Rise of the DarkWalker: The Chronicles of Carter Blake, Book II

Carter entered yet another dust-covered room. Cracked and broken scarlet-hued marble tiles covered the floor. Dingy and splintery wooden panels covered the walls he could see. The rest of the room was filled with floor to ceiling shelves. Faded spines lined the shelving. Unusual script flowed along the book bindings in tarnished filigree.

He wandered the library, unsure of what he was searching for. Near the middle of the repository, a tome caught his eye. It looked recently used and had a glow about it. He reached up and pulled it down. The dark purple book had brassbound pages of parchment. The cover was made of demon leather. It was held shut by a clasp in the shape of a four-fingered demonic hand.

When he lifted the clasp and opened the cover, the words within seemed like they tried to leap off the page into his head. With all his will, Carter managed to yank the book down and away from his eyes.

‘That was a clever trap.’ He set the dangerous book on a nearby table before scrubbing his face with his hands. ‘What kind of place am I in where a copy of the Daemonum would be in a library, casually displayed?’ He returned his attention to the tome, running his thumb and index finger over his mustache and bearded chin. ‘What should I do with you? You’re sure to be valuable, but I’m not sure how yet.’ His thumb brushed over the scar on his cheek. ‘Alright, I’m going to try to read this once more. Maybe the trap was a single use deal.’ He reached for the cover and paused. ‘I hope so anyway.’ He flipped the cover open again. The script swirled around before smoothing into legible words.

“Despite barely surviving my trap, you would continue? Very well. Many are they who would gladly have knelt before me, promising their fortunes, their families, their very souls to possess the volume you now hold in your hands. No matter how mighty you believe yourself to be, no matter how great your imagined knowledge—on matters of demon scholarship, you are a feckless neophyte in my sight.

“Was it wise to set hard-won knowledge to paper and bind it in this tome so sneak thieves such as yourself could creep away with it? Perhaps not. But unless you are a new type of idiot, you know that I am hunting you as you read this. So find what knowledge you can in this book, for the time in which it might succor you is short.”

He blinked at the two pages of threat and braggadocio. ‘Who wrote this?’ He flipped through the book and turned it on its back. In the lower right of the back, near the spine, he spotted the author’s sigil. The design featured the infinity symbol turned sideways with a double-barred cross located at the midpoint.

‘Piamon?’ His eyebrows rose. ‘While the arrogance sounds like him, associating with demons does not. I wonder what brought this on?’

Piamon was a famous paladin of Chokkan who, prior to Carter, was known for surviving the longest in the Abyss. Normally an easygoing and jovial man who had given the clothing off his body to those in need, when the subject of demons came up, he became a brusque, stoic warrior. It was rumored his hatred of demons was what prevented him from ascending to fight at Chokkan’s side.

Carter shrugged. ‘A mystery for another time.’

He carried the book to a wooden door and opened it. A ten-foot square chamber on the other side was hewn from stone. Crudely drawn symbols and glyphs covered the walls. A pit in the center contained a still burning fire. On the other side of the blaze, another door sat open. A small wooden table sat on the wall next to the door. Meat, in various bits of butchery lay on the table next to roots, fungi, and eating implements.

A small reptilian creature came into the room, focused on the table. Its scales went from reddish-brown along its neck to black near its clawed hands and feet. Small tan horns wrapped around its head and ended at points next to its temples. Its long jaw reminded Carter of that of an alligator, long and with a rounded snout. The creature used its sinewy and digitigrade legs to leap onto the table where it swept ingredients into a cauldron.

Carter moved closer to the creature which spun and flung a knife at him in the same motion. He managed to use the book in his hands to deflect the attack.

“What the hells? Why did you attack me?”

“Youse startled Rhipon.” The reptilian’s voice was gravelly, and yet feminine.

“And your reflexive response was to fling a knife at me?”

She nodded. “Ise small. Has to bees on guard.”

“Fair enough.” He stepped closer, and she raised another knife. He lifted his hands to show they were empty except for the book. “I’m not going to attack you.”

“What youse doing?”

“I’m trying to find my way out so I can return home.”

“Youse is escaping?”

Carter raised his left eyebrow. “Is it escaping if you weren’t imprisoned?”

“How youse get in?”

“I was in the arena and I found something shiny in a cell. When I touched it, I was knocked out and came to in here.”

“Youse must go to a cell.”

He stiffened. “And why is that?”

“Lady Haavastaad doesn’t like when prisoners wander around.”

“Really?” His voice went deep as he grinned. “I wouldn’t mind running into her.”

“I must insist youse go back.”

“I must refuse.”

The reptilian raised her clawed left hand. The long, thin fingers wreathed in an orange light. The magic cast sinister shadows over her crocodilian maw.

“Youse has no choice.”

Carter threw the Daemonum sideways in an arc at the magic user’s face and ran in behind it.

She raised her glowing hand and a blast of force shot out, deflecting the book and causing Carter to stumble.

He regained his balance and leaped at the table, chopping his sword down at her head.

She jumped to the side, but he managed to cut a furrow down her left arm. She cried out and the magic vanished.

He stood above the tiny mage. “I’m sorry.”

She glared up at him while holding her injured limb. “Lady Haavastaad will kill youse.” Her voice was filled with venom.

“Probably not.” He stabbed the reptilian through the chest.

He picked up the book and went into the area she’d come out of. The odor of rotten meat filled the air, nearly causing him to gag. He swallowed and lifted his shirt collar over his nose. “Fucking hells.”

A look around showed several rusty hooks on the walls, some filled with skinned and flyblown carcasses of large rats. Mushrooms sat on low shelves next to herbs and roots. A few large cave cricket corpses lay on a cluttered table nearby.

An open door at the far end showed a long corridor. Crumbling and broken flagstones lined the floor. A couple of near pristine cobblestones made him wary.

He poked them with the tip of his sword. The one on his left fell into a pit filled with spikes. When he poked the one on the right, it too fell into the pit, but there was a small, narrow, bridge going across left behind.

‘Do I risk crossing this, or do I try jumping over and possibly fall in?’ Carter scratched his forehead and then drew his index finger and thumb over the sides of his chin. ‘On the one hand, this tiny thing could crumble under my weight.’ He leaned over and tapped the bridge with the hilt of his sword. ‘On the other, the rest of the floor could.’ He straightened and studied the rest of the floor on the other side of the trap. ‘I’m going to go for it.’

He backed up to the end of the hall and ran forward.

About a foot before the edge of the pit, he jumped, pushing off the floor as hard as he could.

He flew through the air and he landed on the other side, hitting the floor and rolling towards the other closed door. A second later, he popped up to his feet. He opened the door and found another hallway.

Deterioration and decay ruled here just as in the rest of the place. Three rows of marble columns carved in the form of dragons marched down the hall, two to the sides, and the third down the center.

Three more reptilians patrolled in a circle near the middle of the corridor. One had black scales, another white, and the last had green, blue and yellow.

Carter walked towards them, sword at his side. When the little creatures spotted him, they fanned out, pointing their spears at him.

“Where youse come from?” The question came from one with ebony scales.

He jerked his thumb back over his shoulder. “Back there.”

“How youse get in here?” The white scaled one spoke up.

“Magic.”

The three looked at each other and squeaked at each other.

“Um, look guys, I just want to get out of here.”

The reptilians ignored him.

He waved his hand. “Guys?”

No response.

“Hey, lizards.”

His voice being several octaves deeper made them shut up and glare at him.

“Thank you.” He slid his sword behind his belt. “Now, how do I get out of here?”

The multicolored one spoke this time. “Youse must talk with Queenly.”

“Okay, where is this Queenly?”

“Follow.”

“Alright.”

When they moved back the way he came, his eyes widened. ‘Shit.’

He travelled with them back to where he’d left the dead female.

‘Do I bullshit them and say it wasn’t me, or should I run?’

The reptilians froze at the sight of the fallen one. The clack of wood hitting the floor sounded briefly as their spears fell from their hands. The trio clustered around the female and they squeaked at one another.

Carter watched them mourn and felt a bit sorry for them. ‘Wish I could do something for them.’ He laced his hands together, index fingers up, and extended before touching his nose with them. ‘Irrational, considering I killed her to defend myself, but still.’

The multi-colored one raised its head and whipped it around to glare at him. “Youse.”

He lowered his hands and positioned his left near the hilt of his sword. “It wasn’t me.”

“Youse came from here.”

He shrugged. “It was the one-armed man.”

The reptilian got to its feet.

Carter shook his head. “Don’t do it.”

It darted forward to pick up its spear.

The Walker of Worlds lunged forward, drawing his sword and stabbed the small creature through the neck.

It gurgled and collapsed.

He glanced over and noticed the other two staring at him, lips curled in rage.

“Mourn your friends and forget you ever saw me.” He returned his sword to his belt, turned and exited the room, closing the door behind him.

He then sprinted down the hall, back to where he’d first encountered the reptilians. Spotting two doors, he tossed open the nearest and then ducked into the second, shutting it after him.

Six small humanoids were chained to a pillar to his right. The chains were thick and rusted. The stink of filth and sewage punched him in the nose. Dull blue eyes stared at him. Broken weapons and shields lay in a careless pile nearby. He held his finger before his lips and hid behind the door.

Several minutes passed. The prisoners stared at him. The door opened at last and a reptilian with white scales entered.

“Youse see a hume?”

They stared at it, silent. It shook its head.

“Stupid slaves.”

Carter stepped forward, thrusting his sword. The tip punched into the reptilian at the base of its skull. It dropped to the ground without a sound. As he stepped back, the prisoners shifted. One waved his fingers and the dead reptilian vanished.

Moments later, one with ebony scales entered.

“Where Meeker?”

Carter made to repeat his last attack, but something caused the reptilian to spin to see him.

It managed to raise its spear in time to deflect his strike to the side.

Instead of it doing into its neck, the blade sliced through the reptilian’s cheek.

The reptilian shrieked in pain and thrust its spear at him.

Carter dodged to the side and somehow grabbed the shaft of the weapon in his left hand.

A second later, it was almost ripped from his hand, but he barely held on.

When the creature jerked on the spear again, Carter allowed the motion to propel him forward, chopping down with his sword.

The reptilian raised its hand to shield itself.

His sword cleaved it in two.

As the little reptilian shrieked, it released the spear and Carter yanked it away.

He spun at the same time and slashed its throat, putting the thing out of its misery.

The chained humanoids whispered among themselves and then chanted, “Savior! Savior! Savior!”

Carter waved his hands to gain their attention, and when they quieted, said, “Do any of you little people know where I can get the keys to free you?”

One with a ragged goatee spoke up. “We’re gnomes, not little people.”

“Sorry.”

“Check the brightly colored kobold. He might have them on his belt.”

“Of course he would.”

Carter jogged back to where he left the multi-colored being. ‘Kobold? Hunh. Wonder why I’ve never heard of them before now?’ He found a set of rusty keys on his belt and pulled them free. ‘Then again, I’ve never heard of gnomes before either.’

He returned to the chained gnomes and unchained them all. The first gnome who’d spoken to him seemed to be the leader.

“Thank you, Sir. I am Raniero and these are my companions.”

“I am Lavitz, called The Patchwork Knight.”

Raniero glanced to the others and then back to Carter. “We have heard to this Patchwork Knight. He’s supposedly called so because of the many patches—.”

“In my leather armor which was left… somewhere.”

Raniero’s light eyebrows went up. “You don’t know where you left your armor? Isn’t that dangerous?”

Carter nodded. “It is, indeed.” He turned back to the door. “In the meantime, I have to find my way out of here, and back to my tasks.”

“We can help you with part of that, if you’d allow it.”

“You know the way out?” Carter looked back. “Excellent. Let’s go.”