by Glen Cook
“Oh? Have they been interrogated? Some would be older than those ruins.”
“If they know anything, they’re not saying. They’re less talkative than the demons.”
“Curious. Most curious. Lord Lun-yu, I commend you. You’ve been thorough.”
“There’s little else to do out here, Lord. The centurions complain that it’s just make-work.”
Shih-ka’i smiled behind his mask. “They would. I’m curious. Lord Kuo seemed to think this a critical puzzle. He was quite concerned. Could you guess why?”
“I’m not certain, Lord. Perhaps because there have been flickers of the Power beyond the mountains.” He raked a pointer along the top of the wall, over a distance of twenty feet. “They emanated from somewhere here.”
Shih-ka’i’s gaze bored into the map. In time, he asked, “What’s the quality of the water in those rivers? Fit to drink?”
“Heavy with minerals, as you might expect. But potable, Lord.” Tasi-feng seemed puzzled by the question.
“So. We begin narrowing the scope, Lord Lun-yu. The lost missions face the area you just indicated. Accept it as a pattern. We’ll send expeditions immediately, on parallel tracks. A Tervola will accompany each. At evening camp a transfer portal will be opened.” He took the pointer. “When the expeditions reach this line, we’ll set up movable transfers. Five centuries will remain battle-ready at all times. They should be prepared to transfer at a moment’s notice. Hourly reports will be returned, and news of any anomaly immediately. The parties will travel light. Weapons and equipment only. They’ll be supplied through the transfers. They’ll continue their advance till we have some answers. We’ll keep fresh people out there by rotating through the portals.”
“Lord, that ambitious a program will require the support of the entire legion.”
“You yourself said there’s nothing else to do. And Lord Kuo expressed a more than passing interest in obtaining answers.”
“Of course, Lord.”
“Is there anything else I should know?”
“No, Lord. That’s all… There have been two reports of dragon sightings, Lord. From natives. There was no confirmation. The dragons themselves deny making overflights.”
“I see. I commend you again, Lord Lun-yu. You’ve been as thorough as anyone could ask.”
Shih-ka’i retired to his quarters. His batman had everything prepared. He allowed the decurion to remove his mask. “Are you tired, Pan ku?”
“Not if my Lord has a task for me.”
“It’s nothing immediate. When you have the free time. Mix with the legionnaires. See what they’re saying. Find out what they’re talking about most.”
“As you wish, My Lord.”
“I’ll rest now.” Shih-ka’i stretched himself on his new bed. He did not sleep, though he closed his eyes. He felt a presence in the east. It was something strange. Something alien. It was not tangible, yet it was disquieting. He wondered if Lord Kuo had felt it too.
The exploratory parties had advanced seventy miles into the desert. They were past the last known positions of the lost parties. Of those the only evidence so far found was a single cracked piece of lacquer off the elbow joint of a soldier’s armor.
“That’s suggestive,” Shih-ka’i said. “They wouldn’t travel in armor. Too hot out there. Search the area more carefully.”
The search turned up nothing. This party had vanished six months ago. Nature had obliterated all trace of their passing.
Two days later one party reported having reached the crest of a mountain. The range dropped away beyond. Shih-ka’i donned his battle gear and transferred there himself.
The slope fell away in a long grey slide. In the distance the grey became rust. For as far as he could see nothing stirred. Nothing lived. The sheer magnitude of the desolation overpowered him.
Another party crested the range a few miles to the south. Its Tervola sent a signal. Shih-ka’i responded. He told the commander of the party he was with, “Remain here. Watch them as they descend.” He returned to the legion’s headquarters.
The fortress was in turmoil. Tasi-feng explained, “Yang-chu is under attack. He requested reinforcements. I sent him a century.”
“Take prisoners. Return them immediately. Bring another century to the ready.”
Fifteen minutes later two prisoners came through the transfer portal. They were short men in strange armor. They were dead.
“I want them alive,” Shih-ka’i said.
Tasi-feng conferred with the Tervola on the scene. “Lord Ssu-ma, Yang-chu says they were alive when they transferred. They had to be driven into the portal.”
“Tell him to send more.”
Two more pairs came through. They were as dead as the first. Of the last pair one was a tall, dark man whose armor did not resemble that of the others.
“Have them examined,” Shih-ka’i said. He strode back to the map room. Another party had reported itself under attack. He wanted to confirm his memory of their positions. “Uhm,” he murmured. “Come, whoever you are. Hit me one more time.”
He got his wish within the hour. Two minutes later he had strings attached to the points where each attack was taking place, stretching toward the top of the map. Soldiers were shading areas where the three would cross. The launching of additional attacks allowed Shih-ka’i to begin reducing the size of the shaded area.
“Keep it up,” he murmured. “I’ll have you pinpointed.” He glanced at the log of the times the attacks had been reported. Might the attackers have departed the same point at the same time? Their dispersion and lack of coordination suggested that might be the case. “Lord Lun-yu. Let Yang-chu’s position be a point on a circle. Let the other attacked positions be points outside that circle. See if you can describe the circle using the lag in the times of attack.”
Lord Lun-yu looked puzzled for a moment, caught on, went to work. He received data from two more assaults. He developed a crude, skewed arc. “It doesn’t look right, Lord.”
“Guess me a maximum and minimum radius. The terrain they crossed should account for the irregularities.” He peered at the map. Neither of his methods was working well. The first, in fact, now looked a little foolish. He had, in effect, collected a lot of lone legs of triangles. He did not know any lengths or angles.
The scope of search did seem to be narrowing.
He accepted a casualty report from a messenger. “Hmm?”
“Lord?” Tasi-feng inquired.
“These people are reasonably good fighters.”
Another runner reported that the force attacking Yang-chu had withdrawn. Soon similar reports arrived from the other attacked parties. Shih-ka’i observed, “Their communications are fair.”
Tasi-feng asked, “Shall we pursue, Lord?”
Shih-ka’i glanced at the map. “Slowly.” He indicated two parties which had not been attacked. “Move these people to pincer the group dropping off here. We’ll take more prisoners. Tell Yang-chu to hold his position. I want to see what he’s got.”
Yang-chu’s group had received the most attention. The slope below his perimeter was littered with bodies. “They took some of their fallen with them,” the Tervola told Shih-ka’i. “As many as they could carry.”
Shih-ka’i looked across the desert. Among the dust devils he could see a cloud raised by the retreating enemy. “Any wizardry used?”
“Neither by us nor them, Lord.”
“Good.” He watched the dust. Where could they have come from? How could people exist in this? He glanced at the bodies, quickly averted his gaze. He was not accustomed to seeing the aftermath of battles.
The corpses were of men who had been well-fed, well-clad, and well-armed. “Yang-chu.” He indicated the dead. “Collect them. Strip them. Keep each man’s things separate. Send the bundles through to the fortress.” He summoned his will, looked into a few lifeless faces. They told him very little. All dead men had the same message for the living. It was a message Lord Ssu-ma did not want to
hear.
They were a curious breed. Both kinds. Shih-ka’i had never seen their like before. But how were they so different?
He shrugged. The legion’s surgeons would dissect them and let him know.
He took a last look at the dust cloud. It was moving straight out the line he had drawn on the map. He returned to the fortress.
Tasi-feng greeted him with, “Lord, Hsu Shen says there were soldiers of the empire in the band that attacked him.
“Ours?”
“They wore our armor. Their badges were of the Seventeenth.”
“Your missing men?”
“Perhaps. I told him to keep it quiet till we can explain it.”
“Good. Shift those two intercept groups around. Tell them to double-time and get into position to stop that party. Tell Hsu Shen to go after them and resume contact. I’ll want a portal open out there when our people are in position. I want to see this myself.”
“As you will, Lord.”
Shih-ka’i observed while the legion’s Candidates went through the clothing and effects recovered from the enemy dead. Each man had borne much of what a soldier could be expected to carry: the tools of his trade and a few personal items that set him off from a thousand more just like him. The things gave no clues. Shih-ka’i examined the lettering on an old coin. He had not seen its like before. “What would you say this head portrays?” he asked one of the Candidates.
“Some sort of fabulous monster, Lord?”
“Perhaps.” When he looked directly at it, Shih-ka’i felt an increase in his awareness of the existence of something in the east.
Tasi-feng appeared. “Lord, there seems to have been a continuous, low-grade emanation of the Power since some time before the first attack. The source appears to be near the heart of your circle.”
“So.” Shih-ka’i reflected momentarily. “Let’s take no chances. Establish portals connecting us with the other legions. One cohort each to be ready for immediate transfer here.”
“Lord, we’re already straining ourselves with the portals we… As you will, Lord.”
“Yes. The remainder of each legion is to be placed on first alert. Begin assembling a package that can be sent to Lord Kuo instantly should anything dire happen.”
“Lord? You think there’s that much danger?”
“No. But I don’t believe in leaving anything to chance. Keep the package at a portal. Update it continuously.”
“As you will, Lord.”
“Also, I want a battery of ballistae readied for long-range work. Let the Candidates handle it. Start now. It’ll take them several hours to prepare all the spells.”
“Accuracy or destruction, Lord?”
“Destruction.”
Shih-ka’i went to the room where the legion’s surgeons were at work. One paused to say, “There’s something strange here, Lord. We can’t be sure, what with the desert heat and so on, but these men look like they’ve been dead for a long time.”
“Oh?”
“Look. Ostensibly, the bodies are less than an hour old. Some of the organs should still show signs of life.”
Shih-ka’i looked away from the open cadaver. “I thought you might find something of the sort. Take a good look at the blood.”
“Lord?”
“See if the blood is dead or alive. Then make a guess at how long it’s been dead.” He turned to leave. He had to get out before his gorge rose and betrayed his dignity.
Tasi-feng stood in the doorway. “You’ve discovered something, Lord?”
“I think they were dead before they attacked. They have the look. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen their like. I imagine it was before you were born. The Demon Prince experimented with reanimated soldiers. He shelved the idea. Control was too cumbersome.”
Tasi-feng could not keep his horror hidden behind his mask. He took a moment to control himself. “The new portals are open, Lord Ssu-ma. Our support is standing by. We’re still trying to contact Lord Kuo’s party. He’s reconnoitering the Matayangan border. The parties you sent to establish a blocking position are ahead of the enemy and trying to locate a suitable site.”
“Very well. I’m returning to my quarters. Call me when they open their portal.”
He had to get away for a few minutes, to conquer the animal in him. He hadn’t realized there would be so much difference between the training and battle fields. Once in his quarters he seated himself on a small carpet. He used the basic tool given every child legionnaire. He went through the Soldier’s Ritual, the calming mantra-prayers with which soldiers began and ended their days. He regained himself.
Lord Kuo was right, he thought. There is something here. Maybe something bigger than Wen-chin suspected.
Pan ku came in. “Oh. Excuse me, Lord.”
“I’ve just finished, Pan ku. Have you taken the pulse of the legion?”
“They’re bored, Lord. They resent being stuck on a dead frontier. Today seems to have perked them up.”
“No serious problems?”
“No. This is an old legion. A good one. Well trained and disciplined, with conscientious centurions and decurions. It’ll do what you ask of it.”
“Good. Good. Thank you, Pan ku.”
“Is there anything I can do for you, Lord?”
“Don your battle gear. We’re going into the desert.”
Shih-ka’i flashed through the portal an hour later. He found that his hunters had chosen a good position in which to wait. After surveying their dispositions, he prepared a number of magicks. “Just in case,” he told Pan ku.
The soldier nodded. He was familiar with his master’s obsession with being prepared.
Two dust clouds came closer and closer. Hsu Shen was doing a perfect job of pushing without pushing too hard. Shih-ka’i took a look off the back side of the low hill where he waited. Dust clouds were converging on a point several miles eastward. “Setting an ambush of his own,” he murmured.
Pan ku came round the hill. “Lord, they just had word from Lord Lun-yu. Two of those bodies jumped up and tried to kill him.”
“Uhm? I should have warned him. He’s all right?”
“Yes, Lord.”
“Good.”
Their quarry moved into the pocket. Shih-ka’i counted twenty-five. Someone said, “I thought they were supposed to be carrying their dead?”
Shih-ka’i did not tell the man that the dead were walking again. That none of the attackers had been alive. He gave the signal.
His men revealed themselves. The party below halted. They were badly outnumbered, and Hsu Shen was right behind them.
Shih-ka’i stared. Hsu Shen had been right. Three were legionnaires.
The group formed a turtle, ready to fight. Shih-ka’i’s men closed in.
The surrounded men dropped.
Shih-ka’i felt something electric stir the air. “Down!” he bellowed. “Every-body on the ground!” He whipped his mind into his bag of prepared tricks.
What looked like a great black boot sole blotted out the sky. Its heel descended swiftly. For an instant Shih-ka’i pictured himself as a bug about to be crushed.
He loosed a spell.
The air whined with the sound of a thousand giant whetstones scraping steel, then the cracking of a million tiny whips. He looked up. The boot had vanished.
“Get down there and carve those people up before they come alive again!” he thundered.
He did not wait to see if his orders were carried out. He closed his eyes and reentered the realm of spell. He seized one, pictured himself hurling a spear. He painted a big bull’s-eye on the map from the fortress wall.
Thunder rolled across the cloudless wasteland. A flash extinguished the sun. Shih-ka’i opened his eyes. A thousand dust devils danced across the barrens like frenzied, drugged dancers, often colliding and collapsing. A few minutes later he heard a remote rumble. He smiled into his mask. “That’ll make you keep your head down.”
He waited for several minutes, his Ter
vola-senses extended. Nothing came. His enemy seemed cowed.
For the moment, he thought. Only for the moment.
He joined his men. “We’d do better to burn the bodies,” he told Hsu Shen. “But there seems to be a shortage of wood.”
The Tervola nodded, untouched by Shih-ka’i’s dry humor. He was a man nearly Shih-ka’i’s age, one of the old guard banished by Lord Kuo. He too remembered the Demon Prince’s experiments. The dead could keep rising and rising, and could recruit their foes to their own cause. They could not be permitted to win battles. They would become stronger with each victory.
“Send those three back to the fortress,” Shih-ka’i said, indicating the dead legionnaires. “We’ll have that necromancer of Lun-yu’s call up their shades.”
His neck hairs prickled. He opened up, feeling for some new threat. There was none. He nodded to himself. Something was watching.
He went up the hill and looked to the east. Somewhere out there. In all that nothing. He studied the dust raised by retreating foemen, projecting their lines of march.
There? That heat haze hidden hump on the horizon? He oriented himself by the map. Yes. The hump would be smack in the middle of the suspect area.
“You should have kept your head down, friend,” he murmured. “Now we see you. Now we’re coming for a closer look.”
A wind rose. It was hard and hot and dry. The dust it carried gnawed like sandpaper. Lord Ssu-ma Shih-ka’i ignored it. He stood on that hill like a sturdy little statue, immobile and unmovable. Behind his mask his eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
THREE: YEAR 1016 AFE
GATHERING OF THE MIGHTY
The woman followed her husband through a corridor in Castle Krief, the Royal Palace in Vorgreberg, the capital of Kavelin, one of the Lesser Kingdoms. Her steps were plodding, rolling. An unkind person would have called her walk a waddle. She was very pregnant. And very distracted. She caught herself falling behind, hurried to catch up. Her husband paused, a slight frown crinkling his brow. “Nepanthe, what’s the matter?”
“What? Oh, nothing.”
“Nothing? I don’t believe it. You’ve been brooding since we got here. You’ve been dragging around puckered up like a mouth full of crabapple.” He raised her chin, peered into downcast brown eyes. “Come on.”