The Darkness Within (A Lythinall Novel) (Book 2)

by Michael Nadeau

  She couldn't believe her eyes, Karsis the Bard; Legendary rogue, warrior, and general hero of the downtrodden. His name had spanned centuries, his deeds the stuff of legend. His auburn curls were as recognizable as his one-of-a-kind burgundy long coat. He had played for kings, slain tyrants, even won the heart of an ancient dragon. His exploits with the Companions of Everknight were what she grew up on. Then she remembered that her parents travelled with him and it was all she could do not to babble. He was kind, almost parental, but he was all business. He needed to know what they had done, what had happened, and especially the fight with the Wolvren. He talked with her for three days off and on, while he was helping Lady Caerlyn with Rhoe. Liss was pretty sure he was angry with her, but Caerlyn had told her later that he was just worried about the young boy.

  She hadn't seen Lady Caerlyn in over a year, but she was just the same as she remembered. Saintly. She looked up and didn't realize how far she had come in her reflection. She was nearing the Merchants quarter. She looked around and heard a noise from an alley. She stopped to see what it was, knowing that this was probably a very bad idea. The sound was curious, not a whisper exactly, but like a whistle. She entered the alley and saw only piles of clothes and refuse, and then she heard it again.

  Wary of what could be hiding in the garbage strewn alley, and remembering the chance encounter with the Gnome at the hunting lodge, she pulled Deathsong out slowly. The sword seemed dormant, as it was dead quiet coming out of the sheath.

  "You won't need that lass, the only weapon I have is a dirty rag, and I'm not very good with it at all." The muffled voice came from a larger pile of rags, and she stepped back as the whole pile seemed to rise.

  "Slowly there, I've had a bad couple of days, and my trust level is low enough to live in this alley." She spread her feet apart a bit, and switched her stance so that the way out was a quick roll.

  "Don't worry, I'll stay back here if you want." The figure seemed to shrug and most of the pile of filth rolled onto the floor. It was a man and as he straightened his back, he rose above her and seemed to flex his shoulders. He was about six feet tall, but whip lean, and his black hair was long and tangled. The thin rags he wore seemed to still be in good condition despite being under all that other ruined clothing. His hands were open and his arms out wide as if to show her he had no weapons. "Why have you come in here, were you looking for somewhere to sleep?"

  Liss hid her disgust with the practiced face her mother taught her to use with the lords and ladies at the castle. Impassive and neutral, but her nose twitched at the smell involuntarily. "No I thought I heard something, just a faint something on the wind."

  "Ah, that was my whistling, sorry. I sometimes do that to lull myself back to sleep when I wake up too early." He shuffled backwards, stepping over the large pile, and stated picking them up once more, donning them like a mighty wizard in the stories.

  Except no wizard I ever read about in my children's books smelled like this! She chuckled at the thought, and drew a curious glance from the man. Feeling like she should at least offer some help, she searched her pockets for anything she may have, and came up dry.

  "Listen, I don't need any handouts from nobles......"

  "No, I know, I......." She was caught off guard. How did he know she was of noble stock; Did it show that much? She didn't want to offend him, but she didn't want to seem like some of the nobles that he was referring to. "My name is Liss, what's yours?" She stepped forward into the alley more and sheathed her sword as a gesture of sincerity.

  "Ha, ok I'll play. My name is Graf." He curtsied a little as he said this, mocking her. "Sorry the place is such a mess milady, the maid was fired yesterday." He laughed aloud, then sputtered as he saw her face. He took a step towards her as she turned on her heel and stormed for the street. "Wait, don't...I'm sorry, that was wrong of me."

  Liss stopped and waited, not turning around. With everything else, this was not something she needed right now. She was furious, and should be getting back to Rhoe. Then she saw the man across the street, and her hair stood up on the back of her neck. He was just standing there, pointing a crossbow at her with a deadly smile and she saw it recoil as he pulled the trigger. Her mother's leathers wouldn't stop a bolt going that fast, and she knew she was in trouble. She tried to throw herself out of the way, but then strong hands had her and she was covered in something that reeked of wine and urine.

  "Hold on there Liss, It might smell, but you'll be alive." Graf was trying not to laugh as he threw the rags on top of her to deflect the bolt. He saw the man scowl, and draw a sword. It seemed like he was signaling to someone else, or maybe a bunch of somebodies. They were smart, they had a backup plan. He would've had one if he was doing this. Graf pulled the rags back off of her, letting them fall to the ground and tugged her towards the back of the alley. "This way, we're going to have company very soon."

  "Wait, who.." She looked down as he led her back and saw the crossbow bolt sticking out of the bunch of rags on the ground. They were so think and layered that it just buried itself in them harmlessly. Then she saw the man coming and the others falling in beside him. There were four, wait no five men, all dressed in dark clothing and cloaks. You think someone would've noticed them dressed like this, firing crossbows into alley's at strange women. Her thoughts whirled as she looked about at her terrain. The alley was only ten feet wide, and the clutter was going to impede her footing if she had to sidestep their blades. She pulled Deathsong once more and the blade rang with a clarion call. When she fought the Wolvren it had howled.......I'm going to have to speak with mother about this sword, If I live through this. The men spread out as much as they could coming down the alley, but the debris was impeding them as well. She looked back as Graf's hands came off of her shoulders, and suddenly he wasn't there anymore.

  "You're filthy friend isn't here to help you Princess, now we can finish this." The others started to try and circle around and she saw one start to trip on a pile of rags. Knowing an opening when she saw one, she lunged at the assailant on the other side, while keeping her feet set for a retreat once the man talking saw his chance. She was counting on that.

  She only grazed the man she went after, but her ploy worked. The man came at her hurriedly, thinking she would be off balance, and Liss sent Deathsong back across in a wide arc, slicing into his chest and splitting his armor. He cried out and fell back, clutching his wound, letting the others have a chance at the cornered Princess. If it wasn't for the many years of Carana's lessons, Liss would be dead already, but now, at barely eighteen years of life, she was as good at sword work as most seasoned warriors twice her age. She just lacked the experience of almost dying that most others had.

  Well, not anymore. She thought as she parried a dagger thrust and kicked out at another man between his legs as she feinted with a slash. That's when she noticed that there were only two men on her.

  The man that had been slashed gazed down at his chest, and cursed under his straining breath. It was deep, and would leave one hell of a scar; One that he would not relish telling others how he got. He was so intent on his wound that he never saw the huge figure rise up out of the shadows behind him holding a pile of rags. Then it was too late, as the rags went over his head and a slim, long pointed blade went through all of the rags, and in between his ribs just right to hit his trembling heart. His ragged breath went out of him quietly, muffled by the urine soaked rags, then the figure faded back into the shadows, leaving the body behind. Graf smiled to himself. It had been way too long since he'd had this much fun.

  Liss didn't have the time to look around for the other assailants, the two in front of her were enough, especially since she kept stumbling over the refuse around them. Good news was that they were too. One such mistake was made by the man favoring his precious manhood after receiving a dainty kick.

  He stumbled forward, almost dropping his dagger, then Deathsong punched in his chest and out his back in a violent burst, as Liss put everything into her fru
strated lunge. "Damn." She muttered, as she saw her mistake. Never mind saw, she could almost hear Carana yell and slap her with the practice sword that she shouldn't put everything into a swing when there were more opponents left. She let go of her sword, another scolding she always got, and rolled into a pile of rags, kicking out at where the man should be if he were striking at her with his dagger.

  She was rewarded with a yelp of pain as she connected with his knee, then she heard a muffled gurgle. Well that's new. She jumped up and saw Graf, behind the man with rags wrapped around the man's throat, and a blade into his ribs. She backed away, pulling her sword out of the dead man near her.

  "I know, I lied." He started, letting the body fall at her feet, conveniently between them. He wiped the thin blade off on the rags, then it was gone, without her even seeing that he sheathed it somehow. "I really do know how to use these rags." He stepped back once more, open arms and a wide smile. "But believe me, I really don't mean you any harm."

  She couldn't help but laugh. She had cheated death again, and felt exhilarated. She thought that the man must be some sort of retired adventurer, with his skill, but it was the way he had said that. You. She was about to start her eternal question asking tirade, but when she sheathed Deathsong and looked up, he was gone. Shaking her head, she rushed back to Rhoe and to tell Karsis that they weren't alone, not that she was worried about him.

  Graf watched her go from the shadows. No one saw him if he didn't want to be seen, he was just that good. He waited until she was well out of earshot, and sighed deeply.

  The voice had told him to protect her, and he never ignored the voice. "Well, this is going to get me in trouble isn't it?" He muttered to the voice in his head that refused to answer him. It never answered his queries, not once. It just whispered sweetly when it wanted him to do things, and that was few and far between as it was. "Fine. I haven't lived this long by ignoring you. I may be a fool, but I'm not crazy." He laughed at that, quietly though, from inside of his filthy rags. If anyone saw him talking to a voice inside of his head they would call him crazy, and they would only be half wrong.

  He hadn't been stable since that year in G'harr when they caught him trying to free that girl. He had gotten away, but not until they messed with his mind. He sighed heavily. The voice had told him to protect the Princess and get her across the river to Everknight, and he would; But he wasn't going to like it.

  Someone else watched the Princess exit the dirty alley. He sat atop the building directly across from it, and frowned at the utter loss she dealt his trained assassins. True, he didn't count on a homeless man being that good, but they still should've had the upper hand, especially since his magic hid their weapons from lesser minds. He was dressed in all black, and had the southern style cloak that could be pulled up to hide his face, without covering his head. His short blond hair blew in the spring breeze, as he shook his head and turned away. He was already thinking of how to ambush them before they reached Caerlyn Hold, he just had to be careful of Karsis. If the rumors were true about him consorting with demons, then he would have to catch him completely flat footed.

  Healer's House, River Vale

  Rhoe slowly came to consciousness to the sound of light music floating in the air. A strange voice accompanied the sound, in a lilting voice that sounded almost magical. At first he thought he was still with the faeries, but then his memories slowly unfolded in his mind, like blowing the dust off of an ancient book. He sat up quick as he remembered the flight over the mountains, the Incarnation, and Liss, then immediately regretted that as the room decided that it didn't want to stay still for him until he laid back down; Which he promptly did. "Whe....where is....Liss?" He asked, shutting his eyes and trying to center himself, to no avail.

  "Ah, he awakens at last, do take it easy young one, magical healing is great, but it can leave the body extremely weak." Karsis admonished, as he stopped playing his lute. He chuckled a bit as Caerlyn kept singing a bit longer, caught off guard by the sudden absence of music. "Caerlyn, do you have that cranroot tea I asked for last night?"

  "Yes Karsis, I do know how to tend to patients you know?" Her light voice edged with a bit of sarcasm, but her smile said that she knew he was not questioning her expertise. She actually giggled as he frowned in worry at his question. She knew he didn't realize that she knew about the property of cranroot, and how it affected wizards. In fact he would probably be amazed at what she knew about. She had read almost every book known to man, and three more after that.

  "I didn't mean..."

  "Oh how fun it is to tease the mighty bard Karsis." She laughed, as she brought up the hide skin full of the tea. She helped Rhoe sit up and drink the tea, and watched his eyes as they tried to focus on her hands as she helped him. His pupils came into sync and his hands weren't shaking anymore, good. It was bad for awhile, and there was no way I was going to tell Karsis how close it really was. If he wasn't here to help me.... She had rode through the night and almost killed the two horses she brought, once she received the message from the courier that came with Allissana's message. Karsis had arrived and was stabilizing the boy with his magic, but the boy was slipping. That was the longest five days of her life. She would never have been able to look Tierra in the face again. She closed her eyes and pushed the dark thought away for the moment. "Anyway, we're glad that you are awake dear one." She couldn't believe that this was the child she had delivered all those years ago.

  He was very fit and toned for his age, but his robes hid most of the muscle. It was his white hair that she remembered most, he had come out of the womb with a tussle of it, and everything she had checked for was normal. Now it was well past his waist.

  Karsis let her have her fun. Caerlyn was not someone he messed with. He focused his Sight on Rhoe as he drank the cranroot tea and was relieved that his magical aura was settling back down. That much magical healing had not only left him weak, it had tangled his own magic and knotted it up good. The cranroot would help it to unweave and straighten out by itself in a couple of hours. The only thing was that he had to be conscious for it to work, otherwise it may kill him. He heard the sound of running feet and leapt up, spun around, sword out and feet apart as he slid in front of Caerlyn and her patient, but relaxed as he saw the Princess skidding to a halt just inside the door.

  Liss came to a halt at seeing Rhoe sitting up and all thought fled from her mind. "He's awake!" She started to go to him, but Karsis stopped her with one hand as he put his sword away with a flourish. "Focus Princess. You didn't come running because he was awake, so what's wrong?" He knew he should've listen to Caerlyn's Sight.

  She took a deep breath and looked the bard right in the eye, then regretted that instantly. He had the eyes that said he had seen it all, and laughed even then. Liss mentally gulped and calmly started her story, remembering that he wasn't angry with her, just worried. Well can he be worried towards someone else now please? She clamped down on her thoughts and retold the mornings events clearly. Karsis listened intently, never interrupting her, and when she was done he patted her on the shoulder softly and walked by her into the street, scanning the horizon with keen interest. He had done the same after she had recounted their adventure "Do you think we're in danger still?"

  "Why yes I do." He continued to scan the horizon like he was looking for something.

  "And?"

  "And what?"

  Caerlyn chuckled behind them both remembering the many times the bard had done the same exact thing to Arian. Where did the time go? she thought. "Karsis, she wants to know what we're going to do now." She helped Rhoe lay back down after he finished the tea.

  "Ah, then she should learn to use her words." He turned with a flourish and winked at the frustrated Princess and walked back in the door. "We have to flee of course, right away and without informing anyone."

  "But we have to tell the Duke, he is the only one here that knows who I am." Liss remembered making Aeric Savar, the King's Marshal, swear on his oath to keep her a secre
t to all save Duke Brenscomb. She knew the Duke, was there when he was appointed to govern this city under her father King Arian.

  "No dear girl, he's not. To go further, I would bet fifty crowns that half, if not more of his guards here were enemies of the throne." He was mentally planning their route through the city to the southern gate, and there was no good way except to fight their way out.

  "Wait, no.....how do you know all this." She was trying to regain control here, but Karsis was a whirlwind of chaos to her order. How did her father ever do this?

  "One. You were attacked in the city, then ran all the way here with your weapon out. Even if you weren't the Princess there would be guards following you to find out what happened, as well as an inquiry into the bodies that you must've left behind." Before she could open her mouth, he spun around, letting his long coat fly out momentarily diverting her attention. "Two. There are at least eight men on the surrounding rooftops watching us right now, probably reporting to the man that orchestrated this entire thing. No, don't go look, that would only make it worse." He sat down in the chair once more and started tapping his feet to a rhythm only he could here.

  Liss was stunned, that and really upset. "So what's three?"

  "What now?"

  "Three? You said One. then Two......"

  "Oh I figured three would be a little too much for you so I left it out." He said this like it was a matter of fact.

  Rhoe slowly got out of bed and stood up trying not to laugh, mainly cause he thought Liss would hit him for it, but also cause he was pretty sure he would pass out if he did. "Karsis, I tranced again...." He wobbled and almost went down, but steadied himself and gained his balance. he found his center, closing his eyes, then he straightened.

  "Rhoe, focus on your memory now and lock it away, we need to flee and there is no time to go over your journey right now, no matter how much it is killing me that you can even do that without trying." Karsis never turned around while he said this, and it was eerie.