by Brad Clark
With the riders from Tyre being led to warm food and a place to sleep, Sir Gossmire looked back at the wall, trying to keep control of his anger. Surely it had been Thellian invaders that had taken his castle. If they had asked, he would have let them in and treated them as if they were his own people. Now, they were once again the enemy, and he would do anything in his power to kill them all. He knew his thoughts and emotions were not becoming of a Karmon Knight, but he was too tired and too cold to care. Hopefully, Lord Kirwal would have a plan on how to take the castle or convince the Thellians to let them inside. With the survivors from Tyre also coming, the castle would be crammed full, but they would be protected from the goblins. Many would die if they were forced to encamp everyone in the village.
Turning back to the village, he regretted the long walk through the muddy streets. His feet were already cold, wet, and sore. He needed to get back to his quarters and dry them, else he would suffer through painful sores for weeks. But first, he needed to visit Lord Martin and give him the news that Lord Kirwal was on his way. At least a man of honor and courage would finally be leading them. There was little about Lord Martin that he respected or even cared for. The morning would bring a change of leadership and hopefully a change of their fortune.
Chapter Eighteen
Gregarious came upon the castle at daybreak. It would still be another half hour or so before the sun made its appearance, but the extra light of dawn allowed his superior eyes to see as if it were daytime. The clouds cleared overnight giving way to twinkling stars. If the clouds had stayed and the rain continued, he might have been forced to find a dry place to spend the night as the mountain paths were slippery and treacherous in the dark. Even with his enhanced vision, it would have been difficult to navigate the rocky paths. With the stars out, there was enough ambient light to allow him to move quickly. It wasn’t enough light for him to run as fast as he wanted, but he was able to make good time while avoiding dangerous drops and cliffs.
Standing at the edge of a forest, he took a few moments to study the land leading up to the castle. Between himself and the castle, the ground dropped down into a shallow bowl that would make the perfect killing field for expert bowmen perched atop the castle’s walls. More intriguing, though, was the village that sat a short distance away from the castle. He had expected it to be empty, but it was overflowing with make-shift tents and lean-tos. There were many small fires scattered about the village’s street and people were standing around those fires. Clearly, they were not getting prepared for the goblin horde that was on their way.
A crooked smile fell across his face as he thought about the goblins rushing down from the forest and slaughtering the unsuspecting villagers. Excess saliva dripped down his jaw as he thought of his own teeth ripping into Human flesh. Soon enough he knew he would enjoy the taste of Human flesh.
His eyes drifted back to the wall and the Humans that were patrolling atop it. They were all armed with crossbows, but their eyes were not looking out towards the forest that surrounded them. Each of the sentries kept their eyes on the village. Although he was at least a mile away from them, his enhanced sight could easily see where they were looking. His instincts told him those sentries were guarding as much against the villagers as they were against an invading force. For some reason, whoever held the castle did not want anyone else inside the walls. Maybe the castle was already teeming with too many people. More than likely, though, whoever held the castle was protecting something more important.
He couldn’t feel the amulet of the Ark of Life, but he knew he needed to be much closer to feel it. That meant getting into the castle. Walking right up to the castle gates and demanding entrance would not work, even if he disguised himself. If the villagers were intentionally left out of the castle, no one would open the gate for just one person, even if he was well-disguised. That meant he would have to find another way in. Behind the castle, the mountain stretched up into a high peak. It would be very easy to hide a backdoor into the castle. More than likely, it would be a backdoor out of the castle, allowing the castle’s liege lord to quickly escape if he was ever trapped inside.
With the sun on its way to rising above the horizon, it would not be long before the weak eyes of the Human sentries would be able to see him running across the open expanse between the castle and the forest. Without another thought, Gregarious jumped up and sprinted down the hill, making sure he stayed in a low crouch while he ran. He stayed along the tree line until he neared the mountainside, then he sprinted across an open field, heading for the backside of the castle. Just as the sun rose above the horizon, he reached the rocky mountainside and began searching for the backdoor that he knew had to be hidden among the rocks.
It ended up being his nose that found it for him. Like his eyesight, his sense of smell was enhanced far beyond the Humans. As he was wandering among the rocks, he got a faint whiff of a dirty smell. He stopped and lifted his head to try and find where it was coming from. It took several patient minutes for him to find it. Carefully, he climbed over rocks and scampered around trees trying to not lose track of the smell. The higher up he went, the stronger it became. Certainly there was a Human up ahead, and hopefully, that meant the backdoor as well.
He ears perked as a sound came from the same direction as the smell. Ahead of him the mountainside was steep, but not too steep to climb. With caution, he continued upwards, his eyes scanning every crevasse and shadow for a hidden sentry. He did not fear getting caught or being ambushed. His only fear was that an alarm would be sounded and the rest of the castle would be let known that an invader was sneaking through their back door. That would make his task more difficult, although not impossible.
He didn’t see the path until he was right on top of it. He glanced back down the mountain, ignoring the majestic view of the Darkenwood Forest as it stretched to the south. Instead, he only saw a path that wound its way among rock and tree, descending to the tall grass of the valley. When he turned to looked back up the path, he could see that it was well hidden, but now that he was standing on the path, it was clear. With long strides, he followed the path until he caught a glimpse of the rear of the castle. Two soldiers manned a high lookout, but they weren’t looking down the path. They were sharing a laugh and passing a wineskin between them.
There was a door set into the rock of the mountain underneath the two sentries, but it was likely locked. A locked door would not deter him, but it would make lots of noise. However, there was a door behind the two soldiers that likely also led into the castle. There was a good chance it wasn’t locked, but if it was, the sentries would certainly have a key. The lookout was almost thirty feet above the path, but that also did not deter Gregarious.
It took only two strides before Gregarious was at full speed. With a grunt, he launched himself up at the lookout, his long arms reaching out for the short stone wall that encircled the lookout. Neither sentries noticed him until it was too late to shout.
With his long talons, Gregarious slashed the throat of one, sending blood spraying across the rocks. The fatally wounded sentry fell to his knees trying to hold the blood in. Gregarious’ long talons cut deeply into the neck and it did not take long for the sentry to drop all the way to the ground and die. The other sentry tried to lift up his crossbow, but Gregarious knocked it away, sending it spinning against the mountainside where it shattered into pieces. The sentry tried vainly to draw his sword, but Gregarious was too quick. He jumped onto the sentry, knocking him to the ground, landing on top of him. His teeth bit into the sentry’s neck. A scream started to come up, but Gregarious’ hand clamped on top of the sentry’s mouth, keeping the scream from escaping. While Gregarious devoured the sentry’s flesh, the sentry kicked and scratched, but it did not last long. Less than a minute later, the sentry was dead, and Gregarious was a bloody mess.
Breathing, heavily, Gregarious looked down at himself and realized that he had let himself get carried away. He had to kill the sentries, but he really didn’t have
to make it such a mess. The scent of their flesh had sent him into a frenzy that he couldn’t control. He took a moment to collect himself. If he were to continue to lose control, he would simply race through the castle killing and slaughtering anything that moved. If the amulet was hidden in the castle and he found it, then he could let himself go on a rampage. But until then, he needed to control himself.
He looked down at the dead sentry. He had worn a thick wool cloak that was now soaked in blood. He pulled the cloak off to reveal leather armor that was had some blood on it. Using the inside of the cloak, he wiped up blood from the man’s leather armor. Then he switched clothes. His body was skinnier than the sentry’s, but the man’s leather armor fit comfortably. Gregarious strapped on the sword and took one last, long look at the sentry. With eyes closed, his mind melded with his body and morphed its shape, so he looked just like the sentry. It wasn’t a perfect match, but unless the man’s mother was around, he should be able to pass as him.
The door into the castle was unlocked, and he quickly opened it and ducked inside. His end of the corridor was in darkness. Far in the distance torches lined the walls, giving light to the castle’s halls. Slowly he walked down the corridor but froze at the sound of voices. The cheery chattering became louder with each passing heartbeat. Then a handful of women appeared from a side corridor. They were carrying baskets and walking quickly. Gregarious waited until they were a little farther away before following them. It would be less obvious for him to be slinking around the castle if other people were nearby.
One of the girls glanced back at him. His heart skipped a beat as he waited for her to scream and raise the alarm, but she simply smiled at him and kept walking. At least he knew that his disguise worked. Gregarious had no illusions about how he looked to Humans. His face was that of a monster to them, which he was fine with. He did not care how he looked, except now, when he was trying to infiltrate their castle.
Ahead of them, the corridor ended at a curtain that stretched from ceiling to floor. The girls pushed their way through an opening and disappeared. Cautiously, Gregarious followed.
The corridor opened up into a large chamber. To his right, the girls were pulling fruit, cheese, and breads out from their baskets and setting them on a table. A handful of soldiers were milling about in small clumps, talking in low tones to one another. Far to his left, a larger group of men were standing in a circle. Several of them were talking at once in loud tones, clearly arguing with one another. Gregarious slid farther into the chamber and tried to meld into the wall and not be noticed.
The most animated of the arguing men was a muscular man with black hair and a firm jaw. With waving arms, he screamed, “I will not have my people left to die! We will keep the gates closed, and they can fend for themselves. They would do the same to us!”
“Your Majesty,” another man said with an exasperated tone. “They are no longer our enemies.”
King Toknon turned to the man and unleashed a backhanded slap. The much smaller man crumpled to the ground, and Toknon stood over him. “They will always be our enemy! They pretended to be our friend only to keep us from war. With that girl as queen, they were weak, and they needed to keep us from attacking them.”
Toknon looked around at the men who were shrinking away from him. “Is that what you wanted? To befriend a kingdom that wished us to be dead? This attack by Taran upon Karmon has been the savior of our kingdom. We will have the forces of the Taran Empire at our side, and our kingdom will thrive. Once Karmon is no more, we will take over their land and Thell will reign supreme!”
Gregarious watched the man carefully. Although he appeared to be the man in charge, presumably the king of the castle, he was not in control. His temperament was rash and full of fury, which was not what one wanted out of a ruler. However, it was the kind of temperament that was in desperate need of control, and he could provide that control. Plus, getting in close with the king would help him gain access to all corners of the castle. He still did not sense the amulet, but that did not mean it wasn’t hidden within the walls of the castle. He would need to find a way to gain access to all the deep corners of the castle without being questioned, and this man could be the way.
“Clayton! What are you doing?”
Gregarious didn’t react to the voice at first, but it took only a split second for him to realize that someone was directly behind him and yelling at him. His first instinct was to lash out at whoever it was that was talking to him, but he was able to control himself. With clenched fists, he turned around to face an older red-faced soldier.
Once Gregarious turned around, the soldier continued, “You have watch until relieved, and I know your relief hasn’t come yet, because I just saw him in the barracks! Dereliction of duty in times of war can be punishable by death!”
Gregarious wasn’t sure how to respond. First, no one other than the Deceiver had ever confronted him with such an angry tone. Controlling his instincts to rip the man apart made him stand in silence, which seemed to infuriate the soldier even more.
“Did you hear me?”
The soldier grabbed Gregarious by the arm and gave him a hard yank. At first, Gregarious did not move, which caused the soldier to first give him a confused look, and then his eyes blazed with even more anger. After a second yank on the arm, Gregarious let himself be pulled across the chamber and through a doorway on the opposite side of the room. While being pulled like a petulant child, Gregarious noticed all conversation in the room had stopped, and all eyes were now on him. He licked his lips in anticipation of the first moment when they would be alone.
“What are you even doing in the king’s chamber?” the soldier growled as they left the chamber and started down a wide corridor. Just ahead was an opening that led outside into the castle’s courtyard. “That chamber is only for men of status, of which you certainly are not.”
Gregarious stopped. If they reached the open courtyard, there would be no way he could keep himself secret anymore. Who knows what this soldier had in store for him, and he didn’t have time to deal with it. Plus, it likely wouldn’t be too long before the next set of guards arrived to take over the watch of the men that he killed. Once their deaths were noticed, he would not have much time to search the castle. He had assumed that once he was inside the walls of the castle, he would feel the tingle of the Ark of Life, but he felt nothing. Either the Ark was buried deep in the castle’s lowest levels, or it wasn’t here. Before he left, he needed to be sure the Ark wasn’t here, which meant he needed to seek out all parts of the castle, hidden and visible. He couldn’t do that being pulled around by this man.
The soldier squeezed him hard and gave a yank, but Gregarious held his ground. “What’s your problem, soldier? Do you want me to give you your beat down right here?”
Gregarious gave a quick glance around. There were men out in the courtyard, but they were doing their own thing. Even if they glanced in his direction, it was unlikely that they would get a clear picture of what was about to happen. The door to the king’s chamber was closed. At least for the next few moments, they were alone. With inhuman speed, he reached up and put his hands around the soldier’s neck and started to squeeze. The soldier’s eyes bulged out in surprise and then filled with fear as Gregarious continued to squeeze. With balled fists, the soldier tried to fight his way out, but Gregarious was too strong. He only looked like a Human. His body was still that of a being from another plane of existence.
Gregarious walked him backward to a small alcove that would put them out of sight of anyone looking down the corridor.
“Tell me of the Ark of Life,” Gregarious asked.
But the soldier was not comprehending what Gregarious asked. He was only concerned about his throat that was being crushed. With a shake of his head, the soldier’s eyes turned from fear to tears, getting wide as he pleaded for his life. Gregarious licked his lips. He wanted to bite into the soldier’s skin and rip out chunks of flesh, but self-control ruled the moment. He couldn’t
let himself get blood on himself and thus ruin his disguise. He squeezed even tighter, and the soldier opened his mouth trying to force himself to breathe. But no air would come in. The soldier continued to kick and claw, but Gregarious was too strong. It took longer than he wanted, but soon enough the soldier’s eyes rolled back in his head, and his body went limp. Gregarious dropped him to the ground.
He was about to leave when he gave the soldier one last glance. Whoever this soldier was, he wasn’t simply a grunt who stood watch. He was likely someone of some importance and would certainly have more freedom to wander the halls of the castle. Gregarious knelt down next to the soldier and touched his skin and transformed himself to match the soldier. He thought for a moment that he should swap clothes, but it would take too long. There were now three men dead and soon enough the castle would be alerted, which would certainly make it more difficult for him to move about.
Acting as normal as he could, he stepped out of the alcove and turned towards the king’s chamber. Another hallway led away from the chamber, but this one appeared to go towards the mountain instead of away from it. With swift, long strides, he followed the corridor hoping with each step to feel the tingle of the Ark of Life.
***
Sir Gossmire watched as survivors of Tyre made their way out of the forest and walked towards the village. He could tell right away that they had been walking for some time, as many were stumbling and everyone had blank looks on their faces. Even the soldiers that were used to marching showed signs of weariness. With each one came a deepening sense of despair. Not only did they lack proper shelter, but there was also a growing food problem. Hunting parties had brought back meat, but there was not going to be enough for everyone. Without proper food and shelter, many would not survive the winter. Some would, and that gave him hope. However, he knew each death would weigh heavily on him. One again, anger burned inside of him as he thought about being locked out of the castle where he knew all these people could survive.