Knights: Defenders of Ollanhar (Ollanhar Series Book 1) (26 page)

“Hey,
that one was mine,” said Vorden, glaring at the Dwarf.

 
Another Pit Crawler moved toward Vorden from
behind. Lothrin cried a warning and hurled his Flayer, impaling the beast, but
the wound didn’t stop it and it bit the back of Vorden’s head. Vorden whirled
around and caught the beast with his spikes, ripping half of its head into
ruin. The Pit Crawler collapsed in death.

Vorden
staggered about and then fell into the water, clutching the back of his head.
Lannon pulled him to his feet, but Vorden was unable to stand. His eyes were
rolled back in his head. Hanging onto his friend with one arm, Lannon beheaded
yet another Pit Crawler that was lunging at them.

Soon
all of those Pit Crawlers lay dead—but nearby, the surface of the water
churned as a slew of baby Pit Crawlers swam about and moved off through the
cavern. The others looked on in disgust, but they had no time to track down
these young Goblins and put an end to them.

They
formed a circle around Vorden, wondering if he was finished. Yet the Red Knight
was still breathing in a labored fashion.

Dallsa
lay hands on Vorden to administer healing—and then pulled back, a shocked look
on her face.

“What’s
wrong?” Lannon asked.

“It’s
his aura,” she said. “I can feel the Deep Shadow inside him—so
incredibly strong. How is it that he can resist it?”

“You
must try,” said Lannon.

With
a reluctant nod, Dallsa laid hands on him again. “I can feel the venom in
his blood, seeking his heart. But it’s not killing him. He is…simply too
infested with Tharnin. The venom is failing.”

Lannon
breathed a sigh of relief. “So he’s going to survive.”

Moments
later, Vorden’s eyes fluttered into focus. “Curse it all,” he
mumbled. “One of them got me. Why weren’t you watching my back, Lannon?”

“Sorry,”
said Lannon. “How do you feel?”

“It
was a very shallow bite,” said Dallsa, checking the injury.
“Fortunately, only a tiny bit of venom found its way in.”

“It
still took me out of the fight,” said Vorden. “And I feel horribly
sick and weak right now. I’m afraid I won’t be much good in combat for a
while.”

“You
fought carelessly, Vorden,” said Aldreya. “Why?”

Vorden
shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe I feel like I’m invincible…like the ugly
power inside me will always preserve my life. Yet I know I can die. A stronger
bite perhaps would have finished me. It’s strange…the way I am.”

“Maybe
you want to die,” said Jace, “to escape what you are. I’ve seen that
sort of thing many times over the centuries. You might not even be aware that
you are trying to kill yourself.”

Vorden
bowed his head in thought. “I don’t know. You could be right, Jace. Maybe
I’m hoping death will bring me peace.”

Lannon
found Vorden’s statement very disturbing. “You need to do everything you
can to stay alive, my friend. We all need you. This world needs you. You’re one
of the best fighters Dremlock has.”

“I
know,” said Vorden, but he still looked doubtful.

“Don’t
waste your great gift of life,” said Jace. He winked at Vorden. “Life
is rare indeed. Especially intelligent life. You weren’t meant to squander it
foolishly. Ride the river until the end, wherever it takes you. It’s the only
way.”

Vorden
rolled his eyes. “I don’t need a lecture in philosophy.”

“Vorden,
your attitude is putting us all at risk,” said Aldreya. “You need to
pay attention to what’s going on around you. That wound should never have
occurred. We can’t always be concerned with watching your back.”

“Then
don’t,” said Vorden, his face darkening. “I can look after myself,
and I don’t need anyone to—” He went into a coughing fit and fell to his
knees.

Lannon
helped him up again.

“Let
us continue on,” said Lothrin, as he yanked his Flayer free of the dead
Pit Crawler. He started off without waiting for a reply. The others followed,
though Vorden slowed them considerably.

When
Lothrin reached the other side of the lake, he cried out in rage. “I have
found the one who stole Prince Vannas’ cloak! Stay back and let me deal with
him myself!”

The
others ignored the Ranger’s command—with Lannon darting ahead until he stood
beside Lothrin.

Crouched
in a stone tunnel beyond the lake was a Ghoul that wore the prince’s silk
cloak. The Ghoul was trapped—as the tunnel reached a dead end behind it. It
had done its work in leading them to the Pit Crawlers, but its clever snare had
failed. Not a single Knight had perished.

Lothrin
pointed his Flayer at the Ghoul. “What have you done with my cousin? Tell
me, and I might let you escape!”

The
Ghoul hissed words in return—words that sounded like
“Prince Vannas is
dead. I devoured him.”

Enraged,
Lothrin strode over to the Ghoul. The creature tried to seize Lothrin’s Flayer,
but the Ranger was too fast—shoving the creature to its knees. “Last
chance!” Lothrin warned, raising his burning blade. “Where is Prince
Vannas and the White Flamestone?”

The
Ghoul went for Lothrin’s throat—only to be met by the burning Flayer that
claimed its head. Lothrin stood over his fallen foe, chest heaving, his eyes
still filled with rage. “The fool should have talked!”

“Calm
yourself,” said Aldreya. “The battle is over.”

Lannon
was impressed with how easily Lothrin had dispatched the Ghoul. It seemed the
Ranger had slain the powerful creature as if it were any common Goblin. Lannon
wondered why Lothrin was so swift and skilled compared to other Knights and if
it had something to do with his lineage and the strange birthmark on his face.
Or did all Birlote Rangers possess such abilities?

Lothrin
sheathed his blade, gazing down at the dead creature. “What if it was
telling the truth? What if it
did
devour the prince?”

“I
believe it was lying,” said Lannon—though he wasn’t completely certain.
Creatures of the Deep Shadow were skilled liars, and even the Eye of Divinity
sometimes had trouble seeing through them.

Lothrin
removed Vannas’ cloak and checked it for bloodstains. “The cloak is in
excellent shape,” he said. “That’s a good sign.”

Lannon
scanned the tunnel and found a hidden iron door in the stone wall, concealed by
a powerful illusion. He grabbed a handle and pulled open the door, as the
others looked on in amazement.

“Where
did that come from?” asked Jerret, rubbing his eyes. “You were
pulling on empty air, and then…there it was.”

“I
broke the illusion for you,” said Lannon. He pointed to some runes
engraved in the cave wall. “That’s what generates the illusion, as long as
the door stays shut. As soon it comes open, the illusion apparently stops
working.”

Aldreya
studied the runes carefully. “Very interesting. We’re dealing with
extremely powerful sorcery that even Divine Knights cannot easily see through.
It even fooled
me.
Obviously, this door leads somewhere important.”

“So
let’s see what’s beyond it,” said Vorden. He took a few steps toward it
and then collapsed, still terribly weakened by the venom.

Sighing,
Lannon lifted him over his shoulder.

Dallsa
checked Vorden again and nodded. “He’s merely unconscious. It will be good
for him to sleep for a while.”

“But
not so good for me,” said Lannon. “He weighs a ton in that
armor.”

Beyond
the iron door, they found stone stairs leading upward in a spiral. They climbed
up about thirty feet—their wet boots making squishy noises—and found
themselves in a narrow tower with torch holders in the walls around them. The
walls seemed to press in on them as they continued upward.

Lannon
scanned his surroundings and glimpsed echoes of warfare. This tower had once
been part of a larger fortress that had suffered great damage and had crumbled
away. Countless battles had been fought here, until the blood and bitter
memories had seeped into the stone blocks. Centuries upon centuries of brutal
conflict had left the tower twisted and ugly and corrupted by the Deep Shadow.
This narrow keep held an aura of misery and death—of human life being
cheapened by greed and lust for power. The Divine Knights were crammed into a
stuffy, bleak space that desperate soldiers had once occupied.

Lannon
revealed what he saw.

“These
mountains were torn apart by war,” said Jace. “Many castles once
stood here, occupied by Olrog lords who served Tharnin. The Grey Dwarves fought
against the Birlotes and Noracks in these peaks—and against each other. Now
the Dwarves are gone from here and only ruins remain of their once proud
fortresses. But as always the Deep Shadow lingers on, tainting everything with
evil.”

At
the top of the tower they found windows looking out upon the mountainside. The
storm was still raging, and windswept rain blew in on them. Lightning flashed
close to the tower, blinding them temporarily.

Gazing
through the window, Lannon caught a glimpse of another tower rising up from the
mountainside and revealed in a lightning flash—far to the west beyond forests
and cliffs. The Eye of Divinity locked onto the distant tower, and a feeling of
dread gripped Lannon. He sensed massive power radiating from it.

“I
glimpsed another fortress,” he said. “I sense great evil there.”

“Could
be where we need to go,” said Jace, leaning wearily against the tower
wall. “I think it is Wallrock itself, if I remember right. The direction
seems correct, anyway. If so, that is very unfortunate. That is a heavily
guarded keep, ruled by something very ancient and powerful.”

“A
Barloak Demon,” said Lannon, with certainty.

Jace
nodded. “And probably an Elder Demon at that. A creature that survived the
wrath of the Crimson Flamestone and lives defiantly in our world. Such
incredible boldness and arrogance.”

“This
creature,” said Aldreya, “whatever it may be, could be responsible
for much of the evil that plagues Silverland. We knew there were other forces
at work against us besides Tenneth Bard, Bellis, and the Blood Legion. We
suspected there was a true Goblin Master spawning some of our greatest foes. At
least, that’s what Taris told me a few weeks ago. If the Lord of Wallrock is
indeed this Goblin Master, then slaying it would be a great victory for
Dremlock.”

“It
has been attempted before,” said Jace. “More than once. Yet not a
single Divine Knight has ever returned from there. If it wasn’t Prince Vannas
and the White Flamestone at stake, I would strongly suggest we avoid going
there. I shudder to think of the horrors that await us in that keep. I ventured
there once, long ago, and was lucky to escape with my life. The things I
saw…I will never forget.”

“What
did you see?” asked Lannon. He wasn’t sure he actually wanted to know, but
he was compelled to ask anyway.

But
Jace only shook his head. “I would rather not say. And it was long ago.
Who knows what lurks there now? Regardless, we must go and face what must be
faced. The White Flamestone must be recovered.”

“I
can lead the way,” said Lannon. “The Eye will guide us.”

They
left the guard tower and went back down to the lake cavern. Vorden awoke and
was able to walk again, though his steps were still quite slow. They made their
way carefully across the water, anticipating more Pit Crawlers—but none rose
from the deep. Their bodies were uncomfortable beneath their wet clothes. They
could have dried themselves off with sorcery, but it would have been pointless
considering they were headed back into the storm.

At
last they emerged from the cave—to find their horses missing. The wind and
rain had not let up in the slightest, as sheets of water blasted them
unmercifully. The wind seemed to come from everywhere, changing direction
constantly, negating any attempt to shelter themselves with tree or boulder.

Aldreya
sighed. “Very clever. They managed to lure us away from our horses, and
now we shall have to proceed on foot. I think that was their plan all along.
They knew we would survive the Pit Crawlers and merely wanted to distract us so
they could capture our horses. Our foes want us to grow weary.”

Lannon
scanned the ground and found no signs of a struggle. However, he did sense dark
sorcery all about. “It looks like they were placed under some spell of
Tharnin and simply led away.”

“Led
to Wallrock,” said Jace, “where all things end up that are taken by
the creatures of these mountains.” He fixed his piercing gaze on Lannon.
“Take us to the fortress, Dark Watchman. We look to you now for
hope.”

Lannon
nodded. It was time to go to a place that even Divine Knights feared, where all
of his skills would surely be tested to the extreme. Undoubtedly, the creatures
of Wallrock had never dealt with a Dark Watchman before, and there was a chance
they would underestimate Lannon. Yet he thought back to the mighty Barloak
Demon he had encountered in Old Hill Forest, and he shuddered. If the beast at
Wallrock was that powerful, Lannon and his friends might indeed join the long
list of Knights who had vanished forever beyond those ancient walls.