Nathan was moved by the offer, and by the determination in the Major’s face. Here was a man who viewed the world as Nathan did.
“I would be honoured Major, as would my men.”
“Good. Now, we must focus on stopping Daniel. They are heading for Echtberg, but not directly. I suspect it is a ruse on Daniel’s part. Knowing the way directly there would rouse suspicions in the others. We can use that. There are a set of cliffs they will need to climb, and there is only one place within easy reach where they can get the horses to the top. If we hurry we should be able to beat them there. We can be there by early morning tomorrow if we move quickly.”
The Major turned away, issuing curt orders. Nathan felt excitement building once more, replacing the disappointment at finding Josef had moved on. Soon, very soon, he would be able to correct the mistakes Josef had made.
When they reached the cliffs Nathan saw what the Major meant. Several hundred feet high, the cliffs were jagged and steep. A decent climber could probably find their way up in a few places, but not without abandoning their horse. Instead they followed the base of the cliffs for a short while before reaching the path. It was narrow but more than wide enough for the horses. In places large clusters of rock thrust up from the ground, as craggy and rough as the rocky walls.
They continued up until the Major raised his hand, bringing everyone to a halt. He started to issue orders, gesturing to reinforce the details. Nathan was too far away to hear the orders but he could guess what they were pretty well. Some troopers with crossbows were being sent up the path, told to travel quickly then double back along the cliff top. Others were told to find places of concealment nearby. A larger group had been ordered to follow the path up and double back, but if Nathan read things right then they would be climbing down the cliffs to trap Josef’s party. The rest of the force, the majority, was sent farther up the path, to wait out of sight. Now the Major approached Nathan.
“Ser Nathan, please ask your men to wait up the path. I need your knowledge here though. When Daniel and the others reach this point we will ambush them. We will try to take as many alive as is possible, but those who are most corrupted by darkness we need to kill outright. Daniel and the girl’s father. The taint in both makes them dangerous, and Daniel has shown how deadly an opponent he can be. I need you to wait with me and my men, to point out those two so we can strike them down. Are you willing to help?”
“Of course! I have dedicated my life to the destruction of darkness. And I have to admit to having a score to settle with those two. Between them they have turned Ser Josef and several other good men from the path of light. I owe them for that.”
“Good man! We will strike them down so they cannot draw anyone else in with their lies and their darkness inspired powers. What happened to Ser Josef and the others is a timely reminder of the many ways in which darkness works.”
Nathan had barely got into position when a scout rushed up to the Major with the news that a small party of riders was approaching. Nathan tensed inside. Surely this must be Ser Josef and the others?
Then it became a matter of waiting. Nathan had plenty of experience at doing just that, but today he fidgeted like a new recruit. He wanted it to be over. He wanted Ser Josef caught and both Daniel and Jon killed.
Finally they saw movement farther down the path. The Major passed a small telescope to Nathan, asking him to identify those in the party.
Nathan studied the party and told the Major, and his men, who was who. He paid particular attention to Josef, Daniel and Jon.
“You heard him,” the Major ground out to the men nearby. “Kill the two users of dark powers but do not harm any of the others. And wait for my signal. If anyone moves too soon and alerts them then I’ll have him whipped!”
Nathan watched the party continue up the path, slowly getting closer. He felt the tension building in the Major’s men but the party were still too far away for an accurate shot. The party moved still closer. Nathan’s heart was in his mouth and he placed a hand on his sword.
Finally the party was close enough. The Major let out a low whistle and two men fired their crossbows. The first had targeted Daniel. Somehow, impossibly, Daniel caught the bolt before it struck. Jon, the target of the second, wasn’t so lucky. He was punched off his feet as the bolt struck him in the chest.
Within moments the party was on the ground and seeking shelter behind some rocks. All except Daniel who darted back to retrieve the injured Jon. Several more bolts flew at him but all were turned aside before they could hit. Soon Daniel too knelt in the shelter of the rocks.
Not that it gave true shelter. Nathan had seen several of the Major’s men on the cliff top who would have an ideal shot. None came though. The Major’s order to keep most of the party safe held them back. It didn’t matter. Josef and the others would be trapped soon enough, the Major’s men sent on that mission would be in place already, or nearly so. There was no escape.
Nothing happened then for several minutes.
“Why don’t you move in?” Nathan asked the Major.
“They aren’t going anywhere. This way they have time to realise how hopeless their position is. That will weaken their determination, make them easier to capture.”
“Daniel remains alive though. He won’t be easy to kill now he is alerted, and the others will draw hope from him.”
“We can handle him, when the time is right.”
There was a steely edge to the Major’s voice this time. Nathan decided not to push his point and settled back to wait.
What happened next caught everyone by surprise. A shape exploded from the cover Josef and the others were hiding in. Within moments it was climbing the cliff wall, though climbing was a poor description. The figure was leaping from one secure point to the next, often covering eight or ten feet with a single leap. As the figure neared the top Nathan realised it was actually two people — one tied to the back of the other. He knew Daniel must be one, no one else had the dark power to perform such incredible acts. Nathan had no idea who clung to Daniel’s back, though he suspected it would be Josef or Sarah.
Then the pair reached the top of the cliff. Daniel paused to raise an arm to those below, then he turned and was gone — moving at an even greater speed than he had climbing the cliff.
“Damn it!”
The Major’s face was red with anger. Nathan shrank back, suddenly nervous.
“Damn it!” the Major repeated. “We’ve got no one on that side of the cliffs. Hell, I never imagined he could do that. Even if I had they wouldn’t stand a chance of keeping up with him, not at the speed he was going.”
The Major took a deep breath, clearly trying to calm himself.
“No matter. We will have to deal with him later. The others demand our attention first. Let’s see what they plan.”
The answer came soon enough. A voice Nathan recognised as Josef’s called out, offering surrender if his men were well treated. After some negotiating terms were agreed. Josef and the others trooped out without their weapons and laid down on the ground. The Major’s troops ran forwards, securing their prisoners then binding them with manacles. Wards against the dark powers were then dropped around the neck of each captive.
The Major walked down to the group, studying the captives. Then he turned and gestured for Nathan to approach. Feeling strangely nervous Nathan made his way over.
Despite his determination to let the Major speak first Josef was struggling to hold his tongue. The Major had studied Josef and the other guards in silence for some time, then had turned and gestured for someone else to approach. Josef could feel himself growing more tense, could feel the desire to snap something at their captor. Gritting his teeth he forced himself to stay silent.
Then he saw who approached. The shock was so great he couldn’t have spoken even had he wanted to. Nathan! How was that possible? How did Nathan come to be travelling with such a large force, and apparently not as a prisoner.
“Ser Nathan,” said the Ma
jor. Josef realised he had been right, this was the man he had negotiated with. “I don’t believe the two wielders of darkness are amongst our captives but could you confirm please? I’d rather avoid any unpleasant surprises.”
“No, they aren’t. Daniel was the one who escaped by climbing the cliff.” Josef saw the Major’s face tighten at that. Nathan didn’t seem to notice. “Jon, the girl’s father, is the one your men killed. Though as I said, Ser Josef here has also been tainted by the darkness. It is the only explanation for his actions.”
“That’s a lie!” Josef finally found his voice. “I have not turned to the darkness. I seek to stop a great evil. The creature Rafael will wreak untold havoc if his plans for Mary aren’t stopped.”
“So you allied with the darkness?” Nathan spat back. “Let them travel with you? Let their dark powers infest you?”
“No! I don’t know for certain whether Daniel is lost to the darkness, or if Jon was. Even if their powers were from darkness we couldn’t have traced Mary without them.”
“Condemned by your own words! You should have trusted to the Almighty. I did, and it brought me to the Major and his men. You have fallen so far, Ser Josef. So far you can’t even see the light anymore. You have…”
“Enough!” bellowed the Major. “Thank you Ser Nathan. Please see to your men. I will meet with you soon.”
Nathan looked ready to argue, then he saw something in the Major’s expression and shrank into himself. He turned and left with a small nod, not saying a word. Josef could tell Nathan was still angry by the set of his shoulders.
“Major, you must believe me. We have to stop Rafael. We have to save Mary.”
“I am well aware of the dangers Rafael presents, Ser Josef. We will move to deal with him soon. We now know where he is headed so we will be able to track him down. First though we must deal with his poisonous accomplice — this man Daniel, who you seem to have taken to your heart.”
“Daniel? He isn’t working with Rafael. He is doing everything he can to rescue Mary.”
“Is he? How can you be sure? Because he told you? What better cover than to travel with a group of witch hunters.”
Josef went to answer and realised he couldn’t. Could the Major be right? Could Daniel truly be working with Rafael. Looking back on the past few days Josef couldn’t honestly say it was impossible. The Major stayed silent for a while, watching as the implications sank in for Josef. Finally he spoke.
“So… finally you understand. This is why we have so few dealings with your order. You lack the strength, the certainty of purpose, that we of the Bronze Order maintain. You are weak. This Daniel should have been secured the moment you found him. He should have had an amulet dropped around his neck to neutralise his powers.”
Josef laughed at that. The Major looked startled, then angry.
“Have I said something funny?” he asked.
“Yes,” replied Josef. “We did as you said. We secured him and placed the amulet around his neck. Not long afterwards he shrugged off both the amulet and his bonds.”
“Really? That is… disturbing, I must admit. You are sure he had no help?”
“Certain. We were lucky to be able to secure him in the first place, it was after he had been wounded. The rest of the time he moves far too fast for us to capture. You know that. You saw him climb that cliff face. It was travel with him or let him out of our sight. What choice did I have?”
“Nonetheless, you were weak. You believed him, you worked with him. Who knows what information or aid you have unwittingly given him. Aid that may allow him to rejoin Rafael before we can capture him.”
“How can you be so certain he and Rafael are working together?”
“How can you believe they are not? I pity your men. Lead by a fool and a traitor, what chance did they have.”
“You promised my men wouldn’t be harmed. I mean to hold you to that.”
“Finally, a spark of courage. Bound and surrounded by my men you threaten me. Don’t worry, you and your men will travel with us unharmed.”
“Why not free my men? They can aid you. They are all sworn to fight the darkness.”
“I told you, the Bronze Order has no respect for your order. It turns out fools without the strength for this work. You will travel as our prisoners. As long as you and your men behave themselves none of you will be hurt.”
“And yet Ser Nathan travels with you, as do his men, despite your view of our order. What is different about them?”
The Major turned an ice-cold smile on Josef and uttered a single word before turning away.
“Nothing.”
Despite Josef’s anger at Nathan that word sent a cold spike into his chest. He still felt responsible for the guards who had followed Nathan, and to some extent for Nathan. He wished there was some way to warn Nathan of the Major’s views, but he was certain the Major would ensure no opportunity arose.
Nathan was still simmering with anger when he saw the Major walking over, with a group of his soldiers following. Cal put a hand on Nathan’s shoulder.
“Calm down, we need them.”
Nathan just nodded, taking a deep breath. The Major stopped several feet away, his men spreading out to each side. Nathan frowned as he realised each held a primed crossbow. Before he could say anything every crossbow was raised and pointed at Nathan and his men.
“What…” he spluttered.
“Thank you for your assistance,” said the Major in a level voice. “Without your help we wouldn’t have known about the darkness cursed plan Rafael and this Daniel had concocted. Thanks to you we have disrupted the plan and killed one who had been sucked into the darkness.”
“I don’t understand. If we have helped you so much, what are you doing?” Nathan knew his voice wavered but couldn’t prevent it.
“We know of your Order. We have studied those of your brothers who travelled our lands, and in secret we have visited your lands. What we learnt disgusts us. Darkness flourishes and your order is too weak to tackle it. Even some of your own fall to the darkness. Just look at your leader, Ser Josef. You know how far he has fallen.”
“But we are different!” Nathan protested. “We have not wavered.”
“That may be, but you still come from weak stock. We cannot take a chance. When we reach Echtberg you will be tested. Maybe you will prove strong enough to join us. I didn’t lie. Some of your brothers have passed the test, though very few. Until then you are our captives. Please lay down your weapons and prepare to be bound.”
Nathan cursed the situation, but the unwavering points of the crossbow bolts convinced him not to do anything stupid. Looking into the eyes of the men holding them he saw no mercy, no doubt. If the Major gave the order Nathan and the others would be cut down by a deadly volley. Biting down on his anger Nathan started to slowly unstrap his sword belt.
“Do as they say,” he told his men. “We have no choice.”
Not long after Nathan found himself bound with an amulet designed to prevent any use of dark powers dropped around his neck. The realisation that he and his men were bound in exactly the same way as Josef made him even more angry. He let loose with a string of curses, though he was careful not to let the Major’s nearby guards hear. Nathan promised himself that sometime soon he would begin to plan an escape. First, though, he had to deal with the anger and outrage coursing through his veins. He let out another vile series of oaths, wishing he could scream them at the Major rather than mutter them into the ground.
Chapter Thirteen
Rafael was uneasy. There was no reason to be, everything was going well, yet he was still uneasy. He had returned to Echtberg safely with the child and was now securely locked away in the deep cellars under his fortified manor house. Preparations were underway for the girl’s sacrifice, a ritual that would greatly increase his powers.
The Cursed One, the man known as Daniel, had walked into the trap in the keep. Many of Rafael’s blood children had died when the trap was sprung, far more than he
had expected, but many remained alive. That could only mean that the Cursed One was dead. If not Rafael’s blood children would be continuing to attack, and to die. They would have no choice. Rafael had ordered it and those directly tied to his power could never resist his orders. Within a day or two he expected to hear confirmation that the Cursed One had been destroyed.
Everything was going well, but the worries remained. One was the very existence of the Cursed One. Rafael had started the process to convert and enslave the man just as he had with thousands of others down the years. Somehow the man had thrown off the dark compulsion between Rafael starting the process and the victim making his first kill. Rafael still had no idea how that had happened, and was deeply worried it might happen again.
The second worry was Razgul, one of Rafael’s strongest blood children. Or he had been until he died several hours after the Cursed One must have died. As well as the timing, the nature of Razgul’s death worried Rafael. Rafael had felt the pain as his lieutenant’s soul perished in burning sunlight. Razgul was far too canny and experienced to have been caught out that way, yet it appeared to have happened. Razgul could be replaced, though with difficulty, but the manner of his death was troubling Rafael.
Finally he decided he needed more information. He summoned one of his human thralls, creatures controlled by the dark power but able to move amongst other humans and to tolerate the sun. Rafael gave orders for patrols to be sent towards the keep to gather information.
The man assured Rafael it would be done, then backed out of the room. Rafael smiled coldly. Of course it would be done, the human had no more free will than Rafael’s blood children.
Settling back down to sleep Rafael felt calm return to his thoughts. He would increase security, especially patrols during the day while he rested. If a threat had somehow survived then he would deal with it.
Rafael glanced towards the girl, who was curled up sleeping under some blankets in the corner. Smiling as he thought of the power he stood to gain Rafael settled down to sleep again.
Dark Soul Silenced - Part Two Page 11