Dark Soul Silenced - Parts One & Two

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Ser Josef knocked on the heavy wooden door to the prefect’s office, then waited patiently until the door opened. Rather than the aged prefect he found himself facing the intense gaze of Ser Gerome.

“Excuse me brother,” Ser Gerome said, his voice precise and clipped.

“Of course brother,” Josef replied politely, allowing Gerome past.

“Come in Ser Josef,” called the prefect.

Josef entered the room, shut the door and turned to face the prefect. The room was starkly utilitarian, bare rock walls and no furniture except the desk with a chair each side and two large bookshelves weighed down with books and records.

Prefect Lantus sat behind the desk with a large map spread in front of him. He studied Josef for an uncomfortably long time, the prefect’s eyes were bright and sharp despite his advanced age and Josef knew from past experience that his mind was even sharper. Many people had made the mistake of judging the prefect by his kindly wrinkled face and slow yet deliberate approach, seeing in the old man an absent-minded, grandfatherly nature. Josef was sure it was an impression the elderly leader of his order cultivated deliberately, the better to spring the trap when needed. Finally the prefect waved to the other chair, still studying Josef as he crossed the room and sat.

“You don’t like Ser Gerome, do you?” the prefect asked.

“I have great respect for Ser Gerome,” Josef protested. “He is most effective in tracking down those who practice the dark arts.”

“A politician’s answer,” snapped Lantus. “Don’t try to weasel your way out! You don’t like him, do you?”

“If I am honest then… no. I find some of his methods, his actions, disturbing. I fully understand the need to root out those who practice the dark arts, and the need to put them to the question afterwards. The more we understand the better we can carry out our duty to protect the innocent.

“Yet, at times, Ser Gerome seems to enjoy the questioning too much. He seems to find pleasure in what should be an unpleasant duty. He seems to keep going long past the point when most of us would have performed the rites to purge the body and free the soul. Especially if the person he is questioning is young and female.”

Once again prefect Lantus sat quietly, studying Josef, who had to fight the urge to squirm. He was slightly shocked at having voiced his thoughts, somehow the prefect’s question had shaken loose both his concerns and his tongue. Now he waited, wondering if he had crossed a line that should never be crossed. Despite nearly twenty years of dedication to the cause he knew his position could be stripped from him, had seen it happen to others.

Finally the old man grinned at him, sitting back in his chair.

“Relax, Josef. You spoke honestly when I told you to. I respect that – even if it was after a false start. Your opinion of Ser Gerome is noted, however he is the best we have at sniffing out the dark ones. His methods may seem harsh to you, but they are, as you said, effective. He retains my full confidence.

“You should know that Ser Gerome has concerns about you, too. He feels you are too soft, too ready to grant the blessed peace of mercy before all questions have been answered.”

“Prefect, I have always been dedicated to the cause! I would never…”

“Yes, yes, yes.” The Prefect cut him off with a sharp chopping motion. “I know that. If I doubted it for a minute you would be cleaning out the stables for the rest of your life. Now, to the reason I called you. Do you remember the incident on Market Street five days ago?”

“The boy who was injured by a horse then healed by a young girl using the dark arts?”

“Exactly. That display of power was several orders stronger than anything we have seen in the town for years. The boy and his family fled the city, it seems they had links to smugglers, and were last seen boarding a ship in Prosper Point. From there they could travel anywhere. We will spread the word but that trail is cold. I think it is of little import anyway. The boy we would have tested for corruption and questioned, but the rest of the family I believe to be acting in a misguided attempt to protect him.

“The girl and her family are a different matter. They did not flee with the boy’s family, and they have not been sighted anywhere in the surrounding area. We thought initially that they had gone to ground somewhere in the town, but as time passes that seems increasingly unlikely.

“It is imperative that we find that girl, and her family too. We need to understand where her power came from, and if it was from her parents then we need to track down and test any relatives, wherever they are. All we know so far is that the family had no surviving relations in the city.”

“If they are not in the city could they have fled by a different route?” asked Josef. “Headed further inland?”

“Unlikely, but not impossible. However that is not where they went. The power this child wields cannot be left unchecked. Earlier today I authorised use of the Seeker Amulet.”

Josef stared at the prefect, completely stunned. The Seeker Amulet was a legendary artifact. It could be used to track down powerful users of the dark arts, and once locked on it was able to track them no matter the distance involved. It was one of the most powerful objects the Order owned.

Josef could only remember it being used once before, not long after he joined the Order, when a series of mutilated murder victims had turned up in the city. Occult symbols were carved into all the dead bodies. With no leads, and the number of corpses constantly mounting, the Seeker Amulet had been used. It had led the members of the Order to a minor noble. A pillar of society. Yet when they arrived he had unleashed bolts of lightning and summoned demons to cover his escape.

Had it been anyone else come to arrest him he would have escaped easily, but the Order was well equipped to face such horrors. Blessed robes and armour deflected the lightning bolts and sacred weapons tore the demons apart. On seeing this the noble had realised that he could not escape, that he faced days of excruciating questioning followed by execution. Before any of the Order could reach him he pulled a short blade decorated with heathen symbols from his robes and slit his own throat, taking all his dark secrets to the grave.

“The girl is that much of a threat?” Josef managed to ask, eventually.

“Yes, she is. I felt sure anyway, but the path they are taking confirms it. They are travelling north, towards the Dark Lands.”

The name sent a shiver down Josef’s spine. The Dark Lands were infamous, an area renowned for being tainted with dark power. Folklore painted the Dark Lands as full of ravening monsters and powerful demons, seductive sirens and depraved wizards. The Order’s own files confirmed many of the stories, though they also recorded that people managed to survive in many areas… sometimes in thrall to the dark powers, but often by exercising great care and sealing themselves away at night.

The Order had made many forays into the Dark Lands, attempts to understand the source of the corruption with a view to cleansing it. None had been successful, and many had failed to return at all. Individuals from the Order had been known to head into the Dark Lands alone, determined to bring enlightenment and protection to the people living there. Very few returned, though reports suggested at least some were still alive and continuing their work with the locals.

Josef pulled his thoughts back to the prefect, making the traditional triangular ward against evil with his hands. The old man smiled at him, though there was little humour in it.

“You’ll need more than that, lad, when you follow the child. A lot more than that.”

Josef’s heart skipped a beat. “I’m to follow her?”

“Well, not exactly. Ser Gerome will be following her, I’ve given him the Seeker Amulet, and also a Purity Orb. You will accompany him, together with ten guardsmen.”

“Thank you. I am honoured.”

He hoped the prefect wouldn’t detect his concern. Days or weeks in the company of Gerome did not appeal to him at any time. Josef was sure Gerome would be even less pleasant to be around with his new responsibilities, and that his excesses would grow even worse.

“No you aren’t. Don’t lie to me lad. I know what you think of Gerome, but he is the best man for this job. That child, and her parents, must be tracked down, and it needs to be done before they penetrate too deeply into the Dark Lands. The Amulet cannot be used continuously, in fact it can only be used for a few short minutes each day, so we need our best hunter on the case.”

“Yes Prefect. I will do all I can to assist Ser Gerome and the guards.”

“No you won’t lad. You’ll do everything you can to assist Ser Gerome track down the girl. The guards will report to you, not to him, and I expect you to make damn sure that he doesn’t do anything to bring shame on us. In particular make sure that the rules on using a Purity Orb are obeyed – unless two officers, which means you and him, have seen it identify an adept of the dark arts he is not to lay a finger on them!”

The prefect almost shouted the last part. Calming himself he continued.

“Important though this hunt is, I will not have one innocent harmed in the hunt – especially not to cater to Ser Gerome’s particular tastes.”

“And if he refuses to listen to me? Insists on an action that you would not approve of?”

“Then you have the guards restrain him, permanently if needed. Make if damn clear to him that if he wants to avoid being questioned once you return to the city he had better sort himself out bloody fast and stick to the hunt. If it becomes necessary you execute him and take over his role, but the guards had better back you in saying it was absolutely necessary. Do I make myself clear?”

Josef tried to swallow past the lump in his throat, the old man’s intense glare seemed to strip him to the core.

“Yes… yes Prefect. You have my word.”

“Good. You leave in two hours. Be in the armoury well before then to get your equipment. Any questions?”

“Just one, Prefect. Is Ser Gerome aware of my role? That I will be there to steer him down the correct path?”

“No, and unless you have to take any action I want it to stay that way. I told him that he needs to focus completely on chasing down the girl, and that I was giving you control of the guards and anything else not directly related to the pursuit so he wouldn’t be distracted. Any more questions?”

“No Prefect.”

“Then get out of my sight. And Josef – don’t underestimate the importance of this mission. That girl may hold the key to our salvation and our destruction. I feel it in my bones. Now go!”

Josef turned and left the room without saying a word, mind still spinning from everything he’d been told.

Josef checked his bags were securely in place one last time then mounted his horse, a solid and strong brown coloured mountain horse that someone had named Snowflake, for no reason Josef could discern. It didn’t worry him. Where they were headed the horse’s strength and endurance would be far more important than its name.

He mentally checked through the items he was taking. He had his usual travelling gear – blankets, wet weather gear, clothing, soap and razor, tinderbox and other familiar items. He wore his usual sword, but strapped to his back rather than his waist so he could draw it while mounted.

The armoury had supplied him, and the others in the party, with bracers around his wrists and a necklace blessed with the power of the Almighty. The wards would protect the group from any creature of darkness. The guards were issued replacement swords etched with holy symbols and, like the bracers and necklace, carrying powerful blessings. The blessed weapons would not only be able to harm creatures of darkness where other weapons did no damage, they would inflict great harm on those creatures.

As an officer Josef always carried such a sword, but for the guards it was an unusual honour. He noted their reactions, each took their sword carefully and examined it, weighed it, made several short swings with it, before returning it to its sheath. Josef had seen guards issued such weapons before and normally there was a sense of awe, delight and even fear at the honour they had received. The guards in his squad showed none of that. They were clearly used to handling such weapons, backing up his impression of them as experienced and capable.

The armoury had also provided a chain mail vest and metal helmet to Josef – neither had been blessed but they would provide physical protection against attack, be it from the forces of darkness or bandits.

The guard squad were all mounted, sitting patiently, waiting to leave. Josef glanced to his side, watching Ser Gerome finish his own preparations. Finally Gerome climbed into the saddle, but he had one more task to complete. His saddle had two specially shaped holders at the front. Gerome took out the Purity Orb and fixed it into one of the holders.

Josef stared at the Orb. Thick mists swirled inside, giving it a greyish colour. When held in the hand of a righteous person the Orb would start to glow an intense blue if anyone able to use the dark power came within a few feet. The effect only lasted a short while though, once held for more than a minute or two it would need an entire day’s exposure to natural light to recharge.

Without that restriction, and the fact that the Orbs were so rare, Josef was sure his order could have destroyed all traces of the dark arts in Hammersgate. Instead the Orbs were used carefully, normally to confirm that a suspect did indeed have the ability to use dark powers. Sometimes it led to people being released, if the Orb didn’t light up when someone neared then that person was innocent – of using the dark arts at least.

Then Gerome brought out the other sacred object he carried, the Seeker Amulet, and carefully secured it to the other side of his saddle. Josef had never seen the Amulet up close before. It consisted of a large off-white gem set into an elaborate housing of silvery metal. Unlike the Orb, in its dormant state the Amulet showed no hints of the power it contained. Josef knew if would indicate the direction their quarry had taken in some way, but knew no more details than that. Like the Orb, the Amulet could only be used for a short time each day and had to be exposed to natural light to recharge.

“Are the men ready, brother?” Gerome asked.

“Yes, Ser Gerome,” Josef replied. “We are ready to leave when you are.”

Gerome smiled at Josef, a smile devoid of any warmth or friendship. Without a word he turned to face forward and flicked the reins to get his horse moving. Josef signalled to the squad then followed Gerome, hearing the rest following behind.

Despite the importance of their mission no one saw them off. That was not the way of the Order. Josef knew that many would be praying for them, though, praying that the party’s mission would be a success.

They travelled until dusk, finally camping in a sheltered spot in the dip between two hills. Once the camp was set up and a warm fire burning Ser Gerome announced that he would use the Amulet to check on their quarry.

Josef felt his heart race a little at the news. He lived his life with the blessings of the Almighty all around, in the objects his order used on a daily basis such as the sword, the bracelets and the necklace he carried – all designed to thwart the dark ones. The Amulet was something special though, imbued with far more of the Almighty’s power than the objects Josef handled every day. Seeing the Amulet in action would bring him closer to the Almighty’s power than ever before. The guards felt the same way, clustering close.

Gerome was pleased with his audience, producing the Amulet with a flourish and holding it up high for several seconds before placing it on one upturned palm. For a moment the theatrics grated on Josef, the moment seemed cheapened by them, but he quickly dismissed the thoughts and concentrated on what was to come.

Gerome focused intently on the Amulet for several seconds. Josef found himself holding his breath, heart starting to hammer. Suddenly the gem at the heart of the Amulet burst into life, going from off white to an intense blue colour.

With a smile Gerome started to swing the hand holding the Amulet in wide arcs, from west to north and back again. Each time his arm swung past a certain point, slightly north of north-west, the gem flared white. Josef smiled, managing to breathe again, and offered a prayer to the Almighty.

Gerome made two more passes then frowned as he concentrated again. The gem faded back to off white.

“The Almighty has spoken,” Gerome boomed out. “He has shown us the path we must take. I will use the Amulet again tomorrow morning, for the agents of darkness are sly. Let us give thanks…”

The guards bowed their heads as Gerome prepared to lead the group in prayer. Josef studied Gerome for slightly longer, noticing that the other man seemed tired, exhausted almost. His arms had a definite tremor. Being so close to the power of the Almighty must have caused it, Josef decided. It was a power that mortals were not designed to hold – not even those of the Order. He bowed his head and closed his eyes as Gerome started the prayer, faith in the almighty burning as strongly as ever.