Chapter 24

The Dormac

Four thousand, five hundred and sixty-two steps. Amell counted them as he placed one leg in front of the other until they were reluctant to do any more. Still, the farm boy had more stamina than any of the others. He easily passed Nathan within the first hundred steps and kept ahead of the group the rest of the way. Not once did he pause his movement until he found himself at the top, staring at a thick wooden door illuminated by a glowing blue light at the edges.

“Don’t move,” Amell hissed to Laith, who was behind him. “We’re at the verge of seeing an object that has not been disturbed for nigh on three hundred years.” He held in his breath and swallowed. “I can feel it,” he whispered excitedly. “I can feel it speaking to me.”

Everyone lining the stairs below began to whisper amongst themselves, speculating about what it might be like, what the Dormac would be like.

“It speaks to you?” Laith had grown slightly pale and she was trembling. “You hear it in your ears?”

Amell turned to look at the woman and furrowed his brow. “No. Inside my head.”

Laith bit her lip and looked at Malik on Luke’s shoulders. “The thief king…” Her thoughts were drawn back to the Thieves’ Forest, long before the quest had begun…

“The light spoke to me. It said my name, calling me forward. I heard more words…unmistakable words…”

“What were the words?”

“Bring me the thief king… Bring him to me. When dawn comes, the river shall break loose. When the light is found, the darkness will be destroyed forever. Bring the thief king.”

“Malik, what secrets do you hold within you?” Laith whispered under her breath.

“Kaiyla, the door is locked. Can you open it?” Amell stepped back to allow the thief girl to see the door.

Kaiyla narrowed her eyes and touched the metal of the door, examining it closely. She moved things around and pushed on various places for several minutes until she sighed and shook her head. “This lock is strange. I think it may be held in place by more than just metal…magic was involved in creating it.”

Amell licked his lips and turned around. “Luke?”

Luke shrugged, a difficult feat with Malik on his back. “I can get out of things just fine but I’ve never been good with locks. Only Malik could…”

Another explosion from outside the tower made the stone shake and tremble, jarring loose some small stones set in the mortar.

“They seem to be getting more intense,” Aemar observed as he clung to the walls. “It’s a wonder neither of them are dead yet.”

“Merrik won’t let himself miss seeing the Dormac, and Mekei does not appear happy with us being here.” Luke lowered Malik onto the steps to give his arms a rest. “They could be fighting for days.”

“How do we open the door?” Ben asked.

Laith could see in everyone’s eyes, even Nathan’s, that they knew that only Malik could get them inside the room but none of them wished for the thief king to wake and attempt to kill one of them again. The warrior woman took a deep breath and knelt next to Malik. “We all know that we need him. We could make him open the door without letting him get out of control.”

Luke nodded. “Treal and I could keep him at sword point so he will not do anything against us.”

“I see you exclude me from that,” Nathan growled. He glared at Luke with his pale blue eyes.

“For good reason,” Luke muttered. He hardly even glanced at the prince.

Laith smiled as she saw the others nod in agreement then leaned in close to Malik’s face. “Now all we have to do is rouse him…”

“You expect me to help you?” Malik laughed gruffly. “You can’t be serious.” Even when Luke drew his sword and held it at the thief king’s neck he didn’t move. “All of you…even the children…will ruin everything as soon as you get the sword. Why should I make that disaster come more quickly? I’d be daft to do that.”

“You’re being daft now, thief.” Nathan rubbed his forehead in frustration. “Just open the lock for us and then you can do what you like.”

Malik smirked. “Somehow it doesn’t seem like that will happen.”

“Malik, please.” Laith bent down in front of the thief and locked gazes with him. “We need you to do this. Do it for me…”

The thief king blinked and stared at Laith as if he had never seen her before. “Laith…” he whispered. “A single sword can not persuade me and neither can you.”

The woman quickly stood and turned away from Malik, unable to look at him any longer.

Treal rolled his eyes and held out Malik’s own blade. “You once told me,” he said quietly, “that it was hard to pretend to be something you were not, so why are you now? This is not you, Malik, it never has been. Reach into yourself and bring your true spirit back.” He touched the sword to the thief king’s cheek.

For a moment Malik seemed to return his usual air and manner but then his face twisted into a hard glare. “Oh, how you’ve deceived me, Treal,” he growled softly. “I thought I could trust you to do things right. But I was wrong…” His dark eyes stared down the blade of the ruby-encrusted sword. “What have you done, Treal?” He looked up into Treal’s face with a very subtle expression of wonder. “Why does my sword listen to you?”

“The door! It’s opened!” Aemar’s shout made everyone jump, as all had been enraptured by Malik’s small speech.

“But how?” Amell, closest to the door, hardly moved an inch as he stared into the tiny crack that had appeared at the edge of the door.

“I…I just heard it unlatch itself,” Aemar whispered.

The light that shone from within the room had grown so much so that it was almost blinding. Hundreds of shadows danced around the staircase and walls, spinning and swirling though no one had moved so much as a muscle. Explosions and burst of light and power began to beat upon the tower more furiously than ever before, so much so that they were almost constant. The sound of huge gusts of wind filled the air though no wind was present, and yet the gigantic force of something knocked everyone off their feet. Everyone except Amell…

I know you want me, Amell…

How can you know my name? You’re a sword.

I’m not. I’m whatever you want me to be.

No! You cannot be speaking to me. You’re not real! A sword has no thoughts!

You’re returning my words, Amell. Is that not proof enough that I am real?

You’re a sword! Get out of my head! I do not believe you exist, or that you have power of any kind! Stay away from…leave my mind… Go away! End this torment you bring upon me…

You draw closer, I see. Reach out your hand, Amell… You can almost touch me…

You’re not there! You do not exist…

If I do not exist, what are you feeling? I’m in your body, Amell. In every inch of flesh and bone. You feel my presence, yet you do not shut me out.

I…cannot…

Only a few more inches, Amell. You’ve almost got me…Come, Amell…

Why do you call to me? What purpose do you have for me?

Do I not feel wonderful to the touch? Am I not the most glorious thing you have ever come in contact with? Aren’t I resplendent?

What are you?

What am I?

What could you be to have such splendor?

I am the Dormac.