Robert Keller - The Heart of Shadows

"But I can't open the lock," said Lannon, his voice sounding bitter to his ears. "What if I can't ever open it?"

Taris shrugged. "Your skills will grow over time, and I have no doubt that you will be able to claim these items. But the Dark Watchmen are long dead. You serve Dremlock now, and your place is with the Divine Knights. If you are never able to open the lock, so be it. You still have a duty to your kingdom. Regardless, you can always try again later."

Lannon nodded. "What about the secret chambers?"

"Yes," said Taris, "that is intriguing. However, we don't have time this night to explore all of them. I suggest you pick one."

Lannon examined the scroll again. One of the hidden chambers was accessed from the floor below-from a balcony outside the keep. The scroll did not indicate what the chamber might contain.

The two climbed back down and Lannon examined the marble walls. He found a hidden door in the stone and pushed it. It took all of his strength-enhanced by the eye-to push the slab, which swung open grudgingly with a screech of rusty hinges. As the thick section of the tower wall opened outward, a blast of freezing air hit Lannon's face.

They stepped out onto a balcony that encircled the tower. They could look out over the treetops in the starlight, and had it been daytime, they would have been able to see for miles across the land. They followed the balcony around the tower. On the opposite side from the door, Lannon spotted a small, narrow ledge about ten feet below. The ledge seemed pointless, as there was no visible door or window near it and no stairs to access it. And it existed in a wide space between floors. The ledge appeared only half finished, with a rail on one side and jagged blocks on the other-as if the construction process had been abandoned. But Lannon knew that was merely an attempt to conceal its true purpose-a hidden door.

Lannon snagged his grapple hook on the rail and the two of them climbed down to the ledge. He pushed on the hidden door. The stone slab grudgingly moved inward, revealing a short hallway that ended at an iron door.

Taris motioned Lannon on. "I'll wait here for you. Whatever you find, you are free to take. But beware of dark sorcery."

The iron door was sealed by a complex lock that required two movements to open. Lannon inserted two of his lock-picking tools and quickly unlocked it. The door had no handle and refused to move inward, so Lannon seized it with the Eye and pulled it open.

Within the small chamber beyond, in an oaken chest, Lannon found a dark blue cloak with a silver, eye-shaped symbol on the back. The cloak was about his size, and made of some soft, silky material. He also found a throwing star made of Glaetherin, in a leather case, and a lightweight steel dagger with rubies embedded in the hilt. The throwing star was engraved with the same eye symbol as the cloak. There was a coil of thin, lightweight, Birlote rope-about eighty feet of it-and a fancy grapple hook. He also found a pouch full of ancient silver coins bearing the Crest of Dremlock. None of the items appeared to be cursed.

Lannon gathered the treasures and stepped back out onto the ledge. He described what he'd found, as Taris pushed the door shut.

"The silver will be given to Dremlock," said Taris. "You may keep the other items. This is a very interesting find. As the Dark Watchmen fell further into the embrace of the Deep Shadow, they hid items they no longer used. The star weapon was the primary throwing blade for the Watchmen. They would use the Eye to guide it to a foe and then return it back to their hands. A weapon made of Glaetherin is a very rare and excellent treasure."

"But Jerret has a Glaetherin sword," said Lannon. "So do many of the Knights. Glaetherin seems quite common, actually."

" Impure Glaetherin," said Taris, with a scowl, "mixed with other metals. Still very strong, but not flawless. That slab that Prince Vannas cut through below Elder Oak was impure Glaetherin, as is the safe at the top of this tower and the doors that block the tunnels below Dremlock. And I would guess that Jerret's sword-which is a fine blade, by the way-is at least thirty percent steel. Pure Glaetherin is very rare and reserved only for the most legendary arms."

"How can you know the difference?" asked Lannon, gazing at the throwing star. Even with the Eye, he could only vaguely sense it was made of Glaetherin-but he couldn't tell if it was pure or mixed with something else.

"Simply by the color," said Taris. "Mixed Glaetherin is slightly more dull in hue than pure Glaetherin."

Lannon held up the gleaming throwing star in the torchlight. He couldn't discern any difference between it and the mixed Glaetherin that the safe above supposedly consisted of. It just looked like silver to Lannon.

Taris chuckled. "Don't concern yourself with it, Squire." He poked the throwing star with his finger. "I can tell you beyond a doubt that this blade consists of pure Glaetherin. It could be very useful to you-in ways you can't yet imagine. Don't lose it! And that Birlote rope is also an excellent find for a Blue Squire. It is light, yet immensely strong."

"What about the cloak?" asked Lannon.

"The cloak of a Blue Knight," said Taris, "and a Dark Watchman. It is made of Birlote silk, like the rope. Does it fit?"

Lannon tried it on and found that it did. It smelled musty, and it didn't warm him like his fur cloak, but it was comfortable enough.

"Obviously these items belonged to a Birlote," said Taris, pride in his voice. "That cloak is waterproof and very durable. The dagger is made of Birlote steel-very lightweight and strong, with a blade that will never dull."

"Then maybe the Birlotes would want these items returned," said Lannon, though he was hoping Taris would disagree.

"Because they belonged to a Dark Watchman," said Taris, "they rightfully pass to you. I hope they serve you well."

"Are we done here?" asked Lannon. Shivering, he threw his fur cloak on over the other one.

Taris' face was grim in the torchlight. "No. We didn't come here to find hidden items-though it's a welcome bonus. I brought you here to learn about the Dark Watchmen, and to do that, we must go below-to the tomb of the restless dead. This part of our adventure will be much more dangerous."

"The restless dead?" Lannon asked, not liking the sound of that.

"I'll explain when we get below," said Taris.

They returned to the bottom floor of the tower, and Lannon lifted the trapdoor. Immediately, fierce terror gripped him that made him want to flee from the keep-just as it had when he was climbing the rope at the tower's peak. It was dark sorcery at work in his mind, striving to break his will. He fought it off with the Eye and peered below. A stone stairway led down into shadows.

"Lead the way," said Taris.

Lannon drew his sword and started down the steps, with Taris behind him. At the bottom was a thick, moldy, oaken door bound in iron and with holes rotted through the wood. Above the door hung a large, gleaming axe. Lannon gazed at the door with the Eye, and saw that it was thoroughly haunted. Six shades inhabited the door-the ghosts of the long-dead Dark Watchmen who'd dwelt in the tower. The shades were like writhing shadows that peered out from the wood, icy eyes fixed on Lannon. The door radiated an illusion of despair and insanity that tried to overwhelm Lannon, but he shielded himself with the Eye.

"This is their tomb?" said Lannon. "An oaken door?"

"Their bodies are buried below this floor," said Taris, "sealed away forever by stone. But their spirits haunt the door-perhaps for eternity."

"Why?" said Lannon. And he found he was terrified of what the answer might be. But he had to know. "What happened to them?"

"As you know," said Taris, "the Dark Watchmen all fell victim to the Deep Shadow. They peered into it too deeply with the Eye of Divinity, and it claimed them. They tried to gaze into the Eye of Tharnin itself-the great beast that rules over the Shadow Realm-and it consumed them. They turned against Dremlock and tried to destroy it. Sixteen of the Watchmen nearly succeeded. They slew many of the Knights, including the Lord Knight, Galbas Firmblade, and fought their way to the Divine Essence below the keep. Their goal was to destroy Dremlock's god and tear the heart from the kingdom. But they underestimated the Divine Essence and its ability to defend itself. It slew the Dark Watchmen with white fire."