by James Somers
“What temple?” Ezekiah asked urgently. “Why me?”
Riven coughed, trying to get the words out before it was too late. “Claim what lies within,” he said. “Do what must be done.”
“I don’t understand,” Ezekiah pleaded. “What must be done?”
Riven gasped for his breath, staring now into Thurl’s eyes. He reached for the general. Thurl took his quivering hand in his.
“You’ve been a good friend, Thurl,” Riven said. “Help him do what must be done.”
“I will,” Thurl promised.
Riven smiled weakly then his eyes lost their light of life. He was gone.
“Who was it?” Thurl demanded of the physician.
“Only two of us were in the room when the seizures began,” the physician said.
Thurl stood and turned toward the bodyguard. The tall man stood erect in the corner; his face a mask of grim determination as always. The general approached him.
“Samos, are you still a man of honor?” he asked.
The bodyguard did not look Thurl in the eye, but replied, “I am.”
“Will you deny your guilt?”
Samos hesitated a moment before setting his jaw and replying. “I will not deny it.”
Thurl lowered his eyelids slowly, showing his disappointment in a soldier he had trusted and chosen for this office. “King Riven’s body will not be the only one removed from this bedchamber today.”
Samos made the first move, plucking a dagger from his side with lightning speed. I started to move toward them. Andrea had done the same, moving at least twice as fast as I had. But the general surprised us.
He instantly blocked the dagger rushing toward his belly with his left forearm while grabbing the man’s bicep from behind with the other. He turned the bodyguard’s arm, wrenching it up behind the man’s back, disarming him. Andrea had stopped already. I had come up behind Thurl by the time he stabbed the bodyguard’s dagger through the base of his skull, killing him instantly.
The body fell at Thurl’s feet. When he turned, he looked surprised to see me and Andrea standing behind him. “Ladies?”
He walked past us to Ezekiah. Everyone in the room was stunned by what had just happened. The physician was shaking, but covered the body of the king with his bed sheet for dignity’s sake.
“I need to speak with you privately,” Thurl said to Ezekiah.
Varen, who had stood silent through all of this, interjected immediately. “No, sir. I must insist that we know what’s going on.”
Ezekiah glanced at Varen then turned to Thurl. “I would agree,” he said. “These people have trusted me with their lives. Besides, we may have as much to tell you as you do us. It’s time for total truth between us.”
Thurl looked over our group then nodded. “So be it.”
OBSTACLES
Belial raised his head from his nap upon the long grasses of the valley leading to the sea. His death walkers, which now filled the valley to capacity, had sent him what they now saw. A change was occurring over the sea; something that had never occurred to his knowledge.
The other dragons lifted their heads likewise, having received the same thoughts and visions from the twisted minds of the death walkers. Belial lifted his ponderous bulk from the earth and walked toward the seashore. Death walkers parted before him, allowing the High Serpent King through.
The fog was gradually dissipating. His keen dragon eyes could penetrate further and further out to sea. “Walkers,” Belial bellowed across the valley, “take the bridge to Haven.”
Death walkers instantly responded to Belial’s will, reorganizing so that a line of creatures, two by two, surged forward onto the rail bridge. They loped along the rails and crossties easily. Within moments, the bridge was covered with them, like ants linking across a stream. Another two hours would see the majority of two million death walkers walking out over a turbulent sea, and the dragons flying high above them.
Thurl led the way out of the king’s bedchamber. We followed him, wondering what sort of situation we had now gotten into. Within hours of our arrival in Haven, we had witnessed the assassination of its king. Thurl did not speak to any of the soldiers we passed. He quickly diverted through an adjoining corridor and then into a furnished room beyond. No one had followed us.
“This was Riven’s study,” he said. “Close the door.”
Varen shut the door after Jillian followed him through. “What’s going on here, General?” he asked.
Thurl appeared to be quite anxious now, though he kept it under control as befitting a soldier of many years would. “Tell me this first,” he said. “Are the dragons real?”
“Absolutely real,” Ezekiah said. The rest of us couldn’t resist nodding in agreement. “In fact, they are likely trying to pursue us through the fog at this very moment with an army of death walkers at their command.”
“Death walkers?” Thurl asked. He shook his head. “Maybe I don’t really want to know.”
“Is the king’s son responsible for this assassination?” Ezekiah asked.
“There could be no one else,” Thurl confirmed. “He and his father have disagreed for many years about the future of Haven. Prince Marco sees Haven as self-sufficient; a city on the verge of great advancements in science and engineering. He does not believe the prophecies concerning Elithias, as his father did.
“Riven believed Elithias would send his Prophet King to us from across the sea. He would not allow the bridge to be destroyed, as Marco wished. However, when Riven fell sick months ago, the prince had the outpost barrier constructed to prevent anyone from accessing the bridge.”
“It wouldn’t have done them any good,” Ezekiah said. “Elithias made the fog impassable. We’re the only ones to get through, and only by his will.”
Thurl grinned. “Riven believed as you do, prophet. But now we must flee. Marco will take control quickly now that his father is out of the way. Knowing that you are here, he will seek all of our lives so that we do not interfere with his grand plans for Haven’s future.”
“What about this temple Riven spoke of?” Ezekiah asked. “When can we go there?”
“First things first, my friend,” Thurl said. “The ancient temple is located within the forest at the very edge of Haven’s boundary. We have to get out of the palace alive first, and that may be more difficult than expected.”
“What about the soldiers under your command?” I asked. “Surely they can ferry us to safety, even if it calls for a fight.”
“Some of the military have sided with Riven and me. Others are already loyal to Marco. He has been sure to promote himself to them through good pay and the promise of greater things to come when he takes power.”
“He played upon their greed,” Varen said.
“Some things never change,” Ezekiah said.
“We do have a way from this wing to the outside,” Thurl said. “I suggest we move on before it’s too late.”
Thurl turned to the stone hearth implanted in the wall of King Riven’s study. He turned the face of a gargoyle intertwined with the intricate stonework and waited. Within moments, we heard the low grind of rock moving. The fireplace slid back further into the wall, creating a space.
“Be ready for a fight,” Thurl warned. “Marco will not simply let us walk away.” The General ducked below the hearth and entered the dark passage beyond.
Ezekiah turned to the rest of us. “Ladies,” he said, addressing the plethora of wraith dancers in his company, “I trust you’ll see and hear more than any of us. I know you will be ready for anything that comes our way. Once we leave the palace grounds, this temple, the king mentioned, will be our top priority.”
“What’s in the temple?” Tobias asked.
Ezekiah smiled. “I’m rather curious to find out myself.”
The prophet glanced at me and winked before ushering each of us ahead of him into the space after Thurl.
Marco stood in the doorway to his father’s bedchamber flanked by tw
o of his personal guards. Those present when he arrived had been dismissed to seal the palace and keep anyone from leaving its grounds. The royal physician stood by his father’s body, having just removed the sheet covering the king’s face in order to identify him. The corpse of his father’s bodyguard lay in a heap upon the floor across the room.
“My prince,” the physician began, “it was...”
“No need to make excuses, Doctor,” Marco said. “I can plainly see what has happened here. You conspired with my father’s bodyguard to assassinate him, supposing that I would think he died of natural causes. Then when the deed was done, you eliminated your partner and the only witness to your crimes.”
The physician stammered, shocked by the accusations. “How could you possibly suspect me?” he said. “I have always been loyal to His Highness.”
“Certainly, you put on a good ruse,” Marco said. “I never would have suspected my sick father’s care-giver of such atrocity. Though, admittedly, you chose the perfect office for such a crime.”
“This is outrageous!” the physician said, his face turning purple with rage.
“Quite right, Doctor. It is outrageous to think that you could have pulled this off alone. General Thurl was here, wasn’t he?”
“Yes, but...”
“And he is the one who actually killed my father’s bodyguard?”
“Yes, but only because...”
“Captain Marson?” Marco said to the soldier on his right.
“Yes, my prince.”
“Shoot this traitorous dog on the spot!”
Captain Marson drew the revolver holstered at his side and took two steps forward into the room. He raised his gun, aiming at the doctor’s chest, and fired. The doctor, pleading with his hands raised helplessly to defend himself, fell to the floor like a palate of bricks. Captain Marson stepped over the man, unloading the rest of his ammunition clip into his supine form before turning back to the prince.
“Captain Marson.”
“Yes, my prince?”
“We have another traitor in our midst. General Thurl was with my father in this room. He alone could have killed the bodyguard after their plans were complete. I have no doubt he intends to also assassinate me in order to seize control of our fair Haven. Find him, with any other accomplices he may have with him.”
“Yes, my prince,” Marson said.
He bowed before Marco then passed him, leaving through the door.
“Kill them on sight,” Marco added. “Have I made myself clear, General Marson?”
Marson smiled brightly. “Very clear, sir.”
HEIGHTS
We went speedily through the passage, having entered from the late King Riven’s study. Dimly lit lamps glowed at intervals along the way. “What are these,” I asked Ezekiah as he followed behind me, last in line.
“They are called bulbs,” he said. “They are lit by electricity. Haven must have generators of some kind. We saw some of these lighting the city on our way in; same thing.”
I paused to look into them, noting that the fine filament glowed bright orange. “There is no flame?”
“Of a sort,” Ezekiah said. “I’ll show you more how they work another time. I think the others are leaving us behind.”
Indeed, Tobias’s back was yards away down the tunnel almost far enough not to be seen. I turned back to Ezekiah. “What’s going to happen?” I asked. “Will Belial and the others come?”
“I don’t know, Gwen. I feel that they will, but it’s difficult to be certain right now.”
“And what do you feel about me?” I asked. I wanted to know even though this wasn’t the time to ask.
He smiled in the dim light, drawing himself up to full height. “Honestly? I feel that I can barely restrain myself from asking your hand. But I know this is neither the time nor place for courtship; would that it was.”
I couldn’t help smiling.
“We had better catch up to the others,” I suggested when the silence lingered between us. I started down the corridor again, but paused. “Only, know this, Ezekiah. When the time is right, and should you ask my hand, you shall have it.”
I turned, grinning, and quickly sped down the hall, searching after Tobias. Ezekiah paused behind me before following. His expression had been happily surprised. I would keep that image in my mind for hours after, fueling my energies during our escape.
We quickly found our group huddled behind a portion of the wall. Thurl was attempting to see through a peep-hole into the room beyond. He turned to the rest of us, his face dimly lit. “Soldiers,” he said. “No doubt looking for us. Marco must have issued orders for our arrest. Otherwise, they should not be here.”
“Do we go back?” Andrea asked.
“No. There is another way. Follow me.”
Thurl meandered through the group spaced out along the corridor behind him, jogging back the way we had come. Within minutes we arrived at an alcove we had passed before. A ladder of wrought iron scaled up the wall toward the darkness above; higher than the floor above according to my estimation.
“This will take us to the roof,” Thurl said. “From there we should be able to move across the palace and on to the roofs of the servant quarters to the stables. We can take fresh horses from there and escape into the woods beyond. I have equipment and weapons waiting in a warehouse. We should be able to hold off Marco’s men from there long enough to get to the temple.”
“We still don’t know what this whole temple business is about,” Arthur said. “What is it the king expects us to find?”
“None of us knows,” Thurl said. “The Temple of Elithias comes from the old world. It has always been shut to us.”
“You’ve never been inside?” I asked.
“Never,” he said. “Not that we haven’t tried. When it was first discovered, out in the forest, people attempted to break into the temple. They could not breach. Legends say that their attempt killed them; that a pestilence from Elithias ate the flesh from their bones where they stood.”
“Whoa,” Tobias said. He had offered what the rest of us had been thinking.
“Be careful on the roof,” Thurl warned. “The tiles are clay and can be a little slippery if you’re not cautious.”
He took to the ladder rungs, ascending toward the blackness above. Andrea volunteered to go up after with Donavan. Ezekiah went next with me following and Tobias coming behind me. Arthur followed. Jillian and Varen brought up the rear. We all managed to fit on the ladder before Thurl stopped above us, opening the latched cover he found there.
“Stay low and move quickly,” he instructed. “Once we get to the stables, we’ll secure it and take the horses we need.”
We nodded as the hatch was pushed out of the way, and sunlight spilt into our confined space. Thurl crawled out of the way and we each took our turn exiting. We had emerged beneath an overhang apparently meant to shield the access door from the weather.
A vast, angular rooftop spread out before us; a brick red plain of overlapping tiles that veered left and right far down the building. Brick chimneys interrupted the scene at regular intervals along the way. I was pleased by this as it would allow us some cover and places to latch onto should any of our company find themselves slipping.
Seeing no present danger, we started across, following Thurl’s lead. Halfway down the stretch before us, Arthur paused behind me, pointing toward an adjacent window. Not a syllable of warning had escaped his mouth before a shot rang out, piercing his chest, shattering a tile as it exited behind him.
Arthur’s arm dropped limp as he fell forward. I caught him by the collar just in time, pulling him after me with Tobias’s help as bullets shot past us from multiple windows across the way. Tiles exploded around us, scattering shards of red clay over the roof. Varen and Jillian had ducked for cover behind the preceding chimney. Bricks fragmented across its front, bullets ricocheting in every direction.
Tobias and I managed to pull Arthur behind a chimney stack of our own.
I leaned him against it, but found him already dead. Beyond us, Thurl and Ezekiah and Donavan and Andrea had also stopped at two close chimneys, taking cover while Thurl attempted to return fire with his revolver. Ezekiah motioned to me, seeking to find if we were all right.
“Arthur is dead,” I called.
He nodded sadly, holding out his hands for us to stay put where we were. Tobias drew his own pistol and peered around the chimney, looking for targets, firing when he found them. The soldiers were firing from windows in a portion of the palace parallel to our position. Others were scrambling along the ground, attempting to find us and take up more offensive positions.
We were officially pinned down. Thurl and Tobias, at least, had managed to kill several of the soldiers firing from the windows across the way. Then I noticed large pieces of clay tiles lying at my feet, having been shot away from their positions along the roof. I picked one up. It was as sharp as a shuriken.
I caught Andrea’s attention huddled behind Donavan, pantomiming my intentions. She understood, beginning to pick up tiles of her own. I turned back to Jillian at the other chimney. She had already been following my exchange with Andrea.
“We’ll go one way, while they go the other!” I shouted. The two wraith dancers nodded. We stood and ran out from behind our hiding places. The men all seemed hesitant to go on without us, but they complied once they saw our commitment.
Jillian led the way from her chimney, heading back the way we had come. We each called upon the Gifts of Transcendence for speed, balance and accuracy. I found several visible targets in the windows across the gap between buildings. We each had gathered a handful of tiles in one hand and were snapping them toward the soldiers trying to kill us with their rifles as we ran.
The men of our group took off in the opposite direction, chimney to chimney, sprinting around to the gap between the adjoining building and leaping over it. Arthur was left where he lay. There was nothing we could do for him now.