Josef walked to where Daniel stood lost in thought.
“Ser Daniel, how are you?”
Daniel turned with a guarded expression on his face.
“I am fine, thank you. I have a few things on my mind.”
“Anything you want to share?”
“Actually there is one thing.” Daniels gaze became piercing. “The question is whether you want to hear it.”
Josef was unsettled by the intensity in Daniel’s gaze and voice. He tried to keep the tremor from his own voice.
“I won’t know unless you tell me, will I? You clearly think it is important so you had better tell me.”
“Very well. What I have to tell you relates to the founding of your Order, and what has gone wrong since then.”
Josef felt anger stir at the implied criticism of the Order, but as Daniel started to speak he was soon caught up in the tale. He listened raptly as Daniel spoke of the Golden Order and the man named Ned. Hearing about the Creeping Dark and how the vampires had first started sent a cold spike into his heart.
The tale ended with Ned transferring his memories just before heading out into the world to found… something. Had it truly been the Order he was setting out to found? The items Daniel described were certainly the same, or similar to, many of those the Order now used. But if Daniel was right then the Order had forgotten its purpose. Worse than that, it now worked against its original purpose. It hunted and destroyed those able to use natural magical powers rather than nurturing and supporting them. With each death they hurt their own cause more.
Or did they? Could he trust the word of one who was so badly compromised by magical power? Could it just be an elaborate tale to reinforce Daniel’s attempts to appear a force for good?
Josef was torn. If the tale was true then the startling changes within himself would actually be drawing him closer to the Order’s fundamental ideals, not driving him far from them. He recognised the danger therein. If Daniel’s tale was true then Josef wasn’t an abomination. A powerful reason to accept the tale, to believe in it.
“If what you say is true, if you saw a true vision from the past, then it might change everything. Or it might not. Maybe Ned was deluded. Maybe the dark power took him too, took all who worked with magical powers, and the guards had to kill him. Maybe the Order is now exactly how it should be.
Once this is over I need to seek out the leaders of the Order. I need to ask them about our foundation, and about the things I have seen. Hopefully they will answer at least some before declaring me an abomination and having me killed.”
“I do not believe Ned would have been defeated so easily. He had knowledge of the darkness that no one alive today possesses. That reminds me, I wanted to ask you when the Order was founded. How long ago?”
Josef thought for a moment, caught out by the sudden change of topic.
“No one knows exactly. The early records have gaps. Records were lost or damaged too badly to read. Something like twenty-three centuries is our best guess, though it could be out by several centuries in either direction. If the gaps in our records are longer than we think they are then it could even be far longer. The records use many different, and often conflicting, ways to record the date. In some cases we just have to guess and hope we are right.”
“Well over two thousand years,” Daniel said softly. “Yet the keep is still standing, and still looks untouched by the passage of time. One day I must return to learn more of its secrets.
“So how much farther do we have to travel?” asked Josef, trying to steer the conversation from where they had been to where they must go.
“I do not know. The directions are not organised like that. Think of a route you know well. You don’t remember every twist and turn, every step along the way. You remember the important landmarks, the things that tell you to take a new direction or confirm you are going the right way. Details of how long a journey takes, how far it is, are stored in a completely different way to memories of the route itself.
The directions I have are a series of landmarks. I have no idea of the distances involved, of the times. I cannot walk the path in my mind and count them. I can… well, remember I suppose… the next few but no more. All I can say is that we are on the right path.”
“There is no other way?”
“No. I wish there was. I am as frustrated by this as anyone. Every step out of our way is a moment longer that Mary lies in Rafael’s clutches. Frustrating as it is this is the only trail we have leading to Mary.”
“How did you get these directions though? You didn’t get them from the memories of long ago. What else happened to you in the keep?”
“Perhaps another time. I need to create the protective barrier now.”
Daniel turned and moved away from Josef. Soon after Josef sensed the flow of energy as Daniel created the shield. Josef studied the barrier, using the talent he was still far from comfortable with. The barrier was different to anything else he had seen Daniel create. It was far more complex, with many types of power twisted into a tight pattern. To Josef it was yet another sign that Daniel had been changed during his second visit to the keep, changed in ways he wasn’t admitting to.
Chapter Ten
They set out early the next morning, not long after first light, having eaten a warm breakfast while waiting for dawn to break. Daniel led them unerringly, finding several landmarks he recognised from Razgul’s memories in quick succession.
After an hour or so they found themselves on a high hill which was mostly bare rock. Very few trees grew and it gave them an excellent view of the surrounding area. Daniel stood for a while, studying a set of cliffs far off in the distance.
“What’s wrong?” Sarah asked finally, worry tingeing her voice. “Don’t you know which way to go?”
“I know the way we should go, it is over there towards the North. Past that clump of rocks.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“Those cliffs. They look familiar. I think they mark the path we need to take later. That we will come to them having followed the route past many other landmarks. Should we strike out for them? Going there directly might save us hours or even days.”
“Are you sure? Are you certain that’s where we will end up going?”
“No. No, I am not. It might just look similar. Until I was close I would not know.”
“So we could go there only to find out we had to come back? Or worse you might not be sure it was the right path, so we would have to retrace our steps to find out if it was?”
Daniel chuckled. “Once again you have seen what I cannot. We should stick to the path I know. It may be slower but it will get us to Mary. It seems I must learn a little patience.”
“You and I both. I wish there was a short cut we could take, but not at the risk of getting lost.”
Daniel nodded then turned towards the north, leading them towards the path he was sure of.
“We have a choice,” Daniel said as he called a halt. “Down that path lies a village. I think it is quite close, though I am not completely sure. After the village we will retrace our steps to this point, then the path we need to take heads off that way. So… do we visit the village or save time by avoiding it?”
Sarah thought for a moment, then made her mind up. Finding Mary was more important than any potential comforts.
“We have enough food,” she said. “We should keep going.”
Jon nodded, agreeing with his wife. Josef spoke to his guards for a few moments before turning back.
“We agree. We have sufficient food. Though the thought of a jug of beer is hard to turn down. We should avoid the village.”
“Very well,” Daniel replied. “We go this way then.”
Daniel paused, staring at the cliffs in front of them. They really did look like those he had seen the previous morning, but they weren’t the same. He could see subtle differences, and knew from the route they had travelled that these were far from those he had seen before. Smiling slig
htly at having made the right decision earlier, with Sarah’s help, he led the group onwards.
Soon they made their way into a gap in the cliff. Varying between ten and thirty paces wide it was mostly clear, though in places clumps of rock broke through the path. Some were merely low outcrops, others were much taller than Daniel. The path soon started to climb gently. The memory Daniel had pulled from Razgul told him it would take them to the top of the cliffs.
The attack came from out of nowhere. One moment they were leading the horses up the slope, nearing section of rock. The next Daniel was holding a crossbow bolt in front of his chest. Only his incredible reflexes had saved him from being struck.
“Get down!” he bellowed, grabbing Sarah’s arm and dragging her to the floor. Jon hit the ground beside them. Josef and the guards were only a moment behind.
“Get closer to the rocks ahead,” Daniel said. “I caught a glimpse of several men farther up the path. There might be more. I will form a shield and try to deflect any more bolts.”
“You heard him. Move!” Josef ordered. “Keep the horses with you.”
If the horses thought their riders actions strange they didn’t show it. Well trained as they were they simply followed their crawling riders. No more crossbow bolts flew.
“Jon!” Sarah shouted, starting to double back.
Daniel turned and his stomach sank. Jon had hit the ground so quickly not because he’d heeded Daniel’s warning but because he’d taken a bolt in the chest. Blood was already bubbling up around the wound.
“I’ll get him,” Daniel told Sarah. “Get over to the rocks.”
He moved quickly while staying low. He lifted Jon gently in his arms, careful not to put more pressure on the arrow. Jon still hissed with pain. As Daniel started back towards the rocks several crossbow bolts were deflected by his shield. At least two had been fired from behind and higher up — from the top of the cliffs.
Daniel lowered Jon to the ground in the lee of the rocks. Sarah bent over Jon, tears pouring down her face.
“Jon, heal yourself!” she said. “Come on! You can do it!”
“No… can’t…” Jon whispered. “Doesn’t work… like that… can’t heal… myself.”
“No. Oh god, please no!” She turned to Daniel. “You must be able to do something!”
Daniel shook his head. “I do not have the skill. I wish I did. I can lend strength to help someone else heal, but I cannot do it myself.”
Sarah grabbed one of Jon’s hands and pressed it to her cheek. Sobs wracked her body.
“Hey… not gone… yet…” Jon managed to say. “Soon though… Daniel… are we trapped?”
“Yes, I think so. They have us surrounded.”
“Sarah… listen to me… Mary… Must save Mary. Daniel can… get you clear. Go… save our… little girl. Tell her… tell her… Daddy loves her… very much.”
“No! I can’t leave you. You can’t die. You can’t! Please!”
Jon turned to face Daniel, wincing as he did so.
“Daniel… please… take Sarah… save Mary…”
“I will. I promise. I am so sorry.”
“Told you… before. Nothing… to be… sorry for.”
Jon turned back to Sarah, reached out for her face with his free hand.
“Sarah… my love. I will… wait for you…”
Jon closed his eyes and let out a last shuddering breath. Daniel sensed something leave Jon’s body, the vital spark of his soul vanished from one heartbeat to the next. Sarah collapsed over her dead husband, clinging to him and sobbing. Daniel and the others moved back, giving her what little space they could to grieve.
Daniel focused on holding the shield in place but no further attacks came. Pushing out with his senses he tried to judge how many they faced. He sensed seven men forty paces farther up the slope, then a much larger group somewhere behind. The distance made it hard to tell but he thought there were at least thirty people. The larger group also had many horses.
Then he sent his senses down the slope behind, tracing the route they had taken. No one was following them. The top of the cliff was a different matter. He could see six or seven people, and his senses revealed another ten or twelve. Stretching out further he sensed another group halfway down the cliff wall, following a path down that had been hidden from sight. There were at least twenty in the group and they would reach ground level in time to block Daniel and the others from escaping.
“This doesn’t look good,” Josef said. “I’ve seen movement on top of the cliff. I think some of the shots came at you from there.”
“They did. I can protect us against those shots, but there is a large group climbing down the cliff behind us. We cannot get there before they cut us off. Up the slope is a large group of men with horses. Even with my powers we cannot break free.”
“Damn. There’s something else. Did you notice that only Jon and you were targeted? And that they only shot at you as you carried Jon, not at the rest of us. They targeted the only two of us able to use unnatural… I mean magical powers.”
“I had not noticed. You are right. That is worrying.”
“Yes, but it also suggests they won’t try to kill us. They seem to want to kill you, and they’ve killed Jon. I think the rest of us could surrender safely.”
“Safely?”
“All right, probably not that safely. And the Almighty only knows what they’ll do to us after. That’s for us to worry about. You need to take Sarah and go. Jon was right. Rafael’s plans for Mary must be stopped. Only you and she can get free.”
“Are you sure? I will not be able to come back for you. The numbers are too great. They would almost certainly kill you before I could deal with them all, even if I was willing to commit slaughter on that scale. Which I am not.”
“Unless they were night walkers?”
Daniel felt a burst of anger which he forced down.
“You do not understand. I will kill the night walkers for what they are, for the harm they cause, but every time I do my heart aches for the person they once were. Remember that I was very nearly one of them, ruled by the same darkness as they are. The fact they need to be killed does not mean I have to enjoy it.”
“I’m sorry. That was unfair of me. I don’t have your unique perspective, but I have had to deal with darkness many times. When it was necessary I would kill, but always with sadness that another soul was beyond saving. Now I have learnt things that cast those actions into doubt, that mean at least some of those I killed may not have harboured darkness at all. I have my demons too, Ser Daniel. Now, if you are going to go it should be soon — before they close in. Can you get past those ahead with Sarah?”
“Possibly, but I think going up the cliff face will be easier. They have few men up there, none on the left side I think, and it will be harder for them to track us afterwards.”
“Then take Sarah and go. Go do what needs to be done. If the Almighty allows then I will try to follow and be there to help.”
Daniel nodded solemnly then moved back to Sarah. She was sitting beside Jon’s body now, holding his hand in both of hers. The sobbing had stopped but the tears kept flowing. Daniel gently rested his hand on her shoulder. He expected her to be lost to grief, but when she turned towards him her face was blazing with anger and determination.
“Jon was right,” she said fiercely. “We have to reach Mary. We have to free her. And we have to give her his message. Get me out of here Daniel. Get me away from those bastards before I lose all control and carve the hearts out of every one of them.”
Daniel was speechless for a moment then he gripped her shoulder more firmly for a moment.
“I won’t let Jon down, or you or Mary. We need our packs from the horses and as much food and water as we can easily carry. We will be on foot for the rest of the journey.”
“Right. Let’s get ready to go. Which way do we go? Will you blast through them?”
“No. There are too many. I could not guarantee your safety, and th
ey would be able to follow us too easily. I can move quickly but they have horses, and judging by their ambush they clearly know this area well. We will go up the cliff wall.”
Sarah looked disappointed at the news, then what Daniel said sank in and her eyes went wide.
“Can you fly?”
“No, but there are many hand and footholds in the rock. I can move swiftly and jump where needed. We will need to secure you to my back. I will not have hands free to hold you and you will not be able to hold on when I jump.”
“Let’s do it then.”
Daniel stood and removed the packs they needed from the horses, together with supplies and rope to tie Sarah in place. A crossbow bolt tested his shield but was deflected. When a second was fired he allowed it through, snatching it out of the air and flinging it back the way it had come. It struck the stock of the crossbow it had been shot from, vibrating wildly and causing the man holding it to turn white as a sheet. No more bolts were fired.
With Josef’s help Sarah was secured to his back, along with their packs and supplies.
“Ready?” asked Daniel.
“Wait,” Sarah replied.
Turning her head she murmured a goodbye to Jon. Daniel heard the words but ignored them. They were private, something for Sarah and Jon only.
“All right. Let’s go,” she said afterwards.
Daniel nodded to Josef then exploded into action. Within a second he was leaping for his first handhold, some ten feet above the path, with Sarah’s yell of surprise ringing out loudly.
The incredible burst of speed caught their attackers flat-footed Daniel was already thirty feet up the cliff before the first bolts started to be fired and they all fell well short. Not only was he moving incredibly quickly, he was also darting from side to side to find the best route up. Not that it mattered. He had a powerful shield held in place around Sarah and himself. With such a small area to protect he could ensure nothing got through.
Dark Soul Silenced - Part Two Page 9
