The Dead Gods

by Rob Bayliss

  Wondering how to react to the newcomer, Braebec looked at the actions of the sentry. The sentry was smiling and replacing his sword back in its scabbard. The inquisitor almost imperceptibly withdrew his hand from the hidden wheelock.

  “Carnak!” shouted Dominar Broud. “Darkness take you, man, will you ever learn to knock?” The dominar feigned anger, but secretly wore a smile on his face. The sudden appearance of his friend made a welcome distraction from the questioning of this inquisitor.

  “Broud!” roared Admiral Carnak. “I go on patrol for three days, come back and some Taleel seminary bastard has taken my fucking berth!”

  The dominar only just managed to keep a straight face. “Dominar Broud now, if you please, Admiral Carnak. I have been officially selected as such. I have just received the notice from my guest here, Lord Braebec Conziva, newly arrived from the seminary in Taleel.” The dominar indicated the silent inquisitor.

  The admiral grunted, turned and regarded the inquisitor, but quickly put his hand in front of his eyes. “You stay the fuck out of my head. You can do your own whoring. You are not enjoying mine second hand!”

  “Admiral Carnak,” the inquisitor said, bowing and holding out his arm in sign of peace, “it is an honour to meet you, a hero of the Empire. There are many captains in Taleel who now discuss your tactics against the Acaross underwater vessels. I would greatly wish to see the adaptations you made to the Orca. You and your ship are spoken of most highly in the naval docks of Taleel. Perhaps you could show me them? Your adaptations may just hold the key to victory against the enemy. Please forgive me for the Windsprite taking your ship’s designated place; she will be departing as soon as possible, once I have put the affairs of that traitor Holwyn in order.”

  The admiral dropped his hand from his eyes, his fury abated, and grabbed Braebec’s arm in greeting. “Very well, perhaps I can,” he mumbled.

  The admiral turned and bowed to the dominar. “Congratulations Broud, or my Dominar, I should say. The Senate shows common sense for once.”

  The dominar grunted. “I should not comment. Anyway, Carnak, how can I help you, and who is your friend here?” he said, pointing towards Carnak’s unkempt companion.

  “This is Senris Parvar, a fisherman from the Khanate,” the admiral replied. “We found him adrift and half-starved in a small fishing vessel south of the Holms. He was spouting nonsense, but food, warmth and firewine brought him back to his senses. I would have set him back into the sea off the Cheamanite coast, but what he said got me thinking of previous described events. So I thought you should hear what he has to say yourself.”

  The admiral shoved the fisherman towards the dominar’s desk. The terrified man snatched off his greasy cap and prostrated himself before the ruler of the Northern Holdings.

  Dominar Broud raised his eyebrows. “Stand up, man! Parvar is it? I’m not going to hurt you! Now pray, tell me what it is you told Admiral Carnak here.”

  The fisherman picked himself up from the floor and looked around the room uncomfortably, surrounded as he was by great lords. The dominar of the Summerlands and hero of the Cheama himself was right in front of him, as well as a high priest of the Taleeli faith.

  “Go on, Parvar, speak,” Admiral Carnak said impatiently.

  Parvar spoke hesitantly in his Cheamanite accent. “My Lord, I and my brother-in-law, Tonich, were fishing around the Talons. We went up the Delta, thinking it safe now the marsh dragons are asleep and you cleared it of the Acaross scum.” He nodded in gratitude at the dominar, who waved it away.

  Parvar coughed and then continued. “We followed a shoal of mackerel with the high tide up the estuary near to where the enemy fort once stood. We were hauling our net aboard, when …” the fisherman swallowed, aware as he was of the inquisitor staring at his face and eyes intently, “… when a monster arose from the depths and snatched my sister’s husband away and down into the muddy depths.”

  “A monster? It was a marsh dragon surely?” The dominar shook his head. “I’m sorry for your family’s loss, Parvar, but if you go fishing near their haunts it is a risk you take. Bear in mind that the beasts were late into their hibernation, due to the disturbance caused by Acaross vessels using the Delta for their own evil ends.”

  “Begging your pardon, Lord Dominar,” Parvar said earnestly, “but we have fished those waters for years, we know the way of salamanders and this was no salamander, my Lord, I assure you. It looked like a were-beast. A salamander, but with the look and posture of a man about it.”

  “What?” scoffed Dominar Broud, holding his head in his hands in disbelief. “A were-salamander? Come on man, please ….”

  Braebec stepped forward. “Lord Dominar, he speaks the truth. I think we should hear what Senris has to say.”

  The dominar looked at the inquisitor disdainfully. “Are you still here, Lord Conziva?” he said in irritation. “Why should the ramblings of this man concern you?”

  “Lord Dominar,” the inquisitor implored, “we have spoken about salamanders already.” For a moment the inquisitor’s gaze held the dominar’s fast.

  “Are you implying what I think you are, my Lord Conziva?” the dominar said, a look of horror dawning on his face. He looked at the fisherman. “Please continue, Parvar, my apologies.”

  “My lords,” Parvar said, his eyes flicking between the dominar and the inquisitor, “the beast reappeared at the shore with my sister’s husband. It stood upright and tore out Tonich’s throat, then drank his blood before my very eyes.” Parvar ran his hand over his brow, trembling from the fear of remembering. “If you could have heard the creature’s cry, full of despair and horror. It chills my blood just thinking of it. May the gods forgive me, I fled from the place, but there was nothing I could do, nothing.” He began to sob then, in the shame of losing his relative.

  “Peace, Parvar,” the dominar said in concern. “You are not at fault. The beast would have eaten you, too, if given a chance. I thank you for relaying this information to me. We will return you to your home and family on the Cheamanite coast as soon as we may. Here, go and get yourself a bed and meal tonight. In the morning, report at the moorings where the Orca is.”

  The dominar tossed a gold coin to the fisherman, who caught it and left the room, muttering his thanks.

  The dominar stood when Parvar had left the room. “Well, Lord Conziva, you wanted to visit the site of the Acarossian fort, here is your opportunity to do so, I’m thinking. Whatever your dealings in Holwyn’s cell, I suggest you accomplish it this very day because tomorrow, with the tide, the admiral here is taking you hunting in the Talons. Is this beast and the killer at the fort one and the same then, you think?”

  The inquisitor bowed. “Yes, Lord Dominar. I know of these shadow-fed undying beings. They cling to life as parasites on the living. They adopt the form of those upon which they feed. Obviously our Acarossian friend Sheerak has had nought but salamander to eat for some months now.” Braebec paused. “If I may, can I take Morcan Tavili with me? I promise to return him to you as soon as can.”

  The dominar nodded. “Yes, Lord Conziva, we have managed without an alchemist thus long. We can manage a few more days. It might be an idea to take the captured apothecary with you. He might be able to communicate with this beast-man, or at least recognise the man in him, if such a thing remains.”

  “Thank you, Lord Dominar,” Braebec said, bowing. “Any knowledge I can glean by interrogation from this monster will be useful in the forthcoming war.”

  “You will need some military back up, I think,” Broud said, thinking aloud. “I will ask Captain Treal to assign a squad of the 1st Cheama’s to join you. They have experience of the area, and of this creature when it was more man-like. They will be happy to inflict revenge on the monster for a second time. Question this Sheerak creature by all means. However, I demand that when you are finally done you kill it, and rid the Cheama of its curse. I do not want this predacious shadow-beast haunting the good folk of the Northern Holdings.”
>
  “Indeed, my Lord,” the inquisitor said with a grim smile. “I have encountered these abominations before.”

  “Excellent!” exclaimed the dominar. “Just one more thing. You had better have a word with your captain of the Windsprite and get him to move moorings now. Or he will feel the wrath of Carnak’s sisters: the Lover and the Whore.”

  “You would threaten him with your women?” Braebec asked the admiral.

  “No,” the unsmiling admiral said matter-of-factly, “with tri-cannon.”

  Chapter 13

  The herepath wound its way up towards the cloud-obscured SkyCrags, the surrounding grass gradually yielding to heather and gorse, while misshapen and stunted trees were bent in the prevailing winds that scoured the land. As the column marched ever upward, the milky sun slowly burned its way through the claustrophobic blanket of low cloud, revealing the landscape around. As they crested a rise, Tuan and his companions saw the Fortress of Tiers for the first time. It appeared suddenly, as if it had grown from the landscape, its battlements hidden amid the rocky face of the mountains behind.

  It was a fortress unlike any other in the known world. It was carved from the living rock of a sheer cliff face. Up it went, hundreds of feet into the clouds that still clung to mountainside.

  Tuan looked over his shoulder beyond the snaking column, and gasped at the sight. As the low cloud melted under the sun he saw the Khanate revealed below them, north, south and west. Rolling hills of grass, woodland, and the cultivated fields of grains and vines cascaded like a green waterfall into the distance. Far beyond, at the horizon, the sun shone on the sparkling waters of the Cheama, where the sea met sky.

  He sighed as he turned to look ahead once more at the foreboding grey, frost-tortured mountains. He was now on the edge of the Summerlands, leaving behind the only realm he had known. Beyond the mountains the unknown awaited. He rested his hand on his chest and felt the vibration of the Sun Shard under his tunic, finding peace in its shape. A series of horn blasts echoed around the cliffs as those inside the Fortress of Tiers welcomed back their Khan. Up ahead, a ten-foot-high wall rose from out of the green sward. As they approached, Tuan noticed that it slanted backwards at an obtuse angle. Atop the stone wall was a wooden palisade, over which guards watched the column’s progress.

  The road took them to a high wooden gatehouse, set back from the walls that guarded the approach to the keep. There was a low creak in the damp highland air, as the large gates were swung outward. Above the entrance Tuan noticed fire-blackened skulls of man and beast amid the coloured shields adorning the gatehouse. Bronic grunted his approval at such grim decorations, but as Tuan drew closer the skulls seemed to change, appearing distorted. These were the skulls of men and mammoths, but some seemed odd: overlarge on one side, as if some strange deforming affliction that had struck them during their lives. Guards either side of the gatehouse raised their voices in welcome to their lord as the Khan’s horse passed through the gatehouse.

  As the column entered the stronghold it became apparent that the outer walls enclosed a large area. The walls were almost as thick as they were tall. Both sides were made of roughly dressed stone, surrounding a centre of compacted earth and reinforced wooden beams, designed to absorb the impact of battering rams. On the inside of the wall was a deep, steep-sided ditch, where the earth had been excavated. Tuan wondered why the ditch would be inside the wall and not outside. Wooden bridges allowed access to the fortress soldiery, from the walls over the inner ditch and into the castle grounds. It was almost as if the wall could be a defensive perimeter from without and within.

  Yet inside the battlements was a hive of activity. It was like a small town; members of the garrison lived there with their womenfolk and children. The children scampered about, cheering the Khan and his retinue’s arrival. Inside the walls were numerous stables, barracks, houses and workshops. Smoke from cooking fires and forges mingled with the dissipating morning mists. The sound of hammers echoed around the shiny wet rock face that towered over them. The noise mixed with the croaking of ravens and crows that called to one another from the cliffs.

  Tuan lowered himself from his horse, his feet squelching in the mud despite the straw that had been thrown around the yard to soak it up. Beside him, Bronic dismounted his destrier heavily, causing mud to splash over his companions who protested loudly at the Turanesci warrior. The mute giant took no notice as he stared, rapt, up at the tower.

  The tower had looked impressive from a distance, but it had merged with the rock of the surrounding cliffs, but now its scale was apparent to the travelling companions. Its dizzying heights caused their heads to swim as they looked up, its uppermost reaches lost in the realm of birds and clouds.

  Hewn from the surrounding rock, it was a semi-circular construction, which clung to the very cliff face. Huge wooden beams with pulleys jutted from its sides. Hundreds of windows looked out over the Khanate. Midway up the tower they could see that passages went into the cliff face. Here and there, brickwork could be seen, sealing what must have been natural caves from the elements.

  Their eyes were drawn back down by the approaching of hooves and snorts of beasts as the Khan approached. He was accompanied by his two most loyal warriors, the thegns; Stavor Kesrin and Rufen Penvich.

  The Khan laughed. “You like my hidden ladder then, my friends?”

  “I have never heard that such a place existed before, Lord Khan,” Tuan replied.

  The Khan stroked his gold-adorned beard. “Indeed you would not have. Let us just say that the Emperor gets his due, but what he does not know, he does not need to worry about, yes? With the blessed exception of the Flint Father here, we are all Summerlanders. Why should the Summerlands not grow strong while they may?” he said, nodding towards Klesh.

  Bronic grunted and signalled his agreement. The Khan smiled.

  My Lord,” Tuan asked of the Khan. “You call this tower a ladder?”

  “Indeed, Sun Shard wielder,” the Khan said, looking up himself. “Within this tower is a winding road that climbs up into the SkyCrags above. Atop the tower is another wall where we guard Mycell’s Cleft, the main pass through the mountains. A track runs through the many valleys above and then down into the arid lands beyond. Long have we withstood the predations of the desert peoples on the other side; they and other things, until we shored our defences with this.”

  Tuan was intrigued. “Others, my Lord Khan?” He remembered the distorted skulls of men and beasts that decorated the gateway.

  The Khan’s face lost its ready smile. “We will talk of such things later, Tuan of the Gewichas. I have a favour I would ask of you, but that can wait for the moment. Your journey leads ahead beyond the mountains, and this is as good a place as any to cross the boundary of the Summerlands. However, in the meantime you will remain my guests for as long as you wish. By all means get acquainted with your surroundings and then present yourself at the tower; you shall have lodgings inside. I am sure my daughter will show you around our humble abode. I will get one of the stable lads to stable your mounts. Now I go to see my son and hear news of the frontier.”

  He nodded at them as they expressed their gratitude, but his eyes lingered on Tamzine, who he winked at. “My Lady,” he said, and turned his horse toward the gates of the tower as his household’s wagons drew near.

  All around, the newly arrived troops were falling out from their marching order. Their officers barked commands as some began to trudge wearily to their allocated barracks. Here and there comrades in the stronghold’s garrison greeted the Khan’s hearth troop huscarls. Old friends became reacquainted and gathered around cooking fires, to trade news gathered over the winter.

  The companions gathered together their weapons, armour and baggage from their horses as stable boys came over to see to their mounts. The stable boys were amazed when they saw Klesh for who he was. They bowed before him. Klesh stood confused.

  Tamzine giggled. “Well, Klesh, are you going to bless these boys or not?”
/>
  Grimacing in annoyance and embarrassment, Klesh ruffled the boys’ hair and mumbled some words in the odd singsong tongue of the Flint folk. The lads bowed again with beaming smiles and took the horses away to the stables.

  “What did you say to them, Klesh?” Tamzine said, as she threw a bag over her shoulder.

  Klesh waggled his finger at his companions as if he were some ancient sage. “I tell them: always clean yourself well after taking a shit!”

  Tamzine and Tuan both laughed out loud. Bronic’s large frame shook in silent laughter and he slapped Klesh on the shoulder in appreciation.

  “Well then, my friends, shall we venture into the tower and explore this hidden wonder of the Summerlands?” Tuan enquired.

  “Eager to see Princess Karla, are we, Tuan?” Tamzine teased, “Apologies for keeping you from her today!”

  Tuan scowled in reply while Bronic laughed and made a womanly shape with his hands before punching his friend’s arm, changing Tuan’s scowl to a grudging smile.

  Amid the laughter, Klesh’s expression changed to one of concern. He lowered his voice. “I don’t understand,” he said haltingly, searching his word-hoard of the common tongue, “is the wealth of wine in the Khanate so great, that they can build this fortress?”

  Tamzine nodded in agreement. “The Khan said this place has been kept hidden from the agents of the Emperor. When you see Keanasa it seems to be a typical Summerland town, albeit one built on Imperial trade. Only the Khan’s Tower was built of stone, and how many warriors does he have at his command, despite last year’s muster? He marched here with a sizeable escort and this place can cater for hundreds!”