Seeker of Legends (Fate of Legends Book 2), page 44
Xerxes grunted, crossing one pair of arms over his chest.
“Neither can you, meat-shield,” she added. “Point is, the faster we find it, the better.”
Hunter nodded, glancing down at one of the guards.
“Maybe they know,” he offered. He walked up to one, taking off his helmet and kneeling to lower his forehead to theirs. He grimaced; their skin was already cool. Images flashed in his mind’s eye, and he let them, not bothering to try to make sense of them. Then he got to his feet, putting his helmet back on and looking up at the second story.
“I think it’s upstairs,” he ventured.
“You ‘think?’” Vi asked.
“Memories aren’t like reading a book,” he retorted. “They’re vague, incomplete. They give me a kind of intuition.” He gestured up the stairs. “We can go up, and my gut will tell me where to go from there.”
“How reassuring.”
“I found Camilla’s place that way,” he reminded her. “From a piece of paper, mind you.” She smirked, and was about to open her mouth when he gave her a look. “Don’t even think about it,” he warned.
“Too late,” she replied with a wink. “Already did.”
Hunter heard sudden shouting from ahead, and looked up to see soldiers on the second story, running for the stairs. He unsheathed his longsword, then spotted two men carrying crossbows among the soldiers. He swore, running for one of the columns and taking cover behind it.
“Crossbows,” he warned.
“See them,” Vi shouted back.
One of the crossbowmen hid behind a column on the second story, while the other crouched, aiming at Vi while the other guards rushed down the stairs. Hunter grabbed his bow, nocking an arrow and firing it at the crossbowman; the arrow struck the guy’s helmet, ricocheting off and snapping the guy’s head back. Another arrow buried itself into the guy’s neck; Hunter glanced at Vi, who was standing out in the open, her bow in her hands. She winked at him.
“Show-off,” he grumbled.
The other soldiers were halfway down the stairs now; they spotted Xerxes standing in the center of the foyer, and slowed, eyeing the massive Ironclad warily. The second crossbowman leaned out from behind the column, firing down at Vi, who dodged the bolt, nocking an arrow of her own. She held the bow sideways, firing at the guy. But the arrow went far wide of the target, sailing to the right of the column the man was hiding behind.
And then it curved in mid-air, arcing around the column and striking the crossbowman in the shoulder!
“How in the…” Hunter blurted out, staring at Vi in disbelief. “You can do that?”
“Oh yeah,” she replied, flashing a grin.
She put her bow away then, unsheathing her mace and rushing toward the foot of the stairs…and at the guards still standing in the middle of them. But Xerxes held out one hand, blocking her way. She skidded to a stop, glancing up at the big guy.
“All right, have some fun,” she muttered, gesturing up the stairs.
Xerxes grinned, then charged up the stairs.
The soldiers cried out, running back up the stairs, but Xerxes was too quick for them. He went after them, reaching the closest two and grabbing them by the backs of their uniforms, tossing them down the stairs. The remaining guards turned on him, slashing at him with their swords. He grabbed their blades with his bare hands, ripping them from their grasps, then pummeling them with their own weapons, using the hilts to bash their skulls. He threw the swords away, then grabbed a soldier in each of his four hands, holding them by their necks and lifting them high in to the air.
Then he squeezed.
Muffled cracks echoed through the large foyer, and Xerxes tossed the four men down the stairs. They fell like rag-dolls, rolling down the last of the steps and stopping in a heap at the bottom.
Vi stepped over them, making her way up the stairs to his side.
“Feel better?” she inquired. He looked down at her, his lips curling into a smirk.
“MUCH.”
“Must’ve hurt your feelings,” she ventured, “…getting your ass kicked like that earlier.” She patted him on one of his arms. “You’re a good little brother, Blue.”
Hunter smiled at that, joining them in the middle of the stairs.
“Damn right,” he agreed. “I have a hard time thinking of you as ‘little’ though,” he added, craning his neck back to look up at Xerxes. “I guess technically I’m older.”
“Not really,” Vi countered. “You’re like what, almost fifty Blue?” Xerxes nodded.
“Ah, right,” Hunter muttered. He’d forgotten about the time difference between here and Earth.
“Lead the way,” Vi told Hunter, gesturing for him to continue up the stairs. Hunter did so, reaching the top of the stairs and turning right. The balcony led to a hallway to the left and one straight ahead; he turned left. Not because he knew where to go, but because it felt right. Still, it felt strange trusting in someone else’s memories, not even really aware of the details of them. He supposed it made sense; he never really had to think about where he was going when he knew where to go. Never had to pause in thought to get through his house back on Earth. It was all automatic…and it made sense that it would be for other people’s memories, too.
“You sure you’re going the right way?” Vi asked from behind.
“Nope.”
He led them down a long hallway, nearly as ornate as the foyer had been. They passed door after door on either side; Hunter kept his longsword in his hands, all-too-aware that there had to be guards all over the huge castle. Damn place had to have over a hundred rooms, if not more. He heard the sudden sound of a bell tolling in the distance, and glanced questioningly at Vi.
“Alarm,” she explained.
As if on cue, one of the doors ahead opened, three more soldiers rushing into the hallway. They saw Hunter, unsheathing their swords…and then spotted Xerxes behind him, their eyes going wide, their jaws dropping.
Hunter rushed them, knocking the nearest soldier’s blade to the side, then slashing at his face. He screamed, dropping his sword and clutching at his bloodied face, stumbling backward into his fellow soldiers. Hunter kicked the soldier, knocking all three of them down…then ended them one-by-one.
“Aww,” Vi said as Hunter stepped over their bodies, pretending to wipe away a tear. “Kids…they grow up so fast.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Hunter replied. Vi and Xerxes followed him further down the hallway, which ended quickly, branching to the left and right. He hesitated, suddenly unsure of where to go.
“What’s up?” Vi asked. Hunter sighed, shaking his head.
“That fight screwed me up,” he admitted. “Now I’m thinking too much…not sure where to go.” He glanced back the way they’d come. “I need to get in the zone again.”
“In the zone?”
“Figure of speech,” he explained. “Means I gotta…” He paused. "Just trust me." He stepped back over the guards, going back down the hallway. There was shouting in the distance, the bell still tolling. “Whose genius idea was it to go through the front door, anyway?” he grumbled.
“I’m sorry, did you prefer the back door?” she inquired with a grin.
“Camilla did,” he shot back.
“Thought that was a sensitive subject.”
“Well,” he replied, continuing down the hallway, “…it was consensual the first time. And besides,” he added, “…I’ve decided I’m going to kill the bitch.”
“Tsk tsk,” Vi scolded. “You don’t have to kill everyone that crosses you.”
“Maybe I’ll just maim her then.”
“You hurt her, she’ll try to hurt you back,” Vi replied. “Focus on becoming someone she’d never want to mess with again. Then maybe you’ll be able to stop her from screwing with anyone else.”
“Fine then,” he agreed, reaching the end of the hallway, then turning around. “Now shut up and let me do my thing.”
“Yes master.”
“You’re learning,” Hunter quipped, winking at her. He took a deep breath in then, letting it out and staring down the hallway. He started forward again, trying his best to ignore his brain’s chatter. He passed door after door, stepping over the guards again, then reaching the end of the hallway…and turned left.
“This way,” he informed Vi and Xerxes.
He continued down yet another hallway, spotting an ornate door at the end of it. It was, he knew, the door to Dominus’s bedroom.
“Bingo,” he declared.
“You always say that when you succeed,” Vi observed. Then she smirked. “Which explains why it’s only the second time I’ve heard it.”
“Ha ha.”
Hunter walked toward the door, then felt a big hand on his shoulder. He stopped, and Xerxes squeezed past him, walking up to the door and opening it…and revealing two guards on the other side. They shouted, then promptly died.
Xerxes stepped over their bodies, gesturing for Hunter and Vi to follow.
“Do your thing,” Vi ordered. Hunter walked up to Dominus’s bed, lowering his forehead to the pillow there. He figured it was where the duke’s brain was closest to a third of each day, and therefore the best place to extract the man’s memories. He closed his eyes, images zipping by in his mind’s eye, not bothering to try to analyze them. After a moment, he stood up, then walked to one of the windows, peering out of it.
“The entrance to the vault is underground at some shrine,” he stated. “But it’s not in the castle…it’s outside, in the gardens.”
“Alright,” Vi replied. “Let’s go.”
They made their way out of the room and back down the hallway, retracing their steps…and running into a few soldiers along the way. Xerxes made quick work of them, making fresh holes in the walls with their heads. It wasn’t long before they’d returned to the foyer, descending the stairs and walking through the front doors. Hunter led them leftward, hugging the side of the castle as he went. They reached the gardens, taking a cobblestone path between the lush vegetation. The pungent odor of flowers was almost overwhelming.
“It’s up ahead,” Hunter notified, pointing off into the distance. There was a clearing there, and large wooden pallets lying on the ground, dozens of wooden crates stacked on top of them. He got close, then stopped, peering at them. There were insects buzzing around them…they looked like bees.
“What?” Vi asked.
“Bees,” Hunter muttered, grimacing in distaste. “I hate bees.”
“So where’s the damn entrance?” Vi pressed. She grabbed her bow then, aiming toward the castle and firing off an arrow. It flew into an open window on the fourth floor, and Hunter heard a scream.
“Under that pallet,” he answered, pointing to the leftmost one.
“Alright,” she stated. “What’re you waiting for?”
“I ain’t messing with those goddamn bees,” Hunter replied. He’d have to take all the crates off first…and he knew damn well – probably from Dominus’s memories – that those crates contained beehives. Lots of beehives.
Xerxes pushed past him, striding up to the pallet and reaching down to lift up one side. The crates slid off, tumbling onto the ground…and releasing a swarm of angry bees. They flew straight for Xerxes, covering the big guy in the least comfortable blanket Hunter could imagine. Xerxes, of course, hardly minded the swarm; even if their stingers could’ve gotten through his armor, he’d heal instantly.
Xerxes flipped the pallet over, revealing a large circle of dirt below.
“So where exactly is this entrance?” Vi inquired, arching one eyebrow at Hunter.
“Under that dirt,” he answered. Xerxes grunted, kneeling down and brushing the dirt aside…revealing gray stone beneath. It was a hatch, Hunter realized.
“Let me guess,” Vi stated. “Bingo?”
“Yup,” Hunter agreed. “Hey bro, think you can kill those bees for me?”
Xerxes nodded, flopping onto his back and rolling around on the ground, crushing the bees that were crawling on him. Then he got up, shaking their tiny corpses off. At length, the rest of the bees dissipated.
“All right, let’s move before more soldiers find us,” Vi ordered. Hunter walked up to the hatch, studying it. There were three circular rings in the center, like the rings on a dartboard. Symbols were carved into each of them at regular intervals.
“It’s a combination lock,” Hunter explained. He knelt down, pressing down on the outermost ring, then sliding his hand to the side. The ring rotated; he kept going until the symbol of a bee was facing a small notch in the stone beyond the ring.
“Little obvious,” Vi opined.
Hunter moved the middle ring, rotating it in the opposite direction, until a symbol of a skull was lined up below the bee. Then he rotated the innermost ring, stopping at a symbol of a castle. There was a click, and he stood up.
“Done,” he proclaimed. “It should swing open.”
Xerxes did the honors, digging his fingertips under the hatch, then lifting upward…and revealing a deep cylindrical hole in the ground, with walls of stone. There was a ladder leading down it.
“The third rung down is booby-trapped,” Hunter warned. “Skip it.”
“Sure thing,” Vi replied…and promptly jumped down the shaft, vanishing into the darkness beyond. Hunter shook his head, then used the ladder, avoiding the third rung. Then he glanced up at his brother.
“ME…GUARD,” Xerxes stated.
“Gotcha,” Hunter replied. “Thanks bro…and be careful, okay?” Xerxes only grinned, making it obvious that he had no intention of following Hunter’s advice.
Hunter made his way down the ladder, darkness enveloping him as he descended. He reached the bottom of the shaft some ten feet down, and turned around, peering into the utter darkness.
“Vi?”
He saw a flash of light, then spotted Vi ahead of him, standing in a small tunnel with irregular stone walls. She was carrying a short torch.
“Where’d you get that?” he asked.
“Always prepared,” she stated, grinning at him. “It’s a woman thing.”
“Be careful,” he warned, peering down the tunnel. “This place is full of booby-traps.”
“Not surprising,” she replied. “Having people break into his family’s shrine is Dominus’s worst nightmare. His family goes all the way back to the original Tykus’s lifetime…six thousand years ago.”
“Damn.”
“The oldest family in the kingdom,” she informed. “And most prestigious, other than Tykus’s, of course. We’re almost certainly the first people other than Dominus’s ancestors to ever be inside this place.”
“I’m honored,” Hunter grumbled.
“Yeah, well let’s not spend too much time here,” Vi stated. “Gotta be some real powerful wills in here. I don’t want Dominus inside of me.”
“Me neither,” Hunter agreed. Vi grinned.
“There’s a visual.”
He ignored her, walking past her down the tunnel, stepping over one part of the floor. A pressure-activated plate, he knew; one that, when stepped on, would result in something terrible happening to whoever did so. Dominus’s memories didn’t say what exactly, but he knew well enough to avoid it. He didn’t even have to tell Vi what to do; she copied his movements exactly, following a few feet behind. They continued onward, and he walked around another invisible pressure-plate, hugging the wall. He slowed then.
“Duck,” he warned. Then he took a step forward, following his own advice. He heard a click, and something shot through the air above his head from behind, flying down the tunnel and vanishing into the darkness beyond.
“Bet he has to reset that trap every time he comes down here,” Vi guessed. Hunter nodded.
“Yup.”
“Must be weird having all those memories inside you,” she mused. “Ever get confused which ones are yours?”
“Sometimes.”
Onward they went, until the tunnel curved suddenly to the left. He spotted a small metal bolt on the ground near the wall ahead; it looked like a crossbow bolt. He had the urge to pick it up so that he could re-arm the trap on the way back, but ignored it. He turned left with the tunnel, spotting a closed wrought-iron door ahead.
“It’s locked,” he warned, stepping up to it. There was a small lever where a door handle would be. He pushed inward, feeling it sink into the door a little, then pulled to the right, then rotated it upward forty-five degrees…and not an inch farther. Failure to unlock the door properly would result in it locking permanently.
The door swung open.
“Damn Hunter,” Vi murmured. “You got a hell of a gift.”
He went through the doorway, being sure not to close it behind him. Doing so would activate another trap. He had to give Dominus credit…without the man’s memories, it’d be damn near impossible to get to the shrine intact.
“Keep it open,” he told Vi as she passed through. She nodded. They continued down another long tunnel, avoiding more traps, until they reached another door at the end. Hunter unlocked this as well, using another series of movements that no one could have guessed. It opened, and he stepped through into the large underground chamber beyond.
“And here we are,” he murmured, waiting for Vi’s torchlight to illuminate the room as she stepped through the doorway. “Whoa,” he breathed, looking ahead, his jaw dropping. “God damn.”
“Holy shit,” Vi exclaimed.
Chapter 39
Dominus yanked his sword from the back of the Seeker he’d impaled, sprinting toward the long table in the center of the Hall of Tykus. He watched in horror as the lives of four of the six dukes of Tykus were snuffed out, as their murderers – the remaining four Seekers – ran toward Duke Ratheburg and King Tykus himself, their swords glimmering in the lantern-light.
And watched helplessly as a Seeker reached the end of the table, lunging at King Tykus, still seated in his chair. As the Seeker’s blade went right for Tykus’s heart. If Dominus could have shouted, he would have. But terror gripped his throat, no sound able to pass through its grasp.
