The Vault of Kings

by Matt Taylor

  “Sylas...”

  The voice was deep and booming, it was as a voice of thunder, or of the great crashing of a waterfall. He spun around and saw a great figure looming behind him.

  The figure had dark black wings that were outstretched as he floated in the air. He wore dark black robes from the waist down, with nothing on his torso, which revealed a muscular chest, arms, and abdomen. Seven small orbs were orbiting him slowly, glowing in different colors. His eyes glowed with a dark black and purple aura, sending fear straight into Sylas’s soul. Sylas felt paralyzed in his terrifying presence, yet he gazed upon the figure with amazement and wonder.

  “Sylas, this man in front of you is named Slovik. He is the father of Terrim, who is the one that killed your mentor, Geode.”

  A surge of rage and hatred coursed through Sylas as he turned from the angelic being in front of him back down to the cowering old man that laid at his feet. A remembrance of what had happened to Geode returned to his mind, sending anger and sadness flowing through him.

  “Please.” He said with a weak voice, “I mean no harm. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

  Sylas gritted his teeth in anger towards the man. “Your son killed my friend. He attacked an innocent city and killed women, children, fathers, and brothers. I saw as he took their very souls and trapped them inside of an evil lantern!”

  “Spare me… I beg you….”

  “Sylas...”

  The angelic voice boomed behind him again. Sylas turned towards the angel and saw that he had floated down from the air and was now standing next to him. He was a good two feet taller than Sylas, and his arms body seemed proportionally larger than what seemed possible for any human to achieve. His arms looked strong enough that they could have ripped a tree right out of the ground. A dark aura of light pulsed from him as he reached out a hand towards Sylas. Out of thin air, a dagger with a silver hilt and a dark black blade appeared in front of him, floating in the air at eye level.

  “I am the Angel Erebus, God of Darkness. I rule over Darkness, death, shadows, and this Realm of Darkness in which you now stand. I have brought you here to enact your vengeance.”

  Sylas looked at the dagger floating in front of him in the air and imagined plunging it into the chest of the man who laid before him. He wasn’t directly responsible for Geode’s death… but maybe his death would cause the one who was responsible the same grief that Sylas himself felt, or at least help him to feel justice for avenging Geode’s death.

  Anger continued to flow through him as he called to memory the sight of the man’s son stabbing Geode with his dark bladed sword and then pulling his soul into the evil lantern that he held.

  Sylas reached out and plucked the dagger from the air. The metal hilt felt cold in his hand as he rotated it back and forth, the silvery light of the sun glinting off the dark blade.

  “Enact your vengeance upon this man, whose son has caused yourself and others so much suffering. Assert your power and dominance over him.” The angel said.

  The words of the angel entered with great force, tempting him to lash out in anger and release the sadness that was built up inside of him. Sylas turned towards the old man lying on the ground. He had his hands held above his head, a look of utter terror covering his face as he pleaded again.

  “Please, spare me.”

  Sylas breathed heavily as his emotions ran wild, memories of the past continued to flow into his mind, the stupor of thought caused by this strange place slowly fading away as his thoughts cleared and his memory returned. A moment of clarity caused Sylas to hesitate, his heart now feeling slightly softer than before.

  “Darkness is power, Sylas,” the angel continued. “Power over those who are weak, and those who deserve to die. This man’s son killed your friend, will you not answer by enacting vengeance upon him? Let your hatred for what he has done fuel your strength.”

  Dark thoughts flowed through his mind again, egging him on to extinguish the light that still lived within Slovik. A life for a life… he thought. It would feel so good know that justice had been delivered, that the one who took Geode would suffer as he had suffered. He stared into the man’s cowering eyes as he lifted the dagger above his head.

  “No, please!” The man screamed. “Spare me!”

  Sylas gritted his teeth, he felt energized as Darkness Magick seemed to flow through his body and mind, egging him on to proceed with the action. It taunted him and justified his actions, telling him that his actions would be just. Sylas yelled and brought the dagger down towards Slovik.

  “No!” Slovik Screamed, his final moments flashing before his eyes. But to his dismay, the dagger stopped inches from his chest. Tears formed in Sylas’s eyes as he looked at the man and saw the look of fear that covered his face. Sylas let out a choked breath of air as he threw the dagger to the side.

  His conflicting emotions swam through his mind in chaotic patterns, but ultimately his conscience got the best of them. “No, it’s not right, I won’t do it.”

  Slovik breathed rapidly as he looked up at Sylas in confusion and hope that his life was going to be spared.

  “I’m sorry…” Sylas said, extending his hand to Slovik.”

  Confused but relieved that his life was not ending, he took Sylas’s hand in his as he was helped to his feet. Sylas then turned towards the angel standing behind him.

  “I won’t kill him.” He said, fear still trembling in his voice, “I don’t need vengeance. Goede taught me that Darkness is not evil by nature, but when the user of Darkness corrupts it and uses it for evil purposes that it becomes evil. I won’t let myself become the same as what Terrim has become. If I’m to learn how to use Darkness to defeat evil, then I need to learn how to first resist the urge to use it for evil, or I’ll become exactly what I want to defeat…”

  Erebus stood motionless for several moments, his dark eyes piercing into Sylas as if he were enacting judgment upon him. Finally, the dark angel smiled and waved his hand towards Slovik, whose image faded away into nothingness.

  “Well done, Sylas.”

  Erebus floated towards him and placed his hands on his head. A surge of energy flowed through Sylas as he spoke, “Light cannot exist without Darkness, neither can good without evil. There must be opposition in all things; however, each element can be used for both their good and evil purposes. May you continue to discover the hidden good that comes from the shadows.”

  Sylas felt as his second mind was being opened by the angel and a piece of him that he had not noticed before, but now was clearly visible was being pulled from his second mind. Like removing a thorn from your finger, the piece of him that the angel removed granted him instant relief, a relief that he did not know he needed, as his vision faded away into nothingness.

  Sylas awoke with a start. He was laying atop a green hill, the grass beneath him tickling his face. He sat up quickly and tried to focus his thoughts on what had just occurred. Was that just a strange dream? Or did that really just happen? The question repeated in his mind several times as he tried to collect his thoughts. Not knowing how much time had passed since he fell asleep, and remembering that Uthren told them to meet back in one hour. Sylas pushed himself to his feet and headed back towards their original stopping point.

  Uthren and Samara both sat next to each other next to a large stone obelisk, Sky was sitting in Samaras lap, munching on some kind of treat that Samara had found.

  “We’ve been waiting, Sylas,” Uthren said, standing up. “Did you find the peace that you were looking for?”

  Sylas hesitated for a moment before responding, “I think I might have had another vision…”

  A look of alarm crossed both Uthren and Samara’s face, but before they could respond, Sylas quickly continued, “I don’t think that it was one of those visions… it was different… and I think that whatever was causing me to have the really dreadful visions might have just been taken away from me… the piece of Maelos that was in me, I think, is gone now.”

&nb
sp; Sylas could tell by the expressions on their faces that neither of them knew what he was talking about, so he went into more detail about what had happened in his dream. He told them about how it seemed like the god of Darkness was testing him, and how it seemed like he had passed the test. Also, how at the end of the dream, it felt like when he has placed his hands on his head, he took out whatever it was that entered him in the Ancient Crypt. Whether it was a piece of Maelos or something entirely different.

  “I can’t really explain it…” He continued, “But If what you were saying is true, Uthren, that part of Maelos must have been bound to the stone, and then when I touched it somehow, it entered into me… I think that’s gone now. I think Erebus took it away… It almost seemed as if he wanted to help me, to see if I was up to the task of finding all of the stones and opening the vault. I almost wonder if all of my visions have had parts in them that were not from Maelos, but from him, trying to give me hints to things…”

  Uthren sat pondering for several minutes, trying to make sense of what Sylas had just told him.

  “To be honest, Sylas… I have no idea what’s going on with you and your visions. I didn’t think that anything like this was even possible. I guess we’ll just have to see and let time tell what’s truly going on. You are sure though that Maelos hasn’t seen where you are at during that last one?”

  Sylas nodded, “It’s hard to explain how I know, but yes, I’m sure.”

  A look of relief crossed both Uthren and Samara’s face. “Good, then let us have a moment to remember our friend, Geode.”

  Sylas watched as Uthren turned towards the stone obelisk that he had constructed. He picked up several flowers that he had collected from the valley and placed them at the base of the structure. The obelisk was made of a smooth, shiny type of stone and had a large circular base that connected to a large, precisely cut, rectangular prism that extended several feet in the air. At the top of the prism, the four sides slanted inward until reaching a point at the top, creating a pyramid shape. The obelisk was about as tall as Sylas was, and by looking at it, you could tell that it was made with Nature Magick. On the front-facing side of the rectangular prism, glowing green letters shone, displaying the words: “Geode, the sun shined brighter because he was here.”

  “It’s beautiful, Uthren,” Sylas said as Samara followed Uthrens example and placed several flowers that she had collected at the base of the obelisk. “Is it alright if I say a few words?”

  “Please do.” He said, taking a few steps back away from the obelisk.

  Sylas stepped forward and placed his hand on the face of the obelisk. Its surface was cold and smooth, the edges and curves of the stone cut to absolute perfection by the Magick that was used to build it.

  “You taught me many things, Geode… You taught me how important it is to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, and that good can be found in everything. You were a great example to me and a wonderful teacher. I promise that I won’t let your sacrifice be in vain. I’ll do everything in my power to bring light back to Evendreil and stop the darkness from spreading.”

  The words weren’t coming as easily as he had hoped they would through his heightened emotions, so he decided to end it there and took a couple of steps backward towards Samara. Sky rubbed against his leg as he approached, and he picked her up, receiving comfort from her presence.

  Samara went next, placing her hand on the obelisk as she spoke. “Geode, I didn’t know you for long, but for the time that I did know you, I knew that you had a kind and loving heart. You were big and strong on the outside, but on the inside, you were kind and loving and gentle. You helped me to feel safe while we were traveling, and I knew I could always depend on you to save us when we ran into trouble. May the afterworld be as kind to you as you were kind to this world. Farewell.”

  Samara wiped the tears from her eyes as she stepped away from the obelisk and back to Sylas’s side. She wrapped her arms around his and pulled him in close for comfort. Sylas welcomed the gesture and added what little emotional strength he had to hers as he, Sky, and Samara all comforted one another.

  Uthren then took his turn and placed his hand on the obelisk. “Geode, my friend. We’ve been through many things together. I was always sure that I would be the first one to go and that you would be the one saying words for me instead of I for you. You were always there for me, you always believed me even when others didn’t and supported me in my decisions, even when they were wrong. I’m sorry that when you needed me the most… I was not there for you.”

  Uthren pulled his hand from the obelisk and placed it over his face as he began to sob. He shrunk down to his knees and leaned his head against the obelisk for support. Sylas and Samara both knelt down beside him and wrapped their arms around him, and they all cried out together for their friend who was now gone.

  Sylas wished that Torren could have been there to honor Goede with them, he knew how much Torren loved and respected him, and it made him sick to his stomach to know that Torren was still in danger back in Gelendor. Why did he stay? He continued to think to himself over and over as he, Samara, Sky, and Uthren sat huddled together under the physical representation of the Geode’s legacy.

  After the service was over and emotions had settled down, Sylas and the others shouldered their packs in preparation for their journey towards Sindmyr. Sylas took the amulet out from under his shirt and stared into the black and purple stone that sat in its center. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but somehow it looked different than it had before. Something about it seemed less dark and evil, and he seemed to understand its potential for good.

  “Do you think we can do it?” Samara asked, walking up beside him. “Do you think we can find the rest of the stones and defeat Maelos?”

  Sylas moved his finger along the amulet, feeling each of the indents where the other stones would fit, imagining himself placing a different glowing stone into each slot. He looked up at the horizon in the distance in front of him, knowing that the journey to Sindmyr would be just as treacherous and difficult if not even more so than the one that they had embarked on for Gelendor. He let the amulet fall back to his chest, this time allowing it to hang on the outside of his shirt so that it was no longer hidden, no longer a secret to the world.

  “Not only are we going to find the rest of the stones, we are going to bring hope to Evendreil. A hope that even though we have been shrouded in darkness for the past ten years, assures everyone that the light is soon to come. We will be that light in the darkness, the light that tells everyone that if we succeed, we will have the power that we need to stop him. Then while that light spreads, we will collect all of the stones, open the Vault of Kings, and use whatever is inside to defeat Maelos. We weren’t successful in Gelendor, but I won’t let that happen again. Next time we will bring the fight to Maelos, starting with Sindmyr…”

  THE STORY CONTINUES IN...

  THE VAULT OF KINGS

  ALLIANCE

  Watch for book two, coming soon!

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Matt Taylor was born in 1992 in Southeast Idaho. As a child Matt always enjoyed telling stories and creating new games for his family and friends to play. His favorite books growing up were the Eragon series by Christopher Paolini and the Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine.

  From May of 2011 – 2013 Matt Served an LDS mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Florida, Orlando mission, speaking Spanish. In 2016 Matt graduated from Brigham Young University-Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in computer information technology.

  Matt began writing as a dream that he had always wanted to fulfill. In hopes of sharing his wild imagination and love for characters and stories with the world, he wrote The Vault of Kings, hoping that it would reach the hearts and creative minds of anyone who was willing to listen, and anyone who was ready to embark on the adventures of his mind.

  For questions or feedback feel free to email MattTaylorBooks@gmail.com

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  Matt Taylor, The Vault of Kings