Fable: Blood of Heroes

by Jim C. Hines

  “You first,” said Glory.

  The Mayor snorted. “Doesn’t matter. Skye’ll burn you all. Pay ye back for destroying my town.”

  “Skye was trying to destroy Grayrock before we ever got here,” Inga pointed out.

  “Pah.” He threw a rock. A pillar of fire shot up to engulf the rock as it passed over Skye’s trap, after which the now-flaming missile bounced harmlessly off Inga’s shield.

  It was a rather pitiful attack. Standing there, seeing what the man had become—what he had been—Glory almost felt sorry for him. She stepped to the edge of the charred boundary. “You want to be Mayor of Grayrock again?”

  The Mayor stilled. His eyes narrowed, and his lips pulled back from his teeth.

  “We lost Grayrock because of Yog. She sent Skye to kill your people. Our people. She summoned the magestorm that turned you into this. She sent her redcaps over our walls to burn and pillage. We were both Mayors of Grayrock.” Glory took a deep breath. “And we both failed to protect our town.”

  He didn’t answer, but he was listening.

  “I’ll resign,” she continued. “You’ll be the rightful Mayor of … well, of whatever’s left. All you have to do is earn it. We couldn’t save Grayrock. Help me avenge it.”

  “Please,” added Greta. “For all of us.”

  For a moment, Glory thought they had gotten through to whatever shred of humanity survived in that twisted body. The Mayor looked over his shoulder at Grayrock. Then he spun and threw another rock, triggering another quick column of fire. Glory twisted to one side and yanked Greta out of the way, letting the rock pass them by.

  “It was a good try,” said Inga.

  “Right, then.” Glory stepped back. “Give me the boy.”

  “What are you doing?” asked Leech.

  She snatched the doll from Inga. “We don’t have time for greencap games, and I’ve got a trick they haven’t yet seen.”

  Both greencaps were laughing and taunting them now, slapping their backsides and turning to throw rocks and bones and scraps of wood and who knew what else. As each object passed over the ash boundary, glowing sparks shot up to cling to them. Sticks burst into flame. Bone turned black. She could only imagine what that boundary would do to anyone who crossed it.

  Glory did her best to ignore the assault. She moved beyond her rage at these creatures that would mock and delay her. Manifesting her Will into spheres of flame or poison was simple enough. She had mastered that years ago. But it was a poor Hero indeed who limited herself to a single weapon.

  “Hold on,” she whispered. Ben’s stone arms tightened around her wrist.

  Glory launched her Will like a noose, snaring the second greencap. The instant she felt a connection, she pulled.

  Between one heartbeat and the next, she and the greencap swapped places. She appeared on the far side of the smouldering ash, beside the Mayor. The other greencap found himself where Glory had been—directly in the middle of three Heroes.

  “Aw, dung.” The greencap straightened, but he hadn’t gone more than a single step when Inga’s fist sent him flying through the air into a tree. He slumped to the ground, unconscious.

  Glory smiled at the Mayor, who turned to flee. She hurled a fire apple in front of his path. He shrieked and jumped back, arm flailing for balance. She started towards him, but the moment she moved, her vision darkened around the edges, and the hammering of her heartbeat filled her ears.

  “What’s wrong?” Ben sounded like he was shouting from a distance.

  “Nothing.” She wasn’t about to admit how much certain spells took out of her. She rubbed her eyes and blinked to see the Mayor charging her with a sword.

  A flaming arrow sprouted from the Mayor’s arm, and the sword fell away. Glory stepped to the side, and he stumbled past … directly onto the ashes.

  He had just enough time to shriek and spin towards Glory, as if to beg for help. The blackened path flared to life. All the heat and flame and fury converged on a single point, expending its power in a single pillar of flame that stretched far above the treetops.

  “Well,” said Leech. “Now we know what Skye’s trap did.”

  Within moments, nothing remained of that trap except for the scorched patch of dirt and weeds where the Mayor had died. Glory threw a stick across the line to the others. Nothing happened. Then, just to be safe, Leech tossed the remaining greencap’s unconscious body towards Glory.

  “Looks like it expended everything on the Mayor,” said Leech.

  “And sent up a signal Skye could see from miles away. She’s like a spider, and this was her web.” Glory started jogging towards the river and the walls of Grayrock. “Keep an eye out for smoke.”

  Glory spoke mostly for Leech and Inga’s benefit. They hadn’t been here the last time Skye attacked and might not recognise the sign of her approach.

  She checked Ben to make sure he was ready. He wore a pair of small, weighted pouches looped over his shoulders so the straps formed an X on his chest and back. All they had to do was get him through the gate and into the water.

  “There she is.” Shroud pointed to a slender caped figure standing atop the remains of the southwest watchtower. “Looks like she was waiting for us.”

  Smoke spilled from Skye’s form. Her cape blossomed and grew, swelling over her head, until she lifted into the air. She swooped over the river. Fire and smoke streaked from her hands to the dirt and water below though she was much too far away for her attack to reach Glory or her companions.

  “Water is no way to destroy a town,” Skye shouted. She flew to and fro, continuing to rain fire. The trees closest to the river began to burn. “Yog was too worried about her precious Kas. She should have let me purge this place. Build a wall of fire and listen to the screams. Watch them trample one another in their panic under the blackened skies!”

  At this distance, Glory had to strain to hear Skye’s shouts. “Did you catch that last bit?”

  “I think she said something about quacking spies,” said Inga. “You think she means to attack us with evil ducks?”

  Leech shook his head. “I thought it was blackened pies. Maybe she’s just a lousy cook.”

  Shroud held his bow in one hand. With the other, he grabbed a handful of half-rotted leaves and tossed them into the air. “The wind’s against us. I’ll need to get closer to hit her.”

  Where Skye’s flames struck the ground, creatures of sticks and fire and smoke began to rise, just as had happened the last time they faced her. They spread out to block the way to Grayrock.

  Glory glanced at the rising sun. “Inga, how well does your shield do against fire?”

  Inga hefted Bulwark. “It stops everything from magic to charging pigs.”

  “Charming.” She watched Skye rise higher, lifted aloft by the smoke filling her cape. More of her flaming minions started towards the Heroes. “Shroud, take Ben. You and Inga head for the wall. Leech and I will see what we can do about Skye and her droppings.”

  “She’ll never let them take Ben back into Grayrock,” said Greta. “You can’t get to the gates, and if you try to circle around, her sparklings will—”

  “Who needs gates?” Glory looked pointedly at Shroud’s bow.

  Shroud grinned. “Ben doesn’t weigh that much, though the lead shot he’s carrying will drag the arrow down.” He raised his thumb to the wall and squinted with one eye, estimating the distance. “Given the wind … if I can get within sixty yards, I’ll launch the lad over the wall and into the drink, nice as you please.”

  “You’re going to shoot my brother?”

  “He should be honoured. He’ll be the first person who can say he was shot by Shroud and survived.” Shroud snapped the broadhead off an arrow. “Here you go, Ben. Use this to cut yourself free when you hit the water.”

  The doll held up his wooden limbs. Limbs that were noticeably lacking in fingers.

  “Right.” Shroud used a length of string to tie the broadhead to Ben’s arm. A second bit of string
tied Ben to the arrow, making him look like a wooden kebab.

  Glory stepped into the clearing and turned her attention to Skye’s flaming soldiers. No use attacking them with magical fire, but acid would smother the flame and eat away at the magically animated body within. She conjured two spheres shaped like green apples and hurled them at Skye’s creations. The thick poison splashed several of the creatures and clung to them. They staggered back, their bodies spraying smoke and embers.

  Leech spread his hands, reaching for whatever false life he might be able to steal as Shroud and Inga ran towards the wall.

  “What can I do?” asked Greta.

  “Stay out of the way.” Glory studied the ground in front of them. Skye wasn’t the only one who could set traps. Conjuring death from the earth was harder than summoning it in her hands, but the principle was the same. It was all a matter of Will.

  One group had broken away in pursuit of Shroud and Inga. Glory focused on a patch of land in front of them and cast her trap.

  Hardly had she finished than the first of the creatures set it off. The ground exploded like a sickly green fountain. Flames died, and the thing collapsed into a sizzling pile of sticks and ash. The poison splashed two others that had been following close behind. Both stumbled to the ground. Neither got back up.

  “Lead them towards the river,” said Leech.

  Glory nodded and started running. Greta followed, as did most of the creatures.

  “What are you doing?” Glory shouted.

  “Grayrock was my home,” said Greta. “I want to help! Winter wouldn’t run from a fight, and neither will I!”

  “Did you miss the part where Winter almost got herself killed?” Glory hit the water and didn’t stop until it was almost to her knees. Her boots would never be the same.

  Cold and grey with dust, the river flowed out from the gate of Grayrock and over the old road, disappearing into the woods. It was more a stream than a river, but it was enough to bring beings of living fire to a halt. They stopped at the edge, crowding together until the heat was a palpable pressure against her skin.

  Greta stooped and used her hands to splash water at the creatures. It wasn’t much, but several hissed and moved away when the water struck.

  “Is it me, or does Skye look annoyed?” asked Glory. The nymph was floating towards them, her hands enveloped in fire and black smoke.

  Leech tapped Glory’s shoulder and pointed. Inga continued to fend off Skye’s minions, while Shroud drew back his bowstring. The arrow carrying Ben was little more than a blur that shot up in an arc, clearing the wall by inches before disappearing into Grayrock.

  “I hope he’s all right,” said Greta.

  Glory grabbed her by the shoulder and hauled her back as fire streaked down. The river sizzled and steamed where Greta had been standing.

  Leech looked like he was trying to bring Skye down, but he wasn’t having much luck.

  “Greta, follow the stream back into the woods. Skye shouldn’t be able to see you through the trees. If you’re hit, duck beneath the water.” Glory started upriver. “If Leech and I can get through the gate into Grayrock, we’ll have some cover against Skye’s assault.”

  That was easier said than done. Skye’s animated campfires crowded both sides of the water, and the nymph continued to throw flame from above. One struck Leech on the side. Another singed Glory’s arm, setting her sleeve alight. She threw herself into the water, then rolled out of the way of another attack.

  An arrow zipped past Skye. Shroud and Inga charged the creatures from behind. Some of them pulled away to intercept this new threat.

  “Aim for Skye’s cape,” Glory shouted. “It’s what keeps her aloft!”

  Shroud didn’t answer, but he pulled a blue-fletched arrow from his quiver, and his next shot ripped through Skye’s billowing cape, leaving a fist-sized hole in its wake. Skye shrieked and gripped her shoulders where the cape connected to her gown.

  Skye was focusing her assault on Shroud, pouring smoke and fire so thick he was unable to get off another good shot. But he was keeping her busy, and that was all Glory needed. She flung another poison apple to clear a path and waded to land.

  “What are you doing?” Leech shouted.

  “New plan. Get to the gate. I’m going to hit her from behind.”

  She ran towards the tower on the northwest part of the wall. Sweat stung her eyes, and her burnt arm throbbed with pain, impossible to ignore. This was where the second wave of redcaps had entered Grayrock during their initial assault on the town. As she had hoped, most of the ropes and ladders they had used were still here. She reached the base and climbed one-handed, rolling onto the observation platform. The tower creaked and shifted under her weight.

  A handful of Skye’s creations scrambled up the wall after her like rats. Glory dropped another apple on their heads, then turned to check on the others.

  Inga had stepped in front of Shroud, using Bulwark to fend off a gout of flame. The instant it stopped, Shroud popped up and put another arrow through Skye’s cape. Smoke poured out, forming a cloud around the nymph.

  Glory readied her magic, but she couldn’t even see Skye anymore. Shroud’s bow had gone silent as well. The black fog spread and thickened. The cloud soon stretched out over much of the lake. It looked like Skye intended to drift over the town and flee into the hills, much as she had done after their last encounter.

  “Not this time, you don’t.” Glory ran along the top of the wall, jumping the occasional cracked stone or dead redcap. “Shroud, get ready!”

  There were times for precision and care. This wasn’t one of them. Glory hurled one flaming apple after another into the cloud. The first explosion dispersed the smoke in a sphere as wide as Glory was tall. The next three thinned the air enough to make out Skye’s form. More smoke poured from her gown, like ink from a squid.

  Another arrow ripped through Skye’s cape. It looked like it had sliced the nymph’s arm as well. But it wasn’t enough. Skye dipped lower, dropping out of Shroud’s line of fire.

  Glory reached the edge of the broken dam. Nothing of the town was visible through the grey-brown water, save the tip of the Mayor’s tower, jutting up from the centre like a crenulated stone island.

  Glory threw another red apple, this time aiming for Skye’s cape. If it was enchanted to sail on enchanted smoke, perhaps other forms of magic would work too.

  The cape rippled sharply away from the explosion, jerking Skye backwards. She wheeled her arms through the air. Glory’s next attack splattered poison on both Skye and the cape. Skye screamed, but the cape seemed unaffected.

  The nymph twisted, and fire poured down at Glory. She started to dodge, but the water had turned the rocks slippery. Her right food slid out from beneath her. She hit the dam hard and tried to catch herself, but she couldn’t find a handhold.

  She rolled off the edge and landed hard in the shallow water next to the falls, where the broken dam had formed a sloping hill into the water. A hill with many hard edges and corners, all of which had left their marks on her bones. A hill that felt far less stable than Glory would have liked.

  Her legs and hips were in the water. Very slowly, she reached to either side to try to pull herself up. The rocks shifted beneath her and the water rose past her waist.

  The rush of the falls tugged her legs, trying to haul her under. The shock of the water on her burnt arm and back made her lock her jaw to keep from screaming. She blinked back tears and searched for Skye.

  The nymph was circling around to finish Glory off. Smoke and fire poured off her skin.

  “Kill me if you can,” Glory muttered. “But you’re coming with me.” She saw two options. One involved drowning. The other involved the kind of fowl-brained idea Winter might have come up with … which would in all likelihood be followed by drowning.

  Skye launched another column of flame.

  Glory let go of the rocks. As the water yanked her down, she stretched her Will towards Skye and pulled, trying to
perform the same swap she had done with the greencap in the woods.

  Water covered her head and filled her nose, and a single thought fought to the surface: If she failed, Winter would never let her live this down.

  And then she was falling through the air. The world spun around her. She spotted Skye in the water an instant before steam and smoke obscured her from view.

  Glory tried to twist into a dive, but she was too exhausted and falling too fast. She slammed into the water hard enough to expel the air from her lungs. Her vision went white, and water rushed into her mouth and nose.

  She couldn’t see, couldn’t tell which way was up. The current from the falls battered her like a leaf in a gale. She tried to fight, but she could barely move. She felt herself falling into night.

  “Are you all right? Can you hear me?”

  Glory opened her eyes. Greta was staring down at her, water dripping from her hair and face. Glory tried to speak, but her lungs rebelled. Strong hands hoisted her onto her side, and she vomited murky water.

  “She’s alive!”

  “Of course,” said Leech. “The dead don’t vomit.”

  Glory could hear the smile behind his mask. “Where … ?”

  “Don’t try to talk yet.” Leech put his fingers to her lips. “You busted yourself up pretty good. You managed to damage almost every part of your body. I’ve been using some of my own life to stabilise you, but there’s only so much I can do.”

  “You’re outside Grayrock,” said Greta. “Inga carried you out—”

  “After Greta here dived in to rescue you.” Inga beamed at the younger girl. “She followed you into Grayrock. While the rest of us were finishing off Skye’s henchmen, she was saving your life.”

  “Skye?” asked Glory.

  “Dead.” Shroud pursed his lips. “She tried to climb out, but her cape dragged her down. The body washed up against the gate a few minutes ago.”

  “Dibs on the body!” Leech said.

  “This is no time to be playing with corpses,” said Inga. “If Sterling and the others can’t stop Yog, she’ll come here next.”

  “Likely from the south or west.” Shroud peered out at the woods. “The mountains make an eastern approach difficult, and the river protects us from the north. If it were me, I’d come through Talondell. The forest will make her as hard to see as a black cat at midnight.”