Blood of the Righteous

Alas, Poor Angus!

Time for the midday meal, thought Angus McCracken. The dungeons of the Ki Kalendeen castle rarely needed more than the current three guards. The cells were occupied by the few thieves, bandits, vagrants, and brawlers that chose to try their luck in Lystra. Lord Alexander was a kind and just Lord, and he employed a large force of city guards. They kept the peace very well, but when someone dared to break the King's laws, they either ended up down here or they fled Lystra, never to be seen again. Today, there were only seven inmates to feed and supervise. All prisoners were to earn their keep in the dungeon, and McCracken kept them hard at work smelting iron ingots from the ore brought in from the Blackstone Mountains to the south.

A serving girl brought his tray to him. The kitchen always supplied some of the best food to the castle servants. Lord Alexander had always believed in keeping those in his employ happy, as he always had believed in keeping those under his command happy. Angus had served in the Caledonian army and lost his leg to an enemy's sword. Abandoned by his comrades, he was left to die on a battlefield east of Crystal Falls. On their way back from battle after General Ki Kalendeen's decommissioning at the order of the newly crowned King Nicolae, the army came across the disillusioned Caledonian soldier. Ki Kalendeen was kind enough to mend his wounds and bring him with them. Upon returning to Lystra, Lord Alexander had hired him on as the warden of his castle's dungeons. Compared to his life in the Caledonian lowlands, it was a relatively luxurious way to spend his retirement years.

A cloth napkin, embroidered with an eagle and a cross, covered the food. He pulled the napkin away from the tray revealing freshly baked layer-rolls, venison, tubers, and boiled carrots. A large pitcher of ale also occupied the tray. The clanging of smith hammers had stopped as the sweaty inmates also took time for their meal. The smell of his meal brought longing looks as the criminals received flatbread, water, and dried meat.

One of the prisoners called over to him. "Hey, old man. Why can't we have some real food like you've got?"

"Shut your vile mouth, you filthy bastard! If you hadn't smashed that bottle over Innkeeper Dirk's head, you wouldn't be in here, would you! Now shut up and eat! You haven't much time." McCracken took a big bite of venison and stood up. He felt a small twinge of pain as he put his weight on the peg that stood where his leg used to be. He drew his sword, using it as a cane, and hobbled over to the loud-mouthed brawler.

"You are lucky I'm in chains, old man," said the young prisoner.

Angus just smiled at him. "If you think only your chains would stop you from slaying me, what do you say I take them off of you and we fight? If you win, you only work five hours a day for the rest of your stay here. If you lose, you shall work fifteen, assuming you survive. I've forgotten more about death than you shall probably ever see."

"You're full of piss and wind, old man. I'll wager you've never used that sword, except perhaps as a poker to stir a cook fire." The prisoners exploded in laughter. "In fact, you probably cut your own leg off while shaving!"

McCracken stroked his graying beard and nodded. "I can see your words have gotten you into as many fights as your running have gotten you out of. I've seen my share of battles, boy. I've been a soldier since your mother was still changing your smallclothes. I've seen boys like you run scared while soiling themselves at the first sign of the enemy. I have you figured for one like that. So, what say you, lad? Care to try for light work or are you a coward?"

The young prisoner stood up. "I'm no coward. It will be a pleasure to fight you. Maybe you can find a hook to match your peg leg after I remove your right hand at the wrist."

"So be it. "

He turned and yelled down the hallway. "Tomas, come here. I need you to watch the others while I teach this lout a lesson!"

There was no answer.

"Tomas! TOMAS!! Quit playing the fool, man. Come out here, I need you!"

A small flicker of yellow light appeared down the hallway, the source being around the corner. McCracken sighed and hobbled towards the hallway as Tomas rounded the corner.

"There you be, man. Come here, I need your help."

Tomas walked past him, a blank look to his face, as if the subordinate guard didn't acknowledge his presence. As he passed, McCracken noticed a gash across his chest. Blood seeped through the split in the ring mail armor.

"Are you well, lad? That looks a nasty cut you got there. Here, let me see that?"

As he reached up to check the younger guard's chest, his hand was quickly pushed away. Tomas continued walking towards the prisoners at a slow pace. Again, there was the flash of yellow light down the dark hallway.

"What in the name of...." McCracken grabbed a torch off the wall and limped towards the hallway, sword drawn. As he approached the corner, the yellow light flashed again and he heard voices.

"...it's not working! You mutilated the body too badly for me to raise him and I don't have time to make him a greater....wait, someone's coming. You, go see what it is."

McCracken hunched down to face whoever was going to round the corner. If they did not work for Lord Ki Kalendeen and had a weapon in hand, they would lose the offending limb. "All right, who the bloody hell do you....."

He froze in mid-sentence as a horrible sight came around the corner. A walking skeleton, bones gray with age, turned and looked at him with eyeless sockets. McCracken's throat clenched. He couldn't breathe as he was seized with the urge to run. Where he ran didn't matter, as long as he ran and never stopped, but he was paralyzed with sheer terror the likes of which he had never felt. His entire body started to shake and he heard screams coming from the room behind him. A warm trickle ran down his leg and his teeth clenched together, biting through his lower lip. The skeleton swung its weapon and connected with his shoulder. The pain of the iron bar's blunt impact brought him back in control of his body. He raised his hands to protect his face as the force of the mighty blow carried him into the wall. McCracken struck blindly in the direction of the walking nightmare. His sword was jarred from his hand as it struck something. He turned and hobbled as fast as he could towards the main dungeon, not daring to look back at the nightmare chasing him. A scream escaped his lips and pain shot through his good leg. Glancing down, he saw a detached skeletal arm gripping his ankle. He felt the bones in his leg start to snap and another blow from the iron bar landed on his back. The floor rose to meet his face and the world spun. Glancing up ahead of him, he saw Tomas standing with his sword in hand. McCracken reached down to his belt to grab his keys and threw them to his fellow guard.

"Tomas!" he wailed in a high pitched, fervent scream. "Let the prisoners go and get out of here! Hurry!" McCracken glanced up, and saw all seven of the prisoners lying on the ground in a growing pool of their combined blood.

Tomas stepped towards McCracken and raised his sword.

"NOOOOOO!!!!"

There was a loud crack of metal hitting bone, and old soldier lay still.

Dameus stepped out from the shadows of the hallway and calmly surveyed the room. A pleased smile crept across half of his face as he examined the condition of the body in front of him, sword sticking through its back. "Good, very little damage to the skeletal structure. If the others are in as good shape as this one..."

Dameus was interrupted by a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw one of the skeletons holding its own severed arm. "What do you want?"

"FIX!" the skeleton said in a gruff, raspy voice.

"Why? You've still got one good arm. I've work to do. Go stand guard over by the hallway."

The skeleton poked him again and shook its head. "FIX!!!" it insisted.

"Fine. In a moment."

"FIX NOW!!!!"

Dameus gave a flustered sigh. "Oh all right! You big baby. Hold still!" He placed the arm back in the socket and muttered a few incantations. A small flash of yellow light, and the arm was back in place. "Good as new. Now go and guard the hallway. The last thing we need now are guards or servants alerting the rest of the castle.

The skeletal warrior nodded and walked off towards the dungeon entrance. Dameus cracked his knuckles and pulled the sword from McCracken's ribs. "No more interruptions. We haven't much time."