Shadow Cursed Page 13

  Magdar felt pain running across his entire back, lifting slightly as his vision cleared to reveal the darkened room around him. Voices called out in fear and pain all around and he could make out bodies lying prostrate on the ground while others stirred to wakefulness.

  His first thought was that earth gas may have ignited somewhere close by, but when he tried to lift himself up off the ground he could feel the absence of magic in the earth where there was usually a constant rhythm and flow of the channelled magic that kept the dwarven city alive.

  He reached deeper but could find nothing but burnt channels where the conduits used to run.

  A hand reached out and helped him to his feet. Magdar noticed Dagar’s chest armour was buckled where a crystal had shattered and he favoured his one leg which was bleeding. “Do you know what happened, brother?”

  “The entire conduit network shorted, all the crystal lights in the city have blown and all our rune weapons have been destroyed.” Dagar’s leg gave in and he leant heavily on Magdar’s bruised shoulder. “I passed a few people that didn’t survive the explosions from their own weapons.”

  “Is father alive?” asked Magdar looking at the twisted remains of his own axe on the ground.

  “Yes, he’s trying to restore order with the survivors of his bodyguard.”

  Magdar's blood ran cold as a thought occurred to him. “Come brother, we must arm ourselves, I fear the worst is yet to come.” He searched the chambers and found some poles used to test mine shafts for loose rock. He passed one to his brother and carried the rest with him.

  As they made their way through the destruction and terror-filled streets, Dagar finally asked, “Where are we going?”

  “Whatever caused the short in the conduits may have done damage to the wardgates. If there is even one breach we are in trouble. We had better gather some soldiers in case we have to hold it until repairs can be made.”

  As they walked deeper and deeper into the mine shafts they gathered a few mine workers who had little use for rune enhanced weapons and only relied on simpler warding runes against dwellers. While the crystals in their weapons had blown the damage to their weapons was minimal.

  Dagar placed his hand on the tunnel wall beside him and tried to find a working conduit. He was more sensitive than most but even he could not reach a single stream of magic.

  Magdar looked hopefully at Dagar but his brother shook his head.

  They readied their weapons as they approached the wardgate. Hours before a ring of metal had run magnificently around the edges of the tunnel allowing dwarves to pass through unhindered but capable of destroying any other creature that tried to pass. Now its metal hues were charred black, its blazing runes dead. Crystals that should have held charges to keep the gate functioning if the conduits failed had exploded from their niches, cracking the metal around them.

  Magdar gritted his teeth, one of the inner wardgates was completely destroyed. The inner gates surrounded Stronghold on all sides protecting the city from attack from the creatures that lived below. They also formed safe passages to allow dwarves to move through while radiating a field outwards through the earth to join with the other gates and create a protective shell no dweller could penetrate. If even one wardgate fell it compromised hundreds of yards around it.

  Magdar glanced at the others. Some made signs for the Allfather’s protection while the rest shook with terror. “Miner, yes you.” He singled out the calmest one. “Find my father and tell him what you have seen. Tell him I recommend we seal all inner ward gates that have been damaged except this one and to guard it with as many soldiers as he can spare. Tell him to evacuate everyone to the Fire Gardens.” Magdar sent him on his way and turned to Dagar “You know these tunnels better than most. We need to know if the outer gates have been breached. Lead us to the closest one.”

  Dagar could feel the strength of will of his father in Magdar that he himself lacked and he could see the princely bearing of the future king. Dagar nodded and led the soldiers on, holding the pole like a spear pointing ahead as he hurried along.

  He touched the sides of the tunnels lightly every now and then to feel for signs of free magic in the earth where the conduit network of the city ended and only the ward power lines continued. Not a single flow remained, as if the magic had been burnt completely from the earth.

  Darkness seemed to become more pressing as they moved further down the twisting tunnels that followed seams of metals and sometimes side tunnels that joined separate mines together.

  They passed several of the older tunnel wards meant only to protect mine tunnels deeper into the earth but not linked to the inner or outer Wardgates. All were twisted out of shape and their crystals lay shattered across the ground.

  They arrived at an outer wardgate to find its runes and crystals flickering, several crystals had exploded and others had cracked, a few seemed to still glow with power but only faintly and to a strange rhythm like a failing heart.

  Magdar said, “There is hope.”

  Dagar placed his hand against the earth feeling the unsteady flow of power emanating from the wardgate. He could feel the protective field no longer reached out as far as the next stronger wardgate and worse, he could feel the cold emptiness where an outer wardgate should have been.

  Stretching his abilities by tapping into the power of a functioning power line he reached even further. Fear crept into his heart as he saw the mess the outer wardgates were in. Entire sections were gone. One wardgate remained completely unaffected, a sentinel in the darkness, but most were damaged like the one they faced or worse.

  “The wardgates have fallen Magdar,” he said looking into his brother’s eyes. “We cannot repair enough of them to prevent a breach of the outer wardgates. You were right to evacuate the city immediately. I only hope that we can find safety within the Fire Gardens in time. If the wardgates there are affected...” he left the sentence unfinished.

  Magdar paid little attention to him. He was watching as a creature slid silently up to the wardgate on the other side, keeping to the shadows. The wardgate runes grew brighter as the creature drew closer, driving its protective shadows away. The creature gave a high pitched scream as it retreated in pain. The wardgate’s crystals grew duller again, Magdar realized they were no longer as bright as they were before.

  Magdar turned and without a word backtracked along the path his brother had taken to reach the outer wardgate.

  CHAPTER 35

  Theodinis

  Theodinis felt his host’s body grow older every minute. The terror of the shaman had become madness and the wraithlord could no longer feed off its emotions and had to sustain its hold by feeding off its life force.

  A strange feeling passed through the wraithlord and the staff in its hand shook and exploded. The shock threw the shaman’s body against the wall breaking bones, and fire burnt its face and side where it had held the staff. When Theodinis tried to get up it found that the goblin’s entire right hand had disappeared leaving only a charred stump.

  Anger rose in the wraithlord at having to find a new host so soon, having to face the hunger in these desolate hills where the only food was heavily armed with weapons that might harm even it. Only chance had allowed them to gain the bodies of two goblins and the hunger had already forced his partner to make a mistake.

  The wraithlord finally bowed to the inevitable. The shaman’s body began to shrink in on itself as the life drained out of it, the madness of the goblin gave way to terror as it realized what was happening but the pleasurable emotion soon faded as the body became desiccated and finally crumbled to dust.

  The shadow form of the wraithlord slipped out of the remains enjoying the rush of energy. Moving like smoke through cracks and spaces in the rubble where the entrance had been Theodinis reached the surface.

  In the distance it could sense a creature unlike the goblin and yet familiar. Wounded, afraid and totally alone it wandered in the darkness.

  Theodinis decided to build up its
prey’s terror before it took control of the new body.

  CHAPTER 36

  Gatekeeper

  The roar of the Divine Falls shook the air and drowned out conversation as it poured into the Crimson River on the northern side of the Barrier. Spray from the waterfall created a permanent rainbow during the day as it drifted over the Barrier and settled on the Riverlands soil turning the earth into thick mud.

  The noise of the waterfall decreased further southwest the expedition travelled until it was barely audible and the ground became solid and rocky against the Dragon Spine mountainside.

  The Gatekeeper waited for them to arrive at the doors of his rustic cabin. He nodded acknowledgement of their greetings but didn’t speak.

  Tagier handed over the papers given to them by the Emperor and the Gatekeeper briefly looked into Tagier’s eyes. He read through the pages, confirming their contents from the message the guardian had already given him.

  “Come,” said the Gatekeeper without looking Tagier in the eye again.

  Tagier frowned and opened his mouth to ask something but the mage was already moving along a worn path.

  The walk was short and winding and the Gatekeeper stepped off the path abruptly, forcing his way through thick vines that looked impenetrable. When the others came through they were within a few steps of the Trade Gate and they were all taken aback.

  It stood four yards high a spider’s web of gold and platinum runes overlapping each other. The crystal dust embedded within the metals twinkling in the light like diamonds. The circular gate had been commissioned by the previous Emperor when the goblin hordes began to make their own tunnels into the mountains cutting the trade route in half. They were designed with both dwarven runes and mechanical locks to prevent goblins from breaching them and entering the elven lands from the mountains.

  Standing before the Trade Gate the Gatekeeper could feel the power radiating from the metal. He began to draw runes on a blank section with two fingers. Light followed each finger in a complicated pattern that even Carthus could barely follow joining the ends of the gold and platinum runes together. The unlocking rune flared brightly as he finished and the Gatekeeper stepped away as the locks within the doors began to move.

  The doors swung silently open revealing a pitch black tunnel. Laisarus thanked the Gatekeeper who averted his gaze and moved out of the way as Laisarus entered carrying a torch. When the trade route had flourished the tunnel had been permanently lit with crystals embedded in the ceiling but they had all been removed before the gate was sealed.

  Laisarus had moved with more purpose once they entered the forest but he visibly shuddered as the darkness closed around him, taking each step forward by force of will alone.

  The Gatekeeper watched the expedition file through clenching his hands behind his back.

  Tagier studied the Gatekeeper as he passed, frowning. When he moved on and the Gatekeeper visibly relaxed.

  Amelia gave the Gatekeeper a blessing as she passed and his gaze lingered on her. He could feel power building inside him and he reached out to grasp her arm. The visions hit him one after the other, still frames of future events.

  He heard his voice from a distance saying, “Only light can banish darkness, only love can heal, only through forgiveness will he find love and only through love will we survive.”

  He dropped his hand from her arm and hurried to close the doors.

  Carthus watched the Gatekeepers hasty retreat having sensed the power the old man had summoned. “Remember what he said, Amelia, his words had power behind them.”

  She blinked as if awakening from a dream and nodded, hurrying towards the torch light ahead as the great doors slammed shut behind them cutting off the daylight.

  The gatekeeper leaned his back against the door and slid to the ground as the aftermath of the visions overcame him.

  The forest grew silent around him and he looked up to find Gaia standing before him wearing an autumn coloured dress. She reached out her ghostly hand and helped him to his feet and he could smell the scent of spring flowers around her.

  “You had the vision again, old one,” she stated.

  “Yes, the same one,” he said pulling his hand out of hers.

  “You did well to tell her only that which would give her hope,” she said following the Gatekeeper as he made his way back to his dwelling.

  “Yes, it’s always better to leave out the treachery, murder and death.” He entered his house and shut the door on Gaia but she passed effortlessly through.

  The Gatekeeper grabbed a bottle from the kitchen shelf and poured himself a drink at the ornate table depicting a detailed map of the eastern side of the continent. His chair creaked as he sat down and his arm disturbed the dust that covered the gold and ebony woodwork he had painstakingly created with magic.

  “You know without hope the future you saw could be worse.” The Gatekeeper turned his gaze away from her and ran his finger through the dust. “Amelia needs to succeed at each step or else the elves will only be the first race to be destroyed.”

  “Sometimes I believe I was cursed by the gods,” said the Gatekeeper.

  “There are no elven gods old man,” she replied but regretted her choice of words immediately.

  “Stop calling me old man!” he shouted.

  “Would you prefer me to use your true name then?” she asked.

  The Gatekeeper poured himself another glass and swallowed it in one gulp. Ignoring her question he said, “Please have the courtesy of leaving me in peace so that I can get drunk.” He turned his head to find that she was already gone. He raised a fresh glass and made a toast, “May her prophesy come to pass or we are all doomed.”

  Emptying glass after glass his head finally fell forward slamming into the table and knocking the bottle over. Red wine ran across the intricate patterns that depicted the known map of the world. Like a tide of blood, spreading from the Riverlands in the south it covered the goblin controlled forest all the way to the far cold reaches of the unexplored north where the wolven made their home, until finally it poured over the edge.

  CHAPTER 37

  Jack

  The first guerrilla force left at midday with a week’s supply of cold rations and supplies. Gabriel allowed the men trained as scouts to lead the way and find a sheltered area to set up a supply base.

  The scouts located several places but only one had a cave that was large enough to conceal all the men inside. Gabriel decided to create two teams of ten men, one team led by him and the other by Jack. Scouts moved silently through the woods and located the various goblin camps, marking them on maps with layout diagrams of troop dispositions and clan insignias.

  Gabriel’s first plan was to turn the goblins against each other, and that would require some planning. He had the scouts keep watch on the various clans to find those that had vendettas against each other and were close enough for his plan to work.

  He then discussed the plan with Jack’s team of guerrillas. Jack broke out in a grin and started laughing.

  The next evening they killed two goblins, one from the Bloody Ear Clan and the other from the Black Sky Clan. They used the spear from the Bloody Ear warrior to kill the other warrior and left the decapitated body with the spear where it would be found. They then dressed Jack up in the Black Sky warrior’s clothing and had him move to the edge of the Bloody Ear Clan camp.

  When Jack received a signal from the scouts strung out between the two camps he walked up to the sentry at the Bloody Ear Clan’s border and stabbed him in the stomach. When the goblin fell over Jack threw the head at it and ran away.

  The warrior seeing the insignia on his attacker shouted a warning that they were being attacked by the Black Sky Clan. The noise made by the real Black Sky Clan crashing through the forest was incentive enough for the warriors to grab their weapons and engage the other clan.

  Jack watched from cover as the goblins crashed into one another. The butchery went on for hours as the two sides fought mercilessly.
The clans being evenly matched in warriors and shamans neither could gain an advantage, until the last Bloody Ear shaman fell. The tide turned in the Black Sky Clan’s favour as the combined efforts of the Black Sky shamans slaughtered the enemy warriors. The last ten warriors and two shamans began to gather the bodies for a funeral pyre when simultaneously several crossbow bolts hit each unprotected shaman in the chest. The warriors ducked and waited to identify the threat.

  Jack stepped out of the forest, discarding the goblin clothing and drawing his axe. The goblins, realizing what had happened, roared in anger and forgetting the hidden crossbowmen charged at him. Five managed to reach him but the other five went down with bolts through their throats and hearts. Jack swung his axe blade into the face of the first goblin, smashing it into the path of the second one, tripping it. Jack casually stepped on the second goblin’s face to stop it moving and killed the third one with another swing from his axe that sent its body flying. The last two goblins seeing the odds turning against them tried to run but were hit by the next barrage of crossbow bolts.