Cyrus felt something odd and awoke to find his Familiar shining an azure light. Night had descended. The Familiar’s shape changed from a sphere to a square then a triangle. Every sound reverberated from the noise of the cricket to the owl flying in the night. Something was coming. He gently awoke Meza. They grabbed their weapons.
Creatures came out of the shadows. His Familiar came closer to the beasts and shone over their features. They were large as a bear with brown and gray fur. Their eyes were luminous. The first beast howled a shrieking noise. Cyrus noticed a smaller cub trailing behind the larger animals. The beasts stared at them and bowed their large heads.
"Wait," Cyrus said.
"What in Ravens ghost is happening?"
He said, "Meza, drop your weapon."
A large beast approached him and sniffed. Cyrus didn’t move. He didn’t feel any anger or fear coming from the creatures.
Cyrus said, "They're friendly."
Meza looked skeptical and kept his hand close to his sword. Another animal sniffed Meza. The beasts lurched away, stopped and moved their heads in a beckoning motion.
Cyrus said, "The animals want us to follow."
They got their gear and followed. Meza was tense, and he kept his eyes fixed into the darkness. Cyrus remembered the banshee and the ghost boy. He didn’t feel the same terror when he saw the dead, but a feral sense of kinship. At one point during their journey, he heard a waterfall, but it disappeared when they traveled through the night. The lead animal stopped and pointed its snout several times to a large thicket of bushes. A man ran out of the shadows.
The assailant said, "Meza?"
Meza looked at the man and said. "Charles, is that you?"
Charles moved away from Meza and said, "Yes. We need to be quiet we are close to a royal camp."
Cyrus looked for the beasts but they already left into the forest. They followed Charles down an embankment into a small plateau. Cyrus heard a gentle lapping of water against the shore. They crouched underneath a tall weeping willow tree.
Meza said, "I am glad to see you. What's happening at Druthic?"
Charles looked at Cyrus.
Meza said, "He is one of us."
Charles said, "The revolution has started but the emperor sent his army to attack them. The battle is grim. I don’t know how long Darrin and his men could hold out."
"Why are you here?" Meza asked.
"I was sent by Darrin for a special mission."
Charles related to them what he found inside the library. They didn’t ask him any question until he was done.
Meza said, "Darrin must be very desperate to send you on this mission. Did anybody else come with you?"
"No, I came myself."
"Can we look at the book?"
Charles took out of his traveling pack a small ancient book. It was leather bound and worn along the edges. Meza scanned along the pages.
"So, according to this book, there is another way to open the dam."
"Yes, I believe so, but before we go inside, there is a troop of royal soldiers guarding it."
"We have to do something."
•••
Darrin knew the confrontation with the black army was going to decide if they would win or lose. He went to check on the elixir. He steered through the buildings into the warmth of the day. If these black knights were the famed legend of old, then they are going to be in trouble.
He glanced toward the city walls and look at the ramparts, embattlements and spires. He knew if good men guarded these walls, this city would not fall. He knew each defensive position by memory and wondered if they were prepared. He arrived at the cook’s kitchen. He smelled the acrid aroma of the potion.
The cook said, "Ah, it is done."
Darrin nodded and came within arm’s distance of the large boiling cauldron. The fire underneath was smoldering with small licks of flames. The potion was dark brown and steam rose from the top. Darrin grabbed a cup and took a small portion of it. He blew on the liquid and drank. The taste was bitter.
"Thank you," Darrin said. "Have this cool for a few hours."
Darrin was feeling better. He walked out of the kitchen feeling at ease. However, something nagged at him. He couldn’t place it but from his experience, he always trusted his instincts. He went back to his headquarters to contemplate.
CHAPTER 39
The next day Meza, Cyrus and Charles found a hidden cave further along the hills away from the dam. The cave smelled of fur and bear droppings, but it was clean. Charles drew a map of the area on the ground with twigs and stones. He added the guard’s positions.
Meza stared at the diagram and said, "There are too many guards posted at each entrance."
Charles said, "Any ideas?"
Cyrus spoke, "Can we just destroy the dam?"
"I am not sure how we can destroy the dam. It is blanketed by powerful runes."
Meza thought it over and said, "We can swim at night toward the dam and scale the dam from the river."
"It sounds risky. We still have to go past the guards."
Cyrus said, "We can try."
"It could work. Even so, I am still worried."
Meza said, "With the three of us, there is a better chance of this working. In the cover of darkness, the guards will not see us until it is too late."
"I hope it is not too late. It looked very bleak when I left Druthic."
Cyrus said, "When should we go?"
"Tonight."
"Is your commander Darrin Masters?" Cyrus suddenly said.
Charles looked at him and said, "Do you know him?"
"Yes, he was the captain of the elite guards when King David was alive."
Charles said, "Huh, you must go way back."
•••
The night held a sense of anticipation and dread. The Freedom Fighters stood along the wall of the city of Druthic watching the enemy below. They passed along a large bucket filled with the elixir. Each person took a cup and drank it. They knew the risks but they drank the potion without hesitation. The sense of foreboding seemed to disappear from the fighters who drank it. Darrin watched as his men drank the elixir.
Now, it was the waiting game. He strategically placed his chosen warriors in defensive positions along the city. Tonight, he knew the black army was going to attack. He could feel it in his old soldier’s bones. Yet, he didn’t know where they would attack first.
A bell rang from the back wall. Darrin ran and saw dark figures swarming over his guards along the ramparts. Another bell rang but it was from the front wall. Darrin fought the urge to panic. He yelled to his nearest commander to find what was happening at the main wall. A black knight came out of the shadows and attacked him. Darrin dodged the killing strike. A growl escaped his opponent. Darrin looked around and saw several black knights surrounding him. He didn’t see any of his soldiers.
Darrin calmed his breathing. He twisted and hit one enemy’s shoulder with his mace and sliced his sword underneath his armpit. Blood squirted. He rotated his sword out and swung his mace down on the man’s back knees. The attacker shrieked and fell down hard. Another black knight attacked. Darrin parried the sword thrust and kicked at the enemy’s chest. A group of his soldiers joined him.
Darrin attacked the enemy and cut off the enemy’s arm. He kicked the assailant and blood squirted all over. His soldiers killed the rest of the black knights. Darrin ran toward the back wall. Chaotic fighting erupted everywhere. He dodged every blow and kept on going.
On the wall, his soldiers were being pinned down by enemy swords. He ran and killed a few black knights and got closer to his closest ally. They fought back to back moving toward his other soldiers.
When they got next to his men, Darrin said, "We have to cut the grappling hooks. Follow me."
They fought a bloody trail up the steps to the top. Darrin was about to cut the grappling hook, when he duck. A barrage of arrows flew over his head. He stood and cut the first rope he found. The enemy yelled and crash
ed. One black knight still was holding on to the ramparts. Darrin sliced off the man’s fingers and the black knight fell.
They fought their way to the next grappling hook. One of his soldiers screamed for help. Darrin defended him clearing the foe fighting him. His comrade clutched at his side and fell to the ground dead. Darrin and his remaining soldiers fought along the wall dispatching the black knights. Darrin felt the hunger, the hunger of battle. His Diten, his life force, was rising from his skin and surrounding him in an invisible barrier. His blood rage was coming out. His people called this the hunger, Ram Math. His teachers and mentors believe the greatest warriors learned how to harness this flow. Darrin saw his enemy move in slow motion. He pushed through them, as if they were parchment. He killed with a renewed freedom.
Darrin stood on the wall soaked in the blood of his enemies. He cut the remaining ropes of the foes grappling hooks. His comrades stared at him in awe and terror. He looked wild.
Behind Darrin a voice said, "Sir, we have reinforcements coming."
Darrin nodded and saw his men running toward his position. One of his commanders came up to him and said, "Sir. The enemy has stopped."
Darrin said, "Get men posted around the wall and watch for any grappling hooks. Clear the dead and get the wounded to the infirmary."
Darrin walked away. He felt the blood rage disappear. He hadn’t summoned the Ram Math since he left his homeland. He needed to go back to his teachings. He was becoming sloppy. He could have killed his own soldiers. Darrin noticed his men kept a distance from him. He looked and saw more of the enemies dead among the members of his Freedom Fighters.
•••
Narah mediated and ate the awful prison food. She thought after a month of being imprisoned, the magic enfolding the mask would cease, but it didn’t. The mask clung to her face. Her mind was in turmoil. She couldn’t stand being trapped. She wanted freedom. She heard the shuffle of the girl giving her food tray. She waited. She heard a voice in wavering tones say, "Hello."
Narah said, "Lorraine, is that you?"
"No Lorraine was the old servant girl. My name is Rachel."
"Hello, why did they imprison you?"
"My parents died a few weeks ago and I didn’t have any money to eat. I stole some food," Rachel said.
"You could have gone to the orphanage."
Rachel said, "No, the children there are being slaughtered."
Narah heard the clinking of metal against stone.
Rachel said, "Good bye."
Narah wondered about her situation. Maybe, she could get some information from Rachel. She left her food tray alone for now. She needed to think. She had looked at every single corner. She felt trapped like her mask. Darrin taught her to relax and to look from within. She could learn from the stillness and find an alternative way through her problems. She meditated but she couldn’t find her center, her Diten. She almost screamed.
•••
The night was silky black. The twin moons shone on the surface of the water. Charles, Meza and Cyrus were swimming holding a camouflage raft made of pieces of wood and debris. The current was strong carrying them toward the dam. Charles first saw the lanterns. The guards that patrolled the top didn't look down on them. They steered toward the shore. Out of the night, two guards patrolled. They moved to the embankment. The guards were a few feet down the path. They let go of the raft and emerged out of the water. They followed the trail, came behind the guards, and swiftly knocked them out. They placed the guards in a set of bushes, tied their hands and legs, and stuffed fabric into their mouths. They changed into their armor and weapons. Blood speckled some of the uniforms but in the dark, Charles hoped they could fool the other guards.
Charles said, "Just let me do the talking."
They walked to the entrance. Charles noticed a group of four guards sitting in chairs at the entrance. The guards snapped to attention, as they got closer.
"Who goes there?" a royal soldier said.
"We have just captured a rebel!" Charles said.
"Great, bring him closer. We have heard the rebels might try to attack this worthless dam," the soldier said.
Charles pushed Cyrus closer forward.
"Aye, he looks to be a rebel," the guard said.
Charles came closer and killed the nearest enemy. Meza shot two web spells at the other soldiers. Charles looked around. No alarms sounded. They moved them into the darkness. Before they entered, he saw a parchment placed on a nail. It had a rough picture of Cyrus on it and it read to capture him at once.
Meza said, "Cyrus, you are now famous."
"It is not a good likeness of me."
"Hah, let's get inside," Charles said.
They walked down a long walkway. No other guards were stationed here.
"Where is the control room?" Meza said.
"According to the book," Charles said, "we should reach a fork in the hallway, and we will take a left and enter the control room."
"Hey!" Another guard came out of the doorway. "Who are you?"
Charles threw a small dagger, and it pierced the guard’s throat. He fell over with a gurgle noise. They placed the corpse in the room he came from.
•••
So many men died in the last battle. Darrin looked out his terrace at his main headquarters. He was tired and wanted to close his eyes for a few minutes. Commanders under his command went back to their men to wait for the next wave of attack to begin. He slept in his chair. Darrin jumped when he heard the sound of the alarms.
"General," a young soldier said.
Darrin rose and grabbed his sword. Sleep still fogged his mind and he shook his head to clear it. It was still night outside his window.
"Yes," Darrin said.
"We spotted something coming."
Darrin sheathed his sword and ran toward the battlements. The captain on watched stood waiting for him.
Darrin said, "What do you see, captain?"
"Siege towers," the captain said while pointing outward. "We hardly saw them until they came closer."
Darrin stared and saw structures as high as the walls moving toward them. Soldiers were swarming over the length of it. Below men and oxen strained to pull these large structures toward the Druthic's walls.
"Get the archers to shoot the men and beasts at the bottom!" Darrin yelled. "They are almost upon us!"
The bell rang and his men scrambled to their posts.
Darrin yelled, "Send a volley of flaming arrows."
"Yes, General," the captain said.
The archers sent a torrent of missiles.
The captain said, "Fire at will."
The archers sent volley after volley into the enemy’s midst but the siege towers kept moving toward them. No matter how many arrows they shot at the soldiers, the closer the engines came.
One of the soldiers said, "We need the elixir."
Darrin told the soldiers the elixir was not a magic potion. He said, "It is called tea in his country. All you need is already with you."
The man, who heard him, yelled a furious battle cry.
CHAPTER 40
Cyrus followed Charles and Meza along the maze of hallways along the dam. Each time they moved past a causeway, Charles consulted his book. Cyrus felt something was not right. This was just too easy. They hadn’t seen any guards except the last one Charles killed.
"Meza, do you feel something is wrong," Cyrus said.
"I know. I feel it to," Meza said.
"Quiet," Charles hissed. "We are almost there."
Charles crept up to a large door and opened it. Cyrus saw intricate carvings along the walls. Bright light blinded their eyes.
"Lower your weapons," a voice said.
Charles said, "It’s a trap!"
Behind them, a group of soldiers ran toward them with weapons raised.
"Come inside," a voice said.
They were ushered inside the room. When Cyrus’s eyes adjusted to the brightness, he saw steps leading up to a platform
. Standing in the lower steps was a black mage. Royal soldiers flanked him.
The black mage said, "My master said you were coming here, Drakus Vinnikai."
Cyrus detected Meza was forming a spell. He moved away from him.
"You are a fool! If I was a Drakus Vinnikai, I would destroy all of you."
The royal guards look nervous. Meza was still concentrating.
"Ha, ha," the black mage said. "You're the fool. You are not at your full strength. You do not know how to control your magic."
Cyrus turned to Charles and said, "Duck!"
They jumped to the floor. An explosion of wind blasted everybody. Cyrus heard harsh screams and cracking wood. He looked up and saw all the guards had been pushed far against the wall. He couldn’t see the black mage.
A bolt of lightning shot straight toward him. He turned away just in time as the spell barely missed him. The black mage’s cowl was ripped into pieces. He had a pale white face with dark runes tattooed all over his skin. He stood and snarled and sent another lightning spell into their midst. Meza deflected the missile. Charles circumnavigated around the black mage and ran up the remaining steps to the device. He pressed a button but nothing happened. The black mage saw Charles and sent a spell toward him. Charles jumped away from the platform. It exploded into clumps of stone and wood.
Another group of soldiers entered the room. Cyrus whirled and summoned his magic. His body was warm and trembled with a pulse of arcane power. A hot blast of fire burned into the soldiers.
•••
Darrin's archers tried to shoot at the oxen pulling the siege engines but these beasts wore heavy armor and had thick hides. A nearest siege tower lowered a small platform to the wall. His men tried to cut it down. A heavy barrage of arrows made them take cover.
Darrin yelled, "The wall has been breached. Attack!"
He sent a group of soldiers to stop the breach. Another siege tower penetrated the wall. Enemies poured into the city. He directed some of his soldiers to attack the other tower. Royal soldier’s stormed along the fortifications.
The Darkness Binds Page 20
