“But what if they see me anyway?”
“Then run.”
Ilya frowned. “I am not joking. You can fight because of your claws and all that but I have nothing. They will probably take me prisoner if they see me.”
“There’s no other humans on this level,” the raven said. “They’re mostly at the top of the tower now that the airship has returned.”
“And they will stay up there because I’ll be bringing hell with me,” Gyle said just before he started climbing up again.
Ilya watched him go up until he couldn’t strain his neck anymore. Then the boy slid off the window ledge and into the corridor. There were glowing lamps that were embedded along the walls to provide illumination, giving off a faint, orange light.
The raven flew up and landed on Ilya’s shoulder. “I think I know where Tara is being held.”
“Let’s go then,” the boy said.
Orlok and Helmut stepped off the airship ramp and walked onto the dry dock. Standing on the platform were half a dozen robed occultists from the Temple. As their subordinates bowed, a dwarf that was the size of a small dog darted in from behind and stood in front of them. The little creature was wearing a red cap and had a long, silvery bread that extended all the way to its little, stick-like knees. Tock the dwarf had been an invaluable ally, and Orlok acknowledged him with a slight bow of his own.
“Welcome back, Grand Magus,” Tock said. “I can see that the ship hath borne signs of a great battle.”
“I am tired, Tock,” Orlok said. “Can you prepare the rejuvenation pool for me again?”
“At once, Grand Magus,” Tock said. “Once ye return to thy chambers, ye shall hast been regenerated.” With those words, the dwarf instantly took off towards the doors leading back to the tower.
“Helmut, you’re in charge of the repairs,” Orlok said nonchalantly as he slowly made his way to the exit.
Ilya and the raven had already made it to the next level above. The twisting corridors still looked identical to the previous one as they passed through massive rooms that contained vacant workshops and forges. A number of empty rooms also contained unused bunk beds. In one set of rooms, Ilya had noticed a small group of women dressed in black robes preparing food in what was obviously a kitchen; he had narrowly avoided detection by temporarily hiding underneath one of the dining tables as they were setting up a meal. Once the servants had temporarily left the hall, the boy quickly ran the other way and ended up in a stone stairwell so he started going up. Now that they were on another level, Ilya noticed that there was now some sort of plush carpeting on the floor. This part of the tower was obviously reserved for the Temple leaders.
As he kept moving along the corridor, Ilya ended up facing set of double doors at the end of the passageway. There was an ornate metal lock with strange symbols that kept it sealed.
“This is evidently the master’s chambers,” the raven said.
Ilya placed his ear on the door to see if he could listen in but he didn’t hear anything. “Do you think he’s in there?”
“Only one way to find out.”
Ilya snorted as he pulled out a small wad of raskovnik from underneath his jacket and rubbed them against the lock. Almost instantly, both doors opened inwards and he walked inside while putting the magical herbs back in his pocket.
The large room had a high, arched ceiling and was gaudily furnished. Rich tapestries hung along the walls and there was a four poster bed at the far side, near a large, open window. Ornate Persian carpets covered the stone floor and there were large cabinets made with lacquered wood on one side of the room. In the opposite side of the place was a sunken pool that faced a raised stone slab. On top of the slab was a lozenge-shaped object that looked like a giant lemon drop.
The raven flew off of the boy’s shoulder and landed on the tawny-colored lozenge. “She’s here.”
The boy quickly ran over and stood beside the capsule. As Ilya looked down, he could see Tara’s face. It looked like she was embedded within the object, like an insect trapped in amber.
Ilya gasped. The boy noticed that there were holes along the side of the capsule and he could see a glowing pink liquid seeping out from them and into the pool. “What have they done to her?”
The raven smoothed its feathers before it started talking. “It looks like they are using her essence to extend their leader’s life.”
The boy took a step back. He was both disgusted and shocked. “Is she dead?”
“No, but she will eventually die if this keeps up. I have a feeling the Magus will need more than just a bath in his pool now.”
Ilya’s mask of shock quickly turned to anger. “No! They cannot do this to her! How do we get her out?”
“Well, this pod that she’s encased in is really a cage, and all cages have locks.”
Ilya quickly took out all of the raskovnik he had in his pockets and started spreading them on top of the lozenge. For the next few minutes, nothing seemed to happen.
“Why hasn’t it opened yet?” he asked aloud.
“Because ye hast not said the command word,” said a shrill voice that came from the entrance of the room.
Ilya turned. Standing in front of the door was Tock the dwarf.
The little creature grinned at him as Tock held up a glowing golden medallion that was on his neck. “Ye are a clever boy, just like that other who had me exiled from the faerie realms. But thy magical herb cannot unlock that coffin until the spell that surrounds it is broken!”
“You are not a Dokkalfar,” Ilya said. “You seem to be from the land I just visited, a magical forest ruled by the Erlking.”
Tock hissed. “Beshrew that name! Ti’s that foul king that had me exiled. But I had my revenge! For I stole his daughter, the faerie princess Charissa, and plotted to have the Myrking as a hostage. Along with mine human allies, I shall soon overthrow the accursed king of faeries and taketh my rightful place among the fey once more.”
Ilya frowned. “So you are the one behind all of this, you are the cause of the war between the dark elves and the faeries!”
Tock grinned once again as he pulled out a dagger from beneath his tunic. “Aye, and I shall also be thy death.”
Helmut thought he had seen everything. He was there when the Grand Magus came out of his room in Wewelsburg Castle one day and proclaimed that the ancient gods had returned. The others in the inner circle were skeptical at first but then came the news reports. And then the world stopped turning as everything ground to a halt. That was when he started to believe. Then the next few days became a non-stop whirlwind of activity as the entire Temple began their rituals; those were strange times, filled with wonder as they all saw the beings of myth and legend come alive before their eyes. Everyone was on a learning curve then, it was a race to find out which spells and enchantments would work and which of those that were fake. Weeks had passed, but by then Orlok had mastered enough magic to cast protective wards around the castle and that had protected them from the creatures lurking out in the lands. And that was when people from all over the area had come, seeking sanctuary against the giants, dragons, and demons that were out there. Days later, more and more refugees came pouring through but there was always plenty of room since each and every one of them were sacrificed. By then, the Grand Magus was able to master the necessary rituals to open up the gates to the Otherworld, the place beyond Earth where all the supernatural beings dwelled.
Weeks later, the Temple began to transfer most of their members and new recruits to the tower, a fortress in some previously unknown planar world. A renegade dwarf named Tock soon approached them, promising an alliance that would benefit them all. With Tock’s help, the men of the Temple were able to enslave the dark elves after they had kidnapped their king. This was where they repaired the Pair Dadeni, the legendary magical cauldron from Ireland that could raise the dead. But the repair work done by the Dokkalfar was flawed, and all the cauldron could do now was to convert the souls that were sacrificed into
it and transform them into energy. That was when the Grand Magus instructed the Temple and the dark elves to build a powerful ship that could float in the air. As Orlok had retired to his personal quarters in the tower, Helmut had ordered the work crews to begin the repairs. Suddenly, a creature leapt up out from underneath the platform and landed in front of everybody. It was a tall, gangly thing with thick, bloodless skin. Completely hairless and naked, it stood before them like a ghostly albino with claws and fangs. Everyone just stared at it, speechless. They had never seen anything like it before.
That was when one of the repairmen, a young man from Berlin named Josef, pointed his finger at it and said one word, “Nosferatu.”
And then all hell broke loose.
The creature flew up into the air as everyone panicked. Workmen tried to defend themselves using their tools while the guards tried to aim their lightning guns, but it was of no use. The pale monster moved so fast, it was like seeing a blur. It raked its claws and sunk its fangs into the guards first, then it started on the repair crew. Anytime somebody tried to take a shot at it, the creature would just leap away and then come right back down as it crushed its foes like pieces of paper. For some strange reason, it seemed to ignore the dark elves as it concentrated on killing all the humans.
That was when Helmut truly saw everything now as he ran screaming back into the inside of the ship, trying desperately to close the outer doors before the thing could get in.
Gyle stood on the bloody platform as the last human lying on it gurgled, then died. His estimated body count was a little over fifty and he had done it all in less than five minutes. He saw the remaining men run into the ship and seal its doors but he knew there were other ways to get inside. His hands and mouth were dripping with blood.
There were about a dozen dark elves just standing nearby. They all just stared at him with tinted goggles over their eyes. None bothered to react or run away when the fighting started. As Gyle just stood there, contemplating on how to next to proceed, one of them moved forward and walked right up to him.
“Please,” the dark elf said as it pointed its black stubby finger at the airship. “Our king, is in the belly of that machine.”
Gyle nodded before turning around and then leaping up into the air. Less than a second later, he landed on top of the ship’s fuselage with a loud thump. From there, he could see a small observation tower made of glass near the bow. He quickly balled up his fists and shattered it with one blow. Now he had a way in.
As Tock chased Ilya around the master’s chambers, it resembled a deadly serious game of tag. The boy was about a foot taller, but the dwarf moved with uncanny speed and there were times that Tock’s dagger thrusts had almost landed, but Ilya was able to get away at the last minute as the dwarf ended up knifing some furniture instead.
“I will get thou, lad,” Tock said as he sliced the dagger in the air, narrowly missing the boy’s back by mere inches.
Ilya was sweating now and he was getting tired of running around. The boy knew he couldn’t keep this up as he jumped on top of the four poster bed, and then tried to leap off towards the other side. But Ilya’s foot caught a crease in the silk sheets and he fell face down on top of the bed. He was able to turn and lie on his back just as the dwarf had jumped on top of him and tried to bring his dagger down onto Ilya’s throat.
The boy shrieked, just able to get both his hands on Tock’s wrist as the dagger point was a mere inch away from his throat. Tock used his other hand to hold Ilya’s face down as he focused on pushing the knife into the kid. The dwarf had tremendous strength as the edge of the blade was almost touching the boy’s throat.
It was at that moment that the raven landed on top of the dwarf, curled one of its claws around the medallion on Tock’s neck, and then flew up, ripping it away from him. The dwarf screamed with rage as he pulled away from Ilya and tried to run after the bird. But the raven had already flown over the lozenge that held Tara and dropped the medallion on it. As soon as the golden pendant touched the capsule, it glowed and melded with the lozenge.
Tock screamed as if he had been the one who was stabbed. His entire body began to wither and burn as he dropped his dagger and leapt out of the open window. Ilya got up and ran over to where the lozenge was.
The capsule soon began to glow brightly and then there was a loud noise of something breaking. It was right at that moment that a great crack appeared along the side of the lozenge. A few more seconds passed and there were multiple fractures all along the capsule.
“Take cover,” the raven said as it flew down behind the wooden table. Ilya ran back to where the bed was and dove underneath it.
A split second later, the capsule exploded in a multitude of crystal shards that tore through the room. After the sound of breaking glass had subsided, Ilya crawled out from under the bed and looked around.
Lying on top of the stone slab where the capsule had once been was Tara Weiss. The fifteen year old girl was naked and covered in pieces of amber crystal. She began to stir and soon sat up. Then she brought her hands up to her face and screamed.
Ilya grabbed one of the smaller bed sheets and ran over to where she was. The boy quickly wrapped her body around the sheet and tried to comfort her. “Tara, it’s me. It’s Ilya. Can you understand me?”
Tara looked at the boy. She was wild-eyed but quickly regained her composure. “Oh my god, Ilya!” she cried as she hugged him and started sobbing.
Ilya smiled as he hugged her back. They had been separated a long time, it felt like years to him. “How are you feeling?”
“Oh god,” Tara said softly. “I felt like I was in a nightmare and I just couldn’t wake up. The last thing I remember was lying in some sort of armored car as those Russian soldiers said they were taking me to Moscow.”
Ilya drew back so he could see her face but he kept holding her arms. “Yes, you were apparently kidnapped by an evil wizard but I got some new friends to come and rescue you.”
Tara stood up and looked around as she kept the bed sheet wrapped around her body. “Where are we? How long have I been here?”
Ilya got on his feet as well as he scratched the back of his head. “I was held prisoner by my country for a few months too. I was only able to escape a few days ago. We are in the Spirit World now.”
That was when Tara remembered about her talking dog. “What about Bibsy?”
“I’m right here,” the raven said as it perched by the window. “But I’m not a dog anymore.”
Tara walked over to where the bird was. “So you’ve got some sort of a new body now?”
Ilya’s eyes opened wide. “Be careful, the dwarf is near that window!”
“He’s gone,” the raven said as it walked up along Tara’s arm. “The medallion held his power on this world. He is weak without it.”
Ilya rolled his eyes. “For a god, you sure didn’t help me very much. I nearly died.”
“What is going on here?” a voice coming from the door demanded.
All three of them turned. Standing by the doorway was Kurt Orlok. The old man was visibly angry as he relied on his staff for balance. The Grand Magus stared at the wreckage around his room and let out a gasp.
Tara stared back at him. “Who are you?”
Ilya slowly moved to the center of the room as he noticed Tock’s dagger lying on the side of the bed.
“A very powerful magician,” the raven said. “He kept you prisoner in that capsule so he could use your life essence to keep him from growing too old.”
Orlok was amazed. There was a talking bird along with the two children. He felt that it must be either a god or one of Odin’s ravens. But what shocked him the most was that his captive was now free. He needed her powerful essence, or he would die soon.
“So you’re the one who kept me prisoner all this time,” Tara said softly. “I feel so weak too. It’s like I’ve been drained of blood or something.”
Orlok held his staff in front of him. “I was not the one who kidnappe
d you. That was my former protégé, Seth Solomon. He did give you over to me as a sort of gift. That talking bird of yours is right, however. I am afraid that I will need your life force in order for me to continue living.”
“No!’ Ilya shouted as he threw the dagger at him. Orlok was able to activate his defenses just in time as an invisible shield deflected the thrown knife away. The Grand Magus reacted swiftly as a bolt of lightning erupted from the point of his staff and struck the boy in the chest. Ilya flew backwards and landed in a heap on the carpeted floor.
“Ilya!” Tara cried as she ran over to where the boy was. Ilya’s clothes were in tatters and there was smoke coming from the burned fabrics. There was a massive red blotch on his chest and the boy’s eyes were closed. His breathing was faint. The raven landed beside Ilya and just stared at him.
Tara looked back at the old wizard with fury in her eyes. “What have you done to him?”
“The same thing I shall do to you if you do not submit,” Orlok said tersely. “Now you must surrender so that I can begin the binding ritual. Don’t worry, it won’t be painful. You will just be in a deep sleep like before. It’s better than dying.”
Tara stood up. “You won’t be doing anything.”
Orlok laughed. “Oh? Why shouldn’t I be? I plan to live forever. This is a great time to be a wizard now that I know that magic is real. I consumed part of your life essence, and I’ll keep doing it until I have it all.”
“No you won’t,” Tara said as she held her hand up and pointed all of her fingers at him. “I’ve been taught by a brujo to control my spirit. This means that I can feel every aspect of my being. And you know what?”
Orlok frowned. He had a feeling he wouldn’t like the answer. “What?”
Tara looked at him with pity in her eyes. “You never digested my life essence, it’s still in your body. You only borrowed it.”
Orlok’s eyes opened wide. “Impossible!”
“Let me show you,” Tara said as she started to take a deep breath.
Canticum Tenebris (Wrath of the Old Gods Book 2) Page 36
