ANUNDR: THE EXODUS (30 page)

She cut her palm with her sword. She heard growls and she looked up and saw the gargoyles approaching. She took off her talisman and held its jewel over the well with her injured palm. It glowed red and her blood poured into the well. The gargoyles around her froze into stone and the earthquakes stopped.

She wore her talisman and stumbled down. She felt drained.

‘What happened?’ asked Gisilfried, leaping down his horse.

‘I-I used the talisman to stop it. Where’s the rock?’

‘I couldn’t get it.’ he said. He helped her to her feet.

‘My lady, you fight so well.’ Natalia turned and saw Viggo approaching.

Her heart lurched. ‘How did you find me?’ she said, moving back.

‘I had help,’ He gestured to Viden approaching from the other side, ‘and I also heard of a dark maiden fighting with the beasts. I wanted to see it for myself.’

‘Viden,’ said Gisilfried, ‘you traitor.’

‘No, you are.’ he said.

‘I’m here to reclaim my bride.’ said Viggo, drawing his sword/

‘You’ll have to kill me first.’ Gisilfried charged at him. Natalia turned to Viden.

‘I knew I should have killed you.’ he said, unsheathing her sword from his side as he circled around her. She narrowed her eyes at the thought that he wanted to kill her with her own sword.

‘Here’s your chance.’ she said. He attacked her and their swords clashed. She grabbed the hilt of his sword, twisted it out of his hand and struck him in the throat. He dropped to his knees and lay on the ground dead.

‘Aargh!’

Natalia turned to see Amira driving a sword into Gisilfried’s side and on the floor was Viggo holding his bleeding stomach.

‘No.’ Natalia said and placed a sword on Amira’s throat. Amira let go of her blade and Gisilfried dropped to the floor.

‘What are you waiting for?’ asked Amira.

‘You ask me to strike the person I once called sister.’ said Natalia, ‘I won’t give you the pleasure of a quick death.’

The soldiers got to them and seized Amira. Natalia bent down to Gisilfried. He smiled and said, ’It seems whenever we fight, one of us always gets wounded.’ She laughed and held him close.

***

Ekrid was rearranging the fallen scrolls when the second quake came. He fell off the ladder and landed on the floor as the earth cracked open and a gargoyle burst out. Ekrid ran towards the door. It charged at him. He left the door and ran past the shelves. It chased him, knocking down everything in its path. He heard the earth rumble again and another gargoyle burst out followed by a tall lean man in a cloak. The man raised his sword and struck the first gargoyle. The second went for him, but he cut it down.

Ekrid trembled as the man approached him.

‘Who are you?’ the man asked.

‘Who are you?’

‘I am the Keeper of Knowledge in the library of Naphdael.’ the man said.

‘No, I’m the Keeper of Knowledge in the library of Naphdael.’

‘What do you mean?’ the man said, glancing around. His mouth fell. ‘Of course…’

He grabbed Ekrid by the arms and said, ‘Little man, I have no time to spare. I’m aware the Anundr is here. You must give her this.’ He gave him a parchment. ‘Tell her to break the covenant. Naphdael must be destroyed or the city will be used for evil and the blood of its true people shall cry out against her. Tell her she must sacrifice the heir of the city. If not, the darkness shall have its way--’

The man turned into stone. Ekrid pulled himself out of his grip and ran out of the library.

Prince Meldric tossed and turned on his bed. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep but it only made him focus on the smell of animal fat from the burning candles and the smell of wet deer. He could hear the snoring in the camp, the cackling of the fire and the whispers of the prisoners. He sat up and looked at his trembling arms. No one could see the thickening of his hair except him. The stab wounds he had inflicted on his arms that evening had healed leaving no scars except from the incisions the shaman had made.

Meldric held his head. He could feel the blood rush and the heat in his body. He broke out in cold sweat. He needed to kill something—anything. He got up and picked a bow, a quiver and a knife and went out shirtless. He welcomed the slap of the cold wind on his body
.
He sensed where the guards were positioned and he avoided them and crept into the woods. He heard Kalani’s voice but he put her out of his mind. He had sworn himself off women and wine since almost three years before. He couldn’t believe his son, Mesianus, would soon be three. It came with a sadness that his time was running out.

The woods were dark but he could see as well as day. The smell of deer grew stronger and he walked faster. He saw the deer coming out of the lake. He aimed and shot it in the neck. The animal fell. He rushed towards it, knife in hand, and stabbed it several times in the neck, almost severing the head. The blood splattered over him but he couldn’t stop until the heat was gone.

When he could jab no more, he broke down in tears as he stared at his blood stained hands. He had become a monster. He washed his face and hands and carried the creature effortlessly on his shoulders towards the camp. He noticed he had grown stronger. He sighed, remembering the day he became what he was.

He and his friend had gone to get Mesianus from his mother. They had searched everywhere until they reached an inn and were told about her taking refuge in a certain village. They had been warned not to go, that the men in the village were dangerous and were called the Demon-men. He, in his drunken state, hadn’t listened. He had stormed into the woods with his friend and a battalion of soldiers. He didn’t remember what had happened next but he had woken up with his friend, Mesianus, dead by his side with his throat ripped open and his men slaughtered into bits.

A man stood over him, blocking the sunlight. His voice was deep but soft.

‘Meldric, son of Meino, you’re at the right place at the wrong time.’

‘Who are you?’

‘The only person in my clan who wants to spare your life for what you will be.’

‘What?’ He was confused.

‘You will be the Oak King of Calderon, but you’ll first be one of us or you’ll die.’

Meldric hated the memories that followed so he shut it out and quickened his pace.

He reached the camp and dropped the deer at the camp fire.

‘Whose there?’

Meldric turned to see a guard with his sword out. The guard’s hands shook, ‘My lord.’

‘I went to get meat for the camp. Make sure it’s prepared.’

‘Y-yes, my lord.’

He walked towards his tent but he felt eyes on him. He turned and met Kalani’s gaze. He walked a few steps forward, then turned back and went into his tent. He kicked his table, toppling it. He felt exposed like she had seen into his soul. The last thing on his mind when she had been brought into his tent the night before was her curse on them. He was already cursed so it didn’t bother him. All he wanted was to find the star of Galian but she claimed she had never seen it. It didn’t make sense. The prophecy claimed the spawn was the guardian of the star so she had to be lying. The star of Galian was his only salvation. All he had to do was find it.

Ekrid slammed another book shut and pushed it down a pile of books. On the table before him was the parchment the man had given him but try as he did, he couldn’t understand it.

He looked around and sighed. Two days had passed since Ida’s day but the library had remained in the same state he had left it except with no gargoyles. They had been taken away by the soldiers who had refused to take the man’s statue, laughing at Ekrid for being afraid of it. No, he wasn’t afraid, he was terrified and he was afraid of not being so. The man’s message tormented him. He rubbed his head. The scribes would come at any moment with new scrolls for him to shelf and if they met the library in such a state, he wouldn’t hear the last of it.

He heard a knock on the door. He froze.
It could be scribes or the princess
. He waited for the knocking to stop but it didn’t. He tiptoed to the door.

‘Ekrid, open this door at once.’
Anistral
. He removed the bolts and opened the door.

‘Anistral, I—’

‘Leave the way, Ekrid, or are you hiding something?’ She walked past him into the library. She stopped and scanned around, taking in the hole, the mess and the statue.

‘As you can see, I wasn’t spared from Ida’s day.’ he said, bolting the door. ‘I’m trying to get things as they were.’

‘Things will never be as they were.’ She sat down languidly. ‘So what troubles you?’

‘I’m not troubled.’

She sighed. ‘Is there something you want to tell me?’

‘No, there isn’t.’ He looked down and tapped his feet. Her stare made him nervous.

‘Well,’ she said, ‘I came to tell you I’m leaving.’

‘Leaving? Where?’

‘I don’t know yet but my last vision brought me here.’

She turned on her chair and picked up one of the scrolls.

‘Don’t touch that!’

She pulled it away before he could reach it.

‘You’re reading Gudlief.’ she said, giving him a curious look. ‘Why?’

‘I’m learning the language.’ He snatched the scroll from her.

‘Or you’re trying to find out something.’ She smiled. ‘You do know I understand Gudlief?’

He sighed. ‘Can I trust you?’ As soon as it rolled out of his mouth he realized it was a stupid question. She snorted and turned away.

‘Don’t answer that.’ he said and laid the parchment on the table. She read it and narrowed her eyes.

‘What is it?’ he asked.

‘How did you get this?’

‘The statue over there rose from the ground and claimed to be the Keeper of Knowledge. He gave that to me and said Princess Natalia has to kill the heir of city or else…’

‘What?’ Anistral asked, turning to him.

‘Darkness or something.’ he said. ‘So what does it say?’

They heard a knock on the door.

‘Ekrid.’

He gasped and held his head. ‘It’s the princess. I cannot see her.’

‘I gather she doesn’t know.’ Anistral said, examining the scroll.

‘No, she mustn’t find out.’

‘Then stop acting like you have something to hide.’

‘I don’t know how to address her now.’

Anistral rose. ‘While you’re thinking, I’ll open the door.’

‘Wait.’ he said and ran to open it. He noticed the scratches on Natalia’s face as she smiled at him.

‘Ekrid,’ she said, ‘I didn’t see you at the banquet.’

‘I was busy, my lady.’

‘Very well, I came to return your sword.’ She gave it to him. ‘It was of great use to me.’

‘Would that be all?’ He had his hand ready to close the door.

‘No, I need your help. May I come in?’

‘I have a lot of work to do, maybe another time.’

‘Ekrid, let her in.’ Anistral shouted.
Urgh!
He gritted his teeth.

Natalia’s eyes brightened. ‘Is that Anistral?’

He nodded and gave her room to pass.

She walked in and noticed the hole on the floor. ‘It seems locking yourself in didn’t keep the creatures out.’ She turned to Anistral. ‘I thought you had left.’

‘No, I leave tonight.’ Anistral said, sitting down. The smile left Natalia’s face. She swallowed and said, ‘Then, it is most opportune I meet you now. I need your help.’

‘What do you want?’

Natalia sighed. ‘It’s not what I want but what I have to do. That’s why I’m here. I came for the map of the castle.’

Ekrid walked forward. ‘What do you want to do with it?’

‘Do you want the lie or the truth?’

He groaned and covered his face. ‘I suspect something grievous.’

‘Believe me, it doesn’t grieve you as much as it grieves me.’

‘What is it?’ said Anistral.

‘Remember you told me to listen to the talisman when I’m unsure.’

‘Yes,’ Anistral smiled, ‘you thought me mad.’

‘I still do because I listened and it told me to free Prince Viggo.’

‘Are you mad?!’ said Ekrid.

‘That’s why I shouldn’t be listening to it.’

Anistral wrinkled her brows in thought. ‘Did the talisman tell you why?’

‘It said sometimes mercy is better than justice.’

Anistral nodded in understanding.

Ekrid gaped at them. ‘But you can’t go swords out to fight all the soldiers in the dungeon.’

‘That’s why she needs the map of the castle, Ekrid.’ said Anistral. ‘Give it to her.’

He walked to a shelf grumbling. ‘No good will come of this. We should be digging our graves. This is wrong.’

‘When did you ever care about right or wrong when you helped me?’ Natalia said. He gave her the map. She unrolled it and studied it with Anistral.

Her eyes widened. ‘The dungeons are--’

‘Infallible.’ Ekrid said, crossing his hands. ‘Legends say it was designed by the Gudliefyer.’

‘But there must be something that can be done. I don’t want the blood of any Naphdaelian guard on my hands. It will destroy the fragile peace between the kingdoms.’

‘But the prisoners don’t deserve your mercy.’ said Ekrid.

‘I know, but there must be a good reason why I have to save them and even if I have to walk through walls—’

‘Walls…of course!’ Anistral’s face lit up.

‘What is it?’

‘There is a way we can save them but we have to break into the armory.’

‘Another treason!’

‘Hush, Ekrid.’ Natalia said and turned to Anistral. ‘Why?’

‘There’s something in there we can use. The goddess Ida was Galian’s favorite amongst the lower gods and he gave her a gift of the fountain that flowed from his mouth.’

‘A gift of his spit?’ Natalia squeezed her face.

‘Yes. It’s called
the Shaper
and it’s the most powerful thing on earth. With it, you could conquer nations and destroy anything. But it only works when you have Galian’s favor and Ida lost his favor. King Castian of Naphdael added a drop in her wine and it killed her.’

‘How did the king get it from her?’

‘She had given it to him as a gift of her love.’

‘Lies. That’s not what history says.’ Ekrid said.

‘Oh forget your history scrolls.’

Natalia said, ‘So does it still exist?’

‘Yes, the king usually dips his sword into it.’

‘I wish I had known about it two days ago.’ She sighed.

‘It may not have worked for you then.’ said Anistral.

‘Why?’

Anistral smiled. ‘It will work now. I and Ekrid will help you get it.’

‘Don’t get me into it.’ Ekrid said, folding his hands.

‘Thank you.’ said Natalia, holding Anistral’s hand. ‘It must be done tonight but first I must make arrangements for their escape.’

She left the library but Ekrid didn’t move to close the door. He turned to Anistral. ‘You can’t be thinking of doing this.’

Anistral rolled the map. ‘Neither should you think I would break my word.’

‘What of everything I told you?’

‘It’s no fault of hers that a man rose to ask her to kill someone.’

‘Not just anyone, the prince.’

‘This parchment wasn’t for her but for me.’ She rose.

‘Don’t tell me you’re going to kill the prince.’

‘My intentions are far less callous.’ She walked towards the door. ‘We must go and obtain the Shaper now.’

‘But it’s heavily guarded.’

‘You make seas out of ponds, Ekrid.’ She sighed and raised her brow.

He grumbled and walked towards her. ‘Of all the things I’ve done in my life, this is the worst—’

‘Lock the door behind you.’ she said and walked out. He glanced back at the library and took a deep breath. He was glad he was leaving.