SEARCH FOR THE LOST SOUL (25 page)

He leaned
his head back against the rock wall, trying to regain control over both his
breathing and his hammering heart. He didn’t feel ready when Dominic pulled on
him again. But, he realized that standing here wouldn’t get them across. He
moved his feet, pulling Kelly with him.

Chris’ legs
were trembling with exhaustion and anxiety but he forced them to continue
moving. An eternity passed before Dominic whispered voice sounded in his ear
again.

“We are
across.”

Chris fell
to his knees, inadvertently pulling Kelly with him. He pulled her hand from his
pocket, setting her against the rock wall before allowing himself to rest.

“We must
hurry,” came Dominic’s voice in his ear moments later. “I do not know if our
presence has been announced to those inside but, if it has, they will be
waiting for us.”

Chris forced
himself to stand, fearful that his legs wouldn’t hold him up. He breathed a
sigh of relief that they did and reached down to pull Kelly to her feet. He
took her hand and grabbed a corner of Dominic’s cape, tugging slightly to
indicate he was ready.

They had
walked for what seemed like hours when Dominic suddenly halted again. Chris
wondered what the apprentice had sensed this time as he pulled Kelly to a stop.

Dominic’s
voice came in his ear. “I hear sounds approaching.”

Chris
strained his ears but heard nothing. Still, he was certain that Dominic knew
what he was talking about. He continued to strain his ears and presently heard
what had alerted the apprentice, a shuffling sound accompanied by low chanting.

“There are
at least four, if not more,” came Dominic’s voice in his ear.

Chris nodded
even though he knew Dominic couldn’t see it. He disengaged Kelly’s hand and
withdrew his sword, the sound loud in the silence.

“No,” came
Dominic’s calm voice. “There must be no bloodshed at this time. If we appear in
the main chambers wearing robes stained with blood, we will be detected
immediately. Go back to Kelly, I will handle this.”

Chris slid
the sword back into the scabbard as quietly as he could before retreating to
where he thought he’d left Kelly. Unfortunately, he had become confused in the
darkness and lost his way. But he located her quickly with his outstretched
arms and dropped into a sitting position next to her.

Chris
strained his ears but all he heard was the shuffling and chanting. of Dominic,
he heard nothing. He thought the sounds were coming closer but he couldn’t be
sure; they were starting to echo off the walls. If he hadn’t identified the
direction earlier, he would have thought the noises were coming from every
direction.

Suddenly,
five robed figures with their cowls pulled far forward appeared. The first one
had a glowing orb of some sort in his hands. The other four followed him,
carrying a struggling figure bound to a long pole between them.

With horror,
Chris saw that they were headed for the pit, obviously intending to throw the
figure into it. He gripped the hilt of his sword but didn’t draw it. He
squinted; trying to see Dominic in the surrounding darkness; why didn’t the
apprentice act to save the figure tied to the pole, surely someone who was an
enemy of the Soul Worshipers was a friend to them.

But, Dominic
didn’t act. Chris watched with wide eyes as the Soul Worshipers approached the
pit, chanted for several minutes and threw the figure into the pit. The man’s
screams diminished rapidly as he fell, finally fading in the distance. The five
robed figures continued to chant for several more minutes before falling silent
and turning away.

They had
moved some distance away from the edge of the pit when a blinding light
suddenly engulfed them. Without a sound, they fell into heaps. Chris was on his
feet and headed for them as soon as he determined that they weren’t moving,
catching the glowing orb as it rolled towards the pit and moved to the fallen
figures, kneeling beside them.

“Why didn’t
you save that man?” Chris whispered harshly as soon as Dominic knelt next to
him.

“Just
because the Soul Worshipers were sacrificing him does not mean that he would be
our ally.”

“Are you
saying that they would sacrifice one of their own?”

“It is
possible. Take the robe off that one and put it on. Then put one on Kelly.”

Chris
obediently began to tug at the robe. “Why would they do that?”

Dominic
snorted but answered. “Who can say? Perhaps he committed some offense. Perhaps
their laws require a sacrifice every so often. Perhaps the souls they protect
wanted a sacrifice. I do not know. But I was not willing to risk my life and
Kelly’s over the possibility that he might help us.”

Chris noted
that Dominic hadn’t added his name but decided not to argue the point. Maybe
Dominic was right. He remembered some lectures he had heard where citizens
considered it a great honor to be sacrificed to their gods. This could be the
same thing. And, if it was, and they had rescued the man, he might have turned
on them and raised the alarm as soon as he was released.

The robe
finally came off the body. Chris pushed the body away and stood up. He looked
down at the body, holding the robe away from his body.

“Put it on,”
came Dominic’s harsh voice.

“I just took
this off a dead body,” Chris shivered as he said it.

“Do you think
that it is now cursed or something?”

“Well, it is
a little creepy.”

Dominic
sighed loudly. “May I remind you that this was your idea?”

“Yeah,”
Chris muttered. “I guess I didn’t think it through. I suppose I thought we’d
just knock them unconscious before taking their robes.”

“That would
give them the opportunity to alert the others. Besides, there are now four and
possibly five fewer Soul Worshipers that we need to fight. Put it on.”

Chris took a
deep breath and did so. It seemed that the robe clung too closely to his body.
He reached under the robe and started to unbuckle his belt.

“Leave the
sword under the robe.” Dominic’s voice sounded distant.

Chris
frowned. “I won’t be able to get the sword out very fast if we encounter
trouble.”

“If the Soul
Worshipers see that sword they will immediately know that we do not belong.
Now, hurry and get a robe for Kelly.”

Chris
dropped his hand, moved to another body, and began tugging at the robe. When it
came free, he moved to Kelly and slipped it over her head. She looked up at him
with her vacant eyes. Chris looked away as soon as the robe was properly on
her. His gaze fell on Dominic carrying one of the robed figures to the pit and
throwing it in.

Chris looked
away, fighting the nausea that rose in his throat. This was getting nasty. He
realized that he hadn’t considered what locating Kelly’s soul would actually
entail. In his naivety, he had assumed that they could go in, find the soul and
escape without anyone getting hurt. He fought down the hysterical laughter that
threatened; five men were already dead. How many more would die before this was
over?

Chris
focused his attention on the far wall until Dominic came up to him, the glowing
orb in his hand. “Are you ready to proceed?”

Chris looked
up at him, but couldn’t meet his eye. He nodded and reached down to pull Kelly
to her feet.

“Follow me,”
Dominic ordered. “And do not say anything.”

The going
was much easier now that they had light but there was nothing to see. The
corridor through which they were passing was wide enough to be a two-lane
highway. Chris found himself wondering why whoever had carved these caverns had
gone to such an effort. He hoped that it wasn’t an indication of the numbers of
zealots that were deeper inside the mountain.

Chris moved
closer to the rock wall and ran his fingers along the grooves still visible
from the chisels used by those who had carved this corridor. He frowned as he
thought of the number of man-hours that would have been required to do the
work. Without drills, their progress must have been maddeningly slow.

Chris let
off his inspection of the wall when Dominic looked back and scowled at him.
What’s his problem? Chris thought darkly. I wasn’t slowing us down or anything.
He waited until the apprentice had turned his back before sticking his tongue
out at him.

An eternity
passed before they began to hear the sounds of human activity. Suddenly, the
corridor intersected with another one, this one crowded with robed figures.
Chris breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that all the robes looked alike; it
didn’t appear that they would be spotted just because they were wearing the
wrong colored robe in a restricted area.

They paused
just inside the intersection to observe the activity. Chris estimated that
there were at least a hundred people moving through the larger corridor, all
moving rapidly but managing to keep from bumping into each other. Chris felt a
sinking feeling as he watched; hopefully this was a community section and they
wouldn’t be required to fight all these people.

Chris moved
closer to Dominic so he could whisper in his ear. “What do you think?”

“I think we
will be noticed immediately as soon as we step foot into that corridor.”

Chris
nodded; since they didn’t know where they were going, they would stick out like
sore thumbs. He strained his eyes as he tried to determine the sex of some of
those passing by but quickly gave up; those robes hid all the physical
attributes of the wearer.

“What are we
going to do?” Chris asked.

“Shush,”
Dominic whispered back. “I am in the process of sensing the correct direction.
When we enter the crush of humanity, we must know where we are going.”

Chris
nodded; Dominic had affirmed his own thoughts. Several minutes passed before
Dominic whispered, “Follow me closely and keep a firm hold on Kelly. We do not
want to loose her in this crowd.”

As they
pushed their way through the horde, Chris stayed as close to Kelly as he could,
hoping that no one would notice that he was holding her hand. He was grateful
for the voluminous sleeve of the robe; as far as he could tell, none of the
others who brushed past him were touching.

Chris
breathed a sigh of relief when Dominic turned down an intersecting passageway.
Several minutes later, even the sounds of the activity they had left behind
diminished into nothingness and darkness surrounded them once again. Dominic
held the glowing orb in front of him, carefully examining the ground before he
took a step.

They had
walked for what seemed like hours to Chris before Dominic stopped so suddenly
that he ran into the apprentice. Because of his hold on Kelly, she ran into
him; she was the only one who made a small sound of protest.

“Keep her
quiet!” Dominic hissed.

Christ
turned to soothe her but found it wasn’t needed; she was once again standing
mute, her unfocused eyes fastened on something Chris couldn’t see. He looked
away quickly; he couldn’t stand seeing her like this. He peered over Dominic’s
shoulder, a quick intake of breath betraying his increased anxiety.

The cavern
was huge and obviously natural in origin, as evidenced by the large stalactites
and stalagmites, many of which had been cut off to create platforms on which
sat glowing orbs and what appeared to be earthen jars, all large and gaudily
painted. Six robed figures were standing around one of the jars, chanting in a
language Chris couldn’t understand.

Chris leaned
close to Dominic’s ear so he could whisper. “Is that where they keep the
souls?”

Dominic
shook his head and held a finger to his lips.

Although
they watched for several minutes, the men did nothing but chant. Chris didn’t
know how long this would have continued if Kelly hadn’t chosen that moment to
scream loudly. The chanting stopped and the men turned to look directly at
them.

Chris cursed
as he pulled the sword from under his robe. He hoped he’d be able to control
the sword this time, instead of the other way around.

Chris
gripped the sword tightly as the men rushed towards them, pulling clubs with
spiked heads from the top of one of the stalagmites as they passed by. He
pushed Kelly back against the wall, hoping she’d stay there, out of the way of
the fight. She continued to scream.

Chris closed
his eyes for a moment as he tried, unsuccessfully, to block the screams from
his awareness. Fearing that the robed figures would be upon them before he was
ready, he reopened his eyes, glancing for a moment at Dominic, noting that the
apprentice stood with drawn sword.

He frowned
as he returned his focus to the six figures, now much closer than he would have
liked. Why had Dominic drawn his sword? He would have preferred that the
apprentice use magic instead of such mundane means. He pushed the thought away,
filing it for future reference; if there was an opportunity, he would ask.

Chris
stepped away from Dominic to give each of then plenty of room to fight. The
advancing figures divided into two groups of three. As they came nearer, Chris
saw that his three were all male, though only their shining eyes and unkempt
beards were visible under the shadows of their cowls.

Chris
quickly pushed all thoughts out of his mind as the men came within range of his
sword. The Dragon Sword suddenly took on a life of its own, pulling Chris’ arm
with it as it propelled itself through the air. The sword knew its business,
quickly lopping off the head of the first man to reach Chris. Chris took his
eyes off the others as he watched the head roll a short distance away and come
to rest, it’s sightless eyes staring straight at him.

Chris
shuddered and tore his eyes away from the gruesome sight, silently begging the
sword not to kill any more of the men. Either the sword didn’t hear him or it
didn’t care. Within minutes, all three men were lying dead at his feet and the
sword was pulling him towards the spot where Dominic was valiantly trying to
defend himself against his three attackers.

The first
figure died before he was aware that Chris was behind him. The second turned at
his companion’s mortal scream, not that it did him any good. Even before the
figure could orient his club on Chris, he was falling, clutching at the
bloodstained front of his robe; he didn’t make a sound, but his eyes would have
killed Chris, if they’d had that power.

Dominic
dispatched the third man even as Chris turned his attention towards him.
Dominic softly spoke the word he’s used earlier to still the sword, allowing
Chris’ arm fell to his side. Dominic eyed him for a moment, as if checking to
see if he’d been injured, before he bent down and wiped his sword on the robe
of the man at his feet.

“A swordsman
always cleans his sword after battle,” was his only comment.

Chris looked
down at the sword, forcing himself to swallow the bile that sprang into the
back of his throat; the sword was still dripping blood. He bent to wipe the
blade on the robe of the last man he’d killed. wishing he could look away, but
quickly realized he might miss a spot of blood if he did.

Fear of the
sword coursed through him; if he didn’t care for it properly, it might come to
life and attack him. He’d seen what the sword could do;  but he didn’t
know if it required a human hand to hold it while it did its work. He shuddered
again, knowing that he had no desire to find out.

Chris
watched silently as Dominic searched the men, one by one. He removed several
items from the bodies but Chris couldn’t see what they were. He shoved the
sword back into its scabbard as he turned and walked back to Kelly, hoping to
quiet her before she brought more robed figures to them.

Despite
everything he tried, Kelly continued to scream. Chris desperately hoped he
wouldn’t be forced to slap her to make her stop; but that might be the only way
to do it. His mind searched frantically but he couldn’t think of anything else
that might work. He apologized to her as he raised his hand.

“Halt,” came
Dominic’s voice from behind him.

Relieved,
Chris turned to look at him. Before he could say anything, he realized that
Kelly had stopped screaming. He turned back, staring as he realized that her
mouth was still open as if she continued to scream but no sounds were coming
forth.

“I placed a
cone of silence around her,” Dominic explained before he could ask.

Chris turned
to him. “Why didn’t you do that earlier?”

“If I had
realized that she was going to scream, I would have.” He handed Chris an object
attached to a thick gold chain.

Chris looked
down at the object. It was heavy, resembling a cross with an elongated circle
on top. He was certain he’d seen this before but couldn’t place it. Painted at
the intersection of the cross and circle was a pentagram within a circle. “What
is it?”

“It is an
Ankh with a pentacle. Put it on.”

Chris saw
that Dominic was wearing one and was now in the process of placing one over
Kelly’s head. He shook his head. “Not until you tell me what it’s for.”

Dominic
turned to look at him, his dark eyes appearing to bore into Chris. “Are you
planning on questioning everything I say?”

“Maybe.”

Dominic
began speaking rapidly in a foreign tongue. Chris  became convinced that
the apprentice was cursing
as watched him. He hid his smile; this was the first true sign of
temper the apprentice had shown. After several minutes, Dominic took a deep
breath. “I will explain only when there is time.”

Chris nodded
as he looked around the chamber. “We appear to have time now.”

Dominic’s
eyes were flashing as he explained. “The Ankh is the Ancient Egyptian symbol of
life and was used by a sect of early Christians as their representation of the
resurrection of Christ. The symbol painted on the front is pentacle, a
pentagram within a circle, and represents the integration of body and spirit.
Both are believed to have powers of protection. Does that answer your
question?”

“It’ll do,”
Chris slipped the chain over his head. “So, the Soul Worshipers were wearing
this to protect themselves against the souls?”

“Most
likely. I suspect that there were also magical incantations said over the Ankhs
to provide additional protection.” He turned on his heal and strode into the
chamber, leaving Chris to collect Kelly and bring her along. Chris didn’t look
at her; he didn’t think his heart could take it.

Chris and
Kelly joined Dominic at the jar where they had been standing when Kelly started
screaming. Chris saw that what he had thought was a simple earthen jar was
covered in symbols he didn’t know that had been traced into the jar while the
clay was still wet. Except for one side, where a large, flat area had been
allowed to remain. Painted in bold black strokes in the center of the flat
section was a symbol he recognized as some sort of Egyptian religious symbol,
but its meaning escaped him.

As if he
knew that Chris was about to ask, Dominic explained. “The symbol is the Eye Of
Horus. An Egyptian symbol believed to have healing and protective powers.” He
reached his hand into the jar, pulling it out in the cupped position and full
of water. He threw the water on Chris.

“Hey,” Chris
protested, stepping backward.

Dominic’s
smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Additional protection.” He reached into the jar
and repeated the action with himself and then Kelly  “Come.”

Chris
grabbed Kelly’s arm, pulling her with him as he followed him. “I wish you’d
teach me that word you use to stop the sword.”

Dominic
didn’t look at him. “I have two reasons for not doing so. First, it would do
you no good to know the word. You do not have the power needed to utilize it.
But, even if you did, I would not teach it to you. I want you to kill all the
Soul Worshipers we encounter.”

“I don’t
want to kill them,” Chris was surprised at the weakness in his voice.

Dominic put
his hand on Chris’ shoulder sympathetically. Chris jumped; he hadn’t expected
support from the apprentice.

“I know it
is difficult to kill. I do not enjoy killing; few in the magical community do.
But, in this situation, have no choice. Every Soul Worshiper we kill will be
one less we must fight later.”

“That
doesn’t mean I have to like it,” Chris muttered.

“I hope you
never do.” Dominic dropped his hand. “We should hurry. The Soul Worshipers may
already be aware of our presence.”

Chris
swallowed hard as he increased his pace to keep up with Dominic; with their
knowledge of these caverns, they could easily set a trap that the apprentice
might not perceive in time to prevent injury. He opened his moth to ask Dominic
why he hadn’t used magic but stopped himself before he uttered a word. Now was
not the time.

Even through
the heavy robe, Chris could feel the Ankh thumping against his chest as he
moved. He grabbed it and slipped it inside the robe, hoping that would help. He
smiled when he discovered that it did. He reached for the Ankh hanging around
Kelly’s neck.

“Leave it on
the outside. For it to be effective, it must be where the roaming souls can see
it.”

Chris frowned
as he dropped his hand. The apprentice’s back was to them, how had he seen the
action. He quickly decided it didn’t matter and pushed the thought from his
mind as he reached inside the robe and pulled out his Ankh, wincing as it
thumped against his chest.

The
passageway began to narrow until Chris could have touched the sides with his
outstretched hands. Once again, it was so silent that Chris’ breathing sounded
loud in his own ears. He focused on his rhythm, hoping he could control the
sound. When that didn’t work, he abandoned the effort, turning his attention to
the walls of the passageway instead.

 These
walls had been carved with much more care than those he had examined earlier.
In ages past, someone had gone to great care to sand off the chisel marks,
leaving the wall smooth looking. Chris toyed with the idea of touching the
walls but decided against it; if they were as smooth as they appeared, it would
be just too creepy.

He looked
away, finding himself staring at Kelly. Her mouth remained open; inside her
cone of silence, she was still screaming, he shivered as he imagined what she
might be seeing or feeling that would cause her to make the only sound she’d
made in weeks.

Chris
increased his pace to catch up with Dominic. He forced his voice into a
whisper. “What do you think is causing Kelly to scream like that?”

“I do not
want to speculate,” Dominic answered without looking at either of them.

Chris walked
in silence for several minutes before asking. “Do you think it’s possible that
her soul is being tortured?”

Dominic
turned to look at him. Chris was suddenly grateful that he couldn’t see the
apprentice’s face under the cowl, certain that it would be filled with fury.
“How would you torture something without a corporeal body?”

“I wouldn’t
know. You can put what I know about magic into a thimble. I just want to know
if it’s possible.”

Dominic took
his time answering. “I would not have the knowledge to do it. But, these Soul
Worshipers have been in business for centuries. I cannot imagine the amount of
knowledge that they may have accumulated over that amount of time. So, to
answer your question, I would have to say yes, it is possible. Now, please be
quiet. Not only will you announce our presence, but I need to concentrate.”

Chris nodded
and fell back. He looked at Kelly but had to look away almost immediately. He
prayed that she wasn’t feeling her soul being tortured but he couldn’t think of
anything else that might rouse her from the unresponsive state she’d been in.
through the robe, he gripped the hilt of the Dragon Sword; he was ready to kill
the Soul Worshipers.

Chris’ legs
were trembling with exhaustion when Dominic whispered for the two of them to
take a break. Chris sank gratefully to the ground, his back against the wall,
pulling Kelly with him. He arranged her legs so she’d be comfortable but kept
his gaze away from her face. By the time he’d finished, Dominic had disappeared
from sight. Chris frowned; didn’t the man ever rest?

Chris soon
found that his eyes closing, despite the fact he needed to remain alert,. He
realized that he had no choice but to stand up to keep himself awake. He
struggled to his feet, leaning against the wall for support. He hoped this
would soon be over; he wanted nothing more than to crawl into the soft bed in
Loren’s castle and sleep for a week.

Chris jumped
when a hand touched his shoulder. He had the sword half out before he
recognized Dominic. “I think I have located where they are storing the souls.”

“Wonderful.
Then this is almost over.”

Dominic
shook his head. “There is a large chamber between where we are and where I
think the souls are. Unfortunately, it is full of men.”

Chris
swallowed hard. “How many men?”

“From what I
saw, I would estimate about fifty.”

Chris sighed
as he continued to withdraw the sword. “Fine.”