The Servants of the Storm

by Jack Campbell

  As he made his way past the steering room, Alain realized that he had forgotten how the city smelled, like a vast mausoleum, dust and old death mingled. His gaze traveled along the north side of the river, and Alain stared as he recognized the stub of a quay protruding into the water. “It is the dockyard.”

  “What?” Mari looked that way and inhaled sharply. “Stars above. It is.”

  If Alain had held any doubts that Palandur had been copied from Marandur, that sight dispelled them. A short time ago, he and Asha had traversed the living image of the crumbling, dead dockyard Alain now saw in Marandur. Even for a Mage it was emotionally jarring.

  He looked away, but not before catching sight of the decayed ruins of other structures he recognized from seeing their intact counterparts less than two days before. Those recent memories populated the ancient wreckage like modern ghosts against the remnants of the past. Alain remembered when he and Mari had first come to Marandur and how Mari had reacted when seeing places she had recognized from Palandur. He had not understood until now how hard that must have been for her.

  In the growing light, the Terror moved cautiously up the river, threading a path between sunken boats and ships that might or might not retain the stumps of masts protruding above the surface. Alain could see the hull of the Terror underwater until it curved down and out of sight at the bow. Beyond that, he could not tell how deep he could see. “The water is not clear,” he said to Mari.

  “River water,” Mari replied. “Sediment, plant life, fish, bugs, and I don’t know what else. Do the best you can. Maybe your foresight will kick in.” She gazed ahead. “We shouldn’t have to go past the first big bridge!” Mari called to Banda.

  “Good!” Banda called back, not trying to hide his relief at the news. Even from a short distance it was easy to see how the tumbled wreckage from the bridge and its supporting piers had laced the river with obstacles. “I wish the Imperials had cleared that before they sealed the city!”

  “If it hadn’t been for that junk, Alain and I never would have made it across the river last time!”

  Alain spotted something between the ruins of taller buildings on the south side of the river. “That tower is part of the university.”

  “You see it?” Mari craned to look. “You’re right. We’re probably as close as we can get to it on the river. Captain, see those landings up ahead? Pick one.”

  “Should I try to come alongside one of them? There might be enough depth.”

  “No!” Mari warned. “You can’t tie up. If the barbarians can get to you, they’ll attack. You’re going to have to stay anchored a little offshore.”

  “I think I see a good spot,” Banda said. He steered the Terror that way, easing the ship into place. “Let’s drop anchor here.”

  Mari darted back inside to release the anchor. Alain stayed on deck, watching the ruins. He heard the clank of the anchor’s release, followed by the low rumble of the chain running out.

  Banda let off the throttle to allow the current to push the Terror backwards, until the anchor reached its limit and jerked the ship to a halt.

  “Are you sure this is a safe spot?” Mari asked, coming back on deck and looking over the side. “That’s a pretty strong current running through here.”

  “You were the one who warned about the barbarians,” Banda said, climbing up onto deck himself and stretching. “Anyone who tries swimming out to this ship will find themselves getting swept downstream. But the same current will help carry our boat down to that landing.” He pointed. “It seems relatively intact compared to the rest of Marandur.”

  “We have a boat?” Alain asked.

  “A hidden boat,” Captain Banda said. He leaned into the hatch. “Hey, Dav. Put the boiler into standby status so you can come up here and do some work!”

  Dav appeared in a short time, accompanied by Asha. He looked around, a smile of anticipation fading into dismay as he took in the ruined city. “I didn’t think it would be this bad.”

  Captain Banda handed Mari his shoes, then pulled off his shirt and pants. “I need to get into the water to release the boat. Help me out, Dav.”

  “I could have helped,” Mari said.

  “You don’t know the setup,” Banda explained. “Dav and I had the chance to go over it a few times and practice. Here, Dav. We’ve got a decent current going past, so tie yourself off with this line. I’m sure Lady Asha would be happy to hold onto the other end to keep you from being swept away to your death.”

  Alain, feeling useless, was grateful when Banda handed him the other end of his own safety line. “Just hang on and pull us in if there’s trouble. Mari, get yourself down low enough to see what we’re doing.”

  Banda and Dav jumped into the water, both gasping from the shock of the cold. Alain almost immediately felt the line he held grow taut as the current tried to take Banda downriver. The two Mechanics worked their way to a point on the starboard side, each reaching under the water with his free hand as he clung to the ship with the other. “See, Mari? The boat is fastened on bottom out, its own bow in the same direction as the Terror’s. Here’s what holds it. Loosen these…flip this up…and the boat comes free.”

  Mari, lying on the driftwood to look out into the water, nodded. “That is cool. Who designed it?”

  “Master Mechanic Lukas,” said Dav, helping Banda slide the boat upward and drain it of water so the small craft could flop bottom-first back into the water and float. “It took him longer to tell us the story of where he was, and how he learned this and that, and why Mechanics have to think about finesse, than it did for him to design the thing.”

  “It takes two people?”

  “One can do it in a pinch now that we’ve loosened the fittings,” Banda said as he climbed up enough to sit in the small boat, remove the line from his waist and tie it to the boat. He and Dav came back aboard the Terror, shaking off water.

  While Dav and Banda dried off, Mari went into the ship again, surfacing with two Mechanic weapons and four backpacks. “A couple of Alli’s finest A-1’s, fresh out of the workshop. That leaves two onboard for the captain. Alain and Asha, you’ve got your knives? Good. We’ll each carry a pack stuffed with sacks to hold the texts once we get to them. As soon as Dav gets dressed again we’ll row ashore.” She looked up at the sun. “There should be plenty enough time left to reach the university before nightfall. We should have done this the first time, Alain.”

  Alain looked at her. “We did not have this ship. We did not know Captain Banda. We—"

  “I know. I meant it would have been nice if we could have done this the first time.” She gave Banda a worried look. “We’re going to have to spend at least one night at the university, leaving you alone out here. Make sure you keep the hatches closed except for short periods, especially at night. Alain and I didn’t see the barbarians using boats or swimming, but if they figure out you’re here they might do whatever it takes to try to reach you, even if it seems suicidal to us.”

  Banda nodded, looking at the shore. “They’re that impossible to reason with?”

  “We didn’t have any success.” Mari grimaced. “They lives they’ve led…they can’t imagine anything better, and death probably doesn’t seem all that bad.”

  “Death would be preferable to being captured by them,” Alain said, remembering the way the barbarians had looked at Mari.

  “Yeah,” Mari agreed sadly. “They’re…lost souls.”

  “And they are condemned to those lives because their ancestors failed to make it out of Marandur before the Emperor’s ban took effect?” Banda asked.

  “Yes,” Mari said. “Some of those ancestors undoubtedly stayed because they were rebel survivors hiding in the ruins, but a lot of others were probably just people who didn’t want to leave what was left of their homes.”

  Banda nodded once. “That’s Imperial justice for you. For all the rules and the laws, it comes down to whatever the Emperor and the aristocracy dictate. Mari, I know you aren’t going
to try to overthrow the Empire, but do you think there’s any chance that the changes you bring about could help the poor devils in what was once Marandur?”

  “I hope so. I've already promised to do what I can for the inhabitants of the university, who managed to retain civilization, but maybe I can find a way to help the others as well.”

  Dav finished getting his clothes on, took one of the rifles from Mari, and helped Asha into the boat. Alain eyed it warily. The boat was small and made entirely of metal.

  “Hold on,” Banda said. “Let me test.” He brought out another line, coiled most of it, spun the end about quickly, then let it fly. The end of the line flew in a high arc, finally thumping down on the landing before Banda pulled it back to him. “I wanted to be sure I could reach it with a cast.”

  “How do you throw a rope like that?” Mari asked as she and Alain helped each other into the boat.

  “It’s this weight,” Banda said, holding up a ball-sized knot on the end of the rope. “It’s called a Mankey fist.”

  “Like a Mankey wrench?” Mari said. “What does that weight have to do with a wrench? Why would they have the same name?”

  “You see?” Dav said. “She does ask the same sort of questions that Asha does.”

  “And gets the same sort of answer,” Banda said. “I have no idea what a Mankey is, or why this and a big wrench are named for him, her, or it.”

  Alain, sitting cautiously next to Asha, touched the metal side of the boat. “This is very thin,” he said.

  Mari nodded as if every boat was built that way. “See those tubes running along the top and the sides? Those reinforce the thin metal so the boat holds its shape.”

  “It does not seem safe,” Alain said, since Mari did not seem to get the hint that he was worried.

  She stared at him. “I spent three days— No, four days high in the air on an imaginary bird, and you’re worried about this boat?”

  “Yes. What do the Rocs have to do with it?” Alain asked, realizing that some tension might have entered his voice. His memories of his last raft trip on this river were all too vivid, with the crumbling wood breaking up beneath them as Mari walked them across the submerged wreckage of a bridge despite nearly succumbing to the cold.

  Mari paused, then leaned close. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. Sitting back again, she rapped the side of the boat. “This is safe, Alain. It’s not heavy duty, but it can carry us ashore and back again.”

  Alain nodded. “It is just—"

  “You don’t have to explain. I just flashed on the same memories you probably did. I’m amazed you got in the boat without protesting. You good?”

  “I am good,” Alain said.

  Dav and Mari shoved off from the Terror. Each began rowing toward the landing as the current helped carry the boat that way. But the boat nearly overshot and Alain had to make a long reach and grab a stone standing up from the side of the landing.

  Alain had wondered why the Mechanics had kept the line tied to the boat, but now he understood. Captain Banda hauled the boat back to the Terror and tied it securely to the driftwood. Banda waved farewell, as did Dav and Mari, then the small party faced inland. The sun had reached its highest, shining down through a clear sky to minimize shadows and show every detail of the ruined city.

  The ancient landing was mostly intact, but littered with debris. Looking ahead at the tortured ruins of Marandur and remembering his and Mari’s last trip through the city, Alain knew that crossing the landing would be easiest part of their walk.

  Dav checked his weapon. “All right. I heard what you told Banda about the barbarians, so I know what to do if we encounter any. Do I need to know anything about the people in the university?”

  Mari shrugged as she also looked over her rifle. “It’s run by the masters, who are the most senior professors, and other professors make up the rest of the leadership. Almost everyone else there is called a student. It doesn’t matter how old they are. Except for babies and little children, they’re students. They spend most of their time on things other than studying, like growing food and guarding the wall.”

  “The professors, the masters, are suspicious of strangers,” Alain added. “The students were more accepting and more…”

  “Curious,” Mari said. “Maybe even innocent. They’ve lived all their lives in the small world defined by the walls of the university. But they’re also tough enough to have survived under these conditions.”

  “A mess of contradictions,” Dav summed up. “Like most people.”

  “You got it,” Mari said. She faced toward the ruins, pointing. “I can’t see the tower any more, but the university should be in that direction. Let’s go.”

  Alain had thought his memories of Marandur had remained sharp, but as the group moved through the ruins he realized that conditions were worse than he recalled. Not only was it difficult to move through the tumbled debris among the tottering wrecks of buildings, but a pervasive feeling of death and menace lurked all about. The brooding silence still lay over the city, but this time Alain knew that silence masked many dangers.

  “How long were you in Marandur last time?” Dav asked when they stopped for a brief rest. He scanned the remains of the city, fingering his rifle nervously and jerking when a skinny cat darted across some wreckage behind them.

  “It took us a couple of long days to reach the university,” Mari said, “then one long day on the way out. When you’re inside the walls of the university, it’s a lot easier to handle this place.”

  Dav looked down at the skull fragments and other bones mixed in the wreckage. “What must it have been like when my ancestor was here? All the bodies still lying where they fell, all the wreckage fresh…and yet he stayed. How did he manage it? I’m going to have nightmares about this, guys.”

  “It is gone,” Asha said. “Do not give the dead power over yourself.”

  “This doesn’t bother you?”

  “It is the record of horror in the past, not the horror itself,” Asha said. “It creates the illusion within us that we are viewing the actual awful events instead of the aftermath of what happened long ago.”

  Dav nodded, then glanced at Asha. “Does it make you feel anything?”

  “I look upon this and think of the waste, and think that this is what Mari is trying to save all the world from becoming, and this makes me want to help her all the more. Is that feeling?”

  “Yes, it is. The right feeling, I think. It’s sure motivating me,” Dav said.

  They had scarcely begun picking their way through the ruins again when Alain saw a black haze float across his sight. “Stop,” he said, his voice soft but carrying enough force that everyone halted immediately. “There is something wrong ahead.”

  Mari knelt, rifle ready, studying the decaying buildings to either side and the rubble-choked street before them. “Where?”

  “On the street itself,” Alain said. He pointed. “There.”

  Dav moved ahead with extreme caution, checking before taking each step. “There’s some sort of…there’s a pit here. But it’s got something covering it.” He examined it carefully. “This isn’t any random bit of junk. Somebody tried to cover this pit with enough stuff to hide it, but not enough to support anyone who walked on it. It’s a trap.”

  “For animals?” Mari wondered. “Or for people? Can you tell where the edge of the pit is, Dav?”

  “Yeah. Here and here. See? Come along this side of the street.”

  “All right. But stay alert.”

  Alain looked around, but saw no other warning of danger. “Mechanic Dav, the trap might have been intended to cause people to take the path you are now following. Be careful.”

  “Believe me, I—" Dav paused, looking down. “Tripwire. Mari, it looks like something pulled out of Mechanic electrical cables.”

  “The old generators and power lines at the destroyed Guild Hall had a lot of wires sticking out,” Mari said. “Can you tell what the tripwire is connected to?”


  “It runs to…a big stick. A stick that seems to be holding up the front of this building.”

  They moved ahead, each stepping carefully over the wire.

  Not long afterwards, Asha gestured for everyone to halt. As they waited, a herd of tiny deer bounded out of a crumbling building a little ways ahead, leaping along the debris as several small, wolfish dogs raced in silent pursuit.

  “Not completely dead,” Dav muttered. “How will we know if there are any of the barbarians around?”

  “You will know,” Alain said. Nothing else happened as they struggled through the wreckage except for a few near-falls that could have resulted in twisted ankles or broken legs. The journey had not seemed that it would take so long, but he realized that despite their experience he and Mari had underestimated Marandur.

  “Do you think we’ll make it?” Mari asked him a low voice as she studied the position of the sun.

  “We should be able to,” Alain said, voicing more confidence than he felt.

  Climbing over a solid wall of debris higher than their heads, they found on the other side the edge of what had once been a park. “There is the wall,” Alain said.

  “At last,” Mari sighed, before abruptly coughing from inhaling dust, the sound carrying across the field. She stiffened as a low whistle sounded somewhere in the ruins off to their right. “I don’t believe I did that. We’ve been seen…or heard. Let’s get to the gate.”

  The small group headed out into the field. Once grassy and dotted with trees, now only charred remnants of tough wild grasses and weeds remained where the citizens of Marandur had once relaxed and played.

  Another whistle sounded, off to their left this time, then a third from behind them. Mari picked up the pace, she and Alain moving at a trot and Dav and Asha right behind. It was still light, but the trip through the ruins had taken so much time that the sun was down in the west, casting long shadows from the wreckage and the buildings that still stood inside the university. “Should I discourage them?” Dav asked, hefting his rifle.

  “No!” Mari called back. “They don’t discourage that way, and we don’t want to shoot unless we have to. If the legionaries outside the city hear the shots they’ll know something is happening that shouldn’t be happening in the city.”