***
As the Council of Ollanhar moved higher into the mountains, the weather turned foul. It started slowly, with the wind picking up and thunder rumbling--the great pines swaying and creaking around them. Lightning flashed in the peaks, and then the rain began. It started as a drizzle and soon became a raging downpour beneath the pitch-black sky, sweeping over the riders in sheets.
The Knights used a pair of Birlote torches to guide them. The glowing gems fastened to silver rods were impervious to the rain, casting a crimson glow around the party. The storm seemed sinister--a deliberate attempt by the Deep Shadow to slow their progress. But the warriors would not be slowed, for they were desperate to rescue the prince and the White Flamestone. The fate of Dremlock Kingdom, Ollanhar Tower, and perhaps all the land depended upon this mission.
Lannon hunkered down beneath his hooded cloak, the water rolling off the Birlote silk. Like everyone else, he was concerned about the lightning--knowing that a bolt could strike without warning and kill both rider and horse. Lannon was able to shield himself with his sorcery, but sustaining such a shield was tiresome and he had no idea if it could stop a lightning bolt completely. Even the Bearer of the Eye was not necessarily safe from the wrath of the storm.
As he guided his horse over the gnarled roots of a huge pine, Lannon paused to gaze at the tree, which was ugly and twisted--with big knobs protruding from the bark that looked vaguely like demonic faces. As the lightning flashed, the face-like bulbs were revealed, leering down at Lannon and sending chills along his spine. The Eye of Divinity showed that the tree was infested with the Deep Shadow and filled with hatred toward the riders, craving their doom. The roots trembled beneath the hoofs of Lannon's horse, recoiling at the animal's touch.
Then another lightning flash revealed two figures standing by a boulder near the tree--handsome men with pale skin and jaws that hung open to an unnatural degree to reveal long, curved fangs. Like the ancient pine, these creatures despised humans and delighted in their destruction.
Lannon cried a warning, as the Ghouls leapt in for the kill.
One of the creatures went for Dallsa, seizing her leg and trying to pull her off her horse. The healer cried out in disgust and smashed the Ghoul in the head with her steel mace, but the weapon deflected off the skull as if it had struck stone. The Ghoul ripped the mace from Dallsa's hand and flung it aside.
Lannon leapt from his saddle high into the air--right over Dallsa and the Ghoul--and landed behind the creature, sword in hand. He plunged the weapon into the Ghoul's back. The Ghoul hissed in displeasure and released Dallsa. Lannon withdrew his blade, focused his energy, and tried to behead the creature. But the Ghoul ducked the stroke and tackled Lannon, bearing him to the ground.
Meanwhile, the other Ghoul had gone for Jerret, knocking him from his horse and ending up on top of the Red Knight, choking him. Aldreya hurled a fireball at it and missed, the burning orb exploding against the huge pine and making the tree shudder. The Ghoul sought to crush Jerret's throat as it grinned, drool dripping from its gleaming fangs.
With a grunt, Jerret shoved the creature off and rose, flaming broadsword in hand. As the Ghoul leapt toward him again, reaching for him with fingers bent like claws, Jerret cut off its arm. The Ghoul seized Jerret's sword with its remaining hand, but the flames that engulfed the weapon were burning so hot that it screeched in agony and let go.
With a sneer and a brutal swing, Jerret beheaded his foe.
Lannon froze his adversary and shoved the Ghoul away--sending it hurtling into a tree with a cracking of bone and wood. An instant later an arrow from Lothrin's bow lodged in the creature's forehead. But the Ghoul tore the arrow away and started forward again.
Lannon rose, a cloaked shadow in the raging storm, and as the Ghoul staggered toward him in a daze, its fingers reaching for his neck, he darted forward as swift as the wind and cut off its head.
But two more Ghouls had leapt from behind boulders and entered the fray--one of them charging at Aldreya and the other pulling Jace from his horse.
The Ghoul that attacked Aldreya didn't fare too well, as she calmly hurled a green fireball from her stone dagger and struck it in the face. The Ghoul's head exploded into glowing fragments that landed like stones pelting the earth and trees. The headless body took a couple of steps and then toppled over.
Jace rolled around on the ground, trying to dislodge his Ghoul before it could find his throat with its fangs. Jerret and Lannon rushed over to assist him, but they couldn't get a clear swing at the creature. At last Jace managed to shove it away, and the sorcerer rose, hands raised for battle.
But before the Ghoul could charge Jace, Lannon and Jerret both impaled it with their swords from behind, driving it to its knees. Then Jace leapt in for the kill, slamming his fist down on the creature's forehead--a shattering blow that left the Ghoul instantly limp in death, the dark sorcery that animated it fleeing from the body like a foul mist.
Jace motioned to Lannon. "Cut off its head so it cannot live again." He spoke loudly to be heard over the storm--almost yelling.
Lannon did as Jace wished.
The sorcerer groaned, rubbing his shoulder. "Very powerful foes--and I fear just a small sample of what is to come. What a wretched place this is!" The rain quickly washed the dirt and pine needles from his hair and cloak.
They climbed back onto their horses.
Daledus frowned. "Well that happened rather quickly. I didn't even get a chance to join in." His axe was still strapped to his back.
Dallsa shuddered, glancing fearfully toward the trees and boulders. "How many of these things are lurking about?"
"Who knows?" Aldreya replied. "The mountains could be crawling with them. They remind me of the Stonemen of Old Hill Forest."
"They are very much like the Stonemen," Lannon agreed, remembering his encounter with the zombies that had pursued him so relentlessly.
"Such horrible monsters," said Dallsa. "It sickens me what was done to Bekka--the pain and loss that she is enduring because of a single bite. I could sense her feelings--that her very soul was devoured and she is now empty. It is just a bitter illusion, but she doesn't yet know that. I wish they were all dead."
"You may get your wish," said Jerret. "We may have to kill all of them to regain possession of the White Flamestone."
"Yet it wasn't a Ghoul that took Prince Vannas," said Lannon. "It was something much more powerful--perhaps whatever spawned these Ghouls. I'm guessing a Barloak Demon, like the one I encountered in Old Hill Forest. If that's the case, we will have a rough time of it. I'm not sure we can win."
"Without the Flamestone," said Aldreya, "it won't be easy. But what choice do we have?" She looked doubtful. "Yes, we must continue on."
"And what of my cousin?" said Lothrin, pain in his eyes. "He must surely be dead by now. There would be no reason for our enemies to keep him alive. Surely they would view him as a threat and eliminate him quickly."
"Don't underestimate the White Flamestone," said Jace. "Vannas has grown more powerful and will not be easy to kill--not even for a Barloak Demon. That gives us a slim hope that we can save him."
"I don't understand," said Lothrin. "He is still a flesh-and-blood mortal. If he was ambushed, how could the Flamestone protect him?"
"Sorcerers are difficult to kill," said Jace. "Our bodies change over time from the magic we wield. We toughen up a bit."
"My cousin is not a sorcerer," said Lothrin.
"I beg to differ," said Jace. "A sorcerer is one who uses sorcery on a frequent basis. I believe our good prince fits that definition."
They fell silent, the effort too great of having to yell their words to be heard above the storm. Lightning split the air close to them, striking a towering pine and catching it on fire. The pine blazed like a torch, burning branches falling to the ground. The riders halted, uncertain if they should attempt to continue on.
But at last Aldreya motioned them forward.
Lannon lost sight of Prince Va
nnas' trail. It simply vanished--along with that of whatever creature of Tharnin had been accompanying him. Lannon paused, scouring the terrain in an effort to locate it again, as the others waited with bowed heads in the lashing rain. Finally Lannon gave up.
"It just ends," he said, his voice filled with frustration. "I don't understand it. It's like the two of them just vanished from existence."
"Perhaps sorcery was used to cover the trail," said Jace. "Perhaps the Eye is confused. Do you sense anything unusual?"
Lannon shook his head. "If sorcery is confusing my sight, it's so clever that I can't even glimpse it. I must truly be blinded by it."
"We will continue on," said Aldreya, "and see if you can pick up the trail again. It could just be a temporary issue."
They went a bit further and then Lothrin called out to the others in a frantic tone. "Prince Vannas is nearby!" he yelled, pointing toward a rocky wall that was just barely visible through the trees. "I caught a glimpse of him running in that direction. Hurry, we must catch him before he escapes!"
"Are you sure it was him?" asked Aldreya, looking skeptical.
"I glimpsed his cloak," said Lothrin.
"Why would the prince run from us?" said Vorden. "This could be a trick of the Deep Shadow to slow us--or lure us into a trap."
"I agree," said Aldreya. "Our enemy is clever."
Lannon scanned the ground where Lothrin had pointed. "I sense the presence of evil sorcery, but it's not whatever I sensed before. This is weaker--possibly one of those Ghouls. But there are no traces of the prince."
"It was definitely my cousin's cloak," said Lothrin, "though I couldn't tell if it was him wearing it. But even if it wasn't him, maybe he is being held prisoner somewhere nearby. We must find him!"
Lannon led the way, following the trail of dark sorcery that wound between the pines and boulders. Soon they came to a cave in the mountainside. The cave mouth looked hungry, waiting to devour anyone who dared enter. It was a natural cavern, but one that was choked with the Deep Shadow and made almost alive from it. Even the stone walls hated these Knights and wanted them dead. Lannon was unable to see very far into the tunnel, but he could sense whispered warnings of doom from the darkness, demanding the Knights turn back.
Lightning struck in the cliffs overhead--so bright that for an instant it was like daylight. The swaying pines cracked from the roaring wind.
"The trail leads into this ugly cave," Lannon called out. "If the prince is in there somewhere, I cannot glimpse him."
"This could indeed be a trap," said Jace. "Probably is. On the other hand, this is the best lead we have right now. I suppose...we should take our chances in there." He gazed at the cave doubtfully.
They dismounted, unable to take their horses into the narrow entrance. With their Birlote torches to guide them, they entered the cave. They were glad to be sheltered from the raging storm--even if it had to be in a smelly, evil tunnel that seemed to close in around them menacingly. The sounds of the storm faded as they made their way along the tunnel. They moved slowly, watching for danger.
Lothrin motioned for them to pick up the pace. He held one of the two Birlote torches and was in the lead. "We must hurry!"
"No," said Aldreya, seizing his tunic. "If we go too fast, we will certainly end up blundering into a trap. You must calm yourself."
Lothrin pulled away from her. "But they're going to kill him!"
"Hand over your torch," Aldreya commanded.
But Lothrin ignored her and raced off through the cave. They heard him splash into water ahead. "I've found a cold, shallow lake," he called back. "There is solid rock beneath it. The cave is aglow with strange lights."
The tunnel opened into a wide cavern where the lake sat. The Knights entered the icy water, which came up to their knees. Green crystals glowed in the walls and ceiling, giving them a glimpse of how large the cavern was. It was at least three-hundred feet wide with the ceiling looming about twenty feet above them. A strange smell hung in the air that almost reminded them of salt water mixed with some ancient spice. It was an unpleasant smell that brought to mind things cold and fishy. The air in the chamber was clammy and seemed to cling to their skin. The Deep Shadow emanated strongly from the lake--an invisible fog that engulfed the Knights and whispered of hopelessness and despair.
Lannon avoided gazing at the unpleasant water and instead found himself mesmerized by the green crystals in the walls and ceiling. He studied them carefully with the Eye and discovered they held traces of energy similar to that which infested living things. The crystals were alive, but unlike any life form Lannon had ever encountered. They were shelled organisms that lived their lives mostly fixed in one spot like plants, yet they seemed more like animals.
As the warriors neared the middle of the lake, where Lothrin was waiting for them, Lannon forced himself to scan the dark water. He glimpsed traces of evil and suffering from centuries past that made him feel sick to his stomach and want to look away, but he resisted and kept searching. His vigilance paid off, as a sunken stone walkway was revealed that led across the lake. They were standing on the walkway--which had dropped beneath the dark surface due to crumbling pillars beneath it--with much deeper water on either side. In that deep water Lannon glimpsed piles of human bones--some ancient and covered in slime. Grinning skulls lay everywhere down there. Coiled up amongst the bones were several Pit Crawlers. It was a shocking sight, these dark, coiled serpents lying as still as statues in the deep.
Lannon motioned for everyone to halt. "We have a bit of an issue here," he whispered, pointing at the water. He revealed what he had seen.
"Ugh!" Dallsa whispered. She pressed close to Lannon.
"They probably aren't aware of us yet," said Aldreya. "They could even be sleeping. If we move very slowly, we might avoid a fight."
With grim faces, the Knights crept forward through the water. They had no wish to confront a group of Pit Crawlers--beasts that could cause instant death with a single bite. Many Knights throughout the ages had fallen victims to these stealthy Goblins that hid in quiet, dark places waiting to ambush their prey.
They made it a bit farther and then Dallsa let out a scream and fell over, splashing about. "Something brushed my leg!" she cried.
"It was just an eel," said Lannon, who had glimpsed the creature as it swam by. He pulled Dallsa to her feet, a feeling of dread gripping him.
An instant later the water exploded as six huge Pit Crawlers rose up, their jaws open wide and dripping venom. They swayed back and forth, as thick as tree trunks, their faces those of leering human females.