The king spoke, “It is a sad day when we lose one such as him. When this is over we will mourn him properly. I suppose that he is about? Like the others?”
Kerlith started but Nes’egrinon spoke first, “In this eternal darkness the dead do not stay dead. It is beyond understanding. He is dead, yet he walks about. He is a ghoul, like the others. Have you had many attacks of ghoul-kind here in this grand fortress?”
“Aye. More than you know. On a typical day our gates are open and welcoming. People come and go from the quarries and village traders enter, as they like. On the first day of the darkness… Day, huh, I still use that term but somehow it has become foreign to me. No matter. On the first day, the morning light was bright and lively as it always is, then, suddenly, it was as if someone was blotting out the noonday sun and a sort of twilight came over the land. Everyone thought it to be a storm a coming so the people pulled in the carts and trailers to be covered. In retrospect we should have known something was awry because there were no clouds. No rain came. No harsh wind came. The sun was just… gone. The next day, the stars left us and that is when the ghoul-kind flooded into the valley.”
Kerlith said, “Sounds like there were lots of them.”
“A lot? Thousands. They came in, some so oddly dressed that our sentries did not know what to make of it and did not sound an alarm or close the gates. They carried no weapons; they did not seem threatening. Most of them just meandered around babbling about being hungry. We tried to feed them thinking that they were the peoples of some yet undiscovered land that must have suffered some cataclysmic hardship for such a large number of them to show up all at once like that. Their skin was gray, sure, so we thought that they were from afar. We had no idea they were ghoul-kind.”
“I see,” Nes’egrinon replied.
“They wouldn’t eat anything we put before them: grain meal, fruits or vegetables. Even water they would not drink! Then, after these people, many who were already inside our gates, began to ask for blood my people became quite nervous. They could not understand what manner of people these were who constantly complained of being hungry, refused to eat then asked to only drink blood. No. It was insanity upon insanity. Then one of them bit one of the maids.”
“Sounds like a bad situation, King Luthgar,” Nes’egrinon said.
“Aye. Don’t get me wrong. Most of the ghoul-kind don’t attack. They just mill around in a kind of stupor, complain of their hunger and ask for blood. Pretty harmless actually. But some few of them—a small group, really—were quite aggressive and bit some of my people.”
“Yes, yes. We have had some dealings with some such as these as well. How did you handle it?” Nes’egrinon replied.
“The guards pushed them out with sword and spear, out into the outer court yard and then out into the approach valley. Many continued to wander off into the mountains. Some did not want to leave though and then a handful of them attacked my men. They had no recourse but to defend themselves. They cut them. They hit them with their swords. Then the oddest thing happened. One of the ghoul’s arms was cut off but no blood came out. The dead man bent down, picked up the arm and began to swing it like a sort of a club. At that sight some of my men ran to the court and secured the inner gate. It was then that we knew they were ghoul-kind.”
“That’s a bad way to find out such a truth. Did you lose many to their poison?” the wizard said.
The king continued, “Aye. Pretty much all the people in the outer ring. And the maid who was first bitten. I watched her go. But it wasn’t long. When she rose up after she died it gave us quite a start. But she was a soft soul. She asked to go out and we let her down the wall.”
“And the rest?” the old mage asked.
“They tried to gain access but it did not take long for us to realize that fire was our best weapon against them. Hot oil and fire. We waited many days before the majority moved on. The small bands of stragglers were harder to deal with.”
“Oh? Really?” Nes’egrinon said as he furrowed his brow. Bel did not know the mannerisms of the old man well but he knew that something was troubling him. Perhaps his master thought the king was hiding something. Bel felt it too. He was well trained in the magic of discerning speech. It is much more than reading body language or facial expressions but being able to see the metaphysical source of a person’s words. He closed his eyes and began to focus himself on the king, blocking out everything else around him.
“Aye. The foreigners, the long dead, the people not of this land moved on quickly. The ones who stayed behind were the recently dead from the Keep, my people, the people who we had so recently saw, spoke and ate with; children, fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers. It was very difficult.”
“How did you get them to leave?” Kerlith asked.
“We tried all manner of things but in the end, I spoke to them. I asked them to leave. I told them who they were. Somehow, they could not stand to hear it, to hear the truth.”
The wizard said, “I see. And then you were able to secure the outer courts and the gates. And no attacks since?”
The king replied somberly, “Not even any sightings of ghoul-kind in some few days. But still this night does not leave us. We were not sure what you were when you approached.”
“I see,” Nes’egrinon said but his mind seemed suddenly elsewhere as if he was pondering a riddle.
The king asked, “And you, my forest mage guest, you have traveled far. Tell me of what you have seen in your journey. Does this darkness spread over all the lands?”
Nes’egrinon told the king of how the darkness appeared in the forest, the visit of Muolithnon and their travels and many battles with the ghoul-kind. He told them that he intended to find its source and either close the breach himself or call more wizards to his aid. He tried to sound as confident as possible as if the situation was completely under control. He continued, “So it appears that we are heading in the right direction as master Muolithnon reported experiencing the darkness and the ghoul-kind long before it reached my forest. By the way, have any other wizards passed through here before us?”
The king answered quickly, “No, you are the first.” He then returned to his window and said, “My father before me ruled this land and his father before him. Twelve generations back we go, keeping this land, watching over it and caring for this people. All the while we have always taken council of the magical folk, as that is our way. Seers, mage folk like yourselves, and others who might give us a little wisdom or insight into the comings and goings of the lands and peoples around us and perhaps even into the depths of what is to come. But this. No. Not one of them warned us of this. Here, at Protolith, we are losing confidence in the ways of magic. Do you really think you will be able to stop this?”
“King Luthgar, I thank you for your honesty so I will be honest in return. I don’t know. All I can do is go and see. Try to discover the source of this phenomenon. Maybe we can do nothing. Maybe this is the beginning of the end of the world. I do not know what will come but all I can do is try.”
The room was silent for a long time so Nes’egrinon said, “Very well. If you have no further questions, it has been quite a long journey. I ask your leave, your majesty.”
“Yes, yes. Go. Rest. Alexius, please see that our guests are well fed and their room has all they require.”
The group followed Alexius back out through the narrow corridors. As they walked Bel desperately wished to ask his master about the words the king said and what he felt about them. He wanted to know what his master thought and if he also felt that the king was hiding something and if so, what and why. But he knew the walls had ears here. All castles did. There would be no way they could have an open conversation in these halls or rooms. He would have to wait until they left and maybe then it would be too late. He was also tired, extremely tired, and really wanted to be in bed.
They entered a small dining hall and ate some bread with soup and a few pieces of fruit. Kerlith ate the fruit eagerly and said that un
like the Greenlands it was a delicacy here. They ate mostly in silence. After their quick meal, they were led back to the room and then fell asleep quickly. Bel did not sleep well as the one-armed boy invaded his dreams.
The next day Bel was awakened by Kerlith who always made too much noise. His master was already up also and cleaning himself. Bel rose and while he packed his sack asked, “Master, do we continue on today?”
“I want to get this over with as soon as possible. Yes, we go today. Kerlith, you have a few hours to decide if you will be accompanying us.”
The apprentice replied, “I won’t need any more time. I’m coming with you.”
“Fine. Just make sure you’re coming for the right reason. This isn’t going to be about vengeance, you know. I just want to get this breach closed.”
“Revenge? Sure I want revenge but don’t worry, my feelings won’t get in the way,” Kerlith replied.
Nes’egrinon added, “Don’t get me wrong. Vengeance is fine. I’ve been known to lay out a little retribution in my day too, but right now I don’t want anyone getting blinded by it. We are only a few and we need to keep focused.”
Kerlith continued, “Nothing I can do will bring him back. But what I can do is help send him home. Help him to stop being a ghoul. If I go with you I can tend to him also. You are still going to bring him, right?”
“I suppose. After we eat, you can check the kitchen and see if they have any blood drippings we can flask for him.”
“Yes, Master Nes’egrinon.”
Bel felt sorry for Kerlith and even though he didn’t like him, he thought it would be good to have him on the journey, especially now that they were in the stone lands. A rap at the door interrupted Bel’s thoughts. He opened it to see a distraught Alexius.
“Come. Please. We are under attack by the ghoul-kind. Please. The king has requested your assistance.”
Chapter 11
Ghoul Attack
The three followed Alexius out quickly, turning this way and that through the catacomb like tunnels eventually pouring out onto an upper landing overlooking the outer courtyard of the Keep. There were ghoul-kind everywhere down below, leaping from the shadows, grabbing maids and merchants and pulling them into corners and small structures, tackling warriors long enough to bite them and carefully avoiding the edge of the wall where the oil and fire might be poured. Bel and Kerlith peered over the edge as the archers fired their crossbows.
Nes’egrinon said, “How? How did they get in?”
Alexius replied, “I suspect the people of Protolith, the recently dead, knew some way in. Tunnels? Pipes? Many of them were military but others, craftsmen: metal workers, people who fix things, others who cleaned the aqueducts that brought the water, people who spent a lot of time in the underbelly of this fortress. All I can think is that they knew its secrets; they knew how to get in. This had to be planned out.”
“I see. And where is King Luthgar?”
“There,” Alexius said, pointing at a landing overhead. “He oversees the battle there.”
“Take me to him. Kerlith, Fifth Year, you two stay here. Help as you can but do not go down the wall.”
The two nodded. Kerlith pulled out his stone quickly as Alexius and Nes’egrinon walked away. Alexius led the mage up a steep staircase and passed four guards at the top. King Luthgar met them.
“Archmage, we need your help,” the king said.
“Yes, I know. Look below, my two companions are already working.” Nes’egrinon pointed at Bel and Kerlith who were together speaking into the souls of the dead, telling them to sleep, to rest, calming their spirits, reminding them that they are not of the living and should not be here. They sent it out in wave after wave, bombarding the ghoul-kind with this simple message. Confusion stole over many of the ghouls as they stopped and looked about, unsure, bewildered, then stared down at themselves and their blood-soaked arms and legs. Some began to leave, their shoulders slumped down low, longing to return to the earth and their rest. But many others stayed.
“Yes, yes. Good. And will you not join them?” the king asked.
“Might I have a word alone?”
Luthgar looked at the mage warily then said, “Alexius, give us a moment.”
The chief of guards put his hand on the hilt of his sword and snapped his heels then retreated to the far guard station.
Nes’egrinon whispered, “I will help you and I appreciate you helping us on our journey but I must ask you this…” The old mage paused, suddenly unsure of how to phrase his next sentence. He had always been one to blurt out exactly what he was feeling but that, right now, would certainly be an insult. And to a king no less. He knew he needed his help and he knew he was completely out of his rights to ask for it; he was a woodland mage in the land of the stonecutters. It had been a long time since their people were at war but both the king and the mage were old enough to remember it. Nes’egrinon wanted to be subtle and show tact but he had no idea how. The old mage threw up his hands and spoke, “It’s like this. I know you were lying to me. I just don’t get it. Did you think I wouldn’t know? I am one of the oldest living archmages in all the lands. Why’d you lie to me? That was pretty foolish.”
“What? How dare you speak to me so!”
Alexius started towards them.
The old mage said, “Fine. I’m leaving. Deal with your dead as you see fit.”
“Wait. Wait. Alexius, we are fine. Come Master Archmage, walk with me. Here, over here, we can speak more privately here.”
He led the mage to a more secluded corner of the overlook so that his guards could not overhear their conversation. The king stopped and stared at the mage and he stared back. The gray-haired wizard’s scarred face looked haggard in the torchlight and the king could not hold his eyes upon him. It was something about his eyes, the deep-set orbs that stared back at him, into him and through him, looking down into his very soul; he could not look into them for long; it was as if in the depths of his eyes he saw a reflection of himself, distorted, somehow a reflection that displayed his true nature, the man inside, and he did not like the image.
The King looked at his feet and said, “Yes, I lied. There was a group of mages that passed through here before you. Master Rylithnon and a few others, all from the wizard school in the west. Lasaat, I believe it is called? They passed through here a few weeks ago.”
“And?”
“And I lied about that. I am sorry. But my people, you can help rid us of these ghouls?”
“I could help. But you’re still not telling me everything. Why?”
The king turned to look down at the battle. It was not going well. He replied, “A cheery lot, them. They were quite excited to be going in. Rylithnon promised me some things, magical items. And to teach me to wield them.”
“Then he lied to you. Only those who are called can wield.”
“Perhaps, but I had to take the chance. Never has a magician king sat on this throne. You know it is an uneasy alliance, kings and wizards. You know it. It is not rare for mage-kind to overthrow kings and kingdoms—”
The old mage cut his words in the air, “Yes, and perhaps they are justified. Not all kings have the lives of their people in mind.” Nes’egrinon recalled a kingdom or two that he helped overthrow and the memory brought bile into his mouth. He did not know if Luthgar knew his history though.
“Aye. But who is the judge? A mage? There is much more to politics than right and wrong and the concern of the people. I have had to make many a tough choice in my rule and not everyone thinks I did right but my conscience is free.”
The archmage spoke slowly, as if the wheels in his mind were turning, figuring something out that he could not quite piece together. “I know that now. But tell me then, what excited them? And what did you give them for these promises?”
“Their excitement? I don’t know. I didn’t ask. Their promises were enough for me and they did not ask for much. Some supplies, much like you have asked. I would have given it to them readily
even without their promises. I have always been a friend to the mage-kind.”
“So you say. Very well then. I will ask one last thing. I will help you to clear your streets of these ghoul-kind. Have your men ready to secure the tunnels or pipes or aqueducts or whatever they used to sneak into the Keep. Then, when we leave, you will give us some horses and some men, perhaps four or five, a few warriors, to aid us on our journey.”
“I will ask for volunteers. I think it won’t be a problem.”
“And one other thing. I want Alexius to accompany us.”
“What? My chief of guards? No, no, no. He is vital to—”
“I understand he is vital to the Keep but if we don’t end this darkness you will not have a Keep to rule. I need someone I can trust to lead the men. A warrior and a leader. I need someone that your men will follow. I am certain they will not follow me. No soldier has ever trusted a wizard.”
“A wizard of the forest wants to take away the stonecutters’ chief of guard, eh?”
“Listen to me! This is not a plot on your kingdom! You stone people are all alike. Quick like rock. Dumb like rock. I’m trying to help you here! Think!”
Luthgar hissed, “I do not like your tone! If we stood here on another day, in the brightness of daylight, I would have your head. But since it appears I have no choice you will have what you request. Now go. Do your job, mage.”
The archmage walked away, past Alexius and the four guards and down the steps. Alexius followed. Upon reaching the lower level Nes’egrinon peered over the wall next to Bel and Kerlith. “How goes it?” He quizzed.
Bel quickly replied, “We have been telling them to rest. Using the old language. It is working but only on a limited scale. Some of the stragglers and the ones who did not seem to be so committed have left, down through that far grating there. Can you see it? Also the newly dead, the ones just killed today, they left also. They were disoriented and were easy to scatter.”
“I see. Alexius, would it be possible for us to put a force on this end of the circle and push the ghoul-kind back toward that grating?”
Under the Shadow of Darkness: Book 1 of the Apprentice Series Page 10
