Dark Soul Silenced - Part Two

by Simon Goodson

  “Remember what I said,” he told her quietly. “Not enough wood to burn.”

  His words were obscure but she took his meaning. It wasn’t possible to run such a device continuously, or for more than a few minutes a day. Even so, she couldn’t shake a terrible feeling that they would be caught.

  Then the cart was moving forwards. It lurched down the corridor and Sarah was able to see. As the unknown speaker had said, there was a barred side passage on the left. Sitting just on the other side of the bars was a man holding an orb. An orb that was glowing. Sarah glanced at Daniel and her heart sank. He was staring at the orb with fear in his eyes, and his hand gripped hers tightly.

  “No,” he whispered. “No. How can they be doing that?”

  With cries of “Come on!” and “Get moving!” the people behind jostled and pushed Daniel and Sarah. Pushing them towards the orb. Pushing them towards discovery.

  Chapter Twenty

  Nathan stared at his breakfast but didn’t touch it. He’d hardly slept the night before, and when he had managed to sleep it had been filled with nightmares. Even now he could see Thomas being dragged away, could hear the scream that must have signalled the end of his life. Even worse was the knowledge that the Major would return for another victim that night. Nathan was sure he would be spared, or at least left till last. The Major would want to see Nathan’s reaction as the others were taken. Would the Major take William next? Or would it be Bruno’s turn? Nathan hardly noticed as someone sat beside him, but the voice made his head shoot round.

  “Nathan,” Josef said coldly. “I suspect this isn’t what you expected when you allied with our captors.”

  Nathan stared at Josef for a moment, reaching for the anger and horror that had sustained him till then. They were gone. Whatever had happened to Josef was as nothing beside the acts the Major had committed. Nathan felt his world spinning. How could the Major, a beacon in the fight against darkness, have caused Nathan to hate him so much? To hate him more than the fallen Josef?

  “He killed them,” Nathan said quietly.

  “What?” Now there was concern in Josef’s voice. “Who did? Killed who?” He looked around, then spoke more urgently. “Cal. Thomas. Where are they?”

  “He killed them.” Nathan’s voice was stronger now. He had to fight to keep from screaming out the words. “The Major. He killed them. Had his men drag them out of the camp at night and leave them for the night walkers. As bait. How could he do that? How could someone who fights the darkness be such a monster?”

  Josef just sat and stared for a few moments, then he pulled himself together. “The screams? Last night and the night before. Were those screams…” His voice broke for a moment. “Were those screams Thomas and Cal?”

  “Yes. He killed them. How could he do that?”

  Nathan could feel the anger and pain bubbling up inside. Soon he would start screaming, start and never stop. Josef knelt in front of Nathan, grabbed him by the shoulders and stared into his eyes.

  “Nathan. Nathan! Listen to me. I need you to hold on. Think of the others. Think of Bruno and William. Think of the men with me. They need you. We need you. Please… hold it together.”

  Somehow physical contact and the words helped Nathan edge back from the precipice, though the madness was still boiling within.

  “What have I done?” he whispered.

  “What you have done doesn’t matter,” Josef said firmly. “What you will do does. The lives of the others are in our hands. I need you Nathan. I need your strength and your passion. Whatever you think of me, whatever problems you have with me, need to wait until after we get free. What do you say.”

  Nathan stared into Josef’s eyes. Should he do it? Should he work with Josef? Take Josef’s orders again? He turned to look at William and at Bruno. William was eating mechanically, showing no awareness of his near death the night before. Bruno however looked terrified. Clearly he had reached the same conclusion as Nathan. It would be Bruno’s turn that night or the night after. Nathan made his mind up. There was no choice really.

  “You’re right. We have to save them. All of them. I won’t leave William behind, even if he will slow us down.”

  “Of course.”

  Josef looked shocked, as if the thought hadn’t even occurred to him. Nathan felt guilty that it had crossed his own mind.

  “Right,” Josef said. “We don't have long before they get us moving. Quickly, tell me everything that happened. And eat your food too. We are going to need all our strength.”

  Nathan quickly outlined the events of the previous two nights, from waking to the scream and being held at sword point the first night to staying awake the second and seeing the guards start to drag William away. He repeated what the Major had told him about night walkers always shadowing the Bronze Order, and about the Major’s efforts to trap and kill those night walkers — whatever the cost to Nathan’s men.

  When he finished Josef sat in thought, considering what he’d heard. When he looked up his face was etched with worry.

  “It doesn’t add up. Something isn’t right.”

  “What? Not right how? Don’t you believe me?” Nathan felt himself growing angry.

  “No, it’s not that. It’s the Major. What he told you doesn’t add up. I’ve watched the guards at night, studied them while working on an escape plan. The Major told you that the night walkers stalk them every night, that the unwary are easy prey — even Bronze Order guards. If that was true then the guards would be on edge all night. They’d be tense. They’d be scanning the darkness continuously. Lanterns would be placed farther out, left lit to give more warning of any impending attack. And the sleeping guards would have their weapons close to hand, ready to spring into action the moment something happened.

  I’ve watched them and none of that is the case. The guards on duty are relaxed. They don’t even look out into the darkness very often. They spend their time by the fire, warming their hands and letting their eyes lose their adjustment to the dark. If anything attacked from the darkness the guards would have no hope of fighting it off.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense. Even if night walkers aren’t tracking them every night we know the people in these lands live in fear of the night, of what might attack them if they step outside. Surely the guards must worry that a night walker will stumble across them?”

  Josef sighed heavily. “I think things are worse than you can possibly imagine. I know you think I have been subverted by darkness, that I am beyond saving. What I am about to tell you will probably make you certain. You need to know though.”

  Nathan’s stomach tightened at the words. “Go on,” he grunted.

  “Something changed in me either during the attack by Ser Gerome, or whatever dark monster Ser Gerome had become, or when Jon healed me afterwards. I should have died that night, I know that. Yet somehow Jon was able to bring me back.”

  “I remember,” Nathan said coldly.

  “Yes. What you don’t know is that things changed for me that night. I found myself able to sense the flows of power that Daniel wielded, and Jon too when he healed. When we faced the night walkers I could sense the power they wielded as well.”

  Josef paused, studying Nathan. Nathan found himself strangely numb at the revelation. Too much had happened too quickly. Josef’s words did nothing to change the current problem. Later, if they escaped, he would revisit them but for the moment they mattered little.

  “Go on,” he told Josef.

  Josef looked surprised at Nathan’s calm acceptance, but quickly continued.

  “All right. The powers I saw had different colours. Jon only ever wielded power with a green tint. I saw Daniel wield the green power too, and saw him draw it from around him. From the trees and plants, from anything that was living. Green power is linked to life and healing.

  Daniel could wield many types of power. I saw him wield green, white, red, blue and more — or possibly some of what I saw was him mixing those basic colours. I don’t know
. What I did see was that he drew every type of power from the world around him. The powers he used felt… natural I suppose.

  Then there were the night walkers. Their power was totally different. Dark. Seething. Completely unnatural. I couldn’t tell where their power came from. It just existed within them, curled up and twisted around what remained of their souls. Even now the thought of it makes me go cold.”

  “I don’t see what that has to do with our situation. Why are you telling me this?”

  “Look around us. Look at the Bronze Order. Look at how many of them there are. I’m telling you this because of what I can see. Every single one of them has darkness twisted around his soul. Every single one of them, from the Major to the ordinary troopers, has fallen to the darkness.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  As the crowd behind pushed them forward Daniel stared in panic at the orb, and at the man who held it. Had they just been exceptionally unlucky? Was this just one of the few moments in the day that the orb was active? Cautiously he reached out with his senses, taking care not to trigger the orb.

  No. It wasn’t bad luck. The man was more than just holding the orb, he was pouring power into it — much as Daniel had kept the Seeker Amulet powered during their initial search for Mary. This was very different though. Where Daniel had powered the Amulet with natural power drawn from the environment, this orb was being sustained by dark power. The same power that gave the vampires their strength was pouring from the man, though Daniel was sure he was no vampire.

  Daniel had already covered nearly half the distance to the orb. Another few steps and he would be discovered. Luckily some of those behind had become impatient, pushing past and allowing Daniel to hold back.

  “Nothing to worry about,” muttered one. Daniel recognised the voice. It was the man he’d heard talking about the test before.

  “Single file!” bellowed a guard. “Single file and right next to the bars as you walk past, otherwise you get to go round again.”

  Daniel thought frantically. What could he do? The tunnel was blocked at each end and he doubted he could get free. Even if he could, and somehow he kept Sarah safe, everyone else in the tunnel would be killed. As if that wasn’t bad enough it would alert every Bronze Order member in the city to his presence, not to mention Rafael. Think… he had to think.

  Wait! The man holding the orb. Why wasn’t it reacting to him? He was radiating dark power. The orb should have been blazing. Carefully Daniel probed closer to the man. He found a shield of dark energy wrapped around the orb. Other than a tendril of power snaking its way in to power the orb no dark power could penetrate.

  “Come on!”

  Someone shoved Daniel in the back, forcing him forward. Desperately Daniel formed a shield using all the powers he could wield. Green, white, blue, red and others all woven into a tight pattern, tight enough to block any other power he hoped. Without the time to carefully position it around the orb he made the shield large, taller and wider than he was, and projected it between him and the orb. It was a terrible risk. If anyone nearby was sensitive to the use of power the shield would glow like a lantern at night. The man holding the orb in particular.

  For the first time luck was on their side though. The man was sunk into a deep trance, gazing deeply into the orb. Maybe he wouldn’t notice. That still left the orb though. Would the shield be enough? Would it block any trace of power from Daniel reaching the orb? Or would the shield itself trigger the orb?

  It was too late to try anything else. Someone shoved Daniel in the back again and he stepped forwards, close enough for the orb to detect him. A blue flicker started to burn in the depths of the orb. Sweat pouring down his face Daniel desperately forced the pattern of his shield even tighter. The flicker died, and the man holding the orb didn’t stir. Daniel drew level with the orb. Stepped past it. Another step, then another… and he was clear. He took several more steps before letting the shield drop. All he could think of was just how close that had been. Without the memories he had inherited from Ned, and the times he had practised since gaining that knowledge, he would never have been able to form such a complex shield.

  Daniel stopped behind the cart with the others who had passed the test. Sarah stepped up next to him, her eyes full of questions. Daniel shook his head slightly. Now wasn’t the time to speak. In the dark of the tunnel no one had noticed how hard he was sweating.

  Now the danger was passed Daniel’s thoughts were whirling. What was someone so seeped in darkness doing in the heart of the Bronze Order’s defences? Not just in the heart of the defences but at the forefront of the fight against darkness. With the shield of dark power in place around the orb it would never react to someone seeped in darkness. Only those who could wield more natural powers would be caught. How had someone so riddled with darkness managed to escape notice and penetrate so deeply into the Bronze Order?

  Or had they? The thought chilled Daniel, yet it made a certain sense. The man was powering the orb, that much should be obvious to anyone from the Bronze Order. That meant that some amongst them at least must know what the man was, and how the orb was being used. The thought sent cold chills down Daniel’s spine. Suddenly he wanted nothing more than to get out of the tunnel.

  He waited impatiently as the last of the group shuffled past the orb. Only then did he think to worry that someone else in the group might have shown traces of power. It would have been darkly ironic if he had escaped discovery only for someone else in the group to draw the guards attention. Luckily no one had. A slight rattle announced the gate in front being raised. The cart starting to move. Daniel gratefully followed, Sarah close by his side.

  They entered another section of tunnel, the cart once again blocking any view of what lay ahead. Daniel realised the tunnel was far longer than the walls had looked from the outside. It must extend out into the city. Then the cart left the tunnel and bright light poured in. Daniel squinted against it, hardly daring to believe they had made it. But they had. Sarah and he stepped out, passing several disinterested Bronze Order guards, finding themselves in a large square. The buildings on all sides had a forbidding look and many guards were standing around. Directly ahead a wide road led away. The cart and visitors to the city were all following the road, so Sarah and Daniel did too.

  Unable to resist, Daniel stretched out with his senses towards the guards they had passed. To his horror, but not surprise, he found that each had a powerful darkness twisted through their soul. His worst fears were confirmed. At least some of the Bronze Order were corrupted by darkness. The question now was how many. Weighed down by what he had learned Daniel trudged on into the town.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Nathan stared at Josef, shaking his head in disbelief.

  “No! No! They can’t be. That’s… that’s… it’s… how could that be?”

  “I don’t know, but it is true,” Josef insisted. “Every one of them has fallen to the darkness. Think about what happened, about how the Major has acted. Think about the day they ambushed us with your help. They wanted to strike down both Daniel and Jon. Why?”

  “They said Daniel was exceptionally dangerous. That if he joined with Rafael they would be almost unstoppable. He proved them right. Look at how he escaped.”

  “Yes — escaped. If he was as powerful as they say why didn’t he fight? He could have killed many. If he had scaled the other cliff the few archers at the top would have stood no chance. If he was so seeped in darkness, and if the Bronze Order stand in the light, why did he escape without striking any blow? Particularly after seeing Jon killed.”

  “I don’t know. I can’t make sense of it.” Nathan said.

  “But if am right the danger he posed to the Major was very different. He would have seen the same things I did. He would have seen the darkness the guards harbour, and he would have had a good chance of escaping and spreading the tale. How would the Order, our order, react if this news reached them?”

  “An offshoot of the order that had fallen to
the darkness? They’d declare a crusade. They’d push for an army to be formed from all the southern lands. An army to sweep the darkness away.”

  “Exactly. Think about it Nathan. I don’t think they expected to kill Daniel, or maybe they hoped they might get lucky, but the most important thing was to drive him away. They probably feared Jon could expose them too, though I doubt he could have sensed the darkness. Killing him was a bonus for them.”

  “If you are right then… I can’t even consider what it means. Are you suggesting they are in league with the night walkers? That they dragged Thomas and Cal out into the darkness and handed them over to their allies?”

  “No. I fear it is even worse than that. I told you I can see the darkness in these people. All of them are lost, but some are farther gone than others. One in particular has so much darkness inside it almost screams out at me.”

  “The Major?” asked Nathan grimly.

  “Yes. The Major. At night my new abilities can let me sense things that I cannot see. Last night I woke to shouting. Your shouting. I heard little of what happened but I knew something was very wrong. Then I sensed the Major passing nearby before leaving the camp. Walking out into the darkness with a number of other tainted souls. Not long after I heard the scream, the scream that must have been Thomas. A while later the Major returned. The darkness within him was stronger, fiercer. Something I would have said was impossible before. Nathan, I think it was the Major who killed Thomas. Probably Cal too.”

  “But why? They aren’t night walkers, that’s one thing I am still sure of. They can’t feed like the night walkers do. Can they?”

  Josef spread his hands. “I don’t know. Truly I don’t. I have read old records that speak of many other kinds of darkness, and I have seen some with my own eyes. All I know for sure is that the darkness works in many ways and with whatever tools it can find.”

  Josef fell silent. Nathan considered everything he had heard.