The Darkness Within

by E. M. Aguilar

  Inside, steel piping ran along the top and the bottom of the walls. His lamp almost blew out. A high pitch whining sound was heard. The walls were interlaced with wooden beams to keep them from falling. He heard the clanking sound again. All the metal was rusted. Strange markings were scrolled along the pipes. He crept along and saw the tunnel went a considerable distance away from him. His mind was telling him to go back up and get Flin. However, he saw something shining at the furthermost reaches of his sight. He took out his dagger and held it forth. Against his better judgment, he trudged on. The cave became smaller until Charles had to bend down. He found what was shining. It was embedded in a mound of dirt. It was a ring. Charles looked ahead and the tunnel ended where large rocks filled the passageway. The wind still flowed between the rocks. The clanking noise was heard again. He spotted a man’s belt, which was attached to a rock, and it would hit the pipes when the wind would buffet it.

  Charles took the belt and ring and headed back to the entrance. The tunnel shook and he struggled to stand. The walls started to shake furiously. Rocks and metal piping rained on top of him. Charles ran, fleeing the debris and rocks. The roar started to get louder behind him. His own torch was already lost. He made a mad dash toward the opening when a heavy rock hit his legs. He flew forward from his momentum. Flin was suddenly in front of him and grabbed him out of the tunnel. The cave collapsed sending a large cloud of dust into the room. Charles couldn’t see anything for a few minutes. His mouth was filled with dirt. Flin relit his torch.

  "Charles!" Flin said. His face was covered in dirt, and he looked comical. Charles started to laugh and then coughed.

  "I’m fine," he said between coughs.

  Flin said, "I ran down the steps when I heard the noise."

  Charles still had the ring and the belt in his hand. He thought he lost it when he scrambled out of the tunnel.

  Flin said, "Where did you find that?"

  "It was inside the tunnel."

  "It is the ring of the scribe of the library." Flin said pointing to the inscription.

  "He must have died inside the tunnel."

  Flin said, "You’re lucky. You could have died in there yourself."

  Charles said, "I know. Let’s call it a night."

  CHAPTER 29

  The emperor sat upon his throne. He sat rigid and looked upon his subjects with scorn. The princess betrayed him. He should have seen this happening. The princess was, after all, the daughter of the former King, his older brother, David. The emperor tried to give her his values and knowledge of ruling. Yet, she would never be as strong as he had become. If she married the Prince of Fantuar, he could have access to another kingdom and their riches and more importantly the tower. His chief advisor, Barthrow, was next to him. His presence was a comfort. He was the only person he could trust. He had known him since he was a kid and even then, Barthrow was old. He must be ancient now.

  In a few days, he knew the rebellion would be no more. The emperor already imprisoned most of the senior rebel member thanks for the help from the spy, Eamos. He sent his entire army to Druthic to crush the remaining members of the rebellion. His generals were opposed to his idea to send all his men. He didn’t care. He needed to make a statement to anybody who opposed him. Barthrow was the only person who understood his decision.

  Barthrow taught him to rule with fear. His subjects couldn’t even look at him in the face. He had a network of agents. It was Barthrow’s idea to create this group. However, these agents couldn’t find Darrin.

  The Emperor said, "Have you found Darrin or Cyrus?"

  A tall gaunt general walked up to the emperor’s throne and said, "Sire. We have scouted where Darrin has fled. We believe he travelled to Druthic." He paused and said, "Also, Cyrus escaped the capital. He destroyed a group mages outside the city."

  "I see. And are you doing anything to find Cyrus’s whereabouts?" the emperor asked.

  "Yes sir, I dispatched my soldiers to find him," the general said.

  "I think, General, you need some help. Please send in my assassin," the Emperor said.

  Davious strode up to the emperor and bowed.

  "I need you to accompany the general’s soldiers to find Cyrus. I need him alive," the emperor said.

  "I understand," the Master Assassin said.

  "I also want you to bring a group of elite soldiers," the emperor said.

  "Sire, I can do this alone," the Master Assassin said.

  "I know. Nevertheless, you need these men. Cyrus is not just some mage. He is something more," the emperor said.

  "I captured the Shade."

  "Yes, but with the help of a black mage and some bowman," the emperor said

  "I didn’t need them. I was doing fine all by myself."

  "I do not doubt your abilities, but Cyrus will be harder to capture than a woman," the Emperor said.

  "Cyrus is just a man, and he can die like a man."

  "Yes, he is a man, but he is also a Drakus Vinnikai," the emperor said.

  His subjects gasped except the Master Assassin. He bowed and said, "Either way. I shall capture him."

  "You better. Now leave me," the emperor said.

  The Master Assassin bowed and left the room.

  "General, do you have more to report on your failures," the emperor said.

  The general walked up toward the emperor and bowed.

  In a strained voice the general said, "Sire, we will get them."

  "You will," the emperor said menacingly. "Do you take full responsibility for you men’s success or failure?"

  The emperor turned to Barthrow and nodded. A black mage appeared.

  "Kill him," the emperor said to the dark wizard.

  The black mage turned toward the general and lifted his pale right arm pointed towards the general. A terrible sound of agony escaped him. A bright light filled the room. The light encased the general. The emperor looked on with enthusiasm. The body erupted into ash and fell to the floor. The emperor grinned.

  •••

  After a few weeks, Narah’s day was spent looking out her cell’s window. She again tried to pry off her mask but it did not budge. She practiced her fighting techniques and her meditations. She even tried to formulate a plan to escape, but she couldn’t find any weaknesses in her jail cell. The bars were too strong to be broken

  She tried not to become despondent because giving into despair would cause her to lose hope and hope was all she had. She wished she could have talked to Cyrus one more time. She wanted to tell him she believed he was innocent. Everything seemed to go wrong when she talked to the emperor about the murders.

  She remembered when she first met Cyrus. Her dad built the first foster home in the kingdom in the capital. Narah was playing outside the city walls just a half a league where her dad was overseeing the construction crew. Her dad was a great student of the world. He was always curious. The day she met Cyrus was the day King was picking a group of trees to use for the foster home’s foundations. She liked to see the workers and carpenters building furniture and things. She was amazed at the different types of people needed to build one home; there were dwarves, gnomes and sunburnt men. Her dad explained everybody has a role in building a home as in life. She watched as the trees were cut down, shaped, and formed. King David talked to the workers as friends. He also lent a helping hand when needed. The princess roamed free in this workforce. The captain of the elite guards, Darrin, always kept a watchful eye for any trouble.

  She didn’t know how she found herself exploring a patch of forest away from the work site. She did remember it was a hot and cloudless day. She walked along the trees because she wanted cover from the blistering sun. When she entered the copse of bushes, she saw a large tree, which seemed to stand since the beginning of time. The branches were covered with red, yellow and green leaves. The air was cooler here. Animals roamed openly around her. The sun filtered through the leaves. She sat with the creatures, petting the squirrels and rabbits. High above, she heard a rustle
of leaves. It sounded as if trapped air escaping a pot. She was an experience climber and she didn’t hesitate to investigate.

  She had her small knife if she needed to defend herself. Her father had Darrin train her in fighting techniques, since she was a little baby. She was not afraid of anything. The noise became louder as she climbed. She saw leaves moving. The tree’s limbs were large and easy to navigate. She approached warily making no sudden sounds. She stood a few feet from the canopy of branches, which moved. Narah hid in the shadows. She clutched her knife. Her breath was moving fast. She climbed higher and approached the area. When she saw what was hidden amid the leaves, she almost fell. Sleeping between the branches was a boy, naked as the day he was born. Narah blushed. She had never seen anybody naked before except her mom. She felt something odd stirring in her. She turned away. The boy’s eyes opened and he said something she did not understand.

  She approached him and knew she could defend herself against this boy. He stared at her with startled brown eyes. He then disappeared into the branches. She slipped and felt the rush of air as she fell. The boy caught her in mid-air and moved toward a large branch. His scent was of deep earth and green leaves. He placed her down and move to another branch.

  She said, "My name is Narah. Who are you?"

  The lad stared at her. She pointed to herself and repeated her name.

  The lad looked at her and said, "Narah" She pointed to him, and he looked puzzled and then he said, "Cyrus."

  Narah said, "Cyrus." The lad nodded and climbed away from her. Cyrus moved along the branches with frightening speed. In the distance she heard her father calling her. Narah wanted to stay with the boy, but she climbed down.

  "I’m here," Narah yelled.

  "What are you doing climbing trees?" David said.

  She climbed down the last few branches and jumped to the ground.

  "I found a boy. He was sleeping up there," Narah said.

  "Where is he?" David asked.

  She coaxed Cyrus down. They took him to the new foster home. Cyrus became part of the family. That was a different time. She wished she could leave this jail cell and see him again. She hit her hand against the wall and pummeled her mask against the bars.

  CHAPTER 30

  Meza and Cyrus ran through the forest. Neither of them bothered to disguise their trail. Time was of the essence. Their fight with the Clandestines alerted the royal soldiers. Cyrus could have destroyed both of them. However, he didn’t. He controlled his magic. Meza couldn’t see Cyrus becoming evil, killing innocent people. He didn’t know what he should do with him.

  "Where should we go?" Cyrus said.

  "Given the situation, we can hide in the abandoned caves."

  "Those caves are dangerous. The entrance has some type of magical lock imposed on it," Cyrus said.

  "You can open the lock."

  "There are also the creatures of the deep," Cyrus said.

  "Those are just myths. It is our only chance to elude the soldiers," He said. They jumped over a log and moved through a group of bushes.

  "Will we get lost in the caves?" Cyrus said.

  "No."

  "The city’s sewers were safe compared to these caves," Cyrus said.

  "Trust me."

  Cyrus looked back and said, "They found us."

  "Are you sure?" Meza said.

  "Yes, they are sending tracking dogs," Cyrus said.

  Meza didn’t ask how he knew. They started toward the abandoned caves.

  "We need a distraction. They are gaining on us," he said.

  "If we make it to the caves, the soldiers will still find us there," Cyrus said.

  "Ahh, Cyrus, Darrin showed me a way through the caves. We will lose them when we enter the tunnels," he said.

  "It is still too dangerous," Cyrus said while pushing a branch away.

  In the distance, the sound of the dogs barking was heard. They jogged through the forest. Cyrus was tiring.

  "Cyrus, stop. I have an idea."

  Meza concentrated and intoned some musical notes from his mouth. A large boar trampled through the underbrush toward them. The animal snorted at them. Meza cast a calming spell. The beast stood still.

  "Yuck!" Cyrus said. The boar was covered in mud and feces. Meza came up to the animal and wiped some of the filth onto his skin and his clothes.

  "What are you doing?" Cyrus said.

  "I am masking my scent. I suggest you do the same," Meza said.

  Cyrus reluctantly grabbed some mud and rubbed it on his clothes. The sounds of dogs were getting closer.

  Meza said, "Give me some of your clothing."

  Cyrus dug around his pack and gave him one of his shirts. He also took some old clothes out of his pack. Meza tied the clothes onto the animal’s back. He covered it with some of the mud to keep it from falling. He intoned another musical sound, and the beast ran into the bushes.

  They left. The dog’s barking started getting dimmer. The Royal soldiers followed the boar. Meza almost laughed.

  "How much further," Cyrus asked.

  "We still have a day of traveling," Meza said.

  They travelled through the day and most of the night. Large blood flies attached themselves to them, and in no time, they were covered in bites and welts. Meza sweated most of the dried mud off him. He didn’t hear the noise of the dogs or soldiers. Meza called a stop near a stream.

  "Can we rinse ourselves of this filth?" Cyrus said.

  "We have to make it quick. Do we have any food?"

  "Inside my pack, but you need to clean your hands first," Cyrus said.

  Meza said, "We should reach the caves in a few hours."

  "Maybe we should wait till morning until we venture into the caves," Cyrus said.

  "We need to get inside as soon as we can."

  "I need some rest," Cyrus said.

  He said, "I know. I'm exhausted, too."

  "What makes you think the soldiers will not follow us inside the caves?" Cyrus said.

  "Fear."

  •••

  Charles and Flin took the books they found from the room down below and deposited them into the main library. Charles understood from the records he read the tunnel was a large mechanism built hundreds of years ago.

  "Hello Charles," Darrin said. Several of his commanders followed him.

  Charles looked up from his stack of tomes and said, "Darrin. I’m sorry I haven’t given you any progress reports."

  Darrin raised his hands and said. "Flin already updated me. Can I see this new chamber you both found?"

  "Sure," Charles said.

  Charles led them in the room. Darrin walked around the perimeter of the circular chamber and walk toward the steps leading downwards. He didn’t say anything but looked and observed. He strode down the flight of steps.

  He said, "Be careful."

  Darrin went to the cave. The wind was now suppressed. Charles could only hear inaudible hiss. Darrin signaled them to go back to the library.

  "So have you read the books you found in the chamber?" Darrin said.

  "I still have a few books left."

  "Do you know why I have you here?" Darrin said.

  "No," he said.

  "Sometimes a warrior has to use more than muscle to win a battle. They have to use their brains. You are smart and the only person I can trust," Darrin said.

  Charles concurred.

  Darrin said, "The Royal army is here and I have a little welcome surprise for them."

  He said, "I can help."

  "No, I need you here. This city had never been conquered until the Rowans captured it. There was a legend of some weapon which helped them. I need you to find this weapon," Darrin said.

  "I will find it," Charles said.

  Darrin turned and left. Flin looked at Charles.

  Flin said, "Charles, you need to take a break. I can read the last few books."

  "You heard Darrin. I’ve got to find this device."

  Flin said, "You need to rest."r />
  Charles walked toward the exit of the archives. He saw books all haphazardly stacked on tables. Food and utensils were scattered all over. He was embarrassed and decided to clean his mess when he came back. He decided to walk toward the main wall to see what preparations Darrin had made to defend this city. He heard a smithy banging away at steel. Large groups of men were being taught swordplay. Many of them were youngsters barely achieving manhood.

  He ran up the steps to the main wall. Guards stood mutely looking out toward the enemy. Dusk was settling in and the sight would have been beautiful but in front of him were enemy banners flying in the wind. Hundreds of tents of the royal army spread out on the field of battle. The legion seemed to extend for leagues. Charles noted a series of ditches laid out in concentric patterns in front of the city.

  Charles said, "Soldier, what are those trenches?"

  "I do not know. Darrin had us dig them and fill them with black powder," the soldier said.

  Charles nodded and went back down toward the main street. He was hungry and headed to the kitchen. He ate thinking upon the preparations he saw. He wondered what Darrin had planned. Without the elves, there wouldn’t be enough fully trained soldiers to defend the city.

  His mind speculated about the device he saw inside the circular room. An idea struck him. He ran toward the library. He burst inside. Flin jumped up from his seat, holding a book in his hand.

  Flin said, "I think I found something."

  "I did to."

  He sprinted past Flin, towards the lower chamber, and down the steps toward the room with the platform. He remembered seeing something at the far corner on the wall. It was smudged with age and dirt. He thought it was just some discoloration left behind. Charles started to brush off the dirt with his hands.

  "What are you doing?" Flin said.

  "I am trying to look at this. I think it is a painting hidden underneath all this dirt."

  "You do not have to bother," Flin said.

  Flin was holding a book open. Charles saw a black and white picture of a painting.