Loremaster - Palace Of Kings Part 11

Thunderstone turned his head and looked fearfully into the innermost courtyard where it touched the side of Mantern's Mountain. 'He did not break in. He came from within, out of

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the very roots of the mountain. Up through the earth we stand upon.'

The listening warriors shuffled uneasily, as if the ground beneath their feet had suddenly grown too hot for them.

'In a great screaming wind he stormed up through the galleries, burning the wooden floors and tearing down the stone work, until he reached the lamp gallery. He charged at the lamp, his black malice billowing out with hatred.'

Thunderstone hid his face in his hands and his shoulders shook with terror as he remembered what he had seen. 'Out of the earth,' he whispered. 'A face of raw sinews, more horrible than death itself to look upon.'

Thane knelt and took Thunderstone's hands into his own and steadied them before he continued with his story.

'Errant tried to come between Krulshards and the lamp but Krulshards picked him up and tossed him the length of the gallery and then he snapped Errant's sword in two as if it had been a stick of straw. The one-eyed monster attacked me in the instant that Krulshards smashed the crystal in the lamp, but I caught a glimpse of that broken claw as he slashed at my face. Darkness descended across the gallery, even the starlight seemed blacked out. Krulshards destroyed the gla.s.s of the lamp and laughed as he crunched the crystal into a fine powder, but with the horse-tail sword gripped firmly in both hands I tried to cut into the malice, slas.h.i.+ng at the black fabric.'

Thunderstone smiled and touched the horse-tail sword,

'The silver strands of horsehair bound into the hilt of the i sword glowed in the darkness, and whenever they touched or wrapped themselves about my hands they seemed to give me strength, the strength of the great warhorse, Equion, who feared nothing in the dark. Twice Krulshards drove me to my knees but each time as he tried to make the killing stroke the: horse tail shone so brightly that it gave the Nightmare a shadow, blinding him with a silver light. Cursing and snarling

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he turned on the shadow, trampling it as he fled from the lamp gallery down towards the great doors.'

Thunderstone paused for breath and all eyes turned towards the ruined doors. 'I followed the Nightmare sticking

as close as I dared and watched the awesome power of Krulshards as he wound the malice tightly around his shoulders and attacked the doors. Twice he hammered on them, once to the left and once to the right, filling the courtyard with blinding sparks. The iron studding melted at his touch. The doors fell, collapsing outwards on to the Causeway and Krulshards was gone, escaping into the night.'

'We saw the great lamp falter and feared for you,' Tombel said, quietly, taking his old friend's hand and leading him into the sunlight.

'Tell me,' he whispered when they were beyond the others'

hearing, 'did the Master of Nightmares, or the other beast, have a small silver finger bowl?'

Thunderstone thought for a moment, and then shrugged his shoulders. 'Black-bladed daggers, cruel rusty iron spears and the gruesome trophies from earlier battles hung from the one-eyed beast's belt, but nothing that shone like silver. The malice hid much of Krulshards' Nightmare shape and I could not guess at what he might have carried but he did cry out to the one-eyed beast to hurry for they had easier meat to catch than the Lampmaster of Underfall.'

Kyot cantered Sprint easily up on to the Causeway, leading the Archers. Laughing, he jumped to the ground. 'Thunderstone!

We come back to eat the chair you sit upon!'

'And so you shall,' boomed Morolda's voice as she entered the courtyard. Softly she smiled at Duclos and took his hand in quiet finger-talk of all that had happened on the high plateau.

'There was no finger bowl to see,' Thunderstone concluded, turning back towards the main courtyard and taking Esteron's bridle to lead him towards the stables.

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Ironhand, would be proud of.'

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Tombel sighed with relief and fell into step with the Keeper.

'We heard the battle on the high plateau,' Thunderstone said quietly, 'and we feared for you. The tattoo of the owl on my arm began to fade as the afternoon wore on. Despair darkened our hearts. Then a great shout filled the air and the tattoo burned with new colours. What happened?'

'Defeat towered over your warriors. Thane and Kyot had prepared to make a last stand; we could hear their defiant singing as we breasted the edge of the plateau. That shout you heard was the Archers of Stumble Hill and the Warriors of Underfall finding new heart to see us - late but in the nick of time.'

'And the small boy with the strange ears and the bulging

eyes?'

'Willow! He led his people out from within the City of Night and won the black gates.'

'Master! Master!' a voice cried out, interrupting Tombel's explanation of Willow's part in the battle. 'Thoron is on the Causeway!'

With a rush of feet across the cobbles every man and beast ran to the broken doors, and the roar of their welcome echoed across the Causeway Field.

Thunderstone waited until Thoron had been helped to dismount before he offered him the hilt of the horse-tail sword saying, 'Welcome home, old friend. You have been greatly missed.'

Tombel knelt, offering up the hilt of his Marching sword, shouting, 'Hail to the greatest rider in all Elundium, who has defeated the darkness and returned!'

Thane pushed his way through the crowding warriors and clasped his grandfather's hands. 'Beyond my wildest dreams . . . you have returned from the dead!'

Thoron laughed, his eyes sparkling with joy, 'You have grown, child, into a strong young man that your father,

A shadow crossed Thane's face, his eyes growing wet around the edges.

'He is dead, Grandfather.'

'Dead?' cried Thoron, the laughter fading from his lips.

The warriors fell into a hushed silence. Thane turned his eyes towards the pine-clad slopes of Mantern's Mountain and told Thoron how his father had died.

'He was the King's standard-bearer, Grandfather, running at his stirrup through a long weary day of retreating before the Granite City. At evening time he fell, driven into the shadows by a Nightbeast blade.'

'The King rode back for him,' Errant called out from where he leaned on the Healer's arm, 'and took his body up into Candlebane Hall. The standard he carried to his death was laid across his funeral bier and was taken in great honour to the buriers' yard.'

Thoron looked up at the standard of the owl in blue and gold where it fluttered in the suns.h.i.+ne and wept. Willow squeezed through the press of warriors until he stood before Thoron.

'Lord. Equestrius told me that you are a great lord, so great that all the animals came to help you. I am sure that they will grieve at your loss.'

Thoron smiled down at Willow, brus.h.i.+ng the back of his age-stained hand across his cheeks to wipe away the tears.

'You are the boy, Willow. The one who escaped into the daylight before the battle began. There was an old horse with