Daniel stayed well back from Sarah, giving her space to begin grieving for Jon. They had time. Daniel had run for nearly half an hour with Sarah still strapped to his back before finally stopping. He had deliberately chosen a route that no horse could cross, terrain littered with rocks, brambles and small cliffs. Any pursuit on foot would be moving far slower than he had.
While Sarah cried, and her body shook with wracking sobs, Daniel replayed recent events in his head. He kept coming to the same conclusion. He couldn’t have saved Jon. Daniel had no clue the attack was coming until he’d reflexively snatched the bolt meant for him out of the air. Jon had been struck at roughly the same moment. The wound Jon took was always going to be fatal. Healing using the powers Jon and Mary possessed might have saved Jon, but even then It would have been touch and go. With no one nearby with those skills Jon had been as good as dead from the moment the bolt hit. It had just been a matter of time.
Having accepted that he had done all he could Daniel turned to their next problem. He had no idea where they were, or in which direction Echtberg lay. The wild flight from the ambush had meant travelling far from the landmarks Daniel had taken from Razgul’s memories. Returning was out of the question, he had no desire to come across the Bronze Order again so soon.
They needed to find a settlement, Daniel decided. To do that they needed to find a path or trail. Not an easy ask but he couldn’t think of any alternatives. They could move quickly if he carried Sarah, but even so the chances of stumbling across a path — and recognising it as one — were pretty slim. With no other options it would have to do.
Daniel’s thoughts returned to Josef and the other guards, and to the Bronze Order. Was the similarity of names a coincidence or was the Bronze Order somehow related to the Golden Order he had seen in his visions of long before? He couldn’t tell without more information.
Finally Sarah stood, turned and walked over to Daniel. Her eyes were bright with tears but they also burned with determination. Daniel waited for her to speak.
“Thank you,” she said. “I have mourned Jon, now I must obey his last wish. We will find Mary and we will save her. I don’t care if I have to cut my way through an entire army, nothing is going to stop me.”
Daniel could sense the anger underlying her words. It was almost boiling off of her. He nodded solemnly.
“We will. First, though, we have to find Echtberg. I have no idea where we are now. We need to keep moving towards the west and hope we stumble across a trail leading to a settlement. Then we can ask for directions.”
“That’s not much of a plan.”
“No, but it is the best I can think of.”
“Then it’s a good job I’m with you. Look around. Find the tallest tree. Then climb it and look out.”
“An excellent idea, though I doubt we will be so lucky as to see a settlement from here.”
“No, but you can look around. Find where the land is highest, and the tallest tree upon that land.”
“And climb that tree to look around again. Of course. That will greatly improve our chances.”
“Good. Now get climbing!”
Chapter Fourteen
Daniel lost count of how many trees he climbed. Each tree showed the same thing — the forest spreading out ahead of them. Sometimes other features imposed themselves — hills, cliffs, burnt patches of land — but mostly he just saw more trees.
Still, he knew they were both moving faster and studying a larger area than would have been possible from the ground. Most times Daniel carried Sarah from the foot of one tree to the next, to ensure they retained their lead over any pursuers. As time wore on Sarah’s expression hardened into one of anger. Her daughter had been stolen away, her husband killed, yet she refused to give in. Anger drove her forwards, anger and her love for Mary.
Finally Daniel climbed a tree and saw something different. Towards the left he saw a gap in the forest that was far too regular to be natural. When they investigated they found a well travelled trail running south-east to north-west. They chose to travel north-west. Daniel had a hunch that would take them closer to Echtberg.
Twenty minutes later the trail turned and they found themselves approaching a fair sized village. Children were playing outside and soon spotted the travellers. Several of them ran off inside the buildings, emerging soon after with adults in tow.
“What do we tell them?” Sarah asked, tension in her voice. “A man and woman travelling like this will raise questions.”
“We tell them that you are my sister,” Daniel replied. He noticed the tension draining from her body as he said it. “I am not keen to stay the night, but if we must that will ensure we get a room together. That way I can protect you.”
“All right. I’d rather keep moving though.”
“As would I. We do not want to cause too much fuss though. If necessary we take the room then leave in the middle of the night.”
They were nearing the village now. A group of young men stepped forward to block the path. Daniel counted nine of them. All had the tanned skin, strong muscles and lean bodies that came from heavy outdoor work. He realised they carried a variety of tools, from hammers to scythes to knives.
One stepped forward, the ringleader. In his early twenties he had sandy hair, a stubbly beard and was dressed in rough working clothes. He carried a heavy hammer in one hand, hefting it easily.
“Well now,” he said. “What do we have here? My name is Fabien. I’m afraid you have to pay the toll my friend.”
Daniel studied the man. Despite the bantering tone Daniel saw darkness in the man’s eyes. The situation could explode into violence at any moment. He needed to find a way to prevent that.
“What toll would that be?” Daniel asked calmly.
As he spoke Daniel noticed a woman in her forties pulling one of the children inside. She cast a fearful glance at the group of men before disappearing. That was bad. If the villagers feared this group of men then there would be no one to reel them in.
“The toll is simple enough,” the leader said, pointing at Sarah. “We spend some time with your woman. When we are done you can both move on.”
“I am sorry, you are mistaken. She is my sister, not my woman, though that makes no difference. I cannot agree to your request.”
The man’s face hardened. “It wasn’t a request, friend. We will take what we want. The longer you stall the higher the price she pays.”
The man took a step towards Sarah, several of the others started towards Daniel. Daniel desperately tried to think what to do to avoid violence. The only option would be to unleash his powers — something he desperately wanted to avoid. Doing so would act like a beacon if the Bronze Order passed by. He could grab Sarah and run from the village, but the speed he would have to move at would again be a clear indication of his abilities. It would also leave them lost in the wilderness again.
The decision was taken from him. With a rasp of steel Sarah stepped forwards, sword snaking out to rest against Fabien’s throat. He stopped quickly, but not quickly enough. A thin trickle of blood ran down his neck. He swallowed and started to back away.
“No, no, no!” Sarah said, keeping the sword against his neck. “You can’t get a lady all excited and then just change your mind. Now, I suggest your friends stay right where they are. I don’t want to end up slicing your throat open by accident because I get distracted.”
“Do… do as she says…” stammered Fabien.
Daniel studied the group. Most were transfixed, staring at Fabien and Sarah. The fight had left them for the moment. Two still had the spark of anger in their eyes though. Daniel watched them closely, while also using his powers to sense what was going on in the rest of the village. The situation still felt like a thunderstorm that was about to break right overhead.
“Now,” said Sarah. “I believe you were going to give me a show.” Her voice hardened. “Take off your trousers, and anything under them, right now.”
Fabien stared at her, anger st
arting to build. He began to shake his head.
“I said now!” Sarah shouted, eyes blazing as she pressed the sword harder.
Fabien seemed to realise for the fist time that she truly would kill him where he stood. Slowly he reached down and began to undo his trousers. He paused for a moment, staring into Sarah’s eyes, then let his trousers fall.
“Oh no,” Sarah mocked. “Your shirt is hiding everything from sight. I’ll admit that means there can’t be much to see, but I’m curious now. Lift up your shirt.”
“Bitch!” Fabien spat. “Not a chance!”
Sarah moved blindingly fast, anger lending her already swift movements speed. One moment the sword was against Fabien’s neck, the next it was between his legs. She lifted the sword, forcing him to stand on tiptoe.
“That wasn’t a very nice thing to call me was it? You don’t seem such a big man now do you?”
Daniel watched the rest of the group. Something had changed. Fabien might have been their leader but now he had been shamed, beaten by a woman. They realised he was the only one in immediate danger, and they had remembered their advantage in numbers. Soon, very soon, they would attack.
Suddenly the near silence was broken as a middle aged woman burst out of a house, screaming at the top of her lungs. Her face was covered in bruises and her nose looked to have been recently broken.
“Bastard! Coward! How do you like it Fabien? How do you like it?” She turned her attention to Sarah. “Kill him! Kill the bastard. Just like he killed my Collette! Fifteen she was, and when she told him no he beat her. Beat her, raped her then strangled her. Then when I confronted him he beat me till I passed out, all the while threatening to kill my other children.”
Several other women caught up with the angry woman and started to drag her backwards, sending terrified glances towards the group of men. One of them also had a bruised face, while the other had old scars on her face spelling out the word whore. Turning back to the group of men Daniel saw them grinning. One pointed at the retreating group of women, shaking his head at them and smiling a cruel smile.
Something changed within Daniel. He was no longer focused on getting out of the village without violence. If he and Sarah were to escape without a fight then the group of men would clearly take it out on the women of the village. The children too, Daniel suspected, especially the older girls. Something started to pulse through his veins. Not anger, not fury — it was too controlled for that. It was a sense of justice, a sense that there was a darkness in the village that needed to be cut out. He glanced towards Sarah and she met his eye. He saw a killing hatred in her eyes and shook his head.
“Sarah, please — no. Don’t kill in anger. Not like this. If you do then Jon’s memory will always be linked with this killing. Don’t start down that path.”
She met his gaze, eyes burning with challenge for several moments before his words sank in. Drawing a shuddering breath she lowered her sword and took several steps backwards. Fabien grabbed his trousers, pulling them up and stumbling backwards to get farther from Sarah. The other men turned their full attention on Daniel. One, a huge redhead, stepped forwards slightly. The group had a new leader.
“Bad move little man,” he said. “So your sister is handy with a sword. That won’t do her any good against all of us. First though we pound you into the ground. Then you get to watch as we work our way through her. Several times. Then we decide which of you gets to die first. You shamed one of us in front of the cattle. We can’t have them thinking they can stand against us, so we make an example of you. And of some of them. Especially that bitch who was mouthing off. We should have cut her tongue out last time. This time we will.”
While the redhead spoke Daniel used his powers to study the men stood before him. Every one had darkness woven into their soul. Not the darkness of Rafael and the vampires, and not the darkness of the Creeping Dark. This darkness was self created. The darkness that came from hundreds of evil acts day after day, month after month, year after year. Daniel made his mind up.
“Make your peace,” he said softly. “For today you die.”
The redhead laughed at that. So did the others.
“Get him!” yelled the redhead, raising a vicious looking butchers knife and charging forwards.
The others followed, relying on weight of numbers to flatten Daniel. Daniel didn’t bother to draw his sword, he simply drew in power and held his ground, reinforcing his body and locking himself in place.
The first men who crashed into Daniel was stopped dead. Others crashed into him from behind. All was chaos for a moment then the closest lashed out with a hammer, smashing it against Daniel’s arm. He stared in amazement when it bounced off without causing any harm. More blows rained down on Daniel, every one turned aside by his shields. He simply stood, head bowed, ignoring the attacks.
“Witchcraft!” shouted one of the men, starting to back away.
“No. The protection of the Golden Order,” replied Daniel.
Now he moved. Lashing out with a foot he broke the kneecap of the retreating man. The others started to fall back but it was far too late. Daniel danced amongst them, smashing bones in their legs or crushing their kneecaps. Within seconds every one lay on the ground nursing a crippling wound. Several were crying with pain, or at what they feared was coming. Daniel felt a temptation to draw the moment out, to make them suffer, but recognised it as a thought born of darkness. Not a return of the darkness that Rafael had infected him with, simply the darkness that every human could carry within them. He recognised it and dismissed it. Drawing his sword he held it high, letting the light catch it.
“I stand for the light. I stand for what is right. I stand against corruption, against evil and against those who use their strength to abuse the weak. I am a Master of the Golden Order and I have judged you all. I judge you by your actions today and on so many days before. I judge you by the dark stains on your souls. I judge you by the dark cloud you cast over the people of this village. I judge you without hatred in my heart. I judge you and find you guilty. I judge you and sentence you to death.”
Daniel stepped towards the closest of the men, the redhead, and slashed his sword across the man’s throat. He repeated the move with two more before the rest realised what was happening. Some tried to crawl away, others begged for their lives. Daniel ignored the pleas. He moved amongst the men cutting each down in turn, easily catching those who had tried to flee. The last he came to was Fabien.
“Stop! He’s mine!”
Daniel turned to see the woman who’s daughter Fabien had killed approaching, wielding a carving knife. Daniel stared her in the eyes then shook his head.
“No. This man has taken far too much from you already. I will not let him take your peace of mind too. I will not let you strike out in anger and revenge. Justice can only come from a calm heart.”
Daniel thrust his sword into Fabien’s chest, twisting it to ensure a quick kill. The woman collapsed to her knees, dropping the knife. Sobs started to wrack her body. Someone ran up and knelt beside her, holding her close. Daniel saw it was the woman with whore carved into her face.
Straightening Daniel reached out with his powers, studying everyone in the village. Many people were hidden out of sight or peering through their windows. He wasn’t surprised to sense many with a touch of darkness on their soul. How could it be otherwise having lived under the tyranny of the dead men. None were seeped in darkness though, and none appeared to be a threat to Sarah and he.
Daniel wiped his sword clean on a dead man’s shirt then put it away. He walked over to where Sarah stood. Tears pricked her eyes but she wouldn’t let them fall. She was staring at the dead men with a grim smile.
“Sarah, are you all right?”
“Yes.” Her voice was firm. “Yes, I'm fine. Thank you. I wanted to kill him so badly. I wanted to take all the pain I feel inside at Jon’s death and inflict it on him. That can’t be a good thing.”
“No. No, it is not.”
“I’m still angry though. I still want to take it out on someone.”
“Of course you do. And I have no doubt the chance will come. This was too soon though. It would have been too personal.”
“Sir… please… how can we thank you?”
Daniel turned to find one of the village women standing near, with several others standing some way behind. More villagers were approaching the group, including a few elderly looking men. Daniel realised that other than the men he’d killed he had only seen young boys and elderly men in the village. He felt certain the rest of the men had been driven out or killed.
“No thanks are necessary. I merely did what was right.”
“You mentioned the Golden Order sir. I haven’t heard of you before. We only know the Bronze Order, and they cared nothing for our suffering. Many times they passed through the village, searching for darkness they claimed. Yet each time they moved on leaving those scum untouched.”
“I have met the Bronze Order. We did not exactly see eye to eye,” Daniel replied with a slight smile. “No, the Golden Order has nothing to do with them. It has been gone from these lands for many, many lifetimes but now it is back. I am the first but I hope there will be others.”
“Ser… forgive me… but… did you use witchcraft? Those blows… how could you survive them?”
“No, not witchcraft. Nothing drawn from the dark powers.” Daniel thought for a moment, then realised that the villagers needed to be told something simple. “The swords the Bronze Order use are enchanted to strike down creatures of darkness. That power is not witchcraft. I draw on the same power.”
“You draw power from the Almighty?” asked another woman, making a holy gesture.
Several others nodded and murmured in agreement. Daniel just smiled. If that was what they needed to believe he wouldn’t contradict them, but nor would he claim such a thing.
Dark Soul Silenced - Part Two Page 12
