The Sword Of Angels eog-3

by John Marco

  ‘He’s inside it,’ he said, putting up his hand to feel the cold, almost imperceptible breeze coming from it. ‘It’s just like when he came to us in Roall.’

  Gilwyn stepped closer to the armour, feeling dwarfed by its enormity. He had practiced what he would say, and for a week he had done his best to anger the demon. Now it was time to draw him forth. Suddenly, all the fear that had accompanied him down the staircase gathered on his shoulders. His mouth went dry. Summoning his courage, he folded his arms over his chest.

  ‘I’ve been waiting for you,’ he said. ‘Why haven’t you come to me?’

  The armour pulsed quietly atop its dais.

  ‘You’ve been watching me, I know. You’ve been listening. I’m surprised you haven’t tried to stop me yet.’

  Still, Kahldris was silent. Gilwyn began to circle the dais as he spoke.

  ‘When you came to me in Roall you said you wanted something from me. But now you don’t, do you? I figured it out, Kahldris. It took me a while, but now I understand. The catalogue is useless to you now. Your brother is already on his way. That’s why Thorin hasn’t been pushing me to learn it anymore. It’s too late. You wanted to find your brother but Lukien found him first.’

  Almost imperceptibly, the breeze from the armour grew. The metal glowed a little hotter.

  ‘Yes, you are listening, aren’t you?’ Gilwyn smiled mockingly. ‘Why don’t you come and face me, Kahldris? Are you afraid? I’ve never had someone be afraid of me before. To be honest it feels pretty good!’

  Gilwyn, be careful, advised Ruana.

  But Gilwyn continued, ‘You know I’m getting to Thorin. I’m reaching him, Kahldris.’ He paused in front of the armour, staring up into the glowing eyes of the helmet. ‘That’s what you’re afraid of, isn’t it? You’re afraid I’m going to win. That’s why you haven’t come after me, because you know Thorin wouldn’t allow it. You’re not in control of him after all!’

  Again the armour seethed, the light bending as the metal flexed.

  ‘I’ve been telling everyone what a coward you are. They couldn’t believe it at first, but now they’re seeing that they don’t have to be afraid of you. You don’t control them anymore, either. They have you locked down here in this cellar like some rusty old tool. You might never see the light of day again!’

  That, at last, was enough to make the demon snap. The fleshless armour exploded to life, jumping down from the dais. Shocked, Gilwyn turned toward the exit, but the armour beat him there, clanking across the floor to block his out. The death’s head helmet leered at him as the metal feet stalked forward. Gilwyn backed away, wild-eyed as he stared at the possessed thing. The one hand came up, making a shaking fist, and suddenly a horrid laugh ripped from the mouthpiece.

  ‘Do you want me, boy?’ it taunted. ‘Here I am!’

  The hand went up to pull away the helmet, revealing the visage of the withered Kahldris. Just as he had been in Marn, his face was old and leathery, topped with long white hair and fixed with two blazing eyes that pinned Gilwyn in place. Kahldris opened his mouth to hiss his curses, showing his rows of yellow teeth.

  ‘You are a damnable little troll, Gilwyn Toms. Why have you come here, you lying shit-eater?’

  Gilwyn stayed his ground, managing to hold the demon’s gaze. ‘At last you have the stones to face me.’ He faked his own mocking laugh. ‘So now, what will you do to me?’

  ‘Shall I tear you into bits and eat you? Shall I spill your guts to the floor? There are a thousand things I could do to you.’

  ‘No, there’s nothing you can do,’ countered Gilwyn. ‘Because if you did, you’d lose your host. And you’re nothing without your host, Kahldris.’

  Kahldris clamoured one stop closer. ‘You value yourself too highly, boy.’

  ‘I don’t think so,’ Gilwyn challenged. ‘I’ve figured you out, Kahldris.’

  The demon’s face creased angrily. ‘Do not presume to frighten me.’

  ‘But I do! You’re scared of me,’ said Gilwyn, refusing to back away. ‘You should have killed me back on that farm in Roall, before Thorin ever had a chance to see me again. Now it’s too late. You’ve seen how he cares about me. If anything were to happen to me, he’d know who to blame.’

  Kahldris cocked his head, his lips feigning a pout. ‘Oh, thank you, boy,’ he crooned, his voice sickly-sweet. ‘Your warning warms my heart. Have you not seen how the baron does my bidding? He is mine, body and soul.’

  ‘No, not anymore. He’s changing. And you can’t stand that, because then all your plans for revenge will be finished, and you’ll have to go back to living in a cage.’

  Kahldris’ face began to boil. ‘Why are you here?’ he demanded.

  ‘To put you on notice, demon. I’m done being afraid of you. I’m going to keep telling everyone what you really are, and I’m going to show Thorin that he doesn’t need you. He’s remembering the man he used to be!’

  ‘Do that, and you will pay,’ spat Kahldris.

  ‘You can’t hurt me, Kahldris.’ Gilwyn relaxed, sure of his hunch. ‘If you do, you’ll lose everything.’

  Kahldris smiled. ‘You are tasking me. But let’s not play this game. Tell me what you want. It is something, surely. Something you want me to reveal, perhaps?’

  His guess unbalanced Gilwyn. Feigning disinterest, Gilwyn shrugged. ‘You’re not going to reveal anything you don’t want to,’ he said casually. He turned and rounded the dais again. ‘Anyway, I think you know you’re in trouble. Your brother is on his way, and you can’t stop him. You wanted me to help you find him, and now it’s too late.’

  ‘I will deal with my brother,’ Kahldris rumbled. ‘Happily.’

  ‘You’ll have to, because he’s coming. And until you do you won’t be able to have your revenge on the other Akari.’

  ‘But I have patience, Gilwyn Toms! Don’t you know? I have been entombed for eternity. I can wait.’ Kahldris put his gauntlet to his heartless chest. ‘And what will happen to your precious White-Eye then, do you think?’

  Gilwyn saw his move and countered. ‘You may kill her, I know that. But it’s the same problem. Anything more you do to her will hurt me, and Thorin wouldn’t like that.’

  Kahldris snorted. ‘You are very brave. And stupid. You may not be afraid of me, boy, but you should be.’

  Gilwyn shook his head. ‘Nope, no longer. I’m here to tell you that the challenge is on, Kahldris. From now on I’m going to do my best to win back Thorin’s soul. I’m not leaving him. Who knows? By the time your brother Malator gets here, Thorin might already be rid of you.’

  ‘Stop talking about my brother, you wretched imp!’

  ‘Look at you,’ Gilwyn taunted. ‘You’re afraid of him, too. Why?’

  ‘You horrible little toad. .’

  ‘Everyone says what a powerful summoner you were, what a great general! I don’t believe them. You can’t be all those things and still be so afraid of a single Akari!’

  Before Gilwyn saw it, the metal hand shot out and struck him hard across the face. He fell backward, skidding along the floor, his head striking the dais. Dazed, he looked up into Kahldris’ maddened face, and knew he’d hit the right note. With a grimace of pain he touched his crushed lip.

  ‘Go on,’ he said, staggering to his feet. ‘Hit me again!’

  This time, Kahldris backed away. ‘Do not speak of my brother.’

  ‘Why? What’s he going to do to you? Why can’t you beat him?’

  Kahldris was about to erupt, then stopped himself. His eyes turned to shrewd little slivers. ‘Oh, you clever little boy.’ He clenched his fist, holding back his rage. ‘Now I see what you’ve been up to. The library hasn’t been much of a help to you either, has it?’

  Gilwyn smirked. ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘You’ve been trying to find a way to defeat me, but you haven’t yet. And you won’t, because there is no way. I am indestructible!’

  ‘I don’t believe you,’ said Gilwyn. ‘Your brother has
the means.’

  ‘Then you’ll just have to wait for him,’ snarled the demon. ‘Because I won’t help you.’

  Gilwyn knew his ploy was over. Angry, he stepped up to the Akari. ‘You’re still being challenged, Kahldris. I may not find a way to beat you, but I may not have to.’

  ‘Do not talk against me to the baron, boy,’ Kahldris warned. ‘I have other ways to harm you.’

  Gilwyn began to walk past him. ‘I’m not listening to your threats anymore.’

  Kahldris put out his arm to block him. ‘You should listen,’ he said with a grin. ‘I can turn you inside out with fear.’

  For a moment Gilwyn paused, remembering Ruana’s warnings. He had seen what Kahldris had done to White-Eye, driving her madly into the desert, chasing a phantom that didn’t exist.

  ‘Good-bye, Kahldris,’ said Gilwyn calmly. ‘You can battle me for Thorin’s soul, but you’ll lose.’

  The demon lowered his arm for Gilwyn to pass. ‘Don’t forget what I’ve said here tonight. Don’t forget that it’s you who’ve challenged me.’

  The lantern burned on the floor, beckoning Gilwyn. Kahldris stepped aside. The armour would find its way back to the dais, Gilwyn knew, and no one else would know what had happened between them. Sure that he’d let a cobra out of its basket, Gilwyn picked up his lantern and left the chamber.

  69

  Gilwyn blew the dust off the row of books, smiling as he read the titles printed along the spines. Carefully balanced on his step stool, the branches of a birch tree tapping at his window, he ran his fingers lovingly along the top of the manuscripts, comforted by their permanence. The library had been destroyed and then rebuilt, but the words within its books were forever, and Gilwyn took care with them now that he was home again, treating them as though they were his own precious children. Tucked in his belt rested a feather duster, dirty from the morning’s work. He had spent hours alone in the rotunda, cleaning up the debris that had settled on the woodwork and books from all the recent construction. Once, the rotunda had been the library’s grandest reading room, and had been remarkably unscathed during the bombardment from Norvan catapults. Under Thorin’s direction, the wood paneling and plaster ceilings had all been carefully restored of cracks and blemishes, and nearly all of the books and manuscripts remained, just as they had been when Figgis was alive.

  For Gilwyn, his work in the library was a joy, one he had never dared hope to have again during his long stay in Jador. He awoke early this morning, eager to return to the huge chore of getting the library back in order. If it was to ever reopen to the public — which was Thorin’s promise — it needed to not only be repaired, but also restocked and returned to its original order, and only Gilwyn knew how to do that. Figgis had taught him much in their years together, and Gilwyn remembered everything. Whenever a book was out of place, he knew exactly where it belonged. And so he worked diligently but carefully, using his stool to reach the higher ledges as best he could and wishing his friend Teku could help him. In the days when Gilwyn had been Figgis’ apprentice, the little monkey had helped the crippled boy with everything, even fetched books off the highest shelves. She had been given to Gilwyn by Figgis, but she was always meant to be more than a pet. She was more than a friend, even. Teku had made the challenge of working in the giant library a possibility for Gilwyn, and even seemed to sense his moods and needs. As his eyes absently scanned the shelves, Gilwyn thought about Teku. He

  missed the little beast, just as he missed everyone in Jador.

  His mind began to wander.

  Another week had passed since he had confronted Kahldris in the cellars. Despite the demon’s dire pledges, it had been a wonderful seven days. Kahldris had remained quiet and aloof, allowing Gilwyn to continue bad-mouthing him, and Thorin gradually continued his slow-climb back to normalcy, taking interest in the small things in life again. He and Gilwyn continued to go riding almost every morning, and each night before he went to sleep Gilwyn made sure to spend an hour or so with the baron, usually playing cards or sampling from Lionkeep’s wine stores. Ruana continued to caution Gilwyn about Kahldris, but even she was forced to admit that the Akari’s threats had baffled her. He had done nothing to harm anyone, and soon Ruana, too, began to believe Gilwyn’s claims that they were untouchable.

  Heartened by the recent events, Gilwyn spent more and more time in the library, imagining himself at the helm of the great edifice. When he had arrived in Koth, Thorin had offered the job to him, saying that the library needed him. It did, Gilwyn knew, but he still had a life and a lover to return to in Jador. Nevertheless, he daydreamed about remaining in Koth and reopening the grand ‘Cathedral of Knowledge,’ returning both the city and its icon to its glory days. How proud would his mother be to see him now, he wondered? She expected great things from him. Before she died, she had told him to reach for the stars.

  Gilwyn pulled the duster from his belt, stretching to feather the higher books. Had he disappointed his mother? He thought so. But then, everyone in Koth was disappointed, because the city had fallen into ruin over the years, breaking all the dreams of it populace. The young face of Gilwyn’s mother burned brightly in his memory, and he held it while he dusted, unaware of the melancholy smile curling his lips. She had died young but he remembered her perfectly, and the memory of her gentle touch was never far from his mind. Thinking of her now, his hand stilled. His eyes drifted blindly from the books, seeing nothing but the image of her smiling face.

  ‘Oh. .’

  He caught himself with a sigh, stepping down from his stool and laying his duster down on a shelf. He rarely felt alone in the huge library, but now the solitude of the place unnerved him. It was almost noon, he was sure, and he promised Thorin he would be back in Lionkeep for midday meal. He glanced around the rotunda, proud of the work he had done, and then glimpsed a tiny movement near one of the many long reading tables. He pivoted to see it better, catching sight of a bit of tawny fur. Still in his dream state, he grinned when he realized it was Teku.

  And then froze.

  Impossibly, unimaginably, Teku jumped from one table to another, stopping to chatter at him from across the room. The monkey who he’d left in Jador gave him her familiar grin of little teeth. Gilwyn barely breathed, trying to make sense of what was happening. His eyes scanned the chamber, but everything else was the same, without a hint of distortion.

  ‘Teku,’ he said softly. ‘You can’t be here.’

  As she always did, Teku gave her little monkey bark, then climbed up onto one of the shelves, wrapping her tail around a pole of wood to support herself. She dangled down from the long appendage, urging Gilwyn forward.

  ‘It’s not you,’ said Gilwyn. ‘It can’t be.’

  Teku frowned in annoyance. Always remarkably intelligent, her human-like expressions left no doubt to her thoughts. Pulling herself up again, she hopped to a bookshelf closer to the exit, then jumped up and down excitedly. In her language, that meant for Gilwyn to follow her, but Gilwyn shook his head.

  ‘Whatever you are, go away,’ he told her. He glanced around the rotunda. ‘Do you hear me, Kahldris? I know this is your doing. You’re in my mind.’

  Teku seemed not to hear him. The monkey leapt to the floor, clapped its tiny hands together, then loped out of the rotunda, looking back at him to follow. Her chattering went with her out into the hall, where she screeched for Gilwyn to come. Sure that he was being duped, Gilwyn nevertheless went after her. Ruana touched his mind instantly.

  Don’t, she urged. That’s not Teku.

  ‘I know,’ Gilwyn assured her.

  You’re doing just what Kahldris wants. Don’t follow her.

  Too curious to ignore the monkey, Gilwyn stepped out of the rotunda and into the corridor. Fleet-footed Teku was already well down the dim hall, but chattered happily when she saw Gilwyn following. Again she started off, heading down the corridor toward the private living chambers. The darkness of the hall gave Gilwyn some pause. He had spent very little time in that p
art of the library since returning, and still didn’t care to see the places where he and Figgis had lived. Teku, disappearing around a bend in the hall, called insistently for him to proceed.

  ‘What does he want?’ Gilwyn wondered. There was no sense of Kahldris in the air, yet he knew the spirit toyed with him.

  To frighten you.

  ‘With a monkey?’

  To Gilwyn it made no sense at all, and the puzzle of it propelled him down the hall. With Ruana’s cautions ringing in his mind, he hurried down the corridor after the monkey, catching glimpses of her as she continued rounding corners. Gilwyn’s clubbed foot ached in his special boot, trying gamely to keep up with her. Very quickly he was in the living area, a much less grand part of the library marked by plain stone walls and small, narrow chambers. This was where he had spent his adolescence, where he and Figgis had shared their lives, and the ghosts of the place were all around him suddenly, flooding him with memories. With only the light from the clouded windows to guide him, Gilwyn struggled to see where Teku had gone, peering into the many chambers to find her. Her chattering voice was coming from everywhere at once, and like a hall of mirrors the corridors all took on the same, confusing greyness. Gilwyn realized with dread that things were not exactly as they were before. The halls were impossibly narrow, and not because they’d been rebuilt. Just as he had when he’d come to Gilwyn in Roall, Kahldris was changing the landscape.

  ‘We should go,’ he told himself, but turning around did him no good at all, because the way he’d come was blocked. A wall that shouldn’t have been there had sprung up in seconds, and the only way out was forward. The panic of being trapped gripped Gilwyn. He forced himself to stay calm.

  Wait, said Ruana. He means to trap you, Gilwyn. This is a game, but you don’t have to play.

  ‘Don’t I? There’s no way out now.’