Bone Magic

by Brent Nichols

  These hinges were in much better condition. The door swung open almost silently, revealing a narrow corridor lit by tiny windows. She followed the corridor to a 'T' intersection and turned left, opening doors as she came to them. There was a storeroom, the shelves bare except for rats' nests, and a kitchen, similarly bare. Tam sneezed again, and she realized that their feet were stirring up quite a lot of dust. They had made a wrong turn, then.

  On the other side of the intersection, the corridor was dust-free. There was another storage room, this one full of splintered barrels. The room beyond that was a tiny alcove, empty, with a staircase descending into darkness.

  The remains of a wall hanging plus a couple of barrel staves provided them with torches that they lit from the embers outside. Tira led the way down the steps and into darkness.

  She knew in an instant that they had found what they were looking for. The basement of the monastery had stone walls and a dirt floor, and it looked as if it had been used for cold storage. Rotten shelves lined to walls, and it was distinctly colder than the rooms upstairs. It was not the temperature, however, that made Tira shiver.

  Occult drawings covered one wall. There were lines of rune-like shapes, done sloppily in red paint, and a larger image, curves and sharp angles in a pattern that was abstract but somehow offensive and wrong.

  A set of shackles hung from another wall, rust-free, looking newer than the rest of the room by at least a decade.

  The room's central feature was a wooden table, solidly built, about seven feet long by four feet wide. She could see four sets of broad leather straps with heavy buckles mounted to the sides of the table, and dark stains across the table top that might have been blood.

  And unlit brazier stood beside the table, and several heavy candle stands complete with melted tapers. It looked like everything a dark wizard would need for casting unspeakable spells.

  "Look at the table," Tam said, his voice full of horrified fascination. "It slopes inward, and there's holes drilled at the low points." He made a face. "For drainage, I guess."

  The brazier was cold and empty, and there was no sign of coal for it, or spare candles, or buckets to catch the blood as it drained. The necromancer was gone, and it didn't look as if he was coming back. Tira's torch was nearly out, and she dropped it. "Let's get out of here. I could use some sunlight and fresh air."

  They stayed at the monastery that night, deciding that a roof to keep rain off and a door to keep mosquitoes out outweighed the horror of the bloody altar and the danger of discovery by the undead. Tam cooked up the last of the fresh meat, grumbling that it had to be Tira's turn to cook soon. She brushed down the animals and picketed them in the tall grass between buildings.

  "What next?" Tam asked as they ate. "Do you want to wait here and see if the necromancer comes back?"

  Tira shook her head. "No, I think we need help. This is much too big for the two of us." She wiped her plate with a crust of bread and popped it in her mouth, trying to remember what she'd seen when she rode through this area a week before. "There's a real town, just a day's ride east of here." Tam shot her a hurt look, and he amended, "A bigger town, I mean. Almost a city." It seemed strange that she knew the local geography better than he did, but they were as far east as he'd ever been in his life.

  "I'd like to see a city," Tam said.

  She thought about trying to tell him about the stink and the crowds and the guardsmen and the pickpockets, but she didn't bother. She could still remember being his age, knowing nothing of the world, and being absolutely certain that there was a wider, brighter world out there, somewhere just over the horizon. He could keep his illusions a little bit longer.

  "We'll find the local lord," Tira told him. "Whoever sent Carmody and his men must be wondering where they've gone. We can tell them what happened. We can warn them what to expect. This is a job for an army to solve, not a pair of hired swords like us."

  He beamed and sat up a bit straighter, delighted to be called a hired sword. Tira smothered a grin as she finished a cup of weak tea. His simple enthusiasm was exactly what she needed to keep her melancholy at bay.

  Chapter 8

  They set out early and rode all day, stopping only briefly to let the animals rest and graze. The road was empty, and they passed no settlements until late afternoon when the forest ended and farmland began. Every village had a wall around it, chest high. This was goblin country.

  The sun was low in the sky behind them when they saw the walls of the town on the horizon. Their shadows stretched, vast and spidery, across the plain before them, and the walls of a castle shone golden in the setting sun, the town spread around it like the setting for a gemstone, encircled by the town wall.

  "Aronia," Tira said. "I just remembered the name."

  "Aronia," said Tam, scratching his head. "I thought it was much farther away." He leaned forward in the saddle, as if it would help him see the town better. "I've heard of Aronia. I can't believe I'm actually going to see it."

  Tira shook her head in amused disbelief. Aronia was a dull backwater town. She had been there a week before, and she could barely remember it. But to Tam, it was something out of a story.

  A wagon rolled down the road toward them, coming from the city. They rode forward, watching the wagon slowly grow until they could make out a team of oxen and a cloth top stretched over hoops. A man was driving the wagon, using the whip frequently, keeping the oxen moving at a fast walk. A woman in a bonnet and a long blue dress sat beside him, periodically leaning out to peer past the bulk of the wagon at the road behind them.

  When the wagon was close, the man shouted, "Turn back! Goblins have taken the city."

  Tira gaped at him in surprise. "What? Are you sure?"

  "They attacked this morning," he said. "They were inside the walls before anyone knew they were coming. They took the castle right away." He shook his head, his face grim. "I never thought I'd see the day."

  Tira had questions, dozens of them, but the man kept the oxen moving. "The king will take back the city, you mark my words," he called as the wagon rolled past. "Until then, you better steer clear."

  Tam and Tira stopped in the middle of the road, watching the wagon roll away. "Goblins," Tira said. "Really?"

  "I told you it was a city," Tam said, and gave her a weak grin.

  She ignored him, booting her horse forward. He hurried to catch up.

  "Where are we going?"

  "To Aronia," she told him. "I'll believe it's goblins when I see them."

  She pulled up fifty yards from the walls. She could see low shapes peering between the crenellations atop the guard towers on either side of the gates.

  "Are those goblins?" Tam asked. "All I see is that they're short."

  "They're staying out of sight, hoping to lure us in," Tira said. "As soon as they realize we're not coming any closer, they-"

  A low green shape rose up between the crenellations. She could make out a broad, toothy face as the goblin drew a bowstring back to his pointed ear. She heard the distant twang of the bowstring, and the arrow came arcing out to land in the dirt near their feet. They turned their horses and retreated another dozen yards.

  "Is this a coincidence?" Tira said. "Maybe the goblins saw Carmody and his men ride out, so they attacked the town?"

  "I don't know," Tam said, "but I do know this. That necromancer is going to have plenty of dead bodies to work with pretty soon."

  Tira nodded. "Maybe it's some kind of unholy alliance. The necromancer helps the goblins get into the city, but he doesn't tell them that he plans to use them for undead soldiers. Once the king's soldiers arrive and take back the city, the necromancer will walk in and start raising the dead."

  "Maybe," said Tam, and Tira bit back an annoyed reply. She was starting to realize that when he contradicted her, it usually meant he had thought of something she had missed.

  "What if he's already inside?" said Tam. "Someone let the goblins into the town, and into the castle. My guess is that the
necromancer is in there right now. The goblins are bringing him prisoners, and he's killing them for the energy to make more cursed weapons. When the king's army gets here, they'll end up fighting each other more than the goblins."

  It was an ugly scenario. "I really hope you're wrong," Tira said, "but I'm afraid you might be right."

  "So what do we do?" Tam said, his voice plaintive.

  "Ride away and don't look back?" She didn't mean it, though. She was going to put an end to this necromancer. Maybe, just maybe, if Sari was avenged and Lina was made safe, she would stop seeing Sari's face each time she closed her eyes.

  "Maybe it's time to ask the mysterious archer for help," Tam said.

  "Oh, sure," Tira said with a touch of sarcasm. "The next time we see him, we'll ask." She paused. "You know something, don't you?"

  "Take a look at that," he said, and pointed.

  She turned in her saddle and followed his pointing finger. Smoke rose from just inside the tree line. Not a column of smoke, but regular white puffs. It was a signal of some kind.

  "It's going to be dark soon," Tam said. "If we're going to investigate, we need to do it now."

  "It's probably more goblins," Tira said. "They're sending a signal to the goblins inside the town."

  "City."

  She sighed. "Let's go take a look."

  The sun was below the horizon by the time they reached the edge of the trees. Tira fixed in the direction of the rising puffs of smoke as best she could. After that, all they could do was blunder through the trees and do their best to stay in a straight line. In the end it was her nose that kept her on track as she caught the acrid smell of green plants burning.

  A faint glow through the trees told her they were nearing the fire. They dismounted, looping their reins over tree branches. Daisy gave a low, discontented bray, tugging at the rope that connected her to Tira's saddle. Tira shushed her and led Tam through the trees at a slow sneak.

  In the center of a small clearing they found the remains of a fire. Nothing remained but glowing coals. There was no one in sight.

  "Oh, for the love of Neris," Tam said, "what now?"

  Tira glanced around at the dark trees and lowered her bow. "I've been meaning to ask you something, Tam. How do you feel about elves?"

  His eyebrows rose. "You think the necromancer is an elf?"

  "Not n-"

  "It makes sense! They use magic, and everyone knows they can't be trusted. They're always sneaking around, never showing their faces. That sounds like who we're looking for."

  Tira shook her head. "Actually, I-"

  "An elf would get along well with goblins," Tam said, warming to the subject. "They both have pointy ears, and they like sneaking."

  "Tam, would you-"

  "All we have to do is get into the city, look for someone who's skulking around, and check their ears. If they-"

  "Tam!"

  He looked at her, blinking in surprise.

  "Stop talking."

  He opened his mouth, and she scowled at him until he closed it. Then she turned to the trees around them. She wasn't sure exactly how she knew they weren't alone, whether it was the silence of the birds or some sound or scent just below the threshold of consciousness, but she was sure. "Come on out," she said. "It's time we met face-to-face."

  There was the faintest rustle of leaves, and a slim shape appeared among the trees. The stranger stepped into the clearing, holding a bow in one slim-fingered hand and using the other hand to push back the hood of a dark green cloak.

  It was an elven woman, impossibly beautiful in the manner of her kind. Her face was long and narrow, her eyes tilted up a bit at the corners, long blonde hair tied back to reveal ears that ended in delicate points. Her expression was solemn, but there was a hint of amusement in her pale blue eyes.

  "How did you know I was an elf?" she said.

  "I'm a pretty good tracker," Tira said. "I can move quietly, I can avoid notice, and I'm good with a bow." She looked down at the bow in her hands, loosened the tension on the string, and replaced the arrow in her quiver. "You're better at all those things than I am. A lot better. Too good for a human, in fact."

  The elf nodded her thanks.

  "And then there's the way you've been hiding." Tira gave Tam a sharp look as she added, "Like someone that nobody trusts."

  Tam reddened a bit, and shrugged.

  "My name is Elanyn," the elf said. "I've been trying to… discourage this necromancer since I became aware of his existence. Recently, though, the scope of his activities has increased." She glanced in the direction of Aronia. "I will not be able to stop him without help."

  "You can rely on us," said Tam. "I'm sorry about what I said before."

  "You found the necromancer's old lair," the elf said. It was not a question.

  Tira nodded.

  "I believe he is within the walls of Aronia now. You can seek him there more easily than I can."

  "How?" said Tam. "We don't look any more like goblins than you do."

  "By my calculations, there are between two hundred and five hundred human prisoners still within the city walls. You can blend among them."

  Unless the humans had all been locked up, or killed. Tira could see a thousand problems with Elanyn's plan, but it didn't matter. She was going after the necromancer, no matter what. "How do we get inside?" she asked.

  "We wait for full dark," said Elanyn. "It will give the goblins an advantage, because their night vision is better than ours. However, it is our best chance to make it over the walls unobserved. Goblins are not disciplined by nature. The walls will be watched, but not well. They fear an army storming the city. They do not fear a small group sneaking in."

  "Are you coming with us?" Tam asked.

  She nodded. "I will stay on the rooftops and provide support with this if I can." She held up her bow.

  They left the animals in the clearing beside the coals of the signal fire and worked their way on foot to the edge of the trees. They hiked along the tree line, where the dark bulk of the trees behind them would obscure them from watching eyes on the city walls. When they were a fair distance from the road, they set off across the open grass toward the city.

  There was a crescent moon low in the sky, giving off just enough light for Tira to feel exposed but not enough to help her navigate. She stumbled across the grass, one hand holding her bow, the other hand clapped to the hilt of her sword to keep it from rattling. Tam was directly behind her, close enough that she could hear him breathing. Elanyn was ahead. She didn't seem to make any sound at all.

  A cool breeze blew into Tira's face as she walked, making her hair tickle the sides of her neck. She could smell grass and a hint of wildflowers, and an occasional hint of the ugly stench that always seemed to come when too many human beings lived together.

  Sometimes the sound of a shout or a metallic clang would drift across the grass from the city before them. There were no cries of alarm, which was almost disappointing. If the goblins spotted them, they could flee. They would only be in real trouble if they had been seen, and the goblins were waiting quietly for them to arrive.

  They reached the base of the wall midway between two towers. They stood close against the stone expanse, where a goblin would have to lean far out to see them. Then they waited. Tira's heart was thumping as if she had run all the way from the trees. She felt like running all the way back, mounting her horse and riding away. Goblins were dangerous, for pity's sake! This plan was madness. It was time to acknowledge that they had made a mistake, and flee while they were still able.

  The moon slid behind a curtain of cloud and the darkness grew deeper. Elanyn's hand, invisible in the darkness, closed on Tira's shoulder and gave her a gentle push. She took a deep breath and crept along the base of the wall, counting her footsteps. A hundred paces, that was the plan. Tam would be moving a hundred paces in the opposite direction. At seventy paces, she slipped her hand into her pocket and took out a small stone. If she knew Tam, his steps would b
e slow and cautious. She decided she would give him a few more seconds after she reached a hundred paces, to let him catch up.

  At eighty paces she heard a distinct thud of stone on wood, then a clatter as if a stone were bouncing across a rooftop. She swore under her breath, stepped back from the wall, and hurled her stone. A second stone followed the first, she heard it clatter somewhere inside the city, and she darted back to the base of the wall. Then she hurried back toward the others. Too late she realized that she should be counting her steps. Instead, she reached a hand out and trailed it along the wall as she walked. She stopped when her fingers hit a strand of rope. Tam loomed out of the darkness a moment later.

  The rope was thin enough that she hesitated to trust her weight to it. Still, there wasn't far to fall. She gripped the rope and started to climb, bracing her feet against the wall, careful to keep her boots from scuffing on stone. The rope was knotted every foot or so, and she climbed quickly. The top of the wall was no more than ten or twelve feet above the ground, and Elanyn was there to help her over the crenellations and onto the walkway inside.

  A goblin lay near her feet, arms outflung, unmoving. She ignored it, reaching down to help Tam as he reached the top. Once he was onto the walkway, the three of them dropped into a crouch.

  Stairs at regular intervals led down to an alley with wooden row housing on the far side. Every window was dark, but other lights burned, deeper in the city. Elanyn slung her bow across her back, put her back against the outer wall, and took several deep breaths. Tira followed the direction of her gaze, confused. She was staring at the row housing, acting as if she was going to jump. But she was facing a blank wall, a full story plus an attic level looming above her. The alley was a good eight paces wide, to boot. Tira whispered, "What-"

  Elanyn moved. One step brought her to the edge of the walkway, and she leaped into space. She made it look almost easy. She sailed forward, hands outstretched, her body as straight as an arrow, and her fingers caught the sill of a second-story window. Her feet hit the wall with a soft thud, and she seemed to swarm upward. In a moment she was over the edge of the roof and gone from sight.