Dark Kingdom

by Phil Maxey

  “Oh, hi. Yeah, I think so. Didn’t see you there.”

  She was back wearing her jeans, but beyond that her attire was still one from a fantasy novel, with pieces of dark brown leather over her torso and arms, and a hood that was currently languishing around her neck. Over one shoulder was her usual backpack.

  “Umm . . . I thought only people with rings were in the order? I feel like I’ve stumbled into a cosplay convention. I mean . . .” He leaned in closer to her. “Some of the er, people look kinda strange, and not a private sex club kind of strange either.”

  Kat frowned at him then took his arm. “Come on, we need to get going. I’ll explain on the way.”

  CHAPTER 4

  In the basement of the sanctuary Darren and Kat approached some figures lit by torches that a few were holding. Around them was a cramped, walled space with a small wooden door with black iron bars across it.

  “As soon as we step out into the tunnel beyond this door we are no longer protected by the sanctuary’s magic,” said Gus, who now was also wearing some leather armour, along with a small shield on his back, a sword and a small dagger hanging from his hip. “All of us must be alert to what might be out there. Jarwin will take the lead, and I will be the last out and will protect the rear. Kat you’re behind Jarwin, then Darren then Justin.”

  Kat couldn’t help but be taken by the tall newest member of their group, whose ears were only slightly pointed due to him being half-elf. Jarwin noticed her looking at him and frowned.

  “Jarwin knows these tunnels better than anyone, we go where he says, everyone got that?”

  Kat, Darren, and Justin nodded.

  Gus looked at Jarwin, who then stepped forward and produced a large bronze key, which he used to unlock the gate to the world beneath them. The sound of more than one cog could be heard turning, and with a slight hiss the door opened outwards.

  Cool air rushed in reminding them all of the conditions above ground. The torches on the walls next to them illuminated a few yards into the darkness and damp beyond.

  Darren zipped up his jacket and the group walked forward, first down a set of stone steps and then into a narrow stone corridor. Gus turned and closed the door and the sounds of machinery whirring started once again, until bolts could be heard sliding back into their slots.

  Jarwin led them through twisting tunnels, with arcane markings on the walls. He seemed to know exactly which way to go despite the number of options available at the countless junctions they passed.

  Kat stopped at one of the markings which seemed to form a word in a language long since forgotten.

  “All of this was built before the city above was even an idea in a mason’s eye,” said Gus to Kat in front of him. “The original pagans built into the natural caves, then the Romans took it further. Most nescient’s don’t even know that any of this exists, and we try to keep it that way. There are things down here that should not come into contact with the world above.”

  Kat looked at the carved letters. “C . . . a . . . ve? Kind of to the point, it’s obvious it’s a cave!”

  Gus smiled. “When the madness inflicting our kingdom comes to an end, you should read up on ancient languages. ‘cave’ means ‘beware’.”

  “Oh . . .”

  Gus put his hand on her shoulder, and they both walked forward catching up with the others.

  After walking for a short while, the air changed in humidity and temperature, and they stepped out onto a ledge, although in the complete darkness it wasn’t possible to see what laid around them.

  Jarwin stepped closer to the wall, plunging his torch into a rounded crack. A rushing noise echoed through the air then flames burst forth, igniting a series of torches along the wall, stretching forty or so yards ahead of them. But that wasn’t what was leaving the three that were new to the Labyrinth dumbstruck, for they could now see they were all standing inside a chamber with a ceiling one hundred feet above them, and to their right a series of waterfalls frozen in mid flow.

  A small trickle of water continued to flow just visible through the ice into a frozen river, and the whole area was lit by an ethereal blue light.

  “These should be flowing,” said Gus.

  Jarwin nodded. “Their magic even reaches to these depths. We should keep moving, the route to the surface across the river above us is not far now.”

  They all moved forward, keeping to the narrow path of stone slabs, which sat above the frozen crevices.

  As they neared the exit to the cavern, Kat looked down to the cave where the river would have usually flowed into. “Where does that lead?” said Kat to Gus.

  “Deeper,” was his abrupt answer.

  “When will you show me the portal?”

  “On our way back to the sanctuary, for now we should just concentrate on getting back to the surface.”

  She could tell he was pensive and decided to hold off on any more questions no matter how fascinating this new underground world was.

  Ducking their heads as they moved through a small stone archway, they were soon back in amongst the smoothly hewn huge bricks that made up the walls of the perfectly cut tunnels.

  Eventually they came to a staircase that ascended into darkness, and as they climbed it got noticeably colder.

  “Everyone stay close together, we are nearing the surface.”

  At the top of the stairs, Jarwin opened an old door looking like it belonged in a prison, and they all came out into a circular tunnel with icicles hanging from its ceiling.

  “These are the old Victorian sewers which run under most of the city. We should be close to the bridge now,” said Jarwin.

  A thin shaft of light stood out amongst the gloom ahead of them.

  As they walked forward, Darren slid on some ice and fell against the curved wall. Kat went to help him, but he put his hand up.

  “You need to be careful!”

  He nodded while getting back to his feet.

  Jarwin ascended an ice encrusted rusting ladder, into the light above. The rest started doing the same, and soon he was pushing against the manhole cover above their heads. “Agh, it’s frozen in place. Hold on.”

  He reached into his jacket and pulled out what looked to Justin just below him, like a small twig. He then said some words under his breath and the end of the piece of wood started glowing with an intense white light. Justin and the others could feel the heat emanating towards them in the chilled air, even being some feet away.

  Jarwin touched the end to the iron cover and ice started falling from it, dropping on the heads below.

  “Hey!” shouted Darren bobbing his head left and right.

  With the strange twig back where it came from, Jarwin heaved upwards with his shoulder and the manhole cover popped clear and flipped on its side. He then quickly climbed out. “Come on!” he said looking back down.

  Soon they were all standing in a confined space with white stone walls. Two small frosted windows sat either side of a single door.

  “What’s this place?” said Kat.

  “One of the many entrances to the ‘otherworld’,” said Jarwin. He pointed to the door. “We are just below the street, under that snow there are stairs that lead out to it. We’re going to have to dig out way out.”

  “Once we leave this place we are in the nescient world, remember that,” said Gus.

  They all nodded.

  Jarwin pulled the latch on the door up, and with the help of Gus pushed the snow backwards a few inches. White flakes immediately drifted through the gap.

  Jarwin once again produced the small twig, which he held into the gap. He whispered into the air around them, and the end glowed as before and straight away a hole appeared around the stick where the snow used to be. It wasn’t long before they could push the door further open, and then carve a path upwards to the surface.

  They all traipsed up the small flight of steps pushing the snow away, coming out into a small triangular space, with frozen plants just visible peeking out of the t
op of mounds of snow. The sky above their heads was an almost consistent white and behind them, above the room they just came from was a white form standing on a plinth.

  They all immediately wrapped their arms around themselves.

  The scene around them was something from a Christmas card, except there were no happy faces or burning fires behind windows.

  The roof of a four-wheel-drive vehicle was just visible. Kat stomped her way over to it, sinking almost up to her waist as she neared it. She quickly swept away as much of the powdery white particles as she could. Amongst the black and white of the paint, was just visible the letters POL.

  She kept on digging, until she could see into the frosted window. She sighed in relief to find it empty inside.

  She looked back at the others trying to keep warm, with white puffs of mist forming in front of their faces.

  “Have they just all given up?” shouted Kat.

  Gus trekked over to her. “What is happening is beyond what the nescient’s can deal with. We must keep moving.”

  She nodded and they both returned to the others.

  “Where to?” said Jarwin to Darren.

  The computer hacker looked around him, trying to get his bearings. “I think it’s that way,” he said pointing to the west.

  They all moved off, keeping to what they hoped was the pavement.

  “Not exactly a winter wonderland,” said Justin looking at the severe-looking jagged ice teeth that hung from every available ledge.

  “I’ve seen this movie and it doesn’t end well for the humans,” said Darren looking at a city which had been left to fend for itself.

  “It must be five below,” said Justin feeling the numbness already trying to invade his fingers.

  Buildings, most of which were over one-hundred-fifty-years old loomed above them as they trekked onwards.

  “Where’s everyone gone?” said Darren keeping his voice low.

  “I don’t know,” said Kat looking suspiciously at the windows covered in drapes, with only shadows beyond.

  The sound of their boots crushing the newly laid snow was the only sound in the street lined with boarded-up shops.

  Gus moved forward to be level with the slender man who had his hair tied in a ponytail. “I’m not liking the quiet. Thousands of people should be living around us, does it feel like we are in a heavily populated area?” he said, walking next to Jarwin.

  “The only thing I feel is death.” Jarwin then turned to Darren, who almost walked into him due to his head being down. “How far?”

  “Just up ahead to the left. It’s a block of flats, I’m on the first floor. Number twenty-seven.”

  “Good, we should pick up the pace.”

  Darren looked back at him with red cheeks and smoke coming from his mouth like a steam engine. “You might the able to run on water or whatever it is . . .” he caught his breath “. . . you people do, but I’m going as fast as I can.”

  Jarwin frowned and growled something under his breath, then turned and forged forward.

  In the chill wind, plastic and tarpaulins belonging to a half-finished construction project, flapped in the wind a few storeys above their heads making them suddenly look upwards.

  Soon they were walking along streets with Victorian and Georgian buildings almost leaning over the narrow pavements. The snow in these parts was slightly less deep due to the shelter the closeness of the buildings provided.

  “There’s my block,” said Darren, turning a corner, and pointing at the dirty brown brickwork of a state-run block of flats.

  Walking forward they navigated their way between what they presumed from the white lumps was the front wall and parked vehicles, and into a bleak looking stairwell. Then crunched their way through ice encrusted steps to Darren’s floor, and were soon standing outside his front door. He went to slide his key into the lock when he stopped.

  “What?” said Jarwin impatiently.

  “Hold on.” Darren walked a few feet along the balcony and looked through a kitchen window. “This is Mrs. Avingle’s flat, my neighbour.” He then stepped to the side and pressed an innocuous looking button, which caused a jingle, just audible inside.

  “Darren, we don’t have time for this!” said Kat, looking out into the dunes of white just ten or so feet below.

  “Mrs. Avingle?” shouted Darren though the letter box. “Odd, she never goes out, she’s like ninety-seven or something.” He shrugged and returned to his own door, slid the key in the lock and opened it. A musty smell flooded out, as most of them walked inside. Gus lingered on the balcony, looking along the windows and doors which made up the four or five other flats on the same floor. If there were people in them, they weren’t making any noise. He walked inside with the others who were largely still trying to keep warm.

  “Get your marine animal and anything else you need, then we leave!” said Jarwin.

  “Yeah, yeah, hold your horses, I need to find something to put him in,” said Darren disappearing into his living room. Kat and the others stood in the hallway.

  For someone who was so into modern technology Darren’s flat decor was surprisingly old school. Stripped wallpaper with velvety strips lined all the walls, and prints with gold, chipped-plastic frames hung showing exotic beach scenes. On a small wooden cabinet, sat an old dial telephone, with a curly cable.

  “That can’t still work?” said Justin picking up the receiver. Only silence came back to him from the earpiece.

  A kitchen with stained orange units and drawers was just visible through an open door. Two other doors were closed, although Kat noticed that one of the doors had a very modern looking keypad where a handle should have been.

  She walked into the living room. Darren was on the floor, reaching around the back of an old box television. “What are you doing?”

  He jumped. “Oh hi, just trying to find something, you can wait outside, I won’t be long.”

  “Darren we’re just here for . . .” A realisation hit her. Shaking her head, she pushed the door closed behind her and walked over to him. “I thought you were off your medication?” she whispered.

  “I just need to find this one bottle, it will keep me going for at least a month, I’ll ration . . .”

  “I can’t believe you made us—”

  The living room door opened, Gus appeared. “What are you two doing in here? We need to be getting back, we still have two hours of light left, but I don’t want to stay here any longer than we need to.”

  Darren and Kat both feigned a smile and nodded. Gus frowned and walked back to the hallway.

  Kat looked back at Darren. “You just spent three days without them! Do you even want to bring your fish?” she whispered.

  “Yes, he’s over there.” He pointed to the other side of the room at the spherical bowl with the single golden fish inside. “Got them!” He drew his hand back, bringing with it a small plastic bottle, which he quickly put in his jacket pocket.

  She sighed shaking her head, then looked around the room. “I thought you’d have more computer stuff.”

  “That’s the other room.”

  He got up and walked across to his pet, pulling open a drawer which contained a large jar, with air holes and a small net.

  As he moved Ernie from his old home to his new one, Kat looked around at the leather sofa and white long-haired rug. Even the television looked like it belonged in a different era, one which perhaps her mother would be familiar with.

  He sealed the holed lid on the Jar and turned to see Kat looking at the room. “It’s how my mother had it and how I remember it growing up.”

  Kat nodded then rubbed the palm of her ring hand.

  “Right, I just need to grab my laptop and some hard drives and we can leave, they are in the other room.”

  Kat left and he went to follow but paused absorbing the thirty-year-old furnishings for perhaps the last time. He then reentered the hallway. As he went to walk to one of the other doors, a small shadowy figure appeared through th
e frosted glass of the front door. It was a shape he had seen there countless times.

  “Ah, Mrs. Avingle!” He put his goldfish jar down on the cabinet and walked to the door, opening it. Any further words jarred in his throat as he looked into the pale grey eyes and white-blue frozen face of a woman he had held in high esteem for a good part of his life.

  A sound, part groan and part whine emanated from this creature’s fused lips, and then she lunged for him knocking him clean across the small space until he slammed up against the far wall, knocking one of the many printed scenes to the wooden floor.

  “What?” It was all Justin could manage to say, about the scene in front of him as the supposedly elderly lady surged forward towards him.

  “Don’t let her touch you!” shouted Gus, as her talon-like hands inched forward towards his face.

  Jarwin sprang forward and sliced at the attacker with a dagger but she grabbed his leather-bound wrist, stopping him in his tracks. It was then that Kat could see a cold mist emanating from whatever Mrs. Avingle had become. The elf-like man grimaced in pain. Kat went to raise her ringed hand in front of her, when Gus’s sword plunged into the thing’s torso, causing her body to shatter like it was made of glass.

  “Mrs. Avingle?” murmured Darren lying on the ground.

  Gus moved to Jarwin. “You OK?”

  “I’ll live. Damn ghouls. There are probably more here.”

  Kat looked questioningly at both men.

  “I’ll explain when we’re back at the sanctuary, for now all you need to know is don’t let them touch you,” said Gus helping Darren back to his feet. “You ready to leave now?”

  Darren looked solemn. “I need to get my computer from in there.” He pointed to the closed door.

  “You have five minutes then we go.” Gus looked at Darren sternly. “Five minutes.”

  The computer hacker nodded then tapped on the keypad. The door sprung open, and he went inside. Kat, trying to shake off the insanity of what just happened, peered into the room. She felt like she was looking through a portal into the twenty-third century. Every wall was lined with what she recognised as server boxes, all blinking away in the gloom. Wires ran everywhere and behind it were walls covered in copper sheeting. She had been told that a serious hacker needed a Faraday cage, but always took it as a bit extreme.