Chapter Ten – The Cleansing of Darnuth Keep by Kelly D. Tolman

Posted by admin on December 1, 2008

The Cleansing of Darnuth Keep is a fantasy novel describing the adventures of Colter Halfspear as he becomes a man and an initiate of magical powers.

I sat working on my armor by the light of a lantern at the end of the wagon when a man rode into camp on a great, fat, speckled gray horse. He was a large man, well over two meters tall (even without the hat) with flowing black hair streaked with gray and a beard that reached to his waist and below. He kept the beard tucked into a great black belt that stretched around his middle, holding up sky blue trousers over a startling yellow shirt. He covered himself with a thick green cloak and topped his head with a wide-brimmed green hat whose point bent slightly to the right. Larger even than Master Wilder, larger than Iven, yet he sprang from the horse as lightly as a young squirrel and tipped his hat to me.

“Good evening, young master,” he said as pleasantly as if we were enjoying the mid-summer’s festival together.

“And a good evening to you, sir,” I replied.

“I see the young still catch themselves up in these travesties.” His eyes danced as he spoke. “Take the advice of an old man and go home.”

“I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t,” I replied. To this day I do not know what drove me to say that. Perhaps it was his tone or manner, but I felt angry and sad and above all lonely. I had no home.

“What then? Can’t? Won’t? Ha! Who are you?” His tone was mischievous but I felt pacified.

“Colter Halfspear, sir, but here they call me Scratch.”

“Scratch, ho, ho!” he bellowed so loudly I thought the entire camp would wake. “That’s just grand. Halfspear’s son relegated to Scratch.” He laughed so hard tears came to his eyes. Just as suddenly as it started, the laughter stopped. His face turned serious, and I caught a look such as when my father told me something he didn’t want my mother to know about. “Now listen to me Scratch. Tomorrow is going to be a bloody day that won’t soon be forgotten in these valleys.” There was earnestness in his voice that transfixed me to him, a depth in his eyes that captivated me. His strength of will bound my attention. “Stick close to Iven, do you understand?”

“No sir,” I replied. I hadn’t really thought of doing anything else, but I really didn’t understand this fellow at all.

“Don’t leave the blacksmith’s side, not for a moment, not if demons themselves try to tear you away. I’ll be back afterwards, and perhaps then you’ll understand.” Then he smiled at me. It was a kind smile, the first kind smile I had seen since leaving home, and I trusted it. “Yes, I think perhaps we will meet again.” Then, just as quickly as he had appeared he parted the flap to Lord Kelsin’s tent and entered.

I listened at a safe distance from the tent, watching the lanterns extinguish around the camp. Only a few words escaped from the secret council, mostly the brash tones of the enormous stranger. The camp had changed in the last few days. A nervous air buzzed around us, and my curiosity itched until I wanted to be a part of the great plans for the coming battle.

I stayed awake nearly all of that night, both to finish my armor and to see if the stranger would re-appear. His horse had not been stabled, and I was half tempted to do the job for him. My armor fit nicely after a few hours of steady work, and I was sure it would pass Iven’s closest inspection. Just as I finally began sinking into sleep, the stranger grabbed me and pulled me wide-awake. “Remember, Halfspear, stay with the smith and trust not to fools,” he whispered. I hardly understood his words in the darkness, but he persisted. “You’ve friends and enemies all about you, and no time to sort them out. If you value your life and the legacy of your father you’ll keep away from the valley tomorrow and stay close by Iven.” He vanished into the darkness with a flurry, and I slipped into a deep slumber.

I woke late the following morning. I had grown used to the movement of the wagon through endless nights and days, but only the other soldiers marched away while we waited. After so much labor I found Iven’s stillness disturbing. Though his hands continued repairing a small tear in his coat, his face was calm and blank.

“Rest easy,” he said. “The wounded will be back soon enough. Then our work will begin again, and the work of others.”

I put on my mail and grabbed my spear. After all I was still a soldier in the imperial army, though I didn’t feel like much of a soldier and Iven laughed as he saw me. “You’ve done fair work with the shirt Scratch, though you’ll not need it today.”

“Where is the battle?” I asked.

“Why would you be asking about that trifle?” responded Iven. “You’ve no need for battles.”

“Just curious.”

“You’ll not be going near it Scratch, not if I can help it.” The smith’s voice had taken on his usual tone of brute finality.

“I don’t want to see it,” I said truthfully. “I don’t even like fighting.” I think I wanted to know more where it was so that I could run away from it than to be able to get to it.

“Really?” asked Iven. “You’ve got a lot of hardware for a lad that’s not looking for a fight.”

“It was my father’s,” I answered. “Except for the mail, that was given to me when the village sent me away.”

“On second thought, perhaps you should see the battle,” said Iven with a queer glint in his eye. “Not close up, but close enough. Seeing men cut down may help you understand the foolishness of all this. There’s a spare pig-poker in the wagon, and a helmet. Hop to it then Scratch, the day’s not getting any longer!”

With spears in hand we climbed a hill just north of the camp. At the top we looked down into a small valley where the two armies had met. The great black hosts of the Kaarum crushed against a stalwart wall of defending spearmen at the center, and around the edges horsemen galloped, pressing the dark army in against the middle ranks. I found Lord Kelsin quickly. His great white horse and shining armor sparkled in the mid morning light. Wherever he rode the men rallied and more than once a shout of courage erupted in his trail. Before him enemies fell back. For the moment the imperial army held he upper hand. The battle raged back and forth, like a swirling mass of insects seeking furiously to destroy one another.

The seemingly endless hosts of Kaarum slowly began to take their toll on the soldiers. Though their claws and horns could not reach past the long spears and shields of the army, their sheer size and great numbers steadily created an advantage. Then, suddenly, like a thunderclap, a wave of fear surged across the valley, spreading panic on both sides. An enormous dark figure on a great black reptile descended onto the battlefield from a hill across the valley. The huge deformed lizard sported gnarled horns and white sharp fangs. Wherever it went men fled in terror. The rider, clothed in a sable cloak, and bearing a long lance with a sword slung across his back urged his troops to battle.

Now the battle turned quickly against the imperial forces. The Kaarum rallied around their leader who spread terror like a plague across the field. On the opposite side, Lord Kelsin also struggled to bring hope and order back to the battle. With his bodyguard he made a drive deep into the Kaarum lines, pushing them back. But to his folly Kelsin overextended, and enemies cut down his rearguard. Stranded in the midst of his enemies, he struggled to return to safety. Before he could find a way out, the enemy warlord sped forth his troops, and I hid my face as they carried Kelsin from his horse and he became lost beneath the dark mass of fighting.

The battle turned into a route. Soldiers and officers alike fell back beneath a wave of panic. Without regard or sense of direction men turned and ran for any perceived safety. The flight of the soldiers was speedy but disorganized. The Kaarum crowded them together on their flanks, spreading confusion and disorder among the inner ranks.

Then it happened. A rumble like a thousand rushing waterfalls rose suddenly. The ground beneath the feet of the Kaarum began to erupt in violent explosions, creating massive sinkholes and throwing howling beast-men into the air. The entire length of the valley began to boil with the noise of a thousand thunderstorms as the earth hurled boulders into the air and they slammed back down again. Everywhere open pits sucked the Kaarum into the ground or explosions tossed them into the sky or crushed them beneath falling stones. The ground trembled. I fell to my knees. Soldiers lost their footing and many were sucked down with the violence and crushed with the Kaarum. Panic swept over the valley carrying with it all remnants of sanity. Men cut one another down just to be the first to escape the noise. Peasants pulled nobles from their horses. Even Iven tripped and fell eventually.

Of the many horrible memories I have, this is one of the most potent. I vomited endlessly. My loathing for violence redoubled. That experience transfixed in my mind forever the desire to keep armies apart.
Copyright 2008 Kelly David Tolman

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