[SleepingDragon]: 268.The Staff of Illidon.Chapter Seven- Ghosts

Chapter Seven- Ghosts

Going to the throne room was out of the question. The entire main hall would be full of the large arachnids as soon as the levitation spell wore off. They would have to give the creatures time to disperse before returning to the lower floor.

“What now?” Chad asked. “We can’t get back down there with a room full of those things in the way.”

“Let’s explore some of the upper floor.” William said. “The spiders should go back to their nest if we are not around to bother them.”

“We bother them?” Chad asked incredulously.

“It is their home and we barged in.”

“I would happily barge back out, if there was a way.” Chad retorted. “Which reminds me. Shouldn’t we be looking for a way out of this hole?”

“We will find a way.” William promised, hoping beyond hope that he was correct. “Those spiders feed on something to be so large. There must be other tunnels out.”

“I hope you are right wizard.”

“The royal sleeping chamber should be close.” Mari changed the subject. “Perhaps this crown can be found there.”

“Good idea.” William agreed. “If I am correct, it should be directly above the throne room”

The company searched around the area and soon found an archway in the wall behind them. They passed through it cautiously, finding a cobweb-strewn hallway. This wound back into the structure, turning first right and then left before ending at a set of stairs. They moved up the short staircase in front of them and found themselves facing a heavy set of double doors.

“Locked.” Chad announced after trying both of the doors. “And they are too heavy to break down.”

“Stand aside.” Mari told him, reaching for one of her throwing knives. Chad complied. William held the torches as Mari inserted the tip of her knife in the keyhole. She fumbled about with it for half a moment before a click was heard, and the door swung inward.

“Acura on fara!” came a voice from within the chamber. Chad instantly had his sword in hand, Mari an arrow notched. The three comrades exchanged disbelieving glances.

“Someone else is here.” Mari whispered, trying to peer through the doorway. Chad took a more direct approach.

“Who goes there!” He yelled into the chamber.

“Acura on fara!” The voice said again.

“It is old Illidonian.” William informed them. “It means ‘Guards to the king’.”

Suddenly the sound of many footsteps could be heard. They came from the passage the party had just traversed. Chad grabbed a torch from William and tossed it to the corner of the hallway.

“Lose that torch, wizard!” he cried. William tossed the other torch in through the open doorway of the chamber, leaving the company in utter darkness.

By the light of the torch Chad had thrown down the hallway, they watched as a pair of mail clad men appeared, swords in hand. Arrows instantly whipped down the short passage from Mari’s bow. While all found their targets, none had any effect. As the light of the torch illuminated the guards, it became evident why. The approaching adversaries had no life in them. They were but rotting flesh over skeletal frames.

“Undead!” William shouted. “Arrows are no good!”

“Stay behind me!” Chad commanded and then leapt down the staircase toward the approaching apparitions of horror.

Steel rang upon steel as Chad’s blade met that of his first opponent. With a circular swipe he disarmed his adversary and with a wide swing to follow, took of its head. It collapsed to the floor in a pile of bones.

The second of the undead turned out to be much more proficient a swordsman. It seemed that whatever skill it had in life, it also retained in death. It appeared to be more than a match for Chad, backing him down the passageway as it cut, thrust and parried in a whirlwind of spinning steel. At last, Chad tripped on the staircase behind him and the creature moved to run him through. The mercenary rolled aside, avoiding the killing blow. Still upon his knees, Chad made a massive slice with his blade that split his opponent in two at the torso.

The creature was not stopped by this. It lay upon the stone floor, swinging its blade wildly to no avail. Chad regained his feet and lopped off its head. It then fell to the ground in a crumpled heap.

More footsteps could be heard now and Chad set himself to defend again. This time a single adversary appeared in the torchlight. Instead of a blade, this one wielded a bow. Chad leapt at the creature as it notched an arrow, but he was too late. Though he quickly disposed of the undead guard, it had managed to fire and the arrow found its mark in Mari’s upper left arm.

Mari fell upon the stone steps, bleeding and groaning in pain. Chad retrieved the torch and rushed to where she lay.

“Mari!” He gasped.

“It is all right.” Mari winced. “Get it out of me.”

Chad grasped the arrow and began to pull, causing Mari to clench her teeth and groan loudly. He stopped.

“All right.” He said with a grin. “On three. One…”

Chad pulled hard on the arrow before he finished the count. Mari gave a loud gasp as it came free. Her bleeding increased immediately and Chad clasped his hand over the wound to slow it.

“Wizard, make a bandage!” He yelled to William.

William cut a part of his own cloak with his blade and in a few moments, they had Mari’s arm wrapped and the bleeding under control. William then performed a light cure spell on her to seal the puncture. He was not powerful enough to heal the wound entirely. She would have limited use of the arm for some time. Using her bow would be difficult, if not impossible.

They moved to help her to her feet but she refused aid, waving them off with her good arm.

“My legs are not injured.” She said simply, climbing to her feet. “Come, we have a sleeping chamber to explore.”

They had forgotten about the chamber in the commotion of the attacking undead. They still didn’t know whose voice it was they had heard. William had a good idea though.

“Be on guard.” He told them as they moved to enter the chamber. “We have not seen the last of the dead.”

William was again correct as was immediately apparent when they passed through the doorway. An apparition unlike any of them had ever seen hovered above a broken bed on the far side of the room. It glowed with a grotesque luminescence and the very sight of it filled them with paralyzing fear. Its gossamer robes swayed as if in an unseen breeze. Upon its head was a crown and its face was horrendous to behold. It spoke in a language that only William could understand, and he didn’t have the strength of heart to translate for his comrades.

When it finished speaking it approached the three but none of them possessed the will to make a move in defense. As it passed through them, it turned their blood chill and made them feel as if they had been stabbed with a cold blade. Afterward, it hovered through the doorway they had entered by and disappeared through the far wall of the passageway.

It took several moments for them to recover from the confrontation with whatever it was they had seen. They stood where they were, staring blankly at one another until finally Chad broke the silence.

“Let me guess.” He said. “King Illidon?”

“Yes.” William replied simply.

“What did he say?”

“He is unhappy we are here.”