Seal of the King (32 page)

“Take the girl
, and put her with the other one. Remember He wants her unharmed,” then with a devilish grin he said in a hiss, “for now.”

Aurora gave David a scared look
, and he gave her a small nod telling her not to resist. The hooded figures silently led her down the passageway to the right, and Festus went on to the left. David followed him. He watched Aurora heading into the passage, and she turned her head to give him one last look. He tried giving her a small smile of encouragement, but his muscles weren’t working properly. It was clear she was barely holding herself together, and he wished could say everything would be all right, but his confidence was waning.

***

David’s heart broke for her, but he knew this was not the time or the place to fight. He had no idea what they were up against. He followed Festus travelling deeper into the keep. He imagined they were well below ground now, and the heat emanating from the direction they were heading was becoming stifling. The passageway opened up into a massive chamber littered with stalactites and stalagmites. There was a large clear area on the ground that formed a semicircle against the back wall of the room. He could see that the ground dropped off before it reached the back wall and steam rose up from the chasm. Standing there facing the wall and rising steam, was a man.

Festus led David over towards him
and stopped short of the man, keeping his gaze on the ground. David stopped too watching him. He was wearing a dark cape, and his long blonde hair ran down past his shoulders to the middle of his back. He appeared to be well over six feet tall with broad shoulders, and he stood perfectly motionless. There were torches around the room casting a soft orange glow on the walls and floors. David realized that coming up from the fissure against the wall was the red and orange light of fire, dancing on the stone.

Looking down still
, Festus said, hesitantly, “Master he is here.”

David stood still watching the man, his apprehension building. He was trying to remain calm so he could think clearly
, but his mind was racing. For all he knew, when the man turned, he could attack David or just strike him dead on the spot, then what would happen to Aurora?

After what seemed like an eternity the man began to turn. David saw his face
, and he was momentarily stunned. He was handsome, even regal looking. If he met him on the street, David would never have thought he could have come from here. David looked up into his eyes, and saw the darkness, pitch black a cold lifeless void of light, and then he saw the man for who he was. What once was a handsome face now looked old and spotted, his expression showing his contempt and loathing at the man standing before him. David could feel the hate exuding out of him like waves of heat.

***

Aurora was taking calming breaths trying to keep from passing out. Her anxiety was welling up inside her, and it took all of her control to keep it in check. The memories and visions she had walking into the keep were haunting her, the weight of it all making it hard to breath. She was afraid of what was going to happen to her, but even more so she hated that they had been separated. She came here knowing she could die, but if they were standing together when it happened, it would be one thing. The thought that perhaps something would happen to him before she saw him again was like a knife twisting inside her.

They arrived at a room
where there was no one standing watch, and it didn’t appear to have a lock. The robed man opened it, and gestured to her to enter. She walked in, and the door was shut behind her. The room was bare except for a table, two chairs, and a pile of rags on the floor. Standing there not knowing what to do, Aurora was startled when the pile of rags began to move. She stood frozen waiting to see what was there, fingering the knife on her belt, when a woman’s face peered out from under them.

***

David stood there looking him in the eyes unflinchingly. This refusal to be intimidated was fueling His anger.

He
said, in a soft hissing voice, “Bow down to me.”

David hea
rd himself speak, but didn’t recognize his own voice, “Never.”

With a mighty swing that came with such speed
and force, that David never saw coming, he slammed a fist into David’s head. The blow was so forceful it lifted him off of his feet throwing him to the ground. David wasn’t sure of time after that. He could feel hot sticky blood on the side of his face, and his head and ear throbbed bitterly. He managed to open his eyes, and saw the Dark One’s feet standing in front of him. Using all his will he pushed himself up on his hands and knees, and then with a mighty effort stood up facing him.

David was unsteady on his feet
, but still managed to meet his gaze. He was staring into David’s eyes searching for something, and a curious expression came over his face. It was clear he was looking for something, but could not find it. Then somewhat absentmindedly he waved a hand, and said to Festus, “take him to the room. Show this young man the price of disobedience.”

Festus still looking down
, with excitement in his voice said, “right away, master.”

David didn’t resist. He knew it would be futile anyway
, but he didn’t want show any fear. He was afraid, he knew that whatever this room was would be a torment he could not imagine, but that was not what frightened him. He was afraid for Aurora, and if he gave in he knew she would be next.

***

Aurora knelt down to see the woman who was crawling out from under her makeshift blanket, and asked her “are you all right?”

The woman
said, “as good as can be expected, I never thought I’d see anyone else here.” Then she turned to face Aurora, and a look of surprise came over her face “I know you, I saw you a few weeks ago on my journey here. You were hiding from the troops.”

“
Dear God, you’re David’s mother.”

David’s mother looked at her with a mixture of shock
and concern “how did you know I have a son named David?”

“
He came here with me. He gave me this to give you.” She pulled out the cross necklace and handed it to her.

David’s mother let out a horrible wail of pain “oh no, what’s he doing here. Please no it can’t be true.” Then she began to sob.

Aurora put an arm around her, and said, “come sit with me, and I’ll tell you.”

His mother sobbing followed Aurora’s instruction without knowing what she was doing. As soon as she sat in the chair she asked
, “Why, why would he come here? Are we all dead? Did he die too?”

Aurora, remembering what David said, put the cross around his mother’s neck
, and said, “No we aren’t dead. David’s here to fulfill a prophecy.”

“So it’s true?” David’s mother said as her sobs started to slow. “I always hoped my husband was wrong about it.”

“You mean Gabe?”

David’s mother blinked, hearing his name seemed to rally her “yes, did David tell you about him?”

Aurora smiled at her, happy to see her calming down, and said, “I met him. He is the one who gave us these crosses to wear for protection.” Somehow his mother’s distress had helped her rally her strength, and set aside her own fears for the moment.

“Dear God! Gabe’s alive
!”

“Yes he is. It’s a long story
, but he was being held by an evil spirit, and David rescued him.” Aurora said, “How about if I tell you the story from the beginning. By the way, I’m Aurora.”

“Oh yes, I’m Ruth. I’ve been gone so long
, and expecting to die every day since they took me. When they brought me here I thought it was the end, I … “she froze for a moment “Aurora, is it really you? They always thought you were the one. Forgive me my manners, I’m so happy to meet you.”

“Don’t worry about it
, I’m so glad that we found you.” Aurora was also relieved to have company. The waiting was going to be the hardest part, and being alone with her thoughts might be too much. Aurora pulled the second chair around so she could sit across from Ruth, and began to tell her first what she knew about the day of the accident, then everything else that had happened.

In spite of their predicament
, Ruth smiled when she heard of her son’s bravery in saving his father. She was relieved to know Gabe was going to be ok. She watched Aurora, how she spoke of her son with such admiration, and it raised her spirits to see how much Aurora cared for him.

Aurora left out the last part of the prophecy
, just as David had at times, to spare her more concern than she already had. She also failed to mention that the two of them had been married, feeling that was something David should tell her.

When Aurora finished telling her story
, Ruth said, “You love him, don’t you?”

Aurora, even in this dark
and horrible place, couldn’t help but smile when she said, “yes I do.”

“
When he was a young boy he used to talk about you. His face would always light up when he told us he had seen you. Sometimes I would see him outside staring off at nothing, and I knew he was sitting there just hoping for a glimpse of you. I always knew when he had one of his visions because he would walk around for hours with a special smile on his face.”

***

Festus, positively giddy now, showed David the room extending an arm to indicate he should enter. David walked in and saw it was empty. A single torch on the wall cast a dim light. He was about to turn to look at Festus when he was struck from behind. The blow to his upper back was so brutal it knocked the wind out of him, and he dropped to his knees.

David could hear Festus chuckle with enjoyment as the whoosh of the staff hit him hard again
and drove him face down on the floor. Festus knelt down next to David, and said, “That was just a tiny taste of what is to come.” Then he took one of his long sharp nails and drove it into David’s side. This time it was not the force of the blow, but a searing pain that ran through his entire body, causing him to let out a scream of agony. It felt as if he was on fire. His skin burned over every inch of him. Worse yet he experienced the same torment, as when he pulled the spirit trying to kill his father into himself, only a hundred times stronger. His soul was on fire too, and it was a blinding, burning pain, far beyond anything he could have imagined.

He heard Festus laughing
, and felt himself falling down, then landed on a cold hard slab of stone. The impact knocked the breath out of him, and sent his head spinning wildly. He could barely see as he lay there trying to catch a breath. Then they came.

***

The two women sat there, the panic in them having eased. Somehow they felt there was hope, even though there was no reason for it. “Do you have any idea of what’s going to happen?” Ruth asked Aurora.

“No, David always seemed to know what to do
, but even he said he didn’t know what to expect once we arrived. I’m so frightened for him.”

Ruth put an arm around her this time
, and said, “After these six long years I thought I would never see my son again. I thought my husband was surely dead, and now anything seems possible. I’m afraid too. We’re in the foulest place, in the world, but there’s still hope.”

Aurora absentmindedly rubbed the cross between her fingers. “I do have hope
, and I’m not worried for myself, I only want to know that he’s all right.”

***

He wasn’t sure how many there were
, but they were foul creatures. Black as pitch carrying the rancid smell of death, they made a sucking sound with each horrible rattling breath they took. David couldn’t see what they were doing until he saw the flash of steel. He suddenly realized he was naked, and had no idea how it happened, but he did not have time to ponder it. It seemed that Festus’s touch had sent him from the room into the bowels of the Dark One’s kingdom, and he had no power here. He was unable to move, and felt the first blade pierce his skin. He let out a scream of utter torment as he felt the blade moving down the length of him, peeling away his skin in its wake. Shaking with the pain of it, he gasped for breath until one of the beasts poured something onto the wound. The burning of his raw flesh released another wave of agony worse than the first. David screamed and cried shamelessly. There was no escape, he could not move; he could only suffer.

Again
and again they tortured him, only pausing long enough for him to stop screaming filling him with the false hope that it would end. On and on it went. Time had no meaning. His entire existence had become an endless scream. He couldn’t think anymore, he could only endure what was happening.

***

Aurora
and Ruth had been doing their best to keep each other company, but after some time there was little to say. The hours stretched out, and eventually they managed some sleep. Time had become elusive. There was no sunlight, only the dim flickering of the candles.