Dead Druid: Claire-Agon Ranger Book 2 (Ranger Series)

by Salvador Mercer

“We managed to decimate the southern forces and scatter them,” Hork explained. “We have yet to have success on the forest rebels, but this should change soon.”

  “What about the woodsman and his bear?” Hermes asked.

  “That is why you have myself and the barbarian,” Hork explained.

  “So you think you and Kaz there can take out the large Ulathan and his wild animal, eh?” Hermes asked, half mocking, half serious.

  Hork’s eyes narrowed, and his words were more forced. “We find out if our swords are enough for the pair.”

  Hermes nodded in approval and gave Kaz a look, seeing the barbarian standing like a statue with his large two-handed sword still tucked into its massive sheath at his back. “I guess we will find out, Hork. I cannot think of anything that could stop you and Kaz.”

  “Good,” Hork said, nodding in approval.

  “Except,” Hermes said, “that damn Ulathan captain and perhaps another woodsman and another bear. You never did find his body, did you?”

  Hork didn’t respond and only looked at the pompous wizard’s apprentice, wondering if he strangled him if his wizard masters would learn the truth. That question was the only thing keeping Hermes alive at the current moment. Finally, Hork cleared the murderous thoughts from his mind, saying, “I’ll take your leave and see to our preparations in the courtyard.”

  “Yes, please do, Commander Hork, and let me know when our guests arrive,” Hermes said, feeling confident.

  Hork left, and Hermes turned back to face Kaz. Kaz looked at him with indifference but spoke for the first time that evening. “No aluk ki krik hu.”

  Hermes paled and gave the barbarian a nasty look. “No, I most certainly do not plan on dying tonight.” How rude of the barbarian, thought Hermes as he turned to look over the walls at his troops below. How rude, indeed.

  “Do we go to the east or west culverts?” Bran asked Malik, looking at his old home in the distance.

  “We are already on the west side. Let’s stay there and see if it works. If not, we can circle around to the southern or eastern culverts,” Malik said.

  The pair nodded at each other and started off before the twin sisters peaked in the night as they rose in the east and set in the west. Malik had explained that he wanted the western wall to be in semi shadow from the sisters when they arrived.

  The pair set off down the slight incline, zigzagging as they went in order to ensure they had maximum cover for most of their trip. No guards could be seen patrolling the upper walls, but they were sure that there were eyes looking out from dark, narrow windows from the many forbidding towers. They were surprised by the sounds of revelry coming from inside the fortress structure.

  “What in Agon are they doing in there? Having a party?” Bran asked, cocking his head to hear better.

  “Who cares, as long as we can get what we came here for,” Malik said, motioning Bran to try his key on the lock, securing the gated bars over the culvert.

  Bran pulled the lone key from his pocket and fondled it for a moment, remembering the sacrifices of his men months ago. With a fluid motion, he inserted the key and turned, surprised that it opened so easily. “Was that the Lich magic?”

  “I don’t think so,” Malik said, frowning. “I would expect there to be some sort of . . .”

  Bran also was at a loss of words but tried to help the young scout. “Some sort of grandeur or spectacular flash of light.”

  Malik nodded. “Hmm, yes, you’ve seen the Kesh magic at least once.”

  “I have, and I would expect the Lich to have something similar.”

  “It matters not. Let us enter and find a wizard, preferably one who’s asleep. Where do you think a wizard would rest his head here?” Bran asked.

  Bran smiled and nodded. “I can only think in the king’s old quarters.”

  “Lead the way,” Malik said, finally allowing the Ulathan captain to go first as he lit a very small brand from his pocket and it cast just enough light to see by.

  The pair set off down the culvert, almost on their hands and knees. However, when they reached the first tunnel intersection, it was blocked by what looked like freshly made bricks. Bricks that neither man had seen in Ulatha before.

  “What is this?” Bran asked.

  “It looks like the Kesh have been busy in your absence,” Malik said.

  Bran nodded and moved on, seeing side culverts and pipes bricked up much like the last. The only way to make progress was to continue, and the faint sounds of revelry now appeared to be louder, more distinct, and closer. A faint light was coming from far down the culvert in the direction they were heading, and it most certainly wasn’t the faint light from Malik’s small torch.

  “This smells like a trap,” Malik said, pulling on Bran’s shoulder to stop the man from continuing further.

  “What do you suggest?” Bran asked.

  “What side culvert did you want to use?” Malik asked.

  “The first one,” Bran said. “It leads to a drainage grate from another secret tunnel that would have allowed us to access several parts of the castle.”

  “Let’s try that one again.” Malik motioned behind him and started off toward the first bricked culvert.

  Once they arrived, they looked at it and then at each other. Bran shrugged, as did Malik, and Bran showed the plain key to him. “Worth a try,” Bran said.

  “There is no keyhole,” Malik said.

  “Well, it was your idea to come back here. What do you want me to do?” Bran asked.

  Malik shrugged again and tilted his head sheepishly. “I don’t know.”

  “It’s your Lich. What would he say?”

  “He’d say to try it anyway,” Malik said, frustrated at Bran’s line of questioning.

  Bran shrugged this time and simply held the key out and touched the bricks where he thought there would be a keyhole. Both men were thinking that perhaps the bricks would open as a group on a secret hinge and that the wonderful magic of the Lich would defeat the magic of the Kesh. Instead, neither was prepared for what happened next.

  The explosion was intense, and the wall of bricks burst in every direction. One larger piece took Malik in his head, and several shards cut Bran’s hands. Dust obscured everything, and the Ulathan captain thought perhaps he had died until he felt pain all over his body. He coughed, and when the dust settled, he realized that he could see despite Malik’s small light being extinguished.

  The key he held now glowed as if energized by the blast. It was not a pleasant white glow or a glow that mimicked firelight, orange and dancing in nature. No, this glow was the same sinister ebony light that emanated from the Lich. Bran shuddered and wanted to drop the key but realized that could be worse.

  A quick look around and he saw Malik knocked out in front of him. For a moment, Bran wanted to draw his steel and impale it into the traitor’s gut. Oh, how he had longed for that moment for so many nights, and now it was finally within his reach. The act of revenge was strong, and he felt his hand moving to the hilt of his sword, a small voice in the back of his head speaking to him. He deserves it.

  “Yes, he does,” Bran answered, and he realized he was drawing his blade in the confined quarters. Then came another voice, one familiar to him, one that he had loved and cherished his entire life.

  You are better than this, my love, he heard Salina saying.

  With great effort, Bran set the key down on the ledge of the side culvert that was still steaming from the blast, and as soon as it left his hands, he felt the murderous rage leave him. Quickly he found his water flask and knelt next to Malik, lifting his head and offering him water. Soon the young scout came to, looking around, for the first time in weeks seeming to appear confused.

  “You blacked out,” Bran said.

  Malik nodded, shaking his head and clearing it so he could think straight. “It was the Lich’s magic, right?”

  “Yes, the key didn’t like the bricks.” Bran chuckled, helping Malik on his feet.

  �
��Or it didn’t like the Kesh magic,” Malik said, pointing at the gaping hole to their side.

  “Do you think they heard us?” Bran asked.

  “Maybe, though I still hear them having a good time,” Malik said.

  Bran nodded and then motioned toward the now open side culvert. Malik spoke no more and didn’t try to light another brand again, simply nodding for Bran to move on. Bran grabbed a rag from his pocket that he had used to wipe the sweat from his brow when he walked and gingerly picked up his still glowing key. He breathed a sigh of relief at the lack of rage that he had felt before.

  Holding it out in front of him, he used it to illuminate the dark culvert which forced both men to nearly crawl through in order to navigate it. After some distance and two turns down side culverts of the same size that led deeper into the complex, Bran found what he was looking for.

  The grate above simply drained from a much larger tunnel. Bran looked at Malik, who took several steps back. “Try it again,” Malik said.

  Bran was about to touch the grate with his key when his hand hit it and it moved. Setting the key down on the floor of his culvert, he used both hands to push the grate up. It was very heavy and he strained to lift it, but it was simply held in place by gravity and not locked or bolted down.

  “Easy,” Bran said, giving Malik a wink and getting a frown from the young scout in return.

  Bran reached down and grabbed his key with his rag and set it inside on the floor of the large, dry tunnel. With a jump up, he lifted himself into the tunnel and gave Malik a hand to help hoist him in as well. Malik replaced the grate as Bran looked around, using the key to see better. There were no torches on the wall, and Bran thought there should have been. He recognized this tunnel and moved a few dozen feet in one direction before returning.

  “You’ve seen this before,” Malik said, making it a statement and not a question.

  “Yes, I know exactly where we are,” Bran said, smiling. “Follow me.”

  The men left off at a brisk walk until Bran started to find heavy wood doors to his right. He counted several off and then stopped at one, testing it. It opened.

  “What’s there?” Malik asked.

  “This corridor circles the entire castle and doesn’t go anywhere,” Bran said. Seeing confusion on Malik’s face, he continued his explanation. “We can walk around and around all day and return to this exact spot many times, but in order to access the castle, we have to move through these doors that lead toward different parts of the castle. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, I think so, and you know what door to take to reach the king’s tower, right?” Malik said.

  “Yes,” Bran said, stopping suddenly when a noise came from down the circular corridor. Though they could see down the curved hallway for a good distance, they could not see past a certain point.

  “Hide the key for a moment,” Malik said.

  Bran tucked the key back into his pocket, keeping his rag wrapped tightly around it, plunging them into darkness. Soon the sound of voices whispering came to them, and a faint distinct light was shining well down the corridor. It glowed a familiar blue, the blue of the Kesh wizards.

  “Do we attack the wizard here and now?” Bran said, reaching for his sword.

  Malik waited for a moment before responding. “No, he’s got guards around him and they will give him time to use his magic. Better to try and catch him sleeping. Let’s find his quarters and wait for him.”

  Bran couldn’t agree more, and without a word, the pair silently opened the heavy door and gently closed it behind them and headed away from the approaching Kesh wizard. They would ambush him in his sleeping quarters and obtain his staff, returning it to the Lich. At least, that was their plan, if only the wizard would cooperate.

  “Did you hear something?” Salina asked, motioning for everyone to stop.

  The group didn’t move, listening intently for any sound that may be Kesh brigands, guards, or worse, another wizard. Not hearing anything, Will spoke first. “I think you just imagined it, but I’d feel better if we weren’t exposed like this with Khan’s light.”

  Khan held his staff out in front of him, and a bright blue light emanated from it. He didn’t know how to make the color change; it was just the way of the Kesh. “We need to have something to see by, and neither of you two thought to bring a torch.”

  “I thought there were always torches lit in a castle’s secret tunnels,” Will said, somewhat feeling embarrassed at their lack of planning.

  “That’s because workers place those torches there every day,” Salina explained to Will. “The Kesh are obviously not doing this. Now, Khan, do you know the way in or not? I feel like we’ve passed the same spot before.”

  Khan nodded. “I think it is a circular corridor, if I recall correctly. The problem is remembering the right door to use.”

  “Why can’t we just open any door?” Cedric asked, not understanding the secrecy and hesitation by his elders.

  “I told you, young Cedric, we booby-trapped the doors with not only magic but other mechanical traps that I cannot be sure to detect, as they are covered by Am-Ohkre’s magic,” Khan said. “I almost failed to break his last spell.”

  Khan was referring to the main drainage culvert that had bars over it and bricks behind it. Despite being dead, the mage’s defensive spell still lingered. “I saw the effort it took. Is your old master’s magic that strong?” Salina asked Khan.

  “No,” Khan replied. “That magic was from my old Arch-Mage, Am-Ohkre. His magic continues to linger despite his passing and is still strong. Had the wall been enchanted as well, I do not think I could have broken it.”

  The group nodded, remembering Khan’s face as he strained against the defensive spell cast by the dead mage. Khan’s veins in his neck bulged from the effort, and when they thought he would give up, a flash of light erupted from the gated bars and the spell had been broken. It had taken the young wizard several minutes to recover and melt the mortar in the bricks so that Will and Cedric could remove them.

  “Well, just pick a door and let’s get on with it,” Will said, his patience wearing thin.

  “If we choose the wrong door, we could wind up in the kitchens, the dungeons, or worse, the queen’s tower,” Salina said, referring to the smaller tower that was paired with the king’s tower near the gate towers.

  The queen’s tower was seldom used, only when the king wanted to court another mistress while he was engaged to another woman. The king didn’t have a wife for many years and no heirs to succeed him. Worse, if the group ended up in the queen’s tower, then they’d have to backtrack to get to the king’s chamber in order to search for the book.

  “Do you not know the door?” Khan asked Salina, giving her a knowing look.

  “No,” Salina said. “I’m a lady, and running around down here was not proper protocol for us noblewomen, though I’m sure my husband would know.”

  “Too bad he is not here. Let us try this door,” Khan said.

  Opening a nearby door, the group entered another stone-tiled corridor that was as dark as their first, though they felt the faint tinges of fresh air tickling their faces and took it as a good sign. Moving down the long hallway, they reached one end and found a grand archway, ruins covering it and giving it some significance.

  “This must be it,” Will said. “It’s marked for a king.”

  “Let me see if I can read the ruins,” Cedric said, moving forward and bending at his waist to read the sill of the archway at the bottom left of the door.

  “You should have spent more time with your father down here and in the practice yard,” Will said.

  Salina gave Will a reproving look. “Don’t you start sounding like Agatha.”

  Both Khan’s and Will’s face grimaced slightly, and Salina knew she had hit her mark. Cedric ignored their banter, reading from the ruins. “For all eternity shall the royal—”

  His reading was interrupted as Will opened the door, stepping through, followed by
Khan, and his light went with him, plunging the hallway where Cedric stood bent over into darkness. “Come on, son, let’s catch up,” his mother said.

  “I wasn’t done,” Cedric complained, complying with her request and following the Kesh wizard and Ulathan soldier.

  Salina followed, closing the door behind her, returning the ancient corridor to its eternal darkness. They would never read the rest of the inscription. For all eternity shall the royal queen be protected.

  The group had found the wrong tower.

  Chapter 25

  Epic

  “There are guards outside the staircase doors,” Malik whispered into Bran’s ear while they stood just outside the cellar door to the base of the king’s tower.

  “So we attack?” Bran said, his question half a statement as well.

  “No,” Bran said, taking a dagger from his belt and handing it to the captain. “Use this. You take the one on the right, and I’ll take the one on the left.”

  Bran had no idea how Malik knew where the guards were located on the opposite side and didn’t want to ask and waste time. The idea of stabbing a man in the back was counter-intuitive to the honorable captain. “I’m not going to stab this man in the back.”

  Malik never hesitated. “Of course you’re not. You’re going to grab him and slit his throat.”

  Bran turned fully to see Malik in the dim light of the key. The young scout was dead serious and staring back at Bran with a steady gaze, as if daring the captain to argue the point. Finally Bran made his decision. “I’m going to knock him out instead.”

  Malik raised a brow. “Risky, Captain. If you fail, he’ll raise an alarm for sure.”

  Bran nodded. “I don’t care. I’ll be sure I cover his mouth and hit him real hard with the hilt of your dagger.”

  Malik returned the nod and then asked, “Ready?” Bran nodded, and Malik tried to open the door. It was locked.

  “You got to be kidding me,” Bran said almost too loudly, and Malik raised a finger to his lips. A shuffling sound on the other side of the door could be heard. The men held their breaths for a few seconds longer and then let them out, sighing inaudibly in relief.