Sins of the Past: A Darkness Within Prologue (The Darkness Within Saga)

by JD Franx

  The Darkness Within Saga: Prologue

  Sins of the Past

  2nd Edition

  Author: JD Franx

  Copyright (c) JD Franx

  Registered Copyright 2013

  All rights reserved.

  Cover illustration and design (c) 2013 Joel Lagerwall

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the expressed written permission of the author. This novel is a work of fiction: names, places, characters and all events are products of the author's imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual incidents or locales or any persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Acknowledgments

  More than anyone else, I would like to thank my family. My wife, who has stood by me for so many years, always willing to lend a hand or support as it was needed. My son, who, to this very day, is still the first one to sit down and read the first drafts, and even though he has read them countless times, will still be willing to proofread a final copy. Without his help and his idea bouncing sessions, I would never get anything done. And last, but not least, my daughter, who may be still too young to read the books I write, but is always coming up with new names whenever I need one.

  Chapter One

  Six of the Dead Sisters’ most powerful witches had been working feverishly for the past two hours, to complete the complex designs of the glyph inscribed on the floor. Upon its completion, each of the sisters used a small, sharp kinrai blade to open the veins of her left wrist. The metal of the gods cut deep into the flesh. Arterial blood sprayed out, forcing them to tightly squeeze above the wounds. Each sister was careful to release just enough pressure for the blood to course down into their palms and onto the tips of their fingers in order to begin the detailed process of writing the blood-lettered language of the Lower Brethren inside the boundaries of the glyph.

  The Dead Sisters' sole ruler, the Cardessa, watched the ritual with a confident smile as her sister witches completed the final task required for summoning the demon that granted them their powers. The ritual would call forth Garz'x from the Ninth Hell of Perdition. He was the dominant ruler over the remaining realms of Hell and the strongest demon amongst the Lower Brethren.

  The God of the Underworld, Dathac, had not personally laid a hand on his own realm in thousands of years. In fact, all of the gods seemed to have little interest in the affairs of mortals, living or dead. This had allowed for Garz'x to quietly build enough power to destroy the only Brethren whose standing was higher than his. The ArchDemon Salotan grew careless in his custodianship over the lower planes of the Underworld and paid the ultimate price for his neglect.

  The war between the two Lower Brethren was short lived. During the last bit of fighting, Garz'x destroyed Salotan and usurped his power, but not his position. ArcAngels and ArchDemons were made by the gods and the gods no longer seemed to care. Now, with no ArchDemon to intervene, the ninth hell overlord ran rampant over the other eight dimensions of Hell, even tormenting the Angels of Paradise, all while doing his best to corrupt and wreak havoc on the living world. Most of it through the plans of the Dead Sisters and other witches or warlocks devoted to earning themselves a taste of powerful demonic magic. Both ensured that more souls went to the Lower Brethren than to the Higher as the custodians of heaven and hell fought for domination of the Afterlife. When souls meant power, even Talohna's afterlife could be a dangerous place.

  Finishing their task, the six sisters wrapped their damaged wrists to stop the bleeding and quickly left the room. Only the Cardessa was permitted to speak with the demon lord.

  She stepped forward and faced the ritualistic markings on the glyph, then chanted in a language long-forgotten by most mortals. A putrid green mist rose from the complex designs and a swirling dark red smoke surged from the blood-script with a life all its own. The mist rose steadily as the noxious smoke twisted and spun through the green vapour, drifting over the Cardessa's head. A loud snap tore through the small room as the fabric between dimensions weakened, heralding the arrival of the seven-foot tall KiPara demon, Garz'x.

  Though not physically able to travel to Talohna's plane of existence, the Lower Brethren guardian was able to project an effigy of himself through the weakened fabric of reality, and his voice through the magical glyph and blood-lettered ciphers placed by the sisters. The Lower Brethren had a strong dislike of the living, all the more so when summoned by them. Even being contacted by his faithful followers always put Garz'x in a foul mood. This time was no exception.

  “Your insistence upon using your pathetic magic to call my presence is trying, Mydea. What do you want?” the demon barked. His voice echoed, as if coming from deep within the earth. Mydea Veht hadn't been called by her real name in centuries, and she knew it was a sign of her master's annoyance. As the Cardessa of the Dead Sisters, she demanded only the utmost amount of respect from all she dealt with, but when it came to Garz'x, she said nothing. It was an argument she knew she would lose.

  Instead she bowed as deeply as her five-hundred year-old body would allow. “I am sorry, my lord, but we have everything we need for the gate ritual, except for what you can provide. We need the name of the Guardian,” she asked respectfully.

  The immaterial image of the Brethren Lord remained motionless for several minutes before speaking.

  “Why now? It is too early. He will be too young,” Garz'x said, his voice heavy with suspicion. Mydea knew the demon lord trusted no one, not even her and she'd been faithful to the demon and his plans for hundreds of years.

  “It could take years to find what you tell us or to train in what we need to accomplish. We must be prepared, instead of taking the risk of being too late,” she pleaded.

  A harsh, gurgling laugh rolled through the dimensional window from the bowels of Perdition, a scream of suffering followed on its wake. Mydea smiled lightly as she realized her sisters had placed the blood-script with such accuracy that the cries of the doomed were beginning to seep through the weakened dimensional barrier.

  “Very well, Mydea. Your ability to think ahead is what has kept your coven’s sole access to my power, so this favor I will grant. But listen closely, witch, your task will not be easy to complete.”

  The Cardessa nodded, bowing slightly. “Yes, my lord.”

  “The final step is an ingredient only a Guardian can supply. You need the blood of a living, betrayed Guardian in order to pull the needed power from your soul during the ritual many years from now—only the power of the soul can tear dimensional barriers that have already been opened.” Mydea listened intently, nodding, but didn't speak.

  “There is only one such creature left alive. You must collect the blood of this living Guardian when she is in the agony of betrayal, or at least believes she's been betrayed. It will activate the magic hidden within her blood. The betrayal must be fresh, and she must survive. I cannot be any clearer: if your sisters,” he said with disgust, “kill the Guardian, you destroy your chances of completing the ritual.”

  “Yes, my lord.”

  “The soul of the DeathWizard, Jasala Vyshaan, suffers for her crimes in my dimension. It took two thousand years, but she did reveal that the last Guardian charged with... taking care of the DeathWizard threat is Yrlissa Blackmist. Her blood carries
the power of the... gods,” he scoffed. “She will not surrender it without a fight—your witches will not be accustomed to fighting one of her ability.”

  “Thank you, my lord. Where might we find her?” she added quickly, but the dimensional rift had already snapped shut.

  As it was, Mydea smiled; she finally had the last piece of knowledge they would need in order to bring Kael home. Surprisingly, the ArchWizard, Giddeon Zirakus, hadn't kept Kael's identity a secret from the world. Mydea's smile grew wider, the Dead Sisters would've discovered the child's identity anyway, one of her younger Sisters had held a position in the ArchWizard's mansion for almost fifteen years now, A true DeathWizard and master of the Dead Sisters, would be brought home from the dimension he had been exiled to after his birth.

  Garz'x was right not to trust her. She smiled. Not even the demon lord could stand against a DeathWizard's true power. Kael's return would define death and chaos for all of Talohna, living or dead and make the Dead Sisters the unrivaled rulers of all.

  * * * * *

  The three witches had watched the young woman and her family for several months. The Cardessa ordered them to watch and report back, but nothing else. So far, they had done just that.

  All Dead Sister witches worked in groups of three. Ternions attracted less attention than covens of six or more. A strong wizard or other mystic could easily detect the corrupted group power of a coven, but a group of three avoided many problems, allowing the witches to move through civilization more freely. It was the Dead Sister's most steadfast law, because demonic magic was punishable by death in every kingdom of Talohna—no arrest, no trial. Just execution on sight.

  Always dressing in the flowing white gowns common to the priestesses of Mylla also allowed them to blend in and move more easily through Talohna's many kingdoms. The vested sisters of the Earth Goddess were welcomed everywhere and never paid for food or lodging. The Dead Sisters trained all their young so extensively, that often, even a real earth priestess failed to recognize who or what the Dead Sisters really were, and with chapels dedicated to the goddess Mylla in every town and city, the witches were never questioned on their identities—to do so would be to insult the priestess' faith. Besides, who would dare to impersonate the priestesses of Talohna's most worshiped goddess?

  The focus of this particular ternion was Yrlissa Blackmist. The young Elvehn woman had worked in Lord Ghaul's castle for the past two years as a laundry maid. Every night she went home to her family and the small cottage on the insignificant parcel of land her husband farmed for the Lord and Lady of Ynasu. They had a one-and-a-half year-old daughter named Cassandra.

  The Dead Sisters were told to act only when the young Elvehn mother had been betrayed. Though they had their orders, the leader of the ternion, Voranna Talavihr, an experienced veteran Sister, could not understand who would possibly betray the boring castle maid. They had seen no evidence of an unfaithful husband, the ternion was left to wonder what the future held and why they were told to be extremely careful should they be ordered, or should the opportunity arise for them to attack. Voranna struggled to understand how this insipid mouse could be an ancient Guardian, or how she could be a threat to anyone, let alone the Dead Sisters.

  Chapter Two

  With summer in full swing, the days had become humid and uncomfortable, even down in the wide valley that made up the majority of Yusat's western terrain. The evenings in the valley, however, were often cool and refreshing, a welcome reprieve from the day's sweltering heat.

  Yrlissa Blackmist walked home from Ynasu's Tower Castle in the relatively cool, early evening air. Two of Talohna's moons were just visible in the southeastern sky. It was a calm, yet reviving change compared to the constant bustle of the castle and its inhabitants or the sweet, cloying stench of too many people crowded together on a hot day. As she walked, she breathed deep, pulling in the crisp evening air filled with the scent of green crops and flowering fruit trees. She could just make out the slightly stagnant aroma of the rice paddies proliferating the mountainside plateaus. The scents brought back thoughts of the last two years of her life in Ynasu. It had been centuries since she had been so happy. Knowing her husband Cassel would be waiting with their daughter, Cassandra, filled her soul with a sense of peace.

  It didn't last long, though, as thoughts of why she was in Ynasu came storming back to the front of her mind and worry poured into her soul. Yrlissa Blackmist was an assassin, but not just any assassin. She was a member of Talohna's most ancient and mythic assassins' guild, the Broken Blades, and held the rank of ShadowWalker; a position earned by assassins who were a couple steps short of the guild's ruling council. For two years, she'd been trying to get the attention of her target, Ynasu's ruler, Lord Jarvis Ghaul.

  The lord of Ynasu had made some powerful enemies during his life. He had a perverse sense of ownership over those who worked for him. Ynasu's economy had suffered from years of his self indulgence and neglect, and work was hard to find for common citizens. Lord Ghaul took full advantage of this in every way possible. Female servants were subject to his obscene wiles at all hours of the day or night, and rumors hinted that illegal gladiator arenas in his dungeons were responsible for many missing servants, both male and female. Lady Ghaul was no better. The Kariyan woman was rarely seen, often gone for months at a time on exotic hunts. Known as the Kariyan Huntress among the commoners, Yrlissa had seen her only three times in the two years she'd worked at the castle. All three times it was clear that the huntress' targets during her hunts were young Elvehn men. Yrlissa had seen the arrow-filled, and torn bodies. All were covered in dog bites. The Broken Blades had been contracted to kill Lord Ghaul, but if given the chance, Yrlissa planned to assassinate both Ynasu's lord and lady. However, the requirements of the contracted death on Jarvis Ghaul had been unique and would likely mean Sumiko Ghaul would escape death, for now.

  Broken Blade assassins only killed in one way. The same way they had been killing for over ten thousand years. Any other contract demands were negotiable, but the actual method of death never changed. This time, the contract called for Lord Ghaul to be killed in his bedchambers and for his body to be found in the company of at least one of his female servants, who was to be left alive. The client wanted it made clear that the murder was a warning to the other nobles ruling Yusat's corrupt kingdoms.

  Slavery was illegal in most of Talohna, but especially within the borders of the Blood Kingdoms, and someone believed Lord Ghaul would make an excellent reminder to all, that hired workers were not property. Someone very resourceful, because almost everyone in Talohna believed that the Broken Blade Guild was nothing more than a myth—a fairy tale of old, that very few people knew how to contact. The guild had only one agent in every major city, an experienced assassin who would take contracts back to the guild headquarters only when he or she was assured of secrecy by the client. Many such clients never lived long enough to present their offer.

  Yrlissa had been given a three-year deadline for the current contract. Getting close to any lord was a difficult task and Yusat's political climate made it an even more delicate situation. She eventually hoped to catch his eye and let his degenerate appetite give her an opening to finish it. To her surprise, she quickly discovered that Lord Ghaul's desires leaned more towards the Human race and not the Elvehn. The thirty pounds she still carried from her pregnancy also seemed to do little to help catch Ghaul's 'lean' eye. Yrlissa's new assistant in laundry would hopefully help correct the problem. The young, waif-like Human woman was exactly the type Jarvis Ghaul couldn't keep his hands off of.

  She had less than a year to complete the job, but that wasn't what worried her. The uneasy feeling that someone was watching her, did. She wondered if Lord Ghaul was growing suspicious of her flirtatious smiles and decided to have her followed.

  Yrlissa closed her eyes. Focusing her esoteric sight—her mystical senses, she tried to feel out her follower. She pushed her senses out almost two miles, far beyond the capabilities of any othe
r living wizard, and still she felt no one. Yet, when she opened her eyes, a nagging voice in her mind screamed that she was being watched. It had been bothering her for months now.

  Continuing her walk home after ascertaining no physical forms nearby, worry and emotion plagued Yrlissa's mind. Her instincts refused to agree with what her outward senses were telling her. Someone was watching her, but she didn't know who, nor did she know why she couldn't sense them.

  With no further option, it became a concern for another day and her worry shifted to her young family; she hadn't come to Ynasu to fall in love and have a child, but try as she might, she couldn't stop her guard from collapsing when around a young man named Cassel Moren. The farmer supplied Tower Castle with bushels of root vegetables and several pounds of cotton every week and had instantly taken a liking to Yrlissa the first time she had signed for his delivery of cotton. Refusing to take no for an answer, Cassel quickly earned his way past her emotional guard. He showed her what it was like to feel again, but more importantly, how to love. It wasn’t long before she was swept up in the illusion of being in love with the handsome farmer, and now it was far too late to stop, even if she wanted to. And she didn't.

  Yrlissa had been alone for a very long time. For the Elvehn, this could mean centuries, but for her, it meant several millennia. She was from a time long forgotten, and though she knew falling for Cassel was wrong and extremely dangerous, she couldn't stop how good it felt to be with someone after so many years alone. She had no friends and no family, and not one single surviving member of the Guardian Pact remained. The war had taken most of them and the last DeathWizard to reach maturity had taken her sister.

  When she discovered she was with child three months after meeting Cassel, she was devastated, but he was so ecstatic that his feelings quickly became contagious. With so much time left to complete her contract, Yrlissa fell into the role of wife and mother, hoping her secret skills would be enough to avoid a disastrous outcome and that she was strong enough to keep her family safe.