The Dread Lords Rising by J. David Phillips
*
“I was thinking,” Davin said as they snuck across two fields and prepared to skirt the edge of another one, “that maybe we should have said something to Maerillus first.”
“Uh-uh. I’m not saying a stinking thing to Maer about this until I know for sure what’s going on with Betsy. He’s going to be mad at me as it is if he finds out I saw her and Kreeth together and didn’t say anything.”
Davin moved forward quietly for a moment, keeping his eyes out for any of the tenants who worked and lived on Joachim’s property. He hoped that Betsy would go out tonight, once the soldiers from the garrison started patrolling, they were going to have a much harder time. Soon, they reached the Sartor estate, and they drew close enough to the servants’ wing to see who entered and left.
“Now it’s just a matter of waiting,” Davin said, settling down in the dark, concealed by a screen of young fir trees. “How late do you think we’ll have to wait?”
Niam shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe pretty late—late enough to move unseen by anyone.”
“It’s pretty late already,” Davin said, shivering slightly beneath his coat. Above them the starlight and moonlight left the world bathed in a softly somnolent glow. Niam settled in as well, and they lapsed into long silence, each gazing into the sky and waiting. Davin was locked in thoughts and fears about the future. He was constantly plagued by the worry that at any moment he might make a mistake that would get someone hurt or killed. After all, one of Kreeth’s wolfstrosities had nearly taken Maerillus down. Leave it to Niam, of course to come up with a name like wolfstrosity. Thankfully he had been there to help kill the thing. If the experience had taught him one thing, it was this: he was now certain of the fact that his abilities weren’t a guarantee of success, and that scared him.
Davin felt Niam stiffen. “Hey, someone’s coming outside.”
Davin yawned and stretched. “Bout time. Is it Betsy?”
“Some old guy,” Niam said, sounding disappointed.
Davin watched for a moment as the old man turned and slowly made his way toward them. “Niam, what’s the chance of someone heading our way at this hour of the night?”
“Not much,” Niam said. “Only thing behind us is old trails.”
“Where to?” Davin asked absently. He was sure the man was probably just stepping out to relieve himself. Then as the sleepy wheels of his mind began to turn he realized he already knew where the trails went. “Hey—this trail goes back around Joachim’s property.”
“And straight to Kreeth’s,” they both said at the same time.
Davin immediately felt more alert. “What do you want to do?” Davin whispered as the man drew closer. “Follow him or wait to see if Betsy comes out tonight?”
Niam looked conflicted. Davin knew it was because he wanted badly to feel like he could make things right for Maerillus. “I think we will have to follow him,” he said hesitantly.
Davin leaned in to lighten his friend’s mood and said, “Assuming he doesn’t drop his pants and pee.”
Now that the man was closer, he saw that the old guy was in his nightclothes, and Davin was half prepared for the old fellow to find a tree and relieve himself. Instead, he kept walking down the path leading away from the Sartor estate. Niam turned his head toward Davin and asked, “Did you see the man’s face? He looked like he was still asleep.”
“His eyes were open,” Davin said uneasily.
“Yeah, but I have a feeling that there wasn’t much going on behind them.”
They kept close to the man, who continued to walk in a shuffling manner, stumbling over roots and branches without actually falling. The moon overhead moved across a quarter of the sky as they proceeded farther into the forest. The first indication that something was up came from Niam, whose gait stiffened and his posture became defensive. He seemed lost in thought until Davin asked him what was wrong. Niam looked up at him surprised. “Are you starting to feel something, too?” he asked.
“No. You tensed up.”
“It’s him. I can feel him,” Niam said.
The moment Davin began to wonder what that might feel like, Niam spoke, as if reading his mind. “It feels like I have a stomach ache, but the ache has moved outside of my body and now it’s somewhere ahead of us.”
“Any idea how far?” Davin asked, dropping his voice as low as he could.
“Close,” Niam whispered.
Several paces later, the path brought them to a natural opening in the forest. Davin dimly made out numerous shapes in the night. He motioned to Niam to follow him off of the trail. To Davin it looked as if a dozen people stood in a loose, motionless bunch. A man’s deeply resonant voice began speaking in a string of harsh and guttural words. The moment Davin heard them, he cringed. The words had the effect of two rusty hinges grating together. Davin saw that the sorcerer’s language had an even more pronounced effect on Niam’s face.
Kreeth’s voice grew slowly louder, and a green glow suddenly flared into existence so that all of the people gathered together became easily visible. This made Davin nervous. If they could see everyone so easily, he knew that Kreeth might be able to make them out if he glanced up.
“Let’s move back a bit,” he whispered.
Niam nodded his head.
Davin backed slowly to where a thicket of waist-high bushes provided concealment. He couldn’t help but stare. Kreeth moved almost as if dancing in a slow circle around the group. An unnatural green fire followed him until at last he had the townspeople entirely encircled. Davin and Niam watched for a while as Kreeth spoke. Davin flinched with each word that came from the man’s mouth.
“Can you make any of that out?” he asked Niam.
Niam shook his head. “Doesn’t sound human.”
As they continued to back slowly, a dark shape lifted up out of the bushes behind them. Before Davin had time to reach for his sword, Niam let out a muffled yelp of surprise and fell back heavily onto his butt. A strong hand grabbed ahold of Davin just as he began drawing his weapon. The attacker’s other hand closed over Davin’s mouth, and in a hoarse whisper from behind a hooded cloak, a man’s fearful voice flashed, “Quiet, fool. You’ll get us killed.”
Most of the man’s face was hidden in deep shadow, but his eyes were visible, and they were wide and frightened beneath the hood. Niam gasped. “I know you,” he blurted out as quietly as he could manage, causing both Davin and the stranger to turn and make furious shushing noises at the same time.
Niam shot up off the ground and reached up to pull the man’s hood back. The stranger reacted as if Niam was contagious and tried to jerk away. Niam was too quick and caught the hood, pulling it back to reveal the man beneath.
Davin gasped as he looked directly into the eyes of Mayor Braun, who frantically waved his hands in agitation. “Be quieter,” he hissed. “We’re all in danger here.”
They both stood there looking at him.
Niam was the first to get over his surprise. “What are you doing here?” He demanded.
The mayor grabbed ahold of both boys’ coats and pushed them back several more yards until a large pine tree stopped them. Niam slapped his hand away. “You’re supposed to be dead or something,” he accused.
The mayor’s mouth quivered as he looked up at them. “Yes, yes, yes. It certainly looked that way, didn’t it? HE almost had me, but I got away. Terrible things boys, terrible things he tried, but I got away from him, yes I did . . .”
The mayor’s voice tapered off but his mouth still worked to try to form words. Davin had the impression that the man had progressed from Nervous Wreck to Falling To Pieces some time in the recent past. Mayor Braun went on as if he were desperately trying to justify himself rather than talking to the two of
“I wasn’t quick enough to see what was happening . . . not quick enough at all. How does a person handle that much power? And it’s all my fault. All because of me.” Here he stopped and looked at Niam. His eyes crinkled up as he tired to say something, but the burden of it was too much for him and he began to sob. “I’m sorry boy, so sorry.”
Niam frowned as the mayor’s shoulders shook while he cried. He flashed a confused I don’t know what to do look at Davin.
Davin looked at the distant ring of people surrounding Kreeth as the sorcerer continued to chant. Thankfully he only barely heard the man’s voice. Even at this distance, listening made him feel dirty.
“What’s all your fault, sir?” Niam asked softly.
The mayor continued to cry and tremble. Niam gave Davin another confused look. Davin shrugged.
“I wish I knew what that man was saying,” Niam whispered, though Davin could tell by the look on his friend’s face that what he actually wished was to be far away from there.
“Get back,” Braun implored them. “Farther back, boys. When you walked through my screening, you made it possible for him to see me.”
Although Davin was sure they had enough concealment to remain hidden, he and Niam moved back even farther until a curious look grew across Niam’s face. “Wait a minute,” he said angrily and stopped.
“Go back, boys—please,” Braun begged . . . nearly whined.
Davin noticed a dangerous spark suddenly flare behind his friend’s eyes.
“Odd way of putting it,” Niam whispered in a voice dripping with suspicion. “He said that we walked through his screening, Davin. Screening.”
Davin cocked his head quizzically.
Niam let out an exasperated air. “He didn’t mean that the plants were screening him from view. He meant the screening spell he had cast.”
Davin felt his eyes widen. “He’s a magic user!”
Niam spat venomously, reaching for his knife, “He’s a damned sorcerer.”
Davin froze for a moment, then in one fluid movement, his sword was in his hand and he held its tip against the mayor’s neck.
“Kreeth’s presence wasn’t the only one I sensed tonight,” he growled.
The mayor looked at them like a cornered hare. “Why shouldn’t we kill you here and now,” Niam’s voice was so sharp that it could have drawn blood. Davin had never heard anything like that from Niam, not even where Bode was concerned.
“I stopped,” he insisted. “I stopped. Sometimes at night things were watching me, whispering terrible words. They wanted me to let them in . . . b-b-but I wouldn’t. You have to believe me,” he stammered. “It d-d-destroyed my student. I hope judgment has mercy on me when I die.”
Davin looked at the pathetic wreck of a man in front of him. Could Kreeth really have been his student at one time? He now looked weighted down by a thousand pounds of regret. Slowly he let the tip of his sword dip down, though he wasn’t ready to put it away.
Niam’s eyes held murder. The mayor looked at Niam and began to weep. “I want to know what role he played in the deaths of my brother and sister,” he snarled.
Davin understood that scaring Braun wasn’t going to help. “Put you knife away, this isn’t helping,” he said softly.
Niam stared daggers at the mayor, and then said resentfully, “Fine.”
“We need to know what’s going on here,” Davin told him.
The mayor watched the two of them warily. “I . . . I can tell you,” he murmured hopefully.
Niam looked hatefully at the man and told Davin, “I want to know everything he has to do with this mess. Then I’ll let Jolan Kine have him.”
The mayor shook and let out a mewling sound
“Stop that kind of talk,” Davin said, becoming increasingly worried by the anger wafting off of Niam. “We aren’t executioners.”
Niam stared pitilessly at the man now cowering before him. “Yet,” he said.
Davin gave him a cross look and said, “Ever.”
Niam looked away. Davin looked down at Braun. “What’s happening here, Mayor Braun?”
“A very terrible thing, boys.”
“Why?”
The mayor’s eyes brimmed with tears. “Aboleth,” he said, weeping quietly.
Niam stomped his foot impatiently. “What is Aboleth?” he growled, and then looked at the people illuminated by the green flames. “And what does it have to do with this?”
The mayor moaned, “Everything.”
Davin quickly said, “Go on,” in order to prevent the man from dropping into another silence.
“He summons his powers from Aboleth,” the mayor said slowly. “You need to understand that Kreeth wants to finish an initiation he started earlier. Until then all he can do with it is summon powers and knowledge. He has none of his own. Sorcerers cannot use magic like mages.”
“So?” Niam growled.
Braun looked at Niam through two feverish eyes. “You really don’t know, do you? Mages use powers that are a natural part of the world. But sorcerers—they have to pull power and knowledge of them from somewhere else.”
“And,” Niam hissed. “What of it?”
Braun looked at Niam, and Davin could tell there was something in the glance that held more than fear. “Garrolus Kreeth wants to finish a process that will allow him do much more. He wants to contain the forces he can only draw in small quantities right now,” Mayor Braun hissed.
Davin and Niam looked at one another. “And that would be a bad thing?” he asked.
“Catastrophic.”
“Why?” Davin and Niam asked simultaneously.
“Because Aboleth is a place of death. It’s toxic to our world. And it’s potentially much more powerful than the forces wielded by mages.”
“Why can’t he do that now?” Niam demanded.
“What’s holding him up?” Davin asked. “He looks pretty powerful now.”
The mayor shook as he answered. “There’s an artifact that he needs. One that goes all the way back to the time of the Dread Lords—when they fought the hordes of Miloch and Kobor as they scoured the world from the east.”
“What artifact?” Niam demanded roughly.
The mayor looked up at both of them, and his voice dropped. “Now that’s the question, isn’t it?”
“Do you know where we can find it?” Davin asked. Whatever man Braun had once been, he was a pale version of now. Davin hoped that acting respectfully might encourage him to be more forthcoming.
“That’s why Kreeth’s using these people. They’re looking for it.”
Davin realized that all of the burglaries and break-ins in town made sense. “What does it look like, sir?”
“I don’t know,” the mayor said defeatedly. “That’s what I was hoping to learn tonight.”
Niam let out a disgusted sound. Before he had time to say anything else, the mayor’s head whipped around. “They’re finished. Now he’ll seal them to his command.”
As soon as Braun said this, a great and sickly light suddenly blazed in the night, coating the world in garish and unnatural shades. Niam moaned in pain. His arms shot up to cover his head protectively. Braun used that moment to twist the sword from Davin’s hands and throw it into the woods. Davin reacted in surprise and lunged for the man, but he was too quick. Mayor Braun shot away with surprising speed as Niam bent over and vomited.
Davin cursed, but held his place.
“Why aren’t you going after him?” Niam rasped.
“Not leaving you alone out here,” he said in frustration.
“But we need him,” he said between fits.
Niam straightened up, wiping his face with a cloth from one of his pockets. He looked away and shook his head. “No it wasn’t. Besides, there’s no telling what might be out here in the forest. We’d be better off finding your sword.”
“We can still try to follow Kreeth,” he told Niam. With any luck, they might be able to uncover something new.
Niam said nothing. He looked on as people under Kreeth’s spell made their slow and plodding way back to their homes. Davin was sure they would wake in the morning unaware that anything had happened.
When Niam finally did speak, he said, “I’ve got another idea. Let’s follow the old man that led us here. I want to take this from a different angle.”