The Harrowing Path

by Cleave Bourbon

  “You will do no such thing unless you wish to see the bottom of the Lake of Souls after I have my turn with you.”

  Devyn was amazed as the captain pointed his bony finger at Seancey and turned back through the side gate. Seancey closed the gate behind him and winked at Devyn as he bolted it.

  “It is his special talent,” Gondrial whispered to Devyn, “to overwhelm any who oppose him. Seancey can be a particularly useful ally.” Gondrial grinned and put his hand on Rennon’s shoulder. “Are you all right, my boy?”

  “Huh, um...aye, fine, thank you.”

  “Just stay in Seancey’s good graces and you will be fine.” Gondrial said.

  “Why did the Enforcer look so pale and strange? He looked like a walking corpse, all gaunt and wrinkled.” Devyn said.

  “Enforcers wield essence in a strange and unnatural way. It takes its toll on them, all that guilt and nervousness from turning on their own. The longer they do it, the more it changes them. They become bitter inside as well as hideous on the outside. It does help us spot them easier.”

  “I’m going back to my post. I will keep the Enforcers away from the gates.” Seancey said before he climbed the stairs to the guard tower two at a time.

  “The Enforcers will not go far, and as soon as their courage returns, they will attempt to enter the gates again. Seancey will probably not be able to intimidate them a second time.” Gondrial took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “We will have to leave now. I think we need to discuss the best route out of this vale with Enowene and Lady Shey and prepare to leave.”

  “Is there a back gate?” Rennon asked.

  Gondrial nodded. “There is a gate, but the captain will have it guarded before we can saddle our horses. We are trapped, my boy, we will need another means of escape.”

  “Escape?” Devyn asked.

  “Aye, Devyn, our leave from this place has now become a plan of escape. Go and fetch Lady Shey. I will get Enowene and meet you in the meeting hall. We need a new plan.”

  Chapter 11: Signal Hill

  “We can use the tome again,” Lady Shey suggested.

  “Too risky. The Enforcers will detect the magic and trace our path. Since we can only transport two or three at a time for a league or so, the Enforcers will catch up to us by half a league. We can send out horses, but we can only get one, maybe two out at a time,” Enowene said.

  “Aye, but what if you three wielders each cast the spell? Would that be faster?” Devyn asked.

  “Recuperation time is lengthy. Even if we sent you three boys and your mounts through, the time it would take to send ourselves would be considerable. Any length of time is more time the Enforcers have to get to you,” Gondrial replied.

  “There is another alternative,” Sylvalora began. “Not far from here is the forest of Tolennor and the ruins of Signal Hill. The Enforcers would be fools to follow us there.”

  “And we would be fools to go there,” Gondrial countered.

  “Another problem with that plan is that no one who has ever entered the cursed ruins has ever returned from them again,” Lady Shey said.

  “That doesn’t sound good at all,” Rennon said. “I will take my chances with the Enforcers!”

  Sylvalora rubbed her hands together. “We could stay at the edge of the forest. The inhabitants of Signal Hill are particularly nasty folk. Abominations to Loracia.” Sylvalora peered at Vesperin. “Are you familiar with the curses against Loracia? Do you know how to sense such things?”

  Vesperin was staring at his wine goblet and suddenly jolted up at the sound of his name. “Aye, it is the first thing taught to new members of the priesthood.”

  “Even cursed dead, those brought back by unnatural means, and not those merely deceased?” Gondrial asked.

  “Aye, if it is living dead I can sense it as well, no matter how it met its fate.”

  “Excellent,” Gondrial said, turning back to Sylvalora. “A bold plan and a foolish one as well. Whomever we send to the doomed village first will have to enter and wait. Any manner of events could occur during that time. In addition, we have to do this at night. The Enforcers may not be dissuaded from traveling into the woods in daylight.” He pondered for a moment. “In fact, I’m fairly certain they wouldn’t attempt it at night.”

  Rennon gulped.

  “It’ll be all right, my friend, if you keep your wits about you,” Lady Shey said as she patted Rennon on the back.

  Gondrial began to pace back and forth. “We will not be able to send the mounts along with us; the spell requirements are too great. We will have to take along plenty of gold to buy horses at Roseshade, a dozen leagues or so to the east of the forest.”

  “Agreed,” Lady Shey nodded. “Signal Hill is at the edge of The Blight. All should take caution, wielder or not.”

  “Good Advice. Also, we will be traveling light for speed. No unnecessary gear,” Enowene added.

  Gondrial stood and clapped his hands together. “All right then, gather your things and we will meet in the courtyard at dusk.” He hesitated. “Unless we get word the Enforcers are coming back to the gates. In that case, gather in the courtyard and we will go as soon as possible.”

  DEVYN ENTERED THE COURTYARD on time. The rain had subsided, but the Vale still clung to the chill. A paralyzing fear had replaced his plans to leave the Vale, especially leaving without the elder wielders knowing. He knew the Enforcers would capture him if he did manage to get away, and he had no intention of being captured by Captain Row Praf if he had anything to say about it. Rennon appeared from somewhere behind him. He wore blue, his long hair tied back in a ponytail tucked into his cloak, giving him the appearance of a man with short-cropped hair. He carried a knapsack and his stash of daggers, which lined his breast harness. His new apothecary bag hung at his side. Vesperin was there too. He wore the white and yellow robe of his order. A bit bright for night travel, but he did have a dark cloak to wear if need be, and Devyn noticed Gondrial had already suggested that he wear it since Vesperin was rummaging through his pack. Lady Shey and Enowene wore dark grey dresses and cloaks wrapped tightly around them. Devyn noticed that Lady Shey had the tome in her hands opened to the travel spell, and she was nervously going over the incantation, mouthing the words silently. Enowene was peering over Lady Shey’s shoulder at the tome intently. Sylvalora, the last of the companions to enter the courtyard, wore brown. Her cloak seemed to sparkle as if it had flecks of silver and gold in the fabric. She crossed to Rennon and whispered something in his ear. Rennon’s eyes glazed over a moment before he shook his head and walked to where Devyn stood.

  “What did Sylvalora say to you?”

  “She said that if we had to do battle in the woods, I should focus on my daggers and the magic I possess will guide them true. She gives me the shivers sometimes.”

  “I know what you mean.” Devyn cupped his hand to Rennon’s ear. “Kelle told me Sylvalora got into Gondrial’s secret stash of Dwarven ale last night, and he was furious when he found out.”

  “She drank it?” Rennon whispered.

  “No, she poured it out!”

  The boys laughed hysterically.

  “And what is so funny?” Gondrial asked.

  “Nothing,” Devyn said as he looked directly at Sylvalora, whose frown made Devyn wonder if she had heard them.

  Seancey came running up to the party. “Enforcers on the horizon. If you are going, you had better go now.”

  Gondrial looked up into the sky. “Still an hour worth of light left.” He gathered his cloak around him. “We have no choice now. Shey, are you and Enowene ready?”

  “I think we are, although we found another part of the spell we are trying to decipher.” She studied the book intently. “Something about the gender of the spell, male and female casting at the same time.”

  “Never mind that now, prepare the spell; we need to send the first ones through.”

  Kerad, dressed in his high priest robes, appeared and stood next to Seancey. “Is all prepare
d, Gondrial?”

  “We are about to cast the spell now, your grace.”

  “I apologize for not being able to accompany you, I would normally jump at the chance to dispatch undead in the name of Loracia, but seeing how Morgoran has been with fever since the night you arrived, I must remain behind.”

  “We understand, your grace,” Gondrial said, bowing slightly.

  Kerad smiled and clasped his hands together.

  “Okay, Gondrial, we are ready,” Lady Shey said. “Enowene will send Kelle, Rennon, and herself. You will send Vesperin, Sylvalora, and yourself. I will bring through Devyn and myself. If we cast at the same time, we should all arrive together.”

  “Understood, my lady,” Gondrial said as he read his scrolled copy of the spell.

  Devyn felt strange as the wielders began to cast the spell. His hair stood on end with the gathering of essence. Devyn remembered what Gondrial had said about this being a place of power, and he wondered if it would affect the spell. Strange bright spots and lights appeared in his vision, and a lump made its way up into his throat. Wielders made him nervous. Unexpectedly, a surge of essence washed over him, and he felt nauseated. Something was wrong. He could feel it. Lady Shey contorted and appeared to be trying to say something in alarm. A flash of blinding light passed before Devyn’s eyes, and then there was only darkness.

  Devyn awoke, surprised to see Kerad’s face before him. “There, there, boy, that was quite a ride, was it not?”

  “What happened?”

  “As near as we can tell, the part of the spell that Lady Shey was deciphering about the use of male and female magic together made the spell much more powerful. It took all standing within range along with it, including me and Seancey. On your feet, we have to get to the woods and into the ruins. The incantation we employed must have sounded like a thunderclap to those who could detect it. We are in grave danger.”

  “What of my friends?”

  “They are all safe, my lad.” The cleric pointed to his friends all huddled together. “You are the only one who passed into unconsciousness.”

  Devyn rose to his feet and dusted himself off. “How far did we go?”

  “Right up to the trees,” Gondrial said, pointing to the tree line of the woods about a furlong ahead.

  “How long was I unconscious?”

  “Too long. The Enforcers are tracking us,” Gondrial said. “I can feel their presence not more than half a league behind us.”

  “Half a league,” Devyn said in alarm. “We should get going then.”

  Gondrial smiled in spite of himself and then returned to his straight face. “Do you sense anything yet, Kerad?”

  “Not a thing as of yet,” Kerad replied.

  The members of the party moved quickly in a frantic rush for the cover of the trees. Devyn briefly considered the possibility that the dangers ahead were every bit as dire as the one behind him, but he dismissed the thought. Such thinking could drive one crazy, he thought to himself.

  As they crossed into the tree line, Kerad stopped and motioned for the rest to stop as well. One by one the members of the party stopped and stared at him. He seemed to be in deep concentration. “There is danger not far ahead and to the right. Several creatures and abominations to Loracia walk there.”

  “I sense them too,” Vesperin said almost excitedly. Devyn realized that his friend had never actually had the opportunity to use his skills before.

  “Everyone, prepare yourselves for the worst. It may have been a grievous mistake to come here,” Enowene said.

  Rennon grasped a dagger in each hand, and Devyn decided to brandish his sword.

  “Do you still sense the Enforcers behind us, Gondrial?” Devyn asked.

  “They are there,” Gondrial nodded. “Our only choice is to move on and try to stay clear of the dangers of the woods.”

  A sudden sound behind Devyn alerted him to the presence of something disturbing. Upon turning to investigate, he noticed Kelle was gone. “Where’s Kelle?” Devyn said frantically. “She was right behind me a moment ago!”

  Devyn ran to Vesperin and searched the ground. Drag marks appeared on the grassy floor of the woods. “Dragged off. Look here; something has her.”

  “By the gods,” Gondrial swore. “Can you follow the marks?”

  “I believe so,” Devyn replied. “What could move that fast?”

  Gondrial swore again. “Too many things. Well, get to it. It’s fast but it couldn’t have dragged her off that far yet. We need to catch up before it makes its way too deep into the woods.”

  Kerad muttered some words. “No need to follow the trail, I have the foul creature in my mind’s eye. Follow me and I will take you to her.”

  “Quickly, move on, darkness comes, and I do not mean to be too far into the woods,” Seancey said nervously.

  Kerad followed the trail of the creature.

  “Damn, but this creature moves fast,” Kerad cursed.

  “Stop, cleric,” Seancey commanded as he drew his sword. “The ruins of Signal Hill are dead ahead.”

  Gondrial groaned. “Did you have to put it in those particular words, Seancey?”

  Seancey grimaced. “Sorry, Gondrial.”

  Just ahead, and covered in overgrowth, were the remnants of a city gate with two guard towers at either side, similar to the Vale of Morgoran. The wooden supports lay to the side in rotten tatters. Apparently, someone had forced their way through long ago, and the doors lay where they fell. Inside, Devyn could see the growth-covered buildings, formerly proud and made of shining marble and stone, now dingy and blemished. The magnificent remains of the brass gate, forever dulled, hung precariously, and the inlaid marble surrounding it was damaged. A feeling of dread and death permeated the air around him. Once a place of beauty, it now stood as a place of death and decay. Devyn could see the remains of a siege engine used to force entry to the city discarded to the side. During the last battles of the War of the Oracle, dark wielders cursed the city and all its inhabitants to fight against the armies of the West, but the war ended before the incantations were complete, and the city inhabitants remained in its walls forever doomed to fight for the forces of evil that were no longer present. Only the runes cast by the last remaining wielders keep the cursed townsfolk at bay to all those except the ones foolish enough to enter the woods. The city was the ancient forge and supply stores for the armies of the West, and many master sword crafters and weaponsmiths resided there. It was rumored that the city had many treasures in gold, armor, swords, and weapons, which attracted many would-be treasure hunters. None of them ever returned from the woods once they had entered them.

  Chills ran up Devyn’s spine as his eye caught movement just inside the gate. Dragging an unconscious Kelle behind it was a hideous creature of rotted flesh and bone. A green haze flowed off the creature and coated the ground, dissipating as it moved. Devyn found it difficult to see, but he was sure its rotted skin moved fluidly.

  Kerad held out his hands in an open cupped manner. He closed his eyes and brought his hands up to his chin, moving them together as if praying. He then held his arms straight out. The creature glowed in a golden, divine light, swirling and beautiful. It moved upward as if a golden flame caught in a whirling windstorm. The creature let out a terrifying, bloodcurdling screech as the light enveloped it. The creature dropped to the ground in a pile of bone and rotten flesh, leaving Kelle sprawled out on the ground.

  Chapter 12: Into the Ruins

  Devyn immediately started after Kelle, but Vesperin held him back. “You can’t get to her fast enough. There are too many just inside the gate. You would never make it.”

  Devyn stared at Kelle in horror, her motionless body frail and helpless just beyond the ruined gates. “I don’t see any danger here. I have to go to her.”

  Kerad stepped in front of him. “Don’t be a fool, boy!”

  “Coming here may not have been a good idea after all,” Gondrial sighed as he pulled his sword from its sheath.

&nbs
p; “I just said that not ten minutes ago,” Enowene said.

  “Aye, and I’m agreeing with you.”

  Kerad produced his short mace from the belt beneath his robes and glanced around apprehensively. “Too late to worry about any of that now,” he said. “Watch yourselves; there is no way of knowing what kind of curse these people suffer from. Each one will be different as well as difficult to kill. I am guessing most can be dispatched by a hard blow to the head.” He motioned the move with his mace.

  Devyn readied his sword and glanced nervously at Sylvalora, who stood with her eyes closed, muttering softly.

  Rennon leaned into Devyn. “What does he mean by kill? Aren’t they already dead?”

  Devyn shrugged. “I don’t know, but if I had to guess, I would say he means to incapacitate them.”

  Kerad grimaced as he practiced his mace, swinging it in midair in a circular pattern. Devyn could tell the old cleric had not swung his mace in a long while. Kerad stopped swinging and began to rub his right shoulder with his left hand. “Vesperin, how far have your prayers gone?”

  “I have obtained the right of cleric, Brother Kerad.”

  “Good. I thought you seemed older than an adept.” Kerad turned his head to address the group, and he raised his voice slightly. “Let Vesperin and I handle the cursed abominations wearing armor as they will be much more difficult to dispatch than the townspeople.”

  Vesperin gulped.

  Devyn clenched his frigid fingers tighter on the hilt of his sword. He wished he had worn something over his hands. Slowly he worked out the stiffness and warmed up his arm by swinging his sword in the air the way Swordmaster Grint had taught him. Devyn swung it around and then touched the tip to the ground in a slicing motion. He noticed for the first time that a greenish-blue ground fog had begun to collect around their feet.

  “Ugh! What is that horrid smell?” Vesperin pinched his nose.