“We’ll go up the stairs to the front doors and we will not stop for anything,” whispered Finn.
“What about the sword?”
“That’s going to be a problem.” He watched the doorway above, half-expecting to see someone coming down. “Let’s get out of here. We can worry about the sword later.”
Anna nodded, leant forward, and kissed Finn’s cheek. “For good luck.”
Finn smiled and grabbed her hand, “Let’s go.”
Hand in hand, they slowly climbed the stairs and tried not to make a sound. Finn hoped no one would hear them. His heartbeat raced.
At the top of the stairs, they crouched and looked out across the entrance room. It was lit by a lamp on a small table, but it was empty and the entire building was silent. They hesitated for a moment. Finn was scared to cross the open space to the front door.
Come on, you can do this!
He went to move when Anna’s hand stopped him. She stared, wide-eyed, and pointed at a dark spot on the floor a few yards from them. It was blood.
I hope that’s from an orc.
He indicated to Anna that they should head for the front door.
They walked quickly across the room. Several yards from the large, wooden doors, Finn felt his arms and legs grow strangely heavy. It was as if he was trying to run through deep snow.
What’s happening?
After two more steps, he didn’t have the strength to move any further. Anna pulled his hand, stopped, and looked back at him.
“What’s wrong?” He could see the concern on her face. “We have to keep moving.”
Finn tried to move and speak, but he couldn’t.
“What, no goodbyes?” asked a Krystorian-accented voice. “That’s not very polite.”
Finn watched Anna’s face as she looked behind them, toward the staircase.
Anna, run! Get out of here! Run!
Anna pulled on his hand, “Finn,” she pleaded, “we have to go. Now!”
I can’t move! Leave me, run!
“My dear, your friend is paralysed and cannot move,” said the voice. “You have two choices. Leave him, and, if you are lucky, outrun Krulta, here, and his friends, or come quietly and… no harm will come to you.” There was a pause. “I will also spare your eldon friend.”
Anna looked stressed as she glanced from Finn to the speaker and back again. Finn was not able to help her, though. He felt a weight crushing his chest and he struggled for air. Slowly, blackness crept across his vision and he fought to stay conscious.
“Boys, please help our guests. They look… stuck.” A cold laugh echoed around the dusty hall.
The last thing Finn heard were heavy footsteps stomping down the stairs as he slipped into a pain-free blackness.
Chapter 19
Anna watched the man who spoke from the second-story balcony. He was middle-aged and his hair was unruly and grey. He had the look of nobility and seemed to be a person of power. He gazed cruelly down at her and Finn and smiled with obvious pleasure at their predicament.
Krulta and two orcs ran down the stairs and across the room toward them, drawing their weapons as they came. After lifting Finn by the neck, Krulta held him like a rag doll. The eldon was limp and unconscious. The big orc grinned and dropped him to the ground.
“No!” she cried and knelt beside Finn.
“Don’t worry, my dear. Krulta is a faithful dog and always obeys my commands. He will not hurt your friend, as long as you behave.” Krulta stiffened at his master’s words.
There is no love between servant and master, she thought.
Krulta grabbed her by her arm and his finger nails dug into her flesh. She held back a cry and her clenched teeth, determined to be strong.
The orc leader lifted her effortlessly to her feet, as though she was a small child. With an iron grip, he pulled her up the stairs, as the other two orcs grabbed Finn’s arms and, with no regard for the eldon, dragged him after their leader.
Krulta forced Anna to stand in front of the master. He was immaculately dressed, and his clothes were clean and expensive-looking. His face was pockmarked, possibly from a disease, and his grey, cruel eyes gaze coldly at her. This man would show no mercy to his enemies.
“My name is Morgan Tollis,” he said, “but you can call me Master. My men like to call me that.” He smiled and Anna felt unsettled by it. It quickly vanished, though, and he touched her chin lightly with his fingertips to rotate her face and look at the dark bruise on her cheek.
“Who did this?” The orcs stood still and remained silent. They looked scared. “This is unacceptable!” he screamed in rage. He touched her bruised face and she winced. “Don’t worry, my dear. No one will hurt you, again.” He looked at Krulta. “Am I right, Krulta?”
“Yes, Master.”
“Good. This nonsense is settled.” Master turned and walked down the dusty corridor. “Come, my dear, I need your blood.”
Anna was led into a large room, which might have been a ballroom in the castle’s glory days, illuminated by several oil lamps. A bitter smell assaulted her nose and took away her breath. She coughed violently.
“You will get used to the smell.”
From a bench, the master handed her a clear bottle. She greedily swallowed its cool liquid, relieved that it was water.
Several long benches covered with glass bottles full of coloured powders and liquids stood around the room. The master went to a bench, where the room’s only other occupant, Karp, worked. The blue-faced orc tinkered with a strange apparatus that was unfamiliar to Anna, he hadn’t looked up from his work or acknowledged their arrival. The master hovered around the orc and checked a small machine’s settings before adding a yellow powder to a large pot full of orange liquid. Engrossed in his work, he did not pay her any further attention.
The other two orcs dragged Finn into the room and dropped him in a corner near some open boxes. She recognised them as the ones from the wagon and they appeared to have been hastily opened, as their contents were spilled across the floor. They’d contained powders of various colours, dried vegetation, and other mechanical items.
What’s all of this for?
Anna tried to move to Finn, but Krulta held her arm in a powerful grip. She was going nowhere.
She looked around the room for something that would aid their escape. This room, like the entire castle, was in poor condition. A thick layer of dust covered the floor, paintings, and furniture. The paint had flaked off most of the walls in large patches and the ceiling showed signs of major water damage. Across the room, large double doors opened onto a balcony. In the daylight, the view of the forest below must have been stunning. A gentle breeze stirred the thick, discoloured curtains on each side of the doors and soft moonlight filtered into the room.
Krulta dragged her to a dusty armchair and roughly pushed her into it.
“Don’t move,” the orc grunted. He went to the master’s side and whispered something in his ear. The man said something, which Anna could not hear, and waved the orc away. Krulta went to Finn, grabbed the back of his shirt and lifted his torso off the ground, he then proceeded to drag him out of the room and toward the stairs.
Anna stood. “Hey! Where are you taking him? Put him down,” she demanded.
“Sit down, girl,” said the master.
“Where’s he taking him?”
“Back to the cells, where he’ll be safe.”
“I won’t help you, if he goes anywhere without me.”
“You really are a brave girl,” he laughed. “Or stupid.”
Krulta had stopped and looked for direction from his master with Finn still dangling from his arm. He wasn’t burdened by the eldon’s weight.
“Leave him here.” The big orc obeyed and dropped Finn.
“Anna, isn’t it?” said the master. “Please, sit down. Your eldon has not been harmed.”
She sat slowly, but did not take her eyes off the Krystorian noble.
“That’s better. It will be ove
r soon, and you can return to your simple peasant life to spend your days scratching for food and breeding like the roaches.” He turned back to his pot and added a few dry leaves. The concoction bubbled in response.
It must have been midnight by the time the master had finished whatever he was doing. He patted Karp on the shoulder. “We have done it, old friend. Now we just need to add some fresh blood.”
The master walked to Anna carrying a small, silver bowl and a long, thin-bladed knife.
“Hold her,” he ordered. Krulta complied and pinned both of her arms to the chair. “Now, this is going to hurt.”
The master cut into Anna’s arm and a trickle of blood flowed into the silver bowl. She clenched her teeth and held back a cry.
“I don’t need much of your blood for tonight’s experiment, but I will require a lot more later.” The small bowl filled quickly and he placed a white cloth over her wound to stop the blood flow. “We wouldn’t you to bleed to death, now, would we?”
“Why do you need my blood, demon?”
“‘Demon?’ Trust me, I’m not a demon. There are plenty of demons in this world. Some are fire beasts from the five hells, but most are just everyday people.” He thought for a moment, before he continued. “On second thought, I am a demon.”
“Why go through all the effort to bring me here just for my blood?”
“Anna, my darling, you are special. But you know that, right? You’ve noticed you’re different. I am guessing you didn’t know your parents, or you would understand your lineage and know how important your family is. I bet you were brought up by some distant relative who didn’t know how special you are, am I right?” He smiled at her. Repelled, she looked away. She did not want to make eye contact with the crazy man. “You see, in your veins runs the blood of the First Born. From what Karp tells me, it’s pure. That makes you special—no, more than special. The blood of the First Born flowed in the veins of the Wizards of Solaris and, a thousand years ago, they controlled powerful magic forces. They discovered the magic that is present in the world and your blood contains a key to understanding its power. With your blood, I will summon unlimited power,” he sounded insane to Anna. “I, too, have the blood of the First Born, but it is weak and diluted. I have been searching for someone like you all my life.”
“Magic? What are you talking about?”
“My darling girl, I am a necromaster. I intend to use your blood to summon the largest army the world has ever seen. I will wrestle the throne from my weak cousin and be Krystoria’s one, true king!” The master’s face contorted into a wicked smile. “My people deserve a powerful ruler like me. I will make Krystoria the most powerful nation in the world!”
“Summon?”
“Yes, Anna. This castle is the located on one of the largest battlegrounds in history. Centuries ago, the mortal races battled the Old Lords. Tens of thousands died and their bodies are still scattered throughout the surrounding land. The local forest contains the world’s largest graveyard, and I intend to summon the dead to fight for me!”
Anna stared at him. He is insane! “You’re crazy! No one can summon an undead army.”
“No, they can’t… unless they have access to your blood,” he looked at her hungrily. “I must warn you that summoning an army will take a lot out of you. You may not survive. I hope you will, though, as I have further plans for you. We will just have to take the risk, won’t we?”
Master returned to his workbench and poured the blood into a small, silver flask with a silver funnel, which he then placed into his jacket pocket. While he had spoken, Karp ladled the orange liquid from the large pot into several clear glass jars and corked them.
“Come on, Karp. We must practice summoning the dead and then tomorrow night, when the moon is full, we will summon my new army.” He turned to Krulta. “Watch her. I will be back soon, and I don’t want to see a single hair on her pretty head out of place. Do I make myself clear?”
The big orc nodded. The master, Karp, and the two orc guards left, their footsteps faded down the hall. Krulta was left to watch over her and the unconscious Finn.
I have to get out of here, before that monster returns.
The big orc removed the black sword and battle axe from his belt and placed them on the floor beside a chair opposite Anna. He lowered his bulk into the chair and got comfortable.
“Don’t cause me any grief. Regardless of what he says, if you try anything I will hurt you, without leaving a mark.”
Anna said nothing, but returned his stare defiantly.
She looked at Finn, who was motionless on the cold, tiled floor. His chest rose and fell in a slow rhythm. He was still alive.
Blood of the First Born? Magic blood? She wondered if this was why the alp couldn’t see her. Maybe her First Born blood made her invisible to him—and maybe it made her immune the necromaster’s magic. She hadn’t been affected when he froze Finn, after all. I must find out about the First Born and these Wizards of Solaris. First, though, I need to get out of here.
Krulta watched her. She decided to pretend to go to sleep. Maybe Krulta would get bored and go to sleep, as well. It was a long shot. Anna got comfortable and closed her eyes. Let’s see how smart you are.
She sat still for a long time, until she chanced a peek. Krulta was still in the armchair, watching her. He looked tired, but he wasn’t asleep.
It will be morning soon. How long can I wait? She decided to wait a bit longer and then go for his weapons. She hoped she would get lucky and kill him.
Finn stirred. He was outside the orc’s vision, so Krulta did not see the eldon move.
The effect of the spell must be wearing off! Come on, Finn, get up.
She peeked at Finn, who moved slightly again. He tried to rise, but was unsuccessfully and dropped back to the floor.
What happened? thought Finn. Why am I so groggy? Finn tried to stand, but could barely push his torso up a finger’s length from the tiles. He could only hold his body there for a brief moment, before he dropped and whacked his head.
With great effort, he turned his head and was surprised at his surroundings.
Where am I? Anna—she’s alive! He saw an orc in the chair and the black sword on the floor beside him. It had to have been Krulta. I will make that bastard pay.
The young eldon waited, before trying to get up again. He lay motionless and stared at his sleeping friend. He felt nauseous and light-headed.
If we get out of here, I will never let anyone hurt her again.
Finn moved his fingers and toes, which were stiff, and barely responsive. After a while, they started to free up, though. He lifted his arms and legs, all while watching the orc for any movement. Finn slowly stood and stretched his arms up. He noticed a small movement of Anna’s eyebrows and realized she was awake.
Carefully, he crept toward the orc, grabbed the black sword, and stepped back a few paces. It felt good to hold it, and his confidence returned. He gripped the smooth hilt, which felt warm.
You want to do some killing, don’t you, old friend? You are certainly killer’s sword—an alp’s weapon.
Within a few moments, he felt could feel his strength return.
“Krulta!” he challenged and drew the dark blade from its scabbard.
The big orc grabbed his battle axe and leapt to his feet. His one eye was wide and his mouth hung open in surprise. If Krulta wasn’t so large, he would have almost looked comical. “What?” the orc said, as he regained his senses. “Put that sword down, eldon, and I won’t hurt you.”
“No chance,” said Finn.
The big orc looked imposing holding his axe in a combat stance. Finn held his sword in low guard. The heat was building in the hilt and he welcomed the feeling. The sword sensed blood—or wanted it!
If you want blood, you better help me!
“I am going to split you in two, little eldon!”
Krulta raised his axe high and stepped forward. In half a heartbeat, the big orc covered the distance to Fi
nn and swung his weapon down with a force that could sever a bull. Finn sidestepped the blow and the axe narrowly missed his head.
Finn tried to keep at a safe distance and dodged the battle axe’s path several times, as the orc pursued him across the room. Rage was visible on Krulta’s face. The eldon rolled under a bench to escape the orc’s fury, but that did not stop Krulta. With one hand, he lifted the bench and sent it flying through the air. It came to a thunderous stop as it hit the wall. Krulta was like a machine, slashing from all directions. Only luck saved Finn from several of the blows.
The massive orc was barely panting when he stopped and stared at Finn. “You are a lot more resilient than I gave you credit for.” Anna screamed as the orc turned toward her. She tried to move out of the way, but was almost upon her, already.
Finn shouted and he leapt over a bench to stand in front of Anna with the dark blade raised before him.
“Time to die, eldon!” said Krulta.
He rushed forward with his axe raised, the weapon arched through the air, aimed at Finn’s head. At the last moment, the black blade deflected the axe’s trajectory and continued its path to bite deep into the orc’s shoulder. Krulta cried out in pain and dropped his weapon, which hit the floor with a clang. Faint blue runes glowed, as blood ran along the black blade. The sword absorbed it hungrily.
The orc leader staggered back with shock on his ugly face. He had never been disarmed in battle, before, nor wounded by one so young. He held his hand over his bleeding shoulder and weighed his options. He was unarmed and wounded, so his choice was easy, it was time to leave. Krulta turned and ran for the door.
Finn started to run after him, but Anna shouted his name. He stopped in his tracks and watched the orc ran for the stairs that led down to the ground level.
Finn turned to face his friend and let out a deep breath.
“Are you alright?” Anna asked.
“Yes.”
“You looked… different when you were fighting Krulta.”
A Warden Born Page 14