Darkblade avenger, p.72
Darkblade Avenger, page 72
part #1 of Hero of Darkness Series
Eyes wide, mouth agape, Garanis stared at him, features writhing like maggots of flesh and bone.
The Hunter ripped the eye patch from his face and threw it to the ground. He no longer needed it. "You forced my hand, Demon! Every one of these deaths is on your head."
Garanis' shock turned to smug satisfaction. "You say that as if I should feel remorse! Please, they are merely humans."
"I know you care nothing for humans. But your own life, now that is something you value above all else. Which is why it ends tonight. Right here, right now."
Garanis giggled and clapped his hands, his expression mocking. "Such bravado, Bucelarii! Your kind truly are such fascinating creatures."
The Hunter clenched his jaw. "It's over, Garanis. Face your death with some measure of dignity. Though I doubt you Abiarazi ever knew the meaning of that word."
Garanis’ smile turned to a scowl. "Enough, Bucelarii. I give you your life tonight. You said you wanted to leave, so now is your chance." He waggled his fingers in a gesture of dismissal. "Go. Off with you. Tell the Sage I will deliver on my promise. Now that I have Pietus firmly under my control, our master will have the weapons from the vault."
The demon's words shocked the Hunter. Our master? Could Garanis answer to a higher authority?
His mind raced. Garanis was clearly terrified of this creature. Who—or what—could be powerful enough to compel demons to obey? The implications were staggering.
One problem at a time!
Garanis raised an eyebrow. "Well? Do you understand my message? Will you tell our master that he will have the contents of the Beggar Priests' vaults?"
The Hunter's thoughts whirled. Visibos said the vault held the greatest artifacts and treasures known to man. If the demons got their hands on them…
"I cannot let you do that, Demon."
Garanis' eyes widened. "What? What nonsense are you—"
"You will not get your hands on the artifacts from the vault below. I will not allow it."
"B-But that's why you're here, to—"
"I am here to retrieve what is mine. I do not know who this 'Sage' is, or why he would send me, but I do know that you cannot be permitted to seize the power contained in those vaults."
"Of course! You want it for yourself, all so you can rule. But know this, Bucelarii, this city is mine!"
"That ends tonight. Malandria has been under your foul sway for far too long."
Garanis sneered. "You think you can kill me? Many have tried before, and—"
"If you know what I am," the Hunter cut him off, "you know I am no mere Cambionari." He stalked forward, never taking his eyes from the Illusionist Cleric's face, and gestured to the corpses around him. "You join them tonight."
The Illusionist Cleric snarled. "Foolish Bucelarii! You think I would remain here if I was defenseless?"
The Hunter gripped Soulhunger tighter, ignoring the protests of his aching muscles. "I see no sword, no weapon."
Instead of retreating, Garanis stepped forward. A smug smile spread on his face. "You rely on steel, but I rely on a more powerful tool—my mind!"
The demon's confidence surprised the Hunter, and he hesitated. In that moment, Garanis dipped his hand into his cloak and drew a silver chain. The simple, unadorned pendant caught the Hunter's attention. Something about the way it caught the torchlight and reflected it just so…
"Hear me, Bucelarii." Garanis spoke in an eerily soft voice. "Hear me and know that I am your master."
The pendant swayed in the Hunter's vision. Torchlight danced across the surface, yet there seemed to be more to it. The mesmerizing wave of silver drew him into its depths. It looked so beautiful, so fluid in its grace. He wanted to stare at it forever.
"You search for a home, Bucelarii, for those who know you." Garanis’ voice sounded far away, as if he spoke through a thick fog. "You have found your place. It is at my side. I am what you seek, and together we will—"
The Illusionist Cleric droned on in the soft, singsong voice. It soothed the Hunter, pulling him deeper into the fog filling his mind.
His inner demon screamed. “He is trying to control you! Will you allow yourself to be dominated?”
The Hunter tried to snap out of it, but he had no strength. He couldn't focus his thoughts. The fog was too thick to push away. He was trapped in the depths of the silver pendant swaying gently in the torchlight.
“You are your own master!”
"I…will..." The Hunter's voice sounded almost unrecognizable. His tongue felt thick and heavy, his mouth dry. He wanted to fight, but more than anything else, he wanted to believe that Garanis spoke the truth.
He said he is my family. He wants me at his side.
It sounded so good. It was what he wanted; to be accepted, welcomed.
Bardin did that, the human side of him whispered. Bardin welcomed you into his home, pitiful as it was. And what happened to him?
His thoughts were a jumble. He couldn't think straight. The…demon…killed him.
Yes. The quiet voice pushed back the fog in his head. He did that, and now he is trying to trick you into doing his bidding.
His inner demon pierced the swirling chaos. “He wants to use you! And when he is done, he will kill you!”
You do the same. You use me to achieve your own ends.
The demon tried to argue, but the Hunter stifled the voice.
We both know what you want, and what you will do to obtain it. I will not be fooled—not by anyone!
The Hunter gripped Soulhunger tighter, the leather grip pressing into his palm. The solid feel of the blade in his hand brought him slowly back to reality.
"Nice try, Demon."
His tongue still felt thick and heavy, but the fog had begun to clear from his brain. He strode forward, moving faster now.
"No one controls the Hunter!"
Chapter Seventeen
Panic cracked Garanis’ calm expression. He raised the pendant. "Bucelarii. You will o—"
"Enough!"
Strength returned to his limbs. His pain fled, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, he felt himself. He stalked toward Garanis like a predator.
"I grow weary of you and your kind."
Garanis raised an eyebrow. "My kind? Do you mean demons, or do you speak of the followers of the Illusionist—like your friend Bardin?"
The name stopped the Hunter in his tracks. "How—?"
Garanis sneered. "Did I know of your friend? Please, I know everyone who passes through that cesspit! How else do you think Toramin and his foolish 'wizards' knew who to choose?"
The revelation stunned the Hunter. He stared at the demon, mouth agape. An image flashed through the Hunter's mind: Garanis watching the beggars, studying them to find the next victim to sacrifice on the altar to Kharna.
"Y-You were working with the Order of Midas?"
Garanis nodded. "We do what we must. Though I can't say I enjoyed working with that bastard Toramin!" He scowled, his disgust evident. "When first we strode this world, he was nothing more than a servant to the lowest Abiarazi commander."
The Hunter's eyes widened.
A smile broadened Garanis’ lips. "Oh yes, Hunter. I can see you want to know more of your past. You yearn to know the truth. Well, you have come to the right place." He puffed his chest out proudly. "I studied under the Serenii, and from them I learned the secrets that shaped the very fabric of this world into being!"
Curiosity burned within the Hunter. He lowered Soulhunger. He had plenty of time to kill Garanis after the demon told him everything he wanted to know.
Indeed, it seemed the creature wanted to tell the Hunter more. "I could have become the most powerful of the Abiarazi! I came close to challenging the Serenii themselves." His expression darkened and his words dripped with venom. "But then the cowardly Illusionist trapped our Great God and ended the war. It is thanks to him that we were reduced to hiding among humans. How fitting it is that his secrets will be used to destroy the world he sought to protect."
The Hunter forced a smile to his face, hoping it looked real. If he could keep the demon talking long enough to inch his way closer…
Garanis’ smile turned cruel. "His secrets have served us well, they have." He spoke in a whisper tinged with madness. "It is thanks to the rites of the Illusionist that we have fed Kharna all these years."
And there it is. Any lingering doubt in the Hunter's mind disappeared. As expected, the demon always shows his true face. Time to play on his hubris.
"So, all along you were here in the House of Need?"
Garanis nodded. "On the Sage's orders, yes."
The Hunter gestured around him. "But how were you clever enough to avoid being detected by the Cambionari? And Father Pietus did nothing to stop you?" He edged a step closer. A few more paces...
Garanis gave the Hunter a wicked smile. "Father Pietus? Stop me? The old fool has no say in the matter. He is fully under my control. Watch."
He strode toward the ancient cleric, who still stood with a listless expression and dull, unfocused eyes.
Garanis waved his hands before the man's face. "Hello? Father?" He turned to the Hunter. "See? Nothing!"
He drew a belt dagger. "Run your hand along the blade, Priest."
Without hesitation or a sound of protest, Father Pietus pressed his hand into the blade. Blood welled and dripped to the floor.
"You see? He obeys my every command. And it's all thanks to this!" He raised the pendant and swung it back and forth before the Hunter. "This has given me control over these foolish priests. They do my bidding without realizing who they are obeying."
Garanis turned again to Pietus. "Father, fetch Moradiss' sword and bring it here."
The old priest shambled toward the iron sword, his movements stiff and mechanical…as if he had no control over his body. Stooping, joints popping, he fumbled in the pool of Lord Knight Moradiss' blood for the hilt of the sword.
The sight of the ancient priest struggling to lift the massive iron blade tugged at the Hunter. The man would kill himself on the demon's orders. The Hunter could not allow it. He stepped forward.
The demon seized that moment, raising the silver pendant. The flashing jewelry caught the Hunter's eye and dragged him into its depths once more. He opened his mouth to speak, but found he could not. He couldn't tear his gaze away.
"And soon, you too shall obey my commands." Garanis spoke in a soft voice, but there was a harsh edge beneath it. "These priests believe they worship a pure, holy god. A god of humility, of suffering. The 'Beggar God' they call him."
The Hunter tried to move, to raise Soulhunger, to rip his gaze from the pendant, anything. But he could not. Thick fog filled his mind once more. His arms felt so tired, so heavy.
Garanis continued, his voice soothing. "A delicious irony, isn't it? Their god of purity is just like this old priest here. Those who see him believe he is a kindly, gentle soul."
The Hunter's eyelids grew heavy. He wanted to rest, to close his eyes and sleep. The pendant and the calming voice wanted it. They wanted him to lose himself within the flashing silver. He could watch it dance forever.
Garanis’ voice drifted toward him from afar. "But, beneath that kindly exterior, his mind is corrupted by the powers of the Illusionist Clerics. Within the god of beggars, a seed of Kharna festers. Soon, when the Great Destroyer has been returned to his power, his soul will be freed from its prison. It will seek out its host, and the seed of Kharna within the Beggar God will transform the foolish deity once more into the Destroyer of Worlds. When he has returned, we will rule the world once more. We will breed a new batch of Bucelarii to rule with us. You, however, will not be here."
And there it was. The demon had whispered of family and acceptance…a lie. He was afraid of the Hunter, of the threat he posed. He wanted him dead. He wanted Soulhunger.
The Hunter tried to fight, to resist the Illusionist Cleric's control over his mind, yet he could not break free. He knew he should be afraid, but fear could not penetrate the soothing void of the silver pendant and its dancing shadows.
"Pietus," Garanis said, his voice soft, "kill him."
The Hunter couldn't tear his eyes from the pendant, but a faint sound of rustling cloth reached his ears. Father Pietus, obeying the demon's commands.
His inner demon mocked him. “This is how you die? This is how the Hunter faces his end? A coward's death!”
Garanis spoke in the soothing voice again. "Pietus, kill the assassin and bring me the dagger!"
Father Pietus stared at the Hunter with empty eyes. With effort, he raised the massive iron sword. The Hunter threw every shred of willpower he possessed into his arms. They were almost too heavy to move, but somehow he managed to raise Soulhunger high enough to knock aside the blow. The dagger hissed upon contact with the iron blade.
Life fled from his limbs as Garanis pulled him deeper into the pendant's trance. He could do nothing. He had no will to resist, and all fight within him drained away.
The animal within him howled. Live! Fight and live.
He wanted to. More than anything else, he wanted to live. Yet he couldn't break Garanis’ hold over him.
"Paeter?"
A childish voice reached the Hunter's ears.
"Paeter?" There it was again.
The voice cut through the fog in the Hunter's mind, pushing it back long enough for the Hunter to blink. He saw Hailen tugging on Father Pietus’ robes, as if trying to get his attention. Soulhunger's screams sliced through the chaos filling his thoughts. He felt his vigor returning, but he still moved as if through thick mud.
Hailen stared up at the old priest, a trusting smile on his innocent face. "Paeter!" He threw his arms around Pietus.
"Pietus!" Garanis' soothing tone vanished, replaced by annoyance. "Kill the child, then the Hunter."
The cleric hesitated and lowered the sword. A flicker of life returned to his eyes, as if he tried to fight Garanis’ control.
"Don't do this!" The Hunter shook his head, trying to push back the fog in his mind.
Garanis barked. "Your master commands you."
The Hunter watched helplessly as the priest turned to the boy.
"Do it now, Priest!"
Again, Father Pietus raised the sword, the muscles in his face twitching.
A wicked smile painted Garanis’ face. "Do it!"
Father Pietus brought the sword arcing down toward Hailen's unprotected head.
In that instant, Hailen's features morphed into Farida's. The little girl stared up at the old priest, innocence and purity in her eyes.
The familiar weight returned to the Hunter's chest. The Hunter had failed her. He had failed Old Nan, Jak, Karrl, and all the others in Voramis. Even Bardin had died because of him.
But not this time! I will not fail again, not when an innocent child's life is at stake.
With a cry of rage, the Hunter forced his numb limbs to move. He shoved the old priest aside, and the sword clanged harmlessly on the stone floor. Without hesitation, the Hunter drove Soulhunger between the priest's ribs, ramming the blade deep.
Dark blood gushed over the Hunter's hand. He felt the moment the tip pierced the ancient heart. The old priest screamed, a horrible sound that echoed through the halls of the House of Need. The scream pierced the Hunter's consciousness and stoked the fires of his rage. Power coursed through him, clearing the fog from his mind and pushing back his fatigue. He once again felt whole.
Father Pietus’ cries fell silent, the light in his glassy eyes dying. Gently, the Hunter lowered the old priest to the floor and slipped the dagger from his lifeless body.
"May the Long Keeper have mercy on your soul," he whispered. "You will be avenged."
The Hunter looked up from the old priest's body, glaring at Garanis. "You bastard! Your time on this earth is done."
He stalked forward, an inexorable predator hunting its prey. Soulhunger's bright edge reflected the flickering torchlight. The dagger might have been satisfied, but the Hunter hungered for demon blood.
"Bucelarii," Garanis whispered in his soothing voice. He held the pendant before him like a shield. Shadows danced across its smooth surface, drawing the Hunter's eye, whispering to him of—
The Hunter tore his eyes away before the pendant could ensnare him. "No! Your tricks will not work on me now, Demon! I have been through your maze of horrors and come out the other side. You cannot stop me!"
A look of panic flashed across Garanis' face, turning to terror when the Hunter rushed forward. The demon turned and fled toward the darkened stairwell.
The Hunter snarled. "Coward! To hell with you, Demon."
Stooping, he seized a discarded helmet and hurled it with every ounce of strength. It struck Garanis in the back with a loud crack. The demon screamed and tumbled to the floor, flopping limply. The Hunter rushed toward the demon, expecting him to continue his attempt to escape.
But Garanis made no move to stand or even crawl. He muttered strange words in a guttural language. His voice held an odd, discordant note that jarred the Hunter's senses. The Hunter recognized it—he had heard it in the tunnels beneath Voramis.
Watcher's teeth!
Power crackled in the air. The Hunter's ears popped with sudden force. The temperature in the room plummeted, and darkness blossomed around the prone form of the Illusionist Cleric.
The demon had boasted of studying the secrets of the Serenii, whatever they were. What horror would he unleash? The Hunter didn't care to find out.
He leapt atop Garanis and slammed Soulhunger into the demon's back. Garanis' words cut off in a scream of agony and terror.
A torrent of power washed over the Hunter, almost more than he could handle. It overwhelmed his mind and fractured his consciousness. A scream tore from his lips. He writhed on the floor, the force coursing through him rendering him helpless as the dagger claimed the demon's soul. Molten lead burned on his chest; a new scar joined those etched into his flesh.
The demon's death severed the tether to whatever dark power he had gathered, and it exploded outward. The violent backlash hurled the Hunter across the room and slammed him into the wall. A hot wind blew across his face, and with it came a foul stench—the same odor that had filled his nostrils in the tunnels beneath Voramis. He wrestled back the overwhelming urge to vomit.
