Her Majesty's Champions: Part Four

      “Shut up and move!” another replied. “We need to go fast, before they come back!”

      The three ran quickly into the chamber, a torch held out in front of them.

      The tunnel soon ran out onto a set of spiral steps. They wound down, down, down, down... the third of the Neopets whispered, “I hope there’s another way out... or we’ll be caught on our way back up.”

      The leader, a big Eyrie, reminded his companions again, “I told you, shut up and move! Sound will travel far up these steps!”

      Finally, they hit level ground. They ran as quickly as they could down the next short passage until they reached a place where there may have once been doors... in the stale, dry air in the bowels of the Citadel, they had crumbled to dust. The smallest of them, a Kiko, said worriedly, “I’ll keep watch right here...”

      “We only have one torch, stupid.”

      “Well, I’m not going in there!”

      The Eyrie drew his sword, and the remaining Skull member closed his eyes. The Kacheek winced when his leader grabbed his arm. “Come on... or do you want to be left here with him?”

      “No sir.”

      “Then let’s go!”

      Beyond the doorway, the passage widened into a large room. The two remaining members of the Skull backup squad couldn’t tell how large... it was impossible to see far in the weak torchlight. The disconcerting part was that there seemed to be a flickering light in the distance.

     At the very end there was another empty doorway. Inside was a long stone box. But they weren’t interested in it... they were interested in the sword that lay atop it.

      The hilt was of gold, which explained why it remained untarnished after all these years underground. But under the dust, the oddly shaped crystal blade writhed with dark waves of magic, which threw off a pale light – the light they had seen from the other room.

      The Eyrie gaped. “Oh, Lord Drusus will like this!”

      The Kacheek nodded. He could see his master’s face... along with a possible promotion for himself. “So let’s take it!”

      The Eyrie grabbed it and swung the sword to test the feel of it. Before he could stop it, a dark whip of magical energy slashed out of the sword and hit the wall of the room.

      They had been very, very close to the bottom of the Citadel. The stone here was only a few feet thick... the sword ripped it apart like it was nothing. The room was open to the darkening night. The Eyrie grabbed his companion in his free hand and jumped out the hole, spreading his wings to steady himself as his companion screamed.

      The two Skulls disappeared into the Meridell night.

      Galgarroth and Vex led Lord Darigan, Lady Kyrouge, and the six Champions through the underground room. They could see light coming from the far end... how?

      Galgarroth was horrified when he saw the large hole in the bottom of the Citadel’s base. “These Skulls are trying to destroy us! Literally!”

      Lord Darigan brushed away the dust off the stone box... he could see that there was writing underneath. Mathilde looked over his shoulder, and they both read out loud, “Here lies Lord Sabari Darigan, third ruler of the Darigan Citadel.”

      Esteban said excitedly, “Lord Sabari! I’ve heard of him!”

      Benjamin reminded him, “Who hasn’t? Every child alive has heard bedtime stories of Lord Sabari and his Lightning Sword.”

      Cyrex could see, with his enhanced vision, a clean spot on the stone that shone bright in the faint light from the moon. He said worriedly, “Look in the dust. There’s a clear spot.”

      Mathilde whispered a quick spell, and a bright light shone from above them... making the sword-shaped clean spot on top of the tomb all too clear. They all knew the legend of the shape of the blade... a zigzag ending in a razor-tip, shaped exactly like a bolt of lightning.

      Darigan said in horror, “It was here until very recently... the Skull! The Skull has the Lightning Sword!”

      He turned to the Champions and said, “There are more books you may look at. I had wanted to keep them private... they were only ever meant for the eyes of the Lord of the Citadel. But I have the annals of the Citadel, just as Queen Fyora used the annals of Faerieland to find the name of Lord Creghis. If we can find the times when the Skull existed before, we can see whether the Lord who wrote the book had anything to do with them. Our annals are written by the Lords themselves, with no audience except their successors... it leads to a certain degree of honesty.”

      Darigan led them up through the castle. Finally, they reached a large door with an impressive-looking padlock. He said, “I have one more stipulation before I can allow you to see this. The Meridellian must not be allowed inside this room.”

      Sartos cringed as the others looked at him. Mathilde asked, “Why ever not?”

      “No disrespect is intended to Champion Sartos, but the information contained within is of a sensitive nature. I do not need his loyalties to Meridell to compromise the Citadel.”

      Cyrex nodded. “Fair enough.”

      Mathilde hissed at him as Darigan fumbled with the lock, “What?” How can you even consider leaving him behind? It’s clearly not fair!

      “We need to see these books! Sartos can’t even read... we don’t really need him for this, so it’s better to just obey Lord Darigan.”

      “But...”

      “If you’re slighted since it’s because he’s from Meridell, we can have Benjamin and Esteban stay out as well... we’ll make it because they can’t read. We’ll fill them in on what they need to know later!”

      “That’s silly...”

      “We have to see these, Mathilde! What if there’s something in there that’s important?”

      Mathilde had to admit that that made sense. It’s for the greater good of Neopia, after all. We need to learn whatever we can about the Skull, and the Citadel annals may help.

      Benjamin and Esteban were quickly subdued when Vex and Galgarroth glared at them, and only Keedie, Mathilde, and Cyrex followed the four Citadel officials into the room. Darigan shut and fastened the door behind them, and they turned to look around the secret library of the Citadel Lords.

      The thick, leather-bound Annals filled much of the wall space... there was one marked with the current year sitting on the desk, with a quill pen lying next to it. Lord Darigan sighed. “I’ll have to enter tonight’s events before I can sleep... but that is not what we’re here for. Creghis... Creghis...” He ran his fingers over the bindings, all neatly marked with the year and the ruler. “Do any of you know in what year Fyora found the reference to him?”

      Mathilde told him as she looked longingly at the files on some of the other walls... she was certain that the original Citadel blueprints were over there, as were many other documents of historical import. She had to remind herself to keep her fingers off them, and that she was extraordinarily lucky to even see this room. She looked down at Ky... the Shoyru seemed to be having the same trouble.

      “Aha. Here we go!” Darigan pulled out five volumes. He handed one to Ky, one to Vex, one each to Mathilde and Cyrex, and kept one to himself. “This should be about the right time period. Tell us as soon as you see something important.” Galgarroth and Keedie leaned against the wall, both suffering the same temptation to look around.

      Finally, Mathilde looked up. Her face was dead white. “I’ve found something... something really, really bad.” They all looked up, and she began to read.

     “Day Ten of the Month of Awakening.

      “Queen Jordis in Faerieland has sent us a handful of prisoners from the Skull to keep guarded until they can stand trial in Faerieland. She clearly doesn’t know I have been involved with them in the past.

      “Most of these Skulls are quite unremarkable, but there is a certain lieutenant who draws my eye. His name is Drusus. He is a small Aisha, unnaturally small, but there is a savage intelligence behind his frail body.

      “Day Seventeen of the Month of Awakening.

      “Drusus has approached me with a proposition. He will cast a spell that will keep me from being implicated in the Skull’s doings... if I help him cast one of the forbidden spells. It is one that prevents the user from dying completely... Drusus will have the opportunity to one day rise from the grave as long as his body is intact.

     “I will do it... my contact within the Skull was recently captured. I have no wish to be tried before Jordis. I must act soon to save myself.”

      They all stared in mute horror as Mathilde skimmed through the book. She read one more passage near the end.

     ”Day Ten of the Month of Celebrating.

      “Drusus is dead.

      “Or so Jordis thinks.”

     Darigan whispered in shock, “He helped this Drusus cast a forbidden spell... the spell of half-life.”

      Cyrex rasped hoarsely, “What if it’s him? What if this Drusus is the one we’re fighting?”

      Keedie said in a tiny voice, “They would know everything. Everything about how the old Skull worked.”

      Vex said sadly, “These aren’t wannabes or flunkies who heard stories about the Skull and want to be like them. This is the real Skull... more likely than not led by one of their old members.”

      Mathilde said, shaking, “I can’t think of any other way this could have worked... this would be too much of a coincidence to not be related.”

      Cyrex hung his head. “We’re up against a millennia-old mage who will soon have the Lightning Sword. Oh, oh, this is not good.”

      He looked outside, to where their fellow Champions were waiting. He didn’t want to tell them... didn’t want them to realize how hopeless the situation was. But they didn’t have a choice. He stood wearily, feeling as if he’d grown much older. “Thank you much, milord, for helping us find this. We must be back in Faerieland as soon as possible... we will need Fyora’s help. I don’t even want to wait for daylight. We can’t afford to waste a minute.”

      Darigan nodded. “Go quickly, Champions. Any help you need, the Citadel will be glad to provide.”

      Later, as he watched them vanish into the dark night, he whispered softly, “Good luck... all of Neopia needs you now, Champions.”

To be continued...