Dark Times

by Brian Murray

  The others on top of the mound increased the size of the hole so that entry into the tunnel was made easier.

  The scraping noise within the cavern increased. More and more Solus gathered. “Captain!” called one of the axe-wielders by the burning bodies.

  Jamie turned and saw that the pile of Solus’ bodies was burning down. The bodies were fast to ignite but also burnt away very quickly. He called down some of his men and they reformed the defensive arc around the mound.

  Soon, the once blazing pile of bodies turned into a glowing heap of cinders spitting out small orange embers.

  The Solus attacked once more.

  ***

  Dax took a torch and entered the cramped tunnel. He slithered through on all fours, holding the blazing torch in front of him. He reached the end of the cave-in and twisted his body, sliding down on his knees. He landed at the bottom with a thud, letting go of the torch. He peered up, pushing to his feet. In front of the warrior, his torch rose into the air . . . Dax drew his axes.

  ***

  Outside the tunnel, the axe-wielders held off the swarming Solus. As well as axes, the men used blazing torches to keep the creatures at bay. A few of the creatures jumped over the pile of cinder and ash to attack the men. Some of the Solus were killed as they jumped, but a few landed on the axe-wielders. Once on the axe-wielders, the Solus sank their sharp teeth into the men’s necks, arms, legs; any flesh. Blood plumed from wounds and men fell screaming. The remorseless creatures started to drop from the ceiling. Some of the Solus’ bodies shattered as they landed on the ground, while others landed on soft flesh. More and more joined in the attack and it rained bodies. This new ploy initially caught the men off guard, but soon they defended themselves against the diving Solus.

  The Solus’ scraping noise, mixed with the snapping of bones and the screaming of dying men, filled the cavern. The jumble of sounds was horrendous as they bounced off the confined cavern, multiplying the sound. Try as they might, the fighting men could not block out the sounds of death.

  CHAPTER 20

  In the tunnel, Dax hefted his death-dealers, waiting for an attack.

  “Dax, it is I, Tucci,” said the Chosen’s son, holding the torch close to illuminate his face.

  “I cannot believe I’m going to say this, but it’s damn good to see you,” said Dax honestly, exhaling deeply.

  “And you,” replied the once-Prince.

  Dax turned to face the hole leading to the cavern and called, “Come through! It’s clear.” He turned to Tucci. “It is, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. I’ve scouted ahead and there are no more cave-ins.”

  “Good,” said Dax, the relief obvious in his voice, and shouted back for the others to come through.

  Back in the cavern, Zane heard the good news and smiled his crooked smile. Something, finally, had gone their way. He looked back at the axe-wielders fighting for their lives. How the hell are we all going to get out? thought the young king. He slid down the rubble and reached Captain Jamie as he decapitated another Solus.

  “Captain Jamie, the tunnel is clear!” shouted Zane over the clamour of fighting and death.

  “Good. I will have to fight a rear-guard to get the men out. Lead the men through the tunnel and we will join you shortly.”

  Zane nodded as Captain Jamie killed another Solus. Zane climbed back up the mound and started ordering the men through the tunnel. Men streamed through the tunnel to safety. Thade reached the hole. “After you, Zane.”

  “No Thade, this time I stay with the men.”

  “That’s not wise.”

  “I stay with my men,” insisted the young king. “Now move.”

  Thade nodded at Zane, then slithered into the tunnel. Zane noticed the man’s leg was covered in blood. He stopped Tanas following the former gladiator. “Tanas, make sure Dax looks at Thade’s leg when he gets through.”

  Tanas nodded and entered the tunnel.

  Next came Rayth. “You staying, boy?”

  “Yes. This time I stay with my men.”

  “Good. I will stay with you. No bloody arguments, my daughter told me to make sure you make it.”

  Soon most of the men had crawled through the tunnel. The only ones left in the cavern were the axe-wielders, fighting the front line. Zane and Rayth skidded down the rock pile.

  “Now!” called Zane to the fighting men.

  Captain Jamie called the retreat. As one, the axe-wielders started stepping backwards. Jamie threw a torch into the fresh pile of Solus. The corpses ignited instantly and started to blaze, crackling and snapping, spitting out embers.

  “Now move it!” hollered Jamie. Several men simultaneously threw their torches over the pile of burning bodies, then scrambled up the mound. They harnessed their axes and quickly slithered into the tunnel, some literally diving into the inky black shaft. Captain Jamie and five other axe-wielders protected the men’s backs.

  “Now you go through!” called Captain Jamie to Zane.

  “No,” refused Zane.

  “Move, your Highness, or my dead will be gone for nothing!” growled Captain Jamie—an order, not a request.

  Zane gazed across the cavern at all of the dead axe-wielders, said a quick silent prayer to the Divine One, and entered the tunnel, closely followed by Rayth.

  The pile of bodies began to burn down. “Move it, men!” shouted Jamie. The last of his men scrambled up the debris pile and entered the tunnel. Captain Jamie was the last man in the cavern. He harnessed his axe on his back and picked up two torches.

  Stepping up the mound backwards, the captain of the axe-wielders defended himself, swinging his torches wildly. A stone clunked against the axe-wielder’s helm, knocking it free. He did not stop. He killed three more Solus. The skeletal creatures swarmed around the lonely figure, forming a dense arc of seething bodies edging forward.

  “Come on, you evil whoresons. I am Captain Jamie of the Axe-wielders. Is that all you’ve got? Bring it on!”

  A spear slammed into Jamie’s leg, impaling the middle of his thigh. He grunted but showed no pain. Another spear grazed his shoulder, causing him to drop one of his torches. Now the Solus clambered along the walls towards the warrior. Jamie backed up along the rubble and reached the tunnel entrance. It was now or never.

  Jamie gritted his teeth, reached down, and pulled the spear out of his thigh. He dropped the bloodied weapon onto the debris, sucking in a lungful of air to prevent himself passing out from the pain. The captain stepped forward and swung his torch in front of him, causing the Solus to step back. Swiftly, he threw the torch into the front rank of Solus, setting three creatures alight. In one motion, the axe-wielder spun around and dived into the tunnel. Using his forearms, Jamie pulled himself through the shaft as quickly as he could. He felt something tug at his ankles. He kicked out, freeing his legs and stopping the creatures from trying to pull him back into the cavern. For the first time, in the darkness, the axe-wielder felt his panic rising. Then he saw light at the other end of the narrow, slippery tunnel. One minute Captain Jamie was crawling on all fours, the next, he slid down a slope and landed at his men’s feet. A cheer of relief went up when the captain gingerly rose to his feet.

  Jamie smiled at his men. “What’s all the noise for? You think those little creatures can stop an axe-wielder?”

  The men cheered again.

  “Before we look after the injured, let’s have a silent moment for our fallen brethren,” said Zane, as he and Rayth awaited Captain Jamie at the end of the tunnel.

  They all bowed their heads and the tunnel was totally silent, as the axe-wielders thought of their fallen friends and comrades. Beyond the tunnel, the Solus’ scraping sounds slowly faded.

  Suddenly, the sound increased. The first Solu appeared in the tunnel and dived at the men, sinking its conical teeth into a warrior’s neck. The man screamed, a gurgling sound as blood bubbled in his throat. Instantly, Rayth leapt forward and grabbed the Solu. The creature released its grip on the dying man and bucked v
iolently to free itself. With a mighty roar, Rayth pulled his arms back. The sound of splintering bones erupted as the former axe-wielder snapped the creature in half, dropping the motionless body at his feet. More Solus swarmed into the tunnel. Five axe-wielders formed a line and started hacking at the creatures.

  “Pull down the roof!” yelled Jamie, pulling free his axe from its harness. He started to prod at the ceiling. More men joined their captain. Sand, then stone and rocks started tumbling from the ceiling.

  “Stand clear!” yelled Jamie. His men rapidly retreated, leaving Jamie to finish his work. A low rumble followed, then a thunderous crash as the ceiling collapsed and black dust filled the tunnel, washing over the men like a wave. Silence. The men stared, listening, waiting. Captain Jamie appeared and the warriors nearby cheered.

  After a couple of minutes, Zane, Rayth, and Captain Jamie walked through the tunnel, to locate Dax and the others. They arrived to find Thade receiving treatment for a cut to the leg, whilst the others were talking.

  “Dax,” called Zane.

  Dax stalked up to the young king and grabbed him by the jerkin, pulling him close. “If I hear you ever do something so stupid again, I will crack your head!”

  “But . . . Dax . . . ” pleaded Zane.

  “Do not ‘but Dax’ me, Zane. You are the one above all who needs to survive this. Remember that next time you do something so damn stupid.”

  Zane bowed his head, nodded to the older warrior, and strolled off to sit on his own.

  “You did not have to be that hard on the boy, Dax,” snapped Rayth harshly.

  “You are just as bad, you idiot,” replied Dax. “That boy is the only reason these men are dying. Without him this is all pointless and you know that, Rayth.”

  “Yes, I do!” roared Rayth with venom, “but he wanted to stay with the men because they were dying for him. He wanted to be there for his men.”

  Dax turned and looked at Zane, who sat on his own with his head bowed, rubbing his hands together. Dax walked to the young king and sat down, taking a calming breath.

  “What you did was a brave act, Zane. But remember you’re important, not just here but back at home. I am not going to see you killed whilst I am breathing.”

  “Dax, I had to stay with them. They were dying for me. I didn’t want them to think I would run out on them. I wanted to show them that I would stand beside them. It’s something I had to do Dax, you understand?” asked Zane, looking directly into Dax’s violet eyes.

  “Yes, Zane, I understand,” said Dax, patting the younger man’s knee, then using it for leverage to stand up.

  The injured were treated and Captain Jamie made a count. He reported to Dax that they had about eight hundred men able to fight. Dax was astonished by how many men they had lost in the cavern. He turned to Tucci.

  “Can you get us out of these damned tunnels?”

  “Yes, it’s this way,” he said, pointing away from the cavern down another utterly black tunnel.

  “Captain, get your men ready. Let’s move out.”

  Soon, the men were marching through the tunnels towards Yallaz’oom.

  ***

  The Wraith Hounds remained on course towards Thade’s home. The scent of the Children of the Light grew stronger and the hounds moved with greater urgency. They loped over rolling green hills at a steady yet relentless pace, travelling day and night. Their hunger for the Children of the Lights’ blood drove them on with a maddening yearning. The beasts were about a day and a half away from their prey—and closing in quickly.

  ***

  Gan-Goran grew more and more anxious about the five men. Their bodies were being kept alive by magic and he had needed to increase the power of the spell twice. The men’s bodies were eating and drinking, so he knew their souls survived, but they had been gone for a long time. He relit a fire and sat cross-legged the other side of the blaze, opposite the bodies. He closed his eyes and rested. The old master-magiker had slept sporadically since he put the men in the trance and now he felt exhausted. Opening his eyes, Gan-Goran saw Thade’s body twitch, and blood started to ooze through his leggings. Swiftly, he moved around the fire and cut away part of Thade’s leggings, then cleaned and bound the wound in his thigh.

  They are now fighting someone or something, thought the old man. He said a silent prayer to the Divine One for the men’s safe return. After tending to Thade’s gash, the old man strengthened the cloaking spell, then lay down to sleep. His slumber was fitful and after an hour he woke, feeling more tired. He rose, added fuel to the fire, and continued his vigil.

  ***

  General Gordonia ensured all of the surrounding villages had been evacuated and the people brought into the white city or sent to the safety of the coast. The Chosen, in the meantime, visited Platos several times and the two men finalised the defences. More scouts returned, bringing news of the army marching towards them. The Chosen was informed that the force would be within sight of the city in less than a day.

  ***

  The Rhaurien fleet gathered at the port of Sandall. Scouts had been sent to find Zane, taking their message, while Admiral Rendel organised the loading of the last supplies. Satisfied everything seemed in order, he left the town at dawn and a launch took him to his ship, the Gliding Falcon. Admiral Rendel stood on deck, looking towards the town, while his launch was secured. His eyes focused beyond the town at the rolling green hills of the Kingdom. He said a silent prayer for Zane’s safe return before heading down to his cabin. Shortly, he returned in his sailing clothes and walked up to his captain.

  “Your launch is secured, sir,” announced the captain.

  “Good.”

  “We’re ready to sail.”

  “And the fleet?”

  “All have signalled they’re ready to sail.”

  Admiral Rendel took one last look at Sandall. For some reason, he had the dreaded thought he may never see the town again. Quickly, he snapped out of his melancholy mood. “Captain, set sail. We sail for Calcaloin.”

  “Aye, aye sir,” replied his captain, who started barking out orders.

  Within an hour, the Gliding Falcon led the way out of the port, followed by most of the Rhaurien fleet.

  ***

  In the Mines of Moranton, the company made quick time through the dank black tunnels towards Yallaz’oom. As Tucci had advised the men, the temperature eased as they moved away from the mountain’s core, but it was still very warm and humid. The supply of torches was running low since their exploits in the cavern against the Solus, so they were used sparingly.

  Things went from bad to worse. The injured axe-wielders began to suffer. The stagnant foul air and polluted water within the mines was quickly corrupting the men’s wounds. It began as an annoying itch, but quickly developed into unbearably intense pain, gnawing at the men. Putrid wounds, even shallow cuts and grazes, festered, forming large pus-filled boils that grew, as their bodies began to shrivel.

  When a fever took hold, harrowing screams started. The shrieks filled the dank tunnels and sounded like they felt—of death. Stabbing pains, like hot irons thrust into the infected men’s stomachs, caused them to double over, now unable to continue marching. Before the boils erupted, their stomachs contracted. Streams of crimson speckled vomit gushed from the men, splattering noisily against the walls and floor. The stench from the steaming, viscous slop mixed with the nauseating foulness of the mines, causing others’ stomachs to heave, even the healthy. When pungent yellowy-green pus spewed from split boils, the end was thankfully close, but not close enough. The men died in screaming delirium, the end even more painful than the beginning. And there was nothing the healers could do to help as more perished.

  Captain Jamie and Thade were no exception and light fevers started to rise within them, but both men were strong of body and mind so continued on. Morale started to wane as more men dropped out of the line and death screams continuously filled the tunnels, echoing in the blackness. The deaths stabbed at the surviving men like
a blade to the heart. The legendary axe-wielders were not afraid of dying. Dying in battle with their axes in their hands was an honour for these men, but dying from a maddening fever scared them. Whimpering like babies as burning pus coursed through their veins, eating away their flesh, terrified the uninjured men.

  A sergeant, who had received a slash across his thigh during the fighting with the Solus, asked Captain Jamie to help him kill himself if he got the fever. The man was Jamie’s friend; they had joined the ranks of the axe-wielders together. They had fought side-by-side in many skirmishes against the Kharnacks, and stood together at the Southern Pass protecting each other’s back. When the man felt the burning growing inside, he called Captain Jamie to him.

  “How goes it?” asked Jamie as he helped his friend sit up. But he already knew the answer.

  “Not good,” replied Sergeant Bowam, licking his dry, cracked lips. “I need your help.”

  Jamie crouched down before his friend and forced a smile. He had an inclination what Bowam was about to ask. “Anything . . . ”

  Bowam produced a stout dagger, his hand shaking. “You remember this dagger? You got it from . . . ”

  “. . . That thief in Mazdar,” added Jamie, smiling at the memory. The two teenagers had just joined the army and thought themselves invincible. They were leaving a tavern late one evening and found a man scaling a garden wall. The pair had challenged the thief, who produced the dagger and threatened them. Jamie and Bowam had just laughed and apprehended the thief. They had handed him and the jewels over to the City Watch, but Jamie had kept the dagger, which he had given to his friend.

  “Jamie, I have the fever and do not want to die like a whimpering child. I am an axe-wielder. I would die like a soldier, with a weapon in my hand.”

  Jamie looked into his friend’s eyes and saw fear there—and courage. He knelt on one knee and nodded.

  “Thank you.”

  Jamie wrapped his hands around Bowam’s, so they both held the dagger.

  “You remember the time at Calamdar and those whores?” asked Bowman, his voice barely more than a whisper, his eyelids fluttering.