Djinja and the Book of Shadows. Book 5.

Djinja and the Book of Shadows



The dungeon was cold against Djinja's back as he tossed a pebble at the little hole at the bottom of the opposite wall. As it clattered off the masonry just above the opening he pursed his lips and softly squeaked, watching for movement. After a moment or two a luxuriantly whiskered nose appeared and twitched itself rapidly from side to side as it sucked in all the information it could gather. Sensing the scrap of bread on Djinja's shoulder, the nose advanced itself and dragged a scruffy young rat into view behind it. The rat, white in the gloom, stopped suddenly a little way from its den, sat up on its haunches and washed its face with a a dozen quick wipes of its paws. Then it scampered along Djinja's outstretched legs, up his chest and onto his shoulder to claim the treat. Djinja gently turned his head to watch it feed and murmured:
"There ya go little feller, eat 'an be happy."
Finishing its bread the rat ran down Djinja's tattered shirt and nestled in his lap, allowing itself to be gently stroked. It had taken weeks of patient effort by Djinja to persuade the little animal to trust him, but now it had become his friend. His only friend in this deep, windowless lonely chamber within which he was constrained.
Having no door, the cell was bottle shaped and about two fathoms in diameter, the circular walls narrowing to a round opening four fathoms above. Through this circle of grey light his jailers could lower an occasional basket to provide stale bread and a gourd of muddy water, the cord strong enough for the task but not so strong as to support the weight of an escaping prisoner. When he took the rations basket he would replace it on the iron hook with his waste bucket, and so the two containers became his sun and moon, marking dingy light and utter darkness through many tedious days.


The sun's rays beat down so brightly upon Yojumba that the trolls standing in the shade of the trees were almost hidden by the contrasting shadow. As Zaneeta approached Servitor Vinchaxa she saw Skeen the hunter leaning on his longbow and was stunned at his change of appearance. His hair had turned white and the untidy queue that had previously hung down his back had been cut short at the nape, the greasy hair being pushed back and up into a spiky shock. His tusks were untrimmed and curved sharply forward. As he turned to look at her she saw that his face had been heavily tattooed in grey and white horizontal bars, the effect unnerving in its unexpected strangeness.


"Zaneeta!", said Vinchaxa in his peremptory way, "Skeen brings news at last of your wastrel brother Djinja. He lives yet, but has allowed himself to be taken by the Darkshore cultists, fool that he is!" Her breath shuddered in a moment of relief and she murmured:
"Alive... Zanza be praised."
"Zanza is uninterested in the praises of those who fail in his sacred work" growled the Servitor. "Djinja was given the simple task of ambushing a courier on a lonely forest road and acquiring an item necessary to the advancement of the interests of Zanza's Temple. His failure reflects badly upon myself as Servitor and upon your own position here as Priestess of the Novitiate."
Zaneeta dropped her eyes to the sand, knowing well that no response that she could make would soothe him.

"The courier was bringing the famous Book of Shadows to be placed in the Arcane Library of the Tower of Athalaxx." continued Vinchaxa, "You and Skeen and this thief must now steal the book, but the task will of course be much more difficult now as our enemies must know of our interest."
"Which thief ?" she asked, puzzled, and started in fright as Vinchaxa indicated a slim, young, black clad troll with blue hair, who seemed to materialise beside her, grinning from behind a large round pair of opaque goggles.
"Ello der sistah," said this apparition, "me pleased ta meet ya." and he offered her the carved comb that she had slipped under her sash after dressing her lustrous red hair that very morning.

"This is Gnaljin," said Skeen, "my nephew, and the burden of his mother's soul. He's half mad and all trouble, but a good thief forbye. He can pick locks as well as he can pick pockets, and he's handy with daggers too."
Zaneeta gave Gnaljin a hard look and took the comb without comment as he rested his hands on the hilts of a pair of matched daggers. Turning her attention back to Vinchaxa she said "We must pass through Ashenvale to get there, and Ashenvale is patrolled by the Silverwing Sentinels. Then to the north of Darkshore, and Athalaxx is home to the Cult of the Tower."

"Just so," agreed Vinchaxa, "and dangerous fanatics they are too. You must pass through the forests and bring this rogue to the tower," he tilted his head towards Gnaljin, "and wait while he creeps in to steal the book. If he can release your brother then so be it, but the book is his priority."
The Servitor passed a leather purse to Skeen, "For expenses," and making sure to catch his eye, "spend it wisely for there will be an accounting. Form your wolf pack Skeen, and go!" He made a gesture of dismissal and the three trolls withdrew to make their plans.

Many days and a sea voyage later, the three trolls prepared to camp for the night in a cleft of rocks in the Stonetalon Mountains. The darkening valley was chilling fast and they lit a small fire to brew tea but were careful to keep the light from it shielded. The three of them were well armed but they wished to remain unseen and unmolested.

Zaneeta regarded Skeen's companion animal with some caution, it was a large and very fierce looking raptor. Its yellow eyes shone in the gloaming but its coal black leathery skin seemed unwarmed by the fire. it was devoted to Skeen but remained aloof from her and Gnaljin, almost snapping his hand off when he had first seen it and attempted to test the sharpness of the spike on its muzzle.
"What happened to the beautiful black boar that you used to have Skeen ?" she asked.
"He never recovered from the enchantment of that witch Shu'zan, when we were captured by Gand in the swamps at the old iron tree.. He lived for a while and then sickened and died, his soul was blighted. I myself was nearly driven to madness and the curse of Shu'zan stalks me still."
"Did not the mojo mask that Vinchaxa gave to you keep the evil spirits away ?"
"The spirits released from the Chalice of Anguish....yes," he passed his open hand across his tattooed face, "but the demon Shu'zan....no."
Gnaljin frowned and leaned forward, "I was told that she herself was destroyed by the spirits from the chalice and that her own soul was most likely sucked into it and imprisoned there."
Skeen shook his head, "Vinchaxa now believes that Shu'zan was not a person but an ancient demon which attached itself to Gand. It could shape shift to be whatever he required.....a riding wolf, a messenger bird, a poisonous snake....a beautiful wo'mon." He gazed morosely into the flames. "Shu'zan has the power to briefly escape the chalice, during which time she seeks to possess me. The mojo mask not being strong enough to protect me, Vinchaxa caused the Voodoo Masters to tattoo my face with the most powerful mojo they had. Since then I have had peace."

Skeen absent mindedly reached out to the raptor and scratched at the skin of its throat, the creature cocking its great head to one side and regarding him through one baleful eye whilst the other swivelled to watch Zaneeta and Gnaljin across the fire. After eating a bowl of reheated stew they wrapped up in their cloaks and curled around the fire to sleep, confident that nothing would surprise them without first disturbing the raptor.

By the end of the next day they were approaching what seemed to be an impenetrable wall of mountains and Skeen said " Gnaljin, are you quite sure of the way to this tunnel you told us of ?"
"Yamon!" came the laconic reply, "jess yu foller along wit me uncle Skeen an' me takes ya where ya needs ta go." Gnaljin grinned cheekily at Zaneeta but she chose not to be amused by his impression of a swamp born peasant.
"It will bring us into lower Ashenvale," continued Gnaljin, "well away from the road and the Sentinels at Astranaar. We can travel parallel to the road and be in Darkshore the day after tomorrow and at the Tower of Athalaxx two days after that."
Zaneeta shifted her fighting stick with its cloth wrapped bundle from one shoulder to the other, "Keep watch for Elven homesteads." she said, and led the way forward. Within the hour they had found the tunnel and pressed on to the other end.

They were lying in a row on an escarpment four days later at sunset, looking down through the trees to the tower. It stood near a bridge over a river which splashed into an estuary and then out to sea, the massive stone walls reaching to a considerable height before the structure changed at the upper storeys to windowed timber. They spotted two separate patrols, each of three cult fanatics, men and women, in the forest around the tower.
"That's the library at the top." said Skeen. "We will get within bowshot of the place and lie up, then Gnaljin can sneak forward and scout."


Zaneeta and Skeen watched from behind cover as Gnaljin stealthed across the glade towards three guards standing together near the tower. It seemed impossible that they would not see him, yet Gnaljin crept behind them and reaching into the pocket of the tallest, lifted something out and held it up in the half light to examine it. Then he swept back his arm and threw it with perfect accuracy back to Skeen who instinctively reached up to snatch it from the air. The hunter shook his fist and mimed anger at the rogue's bravado but Gnaljin simply clutched one hand across his belly and pointed at Skeen with the other, pretending to howl with laughter.
"He isn't half mad at all," whispered Zaneeta, "he's a total lunatic!"
She took the object and rolled it between her fingers, it was a troll die, each of its six worn faces showing a representation of one of the sacred Loa. She passed it back to Skeen , who raised a weary eyebrow.


continued below....

Gnaljin crept forward up a ramp and into the tower. Quietly moving through an arched passageway he emerged into a large circular hall with a brazier glowing in the centre. Beyond the brazier stood a desk before which sat the robed figure of the librarian writing on parchment, a subordinate standing respectfully to one side. A massive oaken staircase disappeared upward into the gloom and set into the floor beside it a stone stairway led to the cellars below. Keeping to the shadows Gnaljin followed the wall around to the stone steps and started down. Doors were set at intervals along the stairway but he ignored these and proceeded to descend. At the bottom of the stairs an arched doorway led through to a chamber with a series of raised stone circles built up from the floor, each one a yard across and apparently the entrance to chambers below. Three cultist guards knelt near the wall beneath a flickering torch throwing knuckle bones, a pile of coppers on the floor between them.

Gnaljin crept up to the nearest and sapped him behind the ear with the pommel of his dagger, as he collapsed the rogue tossed a pebble away to clatter in the shadows. The other two men jumped to their feet and stared towards the source of the noise, the silent killer behind them immediately stabbing the first in the back and then jabbing his fingers into the eyes of the second. As the blinded man staggered into the wall Gnaljin knelt swiftly down and slashed the throat of the sapped guard and then bounced straight back up to plunge his dagger into the heart of his remaining enemy. Gnaljin then ran from one stone ring to the next until he saw Djinja half asleep at the bottom of his cell.

Bounding to a hook on the wall Gnaljin lifted down a coil of rope attached to a wooden bar, laid the bar across the stone ring and dropped the knotted end of the rope on Djinja's head. Gnaljin laughed aloud in delight to see Djinja leap up in alarm, clutching his head in fright and pain.
"Ello der mon, grab de rope why doncha an' come up 'ere wit me !"
Seeing Djinja still totally confused he spoke again, "I've come to rescue you, and get the book, Skeen and Zaneeta are waiting outside."
And upon hearing this information Djinja made haste to climb the rope, the white rat clawing its way up his body to find a place to ride on his shoulder. At the top Gnaljin handed him a dagger and said, "Where is the Book of Shadows ?"
"At the top in the library I suppose." said Djinja, and made as if to test the sharpness of the dagger with his thumb.
"Don't do that," snapped Gnaljin, "the blade is poisoned!" He set off back up the staircase, Djinja following on and looking mightily surprised at the change in his fortunes.


They stopped at the top of the stone stairway and peered into the circular hall, the librarian had gone but his assistant was leaning over the desk sorting documents. Gnaljin stealthed forward and sapped him to the floor. Waving Djinja to follow he started up the oaken staircase. They passed many doors as they ascended and it was clear that there were people in some of the rooms. At one point they had to duck into a doorway as two cultists left one room and crossed over the landing into another. At last they came to the first library level, this floor was as open as the great hall below. The walls were lined with bookshelves punctuated at regular intervals by mullioned windows, the staircase climbing to the upper level from the centre of the room.
"How can we possibly find the one book that we want among these many hundreds ?" said Gnaljin. "I can't even read, can you ?"
"No, but the book that we want is extremely valuable and probably on its own somewhere." replied Djinja. "Let's look upstairs."

At the top of the stairs they came to a sturdy door and when they gently tried to open it they found that it was locked. Gnaljin felt in his pocket for a pick and knelt at the keyhole and began to work on the lock. In a matter of seconds the door swung open and they stepped into the upper room of the library.

"What the devil do you think you are doing coming in here ?" demanded an outraged voice, "who are you?"
The trolls spun to their right and saw the robed librarian they had seen downstairs striding towards them, his right arm held aloft as he started to mutter a rhythmic incantation. Two long strides took Gnaljin within reach of the man and he stabbed for the throat as the librarian staggered away to his right, taking the force of the blow on his left shoulder. As the cultist stumbled to the floor a blue wisp of flame flickered up from the floor boards and swelled up and out into the shape of a bloated and grotesque void walker, its taloned arms reaching up and out for the trolls. It slashed at them with its smoking blue claws and they both immediately slashed back at it with their daggers, surprised at the impact of their blows on so seemingly insubstantial a target. Gnaljin took the full force of a sideways swipe across his chest and stumbled with a gasp of pain but the flurry of cuts that they both delivered caused the void walker to shriek in distress and collapse into the floor where after a few moments it disappeared.

Djinja dragged Gnaljin backwards to lean against a bookcase and gathering up a manuscript pulled open Gnaljin's shirt and staunched the flow of blood.
"Are you alright ?" he urgently asked. Gnaljin nodded his head though he whistled with pain. Then he pointed across the room to a low table standing beneath one of the windows. Lying between two ornate candlesticks was a large blackbound book with silver letters engraved along the spine.
"That looks promising," he said, "take a look at it."
The robed cultist was lying on the floor between them and the book and Djinja cautiously skirted around him, dagger held out at the ready.
"The poison will have done for him," said Gnaljin, "even though I only got him in the shoulder, don't worry."
Djinja approached the table and looked down upon the candlelit book and then frowned in puzzlement. The surface of the table was bathed in the warm glow of the candles, but the book itself lay in shadow, as if it absorbed all light which fell upon it. snatching up the book Djinja turned on his heel and strode back towards Gnaljin and as he did so he saw his painted shield and throwing spear leaning against a bookcase by the door, his sheathed dagger hanging from the shield by its belt.

"Praise all the Loa." said Djinja, as he passed back the rogue's dagger to him and belted on his own dagger. Slinging the shield upon his back he thrilled to the heft of the familiar spear in his hand.
"Can you stand ?" he asked Gnaljin, and upon the latter's assent he heaved him up and they started down the oaken stairs. They passed all the way down without incident and scurried through the arched passage and into the night but as they stepped off the stone ramp onto the forest floor the librarian staggered out of the passageway and bellowed "STOP THEM."

These were the last words the librarian would ever speak as the shaft of an arrow appeared in his chest and he was flung back into the passageway. The two trolls sprinted for the trees as a group of cultists rushed to intercept them. Djinja barged the leading fanatic back with his shield and stabbed him overhand with his spear. One of them slashed at Gnaljin with a sword and the rogue just managed to parry it. This cultist fell too with an arrow in his chest and suddenly a great black yellow eyed beast was among them slashing with its claws and tearing at them with its massive crushing teeth. The cultists scattered and Gnaljin staggered into the arms of Zaneeta. Djinja came on from behind and covered him with the shield and Skeen stepped forward with his great bow and sent a volley of shots flying back to the fanatical cultists.
"Get you gone !" he shouted, "I will cover you and catch up soon."
With Djinja supporting him on one side and Zaneeta on the other Gnaljin got into the shadow of the tree line and the three of them moved rapidly away from the tower.

True to his word Skeen caught up with them and dawn found them making steady progress to the Ashenvale border.
"We shall swing southwest well before coming near Astranaar," said Skeen, "and make for the Zoraam Strand where we can take ship for the south. It's the long way round and steerage for four plus an animal will be expensive, but Vinchaxa's paying. He'll not complain when we put the Book of Shadows in his grasping paws, irascible old goat that he is!"
The four trolls roared with laughter and set out for the south with invigorated steps, thoughts of their jungle homeland lifting their souls with the rising sun.

Zaneeta had poured a potion down Gnaljin's throat and he seemed as if he had never been injured, such was the effect of her ministrations.
"You are a very brave troll," she said to him, "and I owe you a lifetimes debt of gratitude. I thank you with all my heart for saving my brother."
Gnaljin was for once actually embarrassed by such praise and to cover for it he replied in his best swamp troll accent,
"Ah nevah no mind sista, it were nuthin' too much fer me ta do fer yu !" and he blinked in amazement as she replied smiling in the same peasant slang,
"Well me tanx ya anyhow brotha, me tanx ya.” and she leaned forward and kissed him.


The End.

Great stuff Djinja. Love your stories

VYPRA, YOU ARE A BEAUTIFUL PERSON