The Legend of the Gate Keeper Anthology: The Shadow, Land of Shadows, Siege of Night, Lost Empire, Reborn, The Trials of Ashbarn, End of Days

by Jeff Gunzel

  Jade picked up the last bag and turned to the others.

  Berkeni threw her a silver ring, which she juggled briefly before putting on. “As long as you wear that, I can always find you, my dear. Now go!” he said with a smile that was at odds with his sad eyes.

  Jade did not bow or curtsy. She just tilted her head, flashed a warm smile followed by a wink, then leaped through the gate. Once she passed through, it snapped shut almost immediately. It was done.

  The three adults stood silently, watching the wall that no longer seemed special.

  Finally, Azek slid over to face the Queen.

  Her eyes stayed locked on the spot the others had just traveled through.

  “It was best you did not tell her, my lady,” he said in a voice that was hard as stone. “Always remember, it was for the greater good.”

  Ilirra’s eyes burned white hot as she turned to meet his gaze. “For the greater good, you say?” she hissed in a soft, dangerous whisper. Then, like lightning, she struck him across the face with a closed fist. “For the greater good?” she screamed, striking him yet again. She shrieked the phrase over and over again as she continued to land rights and lefts. She seemed crazed, like she had just lost her mind.

  Azek took every hard blow without ever attempting to cover his face, fully accepting the onslaught.

  The queen collapsed in his arms. Limp as a noodle, she leaned all her weight into him.

  He held her close with tender care, yet did not utter a single word. No mere words could possibly soften her agony. His eye was swelling shut, and warm blood ran from his mouth and nose. Still, he embraced her with a sense of complete understanding.

  She found just enough strength to raise her head, then looked into those dark hawk’s eyes. “How many times can one endure losing the thing they love most in this world?” she said in a shaky voice so weak it could hardly be heard. So full of pain it was. The fire in her eyes was gone, replaced by pure suffering and anguish. “How can you be so calm, so cold?” She embraced Azek tightly as she inched her way up his body to whisper in his ear, “Taken from me again… I’ve sent our only daughter to her doom.”

  * * *

  The gateway snapped shut behind the companions just as Jade jumped through. She opened her mouth to speak, but it simply remained that way as her gaze followed everyone else’s to the awesome sight before them.

  The legends of the Mogan Forest were more than true. The sight was beautiful yet terrifying all at the same time. The tall trees were massive, with dark green leaves each the size of a man’s head. Only centuries of existence could yield such size. Their thick trunks were covered with dark, peeling bark as black as coal.

  They weren’t actually in the forest, but standing in a field on the perimeter. The tall grass they stood in seemed to go on for miles behind them, leading right up to the edge, but where the forest began, it became instantly dense. There was no progression of trees becoming closer and closer to each other the farther in you went. The field just led up to a wall of vegetation. It seemed so unnatural.

  The complete silence was also unnerving. No signs of life could be heard or seen, not a butterfly, cricket, or any of the smallest clues that anything lived here. Morcel gripped his great axe as he eyed the wall of trees. “Everyone ready?” he said, and began moving eagerly without waiting for an answer.

  At first glance, the forest seemed too dense to enter anywhere. There was no obvious path at all. The companions figured they would have to walk along the wall of trees and bushes until they found a break someplace, but after covering the mere fifteen feet or so, the path became obvious. It seemed impossible they couldn’t see it before. It was as if the trees moved to the side to allow them passage.

  No light escaped from between any of the leaves or vegetation, just black outlines around the branches. It seemed as though the forest would be pitch-black, so they pulled torches from their packs, but upon entering, they found they could see rather well. It fact, the trees were nowhere near as close together once they entered the forest. It was as if the outside layer was nothing but a thick, living wall for protection.

  The air here was very different from just outside the boundaries, where it was fresh and cool. The forest was hot and humid; the air seemed thick and hard to breathe. But even with conditions that seemed perfect for swarms of swampy insects, not a single one made itself known. The silence was so unnatural, given how green and lush the plants were, it simply didn’t seem possible.

  “Well, I must say, if someone told me I would be traveling with you through the Dead Forest years after we first met, I would have had a hard time believing them,” said Morcel to Jade, winking at her. “Funny how I’ve been fighting for years now with no real reasons other than to please a mob, and perhaps my own survival as well. All the time, I didn’t care much if I survived or not. Somehow I always managed,” he said with a chuckle. “But I’ll tell you guys something.” He stopped walking and turned towards everyone. “When I woke up and realized I had won my freedom, it didn’t feel like I thought it would.”

  He looked at Jade, who seemed a bit bewildered, wondering where he was going with all this. “Don’t get me wrong, little lady. I’m grateful for what you’ve done for me. It was just that,” he paused and stroked his long beard for a moment, “I felt like...like I had no purpose. I really didn’t know what I was going to do next.”

  Now everyone looked bewildered except for Jade, who seemed as though a little light had gone on in her head. She knew what he was talking about.

  “I was going through life, never knowing when my end would come,” Morcel said as he began leading them on once more, “but when that threat was no longer present, I lost my simplest goal. Survival! What is a warrior without the constant threat of danger?” he said as he stopped again, this time turning to look at Eric. “I don’t know if you are what they say, but if you are, and I die while trying to protect you…” he said as his eyes narrowed.

  Eric’s eyes met his and matched their intensity easily.

  The arena warrior’s stare softened. “Then I would have given my life for a true purpose, and I welcome that honor,” he concluded.

  The warrior drew his axe from his back. Everyone jumped a bit, not understanding what he was attempting to do. He then lay it down beside himself and dropped down to one knee in front of Eric. “Eric Aethello, I swear to defend your life with my own. In the eyes of the gods and all who stand with us, I will see your mission completed or die in its defense.”

  Eric’s eyes almost popped out of his head. He had no idea what to say or what to do.

  Jacob wore the same shocked expression.

  Jade turned her head and pulled her hood low to hide her smile. She understood the warrior’s feelings completely.

  Chapter 14

  Addel slowly hobbled through the tower, weighed down by a heavy heart. She had made many mistakes in her life, and wondered if now they were all coming back to haunt her. She had been summoning the puppeteers for days, and was exhausted. A flashing light show could be seen beneath the door of Dragot’s forbidden chamber as she passed by. No doubt he was attempting to contact Krytoes once again as the final preparations were being made. She longed to be anywhere else but here. She just didn’t want to be part of this anymore.

  There was a time long ago when she no longer fit in normal society. Born with special abilities that needed to be kept a secret, her life had been anything but ordinary. Addel had been exposed to a world where anyone who could do extraordinary things with the aid of natural forces was simply known as a witch. Black powers could only be explained as sources of evil. However, her innate abilities were only part of the problem, as she was born quite hunched and deformed as well. A broken body seemed a strange irony, given her substantial mental gifts.

  In the harsh world of Tarmerria, such a child was rarely ever kept alive. However, Addel had been a rare exception due to her parents, who could not go through with it. But although her parents kept her locked awa
y and hidden for obvious reasons, they were far from kind. They needed only the smallest of reasons to beat her incessantly. Addel knew it was because they had been robbed of having a child they could show to the world, a child that could be productive and someday contribute to the town, as all must eventually. Whenever they whipped her, she never held a grudge. She knew her very existence had robbed her family of ever having normal lives. Perhaps it would have been better had she been discarded at birth.

  The day her hometown of Ackles was raided, she was forced to flee as the raiders set each and every home ablaze. Her parents had been among the many who had lost their lives that day, trying to defend the town.

  She remembered getting several miles outside of the town before collapsing. When she awoke, Dragot’s grotesque face stared down at her, like a lion eyes a wounded rabbit. Of course he’d had nothing to do with the raid, but it made his agenda easier when the stupid humans attacked one another, which seemed to be the case so often. He was an opportunist and was able to sense Addel’s abilities. Between that and her obvious physical disabilities, he was sure she had nowhere to go. He offered to take her in as long as she served his cause. What choice did she have? No town would have taken her in given her deformity. If she proved her usefulness using her innate powers, she would have been hung for dabbling in black magic. She had had little choice but to go with Dragot.

  At the time, it almost seemed like a good idea. She was bitter at humanity for rejecting her. It seemed this would enable her to take revenge on the society that turned its back on her. But that was many years ago, and her bitterness had long since subsided. It seemed all this had gone too far now.

  She hobbled back to her dingy room and flopped into her chair, placing her head in her hands. What was she going to do? There was no place for her to go. What would be asked of her next? She didn’t want to think about it.

  Addel had never felt this alone in her life.

  The door flung open and Dragot barged into the room. His wicked grin was very telling. “Why do you look so sad, Addel?” he said in his usual mocking tone. “I have news that will cheer you up.” His grin widened even further as she looked away. “I have received a gift from the dark lord himself, one that will allow for the final piece to fall into place.” He tilted his head sideways as he stared at her with those cold, yellow eyes.

  She felt so defeated. Addel knew how very weak she must appear right now, but she just didn’t care.

  “I think you had better follow me,” the half-demon hissed, then turned to leave the room.

  With a sigh, the witch struggled to rise from her chair and followed him out. Her head was bent so low that she could only watch her own toes as she dragged behind, not really even thinking about where he was taking her.

  When they arrived at the chamber where he kept all the caged humans, she looked up for the first time since leaving her room. The harrowing scene around her turned her blood cold. Not only were the human puppets out of their cells, roaming around mindlessly, but some were armed with crude weapons as well. Those white eyes and open mouths continuously oozing foam sent shivers down her spine.

  Suddenly, a large clawed hand grabbed her by the hair, snapping her head back. Addel screamed as Dragot pinned her high up against the stone wall with her feet dangling off the ground.

  He put his face right next to hers. His eyes burned with intensity...with madness. “I need a gateway that will transport my pets to the front wall of Taron,” he hissed, his nose nearly touching hers.

  “B-B-But I can’t,” she stuttered as she tried to turn her head away. “I-I don’t have the strength to make a gate that size or to hold it that long.” The side of her head pressed hard against the wall as she tried desperately to get some space between her and the creature. She could feel his hot, foul breath against her cheek, pulsing in short steamy bursts.

  Dragot’s smile widened. His yellow eyes danced with amusement, relishing in the woman’s squirming.

  “I’m perfectly aware of your ‘limitations,’ witch!” he growled in a low rumble. “This is why you are going to accept the dark lord’s gift: A temporary bump in power that will allow you to accomplish what I demand!” He backed off just a bit, but still kept a firm hold on her. Suddenly, his eyes turned a solid light blue. He muttered something under his breath.

  Globes of blue light descended down his arms and through Addel like waves in the ocean. Each pulse sent white-hot pain surging through her body. The agony was so great, it became paralyzing; she couldn’t even scream. Addel convulsed helplessly as wave after wave jolted through her, each one pushing her threshold of pain to a new limit. The slim part of her that still held to a thread of conscious thought wondered if she would go insane from the pain—pain a human body was never built to accept.

  Dragot grinned as the jolts continued to pulse through his arms. “This might hurt a bit,” he whispered. She never would have heard him anyway.

  * * *

  The air remained hot and humid long after the sunlight no longer peeked in and out between the treetops. But even well into the evening hours, a time which should have brought the singing of nocturnal beasts and insects, still not a sound could be heard. The companions made no fire, as the harsh lessons of the last time they had done so were still fresh in memory. There was an odd, scattered light throughout the forest, a dull gleam that seemed to come from nowhere yet everywhere all at once, so a fire for light was not going to be necessary anyway.

  They sat close to one another as they forced down a simple meal of jerky, nuts and raisins. The bags were full of dry rations that would keep for a very long time, if not exactly provide a hot meal. Skins filled with warm water washed down the banquet.

  Morcel rambled on and on of his time in the games. It was a funny thing, really. This brute of a man, who had taken so many lives throughout his own time, had a rather likeable personality. For one thing, he had no bloodlust whatsoever. This seemed odd, given his profession. Killing was business for him—no more, no less. Taking life was just the byproduct of the job he had been hired for. It was never personal, which allowed him to keep his mind untarnished, and to a lesser extent to keep his innocence.

  The man was witty and quick with a joke or a jab at Jacob about whether or not he used his spiky hair as a weapon. He spoke with great sadness of the Dronin warrior whom he had met the first day he was forced to compete in the games. His mind had been in a dark place those first few days. However, the warrior Dokani had given him hope. The man sought no fame or glory. Dokani only wanted to get back to his family, to hold his wife and kids once more. He fought like a lion that day, side by side with Mocel as waves of alcatrosses swarmed the arena like bees. Dokani fell that fateful day. Morcel received a few new scars to add to the old, but he knew he too would have fallen that day had he not met Dokani.

  The others listened intently as the warrior spun his tales of both near misses and outright victory. All the while, the only purpose to the carnage was to find some way to survive, just to do it all over again. His eyes stared off into the trees as he relived every moment.

  Jade, however, sat several feet away. She leaned against a tree, keeping to herself. She seemed even more distracted than usual, fiddling with the ring Berkeni had thrown to her. Berkeni had said something about being able to find them as long as she wore it. It was a rather plain-looking ring that seemed to have no real value. The shiny silver ring was thick, like one a man might wear, and had no jewels of any kind embedded. Where some kind of stone or jewel should have been, sat a flat, silver surface with a shallow carving of a roaring lion. She slipped it on as her thoughts drifted to when she saw Berkeni last. He had served as a host for Ben to communicate with her one last time. Up until now, she had carried blame and guilt in her heart for his demise—the father she never had, the father she would love for the rest of her life. Their final encounter provided the closure she needed.

  There was a slight rustling of leaves off in the distance. Jade’s eyes shot in that
direction. She clearly was not the only one who heard it. In a flash, the men were on their feet with weapons in hand, each of them scanning the immediate area for any movement in the brush. Even though they saw nothing, given the total silence up until now, there was no reason to take this lightly.

  “Get the bags, let’s go,” said Morcel as he grabbed a bag with one hand while firmly gripping his axe with the other. Everyone began to scramble around quickly. The bags were still mostly packed and there was no fire to put out, so they were up and moving in under a minute.

  As they marched along at a brisk pace, the sounds of breaking twigs and rustling leaves could be heard on both sides of the path. “Faster, but don’t run,” mumbled Morcel as he picked up the already brisk pace even more.

  Low growls echoed from both sides of the path now. It was clear that the pack of whatever followed them was keeping pace right along with them. They finally got a look at one of their pursuers as the giant cat stepped out onto the path, cutting them off from going any further.

  The great cat had the head of a lion, but a large forked tongue hanging from its open mouth seemed to be a thicker version of a snake’s. The tongue snapped around like a whip as the beast growled. Two rows of tiny horns flowed down the length of its spine. Its body was covered with short black fur and was far smaller than the large head would indicate, but razor-sharp teeth and claws promised it was plenty dangerous enough despite its average size. As it growled in a slow, bubbling rumble, tiny slits that seemed almost like gills quivered from its neck as they exposed themselves with the vibration.

  Seeing as there was no place to retreat, the four companions placed their backs against one another to form a defensive stance. Because the low growls could be heard coming from everywhere as they echoed off the trees, it was impossible to determine the cats’ numbers.