Behind the Third Door: The Innocence Cycle, Book 2

by J D Abbas

  At midmorning, Celdorn sent for the visitors who were in the general quarters. They were in his chambers within minutes, ready to proceed. The tension was high in the room as the meeting began, but soon both groups were focused on a common enemy.

  “Celdorn, I believe I should move quickly to the news I did not report yesterday,” Mikard began.

  Celdorn gave a tight nod.

  “On the second day of the week, our keep was attacked.” Mikard instantly had everyone’s attention.

  “By whom?” Celdorn couldn’t hide his shock. No one dared to attack Guardian strongholds.

  “We don’t know who they were—what they were,” he replied. “They were some sort of creature we have never seen before—half man, half beast.”

  “Zakad!” Haldor said, his serene face suddenly riddled with questions.

  “Zakad?” Mikard glanced between Haldor and Celdorn. “I’ve never heard this name.”

  “They attacked us in Rhamal on the Day of Light,” Haldor replied. “We did not have a name for them either, but the Ilqazar called them Zakad. They had seen them before, a century ago. What were the Zakad doing at Dussendor?”

  “They thought we had something for which they were searching. Several of our men heard them demanding information about a girl named Giara as they tortured our guards. They seemed to think we were holding her and whatever thing of value she possessed.”

  Haldor turned to Celdorn. “Why would they assume she was there?”

  Celdorn rubbed his neck. “I can’t guess at their twisted thinking.”

  “Do you know who this Giara is?” Mikard asked.

  Celdorn glanced at Elbrion, who almost imperceptibly shook his head. His other men watched Celdorn, wondering how he would respond. “Yes… we know her.” It was honest but gave away little.

  “Well, she cost us many lives. Our men were busy in the fields and in the woods, most of them unarmed, when these creatures attacked. There were hundreds of them, coming from every direction. We lost fifty men before anyone could sound the alarm. We had no reason to be on alert. We haven’t had any trouble with those around us for decades. Except for the problem with the children, things have been quiet.

  “These Zakad creatures have a vicious bite, as you must know. Many of the wounded suffered greatly. In part, this was the reason for Keymar’s behavior. He lost his two brothers when these animals attacked; they were ripped to pieces before his eyes. I don’t say that to excuse his actions,” he was quick to add. “Keymar was utterly wrong, but I want you to know that he was not himself. He’s full of deep grief and anger.”

  Celdorn blew out a long breath, feeling the throb of a headache at the base of his skull. Elbrion put a glass of wine in his hand before he could open his eyes. “I’m sorry to hear that, Mikard. I will take it into consideration.” He paused to sip the wine, indifferent to its taste but longing for its calming effect. “As for the attack, were you able to destroy all the creatures, or did they retreat at some point?”

  “They don’t seem to believe in retreating, no matter what the odds. No, the creatures fought tenaciously until we killed every last one of them. We counted two hundred and thirty-three carcasses before we burned them.”

  “How many men did you lose?” Celdorn asked.

  “Seventy-six at last count.”

  There was a collective sigh of grief around the table.

  “A dozen lives still hang in the balance.” Mikard added then paused, the weight of his own grief hung heavy on him. “Rondul believed it was important for you to have this information. Do you know why these… Zakad were looking for this girl? Is she one of Anakh’s servants? And why would they think we had her?”

  Celdorn scanned his advisors. “I’m in need of your wisdom.”

  Haldor stared at the table, considering, then raised his eyes to Celdorn’s. “I believe we need to be completely forthcoming, Celdorn. We are up against strange and powerful adversaries. We have to stand united as Guardians on all fronts; and, although there are many castellans in the various keeps, there is only one Lord Protector over them, and to you they have all pledged fealty. I believe we must trust in that.”

  The men from Dussendor exchanged puzzled glances.

  “Lord Celdorn, I can vouch for the devotion of the Guardians in Dussendor,” Mikard said. “We have great respect for you and trust your leadership. Whatever you ask of us, we will do wholeheartedly, and we will follow wherever you lead.” Mikard placed his fist over his heart, and each of his men did likewise.

  “I have no doubts regarding any of you,” Celdorn said as he looked around the table, “but I thank you for your words and your gesture.” He paused, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “We have come upon strange times, my friends, and I find great sadness in your report. We have lost over eighty men in a few days’ time, which speaks to the depth of the evil we have come up against.

  “I will tell you what I know, though there are many mysteries I still cannot explain.” He pressed the bridge of his nose and opened his eyes. “Giara is the girl you met yesterday, whom we call Elena.” The men from Dussendor met his gaze with surprise and some wariness. “She’s the granddaughter of Vargona, one of only two female descendants of whom we have knowledge. It is our understanding that Vargona is from a race of people called the Alraphim who are blessed with many amazing abilities, among them the powers to read, project and control thoughts from great distances, to manipulate the perceptions of others, to change physical forms, to command the Jhadhela and the Zhekhum, and to see the future.

  “Apparently, the female Alraphim are more powerfully gifted and the only ones who have the ability to absorb the life-force of others, making it desirous to have many daughters. In addition, the powers reportedly increase with each succeeding generation. Because Vargona had no daughters and Elena is the only granddaughter, she is valuable to them. If our information is correct, she has the potential to be more powerful than Vargona and those from previous generations. In addition, she is outside their control now and has exposed their evil practices, so they are eager to find her and silence her.” Celdorn paused to drink and rub his neck, hoping to stay ahead of the mounting headache.

  “On the last Day of Light, a priest from Rhamal helped to smuggle Elena’s brothers out of the village and bring them here to see her. We received news later that day that the Zakad had killed the priest and were searching for the brothers. We dispatched one hundred Guardians to Rhamal to protect the brothers’ families and defend the village while the brothers returned using a secret route, which took them far north of here and through Alsimion. The Zakad picked up their trail at the edge of the wood.”

  Celdorn studied the men from Dussendor. “My guess is that the Zakad attacked Dussendor because the brothers traveled from that direction and were in the company of Guardians. They must have assumed you were hiding the sister, rather than us. It never occurred to me that they might come to that conclusion, or we would have warned you. That was a grave error in judgment on my part, which I regret. We also were not aware that there were so many more Zakad. My men thought they had been eliminated in Rhamal and found no evidence that any had escaped to move elsewhere.”

  Celdorn took another gulp of wine, hoping it would ease the pain that now hammered in his head. “I believe, and am more convinced with each passing day, that we didn’t come upon this girl in the woods by happenstance. We were meant to find her. We have discovered that she is gifted in many of the ways of the Alraphim, though her skills are not yet developed or within her control, and her heart is full of light, which seems to me a miracle given her history. I believe she is key to stopping the advancement of Anakh and her eidola, who, from what we were told by other prisoners, include five mortal males from various races scattered in different regions, in addition to the six women of whom you spoke. The Jhadhela has chosen Elena and is empowering her for the battle. Our job is to protect her and join in the war with the Zhekhum.”

  There was a knock on the
hallway door, and Giyon peeked in. “Lord Celdorn? I’m sorry to interrupt, but I have a message for you.”

  “Enter.”

  Giyon eyed the visitors as he moved toward the head of the table.

  “You may speak freely.”

  The guard eased his stance. “Dahmid asked me to report that yesterday, during the morning perimeter check, the guards found the tracks of lions outside the curtain wall.”

  “We have lions around quite often, and they never bother us. Why is this noteworthy?”

  “This morning more tracks were found, but these were inside your private courtyard, with indications that several of the cats had leapt onto your balcony,” Giyon added. “This is odd behavior for lions. In addition, they believe they’ve counted the distinct tracks of seven, which is far more than we ever see near the castle.”

  Elbrion swung around to look at Giyon, his light pulsing erratically. “Are you sure it was seven?”

  “Yes, sir. Dahmid consulted Hamor who is expert in tracking. He was definite that there were seven unique sets of paw prints.”

  “Celdorn, this is curious.” Elbrion’s face filled with wonder. “I have not discussed with you what occurred inside Elena’s mind on the day we honored the dead because I did not wish to shame her, but I believe there is a connection.”

  “I know that Haldor carried her to the guard tower because she was overwhelmed and that you followed.”

  “Yes. At that point, Elena had escaped inside her mind, and I followed her. What she had done was truly amazing. She had constructed an internal image of the glen in remarkable detail, except that only she and the dead were present. I found her atop one of the pyres bargaining with the light to take her life in exchange for the fallen. While she was up there, six lionesses appeared, bounding down the mountainside. As things progressed, another lioness, three times the size of the others and as black as night, stepped forth from a dark cloud. Many things happened, but in the end the large lioness attacked me and was preparing to kill me when Elena finally found the strength to send it away.”

  Giyon’s mouth dropped open as he listened. “I-I failed to mention,” he said, voice now shaking, “Hamor told me the tracks were from female cats, except for one set, which was larger than any male print he’d ever seen.”

  “But this was all inside her mind, was it not?” Celdorn asked.

  “Yes,” Elbrion replied, “but like the key we found in her pocket, what is inside Elena’s mind seems to have the ability to take on tangible form. I have no doubt that had she or I been fatally wounded during the events in her inner world, we would have ceased to exist in this one as well.”

  Celdorn pressed on his temples as light danced around the edges of his vision. “How is that possible?”

  “I can only speculate for I am no expert, but it would seem this is part of the gifting of the Alraphim. The images they create are as real as the things in the material world. When they project themselves in a different form, we can see and touch that form. It is as real and solid as this table.” He pounded his fist on the wood. “If they create a key, it can materialize and be found in their pocket.”

  “So you’re saying Elena created these lionesses in her mind, but they have now entered into our world.”

  “I think it is more complicated than that,” Elbrion replied. “I do not believe Elena created them.”

  “But didn’t you just say that they first appeared inside her mind?”

  “Yes, and she had full control in that sense, but I believe her mind was being invaded by an outside force, by someone else who has these same giftings.”

  “Someone like Anakh?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is it not significant that there were seven lionesses, one larger than the others and darker?” Haldor asked.

  “I was thinking the same,” Elbrion said.

  “So you believe Anakh and the other six survivors of the Alraphim entered into Elena’s mind to attack her and when cast out followed her into our world?” Celdorn asked.

  “I know it sounds implausible, but what other explanation do we have for the sudden appearance of seven sets of female lion tracks shortly after this event inside Elena’s mind?”

  “I can’t explain it,” Celdorn replied, shaking his head. “So does this mean that Anakh has found a way to get close to Elena, and she and her subordinates are in the guise of lionesses awaiting opportunity to attack?”

  “That would be a reasonable assumption.”

  Vasor, one of the men from Dussendor, leaned forward in his seat, a scowl wrinkling his forehead. “I’m sorry if I am speaking out of turn, but this sounds ludicrous. You want us to believe these women, who come from a nearly extinct ancient race, can manipulate people’s minds, take on the form of lions inside the mind of another woman from their race, and are now prowling around outside this keep, waiting to kill this young woman, who is really nothing more than a pleasure girl—a sex slave.” Celdorn bristled and Elbrion stiffened at his words. Vasor looked around at the others. “Does no one else find this beyond reason?”

  Elbrion’s light pulsed erratically. “This is our daughter to whom you refer. Please, watch your words.”

  Vasor blushed and looked down. “I beg your pardon, Prince Elbrion.”

  He remained rigid, not quite ready to grant it. “As to your objection, do you have an alternate explanation?”

  The young Guardian shrugged. “Perhaps that lions are just lions prowling around outside the keep.”

  Celdorn intervened. “Vasor, I can understand your skepticism, and I would be inclined to agree with you if it were not for the events of the last weeks when the unimaginable has become a blatant reality and the implausible, a tangible truth. I don’t have time to recount the events we have witnessed and the miracles that have occurred. Our minds and our faith have been stretched to near breaking time and again, so I cannot now discount what seems so unreasonable an explanation, for the cost is too high. I will not risk more lives by simply dismissing the ludicrous.”

  Vasor lowered his head. “I bow to your wisdom, Celdorn. I’m sorry if I misspoke.”

  “No need for apology,” Celdorn replied. “I’m not a leader who needs to be coddled or placated. We’re all trying to understand difficult, confusing events, and though I may not change my course, I welcome your input.”

  “Celdorn, Elbrion, if this is Anakh and the others, what is keeping them at bay?” Mikaelin asked.

  Celdorn deferred to Elbrion.

  “Perhaps it is Elena herself who is holding them back.”

  “Excuse my bluntness, but that child seems afraid of her own shadow,” Mikard said. “How could she possibly resist these forces?”

  “It may appear so, and yet she has survived seventeen years among them and has managed to escape from their grasp,” Elbrion said, his light intensifying again. “This child, as you call her, has more endurance than most of us in this room and strength of a kind that goes beyond weapons and physique, the extent of which we have yet to discover.”

  “Let us not discount the protection of the Jhadhela or the combined strength of those who serve the Jhadhela in this place,” Haldor added. “Anakh is powerful, but she is not omnipotent. She and her followers must have points of weakness; we just need to discover what they are.”

  Celdorn turned to Giyon. “In the meantime, the men need to be warned to use caution when moving around outside. No guard should patrol alone, and no one should travel outside the curtain wall, especially at night. In addition, I want a guard set outside the terrace doors and around my courtyard. Will you see to this, Giyon?”

  “Yes, Lord Celdorn, I will do so immediately.” He turned and left.

  “Let’s take a break.” Celdorn turned to Mikard. “We will resume our meeting this afternoon. I will send for you and your men when we are ready to continue.”

  As they rose, Mikard approached Celdorn. “May I have your permission to visit Keymar in the dungeon? I am concerned for him. He is only twen
ty and has suffered a severe loss. I don’t want his spirit to break.”

  Celdorn massaged his neck as he considered. “Do you believe it’s possible for him to recover and pledge himself as a Guardian again, if given the opportunity?”

  “I can’t answer that as yet. His state is fragile. He was the youngest of the three brothers and idolized the older two. He feels great guilt over having survived.”

  “How did he survive?”

  “He had his sword with him; his brothers did not. They were working in the fields; he was practicing with his weapon when he should have been helping. He heard the creatures attack and came to their aid, but it was too late. Afterward, he was inconsolable. I brought him with us in hopes that a different environment might help… and I wanted to watch over him.” Mikard gave an embarrassed half-grin.

  As Mikard spoke, Celdorn felt a pang of empathy. “I would like to accompany you,” Celdorn said quietly.

  Mikard startled. “I-I am not sure he will be ready to humble himself just yet, Lord Celdorn.”

  Celdorn was quiet for a moment. “I didn’t ask because I expect that of him. I have lived through similar circumstances, and I want to offer what support and compassion I can as someone once did for me when I was broken and saw no light,” he said, tears burning in his eyes.

  Mikard bowed his head. “I was unaware. I am grateful for your offer, my Lord.”

  “I will return shortly,” Celdorn called to Elbrion and the others.

  The two walked swiftly through the halls of Kelach. Celdorn lost in memories, and Mikard honoring his silence.

  Chapter 35

  Celdorn stooped as he entered through the low, arched doorway. He covered his nose, assaulted by the dank smell of mold mixed with urine and excrement. “Keymar?”

  No reply.