The Ruins of Gorlan

Chapter 24

"SOMETHING'S HAPPENED," HALT SAID QUIETLY, SIGNALING for his two companions to rein in their horses.

The three riders had cantered the last half a kilometer to the Gathering Ground. Now, as they crested a slight rise, the open space among the trees lay just below them, a hundred meters away. Small, one-man tents stretched in ordered ranks, and the smoke of cooking fires scented the air. An archery range had been set up to one side of the open space, and several dozen horses, all small and shaggy Ranger horses, were grazing close to the trees.

Even from where they sat on their horses, they could make out an air of urgency and activity throughout the camp. In the center of the tent lines was a larger pavilion, easily four meters by four meters and with enough headroom for a tall man to stand. The sides were currently rolled up and Will could see a group of green and gray clad men standing around a table, apparently deep in conversation. As they watched, one of the group detached himself, running to a horse waiting just outside the entrance. He mounted and spun the horse on its back legs, setting out through the camp at a gallop, heading for the narrow track through the trees at the far side.

He had barely disappeared into the deep shadows under the trees when another rider appeared from the opposite direction, galloping through the lines and reining in outside the large tent. His horse had barely stopped before he swung down and headed in to join the group inside.

"What is it?" Will asked. Frowning, he realized that several of the small tents were being struck and rolled up by their owners. "Not sure," Halt replied. He gestured to the tent lines. "See if you can find us a decent campsite. I'll see what's going on." He urged Abelard forward, then turned and called back: "Don't pitch the tents yet. From the looks of things, we may not be needing them." Then Abelard's hooves were drumming on the turf as he galloped toward the center of the camp.

Will and Gilan found a campsite under a large tree, reasonably close to the central gathering area. Then, uncertain as to what they should do next, they sat on a log, waiting for Halt's return. As a senior Ranger in the Corps, Halt had access to the larger pavilion, which Gilan explained was the command tent. The Corps Commandant, a Ranger named Crowley, would meet with his staff there each day to organize activities and to collate and evaluate the reports and information that individual Rangers brought to the Gathering.

Most of the tents near the two younger Rangers were unoccupied, but there was a thin gangly Ranger outside one, pacing impatiently back and forth, looking every bit as confused as Gilan and Will. Seeing them on the log, he moved over to join them.

"Any news?" he said immediately, and his face fell when Gilan answered. "We were just about to ask you the same question. " He held out his hand in greeting. "It's Merton, isn't it?" he said and they shook hands. "That's right. And you're Gilan if I remember correctly."

Gilan introduced Will, and the newcomer, who appeared to be in his early thirties, looked at him speculatively. "So you're Halt's new apprentice," he said.

"We wondered what you'd be like. I was going to be one of your assessors, you know."

"Going to be?" Gilan asked quickly, and Merron looked at him. "Yes. I doubt we'll continue with the Gathering now." He hesitated, then added, "You mean you haven't heard?" The two newcomers shook their heads. "Morgarath is up to something again," he said quietly, and Will felt a shiver of fear up his spine at the mention of that evil name. "What's happened?" Gilan asked, his eyes narrowing. Merron shook his head, stirring the dirt in front of him with the toe of his boot in a frustrated gesture. "There's no clear news so far. Only garbled reports. But it looks as if a force of Wargals broke out of Three Step Pass some days ago. They overran the sentries there and headed north."

"Was Morgarath with them?" Gilan asked. Will remained wide-eyed and silent. He couldn't bring himself to ask any questions, couldn't bring himself to actually mention Morgarath's name.

Merron shrugged in reply. "We don't know. Don't think so at this stage, but Crowley has been sending scouts out for the past two days. Could be it's just a raid. But if it's more than that, it could mean the start of another war. If so, it's a bad time to lose Lord Lorriac."

Gilan looked up, concern in his voice. "Lorriac is dead?" he asked, and Merron nodded.

"A stroke apparently. Or his heart. He was found dead a few days ago, with not a mark on him. Staring straight ahead. Stone cold dead."

"But he was in his prime!" Gilan said. "I saw him only a month ago and he was as healthy as a bull."

Merron shrugged. He had no explanation. He only knew the facts of the matter. "I suppose it can happen to anyone," he said. "You just never know"

"Who's Lord Lorriac?" Will asked Gilan quietly. The young Ranger shook his head thoughtfully as he answered. "Lorriac of Steden. He was the leader of the King's heavy cavalry. Probably our best cavalry commander. As Merron said, if there's war, he'll be sorely missed." A cold hand of fear closed around Will's heart. All his life people had spoken in whispers of Morgarath, if they had spoken of him at all. The Great Enemy had assumed the proportions almost of a myth-a legend from the old, dark days. Now the myth was becoming reality once more-a confronting, terrifying reality. He looked at Gilan for reassurance, but the young Ranger's handsome face showed nothing but doubt and concern for the future.

It was almost an hour before Halt rejoined them. As it was after midday, Will and Gilan had prepared a meal of bread, cold meat and dried fruit. The gray-haired Ranger slid down from Abelard's saddle and accepted a plate from Will, eating the food in quick bites. "The Gathering's over," he said shortly, between mouthfuls. Seeing the senior Ranger's arrival, Merron had drifted back to join their group. He and Halt greeted each other briefly, then Merron posed the question that was on all their minds. "Is it war?" he asked anxiously, and Halt shook his head. "We don't know for certain. Latest reports show that Morgarath is still in the mountains."

"Then why did the Wargals break out?" Will asked. Everyone knew that Wargals only did the will of Morgarath.

They never would have performed such a radical act without his direction. Halt's face was grim as he answered.

"They're only a small party-perhaps fifty of them. They were intended to act as a diversion. While our guards were busy chasing the Wargals, Crowley thinks that the two Kalkara slipped out of the Mountains and are holed up somewhere on the Solitary Plain."

Gilan gave a low whistle. Merron actually took a step back in surprise. Both the younger Rangers' faces showed their utter horror at the news. Will had no idea what the Kalkara might be, but judging from Halt's expression and the reactions of Gilan and Merron, they were obviously not good news. "You mean they still exist?" Merron said. "I thought they died out years ago."

"Oh, they still exist all right," Halt said. "There are only two of them left, but that's enough to worry about. " There was a long silence between them, Finally, hesitantly, Will had to ask: "What are they?" Halt shook his head sadly. It was not a subject that he wanted to discuss with someone as young as Will. But, knowing what lay ahead of them all, he had no choice. The boy had to know. "When Morgarath was planning his rebellion, he wanted more than an ordinary army. He knew that if he could terrify his enemies, his task would be far easier. So over the years, he made several expeditions into the Mountains of Rain and Night, searching."

"Searching for what?" Will asked, although he had the uncomfortable feeling that he knew what the answer would be.

"For allies he could use against the kingdom. The Mountains are an ancient, undisturbed part of the world. They've remained unchanged for centuries and there were rumors that strange beasts and ancient monsters still lived there. The rumors turned out to be all too true."

"Like the Wargals," Will put in, and Halt nodded.

"Yes. Like the Wargals. And he very quickly enslaved them and bent them to his will," he said with a touch of bitterness in his voice. "But then he found the Kalkara. And they're worse than Wargals. Much, much worse."

Will said nothing. The thought of beasts that were worse than Wargals was a disturbing one, to say the least. "There were three of them. But one was killed about eight years ago, so we know a little more about them. Think of a creature somewhere between an ape and a bear, that walks upright, and you'll have an idea of what a Kalkara looks like."

"So does Morgarath control them with his mind, like the Wargals?" Will asked. Halt shook his head. "No. They're more intelligent than Wargals. But they are totally obsessed with silver. They worship it and hoard it and Morgarath apparently gives it to them in large amounts so they'll do his bidding. And they do it well. They can be incredibly cunning while they stalk their prey."

"Prey?" Will asked. "What sort of prey?"

Halt and Gilan exchanged a glance and Will could see that his mentor was reluctant to talk about the subject. For a moment, he thought Halt was going to begin another of his dissertations on Will's endless questions. But then he realized this was a far more serious matter than idle curiosity as the grizzled Ranger replied quietly, "The Kalkara are assassins. Once they've been given a specific victim, they will do anything in their power to reach that person and kill them."

"Can't we stop them?" Will asked, his gaze shifting briefly to Halt's massive longbow and the bristling quiver of black arrows. "They're very difficult to kill. They have a thick hair covering that's matted and bonded together so that it's almost like scales. An arrow will hardly penetrate. A battle-ax or a broadsword is best against them. Or a good thrust with a heavy spear might do the job."

Will felt a moment of relief. These Kalkara had started to sound almost invincible. But there were plenty of accomplished knights in the kingdom who would doubtless be able to account for them. "So was it a knight who killed the one eight years ago?" he asked. Halt shook his head."Not a knight. Three. It took three fully armed knights to kill it, and only one of them survived the battle. What's more, he was crippled for life," Halt finished grimly. "Three men? All of them knights?" Will said incredulously. " ut how" Gilan interrupted him before he could finish. "The problem is, if you get close enough to use a sword or spear, the Kalkara can usually stop you before you have a chance." As he spoke, his fingers drummed lightly on the hilt of the sword that he wore at his waist. "How does it stop you?" Will asked, the momentary feeling of relief instantly dispelled by Gilan's words. This time it was Merron who answered.

"Its eyes," the gangly Ranger said. "If you look into its eyes, you are frozen helpless – the way a snake freezes a bird with its gaze before it kills it."

Will looked from one to the other of the three men, uncomprehending. What Merron was saying seemed too far-fetched to be true. Yet Halt wasn't contradicting him. "Freezes you… how can it do that? Are you talking about magic here?" Halt shrugged. Merron looked away uncomfortably. None of them liked discussing this subject.

"Some people call it magic," Halt finally said. "I think it's more likely a form of hypnotism. Either way, Merron is right. If a Kalkara can make you look into its eyes, you become paralyzed by sheer terror, unable to do anything to save yourself."

Will glanced around anxiously, as if expecting any moment to see an ape-bear creature charging out of the silent trees. He could feel panic growing in his chest. Somehow, he'd come to think of Halt as invincible. Yet here he was, seeming to admit that there was no defense against these vile monsters. "Isn't there anything you can do?" he asked in a hopeless voice. Halt shrugged. "Legend has it that they are particularly vulnerable to fire. Problem is, as before, getting close enough to do any damage. Carrying a naked flame makes it a little difficult to stalk a Kalkara. They tend to hunt at night and they can see you coming." Will found it difficult to believe what he was hearing. Halt seemed so matter-of-fact about it all, and Gilan and Merron were obviously disturbed by his news.

There was an awkward silence, which Gilan broke by asking, "What makes Crowley think that Morgarath is using them?" Halt hesitated. He'd been told Crowley's thoughts in private council, Then he shrugged. They'd all need to know about it sooner or later and they were all members of the Ranger Corps, even Will. "He's already used them twice in the past year – to kill Lord Northolt and Lord Lorriac." The three younger men all exchanged puzzled glances, so he went on. "Northolt was thought to be killed by a bear, remember?" Will nodded slowly. He remembered now. On his first day as Halt's apprentice, the Ranger had received news of the supreme commander's death. "I thought at the time that Northolt was too skilled a hunter to be killed that way. Crowley evidently agrees."

"But what about Lorriac? Everyone said it was a stroke." It was Merron who asked this question. Halt glanced at him briefly, then answered. "You'd heard that, had you? Well, his physician was most surprised. Said he'd never seen a healthier man. On the other hand…" He paused, and Gilan finished the thought. "It could have been the work of the Kalkara." Halt nodded. "Exactly. We don't know the full effects of the freezing stare they've developed. Maintained over a long enough time, the terror could well be enough to stop a man's heart. And there were vague reports that a large, dark animal was seen in the area."

Again, silence settled over the small group under the trees. Around them, Rangers bustled to and fro, striking camp and saddling their horses. Halt finally roused them all from their thoughts. "We'd best be moving. Merton, you'll need to return to your fief. Crowley wants the army alerted and mobilized. Orders will be distributed in a few minutes." Merron nodded and turned away toward his campsite. He paused and turned back. Something in Halt's voice, the way he had said "you'll need to return to your fief," had made him think. "What about you three?" he said. "Where are you going?" Even before Halt answered, Will knew what he was going to say. But that didn't make it any less terrifying or blood-chilling when the words were said, "We're going after the Kalkara."