The Tomb of the Dark Paladin (39 page)

"Come forward and be judged Carym of Hyrum," the knight ordered. Carym did as he was bade and stepped closer to the apparition. The knight placed his spectral hand on Carym's shoulder and searing pain shot through his shoulder. He immediately felt energy drain from his body and his mind became numb. As he sank into darkness he heard the knight say, "I go to join the fray, but this time I fight for the right cause. I leave you with three gifts Carym of Hyrum: the key, my sword and my shield. You may use them now, but they must be given to the keepers of Zuhr's faithful when your work is done. They are powerful artifacts and are meant for hands other than your own!"

When Carym awoke, he was lying on the cold floor and the specter was gone. The pain in his shoulder was gone too. In his hand he held a small, roughly cut stone in the shape of a skeleton key. His respite was short lived, for the ground began to shake and the wall which had earlier sprung up and almost killed him collapsed into rubble almost killing him again. The paladin's skeleton had returned to its place upon the altar. Carym took the paladin's shield to protect himself from falling debris. Remembering the paladin's words, Carym grabbed the knight's sword and sheathed his own fighting sticks. Once the debris had settled, he climbed over the rubble and ran back to the circle on the floor at the opposite end of the chamber, relieved that nothing else came to molest him.

Carym jumped into the mysterious circle that led him here and hurtled upward at a sickening speed. When he reached the top, he jumped out of the circle and into the chamber. Forgetting about toppled skeletons and the traps that must still await him, Carym ran through the chamber and back to the door leading out. He was running for his life, fearing a collapsing tunnel and he ran through the now open door and into the passageway. The ground beneath his feet rumbled and shimmied and loud cracks told him his fears were correct. Breathing in the dust-filled air, Carym nearly choked and gagged. Dodging falling debris and debris which already cluttered the passageway floor, Carym burst through the final door leading to the world above. He stumbled about in the dark, unable to see, falling down an embankment as the tunnel had indeed.

He scanned about quickly, looking for danger and for signs of his friends. Though his heart panged for Gennevera, he brushed his thoughts aside and tried to determine what to do next. He had the stone key now and knew it would lead him to the Everpool. But should he seek his friends first? He sat quietly, listening as the sounds of the collapsing tunnel faded and the ground stilled. It was deathly quiet and bitterly cold, nothing stirred. There were no sounds of battle.

Carym resolved to go forward, hoping that time was still on his side; he had to reach the Everpool before Hessan or his scouts found it. Did Hessan win his battle with Bart and Gennevera? Carym could only wonder.

Carym drew the red stone key from his pocket. It seemed to serve as a direction finder as well as a key, a clever way to truly keep the location of the Everpool secret. He suspected there were no maps ever made of the secret, sacred place; a person had to find the tomb, successfully navigate the traps, and be judged by the spirit of the Dark Paladin just go get the item which would then lead them to the Everpool.

Carym glanced in the direction where he last saw his friends and wondered if they had all survived the encounter with the Headless Rider. He wondered if the Headless Rider had truly been defeated, or if he would surprise the group again. He shook the thoughts away and held the stone out before him. It seemed to glow brighter to his left and, of course, higher up the mountainside. He glanced upward in the darkening night and picked out his route, then glanced around again to ensure that there weren't any other surprises in store for him.

It was dark and the going was treacherous. The cold wind had not abated and by the sounds in the air, it seemed that the Dark Paladin's cursed soldiers still haunted the mountain. Carym slowly picked his way up the steep grade, using outcroppings and boulders for support and leverage. Loose rocks threatened to send him careening down the slope, but he navigated the mountain path with sure feet. Finally, he reached a small opening underneath a large outcropping. A very small opening.

He peered in and was struck by an explosion of bats, a torrent of terrible shrieking and flapping. He held the shield of the Dark Paladin out before him for protection but the sheer force of their numbers drove Carym backward. He slipped on a loose rock and lost his footing, sliding down the slope. In a frantic grab, he managed to catch a large boulder and hang on with one hand until the bats were gone. He crawled back up to the outcropping and back to the opening in the mountainside. There was no doubt that the key had led him here but he didn't relish the idea of going inside. Though there could be things worse than bats within, the sounds of shrieking and howling on the wind echoing around the mountainside underscored the need for him to go on. 

He stared regretfully at the small opening for a moment, knowing the only way he could fit through it would be on his belly. He didn't relish the idea of navigating yet another system of tunnels and chambers within the mountain, but the growing intensity of the glowing stone key convinced him.

A loud scream interrupted his thoughts and a heavy weight fell on top of him. Bony claws tore at his coat seeking warm flesh beneath. He struggled and kicked wildly to keep the thing from flaying him open and finally managed to kick it off. It was a skeleton, he noted ruefully as it tumbled down the mountainside. He turned quickly back to the task knowing that the skeleton would be back if it hadn't been shattered to pieces. Wary, he took off his pack and weapons and shoved them through the opening. Then he got on his belly and wriggled through as quickly as he could. 

Once inside, he found that he could stand again. He quickly gathered his things. He cast another
light
spell and saw that he was in a natural tunnel. It was warmer in the tunnel than it had been outside in the blistering wind, but the going was slow and painful. His
light
spell created enough light to see by, but the shadows played tricks on his eyes. He grimaced and growled as he scraped his skin on the cool stones or twisted his ankle on the rocky floor. The cold air made his joints stiff, his skin stung with every scrape and bump. His mind began to wander as he trudged along, and his mind turned to those who had sacrificed life or limb for this quest.

He exhaled deeply, squeezing through a particularly narrow space where the tunnel walls closed in tightly. On the other side he chose to sit and rest for a moment. The parallels to the story of the Dark Paladin were striking. The artifact and the Everpool; the Dark Paladin and Shalthazar; New Nashia and the old Kingdom of the Zuharim; the Shadow Sigil. History was repeating itself. And he wondered how it would yet unfold.

He moved on, again losing track of time in the bizarre place. He was reminded too much of his unpleasant journey through the Underllars not long ago. After an eternity of duck-walking, squatting and crawling, he reached a part of the cave large enough for him to walk again. The chamber was large and dark, his
light
spell seemed only to make the darkness at its fringes more impenetrable. The chamber revealed itself as a dead end.

How was he going to get back out of here? Where was the stone leading him? He forced himself to remain calm. Zuhr had led Carym this far, He certainly wouldn't leave him to die alone in this small cave. The light of the stone key was intense, pulsing even. He knew he was on the right path.

There must be a way out. This key is telling me I'm in the right place!
Then the hair on the back of Carym's neck began to stir and his skin began to tingle. A wail reverberated through the tunnel behind him, getting louder and louder. Its notes were shrill and anxious causing Carym to think irrationally. It was another of those shrieking Elvish women, a Baensidhe. On and louder it came and Carym braced himself. He held the shield up before him, blocking the reverberations of her wails and noticed that his anxiety diminished somewhat. He mentally prepared the Sigil spells he would use to destroy the wailing beast and waited. The sound stopped and for a long moment nothing happened. In that quiet moment his anxiety increased and his heart pounded despite the silence. The silence was broken by a rage filled scream and blaze of light as the apparition appeared right in front of him. Terrible breath wafted through his nose making him nauseous and making his eyes sting and water. Its skin was sickly green and and rotted and its teeth, like fangs, were yellowed and broken. He thrust the shield forward and struck the creature, though it felt like he had just hit a giant oak tree. The baensidhe wailed in pain and interrupted its song of death for a moment, a moment that Carym capitalized on. With one swing of the massive sword he flayed open the creature's abdomen. It howled in rage and pain and retreated to a corner of the chamber. 

"Please," it begged suddenly. The vicious and predatory appearance it bore just seconds earlier was gone and now it seemed more like a helpless young lady. "Help me, I'm being controlled by a dark wizard! Only you can break the spell!" She covered her face with her hands and wailed and sobbed with seeming sincerity. 

Carym wanted to believe her, but felt it was a lie. As she stood in the corner crying, he advanced upon her with sword, shield and spells ready. When she saw her act was having no effect, she shrieked again and bared her long fangs at him. He thrust the shield before him and struck her soundly, knocking her back. Again he struck her and again she stumbled back, now appearing to be looking for a way out. Carym would have none it and stuck her down with the ancient blade. The baensidhe screamed in pain and vanished, leaving nothing behind to show she had ever been. Carym felt his way through the natural chamber, feeling along the walls and illuminating dark crevices in hopes of finding a clue to escaping before another horrible creature accosted him. Finally, he discovered a small hole about the size and shape of the stone key. Hoping he wouldn't regret the decision, Carym turned the stone key in the hole. Nothing happened at first. Then, very slowly, a door opened beside him and he braced himself for something to jump out and attack him.

Using the glowing ball from his
light
spell, Carym illuminated the area beyond the door. He was very displeased to see that the door didn't lead to another passageway or a room, rather it led to a shaft that dropped straight down beyond the range of his spell. A rough ladder with notches had been cut into the shaft walls, a treacherous climb for sure. He paused for a moment and rested at the edge of the shaft. Then Carym strapped the weapon and shield to himself and climbed into the shaft. He descended very slowly, wary of the cold stone, silently cursing the child-sized hand and foot holds that he was barely able to hold on to. He slipped more than once on the treacherous climb down. Yet somehow he made it to another passageway at the bottom. He was relieved that the air seemed significantly warmer at the bottom of the shaft and basked in the warmth for a few moments. It seemed odd that the warm air did not rise up the shaft; he guessed that enchanted waters of the Everpool were the cause. He removed the key from his pocket and moved on, the stone glowing intensely. He continued down the passageway, going in the direction in which the light of the key shone brightest, observing several more tunnels and passageways branching off in various directions. Without this key he surely would have become lost.

Finally, Carym came to the end of the passageway. The air was warm and inviting, but the urgency of the mission forced thoughts of rest form his mind. In front of him was a door with an iron ring and another hole that was just the right size for his key.

Carym slid the key into the hole turning it. There was a click and the sound of gears grinding, but nothing happened. Carym waited.