Chapter Nine:
The Heretic Jewel
The creature moved in the dead of night. This was the only way in which he could do this, or else he would draw far too much attention to himself. After leaving the Cat Wizard for dead in the cave, Zelophehad had continued on, remembering what it was he had been meaning to do before being sealed away.
Being sealed away had caused him to lose much of his strength, and though it had now returned as a result of stealing the life-force from the body of the other Cat Wizard with the Prince, it still was not as it had once been. After being sealed away, it had almost completely left him. That was why he wanted nothing more than to be able to find the one who had sealed him away and kill him.
And I will find him one of these days, Zelophehad thought. It might not be easy, but I believe I will be able to find this monster and end him. He caused me great pain as a result of what it took to seal me away. That Dragon will not be able to escape death this time around.
He looked around himself and found there was a bridge stretching across a ravine. Down below, he could see rushing water. It was flowing over the rocks and creating a sound that would have enchanted anyone that was not as evil as he.
There was the castle in front of him, about three-hundred feet from where the bridge ended on the other side of the ravine. If he could get there, then he would be able to reclaim what he truly wanted. He wanted it more than anything, and now that he had returned, he would be able to get it. No Elves would stop him this time, that he knew. If any attempted to stop him, they would only face his wrath.
They cannot hope to fight me. Those that have tried have all been killed, with the exception of that Dragon. But likely, none of those who will oppose me now are anything like he was…or is. I'm not sure if he is still alive, but I do know the pain I felt as a result of him. If he ever shows himself again…the truth is that I am not sure what I shall do. I have never felt such pain before. There was then the creature he had by his side when he sealed me away. But that was no Dragon…it was a Dragoness.
As he crossed the bridge, he also noticed a village stood between him and the castle. If he had to, then he would destroy that village and all those who lived within it. He did not care if there were husbands or wives or children within those homes. If any of them decided to stand in his way, to stop him from getting to the castle, then he would destroy them, no questions asked.
He continued over the bridge until it had ended, and when he was fully over the bridge, he found himself only that much closer to the village. He decided he would pass through it, just so he could show those who lived there that he was truly a force to be reckoned with, and so that others would know it was suicide if they wanted to go ahead and attempt to prevent his progress.
The smell of smoke was in the air, and Zelophehad saw that it belonged to a campfire in the middle of a circle of the inhabitants. While he wanted to call them "Cat Wizards," he remembered the correct term was "Felinians." Then, looking closer, he found Fairies there, as well, and a few kissing one another. He sneered at the thought of the two races mixing together. How was it possible?
Deciding not to pay anymore mind to the disgusting sight he had no witnessed, he continued forward.
The castle was just in front of him as he passed by the village. He believed he was nearly out of the range of the village, too, until a voice rang throughout the village and caused the Shadow Golem to stop in his tracks.
"Halt! Who goes there?"
Whirling around, Zelophehad found one of the Felinians standing before him. They looked as though they had seen some battle, with scars crossing their face. They had a small rapier clasped to their belt, which was tied around their robe.
"Who are you, Felinian?" Zelophehad asked. "Who would dare challenge me? A Shadow Golem, once it is on a set path, cannot be stopped! You must be brave to confront me, especially after what I did to your Prince!"
"Prince Azrael?" the Felinian said. "What have you done? Where is he? WHERE IS HE!"
By this time, many of the Felinians had heard the commotion that was going down within their village. Zelophehad could see them all coming to watch what was happening. He did not really want to take all their lives, but he knew he would if he had to.
"You all are surely coming to watch, as most do when they hear something such as this occurring within the confines of their homes and villages," Zelophehad said to them all. "I am here to take back what is mine. I have already killed your Prince, and I am willing to kill all of you. You can escape that fate, however, if you decide to go back to your homes and allow me to gain entrance to the castle. Once I am in there, I shall be able to reclaim what was taken from me several years ago. I am unsure of how long ago it truly was, now that I think about it, but I do know it has been some time since I was imprisoned by the monstrous Dragon who plagued all these lands at one time. I do not know where he is now, but it does not matter any longer. Allow me to go forward, and I shall not harm any of you."
At his mention of his killing Prince Azrael, there was an outpouring of grief from those that had assembled around him. The Shadow Golem shared a half-smile to himself, which was the closest he could muster to a full smile, as a result of what he was. Creatures such as himself could not truly smile due to the darkness that raged within them. Shadow Golems were no exception, and he was sure Dragons were the same if they were controlled by darkness.
"You will not be going anywhere!" the Felinian who looked to be the guard of the village shouted. "You will be staying here until we can figure out what it is that we shall do with you! Your crimes are numerous, for I know what and who you are! I have done my research, fortunately, and now that I have recognized you, I am going to ensure that you cannot see the light of day ever again!"
The Felinian retrieved their rapier and held it up. Their plan, it seemed, was to use the puny weapon against Zelophehad. It would not do any good, however, for the Shadow Golem was imbued with Magic that would stop such weapons from causing him any damage. He allowed the Felinian to swing the rapier, which shattered against his left leg.
The Felinian looked up at him in great shock. In response, Zelophehad grabbed the Felinian by the throat and concentrated. The life-force left their body, strengthening him. It was a grand feeling, to be able to feel more of his power now surging through him. There were cries as the body dropped.
Now satisfied, Zelophehad turned his back and continued walking. There was not much farther he would have to go in order to make it to the castle. When this was finally over, he vowed he would completely destroy the village.
The castle was only about a hundred feet away from him as he exited the village through the southern gateway. He could see how it rose into the night sky, a large, white construct made of stone, with many windows present. Yellow light streamed through the many windows, giving a sign that there were many who were still home.
He remembered the similar castle there in the Elven city that one night, where he had caused the major damage that had cost the lives of many. He had even killed that one young Elf's father, which he had found great joy in. But even that could not sate his thirst for the blood of whoever now stood in his way. He would reclaim what it was that he wanted most of all tonight, and no one would be able to stop him this time.
There was a part of him that wondered where that little Elf was now. While he had wanted to kill her, he'd also believed it was better, back then, to let her see the destruction that he could rain down upon them. Of course, if he'd possessed the Heretic Jewel at the time, then things would have been far better. Instead, it had been sent away, and he'd spent the better part of over a decade to find it. But then he had been sealed away, only able to produce projections. While they were sometimes useful, those projections did not accomplish as much as he had hoped. All they had brought back to him was fear, and while he could use fear, it did not help him very much while he was still there in that cave.
But there was no need for him to worry about that anymore, for he had finally reached the castle. Now that he was here, he was going to do his best to try and find a way to get inside. Once inside, then the most important part of his mission could finally get underway. He knew as of that moment that he would not fail. If anyone stood in his way, then they would fall as a result of his great power.
As soon as he had reached the area just in front of the castle—a moat that was complete with a drawbridge—he heard a sound that caused him to look up and see several guards atop the battlements. They were all staring down at him, and he guessed that they were going to try to stop him from gaining entrance.
"Who are you, beast, and what do you want?" one of the Felinians demanded from Zelophehad. He guessed he was the captain of the guards. "You've no business here, unless you are here to tell us what has happened to Prince Azrael!"
"Your Prince has met his end!" Zelophehad announced to all those above him. "I killed him, as well as the two companions that were there by his side. Those two were the ones I used to replenish my strength, which was taken from me when I was sealed away! I sucked their life-force from their bodies, and while I am not as strong as I once was, I can still fight and destroy all of you up there! Show me what it is you can do, and let's see how I'll be able to do it better!"
There were shouts of surprise and shock, just as there had been in the village, when he finished his explanation of what had happened to their Prince. This brought a smile to the Shadow Golem's face, as it meant he had caused these soldiers—if that was truly what they were—pain.
"Is it true?" the captain of the guards asked. "Have you truly killed our Prince? Is he truly gone from this world?"
"Yes," Zelophehad replied. "If you weren't deaf, then you might have heard that by now. I will not repeat myself, Felinian. Allow me entrance, or you shall watch as I destroy everything that you hold most dear! I do not believe that is what you want, now is it? I've seen the looks on your faces before, and all of them told me the same exact thing: that you have family, friends, and possessions stored somewhere inside."
Just as he believed the captain of the guards would truly stand down, he heard more shouting from on top of the castle. Zelophehad sighed, wishing this would move along much faster. He had places to be, as well as things to collect. Tarrying would cause what he was looking for to possibly disappear…again.
The captain of the guards' voice appeared once more, and this time Zelophehad could not help but laugh. "Archers, mount, and prepare to fire!" the captain commanded. The reason that Zelophehad was laughing was because he had not expected the captain of the guards to attempt something so silly!
How could he possibly believe that mere arrows would be able to take down someone such as him? It was nigh unbelievable, and when he finally got the chance, Zelophehad vowed he would teach the captain of the guards a lesson in humility, which the Shadow Golem had been forced to learn on his own through all his years of forced imprisonment.
The archers did as the captain of the guards had asked. Zelophehad continued staring at them as the captain finally gave the order to loose the arrows. They came hurtling towards him, and if he were some common beast, then he would have been struck down by such an attack.
But being a Shadow Golem, he had protective enchantments all over him. As the arrows neared, they began turning to ash. This was something neither the archers nor the captain of the guards had seen before, and Zelophehad could tell this by the sudden shocked cries and yells that appeared from off the top of the castle.
Zelophehad looked up again. "If you believed your arrows would actually do anything to me, then you are sorely mistaken, Felinian," he said. "I have endured far worse pain over the many hundreds and even thousands of years that I have walked Skylands. I cannot be simply struck down by weapons that would kill some common beast such as a boar or a wolf…or even a Dragon that knows nothing of what they're doing. You can try again and see if you obtain a chance to kill me, but you will see nothing but failure in your future."
The captain of the guards prepared his soldiers to fire again. Zelophehad couldn't believe it. It just seemed as if it had come out of some children's story! And yet, these were the defenses of a castle in one of the worlds of the Forgotten Realms! Zelophehad was not sure what it was that had crept into their skulls as they slept, but one thing he knew was that there was only one thing he could do now.
He concentrated, then sent forth a projection of himself to the top of the castle. While imprisoned, these projections could not do very much, but after being freed, Zelophehad had looked within himself to find those powers somewhat increased. He was going to use this to his advantage now.
His projection began slaughtering all those atop the castle, and there were horrible screams that rent the night air. Zelophehad watched through the eyes of his projection as a soldier's neck was broken. A quick, hard punch sent one crumpling into the stone beneath them, never to move again.
Then there was the captain of the guards. Concentrating, though knowing he could not keep up his projection much longer, Zelophehad released a great deal of energy that incinerated most of those that were too near it. However, in the case of the captain, he was hit by a concussive blast that instead sent him plummeting to the ground. It was a long fall, and when it was over, Zelophehad guessed that the captain would not be in the best of shape. That was, if he survived at all. It was very possible that he would not survive the fall.
When the captain hit the ground, Zelophehad immediately started on his way over to him. When he finally stood over the defeated Felinian, the Shadow Golem could see the pain upon his face. He wore a black robe. His fur was a bright orange, though streaks of yellow could be seen. His eyes were a bright green. Blood was leaking from his mouth and nostrils, and there was bloody wound upon his head.
Picking the Felinian up, he heard grunts of extreme pain.
"What is your name, captain?" Zelophehad asked with a soft tone.
"Naracus," he answered. He cradled his right arm, and Zelophehad guessed the appendage was broken. "What are you, and what is it that you want? Why did you kill our Prince? And how is it that you came to be here? I think I deserve answers, since these are my last moments."
"Well, you are not wrong when you say that these are your last moments," Zelophehad said. "I would tell you where it is I have come from and how I came to be here, but the only issue I face with something such as that is that I have to find something I believe has been hidden within this castle. But as for one of your questions, if you must know, I am Zelophehad, and I am a Shadow Golem." An eerie silence fell between them. "Well, then," Zelophehad finally said, breaking the silence, "now that that is done, I must attend to others things. Farewell, Naracus. You fought well, but in the end, you were no match for one such as me. At least your family can now say, however, that you have suffered a hero's death."
And with that, the Shadow Golem slammed a hand into Naracus's skull. The neck was broken instantly, and the impact, which was truly great, caused many of the windows upon the castle to suddenly shatter.
When it was done, Zelophehad dropped the body.
He hurried through the next few rooms as quick as he could. It was not easy to move so quick due to being so large. However, he did what he could to the best of his ability, and soon he had been able to get through several main doors. It wouldn't be long now until he reached the throne room.
"Halt!" a soldier yelled at him as they came forward from the next room, the doors having burst open as they entered. "You shall not pass! You cannot get past me!"
"Fool," Zelophehad snarled. "You know nothing of me, nor of my power."
Raising his large left hand again, Zelophehad blasted the soldier through the chest with Shadow Energy. When it was done, that soldier lay on the floor, blood pooling around them from the large hole in the middle of their chest.
Before continuing forward, Zelophehad stopped and looked down at them.
"You were brave, especially since you were alone," he said. "But even you must realize that you cannot hope to kill me by yourself. Those that have tried have all failed, and even the one who came closest had to seal me away instead of dealing the final blow. When my end comes, it will be by my own hand, not another's, for I will die before I give in to another. But then, who is there that can best me?"
With that, Zelophehad continued.
If another stands in my way, they shall suffer the same fate as this one, he thought. My imprisonment has dampened my power, but that will not impede me forever. What I am looking for is here, and soon not even the Wizards will be able to take me down.
He blasted open another set of doors, which revealed the interior of the next room to be a long corridor that was at least seventy feet from the end Zelophehad had entered through to the next set of doors.
The throne room had to be close, he knew. Once he entered it, he would use his knowledge against the ruler of this Realm. He believed one of the three he had killed in the caves had been her husband, and that would help him to gain control over her. Looking over to his right, he found a set of windows that stretched from floor to ceiling, showing the beautiful scene outside. Zelophehad nodded to himself, thinking how he would soon turn this Realm into one set in his own image.
The doors ahead of him burst open, and more soldiers came through. Zelophehad almost wanted to sigh, as he wondered how these soldiers could possibly think they would be able to take him down. "All those who already stood in my path have been killed by my hand," he told them. "If you wish to stand in my way still, then know you will soon meet the same fate as they. I do not take prisoners very often, and this time there will be only one exception."
"Kill it!" one of the soldiers yelled, likely the captain.
Arrows flew at Zelophehad, but he cast a Dark Spell that turned them back towards the soldiers who loosed them, as well as imbuing them with the same Dark Magic that coursed through his body. Within mere moments, all those soldiers had met their end. Only the one who had given the order to kill him still stood. "I wish things could have gone better for you," Zelophehad drawled. "But at the same time, even you must know that you cannot delay the inevitable. This is one of those times, and all those who stand in my way will be cut down, whether they realize it or not. There is a part of me that wishes things could be different, but I know that is impossible, and so I will cry over the blood that I have spilled."
The lead soldier now cowered before him, and the Shadow Golem could not help but take pride in this.
With another wave of his hand, the soldier's neck was opened by a blade of Shadow. Taking care to tread on each of the bodies, Zelophehad finally burst through the doors before him and found exactly what he had been looking for:
The throne room.
A Fairy hovered above the floor, the crown lying upon her head signifying her place as the Princess. Looking around, Zelophehad noticed the tapestries revealing how the Realm had come to be, how the Prince and Princess had met, and how things seemed to be: peaceful and serene. That will soon be the very opposite, Zelophehad thought.
"Who are you, monster, and what do you want?" the Princess asked in an accent Zelophehad considered foreign.
"My name is Zelophehad, and you have something I want more than anything else in Skylands," he replied. "But first, where is the King and the Queen of this Realm? They are those whom I shall pose my question to, rather than you."
"The King and Queen will soon be crowned, but for now we are Prince and Princess," the Fairy replied. Looking her over, Zelophehad saw her skin had a pinkish hue, and her eyes were a bright green. She wore a canary-yellow dress, and her translucent wings were giving off what looked to be blue-and-green sparkles, with hints of purple and red every once in a while. "So, you can pose your question to me, or to my husband when he finally returns."
"I assume your husband is a Cat Wizard?"
"Yes, how did you know?"
"Well, for one thing, there are the tapestries covering the whole room. For another…I believe I might have killed him before finally coming here. I realize that is not the news you were looking for, but I still think it is good that you know. But don't be sad, Princess. I'm sure you'll see him again, very soon."
"You killed my husband?" the Princess asked in a hushed tone. "You killed him? But how? When? Why?"
"I killed him in the caverns after I was freed," Zelophehad explained. "I believe it was an accident that my freedom came about, but it no longer matters. I just know he was with two of his acquaintances at the time of his death. Now, before we continue, Princess, what is your name?"
Though obviously grieving, the Princess still answered, "Ami."
"Well, Ami, I wish I could give you my condolences, but the truth is, I do not care how much blood I spill, so long as I get exactly what I want."
"And what do you want?"
"The Heretic Jewel."
Ami's bright green eyes widened in surprise. "How do you know of that?" she gasped.
"So it is here," Zelophehad said. "I believed it would be, but I was not sure. That was the entire reason I came here, and while I was sealed away, I plotted my escape and my discovery of it. I believed it was in those caverns, but during the many years I spent in that wall, I realized that it wouldn't be in there. It seemed too difficult a place to find it. I realized it would instead be placed where everyone believed it might be, so much so that they would soon believe there was no way that it could be there. And so, they would search within the caverns, like I did so blindly. That, I believe, is one of the reasons I was imprisoned. There are others, to be sure, and I do know exactly what they were. But now, Princess, tell me where the Heretic Jewel is. I know you have an understanding of it, and I'm sure you know its location quite well. So, tell me. Now."
He could see that Ami did not want to divulge the information to him whatsoever. He could see that she wanted nothing more to tell him something vulgar or threatening. But at the same time, he could see the great fear in her eyes. He did not know how much longer she could keep this from him. He knew she was going to give him what he needed to know.
Just as he had believed, she could not help but give in to his threats.
"It is over there," she said with an inflected tone that gave the sense of defeat. "I do not think any good will come of you possessing it, but all the same, I know defeat when I see it."
Zelophehad looked to where she was pointing, and he saw a large, rectangular door made of chrome. "A vault," he said. "How original." He looked back at Ami. "You giving me this information may not seem to help you in the end, but it will help me, and that is what truly matters. Now, now, Princess, do not grieve for your husband just yet. There are many great things that are about to come of this. You will be rewarded for your help one day." When finished giving his monologue to Ami, Zelophehad turned towards the vault and strode to it. He held up his right hand and blasted the vault's door, which took it right off its hinges. "Now to reclaim what I truly want," he said.
He entered the vault and found a great many treasures, many of which looked as though they could belong in a museum. There were jewels that held no value to Zelophehad, with the Heretic Jewel being the only kind of gem he really wanted. There were gold and silver goblets encrusted with many of these jewels, as well. A great sword hung in the far back, emblazoned with glyphs that read: Warrior of Charmed Ridge.
Then he saw it.
The Heretic Jewel lay on a pedestal just a bit above where Zelophehad now stood. He hurried to it, wanting nothing more than to take it and wield its power. The King of that Elven Realm could not stop him from claiming what the Shadow Golem believed to be his birthright.
Walking to it, Zelophehad used his Dark Magic to raise himself into the air and float in front of the top of the pedestal.
"At last, you are mine," he said.
He reached out to touch it…
…and when his hand clasped around the dark gem, memories of the events that had led to this moment flashed before him.
"You will not find it, Golem," the Dark Figure had said in their distorted tone that would commonly strike fear into the hearts of those who heard it; however, Zelophehad was not affected in such a way. Though Zelophehad knew who they were, he referred to him as the Dark Figure because of the hate he had for their true name. "It has been sent somewhere that you will never find. It isn't far, and yet it isn't close. Not even I would resort to such means to get what I want, which is why I will not allow you to find or take it."
"What authority do you have over me?!" Zelophehad had demanded. "I am the Shadow Golem that will bring all of Skylands to its knees! Nothing in this universe will be able to stop me!"
"How wrong you are."
With those words, the Dark Figure used some kind of power that stopped Zelophehad in his tracks. Suddenly the Shadow Golem could not move, and he found himself being forced into the rocky wall behind him. He felt pain, though he did not know how. He screamed as he became encased within the stone. Soon enough, he could not speak, and memory and time ceased for him.
At least, for the time-being.
Zelophehad slammed into the ground. He realized he'd been in a trance. Looking down at his open palm, he found he had the Heretic Jewel in his grasp. He had not ever heard of the dark gem being able to give visions to those that held it, only destruction.
A thought crossed his mind, and he whirled around. He hurried into the throne room, finding that it was now empty. That was when he understood exactly what had happened: the Princess had forced him to relive the memory of those events. During that time, she had taken the chance to run—or fly, he guessed, since she was a Fairy. Either way, she had taken the chance to try an escape attempt. Now he ran after her, hoping to stop her from getting too far. If she escaped, then there would be problems that would arise.
As he ran after her, Ami was flying through the halls, seeing all the bodies of the guards that had attempted to stop the Shadow Golem from entering the throne room. It horrified her, and she wished there was some way for her to resurrect them and stop all of this from ever happening.
A blast of Dark Magic flew above her head and hit a stone column just ahead of her. As the column crumbled, it brought down pieces of the stone roof it was connected to, and soon Ami found that she was trapped, as the stones covered her only way to escape.
Slowly turning around, she found Zelophehad standing there. She could see he was not happy at all with her.
In his right palm was the Heretic Jewel.
"Did you really think you could escape me, Princess?" he asked softly, though his tone still conveyed his great anger.
"I'm not sure, but I still tried," she answered honestly. "If what you say is true—if my husband truly is dead—then there is nothing left for me here. Please, allow me to leave. I am of no use to you."
"Except you are," Zelophehad said. "You will be my prisoner, and the only reason for this is so that you do not bring reinforcements. Not that they can kill me, but even then, it would not be good for them to come. So, this is what shall happen. You may not like it, but you will be my prisoner, and that is the end of the story." He looked down at the Heretic Jewel. "I've been looking for this for so long, and now it is mine. I will not fail in my attempt to take over Skylands." With that, he moved forward. Ami watched as his large hand appeared over her head, and she closed her eyes.
There was quick pain at the top of her skull, and she fell into unconsciousness before hitting the floor.
Zelophehad looked down at her, then again at the Heretic Jewel in his right palm, and said, "Now for the next phase of my plan…"