by C S Vass
“Yes,” Godwin cut him off. “May we pass?”
The ogre was clearly debating that question in his mind. His eyes danced back and forth like the pendulum of a metronome. “No,” he said at last. “I’m sorry. I know what you’ve done for this city, but I cannot allow you to pass without papers.”
Godwin knew better than to argue. “Very well. How do I get papers?”
“I’m not supposed to say, but…”
“It’s very important,” Godwin said when the ogre trailed off. He added nothing else.
“Go to the Blue Tower, to Yegvellen. He can get you papers. He would know best.”
“Who exactly is Yegvellen of the Blue Tower?” Godwin asked.
“A mage,” the ogre replied. “A powerful one. Denver Rockhelm respects him. Tries to get him to move to the castle. But Yegvellen refuses.”
“He must be brave. Where is the Blue Tower?”
“It’s built into the outer wall of the city. It faces northward towards the Clouds. Go into the mansions of the Snowgardens, you know the way. You’ll see the Blue Tower from there.”
“Very well. We’ll see this mage and return. Thank you.”
“Wait,” the ogre called just as Godwin has turned.
“Yes?”
The ogre’s eyes trembled again with uncertainty. Robert stepped back with a quick breath. Godwin waited.
“May I…may I shake your hand, sir?”
Godwin’s face betrayed no emotion. He extended a gloved hand which the ogre quickly swallowed in his massive grey-skinned palm and fingers that were exposed to the elements.
“Thank you. This means very much to me.”
Godwin nodded. Then they left.
“Well that was a tad bizarre,” Robert commented as they wove their way around the castle and towards the Snowgardens that were home to Saebyl’s wealthiest citizens.
“Nothing bizarre about it,” Godwin said. “Denver Rockhelm takes security seriously. Saebyl is very isolated. Help doesn’t come fast in the event of an emergency. I’m not surprised they would turn away even a Shigata.”
“Not that, you bloody ninny!” Robert said. “I’m talking about the ogre. He clearly thought that you were—”
“Drop it.”
“What did you—”
“Drop it.”
“He could have thought you were the second coming of—”
Godwin hit Robert just hard enough to knock the wind out of him and proceeded on while the easterner sputtered and coughed before struggling to keep up.
By the time they reached the Snowgardens the sun had sunk to the west behind a wall of deep grey clouds sending fingers of pale pink light across the sky.
“Splendor of splendors,” Robert gasped when the mansions came into view. “Such wealth. I feel as though I’m back in the East.”
“Saebyl has done very well for itself,” Godwin agreed. “The people here are very industrious and business-oriented.”
“But why are they not inside the castle walls?” Robert asked. “Surely if they can afford this splendor, they can rub enough gold together to earn a pass.”
“Most of them keep suites inside the castle for their families as well,” Godwin said. “Don’t you worry about them, my friend. In times of war, they’re quick enough to scurry within Rockhelm’s walls and wait out the madness. Out here threats can be seen from many miles off. Saebyl is a city to be taken by siege, not surprise.”
Despite his nonchalance Godwin was also stunned to see the terrible beauty of Saebyl’s Snowgardens. They were much more impressive than they had been when he was last in the city. Elaborate ice sculptures depicting enormous dragons danced among colorful snow flowers in the yards of mansions that could easily house twenty families. Hot springs seethed everywhere, not for personal use, but to create an atmosphere of surreal mistiness from the steam that boiled from them.
They walked past all of it towards the northern wall. The Blue Tower was a ghostly staff of a building embedded in the defensive wall and bathed in the final wash of light from the sun.
“Yegvellen must enjoy his privacy,” Robert observed. The mansions of the Snowgardens were well behind them now.
“Him and every other mage,” Godwin said. “Just let me do the talking.”
“Will the mage give you papers?”
“For free? I doubt it. I have a feeling that this is going to turn into the story of the little monkey.”
“The little monkey?” Robert asked.
Godwin sighed. “I forgot. You’re not from here. A children’s tale here in the West. The little monkey needed a banana, so he asked the tree. The tree told the little monkey it needed light and it would give him a banana if he got the cloud to move. The cloud told the little monkey it was too swollen and would move if it convinced the water in it to leave. The water told the little monkey—”
“Got it,” Robert said, rolling his eyes. “So does the little monkey get his banana?”
“Depends on how cynical the author who tells the story is.”
“Maybe the little monkey should have skipped all that and asked the author directly,” Robert chortled.
“That would make for a rather bad tale.”
They approached what they thought was the door, and upon closer inspection realized what they saw was more like the painting of a door onto the bricks of the outer wall. There was no clear way in.
Godwin knocked hard three times on it. The monstrous face of a snarling gargoyle swirled into the stonework. “Yes?” a surprisingly high-pitched voice sang.
“We need to see Yegvellen,” Godwin said.
“Who is we?”
“Godwin of Brentos, a Shigata. And Robert the Tarsurian, a fool.”
Robert opened his mouth to protest, but Godwin flicked him in the adam’s apple to silence him.
“I’ll inform the master, though he is quite busy,” the gargoyle said. The face disappeared. After a few minutes it returned. “You’re in luck. The master is eager to see you both. Leave your swords outside, nobody will take them.”
“My sword will do me no good against a mage,” Godwin said flatly.
“Then you won’t mind leaving it. You have the master’s assurance that your weapons will be waiting for you if you exit.”
Robert opened his mouth again, likely to protest that uncomfortable ‘if,’ but quickly closed it after seeing Godwin’s scowl. The two of them disarmed, and once they did so the stones evaporated allowing them both to enter the Blue Tower.
The inside was not like any mage’s tower that Godwin had seen before. Mages in his experience were creatures that sought comfort. They created powerful illusions that led their dwellings to be filled with plush couches, fine wine, and more often than not beautiful naked bodies. This place was much the opposite.
It was so dark that Godwin could only make out the outline of Robert’s face. Torches lit the way just often enough that they could barely see each one as they walked towards them. Dust and cobwebs had collected on just about everything. Suits of armor, leather-worn books, and endless shelves of vials met them at every turn. Before long Godwin was positive that the place was enchanted to be much larger on the inside than it appeared from the outside, much like the pirate ship Divinity had been. When they rebuilt Unduyo, he would have to find out how that particular bit of spellwork was woven.
After ten minutes of walking down halls and climbing up stairs, they pushed open a final oak door to find an old man with a carefully cropped beard of grey and tired, wrinkled eyes clutching a staff with a crystal ball that flickered light like a candle in the wind.
“You really did leave your weapons,” the mage chuckled. “I thought it would be much more difficult to make a Shigata part with his sword.”
“Maybe I just found no threat from an old man who shut himself up in a tower in the fortified city of Saebyl at the world’s end,” Godwin retorted.
Yegvellen smiled. “We are far from the world’s end, Godwin, very far indeed. But more on that later. You
didn’t come here for a geography lesson. So why did you come? I’d be fascin—put that down you oaf!”
Godwin turned and saw Robert standing like a child caught with his hand in the sweet jar. He had picked up a vial stopped with a cork and sealed with wax.
“Sorry,” he mumbled, clearly not as embarrassed as he should have been.
“Idiot,” Godwin grunted. “Put your hands in your pockets. If I see them again in here, I’ll cut them off.”
“But you don’t have your—never mind,” Robert quickly added as he saw the flash of anger behind Godwin’s eyes.
Yegvellen smiled wickedly. “If you knew what was in that vial boy, you’d be neck deep in the Dark Sea right now swimming as fast as you could back to your homeland. Touch it again and I may be inclined to open it. In fact, this is business for just me and the Shigata. Why don’t you take a little walk around my tower?”
Godwin did not miss Yegvellen’s hands contorting horribly into an impossible crunch of fingers, nor did he miss the pulse of light behind Robert’s eyes before he sleepily agreed and wandered off. In fact, he was dead positive that Yegvellen meant for him to see both of those things.
“Now that you’ve successfully demonstrated you’re no fraud,” Godwin said, “Perhaps I can tell you why I’m here. There’s no need to prove your powers to me, Yegvellen. I simply need you to provide me with a pass into Rockhelm’s castle.”
“Simply is it?” Yegvellen crooned as he clawed at his beard with a liver-spotted hand. “Few things are ever done simply in this town, Godwin. But you’ve been here before. You already know that.”
“I do,” Godwin said gruffly. “So let’s cut to the chase. What do you want? Or better yet, what does Rockhelm want? He undoubtedly has been informed that I’m within Saebyl’s walls, and all of this is an elaborate way to squeeze two tasks out of me rather than one.”
“Undoubtedly,” Yegvellen smiled.
Godwin stepped forward. “I know how this works, Yegvellen. I’ll do what Rockhelm asks of me so long as it doesn’t go against my order or my code. But in the meanwhile, let’s speed things up. Deliver my message to him. Undu—”
“Absolutely not!” Yegvellen shouted as he slammed his staff on the ground sending a shockwave throughout the room that made Godwin stumble. “Are you truly so arrogant, Godwin of Brentos, that you would shout your message into unwilling ears. You, who show up here with a Tarsurian after what they did to this city. I think not. If you know how this works, then you will be silent and obey the rules.”
Godwin bowed his head. “Forgive me, master Yegvellen. The urgency of my cause has made me forget myself. I’ve spent too much time bartering with peasant-lords in the small villages. I understand this is not the Southlands.”
The apology seemed sufficient. Yegvellen nodded approvingly. “You needs must prove yourself worthy of those in the inner sanctum of Saebyl if you wish to proceed beyond those walls. What good is a Shigata if he’s not slaying demons? Well? What was the last beast you killed?”
Godwin ground his teeth. “My previous business is my own. If you have a contract for me, then we can discuss it.”
“How honorable,” Yegvellen smirked. “Shigata-client confidentiality. Very well, it’s not a problem. Should you handle this little issue that we’re having, I’ll be happy to grant you the proper paperwork to get you into Lord Rockhelm’s hall.”
“I apologize if I’m being overly orderly, but I’ve known mages to be a rather litigious bunch, so I’d like to dot my i’s and cross my t’s. There are just two quick things I’d like to address. Robert will also be granted paperwork to see Rockhelm. Imbecile that he is, I find him useful after a fashion.”
Yegvellen nodded. “Simple enough. What else?”
“This isn’t charity or simple work that I’m bartering away to see the good Lord Rockhelm. Regardless of your opinion, Yegvellen, the Shigata are still an order to be respected. We slay demons for money. If you have a beast for me to kill, I will be paid.”
Yegvellen smiled. “I wonder, how much does it cost to earn the sword of the legendary Odruri?”
Rather than shirk, Godwin smiled too. Quite horribly. “That depends on the demon, doesn’t it? And the victims that it’s haunting. I have a sinking suspicion that if the creature is preying upon the inhabitants of this lovely district, it could indeed cost quite a copper.”
Yegvellen struck his staff on the ground and an enormous open window materialized in the wall of the tower. Blue moonlight flooded the room. Godwin was certain it was an illusion meant to make the moon look even larger than the largest of harvest moons.
“You will have gold if you seek it, Godwin. I promise you that. I do not haggle like a desperate peasant at market. Name a price you think is fair, and so long that it is not ludicrous you will have it if you can rid Saebyl of Namaeria.”
“Namaeria? Would you have me slay a monster or a maiden?”
Yegvellen stepped forward. All playfulness had left of his eyes. What remained was something hard and cold, like two chips of broken diamond. “Why can’t she be both?”
“Explain.”
“Very well. Listen closely, Godwin. There is a she-devil wreaking havoc here. In the city of Saebyl, there are three bordellos larger and more beautiful than any other in the country. They are known as the Three Flowers: the Rose, The Lily, and the Tulip. It costs an exorbitant amount of money just to have a drink on their lower levels. You’ll find no ordinary brown ale or regular dockside whores inside of them.”
“I get the picture,” Godwin said. “Splendor and decadence. What of it?”
“The men in this district have acquired a taste for such delicacies as can be found inside of the Three Sisters. As is the way with nature, something else has found a taste for the men. A vampire by the name of Namaeria.”
“You’re sure of that?”
“Of course. I would not say it if it were not so.”
“Does she kill?”
“Without a doubt. It is not uncommon for men to be found dead after staying there. Others she bewitches for her amusement. Makes them go home and commit cruel or embarrassing acts. Murdered dogs, befouled goats. That sort of thing.”
“Wonderful. I take it they’ve already flooded the Three Sisters with garlic, silver, and holy runes.”
Yegvellen nodded. “Of course.”
“We’re dealing with a higher class of demon then. Has the Temple gotten involved?”
“They turn a blind eye, claiming all who visit such establishments invite sin upon themselves.”
“No surprises there. I assume Rockhelm hasn’t forced their hand because he wishes to avoid the embarrassment of acknowledging this little problem.”
“Just so.” Yegvellen cleared his throat. “I have advised our honorable lord to do otherwise, yet he has not found it prudent to heed my council.”
Godwin paced back and forth, thinking momentarily. “This is a tender situation. I take it that anything done with too much publicity will draw the ire of either Rockhelm or the Temple.”
“You would be correct, Godwin. Namaeria does not need the flesh of men as weaker vampires do. I suspect this is largely done out of a malicious desire for amusement. Her targets are always extremely important. Bankers, serious merchants, court advisors, and so on.”
“You’ll deny it either way, but I have to ask. Has the vampire targeted any of Rockhelm’s own family?”
“Truthfully I don’t believe so,” Yegvellen said. “I pull no wool over your eyes, Godwin. We speak plainly. I can simply deny it if you go around running your mouth. According to our lord, this problem does not exist.”
Godwin smirked. “Which is why I’m being asked to handle it before I so much as get a glimpse of Rockhelm. I take it that after my dazzling success with this contract, I shouldn’t hold my breath for thanks from Saebyl’s lord.”
“I would advise you against it,” Yegvellen agreed. “But that doesn’t mean a hefty sum of gold from the lord’s coffers won’t fi
nd its way into your pockets. I take it that such an arrangement is agreeable?”
“Of course,” Godwin said. “Now, since we’ve established that we’re speaking plainly and that you can deny any rumors I might spread, do tell me, have you tried to lure out this creature yourself?”
“You mean with a midnight stroll down to the Three Sisters? Naturally I have. The demon must have known not to draw my ire. Every night I’ve spent there not so much as a droplet of blood has been found.”
“Would it be so disagreeable for you to simply spend your evenings there from now on? For the good of the city, of course.”
That earned a laugh from Yegvellen. “If only it could be so, my friend. But alas, I have important research concerning the stars that requires my eyes be drawn up to the heavens and not always down to such sinful pleasures.”
“Very well. And if I die?”
“Such a prospect surely should not frighten a Shigata.”
“I mean my message. Will it be delivered to Rockhelm?”
“Absolutely not. I’ve already told you that I will not hear of it until this matter is sorted properly.”
Godwin stepped forward again, drawing the distance between them to merely a pace. “So you haven’t been reading my mind as soon as I set foot here. Even though I’ve lowered my defenses enough to make it easy. Made it as tempting as my lovely neck might be to the vampire?”
Yegvellen’s eyes flashed again, and Godwin could not tell if they held amusement or anger. “You forget yourself, Shigata. And you fail to notice the details in things. What makes you think it’s your mind I’m interested in placing my fishhook in? Surely you noticed me bewitch your friend so I could send him outside of the room? Right now he’s outside that door thinking he’s eavesdropping on a simple contract for you to drive a demonic spirit from a possessed orphan.”
Godwin opened his mouth and then closed it. He considered carefully. Surely Robert did not deserve to be manipulated in such a way.
“Godwin? I’m waiting on you.”
“I think it’s time we discussed my pay. I trust half now half later will be acceptable.”