Dark Soul Silenced - Part Two (7 page)

“It’s so beautiful.  And the sky is so blue, such a rich colour.  In my memories it was so much darker.  Thank you Daniel.  Don’t remember me this way, but think kindly of the woman I once was.”

She released his hand, throwing her head back and her arms wide.  She let out a delighted laugh… then crumpled to the ground.  Somehow she had held on till the end, soaking up every moment.  Unlike Daniel the darkness had been woven throughout her soul and her body.  With the darkness destroyed there was nothing left.

Daniel lowered his head, feeling tears run down his cheeks.  He wept not for the vampire he had led to her willing death, but for the woman she must once have been.  A truly amazing woman if her last actions were any guide.

He stood there for a long time, soaking up the sun’s warmth.  Finally he triggered the roof control.  As the roof closed he slowly walked towards the stairwell.  He realised he had decided to take on another quest.  Rescuing Mary still came first, but once that was done he had another goal.  He was determined to find the darkness driving the vampires and put an end to it.  Not just for the sake of those the vampires fed on, but for the sake of the vampires who had been turned against their will.  And for the sake of those who would become vampires against their will if he did nothing.  With that new conviction burning in his heart he descended the stairs.

As Daniel reached the third floor he half expected to feel the same tug, the same pull towards the room with the Memory Table.  Nothing happened.  The table had fulfilled its purpose.  It had no further need of Daniel.

Daniel was uncertain whether he was disappointed there was nothing more to learn or relieved he wouldn’t go through the same intrusive process.  He carried on down the stairs.  When he reached the ground floor he paused.  One part of him wanted nothing more than to leave the keep, to get out into the sunshine.  Another part was curious though.  What had happened to the strong room after Ned and the guards took their items.  Had it been sealed up again?  If so, what might be in it?

He walked towards the arch leading to the entrance tunnel.  Ignoring the corpse of Razgul he stretched out, pulling energy from the stones he had activated what felt like weeks before.  Then he turned and walked towards one of the sealed doorways.  He knew it led to the guard room, as well as a number of other rooms.  In his mind he could see the keep bustling with light and life.

He felt more comfortable with the memories now.  Although they felt like his own memories, in many ways there was a definite difference to them.  Something he couldn’t describe which told him the memories belonged to someone else.  The memories from Razgul also carried their own distinctive feel, different again from Ned’s memories.  A dark taint.  Almost a stink.

Preparing himself for a fight Daniel triggered the switch.  The door flowed out of the way revealing an empty corridor.  Daniel quickly moved down it, sealing doors to either side as he went.  The passageway opened out into a large room which was also empty.  Daniel quickly sealed all the doorways leading off except one.  He couldn’t have sealed it even if he wanted to.  The guard room could only be locked from the inside.

Feeling a strange sense of déjà vu he moved into the room.  It felt empty, unused, compared to Ned’s memory of the room filled with guards.  Daniel felt a touch of melancholy at the state of the keep.  Where before he had marvelled at its construction now he felt saddened by its emptiness.  The keep had once been alive, filled with people.  Now it sat cold and empty, filled only with creatures of darkness.

Daniel tried to shake off the feeling then carefully studied the guard room.  He couldn’t afford to be surprised again.  He knew how lucky he’d been that the unnamed vampire had chosen to hold back and not kill him.  Not that a repeat of that situation was likely here.  He was in full possession of his wits and studied the guard room carefully.  It didn’t take long.  The room was empty, all the trappings of human occupation had been stripped in the time since Ned’s memories.

That gave Daniel pause.  Just how long ago had those events happened?  A long time before, he had no doubt of that.  Maybe hundreds of years, maybe far longer.  He would have to ask Josef how long the Order had been in existence.

Satisfied that the room was empty Daniel turned his attention to the strong room.  He was disappointed to see that the door was open.  Still, it was worth investigating.  Daniel sent a probe of power and closed the main door to the guard room, sealing himself in.  The keep had already surprised him many times, he wanted to be as safe as possible if he stumbled across another memory table or something similar.  Then he walked towards the strong room.

As he’d expected, it was empty.  Nothing remained, not even empty chests.  He’d expected it, but had hoped there might be something more.  Fighting disappointment he returned to the guard room, reached out to open the door… and stopped.  A smile spread over his face as he let the probe drop.  Leaving the room sealed he returned to the strong room which he then swept with a probe –  searching the walls, floor and ceiling.

Daniel smiled again as he found a pattern of energy flowing through one wall.  It was a complex pattern, an intricate weave of several different types of power.  If he’d found it the day before he would have had no idea it was even a lock, and no chance of unlocking it even had he known.  Now, though, he was armed with Ned’s memories of tackling similar locks.  Daniel studied the pattern, first becoming familiar with it then slowly working out where the pattern didn’t feel quite right.  Then he tried to generate his own pattern to fill in the gaps.  It turned out to be far harder than he’d expected.  Until then he hadn’t had to use his powers in such a precise fashion.  Matching the pattern took many attempts.  Trying to shape his pattern correctly took far more.  Throughout it all Daniel worked patiently, not becoming frustrated.  He was determined to find out what the lock protected.

Finally he managed to get the pattern and the shape right at the same time.  The pattern of the lock changed and a hidden panel in the wall slid open.  The space revealed was small — roughly a foot square.  A fine leather-bound book lay in the space, with a small square block of something metallic looking next to it.  Daniel was immediately cautious of the block.  Somehow he knew it was similar to the Memory Table.  He carefully lifted the book out, keeping his hands away from the metallic block.

He opened the book.  The first page had writing in a language and alphabet he had never seen before.  The second and third pages contained a map, though he didn’t recognise the area shown and couldn’t make sense of the labels.  The next few pages were maps too, then came page after page of carefully written text — all in the same unreadable language.  A few of the characters seemed strangely familiar, though he had no idea what they meant.  Then it hit him.  Of course!  When he rescued Jon, Sarah and Mary from the bandits he had been able to recover his own horse and bags.  Within one he had found a book with writing he couldn’t make any sense of.  The characters had been the same.  Somehow he, or the bandit leader who had taken his horse, had a book written in the same language as one that had been hidden in the keep, possibly for hundreds of years.

Daniel glanced at the metallic block.  He had an idea of its purpose, but he was still reluctant to touch it.  Ned’s memories were a part of him now.  In some small way Ned had become part of Daniel.  If he touched the block who knew what else would be forced into his mind.  Maybe he should walk away.  Focus on rescuing Mary.  Then, if possible, he could return in the future to find out what secrets the block held.

He dismissed the thought immediately.  He knew he couldn’t walk away without following this through.  The block and the book had been hidden behind a lock that no vampire could have set, or unlocked.  Unpleasant though the experience had been the knowledge he gained from Ned’s memories was invaluable.  Tensing inside he reached out and touched the block.

Power rushed over him immediately, but the experience was very different from using the Memory Table.  The knowledge this time was more abstract.  He received no direct memories.  Instead words and meanings flooded into his mind.  Syntax and grammar.  As he stood hand locked to the block, mind reeling, an entire language was forced into his mind.

The flow stopped as suddenly as it had started, leaving Daniel rocking.  He slumped to the floor, leaning against the wall, as his head continued to spin.  He felt worse than he had when using the Memory Table.  He had relived Ned’s memories, had laid them down as his own in many ways.  They had arrived in order and given him the chance to assimilate events before awakening from the trance.  This time there was no order to the information, it had all been forced into his mind as one large block of knowledge.  When the dizziness retreated enough that he could lean away from the wall Daniel opened the book to the first page.  The words twisted and curled, just beyond his ability to grasp.  Then they snapped into focus and he could read what they said.  The words were in a language he had never heard but he understood every word.

The Book of The Golden Order.
 
A detailed account of the practices, rules and wisdom of the Golden Order.

Daniel turned to the next page.  While he could now read the place names on the map they meant nothing to him.  Fighting the temptation to read further he closed the book.  He wasn’t sure how long he had already spent in the keep, but he knew it had been hours at least.  Standing up he moved away from the hidden alcove then studied the lock with his powers again, trying to determine whether it could be reactivated.  In the end he simply reached out with a probe of power — pushing and pulling at the pattern until something gave.  The pattern swirled for a moment and the alcove was hidden from view once again.  The lock swirled then returned to its original state.  Daniel reached out with his senses, trying to find any hint of the alcove.  He found none.

Satisfied the secret was safe once more, Daniel turned and left the small room.  He opened the main door of the guard room and retraced his steps towards the entrance tunnel.  Any remaining vampires should be sealed away now, but he remained alert.  Reaching the tunnel he walked past Razgul’s shrivelled corpse.  As he neared the far end of the tunnel he triggered the outer door control.  The massive door flowed out of sight and Daniel left the keep, stepping out into bright sunshine.

Chapter Eight

Sarah sat by the entrance to the keep, staring at the solid door blocking the entrance.  When Daniel had opened that door she, like the others, had hurried out into the bright light of morning.  She hadn’t noticed that Daniel didn’t follow.  When she had turned to find him he was nowhere to be seen.  Heart sinking she had looked towards the keep’s entrance and saw that the door was closed again.

She’d known of Daniel’s plans, in fact she knew they were their only hope of finding Mary, but she’d wanted to speak to him first.  Wish him luck.  Tell him to be careful.  Instead she was left waiting outside the keep, feeling hollow inside.

What if he didn’t come back?  Even if he found nothing in the keep she felt they had a better chance of finding Mary with Daniel by their side.  Without him they would have nothing.  Worse, she wasn’t certain how Josef and the other witch hunters would react if Daniel failed to return.  She kept her sword close at hand.  If they tried to capture her and Jon they would pay dearly.

With nothing else to do she chose to sit by the entrance.  If Daniel returned… No!  When Daniel returned, she would know immediately.  Feeling tense and impatient inside she continued to wait, trying not to picture the dangers Daniel must be facing or what might be happening to Mary at Rafael’s hands.

Sarah smiled as Jon approached carrying a bowl of steaming food.  She knew he must feel as worried as she was but he was hiding it well today.  Being outside had improved his mood greatly.

“
Here,” he said.  “You need to eat.”

“
Thanks.  This waiting is killing me, but I can’t do anything else.”

“
I know.  I’ve managed to keep busy at least.  I’ve been practising with the power I’ve gained.  Shaping it, making it do what I want.  I have to.  It’s such an amazing gift.  I couldn’t bear it if someone died because I hadn’t practised enough.  I’ve even started being able to draw power from my surroundings, but only a trickle.  Nothing like Daniel can draw.”

“
I’m proud of you.”  She smiled at him.  “Really.  When we rescue Mary you must help guide her, teach her how to heal without risking her life.  And without anyone knowing what she is doing.  I don’t think we will find anywhere that accepts your powers, but I can't ask either of you to stop using them either.”

Jon’s smile was so bright it lifted her heart for a moment.  Leaning forwards he kissed her so vigorously she started to laugh.

“Go on with you!  You nearly made me spill my food.  Go on, get back to practising.  I’ll let you know as soon as anything happens here.”

“
Are you sure?  I can stay if you want.”  His face had clouded over again now.  The worry in Sarah’s heart was reflected on his face.

“
No.  Go on.  I won’t be good company and there’s no point both of us sitting here staring at a closed door.  Go!”

“
All right.  I love you, you do know that don’t you?”

“
Yes.  I never doubted it.  And I love you too.  Now go!  Let me eat in peace.”

His quick smile showed he wasn’t upset at being sent away.  She watched him walk back to the others as she ate, then turned towards the door once again.  She glanced at the sun.  Late morning.  Daniel had been inside the keep for hours.  It felt much too long.  Had he been killed?  Or worse?  Or was he still roaming the keep, unable to find the answers he sought.

How much longer could she sit there until they had to move on, had to get safely away from the keep before it grew dark?  A long time yet she decided.  Even if she had to wait on her own.

Noon was long gone.  Sarah was starting to despair.  She couldn’t imagine any situation where Daniel would take so long and still return safely with the information they needed.  She became more and more certain that he was dead, or worse that he had been overwhelmed by the creatures within the keep.  Maybe even turned into one of them.  Would he step out once darkness had fallen?  Would he emerge only to hunt Sarah and the others?

Despite the growing despair she refused to give in.  She would not leave until Daniel stepped out, and if he stepped out having turned to darkness she would do her very best to kill him.

The door opened.  It was so silent that she didn’t take in what was happening for a few seconds, even though she was staring straight at it.  Heart pounding she jumped to her feet.  When Daniel stepped through and into the sunlight she launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck.

Daniel froze for a moment then held her in turn.  Sarah tried to ask what he had found out but the words choked in her throat.  She couldn’t speak.

Daniel could.  “I found out where Mary is,” he said softly.  “I can lead us there.”

Sarah choked again, this time on a sob of relief.  She hung onto Daniel even more fiercely, tears running down her cheeks as her body shook.  Some time after she felt Daniel release her and pry her arms free, turning her towards Jon.  She flew into Jon’s arms, managing to tell him the wonderful news on the second or third try.  Jon hugged her close and Sarah felt his tears mixing with her own.

Josef smiled at Mary’s parents as they held each other, their tears flowing at the news there was still hope.  Josef turned and studied Daniel.  He’d clearly been through a lot in the keep.  His eyes bore a sadness that belied the good news and he looked exhausted.

“You know where Mary is?” Josef prompted.  He noticed that Sarah and Jon immediately paid attention.  Daniel nodded. 

“
Yes.  She has been taken to a town called Echtberg.  The information I have is patchy.  I do not know exactly where it lies, but I know a route that will take us there.  I doubt it is the most direct path but it is the only way I know.”

“
Will we get to Mary in time?” asked Sarah anxiously.

“
I do not know.  All we can do is move as quickly as possible.  I learnt many things today, including how to create much stronger barriers using my powers.  I can create a barrier that will keep us safe at night even if we sleep outside.”

“
That will make a big difference,” Josef said.  “We don’t have enough men to stand watch through the night, let alone to fight off a large group of night walkers.”

Daniel stared at him in surprise.  “You are not uncomfortable at the thought of sleeping under a magical barrier?”

“I didn’t say that.  Right now almost everything we do makes me uncomfortable.  That doesn’t mean it’s the wrong thing to do.  Reaching Mary and stopping Rafael’s plans for her have to take priority.”

Daniel nodded.  “Very well.  Then shall we start?”

“You don’t need to rest?” Josef asked in surprise.  “You look damn tired.”

“
I will be fine.  I can rest tonight.  We have spent enough time here.  While I can shield us from any vampire attack I would rather avoid it happening.  If they are dogging our footsteps they will slow us down, and they might alert Rafael.”

“
Very well.  I’ll tell the men to get packed up.  Where do we go first?”

“
Nearly due west.  At the bottom of the hill there is a path.  We follow it until we reach the edge of a small lake.”

“
Once we are moving you’ll have to tell me how you know this.”

Daniel’s face darkened so much that Josef took a step back.

“No,” said Daniel in a leaden voice.  “I do not think so.”

With that he strode past Josef towards the campfire and his horse.