With his back to the opposite wall, he extended the torch and approached the hole. He didn’t want to fight the creature, so when he was close enough he waved the torch back and forth aggressively, sending the animal scurrying downward into its dwelling. For good measure, he lit and threw a flask of oil after the animal.
Once he was safely away from the hole, he continued along the passageway until it ended in a large circular room with a square hole directly in the middle and four stone pillars at each corner. Before moving ahead, he held the torch aloft and carefully scanned the room for any sign of hidden danger. With the scabbard remaining unchanged, he crept closer toward the hole and felt something was amiss with the room. It was like a presence, but nothing tangible, which frightened him to the point that he halted his progress to look around several times.
After he reached the hole, he held the torch closer to the opening and saw the skeletal remains of a humanoid creature, wearing tattered leather armor and a metal helm strapped to his head. A pouch tied to the corpse’s belt, enticed him enough to climb down into the shallow grave and investigate further. As he reached for the pouch, a bright light suddenly appeared on his left and took the shape of a male figure, which floated in his direction. The entity radiated cold that struck Torhan with dread, and he was unable to move.
“Shoel is that you?” The entity said in an ethereal voice.
Torhan could not respond.
“Shoel I’ve been hiding and waiting for you.” The ghost moved closer and then realized Torhan wasn’t Shoel. “You’re not Shoel.”
The spirit reached out and touched Torhan’s left shoulder, sending painful chills deep throughout his body.
“Who are you?” The ghost demanded, causing the scabbard to glow.
Torhan somehow managed to overcome his fears, climbed out of the hole, and started running towards the exit. The spirit followed for a few feet and shouted. “WHERE’S SHOEL?”
Torhan ran as fast as he could until he reached the main room and slammed the door shut. He stood there, rooted, until the feeling of dread finally left him.
Hoping to have better luck with the next room, he went to Trusten’s door and went to work on the lock. After the tumblers fell into place and the door opened inwardly, he entered the corridor and just like the last, it twisted and turned until it ended in a circular room with a hole directly in the middle. The only difference with this one was that the hole was round and there was a lone pillar several feet beyond it.
He scanned the room and when he felt safe, he walked toward the center. The closer he moved to the hole, the colder it felt. It was a different feeling then the coldness Ruder projected. It felt like the coldest day winter had to offer. After reaching the opening, he peered down and saw the remains of a humanoid skeleton, dressed in tattered red traveling clothes and laying in the fetal position. In the skeleton’s bony left hand, he saw a pouch snuggled inside, prompting him to climb down. As he reached for the bag, a female voice moaned loudly, startling him and causing him to look up to see an ethereal form of a female in a dress floating over to him.
The entity emitted a chilling effect that prevented his legs and arms from moving.
“Rhold is that you my love? I miss you very much. Where have you been?” She asked and moved into the hole, floating directly in front of him.
Torhan could not respond, and the specter stared at him waiting for an answer.
Trusten held his gaze for several seconds before speaking. “Rhold, please answer me.”
Torhan took a deep breath, steadied himself and then found his voice. “I’m not Rhold.”
The ghost’s eyes lowered. “Stop lying to me. You’re my beloved Rhold. I love you more than life itself.” The spirit reached out and touched Torhan’s chest, causing him to feel her anguish. So great was the emotion that he fell to a knee and started crying. “Rhold I love you.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m not him.” Torhan said, sobbing.
Trusten’s facial expression suddenly changed to one of anger. “IF YOU’RE NOT RHOLD THEN WHO ARE YOU? GET OUT!” She boomed at him and then shoved Torhan to the ground, causing the scabbard to glow and the dagger to attack her.
Torhan scooted away, clawed his way out of the hole, and ran out of the room, leaving behind the torch. With only the glow of the scabbard to lead him, he ran with his hands out in front to help navigate his way back to the main room. As soon as he entered, the feeling of despair left him and the dagger returned to the scabbard, and stopped glowing. It occurred to him that the spirits might be bestow their feelings on him if they were enraged, so he would be cautious if he encountered another spirit in the next chamber.
The lock housing the room of the thief named Binder opened fairly easily, and after the door was opened, he lit another torch and entered. The corridor eventually ended in another circular room with a square hole in the middle and nine candlesticks surrounding it. He studied the area, and it dawned on him that maybe the four pillars in the first room, the one in the second, and the nine candlesticks in this one, might be the numbers to the combination on Shoel’s lock.
Seeing no reason to go any further, he walked back to the main room, picked the lock on the fourth door and entered. This corridor ended in a rectangular room with a square hole in the middle of the room and nothing else. Because there wasn’t anything visible to indicate a number, he approached the hole and peered down. Inside, there were the remains of a humanoid skeleton wearing chainmail and a small bag. He was about to jump down and grab the bag when a white cloud materialized. It took the shape of a female warrior wearing armor and held a very dangerous looking sword in her left hand.
“Get away from my grave, or I will kill you, living one.” Her voice was like winter wind whispering through dried leaves and gave Torhan the impression that, in life, she was someone in command. Torhan’s scabbard glowed and he took two steps away from the hole, heeding the entity’s wishes.
“Why do you disturb my rest mortal?” She stopped a few feet away, holding her weapon in a threatening fashion.
Torhan was leery of this spirit, because he wasn’t sure if she could hurt him, so he chose his words carefully.
“Spirit, I apologize for disturbing your rest. I only seek something called an amulet of REM.”
“REST. You call this rest. Leave here before I decide to kill you and trap your soul with mine forever.”
“Do you know where the amulet is?” He pressed.
“Living one, I don’t care what you need. My time has passed, and the affairs of the living are no longer my business.” She started emitting rage, causing the scabbard’s glow to intensify.
“Please Aplone, help me.” Torhan addressed her by name hoping it would make a difference.
She raised her weapon and poised to strike him. “Leave now.”
Torhan obliged her wishes and did so.
On his way back to the room, he thought about the combination lock to Shoel’s door. He was pretty sure the pillars and candlesticks made up the first three numbers, but the fourth room didn’t have anything except for the hole. He moved over to Shoel’s door and pushed the digits on the lock in the following order; four, one, and nine. The last number would have to be a guess, so he started with zero, and as soon as he heard the lock click and the door open; he knew that he guessed correctly. Proud of himself for figuring it out, he entered the passageway and followed it until it ended in a small square room with a large circular hole in the middle.
He did his routine of scanning the area before walking over. At the bottom of the hole was a skeleton in rusted armor holding a small metal chest. He thought about the other rooms and how the ghosts usually appeared when he tried to take whatever was in the hole, but he climbed down anyway.
The small coffer had a number pad with twice as many numbers as the door. He knew the combination would be far too great to guess, so he decided to steal it instead and have Katara help him open it. Placing both hands on the chest, he lifted, and couldn’t budge it. After sev
eral more failed attempts, he studied the chest. Even though he couldn’t find anything holding it in place, he knew there had to be something that was hidden from his sight. He tried using his sword and moved only slightly. As he was trying again, an entity materialized and floated over.
“YOU WILL NEVER TAKE MY CHEST MORTAL” The spirit boomed.
Startled, Torhan looked up and saw a very tall man wearing platemail and carrying a long sword strapped across his back. Torhan felt rage emanating from this entity and backed away, tripping over the skeleton and falling down. His scabbard glowed, and he was again stricken with fear and unable to move.
The ghost entered the hole and hovered slightly above him. “MANY HAVE TRIED AND FAILED TO TAKE WHAT’S MINE. YOU WILL BE NO DIFFERENT THIEF. BEFORE YOU DIE, TELL ME WHY YOU HAVE COME TO MY TOMB AND DISTURBED MY REST?”
Torhan was unable to speak, and the ghost grew angrier.
“FEEL MY WRAITH AND KNOW THAT YOU WILL BE TRAPPED HERE WITH ME FOREVER IN MY WORLD.” The entity unsheathed his weapon and held it high over its head poised to strike.
The glow from Torhan’s scabbard intensified and sent forth the dagger to protect its master. As the blade sailed through the ghost’s body, the entity paused and looked rather amused as he watched the dagger pass through him.
Torhan found his voice and spoke. “I’m not here to disturb your rest.”
The ghost, still entertained by the dagger, did not respond.
“Shoel I am not here to steal your treasure.”
The spirit looked at Torhan again. “IT SURE LOOKS THAT WAY TO ME, THIEF.”
“I only need to borrow the amulet of REM, not steal it. I promise to return it when I am finished.”
The spirit lowered its sword and calmed its voice. “Why do you need my amulet?”
“A child named Sybil fell into a deep sleep, and I was charged with bringing her out of it.”
The scabbard’s glow began to diminish, and the dagger returned to its home.
The spirit of Shoel hovered silently for several moments before speaking. “Mortal if you allow me to read your thoughts and only if your intentions are as you say, I might consider your request.”
Torhan wasn’t sure if wanted him to do so, but considering he didn’t have a choice; he agreed.
“Open your thoughts to me.”
Torhan did and Shoel probed his mind and saw everything he had experienced over the last few weeks.
“I see that you had dealings with the demon kind, and your intentions are as you say regarding the child, but much is hidden from you. Mortal, you are so easily led by material things that you can’t see what people are using you for.” He paused to allow his words to settle and then continued. “A long time ago, I was led the same way you are, and eventually it resulted in my death and entrapment here in this tomb. Tread lightly and watch anyone you come in contact with, or you too may end up as I have.”
“What am I supposed to do to prevent this?”
“Do? Your choices define who you are, so be warned that if you help certain people, they might harm you for their greater gain. Just like the demons walking around in your world who will stop at nothing to achieve their ultimate goals.”
Torhan reflected on his words.
“I need you to do something for me mortal. You have already met my spirit brothers and sisters. If you can free their souls from this place, I will look very favorably upon you and give you the combination to the chest.”
“How am I supposed to do that?”
“You need to convince them they don’t belong here any longer.”
“And if I can’t?”
“You already know the answer.” And with that said, Shoel vaporized, leaving Torhan alone again.
Torhan walked back to the main room thinking about the ghosts, their plights and what he must do in order to put them to rest. “Ruder appears to be waiting for Shoel. Maybe he thinks they were separated during one of their missions. I could convince him that Shoel is dead and won’t be coming for him. Trusten misses her husband, so I think that I’ll to convince her that he did come back, and she is the one who died. It appears Aplone is aware of what she has become, so I need to think about her situation.” Torhan decided that Ruder would be the easiest to deal with first.
He walked down the hallway, passed the badger’s home without incident, entered Ruder’s chamber and climbed into the hole. He reached for the pouch and a few seconds later; a light materialized, took the shape of Ruder and then floated over.
“Shoel is that you?” The ghost asked.
“Ruder, I’m here to deliver a message to you. Shoel isn’t coming.”
“What do you mean not coming? I’ve been waiting for him for a long time. He told me to wait right here until things settled down.”
“Tell me what happened and I’ll try to explain.” Torhan said, knowing he was onto something.
The ghost bowed his head. “We were searching for a child, and… and… I can’t remember anything else.” The spirit raised his head and looked around frantically. “Where’s Shoel?”
“Ruder, you died.”
“Dead? I don’t believe you. You lie.”
“Look around, do you recognize this place?”
Ruder did so. “We were just in the woods searching for…” The ghost paused. “Where am I?”
“You are in your final resting place, and this is your body.” Torhan pointed to the skeleton.
“Am I really dead?” He asked sounding so sad.
“I’m afraid so.”
“What am I supposed to do?”
“Let go of this world, and you’ll find peace.”
“But my family needs me.”
“You can’t go to them any longer. You need to wait for them on the other side.”
“Will they come to me?”
“When it’s their time, I’m sure of it.”
Ruder closed his eyes and vaporized. With his disappearance, the room took on a different feel, and Torhan knew that he was finally gone. Before leaving, Torhan searched the skeleton and found a diamond encrusted dagger sheathed at his side and a black onyx ring on one of his bony fingers. The pouch contained several gold pieces and a red ruby gem.
After pocketing his find, he walked back to the main room and entered Trusten’s chamber. After climbing down into the hole, he thought about what he was going to say, and then reached for the pouch. The spirit materialized off to the right and then floated over.
“Rhold is that you my love? I miss you very much. Where have you been?” She said and entered the hole. Once again, he could feel her chilling emotions radiating from her ethereal form and they grew stronger the closer she came.
“It is me Trusten.” Torhan answered.
“What took you so long to come back?”
“I’m afraid that you have passed on into the afterlife, and it took me a long time to find your spirit.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You had a terrible accident and died.”
“I couldn’t have. I’m right here in front of you.”
“Look around. Is this our home?”
She looked around in obvious confusion. “Where am I?”
“You were lost to me a few years ago and somehow your spirit is bound to this place.”
“I want to be with you again.”
“And I want to be with you too, but we can’t right now.”
“Why not? Tell me this is a dream”
“I wish that it was.”
“Where were you when it happened? Why didn’t you save me?” She sounded sad and scared.
He looked at her intently. “I was away when it happened, and I’m sorry that I couldn’t have saved you.”
“I miss you. You are my one true love.”
“I need you to find peace and let go, so that when it’s my time I can join you. I’m afraid that if you don’t we won’t be together in the hereafter.”
She looked even sadder. “How my love?”
/> “Let go of this world and be at peace.”
“Promise me you’ll come for me when it’s your time.”
“I will.”
She hovered, staring at him for a few minutes. “I will be waiting for you on the other side.”
“I look forward to that day.”
She smiled and dissipated.
Torhan waited a few minutes before taking the pouch. Inside he found a few gold pieces and a blue ruby stone. On his way back, he decided that one day he would find her husband and let him know what had happened to her.
He entered Aplone’s eternal prison and entered her grave. The entity appeared, floated over, and said. “Mortal why have you returned? I told you that I would take your life if you did.” She unsheathed her blade and Torhan’s scabbard glowed.
“I am here to help you find peace.”
“Find peace? You’re an odd one, living one. How do you plan to do that?”
“I spoke to Shoel and he said that as long as I help his friends find rest; he will give me what I need.”
“Shoel is a fool. He’s the reason why I’m in this mess in the first place.”
“Nonetheless, I am here to help you. You shouldn’t be trapped in the world of the living any longer.”
Aplone held her position. “How do you propose on doing that?”
“Not sure. Tell me what happened to you?”
“There isn’t much to tell. The last thing that I remember was Shoel leading us on a quest to find something that I no longer recall, and the next moment; I was down here guarding my remains.”
“Do you know who killed you?”
“I only remember the beast that did. A strange-looking creature with the upper body of an ape and the lower half of a horse.”
“I know of such a beast and who might be responsible for your death.”
“Who?”
“Was it a hermit named Tole?”
“The name is familiar. Yes, I remember him. He was the one that sent us on the quest and when we returned he attacked our group.”
A Demon's Quest the Beginning of the End the Trilogy Box Set Page 73
