Clearing the Web

by Cary J Lenehan

  Christopher

  Towards the middle of that night they were attacked. Is it just luck that I am on watch already? Now, to start my praying…this is a fight that I was born to. Those who were asleep were woken by Bianca and Verily. “Undead,” he could hear being said behind him. Coming awake they would see where I am facing. He kept up his chanting.

  There are vast numbers of skeletons, but they are not together. They are spread out. Whoever sent them must not have known where we were. They must have spread out from their source. They might even have been doing this every night since the alarm was sounded. They might even have been doing it for years. “In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti, et anathemati te...”

  Rani

  The next batch crumbled to dust before the priest. Once the word, if that is the term, had spread among them, they must have started to converge. Luckily, they did not wait back and concentrate, but came on to attack as soon as they arrived. She surveyed what they had.

  Father Christopher is standing forth as a priest ought in such a case. In one hand, he holds Bianca’s Bible, and in the other he holds a crucifix. He is intoning prayers in Latin and telling the unquiet dead to leave and disperse.

  It is evident that he is far stronger in his faith than his friend Father George had been, from the number he is dealing with. Some came close and heard his exhortations and fled, and when they came in small groups, some just disappear in clouds of dust.

  More and more are arriving, and they are starting to arrive faster than our priest can impose his will on them. Aziz and Ayesha, who had been standing beside and behind him begin to advance, making sure that the undead could still see and hear the priest.

  Rani yelled for Bianca and Verily to move to back the other two up, she directed them to guard the back of the more experienced fighters and to stop them being surrounded, while the others who were still armouring, made ready to join in. Soon all were engaged. Some of the animated skeletons ‘die’ instantly when they are hit, but some are stronger and take several blows to dispatch.

  Christopher

  I will keep up my exhortations, although I have been forced to take my old staff in hand to defend myself. I thank the Lord that I insisted on bringing this and I thank Astrid for her lessons. This staff, enchanted as it is against evil, does far more damage against these lesser undead than I could have done with a mace. I am still even getting some to turn away before I can hit them.

  We have formed a semi-circle anchored against the cliff. I stand in the centre, as I should. Basil and Thord hold the ends. One mage is on each side and Rani has given some of her wands to Theodora. Gouts of flame from them make the night sky even brighter. Those with spears just sweep them back and forward in front of them. They do not have to aim. A target is always there.

  Silently, the attack keeps on and on. The only noise is the splintering of old bone, the grunts and sometimes cries of the Mice and my chanting. My voice is growing hoarse. Some of the animated dead attack with just their bare bones and empty hands; some use rusted and ancient weapons and some even have the remnants of shields on their arms.

  At one stage, they were almost pressed back against the cliff and were in some danger of tripping over their own packs.

  Eventually the attack slackened, and then it dwindled, and then there were only a few coming at them and finally there were none. It is evident that we have won, it is time to leave the last few attackers for the others and enter into my main role as their healer.

  Picking up the Bible and crucifix again, he went to his pack and removed his bandages and healing salves and berries and went to work. None, apart from me, are free of all damage. Anahita is our worst at hand to hand combat. She bears terrible injuries, is nearly spent and has to be helped to me. It is time for me to get to work; clear an area, mark out a sacred diagram, and pray so that she is healed.

  “Now that I have this done, Verily, you are next and then Stefan and then, you, my dear. Lastly, I will see Basil. The rest of you I will bind and use berries and potions on, but these will need more.”

  “I think we can assume that the Masters know that we have arrived by now,” said Rani.

  Ayesha spoke up. “Did anyone notice anything about our attackers?” she asked.

  “Yes,” said Thord. “T’ey were t’ skeletons of my people. T’ose Masters have not only stolen our halls, but t’ey have taken t’e bodies of our ancestors ’n’ are using t’em agin us. Even if t’ rest of you turn back at any time, I have to go on. I canna allow t’is insult to t’e honour of our race to continue. I must either kill t’em or die. I would be shamed forever for allowin’ it to continue. Dharmal was damned for his other actions. For allowing t’is to continue, he’ll be doubly damned. Our priests must be told so t’at t’ey can take right action agin his soul.”

  They settled down for as much rest as they could get for the rest of the night. Several had trouble getting back to sleep. As a reminder of what lies ahead of us, in front of where we are trying to find rest a mound of bones over a pace high forms a macabre rampart. I am exhausted. With my head on Bianca’s lap, I will be asleep quickly.

  Christopher

  6th Undecim

  Morning prayers may be very important today. More so than usual…we could face anything. After they had eaten, the scouts set out, keeping up near the cliff rather than down on the road, which was now a hundred paces below them.

  While they are gone, we need to ready ourselves for the day that lies ahead. We are all showing signs of the fighting last night with bloodied bandages and tears in our clothes. Astrid can fuss over them, but she did not have time to repair all of the damage to them.

  The scouts have hardly left, and yet Bryony is back and waving at us from the edge of the clearing. Shouldering their packs and picking their way across the fallen rocks, the rest of the hunters soon reached her. “We camped nearly next to the gates,” she said. “Simon told of the rock-fall we camped at the top of. It must be the one that covers the bottom of the path.”

  They travelled only another hundred paces through a thick grove before breaking through the trees onto a level platform made of massive blocks of stone. Christopher looked around him.

  The trees form a border around the platform. The cliff above it towers in a massive overhang that darkens the area around the doors. The view of the road is blocked by the trees and, against the cliff I can see two colossal doors of iron with Aziz and Astrid looking at them. The doors stand at least five paces high and each is a good three paces wide.

  “You can see the final reason why this place has not been found before. The road from below has been deliberately obliterated,” said Astrid, waving her hand around, “And, while you can see that these doors used to be surrounded by relief carvings, they have gone as well.

  “Even from the air it is likely that the shadow of the overhang would stop people seeing the entrance, unless they knew what to look for.” She looked at the mages. “We have found your gates for you. It is up to you now to find a way in for us.”

  Chapter VI

  Thord

  6th Undecim

  Here we are standing in a rough row in front of the massive closed gates, with most of us facing out and looking up. If the dragon is called now, and comes, we need at least some warning; otherwise we will be trapped here and will certainly die. That would be annoying when we have just found the way home.

  I will first try what Dharmal said had worked for his people. He stood in front of the doors. “I am a Dwarf coming home,” Now wait…nothing happening…oh well. It was worth a try.

  “Never mind,” said Rani. “They probably removed that spell when they discovered that it worked. That it worked for Dwarves would also rancour with anyone who called themselves Masters and thought of this as their home.”

  Thord nodded. What else could open them? I can see that the doors shift, but I ca
nnot detect any sign that there was a hidden trigger that would cause them to open. By the Ancestors, this is frustrating. It should be me opening them.

  The mages are saying a variety of the words of opening, phrases that are conventionally used to open a public gate. They are trying in Dwarven, and in deference to the age of the artefacts that are confronting them, they try High Speech. After what Astrid had pointed out with the writing on the road marker, Theodora even tried in the Darkspeech tongues.

  They were so long at it that Astrid, in impatience, came back from where she was watching to the north from the trees. “Have you tried pushing the doors?” she asked. Thord looked at the mages. The mages looked back. They all looked at Astrid. She returned their gazes with an upraised eyebrow.

  “Such gates are always held by a charm of some sort,” said Rani.

  “That is nice to hear,” she said. Astrid went over to the gates and shoved hard on the right hand one. “Thord,” she called, “push on this one as well.” Together they heaved. “Can you feel some movement?” she asked.

  “Yes…I wonder…” he went to the other gate. “Now push, not as hard as you can, but try ’n’ match my push, start weaker ’n’ gradual push harder.”

  He began to push again, and Astrid pushed her side. With the enhanced bracers on, she is far stronger than I am, so she has to try hard to pull back and to match my push. Eventually she must have gotten it right, because all at once and very smoothly considering their age, the gates parted and swung wide.

  “It is an old Dwarven trick. I shouldn’t say t’is because some towns still use it. If t’ey do not have t’eir bars in place, all you have to do to open t’em is to push firm, with t’ same force, on each side. If t’ bars are down, you’ll not open t’em ’n’,” he looked inside and pointed at some large stone hooks carved out of the rock inside, “t’ bars are missing.” He turned to the mages. “Princesses, it is up to you to lead us inside, but I will take t’ lead in. It is only proper for Dwarf to be first.”

  “It is,” said Rani, “but first I want you all to gather around.” They did so as she opened a large pouch causing a torrent of light to spill out. “I thought long about us seeing inside. Dwarven towns use light spells, thousands of them, frequently cast on crystals, to make the light seem brighter and more beautiful. I am guessing that the Masters have destroyed these crystals and have their own methods of finding the way.”

  She began to empty the pouch. “I want each of those with shields to hammer one of these to the face of your shield.” She began to hand out small nails. When you shade them, it is obvious that each one glows like daylight. “I also want those near the front to throw them forward so that we can see what lies there. As we reach where we have thrown them, we shall look for places to leave them in the walls.”

  “Bianca, get as many small pieces of timber as you can that you can put a nail in and sling ahead of us if we need to. That way we will have light before us all of the time and it will be harder to attack us. Each time we reach a corridor that goes to the side we must halt until it is lit for some way, so that something cannot lurk in the dark for us.”

  “This pouch is full and, if I fall, so is a second one here on my belt. There are more in a small green bag in the left pocket of my pack.” She indicated where and soon sounds of quick hammer blows rose as the fronts of shields became lanterns.

  “Stefan, you are carrying your shield on your back and holding your spear. You must take the rearmost position as we move in case something causes darkness behind us. As we move, you will somehow have to keep looking back behind us while facing forward.”

  “Hopeful Dwarvenholme is built along t’ lines t’at most towns still follow,” said Thord. “If it is I should ha’ some idea what we face. It’s a pity t’at Harald is not with us. My town was built different. He grew up in more normal Dwarf town.”

  “He had to stay. Both his wife and Mousehole needed him there. On the other hand, we needed to have some of you here, and you will notice that everyone here who had a partner has them with them. In such a case as this I would not split a couple up, even if one would have been better off staying. You each have a right to be with those whom you love or…or whatever arrangement Hulagu has with Anahita and Kãhina.” The last two named grinned at each other.

  We are as prepared as we ever will be. Ahead of me the old tunnel pierces the mountainside like an arrow plunging in. The whole thing excites me and scares me at the same time. Every Dwarf in existence today would want to be me, and yet it is terrifying…now I need to pay attention to what I see. For instance, already I can see rooms opening off the main shaft and there are lichens growing on the walls…lichen.

  “T’ese doors must oft lie open,” said Thord. “See, t’ lichens here near t’ entrance ha’ lots of colour in t’em. T’ose t’at are deeper will be much paler ’n’ ’ll have to live off t’ light t’ey are able to garner from spells ’n’ anything t’at may find its way inside. Many of our settlements ha’ giant crystals ’n’ mirrors to bring sunlight inside, but I imagine t’at here t’ey’ll most be broken. T’ey ha’ closed t’ doors just because we’re coming.” Head in slowly. Look carefully at all four surfaces around me. Remember that we are a cautious race.

  Rani

  I hope that I have considered this properly. I have Basil, Aziz and Ayesha in a line across the corridor behind the Dwarf. Basil is in the centre and has his shortswords drawn. Ayesha has her shield on her right arm, for she can use either hand equally well. This way she can be on the right and have her shield facing an attack from that side.

  Aziz takes the left. Behind them are Astrid and Bryony. Both have their bows on their backs and spears in hand. They stand ready to thrust over the heads, or between those in front of them. Hulagu stands between them. His mace is sheathed and is ready to cast his darts, or to throw nails forward as is needed.

  We are next. Theo-dear has her shield and I have my main-gauche in our off-hands. We both have wands instead of swords. Behind us are the Khitan girls, Kãhina & Anahita. They have bows in hand. I don’t think we will need bows, but we are sure to see some caverns where they may be needed and, if need be, everyone could move to the sides and allow the girls to fire along the corridors. The short Khitan bows are ideal for this task, as they fire with a flatter arc than most of the other bows except Astrid’s.

  Verily, Bianca and Christopher are next to last. The women have their maces sheathed, and have ready the weapons with which they are happiest…throwing knives, and lots of them and most of them enhanced. Although these may be hard to use against an animated skeleton, I think, or perhaps hope, that there cannot be too many of them left inside, given the hundreds that we faced last night. I hope that any opponents are more substantial than the animated sets of bones. Our priest has his mace in its holder and he leans on his staff.

  She looked back. Stefan is where he should be, bringing up the rear. He keeps checking behind him and the three in front of him kept checking on, and past him.

  As they advanced Rani showed her military training by softly barking out orders to keep them in place. I have no experience with this sort of thing, but I talked with Basil before we left about how his police search an area, and I hope that I am right in using that to guide me. Mother Prthivi, I pray that I am right.

  We have reached the first opening. It leads off to the right. “Hulagu, Astrid, Bryony…go past it and watch ahead.” Thord entered, followed by Basil, Aziz and Ayesha. Hulagu cast a nail ahead of him (although the light from outside was still strong here) and then another into the opening. There is a room in there. I will send those four with Theo-dear in. We will wait outside.

  “Remember… Call out what you see and make sure you can hear our replies.”

  “It looks to be guardroom,” called Thord. “T’ere ’re piles of fungi. I suppose t’at t’ey ’re where t’ furniture used to be long ago… I am looking around before
going on to t’ rooms t’at lead off t’ first…I cannot see any rocks t’at could move ’n’ t’ doorways are all open. It looks like t’ere used to be doors here as t’ rock is carved for hinges.”

  “I am going into t’ first room. It is bare…again t’ere ’re fungi. It is big ’n’ rectangular. It may once have been t’ barracks as t’ere ’re niches carved in t’ walls of t’ right size to be for sleeping. … Basil has put a nail into crack, so it is now lit up. … We’re going to t’ next room… … it is smaller.”

  “Basil has put in another nail. T’is room has several other exits in a row off it…each of t’ese is small…t’ey may ha’ been cells—or small storage rooms—no, cells, I can see t’at t’is one has some remnants of bars jutting out of t’ walls of its entrance. T’ iron is good on t’em ,so t’ey may ha’ been removed rather t’an rusted ’n’ t’ air is dry. We ha’ left it alight”

  He is getting muffled “T’ next is t’ same…’n’ t’ next…’n’ t’ next. We are back in the main room. We ’re going to t’ last doorway, which is on t’ left. It is also large…t’ere ’re hooks ’n’ other t’ings driven into t’ walls. We have lit it. I still canna see anything t’at would move or open. I would say t’at t’is was an armoury or storeroom. We ’re coming out now.” I can see the shadows and lights moving towards us.

  “Do we have to go t’rough t’at each time we find gap?” asked Thord when he re-emerged.