‘And what of the dog that accompanied them?’
‘It went with the Tremen!’
‘You mean they’ve gone?’ asked Charlie, putting her hand on the soldier’s wrist.
‘Y-yes!’
‘So they’re not in the city?’
‘No.’
‘Well, where is this mine?’
‘It’s to the north-west of –’
‘Be silent,’ snapped Darkmount. He gave the guard an idle shake to emphasize his demand, then turned to Charlie. ‘If your friends have gone then that is that. It no longer affects us.’
‘What do you mean it no longer affects us?’ protested Charlie.
‘It means that they are beyond our immediate reach.’
‘Well, we’ll just have to go after them then!’
‘There is no “we” in this matter, little girl!’ spat Darkmount. ‘I agreed to help you in this matter provided that they were still in the city.’
‘What are you saying?’
‘Pah! Your ignorance is despicable! We have a deal. I have done my half now it is up to you to honour your side of the bargain.’
‘What! But my friends need help, we need to go after them, we need –’
In a fit of anger Darkmount smashed the guard against the wall. ‘Listen, child, a deal is a deal! You. Will. Uphold. Your. Side. Of. The. Bargain!’
Charlie and Nibbler backed off at the sight of the enraged bishop. Black waves of anger shimmered above his head, shoulders and clenched fists.
‘A deal is a deal!’ he repeated. ‘If you want to find out what your pendant is capable of you will hold true to your side of the bargain or I will walk, right here, right now and you will never – so I swear by Rock and Crystal – never learn its secrets!’
Charlie staggered backwards as she stared at the incensed Stoman. Thoughts and emotions cascaded through her heart and mind. Jensen, Kelko, Sic Boy, her parents, Bane, Bellania, her grandma, Lady Dridif and all the other tangled threads in her life. What could she do? She stared at Darkmount and knew, just knew, that this was a make-or-break moment. If she wanted the pendant’s secret, she’d have to go with him, but at what cost?
‘Nibbler.’
‘I’m here, Charlie.’ He was hunched into a taut, streamlined pose, as if he were ready to spring on Darkmount at any moment.
‘If I go with him will you sort out the others?’
‘No.’
‘What?’
‘I said no.’
‘Nibbler, this isn’t the time to be joking! I need you to do this.’
‘I’m sorry, Charlie,’ he said with genuine concern in his eyes, ‘but I’m not going to leave you to do this by yourself. No way, no how. Kelko and Jensen can look out for themselves, they’re adults, they’ve got Sic Boy with them and they’re experienced. They know what they’re about and they know how to survive. You’re a Keeper, you’re new to Bellania, you’re my responsibility and above all you’re my friend. I’m not leaving you.’
‘But –’
‘No buts on this one, Charlie. We’ll do this together, we’ll do this right and then we can get the others later.’
Charlie stared at him: all proud, loyal and every inch a dragon. She wanted to slap him. She wanted to kiss him. She settled for a little sigh instead.
‘All right, Darkmount, we’re with you. Let’s go get this god of yours.’
5
An Unwelcome Surprise
The Shade was almost shaking with fury. First the Keeper had managed to escape and now the Winged One.
‘What happened?’ it hissed as it surveyed the wrecked dungeon.
The guard swallowed as he warily eyed the angry shadow. He looked for some support from his friends, but after Edge Darkmount’s brutal attack he was the only one still capable of standing. ‘She had a Stonesinger with her – a bishop, I think, but strong, stronger than any other I’ve seen.’
‘Sssss … a renegade?’
‘Yes, he … well, you can see for yourself. He cut through us like a flame through a haystack.’
The Shade eyed the carnage, listened to the moans and groans, watched as a soldier tried to lever himself off the floor using his axe as a crutch.
‘Uselesssss!’ it snarled. Coiling and spiking its black flesh in frustration it quickly took stock of its options. They were limited.
It reared up on its back limbs and stretched open its mouth. A scream of hunger, need, desire, hatred and, above all, fury, spat from its jaws. The sound snapped around the dark recesses of the room, shivered through the bricks, sank into the rock, slithered into the earth and reached into the dark places where the Shade’s brethren waited.
His call was answered.
The crying and echoing call of his siblings grew nearer, filling the dungeon with dread and horror. The bruised and battered soldiers huddled closer to their companions, clenching their weapons with white-knuckled fists, and stared uncertainly towards the dark corners of the room, which began to move, tremble and shake. Heaving and writhing, Shade after Shade leaked out from the cracks and gullies and other secret entrances hidden in the ancient stonework to join their brother. They slunk into the light, covering the floor as they gripped and groped at each other like a mound of blackened and rotten fruit.
As the noise grew to almost unbearable levels, the soldiers flinched from the snarling pack of Shades. Then, with a final hiss, the mound of constricted black flesh broke apart and, like a rushing river of black silk, the Shades sped off in pursuit of Charlie and her powerful new guardian.
‘Good. You have chosen wisely,’ said Darkmount, and for the first time something like a smile cracked his lips. Not a great smile, not a nice smile, but a smile that seemed to indicate … something. Success maybe. ‘We will travel from here to the Southern Citadel and there I will tell you half of the pendant’s secret.’
‘And the other half when I get you your god, right?’
‘Correct, little girl.’
‘How are we going to get to this place?’ asked Nibbler. ‘And … wait a minute, where’s this “Stubborn Citadel” anyway? Is it near here or what?’
Darkmount turned to the Winged One. ‘It’s on the southern tip of the Western Mountains, where the mountains dwindle into the low rise of the Slumbering Hills.’
‘Er,’ said Charlie as she tried to put her limited grasp of Bellanian geography to use. ‘So how far away is that?’
‘Far enough,’ he said. ‘Fifteen days’ walk. But I am not prepared to undertake a long, risk-filled journey. We will escape this fallen city and walk to my place of refuge where you will rest and recover your Will. Once your strength has returned you will open a Portal to the Slumbering Hills.’
‘And then what?’ said Charlie. ‘How are we going to get into the Southern Citadel? Are we going –’
The tolling and clanging of alarm bells interrupted her question. They could hear raised voices and a distant trample of booted feet that grew nearer.
‘Pah!’ grimaced Darkmount. ‘Those buffoons have finally realized what’s happened. It is time for us to be gone.’
Darkmount raised a fist and opened his mouth in preparation to stonesing, but as he did so the colonel, accompanied by the Stoman soldier, leaped from the tunnel’s mouth. Both warriors had raised swords that they aimed at Darkmount’s chest and it was only by hastily jumping backwards that the bishop avoided being skewered. Again he opened his mouth to sing, but the colonel backhanded him in the mouth with the pommel of his sword. Darkmount tried to sidestep the next blow, but the cramped width of the corridor restricted his mobility. As he attempted to draw breath, the colonel once again slipped past his defences and struck him in the gut, winding him.
‘Back! Fall back!’ gasped the bishop, gesturing at Charlie and Nibbler to give him space to manoeuvre.
The three of them staggered backwards into the Autumn Winds Courtyard. The colonel and Stoman warrior sprang forward, pursuing and harassing Darkmount and doing their utmost to prevent the
bishop from opening his mouth or drawing a full breath. As large and as ferocious as the Stoman bishop was, without his stonesinging to give him the edge he was losing this fight against the two experienced and formidable swordsmen.
Nibbler, realizing that this was potentially more a game of wits than skill, slipped past Edge Darkmount and snapped at the colonel. Gusting out a small jet of flame, he forced the two warriors to scrabble backwards. The Winged One grinned in victory as he heard the bishop’s voice breaking into song behind him, the wave of light reassuring him that his mighty ally was now ready to fight.
‘Well, well,’ chuckled Nibbler, shooting a cocky look at the colonel. ‘Looks like we’ve got a big, bad Stonesinger on our side! Whatcha going to do now?’
The large doors lining the courtyard burst open, spilling bloodthirsty soldiers and snarling Shades into the square.
‘Well, well,’ said the colonel with deadpan humour and an eyebrow raised to perfection. ‘Looks like I’ve got a big bad army on my side. The question is, I think, what are you going to do, my winged friend?’
6
A Clash of Arms
Shocked and caught off guard, Charlie stared at the charging soldiers.
Puffs of dirt kicked up around their shins. Sunlight glinted off their swords and spears. Shades snarled and screeched as they coiled and bristled between the soldiers’ legs. The sound of boots trampling on the flagstones thundered in her ears. But rising above it all were the steady, chanted notes of Darkmount’s singing.
Statues and chunks of rock spun across the courtyard, slamming into the Stoman troops as Darkmount ripped free whatever was close to hand to use as makeshift missiles. As the ranks drew closer, Nibbler opened his mouth to spit crackling jets of flame that turned spear shafts and bows to ash, ignited clothing and scorched the eyebrows off more than a few unfortunate warriors.
Shielded between Nibbler and Darkmount, Charlie hesitated, well aware that her Will had deserted her. She felt useless. Without the power of the Keepers she was just a normal girl. Uncertain, and pretty sure that her K’Changa wouldn’t cut it against armoured Stomen, she reached down and picked up a clump of rock, a fragment from one of Darkmount’s crude missiles. Maybe she could knock out a Stoman or Shade if she got close enough, or lucky enough. Maybe.
She licked her lips and realized just how dry her throat had become. Looking up she saw that the spears and swords were drawing nearer, and she wondered what it would feel like to have one of those strike her. Would it hurt? Would it be quick? She felt nauseous. Butterflies swept around her stomach and she had to fight the urge to vomit.
‘YOU FAITHLESS CURS!’ roared Darkmount in a voice that eclipsed the courtyard. ‘HAVE YOU ALREADY FORGOTTEN THE POWER OF THE TRUE FAITH?!’
Scowling, the bishop sucked in a deep lungful of air and increased the power of his song. The flames billowing from his arms erupted into vivid shades of green as his feet and legs shone with power. Marching forward, he lifted one foot high and stamped down heavily.
The square shook as the flagstones round his feet shattered, statues fell from their plinths and the courtyard erupted. Pressure waves swept outward, knocking over the few remaining sculptures and bowling the troops and Shades off their feet.
Lifting his other foot Darkmount stamped again.
And again.
The courtyard rippled and rocked like a pond disrupted by a thrown brick. Nothing stood still. The statues, screaming Shades and fallen warriors were flung repeatedly off their feet as wave after wave of rock rippled across the square. Charlie and Nibbler, sheltered from the epicentre by Darkmount’s bulk, stood and stared, their mouths gaping in disbelief.
Finally, the courtyard fell silent. Several Shades shook themselves upright and one or two Stomen staggered to their feet, eyes dazed and unfocused. Others crawled around disorientated and dizzy, trying to find weapons and lost helmets.
‘It is as I thought,’ growled Darkmount. ‘They have lost their way; they –’
He was interrupted as the sound of singing wafted from the doors that lined the square. Glowing figures shone in the buildings’ darkened interiors. As the lights drew closer, they took shape and Charlie realized that they were Stomen. Nine of them, wrapped in armour and ornate flowing robes.
‘Stonesingers!’ exclaimed Darkmount. ‘Too many of them for me to take on alone. We need to go – now!’
Stepping into the courtyard, the Stonesingers formed loose ranks. Their voices intermingled, creating a tapestry of sound that stretched from wall to wall. As the singers began to gesture with their hands, Charlie could feel the strength of their power. Her ears popped, her skin tingled and the hair on her neck began to curl. One by one the Stonesingers pointed downward. The cracked and ruined flagstones by their feet began to shift and heave as though some great, buried beast was beginning to stir.
‘Winged One,’ snapped Darkmount, realizing that it was too late to flee. ‘Give them fire while I block their approach.’
‘On it,’ said Nibbler.
Charlie noticed that Nibbler didn’t appear fazed by the turn of events. He did after all have his wings and fiery breath to rely on.
Unfurling his wings, he leaped into the sky. Circling over the Stonesingers, he spat out a bright jet of flame. Three of the singers turned to meet him. Tearing large slabs of paving from the floor to use as temporary shields, they defended themselves and their company from Nibbler’s flames. The remaining six continued with their efforts, their song growing more complex, more ornate. Their voices built to a crescendo and with a fierce cracking noise the courtyard’s floor burst apart. A gigantic head lurched upward, followed by a huge shoulder that squirmed its way free of the constricting flagstones to reveal a massive groping arm. Controlled by the song, the stone monstrosity began to tear its way from the ground, revealing more and more of its hulking body.
‘A behemoth,’ growled Darkmount, grimacing at the new threat.
The thing looked vaguely man-shaped, like a mannequin that had been carved from rough clay. Charlie’s legs buckled as she gawped at the looming giant brought to life and puppeteered by stonesinging. Such a thing couldn’t be real. It just couldn’t.
Darkmount’s voice crashed into the square, breaking the power of the moment. His deep voice sliced through the singers’ chant, causing the behemoth to stumble. Taking advantage of their momentary confusion, he stamped over to the nearest building and plunged his arms into the brickwork. Grasping hold of the building’s supports, he strained, his voice catching with the effort. The building quivered and shook as the bishop took a step backwards and pulled it with him. Its walls hung at a crazy angle, cracks appeared across the brickwork and a small waterfall of tiles cascaded from the roof to shatter on the flagstones below. As the stone behemoth finally tore itself free and began to lurch upright, Darkmount gave another massive heave, ripping the building from its foundations. With a groaning roar, all five of its floors crashed down on the behemoth’s head, burying it and the Stonesingers beneath its fallen masonry. A cloud of dust billowed outward, covering everything.
The sudden silence was shocking.
Nibbler flapped over, folding his wings as he skidded to the floor. ‘Oh my gosh, that was awesome! Pulling a whole building down? A whole building! Wow, when you get a job done you don’t do it in halves, do you?’
Darkmount paused to catch his breath. ‘Faith gifts the righteous with strength,’ he rasped as he surveyed the ruined courtyard. In the distance they could hear a clamouring alarm bell. ‘I have no desire to face more Stonesingers. Come, it is time for us to bid this place farewell.’
Gesturing for them to follow, he retreated to the tunnel. Taking one last look at the devastated courtyard Charlie and Nibbler returned to the subterranean passageway. Darkmount, hands still aglow, pulled the mouth of the tunnel shut behind them, preventing any further pursuit.
The Shade stared at the ruined courtyard and the devastated remains of the demolished building, and hissed. ‘How could
you allow this to happen?’
The colonel shrugged, then immediately regretted it. His broken collarbone didn’t allow for such gestures. ‘Every soldier must face a defeat now and again. In our business it is unavoidable.’
‘In war perhaps, but this is unforgivable! You were to watch a child. A child!’
‘Who had the aid of a renegade bishop. And by the looks of the damage and casualties involved I would have to say no ordinary bishop either. Rarely does one encounter such power.’
‘Is that all you have to say in your defence?’
The colonel turned to the Shade. ‘Look at what he did! One man against a pack of Shades! One man that took out nine Singers! Nine! The fact that some of us are still alive … well, I consider that lucky.’
‘Lucky?’ hissed the Shade. ‘Lucky?! Ssssss … count yourself lucky that we need all our officers for the invasion of Deepforest, otherwise I would be gutting you for such a miserable failure! Our lord will not be happy with this news and if I have to pay the burden for your failure, be sure that my brethren will ensure you share a part of the pain.’
Spitting and shrieking in anger, it slunk from the courtyard, leaving the colonel to reflect on his threat in the wake of Darkmount’s destruction.
7
A Journey Underground
Charlie groaned as she staggered along the tunnel. Her body felt like it was beginning to shut down. The pain and hardship she had endured over the last couple of days was catching up with her, and the adrenalin that had kept her going was long gone. Her wrists and shoulders screamed with every step, her ribs cramped and spasmed from where she had been beaten and the lack of sleep meant she stumbled with nearly every step.
‘How much longer are we going to walk for?’ she moaned. Darkmount had been carving their way underground for what had seemed like hours. ‘C’mon, Darkmount. I’m knackered! You said you were taking us to a place where I could rest and recover my Will. Well, if we carry on like this it’s going take two weeks of sleep and lie-ins for me to be able to remember my own name, let alone summon my Will.’
Keeper of the Realms: The Dark Army (Book 2) Page 4