Sons of Evil: Book 1 Book of Dread (14 page)

“My pleasure,” Barlow said
with a tired smile. “But the wound still needs time to fully heal. We need to
bind you up before you get to bleeding again.”

Adrianna tore some strips of
cloth from a spare shirt they had acquired at New Bern and started to wrap
Darius’ hand. Barlow backed up to give her room, but before he moved off,
Darius said, “Your sword, it didn’t glow.”

Barlow shook his head. “The
goblins and wolves may have had evil intent, but they are of our world. The
sword will only glow for those from another plane, those of the underworld.”

Darius nodded, understanding
better now, but still struggling to wrap his mind around what the Dezku really
were. It was almost too much, the way the world was changing before his eyes,
even the energy Adrianna had conjured to attack the goblins another reality he
would have had trouble accepting only a few weeks ago.

Adrianna’s magic was
apparently on Barlow’s mind, too. "I suppose I should thank you for
striking down those goblins.”

Adriana did nothing to conceal
the smirk on her face. “Why bother? We both know you wouldn’t be sincere.”

“At least we understand one
another,” Barlow replied, with unmasked contempt.

“I understand you’re a
stubborn old mule. I understand there’s nothing I can do, apparently including
saving your life, that would make you think better of me. Fortunately, I
couldn’t care less about your opinion.”

“Whether you saved my life
just now is open to debate. But if you had done so without the use of your dark
power, you’d have my gratitude in full. As it is, you can’t seem to function
without resorting to such dubious arts.”

Adrianna waved him off and
turned back to her work, muttering, “No reason to waste my breath on you. You’d
never admit you were wrong, even if you knew it.”

“Where your magic is
concerned, I’m sure I’ll never have that particular quandary.”

Adrianna finished bandaging
Darius’ hand and then quickly moved away, ending the argument with one last
backward flick of her hand.

Silas had moved closer as his
two friends jousted, ready to step in if needed but wanting to let them go if
he could. He met Darius’ concerned look and shook his head.

“I don’t get it,” Darius said
quietly, so neither Barlow nor Adrianna could hear.

Silas cleared his throat. “Barlow
feels Adrianna’s power does not come from God. I doubt she would argue that
point—well, she might argue with him, but you take my meaning. So if the power
is not of God, then its source must be of evil.”

“He sees things as that
black-and-white?”

“Afraid so,” Silas said with a
nod.

Darius wanted to state his
opinion, but he caught himself before he spoke and changed tactics. “You’re a
man of faith. What do you think?”

“I think I disagree with both
of them on point one. I think the power does come from God, because of who she
is and how she uses it. Whether or not she acknowledges things as such is
irrelevant.”

“And what if you’re wrong?”
Darius asked.

Silas managed a smile. “That’s
most likely the case. I don’t know everything. Never will, at least not while
I’m here on Corterra.” Suddenly his face dropped into a scowl. He gestured
beyond Darius. “What’s with the sword, Luke? Thought I’d made you a staff man.”

Luke smiled, embarrassed. “I
appreciate your training, and I’ll still be able to use a good deal of it, but
I prefer the feel of steel in my hands when it comes to a fight.” He twirled
the sword he had taken from one of the fallen goblins, liking the feel of it. “One
more solid blow and my staff would have been cleaved in two. This will give me
a few more options for defense.”

“Suit yourself,” Silas said. “The
weapon was fairly won. Use it well.”

“But hopefully not soon,” Darius
added. “We must be moving on, unless anyone thinks we’ll be able to sleep here
with those goblins nearby.”

Tired as they were, there was
no other good option. They gathered their things and started off into the
deepening night.

*

The hunter reached Barlow’s
house, its motions, as always, swift and jerky. It move from one spot to the
next so quickly that the human eye would have had trouble tracking the
movement, as if the little creature vanished and reformed a small distance
away. It did not go into the home, but simply sniffed the ground and the air
and, sensing which way its quarry had gone, followed.

*

They had put many miles
between themselves and the place they had fought the goblins by the time the
sun rose. They debated briefly whether to take some rest, perhaps to nap in
shifts while the others stood guard, but decided against it, wanting to use the
daylight to speed their travel. Silas tried to put a positive spin on things. “Just
think how much better we’ll sleep tonight.”

His comment was met with
tired, dismissive grumbles. Luke added, “You’re right. The hard ground will
seem so much softer. If we’re lucky, the goblins will keep us up for a week. Just
think how great we’d sleep then!”

Silas
shook his head and put on a mock scowl. “Maybe some extra lessons are in
order,” he said, smacking his staff into the palm of his hand.

Luke laughed and held up his
hands in surrender. “It’s the lack of sleep talking. I’m sure I’ll get much
worse before the day is over.”

“Oh, let’s hope not,” Darius
said, rolling his eyes. “Your tongue’s bad enough even when you’ve had a good
night’s sleep.”

“Hey!” Luke protested,
feigning offense. “Humor can be a wonderful thing. You should try it some
time.”

“Maybe you should give him
lessons,” Silas suggested.

“Not enough time,” Luke said. “Pretty
much a hopeless case.”

“Enough,” Darius said, his
tone light. He shook his head at Silas. “Don’t encourage him.”

“Just want to see him develop
into a well-rounded young man,” Silas said.

“Then he should eat more.”

Luke groaned. “See what I
mean? Hopeless.”

“Boys,” Adrianna said, clearly
addressing Silas as well as the brothers. “Less talk, more walk.”

Two hours later a dull roar
reached their ears, a sound that continued to grow steadily as they advanced. To
the north the Jade River wound like a blue-green ribbon, vanishing into the
summer haze.

“We must be near the falls,”
Darius said.

Barlow confirmed this was the
case. “Ever seen it?”

“No. Farm boys don’t travel
much. I was hoping the army might get me this way, but it didn’t happen. Just
as well. I wouldn’t want to remember the sight as part of a battle.”

Before the war, Wingate Falls
was a common destination for anyone wishing to see the natural wonders of
Corterra. The source of the Jade River, well up in the Dragon’s Teeth, pooled
in a long, flat basin before dropping over a thousand feet to the valley below.
It was the basin that made the Falls special, for not only was the drop large
but the Falls were over a half-mile wide. The companions’ path brought them
around a large outcropping of stone, so that the sound of the cascading water
rose just as the Falls first came into view. They all stood transfixed by the
sight, held in awe by the sheer force of the never-ending wall of water racing
over the edge and down. Even though Silas, Barlow, and Adrianna had seen the
Falls before they were no less impressed, and no less dumbstruck.

After a time they felt the
subtle pressure of their quest, and knew that had to move on. This presented an
immediate problem. “How can we cross?” Darius asked. They were less than
halfway up the height of the Falls, and as he scanned the climb up he thought
it was a reasonable ascent, but he had to assume crossing the Falls to be
ridiculously dangerous. The Jade River below wasn’t much more promising, the
river wide and swift below the Falls.

“This way,” Barlow said,
starting upward.

Luke had made the same
evaluation as his brother and started to protest, but seeing Silas and Adrianna
start after the old paladin without hesitation, he and Darius exchanged shrugs
and followed.

The climb was steep in places,
but there were many good footholds, and a decent path was apparent at most
times. Barlow led the way, seeming sure of himself. When they had come within
two hundred yards of the crest of the Falls, Barlow pointed, shouting to be
heard above the roar of the water. “Right there.”

Silas and Adrianna started
forward, while Barlow continued to point, obviously doing so for the brothers. At
first it seemed he was pointing right at the falling water, but as they moved
ahead they saw that he was indicating a black area in the rock. As they neared
it, they could see that it was an entrance to a tunnel that had been carved in
the rock behind the Falls.

“Dwarven work,” Barlow told
them. “From ancient days. There are some who consider this tunnel such a feat
that they believe it to be a greater sight than the Falls.”

The entrance was a high, wide
arch, and the entire length of the tunnel was the same shape, the line of it
arrow-straight, the walls as smooth as glass. The floor was level and perfectly
flat. The tunnel was so true that the other end was visible, the light coming
in and reflecting off the polished walls.

Silas set
a quick pace through the tunnel and the others kept close behind. There was a
claustrophobic feeling that pressed on each of them as they moved further in,
the light from both ends visible but the darkness where they set their feet
oppressive. They tried not to think about what might happen if there was a pit
dug in the floor, or some other unseen trap placed to catch the unwary. The
acoustics stole any chance at conversation, the echoes of the raging falls all
around them. Darius couldn’t help pressing his hand against the rock to his
right, thinking of the massive flow of water just on the other side of the
stone. The thought made him look up, although he could see nothing but black
there, wondering at the weight of the water that was somewhere above them. Like
the others, he let out an audible sigh of relief as he exited the tunnel and
stepped into the sunshine, now on the west side of the Falls.

“Everyone know about that
passage?” Luke asked Barlow.

“Any who
have traveled these parts. It was never meant to be a secret.”

“Think the goblins could use
it?” Darius asked while trying to rub a stiff spot out of his neck. “I’ve heard
goblins and dwarves have a deep hatred for one another.”

“The goblins would avoid it if
they could,” Silas answered. “They’d fear some dwarven treachery. Actually, I’m
not sure there isn’t some trap in there specifically for goblins. Either way,
if the goblins we fought were thinking to follow us, we’re likely safe now.”

“I didn’t know they roamed
this far south,” Darius said.

“Small bands in the mountains
are not uncommon. The larger clans, as you say, are in the north. The attack
was a surprise, considering we were armed, but I think that group was
desperate. They were quite thin and frail, as far as goblins go. Likely not
eating much.”

“ ‘Thin and frail’!” Luke
exclaimed, remembering the goblin that had towered over him and nearly ended
his life. “I’d hate to see the healthy ones.”

“Yes,” Silas said, “you would.
As would we all.”

They were well away from the
tunnel and had descended into the foothills by the time night fell. The moon
was only a thin crescent in the sky, and cast little light on the world below. All
they could see in any direction was darkness, no sign of civilization apparent
on any horizon. They dared not all sleep at once, but they did decide to risk a
small fire to cook their food and shed a bit more light onto their immediate
surroundings.

When they had finished eating
Darius rose and went to his pack. He returned to the fire and his companions,
holding the uniform he had worn as part of the Longvale army. “I guess I’m past
any use for this. I’ve been away past my leave date, and we’re in Dalusian
territory. Likely any enemy army that finds us will think us spies. This would
prove the point, or else label me a deserter if it’s our own.”

He glanced at each of his
fellow travelers, and seeing no disagreement, cast the folded-up garment on the
flames. For a moment it seemed the fire would be smothered, thick smoke
billowing out from under the uniform, but then the clothing caught, and in a
bright rush was consumed.

“Sorry to see it go?” Adrianna
asked.

“No,” Darius answered, but his
gaze remained fixed on the flames. “I’ve seen enough of war, and I’m already
committed to another path. Still…”

“Another confirmation that
there’s no going back,” Adrianna said, stating what he left unspoken.

“Yeah.” Darius cleared his
throat. “I’ll take the first watch. I think I’m too tired to sleep anyway, if
that makes any sense.”

“It does,” Silas told him. “I’ll
join you. Two on watch at a time to be safe.”

Darius and Silas started a
long, slow pacing around the camp, while the others rolled up in cloaks or
blankets and tried to get some sleep.