The Focus Stone (The Tome of Law Book 1)

by Matthew W. Harrill

  He paused in front of them, looking her over. Erilee did not like the way he was staring at her, as if she was a prize he had won at a street fayre. He smiled again, but Erilee realised that it looked more like a grimace. There was little joy in the smile that came from this man, more of triumph than anything else. “What a pretty child,” the man mumbled in a quiet, polite voice that spoke of strength and assurance and completely belied the wide-open, staring eyes.

  “She is called Erilee, master,” said a voice from behind the old man that Erilee knew to belong to Maolsechlan. She wanted to peer past the old man to see where her recent companion was sitting – most likely anywhere in this gargantuan room.

  The old man leaned forward, much closer than was comfortable. Erilee felt like he was trying to bore through her eyes with his own. “You know what they call me, pretty Erilee?” Close to tears from the acrid breath and the uncomfortable closeness, Erilee managed a mere shake of her head silently mouthing the word no. He smiled, all the while looking straight into her eyes. “They call me the witch finder. The witch finder General!” He almost sang out in delight and at the same time, Erilee almost dropped to her knees in panic. This was the man who Mavra had told her about. The one who would get her at night if she were bad. He was the man that parents frightened children into obedience with, and now she was standing here in front of him while he crowed on about himself with cockerel-like self-importance.

  Erilee tried to remember things she had heard about this man, but all she could remember was one word her mother had said when Erilee was supposed to have gone to sleep in the wagon. Zealot. This man was a zealot. It made no more sense to her to actually witness the man in the flesh, but he didn't appear to be all there as it was. Perhaps this was what it meant to be a zealot, she thought. The man walked back to where Snook and Erilee were standing. He appeared exhausted by his exertions, with beads of sweat rolling off of his now red face and into his beard. “But anyway,” he panted, “Let us forget about who I am for a moment and concentrate on you. Maolsechlan here tells me you are a very special young lady. He tells me you managed to keep up with them despite all of their running across countless leagues of land for months. It must take somebody very special to be able to do that, wouldn't you agree?”

  Erilee couldn't trust herself to speak, so she half shrugged her shoulders and barely nodded. The witch finder watched her carefully and then nodded himself. In a heartbeat he had a hold of her tunic and yelled “ANSWER ME!” he shouted so loudly that it left her ears ringing.

  With a trembling lip, Erilee managed the barest whisper. “Yes.” Rapidly becoming aware of the peril she faced, Erilee looked back to Snook for support. The man who had seemed so nice and friendly before stared back at her with a blank expression. There was no support there. His eyes flickered towards something, and Erilee saw the immense rock creature enter the room from steps below. It towered over everything in the room, just standing near the desk where it had positioned itself, not making a movement or a sound.

  “You have met the Golem, I see,” the old man said as he let go of her. So it had a name, but the way the witch finder had said it, it sounded more like a description. “Please, Sir, why am I here?” A tiny pipsqueak voice was all Erilee could manage, so afraid was she. It got the old man's attention again though.

  “You are here to help us recover an item of value that has been lost. You are here because the signs say that you are probably the only who can find this item, and I desire it of course. The dreams that you have had, the dreams that are so vivid, you will never forget them. They are the key to locating the item I seek. Now if you would, I would like to hear about them from you.”

  Confusion reigned in this oddest of courts. Erilee tried to remember back to any nightmares she should have had. She had always slept soundly. Always. She knew she had dreams, but what they were about she did not know. “I can't remember any dreams,” Erilee replied honestly.

  “You must do, girl.” The old man snapped back at her. “You are the one I sent for; the only one capable of making it all of this way. They must there, somewhere inside your mind.” He came back towards her, pulling two, small round objects from his pocket. “These will help me find these dreams if you cannot remember them.” Erilee had but a second to watch the glittery marbles in each of his hands, as they seemed to sparkle with life. That second felt like an eternity though. As she stared deeper and deeper into the flecks of the stone, it appeared as if they had started to move. She tried to follow them as they did so, but she couldn't keep up with their movements. It was fun and relaxing, and for a moment, she forgot where she was. Suddenly, she was brought back to reality with a jolt that left her wondering where the flecks had gone.

  As she became once again aware of what was going on around her, she realised that the witch finder was yelling something incomprehensible at her. She tried to reply, but whatever it was she had said seemed to enrage the witch finder even more. He drew back his hand as if to slap her, but by the time Erilee thought to shy away, the old man had gone storming across the room towards the man she knew as Maolsechlan.

  He grabbed hold of the big man's tunic, and yanked him up out of his seat with strength so great it completely belied his narrow frame. Seeming to froth at the mouth, he snarled at the bigger man. “You said this was the girl. This is not her. She understands barely anything of the focus, let alone the book, you dolt!”

  Maolsechlan seemed terrified of the smaller man. Almost cringing back from him. “She came as you said she would. She was entranced by the spell, and stayed with us as much and as often as she could. I released the trapping focus when she did this because it was what we had been told to do. To look for a sign.”

  This did not calm the witch finder at all. “What of her companions? What of the weapons I needed for the great archive? Where did they disappear to?”

  Clearly shaken, Maolsechlan continued. “They were taken North by one of the tribes. They are safe, as they do not move fast.” The old man smacked Maolsechlan down, a blow of such force it sent the bigger man to his knees, sprawled amongst the mess on the floor. He pursued him and grabbed his front.

  Erilee started forward to help the man, but found a hand on her shoulder preventing her from doing so. “Don't, if you would value your life. Do not move, lest his gaze settle on you. He gets quite mad when he becomes worked up and you would be wise to let Maolsechlan alone, no matter what you think of him.” Erilee stood as Snook suggested and let this tirade continue. In truth, she didn't know why she had even thought about moving, but she was glad she had not. It would have made no difference at all though. The witch finder's attention was riveted on the man in front of him. Panic mixed with fear was gradually accompanied by a numbing realisation on Maolsechlan's tightening face.

  “Are you saying that was the wrong girl?” The old man threw back his head and howled. “Do you know how much time and effort I put into creating the focus that would bind the girl to us forever? Years! Years of my life, and now you have captured the wrong girl. You fool. I should have never entrusted this job to you. But judgement took a back seat, brother. MORDHA!”

  Erilee could only stand silent and watch, as amidst the turmoil and electric atmosphere, the shrouded Maolmordha climbed the same steps that the others had. She still did not understand why the old man would want to bind someone to them forever. She wondered if Maolmordha was also the old man's brother. The shrouded figure came to where the two men were locked in a grip of tension, and then dropped to one knee, head bowed.

  “Maolsechlan has failed me. You shall accomplish what he has not. You shall find the proper girl and you shall find the Tome of Law. But first, you shall make a decision for me. What should be done with your predecessor?”

  Maolmordha reached into his pocket and removed a stone, one quite similar to that, which had been given to Erilee. She reached into her pocket to find her stone nice and snug, giving it a reassuring squeeze for luck.

  “So be it,” said the old
man, placing the stone on the table, all the while, not letting go of Maolsechlan. As soon as his hand left the table, the golem let swing with one of its mighty arms, smashing the stone to dust, but barely causing any damage to the table, which was obviously made of something much stronger. As the stone shattered, a warm feeling almost melted through Erilee's body, suffusing her with a feeling of comfort. She looked around her to see if anybody showed signs of experiencing the same sensation, but nobody else seemed any different.

  The witch finder glanced at Erilee for a second before looking with a sneer at Maolsechlan, whose face had gone red with the pressure of the witch finder's hand on his throat. “What say you, Maolmordha? What shall we do with him?”

  “Everybody can be of some use,” said a voice so light and musical and startlingly beautiful that Erilee had to look around the room before realising that it was actually Maolmordha who had spoken. But Maolmordha was a man, Erilee thought to herself. Obviously she had been mistaken in her judging of the once silent character.

  Maolmordha walked around the room to where the old man stood, golem looming behind him. Maolmordha reached up and removed the cowl to reveal the prettiest face Erilee had ever seen. Wispy blond hair framed a face so perfect that Erilee instantly forgot that she had ever assumed Maolmordha was a man. High cheekbones framed a delicate nose and a rosebud mouth, and the ears were swept back, almost appearing pointed. She was also very tall – taller than she had ever appeared with the cloak covering her. Her eyes were so pale that Erilee was not sure if they were blue or grey, holding the same confidence and power that the old man's had. He turned to look at her, his old face cracking into a smile. “I see you have matured well, my dear. The binding spell obviously works. What about the focus?”

  “I can control it, and just about anything else,” she replied in tones so musical that they almost danced across the room of their own accord. Maolsechlan looked upon this strange woman with the same amount of fear that he had for the witch finder.

  Maolmordha stared straight at Erilee as she said, “Bind him to the Golem.” “NO!” Shrieked Maolsechlan. “Not that! Anything but that! I would serve a thousand lifetimes of penance for failing you master, but not that, I beg of you.” The desperate grovelling did nothing except make the old man smile wickedly.

  “Maolmordha, that is a very wise choice. I shall leave it to you to perform the focus.” Maolsechlan's shrieks only grew in desperation as Maolmordha crossed the floor to where the huge stone rested on the table. Closing her eyes, she placed her hands to either side of the stone, and it began to rise, and then slowly gyrate in an odd spinning motion. The golem suddenly stood straight, as if something had got its attention. It moved to a point about mid way between the gyrating stone and the screaming Maolsechlan and stopped, swaying slightly. The dark patches that passed for its eyes seemed to be wide open, and if it had a mouth, then it was emitting a low wailing noise, but it was a whisper compared to the screams coming from Maolsechlan. The witch finder dropped his hand, leaving Maolsechlan free to move.

  Move he did not though; he just arched his head back, threw his arms out and screamed. Erilee was terrified, she had no idea what was going on and wished that she could just run and hide. Something prevented her from doing that though. It wasn't anything physical, but more a morbid type of curiosity of what would happen next. She was still bewildered by this new character, who had emerged from the shroud like a moth from its chrysalis. Maolmordha was watching nothing though. Her eyes were shut, and she was concentrating on the stone that danced like a spinning top between her hands. Something happened. Erilee realised that the outer surface of the Golem was becoming a blur. It was unclear at first what was causing it, but then Erilee suddenly understood. It was the same thing that had brushed her so close twice already.

  The Golem seemed to expand somewhat, becoming more of a blur, but as Maolsechlan's shrieks increased in volume to a point where Erilee was forced to cover her ears with her hands, so the blurring slowed.

  The old man cackled with glee from where he was watching. “Your lassitude has cost you dearly this time, Maolsechlan. What was a simple task for you to perform has been ruined by your desire for an easy way out. I thought that you were stronger than this, but you always take the easy route. If that is how you are going to perform, then you are no longer of any use to me, and I commend you to this fate.”

  Erilee watched in horror as the Golem began to bulge. Forms became gradually more distinct around the huge creature, writhing forms, moving about the body of the Golem, snaking across its surface and making faces that could only be described as pure pain. Whatever these things were, they were certainly experiencing insufferable agony. They looked out, reaching at anyone near to them, but continued on their spiralled path as if drawn to the golem by a magnet. The Golem seemed not to notice them, standing at ease as it so often did. The fact that it was acting differently was the only interesting point, although the obviousness of that had disappeared as the four people watched Maolmordha work whatever dreaded magic this was. The wraiths took even more form, up to the point where Erilee could see they were human-like. She could even make out individuals – old men entwined with young, and women with what must have once been lustrous, long hair. Suddenly the pitch in Maolsechlan's wailing changed, increasing significantly enough for even the old man to cover his ears as he grinned with evil glee.

  Erilee noticed that Maolsechlan was growing thinner. But as she watched, she concluded that thinner was perhaps not the correct word. He was as much there as he wasn't, and Erilee realised that she cold almost see right through him. Not only was he becoming transparent, but he was also taking on the white, almost fluorescent hue of those poor agonised creatures in their dance of sufferance around the surface of the Golem. He seemed to want to break free, but whatever the power was that held him, its binding grip was absolute. Maolsechlan howled in anguish, a primeval sound that came form the very depths of his soul, and there was nothing that anybody could do.

  The Golem opened its arms and stepped forward, embracing the shell of the man. At that very instant, a feeling of the most bitter sadness swept through Erilee, reducing her to tears in an instant. The pain she felt was not physical, but the pain of tortured souls; of mourning, and of loss. A thousand years of anguish, of such utter hopelessness, that Erilee herself thought she would never recover. The anguish was so pure, it even left the witch finder crying, though he appeared to enjoy the whole experience immensely. And then the feeling passed. With one faint wail, which she was sure belonged to Maolsechlan, the forms retreated into their own dimension, and the Golem appeared as was before the transformation.

  The impassive form towered over them again, its hulking menace obvious even to those it served. The old man stood up, rubbing his hands together with immense enjoyment, and smiled with a hint of sadistic pleasure. Turning, he looked straight at Erilee, and her heart froze, sensing Snook edging carefully away from her. The beautiful yet cruel Maolmordha walk over to join them. In her hand she carried something dark and lumpy. Erilee realised it was the cloak she had worn previously. Knowing that the door was still ajar, if there was some way she could escape the city she might be able to eventually find those who could help her.

  On a spur of the moment decision, borne of blind panic and reeking with self-preservation, Erilee made a dash for the door. It took a moment for her mind to register that she hadn't actually moved. She remained facing the witch finder and Maolmordha, and they were even closer than before.

  “Want to go somewhere, my sweet?” asked the old man in a voice that would curdle blood. He had sensed her eagerness to flee, even though she had not moved a muscle.

  “The focus is fully binding,” Maolmordha observed. She is unable to move, and once she reasons it out, she would most likely be unwilling.”

  The look Erilee gave them was one of hatred. “I could escape from here any time I wanted.”

  The only reply from the old man was to backhand her across the face
, bringing blood to her lips and tears to her stinging eyes. “Go on then, move!” Erilee struggled, but still couldn't move.

  Maolmordha looked at her. “No, you could not move if it were your only remaining wish in life,” she said impassively. “The focus has you, and were you to escape, you would fall to your knees in unbearable pain and beg for me to come help you.”

  “What do you mean?” Erilee asked, unable to move her mouth, but able to get the words out nonetheless.

  “What Maolmordha means is that you can never stray far from her again, child,” the kindly old voice of Snook drifted across the room. “Were you to do so, the link that has been forged from you to her will cause you to collapse, losing all control of your body. Furthermore, it means you will do whatever she tells you to do, even to stop breathing if she were to wish it.”

  Erilee had no idea why the old man was talking to her in place of the others, until the witch finder came up to him and bowed almost to the ground. “You did well, Armen,” said Snook, who then turned to Erilee. “Let me introduce myself. I am Garias Gibdon the Timeless, known by many as the Witch Finder General, and you, my girl have a strength about you, even if you do not yet realise it. It may not be the strength in magic that we had hoped, but you will find the Tome of Law for us, or you will die. Put it on her.” The last was a command for Maolmordha who unwrapped the cloak she had so recently cast away. If Erilee could have moved she would have run forever, but all she could do was remain still while the beautiful woman with the cruel eyes settled the cloak about her.