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

by Michael Nadeau

  "I'm not a 'sir', but thank you. Now, I'm also going to guess that when you slept at night you would wake up at dawn like clockwork?" Karsis thought he knew what was going on. He had heard of this from an elven priest decades ago. The elf was handpicked by Syll herself and suffered for years before he came into his powers.

  Griff nodded mutely. It was if this man could read his mind. "Yeah, but I thought I was just an early riser." He really wished he knew what was going on. He could do things that no one else could do, and it was making him feel distant and alone.

  It's not his fault Karsis, the Gods stir their fingers in us all.

  Karsis looked up as the voice sounded in his head. That wasn't Griff. "Everyone stop what they are doing right now and move away from me quickly." He stood up and placed the boy behind him reflexively.

  "Karsis, I'll be behind you,, shielding Caerlyn." Arian said as he moved with purpose. He knew that voice and had always trusted this man's instincts. It had saved both his life and the others time and again.

  "I've got Ralavin, Karsis, and we will be on the far side of the Temple behind you." Maressa longed to be with her husband, but knew that they had to protect the others. She hadn't heard him talk like that in many years, but her old habits just kicked right in. She looked around as well and the only ones that weren't accounted for, besides the two out cold on the floor, were Rythal and Rhoe.

  Rhoe had sat quietly in the back as they came in, so as not to disturb anyone. Now he got up and calmly walked to the other side of the room, to the front of Karsis. He didn't want to call out though, he felt like he was still intruding here at the castle. He longed for the dirt roads and fields of his village. He saw Rythal and wanted to run to him and hug him. They had finally broken the news to him before he talked with Arian, about Innal and it still hadn't hit him. Until right now. Silent tears streamed down his face as he watched his childhood friend stand rigid and unmoving. He used his Sight to see if he could find out what was wrong and immediately felt stupid. If Caerlyn and this other priest couldn't find out what was wrong then how could he?

  Ralavin had no idea what was happening, but the adrenalin coursing through his younger veins felt satisfying. He didn't sense anything outwardly evil, or malicious, but he had heard a great many stories from the young King in his days. "Could it be Rythal?" He said, as he watched the bard with trepidation.

  Karsis heard them all as he scanned the room with his Sight. Nothing. When he heard Ralavin say Rythal's name he looked at the boy again and realized that he couldn't See him at all. Interesting. "Ok, I think we're all right." He slowly walked to the boy and smiled at him. He remembered this one from when they left Daelyn. "Hello Rythal, are you trapped in there?"

  Rythal saw everything, he always did. He screamed again for the millionth time, for his brother, but Innal was still dead. His brother was still a pile of ash and dust, and he wouldn't hear anything anymore. It didn't keep him from screaming though, that's all he did now, inside this broken mess that was once his mind. That is until this man walked in. Somehow this man stabilized him enough so that he could try and think through this broken landscape of his mind. He heard the speech, and even thoughts of the man and with great joy he talked to him in his mind. It's not his fault Karsis, the Gods stir their fingers in us all. It was true, he knew that now. With this moment of clarity he could feel the divine presence in his mind. Just not which one. Maybe soon he could sleep. Yes Karsis, I am. Somehow you gave me clarity and made the screaming stop, but I don't know how. He didn't want this to end. Then the pretty lady walked forward and he realized it wasn't Karsis that cleared his mind.....It was the angel!

  Caerlyn knew the minute Ralavin said the boys name that it was him. It was the boy that did something to Karsis to make him fear an attack. Ralavin had mentioned the boy before, but only in passing since they were trying to figure out what happened with Griff.

  This was her area, her bailiwick, so to speak, and she had to reach out and sooth this boy. Once attuned to him, which only took a simple prayer under her breath, she could feel his fear and wonderment that her presence afforded him. "Rythal, I'm here. I'm coming over to you now so I can try and help you a little bit." She saw Karsis stare at her and smiled, "It's fine Karsis, this is what I do." She took Griff and handed him back to Arian, then reached out and laid a hand upon the head of the boy, gripping him in the power of Davalar. She was stopped by a wall. Worse, this wall was getting larger and warmer in seconds. She had to trust in her friends now, she had no time. "RUN!"

  Karsis heard her scream and knew that he couldn't stop it. He still had his Sight on and saw, as she did, the growing force within the boy come alive at her touch. He was closest though, so he simply grabbed her and spun, throwing her to Arian's arms which were already reaching out to shield them both. He wouldn't make it, and neither would he. At this range, this much force could almost break him apart. Then he was astounded for the umpteenth time in as many days.

  "Ash'anti fra sho la alar!" Rhoe still had his Sight on when Caerlyn touched Rythal and he saw the growing heat as well. He screamed for the air and pointed at Karsis and Caerlyn. He didn't know the elven word for force, so he used the word for shove and prayed that he could get it to push them fast enough. Once he shouted it, he turned and started his roll around the seats on this side to get ready for whatever was coming out of Rythal. Then the room turned black.

  Arian was the first to regain some sort of consciousness. The spinning in his head was keeping him from gaining his feet, but he pushed himself up with his arms and looked around through blurry eyes.

  The temple was a ruined mess, with large chunks of stone laying all over the place. He couldn't see his wife. "Mares...." He coughed and choked on her name as his dry throat refused to work though all of the dust in the air. He cleared it and tried again, using her nickname. "Mar!" He got nothing back but groans and shifting rumble. It was then that he remembered the two bodies under him. Frantically backing up so he could see them, Arian breathed a sigh of relief when Caerlyn stirred. She seemed decent, cuts and bruises only, and even Karsis seemed un hurt. His jacket was a mess, and that wasn't going to go well once he saw it. He loved that thing almost more than Maressa loved her sword. "Karsis, are you all right?"

  Karsis heard the King but his throat was full of stone dust, so he just nodded to Arian. He couldn't believe he was even alive. Then his mind started to clear and he thought of his young pupil. "Rhoe!" He yelled as he tried to stand and promptly fell over before even getting to his knees. He looked down and saw that Caerlyn had a death grip on his coat. Then he noticed that his long coat was in tatters. He sighed, but knew that it would repair itself in time. Caerlyn wasn't that lucky. "Arian, a little help?" He coughed out.

  The King pried her hand off of Karsis and that's when he saw the figure under her. She had covered Griff in all the commotion. "Brave girl." He pulled Griff from under the limp body and checked his breathing. Still alive but seemed to be in shock. He laid him down gently.

  "Brave, yes. She also has a basic lack of common sense, but that's why we love her." Karsis gently pulled free and tried to crawl over the rocks to see where Rhoe was.

  He turned his Sight over where he was last, and finally saw him in a corner, under a row of benches. I can't believe that this young one saved me. Me, of all people. Not many on this earth can say that. He thought, as he rolled the boy gently to see if he was hurt.

  "Can we not do that ever again?" Rhoe asked weakly. He felt someone roll him over and opened his eyes. That was a colossal mistake. "Oh and maybe stop the room from doing cartwheels?" He was pretty sure he was going to throw up any second.

  "I second that!" Maressa called out from the far side of the room. She had a huge slab of marble on her leg, but she had shoved Ralavin back far enough so that he was just bruised. She fell into a coughing fit the minute she shouted, but it was worth it. She looked out over the room and realized that the area around the statue of Davalar was intact. Not only intact, but untouc
hed, and there in front of it, the eye of the storm so to speak, was Rythal. The boy looked unconcerned and distant. "Well, the boy is all right at least."

  "He was the last time this happened as well." Ralavin chimed in, standing up and limping over to the two bodies on the floor. Nothing had hit the woman except dust, but Dren had taken a hit to his head from falling rocks. Not too bad, but it will need a bandage. We got lucky, the whole roof could've come down with that one. He thought, as he checked them both over again.

  "Ralavin, what do you mean the last time?" Arian asked in his 'I'm a King so answer me' voice.

  "When I tried to break through the boys mind a couple days ago." He shrugged at Arian's intense stare. "I would've warned her, but I wasn't sure what she was doing."

  "Caerlyn got to her feet slowly, using Arian for balance. "It's all right Ralavin, I'll get you for it later. As soon as my head stops pounding at least." She turned at the rushing footfalls coming down the hall, and saw Carana, Tierra, and Allissana burst into the room ready for anything. Behind them were the two children that were guarding the door.

  "What in the Deep Hells happened in here?" The High General asked. She hadn't seen devastation this bad since the year that the dragon had hit the castle.

  Liss rushed past her and searched the room with fear. Then she saw him and leaped over the rubble to get to him. "Rhoe, you're all right, thank the Gods."

  Tierra was right behind her and wrapped her son in a fierce hug. "Can't leave you alone for a minute can we?"

  Rhoe smiled at her as she let him go, then he wrapped his arms around Liss affectionately. "This time it wasn't my fault, Caerlyn did it."

  Tierra tilted her head at the unusual display, but smiled nonetheless at her son with a girl. She was about to tease him when a strange voice called out through the rubble.

  "So......do you bring all of your visitors to warzones, or just the pretty ones?" Jana said timidly. She was awake, barely, and feeling like she was hit with the pointy side of a mountain. That's what she gets for drawing constant magic for that many hours. She looked up at the impressive figure coming over to her and smiled. "You must be King Arian. I have braved the very gates of death to get you a message from Storn." She paused to catch her breath, clearing her throat of dust.

  "Yes, I see that you have. What is the message dear lady...." He didn't even know her name

  "Jana, my King. I am a bard of no small skill and fame in the southern reaches of this great lan..."

  "Get on with it!" Carana yelled. She knew what this woman was and wanted to run her through with her sword. It wouldn't put her down, but it would make her feel better. I'll deal with her later, right now I need to know what was going on if I'm going to protect the city. Her thoughts were running away from her. Storn was always the most practical of the Companions, she remembered him well. If he stayed behind, then it was something to do with G'harr.

  "Fine. The message is simple. Madam Ill'lyth G'harr is alive and in power." She counted to three and watched their reactions. Not everyone would know that name, but that woman would know. Jana knew what she was, and that meant that her own cover was probably blown. She was about to be worried when she saw him. Karsis was here.

  "Well there goes the party. Right, Lord we need a private council meeting and we need it now. Get all of the Companions, the kids, and everyone in this room, there. This is bad. I don't mean 'There's a dragon coming' bad....more like, 'The earth is swallowing us' bad." Karsis honestly couldn't have envisioned a worse thing to happen, and he was very creative.

  "But the wounded?" Ralavin wasn't used to being caught up in all this epic hero stuff. Even when he was young and adventurous, it wasn't this bad. "We will need time to heal them still."

  "You and I, Caerlyn, and Griff can handle that in about an hour, maybe two if I'm Seeing what I think I am Seeing in that young lady there. Jana was it?" He watched her nod absently, staring at him like he was a leg of lamb, and she hadn't eaten in a tenday. For you my dear we may need a potion to balance your magic energy. You used a lot of it over a long time didn't you?"

  "Yeah, it was a long flight out of Keragan Hold. Their armies wanted to stop this information from getting to you." Gods look at him, he is amazing. She tried to hold back her thoughts, just in case he could read them, then smiled. Screw that, I hope he can see what I'm thinking.

  "All right everyone, Council chambers in three hours, and please don't make me come looking for you." Arian wanted this time to digest everything he had taken in over the last couple of days. Things were getting out of hand, and It seemed that it was all tied together somehow.

  A Darkened Room, Somewhere in Castle Everknight

  The man sat in the dark room and went through his contacts in his mind. Who could've caused an explosion that big without me knowing? He couldn't think of anyone. Everyone that he had left was very low level in the magic department, unless there were infiltrators here that he was unaware of? No, he would've sensed them. No It had to be something else, but what it could've been was a mystery to him. Then he Sensed his new apprentice coming and straightened up a bit. "Come in." He called right before the woman knocked.

  Belenna froze with her fist inches from the door. She hated when he did that. She was new to this conspiracy thing, but desperately wanted change to come to Lythinall. She was one of the maids and had seen firsthand the abusive power of the so called Noble Lords. She had lost her best friend to one of them, after they raped her and left her for dead in the city below. She opened the door and walked into the darkness. She hadn't been permitted to see her Lord yet, she had to earn that privilege. "My Lord, The newest rumor has it that the explosion was caused by the inert child." She didn't really believe it, but she always reported the rumors no matter how bad she thought they were.

  "Actually that would make sense. I have Sensed something within him, but never really thought about what that might be." He smiled, feeling a lot better knowing that there might be a better explanation than another sorcerer that he didn't know about. "Now, have you made any progress into finding out about the young monk?" Karsis's protégé was whispered about in his circles as powerful, but he hadn't seen anything to back that up.

  "Well, actually I have." She smirked in the darkness to herself, thinking that if she hesitated she would seem like she had some of the power finally. She was wrong.

  "Then spit it out and stop with the smirking. You are my apprentice and if you ever want to learn anything other than what I have taught you, you will show me respect."

  "Forgive me my Lord." She was used to bowing and scraping, but she hated it. He had taught her how to use the air to bring whispers to her, to lower the flame on the torches to darken rooms, and to use ether to cast illusions of lesser creatures, but she needed more. "It is whispered that the young man has somehow married the Princess and is also able to cast magic as the elves do."

  "Impossible!" This couldn't be right....Was Karsis teaching him that much? He had assumed that he could do little things, but to be on par with the elves....that was just...inconceivable, and he never used that word.

  "I can't say one way or another Lord, just what they say in my presence."

  "Well then we may have to start looking a little closer at the young man. Follow him and see what he does." He would watch the boy himself and keep an eye out for anything that the young monk could do. "You are dismissed." He waved her away and shut the door behind her with air.

  Belenna walked down the hallway with an angry stomp, and Barris watched her go quietly from the corner. He had been there for almost thirty minutes, but he had yet to see who she was talking to. He shrugged his shoulders and faded away down the hallway. He would tell his Queen about the women and hope that it was enough. He just wished he was brave enough to get a good look at the man in the room.

  Chapter Eight: Revelations

  He walked down the city streets and breathed in the late spring air. It would be getting warmer soon, and he would miss the northern climate. Lord Tan
an Norhil turned a corner and saw what he was looking for. The Laughing Sprite. How he had missed this little hole in the wall tavern and the nights spent drinking with his friends there. He had followed Gareth through the city and knew where the big man was going. This was where they came to drink when they got sick of the politics of the castle. Before he could get twenty feet from the door, movement suddenly caught his eye.

  He didn't turn right away, that would startle the little thief. Instead he yawned innocently and stretched his arms out wide, showing the cutpurse his belt and pouch without anything in the way. Not many urchins could pass this target up. When he felt the tiny, expected tug of the drawstring being cut, Tanan whipped his hands down and grabbed the wrist of the thief and spun to confront the little one. Imagine his surprise when it wasn't little at all.

  Graf was surprised that this well dressed Lord caught his hand and spun with the grace of a dancer. He usually never got caught, so he was almost frozen for a minute. They stared at each other for a second and then a smile spread across the man's face. "What's so funny?" Graf finally asked.

  The man was about six feet tall, but whip lean, and his black hair was long and tangled. He wore rags and smelled slightly like old wine and urine, but it was his eyes that made Tanan smile. He had eyes that had already looked all around to see who and what was near, and had probably mapped an exit from this encounter. The man was good. "Not funny dear sod, but rather amused." Tanan let go of the man's hand and bowed, always keeping his eye on the man. "My name is Tanan, and I recognize talent when I see it. If I may ask, why were you stealing money? Debt? Tithe to a more powerful entity?"

  "I wanted to have a drink or two. It's been a really long set of days and I can't seem to find an alley that suits me." He said it as a matter-of-fact, but the minute he said it the man was roaring with laughter.