A Kingdom in Half Light

Chapter 32; The Red Wall

We headed deeper and deeper into the ruins, the walls here were even more damaged, one had been forced through by a root larger than a person. We walked over vast chasms of endless golden stone, passed age-old warriors of impossible smooth materials and once or twice came across strange twisted pieces of metal without any seeming use.

We walked down another corridor the same as all else, and came abruptly upon a wall, it seemed to have been shabbily made, plaster had been splashed uncaringly upon weak stone, painted on it seemed to be a symbol, a crown or a skull, none of us were quite sure. As there was no obvious other way we hammered on it and prised out a few bits of rock, soon there was a hole large enough to see through, at a glance nothing but when you looked hard there seemed to be something… a thousand faces.

 After half an hours work we pushed our way through; it was lit by a reddish light with no apparent source but then again so was the rest of the ruin. The faces we had seen were statues and it the centre of the room a throne; an elven throne.

There was a shrill cry from the other end of the room where Frendimire had gone to investigate followed by a bone-chilling thud, bone on solid, hard metal.

There were footsteps, there seemed to be many of them, I readied for a fight so did Endrilball, the footsteps grew closer and a figure, or rather five came into view, all skeletally grey and all clearly and unmistakably… dead. Their eyeless sockets turned towards us, flesh pealing from their bones, one was bearded and seemed to make a rasping noise like a cattle as it was being bled for sacrifice. The four of them charged at us and we moved out sideways to avoid them, they turned behind us and came again, two after me, three after Endriball.

Undead, I thought there was no such thing.

I took out my sword and pushed it forward breaking the surprisingly fragile skull of one, the other took a swing at me with a rusty spiked club. Missed. He swung again by which time I had my sword ready, I caught the club with the point and wrenched it from his hands, there was a moment of surprise before I cracked his chest open, and he fell.

Endriball took down the two chasing her and then stopped, she knelt down to look at the remains; dust.

I looked at the throne; a single word was etched into the back, an ancient elven word.

“We must keep moving,” she said, “There must be a gate here that was left unlocked.”

I tried to ask her what she meant by ‘a gate’ but she was busy checking round every corridor and insisted on silence. The hall leaving the throne chamber was larger than the others and doors split off into different living spaces. At the end there emanated a red glow; its brightness was of such power that it seemed denser than normal light. The gate itself was a black square with beautiful carvings chased round the edges, in-between its edges there was what seemed like a red pool of water that rippled like a flame without power.

I reached forward but my hands could not touch it, it was not locked, but still not open, Endriball had told me that there was a word which opened it and I remembered the word etched into the throne I spoke it, it echoed and I heard it twice, the ripple moved outwards, we were through, and so were the things locked behind it. Slowly and mysteriously quietly a hundred dark shadows moved through, I stepped back but, as they turned towards me, they changed, their shape more obvious and then they formed, skeletons, shackled in chains, broken chains.

They drew out weapons, clubs, swords, axes, bows, and let loose their terror upon us. I ran in, cutting and slashing for we were cornered, they blocked the exit. One with a club swung at me and I only just managed to block it; I was knocked backwards. A skeleton behind me took a swing and I ducked; his sword missing the top of my head, he swung again, my hand was released from my body. Standing back up I smashed into him as I ran and an arrow caught me in the back, I staggered and a final skeleton took aim, I stared for an eternity into his face, gnarled, broken but over all complete, a perfect work of creation… or insanity. Suddenly his bow dropped to the floor, a blade stuck through his chest, Endriball saved me and then the skeleton beside me stabbed me.

I fell backwards, my body cold, mind blank, into the portal.