Trials of Hallion, The Darkness, book 2

By Maria Greene

After defeating evil forces and retrieving the scepters that rightfully belong to the Goddess Council, New Yorker Kate McKnight, and Jamie, the lord of the McAndrew clan, think they are done with horrifying adventures. But they find no rest as they have to travel into unknown territory to find their friends that Evil has hurled through a portal into a mysterious realm.

Deth and Niedra are fighting for their lives in a world that appears normal but is not. A pall of something intangible but deeply evil permeates the land as the friends go in search of answers to Niedra's mysterious past.

As they discover that she is the only living Ariecas with a live tattoo, the hunt for answers escalates even as they face deep betrayal, flying monsters, and an encroaching darkness that will tear apart their lives and provoke their deepest fears. For them to destroy The Darkness they have to use all their ingenuity, strength, and faith. The surprise ending brings to the surface all the struggles of their past as they have to make a choice―Good or Evil.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Maria Greene
• Release date: Dec 31, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311494108

Maria Greene

Hi, I'm a veteran writer of twenty-three historical romances, but decided I wanted to forge a road into a new genre, fantasy. TRIALS OF HALLION is my first effort, and I loved writing about a heroine who is plunged into something so completely different from her regular, pretty boring, life. This is my first book in epublishing, and I'm excited about the possibilities. I'm also an artist, but writing is in my blood and I have stuck with that art form for many years. I live in Florida and I'm now at work on book number two in the series, THE DARKNESS.

Book preview

TRIALS OF HALLION

book 2, THE DARKNESS

by Maria Greene

Copyright 2014 Maria Greene

Smashwords Edition

Chapter 1

The pounding in his head made him roar with pain, but the sound came out strangled. He became aware that he was swinging, back and forth, back and forth. He was hanging upside down. He could not move his head for the pressure threatened to make his eyes pop out. Panic rising, he tried to move his arms, but they were trussed to his body with rope. He had lost the feeling in his legs, and sensed that more rope was cutting into his ankles. Help, he croaked.

Deth MacGregor used his considerable strength to push his arms outward, but they were bound too tight. He was unable to move an inch in any direction. The effort made his head throb even more, like a giant heartbeat that tried to suffocate him and make his brain explode. His whole body crawled as if covered with ants, but he knew it was from lack of circulation.

Sounds reached him, but he couldn’t make out where the distant clanging was coming from or the shuffling steps in the room, or cave, inside which he swung from some attachment in the ceiling. A red haze glazed over everything, and his nose filled with the stench of unknown odors that made him want to puke. Bloody hell! Anger fueled his efforts to move, but a trussed up chicken couldn’t be any more immovable than he was.

He became aware of other throbbing pains as if someone had pounded him with a bat, but his body parts appeared disconnected as he could only focus on the ever increasing pressure in his head. If he couldn’t get down soon he would end up popping a blood vessel. What had happened here? The last thing he recalled was standing on Furnace Mountain with Niedra at his side as a dark wind keened and forced him off his feet. Faces floated in his vision. Kate! What had happened to Kate and Jamie? Niedra, fucking hell, he was supposed to protect her. He sensed he was alone in the underground space that smelled vile and grew hotter by the minute.

The clanging intensified and so did the pressure in his head, the red haze deepening. His sinuses might burst any minute. He had no idea how long he’d been hanging here. Maybe it was time to die, leave this hell of Hallion and be set free. Was it time now to rejoin his wife and his son on the other side? The thought made him giddy with sudden joy. They drew close now and he didn’t have to keep fighting across a continent ruled by Evil to feel that he was still alive. The battles were over. He could relax and let go. Go with his family. With a yearning so strong that tears stood in his throbbing eyes, he asked for deliverance. Maybe only seconds left. His blood vessels could not take much more strain.

In his mind he tried to conjure up Maude’s face, but it looked like a grainy old photo, her eyes dark and somber, and her lips a drawn line. Archie’s five-year-old body had barely any substance in the background. Deth couldn’t wait to close the boy in his arms. The love he had for those two sat burning in his chest; it had not diminished in the years they had been gone. Truth to tell, all that time he had been as dead as they were, only living in the memories of the past.

As he sought his family in his mind, he became aware of some sounds, soft footsteps walking across the floor, and the brush of fabric against wood. He tried to tilt his head to see who had entered, but his neck was stiff.

Deth? came Niedra’s sweet voice. He heard her sharp intake of breath. What have they done to you? she asked, her voice rising in panic. There is blood everywhere.

Blood? he croaked. No, that is all in my head now, drowning me. Where are we?

Inside Furnace Mountain, she said, her voice grim. Kil Morgol must have snatched us as he was banished out of Hallion. She rushed around the space. I have to get you down, Deth.

Wooden legs scraped against the floor. I can’t just cut you down. The fall onto the floor would kill you─your neck would snap.

That would be a good thing, Niedra. Let me go.

Her voice rose to a terrified pitch. No…that would not be right. We can’t let Morgol win, and you dying at his command. I’m getting you down.

That evil sorcerer was defeated, remember? he scoffed. Morgol is nothing now.

He might have been crushed in Hallion, but we’re in his territory now. Her voice shifted as she lifted a rickety chair onto a table. "Can’t you feel this evil place? I can barely breathe for all the violence in this mountain."

We should have killed him. He sensed a breeze of hot air along the ceiling.

You can’t kill Evil, just control it, make it small and powerless. She climbed onto the chair and wobbled a bit as she steadied herself against his body. And if you give it the slightest chance, it will grow in power again. I have a feeling we have only touched the surface of iniquity. She fumbled at her long skirts, and Deth saw her pull out a knife from a sheath at her waist. Tiny Niedra, how would she wield a large knife like that? Not very well, he suspected. But she had more courage than most of his friends.

Where did you come from, he asked, feeling her sawing at the rope around his ankles.

I woke up in a deep pocket of rock in the passage outside. I don’t know how I got there, but no one discovered me. If they had we would be two people swinging from the ceiling, no doubt. We’re in some sort of tunnel, and this is a storage room. Lots of noise from below, maybe a mining operation. I suspect Scats brutalized you, and now they are waiting for you to die. Her breathing increased with the effort of sawing through the rope. Or they are coming back to kill you."

Just as well, he said. I don’t have any more fight in me. It’s time for me to go.

She looked down at his face, and he met her outraged glare. And leave me here alone to fight the Scats? Some hero you are.

He bit his tongue, his conscience flooding with guilt and anger. I never claimed to be a hero.

The rope gave some. The shift tilted him to one side. She got off the chair and pushed it away. Then she grabbed his shoulders and pulled as hard as she could. The rope gave with a snap and with her guidance his shoulders hit the table with a thud. The back of his head connected hard with the wood, but his neck was still intact. His legs dangled from the table and he rolled down to the floor with the gravity pull. Groaning, he saw flashing lights in his vision, and his head felt like mush. As his blood rushed to his feet, pain exploded in every cell of his body. Ahhh, God.

You’re fouled with blood, every inch of you, she said, anxious now. "Are you in a lot of pain, and can you tell me where?

He lay completely still as the shock of blood coursed through his body. An urge to move his arms came over him but the rope wound around his body prevented it. Arrrgh, he groaned.

She quickly sawed through the rope with her knife and soon he lay free. His arms fell limply to the floor.

We have to get away from here as soon as possible. I'm sure the Scats will return, she said, her voice tense.

No doubt. I’m surprised they didn’t eat me alive. He shuddered at the memory of the monstrous misshapen trolls that had attacked them everywhere in Hallion. Morgol’s vicious minion.

Her small hands felt his limbs for broken bones, her touch like a torture brand on his injured muscles. I don’t think they broke anything. You still have some armor pieces on, but you’ll have some nasty bruising soon. She gazed at his face, her skin pale and waxy and her light blond mop of curls a tangled mess. The hummingbird tattoo on her nose and forehead glowed with an eerie blue light.

I’m okay, he lied. Your tattoo is acting weird, as if the bird could fly off at any second.

Maybe a warning. Do you think you can get up if I help you?

He chortled. You? Light as a feather, you think you can help a great wounded hulk like me?

She pinched her lips into a long line of determination. Let’s go, big warrior, she said, impatient now. Her slender arms slid under his shoulders and she tried to lift him up. At that moment he knew what it would feel like to be a marionette, but he worked to get his limbs under control. Flopping over on his side, he worked his hands and arms to get the feeling back. He gritted his teeth against the pain. What the heck did they use on me?

You should see your face…it’s black and blue and encrusted with blood.

Thanks, he said. He finally managed to get his hands flat on the floor and braced himself up on his shaking arms. He drew a ragged breath, his head pounding so hard he saw stars. He thought he might throw up. He needed to get out of the suffocating armor plates. His old T-shirt was stained with blood and crusted dry in places. Folding his legs, he rolled up onto his knees. His feet trembled uncontrollably. No way was he going to stand up. Bile rose in his throat and he dry heaved. Sweat broke out on his forehead and the stars behind his eyes turned into black patches of fog.

You have to get up, Deth. I can hear something coming up the tunnel.

Not wanting to run into Scats in his current condition, Deth struggled to his feet, feeling ninety years old. My legs are like spaghetti, he muttered and braced himself against the table to get some control over his shaking body.

Spaghetti? Niedra stood listening to the sounds in the tunnel.

Never mind. Food in my dimension. Speaking about food, he felt another wave of nausea and he breathed hard to command his body to move forward. The taste of bile sat sour at the back of his tongue. He wished he had some water to wash down the foul taste and the fuzzy feeling in his mouth.

They are coming. Niedra’s voice was breathless with panic. She gripped his arm. We have to move away from here, or we’ll be dead.

Deth still felt it might not be a bad idea to die, but now he had to do what he could to protect Niedra. He leaned on her shoulder and took a cautious step forward. Where to?

The tunnel looked narrow. We might be able to hide in the part where I woke up until the Scats have passed.

If the Scats found you, they would not be kind to you, girl. He could hear the clomping of boots louder now. Scats always traveled in groups. I wonder if they let me stay alive for a reason. Morgol has to be around here somewhere. He might have a scheme in mind.

Yes, wouldn’t surprise me. We have to find a way to get back out to the plateau where we left the others.

I’m sure we’re far from the plateau. I think we’re in the bowels of the mountain now. He looked at the red light at the end of the tunnel. Torches burned here and there on the walls and the smoke stung his eyes.

Come, this way, she shout-whispered and pulled his arm.

They went around a rocky outcrop. He was still dragging his feet along the uneven ground that had been hewn out of the mountain. His heart pounded and he felt increasingly faint. He clenched his teeth and staggered forward.

Here, she whispered and pushed him into a narrow opening. The space was claustrophobic, but she squeezed in next to him, her eyes never leaving the tunnel. The red light darkened as the Scats’ bodies barred its glow. The stamping of their boots filled the space, and Deth found himself holding his breath. They would soon discover that he was gone. As the group of massive hulking bodies had passed, he said, We have to get out of here─now.

Niedra nodded, her body stiff with fear against him. He squeezed her shoulder and pushed her gently out of the cave. Leaning on her since he could not trust himself to stay upright for very long, he stumbled down the narrow corridor. Her shoulder lay stiff as a board under his hand. The tunnel sloped gently downward and soon they reached a ledge that had a rusty railing separating them from a sheer drop to the cliffs below. They leaned cautiously over the railing to take a look. Far beneath them and under a dome of rock sat a huge pit of molten metal, surrounded by hundreds if not thousands of Scats. Rustic wagons trundled on tracks that led from the pit to a dark tunnel that led even further down.

What the hell is this? Deth said aloud. I think you’re right about the mining operation.

The ancient lineage of Morgol came from miners so this is where he gets his wealth to perpetrate those wars in Hallion and beyond. Maybe it’s gold being forged into ingots down there. Niedra’s eyes were huge and dark. The stench is unbearable.

Tell me about it, he muttered and closed his eyes briefly. Filthy Scats. He pulled her along the path. No time to hang around here. Maybe there is a shaft that leads out of the mountain. Can’t stand it in here much longer.

Sounds of angry shouts from behind reached them and they picked up their pace. Deth started to get a better grip on his balance and his feet didn’t hurt too badly now that the circulation was back to normal. They are coming after us, Niedra. I wish I knew the layout of this mountain. I suspect the wagons take the gold, or whatever it is, to the outside world.

Or into some secret stronghold.

And from there the gold would have to be accessed when needed for the power battles. But all of this is pure speculation. The pit looks like molten gold, but it could be anything.

They staggered forward across the uneven floor, and the tunnel wound ever downward. The sounds of boots came from behind. Scats were bearing down on them, and Deth realized he didn’t have a single weapon. His hidden knives were missing, and who knows what had happened to his sword. How could he protect Niedra without a weapon? The boots thundered behind them now. What the hell, the group must have doubled in size.

Niedra gave him a searching glance, and he could only take her hand and squeeze it hard. It’ll be okay, he lied. No one will hurt you while I’m around.

He saw something that looked like a portal hewn into the rock. Touching the cold surface, he traced the outline as it curved at the top. This is a door of sorts. Let’s try and shift it.

They pushed hard and to his surprise, it moved slightly inward. Push harder.

Niedra put her whole effort into opening the door, and so did Deth until his body screamed in protest. They are here. Just as he said it, the Scats rushed upon them, and Deth braced himself against the blows that would rain down. To his surprise, several hands joined in pushing the portal that gave way with a loud whoosh. They stumbled through, into another dark passage. Before Deth could react, the newcomers had turned and pushed the door shut just as the Scats rounded the bend in the tunnel.

Bloody close if you ask me, Jamie said and leaned against the closed door, breathing hard. Don’t like the look for those monsters.

Jamie! Deth said to his best friend as hope rose in his chest. Brilliant.

Yes, it’s me, and Kate, Binny, and Hugh. We came looking for you two, and it’s a great stroke of luck that we found you before those Scats did. It’s a miracle we did, seeing as this is a huge place full of labyrinths.

Deth wanted to embrace his friends, but his body ached too much for any back slapping. Bloody marvelous, he said.

Deth has been badly beaten, Niedra said. He could use some help.

Don’t worry about me. I have seen worse, Deth lied. He leaned gratefully on Jamie’s shoulder as they fumbled down the dark tunnel. Binny lit a glow stick, and their ability to see increased marginally after that.

The Amazons gave me some healing elixirs just in case you were hurt. I can’t believe Morgol snatched you from the plateau at the last moment, Kate said.

I don’t remember any of it, Deth said. When I woke up, I was hanging upside down and trussed up like a ham at Christmas. He turned to Binny. Do you know of any shortcuts in the mountain?

Binny, a Borrachi, often enacted the role of a guide, and not a very reliable one at that. The Borrachi had mapped out all the shortcuts in Hallion, but he often chose the wrong fork in the road. He was rarely without a jug of mead, but this time his hand was empty except for the glow stick. You could always count on him to be resourceful.

Binny shrugged. No road through the mountain. I don’t know this place, but the air has to enter somewhere. If we can find an air shaft, we can find our way out. He glanced around the gloom. Where there are Scats there are groups of Shaddae. We have to be careful here.

I’m not sure about the exit from this part of the mountain, Hugh, Jamie’s long lost brother, said. I never ventured into the shafts. Or the mine. Not my territory. Narr held that privilege.

I hate the Shaddae, Kate said with feeling. She closed her eyes and seemed to look deeply within herself. Everyone stopped and stared at her. I see the Silverhawk on the west side of the mountain range. He is leading us out.

The Silverhawk was a warrior who had died in battle and communicated with the living by appearing as the hawk. His sweetheart, Keitrah, and Kate’s double, had merged with him at the last battle against Morgol. Deth remembered the stunning appearance of the hawk and the ultimate sacrifice of Keitrah. Kate, now the High Priestess, held the power of the ancient Law that Keitrah had given her as she left her body to join the hawk. The Law embodied everything that was pure and good and right in the world.

Kate took the lead and sidled down the narrow tunnel. Everyone followed suit, Deth limping along as best he could.

If you start feeling the Shaddae sucking out your life force, let me know, Jamie said. I have the Codex with me and it can dispel that kind of evil easily.

Deth noticed the large book sticking out of the back of Jamie’s pants. The ancient colors of burgundy and gold looked incongruous against his dirty shirt.

I see that you accepted your heritage, Jamie, Deth said.

Jamie looked back at him briefly. Not sure yet. I don’t stand in my full power, but the Codex is a great tool against evil, and it responds to me.

The path is sloping down steeply here, Kate called from up ahead. Brace yourselves against the wall. Pretty tough going in the rubble.

All of sudden Deth could hear a scramble and a shout, and Kate disappeared from view. Her voice echoed in the gloom, more distant in the next second.

The group stopped. Kate? Jamie called out. Where did you go?

All was quiet, the air foul and heavy.

Kate! Are you okay? Jamie continued.

Far below they could hear a shout. I’m okay. It’s like riding a slide. Come on.

Letting out the breath he’d been holding, Deth sighed with relief. He closed his eyes for a moment trying to get his headache under control, but it had a mind of its own. He had to get out of here before he went crazy. Without hesitation, he moved down the sloping tunnel until he felt his feet give out. He hit his tailbone pretty hard, but the rush of running down the shaft on his arse was an experience he hadn’t had since childhood. He came to the bottom with a thud and scrambled to his feet. He called up the tunnel. Next!

Shh, Kate whispered. I think we are nowhere near the outside. We are closer to the hotter-than-hell furnace.

Sod all, Deth said and leaned heavily against the nearest wall. The others joined them, and as Binny brought the glow stick, they could see the tunnel ending in a large opening. The space beyond glowed gold, and sparks lit the air.

They stepped toward the opening. The tunnel crossing theirs had rails on the floor, and some kind of cables strung along the side of the wall. It was as hot as a volcano in here.

We saw the wagons going through here, Niedra said. They are filled with ore and then the Scats take them somewhere. It’s not likely the tunnel leads outside.

Well, we can’t stay here, Jamie said. Sooner or later the Scats will discover us.

Yes, this was an exit from the tunnel we came from. It went in a loop of sorts, Hugh said, pressing his fingers to his temples as if filled with pain.

The Silverhawk said west side, Kate said. Not sure of my directions around here without the moon or the stars to go by, but we’d better move on before the Scats come around. I’m sure they raised the alarm that you’ve escaped, Deth. She gave him a searching look. I’m surprised to see you still alive after such a beating.

His armor protected him, said Niedra. Maybe they had plans to punish him further but didn’t have the chance─so far. We need to find a stream to bathe his wounds.

Stop fussing, Deth said. You’re worse than my grandmother.

Ha, said Kate. I’m sure you were a handful to her. She pulled at his arm. Lean on me, and let’s step between the rails.

Under grim silence, all of them walked onto the railroad ties and moved away from the glowing mine behind them. Pitch black soon took over as the glow stick died. Binny lit another one. This is our last light, he said, his voice unusually somber. Binny could always be counted on to show a cheerful face to the world, but not today. It does not bode well.

They soon came to a fork in the track and stopped there.

This could get us very far into the mountain, Hugh said gloomily. The further in we go, the more you will feel Morgol’s power. He has other henchmen besides Shaddae who keep order down here.

All power should be stripped from that evil man, Kate said. He has caused enough misery for a lifetime, or century.

Well said, Niedra said. But that challenge is for another day. If we can’t find a way out we will surely be victims of his hatred, and unable to defeat him. Which fork should we choose?

I’d go with the left one, Kate said. I don’t get a strong indication, but the right fork feels all wrong. The connection with the hawk has disappeared. That tells me Hugh is right, that we’re moving more closely to Morgol’s power.

Why left? Jamie asked.

I don’t know…the pull seems stronger there, Kate replied.

No one said anything for a long moment, and Deth stepped forward, hoping Kate was right. Straightening his aching back, he took some tentative steps into the tunnel. That’s when he could hear the clomping of boots coming toward them, a great many of them. His blood turned to ice. The stench and roar of the Scats had that effect on him. He had been in too many close quarter battles with them in the past.

Hurry, we have to take the right fork, he said, turning back. The others stared at him until they too could hear the advancing Scats. Without another word, they moved into the other tunnel as quietly as they could. Deth wondered what evil might be waiting for them there.

Chapter 2

They found a dead end, probably a shaft that had yielded no ore, and then been abandoned. They stood against the stone wall and stared at each other with apprehension. Keeping the silence, they listened to the horde of Scats moving along the tunnel that wound away from this area.

This dead end was a bad omen, Niedra thought, a chill climbing up her spine. Instead of gaining freedom, they moved more deeply into enemy territory. But where would freedom lead anyway? The constant tension ate at her already frayed nerves. Ever since they left the sanctuary of the Sky Goddess where she had spent most of her life, everything had been uncertain, and a constant struggle to stay alive. She would not have chosen this kind of path for herself, but Pantra had asked her join the mission, and how could she say no after all that the goddess had done for her in the past?

She never wanted to say no, but the trials had taken a toll on her, and sometimes she just wanted to fall to her knees and cry with despair. Pinching her lips together to prevent any swell of emotion, she said, We have to go back. Maybe access the portal that leads back to the plateau?

We can’t get back there; it’s blocked to prevent Morgol’s access to Hallion, Kate said. We have to get outside the mountain to find another.

Let’s wait for the Scats to pass, and then we can try the other fork again, Jamie said. Just as he had uttered the words, the thunder of feet came down their tunnel, and before they could speak again, they came face to face with five Scats.

Their filthy bodies and tattered clothes fouled the air, and their matted hair lay against misshapen skulls and thick necks. Their grotesque bodies moved in unison, but as they raised their clubs, Jamie pulled out the Drewander Codex and opened it. A silver blue light emanated, growing stronger with every moment. The Scats howled and moved backwards, stumbling over each other. Jamie raised the book into the air and ran forward. The blue glow turned into icy sparks of energy that bounced off the Scats, singeing their flesh. They fled like scalded chickens.

The game is up, Jamie shouted. This is as much as I can do with magic. We have to get out of here before they summon reinforcements.

Niedra followed him along with the others. Deth hung at the back, still struggling to keep up. He looked terrible, and she worried his injuries might be worse than they looked. She gripped his arm as if to give him some of her strength, but he shrugged her off. Don’t worry about me, he said. Not dead yet, so save your strength. Before Jamie had the Codex we would’ve had to kill those Scats, but without weapons we can’t do much, he said.

Yes, but the path to the outside is not clear yet, so you might get your chance to fight. Niedra’s voice trembled with exhaustion.

I have lost my desire to fight, he said.

We have weapons, Jamie said.

They got back to the fork, and Jamie shouted over his shoulder. Go down the other tunnel. I’ll be right behind you after I’ve gotten rid of the remaining Scats.

Binny moved first with the glow stick, and the others hurried after him.

Niedra suspected the tunnel to be long, but after a short walk they had reached the large tunnel with the tracks. They were running in circles. A wagon train trundled past just as she stood in the opening to the shaft with the others. No signs of Scats at the tail end of the train, but they surely drove the train at the front. Niedra shuddered and looked behind her to see if Jamie had rejoined them.

I hate the Scats, Hugh said with passion. "Father─I mean Morgol, keeps the men enslaved in the mountains and they turn savage under such barbaric conditions. He forces them to mate with