Perhaps the time had come to stop believing in dead G.o.ds, to live in the world as it was instead of as he wished it was-to do what was practical instead of what was right.
Kleef started across the grotto.
Malik glanced toward the walls, looking for an escape that did not exist.
"There"s nowhere to run," Kleef said. "Just give me the Eye, and we"ll get out of this alive."
"Kleef!" Arietta said. "What are you doing?"
"Saving us," Kleef said. "We"re never going to reach Grumbar"s Temple anyway."
"So you want to do what, exactly?" Arietta stepped to his side and grabbed him by the arm. "Strike a deal with Yder?"
"No choice," Kleef said. "The orcs have us cornered. They"ll never agree-"
"No." Arietta slipped in front of him, blocking his way. "This is wrong."
"There is no wrong." Kleef glanced over his shoulder toward Joelle. "I"ve finally learned that."
"Because Joelle didn"t tell us someone might have to die?"
"Because she used us," Kleef said. "Because she used you."
"Tell me how that matters," Arietta said. "This isn"t about me, and it"s not about your hurt feelings. It"s about stopping Shar."
Kleef raised his brow. "You don"t care?"
"Not at all. In fact, if I must die at the end of this, I"m glad she didn"t tell me." Arietta turned to Joelle and said, "That was very kind."
Tears welled in Joelle"s eyes, and Kleef began to feel a little petty in his anger.
"Then you"re willing to be the sacrifice?" he asked.
Arietta nodded. "As I know you would be, were the situation reversed." She paused for a moment, then glanced back toward the Underchasm. A mischievous smile crept across her face, and she said, "Besides, look at what"s happening out there. You"d have to be a d.a.m.ned fool to think any of us are going to survive."
The goat slammed into the gates again, and Kleef broke out chuckling. He could not help himself. Arietta"s selfless courage was both a call to duty and an admonishment to rise above his own petty anger, and her easy humor was an inspiration to him, a reminder that their lives were less important than the cause they served. He felt the cold drain from his heart, and just like that, his bitterness was gone. Arietta was the one he had been waiting for his entire life, a n.o.ble who honored her vows and served a cause greater than herself. She not only deserved his trust, she was ent.i.tled to it-and to his loyalty, as well.
Kleef dropped to a knee in front of her, then laid Watcher"s hilt across his forearm-and was nearly blinded as a blue radiance blossomed in Helm"s Eye. For an instant, the agate seemed to become a window into a realm of pure, shining light-and then the light was outside the stone, flooding the grotto with a fierce blue heat that made their hair stand on end and set their blades to humming.
The goat bleated in alarm, and his fur crackled with tiny forks of dancing static. His eyes began to shine with the same blue light that had arisen from Helm"s Eye. Blue haloes formed around his horns. He reared up on his hind legs, and for just an instant he seemed to take the form of a gauntlet with a blue eye on the back. Then he hit the gates again.
This time, there was no boom, only the crack of splintering planks and the bang of a snapping crossbar. The gates swung open, revealing the cramped confines of the small bailey beyond. The goat dropped back to all fours and stood between the gates, shaking his head from side to side and watching the yellow pellets of flame pelt the cobblestone courtyard ahead.
The light in the grotto swirled along the walls, drawing itself into an ever-tightening spiral that finally coalesced into the shape of a knight in blue plate. The knight stepped out onto the bridge and swelled to the size of giant. Paying no attention to the fire-hail pinging off his armor and helmet, he stood looking out on the world, his eyes moving from the orcs cowering on the bridge ahead, to the Shadowfell seeping up from below, to the raging fire-filled sky. Finally, the blue knight squared his shoulders and spread his arms, expanding his chest and drawing in a long, hot breath of brimstone-laced air.
If the knight ever exhaled, there was no sign of it in his shoulders. He simply took a step forward, then turned to look back into the grotto.
It was impossible to see the face behind the helmet"s lowered visor, but Kleef could feel Helm"s gaze upon him, boring down into his very soul, taking stock and pa.s.sing judgment. He found himself trembling at the memory of the bitterness that had ruled his life for so long, of the doubt and resentment that had nearly led him into Shar"s darkness, and he wondered how such a weak man could ever be worthy of being one of Helm"s Chosen.
The hidden face continued to study Kleef for what seemed both an eternity and the mere blink of an eye, and a single word rang off the grotto walls.
Vigilance.
And with that word, Helm"s power came flooding into Kleef, filling him with strength and magic and a perception beyond anything he had ever imagined possible. He could smell the orcs out on the bridge, a cloud of sour leather and rotten breath less than a hundred paces away. He could feel the Shadovar watching from the shadows in the corners of the grotto, a cold patient malice awaiting their next chance to strike. He could hear the wallbound moving through the stone around them, a long lingering whisper filled with loneliness and despair.
Kleef dipped his head in the blue knight"s direction, acknowledging both the gift and the obligation, then repeated, "Vigilance."
The knight nodded once. He stepped over the bridge cables into the Underchasm and started to walk across the Shadowfell, heading toward a distant curtain of lightning.
Kleef was still on a knee in front of Arietta, who was staring after the knight, her mouth gaping as the giant warrior faded into the raging storm. Her wounds had stopped festering and were closing before his eyes, no doubt healed by the divine magic that had filled the grotto.
Once the blue knight had vanished completely from sight, Arietta turned back to Kleef. "Was that ..." She paused, perhaps too awestricken to speak the G.o.d"s name aloud. "Was that who I think it was?"
Kleef nodded, then added, "You can say his name. After all, Helm has you to thank for his return."
"Me?" Arietta asked. "How?"
"By restoring my faith." Kleef presented Watcher"s hilt to her. "I will always be yours to command."
Arietta arched an eyebrow, then looked back out into the fire-hail. "Don"t you have a higher master now?"
"I do," Kleef said. "And his first law is to serve those who are worthy."
Arietta smiled. "In that case, I accept." She touched Watcher"s hilt to formalize their bond, then motioned for him to stand. "Now rise, Sir Kenric, and let"s go find Grumbar"s Temple."
CHAPTER 19.
THEY CAME UPON THE GIRL DEEP WITHIN THE CASTLE, INSIDE A long-abandoned barracks tucked against the base of the inner curtain walls. She was dressed in a simple gray shift and hard at work building one of the eerily beautiful bone walls that lined so many halls throughout the structure, carefully placing freshly scrubbed skulls atop a row of femurs stacked two-feet high. She was surrounded by a dozen ghouls and twice as many zombies, and Arietta felt sure she could see the shimmer of several ghosts floating high in the corners of the room.
With alabaster skin and brown, kohl-rimmed eyes devoid of any apparent emotion, the girl appeared to be the same one who had addressed the companions through the viewing slot in the castle entryway. She had a strong, sinewy build and a hollow-cheeked face lacking any childhood softness, so it was impossible to be certain of her age. She might have been more a young woman than a girl.
In either case, she was only the second living being the companions had encountered since entering the gruesome castle. The first had been the goat, Peox, which they had come across again in a storeroom near the entrance. The chamber had been lined by rotting corpses that were being torn apart and slowly devoured by the wallbound. Peox had been bleating in protest, springing back and forth as he grabbed mouthfuls for himself. After seeing that, the companions had been all too happy to leave the goat to his own devices and continue exploring on their own.
What they had encountered were hundreds of undead, mostly withered ghouls and rotting zombies. Fortunately, Malik had made good on his promise to protect his companions by having them hold the hem of his robe, and the group had simply eased past the undead without the creatures taking notice. It was hardly the complete command Arietta had imagined Myrkul"s Chosen to have over the undead, but as long as it worked, she wasn"t inclined to start asking questions.
Besides, judging by the m.u.f.fled clamor behind them, it seemed likely Malik had chosen his method with the orcs in mind. Certainly, the brutes had been too busy fighting undead to catch up with the companions.
After observing the young woman through the barracks entrance for a time, Malik turned to his companions and lifted a querying eyebrow. Arietta was quick to raise a finger to her lips and point down the bone-lined pa.s.sage ahead. The castle crypt stood next to the keep tower, just across the inner bailey from where they were now.
As determined as Arietta was to go through with the sacrifice and activate Sune"s binding magic, it would have been a lie to say her resolve was not wavering. Every step deeper into Sadrach"s Castle seemed to bring with it a fresh reminder of what she would be leaving behind-a hand squeeze from Joelle, a rea.s.suring smile from Kleef, even a solicitous nod from Malik. These people were her friends and fighting companions, and the longer it took the group to reach Grumbar"s Temple, the less she wanted to leave them behind.
Joelle and Kleef quickly added their own nods to Arietta"s, then Malik raised a hand, motioning them to await his signal. When the young woman turned to take a fresh skull from one of her ghouls, he finally pointed his arm and started across the doorway.
Without turning around, the young woman called, "You"re acting like thieves." She turned and placed the skull on the wall she was building. "And you don"t want to see what Grandfather does to thieves." She shook her head. "Truly, you don"t."
Malik stopped midway across the doorway-which meant the rest of the group did, too.
"We have not come to steal a thing," he said. "We were only trying to pa.s.s quietly because we had no wish to interrupt your work."
"And because you hope to break into the family crypt." She stepped back from her work and turned to face the companions. "Though you won"t find what you"re looking for there. Grumbar"s Temple isn"t beneath the crypt."
"How do you know what we"re looking for?" Kleef demanded.
The young woman-Arietta recalled one of the wallbound calling her Gingrid-pointed toward the side of the barracks.
"The walls have ears." As Gingrid spoke, a female face emerged from the stone and turned its head to the side, displaying an ear. A thin smiled flashed across Gingrid"s mouth and vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Then she added, "And what the walls hear, I hear."
"Then you must know we didn"t come to steal anything," Joelle said, using her warmest voice. "You would be doing me a great favor by telling us how to find Grumbar"s Temple."
"I am sure I would." Gingrid let her gaze fall on Joelle"s face, and for a moment, it seemed the heartwarder"s magic would work. Then Gingrid looked away. "But no."
"Why be unreasonable?" Malik asked. "We mean no harm to you or anyone in this place."
"And yet, the castle gates hang open and Grandfather"s servants are forced to eat orc." Gingrid"s eyes narrowed. "And they don"t like orc."
She turned to her undead companions and looked expectant.
The ghouls looked back at her. The zombies dropped the skulls in their hands and shuffled around randomly, while the ghosts remained in their corners and keened.
Gingrid"s eyes widened, and she looked back to Malik with her head c.o.c.ked in wary regard.
"It is no use commanding them to attack," Malik said, sounding a little too smug for the circ.u.mstances. "They will never harm a Chosen of Myrkul."
"You? A Chosen of Myrkul?" Gingrid studied Malik for a time, then shook her head. "I don"t believe that."
"Believe what you will," Malik said. "I wandered the Plane of the Lost for a hundred years before I was Chosen. I still carry the smell of the place in my own flesh."
"It"s true," Kleef said. "Not that you"d ever smell it in here."
"A death priestess would," Gingrid said. An odd gleam came to her eye, and her gaze remained fixed on Malik. "You have walked the Fugue Plane?"
"Indeed." Malik extended his arm toward her. "Smell for yourself."
Gingrid started to approach-then took another look at Kleef and stopped. "You come here."
"Who are you to give orders to a Chosen of Myrkul?" Arietta demanded. She was less interested in defending Malik"s dignity than in keeping the hem of his robe securely within their grasp. "He has given you leave to approach him, and you will do it or suffer for your arrogance."
Gingrid actually cringed, then shifted her gaze back to Malik. "I meant no offense." She dropped her eyes and said, "With your permission."
"Very well." Malik glanced at Arietta with an expression that was half astonishment and half rea.s.sessment, then added, "You are forgiven."
Gingrid hesitated-perhaps offended by being offered a forgiveness she had not even requested-but she glanced back to Arietta and quickly came to the barracks doorway. Keeping a nervous eye on Kleef, she took Malik"s hand and leaned over to smell it.
She was only halfway down when she abruptly stopped. "It"s true!" She looked up at Malik, then dropped to her knee. "I-I thought I was the only one who still worshiped the Lord of Bones. But you-you have actually walked with him!"
"You could say that, yes," Malik replied. He motioned her to her feet. "Now, let us attend to the matter at-"
"Not yet," Kleef interrupted. His gaze was fixed on a shadowy alcove about ten paces down the corridor, where the pa.s.sage took a sharp bend and started toward the crypt at the far end of the castle. "I think we"ve found what we"re looking for."
Malik frowned. "We have?" he asked, clearly not grasping the true meaning of what Kleef was saying. "How can you know-"
"Because Kleef has Helm"s Sight, Doomlord." Arietta addressed Malik by a t.i.tle once used by Myrkul"s most feared servants. "He can often see things that elude even you."
"Of course ... Helm"s Sight," Malik said, finally seeming to catch on. "And what is it Kleef sees?"
"The entrance, I"m sure." As Arietta spoke, she caught Kleef"s eye, then tipped her head toward the barracks. When he nodded, she nudged Malik forward. "In there."
Malik balked at the door. "Are you certain?" he asked, eyeing the roomful of undead. "I would hate to disturb Gingrid"s work for nothing."
"This is the place," Joelle said, no doubt recognizing the same advantage as had Kleef and Arietta. "Bring out the Eye. This will be quick."
Malik sighed. "Let us hope."
He motioned for Gingrid to lead the way, then stepped across the threshold behind her. Arietta and the others followed close on his heels, still holding the hem of his robe to protect them from the undead. As they walked, Gingrid glanced back at Arietta and the others, her brow furrowed and her gaze on the three sets of hands clinging to the hem of Malik"s robe.
"It mustn"t touch the floor by accident," Joelle said, speaking in the hushed tone of a confidence being shared. "It"s how the doomlord spreads his decay."
The suspicion vanished from Gingrid"s eyes, then she nodded sagely and turned back to Malik.
"Whatever your servant sees in here, it isn"t Grumbar"s Temple," she said, leaning close. "That would be beneath Grandfather"s-"
"Perhaps you can tell us later," Arietta interrupted, worried about the location being overheard. "At the moment, I"m sure the doomlord is more interested in showing you the Eye of Fate."
She poked Malik in the back, prodding him to bring out the Eye as Joelle had suggested. If Kleef"s plan was to work, they needed to press the Shadovar into making their move now-before Malik managed to disaffect his new disciple.
"Yes, of course," Malik said. "All of the Reaper"s priests must look upon the Eye of Fate."
Malik made a great show of traveling to the center of the room, where they would be away from dark corners and surrounded by Gingrid"s hideous a.s.sistants. The stench here was even worse than in the rest of the castle, for the zombies" flesh reeked of fresh decay and the ghouls" breath stank from meals better left unimagined, but the creatures remained oblivious to the companions" presence-even when Kleef had to shoulder a zombie aside to make room for them all.
Malik reached into his robe and withdrew the Eye of Gruumsh. Arietta felt a shiver of revulsion as its savage hunger filled the room, but Gingrid gasped in awe and seemed unable to look away from its pulsing veins.
"It"s beautiful ... and terrifying." She stepped so close her torso was almost pressed to the thing, then raised her hands as though to grasp it by its sides. "What happens if I touch it?"
Her response came in the form of Kleef yelling, "Move!"
Arietta felt his arm slam into her back, pushing the entire group down onto the floor.
"Shades!"
They landed as a group, then Arietta heard the cold sizzle of shadow b.a.l.l.s descending from all sides of the room. She rolled onto her back and saw a volley of the dark spheres converging on the spot where the group had just been standing, ripping holes through ghouls and zombies alike. Several of the orbs missed and simply drilled down through the stone floor deep into the dirt beneath.