Dark Priest Page 16

  “I am Bhrrghurgghr. Welcome in my home. I am good to have visitors.” He gestured for them to follow him, as he retreated to a set of heavy wooden doors, keeping one eye on them at all times.

  The party conferred briefly. Then Chandor, staff at the ready, cautiously followed Lander up the stairs. Behind him Casanath, Gelarey, and Varlath followed nervously.

  Beyond the doors, the room was furnished like a palace. A fire roared in a six-foot fireplace. Thick furs littered the floor, and skins adorned the walls. A massive four poster bed, piled high with more furs, dominated a raised area. From the ceiling in one corner hung a partially jointed deer carcass that dripped blood into an iron pot.

  Nearby, a chest-high wooden table held the deer’s skin and a pile of feathers, lengths of wood, arrow heads and some completed arrows. On the wall nearby hung a huge longbow and a quiver full of arrows.

  The minotaur leaned his battle axe against a wall, and deliberately stepped away from it. “Welcome in peace. Yous are my visitors. Yous not do need weapons here.” He took another step away from his weapon to emphasise the point.

  Lander leaned his two-handed sword, small in comparison to the minotaur’s weapon, against a nearby stool and the minotaur nodded.

  “Do all of yous like a drink?” He went to a cabinet without asking and took out six goblets. He poured something into each of them from a gourd the size of a small barrel. He walked halfway to where the humans were standing, and placed them on the floor, and then retreated.

  Lander laughed. “Minotaur ale, this will be a story.” He walked forward and picked up a goblet. He took a deep breath and raised the goblet to his lips. He drank, or appeared to, “Mmm. That is good.” He turned to the others, “Come on, don’t be rude.”

  They all moved forward and picked up drinks. Chandor sniffed his, and, heart racing, took a tiny sip. It tasted like ale, but heavier and more bitter.

  “Come see my victory room.”

  The minotaur led them through to an adjacent room.

  “Look! These are my victories from fights. Look, look. Humans!” The minotaur beamed with pride. The room was full of armour stands. Each one had a grisly skull atop, and armour and weapons displayed below. “This man fought very well,” the minotaur smiled broadly, pointing to a stand with Vander plate, shield and longsword. The skull on top was smashed to little pieces. “See this male minotaur. He lived here and taught me to fight with a greatsword, while I taught him the battle axe.” He patted the greatsword. “Then we fought. I was better with my axe than he was with his sword. But a good fight!” Bhrrghurgghr walked further around the room, “And this orc, he travelled all the way from the Cobalt Mountains to fight me! He was dreaming of big glories.” He affectionately rubbed the smooth yellow canine protruding from the lower jaw. He turned to them, “So, which one of you will Challenge me?” He eyed each of them in turn. “Perhaps the small knife lady? Or you, big human?”

  “We’re not here to fight you. We are after the hippogriff nest,” stated Varlath.

  “I not do understand.”

  “The horse birds? We’ve been told they have a nest here,” said Lander, but Chandor could see he was considering the Challenge.

  “Ha! The Hoolg’rachur? Rather let me kill yous. Then your equipment will live in my Victories room.”

  “Are the Hoolg’rachur here? Do you know where they live?” demanded Varlath, getting the pronunciation of the new word perfect to Chandor’s ear.

  The minotaur nodded. “Yes, they are here, in the tower closest where the sun goes down.” He pointed vaguely westwards.

  “What are the rules of this Challenge?” asked Lander, thoughtfully.

  “Ha!” The minotaur smiled approvingly. “We fight one-on-one, in the Combat room. If you surrender or die, I get yous equipments.”

  “And if I win?”

  The minotaur laughed loudly, the sound coming out like a bray, “Same, same! Yous get my equipments. Plus all these Victories.”

  “Lander, don’t be stupid,” snapped Casanath. “I can’t believe you’re even considering it.”

  “And you promised to help me get the eggs,” growled Varlath.

  “I’m not considering it, not really. I was just wondering,” said Lander.

  “What about you,” the minotaur nodded at Chandor. “Do you want to Challenge me?”

  Chandor had been thinking about it, wondering if he could get in a quick strike with his staff as the minotaur hefted his axe, but sense prevailed and he shook his head. Anyway, I have a quest to complete.

  The minotaur’s shoulders slumped, “One other day, perhaps.”

  They left the minotaur and headed for the western tower.

  “I think we would have found it ourselves if we’d had too,” laughed Casanath. “Now that we’re here the pile of bones and the bird crap down the wall make it the obvious choice.”

  The base of the western tower was littered with bones. Some gleamed white while others still had fragments of meat on them. As they approached the door at the foot of the tower a cloud of flies rose briefly and settled again.

  Lander tried the door but it was locked.

  “Let me have a look,” suggested Gelarey, easing past him. She crouched down next to the lock and removed a set of keys and picks from the bag at her hip. Laying her crossbow down next to her, she fiddled with the lock for a few moments. Then she ran her hands slowly right around the doorframe. Regathering her crossbow, she edged back behind Lander. “Try it now”.

  The door opened easily. Lander and Chandor edged their way in. They found themselves on the ground floor of the circular tower. A narrow staircase without a balustrade wound its way along the wall up to the next level. Apart from the stairs the room was cold and bare.

  Lander started up the stairs but was called back.

  “Wait a moment. What’s the plan here?” demanded Casanath.

  “Uh, we go up the tower, Chandor and I attack the hippogriffs with our weapons while you two blast them with magic and Gelarey shoots them with her crossbow. We kill them and collect an egg for Varlath who rewards us with magic when we get home.”

  “You realise there are probably two horse-sized eagles up there, which will fight to the death to protect their eggs?” asked Casanath.

  “Yeah, sure,” said Lander, thought he went a little pale and didn’t sound as sure of himself. “Unless you have a better plan?”

  “I don’t. But let’s just think about this.”

  “Casanath’s right,” said Varlath, “we’re not here to kill the hippogriffs, just to get an egg.”

  “I might be able to sneak in quietly without them seeing me?” suggested Gelarey.

  “No way!” said Lander vehemently. “It’s far too dangerous.”

  “What if she was invisible?” asked Varlath.

  “You can do that?” queried Casanath in amazement.

  Varlath nodded smugly.

  They all turned to Lander who shrugged. “I guess I’d be ok with that.”

  “Won’t the hippogriffs hear her?” asked Chandor.

  Casanath and Lander both shook their heads and Casanath said, “Gelarey’s always loved sneaking around. She moves like a shadow.”

  “At home she amuses herself by slipping up behind the guard dogs and giving them a fright,” chuckled Lander.

  Gelarey nodded confidently. “If I’m invisible, this’ll be a breeze.”

  Chandor shrugged. “Okay.”

  Varlath took a deep breath, “Hamlash domelsish kana. Kolom neth rigolomorko.” He waved his hand over Gelarey who shimmered and then disappeared, to gasps of amazement from the others.

  “Did it work?” Gelarey’s disembodied voice came from the place where she had been standing.

  “Completely!” exclaimed Lander and Casanath together.

  “Great! Is there anything else, or can I be off?”

  “Just be careful. We’re right here. Just shout if you need us.”

  They waited for what seemed an age, expecti
ng her to appear any moment. Suddenly an animal screech issued from the room above, followed immediately by Gelarey’s cry of pain.

  Chandor charged up the remaining stairs a pace behind Lander. They burst into the room and saw Gelarey lying unconscious on the floor. Blood streamed from a vicious wound on her head. Towering over her were the two fearsome hippogriffs. The hindquarters were those of a horse but they had an eagle’s head with a vicious beak. Golden talons extended from feathered forefeet.

  Chandor shouted to distract them. The nearest one, which had its back to him, flashed out with golden hooves.

  Chandor tried to block with his staff, but the hippogriff’s hooves smashed right through the sturdy wood. The hooves hit him in the chest with enough force to knock him off his feet. As quick as a flash, the hippogriff turned and attacked him with its razor sharp, curved beak.

  The room was a blur of wings, beaks, talons and hooves. From the corner of his eye, Chandor saw a bolt of magic lance in from the door towards the other hippogriff.

  The one attacking him reared up and then brought both eagle-taloned front legs down. Chandor rolled frantically to the side, leaving his broken staff lying on the floor.

  As the hippogriff leapt towards him Chandor reached for his sword. He knew that without a weapon he had no chance of survival, let alone of rescuing Gelarey.

  His hand hovered over the hilt. I swore an oath.

  The Gods will understand, whispered a small voice in his head. The Weapon Sacrifice is a meaningless church ceremony. You need a weapon. Take the sword now!

  “No!” Chandor screamed, “I fight for the Gods, by Otec! In the Gods I trust!”

  He leapt forward, swinging his fists as he went. He knew it was ineffective, and that he could probably not even hurt the creature, but he rushed in anyway. His right fist connected with the hippogriff’s head. While the punch hurt his hand, it barely even made the hippogriff flinch.

  The wicked beak flashed forward. Chandor felt pain explode in his right shoulder. He was lifted from the ground and shaken.

  Still hanging in the air, he drew back his left fist. “In the name of Notomok!” he yelled. Immediately, his hand started to tingle, then burn. He glanced down and saw that it was pulsing with red light. Tendrils of power crawled down his left forearm and over his fist. He put all his effort into the punch. His fist moved in an arcing uppercut. It smashed the hippogriff in the throat. When it landed, it sounded as if a gong had been struck.

  The creature dropped him and reared back. It screamed in agony. Where Chandor’s fist had landed, the feathers were blackened and charred.

  Chandor didn’t have time to wonder what had happened. He leaped forward, grabbed the still-unconscious Gelarey by the arm and bolted for the door. He was followed a moment later by Lander and two angry hippogriffs.

  “Move!” he shouted at the wizards as he stumbled down the stairs, dragging Gelarey unceremoniously behind him.

  They scrambled down the stairs, fearing pursuit from the hippogriffs, but the animals stopped at the door, screaming proudly and defiantly.

  On the ground floor they stopped, panting.

  Gelarey was critically injured. She had a vicious head wound and gashes all over her body from the hippogriff’s talons. Blood poured from holes where the flesh had been ripped from her body by their beaks.

  Lander dug frantically in his satchel for bandages and stitches.

  “She’s too far gone, bandages won’t help,” stated Varlath dispassionately.

  “She’s dying,” sobbed Casanath.

  “Not if I can help it,” Chandor growled. He took his Holy Symbol out from under his chain mail and held it over her. He knew that he had already performed one miracle when he punched the hippogriff, but even so he felt certain that Otec would answer as he started to pray for healing.

  “Otec, creator of the earth, You are the lord of life. Notomok, saviour of mankind, please heal your daughter now.”

  As he spoke, Chandor’s Holy Symbol began to glow with a warm yellow light, slowly at first. Then with brighter and brighter intensity. Around him, the adventurers held their breath. Chandor could feel the medallion throbbing with power as he drew the sign of the Gods. Heat started to radiate out from the engraved metal as he prayed, “Takatifu Roho, flow through me now and let the Gods be glorified.”

  A feeling of peace flowed over them all, and a collective sigh escaped their lips.

  The light began to focus into distinct beams, like rays of the sun shining out from the clouds. Each targeted a specific injury. Before his eyes, Gelarey’s wounds began to heal. Chandor could see the flesh drawing together, and the skin starting to grow. More and more light blazed from the Holy Symbol and from the wounds until he was forced to shut his eyes.

  Suddenly, the light disappeared. When he looked back, each wound had become a mass of pink scar tissue surrounded by black and blue bruises. Gelarey was still unconscious, but the colour had returned to her face, and she was breathing normally again.

  They all stood around in silence for a moment, before all beginning to speak at the same time.

  “Are you a priest?” asked Casanath.

  “No.”

  “That wasn’t wizard magic.”

  “What are you?” demanded Lander.

  “I am…” Chandor started and then faltered. He didn’t know what he was.

  “A Guardian of Mankind?”

  Chandor shook his head. “I am a Dark Guardian.”

  “Never heard of them.”

  “It’s a specialist Order, dedicated to destroying the undead.” The line rolled easily off Chandor’s tongue.

  “With the hippogriff, I saw your hand glowing red, like a coal. I’ve adventured with Guardians before but have never seen anything like it. What was it?”

  “I don’t know,” said Chandor. As he said it, he knew it was a lie. He had performed a defiled miracle. It was the reverse of the healing that he had just done on Gelarey. They had been banned from defiling miracles at church, but he felt no guilt. It was necessary, and for a good cause. He did feel drained, and exhausted.

  A groan from Gelarey diverted everyone’s attention. Her eyes fluttered and then opened. “Where are we?” she asked. “Is everyone all right?”

  “We’re all ok, thanks to Chandor.”

  Gelarey sighed, “Sorry guys, I stuffed up. I was too impatient and arrogant about being invisible. I snuck in really carefully, but when I realised they couldn’t see me, I just walked right up to the eggs. They didn’t respond so I picked one up. That’s when they went berserk.”

  “Damn,” snorted Varlath, “As soon as the egg became part of your personal space it went invisible too, alerting the hippogriffs to the theft.”

  Gelarey shrugged. “I did do one thing right,” she said, reaching into her bag. “I dropped the egg in here before they knocked me out.”

  CHAPTER 17

  A Lead at Last

  Chandor bolted upright, wide awake and gasping for air, the scream dying on his lips.

  “Are you all right?” asked Sandra sleepily from the next bed which she and Thomas shared.

  “I’m fine, thanks. Go back to sleep.” Chandor eased his way out of his sleeping sack, swung his cloak around his shoulders and went outside. The night was freezing, the sky clear and full of stars. He stood in the icy dawn air, his bare feet aching on the frozen courtyard stones and started to pray.

  The cold eventually drove him in. He made coffee on the kitchen fire while he waited for sunrise. As soon as the family started to wake, he dressed and headed across town to Varlath’s tower.

  The adventurers were already there. While Lander sat patiently in a patch of morning sun, Casanath paced impatiently up and down. Gelarey fiddled at Varlath’s door with her keys.

  “The sod won’t let us in,” fumed Casanath. “If he reneges on his promise I swear I’ll report him to the Magicians’ Guild.”

  Chandor shook his head, “He’s just teaching you a lesson for disturbing him s
o early. He’ll open up when he’s good and ready.”

  The words were barely out of his mouth when the door opened.

  “You’re wasting your time,” Varlath sneered at Gelarey. “Do you really think you could pick the lock to my tower?”

  Gelarey shrugged unashamedly, “It was better than twiddling my thumbs while we waited out here in the cold for you to open up.”

  Varlath snorted, “Follow me.” He turned and strode down the short corridor. When he arrived at the sitting room he gestured to the chairs, “Sit, don’t touch anything.”

  The hippogriff egg sat in a marble bowl on his desk and Varlath caressed it as he passed. “Time to pay for you, my beauty,” he muttered, opening an intricately carved wooden box. He beckoned Casanath closer, “As promised, a scroll for you, my lady.”

  A small sigh escaped Casanath’s lips as she took the scroll reverently in her hands, and Chandor wondered what spell it contained.

  Varlath walked to the other end of the room and lifted the lid of a large wooden trunk. He reached in and pulled out a bundle wrapped in wool, “Ten magical crossbow bolts for you, Gelarey. It’s more than you deserve, but they’re no good to me anyway.”

  Chandor leaned expectantly over her shoulder as Gelarey opened the bundle but was disappointed to see that the bolts, while exquisitely crafted, did not look magical.

  “How do I know they’re enchanted?” Gelarey demanded.

  Varlath glared at her, “You can ask Casanath to check them for you if you don’t trust me.”

  “No, its fine,” said Gelarey, but Chandor suspected she would have them tested later.

  Varlath unlocked his drinks cabinet and removed what looked like a wine skin. “Lander, this potion will give you about an hour’s worth of magical protection from enchanted creatures. I’ll leave it to Casanath to explain all the dreary details in your own time.”

  Varlath reached back into the cabinet and pulled out a glass vial filled with what looked like dark smoke. “Last but not least, Chandor, this Sleep potion will unlock your past. It will knock you out so it’s probably a good idea to lie down on your bed before you drink it. I don’t envy you your dreams, but I hope they’re helpful at least.”