by R A Oakes
“How would you like to earn a little money?” the wizened old warrior asked in a sly tone of voice.
Genevieve could smell alcohol on his breath and on the other warriors too as they got nearer. She gripped her sword tightly and held Dylancia firmly to her chest.
“Have you ever been to Dominion Castle?” the wizened old warrior asked. “No, of course not, you were quite young when gargoyles took over that castle, weren’t you? Well, it’s something to see, I can tell you.”
A warrior with a mean-spirited, angry look about him said, “By comparison, Skybrook Castle’s a dump.” He had an ugly, jagged scar on the left side of his face from forehead to chin.
“A woman of your beauty would make quite a few friends there,” the wizened old warrior said with a smile.
“And giving males what they want, if they can afford it, is a way for women to feel powerful,” Scarface said.
“Make their experience with you a real jousting tournament and you can bust their shields,” another warrior laughed. “You can slap them around all you want, and they’ll still come back for more.”
“Women who like being in control do well in this business,” Scarface smirked. “A tavern owner might even let you work indoors. You’ll have to pay him a percentage, but you can make it back on higher volume. If you’re really determined, you might only have to work the alleyways for a few weeks.”
“Give it away free to tavern owners,” the wizened old man said with a wink. “It’s good advertising. Plus, you don’t want to work the streets come winter.”
“Even when it’s warm outside, women lose money on rainy days because they have to charge half-price,” Scarface said disgustedly. “It’s harder work, and some women end up getting sick. Servicing clients in the rain when you’ve got a fever makes for a difficult day.”
“If the women pass out, the clients want to pay even less,” the other warrior said.
“And if a tavern won’t take you in at first, strike a bargain with a stable owner so you can work in the loft on fresh straw,” the toothless, wizened old warrior said.
“Bathe every week,” the other warrior suggested.
“Wash your dress once a month,” Scarface added.
“We can teach you all sorts of tricks. We know the ropes,” the wizened old warrior smiled.
“Cooperate and you’ll come out way ahead,” the other warrior encouraged her.
“Oh, she’ll cooperate,” Scarface said, this time in a more threatening tone of voice as he reached out with a dirty hand and grabbed a few strands of Genevieve’s long hair.
Genevieve couldn’t stand being touched by Scarface, so the warrior woman pulled away from him, took a step back and raised her sword. Suddenly, Genevieve felt a harsh blow to the back of her head. Stunned and dizzy, she dropped her weapon and desperately tried not to do the same with Dylancia, putting both arms protectively around the baby and clutching her tightly.
“Now, now, there’s no need for violence,” the wizened old warrior said to the other men.
But Scarface took a step forward and slapped Genevieve full across the face. Several of the other warriors laughed and started shoving her back and forth between themselves. Then, grabbing her by the shoulders and spinning her around, Scarface stood in front of her once more and punched her hard on the side of the head.
Genevieve stumbled backwards and almost blacked out, but she kept her balance and reached into a pocket of her long dress for Dylancia’s little knife.
“Gentlemen, gentlemen, is this any way to treat a lady?” the wizened old warrior asked as he put a protective arm around Genevieve and rubbed her back reassuringly.
“Talking to her will be a waste of time,” Scarface said angrily.
“Nonsense, she’ll be cooperative, won’t you?” the wizened old warrior asked as he patted her appreciatively on her hip. Genevieve tried to push the old man away but was feeling dizzy, nauseous and could barely stay on her feet.
“A woman like this understands only one thing, the back of a man’s hand,” Scarface insisted.
Genevieve took a deep breath and remained silent.
“It’s not like you haven’t done it before,” one of the warriors sneered.
“If you let one of the men hold the baby, you can have her back when we’re done. I assure you no harm will come to her,” the wizened old warrior said while reaching for Dylancia.
Genevieve’s hand was out in a flash. Gripping Dylancia’s dagger with all her might, she slashed at the old man’s face with its razor-sharp blade cutting him down to the bone.
The old warrior let go of Genevieve who quickly backed away. But after taking a hard look at his assailant, he turned to Scarface and said, “Teach her some manners.”
Scarface strode towards Genevieve and drew his own knife.
“Is there a problem here?” a quiet but dangerous voice said as it filled the air with a sense of menace.
Scarface turned and saw a very battle-ready General Zarkahn with a dozen superior warriors behind him. “This is none of your business,” Scarface said to the powerful general, a man for whom violence was second nature.
“I beg to differ with you. I brought Genevieve and the baby here. They’re under my protection.”
“Well, they’re under our protection now,” Scarface sneered.
Without even bothering to draw his own weapon, one of General Zarkahn’s captains stepped forward and with one huge hand took Scarface by the throat. With his other hand, he gripped Scarface’s arm and squeezed so hard that the filthy warrior grimaced and dropped his knife.
“That’s my general, you worthless maggot, and you’ll speak to him with a civil tongue in your head.” Suddenly, the sound of bones snapping filled the great hall, and Scarface’s neck went limp, his head hanging off to one side.
“Opps,” the captain said as he let Scarface drop to the floor.
“Genevieve, step over here with me, please,” General Zarkahn said. When he saw the look of hesitation in her eyes, he laughed. “Better the devil you know, than the devil you don’t. Do you think for a moment that I’d ever treat you the way they’re treating you?”
“No,” she agreed.
“Then come on over here with us.”
“But you’re just going to take me to Dominion Castle and give me to Swarenth.”
“That won’t happen for several weeks yet. Also, it’s a long journey, and it’s always possible you’ll find another way to escape.”
“Not likely.”
“We’ve never tied you up, and you’ll be allowed to ride your own horse. A lot can happen in two weeks. And Genevieve, I have to ask, did you actually escape from your room by walking along that skinny, little ledge outside your bedroom window?”
“Yes.”
“That’s amazing. You might well have inherited your father’s courage. Too bad you weren’t born a man.”
“Quite frankly, considering the specimens of the male sex I’m seeing here, I’d rather have been born a frog than a man.”
“Well, that’s not so bad. I had a pet frog as a child and kind of liked it. But let’s not argue right now. What we need to do is find a way out of here.”
“What’s wrong with the castle’s front gates?”
“There’s a little problem of someone named Black Scarlet having been sighted in the area.”
“That means King Tarlen will be with her. He’ll come after me no matter what.”
“I’d expect no less from him, but personally, I’d rather not engage in conversation with him at the moment. I’d prefer a quiet exit if possible.”
“I’ve heard something about a secret passageway leading outside from somewhere near the dungeon,” one of his captains said.
Though still applying pressure to his wound, the wizened old warrior laughed, wincing from the pain, and said, “I wouldn’t advise it. That tunnel’s haunted.”
“Haunted by whom?”
“A ghost, or something, named Balzekior. She mat
erializes in the form of a decrepit old hag.”
“Balzekior?” General Zarkahn asked in surprise. He’d heard of a demon woman named Balzekior who could take the form of a hag. She’d been reportedly involved in an attack on Chen’s Crystal Castle. However, the general had dismissed the information as unfounded and chalked up such tales to battle fatigue and fanciful imaginations.
“Yes, that’s her name. I’d suggest a different escape route, but there isn’t any.”
“Show me the entrance to the tunnel.”
“General, most people who go in don’t come out alive.”
“Just lead the way.”
When the wizened old warrior continued to hesitate, the captain who’d snapped Scarface’s neck gave the dead man’s crumpled body a nudge with his foot.
“Okay, I’ll show you the entrance, but that tunnel’s nothing but trouble.”
General Zarkahn smiled and said, “I don’t believe in ghosts.”
He would. And soon.
Chapter 27
Firecrest Castle. A few minutes earlier, after Genevieve had fought her way past one of Lord Ridgewood’s warriors and into an upper-story window, Dylancia had started screaming. The baby’s cries had traveled through the still, night air to the ears of her already anxious mother.
Upon hearing Dylancia’s cries, Chen looked around wild-eyed. Then, with fear, anger and frustration swamping her, she yelled, “Zarkahn, you’ll pay for this! You’ll pay!”
When Dylancia’s cries continued filtering through the air to a now half-insane woman desperate to reach her child, Chen turned to Andrina and shouted, “Give me the Crystal Medallion!”
Lord Pensgraft grasped the medallion, rode up to his wife and said, “We’ll do this together.”
The giant put on the Crystal Medallion and leapt from his warhorse onto Chen’s landing directly behind her. He straddled the warhorse, wrapped his arms around his wife and leaned up against her. As soon as the medallion touched her back, the Trinity of Darkness was complete. Chen, her sword, Crystal, and the Crystal Medallion. But now this new element had taken place. The Trinity of Darkness had never been shared by a man and wife before.
Andrina wondered what the result would be. She didn’t have to wait long to find out.
There was a rumbling beneath their feet as the ground trembled and began to heave. Chen’s 30 warrior women worked hard to keep their horses under control. But then the ground split open about 200 yards away, and red-hot lava began pouring out. It flowed in a steady stream down the hillside and away from them. However, some lava erupted, shooting high into the air, lighting up the nighttime sky and landing on the roofs of Firecrest Castle’s towers. The heat was almost overpowering.
“I’m going over to the front entrance,” Chen shouted.
When Andrina looked back at her “daughter,” there Black Scarlet was in all her horrifying glory. Chen had turned into a 15-foot-tall, black crystal warrior wearing a scarlet blouse cut just above the hip and a long, scarlet cape blowing in the wind. Scarlet and yellow flames shot from her mouth as she spoke. Scarlet flames leapt into her eyes.
Andrina had seen Black Scarlet before but was now stunned to see not just one giant creature but two. Lord Pensgraft was standing next to his wife with his black crystal muscles bulging and reflecting the light of the molten lava. Chen and her husband were of equal height, and flames were pouring out of his mouth as well.
Both black crystal behemoths ran to the castle and began beating on the huge wooden doors with their forearms and the sides of their fists. The thick boards began to crack and splinter. Black Scarlet and Lord Pensgraft stood back, took deep breaths and exhaled spewing smoke and flames against the weakened front entrance. As the wooden doors caught fire, the two black crystal giants continued slamming their fists against them.
King Tarlen, Chaktar, Aerylln, Baelfire, Zorya, Marcheto, Andrina, Corson, Gwendylln and 30 warrior women watched on in amazement as the doors shattered and flew open, one falling off its hinges completely. It actually fell against Chen as she forced her way through the entrance, but she pushed it aside with massive shoulder and arm muscles.
Lord Ridgewood’s guards sounded the alarm, and dozens of scruffy warriors headed towards the destroyed entranceway. Those in front had no time to recover from the shock of seeing their powerful adversaries and were instantly incinerated by flames billowing out of both Black Scarlet and Lord Pensgraft’s mouths. The warriors behind them were unsure what to do. So, they just stood there gaping at the black crystal creatures rampaging through the courtyard like living bonfires, spewing smoke and flame with every breath.
It was then that Black Scarlet heard Dylancia screaming once more, this time from the castle’s great room. Chen and Lord Pensgraft turned around and charged in the direction of their baby’s cries. Both were literally burning with rage.
As they reached the great room’s double doors, Black Scarlet took the left side and Lord Pensgraft the right. At the same time, Dylancia’s parents slammed their open palms against the wooden doors causing them to swing open and crash against the walls behind them.
As the black crystal giants walked in, the flames pouring off them lit the room, and Black Scarlet saw Genevieve holding Dylancia.
“The baby’s mine,” Chen said firmly. “Bring her to me, Genevieve.”
Genevieve obeyed and placed the child in Black Scarlet’s outstretched arms. With a sigh of relief, Chen held the baby to her breast. Dylancia quieted down and put her head against her mother. What the baby felt against her cheek was hard, black crystal, but somehow she knew she was home and was content.
Black Scarlet turned to General Zarkahn, glared at him and asked, “How’d you like to go to hell and see what their armies look like?”
Chen gave the baby to her husband, took a deep breath and got ready to burn General Zarkahn to a crisp. But suddenly, she stopped and slowly let the air out of her lungs. Walking towards the center of the great room was a decrepit old hag. One of hell’s own generals had just shown up.
“You’re not leaving with Dylancia. I’m keeping her,” the old crone hissed.
“Over my dead body,” Chen snarled.
“That’s exactly how I want it done. That way, Dylancia will inherit the dark sword, and I’ll have everything I want. Of course, I’ll be taking the Crystal Medallion off your husband’s corpse.”
“You’ll never get Dylancia away from us,” Chen declared.
“Oh yes I will. You’ll have to do a lot more than belch smoke and flames to thwart me.”
When confronting danger, Black Scarlet seldom experienced fear, but having Dylancia threatened was another matter. Filled with anxiety, she turned to Lord Pensgraft who said, “Genevieve, hold Dylancia again, please.” He placed the baby gently into her arms and said, “Take her out into the hallway.”
“You two won’t be able to stop me,” the old crone laughed.
“Maybe not, but I will!” White Angel said as she entered the room, filling it with brilliant, radiant light. Baelfire, the Sword of Light, was hanging from her left hip, and Zorya was walking directly behind them.
“White Angel?” Balzekior asked in surprise. However, the decrepit old hag recovered quickly and said, “It’s been a long time, but you might want to ask Baelfire what happened to your predecessor. It wasn’t easy, but I won. I killed her.”
“This time will be different.”
With that, the Council of Aeryllns entered the room, led by White Angel 29. Eleven versions of White Angel, ranging in age from 19 to 29, now confronted the old hag, carrying Swords of Fire with their blades engulfed in flames. These angels had but one mission. Forcing Balzekior back into the shadows.
Balzekior hesitated. Over 300 years ago, she had gone up against White Angel, but not a whole council of them. Even so, things had not gone well. The evil old crone had managed to kill Baelfire’s master, but the sword’s next heir was already of age and simply took up her mother’s mantle and continued the battle.
“What?” General Zarkahn asked.
With a wave of Balzekior’s gnarled, bony hand, General Zarkahn and his men were transformed into warriors made of red-hot, lava rock covered in flames. General Zarkahn, always quick to adapt to changing circumstances, asked, “And why should I fight for you?”
“I’m the power behind the throne at Dominion Castle. Win this fight and the castle’s yours.”
“I don’t know. The odds are against us.”
“Not for long.”
The evil old crone turned towards an outer wall, one facing the crack in the earth’s crust that was belching lava into the nighttime sky. Lifting both hands over her head, palms facing upward, Balzekior made like she was pressing one against the wall and the other against the ceiling. As the old hag gritted her teeth, rocks began crumbling, wooden beams split in two, and the massive stone wall buckled and collapsed outward taking almost half the ceiling with it.
Next, the decrepit old hag bent over and with both palms made a sweeping gesture from the ground up towards the sky overhead. Instantly, the split in the earth’s crust became larger, and tons of molten magma went spewing up into the heavens. Huge globs rained down on Firecrest Castle setting the entire fortress ablaze.
However, more importantly, one massive spray of lava lofted over towards the missing ceiling of the great room breaking into smaller globs as it passed through the darkness. Then, right before balls of flame struck the great room’s floor, the old crone waved her gnarly hands transforming them into red-hot, lava creatures just like General Zarkahn and his men.
Black Scarlet watched in dismay as dozens and dozens of the fiery beings began forming, but her shrewd mind also noticed a weakness in the decrepit old hag’s power. Outside the castle walls, the crack in the earth’s crust was releasing torrents of lava, but it was still just a small split in the ground compared to what Black Scarlet had experienced before in a fight with Balzekior at Crystal Castle. Now, far away from the main river of lava, the old crone’s power wasn’t as great, and this weakness was revealed when the lava falling from the sky stopped turning into fiery warriors and instead splashed harmlessly onto the stone floor. With grim satisfaction, Chen realized that Balzekior wanted to create a larger army but lacked the power to do so.