The Eternal Darkness (28 page)

Again following the boy, the group moved quickly and quietly down the road.  They passed through a series of small rises that bordered the road.  After the last set of rises, the road suddenly expanded into a large courtyard.  A cluster of stone and wooden buildings ringed the courtyard, with smaller buildings behind them.  The courtyard was lit by a series of torches in front of the buildings.

There were groups of women standing in the courtyard, talking and keeping watch on the children that were playing.  A cry rang out when one of the women noticed them.  They began to scatter to the buildings when Boci ran into the light of the torches.

“It is me, Boci,” he called out.  The women stopped at the sound of his voice, turning back towards them.  Jake could see relief on their faces as Boci continued forward to greet them, but also saw troubled looks as they gazed at his small group.

“What is this commotion?” a man’s voice sounded in the night.

Jake saw a lean man, clean-shaven with his graying hair tied off behind his head, come into the light, holding a spear in his hand.  The man was dressed in brown leather pants and a black jacket over a white linen shirt, wearing short leather boots.  He had a hard look to his face, like a man who knew fighting.

“Uncle!” Boci cried out and ran to the man.  Jake saw the surprise on the man’s face as he wrapped his nephew in his arms.

“Boci, how did you escape?” the man asked.

“I was captured after a sea battle, Uncle,” Boci said as he pointed back at Jake’s party.  “The warrior Dominic is my captor.”

Dominic stepped forward into the light.  “I am Dominic of Sanduas,” he said in greeting.  Jake saw the man’s eyes widen a bit as he saw Dominic’s scarred face.

“I am Celric, clan chief of the Gabo clan,” the man replied.  “You are a long way from home, Dominic of Sanduas.”

“You know of my homeland?” Dominic inquired.

“I do,” Celric said with a slight smile.  “When I was a younger man, I raided your border areas.  I remember a lot of talk amongst the warriors of a tall Sanduan soldier that fought with great skill, so I have heard your name before.”  He paused.  “Have you decided to take up raiding yourself?”

“Raiding is not what has brought us here,” Dominic stated.  “Your nephew told us that you might be able to assist us.”

“That will depend on what you are seeking,” Celric said.  He patted Boci on the shoulder.  “First, let us speak of your ransom for Boci.  What do you seek as a price for his freedom?”

“I would ask only that you listen to our request,” Dominic said.  “I don’t mean to insult your traditions, but I seek nothing for the boy’s freedom.  He has helped us and is home; I am content.”

“To honor your request, I name you and your companions as guests of the clan,” Celric announced.  “While you are in our territory, all must treat you as if you were part of the clan and defend you, if needed.”  He gestured towards a small cluster of buildings set off from the rest.  “Please join me in my home.  Food will be brought and you may find your rest there.”

“We would be honored,” Dominic replied with a bow.

Passing though the women in the courtyard, they followed Celric to his home, a single story wooden building with several smaller buildings behind it.  The home had a long porch in the front that spanned the width of the building.  He led them to the main doors and opened them, gesturing them in.

When he entered the home, Jake saw that the interior was brightly lit with candles.  There was a kitchen area off to the rear of the home, with several other doors against the far wall.  There was rough wooden furniture in the living area and a long table with benches near the kitchen.  A fireplace in the corner heated the home.

As Celric passed him, with the light inside the home, Jake could see that the man had a series of fine scars on his face as well.  Clearly, he had survived long years as a warrior.

Jake heard the sound of a door opening and turned to see a woman come out into the main room.  She was a tall, slim woman in her late forties or early fifties, with graying brown hair surrounding her attractive face.  She stopped short when she saw Jake and the others, shock on her face.  That shock faded when Boci ran over into her arms.  She held him tightly and showered him with kisses.  Boci began to squirm from all of the attention and she finally let him go.

“This is my wife, Teci,” Celric said in introduction.  “My love, this is Dominic of Sanduas and his companions.  Dominic captured Boci during a battle and has brought him home.  To pay his ransom, I have named him and his companions as guests of the clan.”

“Be welcome then, Dominic of Sanduas,” she said.  “I will prepare some food.  Please take your rest while it cooks.”  She started for the kitchen area when she noticed Hailyn.

“Who is this lovely child?” she asked.

“I am Hailyn, Mistress Teci,” Hailyn replied with a nod of her head.

“If you need anything, Hailyn, please don’t hesitate to ask,” Teci said with a smile.  She glanced over at the others.  “I know how traveling with men can be.”

They sat around the table while Teci went into the kitchen area.  Celric brought out several cups and a pitcher of mead.  Once the mead had been poured, Celric asked them to speak of their need.

Dominic looked at Jonas, who nodded.  “Before we say, I must ask about the demons on the island, your Dark Ones,” Dominic began.  “Do you serve them?”

“All men on Karnath serve the Dark Ones, Dominic, but that does not mean that we serve them willingly,” Celric replied.  “We have no way to resist them directly, so we must bend to their will.  There are foolish men in the eastern clans that serve gladly, some that even give themselves over to their power, but we in the west do only what we must to avoid bringing down their wrath.”

He paused for a moment.  “You may have noticed that there are only women and children in the village.  That is because we send our young men into the hills when they reach an age to serve in the Dark Ones’ armies.  Not all, of course, or we would attract unwanted attention.  We select a few to remain, so when the Dark Ones come, we can offer them up as tribute.  In the last few months, however, the Dark Ones have been seizing boys who would not usually be taken.  That is how Boci came to be on that ship.”

“So if there was a way to be free from their dominion, you would welcome it?” Dominic asked carefully.

“Most men would,” Celric said.  “Why do you ask these things?”

“What we seek is simple,” Dominic stated.  “We need a way to approach the demons’ fortress unseen.”

“For what purpose?” Celric asked, confused.

“We seek to put an end to their threat,” Dominic replied directly, his face suddenly hard.

Celric stared at Dominic as if he had lost his mind.  In that silence, a muffled, but pitiful, wail came from the rear of the house.  A haunted look came over Celric’s face at the sound.  The wail came again.

“What is that?” Jonas asked, concerned.  “It sounds like a child.”

“It is,” Celric said sadly.  He looked over at Teci, who nodded.  He slowly stood.  “Come.  I have named you guests of the clan, so I would not have you concerned while you are in my home.”

They followed him out the back of the house to a small building set under a tree.  Another wail came from that building.  Celric unlatched the door and slowly opened it.  Inside the room was only a simple bed.  The walls and floor were covered with thick blankets.  On the bed, there was a small boy, only around four, with his arms tied down with soft clothes.  There was a manic look on the boy’s face as he struggled against the restraints.  Celric went over and gently untied the child.  The boy immediately flailed around, wailing and shaking.  Celric picked him up and held him tightly as he sat on the bed, humming a wordless tune and stroking his hair.  After a few moments, the child began to calm.  Once the boy was settled, Celric looked at them.

“This is Decan, the child of my only son,” he explained.  “My son and his wife had gone to live in his wife’s village.  They were killed during a raid by a rival clan, so the child came to me.  Nearly a year ago, he was playing with some other children near the shoreline and fell, striking his head on some rocks.  He was unconscious for several days, but when he woke, we immediately noticed changes.  He began to have seizures and slowly lost his ability to communicate.  His strangeness began to worry others, saying that this was the work of the Dark Ones.  Some even suggested that he be killed, to rid ourselves of this burden.”

He held the boy tighter, a sudden fierce look on his face.  “He is my blood, the last thing I have of my son.  I will not allow any to harm him.  I built this place, so he may be safe.  It may seem cruel to keep him in here, but I have no better option.”

Jonas stepped forward.  “Celric, I am a cleric of the One and wield His Light,” he said gently.  “If you would allow me, I would like to examine the child.  Since the injury occurred long ago and injuries to the brain are complex, I likely will not be able to heal him, but I may be able to relieve some of the symptoms.”

Celric looked questioning at Dominic.  “You can trust that Jonas will not do anything that will harm the child,” Dominic said.  “I ask that you allow him to proceed.”

Celric thought about it as he continued to stroke his grandson’s hair.  Finally, he nodded.

Jonas approached slowly and knelt in front of the child.  He reached out to place his hand on the boy’s forehead.  At his touch, the boy began to shift around and a low whine came from his throat.  Celric started humming again and the boy calmed.

The room was filled with golden light as Jonas called up his power.  The boy stiffened as Jonas worked his healing.  His body began to tremble and a concerned look came over Celric’s face.  Jonas had his eyes closed as he sent his magic into the boy.

Jake felt a sudden warmth come from the sword.  The runes on Jonas’ staff began to glow with a soft white light, causing Jonas to open his eyes in surprise.  The boy suddenly relaxed in Celric’s lap.  Jonas continued to send his magic into the boy for another few moments, and then released his power.  As he stood, the boy’s eyes fluttered open.  The boy looked around and then up at Celric.  Softly, as if he was relearning how to do things, he spoke.  Jake heard him say “Papa.”

Celric hugged his grandson tightly, his eyes full of emotions.  Standing, with a satisfied look on his face, Jonas motioned for the others to leave the room, to give them some privacy.

As they stepped outside into the cool night air, Jonas looked over at Jake.  “Did you feel that?” he asked.

“Yes,” Jake said.  “The sword grew warm while you were healing him.”

“I felt a sudden increase in my power, but it did not do as I directed,” Jonas said reverently.  “It went into the damaged area and healed those parts that had resisted my efforts.  It did things I had not thought possible.”

Before Jake could respond, there was the sudden sound of movement from the direction of the village and a large group of young men, armed with spears, came around the house and confronted them.  Jake pulled Hailyn behind him as Dominic stepped in front of Jonas.  Jake rested his hand on his sword and took a breath, his mouth suddenly dry.  They faced at least twenty men.

One of the young men stepped forward, his spear held ready in his hand.  “What are you doing here, strangers?” he demanded shortly, his voice angry.  He looked to be around twenty, was tall and muscular, with dark eyes and hair.  “Speak or I will-” he started, but cut off when Celric came out of the small building, still holding Decan.

“What are you doing, Redric?” Celric demanded, voice hard.  “Who are you to raise a hand against my guests?”

Teci and Boci came out of the house, but were stopped by a gesture from Celric.  When Decan saw Teci, he reached out towards her with his arms.  Celric went over to his wife and handed the child over.  Jake saw tears in Teci’s eyes as the boy hugged her.

Celric stepped in front of Dominic and confronted the young man.  “Did you not hear me?” Celric demanded quietly.  “Answer my question.”

“We had word that strangers had come to the village,” Redric stated sullenly.  “We came down to defend it.”

“Did I not order you and the others to stay in the hills unless I called for you?” Celric asked.

“Yes, but-” Redric began.

“Am I not the clan chief?” Celric demanded.  He shifted his stance slightly.  “Do you believe that you can now replace me?”

Jake saw Redric look around and notice the other young men looking at him.  His eyes went flat a moment before he lashed out with his spear at Celric.  Celric slipped past the blow, allowing the spearhead to narrowly miss his body, and moved forward.  He captured the shaft of the spear with his arm as he kicked Redric in the stomach, knocking the young man back and stripping the spear from his hands.  Celric spun the spear around as he swept Redric’s legs from under him.  As Redric fell to the ground, Celric drove the spearhead down.  The point pressed firmly against Redric’s throat, as Jake saw blood tricking from where it broke the skin.

“I did not hear your answer,” Celric said, voice hard as stone as he slowly increased pressure on the spear.  More blood began to run.  “Who is the clan chief?”

Redric looked up at Celric’s face and saw no pity there.  Finally, as the spear pushed deeper, he said, “You are, Uncle.”

Celric kept the spear there for a moment longer, and then withdrew it.  “Does anyone else wish to challenge me?” he asked the other young men, spear held ready.

Jake saw the others back away, grounding their spears.  Satisfied, Celric turned to Dominic.  “Please forgive this insult, Dominic,” he said apologetically.  “Redric and Boci are the sons of my youngest brother.  While Boci has taken after his mother, Redric has the same hardheadedness of my brother.”  He smiled slightly.  “I had to teach him a lesson or two growing up as well.”

“Sometimes sharp lessons are the most informative,” Dominic said with a smile.  “No apologies are necessary as no insult was taken.”

While Celric ordered the other young men to go and stand watch, Redric was given a cloth to staunch his wound and sent inside the house.  Celric refused Jonas’ offer to heal the young man.  “If you heal it, then the lesson will be lost,” he said.  “A little pain will not kill the boy.”