Dragon Quest - I - Chapter 1, Part 2

The castle's secret... (pp18-24)

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Volume 1 - Chapter 2 - A Mysterious Light

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Soldiers sent from the castle that were stationed at the gates opened the heavy doors to the walled town. As soon as they did, a cold wind blew fiercely inside and nearly swept away Aleph’s felt cap.

“Wagh!”

Aleph gripped his hat to his head and hunched over, peering out into the gusts.

A thin road stretched out of the gates into the distance like a ribbon, continuing on over the low hills to Radatome Castle.

As if he were getting used to the feeling of the earth outside of the walls, Aleph stepped forward gingerly. With a deep breath and strong will, he followed after Gaul.

The castle, with its deep moat and double curtain walls, was even more giant than he had imagined after looking out on it from the top of the cathedral tower.

Circular towers studded the walls at all four cardinal points, and slightly left of center was another tower, several times larger, that looked out over the Radatome Plains. All day and night, soldiers stand guard at the top of this tower, keeping watch in all directions for any signs of an incoming attack by the Dragonlord. To its right was a grandiose building with a red roof that served as Ralus XVI’s palace.

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As they arrived at the fortress-like castle gates, the drawbridge was dropped without hesitation, and Gaul headed within, accompanied by several soldiers he was apparently  well-acquainted with.
Beyond the gates, past a paved road and above a set of stone steps, towered an internal second gate.

A bearded corporal waited inside. He was so tall that they both had to look up at his face.

“You must be at ease, Gaul, having such a reliable young man to take after you,” he stated, after Gaul introduced Aleph. He grinned, baring a set of strong, yellowed teeth.

“I’ve got to make some preparations with Gaul before you begin work. Feel free to look around the castle until then.”

“Really!?” Aleph asked, eyes sparkling.

“Beyond this storehouse here is the smithy. We’ll be waiting there,” the corporal said as he pointed to the building to his right, and no sooner he did then Aleph sprinted off happily.

“Just don’t get in anyone’s way!” the corporal called off nervously after him as he disappeared around the corner of the barracks.

“He’s always been that way. Say one thing for him, he’s got plenty of energy,” Gaul said to the corporal, smiling apologetically.

Beyond the barracks, Aleph arrived at a spacious central garden. In the middle was a dried up fountain, and a large number of dead leaves had collected at the bottoms of the tanks for collecting rainwater.

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Cypress trees arranged to encircle the garden had now withered and lost their leaves, and shuddered in the winter breeze. Directly ahead were stairs that led to the gates to the palace, behind which the red building could be seen.

Taken by the sight of the palace, Aleph approached the fountain. Suddenly, a strong wind kicked up and blew away his cap.

Riding the wind, the hat flew over a cypress and landed on the lid of an old dilapidated well situated next to the castle walls. The old well had no bucket, nor pulley to raise and lower one, only an old makeshift lid to keep it closed. Aleph ran to the well and jumped on it, dropping to one knee and reached out to grab his cap. As he did, the old wood creaked in protest and began to crack. It had rotted through after being left to weather the elements for many long years.

“Aaaaah!” Aleph screamed, as he fell down head over heels into the well, together with bits of broken lid.

A thick growth of moss covered the leaves and detritus at the bottom of the well. Aleph landed on his back. A shock ran through his body, leaving him breathless for a few moments.

Luckily, it didn’t even leave a scratch. The leaves and moss had softened the fall.

“Oww…”

Rubbing his head, he placed his hat back where it belonged and begun to attempt to scale the wall of the well.

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The walls were built out of a great number of smooth stones, each larger than a man’s head. Aleph placed his fingers in the cracks between them, pulling with all of his strength, and slowly, foot by foot, made his way upward.

It seemed that the depth of the well was about twice that of an ordinary house, roof included.

Once he had climbed about a third of the way, his fingers slipped, and he fell once again onto the moss, flat on his back.

“Damnit!”

As he was looking up scornfully at the walls of the well, he noticed a small glint out of the corner of his eye.

“Hm?”

Glancing down at the wall near his feet, he saw a white shimmer sparkling through a crack in the stone.

Trepidatiously, Aleph reached out his hand towards the crack, then cried out and jumped back in surprise.

All on its own, the wall collapsed, revealing an entryway approximately big enough for a single person to crawl through. In the darkness beyond, a light glimmered, like that of a small jewel, sparkling as if it were calling out to him.

“What… is that?”

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Aleph gazed at the mysterious light as if entranced. When he realized he was staring without moving, he came to and dipped his head into the hole. When he did, as if it were waiting for him, the light began to move even deeper within, flitting about like it were alive.

Brushing aside spiderwebs, Aleph crawled into the hole and followed after the light, captivated.

Though Aleph couldn’t tell when it was made, it seemed like this secret tunnel was meant to be some sort of emergency escape route. It must definitely run under the palace, he thought, just before the hole split into two paths. He briefly lost sight of the light - but then he saw it in the right-most path, waiting for him. He headed after it, and it fled once more beyond.

As he continued on, the tunnel became increasingly complex. There were more and more splits, and intersections with other tunnels. There were parts pooled with water, and parts completely dried up.

Eventually, he arrived at a crumbled stairwell. Bracing himself, he sure-footedly ascended the staircase, at the top of which led to a dead-end with a stone wall.

The light slowly faded into the wall as he approached. Near-panic, Aleph fumbled against the wall with both hands. Immediately it swung open inwards, revealing an exit to the tunnel.

The door led directly behind a large pillar into to the room beyond. A secret door. The light was waiting for Aleph within. As he stepped out from behind the pillar, brushing the cobwebs from his hair and mud and dirt from his face, his eyes opened wide with a loud gasp.

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“Incredible!”

On display and packed into every corner were decorations of pure gold and silver, expensive-looking, shimmering jewels, necklaces, bracelets and earrings studded and overflowing with gemstones, paintings, sculptures, porcelain and other pieces of art, piles of extravagant woven silks, and ancient suits of armors and helmets, shields, swords and spears, handed down since antiquity. It was the treasure room beneath the palace.

But more than all of those treasures, one thing caught Aleph’s eye. There was a red stone, emitting a blinding light. It was small enough to be concealed in both hands, but it shone more beautifully than anything else in the room.

“What is that…?”

The strange light that had guided him this far was floating without moving before the red stone. Suddenly, it began to melt into it, causing the light emitted from the strange rock to grow even brighter.

Aleph put out both of his hands as he approached, as if he were about to be sucked into the stone. His body moved of its own accord, possessed, uncontrolled by his own will.

His ten fingertips softly touched the gorgeous red stone. As he did, the beautiful light was sucked deep within its depths and faded.

“Wha!?”

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Surprised, Aleph jerked his hand back, and it struck a helmet nearby. The helm hit the floor with a loud noise, and a rack of spears, shields and other weapons toppled as well, making a great metal crash echo throughout the chamber.

“Who goes there!?”

Several of the guards posted outside of the entrance ran in, yelling the whole way.

“Intruder!”

“Have at you!”

In moments, Aleph was facing a number of sharp-tipped spears pointed at his neck.

Aleph turned white and couldn’t move. More than the shock of being discovered, he was more frightened of the light that disappeared within the stone. He was overwhelmed with feelings of guilt, afraid he had done something terrible.

The guards, upon noticing the change in the red stone, grew suddenly quiet.

“What’s going on!?”

Along with another guard, a guard-captain ran into the chamber.

“An intruder sir, look!” called one of the guards with his spear held at Aleph, pointing to the now-dim stone.

The guard-captain’s face blanched and he emitted a strange grunt.

“I didn’t do anything! I just touched it,” Aleph protested, glaring at the captain.

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“You touched it!?” he balked, glaring back.

“Only a little bit! Then the light disappeared!”

“Agh! Take him away!” the captain bellowed, without hesitation.