Read The Sword of Light: Book One of the Veredor Chronicles Online
Authors: E J Gilmour
Tags: #adventure, #action, #fantasy, #magic, #epic, #wizards, #fantasy series, #battles, #monsters, #castles, #sword, #warriors, #mythical
‘
I don’t like this,’ said Red.
‘
Be quiet,’ whispered Stella.
The gate
opened. Lantern light lit up the gateway. The group of servants who
were carrying small lanterns stepped out and scurried away along
the outer base of the wall in the direction of the village. Falsig
stood alone in the dark entrance holding a large lantern.
‘
Let’s go,’ whispered Cassiel. They followed him quickly
across to the gate.
‘
Come on,’ whispered Falsig with urgency as they approached.
He ushered them inside and locked the gate behind them. ‘You’re on
your own now. I’ll be across the way. I will wait here until you
return.’
Falsig walked
away leaving them in the dark just inside the gate. Eben looked up
at the amazing sight above. The stone towers rose high into the
dark sky. Many stone bridges crossed from tower to tower; some not
far from the cobblestoned streets and others hundreds of feet
above. Lanterns lit the bridges and lanes below providing a soft
light that permeated the entire Citadel.
‘
Let’s move,’ whispered Cassiel. He hastily led them away from
the gate. They kept to the shadows as they followed Cassiel into a
small alleyway that wound back toward the main front gate. The
lanes and squares were completely empty. Eben looked ahead and saw
that the alley came to an end and opened into a large square.
Cassiel stopped just before they reached the end of the alley. He
glanced around the corner. The area beyond was dimly lit by several
street lanterns, and down the way they could see the main gate.
Just across the square was the base of a tower that rose high into
the sky. Eben looked up and could see a bridge spanned a gap of
fifty feet between the larger tower and a smaller tower further
into the Citadel. The bridge was about a hundred feet above the
square.
‘
That’s the Gatekeeper’s tower,’ whispered Cassiel, pointing
to the tower across the square. He looked at Stella. ‘Are you sure
you want to do this?’
‘
Of course,’ replied Stella confidently.
‘
See the window above the door where the bridge meets the
tower. The door will be locked and probably have a trap; you must
be careful. The arched window above the door should take you into
the main chamber where the key would be kept. Trebax should be at
the banquet, but there is still a chance he is in
there.’
Stella looked
up and her green eyes flickered in the faint lantern light. She
took from her bag a pair of leather gloves and a long coiled rope
with a grappling hook.
‘
Do you want me to come with you?’ asked Red
nervously.
‘
No,’ she whispered as she prepared her ropes.
‘
We will be waiting for you here,’ whispered
Cassiel.
She entered
the square and edged along the near wall until she was standing
directly beneath the bridge. They watched as she took the rope and
started swinging it in large loops. A moment later she released the
hook. The grappling hook flew upward with total accuracy and hooked
onto the railing of the bridge. Stella pulled the rope tight, and a
moment later she was ascending the rope with amazing skill. Within
a minute she had reached the bridge. She climbed over the stone
railing and hastily took from her bag a second rope and hook. She
walked toward the Gatekeeper’s tower and looked up at the window
above.
With a small
swing she sent the second rope over the ledge of the window and an
instant later she was climbing the rope. She reached the window and
stood for a moment in the opening. They watched as she stepped into
the tower and was gone from sight.
‘
She’s amazing,’ whispered Red, looking up in
wonder.
A little time
passed and she didn’t reappear. Eben kept his eyes fixed on the
window. Red’s expression of wonder was gradually turning to one of
concern. A few more moments passed and still nothing happened.
‘
She’s probably in trouble,’ whispered Red anxiously. He
started to move toward the first rope.
Cassiel
grabbed his arm and stopped him from leaving the dark alleyway.
‘Wait,’ he said firmly.
A moment later
Stella leapt from the window and grasped the rope as she flew
through the air and slid down to the bridge in a matter of seconds.
They watched as she ran across the bridge and quickly climbed over
the edge. She glided down the first rope to the square below. There
was no sign of anyone chasing her. She ran over to them and was
holding the crystal key.
‘
He was there; he saw me as I was leaving,’ she said as she
looked back up to the window high above. They all looked up and
could see the silhouette of a robed man in the window.
‘
Quick, let’s go,’ said Cassiel.
They dashed
along the alleyway in the direction they had come. They ran through
the narrow laneways and squares and took many turns to the left and
right. The laneways of the Citadel were like a maze. Eben had lost
all sense of direction. They suddenly stopped before rounding a
final corner.
‘
Just ahead of us is the gate to the Dungeons of Zyran. We
must act quickly before Trebax raises the alarm. We have no time
for any delay,’ said Cassiel.
Eben took the
sleeping darts from his bag. They looked around the corner toward
the prison entrance. Directly ahead of them was a round
cobblestoned area about forty yards in diameter. On the far side
there was a large iron door with no apparent handle.
‘
The wizard guards are gone,’ stuttered Cassiel, his eyes
scanning the area ahead. He turned to Eben with a deep frown; a
moment later the blood drained from his face. ‘It’s a trap,’ he
cried.
They looked
back the way they had come and saw a group of robed wizards
approaching with a large number of guardsmen. Across the open area
they could see other wizards were approaching from the opposite
alleyway that led to the prison gate. Flames started blasting
toward them. Cassiel raised his hands and created an invisible
shield. The onslaught of fire smashed against the unseen barrier.
There was no escape.
‘
Into the prison!’ shouted Red, grabbing Stella’s hand, he led
her quickly across to the door. Eben and Cassiel followed as Stella
took the key and touched it to the dungeon door. The door started
to slowly open. Eben drew his sword as the Zyranian wizards rushed
from the alleyways behind them. Stella and Red backed away inside
the prison and were out of sight moments later. Cassiel raised both
hands and sent multiple blasts of fire at the approaching wizards.
The Zyranian wizards instantly retaliated. A blazing torrent of
fire blasted through the air toward them. Eben and Cassiel leapt
into the prison only just avoiding the onslaught. A moment later
Red slammed the door as the powerful surge of fire and energy
smashed against it.
They stood in
the dimly lit entrance chamber. On the opposite side of the chamber
was a stairwell which led down into the dungeon below. The
enchanted walls glowed around them. Cassiel leaned against the
door, hanging his head low. He crouched down and stared at the
stone floor. ‘The entire Zyranian Order will be out there waiting
for us. They must have known we were going to try to steal the key
and allowed us to. I think the only reason they let us take the key
was because they wanted to make sure they caught all of us.’
‘
We’re safe in here though. There’s no way they can enter the
dungeon,’ said Red, trying to be positive about the
situation.
‘
But how will we get out of here?’ asked Eben.
‘
We should free King Ignis,’ said Stella.
‘
But we won’t be able to leave with him now that the Zyranians
know we are here. We are completely trapped,’ said
Cassiel.
‘
We should free the King; perhaps he can help,’ said Eben as
he walked toward the stairwell.
Red, Stella,
and Eben walked down the stairs. Cassiel followed. The stairwell
led about fifty feet down through solid rock and opened into a
large subterranean passageway that was about a hundred feet long
with iron doors lining both sides of the way. There were at least
twenty cell doors.
‘
We must be careful and ensure we don’t free the wrong person.
Who knows what’s behind each door,’ said Red as he led them along
the passageway.
‘
King Ignis is in the last cell,’ said Cassiel as he came into
the passage from the stairwell. They walked to the door that
Cassiel had indicated. Stella took the key and touched it to the
door; a moment later the cell door slowly opened. They peered into
the small dimly lit dungeon room; on the far side was the shape of
a man curled up on the ground and clothed in rags. He lifted his
head slightly and looked at them.
‘
Who are you?’ he asked in a low and deep voice as he slowly
got to his feet. The man was perhaps fifty years old with strong
features. He had long brown hair that was streaked with silver, a
beard that he had tied up neatly, and strong dark eyes. He looked
proud and dignified, even though he was clothed in rags.
‘
Your Highness, we are here to rescue you,’ said Stella,
stepping into the cell. He walked over to them, his eyes wide with
bewilderment. ‘My name is Stella and these are my friends: Red,
Eben, and Cassiel.’
‘
You are Ortarians. How did you know I was here?’ asked King
Ignis.
Cassiel
interrupted before Stella could answer. ‘Your Highness, there will
be plenty of time to explain everything later. Unfortunately our
attempt to rescue you was discovered by the Zyranians. The Zyranian
Order is waiting for us outside the prison. We don’t know how we
can possibly escape.’ The King nodded as he stepped out of his cell
into the passageway. He looked up and down the corridor and
scratched his beard as he pondered an idea.
‘
You have the key?’ asked King Ignis.
‘
Yes,’ replied Stella.
‘
In my time here I have become acquainted with the man in the
cell next to mine. We have talked with each other through the walls
for years, and we have become quite good friends. May I have the
key so I can free him?’
Stella handed
over the key. King Ignis stepped toward the door to the right of
his own cell.
‘
No!’ shouted Cassiel, leaping forward to stand in the
way.
‘
What are you doing?’ asked the King, surprised by Cassiel’s
move to block him.
‘
You can’t free Azagord,’ said Cassiel firmly.
‘
Who is Azagord?’ asked Eben.
‘
He’s a powerful and evil sorcerer,’ replied Cassiel. ‘He’s
the Northern Sorcerer who came south from Kaznor nearly twenty
years ago and attacked Zyran. He’s a merciless tyrant who possesses
great power. Only this prison can contain him; he should never be
released.’
‘
Cassiel, no one is beyond redemption, not even Azagord,’ said
King Ignis. ‘Furthermore, he may be our only hope of
escape.’
‘
I can’t allow this,’ said Cassiel defiantly.
‘
Azagord was once my personal enemy,’ said King Ignis. ‘I
worked with the Zyranians against him and fought his army in
Ortaria before he attacked Zyran. He has been imprisoned here since
those days, and he is not the same man he was when he entered this
place.’
‘
But, Your Highness…’
‘
Step aside,’ commanded the King.
Cassiel
reluctantly moved away from the door. King Ignis stepped forward
and touched the key to the iron surface. The door opened and
revealed a very skinny older man with thin dark hair, deep hollow
cheeks, and sunken dark eyes. He was short and clothed in rags with
a dishevelled beard.
‘
Azagord,’ said King Ignis warmly.
‘
My King,’ said Azagord in a deep foreign accent. The sorcerer
stepped out of the cell and embraced his friend.
The others
stepped back at the sight of him. Azagord glanced over at them with
sunken eyes which were like pools of darkness. His eyes instantly
fixed on Eben and the sword he was carrying. He stepped away from
the King toward Eben and stared at him more intensely. Eben sensed
danger as Azagord slowly approached.
‘
Is everything alright, Azagord?’ asked King Ignis. Azagord
didn’t answer and kept his eyes fixed on Eben
‘
It seems strange that the Sword of Light should fall into my
hands after so long in exile,’ answered Azagord in a rasping
voice.
The King
looked from Azagord to Eben. Azagord moved forward with lightning
speed. Cassiel tried to step in the way, but a blast of glowing
green energy sent him sliding along the floor and pinned him to the
stony surface. Eben raised his sword, but before he could react the
sorcerer grabbed him by the throat. He felt a shock of energy pass
through his body, paralysing his arms and legs. Azagord lifted him
off the ground with incredible strength.
Red tried to
swing his sword at the sorcerer, but his blade struck an invisible
barrier. Red then found that he was unable to move; his feet were
completely frozen in place. Azagord then flicked his wrist and sent
Red flying backward.
The King
stepped toward Azagord. ‘Azagord, stop!’ he commanded. The sorcerer
looked at King Ignis for a moment.
‘
I can’t, my King. This is my duty, my reason, and my purpose.
I was sent to recover the sword and to kill the one who carried it.
The Master needs the Sword of Light. The Master will cast it
through the Cosmic Gate,’ hissed Azagord.