Knights: Book 03 - The Heart of Shadows (15 page)

At
last the two of them stood in the chamber with the oversized safe. This was
little more than a small room at the very peak of the tower, with the safe
taking up most of the space. Lannon went right to work, pressing his hands
against the wheel lock and using the Eye to guide his movements. He was
confident he would open it easily, but his first attempt failed. His confidence
shaken, he tried several more times and finally gave up in frustration.

Taris
nodded. "You don't yet have the skill to open it. I'm not surprised. You
can try again another time."

Lannon
was disgusted with himself for failing. Using the Eye, he gazed into the safe.
He found six fancy swords--all made of Glaetherin--and one huge book that held
writings about the affairs of the Dark Watchmen and Silverland. The book, which
was titled
Shadows of Ollanhar
also contained the deepest secrets of the
Watchmen and their skills. Lannon could have stood there and read the book
without turning a page (and would have loved to do so, had he more time), for
the Eye could glimpse everything inside it. The safe also contained a large
silver chalice with an inscription on it that read
The Essence Cup
, and
a detailed map of Silverland that revealed portals to Tharnin--one of which was
marked right where the Watchmen's Keep stood. And finally, there was a scroll
that revealed six hidden chambers in the tower.

Lannon
reported his findings to Taris.

"Are
the items cursed by Tharnin?" Taris asked.

Lannon
peered into the safe again, but couldn't answer Taris' question. The swords,
the chalice, and the huge book held the presence of sorcery, but the Eye
couldn't reveal whether or not it was of Tharnin.

"The
Deep Shadow is indeed tricky," said Taris. "But if you had full
mastery of the Eye, it would not be able to conceal itself from you so easily.
My guess is that those swords used to belong to the six Dark Watchmen who are
buried below this keep. The remains of the other sixteen Watchmen reside in
Dremlock Cemetery. These six were the last to perish, but it appears they were
hoping someone would restore the order someday. Someone like
you
,
Lannon. These items were left here for a reason, impervious to time and
theft."

"But
I can't open the lock," said Lannon, his voice sounding bitter to his
ears. "What if I can't
ever
open it?"

Taris
shrugged. "Your skills will grow over time, and I have no doubt that you
will be able to claim these items. But the Dark Watchmen are long dead. You
serve Dremlock now, and your place is with the Divine Knights. If you are never
able to open the lock, so be it. You still have a duty to your kingdom.
Regardless, you can always try again later."

Lannon
nodded. "What about the secret chambers?"

"Yes,"
said Taris, "that is intriguing. However, we don't have time this night to
explore all of them. I suggest you pick one."

Lannon
examined the scroll again. One of the hidden chambers was accessed from the
floor below--from a balcony outside the keep. The scroll did not indicate what
the chamber might contain.

 
The two climbed back down and Lannon examined
the marble walls. He found a hidden door in the stone and pushed it. It took
all of his strength--enhanced by the eye--to push the slab, which swung open
grudgingly with a screech of rusty hinges. As the thick section of the tower
wall opened outward, a blast of freezing air hit Lannon's face.

They
stepped out onto a balcony that encircled the tower. They could look out over
the treetops in the starlight, and had it been daytime, they would have been
able to see for miles across the land. They followed the balcony around the
tower. On the opposite side from the door, Lannon spotted a small, narrow ledge
about ten feet below. The ledge seemed pointless, as there was no visible door
or window near it and no stairs to access it. And it existed in a wide space
between floors. The ledge appeared only half finished, with a rail on one side
and jagged blocks on the other--as if the construction process had been
abandoned. But Lannon knew that was merely an attempt to conceal its true purpose--a
hidden door.

Lannon
snagged his grapple hook on the rail and the two of them climbed down to the
ledge. He pushed on the hidden door. The stone slab grudgingly moved inward,
revealing a short hallway that ended at an iron door.

Taris
motioned Lannon on. "I'll wait here for you. Whatever you find, you are
free to take. But beware of dark sorcery."

The
iron door was sealed by a complex lock that required two movements to open.
Lannon inserted two of his lock-picking tools and quickly unlocked it. The door
had no handle and refused to move inward, so Lannon seized it with the Eye and
pulled it open.

Within
the small chamber beyond, in an oaken chest, Lannon found a dark blue cloak
with a silver, eye-shaped symbol on the back. The cloak was about his size, and
made of some soft, silky material. He also found a throwing star made of
Glaetherin, in a leather case, and a lightweight steel dagger with rubies
embedded in the hilt. The throwing star was engraved with the same eye symbol
as the cloak. There was a coil of thin, lightweight, Birlote rope--about eighty
feet of it--and a fancy grapple hook. He also found a pouch full of ancient
silver coins bearing the Crest of Dremlock. None of the items appeared to be
cursed.

Lannon
gathered the treasures and stepped back out onto the ledge. He described what
he'd found, as Taris pushed the door shut.

"The
silver will be given to Dremlock," said Taris. "You may keep the
other items. This is a very interesting find. As the Dark Watchmen fell further
into the embrace of the Deep Shadow, they hid items they no longer used. The
star weapon was the primary throwing blade for the Watchmen. They would use the
Eye to guide it to a foe and then return it back to their hands. A weapon made
of Glaetherin is a very rare and excellent treasure."

"But
Jerret has a Glaetherin sword," said Lannon. "So do many of the
Knights. Glaetherin seems quite common, actually."

"
Impure
Glaetherin," said Taris, with a scowl, "mixed with other metals.
Still very strong, but not flawless. That slab that Prince Vannas cut through
below Elder Oak was impure Glaetherin, as is the safe at the top of this tower
and the doors that block the tunnels below Dremlock. And I would guess that
Jerret's sword--which is a fine blade, by the way--is at least thirty percent
steel. Pure Glaetherin is very rare and reserved only for the most legendary
arms."

"How
can you know the difference?" asked Lannon, gazing at the throwing star.
Even with the Eye, he could only vaguely sense it was made of Glaetherin--but
he couldn't tell if it was pure or mixed with something else.

"Simply
by the color," said Taris. "Mixed Glaetherin is slightly more dull in
hue than pure Glaetherin."

Lannon
held up the gleaming throwing star in the torchlight. He couldn't discern any
difference between it and the mixed Glaetherin that the safe above supposedly
consisted of. It just looked like silver to Lannon.

Taris
chuckled. "Don't concern yourself with it, Squire." He poked the
throwing star with his finger. "I can tell you beyond a doubt that this
blade consists of pure Glaetherin. It could be very useful to you--in ways you
can't yet imagine. Don't lose it! And that Birlote rope is also an excellent
find for a Blue Squire. It is light, yet immensely strong."

"What
about the cloak?" asked Lannon.

"The
cloak of a Blue Knight," said Taris, "and a Dark Watchman. It is made
of Birlote silk, like the rope. Does it fit?"

Lannon
tried it on and found that it did. It smelled musty, and it didn't warm him
like his fur cloak, but it was comfortable enough.

"Obviously
these items belonged to a Birlote," said Taris, pride in his voice.
"That cloak is waterproof and very durable. The dagger is made of Birlote
steel--very lightweight and strong, with a blade that will never dull."

"Then
maybe the Birlotes would want these items returned," said Lannon, though
he was hoping Taris would disagree.

"Because
they belonged to a Dark Watchman," said Taris, "they rightfully pass
to you. I hope they serve you well."

"Are
we done here?" asked Lannon. Shivering, he threw his fur cloak on over the
other one.

Taris'
face was grim in the torchlight. "No. We didn't come here to find hidden
items--though it's a welcome bonus. I brought you here to learn about the Dark
Watchmen, and to do that, we must go below--to the tomb of the restless dead.
This part of our adventure will be much more dangerous."

"The
restless dead?" Lannon asked, not liking the sound of that.

"I'll
explain when we get below," said Taris.

***

They
returned to the bottom floor of the tower, and Lannon lifted the trapdoor.
Immediately, fierce terror gripped him that made him want to flee from the
keep--just as it had when he was climbing the rope at the tower's peak. It was
dark sorcery at work in his mind, striving to break his will. He fought it off
with the Eye and peered below. A stone stairway led down into shadows.

"Lead
the way," said Taris.

Lannon
drew his sword and started down the steps, with Taris behind him. At the bottom
was a thick, moldy, oaken door bound in iron and with holes rotted through the wood.
Above the door hung a large, gleaming axe. Lannon gazed at the door with the
Eye, and saw that it was thoroughly haunted. Six shades inhabited the door--the
ghosts of the long-dead Dark Watchmen who'd dwelt in the tower. The shades were
like writhing shadows that peered out from the wood, icy eyes fixed on Lannon.
The door radiated an illusion of despair and insanity that tried to overwhelm
Lannon, but he shielded himself with the Eye.

"This
is their tomb?" said Lannon. "An oaken door?"

"Their
bodies are buried below this floor," said Taris, "sealed away forever
by stone. But their spirits haunt the door--perhaps for eternity."

"Why?"
said Lannon. And he found he was terrified of what the answer might be. But he
had to know. "What happened to them?"

"As
you know," said Taris, "the Dark Watchmen all fell victim to the Deep
Shadow. They peered into it too deeply with the Eye of Divinity, and it claimed
them. They tried to gaze into the Eye of Tharnin itself--the great beast that
rules over the Shadow Realm--and it consumed them. They turned against Dremlock
and tried to destroy it. Sixteen of the Watchmen nearly succeeded. They slew
many of the Knights, including the Lord Knight, Galbas Firmblade, and fought
their way to the Divine Essence below the keep. Their goal was to destroy
Dremlock's god and tear the heart from the kingdom. But they underestimated the
Divine Essence and its ability to defend itself. It slew the Dark Watchmen with
white fire."

"And
the other six?" asked Lannon.

"They
tried to redeem themselves," said Taris. "In an effort to atone for
their sins, they sealed the second largest portal to Tharnin with the door you
see here. This door is an illusion generated by the power of the spirits. Their
flesh was stripped away by the Deep Shadow, but their souls fought back and now
hold the darkness at bay. This illusion is so powerful that no one can pass
beyond this door and live."

"It
must be a bleak existence," said Lannon, "to simply hold shut a door.
Wouldn't they grow bored and weary of it?"

"Boredom
is a mortal perspective," said Taris. "These shades do what they
must, without regret, and the passage of time means nothing to them. The
original goal of the Dark Watchmen was to close all the portals to Tharnin,
thus defeating the Deep Shadow forever. So by keeping this portal sealed, they
have--at least in part--completed that goal."

"But
they failed in life," said Lannon.

"Yes,
their arrogance destroyed them," said Taris. "They had a chance to
defeat the Eye of Tharnin and rid its influence from our world forever. Yet
their power and influence became so great they believed themselves invincible.
And that is why they fell to the will of Tharnin. And that is what you must
avoid."

Lannon
shuddered. "I definitely want to avoid their fate. I don't plan to spend
eternity stuck inside a door."

"Don't
make light of their great sacrifice," said Taris, frowning, "for
these six have indeed redeemed themselves. They continue to battle Tharnin
every day from beyond the grave. These are your brothers, Lannon. The sixteen
Watchmen in Dremlock Cemetery are still cursed and evil. Their bitter shades
linger near their bodies, haunting the tombs. They have not yet found a way to
break free of the Deep Shadow. But these six were stronger and repented their
evil--and Tharnin slew them as punishment. They are truly the last of the Dark
Watchmen. These are grim and relentless souls who have no mercy on anyone who
tries to pass beyond this door, but if possible, they will guide you."

"Can
I talk to the shades?" asked Lannon. He wasn't sure he actually wanted to,
but he felt there was no harm in asking.

"Not
now," said Taris. "It would be too dangerous. When you're more
confident in your skills, you may attempt to communicate with them--if you have
a good reason for doing so. But even then it might be very risky."