[TLQ-B1] 56. Into the Jaws of Darkness (Patreon)

LVI

Into the Jaws of Darkness

‘Watch your step, Sir Levi!’ Varrick shouted over the blizzard.

Varrick wasn’t as deft a hand as Nerya at traversing the invisible bridge out of Winterforge. Where Nerya moved with so much certainty that it seemed she could actually see where she was stepping, the hunter of the village tested his steps here and there with the butt of his bow.

More than once, Varrick glanced back at Levi. Out of worry, mostly, for they weren’t going as quick as the wounded required. But Levi thought he was also staring nervously at Durak.

Sepharin’s undead followed him silently, stepping after Levi like he was his shadow.

‘It’s alright!’ Levi said. ‘He won’t hurt us.’

Varrick blinked, then frowned like he was chastising himself. ‘It’s just… a little unnerving. That’s all.’

Understandable. Levi didn’t approve of his sister’s undead. Not even now, after everything that’d happened. But he couldn’t deny that they weren’t a threat to those they deemed allies. Moreover, if he was being honest, having the giant with him as he stalked into the stormy night potentially full of demons, was a reassurance he was glad for.

Another person was waiting for them beyond the bridge. They wore a hood because of the blizzard, so Levi couldn’t see who it was. Not that he would’ve recognised them—he was barely acquainted with most people in the village.

The tall figure rode on the back of a spider-like golem.

‘There were more of you?’ Levi asked.

‘I asked him to come,’ Varick said. ‘Only mages can control a golem. We’ll need one if we want to get there in time.’

Levi nodded.

Varick vaulted onto the construct’s back and took a seat behind him. He offered Levi a hand while side-eyeing Durak. ‘The undead won’t fit. I fear we’ll have to leave it behind.’

He was right, Levi noticed. The three of them were already overfitting the golem. Durak was enough for two people.

‘Durak,’ Levi turned, ‘Stay—’

The black orc produced a shard from his inventory, from which a rider on a black horse spawned. Neither showed any discomfort when the orc mounted.

‘Or that,’ Levi said beside himself.

The hooded villager whispered something in Varrick’s ear in the corner of Levi’s sight, which made the hunter nod and whisper something back. He then helped Levi onto the golem.

‘Let us hurry,’ Varrick said.

Levi had worried about the undead rider’s ability to travel through the frost. An unfounded concern. Their steed was faster than the golem. A lot defter, too. Where the golem couldn’t make hard turns and many times almost crashed into well-hidden boulders, the horse swerved like it’d been trained for this its entire life.

There wasn’t anything for Levi to do but hold on tight to Varrick. The downtime gave him room to think and question things.

Why would they be out here if the village closes at night?

Sepharin and the frostguards had been in talks with Chief Arnok about getting a map of the bridge so they could leave and enter as they liked, but the Chief—and Varrick—had refused. They didn’t want anyone besides their own people knowing it.

So why take the frostguards outside at this time? Wouldn’t that give them the opportunity to study the passage?

Clouts of snow kicked up in the wake of the golem’s stiletto legs.

‘We’re almost there!’ Varrick yelled.

There was something in his voice. An undercurrent. He’s nervous, Levi thought. As one could expect. The guards were dying as they travelled…but Levi didn’t think that was it.

He’d been to Vrost a few times on temple-related duties. It was a big city with a varied populace, thieves and murderers among them. Priests were welcomed with open arms. Especially those that went out of their way to help the poor. That’s why Levi never had any trouble even when ministering in the worst parts of Vrost. Except the once. He’d been lured into an alley by a little boy claiming his sister was sick and couldn’t make it to the temple.

The way he glanced was the same. The brief throwing of the chin over the shoulder. The way in which he steered him away from civilisation.

Levi wasn’t delusional. He was aware of the sickness running through the bedrock of their world, which infected the rivers and the drinking water of the common man. But he believed no one was inherently evil, not even a necromancer like his sister. Everyone would be nervous when they were about to commit a crime.

Droplets of sweat rolled down Varrick’s face despite the cold. His stomach inflated and deflated irregularly, a sign that his breathing was out of control.

Something was going to happen…Levi just couldn’t understand why. He was keeping Varrick’s mother alive—there was nothing to gain from killing him.

His inability to come up with an answer to the query was what made him hesitant to truly suspect the man. Doubt was an emotion that could be fruitful, yet it was a destructive force, more often than not.

The golem slowed its repeated stabs into the earth. Levi peeked around Varrick’s back at the wooden shelter ahead of them. It was nearly completely hidden in the storm, but lights inside aided in its reveal.

Levi sighed. See? He was being nervous himself.

He dismounted with Varrick’s help. Levi followed Varrick towards the entrance but had half the mind to check on Durak (the undead was already on the ground again, having absorbed the rider and mount, and heading in his direction).

‘Jaeger,’ Varrick yelled. ‘We’re here! Open up!’

Levi stopped in his tracks. In his mind, he saw the little boy knock on a debilitated entrance hanging onto its hinges.

’Emma, we’re here! Open up!’

He remembered waiting for the entrance to open. It’s taking quite long, he’d thought. Only later had he understood why: it was to give the muggers sneaking up behind him time to position themselves.

Levi turned over his shoulder.

The spider golem with its stiletto feet kicked up not even a single snowflake as it stepped to the side, a stark contrast with its earlier movement. The hooded villager had reached inside his cloak, where the final inch of a wand cleared its holster. Blue light flashed around the tip, aimed at Durak’s temple.

‘Watch out—’

It was easy to mistake Durak for a lumbering oaf given his size, but the black orc was faster than any regular man would ever be. In one fluid motion, the orc whirred and whipped his arm.

Levi hadn’t been able to see the man’s face clearly because of the hood, but he definitely saw the way his eyes widened in horror. For a moment. The instant passed when the axe ripped through his midriff and the villager collapsed into two halves. The fountain of blood gushing out from the lower body painted the snowfall.

A strong arm dragged Levi off his feet and closer.

‘Wa—Wait!’ Levi called, finally catching his breath in lieu of recent events.

Buckler raised in one arm, Durak flicked his other hand, scattering a set of shards, which all snapped into undead. A few orcs. Some human soldiers. One of the orcs handed Durak its axe, which the black orc twirled in its hands while eyeing the battlefield.

Four golems had burrowed out of the snow, each with a rider on top. They surrounded the cabin and circled Levi and the dead.

Varrick had retreated to the edge, bow in hand. He glanced in the direction of the bisected villager and grimaced.

For a few peaceful seconds, there was only the blizzard wailing across the mountains and the hum of magic rising to the surface.

Varrick had four golems, but Durak’s force numbered around fifteen. And Durak was strong.

‘Varrick,’ Levi said. ‘I don’t know why you’re doing this, but stop it. It’ll be a bloodbath.’

The archer strung his bow. ‘We were prepared for that from the start. The Warden is no easy opponent.’

Levi refrained from shaking his head. Sepharin wasn’t here. He wasn’t sure what she was doing, but there was always a sign when she took control of an undead.

Levi bit his lip. ‘Why are you doing this?’

‘Does it matter?’ The golems finished angling themselves so their controllers had a better shot.

Levi looked at the ground and wrapped a hand around his wrist. Ruelle, why did you send me here?

At first, he’d thought it was to save the village. A thought only reaffirmed by the number of dead and injured. But was that really true? Perhaps that was just a child’s fantasy of becoming a hero.

…

There were bigger purposes in life than merely living.

He took a breath and calmed his nerves. Then he made sure his voice carried so Varrick would hear.

‘Durak, stand down. That’s an order.’

The undead didn’t respond immediately. Its dead pupils spun as it tried to confirm something with a higher power.

Sepharin had told Levi that, while Durak had no real intelligence, he understood basic commands. Moreover, in case of her absence, the undead would listen to his general instructions. So, slowly but surely, Durak’s axe, and the weapons of every other undead, lowered.

Levi tapped the big orc on his shoulder pads. ‘Thanks.’ Then he turned to Varrick. ‘I’ll come out now.’

He half expected the hunter to shoot him in the head, but Varrick only watched him approach with an incredulous look on his face. When Levi stopped in front of him and waited, the hunter produced a piece of rope almost as an afterthought.

‘Why…why would you do that?’ the hunter asked as he bound his hands.

Levi sighed. ‘You’re not a bad guy, Varrick. None of you are. I would be loathe to see you die when it could be avoided.’

‘We could be out to kill you,’ he said.

‘For which you must have your reasons. It’s alright. Not many will miss me.’

Of his direct family, Sepharin was the only person he spoke with regularly, and their relationship was flimsy at the best of times. He had brothers and sisters in the temples that would mourn his death. Though he’d bet they’d forget about him in a few months time. If there was anyone that would truly miss him…

I wish I could’ve seen you one last time, Master.

He let himself be guided onto the back of one of the golems, handing his suitcase to Varrick in the process.

‘You should handle that with care,’ Levi said. ‘There’s medicine in there for your mother. Nerya will know which.’

The mention of the girl drew a solemn frown onto Levi’s forehead. ‘Nerya,’ he said. ‘Was she…’

‘She’s not aware of this,’ Varrick said, mounting the golem as well.

A sigh of relief escaped Levi, though he wasn’t sure why.

Varrick called out, and the rider spurred on the golem.

Levi glanced back. The undead watched him like statues. Durak stared straight at him as if he was burning the moment in his mind.

I wonder what she’ll think when she returns. Would she be mad, or be happy he was finally out of her hair? The most vocal opposition of her usage of necromancy gone, giving her the free reign she desired.

‘Guess I’ll never know,’ he mumbled.

He closed his eyes as the cabin disappeared in the darkness, swallowed beneath the blanket of fog and snow covering the world.

The elf magus watched as Levi was carried off without the undead putting up a fight. There was no sign the Warden had taken over one of her undead at any point.

‘As I thought, the ruin has self-insulating properties.’

It hadn’t originally been his plan to make use of that effect, but the Warden was stronger than he’d given her credit for. Especially her powers over frost had grown. Together with her dominion over the dead…

Moonwalker shook his head. ‘She’ll be a fearsome opponent in a few years time.’

Luckily, he wasn’t planning on staying that long.

Exiting his scrying, he returned to the throne room underneath the mountains. A circular chamber of crystal clear ice showed his reflection dozens of times. Or so it should’ve.

Blood crept up and through the walls, distorting the elf’s reflection in all places but one.

‘It’s almost a shame for such an artefact to be corrupted.’

‘So I think, too.’

Cebas strode through an entrance to the side on the back of his demon slaves. His red hair danced with every step of his vehicle, and the demon flashed him a smile that could charm a lesser race.

‘You’re early,’ Theldaris said.

‘It matters not. The rite will be ready soon.’

The elf hummed. ‘I thought you’d be rearing for another battle. Why’d you let her enter the Tomb uncontested?’

‘Uncontested?’ the demon raised his brow. ‘I barely escaped with my life. Her control over her elements has grown stronger since her demise.’

Theldaris kept his gaze on the demon. He had a hunch. However, the demon’s nature blocked his scrying abilities, and since demons were better liars than mortals, he didn’t know what the truth was.

Whatever, he thought. What the demon did or didn’t do was of no concern to him. There was only one thing that Theldaris needed from this entire endeavour.

He turned to the ceiling, where the blood creeping up the walls converged on an egg-shaped container of frost. The ice-magic was so powerful that the contents still weren’t visible despite the time spent corrupting the cage.

The magus peered. Within his enhanced vision, a silhouette curled up in the foetal position revealed itself. Around it, hundreds of shadows inside the prison wriggled like tentacles.

There was a pulse, and a slip of pressure managed to worm its way out of the cage. Theldaris exhaled underneath the force settling on his shoulders…and allowed himself a smile.

Soon, his plans would come to fruition.

A sliver of consciousness managed to worm its way back into Leah’s mind. Her body felt limp, but she was moving.

I’m being dragged, she realised.

The state of her body hijacked her being before her mind could analyse any further what was happening. Every single one of her channels burned. Clots of blood rose from her dry throat and forced their way out despite her neck lacking the strength to angle her own spit away from her. She heaved. Her sight blurred. The one good thing, she supposed, was that she still had her staff.

The weapon scraped over the ground. Her arms strained, but she couldn’t lift it an inch off the floor.

Her struggle must’ve alerted the one dragging her.

‘Don’t worry…I have…you.’

The voice was vaguely familiar. But Leah’s mind was too tired to place it.

Her chin sagged onto her chest. ‘Xun…is that you?’

The figure in her sight smiled with teeth that were too sharp to be human.

The End

Of The Lich Queen: Volume One