The Corin Chronicles Volume I: The Light and the Dark (40 page)

A few seconds went without a response, but then the three warriors answered in unison, fierce and determined: “We are ready, your highness.”

“Very well,” said Prince Ramon. He held the torch high in the air. “Let us do this for Corin.” He struck the torch several times on the ground, and as the blue flame emerged in all its glory, he ran into the unknown territory of the desert with all the strength he had. His men followed, right on his tail, staying within the circle of light.

All at once, the previous silence of the Dark World erupted into a roar of shrieks and howls, as thousands of Kronos filled the night skies. The beasts flew in packs directly above the prince and his band of men.

“By the gods,” said Mikael, panting for breath. “There are thousands of them.”

“Stop looking up at them,” shouted Ramon. “Concentrate and only look ahead.” He focused on maintaining his composure, as well as his pace, for he knew that the screams of the Kronos were known to unnerve even the bravest of warriors. And despite his own warning, he glanced at the skies above him. He could only see their coarse skin, which was as dark as the night skies, and the flapping of their countless leathery wings, which appeared as a vast, rippling shadow. And from the shadows, large and narrow eyes shone as red as the Corin moon.

Looking at the three young men who ran alongside him, all the while huddling close to the light of the blue flame, Ramon could see they were becoming more and more disoriented. A few minutes running from the creatures of the night seemed like an eternity, but they had no choice but to continue ahead.

Tired legs and aching thighs did not deter the warriors, as they continued down the desert. There was still no sight of the Cave of Napol, and worry began to creep into the prince’s mind. He looked around at his comrades and saw only tired faces. He felt his legs growing more and more fatigued, and as he ran on, the numbness invaded his whole body. But he did begin to see in the distance what looked like a faint light that grew brighter with each step. “That must be the Napol cave!” he shouted.

They ran on. The Kronos had grown somewhat quieter, opting to follow at a distance. But this soon changed when the blue flame fell to its lowest point, with only a few flickers left. Topenga looked at the prince with an expression of urgency. The dimming flame brought the darkness back rapidly, and the Kronos once again emitted the same screeching noise, as they closed in upon the men.

“We are not going to make the cave!” Topenga shouted.

The prince paused, knowing his faithful protector was right. The cave was close, but the blue flame would not get them there.

“Topenga,” he shouted suddenly. “Rip off your tunic. Quickly!”

Topenga obeyed, pulling off his shredded tunic, and Prince Ramon signaled the rest of the party to do the same. Ripping a long ribbon from one of the tunics, Ramon draped it over the blue flame. Fueled by the metallic compound embedded in their clothing, the torch sprang back to life.

“This will not last long,” Ramon said. “But it should give us some time. We will have to make it count.”

The party continued toward the caves, with the Kronos trailing close behind. The tunics continued to fuel the fire, but it burned at an astounding rate. The Cave of Napol was now well within reach, and a sense of relief came across the prince upon seeing the natural light emanating from inside. But then he heard the loud screaming of Kasa. He looked back to see his friend being attacked by a small pack of Kronos. The flame had burned to such a low level that Kasa was no longer protected by the glow, and the Kronos had been quick to descend upon him.

For the briefest moment, Prince Ramon paused. He knew that continuing with Topenga and Mikael would be at the expense of his friend and ally. “Topenga,” he said, drawing his sword. “I want you and Mikael to continue to the cave. I will join you.”

“No, my lord!” screamed Topenga, realizing what the prince meant to do.

With the momentum behind him, Ramon turned around and swiped his sword at a Kronos that had latched on to Kasa. Topenga and Mikael continued toward the cave in the darkness, with the bulk of the Kronos homing in on them. They pushed on, dripping with sweat, and just managed to scamper into rich light of the cave. The creatures pursuing them screamed in pain and immediately wheeled round, flying back toward Prince Ramon and Kasa.

Ramon had managed to kill a number of the Kronos that were attacking Kasa, and the rest fled, following the arrival of the blue flame.

“Can you move?” Ramon asked, helping Kasa to his feet.

Kasa managed to stand, holding one arm tightly across his midsection. But then he collapsed again. Removing his arm, he revealed a gaping wound in his stomach. Blood seeped out freely, soaking the ground. “I am not going to make it, my lord,” said Kasa. “Leave me here.”

“No, Kasa. We came together, and we will leave this place together,” said the prince. His eyes turned bright red, as the tears began to rise.

“My lord, I have not seen a braver man than you in all my time of serving Corin. But your compassion for others will be your end. The flame will die at any moment. Please take my bow and arrows. I do not think I will be needing them.” He handed Ramon his bow, along with a fistful of arrows, and struggled once again to his feet. A smile formed on his face. “Now go, your highness. I will take on as many as I can to give you some time.”

Ramon embraced his friend and wiped the tears from his eyes. “I promise we will not let you or Rumin down,” Ramon said. “All of Corin will know your names.”

He held on to his friend’s shoulder for a few seconds more. Then Kasa suddenly pulled away and charged out into the darkness.

The Kronos screeched, and Ramon felt the wind from their wings as they flew after Kasa. He turned, trying to ignore the screams from Kasa and the noise of the creatures feeding, and dashed madly toward the cave, where Topenga and Mikael stood looking on. By the time he joined them in the safety of the light, Kasa’s screaming faded until silent. The three remaining warriors could only listen as the Kronos devoured their friend in the black wastelands of the Dark World.

Prince Ramon, Topenga, and Mikael sat in the cave for some time, reflecting on the tragic loss of their comrade. The prince could not control his emotions after the death of Kasa, especially considering the manner in which he went.

“He died for all of us,” Ramon said, wiping tears from his eyes. “He died for me.”

“My lord, there was nothing you could have done,” said Topenga. His voice trembled, but his eyes remained dry. “Kasa knew that he could not assist us any further on our mission. He died a true warrior’s death. We have to go on, my lord. Our destiny awaits us.”

After a short time, with the loss of their tunics, the temperature in the cave seemed to plummet, a bone-shaking chill overcame the prince and his men. Outside, the sound of the Kronos had faded to become nearly silent. The party prepared for their next dash to safety.

“The distance to safer grounds is not as close as I initially thought,” said Topenga. He found it difficult to gauge exactly where the desert ended.

“How long would you say we have until the Kronos start to descend?” asked Ramon, strapping the bow and arrows around his body.

“I could not accurately say, my lord,” replied Topenga. “It all depends on how far up in the sky they are when we make our move.”

“I think maybe I should not go, my lord.” Mikael trembled, while frantically trying to keep himself warm. “You and Topenga should go, and I will stay here.”

“Why are you talking like that, Mikael?” asked the prince, now on his feet. “We have come this far and cannot complete this mission without your help.”

“I do not know what happened,” said Mikael, trembling. “But as I sat there and heard Kasa die, something in me also died. I am no longer sure I am meant to be here. I have trained to be a Colonoy all my life, but I am frightened, and I should not be frightened.”

Prince Ramon sat down next to his shivering comrade and put his arms around him. “It is perfectly normal to be frightened of death,” he said. “We are all afraid of dying. I looked into Kasa’s eyes before he charged out alone into the dark. He stared death in the face and accepted his fate. We have to be as strong now. Forget all your training, and reach into your mind. Bring forth that courage I have always seen in you, since we played together as boys.”

The words of the prince brought tears to Mikael’s eyes, and he reached out and gave his leader a tight embrace. “I will be strong, my lord. If it is the will of the gods that I die serving my planet, then so be it.”

“Let us make a pact.” Ramon motioned Topenga to come and join them. “The three of us together will bring the Philosophers back to my father. Believe that, and it will be so.”

The prince’s words brought a little cheer from the two remaining warriors, and they finished gathering the rest of their armory, in preparation for the rest of the journey through the Caves of Sena.

Ramon had accepted that they had no alternative. They had to adhere to the original plan of running toward safety with no form of light. The three warriors gathered at the edge of the cave, and Ramon dashed out into the desert, with his companions on his heels.

The same deafening sound returned almost instantly as the Kronos started their descent, and the men ran with all their might, neither flinching nor looking up in the skies. In the pitch darkness, it was harder to coordinate their movements. The glow of the moon remained their only form of light. With the screams of the winged predators drawing closer and closer, Ramon noticed patches of grass twenty paces ahead—barely illuminated in the moonlight.

“I see grass,” he shouted. “It must be the desert’s end.” He quickened his pace, fighting the fatigue he felt, lunging in the air soon after.

Landing face first on the ground, he felt for grass, sighing upon realizing his right hand had unrooted some. He spun around, noticing Mikael and Topenga by his side. He then watched as the creatures snarled, trying to charge toward them, but unable to proceed past the edge of the desert on to the lands beyond. It seemed as if an invisible wall held them back. Within minutes, at least a thousand Kronos struggled to reach them, each repelled by an unseen force, their piercing red eyes seemingly filled with hate.

“They cannot get any farther, my lord,” Mikael said.

“It would appear so,” Ramon mumbled. “It is as if Auphora did not grant them passage past the desert.” He faced Topenga, who seemed as confused as he himself felt. Rising, he wiped dirt from his face and straightened. “We continue on,” he said, turning his back on the still-screaming creatures.

5.9

T
HE
S
WAMPS OF
I
SMAIL

T
he thick mist that filled the eyes of Prince Ramon brought with it a smell of dampness and a feeling of despair. The bareness of the desert was no more, but in its place was something potentially more sinister.

“I thought the great desert led us directly to the Caves of Sena.” Mikael stood, entranced by the rapidly approaching mist, which seemed moments away from smothering them.

“The legend is not that clear,” said Ramon. “We knew it was never going to be straightforward, but I fear for what awaits us on our path to Sena.”

“You mean besides the Noboro?” Topenga’s eyes glowered with worry.

“The legends spoke of hidden enemies, dangerous and determined to keep all outsiders away, but no one has ever lived long enough to witness their fury.” Ramon walked deeper into the mist.

“What are you saying?” asked Mikael. “That we must also confront the undead?”

“It may be so,” replied the prince. “Directly ahead is the Swamp of Ismail, the path to the lair of the demon birds.”

Topenga immediately stopped walking and looked at the prince. “The demon birds?” he said. “Do you mean actual Kalkarats?”

“Yes,” replied Ramon. He continued to scour the area as he spoke. “But part of a different clan, almost distant relatives, slightly smaller in size but every bit as vicious.”

“What are they?” Mikael asked, bemused.

“They were the great transporters between planets thousands of years ago,” Ramon said. “The Shallows were their home, and they knew nothing else. Things changed, however, following their near extinction, with these Kalkarats becoming the last of their kind. Although believed to be no more, the legend states that their lair is just beyond the swamp, where they have mutated, along with all creatures of the Dark World, into something so otherworldly and repulsive, it has been stricken from all scriptures. It is said that their eyes ripple with fire, and their bite contains as much venom as the serpents of River Crasus.”

Mikael put his hands over his head. “Then why are we marching into their lair?”

“The path to Sena has been said to be through many different places, but I know of a forgotten tale. One told to me by Master Ndu many times. One I have become accustomed to throughout my childhood that describes a secret passage within Sompua, the Village of the Righteous. Of course, any creatures that reside within Sompua will no longer be righteous, but the fact remains, we must find the secret entrance to Sena somewhere inside the village. The only path there is through the swamp and then the lair of the Kalkarats.”