Jonathon Dunn The Forgotten King

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.There -- stretched across the path in front of them -- was the lifeless andmutilated body of a man: his face and limbs torn off savagely, his skindrowned in blood, his eyes plucked from his head.He did not seem human, andhis mother s womb would not have known him.Yet beside the body lay a tellingpiece of evidence: a helmet of the Elite Guards. So it is, de Garcia whispered, Nicholas is before us, as is the devilhimself!Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlCHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN Rouse yourselves, men, for we must be on, Nicholas Montague scowled at hismen.He stood in front of them as they lounged on the outskirts of the forest,and was staring down the solitary peak before him.His dark hair, combed backward inerrantly, shone in the afternoon sun. My lord, one said, Could we not wait for the others to come, and let thembe the first to meet the demons and undead which the legends say dwellwithin?Page 199ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html Do you fear them? No, my lord, he said, and it was clear he did not. Then be silent, for I will not be advised by my inferiors.Come, follow me.The half dozen men stood, replacing their helmets and fastening their swordsto their waist.They were the Elite Guards, the best of Gylain s army: strongand agile, inured to hardship and emotion.They neither felt nor thought, forthey were beasts before men and soldiers before beasts; any remnant of manhoodhad been trained out of their souls.To some, the animal nature is an evilforce, a passion that destroys --and so to be subdued; but to the Elite Guard it was to be trained andcultivated, and in the end used to follow the wishes of their masters.It wastheir duty to kill, perhaps, but a man must first chose his allegiance beforehis duty is given.Montague did not wait for them, but set off across the plain at a rabid pace.When they came to the cave, he led them in without a moment s hesitation, fortheir lanterns were already lit and in their hands.In truth, the cave was thehallway of an ancient temple: its sides sculpted and lined with pillars, itsfloor tiled with the mountain s own rock.It went straight, but climbingupward at a ten degree incline.After a little more than twenty minutes, Montague stopped in front of amagnificent door, into which the tunnel ended.It spanned the width of thecavern, with a pillar on either side and a statue of a growling lion s headjutting out from the wall above it.The lion s face was three feet wide, andstood between a type of man-dog on the right and a man-alligator on the left-- both standing upright and looking strangely down upon the door.Two finecracks ran along the frame of the door, without which it would seem nothingmore than a continuation of the wall.The figure of a white eagle was etchedonto the face of the door, with its claws extended as if grasping something onthe floor.The party of soldiers -- withMontague and his own stone-chiseled face in the lead -- came to a stop beforeit. I doubt the wisdom of continuing further, said the same soldier who haddoubted on the plain. This door bids us depart, before we are destroyed bywhat lies within. The legends of this place affect even you, an Elite Guard? Montague askedwith a smile. Then what must it do to the untrained rebels? Perhaps they fearthe eternal darkness, and so we must increase their fears by realizing them. But, my lord, the soldier asked, How can we, when we ourselves are notdemons?Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html Are we not? Montague asked.He paused. If not now, then we will be in amoment, and he drew his sword, pressing it against the man s chest. Shall we begin? he asked, and began driving it slowly and firmly through thesoldier s armor and into his flesh.The soldier s face was a nightmare, butMontague only derided his death and sent his sword to the man s heart.Theblade came just within the organ of life, and the soldier passed from lifelike a dreamy, lingering spirit.His body sunk to the floor, laying face upbefore the door.Montague looked at the corpse for a moment, his face playing with some foulthought.Then, with the tip of his sword, he began to peel the skin from thesoldier s face.The other Elite Guards were at first abhorred, but it grew onthem like a moral mold that waited in the air for them be infested.One by oneeach drew his sword and joined Montague in his devilry, mutilating the body oftheir comrade.They laughed as they did, calling out to him in mockery, andtheir detail was lucid and horrific: some scratched rude claw marks, othershacked downwards to emulate a powerful bite.All at once they stopped andstepped back, seeing that nothing more could be accomplished.The body laydirectly beneath the claws of the eagle, its face staring into the eyes of thePage 200ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmllion. The only demons within this mountain are those we have brought in with us,Montague said after a pause, We are the only evil force here.But as he finished, the dead man s eyes opened, and a gurgling noise came fromhis throat.His hand began to shake, and his lips quivered violently until --at last -- a deep moan flied off his tongue, No!The soldiers fell back, trembling.Even Montague was startled Come, he said, Let us go from this place.He stepped forward, straddled the corpse, and pushed hard upon the door.Itgroaned loudly, then swung back on its hinges and opened the way before them.Beyond was the darkness.Montague could see nothing, but the black took manyshapes and filled his mind with strange colors and patterns.It was too devoidof light to be understood.He did not move through it, but stood there asbefore a wall that could not be passed [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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