Chapter 13 Glade
“This seems like a terrible idea, mate,” Tempal cautioned as I peered into the dark pit in the forest, the flickering torch in my hand casting eerie shadows down its sides. Only the three Ornathian moons lit the clearing, their reflections scattering creepy patterns across the surrounding trees.
“We’re the Castle Guard. If we don’t investigate, no one will, Tempal. Come on, man, pull yourself together.” I gestured with my hands, in a “what the fuck” kind of motion.
Tempal dramatically rolled his eyes and leaned against a maple tree, propping himself on one hip.
He placed his palm on the hilt of his sword.
“I’m not saying no one should check it out.
I’m just suggesting we go in with more men.
Maybe a dozen…” He peeped down into the hole again. “Actually, make that two dozen.”
I shook my head and crossed my arms against my chest. “A dozen men wouldn’t fit through this narrow passage. It’s too tight…and I’m not risking the lives of that many men for a mere inspection.”
Tempal’s eyes widened, his pupils dilating, as he backed away from the edge of the pit.
“Relax!” I teased him. “I’m just fucking with you. I’m sure there’s nothing even down there, but we still need to check it out just to be sure.”
With that proclamation, I climbed down the rope ladder and jumped halfway to the bottom with a thud.
“Come on!” I shouted impatiently. “You can stay or leave, but either way, I’m going in.”
Tempal squeezed his lips together in frustration. “For goodness’ sake, Glade,” he blurted as he descended. “You know I would never let you go down there alone. What kind of friend would I be if I abandoned you in the face of death?”
“Probably a smart one.” I grinned, flicking him in the chest.
He swatted my finger away with a scowl. “Fuck off!”
He squirmed, but then his attention was drawn to the stone archway behind my head, where the brand symbol had been etched into the stone.
“Shit, it really is down here,” he moaned.
I pivoted to examine the symbol again. The last time I had been down here, I hadn’t really gotten a good look at it; my focus had been on aiding a crippled Jane back to the castle. It had been no easy feat. Just getting out of the pit had drained every ounce of energy I had.
I wondered if she hated me for it. The truth needed to be said, but I hadn’t meant to come across so harsh. Earth was a useless planet. It offered nothing in terms of Source Light, and it was inadequate in the fight against the Tenebrae.
Jane needed to accept the fact that she wasn’t an Earthling at all. She was from Domus.
The sooner she could embrace her true identity, the sooner she could harness Source Light and get out of my hair and into Jion’s arms. The thought of that made me uncomfortable for reasons I never wished to confess.
Still, I didn’t want her to hate me. I was starting to enjoy our time together, even if it had often been spent listening to her endless complaints. Sometimes, Jane could be amusing, and I loved getting under her skin. Maybe it was just the company of a woman I missed.
It had been years since I had any real relationship with a woman, and even those hadn’t been much of a “relationship.” Being stuck in the castle for most of my twenties made it difficult to form any romantic connections, aside from the occasional flirtation here and there.
The women I encountered daily were usually servants or vapid ladies of the court, and I was never in the mood to deal with their endless gossip and petty drama.
Still, it would be nice to occasionally nuzzle into a beautiful woman’s bosom, though in a “romantic” way, of course. I did plenty of that while fucking.
“Glade?” Tempal’s voice broke through my swarm of hazy thoughts.
“Mmm?” I realized my mind had wandered elsewhere. Somewhere it shouldn’t have been.
“The symbol?” Tempal prompted, pointing at the markings on the entrance wall.
I nodded and stepped closer, holding my torch high. Sure enough, the mark of the Tenebrae—two circles within one another, with a massive X crossing through both—had been carved into the stone archway.
“It’s authentic,” I admitted hesitantly. “We should see what’s on the other side.”
And with that, I passed through the wicked entrance.
Tempal inhaled deeply, then exhaled, muttering, “Here we go,” as he jogged to my side.
A while later, we were still trekking down the muddy footpath in the underground tunnel. In an act of boredom, I whistled a cheerful tune, but Tempal halted in his tracks, peering at me as if he wished for my death.
Fear didn’t come easily to me. Tempal, on the other hand, seemed afraid of everything and anything. I sometimes used this to my advantage when I needed some entertainment.
“Sorry,” I whispered, though I struggled to hold back my laughter, covering my mouth and nose with my hand.
“We’ve been walking through this tunnel forever, Glade. Where do you reckon it leads?” Tempal grumbled.
As I lit the next lantern with my torch, I replied, “I have my theories.”
“Yeah?” Tempal asked, skepticism clear in his voice. “And what brilliant ideas has Glade Everkain come up with this time?”
“Well,” I began, “which direction does this tunnel lead, Tempal?”
“Goddess, I feel like I’ve lost all sense of direction down here, but I think we’re heading south,” Tempal replied as we continued down the dimly lit corridor.
“And what lies south of the forest?” I encouraged, knowing he would eventually come to the same conclusion I had.
Tempal’s eyes blazed with realization. “The castle.”
I nodded once, affectionately patting Tempal on the shoulder as we ventured further into the unknown.
Eventually, Tempal and I reached a vast, nearly pitch-black open space that I assumed was concealed beneath the castle.
The cavern was murky and watery, a perfect breeding ground for all sorts of critters.
Rats scurried and shrieked as we made our way through a manmade entryway, which was easy to accept once I noticed the many columns lining the perimeter of the enormous oval-shaped cave.
I guessed these columns somehow supported the foundation of the castle above.
My boots grew soggy as I splashed through the cave’s darkness. Raising my torch, I noted that the ceilings were far too high. No one could reach them without machinery to dig a hole through the surface. How could this empty space serve as a secret passage into the castle?
“Glade…” Tempal moaned, and I whirled around to see what had him trembling.
The right-hand wall of the cavern had been completely coated with the scribbles of the Tenebrae’s mark and language—extensive symbols and certain hieroglyphs overlapping others. The entire wall was oozing crimson, as if it had been painted with blood.
“What. The. Fuck,” I breathed, glancing incredulously at Tempal by my side.
Without warning, a shriek echoed across the cavern, and we spun to confront the horrifying noise. Still holding my torch high, I squinted into the gloom, but it was no use; I was nearly blind.
The horrific, animalistic screech reverberated from our side as we faced the opposing wall. Tempal drew his sword from his belt, and I considered doing the same.
But before I could make a move, a deafening squeal pierced our ears once more, and a gangly grey figure lunged toward me.
The torch I had been gripping tight flew from my hands and landed on the wet ground, extinguished within an instant. I struggled to keep my footing as the creature, though smaller than me, mounted my back and shredded my clothes with its dagger-like claws.
Within seconds, I felt the fabric of my tunic give way, flesh tearing beneath its relentless assault, and I roared in pain.
“Glade!” Tempal screamed, though he was lost in the pitch-black darkness.
I tried to grasp the demon clinging to my back, but it squirmed, evading my frantic hands. Desperate, I reached for my daggers, ripping one from its sheath on my belt.
As if sensing my intention, the creature leapt from my back and darted into the shadows.
With only a moment to spare, I switched the dagger to my left hand and held my right palm before me.
In an instant, my Light flared to life, a glowing golden orb waiting to be hurled towards the concealed beast.
The previously unlit cavern was suddenly clearly illuminated, revealing everything around me.
“Glade, are you alright?” Tempal panicked, rushing to my side.
“Tempal, I need you to summon some Source Light,” I demanded, a pleading urgency laced each word.
“You know I’m not able to summon much,” he cried, visibly shaking where he stood.
“Do it!” I shouted, knowing in my gut that every second counted.
Tempal began muttering under his breath, holding out his palm as he strained to summon even a flicker of Light.
A small racket emitted from behind the left pillar ahead, and I swerved to face it. The creature darted between the pillars, skillfully evading each ball of Light I hurled its way. I didn’t have much time before it would be upon me.
Having not replenished my energy levels before entering the pit, my power drained rapidly. I could feel my reserves becoming dangerously low.
“Come on!” I nearly screamed at Tempal.
Another ball of Light left my palm, hurtling toward the creature as it jumped through the last two pillars between us, but to no avail. The orb missed the beast by a hair, and my Light sizzled against the marble post.
The sound of footsteps rushing through puddles flooded my ears as my Light flickered. Shit, how could I forget to charge before coming down here? Was I really that foolish?
Foolish Glade! Never using his brain!
My Light fizzled out, and the splashing footsteps grew closer.
“Tempal!” I desperately wailed.
In a flash, he finally summoned enough Light to illuminate the small area we were standing in. In that same heartbeat, the creature lunged from its hiding spot, claws extended and aimed toward my heart.
As if time slowed, I drew my sword from its sheath and sliced through the beast’s neck. The distorted body crumpled to the ground as its mangled head flew in the opposite direction. My blade dropped to my side as I collapsed to my knees, straining to slow my ragged breathing.
Still holding his small ball of Light, Tempal inspected me for injuries. Though marred by a few superficial scratches, I was fine.
And so, after a few moments of catching my breath, we made our way to examine the corpse of the creature I had just killed.
It had pale grey skin, patchy hair, red eyes, and sharp teeth, much like the other Tenebranians I had encountered.
However, this monstrosity’s spine protruded like spikes through its back, pushing against its tight skin as if trying to break free.
Its knees were bent at an unnatural angle, and its teeth were sharp and jagged, more akin to an animal’s.
While Tenebranians usually bore a slight resemblance to humans, this creature was a far cry from one. What could it have been?
“Oi, I think I’m going to be sick,” Tempal groaned, bending over his knees and spitting on the ground.
As Tempal did his best not to vomit, I explored the rest of the cavern with my torch, now relit thanks to his Light. I reached the far end and noticed strange etchings on the walls, symbols that resembled a language, perhaps even instructions.
In the centre of the etchings was a chalk sketch of a handprint. Cautiously, I placed my bloodied palm against it. Within moments, the shape began to blaze crimson, stinging painfully to the touch.
I flinched and pulled my hand back, checking for burns, but saw none. Instead, a rectangular chunk of the stone wall began to vanish, disintegrating before my very eyes until it was completely gone.
“What the…” I trailed off, stepping through the void.
Inside was a tiny room filled with scattered storage items. One side featured a large shelf draped in cobwebs, cluttered with dozens of mouldy jars. On the opposite stood a cupboard overflowing with pots and pans, their surfaces tarnished with rust and age.
On the final wall, I noticed an aged and damaged wooden ladder that reached toward the ceiling. When I peered up the ladder, I saw a small square of the ceiling had been cut away and replaced by a latched door.
I climbed the ladder, grasped the latch, and pulled, but it didn’t budge. I pushed instead. Nothing.
“Mate!” Tempal called from below.
“No worries!” I shouted. “I’m in here.”
Tempal joined me in the cramped space.
“What in the absolute…” he began, hands on the back of his head, elbows raised high. his eyes were as wide as saucers as he glanced at me in shock.
“I guess we know how those bastards keep getting into the castle,” I said nonchalantly. “And I believe you were right. I think someone is letting them in.”