The Gaellean Prophecy Series Box Set

by C S Vass

  Inside the air was hot, and Godwin immediately felt sweat forming on his palms. A stale breeze was emanating from the inside of the cavern.

  “This cave reeks of death,” Malcolm said. “Once we descend, there will be no turning back. Not until the job is done. I trust that you understand that killing Darwuri is more important than saving me, or yourself, should that choice be required.”

  “I’m a Shigata,” Godwin said icily.

  Malcolm smirked. “As if I could have forgotten. You’ll be well paid by Banfrey, King Boldfrost, and the Cult of Jericho should you make yourself useful.”

  “I guess I’ll have to do more than twiddle my thumbs,” Godwin said. “Any idea what we can expect in this pit?”

  “Darkness.” Looking at Godwin seriously Malcolm added, “I don’t suppose that you have any kind of potion that will allow you to see in the dark, do you Mr. New Magic?”

  Godwin grimaced. A scene flashed across his mind in the blink of an eye. Him and Yaura sitting on a log in the wilderness, their eyesight magnified a thousand-fold greater than it usually was.

  “Afraid not,” the Shigata said gruffly.

  Malcolm frowned. The thin line of his mouth was barely visible in the thin light from the outdoors. “Figures,” he said. “No matter.” Swift as a fleeing fox, Malcolm’s hands washed over each other in a fast and complicated series of motions. The surrounding air grew incredibly hot for a short while, and a fiery red ball of light appeared above the Jericho cultist’s head.

  “The color was a nice touch,” Godwin said. “Should really scare him when he sees us.”

  Malcolm did not respond to the comment. Instead he said simply, “You should draw your sword if you don’t want to have your head hacked off before we reach the inner sanctum.”

  “What about you?” Godwin asked.

  “You needn’t worry. My defenses are more sophisticated than steel.”

  Godwin scowled, but he also drew his weapon.

  As they descended into the cavern and away from the final streak of daylight, Malcolm’s magic orb stayed positioned directly above his head. Godwin couldn’t make out much by the dim orb, but he was able to detect some plant life growing in the cracks of the walls.

  By all measures, this was an ordinary contract. He had reflected many times over the past year that the Shigata were being utilized to track down humans far too often, and this case certainly seemed to justify it more than most. But despite all of that, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this was anything but a usual day. He felt as if he were marching towards something great and terrible that was waiting for him in center of this cave. Something that once disturbed would not be able to simply go back to sleep again.

  “Tell me, Godwin, you are a veteran of the last Bloodwater War, are you not?”

  The question caught Godwin off-guard. Eyes narrowing, he asked, “I don’t recall mentioning that. If you’re reading my mind, Malcolm, I’d strongly advise you against it. There are things locked up in there that are better left alone.”

  “I thank you for the warning,” Malcolm said with a mocking smile. Godwin misliked how the mage’s eyes flickered malevolently. “But I’ll have you know that the Cult of Jericho instills the deepest respect for the privacy of the human mind in our mages. I would be hesitant to force my way into the most creatively intelligent, or cunningly wicked human thoughts. As for you…”

  “Got it,” Godwin said gruffly.

  “Good,” Malcolm said. “I’d hate to think that you were making some kind of assault on my honor. As for your past, it was Banfrey who mentioned it to me. He told me of a Shigata with silver eyes who used to frequent his inn in Hart. A veteran of Bloodwater who was once known as a fearsome assassin in the city of Saebyl. That is you, is it not?”

  Godwin stopped briefly to clean a patch of muck from his boot with a dagger. “What of it?”

  “Just making conversation,” Malcolm said. “You needn’t worry about Darwuri hearing us. This orb provides light only to those who I wish it to. As long as you stay close not only will you remain shrouded in darkness, but all of our noises will be muffled. Or have you not noticed that our friends remain undisturbed?”

  Stopping abruptly, Godwin’s eyes shot upwards as Malcolm pointed a finger towards the ceiling. For a moment his insides quivered. Every inch of the vault above them was covered in enormous, sleeping fiends. To his shame, Godwin had to fight to prevent his legs from turning around on their own and carrying him as fast as possible away from the cavern.

  “Something wrong?” Malcolm asked innocently.

  “Those are no ordinary ghost bats,” Godwin breathed, unable to take his eyes away from the massive beasts.

  “No,” Malcolm agreed. “Those are no mere macroderma gigas. These are a rather interesting cousin species. They’re quite capable of feasting on larger fare: a stray goat or heifer. Just be grateful you’re with me. We’ll be just fine.”

  Godwin felt a wave of vulnerability as they continued down into the cavern. How could he have been so unaware as to not notice what was happening above him? Was he losing his touch? Had years of drinking his potions dulled his senses to the point where he could fail to notice the most severe of danger? Or was this some new development?

  Grimacing, Godwin felt a burning sensation on his tattooed dragon-in-chains thrygta.

  “Everything all right?” Malcolm asked.

  “It’s nothing,” the Shigata responded. “Just an old war wound.”

  The farther they went, the more the cave walls around them narrowed and twisted. The monstrous ghost bats were well behind them, which was fortunate as the cave ceiling was now so low that Godwin could almost touch it if he stood on his toes. Vowing to keep himself from being caught unaware again, Godwin focused his eyes and observed every turn carefully as he moved through the eery red darkness.

  “Wait,” Malcolm said as they passed another threshold and approached another large cavern in the cave system. “Do you hear that?”

  Godwin nodded. “Running water. It sounds like a waterfall leading into a stream or pond.”

  “This chamber could be so large that there’s a lake,” Malcolm said. “Be careful now. Where there’s water, there’s life.”

  “Where there’s life, there’s death,” the Shigata replied.

  The duo stood in the entranceway momentarily, peering into the wide abyss that stretched before them. As far as Godwin could tell, there was no end in sight to the void of darkness.

  “Did you hear that?” Malcolm asked.

  “Hear wh—move!” the Shigata screamed. Flailing sideways in the opposite direction of Malcolm, Godwin fell into a shroud of black. Before he had, someone or something had leapt at them. Malcolm’s illuminated body was crouched in an opposite corner, hands glowing. Godwin lost all focus at that point when he felt cold hands grip his neck.

  Gasping like a fish on land, the Shigata felt his windpipe constrict to the point of near collapse. Summoning all the energy he could into his upper body, he flung himself hard into the wall of the cave. Completely blind, Godwin’s sword slashed through the air as his enemy released him. He heard a spray of liquid against the ground as the assailant died.

  “Malcolm!” Godwin called.

  Malcolm did not answer with his voice, but with a powerful web of electricity that danced from his hands and illuminated the cave for a few seconds. What Godwin saw brought a fresh wave of terror crashing over him. Corpses. Dozens of corpses with rotting heads and missing limbs had surrounded the two of them. The bodies didn’t have weapons, but there was no mistaking their deadly intent as they stumbled forward.

  “It’s necromancy!” Malcolm shouted.

  “Can you stop them?” Godwin yelled. The lightning that had erupted from Malcolm’s hands had delayed the corpses, but they were starting to regain their sense of direction. As the light faded, Godwin could only dimly make out the orb of red above Malcolm’s head.

  “I can try! I’ll need time. Keep them off me wh
ile I prepare the spell.”

  Godwin flew to his ally, ready to defend the mage for as long as he could. With no potions, he would have to rely on swordsmanship. While his enemies were unarmed, keeping several dozen animated corpses under the control of an unseen necromancer was no simple task.

  Throwing himself into the heart of the chaos, Godwin slashes diagonally across the chest of one of the zombies, splitting it in two. Sword spinning like a windmill, the Shigata doubled back and hacked the arm off another before removing its head. Using a spare second to glance at Malcolm, he saw the mage tracing runes on the ground that glowed white-hot with the electricity generated by his contorting hands.

  “Hurry up!” Godwin cried.

  Malcolm ignored him. The mage didn’t even lift his head to see one of the zombies had leapt behind him, mouth open and arms outstretched. Godwin flew through the air and speared the creature through its open mouth. To his distress, rather than giving up, the zombie gripped the sword with both hands and pulled it away from Godwin further into its own mouth. With a cry, the Shigata tried to recover the weapon, but a second pair of hands gripped him firmly from behind by the shoulders and pulled him back. It was all Godwin could do to stay alive and watch helplessly while the dead body pulled the sword from its mouth and fling it carelessly into the nearby water.

  “Shit!” Godwin cursed as he punched the creature that held him hard in the face. It managed to keep its hold around the Shigata’s body until Godwin removed the dagger from his boot and slammed it into the corpse’s head. “Any day now, Malcolm!” he yelled.

  Turning back to see if the mage was safe, Godwin’s heart sank as he saw several of the necromancer’s dead warriors piled on top of him. Malcolm cried out at brutal hands swarmed over his body.

  “NO!” Godwin yelled, but before he could take a step several more dead hands had piled on top of him as well. “Get off! Get off!” he screamed while struggling with every muscle in his body to break free of their cold grips. The only response was the rotting smell that came from the dead bodies’ mouths. He tried to bring his dagger up once again, but the weight of too many zombies kept his arm firmly planted at his side.

  Malcolm’s electric rune had all but faded into nothingness. Even the orb above his head disappearing. Darkness swam in the Shigata’s vision. For one eternal second, time stopped. He heard Logun’s voice. It was a memory, back from when he first joined the Shigata. The two men had set out together for Black Wolf from Saebyl after the conclusion of the Second Bloodwater War. You’ll die a terrible death, you know, Logun had said to him. Bleeding from multiple wounds in some lord’s forest. Pulled under the ocean currents by a raging vodyanoi as you watch your own legs float by you. Screaming alone while dying in a cave, killed by some terror that you never even saw coming in the darkness. It’s a fate we all share. Best you make your peace with that now.

  It had been over ten years since Logun had said those words to him, but it might as well have been ten minutes ago as clearly as Godwin remembered them. They were the only thing his mind could focus on as the last light of Malcolm’s magic faded into nothing, and the animated corpses that swarmed him pulled him down, down, down…

  Godwin was in limbo. His inner ear wobbled as his sense of balance was thrown off. He could still feel hands clawing at him from every angle, but the pain faded as his consciousness collapsed into the shadows of his mind. Malcolm’s screaming echoed across the cave, a faraway noise that grew ever distant.

  Nothingness swallowed him.

  The painful gashes across his body ceased to sting. The quiet calm of serenity hummed in his bones. It was a peaceful feeling. He leaned into it gladly. This was just his time to go. He welcomed it. It had been a long journey, after all. It wouldn’t be so bad to finally rest his weary head.

  Suddenly golden light filled the room. As Godwin’s vision returned, so did the pain that wrecked his body. Muscles throbbing, he willed himself to stand up. It was only then he realized that the hordes of dead enemies had fallen back. Staring into the mysterious golden orb, he blinked with wonder.

  For several long moments, Godwin thought that he was hallucinating. Underneath the slow–growing ball of energy stood what appeared to be a massive, muscular ape wearing iron–plate armor bound with leather strings that might have been a fashionable five-hundred years ago. Clutched in the primate’s hand was an iron halberd stained in rust–colored blood.

  Open–mouthed, Godwin watched with wonder as the zombies fled from the light. A deep sense of awe filled his mind as the ape strode forward silently. "What—who are you?"

  The creature before him remained silent. Godwin’s strength had left him totally. He sensed that he was in the presence of a great power, a fearful being against whom victory could not be possible. The glowing orb remained, illuminating the cavernous chamber with its intense golden light.

  At last the creature spoke. “I've been expecting you, Godwin of the Shigata.”

  Godwin’s legs were weak. The muscles in his arms felt like jelly. Even his throat quavered like a schoolboy before an angry professor. Whoever this being was, Godwin would either submit himself to its will or perish. Still, the ape did not speak again. At last, summoning whatever reserves of strength and courage remained within him, Godwin asked, “Why have you been waiting for me?”

  Again, the giant ape took his time before speaking. At last he said, “Tell me, do you know what this place is?”

  “I don’t,” Godwin said. “I don’t know anything about this strange cave.” Even still, the Shigata’s thoughts were a kaleidoscope of blurred ideas and uncertainties. He knew he had something very important to do, but he could not remember what it was.

  “You are in a very old place, Godwin. A place that may someday welcome you, but I think that time is not yet here.”

  Godwin nodded. He could not have said why, but all of this—everything that this creature was saying—rang true.

  “This is a place where the dead can rest,” the warrior–ape continued. “A place for weary souls to gather before they are done with this world, and before they are ready for the next one.”

  Godwin struggled to understand. He knew he had something important to do, but moving his mind was like moving his legs through quicksand. The effort served more to tire him out than it did to guide him back towards any answers.

  “You cannot remain here for long,” the ape said seriously. “This place is not for you. If you stay here for too long, you will be unable to return.”

  “I was… here with somebody,” Godwin suddenly remembered. “A man. I forget his name. Please,” he looked towards the massive figure before him. “Will you help me?”

  “The man is inconsequential,” the ape said.

  “Please,” Godwin begged. His head hurt so much. He just needed answers.

  The ape sighed. Godwin was having a difficult time reading his face. Was he angry, or just concerned? Did it even matter? Keeping his eyes focused on the complex expressions on the ape’s face was too much for him. Instead, he once more looked around the cave. Suddenly startled, he realized that he had half expected to see somebody. But who? All around them was empty cavern. Stalactites and stalagmites. Shadows dancing in the crevices by the light of the shimmering orb.

  The walls were not stable, Godwin suddenly realized. It was no mere trick of the light. The very stone of the cave itself—it was alive. Moving like the surface of dark water shifting before his eyes. That too was difficult to look at. Why was all of this happening? When would he find out where he was, and how would he get out of this mess?

  “You are tired, Shigata. This is understandable. The effects of this chamber can be quite intense. It is an old magic, a sister of lecanoscopy. Nothing is quite real here. Matter is different. There are no solids, liquids, or gasses. Only us.”

  Godwin nodded. “Tell me, there have been disturbances in this area. Why? What’s going on here?”

  “The dead are disturbed by the presence of the living. No, Godwi
n, not you. There is another, the one you seek. His name is Darwuri. He has been here for quite a time. His presence drives out the restless souls of those seeking slumber here. Go to him, Godwin. He has something for you.”

  “I see,” Godwin said. “Where is he?”

  The beast pointed a muscular black hand towards an entryway carved into the wall. “Through there,” he said. “Keep your strength about you, Godwin. Many mysteries await you beyond the veil. But you will find that which you seek if you trust in the path.”

  There was no point in arguing further. Half of what Godwin had been told had already leaked out of his head. The strange magic of the cave made him feel as if he were lost at sea. The only option was to press forward and try to find his way out.

  Godwin had forgotten about the massive ape the second he took his eyes off of him. Moving through the darkness, he passed beyond the entryway that had been pointed out to him. As he continued forward, the light of the orb faded slowly. Just before the Shigata passed into total darkness, a new light entered his field of vision from up ahead.

  At first glance he thought it was the light of a candle. Glowing red, it flickered and danced in the surrounding darkness. As he drew closer, Godwin realized that it was not one light, but many, that floated shimmering like stars in the sky.

  Runes, Godwin realized as he stepped forward. Hundreds of runes swirled across the cavern floor, cycling around a rock formation that protruded from the ground like a volcano. But it wasn’t the multitude of fairy-like runes that gave the Shigata pause. It was what was inside of them.

  Godwin forgot to breathe.

  It couldn’t be. Of all the things from his past… that this loathsome object could have somehow returned, somehow cross his path after all this time… it was inconceivable. Rage and confusion twisted inside of him as the Shigata stared open-mouthed at his long-lost weapon of choice from all of those years ago. He had not seen it since the Second Bloodwater War ended, and yet there it was, embedded in stone and glowing with demonic magic the same as it always was.