You Can't Avoid A Little Blood

by Philip Norris

  “Dead?” The Highlord smiled. “Death for a Highlord does not come as easy as it does for normal men.” The Highlord looked up at the strange sky and lift his helm over his head. “I fear I may have delayed too long,” He looked back at Boskags as he closed the cheek guards. “You can do nothing else here I suggest you get out, get everyone out it you can.”

  The Highlord walked into the room drawing his great sword from its scabbard, Boskags looked from him up to the sky that now seemed to be shuddering and turned running for the door.

  #

  “What do we do now?” Joakim was still looking at the empty space that a heartbeat before had held an A’yai.

  “We go on, there is still the matter of the Highlord and whatever is going on up there.” She pointed up and turned to head off in the direction the running men who’d joined the fight had come from.

  “Why that way?” Asked Joakim.

  “Why not,” she pointed towards the small group who’d joined them. “It’s the way they came so it’s as good as any.”

  Joakim found her logic was as incomprehensible as her sisters and usually just meant running towards the fight. But then he guessed there was no choice arguing as the rest of her men, and those who he took to be the invaders now swapped sides, all headed off after her. He barely went three steps when the sound of running feet made them all stop.

  “Now what?” Joakim hefted his sword as round the corner the man who had hired him came skidding to a stop. “Who the hell’s this one?”

  “Jakamo Boskags” One of the men next to him looked sheepishly at Boskags and Joakim took it they had not left him in an honourable fashion.

  “He’s with the A’yai.” Miri looked at Boskags who had now come to a stop and looking concerned and them all.

  “He doesn’t look like an A’yai.” Joakim muttered.

  “He’s not one but he was working with Tenemi, I’ve seen them together. Tenemi had him recruiting for Fandrus’ expedition.”

  Joakim nodded understanding. “I know he hired me, but instead he was recruiting men to take over the tower once the Highlords son and army had left.”

  Miri nodded in agreement and took a step towards Boskags.

  “I take it things have not panned out as they hoped?”

  “You could say that,” Boskags looked at each face in turn then back over his shoulder. “Look we don’t have the time for this, we have to get everyone out.”

  “Out? Why would we want to get out when we have you exactly where we want you, outside there’s the possibility you could make a break for freedom.” Miri was eyeing him gauging how much of a threat he was.

  “Oh believe me none of us are where we want to be right at this moment.” As if to back up his statement there was a resounding boom followed by what sounded like fork lightening.

  “Doesn’t lightening usually come before the thunder?” Joakim looked up as did all of them, a second and third boom followed in quick succession and this time the tower shook.

  “Not again.” One of Miri’s men cried out as he flattened himself to the wall. Boskags set off past them all.

  “Out if you want to live.” He called over his shoulder.

  The shaking intensified and cracks began to appear in the walls and ceiling. Joakim and Miri exchanged a look and set off in the direction Boskags had taken, the rest of the men close behind.

  As the corridor shook around them Joakim was reminded of being on a ship in high seas, he was mindful of his footing as the cracks were now opening up in the floor and chunks of masonry were raining down. There was wet thump followed by a cry behind him, he half turned, one of Boskags men was down his legs trapped under a large piece of the wall. One of Miri’s men was bent over trying to dislodge it but then the rest of the wall and ceiling above came down burying both men. Joakim ran on as did everyone else, at a time like this there was no time for sentiment and it was every man or woman for themselves.

  Another wall collapsed in front and Joakim narrowly missed being caught under it, if Miri hadn’t barged into him they would have both been buried. Up ahead he saw a door way for the stairs next to the open doors of the elevating cabinet. They skidded to a halt as men fought to get in the cabinet.

  “Is that the safes…”

  One of the cracks raced down the middle of the hallway straight at the cabinet, it shuddered and Joakim had a heartbeat before the terrified faces of those inside disappeared and the cabinet plummeted down.

  “The stairs.” Someone called out, Joakim didn’t know who, it might have been him, and then everyone was trying to fit through the door.

  There were men in front and behind as Joakim made his way down, he was going as fast as he could without running, one misstep here and he’d reach the ground quicker no doubt taking a few with him. Above them the booming had intensified so that now it was a constant noise with no let up. The tower shook, the cracks in the walls were everywhere and getting bigger, some so big he glimpsed outside and the lightening sky as dawn approached. He’d lost sight of Miri, the men around him were a mix of hers and Boskags any sign they had mere minutes before been on opposing sides lost in the will to survive whatever was happening.

  There was a boom louder than the rest and the tower lurched sideways in the same way a ship lurches when rammed. There was an agonising screech above soon joined by more voices, Joakim flattened himself against the wall as bodies fell past, he didn’t count how many but when he looked back up the stairs there was now only one man behind him and there was a chasm of nothingness between him and Joakim. A whole section of wall and stairs was gone and the distance between them was too far for any man to hope to jump. The man looked at Joakim as realisation dawned on him.

  “Go back up,” Joakim called out over the noise of the constant booming and the building tearing itself apart around them. “Find another stair down there is mor…” One of the cracks widened and the steps the man was stood on fell away, the look of shock on his face was nearly comical and then with a scream he was gone. Joakim stared at the empty space his breath rasping in his throat, he turned and headed on down.

  Joakim had no way of knowing how long the nightmare flight down the stairs took, he remembered little of it after except after he’d seen all those men fall he’d ran with the feeling any second his next step would be into nothingness and the steps would be gone. All he could do is carry on, step after step and concentrate on the backs of the men below him. There were other screams and sometimes the men slowed and negotiated around steps that were shortened in width. After what seemed a lifetime Joakim was out and in the lowest level where he’d freed Miri and her men. Even here the devastation wrought on the upper levels showed, whole sections of the ceiling had been brought down by falling masonry, there were bodies as well, crushed and shattered bodies. Joakim ran on past them heading towards the door, all around him the tower groaned and shook.

  The fresh dawn air was like a tonic as Joakim rushed out the door, he stopped and took deep breaths before coughing, the dust from inside making him retch. There was another groan from the tower behind him and he set off running, the shadows on the ground looked all wrong as the sun came up, instead of the single dark shadow of the tower there were now gaping holes where the sun shone through. Joakim risked a look over his shoulder and what he saw sent a shiver through him.

  The tower leaned dangerously to one side, all the way up sections had been torn away and the plaza was littered with debris. The summit was a scene of madness, the sky above swirled like a whirlpool and streaks of lightening shot up into the centre of the whirlpool from the ruined top of the tower. Joakim squinted and imagined he saw a man standing on the broken peak and the lightening was coming from him, but then another piece of the tower broke away and the man was gone and Joakim turned and ran.

  Sixteen

  The Highlords tower of the Fortress of Koon was in flames, it was considerably shorter now than when Joakim had arrived and even the parts that burned had holes in that looked abo
ut to collapse. It had caught fire soon after they’d cleared the Summit Gate, the lightening that had raged around the top of the tower had fell onto the tower itself starting the fires. The whirlpool in the sky was gone.

  Joakim sat on a low wall that surrounded a small garden of a tavern not far from the remains of the tower. Miri was with him and all around the citizens of Koon watched as the home of their Highlord burned.

  “Guess you’re looking for a new employer now?” Joakim took a long drink from the tankard he held, his throat was raw from the flight down the stars.

  “There’s still Fandrus, he’ll need good soldiers when he gets back, there will be a period of uncertainty,” She looked sideways at him. “We could always use good men, once news gets out of the Highlords death there will be others looking to make gain out of our loss before Fandrus can firm up his hold on Koon.”

  “I don’t think so, I used to be a joiner but I think now I’m better on my own. Anyway I feel a need to go find your sister and whoever else is left of the old crew out there.” He leaned forwards resting his elbows on his knees.

  “Something else happened here today, something more than just trying to overthrow your Highlord. I’ve been talking to some of the men who were with Boskags, they said the A’yai was trying to release something from a hidden chamber and then it went wild tried to kill them all.” He looked sideways at her. “You saw that whirlpool in the sky.”

  She nodded and sat watching the tower burn.

  “Legend has it that back in the time of the Frail Men the towers were what they used to communicate around the world and also to communicate with other Frail Men out in the dark.” She looked at him and gave a nervous laugh. “What if Tenemi was attempting to make contact with the Frail Men?”

  Joakim shrugged. “After so long, surely if the Frail Men wanted this world back they would have come and taken it before now?”

  Miri shrugged herself and sat forward like Joakim. “Who knows, guess we never will.”

  “Maybe but I for one would prefer to have people around me I knew could handle themselves if it came to a war.”

  “You think it will?”

  Joakim drank back what remained in the tankard. “Only this A’yai of yours could answer that and that’s not going to happen. I need to get drunk, care to join me?”

  #

  Jakamo Boskags watched as the tower of Koon burned. He couldn’t remember much about getting out but once clear he’d managed to get away from the guard captain and her Regulator friend. He too was sat near a tavern but he wasn’t drinking, he’d retrieved clothes and coin that he’d had stashed ready in case at any point he’d need to make a quick getaway, he’d always had a contingency plan.

  All around the citizens of Koon were in various stages of dismay, most concerned what the future would bring. Ordinarily Boskags would revel in situations like this, the disruption that happened when power changed hands was always a good time to make extra money. But in this situation Boskags thought it best he got out well the going was good, there were too many who may be looking for him. Several of the men he’d employed had made it out of the tower alive, and then there was the guard captain and her friend. He didn’t fancy being recognised and taken and the painful questioning that would follow. He already had his goods packed and on a cart by the gate that headed north ready to go, time for him to join it.

  He headed through the streets, he wore smart clothes, the clothes of a merchant. Not many challenged merchants, especially City Guardsmen. The flow of traffic was against him, most were heading for a closer look at the burning tower, but as he threaded his way through the throng lessened and soon he was walking down streets and alleys devoid of people. As he neared the outer wall and the Northern gate he took a short cut, no sooner had he entered the alley he became aware he was not alone.

  “In a hurry to leave Jakamo Boskags?”

  The voice was unmistakable even it still sounded strange. He reached under his cloak where the strange weapon he’d taken from the Highlords chair was tucked into his belt and turned. Tenemi stood staring at him.

  The A’yai was a mess, its face was ravaged and broken, one eye was missing and short coloured tendrils hung down from the socket, the jaw was at an odd angle. The rest of him looked no better, one arm ended above the elbow and more of the coloured tendrils hung down, the other arm was bent at an unnatural angle as was the left leg.

  “You shot me and I fell.”

  “How are you still here?”

  “We A’yai are made of stronger stuff than you.”

  “Some of your stuff seems to be missing.”

  Tenemi barked a laugh.

  “I am so going to miss our little talks Jakamo Boskags.”

  Boskags pulled the weapon free but before he could level it Tenemi was upon him, the A’yai was unnaturally heavy and Boskags collapsed with a grunt. The weapon was trapped between them and he couldn’t free his arm, the A’yai pressed down on his throat with his buckled arm and raised the shorter one, Boskags panicked as he saw the coloured tendrils were moving of their own accord.

  “You only have yourself to blame for this Jakamo Boskags, this unit is no longer of any use and I’m a long way from a repair facility.” Tenemi lowered the arm towards his head. “I’d be lying if I said this won’t hurt.”

  Boskags screamed and the first of the tendrils wormed their way up his nose and into his ear.

  #

  Tenemi looked down at what used to be him, the ruined body that had housed him for over two millennia since the fall of the Frail Men. He raised the hands that had once been Jakamo Boskags, human hands and not quite as powerful as he was used to but for now they would have to do. He searched the memories of Boskags in the moments before fully integrating himself and found there was a cart with coin and provisions waiting at the Northern Gate.

  A good start, the incursion at Koon had failed but that was not the end of this, he had to find out what had happened and why Cathedral had gone silent. The A’yai had not planned all this time not to have other options.

  Contingencies, the word appeared in his mind, it had been a word Boskags was fond of and a concept he used frequently. Yes the A’yai had contingencies.

  End