Dark Soul Silenced - Part One Read Online Free PDF Page B

further inland?”
    “ Unlikely but not impossible.  However that is not where they went.  The power this child wields cannot be left unchecked.  Earlier today I authorised use of the Seeker Amulet.”
    Josef stared at the prefect, completely stunned.  The Seeker Amulet had legendary status.  It could be used to track down powerful users of the dark arts, once locked on it was able to track them no matter the distance involved.  It was one of the most powerful objects the Order owned.  Josef could only remember it being used once before, not long after he joined the Order, when a series of mutilated murder victims had turned up in the city – all with occult symbols carved into their dead bodies.  With no leads and the number of corpses constantly mounting the Seeker Amulet had been used.  It had led the members of his order to a minor noble who appeared to be a pillar of society, yet when they arrived he had unleashed bolts of lightning and summoned several demons to cover his escape. 
    Had it been anyone else come to arrest him he would have escaped easily, but the Order was well equipped to face such horrors.  Blessed robes and armour deflected the lightning bolts and sacred weapons tore the demons apart.  On seeing this the noble had realised that he could not escape, that he faced days of excruciating questioning followed by execution.  Before any of the Order could reach him he pulled a short blade decorated with heathen symbols from his robes and slit his own throat, taking all his dark secrets to the grave.
    “ The girl is that much of a threat?” he managed to ask eventually.
    “ Yes, she is – I felt sure anyway and the path they are taking confirms it.  They are travelling north, towards the Dark Lands.”
    The name sent a shiver down Josef's spine.  The Dark Lands were infamous, an area renowned for being tainted with dark power.  Folklore painted the Dark Lands as full of ravening monsters and powerful demons, seductive sirens and depraved wizards.  The Order's own files confirmed many of the stories, though they also recorded that people managed to survive in many areas, sometimes in thrall to the dark powers but often by exercising great care and sealing themselves away at night.
    The Order had made many forays into the Dark Lands, attempts to understand the source of the corruption with a view to cleansing it.  None had been successful, and many had failed to return at all.  Individuals from the Order had been known to head into the Dark Lands alone, determined to bring enlightenment and protection to the people living there.  Very few returned, though reports suggested at least some were still alive and continuing their work with the locals.
    Josef pulled his thoughts back to the prefect, making the traditional triangular ward against evil with his hands.  The old man smiled at him, though there was little humour in it.
    “You'll need more than that lad, when you follow the child.  A lot more than that.”
    “ I'm to follow her?”
    “ Well, not exactly.  Ser Gerome will be following her, I've given him the Seeker Amulet, and also a Purity Orb.  You will accompany him, together with ten guardsmen.”
    “ Thank you.  I am honoured.” 
    He hoped the prefect wouldn't detect his concern.  Days or weeks in the company of Gerome did not appeal to him at any time, with his new responsibilities Gerome would be even less pleasant to be around, and his excesses would grow even worse Josef was sure.
    “No you aren't, don't lie to me lad.  I know what you think of Gerome, but he is the best man for this job.  That child and her parents must be tracked down, and it needs to be done before they penetrate too deeply into the Dark Lands.  The Amulet cannot be used continuously, in fact it can only be used for a few short minutes each day, so we need our best hunter on the case.”
    “ Yes Prefect.  I will do all I can to assist Ser Gerome and the guards.”
    “ No you won't lad.