The Darkness Binds

by E. M. Aguilar

  Rachel said, "We just need a doctor."

  The burly man said, "The doctor is over yonder." He pointed toward his right.

  Rachel and Narah started walking toward that direction. The path was scarred with tracks of wheels crisscrossing each other. They followed these tracks until they saw a large building. A man in a horse-drawn cart was talking to an older gentleman. They had handkerchiefs wrapped around their noses.

  The older gentleman saw them and said, "Stop. We have a pestilence here."

  Narah said, "Sir, we have sick people half a league from here. We need your help."

  "My name is Dr. Wright. I am an herbalist and I have some magical healing powers. I can help you. My assistant, Darth, can transport the sick here."

  "Thank you."

  •••

  Cyrus needed to do some research in the Druthic library. Charles was a great guide showing him the main library as well as the secret chamber below. None of the books was wet. It was as if the library was shielded by some magical force here. To test his theory, Cyrus used his Wizard sight. He went back outside and saw a soft blue nimbus glow surrounding the building.

  "Do you know who built this building?" Cyrus said.

  Charles said, "No."

  Cyrus felt a growing tension around the pit of his stomach. He went back inside. He decided to inspect every single hallway with his Wizard’s sight. Charles left deciding to tend to his duties as Darrin’s apprentice. Darrin wanted Charles to learn as much as he could from him before he left with him.

  Cyrus scanned each passage looking at the history books stacked in the shelves. He breathed in the dusty tomes and aged leather. Light filtered in from the various large windows. The day was young and he wanted to cover as many areas as he could before it was night. He felt a presence, an evil presence, but it fled when he tried to find it. He summoned his Familiar, Reza. It glowed an amber color. Cyrus used some of Reza’s light to look at the dark corners. The floor was marble with blue and black striations. This building must have been magnificent in its day he thought. He walked through another aisle. He didn’t see anything. He moved in a linear fashion walking throughout the whole top floor of the library. Outside, the light was becoming dim. He moved to the next level of the building. The rooms were colder there.

  "Cyrus! Where are you?" Charles said.

  "I’m down here!"

  Charles came down the steps. He held a torch and a basket.

  Charles said, "I brought you some food and ale."

  Cyrus started to eat.

  He said, "I haven’t found anything magical on the top floor. Did you feel something odd while you were in here?"

  "Flin and I sometimes felt that we were being watched."

  "Hmm," Cyrus said, "I also felt something odd."

  "Do you want me to help?"

  "Sure, a second pair of eyes could help me look at things differently."

  After Cyrus finished eating, they started to explore the bottom floor. He saw something flicker at the corner of his eye. He concentrated and two other glowing fireballs appeared next to Reza. Cyrus shot one of the glowing orbs to the area where he saw something flicker. Nothing appeared. Cyrus used his Wizard sight and walked the length of the second floor. He scanned the books. He heard Charles’ torch crackle. They turned down another aisle and saw the flicker again.

  Cyrus said, "I think whatever these flicker things are. We should follow it."

  "Is it safe?"

  "We shall see. I wish Meza was here."

  They followed the apparition down the aisle. The glimmer happened again and they followed. They entered another set of rooms filled with more books.

  "Have you been in this part of the library?" Cyrus said.

  "No, I do not think so."

  Cyrus sent his fire orbs further ahead. He noticed this part of the archives smelled different as if something older was stored here. The flicker appeared by the farthest wall and stayed. Cyrus saw something odd on the wall. The wall had a dark blue vortex churning on its surface. Underneath this vortex, a word was etched into the wall in a flowing script-Nairarbil.

  "Cyrus do you see something?" Charles asked.

  "There is a magical vortex right at the wall there. Also a word Nairarbil is imprinted in the wall."

  When he said the word, the swirling vortex stopped and something emerged from its center. Charles gasped and took out his sword. Standing in front of them was a man. He was transparent. This man was dressed in a long robe with a cowl over its head.

  "I am here to serve. What is your request?" the apparition said.

  The vortex was still swirling behind him.

  "What are you?" Cyrus said.

  "I am here to serve."

  Cyrus said to Charles, "We could ask it for information. Is there any magical artifacts in this library?"

  The apparition looked at Cyrus and smiled a wry smile. "No. I am only the magical artifact here."

  "What is your name?"

  "I do not have a name anymore. My beckoning call is Nairarbil." the apparition said. "I was once called Michael."

  "What do you do?"

  "I am here to help, Drakus Vinnikai. Only one of your kind can summon me," the apparition said.

  "Is there any information here, which will show me where the Drakus Towers are located?"

  The apparition said, "No, but you are Drakus Vinnikai. You should already know."

  "The information is lost."

  The apparition didn’t say anything for a while and said, "There is only one such book, which mentions the towers. Do you want this book?"

  "Yes."

  The apparition held a book and gave it to him. Cyrus took it.

  "Is there anything else," the apparition said.

  "No, not at this point."

  The apparition left back into the vortex. Cyrus moved away and recalled his magical orbs. Reza swooped around him.

  •••

  Darth transported the sick back to the doctor. Narah watched as Dr. Wright examined every single patient. He shook his head.

  He said, "This is bad. These people have signs of the plague."

  "Will they recover?" she asked.

  "This pestilence is beyond my healing talents. We need the services of the mage healers."

  Narah said, "The only mage healers are at the Wizard Guild. Where is the nearest guild?"

  The doctor scratched his head and said, "I believe the closest guild is at the city of Palacitino."

  She said, "Is this plague contagious?"

  The doctor said, "Yes, very."

  "I have a large group of people back where the sick came from. Can they stay here if they choose?"

  "Well, if they help me then they could stay here. The villagers do not like strangers."

  "Thank you," she said. "I have to go to Palacitino."

  CHAPTER 44

  Inside his headquarters, Darrin paced. He held in his hand parchments of letters from his other commanders at the other various cities. He was concerned because Captain Mercer escaped last night. Yet, it was a small matter. The royal army was destroyed. He should feel a sense of victory but something nagged him. He handpicked the men to guard Captain Mercer, but he still escaped. He suspected some type of magic was at play here. He didn’t want to suspect Cyrus, but he was the only wizard in the city. He remembered Cyrus when he was a curious young lad at the orphanage. He couldn’t have done this. It was not in his nature. Charles came inside the room.

  "I am here for my lessons."

  Darrin said, "No lessons today. Do you trust Cyrus?"

  "I had doubts. Meza trusted him and I do too."

  "Do you know how Meza started to travel with him."

  "They met on the same road to the capital, and they were boyhood friends," Charles said.

  "Yes, that part is true, but I sent Meza to find him. I wanted Cyrus to join the resistance."

  Charles said, "Ahh."

  "Cyrus was very close to the princess, but I am not sure he will
join with us."

  Charles said, "We could have not opened the dam without his help."

  "I know that. It’s just with his magical abilities he could be dangerous."

  "You do not trust him," Charles said.

  "No, I don’t."

  "I do not believe he is a Drakus Vinnikai. He is powerful but he is not evil."

  Darrin said, "What worries me is that he will realize his power and be corrupted. I want you to promise me that you will watch Cyrus closely and if he becomes evil, you will kill him."

  Charles said, "I cannot."

  "Yes, you can for all our sakes."

  "No, I have fought together with him."

  "Charles, I have asked a lot of you," Darrin said while placing a hand on his shoulder.

  "I will go with Cyrus," Charles said, "Because, I do not trust anybody else to go with him. You would send an assassin instead of a friend."

  Charles stormed out. Darrin held his temper. Charles didn’t understand the gravity of this situation. Charles needed him to trust in his judgment and watch Cyrus. Darrin sighed and changed his thoughts to the war. He sent notes to his commanders to start gathering the Freedom Fighters because they were ready to take the revolution to the capital. Nothing could stop them. He hoped the princess was not dead. His scouts had not found any trace of her. He wanted the princess to help him rule after the revolution was over. Darrin would institute the Great Council of old like her father wanted before he died.

  •••

  Storming out of the meeting with Darrin was not a thing he would normally do, but what Darrin demanded of him was so against his principles. Charles felt Cyrus was a comrade in arms. Charles went back to his room to get some provisions for the journey. He would check on Cyrus tomorrow. Cyrus had been preoccupied with the book he received from the strange apparition in the library. He shut himself in his room and didn’t allow any visitors to disturb him.

  Charles started to oil his sword and later sharpened it. This distraction helped him calm down. He watched as the steel became polished and clean. He honed the edge to a sharp point. As a seasoned tracker and hunter, Charles was blessed with the skill of the heart strike. He could pinpoint in any animal or man where he could strike directly into the heart. The animal would feel no pain as he killed it.

  He heard a knock at his doorway. He looked up and standing in the doorway was Darrin’s page, Jasper.

  "Hi," Jasper said, "Darrin wanted me to give you this."

  He handed Charles an old leather pouch. Charles opened the leather sack and saw letters written by Meza. The first correspondence explained how Meza met Cyrus in a tavern near the capital. Meza wrote that he didn’t know if Cyrus would be any value to the resistance. His magic was unstable. Charles put the letters back in the pouch. He would read it later.

  CHAPTER 45

  Cyrus read the ancient book he received from Nairarbil. The tome was bound in dark red leather and when he opened it, there were no words written on the pages. He was about to give up when some of the script started to appear. The book, he realized, was about the history of the Drakus Vinnikai. The sections were arranged by family order and at the end of these parts were a geological line of the members of that family. The first family-the Clerens-was a boring read. He started to page through looking for anything that mentioned the Drakus towers. He also tried to use his Wizard sight but to no avail. Nothing on the book had magical qualities.

  Cyrus tried not to get frustrated, but he thought this book would help him. His mind started to wander, and he felt trapped in history. He must have fallen asleep while reading because he found himself standing in a bleak landscape. He was on a sand dune. A warm wind swirled around him. The sky was steel blue and gray clouds hovered overhead. He was dressed in a long red robe. Thunder cracked in the distance. No trees or plants dotted the landscape. He heard thunder again and then a sound of a drum reverberated with the sound of the thunder. The noise split into his head. He fell to one knee.

  Cyrus yelled, "Stop!"

  The noise ceased. Skeletons rose from the sand. They all wore elaborate robes.

  A voice said, "What do you seek?"

  The voice was low and sounded like dead leaves breaking.

  "Who are you?" Cyrus said.

  "You should know," the voice said.

  "Where are the Drakus Towers?"

  "We cannot answer that," the voice said.

  "It is forbidden," the voice hissed.

  "Why can’t you tell me?" Cyrus said.

  "Your father forbids it."

  Cyrus’s mind reeled and he felt unbalanced. He thought the skeletons were grinning at his discomfort.

  "Why would my father forbid this?"

  "Because it is so. We cannot even rest in death."

  "Maybe I can help?" Cyrus implored.

  "You will. You will."

  Everything started to change into dark red colors. Thunder exploded again. Cyrus awoke. He was clasping the book tightly. He expelled a breath of air. It was just a dream. The grinning skulls danced in his mind. A new thought struck him. He wondered where the Drakus mages were buried. Jumping from his chair, he started to scan the book for an ancient graveyard for the Vinnikai mages. He found the page. It was at a place called Kravel. He ran from his room toward the library. He skidded to a stop. Darrin was talking to his Freedom Fighters.

  Darrin said, "Men, in a few days, we will leave this city and join with the other members of the revolution. I will leave just a few men behind. We will be victorious and conquer the emperor!"

  The Freedom Fighters yelled.

  Darrin said, "Prepare for our departure."

  He saw Cyrus and walked up to him.

  "So," Darrin said, "Do you know where you are going?"

  "Yes, a place called Kravel."

  He said, "I have never heard of such a place."

  Cyrus said, "I am going to consult with the librarian."

  •••

  Reading most of Meza’s letters, Charles wondered about Cyrus’s use of magic. Meza explained Cyrus’s power was a higher order than any mage he knew. And if used unwisely could destroy him. Some of the letters explained the unnerving use of Cyrus’s power and the growing concern Cyrus could pose if he was not on their side. Insanity, Meza wrote, was the key to the Drakus Vinnikai downfall. Even though these mages possessed an almost unlimited source of power, they could eventually suffer bouts of madness and death. Charles wondered if Meza explained this to Cyrus. However, Meza in his writing seemed to believe Cyrus was merciful and had a good sense of justice. Meza's letters ended when they were planning to escape from the city.

  Charles finished the last correspondence when he decided to look for Cyrus. He walked into the main street. He saw Cyrus hastily walking toward the library.

  "Cyrus!" he said.

  "Come on Charles. I think I found something," Cyrus said.

  They walked to where the apparition appeared before them.

  Cyrus said, "Nairarbil."

  The man materialized and said, "What is your inquiry?"

  Cyrus said, "Michael, you lied to me."

  "I did not lie."

  "The book you gave me didn't mention the Drakus Towers."

  Charles watched the interchange. Cyrus and the apparition stared at each other for a few minutes.

  The apparition said, "I will look for another book for your inquiry."

  Cyrus said, "I need to find a place called Kravel."

  The apparition seemed to simmer and morph into a hideous demon. The creature roared and flew at Cyrus. Charles fell back by the blast of fire that erupted from the mouth of the monster. Cyrus held his hand up and the demon was repelled by his magical field.

  "Reza, surround him."

  His Familiar engulfed the creature in its spherical surface. The demon tried to break through. He was trapped.

  Cyrus said, "Who are you?"

  The demon didn’t say a word.

  Cyrus grinned and he pointed at the demon. Charles felt
pity for the creature.

  "Answer me!" Cyrus said.

  Charles saw lightning crackle from Cyrus’s eyes. Charles crouched in fear.

  Charles said, "Answer him!"

  The demon howled in pain. Lightning crackled inside the Familiar.

  "I was spirited into this library to wait for you, Drakus Vinnikai," the demon said.

  "Who sent you?"

  The demon sneered. "I was imprisoned here by the Grandmaster Warlocks to misdirect you."

  "Why to what end?"

  "You will never know," the demon said.

  Cyrus held both of his hands out with the palms facing each other. A bright light formed between his fingers. Charles was struck by Cyrus’s grin. He was not acting like himself.

  "So be it," Cyrus said.

  Blue and green flames danced along the Familiar’s shell, casting an unearthly glow to the library. Charles didn’t want to look, but he did. The demon yelled an anguished scream.

  Charles said, "Please stop!"

  The smell of scorched flesh wafted in the library. He didn’t understand how this demon could be made of flesh and bone. After a few minutes, Cyrus ceased his torture. The demon slumped and snarled.

  "So, are you ready to speak?" Cyrus said.

  "The Grandmaster Warlocks are going to destroy you," the demon said.

  "I already destroyed the Clandestines. I will destroy these warlocks," Cyrus said.

  The demon laughed and said, "The Clandestine mages are nothing compared to the Grandmaster Warlocks. Who do you think was controlling the Clandestine mages?"

  Cyrus was furious. He scattered books next to him with a flick of his hand. Charles jump aside. The Familiar’s surface changed into a cascading white light with flames exploding outwards and then stopped. Charles shielded his eyes. He couldn’t see anything after a few minutes. When he looked for the demon, it was gone.

  "Cyrus," Charles said. "Do you believe that demon?"

  "No, it is lying."

  Charles said, "We should consult Darrin."

  "Go ahead. I’m going to look for an old map."

  •••

  Darrin was overseeing his men. Several people were loading rows of wagons with weapons and supplies. Darrin stood next to a short, squat man with large arms. This man was the smithy of Druthic.