Dark Soul Silenced - Part One (21 page)

Jon nodded grimly, then turned to the guard who was becoming glassy eyed and starting to sway.  Daniel steadied him as Jon started to concentrate, feeling the man’s labouring heart beating erratically.  Energy started to flow from Jon but the flow was slower than Daniel had seen before.  Jon’s face screwed up in concentration.  Slowly the flow of blood started to ease, becoming a trickle and finally stopping.  Under his hands Daniel felt the erratic heartbeat settle into a more regular rhythm.  The guard’s eyes closed and he slipped into unconsciousness.  Daniel eased him to the ground.

“He’ll be fine for now, but I’ll have to spend more time healing him later.” Jon said.  “Even then… he took a lot of damage to his head.  Things felt… I can’t really explain it… just wrong.  I did what I could but I have no idea how the damage will affect him.  I’m not even sure if he’ll ever wake again.”  Jon’s shoulders slumped.

“
Without your aid he would be dead by now,” Daniel replied.  “Now he has a chance.  You cannot do anything more for him right now.”  He gestured to the guard with the wounded arm.  “He needs your help though.”

“
Stay away from me!” shouted the guard.  “Keep your darkness cursed powers to yourself!  I’d rather die than let you touch me!”

He awkwardly pulled a knife with his good right hand, clearly he was left-handed.  Jon and Sarah stood and moved back a few steps.  Daniel held his ground but didn’t try to get any nearer.

“I know what you have been taught,” Daniel said.  “But not all power comes from darkness.  Your leader, Josef, has been healed, why…”

“
Don’t!  I know what you’ve done to Ser Josef.  You’ve tainted him, turned him from the true path.  You won’t do the same to me!”

“
Cal!  Calm down!” shouted Nathan, striding over.  “Calm down I said!  What’s happening?”

“
Those bastards have done something to William.  Look at him!  He was awake before they started, aware, now look at him.  And they want to do the same to me!  I’d rather die!”  As he talked Cal’s voice grew louder and louder.

“
Fine,” replied Nathan, glancing at the unconscious form of William.  “Though to be honest I’m amazed William is still breathing.  The wound he took was a killer.  Yours is different though.  Let me take a look, see what I can do.”

Cal reluctantly allowed Nathan to examine his arm.  As Nathan released the makeshift bandaging Cal hissed in pain.  Blood started to flow from the wound again so Nathan quickly retied the makeshift bandage farther up the arm as a tourniquet.  He let out a low whistle as he uncovered the wound fully.  Daniel could see why — the wound was deep and the bone underneath was broken, jagged shards sticking out.

“Cal, can you move your fingers?” asked Nathan quietly.

Cal grimaced, then his expression changed to a mixture of intense concentration and pain.  None of his fingers moved.  He kept trying with no more luck.  Tears of frustration started to flow from his eyes.

“I can’t!  It’s just the shock though, right?  You can stitch me up, splint the arm, and in a few weeks I’ll be swinging a sword again.  Ain't that right?”

Desperation had crept into Cal’s voice.  Nathan met his gaze squarely.

“I’m sorry, that’s not going to happen.  The damage is too bad.  The bone is broken and the muscles are chewed up.  I can splint it, sew it up, and treat it to try to keep infection out but you’re never going to be able to use it again.  Even then I’m not sure if you’ll keep it.”

Cal seemed to fold in on himself, all the anger draining out and replaced by horror.  Daniel could understand why.  The thought of losing his good arm, or losing the use of it, sent chills down his spine.

“No… please… not that,” Cal whispered.  “I can’t be crippled.  How could I fight?  How could I live?  I’d be better off dead.”

“
I’m sorry.  The damage is much too great.  There’s no way to save it…”  Nathan paused as a thought struck him, then he looked up and met Daniel’s gaze.  His eyes were troubled.  After a few moments he glanced at Jon.  “Or is there?  Could you do it?  Could you save his arm?”

“
I think so,” replied Jon.  “I could stabilise it now, start on repairing it, but I think it would take more energy than I have right now to finish.  If I got a chance to work on it again in a day or so then yes, I can save it.  It might never be as strong as it once was, but he’ll be able to use it.”

Several expressions chased each other over Nathan’s face too fast for Daniel to make them out.  Clearly he was fighting with his beliefs.  Eventually he turned back to Cal.

“Cal, you heard what he said.  What do you think?  You said you’d rather die than have them heal you.  The question is, would you rather live with a crippled arm than be healed?”

All the fight had gone out of Cal.  While he’d been happy to face down death rather than submit to Jon’s healing the thought of living as an invalid was something else altogether.  Daniel suspected he wasn’t the first person to find their courage and conviction crumbling in the face of such an injury.  Finally he spoke.

“No.  We probably won’t survive this anyway, and even if we do I’ll live my life in the light — no matter how damaged my body is.”

“
Well spoken,” Nathan replied.  “Whatever happens in this life, in the next you will stand whole and hearty in the presence of the Almighty.”

Daniel thought Nathan’s words had less conviction than Cal’s which surprised him.  He knew Nathan had been one of the most vocal of those arguing that Daniel and the others were cursed.  Had something changed?  Or was he just imagining it, hearing what he wanted to hear?  Maybe Cal’s conviction in the face of losing use of his arm just seemed that much greater than Nathan’s.  He pushed the thoughts from his mind, turning to a more immediate problem.

“Jon, do you have the strength to check on Josef?  I’m worried about the blow he took, and we need him awake to help decide what to do.”

“
I’ll do what I can,” Jon replied.  “I’d appreciate any help you can provide though.”

“
Of course.”

Jon knelt by Josef and concentrated, moving his hand slowly over the head wound.  Then he focused and the lump slowly started to reduce.  Daniel placed his arm on Jon’s shoulder, letting a trickle of power flow through.  He was frustrated that he couldn’t provide more.  It made him aware of how much he had come to depend on the strange power in such a short space of time.

Jon dropped his arm and slumped where he knelt, clearly exhausted.  Josef’s eyes flickered several times then closed again.

“
He’ll be fine I think,” Jon said, the strain evident in his voice.  “The swelling was nasty but there’s none of the damage I felt in the other guard.  He should wake soon I think.  I need to rest now.”

With Sarah’s help he stood and made his way towards a wall where he slumped down again.  Sarah retrieved their packs, which had been discarded with everyone else's when the fighting started, and offered him some food and water.

Daniel turned his attention back to Josef.  After a few minutes Josef’s eyes flickered open and he focused on Daniel’s face.

“
Just once I’d like to wake from certain death to find a pretty woman tending me,” Josef said, voice gravelly.

“
I will see what I can do,” Daniel replied smiling.  “If you keep tangling with death I’m sure it will happen eventually.”

“
We are alive then.  How?  I remember charging the night walkers, destroying a few, but there were so many behind.  How did we survive that?”

He struggled to sit up.  Daniel helped him into a sitting position and he quickly took note of the closed door.

“A closed door.  Your doing by any chance?”

“
Yes.  Your charge bought me a few seconds.  I realised we were doomed unless I could draw power from somewhere — the walls here prevent it.  I found a narrow channel and tried to use it, all I succeeded in doing was switching it to flow into a different, parallel channel.  As luck would have it that caused the door to close.”

“
Lucky indeed.  Still, that must have left a large number of night walkers in here with you.  Must have been one hell of a fight.” 

He glanced around the room, took in the piles of vampire dead, the unconscious William and Cal having his arm bound by Nathan.

“It was,” replied Daniel.  “Your men fought like heroes.  Jon and Sarah too.”

“
I know.  I saw them plug the first hole in our line.  By the Almighty, I wouldn’t want to cross her when she’s like that.  And I thought you were the dangerous one in your little party!  Though I dare say you accounted for many of the night walkers yourself.”

“
A few yes.”

“
So we’re safe for the moment, but trapped in here.  There’s no way those abominations can open the door again?”

“
No, I don’t think so.  The power needed is a different kind than they wield.  We are safe — for the moment.”

“
Damn strange place this.  They clearly laid the trap, and I think they must have known of this place already.  Judging by that huge rock at the entrance they probably use it often.  Yet they can’t control the door?”

“
I wonder if the rest of the doorways have a similar trigger, maybe the main entrances too.  Again, the fact the vampires have to rely on a rock to seal the entrance shows they cannot manipulate the locks.”

“
Still, that doesn’t do us much good does it.  We’re stuck in here, they’re waiting out there.  At some point we will have to open the door and try to escape — that or we stay here and die from thirst.”

“
It does look bleak, but not so long ago we thought our lives were measured in seconds not hours.  We have a chance to regroup and plan now.”

“
True.  So, do you think the girl is still nearby?  That this Rafael is around?”

Daniel paused for a moment, considering.  “No, I don’t think so.  If he was I’m sure we would have seen him directing the attacks.  I think he is long gone, and I doubt we will be able to track them this time.”

“Damn, that’s what I thought too.  Though following them would mean getting out of this room alive, so I wouldn’t lose too much sleep over it.

As I see it there are only two ways we can get out of here alive.  One, find another way out which those creatures can’t defend — which seems unlikely.  Two, find a way for you to draw more power and fight our way out.  I have to admit to preferring the first.  Have you checked the room for other switches?”

“No, not yet.  We were dealing with the wounded.  I will look now.”

“
Just be careful — we don’t want to go opening any doors till we’re ready!”

“
Of course.  Let me see what I can find.”

Daniel stood and started to scan the walls, floor and ceiling with his senses — able to work slowly and carefully now there was no immediate threat to deal with.  The task helped keep his mind from how dire their situation still was.

Chapter Twenty Two

Daniel searched every inch of the inner walls, the floor and the ceiling.  No matter how carefully he looked there wasn’t a single switch to be found.  Finally he turned his attention to the outer wall, without any real hope.  To his surprise he found a single switch circuit midway along the wall.  He motioned Josef over.

“
You’ve found something?” Josef asked.

“
Yes, though I am not sure what.  There are no other doors, no switches in the floor or ceiling, but there is one here on the outer wall.”

“
Strange place to put a door.  There’s no pulley mechanism so I doubt it’s for deliveries, though maybe the pulley is long gone.  What else could it be?”

“
A window maybe?  Or maybe this is not the outer wall.  It may be a door leading to a corridor or another room.”

“
And if it is then it might be infested by night walkers.  Damn, not much of a choice.”

“
No.  I think we should find out though.  It must still be daylight out, though dusk may be close.  We have a few supplies but no blankets or means to make a fire.  The stone will be cold tonight, it will sap our energy.  By morning we may be unable to fight.”

“
And how is opening a window, if that is even what it is, going to keep us warm?” Josef asked.

“
The stones of this keep are preventing me drawing in power.  I believe that an open window would let me draw power from the world outside, then I can use that power to keep us warm.  The window only needs to be open for a short while then we can seal it again till morning.”

Josef pulled a face.  “I can’t say I’m keen on the idea, but it beats spending the night slowly freezing.”  His face quirked in a smile.  “Nathan and Cal may disagree though.”

“Indeed.  That aside, we need to find out if it is a window for another reason.  We are on the east side of the keep.  If it is a window then it will catch the morning sunlight.”

“
Yes, but how does that…” Josef broke off and his face transformed into an evil grin.  “Of course.  The night walkers caught us out, we didn’t think they would stir during daylight, but I know for a fact they can’t stand sunlight.  We could give them a nasty surprise in the morning.”

Daniel smiled too.  “Yes.  From personal experience I know they cannot tolerate the sun.  It gives us a chance at least.”

“Right now I’ll take anything that evens up the odds a bit.  All right, you’ve convinced me.  We need to find out if this is a window or not.  Even if it’s a door it may lead to another sealed room.”

Josef called the others over.  While he explained the plan Daniel studied them.  Cal was still slumped by the wall, unable to help.  Nathan looked rebellious, the other unharmed guard seemed  open to Josef’s leadership.  Jon and Sarah looked tired and resigned, the truth of their situation starting to sink in.

“Do you know which side it will open?” asked Nathan.

“
The switch for the door was to the right,” Daniel answered.  “But I have no way of telling if this one will follow the same pattern.”

“
We will have to spread out more then,” Josef said.  “Daniel, I want you behind the rest of us.  If we do open a door to more of those cursed night walkers I want you focusing on slamming it shut again as soon as possible.”

“
What if he can’t?” demanded Nathan.  “What if it takes time to reset?  Or it won’t shut for some other reason?”

“
Then we die.  The situation is desperate Nathan.  If we delay we gain nothing, and we lose both time and strength.  I still lead this expedition.  Unless you can suggest a better idea we try this, and we try it now.”

“
Fine.  At least if you are wrong the cursed ones you have allowed among us will be destroyed too.”

He turned away angrily and stamped over to what Daniel hoped would turn out to be the outer wall.  The others followed, took up positions, readied their weapons then nodded to Daniel.  Taking a deep breath he reached out with his power and flicked the flowing current from one route to the other.

As they took up position Sarah almost hoped they would face more vampires.  That way she’d have an outlet for the burning anger that threatened to consume her.  The bastards had stolen Mary from her, then laid a false trail and finally tried to ambush them all.  She wanted someone, something, to suffer.

The anger stopped other feelings coming to the fore.  She was aware of the yawning pit of despair waiting to suck her down if the anger eased off, so she kept the fury stoked up.

A small part of her longed for the savagery of an attack for different reasons.  Images of being overwhelmed and killed, of laying down all her cares, held a seductive power.  She didn’t believe they could escape, and even if they did there was no way to track down Mary.  The hollow agony she felt at that thought could so easily be swept away by death.

“
I will trigger the switch now.”

Daniel’s words snapped Sarah from her thoughts.  She held tightly to the sword which had gone from feeling alien to being an extension of her body during the brutal fighting.

Once triggered the gap opened quickly, as quickly as the door to the room had closed earlier.  It took Sarah a few tense moments to realise the opening didn’t reach the floor, and that she could see sky through it.  It really was a window.

“
Careful,” warned Josef.  “Just because it’s a window doesn’t mean nothing can come through.  It’s still daylight out there so it won’t be night walkers, but the darkness has many different servants.”

Sarah just nodded, fighting down the disappointment she felt.  With no foe to focus on her anger started to wane, and despair began to tangle her thoughts in its sticky embrace.  She kept her position but her heart wasn’t in it.  Blinking angrily she tried to fight back the tears, but it was futile.

Daniel’s spirits were restored once it was clear they’d opened a window and there was no immediate danger.  His guess had been correct, the doorway had opened to the left of the switch.  The opening was roughly as wide as Daniel could stretch his arms, and twice as tall as it was wide. 

Daniel sent his senses out through the window, reaching towards the outside world to draw in power.  Despite being so high he had no trouble.  Conscious of the others still standing guard, and the fading light outside, he drew power as quickly as he could manage.

Soon he had as much power crackling through his body as he’d ever had before, but this time he pushed on - drawing power of every hue he could find until his mind and body were buzzing.  Once again he noticed that the power associated with darkness, the power that the vampires both lived off and manipulated, was absent from the natural world.  What was its source?

Pushing those questions aside he reached out once more for the switch.  This was the moment of truth — could he make the current switch back?  Was there a delay before it would work?  Were they going to have to guard the window all night?

Daniel reached out carefully and nudged the switch once more.  His control for such manipulation was improving rapidly, the motions almost felt familiar now.  Immediately stone seemed to flow out the top of the window frame, quickly closing off the entire window.  Once again the wall was a featureless blank giving no hint there had ever been an opening.

Daniel took several steps back into the room then crouched and placed his hands on the floor.  Focusing he pushed some of the energy he’d gathered out and into the stone floor, aiming to turn the stone into a form of heat brick — slowly radiating warmth out through the night.  The more he worked with his new abilities the more he appreciated the subtle differences between the types of power.  To warm the stones he used power with a reddish tinge which seemed to resonate with warmth and fire.

As the seconds passed power flowed from Daniel and the stone started to grow warm.  Daniel could sense the energy building within the floor, then he could see the stone starting to glow slightly red.  Only a very precise square section was taking the energy, a square several feet on each side.

Before Daniel could become more than puzzled by this something spectacular happened.  The square started to pulse with power, far more power than Daniel was supplying, and its temperature rose rapidly.  Daniel leapt back and stopped pushing power into the block.  It stopped gaining energy but maintained a constant level, pushing out as much warmth as a large roaring fire.

Tentatively Daniel reached out with his senses and tried to draw energy from the block.  To his surprise it flowed easily.  He was even more surprised to realise the energy levels in the block remained constant.  As fast as Daniel drew power it was being replaced.  Daniel felt excitement surge as he considered the possibilities.  Could he do the same with other shades of power?

“
Well that might just do the trick,” Josef said, trying to make light of the situation but clearly worried by the demonstration of so much power.  “Though for a moment I thought we might end up being roasted rather than frozen.”

“
I did too.  That is not my doing.  Not completely anyway.  I started the process but then the keep itself took over.  I think I misunderstood this place.  I thought the stone blocked power, but instead it seems to respond to it, channel it.  This may be the edge we need to get out of here alive.”

“
The night walkers can’t use it?”

“
No.  It is like the door and window — the type of power is totally different to theirs.  This proves the keep is not theirs.  I would like to experiment with other aspects of power, to see if the keep responds in the same way.”

Now Josef looked especially nervous.  “Well… if you must.  Just make sure it’s well away from us.  I don’t want to choose between being roasted by your experiments and fleeing into the night walkers arms.”

“Of course.  Now I know what is possible I can be far more careful with my experiments.”

“
So is the stone there going to keep pumping out heat?  How long for?  All night?  Forever?”

“
I really have no idea.  That is part of the reason I want to experiment.”

“
And could you push more power into it?  Do it to a wider area?”  Josef looked thoughtful now.  “Could you turn it into a weapon?”

Daniel shrugged then shook his head.  “Possibly, but the power needed to do it over a large area would be huge.  It would damage the land, the plants and the creatures in the surrounding area.  It would be wrong.”

“Even if it saves us?”

“
Even then.  It would make us no better than those we fight, and in doing so we would lose even as we won.”

Josef laughed.  “That is almost a word for word quote from the Order’s teachings.  I should have been the one to make that stand, not you.  Are you sure your memories aren’t returning?”

Daniel paused for a moment, considering.  “I cannot tell.  The words were just there, and they were right.  Maybe they come from my past, maybe from somewhere else.”

“
Somewhere else?”

“
I have gained more than just power from my transformation.  I have gained snatches of knowledge too.  Those words feel as if they come from that source, and therefore feel as if they have the weight of ages.  Maybe they were passed to the Order at some point in the past.”

Josef opened his mouth to make a flippant reply, then something in Daniel’s eyes stopped him.  He thought for a few moments then shrugged.

“Maybe.  It doesn’t matter right now.  See what else you can find.  We will sort out some food and make the wounded as comfortable as possible.

Daniel nodded and moved off to a corner of the room.  He crouched down and started to probe the stone with his senses.  Once again the stone prevented him from sensing what was beyond, but now he focused on the stone itself.  Right at the limit of his ability to sense he detected channels within the stone, conduits, all inactive. 

Daniel decided to try a different shade of power this time, settling on the greenish tinged power that Jon and Mary made use of when healing.  He sent out a probe of green tinged energy and pushed it into and through one conduit.  Nothing happened.  He repeated the process with several other conduits, again with no response. 

Then when he tried another he got a reaction.  The energy seemed to slip away, flowing into the conduit, though there was no other reaction.  Daniel increased the energy he pushed, again it flowed into the channel but nothing else happened.  He increased it once more — now it was a flow rather than a trickle though still far less than he could have pushed through.  This time, as the energy flowed in, the conduit seemed to light up.  Energy started to flow back into the stone from somewhere else. 

The level flowing back in was an order of magnitude greater than Daniel had supplied but was still far less than the blaze of energy Daniel had inadvertently triggered with the first section of stone.  He was pretty certain that the level of energy flowing back in was related to the power he supplied.  As an experiment he tried passing a little more energy in, and found that the energy within the block of floor jumped significantly.