The Evil Within (Prequel)

By Eric McGough

The ‘Evil Within’ is the back-story of the Tears of a God series. This is the full story that Ishma, Witch and Seer, simply outlined to Cal while she was healing him in the Great Forest before he reached the upper land.
A thousand years of peace and prosperity, known as the Golden Age, was torn to shreds when High Lord Malphas fell to the evil within him and turned his scheming, murderous mind on his gentle, peace-loving brothers.
Malphas used his Lord's Power to kill a man. His tainted aura is noticed by another lord and reported to the conclave. But rather than face his peers, he makes his way into the mountains to gather his thoughts. But then he kills another man. He starts to like the feeling of power used in violence, and before long he has contacted a source of evil buried deep within himself and within a world of which he had no prior knowledge.
Soon, he is converting his fellow lords to his evil intent and his plan to overthrow the High Lords and take control of the land for his own, evil purposes.
The High Lords are not prepared for the violence and sheer horror to come. In their innocence and purity of soul, they are easy prey to the murderous intent of Lord Malphas and his unholy friends. This is the story of their downfall and the rise to power of Malphas and his unholy brothers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Eric McGough
• Release date: Jul 24, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463211175

Book preview

Book 1

‘GIVEN BLOOD’

Book 2

WARRIOR LORD

Book 3

‘THE SWORD OF VOITRA’

Book 4

‘SOUL REAPER’

(Expected early 2019)

Copyright © 2017 by Eric McGough

The moral right of this author has been asserted

All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced,

without the permission of the author.

Cover Design: SelfPubBookCovers.com/billwy

PART ONE

←−Ж−→

Malphas, I see that you are ready. I am Arrios, Regent of the Infernal Regions. There was a short silence, and then the voice came again. "It has been many centuries since this gate has been used. We had all but given up on it ever being found again.

Malphas wondered who ‘we’ was. Arrios had anticipated him. There are five of us. We rule over the inner worlds of darkness and pain. Souls passing through between lives are stripped of their dross, the greed, the self-centred ambitions, the hatred, and the many evils that men burden themselves with during the course of a lifetime. Once they pass from your world they are ours to claim. We are masters of evil, of darkness, of hell itself. Another long silence then, Malphas, I have high hopes for you. Great things await you, you only need to agree, and I will help you to gain power beyond anything that you can imagine.

Thrills ran up and down the lord’s spine as the master spoke. Malphas was giddy with the dark energy now cursing through his veins. What would I be agreeing to, exactly?

The dark lord laughed softly. There is no ‘exactly about this, Malphas. Where this goes is entirely up to you but I think you would go a very long way indeed. I simply need your commitment, that’s all. You will agree to give yourself completely to the power of corruption. Your lordly ideals will be consigned to the past; a very naive past it has been.

Malphas was shocked but intrigued also. Do I simply swear it?

"In a way, you will agree to my terms and I will test you. If you are truly given over to this and have no further interest in your high lordship, we can proceed."

Such a profound feeling of surrender to this deal and the new life it would mean had filled Malphas that he knew now without any doubt that his allegiance to the High Lords was in word only. This, on the other hand, was real. He would be committing himself body and soul, his real self was rising within him and he wanted it. I agree, he said.

The darkness of the night was suddenly sucked into the utter darkness of a deeper reality. He stood in a space that was empty, a void that was beyond understanding. Arrios stood before him bleeding darkness from his eyes. Malphas went to his knees before the master. A hand reached out and settled on his head. Pain as he never even dared imagine flooded his body, his emotions, and his mind. He felt himself spinning through a star-studded vault. Every part of him was shredding into pieces and then flung into the void. Then there was nothing. He floated in a sea of pure nothingness.

CHAPTER 1

High Lord Maphas tried to ignore the man in the dark hood sitting in the corner of the Squealing Pig but the ill feeling emanating from the man towards him was getting worse. Even though he was a high priest, a lord who should feel only compassion towards others, he was getting annoyed with this continuous onslaught of malevolence washing over him. Malphas got to his feet and left the inn by the rear door. Sure enough, just as he anticipated, the man followed him out after only a few moments. Malphas watched the man closely in the light from the inn doorway. Aggression leaked from the man’s aura into the shadowed stable yard.

What’s the problem, friend? Malphas asked. The man sprang at him, a long knife glinting in the sparse light. Malphas was taken by surprise and nearly did not act in time, but he managed to stop the man’sstab only inches from his neck. He held him with a binding force.

You evil fucker, the man spat, lording it over everyone, in your High Lord's Palace,living in luxury while the rest of us work to make a meagre living. Fuck you and all the rest of you fuckers. I’ve been watching you, priest! Sooner or later you’re dead!

Malphas found himself getting angry with this insulting little man. It was a feeling that he had experienced a few times while he had been away from the palace. He had ridden out to Threewaters to interview potential novices and had been surprised by his reactions to a couple of the candidates. As a High Lord, he was pure in both thought and deed. Though not now. Anger was a loss of control and constituted a Taint, which would have to be purged by fasting and deep self-examination. And here was this man. Intent on killing him for whatever reason he knew not and his reaction had been more anger. He cast the man to the ground at his feet, releasing the binding. The man jumped up and attacked him again, his eyes dripping hatred. Malphas felt a surge of anger that was so powerful it broke his self-control in a flash. The man fell back again at the High Lord’s feet, dead by the unleashed power of the lord’s will.

Malphas staggered and nearly fell over with the pain of his act. He swayed, trying to bring himself to order. A curious mixture of loathing for his act of murder and pleasure at the exercise of his power swirled around his aura filling his emotions with a battle of opposites. He walked away into the night and away from the scene of his shame. The battle raging within him was changing as he walked. Slowly, the pleasure of his act was overriding the shame of it. He did not know what to do. His best efforts at regaining his lordly control were failing. He turned and made his way to the inn stables and saddled his horse. The stable boy suggested that it was too dark now for riding but shrank back at the look that Malphas gave him. He mounted and tossed the boy a silver piece as he left the yard and headed south down the North Road. The crescent moon was just rising over the Silverload Mountains in the east as he made his way to the south gate of the town.

The two Gate Keepers frowned as Malphas rode toward the closed gate with the obvious intent of leaving Threewaterslate at night. After exchanging glances with each other they opened the gate in time for the lord to ride through without slowing. A High Lord was not to be questioned whatever his demands. Malphas nodded to the Keepers and spurred his horse away from the town walls. He needed to be away from people. He needed to seek answers in solitude, to examine his new condition. If he could not see a way to be free of this he would be ordered into a retreat for as long as it took to purge himself. Better to work on this before returning to the palace and his Brothers. Better this way. No one need know and his status would be maintained. But that last thought only added further dimensions to the problem. He was thinking of self-protection, was this ambition to add to his shame?

Three days later, after spending his time in self-examination as he travelled, he had calmed his emotions and was resigned to reporting to the palace and submitting to the will of his peers. He stopped for the night in Wood Henge, a meal and a good night’s sleep in a comfortable bed would do him good. He stayed at The Stag’s Antler, the usual inn for travelling lords. After his meal he was greeted by a Brother; Lord Bhering. The lord spotted the taint right away, Malphas caught the momentary shock that flickered across the lord’s face, but he said nothing directly. He asked how Malphas was feeling and Malphas was able to avoid an uncomfortable confrontation by claiming to be unwell. Lord Bhering left it at that and excused himself to seek his bed. In the morning when Malphas came down to break his fast Bhering was already gone.

High Lord Malphas had a decision to make. Should he continue on to the palace and submit to the will of his fellow lords, or should he seek solitude in secret while he sorted himself out? He broke his fast and went up to his room to gather his things. By the time he had stepped out into the fresh, autumn air he had made his choice. He would head for the Silverload Mountains. Travel far to the north and find a remote place to work, away from all of the daily routines of the lords and the people. He could do this; he was his own man, in no need of guidance from anyone else. But once again,his last thought had been tainted. Pride was one of the hardest taints to guard against and perhaps the hardest to purge.

From Wood Henge he travelled east, skirting the shore of Silvermere and away from the roads. After he had passed the great lake he veered northeast eventually meeting the river Usi in the foothills of the Silverload. He climbed into the mountains following one of the many tributaries that fed the river proper.

Far to the north, deep in the woods covering the northern edge of the Silverload, he found what he had been looking for. This part of the mountains was riddled with old silver mines; mostly unworked for several centuries, and he had ignored those that he had come across as he had climbed higher. Now he stood in a small clearing before a shallow natural cave. There was a small stream nearby and a ready store of kindling lying around. He could see no sign that anyone had ever camped there. He soon set up a low wall in the mouth of the cave against the prevailing wind and furnished the space inside with spruce prunings and leaves. He stripped the tack from his horse and let it graze freely. Then set about foraging for food.The woods were home to several species of mushroom. There were berries, herbs, and edible roots to be had. Not exactly what I’m used to, he thought grimly, but it will have to suffice. As the night drew in, he settled down beside a small fire and ate his frugal meal. This would be his routine from now on, at least until he had sorted himself out enough to return to his old life.

He had been there for three days before he saw the iron rod. It was just behind and above his cave nestled in the trees. He was gathering shoots and roots when he saw it glinting amongst the trees. The rod was planted in the ground with about four feet sticking straight up. It had strange markings over most of its surface; runes of some sort. He tried to pull it out of the ground but it was planted too deep. He gave up and sat looking at it. He could not imagine why it was here, in this isolated forest miles from any habitation. It looked old but he could not tell how old. There seemed to be no rusting or any waring of the surface. The ground was overgrown around the rod with brambles and nettles keeping him from a closer inspection. He resolved to clear the area later and examine it more closely. There was a distinct aura of unusual energy here but it was not one that he had encountered before.

He resumed his foraging for a while and then he saw the rabbit. The small animal was busy grazing on some weeds in the grasses over to his right. Malphas watched as it came closer to him. When it was about ten feet from him it stopped eating and sat looking at him, its ears swivelling and its nose twitching. It had no reason to fear him because the lords had forbidden the eating of meat for the last one thousand years and their auras were clean of any intimidating energies. Malphas contemplated the roots he had collected. They were bitter and did not satisfy the hunger that had grown since his last good meal in Wood Henge. A sudden urge overtook him; unbidden and distasteful, yet he acted without thought. The rabbit’s lifeless body was warm in his hand as he walked down to his cave.

The man was getting much closer now; he had taken his time over the last fifty yards or so, seemingly attempting to make his approach un-noticed. But Malphas had been aware of him for the better part of the afternoon as the man had climbed the wooded hillside towards Malphas’ cave. He was dressed in peasants garb; serviceable tunic and breaches with a threadbare cloak hanging ragged at his back. He crouched behind a thick shrub for a while before stepping out into the open space before the sitting lord.

Malphas added a few more twigs to the fire, Why so secretive friend? Malphas asked. What’s your business here this day?

The man scowled You are my business, friend! The man spat the word ‘friend’ giving it a distasteful tone. He lifted his right hand from his cloak revealing a short sword, which he waved at Malphas as he spoke again. I’ve come for a reckoning. I mean to have justice for my brother’s murder. He stepped closer. I won’t be denied.

Malphas held his hands up, palms open. I’ve done no murder. The man you must be referring to attacked me first. What I did was in self-defence, nothing more.

Self-defence! he cried. The man kicked dirt at Malphas, anger flaring on his face. You’re a lord, or supposed to be. How is it you needed to kill a man when you could just as easily bind him with your lordly powers? Eh! What kind of lord are you, anyway? You’re all supposed to be some sort of saints. Never cause harm to anyone. He sneered down at Malphas, getting ever closer. You’re no better than the rest of us, fucking lordy this, lordy fucking that.

As he spoke his last he lunged with the sword at the lord’s chest. Malphas pushed him to the side with a wave of his power. The man landed a good four feet away, as though blown by a powerful wind. He got to his knees. So, you use your powers now, so easy for you. Why not kill me as you did my brother?

Malphas looked away as he spoke. I did not wish to harm him. He was intent on killing me. I could see his mind was made up. He would track me for the rest of his life. He would not listen to reason. He looked at the man and held his eyes. You’ve tracked me this far. Will you listen to reason or will you hunt me down everywhere I go?

The man sat on the ground. He was more relaxed but still obviously resolute in his desire to kill Malphas. Killing me will not change things. There are many of us, more than you could ever imagine. The man was smiling now, as though he was the one with the power in this confrontation.

Malphas felt annoyed, his anger was rising again, just as it had when confronted by this man’s brother. We, who are these we? What are you babbling about?

The man’s smile broadened even more. There are many of us, Discontents we are known by; to each other anyway. We have a mission. My brother was hot headed; he couldn’t wait, bide his time, like the rest of us. He said he had word that a lord was in Threewaters testing for novices and that he was on his own. I forbade him to go but he left one night while I was away and when I realised what he was doing I set out to catch him but he was too far ahead of me. I arrived in time to claim his dead body. His smile disappeared, replaced now by a hard look. I can’t let this rest, he snarled,can’t wait for our strength to grow before acting. He shrugged. But I see now that I can’t win this. You lords are too powerful to fight face to face. Others have warned against this. They plot to overthrow you in more subtle ways. In the end, they will win.

The man seemed willing to talk, obviously secure in the knowledge that these Discontents were plotting in secret and could not be identified. They were discontented with the rule of the High Lords because they did not feel free to do whatever they wanted. It was all very well running a fair society where the people shared equallyandhonesty was expected of all. Some had other impulses, ambitions by which they would rather live by. A man or woman should be able to profit from their own labour without recourse to others less ambitious. That was at the front of their propaganda, but deeper in, where some of the leaders were grouped, a sinister motive and ambition held sway. These men were intent upona dishonest enterprise. Greed was the code word here. Take whatever you wanted. If you could take it then it was yours by right; or should that be by might? As the man spoke, it became clear that there was a centre of corruption to this conspiracy. It was also clear to Malphas that these people were spread about all over the land. Finding them would be virtually impossible.

As Malphas brooded upon this unexpected information he had not noticed the man covertly regaining his weapon. The first the lord knew was when the man threw himself upon him. It was a reckless move without regard for his personal safety. The man was prepared to die in his attempt to kill Malphas.

Malphas instinctively threw up his arm to deflect the sword. The sword sliced his arm but was deflected away from his body. The lord’s anger flared in deadly force fuelled by the unexpected pain of the cut, and the man fell dead across his legs.

Satisfaction filled his mind like a river overflowing its banks. He understood now that his discipline as a high Lord had not been a true purification but rather a shoring up and isolating of a more primitive self-preserving mind-set. There was darkness at the core of his nature. It was powerful, complex, deep seated, and it was capable of acts that he had never before even suspected existed. He would meditate on this discovery, using the technique that was programmed into every lord. But first, he had a body to dispose of.

Later, after he had hidden the body in the forest away from his camp, he was sitting by his small fire holding the last of the rabbit’s meat. He had lost his appetite. The meat seemed such a small thing to account for a life, a life he had taken; three now. How had he come to this? He was a High Lord; upholder of all that was good and true, purity personified. But they were just words. In truth, he was a sham, a disgrace to the high office of lordship. He dropped the meat into the flames and watched as it sizzled and burned. The smell nearly made him sick. He turned into his bedroll and sought the sanctuary of sleep.

He saw an image of a man;he was cloaked with the hood up, sat with his back to the iron rod. The man had a soft glow to him. Before the man, a figure robed in black slowly materialised. The man put his hands together as if in prayer. Master, he said, What is your will? Give me your bidding so that I may serve.

The vision faded and Malphas sank back into troubled sleep. When he woke early in the morning, the vision was still vivid in his mind. He went to the stream and washed the tiredness from his eyes. Then he climbed the hill behind the cave to the iron rod. The ground around the rod was covered in bramble and weeds but there was something barely showing through at one side. It was a flat slab, sitting slightly raised and butting against the rod. He set to work clearing all of the ground from around the rod. It was hard work but using his knife to dig with and the attacker’s short sword to slash, he eventually cleared the ground. It was clear that the stone was for sitting with the back to the rod. He sat and felt the rod against his spine. He could feel the energy running up the rod from the ground. It felt invigorating but the atmosphere was not right in the full light of day. He decided to come back after dark and sit here to meditate on his discoveries about himself. He needed to come to terms with the changes that he had experienced in the last few days. The lords in the palace would be concerned for him by now; surely expecting him back days ago after Lord Bhering would have his reported his taint.

The rod was