Darkman

The freshly stoked fire threw off a stifling heat and the flames licked the walls with eerie red shadow. I sat near the hearth trying to warm the chill that kept me from my writings, but I knew it was useless - the wind was fierce, clearing way for the coming storm, and the tower swirled with ghostly gusts of cold that seemed to moan and laugh as they burrowed down to bone. Death lurks closest on such nights.

As the flames fell lower my head did as well. I faded off to a troubled sleep.

Dreams of sleeping dragons and music of the Gods.

I woke confused. Lost. The tower seemed to tremble beneath me, at first I thought it imaginary, an after effect of such powerful dreaming, but it persisted, became louder, more defined, the vibration changing steadily but almost too slowly to notice. I stood.

An otherworldly tone rang from all directions. The tower itself, every stone, shook with a vibration rising from the very pillars of the Earth. And it just as suddenly stopped.

I had not moved, could not. The sudden silence crushed me.

"Samuel!" I cried and rushed from my chambers.

The dim torchlight did little to light the passages, and I damned my haste for rushing me along without my lamp as I made my way down to the bowels of the tower. The night did not reach these lower levels, but there was a different sort of oppression in the air down there - the odor of old air and ancient earth sent the mind into a past far before it’s remembering.

"Samuel!" I roared as my feet landed on the earthen floor of the lowest level, stooping down under the low arch of the ceiling, I marched toward his door. It flew open before I reached it and Samuel jumped out, an expression of awe stretching his face into a madman’s grimace. "What in the name of God have you gotten into this time?"

"I’ve done it, Sire! I’ve actually done it," he yelled and scurried back into his workroom, leaving me to follow him with shaking head. "My forefathers have been searching, experimenting for generations," he said as he lit the many candles outlining the chamber, nearly all of them were extinguished and the room was shrouded in darkness. "Forgive the darkness, Sire. All my candles went out as I tuned the Devil’s Harp."

"The Devil’s Harp?"

"Yes, that was the name my grandfather’s grandfather gave it in his journals. He worked directly for the King you know, sire. And when he went to the King to get approval, and more importantly funds, to build it, he told the King it was to be a great weapon of unimaginable power."

"What the hell have you built, Samuel?" My patience was wearing thin, and as he lit more candles I could begin to make out a bizarre machine of some kind - a menacing mesh of gears, pendulums and cord. In the center was a slatted sphere with some sort of symmetrical tumbler in the center. It was difficult to see at first, and when I could finally make it out in detail I could not imagine what it was for.

"Before the King, my grandfather’s grandfather called it the All-Seer."

"That does not comfort me, Samuel. With what sort of blasphemous magic have you cursed my tower?"

"No magic, sire, but science."

"Spare me your heresy and tell me what it is for."

"For seeing the future, sire."

It stopped me cold. Could it be true? A machine to show men the future? I could taste the power, more power than a man could even dream about. There was no telling how far one could go with such a machine - King, Emperor, Messiah. The very world could be within reach of a man with such a machine.

"Are you all right, Sire?"

I was staring at it with disbelief and desperate hope. "Show me how it works, Samuel," I whispered, my voice hushed by the presence of mystery.

"It’s quite simple now that I’ve tuned it, sire. All you need do is pull this lever to set the sphere in motion, to stop it just push it back to its original position, but you must be gentle, if you force it you can disable the entire mechanism. It would tear itself to pieces."

"Show me, Samuel."

He pulled the lever. Cords creaked, gears began to turn, the chamber filled with motion, and the sphere began twirling, faster and faster until there appeared to be a translucent hole, slightly darker than the rest of the chamber, hanging in space where the tumbler had been. I stared ravenously, longing for a vision of what may come. The chamber fell away and I drifted in. In the nothingness appeared a dot of light. It rushed toward me, engulfed me in the blink of an eye, and my soul rattled with pain. A strange world appeared, a world without feeling, without life. Ghostly visions floated by and it took a few moments to realize what they were. It was a royal court, the most royal court of all the lands, and I sat at the head, crown on my brow and scepter in hand. I was King. I laughed through the unnatural pain the supernatural vision brought. I had always dreamed but never thought it possible - I was to be King.

Nothingness, as quick and complete as before, and suddenly I was thrust into another time, another place. It was Samuel’s chamber, but now I was on the floor. The world still seemed a hallucination. I looked up and Samuel stood above me smiling, sword in hand. He raised the sword very slowly. I looked in his eyes and realized he meant to strike me.

"No, Samuel, no!" I pleaded. I closed my eyes.

Anguish tore through me and I took what I thought would be my last breath. Nothingness enveloped the world yet again. I did not expect to return.

"Sire? Sire, are you all right?"

It was Samuel’s voice, a ghost in the void haunting me, taunting me with it’s murderous memories. My eyes opened. I was alive. I was on the floor of Samuel’s chamber, he stood over me, I screamed and threw up my arms in defense.

"Sire, please! It’s just me, its Samuel. Everything is all right, sire."

I jumped to my feet and held him before me. He held no sword, his eyes as innocent as always.

"What did you see, Samuel?" I demanded, watching his face for any sign of corruption.

"Actually, sire, I’ve yet to gather the courage to look."

I tried to tell myself he was lying, but I knew it was true. How could such a brilliant and delicate man as Samuel ever raise enough fury to kill? He was a son to me, in my service since his father’s passing, and I am his protector. Could my visions have misguided me? Then what of my crown, my kingdom?

"What did you see, sire? What does your future hold?"

"I’m not sure I believe it, Samuel. I would like to try again tomorrow, when I am more rested and prepared for such a miraculous event."

I left him without another word and marched quickly back to my chambers. I locked the door behind me and uncorked the bottle of wine on my desk. It was only after drinking my nerves into submission and the morning sun lit the sky that I faded off into restless sleep.

I awoke to the sound of activity outside my chamber. The shadows on the floor told me it was already mid-day. I spent the afternoon in isolation, not responding to any knock on my door. I tried to focus my mind. If I were to accept my vision of the crown I must accept the vision of Samuel’s traitorous act. I could hope for no more than the crown, and nothing disturbed me more than the thought of Samuel’s betrayal. I prayed that my first vision was false, that when I returned to Samuel’s chamber and looked again into his Devil’s Harp I would have a different vision, but my thoughts always returned to the crown. I could not give it up.

When the final rays of twilight faded from the sky and the silence of evening settled, I dressed in formal attire, making sure to secure my jeweled dagger in its proper place at my hip. I made my way stealthfully through the tower and entered Samuel’s chamber. He was engrossed in a large book, his back turned to me, and he jumped wildly when I laid my hand on his shoulder.

"Sire, you frightened me. I did not hear you come in."

"Pardon my interruption, Samuel." I did my best to smile, but he was obviously disturbed by what he saw in my face. "I need to see it again, Samuel. The Devil’s Harp, I need to see again what it has to show me."

"Very well, sire. Give me but a moment."

He sprang to action and I moved directly in front of the large tumbler, standing as close as I dared.

"Will you look upon your own creation this time, Samuel? Will you enjoy the fruits of your own labor?"

"I’m not sure, sire. I don’t think I can bring myself to. The future is a frightening thing."

"Ah, it may seem so, Samuel, but it can be quite extraordinary as well."

"We’ll see, sire. Are you ready?"

"Yes, Samuel. Go ahead."

The chamber filled with motion and I was sucked back into the void. When the light of the future fell upon me again I was ready, the pain was more bearable and I could make out the details. I was King, there was no doubt. I could see the face of my beautiful queen, the faces of my closest generals and advisors. I burned them all into my memory, I would know them when I saw them, I would know what they would become. My future was laid before me and I prepared myself. I learned all that I could of my future glory.

Then there was Samuel again, sword in hand, fire in his eyes. I knew it to be but a vision this time, but there was no telling when his tyranny may strike. If I were to be King, Samuel, my loyal servant, my surrogate son, was the only thing that could stand in my way.

I awoke on the floor again, but it did not take Samuel’s prodding to revive me. I saw him by the machine, still working the lever slowly back into place. He had yet to turn around. I stood and moved to his side.

"Did you see, Samuel? Did you look upon your future?"

"No, sire, I did not."

"Ah, Samuel," I sighed and embraced him. "Your cowardice will be your downfall some day."

"Not with you to protect me, sire," he said, returning my embrace.

"Yes, Samuel," I said, squeezing him to me with my left hand as I drew my dagger with my right, "I will protect you. I will make sure you will never have to fear the future again."

He took a breath to reply and I plunged my dagger deep into his liver. Blood flowed instantly, staining my hand crimson. He clutched at me desperately, clawed at me, tried to break free, but I was far too strong for him. I heard his lungs rattle as they filled with blood and tears flowed from my eyes as I squeezed the last breath out of him. He went limp in my arms and I lowered him gently to the floor. I left him there in the half-dark. I locked his chambers behind me and went to the gates to find the watchman. I ordered Samuel’s chamber to be sealed immediately, without intrusion. No one was to enter that chamber again under penalty of death. I had seen my future. I would make certain it came to pass.

I retreated to my chambers and scribbled furiously in my journal throughout the night, recording every possible detail from my vision - every feature of every face, what position each seemed to hold in my court. I vowed to never break my own order, I would never again look upon the Devil’s Harp. It had driven me to kill my loyal servant, my dear friend and brother. I would not risk another such episode, but I would take advantage of what it had shown me. I would make some good of it yet.

Continue to Part 2