by C S Vass
Godwin kept his face blank, but internally his mind raced. Why would he be in charge of something like this? He was nothing more than an assassin. This type of work was better suited to some sort of intelligence officer.
Jelsin nodded as if he could read Godwin’s very thoughts. “I understand your confusion. You know that I’m a man who uses a hammer when I see a nail. You wonder if I haven’t already made up my mind about killing him, and I am simply sending you in to cover myself in the event that some of my comrades question the decision. Well? Speak!”
Godwin nodded his head. “Yes, you’ve read my confusion accurately. Forgive me, Admiral, but I don’t see how I’m qualified to make a decision of this sort. I am an assassin. Nothing else. So if you’re the type of man who uses a hammer when he sees a nail, then you’ll understand my wondering if there’s really a decision for me to make here.”
“What you don’t see is none of my concern,” Jelsin snapped at once. “I assure you, I’m sending you in sincerity. Do not simply kill Atusto without thinking. You have true decision-making power. Speak with him. See if you trust him. Act accordingly.”
A wide smile broke out across Godwin’s face.
Jelsin immediately straightened. “You think this is a joke, Godwin?”
“Forgive my insubordinate expression, Admiral,” Godwin said as he reached for the bottle. Pouring himself a measured tumbler just as the Admiral did, he took a small sip and sat thoughtfully before speaking. “I believe I understand.”
Jelsin wasn’t amused. “I should certainly hope so! I was crystal clear with my instructions.”
“You’re giving me this assignment because you’ve already decided what to do with Atusto.”
Jelsin’s cheeks reddened immediately. “Was I not explicitly clea—”
“You were,” Godwin said, taking another sip. “But all the same, he’s a dead man. The point of this isn’t Atusto. It’s me. You want to see if my judgement is capable. Perhaps if I’m ready for bigger things, more responsibility. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“It is not your place to question orders once they come down.”
“I’m asking no questions. But come, be honest. There’s no reason I should make such an important decision. Not with a man at the level of Atusto. A man with a reputation for having a silver tongue, who has talked his way out of certain death several times. You know he’s full of it. If I kill him, no harm done and you learn I might have a strategic mind for you to put to use. If I take him in, you simply kill him and then you know I’m an incompetent dolt. You wouldn’t really risk me killing someone so valuable if you thought there was anything to be learned from him.”
Jelsin’s sharp grey eyes observed Godwin with a look between a knife’s edge of contempt and admiration.
“Before you say anything, please let me continue, Admiral. Just for a moment. You see, I have no interest in rising up the ranks. I don’t want to make decisions for your army. I’m a sword. Draw me when I’m needed, keep me sharp on a whet stone. But don’t go waving me around in front of dinner guests. In short, should I be offered any sort of promotion, I will refuse.”
Jelsin’s face went very cold. For a long while it seemed as if he wasn’t even breathing. At last he spoke. “You arrogant fool. You dare deign to suggest I’m playing these games with you? I’ve given you your assignment. Go. Meet Atusto. Fill the streets with blood. You’ve made it perfectly clear it’s all you’re good for.”
“Very well,” Godwin said. “Thank you for your time, Admiral.”
“And you for your service, Odruri.”
Pale yellow light filled the sky as the sun descended in the west. Godwin walked through the central gardens of Saebyl, an expansive park filled with snow-tinged evergreens. The winding dirt pathways were empty. Saebyl had tried to recover after the first several assaults by the Sun Warriors, but nobody yet dared walk the streets this close to dark. Just outside the city walls, thousands of Tarsurians were waiting for their chance to strike.
“I know who you are.”
Atusto Romulai was a thin man with small beady eyes, an untrimmed mess of facial hair, and a blue feather perched in his cap.
“And I you,” Godwin responded. The darksword, that magical blade that had caused so much destruction within Saebyl’s walls, hung heavy at his side. “Why are you here?”
“You already know. I wish to defect.”
“Why?”
“Why? Do you really have to ask? What man would want to serve an arrogant Emperor who shovels his own men off to fight and die on foreign soil without so much as healers at the ready for the broken bodies that return home? An Emperor who is ready to burn the world to the ground with the snap of his fingers?”
“What of your friends and countrymen?”
“Could I not serve them better by ensuring the madman who reigns in Sun City is destroyed?”
“Am I to believe you’d so willingly trade one tyrant for another? What makes Boldfrost any better? Do you think he’d be any different if the West had armies comparable to the East?”
“I cannot believe you’d speak of your king in such a manner!”
“Look who’s talking.”
“See here!” Atusto stepped forward. “I’ve already made my decision. I know what I’ve gotten myself into and where my new loyalties will lie. Do you think I take this lightly? Do you?”
A fevered look came into Atusto’s eyes as he stepped forward again. His lips trembled, and his legs shook. Keep talking, Godwin heard. He looked around, alarmed. Though his lips hadn’t moved, the voice was Atusto’s. Keep talking you fool. They’ll kill us both. Say anything. Ramble about what a traitor I am.
Utterly stunned, Godwin obliged. This was elven magic. Old magic. Of the sort he had never encountered before. Still, he managed to make himself speak, slowly, almost nonsense, about traitors and loyalties.
Listen to me, Godwin, Atusto’s voice continued inside of his head as Godwin spoke. I will die here, but you have to survive. They’re all around us, and we don’t have much time. I’m going to give you a bottle with a message inside of it. A magical voice will repeat the message only once. You must open it in the presence of someone powerful in your government. Someone who can help with an oncoming catastrophe. You must deliver the message. Don’t stop speaking! Insult me.
“I don’t know why Boldfrost would want the first thing with a dog like you,” Godwin said.
Good, Atusto continued. Keep going. Godwin, Tarsurian soldiers are all around. I’m sorry, but it’s the only way. They’ll stay hidden for now if you kill me. Move a step closer. I’ll slip you the bottle. Once I do we must quarrel, and you need to kill me. Return to your people and deliver this bottle to someone trustworthy. Don’t stop speaking. Another insult. Now!
Godwin shook his head in disbelief. Was it possible that the Admiral knew about this? It seemed unlikely, but who was to say? “You need to tell me exactly what’s going on and why you’re doing this,” Godwin said seriously.
“I’m doing it to save the world you imbecile!” Atusto shouted out loud. “But perhaps I should have known that you Westerners would be too stupid to see a helping hand right in front of your faces!”
Atusto took another step forward. You must trust me, Godwin. Step forward. Quickly. I’ll slip it into your pocket.
For half a heartbeat Godwin froze. Everything he knew about fighting and dealing with subversive enemies told him to stay away from Atusto. He could just as easily slip a knife between his ribs as a bottle in his pocket. But still…
Godwin!
Godwin stepped forward, closing the distance between them to next to nothing. He seized Atusto by the collar and pulled him to eye level. “You shouldn’t bite the hand that feeds you, Atusto,” he growled. Godwin felt something fall into the inner pocket of his cloak.
Thank you. Now you must finish it. They’ll kill you if they reveal themselves. You have to kill me. The plan was never for me to go with you. They’ve been plo
tting my death for a while. You don’t know how they operate.
“No,” Godwin said. “I don’t think you get to dictate terms from here on out.”
“What a laugh!” Atusto responded, but with his mind’s voice Atusto’s tone was far more urgent. You idiot! You’ll get yourself killed before you listen to the message. Don’t think you can protect me. You can’t! Kill me and go. Quickly!
“I think we should continue this conversation in a room with some people who are more qualified than I am to deal with you, Atusto. I have a suspicion that Boldfrost himself would be very interested in what you have to say. Him and his council. I should think a meeting will be called to—”
“Listen!” Atusto shouted. It was all he shouted. The next moment a blood-stained arrow emerged through his head. The tip of it almost touched Godwin’s nose. Atusto was dead that instant.
“Shit.”
Godwin leapt towards the brush the moment before another arrow whistled through the air where his head had been a moment ago. Backpedaling, he observed several shadows moving towards him as the last of sunlight died. He instantly recognized the tight, black robes favored by the Tarsurian covert operations units. The hiss of swords on leather filled the air as his enemies closed in.
Grimacing, Godwin crouched defensively while they approached. “Come on then!” he growled, leaping decisively at one of the assassins as they began to close in. The darksword flew from its sheath and cut through the opponent’s abdomen. Runes glowed hot red on the sword while the man screamed and died.
Taking advantage of their momentary fear from seeing his magical weapon, Godwin flew at the next enemy. The man raised his sword to defend himself, but far too slowly. Keeping the momentum going, Godwin moved past the second dead man and started combat with the third. He was ready to take the Tarsurian’s head when a flash in his peripheral vision caused Godwin to leap backwards and dodge a strike that would have speared him.
Cursing, Godwin circled on his feet to assess the situation. There were ten fighters coming at him from 180 degrees. Possibly more beyond the darkness.
“Does Julius Hercinium have so little regard for a ceasefire?” Godwin said, hoping to buy himself a moment to come up with a plan.
“A demon like the Odruri does not get the same courtesy as common soldiers,” one of the attackers said. Five swords leapt at Godwin at once. The runes of the dark sword burned with molten energy as Godwin moved with superhuman speed. Slashing like a madman, he cut three of the attackers with enough time left to dodge the other two. There was no time to tell which of them, if any, had died. The other five swords attacked. Spearing one of them in the stomach, Godwin used his muscular arms to lift the dying Tarsurian off of his feet and use him as a human shield as he barreled his way out from the circle of death that closed in on him.
The effort took most of his energy, and he felt hot blood trickle down his body from several cuts he sustained.
“Simply amazing,” one of the Tarsurians said, shaking his head. “It’s a shame such talent has to go to waste. But this is the end of the line for you, Odruri.”
Panting, Godwin hardly had the strength to lift his arms. He was light-headed. The earth spun around him as he tried to calculate the number of enemies that closed in on him, but it was impossible. Darkness crept in from the corners of his eyes.
“You’ve fought with honor, Odururi. Now your war ends. Rest.”
The Tarsurians came for their final attack. Godwin prepared himself for death. Selena’s face flashed across his mind’s eye like a shooting star.
He was still alive.
The Tarsurians had stopped. Why?
“Sometimes I don’t know if you’re more trouble than you’re worth,” a breathy baritone said.
“Logun?”
The Shigata stood in front of him, shielding Godwin’s body from the oncoming attack.
“Admirable,” a Tarsurian said. “But we have the man power to kill you too, Shigata or not.”
Logun cackled wickedly and raised his hand. Dozens of torches appeared on the periphery. Wolves from Boldfrost’s army moved in silently, circling the Tarsurians who moments ago had circled Godwin.
“Very well,” the lead Tarsurian said, throwing down his sword. His men followed suit. “You’ve bested us. We surrender.”
Godwin was nearly passed out, but he saw Logun’s white teeth flash into a wicked smile in the light of the fires. “Surrender? That’s a war term, my friend. But this is a ceasefire.”
The Tarsurian stuttered with rage. “You…you bastard. This is a violation against the War Times Treaty. You’ll hang for this.”
Logun’s hand raised again, and the wolves attacked.
Chapter 1
“We will not begin a journey with the Wolf in the sky.”
Godwin wasn’t sure what irritated him more: the eastern pirate’s throaty horn-like voice or the words that it spoke.
“Simply astounding,” the Shigata said with a shake of his head. “Three days ago it was some Tarsurian holiday. The day after that the water was too green for your liking. Yesterday your first mate was killed in a knife fight over a hand of Tanzen—I’ll grant you that excuse was valid, Captain Raijen. But just this morning, you said that you had found a suitable replacement and assured me in the evening we would set sail.”
“So I thought we would,” the fat captain replied while he picked his teeth with a long, yellow fingernail. He gestured carelessly to the sky. “Yet you see clearly the Wolf is in the heavens. A bad omen.”
“Wolves don’t have power in the water,” Godwin growled, gritting his teeth so hard that he thought they might crack.
“Neither do you,” the Captain replied. “At least insofar as it concerns my ship. Come back in the morning. We may set sail at dawn.”
“May?” This was too much. “If we can’t sail, what would you say to a swim?” Godwin prepared to grab the oaf by his collar and topple him over the dock, when he felt Robert’s hand firmly on his shoulder.
“Excuse my companion, comrade,” Robert said carefully to the pirate. “We mean no disrespect, but we have urgent need to go north.”
“Obviously,” the Captain sneered as he hocked a wad of spit into the icy waters. “Why else would you risk sailing up the Shield in winter? Yet it matters not. If you wish to travel onboard Divinity, then you will do so at my pleasure. Now be off, before I decide you’re more trouble than you’re worth.”
“I’ll give you trouble you piece of fi—”
“Come on,” Robert hissed, as he grabbed Godwin forcefully by the arm and steered him away. “I’ll not have you piss away my only chance to learn something of home.”
Godwin sighed. There was nothing to be done. It was mid-winter, and most ships saw a journey up the Shield as a suicide mission. If these sweaty pirates were willing to make the voyage, it seemed they had no choice but to wait until whatever conditions made them happy.
“Let’s head back to the inn,” Robert said. “I think Marudo is throwing snow crabs in his pot tonight.”
Godwin snorted. He and Robert had stayed at the Fish and Frog for a week, but Robert had not spent a single night in their room. “I think you have a taste for something at that inn other than Marudo’s cooking, though it’s still likely you’ll acquire your crabs…”
An icy wind washed over them as they made their way back towards the center of Meno. They had been in town since the destruction of Castle Unduyo. One week had passed since that desperate night when the Captain of Iryllium’s Guard, a young monk on the verge of death, and a female half-elf had sailed to the island of Black Wolf to find the ruins of the Shigata castle. Each passing day since then made Godwin’s bitterness grow like a poisonous flower.
The others had left immediately. There was trouble brewing across all of Gaellos, and it seemed they needed to reach every corner of the continent to deal with it. They would have to track down their Shigata allies to rebuild Unduyo and form a plan to rescue the Sages. But none of the oth
ers had to sail up the bloody Shield in mid-winter. None of the others had been forced to find a ship that would tolerate the frozen storms that would constantly threaten them until they reached Saebyl. So only Godwin and Robert remained.
“Hey! Snap out of it. You look like you’re about to drift off to sleep as you walk.”
Godwin glanced at his companion. Robert’s angular face, draped with oily black hair thick with curls, was lined with worry.
“Listen to me,” Robert continued. “We’re going to get the bastards who did that to your home. Julius Hercinium’s dogs don’t stand a chance once we—”
“I don’t want to hear it right now,” Godwin interrupted. “The last thing I need is unwanted sympathies from an eastern man-whore, so please, kindly can it.”
Robert scowled and pushed a tangle of hair from his eyes. “You know, without Yaura to balance you out, you can be quite unpleasant company.”
Upon hearing Yaura’s name, Godwin’s mouth tightened. After Unduyo’s destruction something seemed to snap inside of her. Godwin had tried to speak with her, but she wouldn’t meet his eye. Yaura had hardly even said goodbye when she left with the half-elf Faela.
They continued through Meno’s snowy streets underneath a swirling sea of stars until they reached the torch-lit entrance of the Fish and Frog. The inn was marked by a grotesquely jovial depiction of the animals dancing as if they were at a country barn jig. Wide, ridiculous smiles were painted onto their faces. Inside the air smelled like burning firewood, cloves, and strong beer.
Godwin was pleased to see that he was able to find himself a seat tucked away in a corner by the hearth. Robert made no pretense of joining him, but instead disappeared among the crowd as soon as they entered. Godwin knew that he would be gone until morning when he would come back grinning, his pockets jingling with coins.
A busty barmaid with crooked teeth and warm eyes served him black bread with butter and a large tankard of plain but good ale. Godwin felt as if the food fell right through him, as if each time he swallowed the bread was transported to some place other than his stomach. A stomach that had inexplicably transformed into an infinite void.