Take the Darkness...: Epic Fantasy Series (15 page)

Chapter 32

The fields leading to what they termed a city were deserted, and Seth tried not to look at the stone circles they used as houses. All he saw was an area for killing people, and not a lot more. It would be easy to bring his rage against these creatures: all he could see of their culture was the murder of his people. Silver had said to him they experienced the memories of those they took, and he could imagine them sitting around enjoying themselves as they ate and spoke in their slow voices of the things this and that one had done before finding their way to that cold stone table.

‘What’s the plan?’ He asked of the Wolvern as they walked towards the cold stone walls of the city. At his back walked a group of at least one hundred dead humans. He’d spent time stopping here and there, bring them back, but they weren’t fighters: they were lost children and mostly weaponless.

‘
We hope that the little princess has succeeded in killing the mother and the daughter.’
It said in his mind.

‘Is this Silver our ally or enemy?’ He asked. ‘Seems like she’s against all this killing as well.’

‘
She had no problem in trying to kill me, did she? She’s as bad as the rest, but we need to find out what has happened while you’ve been digging up the snow.’

‘I’ll go find out then.’ He said.

‘
You’ll go into that city alone?’
It asked.

‘Of course, if Seraphina’s done anything, they should fear me if nothing else, and we can’t take these ones in. They aren’t ready for a fight and you said there were thousands of these things.’

‘
Fine. Go in and try not to die. I’ll wait here with these.’

Seth just nodded to the Wolvern and started a slow jog towards the gates. The snow was heavy outside and he knew they wouldn’t see his small force as they sat in the snow like silent children, just waiting to be lead on.

The structure was huge and very badly made. He imagined it was created with a lot of labour and not many tools. It would have taken these things years and years to build it, years of toiling away in the perpetual nighttime. They had no horses, and he was sure inventions like pulleys and ropes would be new to them. What had they once been, and how far had they fallen?

Where the gate should have been was just a huge open mouth of stone, and Seth walked inside. Thankfully, there was still not a soul in sight and he crept through looking from left to right. There was no snowfall within the structure, which was bizarre, as it had no roof and was just a huge empty circle. Inside was no cover at all that he could see. No structures, no houses, nowhere to hide.

The sounds of shouting and many ugly voices drew him to the center of the square. Then he saw it. There was a huge stone platform, and on the top of it he saw himself fighting for his life. Truly, the Wolvern had spoken rightly when it had said that Seraphina was the strongest of them all. She stood in his guise and he saw her fighting one of the pale things. She lunged at it with her sword, which it easily blocked but then it was run though from a seemingly invisible blade, it feel back dead with a look of pain and shock on its face. He’d have to watch out if he ever fought her again. She had clearly learned to be deadly.

She turned and he saw her standing next to the silver woman. On the stage was a huge stone throne of black rock, and he saw the worst example of their kind sitting upon it. Clearly, this was the mother. She stood laughing and then that was it. The entire mass of white things that had been watching and shouting attacked. There were at least a few thousand of them and they swarmed like a wave of putrid flesh. He saw himself getting struck in the face and dragged down. Seth looked around and finally saw some cover. There was a huge pile of broken black stones, and scraps from building. He hid in a gap in the pile of rubble and looked on as they passed his body over the crowd from hand to hand, and did the same with the silver woman who fought like fury, but was pinned down by four or more of their fat bodies.

He saw them placing the body of himself on the stone table, and watched as the guise changed from him back to Seraphina. She looked so different, and he saw what he’d done to her by sending her to this place. She was very skinny and her once perfect blonde hair was matted with streaks of dirt. They looked shocked at her change, but he knew even she couldn’t hold the power when she was in the dark sleep. Silver herself wasn’t given such fine treatment, as she was hauled screaming by four of them, down the stairs on her knees and then thrown to the empty area in front of the stone pile that Seth was hiding in. The mob of them grabbed up a large stone piece in front of him. Tens of them lifting it and pushing it upright, until it stood as tall as her. Her hands were tied around it with rough pieces of leather.

He heard the huge woman on the platform screaming to them. ‘Do what you will to her but keep her alive for a very long time!’

Chapter 33

Grimm stood in front of her, the blood of another and himself covering his clothes, and his axe literally dripping dark blood onto the fine carpet of her study. He screamed in her face like she was a tavern server and not a Duchess.

‘You had no fucking right to use her like that; you should have sent me or anyone else. Why send little sister to her death?’

The battle had gone well and all of them had returned now, except for Josette: she’d made it back to the gate to report in and then trekked back to the camp to finish her mission for Elizebetha.

‘Because I don’t trust you, Grimm, I don’t trust anyone but her, so I had to let her into all of our secrets, the summoning, the songs... what would you do with that power? I have no idea, and I don’t want to know. What would you have done to those bodies you burned if you could have?’ She asked back softly, with truth. She admired this man for what he’d done, but knew there was nothing he wouldn’t do to win.

He started breathing more deeply and tried to calm himself. ‘You fucking nobles, always with your plans and using your soldiers as you like. I don’t care who you trust or not, it’s about her not being ready, it’s about sending a 24-year old girl to her death because she’s good and loyal and has a flame for Seth that’s the size of a house.’

That almost broke her. In truth, she felt horrible for using the girl, but her father had told her not to trust anyone with their secrets. He himself had time and time again had to strip people of their takings and banish them from the order because they were corrupted by it. The reason he’d let the Gatherers and all that knowledge fade away was because it was just better for the world not to know some things. The dark desires always won in the end.

‘She will succeed, and she’s not some lovelorn thing doing this for Seth, as you say. She’s doing it for all of us.’ Elizebetha said.

‘If she dies, I’m done, I’ll leave you to defend this pile of cold rocks yourself.’ Grimm stormed out of the room, leaving a small pool of blood on the floor behind him.

Elizebetha looked down at the pool of fresh blood and tried not to think about the enlisted soldier from Twin Plains who it probably belonged to. She just had to be strong for a little longer and then it would be over. She just hoped that Josette could do it.

Josette was terrified, but terrified for the right reasons. She hated having so much resting on her shoulders. Even when Elizebetha had sent her along in that wagon, she’d said yes, but she’d have rather said no. She viewed herself as a fighter and nothing more. She was good with a bow, yes, but an assassin she wasn’t. Now she was once again crouched in the brush in the fallen dark of the pale moonlight, waiting for her chance to kill a Duchess.

Maybe if she wasn’t built the way she was, none of this would have happened. She often wondered what turn her life would have taken if she’d just been born ugly, or fat. She had a sister and a brother, and neither of those ugly fucks got sold to support their family’s failing business. As far as she knew, they were still working their fingers to the bone, baking clay pots with their drunken father in Pelloss city. She, on the other hand, had gotten to go to the pleasure house to be trained. She was sure they actually got about four golds for her, as skinny redhead girls were popular all over.

Now her light frame made her the perfect assassin. She was small enough to hide and creep, but strong enough to get the job done. Yet, this was a lot better than getting fucked for a living. Truth be told, she still had a lot of anger inside of her, and if she got a chance to take it out on the world with a dagger or well-placed arrow, then that was all to the good. Maybe she’d get a chance to kill the King Bastard, as well. He’d raped more women than were in the Cold Death. She smiled to herself in the dark, thinking of ending his worthless life and making up for her terrible shot with the bow earlier.

Inside the tent, she could hear the Duchess’ soft voice and the rougher voices of two men she assumed were the two black sash guards that followed her around like angry shadows. She’d walked in a few minutes ago fuming, but had a glass of wine, or more likely blood if what Elizebetha said was true, and now she’d calmed down a lot. She talked with her two guards like they were her only advisors; seemed she was a lonely sort as well.

‘We should just kill that Northman, Goldie, I don’t like him, Duchess,’ said one of the male voices.

‘I know, I don’t trust him, and sure he had a part of this, but we need him if we are to get that Keep open.’ She said.

‘Why the games? If we combine with the mercenaries, we can take it in one night,’ the other said.

‘True, but my men will never fight beside them now, will they? Also, it’s out of my hands now anyway. We’ll let my husband decide what to do when he gets back. Speaking of which, how are we progressing?’ She asked.

‘Quite well, we’ve almost all troops’ bodies in a large tent at the back. It was easy, as the others helped once they saw the Bastards looting them. Few scuffles over that, but on the bright side, we have their fallen as well. ‘Bout four hundred, all told, will be collected shortly.’

‘Good, we’ll do it quietly and have him back. We’ll tell the troops he was given back as part of our retreat, and then we’ll wander off a bit and let the Bastards finish the game.’

Josette had heard all she needed to and the situation was going to get a lot worse. She knew that the ‘he’ they were talking about was the Duke himself who was going to be raised. Deep in the memories of the Gatherers, she’d heard dark whispers of Guild practise. She knew a person could be brought back if they fed a lot when they first came back. Four hundred bodies should do it. So now, she had to try to take both of them out, even better.

As she crouched next to the tent, her leg muscles really starting to hurt, she saw the two guards leaving the tent. She heard one mutter ‘what do Northern dogs eat’ and walked off to a smaller tent nearby. She thought that’s where they must be holding Goldie. She waited until the man had come out and left with an empty serving tray, and then she crept through the darkness towards the tent. Good thing the Duchess was so scary and the only people anywhere near her tent were her two bodyguards. Once they were back inside with her, she was clear.

Crouching at the back of the leather tent, she drew her dagger, and as quietly as she could, she cut a small gash in the back of it. She climbed through into the low-lit tent. It was only lit with one single candle and Goldie sat chained to a chair and desk, eating some over-cooked meat, the large shackles on his hands making it a difficult chore. He didn’t look up from his food, but smiled to himself and spoke. ‘Hello, Josette, how is your night proceeding?’

Swallowing a burst of fear that swelled in her, she stood up and walked over to his table. Pulling back her hood, she looked at him as he ate and, sitting on the table, lightly pressed her dagger to his throat. ‘Just whisper, Sir Goldie, these tents have very thin walls,’ she said in her own deadly whisper.

‘Never fear, I won’t raise the alarm. I’m on your side, after all,’ he said, and kept eating from the silver plate of meat, the dagger poised at his throat not fazing him. God he was cocky, she thought.

‘Grimm believes in you, but I’m yet to be convinced,’ she said.

‘Good old Grimm, I knew he’d stay true and good work on turning them against each other. Very funny to watch, let me tell you.’

‘Glad you’re enjoying yourself, but you won’t get to spend your gold, as they’ll kill you even if we don’t,’ she said.

‘Have no fear on my account. I’m right where I want to be, doing just what I need to. Can you pass the wine? I can’t reach.’ She looked at the table and saw a small glass of wine, and raised it to his lips for him. He drank slowly, looking her in the eyes the whole time.

‘Now you want some directions, I suppose.’

‘Well, I know where the Duchess is, but not the big tent filled with bodies.’ She said.

Goldie thought for a moment and then smiled. ‘If you plan on hiding in that pile of corpses, you’re a lot tougher than I gave you credit for. I’ll tell you, but don’t get caught. They think you’re dead, and if they catch you they’ll know I lied.’

‘Why did you say I was dead?’ she asked.

‘Cause I’m on your side, little sister. Now fuck off and let me finish my meal.’

Chapter 34

Seraphina’s face throbbed and she was sure there was blood dripping from her nose. Just another way her looks had been ruined by her brief association with Seth. Every time she got involved with him she ended up getting injured. Ally or enemy, he was dangerous to be around. She felt the cold stone beneath her body and knew she was lashed to the main black stone killing table. Her arms and legs were roughly bound down with black strips of leather and she could feel the cold night attacking her body.

They had swarmed all over her and she hadn’t been ready. She hadn’t had the time to do anything before that big fat white fist had come down on her face and she’d been surrounded by that stinking mass of bodies. She recoiled thinking of those disgusting things touching her fine skin, but that memory was the least of her troubles.

She strained her neck to look to the left and saw Silver was in a similar if not worse position. She was tied to a large stone pillar that had been raised, and was surrounded by a hissing and jeering crowd of pale bloated things that threw insults and small stones and rocks at her. She screamed back in defiance, thin silver blood pouring from a dozen small cuts and gashes on her naked body. The wounds would close and heal just to be made again by other rocks, and at her feet lay a small pile of stones smeared with her blood. How long had they been like this, and how much longer would they be?

The throne was empty of the ‘Queen’ or ‘Priestess’, whatever that huge creature called herself, so at least that was a blessing. Around her were a pack of the creatures guarding her and looking at her with wonder. One had said ‘sorry’ before it had smashed her face, and she wondered if they actually wanted to be delivered from this hell and were just under control like Seth had been. Silver clearly had no power over them, and they listened not to her words: her mother’s control of them was too deep.

She closed her eyes and let her mind wander. She was truly done now. No power of hers would be able to help her, but she could try. She looked at a creature that bowed over her, peering at her face, and she did her best to smile at the hideous thing. It was a woman but her face was swollen and distorted.

‘Let me go and I’ll save you all from her,’ she said in her best softly regal voice.

‘You look different; you were a boy before,’ it said, looking confused.

‘I can look however I want.’ Seraphina said simply. To verify the point, she focused hard and, through the pain in her face and head, turned herself to the guise of Silver. Her body grew in height and other places until she was the beautiful naked woman, still tied to the table. The ones guarding her stood back in shock.

The female one looking at her started to cry. Seraphina saw tears swell in her cloudy eyes and run down her scarred cheek. ‘I looked like that once. Not as perfect, but like that, and my hair was beautiful and my partner said I was his princess.’

Seraphina was stunned. God, what would it be like to have been so much and lost it all? She was no stranger to vanity, given that she was a forty-year old who looked like a fresh-faced twenty year something, but that was too much to consider. Having gone from goddess to monster.

‘I can bring it back for you.’ She looked at the woman and, forcing hard, changed her into what she thought she would have looked like as a true child of the moon. Not as perfect, but lean, pure skin and full long silver hair, and proudly naked.  She saw the hope in their faces as she did it.

The woman looked at her arms, her stomach, and touched her hair. ‘I’m even prettier than before.’ She said in shock.

‘Release me and I’ll help you all.’ They all looked at each other and she saw the defeat in them.

‘You can’t, can you?’ She asked in quiet voice, and let the guise slip away from them both.

‘The silver tongue commands, that’s the way it’s always been with us. One per generation to lead us.’

God, the kings and dukes of her realm would love that, she thought.

‘But we won’t let them hurt you, that’s why we’re standing here,’ the woman said, and the others nodded.

‘You’re guarding me against them?’ She asked and saw that it was true; about twenty of the creatures stood with their backs to the table and hissed and screamed at the others who were planning on tormenting her like they were Silver.

‘They are angry hungry ones, but the silver tongue never said to hurt you specifically, so we can keep you safe for now.’

She heard herself say ‘thanks’ before drifting into unconsciousness once again, her shows of illusion having drained the little energy she’d held in reserve.

Seth lay flat on his stomach, feeling the cold stones digging into him and looking out at the scene before him. It was good these things weren’t very smart because they were hurrying about just a few paces away from him, his heartbeat sounded like a gong in his chest to him atleast. He’d managed to squeeze into the tiny space between the broken pillars and rocks, and now just watched, fuming at his helplessness.

It was a strange feeling for someone who had become so strong and ready to fight, to now being forced to wait and watch his friends, as it were, be tormented and tortured while he did or could do nothing. With the mob of howling angry things before him, there was no way he’d get though more than ten of them before he’d be dead and of no use to anyone. Still, it grinded on him that a Northman, especially, would just watch this and do nothing. Was he Seth or not?

Any feelings of anger or resentment he had towards the woman who called herself Silver were now replaced with admiration and a sense of concern. She was tough, really much tougher than him. She stood tied to the hastily erected pillar of damaged black stone and screamed in anger as the howling mob of these white bloated things hurled rocks and insults at her. She looked incredible, and he didn’t know how they could stand to damage such a beautiful thing. It was like trying to set a forest on fire just to watch the flames. He could see that the group was hardly unified, though. In the deformed faces of the mass, he could see conflicting emotions. Some had the hungry look of the mob at an execution. Shouting with hate-filled hearts and eyes. Others were going through the motions and would toss a stone weakly, and only if another looked their way.

The ruler of this rabble had quickly left the stage, or rather been carried away, supported by a group of others. She’d used all of her strength to command them to attack her daughter, and even now as Silver struggled, he could see her fighting against that control. She looked one in the eye as it raised a stone to throw at her.

‘Don’t you fucking dare!’ She yelled out, and it hesitated for a moment. Then encouraged by the rest, it threw it anyway. She didn’t have the power to command them against the wishes of the other, it seemed. Seraphina was in a bad spot as well. She was tied to the rough stone table unconscious. The strange thing there was that she had an almost honour guard, that looked mostly female, and wouldn’t let others near her. She was in a dangerous spot, but at least her fragile body wasn’t being stoned. Seth grit his teeth and waited. The light in the courtyard was low and dark cast only by the moon, but he knew these things saw well at night, and yet slowly the group of them was leaving. He knew they didn’t sleep, but they we’re getting tiring and growing bored. Soon there were only a few of them left, and he knew why.

The ones that remained in the group, of six or so, were males. He saw by the long staring looks at her body that they thought she was far from a ‘skinny dog’ or some of the other things the crowd had been yelling. If she was what they had once been surrounded by, she was now the only attractive woman left in their entire land. That was bad. Seth waited until the group thinned more still and it was only the six left. They looked around and then approached her as a group.

She knew their intentions as well and screamed at them. ‘You touch me and you fucking die!’ She yelled again and again.

One just laughed back at her. ‘But there is no one to help you now, pretty one.’

Seth pulled his body from the stone pile and pushed past the aches and pains in his muscles, quickly climbing down and running at them, drawing his sword. Others would probably see and come running, but fuck if he was letting this happen. Seth ran to the pillar blocking his approach, and then he leapt from behind just as one reached out to touch Silver. His sword slid into the creature’s chest and it fell back with a cry.

He smiled at the group, crouching low and taking his sword in both hands. They were all unarmed.

‘Don’t say she didn’t warn you,’ he said to the fallen. They were all on him within moments, scratching, clawing, and biting. Huge hands came down and hit him again and again as he slashed left and right, throwing his elbow hard into the face of one as it bit his shoulder, he tried not to cry out and keep the battle as quiet as he could, but the sounds were ringing through the empty night. He killed one, then another, but they were too strong. One pulled a short black knife and he saw it just as it went into his stomach. Seth cried out with the shock, but raised his sword and slashed it down, hacking at its neck again and again. He turned, only one was left. It turned and ran yelling in alarm. Seth tossed his sword hard into its back. It dropped dead, sword sticking out from its spine.

Seth staggered over to its body and pulled the sword free. Blood was dripping from the black blade buried deep in him, and every step hurt as the blade moved inside of him. Still, he gritted his teeth and walked to where Silver stood looking at him with those blue eyes, still tied to her pillar.

‘I command you...’

He put his finger across her lips. ‘No need for that, I’ll help you, just stop telling me what to do.’ He reached around behind her and cut the leather bonds before dropping to the ground in front of her.

She looked at him in honest confusion. ‘You came back, champion? You were free of me and you came back? Why?’

He just smiled with blood in his teeth and passed out.