught me everything I know about the healing ways of Stonesong.’

  Nibbler nodded. ‘One more thing. What’s your name?’

  ‘Crumble Shard,’ said the boy. With a final smile he jogged off.

  Nibbler hesitated, uncertain of what to do. Part of him wanted to snatch Charlie up and see if he could fly her all the way to Sylvaris where he knew he could get her the best medical attention. But as much as he had recently grown, he was still too small to fly long distances with a passenger. Indeed it had been pure luck that when fleeing from the Stubborn Citadel they had been gifted with strong winds and high altitude. Without similar conditions he doubted that he and Charlie would get far. He too needed to rest, find some food and grow stronger. For the moment it seemed that Charlie was, relatively speaking, safe.

  What of this Stoman? he thought to himself. Is he as genuine as he appears?

  The boy seemed genuine and although Nibbler was deadly serious about preserving Charlie’s safety he also felt as though he had a natural intuition for reading a person’s character. Narcissa, Darkmount, even Flint the Councillor had immediately struck him as people with hidden agendas. However, he felt no niggling doubts about this boy.

  Besides, thought Nibbler and shrugged, right here, right now, what choice do Charlie and I have?

  Settling down with one wing wrapped protectively round his friend, he waited for the return of Crumble Shard.

  27

  Doubts and Decisions

  Charlie awoke with a gasp, her fingers scrabbling round her neck to find that her nightmares were indeed true.

  Her pendant was gone.

  ‘Darkmount,’ she whispered and clenched her hand into a fist. ‘My parents …’

  Charlie’s voice faded as she realized how completely she had failed in her task. Looking past her own family’s concerns, she also had to acknowledge that she had let Bellania down too. Without any hope of freeing the Winged Ones there would be nothing to stop Bane. Nothing to stop his dreams of conquest. Or if there was, Charlie had a suspicion that it would be Darkmount with his new god and his terrifying dreams of forcing his beliefs on Bellania. Neither prospect held any hope or joy.

  Thoughts, ideas and doubts danced through her brain, and the more she dwelled on recent unhappy developments the more she became aware that something had changed within her. A darkness, physical and very much alive, lay coiled within her chest. She could feel its strength, its power and somehow she couldn’t help but welcome it.

  Looking down, Charlie was pleasantly surprised to find her leg cleaned and bandaged and when she wriggled her toes she felt no pain. Uncertain of the cause of this minor miracle, she struggled to her feet and, even though she felt sore from minor aches and bruises, she did genuinely feel fit. She smiled as she looked at Nibbler sleeping next to her. Her faithful companion, one she could trust beyond all others. Her smile faltered as she noticed a young-looking Stoman asleep on the far side of the camp fire.

  Who’s he? Charlie thought to herself. And can I trust him?

  ‘Charlie?’

  She turned to find Nibbler with a look of concern on his face and beyond him the Stoman boy was also waking.

  ‘Charlie,’ continued Nibbler, ‘are
you OK? How do you feel?’

  ‘How do I feel?’ Charlie rose on the balls of her feet, testing the strength of her recently broken leg. ‘Other than being betrayed by that rat Darkmount? I feel … good. Really good. Who do I have to thank for mending my leg?’

  ‘Um … that would be me,’ said the Stoman somewhat shyly. ‘The bone wasn’t that difficult to fix and the gash on your leg cleaned up nicely so it should heal well too.’

  ‘Are you a doctor?’

  The boy blushed. ‘No. Nothing of the sort. I just know some healing that my uncle showed me. I’m not the best Stonesinger, but fixing a bone was –’

  ‘Stonesinging?’ interrupted Charlie. ‘You used stonesinging on me?’

  Nibbler, sensing how upset Charlie was, quickly did his best to calm her. ‘He’s OK, Charlie. Really. If it hadn’t been for Crumble Shard’s healing talents and help making camp and catching us some dinner we would really be down on our luck.’

  Charlie struggled to throw aside her suspicions and even though she knew next to nothing about this new Stoman she did know that she could trust Nibbler.

  ‘Sorry,’ she mumbled. ‘Strangers and stonesinging aren’t a good combination, at least not in my experience. But if Nibbler says you’re OK, then for now you’re OK. I owe you for fixing my leg and I hope that one day I can repay you, but right now we’ve got to go.’

  ‘Go?’ asked Nibbler in alarm as he watched Charlie raise her arms in preparation to open a Portal. ‘Go where? Charlie, we’ve got to come up with a plan before we do anything! You’ve already lost your pendant and you nearly lost your life! Now is most definitely not the time to be doing anything rash.’

  Charlie’s face momentarily fell at his mention of the pendant, but swiftly hardened into a mask of determination. ‘You’re right, I’ve lost a lot and, yes, you’re right we’ve got to make decisions, but I’m not doing it here. We’re going back to Sylvaris where at least we know we’ll be safe. Dridif can help us and so can Jensen –’

  ‘They’re gone, Charlie!’ interrupted Nibbler. ‘Jensen and Kelko got taken to the Soul Mines, remember? And I don’t ever really remember being that safe in Sylvaris either. The Delightful Brothers and Mr Crow are still out there somewhere and let’s not forget that Bane managed to send his Shades not once but twice into Deepforest. If anything, we’re safer here where no one knows us!’

  Charlie squirmed uncomfortably as she realized that in the heat of the moment she had forgotten that Jensen and Kelko were potentially in a great deal of trouble too. The burden of responsibility slammed down upon her shoulders. Friends, family, the future of Bellania …

  ‘So what am I supposed to do?’ she asked, finishing her train of thought aloud.

  ‘Winged One. Keeper,’ said Crumble Shard. ‘I know we have only just met and I know that in your eyes I am very much a stranger, but I would like to offer my help. My uncle always said that a problem shared is a problem halved. Perhaps if you were to voice your troubles we may be able to summon suitable counsel.’

  Charlie sucked on her lower lip as she gave his idea some thought. Both he and Nibbler had raised some valid points and after so many mistakes she knew she could no longer act without forethought. However one thing bothered her slightly. ‘Is it Crumble Shard or just Crumble?’

  ‘Uh, just Crumble is fine.’

  ‘Crumble, I have to ask … do you always speak so formally or are you talking like that just to impress us?’

  ‘Um …’ Crumble blushed again, his cheeks turning crimson with embarrassment. ‘No I do not, I mean, no I don’t. It’s just that I was always taught to show respect to Winged Ones and Keepers and now I’m talking to both of you at the same –’

  ‘Crumble?’ said Charlie, interrupting the flustered boy.

  ‘Uh, yes?’

  ‘Do me a favour. Talk normally, will you? I’m only fourteen, but when you talk to me like that you make me feel old.’

  ‘You’re fourteen?’ squawked Nibbler. ‘You told me you were thirteen!’

  ‘I was, but I worked out the date – I had my birthday five days ago.’

  ‘Five days ago?’ Nibbler scrunched his eyes shut as he struggled with the calculations. ‘What, you mean you had your birthday when we were in Alavis?’

  ‘Yup. My fourteenth birthday was spent hanging from my wrists.’ Charlie shook her head. ‘Great party decor too, lots of straw, cobwebs and a fine collection of stinking, scurrying rats for party guests. Bellania really knows how to show a girl a good time. Crumble, how old are you?’

  ‘Fifteen.’

  ‘Great. A fifteen-year-old, a fourteen-year-old and a seven-year-old. I bet Bane and Darkmount are tembling in their boots right now.’ Charlie did her best to rein in her sarcasm. ‘OK, I guess talking can’t hurt.’ She sat close to the fire and indicated that the others should do the same.

  ‘Seven in Winged One years isn’t the same as in your years,’ said Nibbler, who obviously felt honour bound to defend his age. ‘Really. I’m sure if there was a mathematical equation we’d probably work out that I’m closer to fourteen or fifteen too.’ Seeing the carefully polite look on Crumble Shard’s face and the more-to-the-point raised eyebrow of Charlie, Nibbler squirmed on the spot. ‘Fine, don’t believe me, then. See if I care.’

  Charlie sighed, rubbed at the empty spot round her neck then stared directly into Crumble’s eyes. ‘Let me tell you where we currently stand …’

  The sun had set hours ago, but Sic Boy continued to carry Jensen across the darkened landscape of the Great Plains. Although Jensen, as a Treman, was more used to the rich splendour of the forest surrounding Sylvaris, he was nonetheless a seasoned traveller and took delight in all the places that he visited. The grasslands of the plains did not have an ounce of the wildlife found in Deepforest, but if you knew where to look there were wonders to be seen: the huge herds of purple and green striped antelope, the soaring bila eagles, the crafty prairie foxes, the two-streak moths with their seven-foot wingspans and so much more than would have been believed in such a seemingly desolate place. Now that it was night Jensen found himself bewitched by the beautifully eerie mating song of fengris bats. In his attempt to spot the creatures his eyes had inched skyward and now he could hardly drag them away from the wonder of the stars. Bright and unmarred by any terrestrial lamps, lights or fires, they glowed supreme. Here, out in the wide, wide grasslands without trees or hills to encumber the view, the stars were awe-inspiring.

  Lost in his thoughts and his eyes diverted, he trusted Sic Boy’s good sense to maintain the right direction. When the large dog slowed and halted it took a moment for Jensen to snap out of his reverie.

  ‘Wot’s up, boy?’ he asked.

  But the cause of Sic Boy’s discomfort was obvious once Jensen looked down and saw a ghoulish green glow in the valley below.

  Sliding off Sic Boy’s back, Jensen crouched low and slowly inched his way forward for a better look. Always making sure there was a ridge or a crest of grass or a bush between him and the glow, Jensen circled closer and closer. When he thought he was near enough he slunk down on his stomach and slowly parted the knee-high grass so he could see clearly.

  At first he thought he was looking at a vista of statues. There were about twenty of them, all standing in geometric lines, but then the eerie green light flashed again. There was a moment of silence then the sound of something heavy thumping its way across the grass.

  Jensen held his breath in shock.

  It was one of the statues. It was moving. In fact, it was alive.

  The thing thumped its way over to the others then froze, becoming as still and as silent as its companions. There was further movement, but this time it was more natural. Raising his head, Jensen spied a Stoman standing over what he first assumed to be a cooking pot, but when he looked closer he realized that it was a stone urn. It was one of the sources of green light; the other was the Stoman himself whose fists glowed the same supernatural colour.

  ‘Stone Bishop,’ whisp
ered Jensen to himself.

  The Stoman muttered an inaudible request. The urn flashed and something next to it began to move.

  Jensen’s eyes widened.

  An egg of some sort appeared to be growing out of the ground. As he watched, it swelled and increased in size. Miraculously it twisted and transformed into one of those stony-looking creatures that he had mistaken for a statue. The thing stood upright then stamped over to join the others. Whatever these things were there were now twenty-two.

  Jensen frowned. Whatever or whoever this Stoman bishop was, it was obvious that he was building himself an army.

  ‘But why?’ whispered Jensen. ‘And wot on Bellania is in that urn?’

  He wanted to stay longer in the hope that some of his questions would be answered, but he forced his curiosity down. He had something more important to attend to: a young friend who needed saving.

  Slinking back the way he had come, he left the strange Stoman bishop with his ghost-like urn and silent but growing stone army.

  28

  Dark Tidings

  Crumble Shard rubbed uncomfortably at his head. He had a dazed look in his eyes as though he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. The three of them had talked for hours and he had to admit that he had been shocked by the problems that Charlie and Nibbler had encountered so far, but what Charlie had just proposed seemed ludicrous. Insane even.

  ‘So let me get this right. After everything that you’ve been through you want me to guide you to the Western Mountains so you can defeat Bane? In his own city?’

  ‘More or less.’ Charlie nodded. ‘I mean, what other choice do I really have? I have no idea where Darkmount is and as much as it hurts me to admit this … I don’t think I’m ever going to get my pendant back.’ Her voice faltered. Struggling to maintain a brave face, she continued: ‘That means the Winged Ones are out of the picture and, as Nibbler pointed out, there’s little reason for me to return to Sylvaris. Our ultimate goal still remains: if I’m to save my parents and keep Bellania free that means I’ve got to defeat Bane. We don’t know where the Soul Mines of Zhartoum are so we can’t come up with a plan of rescue for Jensen and Kelko, and even if we did know where they are, we don’t have any guarantees that the boys are there or if they were taken somewhere else. Again, the best thing we can do to help them is end this war. End all of it and once again that means confronting Bane. Any which way you look at it the path always leads there.’