“I can’t believe that black-eyed son of a bitch is my brother.”

  Zerin smiled and patted his newly found sibling on the back.

  “Zerin, do you remember the prisoner we freed, the one that led us to the Bell Tower and the scroll?”

  “Yes, the old man.”

  “Do you remember how excited he was after he felt your legs?”

  “Yes, I do, he must have felt my scars, that’s how he knew who I was.”

  “Zerin, that man must have been Shelton. After he hid us, he must have been caught. He spent the rest of his life protecting our identities. They pronounced him the traitor, the one responsible for the assassinations, when he was actually the empire’s hero.”

  “And now it’s time to avenge his death and the death of our parents.”

  “Aye, but not just yet,” the giant said.

  Galvin knelt on the floor and removed the brick that Janith had hidden the third scroll under, and… there it was. They rolled it out and read it. It explained in full detail everything Janith had done to mark his children before placing them with Shelton.

  “Let’s find our brother, and then we’ll kill that goddamn traitor who murdered our parents.”

  Chapter 66

  Bardek and Maeldroth tore through the castle corridors as fast as their legs would permit. Never had they sped through StrongStone fleeing dangers from within.

  “Where should we go, wizard?”

  “The throne room. That’s where they’ll look for us.”

  “You want us to be found?”

  “Yes, this is where it ends.”

  “You’ve done nothing this day to convince me you can end anything. If I had any other option than to follow you, I would take it, but since I don’t, I’ll meet you there.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “If it’s my time to die, I’ll not do so alone.”

  Bardek broke off from Maeldroth and headed up the stairs toward the sixth tower. He took a flight of stone steps that wound upward through the castle layers, scaling the exterior walls, exposing himself to the elements. He stopped on a platform with a clear view of the battle in the castle courtyard, unsure whether he could trust the bizarre vision his eyes expected him to believe.

  Disregarding the urgency of his own circumstances, he stared for several surreal moments at the men on both sides of the skirmish who were frozen in mid stance, mid-swipe, and in mid-death. The wizard had disrupted time, preventing Zerin’s army from finishing the incursion. Bardek was both encouraged and distraught. Yes, the wizard had furthered their chances of survival, but was it safe to trifle with such forces?

  He pulled himself away, hurrying up the stairs. He kept his eyes upon his feet to make sure of each step, until he was startled by the appearance of a castle maid. She was standing on a platform in between two flights of stairs, with no wall or railing to separate them from the long fall to the moat below. Bardek looked at the frightened woman, then back again at the open ledge, smiling at her with a heartless grin only he was capable of.

  ~

  Galvin ran through the castle halls with Zerin limping behind, kicking in every door they came upon, hunting for Bardek and the wizard. All of the castle guards seemed to be outside, suspended in Maeldroth’s web of sorcery. Scattering through the hallways were the maids and other servants, frantic over the siege.

  They ran on, hunting their enemies through the cavernous, marble-tiled hallways, caring not that their trudging footsteps announced their arrival at every turn. But approaching from an adjacent corridor, they could hear other footsteps, which were heading to intercept them. They picked up their pace to meet the challenge head on, whether it be soldier, wizard, or beast. The time for stealth and misdirection had passed. When the two hallways merged, Galvin had his axe held high, but he stopped just in time when he saw it was Escura, readying to do the same to him.

  “Blast, I almost killed you!” bellowed the giant.

  “More likely I to you,” the pirate said gruffly, though there was no true menace in his jibe.

  Zerin grasped Escura in a manner more friendly than the pirate remembered, provoking a strange gaze from him. Zerin scanned him up and down, stopping to stare at his thighs. “Do you always wear such long pants?” he asked, before looking at the giant with a sly grin, who responded in kind.

  “We haven’t time for games,” the pirate snapped. “Maeldroth just ran into the throne room.”

  “Let’s go then,” Zerin said, realizing this wasn’t the best time to speak of their family ties.

  “Remember what we discussed about killing the wizard?” Zerin said.

  “Aye,” the pirate answered.

  Foregoing the stealthy approach, Galvin kicked open the doors. There, standing on the far side of the room, was Maeldroth the wizard. A more unimpressive figure couldn’t be imagined. He was so tiny in comparison to the three warriors, and yet, it was they who held their weapons high, unsure whether they should move forward or move at all.

  The wizard’s hood was halfway up, and the light from the upper windows shone into his eyes, heightening the glare of his whites. He stood perfectly still, disturbingly self-assured before the three warriors.

  “So, the moment has arrived,” Maeldroth said. “The confrontation is at hand. You should be proud of your recent trials. But you should accept that your time has come to an end, this I promise you. I will, however, agree to kill you gently, if but one of you can tell me what I need to know.”

  The three warriors slowly approached the wizard, spreading out.

  “One of you,” the wizard continued, “if not all of you, is shrouded in the bosom of the white. One of you knows the Lady of the Hood and possibly the whereabouts of the missing scripts of the Healer. I need to know.”

  “We don’t meddle in sorcery, you decrepit piece of filth!” shouted Escura.

  “Liar!” Maeldroth screamed. “How do you explain the warrior that killed my beast? How do you explain the rash of fortune that has followed you and the princess? The Lady of the Hood came to these lands years ago with something extraordinary, something so brilliant that she traveled halfway across the known world to hide it from me.”

  “The Lady of the Hood is a myth,” Zerin said, “and you are a fool whose demands we’ll never bow to. You are, however, correct on one issue. This is the last day of our conflict.”

  The wizard turned his focus squarely toward the sailor. “I’m surprised you’re even here. Shouldn’t you be looking for someone else, wondering if she’s still alive?”

  Zerin tried to hide his concern, but a look of dread came upon his face. The wizard cackled with delight. Then Zerin heard his name called from the upper landing of the stairwell that led out of the throne room.

  “Zerin, is this who you’re looking for?”

  It was Bardek, and standing beside him, at the end of his sword, was Thia. A shiver went down Zerin’s spine. He almost rejoiced before realizing her peril.

  “So, you love her, do you, Zerin? You dare to love my bride, then dare to watch her die.”

  Bardek dragged the princess off the platform, disappearing from Zerin’s sight.

  “Zerin!” she screamed.

  “Go, Zerin,” Galvin said, but the sailor had already taken off, leaving his brothers to deal with the wizard.

  Zerin raced up the stairs, out a set of doors, and around a corridor until he could see Bardek dragging Thia away. She wore a long white dress that was easy to spot.

  Inside the throne room, Galvin and Escura slowly advanced on the wizard.

  The wizard remained relaxed, unthreatened by their approach. “Such grand warriors, the two of you are, depicted as the mightiest in the kingdom, feared by all. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to find out which of you is best?”

  Escura knew enough not to listen to the vile imp. He lunged at him, thrusting with his sword, but was too late. The wizard parted with himself, leaving an apparition in his place, a lifeless image. They raised their weapons above their heads, listening to the cackles from Maeldroth’s spirit as it whipped around the marble columns and statues, leaving a rancid stench in its wake, the lingering entrails of his foul magic.

  Galvin chased him, swiping with his axe, causing the wizard to shriek with delight as he disappeared right before the giant’s eyes. Galvin searched for the wizard throughout the room, looking toward the ceiling, but there was no sign of his rotten ghost anywhere.

  “Escura, can you see him? Is he still here?”

  But his brother didn’t answer. Galvin kept looking, spinning, swiping frantically, until finally, he found Maeldroth in the gravest of spots. He looked into his brother’s eyes. His gaze was maniacal, his eyes a reddish hue, and he bore a devilish grin unfamiliar to his mien. The pirate attacked.

  Galvin raised his axe just in time to save his skull from separation. “Escura, it’s me.”

  “I’m Escura no longer, you fool,” slithered a cold voice from the pirate’s lips. “This blending was inevitable. He is who he is because of me, and now we are complete.”

  Escura attacked again and again, but the giant blocked each of Escura’s assaults. Though he was hesitant to fight his brother, Galvin knew he would eventually have to, or he would die.

  Chapter 67

  Zerin flew up several flights of stairs, chasing Bardek and Thia until he came to a flight of stairs on the outside of the castle wall. When he reached the lower of two platforms, he heard his name.

  “That’s far enough, Zerin.”

  It was Bardek, holding Thia by the hair, a sword pointed into her back. She was inches from the edge.

  “If you come any closer, I’ll throw her to her death, and neither you, nor I, will ever have her.”

  Zerin held his ground, glancing over the edge, looking at the sheerness of the drop below. The ground was hard to see through the overhanging branches from the trees on the far side of the moat. Turbulent clouds from the wizard’s magic drifted around the castle walls, causing Bardek and Thia to fade in and out of his sight. The winds howled, forcing Zerin to raise his voice.

  “She was never yours to have, Bardek, and she never will be.”

  “Then I suppose I have nothing to lose, do I?”

  Zerin flew up the stairs as fast as he could. But without hesitating, Bardek coldly shoved Thia over the edge.

  Without a moment’s hesitation, Zerin dove off the stairs. He stretched his arms out as he flew outward to catch her, willing himself to reach her. He brought her body into his, hoping to break her fall; at the very least she wouldn’t die alone. While in the air, plummeting toward the ground, Zerin could hear the raucous laughter of Bardek above him.

  Standing on the edge, the king watched with delight as Zerin was swallowed by Maeldroth’s fog. He continued to celebrate as he turned and looked to the floor and said, “Well, I guess he really did love you.” Then he leaned over and picked up the real Thia who had been gagged, tied, and concealed from Zerin’s sight.

  “So sorry about the castle maiden. She did look like you in your white dress. You, however, don’t suit that white gown at all.”

  He dragged her to the roof’s edge and removed her bindings. She couldn’t contain her despair as she looked over the balcony. There was no sign of him anywhere, and she was glad of it; she’d be unable to stand the sight of his broken body.

  “There, as promised,” Bardek said, “my wedding gift to you; you got to see him die. Now, look over there.” He tugged her hair. “You see all those men in the courtyard who look like they’re in battle? The wizard has frozen them in time. It is him and I who are in control. It is we who will win this war, and you who will be my queen.”

  Bardek dragged Thia back toward the throne room.

  ~

  Galvin had received several wounds from the pirate, who was still under the spiritual custody of the wizard. The giant continued his pleas to his brother while seeking an effective, but non-lethal defense. When the chance presented itself, Galvin backhanded him with his right fist, a blow that had dislodged more than one tavern door.

  Escura rolled over backward and sprawled on the floor.

  “Fight this, Escura,” Galvin pleaded. “Remember the woods when Thia freed you from his control? You’ve defeated him before. Remember who you are.”

  The pirate jumped to his feet, raised his sword, and once again readied for battle.

  Galvin took a deep breath, looking at the blood that oozed from his arms, realizing that if he couldn’t subdue his brother, he would free him from a life of enslaved servitude. He knocked Escura to the ground once again and stood over him, poised to end the skirmish. Galvin raised his axe to end Escura’s life and the wizard’s possession.

  “It’s with great sadness that I end your life, my friend, but I’ll not have a brother of mine live the life of a godless slave.”

  The giant brought his axe down, stopping an arm span away from the pirate’s head when he saw his eyes blink, then roll over. Escura dropped his sword and grabbed his head, agonized by the pain. He rolled around on the marble floor before stopping in a lifeless pose. Galvin thought him dead. The giant knelt at his side and rolled him over, checking him for signs of life until a ghastly stench oozed from his body. Escura opened his eyes, dazed, unsure of his surroundings with no memory of his last moments.

  “You did it. You’ve beaten him,” Galvin said as he helped revive his brother. “To your feet then, let us finish this.”

  Maeldroth’s spirit returned to its body, and he approached the duo.

  “I am impressed, Escura. Your strength is greater than I remember. You are not the dark being I once knew you as. It would seem you’ve been affected by the company you keep. I’ll have to try something else to turn you.”

  “We’ll never join you,” Escura spat as he stood up, his senses now returned to him. “We’ll die first.”

  The wizard laughed. “It’s good you say that because this day ends with your death or your allegiance. It wouldn’t be the first time we worked together, would it, Galvin? You did kill for me once before, and you were quite good at it.”

  “I was a fool to listen to you. I’ll not make that mistake again. I stand with Escura and Zerin. This will not be our last day, but yours.”

  The wizard cocked his head and laughed so hard he didn’t hear Bardek break into the throne room with Thia.

  “He’s dead. Zerin is dead! He jumped off the edge trying to save her. What a fool!”

  It wasn’t Bardek’s words that convinced Galvin and Escura of the truth, but the look on Thia’s face. Her eyes were round and hazy, her face tear-stained. She stood limply in Bardek’s grasp.

  “Excellent, my liege. Now you and the princess can watch these two die.”

  Galvin spun on his feet and, with all his might, thrust his axe at the wizard. It sliced through the air with a hiss, but before it reached its mark, Maeldroth shed his physical confines and soared as a spirit once again.

  This time, however, he took form as he had at the Fields of Thorn; a beast with leathery wings, fangs, and a winding tail. He was hideous, unbearable for Thia to look upon as he flew by, inches from her face.

  He took aim at Galvin, who was retrieving his axe from the marble column it was embedded in. The giant swiped at Maeldroth, who had swooped down upon him, cackling all the way, only to see his axe pass through the apparition. Maeldroth hovered above the giant, his glowering eyes blood red, his fangs clenched—a personification of evil itself.

  “I endowed you with the magnificent honor of portraying my monster, a gift you repaid with disloyalty. Instead of embracing the privilege, you uncovered yourself and defiled my reputation. I swore I would repay you in the only manner fitting, and that day has come.”

  They heard a strange noise from outside the chamber.

  “Do you hear that, Galvin?” Maeldroth asked, his spirit floating effortlessly above him. “Do you know what’s coming for you?” The wizard’s serpent-like tongue hissed.

  “I recognize that stench from the dungeons. Something from the lower level,” Escura said.

  Footsteps, large and unnatural, approached in the corridor outside, preceded by an inhuman growl.

  “Do you remember your role as the Monster of Maeldroth, and the myth that you were the spawn of myself and a being of the underworld? Well, the only reason I sought you to play the role was because my child was not ready to assume it.”

  The emanations grew stronger, the stench intensified. Whatever approached was right outside the chamber doors.

  “For years, I’ve been nurturing him, feeding him the scraps of my torturous endeavors.”

  Galvin and Escura watched the light outside the doorway become eclipsed by the immensity that filled its space. The stench was unbearable, but they couldn’t tear their gazes away. It entered on all fours before raising itself upon its two back feet. Galvin and Escura stared motionless at the atrocity before them. It stood taller than the giant. Its back was covered with short black fur. Ragged nails protruded from hands and feet that were human-like, immense, and filled with dirt from the depths of the wizard’s lair.

  The body was thick like an ape’s but taller. Sprouting from its head were horns that curved backward like a goat’s. The lips were pulled back, exposing crooked yet pointed teeth. Two holes in its face posed as nostrils. But all its horrific traits paled in comparison to its eyes. They were large, round with excessive whites. Its gaze bore right through its opponents, showing delight with the gruesome task set before it. The beast didn’t look like an animal, it looked like a monster. It looked like Maeldroth. Not for a moment did they doubt this abomination to be his spawn.

  Bardek cringed as the creature emerged.

  “You needn’t worry, Your Highness. Unlike you, its obedience is unfaltering,” Maeldroth said.

  Lesser men might have run, but Galvin and Escura raised their weapons to confront the monster.

  Maeldroth had other plans. “No, Escura. This fight is not yours. The giant will fight on his own.”

  With a wave of his winged arm, the wizard slammed Escura against a wall, forty paces across the room.

 

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