Chapter Fourteen
Karus stepped through the shattered door and was greeted by a small dark foyer, crammed with crates, small boxes, casks, amphorae, and sacks. Cobwebs crisscrossed their way from one side of the foyer to the other. He wrinkled his nose as he stepped inside. The air was stale and musty. The acrid stench of smoke from the blast was strong. A lot of dust was on the air. It tickled at his nose and he resisted a sneeze.
Pieces of the door lay scattered haphazardly across the floor. Karus paused a moment, surveying his surroundings before going any farther. The daylight from behind him lit up the interior with sufficient light to see. Beyond the foyer, a small hallway stretched out before him with a staircase at the end leading upward. There were four doors, two on either side of the hallway.
Karus turned his gaze and attention back to the foyer. He had the impression the entrance had been used to store supplies, possibly for the Warriors of Anagradoom. He went over to a small barrel coated in a carpet of dust and cobwebs. The top sat askew. He lifted it with his sword tip and peered inside. The barrel was empty, but he thought it might have once contained flour, as the bottom was coated in white. Though that could have been dust and old, dried mold.
The others filed inside behind him. No one said a word. It was as if they were afraid to speak. Tal’Thor brushed by Karus and tried one of the four doors along the corridor. At first, it refused to open. He threw a shoulder into it, and the door opened with a painful screech, ancient hinges protesting. One of the hinges gave off a tortured cracking sound, then gave way, breaking. The heavy wooden door came loose at the top and hung crazily at an angle. Tal’Thor stepped around it and into the room beyond. Karus moved over and, careful not to disturb the door further lest it completely come off the last hinge, he glanced inside. The room was good-sized and at one time had likely been used as a storeroom for weapons. Along the left wall there was an empty wooden rack. Stacked crates and boxes of various sizes had been placed before it and along the other walls, filling up much of the room.
“Stores, I believe,” Tal’Thor said, glancing back at him.
“That was my thinking, too,” Karus said, moving into the room.
“For your people?” Dennig peered into the room from behind.
“Yes,” Tal’Thor said. He stepped up to a box and lifted the top off. It was filled with what looked like small gray rocks. He picked one up and turned it over in a hand. “Bread.”
The elf tossed the small loaf to Karus. The bread had long since hardened and was more solid than hardtack. It was as if it had been made of cement. He dropped the hardened loaf to the floor, where it landed amidst the dust with a solid thud.
Out in the hallway, the hinges of another door squealed and screamed in outraged protest. Karus turned and stepped past Dennig. He found Amarra and Si’Cara opening a door. Karus moved over and saw that this room was similarly stacked with crates and casks. A check of the other rooms revealed the same. One was even filled with large amphorae.
“Think those are spirits of some kind?” Dennig asked, having taken a look at the amphorae. “Perhaps wine? The elves are known to make the finest of wines. Sadly, since they don’t take to others and play nice, elven wine is quite rare and expensive.”
“Whatever’s in there,” Karus said, “the contents have long since gone bad.”
“A pity,” Dennig said. “I hate to see good stuff going to waste. A wee little taste would help take the edge off, if you know what I mean.”
Karus could not help but agree with the dwarf. He sheathed his sword. This entire fortress was empty of people, or so it seemed. It was downright unnerving. He had no idea what had happened here and might never know. Whatever had occurred, it clearly wasn’t good. More concerning, he now knew there was some sort of enemy on its way. Perhaps it was the Dark Lord mentioned in the prophecy. Karus hoped not, but felt the strong urge to move things along. They were running out of time to find Rarokan.
He turned toward the stairs at the end of the hallway. He was surprised to discover that not only did they go up, but also down. An alcove had hidden the stairs that led downward into absolute darkness. This must have been the underground space Si’Cara had spoken about. Small slit windows lit the way up with a very dim light, but the stairs downward were dark and forbidding.
“Amarra,” Karus called, “can you bring your staff over?”
Amarra moved over to him and held her staff out. Together they peered down the stairs, the light of her staff growing, almost as if it sensed her need. The stairs leading downward were not only covered in dust, but also crisscrossed with webs, some nearly as thick as Karus’s index finger.
“I really don’t want to go down there,” Dennig said, peering down the stairs from between them. “Spiders and I … well, let’s just say we don’t get along.”
“Curious,” Tal’Thor said.
“What do you find curious?” Amarra asked, glancing over at the elf.
“We’ve not seen animals, or insects either, on the hill or in the fortress,” Tal’Thor said. “There were no tracks, nothing. Now, inside the keep we find evidence of spiders, and big ones too, judging by those webs.”
“If I had to make a guess, cave spiders made those.” Dennig shuddered. “I’ve killed more than my fair share of the nasty critters. They are ill-tempered, very venomous, and one of the things I truly detest about this world.”
“On that cheery note, let’s explore up before we go looking for more trouble than we already have,” Karus said, not wanting to meet the spiders that had spun those webs. “Perhaps what we seek will be found on the floors above.”
Tal’Thor looked as if he wanted to lead. Karus placed a restraining hand upon Tal’Thor’s chest and shook his head in the negative. It was time he shared some of the risks too. Karus started up the stairs, taking one slow and careful step at a time. The stone was covered over in dust and, with his hobnailed sandals, was somewhat slippery. The plaster on the walls had begun to crack and fragment, with large chunks having fallen off. The steps were littered with plaster. It crunched under his sandals. He wondered how long it had been since someone had made their way up the stairs. How many years had passed since the keep had known the tread of a foot?
A dozen steps brought him to a second floor. Another hallway, this one darkened and longer, greeted him. It was lit only by a dim bar of light that came from a slit window behind him on the landing. Like below, there were doors to either side. Karus counted eight in total, four on each side. At the far end of the hallway, there was another staircase that led upward.
The nearest door had come free of its hinges and landed on its side, leaning against the far wall. It partially blocked the hallway. Tal’Thor joined him. Amarra was next up the stairs. Her staff continued to glow brightly, driving back the darkness and illuminating the dust-filled hallway. Thankfully there was no sign of the thick spider webs, which hopefully meant no spiders. Some of the ceiling had come down and lay in chunks on the wooden floor.
Karus took a step forward, tentatively testing his weight upon the ancient wood. It creaked loudly, but held and seemed solid. He continued forward, mostly confident it would hold. Amarra moved past him to the first door, which lay on its side, and entered. Karus followed after her, looking into the room. It appeared to be someone’s quarters.
There was a rope bed with the remains of a blanket atop a thin mattress. The supports for the bed had collapsed, leaving the mattress, which appeared to have been stuffed with some sort of hair and was decaying and rotting away. In the corner were a chest and a pack of some sort. The fabric of the pack had mostly disintegrated, revealing the dust-covered contents that had once been carefully packed. These appeared to have been a camp blanket, a brush with a bone handle, a mirror, and some other things Karus could not identify at first glance. There was also a desk that looked surprisingly intact. Si’Cara stepped by them and into the room to examine the contents of the pack more closely.
Karus went to the next room o
ver and slowly, carefully opened the door. The hinges screeched as if in terrible agony. If anyone was hiding in the keep, Si’Cara knocking the front door down had likely announced their presence. Karus saw no point in being quiet now.
He found a similar setting—a bed, a desk, and a decayed pack. All of the rooms along the hallway turned out to be living quarters. He found the empty and abandoned fortress somewhat depressing.
“Tal’Thor,” Si’Cara called, “come and see.”
Karus left the room he was in and went back to the first one that Amarra had entered. He found Tal’Thor and Si’Cara bent over and gazing down into a small trunk that had been concealed by the desk. She said something in Elven to him as she pulled forth a pair of daggers. They seemed very similar to the ones that she wore.
“These appear to have once belonged to one of the warriors,” Tal’Thor told Karus. “Though we both expected them to stay in the guardhouse, this perhaps is where they had intended to live. Who can say for sure?”
With a deep reverence, Si’Cara returned the daggers to the trunk and closed it. She stood and remained for a moment, bowing her head as if in silent prayer.
“Well, we know they were here,” Karus said, rubbing his jaw. “What happened to them?”
“I don’t know.” Tal’Thor pursed his lips.
Karus turned around and walked down the hallway to the next flight of stairs. Tal’Thor and Si’Cara followed. Dennig was busy poking around in one of the rooms as they passed. Amarra emerged from one at the end of the hallway, her staff immediately driving the darkness back as if chasing evil spirits away.
Karus started up the steps, once again leading the way. He emerged into a large open room, with columns supporting what appeared to be an arched stone ceiling above. The room, which could be described as a small hall, stretched out before him toward what appeared to be an altar at the far end. The ceiling was plastered over and covered in its entirety with a fresco. Amarra lifted her staff up to reveal the fresco. Karus could now see it was filled with dwarves—fighting, praying, seeming to honor their gods, while at the same time appearing to tell of some story.
“Ha,” Dennig said, coming up the stairs and gazing up at the ceiling. “The tale of Amegdala. This tells the tale of creation. See, I told you dvergr built this fortress.”
Karus glanced over at the dwarf, who beamed with pride up at the fresco. Tal’Thor, Si’Cara, and Amarra also stood silently, gazing up at the ceiling. Then Karus turned his attention to the rest of the room. There was a large fireplace, cold and dark, along the left side of the hall. There were no other furnishings. The small hall reminded Karus very much of a large chapel, which seemed somehow out of place. He would have expected some sort of a shrine instead, but nothing like what spread out before him. He reminded himself that the dwarves were an alien culture. They were not human and likely did things very differently.
Unlike the other two floors, the windows were larger and let in in more light. There was another staircase along the right side. It was choked with debris, a sure sign the roof had come down and buried the upper floor. There would be no going up for exploration. That much was apparent.
Karus figured the only reason this floor had escaped destruction was the arched ceiling overhead. It had most likely proved sufficient to withstand not only the ages, but the collapse of the roof and floor above. He wondered how long it would remain that way. He could see large cracks running along the plastered ceiling. Sections of the fresco had fallen away, revealing the stone and brick block behind.
Karus took a step into the room. His attention was drawn to what was on the altar at the far end, where a glint of reflected sunlight caught his eye. His eyes focused in the dim light and he saw what looked like a metal blade. His heart began to race. Was this what they’d come for? He heard Amarra suck in a startled breath.
They shared an excited look. He moved forward, she at his side. He stopped five feet from the altar, eyes upon the sword. Rarokan, for that was only what it could be, rested on a red velvet blanket. It was a magnificent sword, blade highly polished, edge looking razor-sharp. Both the sword and blanket were completely free of dust. A beam of light from a window at the back of the hall shone right down upon the sword, brilliantly illuminating the weapon.
He shared another glance with Amarra, his excitement mixing with hers.
“That’s what we’ve come so far to get,” Karus breathed to her, almost in a whisper. The sword they had been sent to fetch was before them, just waiting to be taken, and yet Karus found himself hesitating. Dennig, Tal’Thor, and Si’Cara joined them before the altar. All gazed upon the weapon in wonder.
“That sword is dvergran-made,” Dennig said, breaking the silence. “The quality is too fine to be anything else.” The dwarf paused, looking over at Karus. “Well, what are you waiting for? You came here to get that. Made me climb a bloody hill, too.”
“Made you?” Karus asked and shot a look at the dwarf. “I think you made out quite well with that axe.”
“Claim it,” Dennig said in a tone that reeked of exasperation.
“It is meant for you.” Amarra gave Karus an encouraging nod. “Take the sword as the High Father desires.”
Karus stepped closer to the altar, nearer to the sword, still hesitating for a reason he could not quite put his finger on. He leaned toward the magnificent weapon. The sword was longer than the gladius he was accustomed to using. He understood that once he took it, it would be his primary weapon. Others would want to claim it as their own, perhaps even that Dark Lord. He could never let it leave his side, so he would have to become proficient with its use. The good thing about having served in the legions was that over the years he had learned to use a wide variety of weapons, including the longer swords the Celts preferred. Still, he was more comfortable with the weapon now sheathed on his side, the legionary short sword.
He continued to delay. Something just did not seem right. It was more a gut feeling than anything else. Over the years, Karus had learned to trust such feelings. It could not be this easy. Could it?
Taking a deep breath, Karus reached out toward the hilt of the beautiful weapon, feeling the excitement of the moment crash home. He had found what they were seeking, what the High Father had sent them to retrieve. But at the same time, he felt a wrongness. He gripped the hilt. His fingers closed on air, passing right through the sword. He tried to grab it again and—nothing, the same result as before. The sword shimmered like a mirage as his hand passed right through. It both was and wasn’t there. It looked as real as could be, but when his fingers passed through it, the sword took on a ghostly image.
“What magic is this?” Karus asked, looking over at Amarra, thoroughly mystified.
She shook her head. “I know not.”
“By my grandfather’s beard,” Dennig said, reaching forward and running his hand through the illusion. “It’s truly not real.”
“This has to be another test,” Karus said, scanning the room and thinking hard. There had to be something he was missing, a puzzle piece that needed to be put in its place. And yet, the feeling of wrongness twisted harder in his gut. He felt a slight tremor beneath his feet. Dennig’s bushy brows drew together as he looked downward. Karus swung back around to the altar. The sword and blanket had vanished, gone as if they had never existed. The beam of light that had illuminated the sword was gone too. It its place, all that remained was stone covered in untold years of dust.
The keep shook as the tremor intensified. The stone walls began to vibrate and rumble. They had been tricked, Karus realized. This was not another test, but a trap.
“We need to get out of here,” Karus said urgently and grabbed Amarra’s arm, pulling her along. “Run!”
They ran for the stairs, racing down the first flight. The vibration of the building became more intense, making it difficult to keep their feet. Dust and debris started to fall, cascading down from the ceiling in a steady rain. Karus knew without a doubt that the building was tearing i
tself apart. They had mere moments to escape before it collapsed on top of them.
As they reached the second floor, large chunks of the ceiling, pieces of wood and stone, began to crash down around them. Something heavy smashed down onto Karus’s shoulder armor and almost knocked him from his feet. Karus careened into the wall painfully but managed to keep himself upright. Amarra tripped on a large chuck of debris, falling roughly to her knees. He hauled her to her feet and shoved her before him.
“Go!” he shouted, for the keep had begun to grumble like a cranky old man.
They tore down the second flight of stairs and reached the ground floor. Karus had once been through an earthquake. This seemed just like one, but more intense. He shoved Amarra out the door and then turned back.
“Come on,” Karus shouted. Si’Cara made it down the stairs and sprinted for the door, Tal’Thor not far behind. Dennig was bringing up the rear, his stumpy legs pumping for all they were worth. He made it down the stairs and started for the exit, chasing after Tal’Thor. A section of the ceiling crashed down. For a moment, Tal’Thor and Dennig were lost from view. Then Karus saw Tal’Thor was down, his legs partially buried in debris.
“No,” Si’Cara shouted from outside and started back in. Amarra grabbed at her arm, restraining the elf.
“I’ve got him,” Karus shouted at Si’Cara. He ran back to Tal’Thor, who wasn’t moving.
Karus dragged him out of the pile of rubble. He hoped the elf still lived. The building shifted. More debris cascaded down around them. Karus knew that in a few heartbeats the entire building was coming down. He strained for all he was worth, dragging Tal’Thor across the floor toward the door. Then Dennig was there. The dwarf hooked an arm under the ranger’s shoulder and together they dragged him. A large slab of ceiling collapsed behind them with a great rending crash. A massive cloud of dust rolled over them. Karus could barely see. He just kept moving forward and they emerged into the sunlight.
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