The Eternal Darkness (27 page)

As Martis contemplated his situation, Ranech appeared in the distance, moving quickly for a big man, circling around the village and trying to stay out of sight.  He made it to the forest unseen and dropped down next to Martis.  Breathing heavily, it took a minute or two before he was able to speak.

“There is a small farm on the other side of the village,” the burly man said, still wheezing slightly from his exertions.  “It is isolated and shielded from sight by a stand of trees.  We should be able to get what we need from there.”

“Is it occupied?” Martis asked.

“I only saw two women and several small children,” the man stated reluctantly.  “I do not know where the men are.”

“Will that be a problem?” Martis asked, noting the reluctance.

“I don’t like hurting women and children,” Ranech replied sullenly.

“It is either them or us!” Martis snapped.  “I have not come all this way and spent so much coin only to have you spoil our chance of freedom over some brats.”

Martis watched as Ranech glowered, but finally nodded. 
I must find a way to be rid of him.  The big idiot will eat and drink his way through all my coin. 
He would have to be careful though.  Ranech would not take such a betrayal lightly
.  Maybe I can find a tavern where the drink is cheap enough.  I can get him drunk and leave him there
.

“Let’s go,” he said to the big man.  Ranech nodded and stood.  As he turned to lead Martis away, there was a sudden sound and Martis saw a dark arrow slam into Ranech’s back.  The man cried out and spun back towards Martis, but two more arrows flew in and struck him in the chest.  Ranech fell to his knees, and then collapsed onto his face.  He shuddered and lay still.

Before he could react, a sudden blow knocked Martis to the ground.  Strong hands pinned his arms behind his back and tied them off with a coarse rope.  A knee pressed into his back, keeping him on the ground.  He was roughly searched and his coins and knife taken.  Once that was done, he was pulled up to his feet.

Terror shot through him as he faced a group of men, heavily armed and dressed in leather clothing, with rings of steel interwoven into the material.  They were unkempt and dirty, with that familiar wild look around their eyes.
This can’t be happening!
Martis wailed in his mind

As one of the men approached, a crooked smile on his face, and drew a knife, Martis dropped to his knees.  “I serve the Masters!” he cried.  “Don’t kill me; I can be of use!”

“Is that so?” the man laughed.  “We will see what the Master thinks.”  He looked at the other men. “Bring him.”

Martis felt a hand grasp his hair, and with a painful yank, he was hauled back to his feet.  He was kicked into motion, driven back into the forest.  His breathing was shallow and quick, as fear ruled his heart.  After fifteen minutes, they pushed through some heavy brush and entered a clearing.  He was shoved to the ground and sudden terror shot through him as he felt the presence of a demon.

“Who is this?” a hard and icy voice said, the sound freezing Martis’ blood.

“He said he serves you, Master,” the leader said.

“Does he now?” the demon hissed.

Martis was pulled up to his knees and found himself only feet away from an Imp.  The demon came forward, its ebon eyes flat and merciless.

“So, you say you serve us.  Prove it,” the demon demanded.

Panic overtook Martis and he began talking rapidly, feeling if he stopped before the demon ordered, he would be dead.  He told the demon about his long years as a spy, how he helped with the attack on Sanduas and his recent assistance in Aletonia.  When he mentioned that he was fleeing to Narina because of his wanted status, the demon held up its hand.

“You have a reward for your capture in Sanduas and Aletonia?” the Imp asked quietly.

“Yes, Master,” Martis stated.  “I-” he started, but was cut off when the demon spoke over him.

“If you cannot continue to go openly into the mortals’ cities to act as a spy, then you are of no use to me,” the demon said dismissively.  Its dark power suddenly surrounded its body and it raised its arm towards Martis.

“Please don’t, Master!” Martis begged.  “I have given faithful service to the Masters for years.”

“Yet you allowed yourself to be found out,” the demon said.  It studied him for a time, and then its power faded.  A cruel smile crossed its face as it looked at Martis.  “But I think you are right.  It would not be proper for me to give you a quick death after such failure.”  It looked at the half-men.  “Make him suffer first.”

Before he could react, Martis was kicked hard in the ribs and went tumbling onto his back.  Several half-men grabbed him and held him down.  He looked up to see the other men pull out knives.  He screamed in terror as they closed in, but the sound went unnoticed in the empty forest.

C
HAPTER
F
IFTEEN

As sailors hurried around the deck, preparing to lower the small boat, Jake stood on the deck, his armor and weapons in place, with the sword and his gear slung on his back, and studied their destination.  They had arrived at Karnath, the island of the raiders.  Boci, the young boy they had captured, had told them its name.

Jake was still bemused about the boy’s attachment to Dominic.  According to what Dominic had learned, the men of Karnath prided themselves as warriors and they proudly displayed their scars.  Apparently, scars on the face were considered to be a sign of high honor for some reason.  When he first saw Dominic, as compared to Jake’s smooth face, Boci assumed that he was a warrior of great strength and a man of honor.

The raiders also respected the concept that whatever you captured was yours.  That included people, as well.  When Dominic had ordered him out of his hiding place, Boci saw him as the warrior that captured him, so he gave himself up. Dominic had taken pains to make the boy realize that he was not his property, but it had taken Boci some time to understand.  Evidently, slavery was not part of Karnath life; anyone captured in a raid was ransomed back to their clan.  While being captured was a sign of dishonor for men, women and children were not under the same rules.  Men were sometimes left to suffer whatever fate befell them, but clans never failed to ransom their women and children. 
Strange people
, Jake thought.

Since he saw Dominic as his captor, Boci answered his questions without hesitation.  He did not extend that same deference to the others.  Hailyn alone was able to get the boy to talk openly without some direction from Dominic.

Still, Boci had proven useful.  He told Hailyn that the demons, Dark Ones to the people of Karnath, ruled from a large fortress on the eastern side of the island.  The fortress overlooked the main city on the island, which had a large harbor.  Most of the island clans lived in villages along the coasts and avoided the city whenever possible, but the eastern clans were forced to live there by the demons.

When Norai was studying the captured maps, he knew how to get there, but not where to land.  “Clearly, we cannot just sail into that harbor.  Unless they lost all sense, there will be watchtowers and patrols,” he had said.  Turning to Dominic, he asked, “Would you see if the boy could assist us?”

When Dominic had Boci look at the map and suggest a place to land, he had pointed to an area along the southern coast.  “This is where my clan lives.  My uncle is the clan chief.  He would help you as ransom to free me,” the boy said. Seeing no better choice, they agreed to land there.

After a tense voyage, with a constant lookout for any signs of raider ships, they had arrived at this place in the middle of the night.  Once the sun had risen, Norai had sailed in as close to shore as he dared.  Underneath the dark gray clouds, the shoreline looked forbidding.  It was rough and rocky, with some sparse vegetation visible above the tall rocks.  There was no beach or even a gentle alcove where they could land.  However, there was a gap in the rocks where a small river met the sea.  Boci told them that few people came to this area because of the terrain, so they decided to launch a small boat and row up the river until they could journey on foot.

Once the boat was in the water and a rope ladder draped over the side of the ship, Norai came down from the bridge to join them.  Dominic, Jonas, Hailyn and Boci were standing near Jake, ready to depart as well.

“We must be quick about this,” Norai stated as he scanned the horizon.  “We risk detection every moment we are here.  My men will take you as far inland as needed, and then return as rapidly as possible.”  He gestured towards the shore.  “How will I know where to come for you?”

“How long before you must return?” Jonas asked.

“Provided I am not found and sunk by the raiders, I can remain in these waters for two weeks,” Norai replied.  “The water and food that we captured have given us some extra time.”

“Then we will meet here in two weeks,” Jonas said.  “If we are not here, then you know that we have been unsuccessful and you can depart for home.”

Norai nodded.  “I will be here in two weeks, the One willing.”

He shook Jonas and Dominic’s hands, and then turned and pulled Hailyn into an embrace.  “Take care, sweet girl,” he said as he held her tight.  “I love you as if you were my own daughter.  Remember the good sense your parents taught you and stay safe.  I expect to see you here in two weeks.”

“I will try, Uncle Norai,” she said as she returned his hug.  “May the One watch over you and your crew.”

Norai finally released her and faced Jake.  His eyes were hard as he extended his hand.  Jake took it and Norai pulled him close.  “I will hold you to your promise to her father,” Norai whispered, low enough that only Jake could hear.  “If Hailyn is not with you, do not bother to return.”

“I understand,” Jake whispered back.  “I love her and will do everything I can to keep her safe.”

“Then, may luck go with you, young Jake,” Norai said in a normal tone of voice.

“And with you, Captain Norai,” Jake replied.

“Now, you must be off,” Norai said, gesturing towards the boat.  “We are pressing our luck as it is.”

Once they were in the boat, the crewmembers pushed away from the ship and took up their positions.  Four men manned the oars and rowed for all they were worth.  Dominic was with Boci, near the bow, speaking with the boatswain in charge of the boat.  Jonas sat in middle of the boat, his staff across his knees and his cowl pulled up against the cold spray from choppy waves.  On the rear seat, Jake sat next to Hailyn, holding her hand as he watched the rocky shore. Behind them was the man in control of the rudder.

The boat twisted and turned as they crossed the area where the river’s current met the ocean tide.  The crew was able to navigate it easily, and then they were in the river.  Dark gray rocky walls rose up on either side of the boat as they started upstream.  Fortunately, the current was not too strong and they were able to make steady progress up the river.

The trip was mostly in silence, except for the light splash of the oars and some whispered commands from the boatswain.  No one wanted to draw attention to their position.  After ten or so tense minutes of rowing around blind curves in the river, the boatswain directed the boat to the western side of the river.  There was an opening in the rocky walls that looked to lead up to the land above.

The sailors held the boat steady as first Dominic, then Boci and Jonas, and finally Hailyn and Jake leapt out onto a slab of rock that jutted into the river.  Once they were all safely on shore, the boatswain gave a farewell wave and the boat pushed away, twisting in the current until it was facing downriver.  The crew began rowing and the boat rapidly faded from sight.

They carefully climbed up through the opening.  The floor was covered in broken rock, making their footing treacherous, so they used the walls for support.  At the end of the opening, they faced a six-foot sheer face of rock.  Dominic pulled himself up and over, and then helped the others up.

When Jake, the last in line, was pulled up, he saw that they were on a rolling plain of ragged clumps of grass mixed in with rock.  He could see where the river cut into the plain as it headed towards a series of low hills.  As he looked behind them, in the distance, he saw that the hills extended to a large mountain, its peak covered in the clouds overhead.  Before them, the plains wrapped around the end of the hills and stretched to the sea.

“It will take the rest of the day to reach my village,” Boci said, pointing towards the end of the hills.  “There we will find my uncle.”

“Are there any dangers that we might face along the way?” Dominic asked.

“As long as we stay off the main road that runs near the hills, we should be fine,” Boci replied, the eagerness to return home evident on his face.  “The Dark Ones and their servants will patrol the road from time to time, but since there are no villages on the plains, they do not come this way.”

“We will follow you, Boci,” Jonas said kindly.  “You should be able to keep us out of trouble.”

Boci looked at Jonas for a moment, as if he was not sure how to respond, but then he smiled and said, “I know places to hide, if we must.”

“Lead on, boy,” Dominic said as he studied the surrounding area.  “Try to keep us away from any others until we reach your uncle.”

“I will do that,” Boci said eagerly and started walking.

“Jake, bring up the rear and keep your eyes open,” Dominic said.  With Jonas and Hailyn between Dominic and Jake, the party follows Boci.

The boy led them across the plains, finding smoother paths in the course grass and rocks.  A light cold rain fell from the gray skies as they walked.  With the openness of the plains, Dominic continued to scan the area ahead for threats as they journeyed while Jake would often turn to make sure nothing was approaching from behind.  They walked through the day without encountering anyone else.

The rain had stopped and night was settling over the land when they reached a hard-packed dirt road, with the hills beginning on the other side.  They huddled at the edge of the road, searching for any sign of other travelers.  After they were confident that they were alone, Boci told them, “We can follow the road now.  It leads straight to my village.”