Tales of the Vangen: The Dead King of Danic (Book 3)

Chapter 49: Hammer and Nail

"I'm getting too old for this shit!" Regis screamed as he barreled down a narrow cave tunnel. He held Fenris by the collar with one hand, his hammer gripped tight in the other, practically dragging the two of them along as a pack of angry skeletons chased after their boot heels.

He jumped over a shallow pool of stagnant water, sickly green light bouncing off its tepid surface, glowing eyes in deep, hollow sockets reflecting back. Fractal patterns of Black Glass glittered and winked off rattling arms and legs, clutching to the bone like tumors.

A quarter century ago Regis would have browned his trousers at the sight of them, but his time in the Empire had thoroughly dulled his senses towards such things, and as far as he was concerned this was more mildly annoying than gut wrenchingly frightful.

Sure, he was going to die, probably, but if dying was the only outcome, then who cared really. The Empress had proven death to be the least of his concerns, especially when she came to visit.

The narrow tunnel widened into a yawning chasm, the sounds of running water growing louder. Regis came to a halting stop before a series of pools feeding one another down a narrow cliffside. Tiny waterfalls carried the hidden spring towards a hollow gorge, and at the very edge slicing the narrow stream in two, was a towering crystal of pure Black Glass.

The very sight of it snatched his breath away. The crystal had grown organically into a fan of jutting boundaries, sharpened points, and geometric ridges, looming as tall as a Byzantian clock tower, and radiating with equal menace.

He remembered staring at one of them once, watching the tower's metal fingers meticulously count the day, creating time out of nothing. It baffled him back then as the crystal did now.

"Harald!" Fenris snarled as he wrenched himself free of his limp grip. "Quit daydreaming! Look over there!" He jabbed a finger out towards the gorge, and Regis followed it.

His guts caved in the moment he realized what Fenris was pointing at. More sickly, glowing eyes flickered into life within the crystal, bodies swimming through the glass as if it were water, clawing at the surface, trying to pull themselves free.

"This is why I farking hate magick!" Regis roared, mind racing on what to do next. "Because of shit like that!" He lashed his hammer out, catching a skeleton in the chest and sending it crunching back into the arms of its undead compatriots.

"Come on!" Regis nabbed Fenris by the collar once more and jumped off the edge, dragging the poor man with him into one of the outstretched basins. The entire structure came apart upon impact, snapping off at the base and hurling the two of them down on a crumbling stone sled.

"If we die," Fenris screamed. "I hope your Gods burn you alive!"

"Tell 'em to get in line!"

To their fortune, their impromptu sled came apart at the very last second, pitching the two of them over at the bottom and sending them flopping end over end on smooth, slick stones. A ridge of tough rock caught Regis in the shoulder and he came to an unhappy stop, bruised knuckles still gripped tight around the hammer.

He rose shakily to his feet, boots scuttling for purchase on the wet floor, crystal tower growing brighter and brighter ahead of him as more of the dead awakened, pouring out like maggots in a carcass.

The hairs on his neck shot up. He turned around. His skeletal friends from earlier stood crowded along the edges from where he'd tumbled down, a few of them crawling down in pursuit. He really was caught between two battles this time, and with only a crazy bastard like Fenris as backup.

Today was looking to be quite the shit show.

Regis turned back around towards the glass monolith, studying it, thinking of what he could do to get out of this mess, and found himself smiling. As if by some miracle a great stalactite protruded out from the rocky ceiling, directly above the crystal. His eyes followed the edges surrounding it, and found a ledge he might be able to use to climb up to. All he needed to do was make it happen.