by Ben Hale
“How does she do that?” Raiden exclaimed, wondering if even Alydian could have done so.
“She’s Marrow,” Red said with a shrug.
Red tore a strip of cloth free and wrapped it around her arm, absently tying off the wound where a claw had ripped into her flesh. Then Marrow disentangled herself and approached, pushing the alpha’s nose away from her face.
“She says they’re delightful!” Marrow said.
“How soon until they turn on us?” Raiden asked.
“Oh, they’re friends now,” she scoffed, nearly knocked down as a beta whined for attention and shoved its snout into her back. “Their purpose is to protect her.”
“And us?” Red asked.
One of the beta’s swiveled its head her way and licked her. She spit and sputtered in an effort to clear her face. Then the beast nuzzled against her and leaned against her, knocking her into the dirt. From beneath the mountain of enchanted flesh her voice was muffled.
“Marrow,” she said, drawing the name out like it was a curse. “Get this thing off me before I gut your new pet.”
She shooed him off as Jester leaned over to Raiden. “Would we survive if Marrow turns against us?”
“No,” Raiden said, stifling a laugh.
Marrow turned to them. “He says his former masters have a secret refuge beneath the north side of the castle.”
“Any idea what they do there?” Raiden asked.
Red disentangled herself and stood. “As much as I appreciate our new pets, we need to move. Another pack will be here soon, and I don’t know if Marrow can recruit any more.”
Raiden nodded and peered around a pile of stones. A series of footsteps followed him, twelve more than were necessary. He sighed and turned back to find Marrow standing with three giant wolves at her heels. He raised an eyebrow to her.
“What?” she asked.
“We can’t take them with us,” Raiden said. “They’re made of light.”
“So?”
“We’re trying to sneak,” Red said, her voice one of pleading.
“You’re right,” Marrow said, and turned to them. She touched their noses and the light leeched into the ground, leaving them sentients of shadow with fire still in their belly.
“I thought they were scary before,” Jester said in an aside.
“Now can they come?” Marrow asked, and the alpha whined.
Raiden could not deny her pout. “Don’t let them kill me.”
“No problem,” she said with a smile, and then mounted the alpha, a cape of darkness spilling from her shoulders.
Raiden stifled a laugh and shook his head. Then he turned toward the castle. With three shadow wolves at their backs they worked their way through piles of stone and earth. Other wolves were visible prowling the exterior wall, and Raiden steered clear of them.
Surrounding the castle, contingents of the Empire army were arrayed in blocks of tents, forcing Raiden to thread the gap between camps. Row upon row of tents stretched away but most were empty, the soldiers laboring on the castle and its walls. Orbs of light hovered in the sky above the camp and fortress, the sun charms illuminating the stone in brilliant light.
At the southern edge of the castle a gate was heavily guarded. Raiden thought it would be difficult to get through the army camp but those in the camp were sleeping, with only a handful of token guards.
Raiden retained his caution, and they worked their way to the castle’s guarded gate. Coming to a halt at a stack of weapons, he paused to examine the fortifications around the portal, scowling as he saw how many soldiers were present.
A score of Verinai guarded the gate, most working on adding to the fortifications. The steel portcullis was nearly complete, as were the turrets to either side. Raiden caught a glimpse of the slope that descended beyond the gate, the path suggesting it led to an underground space hidden beneath the castle.
“How do we get inside?” Jester asked, sidling up to him.
“We can’t just sneak in,” Red said, gesturing to the top of the gate, where monitoring magic had been cast.
“That’s not our only problem,” Raiden said, his gut tightening.
“Why?” Jester asked. “What do you see?”
Red spotted it as well and drew her sword, cursing under her breath. Raiden watched the figure at the center of the gate, who surveyed the construction with a look of satisfaction on her face. Teriah, oracle and high empress of the Empire, blocked their way. Then abruptly the woman turned and looked directly at Raiden.
And smiled.
Chapter 17: Ally
“Is she smiling at us?” Jester asked.
“You think Teriah saw us coming?” Red whispered.
Raiden threw Marrow a sharp look but she was preoccupied with playing with her giant pets. “Wasn’t her presence supposed to stop the oracles from seeing our arrival?” he asked.
Teriah swept her hands wide. “The Soldier returns to us,” she called. “Why don’t you come out so we may have a decent conversation?”
Raiden stabbed a finger backwards and the group retreated. Sprinting through the shadows, they sought to exit the way they’d entered—but soldiers abruptly appeared. Flooding from previously empty tents, they closed off any chance of escape, row upon row of Empire ranks, swelling to block out the view. Scowling, Raiden retreated to his former position behind the racks of weapons.
“Fight and die?” Jester asked, his blade in hand.
Raiden heard the certainty in the assassin’s voice. With ten thousand soldiers between them and the outer wall, they would never escape. Realizing that talking was their only chance, Raiden sheathed his sword and stepped from the shadows.
“Stay here,” he cast over his shoulder.
He stepped into the blinding light of the sun charms and strode across the empty earth. A hundred yards felt like miles but he kept his pace even, his gait measured. Verinai were quick to target him, elven bows and magical crossbows aiming a thousand arrows at his heart.
“That’s close enough,” Teriah said, a smile of satisfaction on her face. “I want to talk, but I’d rather not let your blade too close to my heart.”
“You know me so well,” Raiden replied. “And yet your actions remain a mystery.” He gestured to the city.
Her smile widened but she didn’t take the bait. “How is Alydian faring in Seascape? Her army has what, thirty thousand troops? Forty?”
“It was enough in Skykeep,” Raiden replied.
A flicker of anger passed over her face. “You fought well, but your victory shall be short lived.”
“Because of your new fortress?” Raiden asked. “You think it will keep Alydian out?”
Teriah’s laugh was high and mocking. “We gather for the final battle . . . yet you do not even know your foe.”
Raiden’s brow furrowed. “You are my foe.”
“Not anymore,” Teriah said.
“She doesn’t like your riddles!” Marrow called, clearly annoyed.
Red tried to shush her and pull her back into the shadows. Teriah’s eyes flicked to Marrow, briefly registering surprise before she managed to contain it, and Raiden realized she’d known of Raiden’s approach, but not Marrow’s presence.
“Guildmaster Elsin desires Marrow for her own purposes,” Teriah said.
It was Raiden’s turn to laugh. “I don’t think anyone can contain Marrow.”
“It’s true!” Marrow called.
Teriah offered a faint smile of agreement and cocked her head to the side. “I should kill you, you know. You have been a source of constant consternation to me and my Empire.”
“How can we—a handful of weaklings without magic—defy an oracle empress?”
He surreptitiously cast about, trying to plan a way out. But there was none. The entire Empire army had now surrounded them, and even Marrow would not be able to get them out. Teriah’s conversation led him to believe she wanted something, otherwise she would have simply ordered their deaths. But what did she desire?
&n
bsp; “Ingenuity has always been a hallmark of the survivor,” Teriah said. “And you have more than a healthy dose of the trait.”
“Is that respect I hear?”
“I may hate you, Soldier,” Teriah said. “But I do respect you. We fight on opposite ends of the conflict yet desire much the same thing, to bring peace to a world at war.”
“Do you think I would betray Alydian?”
“No,” she said. “You are far too loyal for that. But when the time comes, I hope you will convince her that defiance will come to naught.”
“And why would I do that?”
“Because one day you will know the truth,” Teriah said. “But you came to see my designs, and so you shall.”
She stepped aside and barked an order, and the gate clanked open. Raiden retreated a step as a gigantic form shifted in the darkness. Then a huge claw appeared and caught the earth, digging great furrows into the soil. Raiden gasped as a horned head appeared, followed by an enormous body.
The entity was massive, easily fifty feet tall. Shaped like a human, its flesh was made from all twelve of the common magics, causing it to shimmer in complex patterns of light and energy. It crawled beneath the castle and straightened to its full height.
And then spread its wings.
Like a great demon it stretched its body, the light shimmering into a myriad of complex colors. Despite its size, it moved with an ease that suggested speed and power. Raiden half expected it to kneel down and crush him like an insect, but it stilled as Teriah raised her hand.
“Do you like my titan?” she asked. “I admit I take a measure of pride in its creation.”
“Is this the foe we face?” he asked.
“Perhaps,” she said, her eyes glittering with malice. “But the greatest foe is the one from within. Be safe, Soldier. My army will not stop you from departing.”
“So you can strike my back?” Raiden said with a scowl. “I’d rather die with my sword in hand.”
He pulled his sword free and braced himself, but Teriah merely gestured to the army that blocked their escape. Flowing apart, the soldiers cascaded to either side, opening a path to the gully in the outer wall.
“I don’t understand,” Raiden said. “Why let us go?”
Teriah’s eyes never left his, and her voice gained a tinge of prophecy. “When the war comes to a close you will stand alone, and you will be hunted by all of Lumineia. Then you will face a choice, to join the Mage Empire . . . or witness the death of your beloved.”
Raiden swallowed against the chill and then turned away, slowly making his way back to his companions. Motioning to them, he advanced toward the gap in the army, eyeing the ranks of soldiers just feet to either side. The hatred on their faces was evident, but it was the expression on the non-mages’ that was a surprise.
The menace to their features made him feel like a squirrel caught by a pack of dogs, their master’s will the only thing holding them in check. In the past they had harbored sympathy for the Soldier and his Defiant, but here they stood shoulder to shoulder with the Verinai, ready to slay him if the order was issued.
“Are they really going to let us walk out of here?” Red murmured.
“It appears so,” Jester said uneasily.
At the rear of the group and still astride the alpha wolf, Marrow too seemed disconcerted. The alpha and its two betas reflected her unease and snarled at the Empire soldiers, causing them to recoil.
“One more thing,” Teriah called, her voice reaching Raiden even though she had not moved. “I do require one sacrifice.”
Abruptly the Empire ranks rippled with movement. Fearing an attack, Raiden came to a halt and spun, ready to take a few with him. But the attack was not for him, it was for Marrow. Chains of thick anti-magic burst from the soldiers and clamped onto her wrists, dragging her from her mount. She cried out as she struck the ground, the sound like an animal surprised and wounded. The wolves went berserk.
Charging into the Empire ranks, they breathed fire onto the gnomes holding the anti-magic chains. Light mages hurtled spears at the shadow wolves, the sheer volume shredding their forms. But not before they broke through the gnome ranks.
The anti-magic chains on one side cracked, one of the links coming apart in a burst of dark sparks. Marrow yanked her arm free and reached to the other chain, snapping it with her bare hand. The other gnomes collapsed as their chain crumbled, bits of anti-magic hurtling into the Empire ranks.
Impossibly, the alpha had survived the attack and darted back to Marrow. Ducking its head low, it scooped Marrow off the ground and charged for the gulley. Raiden, Jester, and Red had leapt to engage the soldiers but now sprinted after her, the ranks of Empire soldiers snapping shut like sheers on cloth.
“Can I leave corpses now?” Marrow demanded.
“Yes!” Red roared, carving her sword through two in her path.
Marrow sucked in her breath and turned on the army with a vengeance—and fire burst from her mouth. The titanic flames reached thirty feet, incinerating flesh and steel. Like an enraged dragon she spun, breathing fire on everyone in her path. The wolf added its own flames, charging across the scorched earth to carry Marrow away.
But the army was quick to separate Raiden from Marrow. Isolating the girl, they tightened their ranks and cast fire shields, more gnomes rushing to her flanks, preparing their magic to trap her again.
Surrounded by soldiers, Raiden, Jester, and Red fought for their lives even as a new path of escape opened to their right. Then an officer barked an order for his soldiers to retreat. Scowling, the soldiers drifted back, leaving an opening that would take Raiden to freedom. Red slashed her sword through an entity but its caster retreated to forge another.
“You should flee while you can,” an elf said.
Raiden turned and recognized Overseer Othan. The elf stood with his arms folded, just out of reach. Dressed in the white armor of an Empire General, he sneered at Raiden and stabbed a finger down the open path.
“Your lives have been granted unto you,” he said. “Don’t be such a fool as to die without cause.”
“We’re not leaving Marrow to you,” Red spit.
“Her fate is sealed,” Othan growled.
In the distance Raiden spotted Marrow, now shrieking her fury. Blood seeped from soldiers’ ears but they continued to creep forward, casting charms to negate Marrow’s chaotic magic. Her wolf was still alive but wounds littered its form, spilling fire down its dark flanks.
Raiden glanced at Red and saw the rage in her eyes, the image matched by Jester. But they all knew the truth. To flee would give them a chance of freeing Marrow, to remain was to die. Yet none took a step towards freedom.
Overseer Othan snarled and stone rose from the earth, rising to encase his form in a goliath charm. Then he cast two swords of fire, the flames hardened into solid form. He clashed the blades together, sending a cascade of sparks onto the ground.
“So be it,” he said. “Kill them.”
Raiden raised his sword just as a rumble came from under his feet. He danced aside, expecting an attack from beneath. But suddenly the ground opened up, the hole widening to swallow all three of them. Fear lanced in Raiden’s gut as he imagined the earth crushing him, but then he heard Othan’s howl of dismay. Raiden caught a glimpse of Marrow falling into the earth before he dropped from sight.
He landed hard and groaned. The ceiling closed like a door being slammed, plunging them into darkness. Raiden coughed in the dust and stood but a hand caught his shoulder, leading him to the side.
“This way,” a voice said. “We must hasten.”
Raiden stumbled into a run, following the shadowy figure as they sprinted through what appeared to be dim tunnels. Evidently the sewers of the new city, the tunnels were not yet finished, with several side sewers ending abruptly.
“Marrow,” Red coughed. “We must not let Teriah take her.”
“Quiet,” the voice said.
“I’m not leaving without her,” Raiden s
aid, attempting to pull his arm free.
The woman growled her impatience. “I know.”
They turned a corner and came to an intersection of sewers, the space containing a rabid wolf and an enraged girl. A quartet of Empire soldiers were attempting to subdue them, desperately trying to placate Marrow and the wolf. But their weapons were in their scabbards and they made no move to attack.
“Marrow!” Red shouted. “Calm yourself.”
Marrow and the wolf spun to face them—and then abruptly calmed. “Hey, Red,” she said with a beaming smile. “She didn’t think we’d escape.”
“Neither did I,” Jester said with a laugh.
The woman at Raiden’s side began barking orders, ushering everyone into a tunnel. Overhead, the stone shuddered as the army above sought to follow. Raiden glanced at the ceiling and then looked to their savior, a white-haired elf dressed in the uniform of a Verinai master.
“Care to explain our rescue?” Jester asked.
“I’m a friend of Toron’s,” she said. “She we forestall your questions until after we escape?”
“But who are you?” Raiden asked.
She flashed a faint smile. “They call me Winter.”
Chapter 18: Home
“Where are we going?” Galathon growled as they trudged through the swamp.
After their failure at the ancient outpost, they had licked their wounds for two days before entering the swamp. But instead of going north, Toron led the way south. Galathon demanded answers, wanting to know their destination. But Toron’s answer was always the same.
“The beginning.”
“Say that one more time and I’ll kill you,” Galathon said.
Toron ignored the threat. “We’re almost there.”
Galathon muttered an expletive and then fell silent, allowing Toron to focus on navigating the swamp. They worked their way through the clinging mist, their path close enough to the south sea that the glittering ocean was occasionally visible through the mist.
The path was treacherous yet familiar, and Toron swallowed at the surge of memories. Of torching the mist with a wave of his hand. Of Elsin bending the trees to open their path. Of kisses stolen in the darkness.