by C S Vass
There was no action on deck. Everything was still and black, with nobody in sight whether dead or alive. Heart soaring, she began to suspect that this might really work. They might actually win.
Not daring to celebrate too early, Faela slipped below deck into the candle-lit subterranean cavern of the ship. Resisting the urge to call out, she crept along the wall, naked steel in her hand. She stopped when she reached a door that’s handle was smeared in something red.
Taking a breath, she pushed the ajar door inward. Inside was a cabin with two bunks and a fat man sprawled across the ground with a pool of blood underneath him.
“Faela!”
The shouting voice scared her so badly that she almost struck Tzuri-kai with her own blade. The dwarf roared with laughter. “A stupendous victory! Come on out of there, sorcerer! I know you can see me. Bring the refugees up. The ship is empty and not a soul knows of it.”
Faela broke out into a wide smile. She never dreamed it could have gone so well. “You’re sure?” she asked, beaming.
“I’ve been through the ship ten times. No one’s left. We got lucky. Most of the crew is out gambling, drinking, or otherwise wasting away the night. Some surprise the bastards will have when they come back to see their ship gone!”
Faela and Tzuri-kai laughed together, radiating in relief. She found her arms wrapped around the dwarf’s broad shoulders, and she planted a kiss on his cheek. “Amazing, Tzuri-kai. Thank you. You pulled your weight like a real champion. I never could have done this without you.”
“Aye, but half the praise and glory goes to you lass. Traveling those shit-pipes in the dead of night.”
“We’ll have to celebrate afterwards,” Faela said. “Once the refugees are safely sailing away we’re going to find Yelvin and drink the largest keg of beer in this city.”
“That’s the spirit!” Tzuri-kai laughed. “And hot red meat right of the bone! Now come on. Let’s go on deck and get our allies.
Faela agreed, and together they left the bloody cabin to make for the deck. Several of the warriors that accompanied Tzuri-kai were standing guard. Outside the air was no longer tense and stale, but bracing and refreshing as wind whipped about the sails of Songraven.
“They’ll tell of this for years to come,” Tzuri-kai said. “Decades. Centuries even! The liberation of Valencia!”
“Yes,” Faela agreed. “But perhaps this is only the beginning.”
The dwarf glanced at her seriously. Faela suddenly felt anxious. Deep down she knew that once they had accomplished this, their work would just be starting. News of the escape would spread, and more refugees would become emboldened to flee. She wouldn’t be able to turn her back on them, but she had not yet spoken with Tzuri-kai of such matters. There was only the vague notion that King Kark would come, but no solid plan on if they would join him.
Tzuri-kai’s face broke out into a wide smile. “I thought you’d never ask!” he shouted gleefully. “I’ve got quite a few more heads to crack in this cesspool of a city.”
Faela smiled. “Looks like we’re in for a good stay here then. I suppose we better get comfortable.”
“Can’t happen fast enough. Speaking of, come on, sorcerer! Where are you? My toes are getting numb with this waiting.”
Faela glanced around and realized that they should have been there by now. It wasn’t far. “We should go back for them,” she said. “They’re taking too long.”
“They were out of the sewers, weren’t they?” Tzuri-kai asked.
“Yes. We made it out just fine. I don’t—wait, look.”
Faela pointed off in the distance. Black plumes of smoke were floating in the city, right in the middle of the Skullgardens.
“Gods above,” Tzuri-kai said. “What’s going on?”
“I’d like to know that myself,” Faela said.
The two watched transfixed for a few moments, and then Faela grabbed the dwarf by the arm. “Come on! We have to make sure everyone’s okay.”
Racing back along the dock, the two of them ran towards the sewer entrance. Faela’s heart pounded in her chest. They just had to get a little further. They were so close. What was the holdup?
“What the hell is that?” Tzuri-kai shouted.
Before Faela could even turn, she heard the swirl of an ax through the air and a terrible crunch of bones. “Zombe!” she shouted as she saw what had attacked them. “They were in the sewers! I thought we killed them all”
“Fucking demons!” Tzuri-kai yelled.
Faela did a quick three-sixty to see if more were coming. She saw only two of the warriors from the sewers that had accompanied her.
“Come on!” she shouted at them. “There’s no time to waste! What are you doing?”
“Pogrom!” one of the men shouted. “They’re everywhere! Bluecloaks! They’re in the Skullgardens. They’re killing everyone! We have to go back!”
“No!” she shouted, utterly horrified. “We have to get the ones who came with us to the ship. It’s all cleared!”
“Fuck that,” one of the men said. “Our families are still in the city. Besides, the ones we came with are terrified. More of the vrykolakas. We couldn’t get them back even if we wanted to. They’re scattered!”
“Where’s Derryl!” Faela shouted.
“Dead,” the man responded. “Killed by a zombie. That’s when everyone fled. The plan is shot. It doesn’t matter! Now are you going to help us or not?”
Faela’s head was spinning. How could it all have spiraled so suddenly? Just when they had made it. It had gone so perfectly.
“Faela!” Tzuri-kai snapped at her. “Come on. It’s over. We have to make our decision. Are we going back to the Skullgardens? We can still get away. Stay out of sight until the bloodshed is done. Live to fight another day.”
Faela almost thought he was joking, but the steely, pained look in the dwarf’s eyes was dead serious.
“I’m no coward,” Tzuri-kai went on. “I think I’ve proven that tonight. I’ll do whatever you decide. There’s sometimes wisdom in patience. If we go to the Skullgardens, we likely die.”
“There’s no time for this,” one of the men shouted. “Do whatever you want, I’m going back to save my family.”
The two warriors ran off without looking back.
“A decision, Faela,” Tzuri-kai urged. “What is it that we’re going to do?”
Faela looked up to the heavens to clear her head and catch her breath. She felt like she had been sucked into a tornado. Up above the stars flurried like leaves scattered in a storm. It would be a vicious night.
“Faela!”
“Keep your sword close, Tzuri-kai. There’s work to do.”
Chapter 24
“Gods above, what happened?”
Brett rose to his feet and shoved the note Benjiko had given him into his pocket. Logun stood before him looking like he had just walked off of a battlefield. Dark red blood streaked across the Shigata’s face and armor.
“Are you hurt?” Brett pressed. “Are there enemies at hand? Say something damnit!”
“Calm yourself! It’s nothing. Give me a moment. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“Are you amusing yourself?” Brett snapped. “Start talking, man! We’re in a crisis and you show up drenched in blood. Is it yours or someone else’s?”
Logun eyed Brett angrily. Without saying a word, he took a waterskin from his side and took a long gulp. Moonlight reflected on his bald, blood-speckled forehead while water dribbled down his stubble-covered chin.
“It’s all right,” Benjiko said. “But whatever happened, we need to know what it is. We don’t want to put these good people in unnecessary danger, Logun.”
Brett was in no mood for such niceties. “You’ve been acting strange since the moment we got here. It’s time to tell us what you’ve been doing wandering about in the woods.”
“Don’t get your breeches in a bundle,” Logun wheezed. “I’m not keeping any secrets. But I am warning you, you won’
t be happy when you hear what I have to say.”
“Go on,” Brett snapped impatiently. “Tell us.”
“I’ve been communicating with the monks in Iryllium.”
Brett’s stomach lurched, and he felt his jaw clench. Don’t panic, he thought. It’s time to be level headed. “Logun, is Benjiko in immediate danger?”
“Not that I’m aware of,” the Shigata answered. “Though there’s safer things to be in this world than runaway royalty.”
“What do you mean you’ve been communicating with the monks?” Benjiko asked. “Are they in the woods? Are you using magic?”
“Do they know where we are?” Brett pressed.
“One thing at a time,” Logun complained. “I can’t think with all your nattering. No, they don’t know where we are. I’m no traitor. I’ve been feeding them misinformation.”
“How are you communicating with them?” Benjiko asked.
A dark smirk flashed across Logun’s face. It lasted just a moment, but Brett found himself positively enraged by it. “Is this a joke to you, Shigata?” he snapped.
“I’m not going to ask you again to calm down,” Logun grunted. “If you’re so interested in the details, I had a bit of a bargain going with a tengu.”
Benjiko’s jaw dropped, but Brett did not understand the significance of what had just been said.
“Gods above, really?” Benjiko asked. “Here?”
“What the hell is a tengu?” Brett asked.
“It’s a demon,” Logun said. “Wily bastards. Long noses.”
“I don’t give a rat’s arse about their noses!” Brett said, finally boiling over. “What the hell were you doing with one? How were you using it to communicate with Iryllium? What did you tell them? Why the hell are you covered in blood?”
Again, Logun chose to wait rather than answer immediately. When he did respond, it was to Benjiko. “I’m done with your man, Prince. His disrespect has gotten out of hand. I speak with you from now on.”
“Don’t be childish,” Brett snapped. “And don’t avoid the question.”
“Brett,” Benjiko said in a stern voice. “Be silent. I’ll ask the questions and determine what we need to do. I can’t think with the two of you at each other’s throats. Whatever your personal problems, I trust Logun. If he says we’re not in danger, I believe him.”
Brett could hardly comprehend that Benjiko seemed to be allowing the Shigata to act out like that. Stiffening his lip, he simply said, “Very well, my Prince. My apologies.”
“Go on Logun,” Benjiko said. “Tell us about the tengu and the monks.”
Logun nodded. “There are a few different varieties of tengu, but you’re not here for a taxonomy lesson. The kind I was dealing with was something like a part-crow, part-human, part-harpy hybrid. It can fly very, very fast and deliver messages. It took it about an hour to go from these woods to Iryllium.”
“Did you travel with it?” Benjiko asked.
“No, no. It wouldn’t have been able to carry me. Look, I know I shouldn’t have, but it was for my brother. The tengu was negotiating on my behalf with the monks of ice and shadow. I was trying to figure out if Paetrick was safe, and if not what it would take to make sure that he could be.”
“I see.” Benjiko’s silver eyes flickered in the light of the fire like. “And how is your brother?”
A look of intense pain washed across Logun’s face, but he did not lower his eyes or try to hide it. “It’s all a sham. The monks…they were trying to lie to me. They were saying that they would kill Paetrick unless I brought you back to Iryllium. They say it’s over. They have the castle. The King is firmly on their side. They have power unlike anything we’ve ever seen.” The Shigata shook his head. “What a crock of shit.”
Benjiko sighed. “We can only hope What now then?”
“What now?” Brett repeated, shocked. “What do you—”
“Brett.” Benjiko’s tone was not happy.
“No,” Logun said. “They’re lying. I’ve had a lot of time to think. They’re not going to harm Paetrick, because he really is one of them. He’s chosen them over us. Over me. I have no right to lament his decision. It’s the honorable one. He is siding with his order. It’s about time I make the same choice. The Shigata have no family outside of Unduyo. No brothers or sisters other than those who carry the thrygta. I thought for a long while about sneaking back to Iryllium. The truth is that there’s nothing for me there. I need to do what’s right for the Shigata.”
Benjiko nodded patiently while Logun talked. To Brett it seemed like the Shigata was figuring much of this out in the moment as he was speaking.
Logun sighed, a great weight having just been lifted from his chest.
“Tell me why you’re covered in blood, Logun,” Benjiko said.
“The tengu returned a few hours ago. Understand, these crafty demons can imitate the voice of anyone that it hears. It told me Paetrick had a message for me. In my brother’s voice, it told me…well, what it told me is for me to know. It doesn’t matter. Anyway, I got angry, and I smashed that demon’s skull in.”
A silence fell upon their group. Brett steadied himself by listening to the crackle of the fire, the whisper of the wind. It was not lost on him that Logun might not have been completely honest. But then again, such details were really none of his concern so long as Benjiko was safe.
“You have done much to help us, Logun,” Benjiko said. “As for my part, it is clear that the realm cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of a temple that utilizes dark magic and holds power in a shadow government that makes decisions in a court of secrecy. The Tarsurian sun warriors will smell this weakness and seize upon us like sharks sensing blood in the water.”
“Then what will you do?” the Shigata asked.
“For tonight, think. I would like the two of you to spend the night speaking with each other. Go inside, get some food in your bellies, and once you’re content, I’d like you to discuss what is best for the Shigata, and for the West.”
“Where will you be?” Brett asked, frowning. “It’s certainly not safe for you to stay alone out here.”
“I won’t. I will speak with Bantheor. Now more than ever it’s important to speak with the people who will be impacted the most by what comes next.”
“Benjiko…”
The Prince raised his hand. “I will not say anything to jeopardize our plans, Brett. You needn’t worry.”
Brett nodded. He didn’t like where this was going at all. Soon the storm would be upon them all. He would have to do everything in his power to make sure that Benjiko, and the West, would be ready.
Inside the privacy of Logun’s guest chamber in Bantheor’s longhouse, the two men ate in silence. Brett had told Logun of the note that had come from Nicolai. Once he did, the Shigata fell into a grim silence. While waiting to hear the Shigata’s reply, Brett pulled boar shank right off the bone with his teeth and washed it down with a beer as black as night.
This is the life, he thought solemnly to himself as his mind drifted. Hearty food and fire. A comfortable house in a comfortable village surrounded by family and unconcerned with the problems that plague Iryllium. I would be sorely tempted to trade places with the old man if I had the choice.
The guilty thought made Brett chide himself. Now was no time to be fantasizing about playing the old man in the secret village. There was much work to be done, and he would have to get started right away.
“Tell me,” he said, breaking the silence. “What are your plans then?”
Logun drained his mug and poured himself another from the keg in the corner. “About what?”
Don’t rise to it, Brett thought. “Listen, whatever our differences Logun, you are a good bodyguard to Benjiko and a great ally to the realm. Our path takes us to Frost. It will be dangerous, and the dangers will only just begin there. We may soon be facing a war on two fronts.”
“A traitor’s war,” Logun said bluntly. “One that I fail to see as beneficial to the S
higata.”
“Benjiko is the rightful king. Surely you see that by now? It is unclear that his father is in control, but if he is, there is precedent to remove a king who is incompetent.”
“That may be so,” Logun said. “But there’s also precedent for kings to take anyone who questions their authority, remove their heads, and sew their ancestral homes with salt.”
Brett nodded. There was no point in denying the obvious. “Should we lose, we lose big. But that’s the price of defending the realm. Isn’t that why the Shigata exist in the first place?”
“We exist to slay demons, not settle squabbles between the royal family.”
“Then think of the bigger picture,” Brett said. “Who will be better equipped to strengthen the Shigata? Benjiko Boldfrost, or an old ailing man ruled by a shadow court? Understand, the Sages are gone, Logun. The Shigata will have to make their decisions as individuals. If it really does come to civil war, then all of you will choose as individuals. So make up your mind.”
Logun stared intently into the hearth for several moments. “That’s a big if, Brett. If Benjiko gets to Frost alive. If Jeri Dantos is willing to go through with this suicidal plan. If they can muster up enough generals to send an army to field. If nothing happens that changes everything along the way. Only then will I have to make up my mind about anything.”
“They’re your enemy too. They brainwashed Paetrick.”
Anger burned in Logun’s eyes. Brett knew mentioning Paetrick was a wild gamble, but he needed to convince the Shigata. Logun could make the difference between their mission ending in success or failure during a journey in the wild. Who knew what dangers, what demons, they would face before Frost?
“My brother is my concern,” Logun said. “So do me a favor and keep his name out of your mouth.”
“Logun, please. You know I only want what’s best for the realm. I just want to make sure that Benjiko is safe enough to see this through. You don’t have to join our war. But help me get him to Frost. After that you can return to Black Wolf and act as you see fit.”