by Dean Cadman
Chapter Twenty
Zedd had only managed to salvage eight undead-minions from the entire village he had massacred. His over-exuberance in killing them had rendered most of them completely unviable as minions. Either the damage to their bodies had been too extensive to reanimate them at all, or they had been physically damaged to such an extent that they would never have been able to keep up with them as they travelled.
As Cole expected they had stayed overnight in the village and acquired what they needed for their onward journey. Now Zedd’s undead-minions carried the shovels, picks, and various other tools they might need to recover the dragon heart in The Dark Forest. One thing they hadn’t found in the village, however, were horses, or at least not ridable ones. The only animals the villagers possessed, were large heavy beasts used for ploughing their fields, and completely unsuitable for riding.
Cole had dreaded the following few days after witnessing what Zedd had done to those first defenceless villagers. He knew it was completely pointless trying to talk him out of killing anyone else they might encounter over the coming days, and was thankful when they discovered most of the villages they passed through had already been destroyed due to previous encounters with their people. No, not his people. He no longer had a place in the Empire. Neither of them did. And if being an Empire citizen meant that he had to indiscriminately kill innocent people like Zedd had done, he didn’t want to be one either.
Only three times did they encounter survivors in the other villages they passed through, and on two of those occasions, Cole managed to save the lives of the people there without Zedd even knowing. Fortunately, Cole had spotted the survivors first, and that had given him the opportunity to help them. Thankfully they hadn’t been foolish enough to stand out in the open like the first villagers they had encountered. Instead, they cowered between buildings and hid as best they could to avoid the approaching strangers. Cole had used his magic to search out their minds, then sent them images of the atrocities Zedd had committed in that first village. It had been more than enough to send them fleeing for their lives.
It wasn’t until the late afternoon of the fifth day, that they finally reached the river that bordered The Dark Forest. And when they did, Cole became very nervous about what might be awaiting them on the other side. It hadn’t been so long ago that they had chased the boy-mage through the deadly forest, and the memories of the Netherworld creatures they had encountered there were still very fresh in his mind. So were the incredibly intense feelings of fear they had both felt when any of the creatures were nearby. Apart from a single night they had spent inside a cave, they had relied solely on the magic circles they had created on the ground for protection at night, and this time would be no different. The plan was to use the same cave again, as it was very close to the location of the dragon remains. The only problem was, it would take them several days to reach it, during which time they would be exposed to whatever horrors The Dark Forest held for them.
They were both more than happy to spend the coming night on their side of the river, instead of crossing over to the forest. It would be dark in less than an hour, and the Netherworld creatures would soon begin rising from the ground, where they had taken refuge during the daylight hours. Both Zedd and Cole were under no illusions that the following few nights would hold little rest for them, and whatever respite they could take now, they would be thankful for later.
The following morning came far too quickly for Cole’s liking, and shortly after eating breakfast, Zedd was keen to get underway once more. He wasted no time in reminding Cole how useless he was for not being able to levitate himself across the river, then spent the next fifteen minutes ferrying his own undead-minions across after him. Once they were all safely across the river, they turned and vanished into the dense trees of the forest.
It was hard to keep track of time under the thick canopy, as it was almost impossible to see where the sun was in the sky. Thankfully, Zedd erred on the side of caution that first day, and called a halt to their day’s travel early. He commanded his undead-minions to clear a much larger patch of ground than usual, then carefully created his magic circle of protection to cover the entire area. Nobody knew for certain whether a Netherworld creature could rise inside a circle of protection, but they did know that none could cross its boundary from the outside. Once the magic circle was complete, Zedd had his undead-minions retreat within its protection, then they all waited with bated breath for the sun to finally set. They both knew that if a Netherworld creature had taken refuge from the sun within the confines their magic circle, it might rise again in the same place as soon as the sun dipped below the hidden horizon.
No one knew for certain whether the Netherworld creatures could move around underground during the day. Some scholars in the Empire had suggested that they could, others claimed it was not possible because they remained completely dormant during the daylight hours. The truth was, nobody knew for sure. One thing which occurred to Cole, was that if they could move, and they had sensed Zedd using his magic to create the circle of protection, they could now be standing on top of who knows how many Netherworld creatures.
Cole held his breath as the last rays of daylight vanished from the world around them, and the other-worldly shrieks of the Netherworld creatures began to fill the cool night air. But thankfully, nothing stirred within their circle. It seemed that they would live another day.
Their first night within The Dark Forest passed without encountering a single Netherworld creature, even though they could clearly hear the other-worldly shrieks and howls of them in the distance for most of the night. Neither of them spoke openly about it, but they both knew that the closer they got to the remnants of The Great Rift over the coming days, the more likely they would be to encounter Netherworld creatures. It was a well known fact that the creatures seemed to be drawn back to their point of origin, desperately trying re-enter the realm from which they came. And therefore, the greatest concentration of Netherworld creatures were usually to be found closest to where The Great Rift had once been.
As soon as Zedd was certain that the sun had crested the hidden horizon, and the Netherworld creatures had all returned to ground, they broke camp and resumed their mission. They spoke little during their onward journey, and only stopped to eat or refill their water flasks whenever the opportunity arose. They travelled at a much slower pace this time, compared to when they had pursued the boy-mage through the forest before. Then they had run for the most part, only slowing to catch their breath or drink some water, but now they were forced to travel much slower due to the speed limitations of their undead-minions. Although Cole hadn’t enjoyed the rigours of running in the slightest back then, he now found himself desperately wishing they could increase their speed, and end their time within The Dark Forest as soon as possible.
As they travelled deeper into the forest, the ancient trees became much larger, and the canopy above their heads even more dense. It became impossible to estimate what time of day it was from the ground, as it always appeared to be early dusk within the deep shadows of the immense trees. At one point Zedd called a temporary halt, and levitated himself up above the canopy to check on the sun’s position in the sky, only to become entangled in the densely intertwined branches above. When he returned to the ground, he did so in a foul mood, sporting several small cuts and scratches from the sharp branches above. It was the last time he attempted it himself. The next time he sent up one of his undead-minions, and viewed the sun’s potion through their eyes instead.
Zedd estimated that it was still at least two hours before nightfall, but he had been looking for a suitable place to stop for at least an hour already. The area of forest they were travelling through seemed much more dense than the route they had taken whilst pursuing the boy-mage, and he was beginning to worry that they wouldn’t find a clearing large enough to create a circle of protection in time for the coming night. Their circle of protection would have to be crafted very carefully, and its lines
be completely unbroken for it to be effective. And although the low growing shrubs and bushes could easily be cleared by his undead-minions, the immense trees could not.
It took another thirty minutes for them to find anything that resembled a clearing, and when they did, it was far from ideal. An ancient tree had recently fallen, creating a natural clearing as it had come down, smashing the other smaller trees out of its way. Its huge ancient canopy had obviously restricted the growth of other trees nearby, leaving only a spattering of weak saplings in its once great shadow. The saplings and other vegetation around the fallen giant could be cleared easily enough, but the huge tree trunk was as thick, as Zedd was tall. Even with the combined strength of his eight undead-minions and his own magic, Zedd knew he wouldn’t stand a chance of moving the enormous tree. But fortunately he didn’t have to. All he had to do was remove enough of it to create a circle of protection large enough to accommodate himself, Cole, and his undead-minions.
He immediately set his undead-minions to the task of cutting the massive fallen tree trunk and clearing the surrounding area of vegetation. They had managed to find four good axes in the first village they’d destroyed, and Zedd had thought that would have been more than enough for their needs. But now he wished that he’d searched for more in the other villages, as he was far from confident that four would be enough to clear the area in time, before the sun went down, and the Netherworld creatures began to rise once more.
The undead-minions chopped furiously at the massive fallen tree trunk. Wood chippings flew high into the air, as the four axes relentlessly struck their target with a rhythmic thudding. The sounds echoed through the surrounding forest like the ominous sound of approaching war drums. Zedd had two of his undead-minions on each side of the giant tree trunk, chopping in perfect synchronicity with each other. They would cut two sections of the massive tree trunk at once, hopefully giving them a chance to clear the ground before the sun began to set. His four remaining undead-minions he had set to clearing the ground of vegetation, rocks and debris from the fallen giant. Even Zedd and Cole frantically helped, knowing that their very lives depended on it.
Twenty minutes later, the first two huge sections of the tree trunk were cut through. Zedd struggled to lift them with only his magic, and had to resort to using the inhuman strength of his undead-minions to help push the gigantic logs out of the way. As soon as the two sections of tree were clear, the four undead-minions resumed their chopping on the next section of the fallen tree. Periodically, Zedd levitated one of his minions high above the tree canopy to check on the sun’s progress, but soon returned it back to the ground to resume its more pressing work below.
The shadows began to lengthen alarmingly, and both Zedd and Cole scanned the forest nervously for any signs of movement. They needed a circle of protection large enough not only to accommodate them and their undead-minions, but also to keep them as far away as possible from any Netherworld creatures outside it. The mere presence of Netherworld creatures would drop the air temperature dramatically, and the closer they were to the creatures, the less chance they would have of surviving the coming night.
A circle of protection worked in several ways. Its main function was to render whoever was inside it invisible to the Netherworld creatures outside. It was discovered a long time ago, that the eyes of most Netherworld creatures were very different from those of a person, or an animal. They didn’t see the actual world around them, only the magic that things contained. Scholars had long since surmised that a complete lack of light within the Netherworld was the most likely reason for this, and with no way to disprove the theory, it had become the general consensus within the Empire.
One thing that most Netherworld creatures did possess, however, was a very keen sense of hearing. Again, it was generally believed that they had developed such acute hearing, due to the complete lack of light within the Netherworld. The circle of protection not only blinded the Netherworld creatures to any magic within it, but also prevented any sounds escaping from inside.
There were at least three historically documented Netherworld creatures—which Zedd knew about—that could hunt a man simply by the sound of his beating heart. And that preyed on his mind more and more as the light around him began to quickly fade to grey. He and Cole had already carefully crafted most of their magic circle, and now all they waited for, were the remaining two pieces of tree trunk to succumb to the axes of his undead-minions, then they could complete their intricate work.
Zedd checked the lines and symbols of their circle very carefully. One mistake in its crafting would render it completely useless, and on soft earth, that was a distinct possibility. It may have been a stroke of luck finding the partially cleared area when they did, but with the tree canopy above them wide open, any rain that night might spell certain death for them both.
Finally the last piece of the massive tree gave way under the relentless chopping, but not before the first distant wails erupted within The Dark Forest. The small hairs on the back of Zedd’s neck stood on end, as the other-worldly sounds washed over him. He dare not use his magic to assist in moving the final massive log. He knew that if he did, his magic would be like a lighthouse in the darkness for the Netherworld creatures. Instead he watched, as his eight undead-minions struggled to slowly roll the massive log away from their camp.
As soon as it was out of the way, Zedd recalled his undead-minions inside the circle, and both he and Cole worked as quickly as they could to complete the circle.
But it was too late.
From twenty paces away from their camp, came a bone-chilling scream, as the massive black skull of a Netherworld creature emerged from the earth and locked eyes on them. It squirmed and struggled to be released from its daylight prison, hissing and growling as it slowly emerged. Zedd and Cole frantically worked on closing their circle of protection, but they both knew they could never finish it before the creature broke free of its earthen restraints. Its chilling screams washed over them, threatening to undo their very sanity, but both men fought off their overwhelming desire to flee, and continued to work on their only chance of survival.
The deadly creature was now almost free of its bonds, and the circle was still far from complete. Its other-worldly screams had already been answered throughout the forest by countless numbers of its brethren, all no doubt heading their way right now. Zedd lifted his eyes away from his work to look at the creature, and his heart missed a beat.
It was massive.
The creature stood twice as tall as any man, and at least three times as broad across its chest. Its shiny black skin glistened in the fading light, as it fought frantically to free its final trapped leg from the ground which still held it. Its muscles rippled and contorted under the strain, but throughout it all, it never stopped looking directly at Zedd. Its two huge muscular arms ended in two large hands resembling those of a human. Only these hands were equipped with five massive razor-sharp claws, each one at least eight inches long. As Zedd took in more of the creature’s appearance, he realised why the creature seemed to glisten so much. It wasn’t covered in skin at all, but instead a black armoured carapace, similar to the large sand beetles he had often played with as a child.
With a bone-chilling shriek the creature finally ripped its muscular leg free of the earth, and launched itself towards Zedd, claws held out ready to rip him apart on contact. He opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out. The creature arced through the air towards him, causing him to fall helplessly backwards away from his impending doom. Just before the creature was within striking distance, a small bright flash erupted before Zedd’s eyes, and the creature impacted hard on an invisible barrier. It screamed in frustration, battering violently at the invisible barrier with its huge razor-sharp claws. It took Zedd a moment to realise what had just happened: Cole had completed their circle whilst he had been mesmerized by the creature, and now they were safely within its protection.
The creature continued to batter at their magical ba
rrier, shrieking ever louder with its frustration at not being able to get through to them. It made little sense to Zedd. As far as he understood it, they should now be invisible to the creature, yet here it was, still trying to reach them inside their circle of protection. Cole must have seen the confused look on his face, as he watched the futile efforts of the creature.
“I think it’s a Carazhal,” Cole said quietly, never taking his eyes from the creature.
“A what?” Zedd asked, in a slightly shaky voice. Although he had never been very interested in the history of The Great Rift, it was a compulsory subject to learn within the Empire, and as such, he felt sure that he knew the names of all of the various Netherworld creatures. But he’d never heard of a Carazhal before. He was about to berate Cole for his stupidity, when he suddenly realised that the strange creature which was currently hammering on their magical barrier, matched no description he had ever read, nor had he ever seen an illustration in any book which even came close to its appearance.
“A Carazhal,” Cole repeated, still looking warily at the beast. “I’ve only ever read about them once, and it was written in old Thulian, on a scroll from the time of The Great Rift. It was part of a translation I did…”
“I don’t care about your translation! What in the name of the seven Gods is it?” Zedd snapped at him. “And why can it still see us?”
Cole took a deep steadying breath, tempted to take control of Zedd’s mind and walk him out of the circle, and into the waiting claws of the Carazhal. He was tired of being ill-treated and ridiculed by him, even after he’d saved his life countless times—just like he’d done a few moments earlier—he still showed him no respect. Cole knew that as soon as their mission was over, Zedd would abandon him at the first opportunity he got, and return to his family in The Badlands. Whereas there would be no place that Cole could call home after they were done in Afaraon.
