Shadowless

by Randall McNally

  ‘That’s where she ripped out the stone to build her temple. Amrodan said that when he visited her, she was grinding boulders against the side of the mountain, shaping them into blocks.’

  The slab approached the temple. The two men broke cover and darted towards its massive walls. The slab came to a halt just in front of a pair of double-doors, each made from a single, huge piece of stone. No sooner had it stopped than the sound of grinding stone echoed loudly across the valley as the doors opened.

  Kvältax peered round a buttress to see a small woman with straggly white hair, glasses perched on the end of her nose, inspecting the goods on the slab, before walking back inside. The slab drifted in behind her and the doors ground shut.

  ‘What did you see?’ Lauterbur asked.

  ‘Tabitha.’

  ‘Really? What was she like?’

  ‘Not what I imagined,’ Kvältax admitted.

  ‘Have you any idea how we are going to get in there?’

  ‘The temple is set into the mountain; it won’t have a back entrance. Tabitha has the blocks tightly packed at the bottom, but there are several gaps near the top, so she must have left spaces to serve as windows. We could levitate and squeeze through.’

  ‘Let’s do it now while she is preoccupied with her provisions.’

  Lauterbur stood on Kvältax’s boots, and the horseman spread out his arms once again, and they slowly began lifting off the ground. Rising until they were almost at the top of the temple, Kvältax edged along to a gap in the stone blocks.

  ‘It looks like a window, Lauterbur. Take a step onto the ledge when I go forward.’

  Lauterbur, trying not to look down, gingerly stepped from Kvältax’s boots onto the window ledge. Kvältax levitated forward and landed next to him. Passing their rucksacks through the opening, they squeezed through the aperture, into the temple interior.

  They appeared to be in Tabitha’s bedroom. Tiptoeing through the grubby tunics and dirty linen that lay on the floor, of the fusty-smelling room, they came to a stairwell leading down. A sound of shrill and out-of-tune singing echoed up.

  ‘They did not introduce themselves…’ the voice sang.

  Kvältax and Lauterbur descended the steps into what seemed to be a deserted living area, complete with ripped furniture and tattered rugs, worn and crawling with bugs.

  ‘Could they have been ruder?’

  Crossing a granite floor, Kvältax drew his axe.

  ‘Now I have no option left… ’ the song continued.

  The pair paused at the top of another flight of stairs. Kvältax breathed in sharply as he saw Tabitha standing in the centre of the room, her clenched fists on her hips and indignation carved into her face.

  ‘Than to kill my two intruders.’

  Tabitha walked slowly forward. The pair could see that she was grimacing and that most of her teeth were rotting or missing. Thick white hairs sprouted from the warts on her chin and the lens of her glasses were caked in grime.

  Kvältax’s blood ran cold and a feeling of dread formed in the pit of his stomach. Up until now, he had been confident that they had the element of surprise. In a split-second, everything had changed.

  Lauterbur mouthed: ‘What do we do?’

  Kvältax needed time to think. But time, sadly, was a luxury he was not afforded.

  ‘Are you going to come down or should I rip the floor from under you?’ Tabitha snarled, in a husky voice.

  Kvältax put away his axe. His hands were trembling and his mouth dry. He looked at Lauterbur; whose face had gone paler than usual and was sweating. Descending the steps as slowly as he thought was possible without further enraging Tabitha, Kvältax scanned his surroundings. Those double-doors need to open, he thought. Our survival depends on that.

  Lit only by candles on iron stands, the chamber was hollowed into the side of the mountain. Six-foot-wide pillars held up the ceiling, and the floor was covered in sand. A cauldron sat next to a fire burning in a huge fireplace and above it, on a thick stone mantelpiece, was the sword they were seeking, its long blue blade glowing in the dim light.

  ‘Who are you?’ Tabitha stepped closer to the stone stairwell. Her nostrils were flaring and her purple eyes had an intense and frantic look. ‘Answer me.’

  Stone blocks, some as big as anvils, rose from the ground around her.

  ‘Please do not hurt us, Tabitha,’ Lauterbur pleaded.

  ‘I’m going to crush you under a ton of stone, you filthy little…Wait. Neither of you have shadows.’

  ‘That is right. We are shadowless,’ Lauterbur said.

  The stone blocks lowered to the ground, coming to rest at her feet.

  ‘But what are you doing here?’ Tabitha asked. ‘Your kind don’t walk in the light of day; they hide in the darkness; they lurk in the shadows.’

  ‘Err, don’t you mean our kind? You don’t have a shadow either,’ Kvältax said.

  The blocks began to move.

  Kvältax put his hands up in a conciliatory gesture. ‘I’m sorry. You’re different from us. The truth is, we’re here at the request of Amrodan.’

  Tabitha screwed up her face. ‘Amrodan? That monk who visited me? The one who asked me to help fight the gods?’

  ‘He wants us all to stand up to these monsters and fight back,’ Lauterbur said. ‘What do you say, Tabitha, will you help us? We really need you.’

  ‘I’m going to tell you the same thing that I told him, and that’s to leave here at once, or I’ll smash your heads in.’

  ‘As you wish,’ Kvältax said, to pacify her. ‘We didn’t mean to cause you any inconvenience, Tabitha. If you’ll open the doors for us, we’ll leave right away.’

  Tabitha frowned. ‘You’re both shadowless, so I’m going to let you live. Now get out, before I change my mind.’

  The double-doors creaked open, filling the room with the sound of grinding stone. The two men edged closer to them, not taking their eyes of Tabitha. Kvältax positioned himself beside one of the iron candleholders before looking back.

  ‘By the gods,’ he shouted, pointing at the fireplace. ‘Is that what I think it is?’

  Tabitha and Lauterbur swung round to see what Kvältax had pointed to. As they did, he lifted a candleholder and threw it down between the doors.

  ‘Is that really a weapon of the gods?’ he took a step closer to the sword. ‘It’s made from darconium, Lauterbur.’

  Lauterbur moved towards him.

  ‘This is a wonderful weapon, Tabitha. How much gold would it take for you to part with such an item?’ Lauterbur enquired.

  ‘Get away from that sword.’

  Looking at Lauterbur, Kvältax surreptitiously pointed to his axe.

  Lauterbur took a step back, putting himself between Kvältax and Tabitha, just enough to block Tabitha’s line of sight.

  ‘Three…two…’ Kvältax drew back his arm.

  On ‘one’, Lauterbur stepped to the side and Kvältax threw his axe at Tabitha. The weapon struck her shoulder and she screamed.

  The two men sprang towards the sword and pulled it from the mantelpiece.

  ‘Take the pommel, I’ll carry the blade,’ Kvältax shouted, knowing instinctively that the blade would be heavier.

  Bolting across the room, the two ran for the exit. The doors began to swing shut catching on the candleholder and bending it. The iron screeched and snapped as the pair slid out the door and began running across the boulder field. The sword’s blade cut into Kvältax’s hands.

  Stone shattered as the doors crashed open. Tabitha’s screams echoed through the vale. Kvältax and Lauterbur saw large stones flying through the air, striking the ground not far from them.

  ‘Into the caves,’ Kvältax shouted.

  They headed towards the closest cave. As they ran, rocks whistled through the air. Lauterbur was hit on the back, t
he impact knocking him onto the ground and causing him to drop his end of the sword. Kvältax turned to see three rocks flying towards them.

  Ducking, he rolled towards Lauterbur and pulled off his colleague’s rucksack, using it to guard against any immediate missiles.

  ‘Can you walk?’ he shouted, as rocks rained down on them.

  Lauterbur nodded, seemingly disorientated by the blast.

  ‘Then do it.’ Kvältax pulled Lauterbur to his feet.

  Tabitha’s first volley of rocks had failed to cripple them, but the second was on its way. The men picked up the sword and ran towards what they hoped would be safety.

  ‘Get to the back of the cave,’ Kvältax shouted.

  As they entered the cave, rocks slammed into the mountain, exploding and showering them in dust and gravel. The cave floor was covered in chunks of stone that looked like they had been ripped from the inside walls. The pair got to the back and hid behind the largest boulder they could see.

  ‘Now what?’ Lauterbur panted.

  ‘I’m thinking,’ Kvältax snapped. ‘We’re safe for the minute. If we stay here then maybe we can wait her out.’

  The cave shook and stones began to fall from the ceiling.

  ‘What’s happening?’ Lauterbur asked.

  Kvältax peered over the boulder. He saw Tabitha in the centre of the valley, facing the cave. Blood was oozing from her wound and she was swaying.

  ‘She’s causing a cave-in.’

  ‘We have to get out of here. We cannot let her trap us.’ Lauterbur got to his feet.

  ‘Sit down and shut up,’ Kvältax shouted back, grabbing Lauterbur’s arm and pulling him down. ‘I’m thinking, give me a minute.’

  He glanced around, taking everything in: the fear on Lauterbur’s face; the rocks dropping from the ceiling; the boulder they were hiding behind. Then, a wave of clarity descended.

  You old bastard, Amrodan, that’s why you were insistent on Lauterbur coming, you saw this in your vision.

  Kvältax sighed. He felt exhausted.

  ‘This is it,’ he muttered. ‘This is how it ends. Damn you, Amrodan.’

  ‘How what ends? What are you talking about?’

  Kvältax snapped out of his lethargy. ‘Give me the parchment and the charcoal.’

  ‘She’s trying to kill us. What are you going to do, write her a fucking letter?’ Lauterbur yelled.

  Kvältax grabbed Lauterbur, tightening his hands on his tunic.

  ‘We still have time. I weakened her with my axe otherwise she’d be able to lift this boulder. Now, give me the charcoal and parchment.’

  Lauterbur fumbled through his pockets. His hands were shaking and sweat was running down his face.

  Using part of the boulder’s flat surface, Kvältax scribbled a few sentences on the paper. Then, he folded the parchment and picked up a stone.

  ‘Take off your boot,’ he told Lauterbur.

  ‘Have you gone mad?’

  ‘Take off your boot; put the note and the stone inside it.’

  Larger chunks were falling from the ceiling, and the rumbling was louder.

  ‘When you come back from the dead tomorrow, you’re going to need to know who you are, what’s happened and where you have to take the sword. The note will explain everything.’

  Lauterbur stared at him.

  ‘Listen carefully, Lauterbur. This quest was always going to end in us dying. Amrodan saw it in his vision. He didn’t tell us because he knew we wouldn’t want any part of it. That’s why he was insistent that I bring you along, because then, at least one of us would be able to take the sword to Dragonov.’

  ‘I don’t want to die again,’ Lauterbur whimpered, tears rolling down his cheeks.

  A large rock fell from the ceiling, splintering as it hit the ground.

  ‘If you put the note and stone inside your boot, you’ll feel it and find the message tomorrow.’

  Lauterbur sobbed as he followed Kvältax’s orders. He tied his laces and stood up.

  ‘Use my rucksack to cover your head. It’ll give you some protection against the rocks. When we run out of here, make for the cliff. No matter what happens, keep running until you get there.’

  ‘Then what?’ Lauterbur dried his eyes.

  ‘If we’re still alive by the time we reach the cliff, it’ll be a miracle.’

  Even if they made it to the cliff, Kvältax knew Tabitha would bombard them if he levitated.

  A smash echoed throughout the cave and a crack appeared in the ceiling.

  ‘Let’s go,’ Kvältax shouted.

  Lauterbur was the first to leave, carrying the sword by the pommel. Tabitha hurled a salvo at them. The rocks strafed the pair, knocking Kvältax to his knees.

  As he fell, the horseman felt a sharp pain spread through the left side of his body. The force of the impact almost made him lose consciousness, and he dropped the blade. He felt where the rock had struck him and another, stronger, pain shot through his body. Something sharp was protruding through the skin in his side, most likely a bone. Bringing his hand from under his armour, he saw it was covered in blood. He cursed Amrodan. Getting back up as quickly as he could, he saw that one of Lauterbur’s rucksacks had ripped open, dried rations and cooking utensils were scattered on the ground.

  ‘Keep moving,’ he shouted, grabbing the blade of the sword.

  The weapon weighed more than a man and as he ran, his lungs burned and his breathing rasped. Kvältax found it increasingly difficult to carry it. As he went, he hugged the cliff and made use of what little cover there was. Puffing and panting, they had run halfway to the cliff when the second volley began.

  Kvältax had taken most of the direct fire. The rocks that had made it through to Lauterbur struck the rucksack protecting his head and didn’t cause serious injury.

  Lauterbur felt the sword become heavier; he realised he was dragging it. He stopped and turned to see his friend bent over and coughing blood. He shouted his name as the rocks kept raining down.

  Tabitha was staggering forward, blood still flowing from the wound in her shoulder.

  Kvältax picked up the sword. He was mumbling something. Lauterbur hefted his end and the two made for the cliffs.

  The blood-curdling scream from Tabitha was an indication that another barrage of rocks was on its way. Lauterbur and Kvältax were a few feet from the cliff when it struck.

  A rock sent Lauterbur sprawling. At the cliff’s edge, trying to breathe, he looked for his colleague. Kvältax was on his knees, head bowed to one side. Dodging the rocks, Lauterbur crawled to him.

  ‘Are you all right?’

  Kvältax’s eyes had a vacant look, his jaw hanging open. Blood trickled from his mouth.

  Lauterbur tried to help him up, but Kvältax simply knelt there. It was then Lauterbur noticed the blood running from beneath his fur-brimmed hat. Pulling it from his head, Lauterbur saw that a section of Kvältax’s head had been smashed in. Blood and fragments of bone were entangled with black hair.

  ‘No,’ Lauterbur cried. ‘Please, Kvältax. Talk to me.’

  Kvältax slumped into Lauterbur’s arms.

  ‘Sword,’ he slurred, closing his eyes.

  Lauterbur laid Kvältax gently down before dragging the sword to the cliff edge.

  Tabitha had closed the distance to Lauterbur. She raised over a dozen large rocks, clearly preparing for a devastating crescendo.

  Lauterbur had nowhere to run; there would be no glancing blows or side-swipes this time. He looked down. The knowledge of what was coming made his stomach churn.

  The horses look like ants from up here, he thought; I hope I don’t land on them.

  ‘Any final words?’ Tabitha sneered.

  Lauterbur looked at his friend on the ground then back at Tabitha. Her tunic was covered in blood and her eyes shone with pu
re vindictiveness.

  ‘I hope you rot in hell.’

  Tabitha unleashed the final onslaught – a wall of floating stone.

  Lauterbur grasped the sword and stared at the rocks bearing down on him, awaiting his fate. The majority struck him on the head and chest, knocking him off the cliff. He spun towards the mountain pass, his injuries making it a struggle to focus. Then he realised he was still gripping the sword. He smiled.

  I did it, Kvältax, he thought, before smashing into the ground.

  The first rays of the dawn sun spilled into the mountain pass as a tiny rodent crept from its hole. A noise had awoken it from its slumber the day before, but it had taken it as a sign of danger and decided not to investigate. Now, however, hunger had forced its hand.

  Creeping across the rocky terrain, it noticed a pile of stones that had not been there before. Its inquisitive nature got the better of it, and it began clambering up them. Jumping from one stone to another, it reached the top where it looked around and sniffed the air. Then it sat up on its hind legs and washed its whiskers.

  At that moment, the sun’s rays struck the pile of rocks. The stones shifted, causing the rodent to flee. One of the rocks moved, rolling from the top of the pile then bouncing off it.

  A clenched fist forced its way up through the rocks, the number five emblazoned in grey light on the back of it.

  Chapter XVIII

  The Infectious Charm of Clanitâr Novastus

  The mist drifted through the streets of Pinedale, working its way across the carts, and the discarded chests and trunks that littered its footpaths and walkways. Doors from once-bustling shops and taverns lay open, their wares strewn about the floor. Items of necessity had already been stolen by the fearful or desperate.

  Rats crawled openly from the sewers, enticed by the stench of death and decay, and crows were drawn from their perches by the moans of the dying, carried on the breeze. On the walls and pavements, yellow fungi had begun to take hold; releasing deadly clouds of spores when any unsuspecting victim came close enough.

  A young woman in her late teens cowered under a coach. Shaking, her breathing laboured, she watched crows and rats feast on the bodies of the people and horses around her. She had been hiding there all night, fearing for her life. Before the battalion of soldiers had withdrawn they had turned on the people, killing thousands, in an effort to contain the outbreak.