Sometime later I woke as Pascalli brushed dust from my clothes and armor.  My bones ached.  My hands and neck felt raw, and breathing was painful and difficult.

“You’ve bruised your chest somehow,” said Pascalli.  “I didn’t get all of the details of what happened in there.  You’ve been asleep for nearly an hour.”

“Are we safe?” I asked.

“You did well, my boy,” said Pascalli when I could finally stand.  “We’re safe enough for now.”

“I survived,” I said.

“Which is more than the opposition can say,” replied the wizard with a wink and a smile.  “And you rid the world of a power that was never meant to be.”

I smiled to myself.  “Perhaps,” I admitted.  I looked around.  The end of the corridor had collapsed completely.  Rubble piled to the ceiling.  “Any idea how to get home?” I asked.

“Several,” replied the wizard.  “However if you would like to get there without starving to death then I’m afraid I may come up a bit short.”

“I was afraid of that,” I said.  “At least I had one good hot meal.”  I looked around again, and asked, “Where’s Golgaron?”

“He’s in the study.  He said he’d wait for you there.”

We found the statue waiting for us in the center of the room, silently guarding the books he had guarded for centuries.  For a few markets afterwards I had difficulty breathing, and my hands turned numb from time to time.  I remembered only portions of the visions I had while in the Key to the Stars, but often bits of knowledge came to me unexpected.  The voices of the world sounded clearer to me than before.  I slipped the rings from my hands and put them carefully into my pocket.

“Are you hurt, master?” he asked.

“A little,” I replied. “It’s not serious.  Do you know how to get back to the palace?”

“There is a secret way that Davmandius used,” said the statue.  “There is a staircase hidden here in the study that emerges in his chambers.”

“Lead on,” I said, “I’d like a warm meal and a real bed again.”

We emerged from the depths of the dark stairs at night.  I yearned for the touch of wind against my skin and the change of smells carried by the summer breeze.  After so many markets in isolation my skin had turned as pale as snow, and the starlight dazzled my eyes.  I noticed my own body odor when we reached the fresh air and realized how long it had been since I bathed after passing though so much blood and mire.

“I think you’ll find the palace feels differently now,” said Pascalli.  “Your time below will have changed you.  I think you will also find that those we left behind have changed.”

“I nearly forgot their faces,” I replied.  “I don’t want to go back down there for a long time.”

Pascalli laughed softly.  “I’m afraid you may not have a choice in that.  There is still a great deal of work to be done here.  Danger and loneliness may create one kind of a man.  Building a town makes another.”

No servants dwelt in the Palace before we entered the darkness, for Pascalli had deemed it still to dangerous, though I had slept there from time to time.
The silent dark corridors seemed a welcome relief, though I longed to see my friends again.

“I would like a bath,” I told Pascalli.

“And a shave,” said the wizard.  “I will find us some clean clothes and soap.  I wonder if the bath house is still in order.”

Pascalli left for the baths, leaving me alone with Golgaron.

“Much has changed since I have been gone,” observed the statue.  “These halls were filled with laughter and happiness.”  His tone showed no emotion.  I do not believe he felt the same way about things as a person usually does, but I knew that he did not like what he saw.

“There will be laughter here again,” I promised.  “I’ll need your help to make that happen.”

“I am your servant,” he replied.

“Then I would like you to go each night, into the upper halls of the palace and drive out or slay the evil creatures that have come here.  When that is finished, go into the city and clean it out as well.”

“Yes, master.  Will you continue your training?” He asked.

“Yes, everyday,” I replied.  “Train me as you would train any of Davmandius’ generals or sons.  This is my home now.  I would like to defend it properly.”

“Then we will begin at dawn.”  He left me alone and hurried into the upper portions of the palace.  Somebody had gone to great pain to clean the chambers and halls.  Not only had the baths been repaired and put in order, but the royal apartments were clean and furnished.  The place felt more a home than I remembered it, and I could not help but compare it to the burned out house on the farm.

I found Pascalli and bathed and put on fresh clothes.  Pascalli produced a shirt and trousers, clearly made by a fine tailor.  I do not know where he found them.  “It will take your body a few days to re-adjust to a regular day and night,” Pascalli told me.  “It will be easier if you stay awake tonight and all day tomorrow.  I think I will look around the city a bit and see what has changed.”

“I hope they finished the rest of the planting,” I said.

“I’m sure they finished that much.  Twoleaf already had plans to clear herself a plot beyond the walls.  We’ll need industry to establish trade.  I don’t think Delvin has given much thought to reopening the mines or harvesting the timber that grows so freely, but Thorn promised to scout the old traces for me.  The city will need all of these things and much more if you want it to survive.”  He caught the distracted look in my eyes.  “We can talk about all of these things tomorrow.  Let your mind rest for now.”

I did not feel tired, only lonely.  I was also curious about the city.  I really had no idea how long we had been absent, but I did not feel like wandering around alone.  A small garden is hidden away behind the palace, planted with ancient oaks and wildflowers.  Although it had not yet been fully restored, I found it beautiful.  I went there when I felt like thinking.  That night I wandered out to greet the stars.  The moon showed only a sliver in the sky, but the stars twinkled brightly and the night felt warm.  I found an open place and stared up, thinking.  Some memory of the Key returned, and I looked down quickly.

I smelled her before she spoke, though I had not seen her in the shadows.  “The summer nights are beautiful here,” she said.

I stood for a moment, drinking in her scent, my eyes closed, trying to forget my journey.  “No more beautiful than you are to me,” I said, turning to face her.

Dina had changed little.  The air of confidence and responsibility weighed a little heavier on her.  She did not carry her bow, but her face remained the same as I remembered.

“In many dark moments I missed you,” I said, and pulled her close.  I held her tight, and she wept into my shoulder, sobbing away the grief and longing.

“Some of them have given up hope that you would survive,” she said.  Then she smiled.  “Here you are, looking none the worse for wear.”

I chuckled a little, and then coughed as my chest hurt, and smiled back.  “Hardly unscathed,” I said.  She frowned, and curiosity leapt to her face.  “Some other time,” I cautioned.  “Much has happened.  Much that I cannot explain, and that I do not wish to remember.”

We talked the night away beneath the stars and trees.  I did not wish to dwell on the dark times or discuss the violence we had faced.  Instead she told me of the city.  Many buildings had been repaired, crops planted.  They were clearing the land around the lake, erasing the carnage of the Kaarum.  Some of the adventure seekers had disappeared with a small treasure, all they could pack.  The loss of horses would be worse than losing the gold.  “We have plenty of gold.” She laughed.  “But nothing to spend it on.”

“Yes,” I agreed.  “There is more treasure below.  I want to build the city.  I want to make this a place where people can live.  We can cut timber and send it south along with furs.  Our gold will buy equipment, tools, everything we need.  This is my home now.  I want to build it into something we can be proud of.”

“And is the lord of Darnuth Keep to have a lady?” she asked, her eyes sparkling in the starlight.

“A fitting question.” Laural stepped from the shadows.  The moonlight highlighted the paler tones of her hair.  Laural wore a tight fitting buckskin vest.  I noticed for the first time a tattoo on her upper left arm.  Something in her eyes betrayed a change I had not previously recognized.  “I saw the wizard and thought I might find you here.  We’ve had a fair bit of trouble since you’ve been gone.”

“At least I had a good rest,” I replied.  My tone was more than slightly condescending.  Dina pulled away from me slightly.  She stared at Laural with steely anger.

“You’ve no business here tonight,” said Dina.

“Neither have you,” replied Laural.  “The palace belongs to the king alone.”

“Then at least I have the right to be in my own gardens,” I replied.  Laural stopped short, avoiding my eyes.  “I also presume I can have guests if I choose.”

“I’m sorry,” replied Laural.  “We are all curious about what happened.  Everyone has been on edge lately.”

“No doubt a great many tragedies trouble you, young ladies,” said Pascalli.  Laural jumped at the sound of his voice.  “I am certain that Delvin has not allowed either of you the freedom you would have preferred, though I imagine you have still found ways to create mischief.  I do not think you will find Scratch in the mood to deal with your squabbling at the moment.”

I found Pascalli’s intervention both reassuring and annoying.  Though I felt refreshed simply breathing clear air again, my mind felt tired.  “You are right.  I don’t need arguing right now.”

Pascalli began to usher the women out of the garden when I caught Dina’s hand.  The wizard noted my motion and wrapped an arm around Laural’s shoulder.  “Have you ever seen a crystal garden?” I heard him ask Laural as they left.

“You asked me a question,” I said to Dina when we were alone.  I slipped one of the matching rings from my pocket.  “In the darkness you brought me hope.  I want to share that hope with you now, and forever.”

Somewhere in the starlight our lips met, and I pulled her into an embrace I hoped would never end.

THE END
Copyright 2008 Kelly David Tolman

Back to The Cleansing of Darnuth Keep Fantasy Novel Chapter Fifty Seven

I freely admit that I was not prepared for that confrontation.  I had steeled myself to face the kind of horror that would spawn the grotesque lizard creatures and that would consort with demons of the sort we had fought all along the way, but I was not prepared to face her beauty and majesty.
No hint of the previous struggle touched her face.  If I expected a demonic apparition with grotesquely revolting features I could not have been more mistaken.  No horns.  No fangs.  No claws.  She stood arrayed in a mix of tight fitting red leather and sashes.  Her beautiful locks of coal black hair braided like tempting snakes about her shoulders.  Except for the hint of a red glow behind her pupils and the overwhelming sense of power, she appeared no different than any other beautiful woman.  Her otherwise creamy skin held a faint hint of green.  A short, broad-bladed sword hung at her belt.

I stood for a moment, transfixed.  I had known some pretty girls, but at that tender age I had never before seen such an overwhelmingly beautiful woman, and certainly not such a magnificent personality.  She captured my attention and my imagination.  For several seconds I waited, unable to fully take in the room, or even to notice my companions.

“Who are you to enter my domain unbidden?” her voice rang out firm and commanding, yet somehow alluring at the same time.  I felt compelled to answer, but for the moment I was too overwhelmed to speak.

“Be wary, boy,” I heard Pascalli speaking hoarsely.  He sounded small and insignificant.  His voice seemed distant and weak.

I had no answer for her.  I stepped one foot cautiously into the blue circle, my spear lowered.  An unknown fear gripped at my heart, not the fear of pain or of death, but the fear of being completely lost to myself and the world.  Part of me wanted to lose myself, to let go of my own will and subjugate myself to the dominating influence that stood before me.  I felt my spear slip from my fingers and clatter noisily on the stone.

“Fight it,” I heard a voice echo, as if from beneath water or from a deep cavern.

My second foot crossed the blue circle and searing pain burned through my hands where the rings touched my skin.  I felt my body burning, as if consumed by a raging fever.  Sweat poured from my brow.  For the first time I noticed the gold medallion hanging at Asmordreda’s neck.  The medallion burst into light, and I glanced down at my hands to see the diamonds on the rings shining with powerful energy.  Before me the demon’s confidence wavered.  I saw the burning amulet at her neck, and I knew that she felt the same pain that coursed through my body.

Suddenly the circle around us burst into light and a shimmering translucent blue wall of energy surrounded us.  Dimly I could see Pascalli struggling in a fight with foes I had not before noticed.  Golgaron stood transfixed to my left, apparently unable to move before the awesome power of the chamber.  A second wave of pain rushed through my hands and body.  The sounds of my scream were swallowed up by Asmordreda’s cries as she grasped furiously at the amulet around her neck.  Her confidence and majesty waned, and her beauty seemed to begin to slowly melt away.

A great wind suddenly whipped at my face.  Swirling torrents of light and energy began to race through the circle, buffeting both of us.  The ground trembled.  I felt transfixed, unable to force myself to push through the agony.  Though I could dimly see Pascalli battling, no sounds crossed the barrier.  What had Pascalli told me to do?  My mind raced against the pain, grasping at memories that should not have seemed so distant.  Send her back.  I had no power beyond my hopes and my will.  Send her back, the thought came powerfully.

I held that thought, and suddenly she staggered, as if struck by some unseen force.  A thin trickle of black blood appeared at the corner of her mouth.  She bellowed with animal rage as she lunged at me, her soft white fingers suddenly becoming razor claws hungry to tear my flesh.
“No!” I shouted, and held up my hand.  She stopped short, as the force of my will created a barrier between us.  “Go back!” I said, and swung my hand as if to push her away.  The force of energy struck her, and she fell to one knee.  Her perfect skin had begun to slowly dissolve away, revealing a scaly black hide beneath, though her body retained its perfect proportions.

“Never!”  She lashed back, swinging one hand with a backhanded blow that sent a ripple of energy my way.

I raised my left hand to ward the blow, and with my right hand grasped a bolt of fire as it roared past, using its momentum to spin me around, out of harm’s way and then redirecting it at my adversary.  The fire caught her directly in the chest, and she flew back from the force of impact, slamming into the translucent barrier.

“You cannot win, child,” she hissed.  Her voice had lost all of its charm and majesty.  “No mortal weapon can destroy me.”  Her hair had become a tangle of writhing serpents.  Her eyes flared with red fire.  She struggled to her feet.  As she did, she clawed at the energy around her with both hands, preparing a new attack.  A massive force caught me suddenly in the chest and lifted me from the ground.  As I slammed into the barrier behind me, I heard something crack.  The acrid smell of smoking hair suddenly surrounded me, and I felt hot charges like lighting shooting down my back.

I slumped to the ground, rolling weakly away from the barrier.  I cannot truly describe the heavy despair that overcame me then.  My weaknesses and failings seemed to be spread before me like cards on a table, each to be measured and counted.  What a foolish boy I felt.  That I should stand before one of the great powers in our grand universe seemed ludicrous.  Across the circle Asmordreda crouched.  Though disheveled and shaken her incredible sense of power had not completely disappeared.  The outward mantle had largely crumbled, but she still carried a sinister alluring beauty that I no longer felt the strength to resist.

“Join me,” she whispered.  Her voice carried an icy, dangerous tone, but her manner did not threaten so much as invite.  “This chamber holds the key to the universe.  Together …” somewhere her voice faded.

I lost my sense of space and time.  I felt my mind drifting into nothingness.  Asmordreda stood now, speaking to me, beckoning, but I could not hear her words or see her clearly.  The fire from the rings burned my hands until my fingers curled into twitching balls of agony.  I felt a fiery pain in my chest.  I coughed, and the spasm caused me to vomit.  In my delirium I saw the blood mixed with bile and knew that I was bleeding inside.  Death was certain.  Few recover from such wounds, and only with careful care and expert attention.

At my feet I saw my father’s spear.  Dumbly I grasped it in my hands.  My fingers felt wet and slipped a little as I used the spear to lift myself from the ground.

As I stood, suddenly everything zoomed into clarity.

“Don’t be stupid,” she said.  “You can’t kill me.”  I saw her raise a hand to throw another bolt of energy, and I waited.

Time slowed.  I saw her hand come down, and in my mind I knew it was a useless gesture.  I saw the energy form, heard it resisting her will but compelled by the power of the chamber, and I understood.  With my mind, I reached out and told the energy to stop.  The bolt dissipated.  Asmordreda stood confused, angry.

I willed my body to become whole.  I felt and heard the elements within my flesh crying their resistance.  I asked them to ignore the natural order of death and return my organs to their proper function.  They obeyed.  I ordered the burning in my hands to cease, and it stopped.  A rush of power such as I had never felt consumed me.  I saw with absolute clarity the world around me.  I heard the breathing of Pascalli as he cowered in a corner, overwhelmed by the surging power of the chamber.

“Give me the amulet,” I said.  I did not recognize my voice for the power that it carried.  Asmordreda cried out in horror and rage as the amulet suddenly tugged at her neck, pulling her towards me.  She clawed at it, tried to pull it back, but it burned her hands.  The searing power of it scorched her neck.  She cried out in agony until she finally pulled her head away and the amulet flew to me.

I put the amulet around me neck and suddenly the entire room filled with blinding white light.  The circular barrier vanished with a thunder-crack.  At the back of the room a swirling circle of blue energy played against the wall.  Within its depths I saw vast angry mountains behind a horde of demonic enemies.

“Go back,” I ordered and pointed to the portal.

“Never,” she spat.

She raised her hands in fury and began to call for help or power, but to no avail.  “Go back,” I ordered again, and with my mind I pushed her unwillingly through the portal.  Screaming, she was dragged, her claws leaving deep scratches in the stone, into a world of demons.  She disappeared into the blue depths.

“Colter,” I heard a small, insignificant voice.  “Destroy the portal.”  I looked around, and saw Pascalli in the corner pointing at the gate to another realm.  He seemed so much smaller, like a child.  “You must destroy the portal,” he repeated.  “Remember the plan.”  He begged.  He sobbed.  “Remember who you are.”

Who was I?  No longer a child, I held all the power of the universe in my hands.  What did I need with him?  What of the Kaarum?  I could destroy them if I wished.  What of Dina, my mother, my sister?  They were beneath me now.  Even the emperor had no power to rival mine.  With a glance I willed the portal closed.  I did not need it.

“You must give it up, boy,” said the voice again.  “It wasn’t meant to be.”  I turned to face the wizard.  I felt contempt, but no malice.  “Look into the future.  This is not your destiny.”

Of a sudden my mind filled with visions of battles.  Great armies of men surged against my might, but I flung them away carelessly.  I destroyed them as a child might kick down an anthill.  The horror of it overwhelmed my senses.  Still the power of the chamber coursed through me, the power to save, to grow.
A thought came unbidden.  A memory of our farm when I sat after a long day toiling in the fields hoping beyond hope for a crop at the end of the season.  I heard and knew and felt the elements around me, and I missed the mystery and longing to see things grow of their own will and nature.  Though I could bend the world to my will, I could not love it in the way I had once loved it.  I saw my mother and sister, Dina, Iven, all those I loved fleeing from me.  A part of me scorned them, reveling in my own majesty.  A greater part of me hated it.

I took off the amulet, and held it in my left hand.  “Get out!” I said to Pascalli.  When he did not move I grabbed his arm and pushed him to the door.  “Get out while you still can!”  Golgaron quickly followed the wizard, and I found myself alone.  I went to the center of the circle, and raised the amulet high.  As I flung it to the ground I willed the earth to swallow it.  The chamber rumbled as a crack opened in the floor.  I turned and fled the chamber, running as fast as my tired legs could carry me.  Behind me the chamber collapsed, and I was thrown to my face by the wind and dust.
Copyright 2008 Kelly David Tolman

On to The Cleansing of Darnuth Keep Fantasy Novel Chapter Fifty Eight

Back to The Cleansing of Darnuth Keep Fantasy Novel Chapter Fifty Six

Knowing that a person has a key is one thing.  Knowing what the key goes to is something else.  Perhaps most important, however, is the will to use it for its intended purpose knowing full well the consequences.

I held no illusions that facing Asmordreda would be a simple affair.  Pascalli’s grim demeanor served as ample warning to the serious nature of our dilemma.
“Do you know how to defeat her?” I asked Pascalli, contemplating our options.

“No, but we might get lucky.”  He chuckled grimly.  “We’ll need luck.”

I failed to see the humor, but I suppose that after centuries of seeing so much of the world one begins to find something funny with everything.
“The power of the Key can destroy her,” said Golgaron.  “She cannot be defeated with mere weapons of steel.”

“So we just walk up and ask her to hand over the amulet?” I asked.  At this point sarcasm had become my only lifeline to sanity.  “Please Miss Asmordreda, could you just hand that over so we can blast you to oblivion?”  Now it was my turn to laugh.  I laughed a hollow, dry laugh, but I wanted to cry.

“We could try that,” agreed Pascalli with mock seriousness.  “Or we could take it from her.”

“Sure, you hold her I’ll grab the amulet,” I said.

“We might not need the amulet at all,” he said.

“We still have to activate this Key of the stars, don’t we?” I asked.

“Of course, but we may not need to actually be holding the amulet to do so,” replied Pascalli.  “I’ve no idea how this works, but the three keys may only need to be in the chamber, not necessarily held by the same person.”

“Wouldn’t that give everyone in the chamber access to the same power?” I asked.

“Maybe.”  Pascalli’s reply did not comfort me.  “Perhaps only those holding the tokens will have access to the magic.  It doesn’t matter.  We don’t have any options anyway.  I think you’ll find that simply doing what needs to be done is often challenge enough.”

“I’m not here for the excitement,” I said.  I gathered the last of our food and refilled our canteens.  “I’ll finish what needs doing so that we can go home.”

“That is an excellent plan,” agreed Pascalli.  “I look forward to a bit of rest myself when this is all over.”

“She waits,” said Golgaron.  I knew he sensed something about our enemy that neither Pascalli nor I could understand.

Somebody had taken the effort to extinguish all of the lanterns in the corridor outside of the study.  They remained functional, however, so we took the time to light them again.  Really there was no point fumbling around in the dark when the enemy already knew we were coming.

Golgaron took the lead.  “I know where she is hiding,” he said.  “I have no need for light.”

“That sounds like a good idea to me,” I agreed.  I had no intention of being the first target for a surprise attack.

“I see you’ve inherited some of your mother’s common sense,” replied Pascalli.  “No point getting killed if you don’t have to.  Davmandius didn’t spend so much of his life crafting Golgaron to see his talents go to waste.”

Despite our preparations, the first ambush surprised me.  Golgaron dispatched the three enemies before I became aware of the attack.  Although I had spent hours practicing with him, his efficient brutality and effortless violence still surprised me.  The fourth spawn of Asmordreda attempted to flee, but my fire stone burned through the scaly hide into its spine.

“Perhaps Golgaron should scout ahead,” suggested Pascalli.  “He could clear the path for us with less danger while we light the lanterns.”
I agreed, and we sent the statue to clear the corridors back to the hidden door at the temple.  We found the secret doorway shut and the lever to open it had been jammed in some way.

“We’re trapped,” I said.  “We only have a few days of food left.”

“There may be another way out,” smiled Pascalli.  “It doesn’t look like any more of them will be coming down anytime soon,” he added.

With my hope diminishing, we moved carefully into the other corridor.  The brief scrape of stone on stone alerted us to the second ambush.  I expected another rush of Asmordreda’s children, but instead a sudden force extinguished the lanterns, and I was left momentarily blinded while the sounds of battle sprang up in front of us.  I am certain that without the aid of Golgaron in that corridor we never would have survived.  I had not yet mastered the elements sufficiently to instinctively maintain our lighting.  It took me several seconds to locate a lantern and light it again, and in that time the battle had nearly ended.

Golgaron still faced one skeletal figure, though it could not hold off the statue’s merciless onslaught for more than a few seconds.  The creature’s pale skin clung to its bones, as though no muscle or sinew held it together.  Its vacant eyes stared listlessly into space, and I knew that it needed no light to find us.  A second creature of the same type lay at our feet, its chest and skull crushed, apparently from the butt end of Golgaron’s spear.

“Do you know what they were?” I asked Pascalli when it was over.

“Some sort of minor demon,” he replied.  “Creatures from another world.”

“How did they get here?” I asked.

“That is a very good question,” responded the wizard.  “One which I am sure will be answered before we are through.”

We faced a half dozen or so more ambushes, but Golgaron proved an unstoppable force.  The corridor made no branches, and there were only a few rooms to either side before we finally reached a stout wooden door.  The door itself was indistinguishable from any other in the place, but an out of place silence gripped the area, and our light seemed to disappear as we approached it.

“No question we’ve found something powerful,” observed Pascalli casually.  He didn’t bother to whisper, and I believe I detected a hint of a grin on his face.  When I scowled at him and held a finger to my lips, he responded.  “They already know where we are.  We’ve been making a racket out here for hours.  I’m sure they heard us long before this.”  He broadened his grin and sinisterly added, “There are other methods of detecting us besides listening.”

When I reached for the handle, Pascalli stopped me.  “Just because the end is near does not mean we need to rush into it unprepared,” he warned.  “We’ve been at this for nearly a day now, I think, and we will need all of our strength to confront Asmordreda.  We can leave Golgaron here to ensure that nothing leaves that door to surprise us while we, or more specifically you, get some rest.  As I recall there is a snug little room not too far back.”
Copyright 2008 Kelly David Tolman

On to The Cleansing of Darnuth Keep Fantasy Novel Chapter Fifty Six

Back to The Cleansing of Darnuth Keep Fantasy Novel Chapter Fifty Four

Time seemed to stand still in the study.  We ate, we rested, we slept, and we searched, but we had no way to mark the passage of days or hours.

During this time I discovered that Davmandius had created Golgaron as a sort of weapon practice machine, but that the statue grew in intelligence and ability over the winters until he had a life of his own.

“Davmandius was a great weapons master,” said Pascalli. “His skill became so great that many came from all lands to learn from him.  In order to share that skill he poured all of his knowledge into Golgaron, until he had created an unstoppable killing machine, and the perfect practice partner.  You will practice each day with him now.”  He gave me a wink.  “And let the old man have a rest.”

The library contained a number of books detailing techniques for applying elemental magic, combat and strategic information, as well as mathematics, history and scientific experiments.  As I feared, Pascalli kept me studying for hours on end.  The tedium of constant study, practice, and study nearly drove me mad.  We had packed enough food for several markets, but had not used much of it since arriving at the underground city, choosing instead to live off the edible fungi, moss or animals.  A natural spring and a sort of indoor latrine were available in a small adjacent room, and Pascalli seemed perfectly content to remain imprisoned until we found some sort of answer.

My thoughts often returned to Dina, and to the city above.  I longed to be plowing my own fields, and to hunt beside her again.  She was the kind of friend you find only once in a lifetime, perhaps twice if you are lucky.  I ached for our journey to be ended.

“There is nothing in these books that I do not already know,” said Pascalli in exasperation.

“Then obviously the secret Golgaron is guarding has nothing to do with them,” I retorted.  We were both ornery from the confinement.  I had meant the remark to be sarcastic, but Pascalli cracked a smile for the first time in a long time.

“I do believe you are right,” he said.

“Uh, I am,” I asked.

“Davmandius was trying to protect this place from me,” said Pascalli.  He gave a furtive glance to Golgaron, and added, “Or people like me.  He had no idea about Asmordreda, although I imagine he would want her kept out as well.  Which means that whatever he was protecting had to be something utterly powerful, something magical.  There would be no point guarding these books from wizards, I have a similar collection at Gratterskeep.”

“Golgaron, do you know what it is you are guarding, or where it is?” I asked.

“No, master,” he replied.  “I was brought here and commanded to guard.”

“Search the room,” suggested Pascalli.

“You search it,” I retorted.  “I’ve already done that, in detail.”  For emphasis I showed the book on the nature of water I was supposed to be studying.

“It’s not in there,” he said grumpily.

“There is nothing here but books,” I replied.  “Besides, if he meant the secret to be guarded from you, then shouldn’t you be looking for it?  I wouldn’t even recognize it if I found it.”

“Right you are Scratch, my boy, right you are.  You go ahead and enjoy your reading.  I’ll have a look around.”

As intrigued as Pascalli seemed with our new companion, I was put off a great deal by the wide berth he gave Golgaron, and put off even more by the fact that no matter what I asked the great statue immediately complied.  I was completely unused to servants, and I had the uncomfortable feeling that the statue expected me to know a great deal more about my position than I did.

“Golgaron, what exactly did Davmandius order you to do?” I asked.

“He brought me here and said, ‘stand and guard my secret.  Do not let the forces of darkness take it at any cost.’  Then he left,” answered the statue.

“Sounds like a wizard,” I said sardonically.

“Indeed,” replied Pascalli.  “A most worthy puzzle.”

“Where does that leave us?” I asked.

“Right here,” laughed Pascalli.  “The same place you’ve been for several markets.”

“I mean, what then in this place could Golgaron possibly be guarding, and note that he said secret, not secrets, so whatever it is there is only one of it,” I said.

“Of course, so it is not, as we determined, the books,” continued Pascalli.  “Though I think you would do well to keep studying them.”  I wilted, but the hint of a wink in his eyes let me know he was only half serious at the moment.  “What else is there?”

“Some shelves, a table, two chairs, and of course Golgaron,” I listed, yawning.

“Right,” agreed the wizard.  “Also, of course there is the room itself.”

“Right,” I agreed, but only half-heartedly.  We had been through a similar debate already, and I was bored to the point of insanity.  “I don’t think it’s these chairs, they look comfortable enough, but after a while it’s easy to find the hard spots.  The table is out too, nothing there but solid wood.  That seems to narrow it down to either Golgaron or the room itself.”

“Or something Golgaron knows,” said Pascalli.

“He already said he doesn’t know the secret,” I replied.

“Perhaps he doesn’t know that he knows,” said the wizard wryly.  “Davmandius poured a great deal of knowledge into him, and he has seen much that has changed the world.”

“So you think he’s the secret.  He’s been guarding himself for thousands of winters and didn’t know it?”  Some part of me found the thought amusing.

“No, I don’t,” said Pascalli. “It is possible.  I admit that I did not know what happened to Golgaron, I wasn’t even sure he still existed until we came here, but his existence before the breaking was hardly a secret.”

Pascalli seemed to grow thoughtful again, and I was nodding off into my book.  “Time for more practice,” he suggested.  “You are getting sleepy.”

My muscles resisted.  I had not worked so hard in a long time, and I dreaded the exacting drills that Golgaron imposed.  Sparring with the statue could be physically brutal as he fought without fear and without tiring.

“You learn quickly, master, but your thinking is too narrow,” he said.  “Knowing and understanding your forms is crucial, but you must learn to approach combat in a broader sense.  It is not enough to combine moves into fluid movement with an exact chain, but you must plan your kill from the very first feint.”

“What do you mean?  How can a feint kill someone?”

“The feint does not kill,” he replied.  “You feint, or you thrust, and it forces me to move.  I have very few options with how I can parry or dodge.  You already know those options, so you calculate the strength of your thrust and then calculate my positioning in order to avoid that thrust.  Then calculate the positioning you will need for your next move, and so carefully you draw me into a vulnerable position.”

“You are talking about mere fractions of centimeters in split seconds,” I replied.  “That’s impossible.”

“It was possible for Davmandius,” he said flatly.

“It is also possible for me, though I admit I am not as good as my brother,” said Pascalli.  Something in his tone hinted that he was not just speaking of weapons.

“If Davmandius was always thinking ahead, then couldn’t this all be some trap,” I said.  “Couldn’t he have just left Golgaron here guarding nothing at all?  Maybe that’s the secret.”

“Possible, but unlikely,” agreed Pascalli.  “Davmandius would not lie.  Nor would he employ his most trusted servant to guard nothing more than a lie.”

“Then let’s try a different tactic,” I said.  “Think back to when Davmandius was around.  What did he have, or was rumored to have, that you would have wanted, or that he wouldn’t have wanted you to have?”

“I think a better question would be what did he know that he didn’t want me to know,” said Pascalli.

“Same thing, but have it your way,” I replied

Pascalli merely looked annoyed.  “Fair enough.  I would say that there are two things we wouldn’t want me to know about.  One would be that he knew how to defeat those who opposed him, utterly.  The other would be that he had found something even more dangerous than me, which he wanted to keep hidden from the world because he was afraid he could not control it.  Golgaron is neither of those things, so that rules him out.”

“That leaves us looking for a powerful weapon designed to destroy wizards,” I said, again falling into sarcasm.

“Or the key to such a weapon.”  Pascalli’s eyes brightened as he spoke.  “There was a rumor, a bit of research we all took as nonsense by a young and rather inexperienced wizard about something he called ‘The Key to the Stars’ that was supposedly an incredible source of power.  Nobody really took him seriously, but Davmandius had a way of rooting out the most obscure knowledge.”

“What is the key anyway?” I asked.  “Do you know what it looked like?”

“All I know is that it is an object designed to forcefully channel the energy of the heavens into a wizard’s control,” said Pascalli.

“I don’t understand,” I admitted.

“The most potent kind of magic is the magic that the gods wield,” he said, assuming his lecture tone.  “That priest of Tylos who healed you did so using that magic, but only because Tylos willed it so.  The key to the stars is supposed to call that magic and force it to your will, allowing for unimaginable power.  But the key was supposed to be a contained in a chamber, a small room activated by certain controls.”

“So maybe this is the room,” I said.

“No, it doesn’t fit anything I read about his research, and surely you would have felt that kind of power.  More likely a critical controlling component is here,” he said.

“Or the key to a key to the key,” I said.

“What?”

“What if the critical component was somewhere else, and all that could be found here was the knowledge of that component, which could then be taken to the chamber?”  I impressed myself with my own deduction.  “Golgaron, come here.”

The statue came and stood beside me.  I fished out my rings and held them up to his breastplate.  On it the crest of Darnuth Keep was engraved, an inverted triangle with diamonds at the points of the base and a circle at the tip.  I held the rings up, and one diamond in each matched the diamonds in the crest.

“The final token is the medallion,” said Golgaron.  “You will need to defeat her to get it.”

“No wonder she did not return,” said Pascalli.  “You did not have the rings as she expected.  At some point during your battle she must have guessed what the crest means.  Davmandius obviously expected Golgaron to defeat anyone who entered here.  I wondered why we hadn’t seen the crest anywhere else in the palace or even in the city.  In any event, we hold the keys, and she is likely waiting for us in the chamber itself.”  With a wry smile he added, “Never keep a lady waiting, Scratch.  We’ve tarried here long enough.”
Copyright 2008 Kelly David Tolman

On to The Cleansing of Darnuth Keep Fantasy Novel Chapter Fifty Five

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I was rather nervous about what we might find, and also somewhat let down.  The room was essentially a library.  Shelves lined the walls, packed with neatly arranged books.  My first thought was that Pascalli would have me reading them for the next hundred winters whether I felt inclined or not.  There was a sturdy table and two padded chairs.  A lit candelabrum adorned the table, and lit lanterns hung from the ceiling in each corner of the room shedding a remarkable brilliance.  In the center of the room an amazing life-like statue of white and blue marble gazed back at us.

The statue was an angelic figure, bold and strong, arrayed for battle with both spear and sword.  I could just see the edges of great wings folded at his back.  The face held an expression that I found both stern and defiant.  His polished armor reflected slightly in the brightness of the room, and I found myself reminded of lord Kelsin as he charged into battle, though this figure far out measured Kelsin in both nobility and strength.

Pascalli gave me a soft nudge and I stepped into the room.  “Take a look around, Scratch,” he suggested.  “Be careful, there is something odd here.”

I crossed the room and reached to touch a book.  As I reached out, a voice suddenly spoke.  “The secrets of this place are the master’s alone.”  The voice was strong, deep, and carried a hint of stone grating against stone.  Of all the sounds a person can hear, hearing a sound such as the world has not known in a thousand winters may well be the most remarkable.

I immediately withdrew my hand and spun around.  On reflex I brought my spear into a defensive position.  Across the room Pascalli bolted the door, and laughed, “It appears you’ve found a new friend, Scratch.”

The statue, which had been facing the door, now stared at me.  It raised its spear for a thrust.

“Only the master may touch the treasures of this place,” said the statue.

“Who precisely is your master,” asked Pascalli, his tone carrying only a hint of arrogant mockery.

“Silence, Betrayer!” boomed the statue as it spun with lightning speed to face the wizard.  “My parlay with you will come soon enough.”

To my shock, Pascalli held his tongue.  Something about the statue’s tone hinted at recognition of some kind between them.  It turned to face me again.

“Who are you that comes with The Betrayer into my master’s realm?” it asked.  I felt an icy edge to its tone.

“I am Colter Halfspear,” I replied, and then as afterthought I added, “Lord of Darnuth Keep.”

“Show your tokens,” he said.

I admit I was at a loss.  I had no idea what it could be looking for, and I began to stall by fumbling in my pockets for anything.

“Surely the master has his tokens,” said the statue coldly.  Pascalli caught my eye and mouthed the word rings, and encircled one finger with his other hand.

“Yes, of course,” I stammered.  “Right here in my pocket.”  I pulled out the pair of rings we had found in the great hall.  I held them out for the statue to examine.

“Then you have not yet taken a bride,” he said.  I blushed slightly and put the rings back in my pocket.  “You should wear your tokens proudly.  I will not ask for the medallion, for she has it.”  He lingered for a moment at the unnamed enemy.  “Nevertheless, you will prove yourself by test of battle.”

With no more warning, he sprang to the attack.  I quickly discovered that I was very much outclassed.  His movements were perfect and inhumanly fast in every way.  Although I could now slip effortlessly through the forms that Pascalli had drilled into me, I could not match the speed, strength, or accuracy of this opponent.  I felt the spear torn from my grip, and he hooked my off-balance heel with his foot.  As I fell, his spear point followed, stopping a hair’s breadth from my throat.

“The young master is truly skilled,” it said with a humility I did not expect.  “I am Golgaron, arms master of the Legion of Davmandius.”  He extended a hand and helped me to my feet.  Though the hand was hard as stone, it was not cold.  I could feel the life inside him.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“I guard the secrets as Davmandius commanded,” he replied.

“How long have you been down here?”  My curiosity was boiling over.

“I do not know,” he said.  “Only one other has opened that door since Davmandius left.  Time has little meaning for me.”  He turned to face Pascalli, raising his spear again.  “Explain yourself, Betrayer.”

“I prefer Pascalli, or wizard,” he replied.  “Many things have changed since Davmandius died.  I am a friend of your master.”

Golgaron turned to me.  “Is this true, master?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said.  “He comes as a friend and ally.  I have a lot to learn, Golgaron.  Tell me what has happened here.”
Pascalli and I sat at the table, grateful for the chance to rest in a quiet, warm place, and shared a simple meal of dried meat and water while Golgaron explained.

“During the last war, Davmandius brought me here to guard this place.  He warned that its secrets must never fall into the hands of his enemies.  Then he left and did not return.  I felt him die, but that was long ago.  Then she came?”

“She?” I asked.  “Who is she?”

“Asmordreda,” replied the statue.

“The concubine of Delvor?” asked Pascalli incredulously.

“Yes.”

“That is very bad news,” said Pascalli, his face far more serious than I had ever seen it before.  He saw the questions in my eyes and did not wait for me to voice them.  “She is a very powerful demon queen.  How she came to this world I can only guess.”

“She arrived shortly after the death of Davmandius, and has been spawning her children ever since.  I feel their desecrating hands all over this once fair temple.”

“We killed a few on the way in,” I explained.  “There are still a lot left, though.”  I frowned.  It was going to be a long fight to get out of there.
“Please go on.”

“She tried to come in here only once, but I killed many of her children and faced her as well.  She was not able to destroy me, but I have been a prisoner here as I cannot allow her to reach these secrets.”

“By now she will know or guess that we are here,” I said.  “What do you think she will do?”

“She will wait,” said Pascalli.  “She will want Golgaron to leave here.  She will expect us to fight, and she will know who wins, and then she will strike the weakened victor.”

“I see that The Betrayer has a cunning mind,” said the statue.  “You were a most fitting opponent for Davmandius.”

“That was an old battle, and long ago,” replied Pascalli, his voice tired and suddenly very sad.  “A victory I shall ever regret.”

“What happened,” I asked, but immediately regretted the question.

To my great surprise Pascalli answered without hesitation.  “The last battle Golgaron refers to happened when those of us who no longer wished to follow the old code of magic rebelled against those who held to the ancient traditions.  The battle began the breaking.  I used cunning and artifice to lead the traditionalists into a trap.  I was known ever after among wizards as The Betrayer, even by my closest friends.”

“Did you know Davmandius well?” I asked.

“He was my brother.”  Pascalli stood up and faced the books, and we did not talk of those sad things again.
After several minutes, during which I think I must have dozed, Pascalli said.  “You must find the secret Golgaron is guarding, Scratch.  Asmordreda must be defeated.”
Copyright 2008 Kelly David Tolman

On to The Cleansing of Darnuth Keep Fantasy Novel Chapter Fifty Four

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