Part 20 (2/2)
James glanced around and then pointed to a portal with stairs leading upward. He moved quickly up the stairs and the others followed.
They found themselves in a circular chamber, up in what might have been a small servants' sleeping area, overlooking what must originally have been an armory. Ancient forges lay unused against the far wall.
Clearly they had found the location of the ancient Kes.h.i.+an fortress, and were in bas.e.m.e.nts that had been hollowed out of the rock upon which it had once stood. The murmur of voices from below masked James's words as he whispered, ”Those servants who worked in the armory must have slept up in this loft.”
”What's going on down there?” asked William softly.
James hazarded a peep over the edge then quickly pulled back.
Even in the indirect light from the chamber below, William and Treggar could see James go pale. ”Take a breath before you look,” he whispered.
William peered over and saw at least a hundred men, all wearing black robes or cloaks, all watching a ceremony directly across from where the three of them hid. The ancient armory was now a temple, and the brown stains upon the wall clearly showed it was a temple dedicated to dark powers.
Four men who were obviously priests were in the midst of a sacrifice, and that sacrifice lay bent backwards across a large stone, hands and feet held tightly by four black-robed men.
Upon the wall behind the priests was a mask, larger than a tall man, a hideous creature from a demented nightmare. Roughly the same shape as a horse's head, the creature's snout was pointed, like a fox's, but two long tusks protruded downward. Twisted horns, like a goat's, rose from behind pointed ears. And where the eyes should be, two flames burned.
The lead priest began to chant and the a.s.sembled men responded as one.
”What language is that?” asked Treggar.
”Sounds Kes.h.i.+an,” said William, ”but no dialect I'm familiar with.”
Suddenly a drum boomed and a horn blew, and the men below shouted a name. James felt a chill pa.s.s through him.
The priests' chanting grew louder and one opened a large tome, then moved to the side of the victim. Another priest retrieved a golden bowl from a man standing nearby. He moved to the victim's head and knelt beside him.
The chanting never stopped.
The three standing priests picked up the pace of the incantation, and the witnesses answered. The a.s.sembled voices rose and the chanting grew louder, more insistent.
With a flourish, the chief priest revealed a black knife, which he held before the eyes of the victim. The man was naked save for a loincloth, and unable to move, but his eyes widened at the sight of the knife.
Then with a deft move, the blade sliced the man's neck, and blood fountained from the wound. The bowl was lifted to receive the blood, and as the first drops were caught, James felt a deeper cold pa.s.s through him.
William spoke softly, though his voice wouldn't be heard over the chanting by the men below. ”Did you feel that chill?”
”I did,” said Treggar.
William said, ”Magic. And it's big.”
Suddenly the room seemed to darken, though the torches in the wall-sconces burned no less brightly. A black cloud coalesced and took shape behind the altar upon which lay the now-twitching victim.
”Back!” said William as the black cloud grew more solid by the second, and the voices of the priests rose in unison.
Retreating to the back of the small servants' loft, James said, ”What was that?”
”A demon,” said William. ”I'm almost certain. Keep low. The priests might not notice us in the shadows, but that demon might.” They ran along in a crouch, and started back down the stairs.
Screams sounded from the makes.h.i.+ft temple and Treggar said, ”What was that?”
”The blood was only used to bring the thing here,” suggested William. ”Now it's feeding from among the faithful.”
Treggar's battle-hardened expression couldn't hide the fact that the blood had drained from his face. Through tight lips he said, ”They willingly stand and die?”
”Fanatics,” said James. ”We've seen them before, captain. Murmandamus?”
Treggar nodded. ”The Black Slayers.”
”We must warn Arutha,” said William. ”He's got the men to crush this company, but not if they have a demon serving them. The Prince has no magicians or priests in his company.”
Remembering an attack upon the Prince at the Abbey of Sarth, James said, ”It won't be the first time Arutha's faced a demon.”
More screams sounded. ”Come on,” said Treggar. ”We have to start back. They're distracted now, but for how long?”
James nodded and led the way.
Quickly they made their way down the steps and retraced their way up the corridor, heading toward the secret entrance. The entire way the sounds of men dying followed them. More than once they thought the murders had stopped, but just as quiet descended it was shattered by another scream.
When they re-entered the darkened portion of the tunnels, James relit his taper.
William said, ”That man on the stone never cried out.”
Treggar said, ”He wouldn't. That was one of our Pathfinders.”
James said nothing.
They reached the exit and James motioned for them to halt and handed the light to William.
After a long moment of inspection, James put his hand against the hidden door and pushed to open it.
Nothing happened.
THIRTEEN - Concealment
James pushed again.
Nothing happened, again.
”What's wrong?” asked Treggar.
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