“He’s useful, so I don’t really care all that much,” Herad explained emotionlessly as her dark eyes narrowed.
“He’s a blood mage!” Saeter exclaimed in outraged disbelief.
“And now that I know what he is, I can hold it over him to guarantee his cooperation, so thanks for telling me. Now shut your trap. You’re not to discuss this with anyone,” Herad ordered as she glared coldly at him.
Blacknail heard footsteps, so he turned to see Mahedium approaching the room. Herad’s guards straightened and tried to look like they hadn’t been listening in, but the hobgoblin gave the mage a friendly wave before peering back through the doorway.
“Don’t you know how dangerous it is to be around blood mages? Not to mention, they kill people and harvest their blood!” Saeter pointed out.
Before Herad could answer, their conversation was interrupted as Mahedium walked into the room. They both scowled at him as he entered, but the mage didn’t seem disturbed.
“I heard you wanted me, Saeter,” the mage calmly said as he approached Herad’s desk.
“Yes, I did! I wanted to discuss your friend, Master Avorlus. Did you know he’s a blood mage?” Saeter replied angrily.
“That’s a very serious accusation. I take it you have proof?” Mahedium asked. The young mage was still calm and composed. He held his staff in one hand and stood straight with military discipline. With his plain face, hazel eyes, and short brown hair he looked as unremarkable as usual.
“I know he’s been abducting people off the streets and that his home reeks of people’s blood,” Saeter replied darkly.
“He’s probably a blood mage then,” Mahedium admitted with a frown.
“Did you know?” Saeter asked threateningly.
“I had some suspicions but nothing more,” the mage replied without concern.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” the old scout exclaimed angrily.
“It’s not something I care to accuse people of without proof,” Mahedium answered coldly.
“More like you didn’t care…” Saeter countered.
The mage met Saeter’s angry stare without flinching. The old scout turned away from him after a second and looked back at Herad.
“You two aren’t taking this seriously enough. Blood mages pollute the very earth, and they twist beasts into monsters!” he announced in frustration. His face was red and he was breathing heavier than normal. This was the most worked up Blacknail had ever seen him. However, Herad just gave Saeter a flat uncaring stare.
“As far as I’m concerned, blood mages aren’t much worse than any other type of mage. I’ve never met a combat mage that didn’t have the blood of dozens of men on their hands. All that garbage about blood magic causing mutants to appear is just superstition,” Herad told him dismissively.
“That’s different, combat mages are soldiers. Blood mages prey on people for their own ends,” Saeter replied.
“As a combat mage, I also believe there’s an important distinction there,” Mahedium added. “Also, Saeter isn’t completely wrong about the relationship between blood magic and crystal hosts.”
A triumphant look appeared on Saeter’s face, and he opened his mouth to say something, but Herad cut him off.
“Explain,” she ordered the mage.
“Blood magic comes in several forms, but it’s actually very simple. In fact, the first mages probably all used blood magic before modern alchemical magic was created. The type I imagine Avorlus is doing, simply involves harvesting the blood of people who didn’t survive the transformation into a Vessel, and maybe some that did. He’s probably dosing the people he’s abducted and then distilling their blood to create Elixir,” the mage explained.
“Why would he do that, and what does it have to do with mutants?” Herad asked.
“It’s a way to create more of an Elixir, even if you don’t know the formula for it. With such an endless supply of samples, it also becomes much easier to study an Elixir and discover its recipe. Unfortunately, refining the blood also creates a lot of waste products that contain active crystals. It’s unlikely, but possible, that exposure to this waste could cause a creature to become a host,” Mahedium admitted.
“So, a horde of savage mutants isn’t about to tear its way through the city,” Herad said with a glare at Saeter.
“No, most likely exposure would just kill the creatures it comes into contact with. It’s very dangerous stuff to anyone not already a mage or Vessel. I wonder how Avorlus is disposing of it,” Mahedium replied.
“One mutant would be too many. We need to stop him before it’s too late!” Saeter said.
“Your paranoid fear of mutants is getting annoying. They die like everything else,” Herad replied scornfully.
“You’ve never seen the havoc a truly dangerous crystal host can create. No man can stand against them, the empty ruins of Coroulis should be proof enough of that,” Saeter countered. His face was still red from being so worked up, and he waved his hands as he talked. This clearly wasn’t an argument he was willing to lose. Of course, Herad wasn’t usually one to care what other people thought, only that they obeyed.
“Even if I wanted to do something about him, and I don’t, I’m not in a position where I can throw away such a useful ally. Perhaps over your rather long and eventful career as a thief and murderer, you’ve noticed that people who play at being a hero, and who involve themselves in events that aren’t any of their damn business, end up dead or as failures. That’s not a mistake I intend to make,” she replied harshly and with obvious scorn.
“Some things are more important than petty gains, and worth sacrificing for. Maybe, becoming murder queen of the cutthroats shouldn’t be your first priority,” Saeter told her.
Herad’s chair slid back across the floor with a shrill screech. A dangerous look appeared on her face as she rose to her feet. Her dark eyes narrowed as she regarded Saeter with hostility. Both Saeter and Mahedium took a step back away from her as she walked toward them.
“You overstep yourself, Saeter! Remember that I’m the chief here and that you work for me. You will do as I say, and nothing more, or I’ll dispose of you like so much trash,” she snarled as she stood in front of him.
The old scout stiffened, and his face went slightly pale, but he held her gaze, and his eyes were full of defiance. Blacknail hissed quietly in alarm. Why wasn’t his master backing down? He was going to get himself killed after all! The hobgoblin held his breath as Saeter and Herad glared at each other. Blacknail’s master seemed unwilling to submit and look away, and Herad’s left hand began to creep closer toward the hilt of a dagger on her hip. The hobgoblin began seriously considering creating a distraction and dragging his master away in the chaos. Maybe he could pretend there was an attack or start a fire? As Herad’s fingers closed around her dagger’s pommel, Saeter finally spoke up.
“It’s as you say; you’re the boss,” he answered flatly. Blacknail sighed in relief. Saeter started to turn away from Herad, and head toward the door, but the bandit chieftain stopped him.
“Where do you think you’re going? I didn’t give you permission to leave,” she hissed.
Saeter froze and grimaced. It looked like he wanted to say something unwise. Blacknail held his breath again. If his master said anything stupid, and suicidal, then Blacknail was going to bash him over the head and apologize to Herad for him.
“I’m… going to go get a drink.” Saeter grunted reluctantly a second later. The hobgoblin relaxed.
“Very well, go ahead. Just remember that I meant what I said about keeping this quiet,” Herad replied smugly.
The old scout didn’t respond. He just immediately walked out of the room. Mahedium threw Saeter a concerned look, but he also chose to keep his mouth shut.
Saeter walked out the door, and past the two guards and one hobgoblin who were now trying hard to look like they hadn’t been listening. Blacknail moved to follow his master as soon Saeter stomped out into the hallway, but he hesita
ted when he heard Herad address him.
“Blacknail, make sure the old fool behaves, or you’ll both regret it,” she told him coldly.
“Yes, mistress,” Blacknail answered as he turned and lowered his head submissively.
“At least one of them knows who is in charge around here,” the hobgoblin heard his chieftain mutter as he scurried quickly after Saeter.
Why couldn’t Saeter keep his mouth shut? If he kept this up, one of these days Herad was going take offense at his actions and kill him. He’d come awfully close just now, and Blacknail would rather that didn’t happen.
Saeter’s feet thudded against the wooden floorboards as he stomped through the building. He was obviously still furious, so Blacknail hesitated to approach him. He should probably try to cheer his master up though.
“I could just kill Avorlus for you, or we could do it together, master. I’ve gotten very good at the sneaking and stabbing,” Blacknail offered hopefully as he walked up beside Saeter.
“You’re not helping, Blacknail. I’ve done a lot of immoral things in my life, but I’m not an assassin,” the old scout replied.
“I am, so I’ll do it for you!” the hobgoblin cheerfully pointed out.
“No,” his master sternly replied. “Stay here, I need to be alone for awhile.”
As Blacknail looked on, his master sighed tiredly and walked out the front door of Herad’s base. The hobgoblin would normally have been more than happy to let him go, but Herad had commanded him to keep an eye on Saeter. With an exasperated sigh, Blacknail stealthily crept after his master.
Things would be much easier if Saeter would just not resist the chief or if he would at least launch a proper challenge. Of course, if he did challenge Herad, he would most likely be cut to pieces, but if Herad did spare him then he would at least learn his place. There wasn’t much chance of Saeter winning. His master really needed to realize that Herad was a lot tougher than him, so he should do as she said. That was simply the natural order of things after all.
Chapter 31
The air in the closet was dry and stale. It was almost pitch black inside. Only the tiniest hint of light managed to slip in under the door. Deep at the back, behind a pile of crates and a heap of musty old sheets, there was a quiet muffled shuffling sound as a shadowy figure stirred. Two long arms that ended in long jagged nails reached out and carefully retrieved something from under one of the sheets. There was then a sinister chuckle as Blacknail the hobgoblin brought the wheel of cheese up to his mouth and took a luxurious bite out of it. It was so tasty and yummy! He’d hidden his cheese wheel here several days ago, and now he was enjoying a quick snack. No one would ever think to look for his tasty treat here. As he happily chewed the strong tangy cheese, his revelry was suddenly broken by the sound of raised voices.
Last night, he’d followed Saeter out into the city, but nothing interesting had happened. Herad had ordered Blacknail to look out for his master, so he had carefully shadowed Saeter through the streets. The old scout had just wandered to the nearest tavern though, and spent the evening drinking.
Blacknail had slipped into the tavern as well and sat down at a table. He’d chosen a spot across the floor from Saeter that was tucked away in a dark corner. When anyone had tried to approach him, he’d simply hissed at them until they had gone away. If they hadn’t got the message, then he’d drawn his dagger. Other than the fun he’d had scaring the occasional drunk or waitress, it had been a very boring night. Eventually, his master had stumbled drunkenly home, and Blacknail had followed him back. The hobgoblin had only needed to kill one mugger to keep his master safe.
It was now the next morning, and Blacknail’s ears perked up as he detected unusual activity. Not only were a group of people discussing something rather loudly, but the sound of hurried footsteps now filled Herad’s base. Something was happening…
The hobgoblin carefully placed his cheese back in its hiding spot and stealthily crept out of the closet. He was curious about what was going on, but also cautious. It was entirely possible Herad was just in a mood, and had decided to put everyone to work. It was also possible she’d simply started to kill everyone she saw. In either of those cases, Blacknail wasn’t planning on going anywhere near her.
He silently made his way down the hallway and toward the speakers until their voices got clearer. One of them was definitely Herad, but she didn’t sound angry. Rather, she sounded excited and cheerful. Blacknail flinched as he was suddenly overwhelmed by an urge to run back to the closet and crawl under something. If Herad was happy, then bad things were about to happen to somebody, and Blacknail didn’t want it to be him.
“… just a few hours away. They weren’t all that easy to count, but there are about a hundred and a dozen of them. They’re definitely a foot company; only a few of the officers were mounted,” a familiar-sounding bandit was saying.
“They’re a little early, but we’re ready for them,” Herad replied.
“They were moving pretty quickly and seemed organized. Whoever these guys are, they know how to march,” the other bandit explained.
“Did you get a good look at their equipment?” Herad asked him.
“Not really; they’re transporting it in covered wagons. I don’t think there was enough room in them all for too many pikes or crossbows though. They had shields on their backs, so most of them are most likely planning on fighting with sword and shield,” he replied.
“I would prefer it if they didn’t have shields, but crossbows would have been a bigger threat. You didn’t ambush or raid them at all?” the chieftain inquired.
“No, as per your orders, we held back and remained out of sight. The mercenaries didn’t give us an opening to go after anyway. Their officers and supplies were always well protected.”
“Good, the element of surprise is worth more than the loss of a few grunts to arrows from the forest. It’s important that they don’t realize we’re expecting them,” Herad announced to everyone there. “I want every single member of the band accounted for and equipped within the hour. The men already here are to start rolling out the heavy defenses right away. It’s time to dig in.”
“Right away, boss,” a new bandit responded before Blacknail heard him run off.
As Herad continued to talk, Blacknail slipped into the room. He wanted to be part of the action as well. Hopefully, Herad would give him a real job this time. The chamber was packed full of people, most of whom Blacknail couldn’t be bothered to remember by name. He did see both Saeter and Khita though. No one looked his way as he walked over toward his master.
“Have you been able to round up a few more horses?” Herad asked a tall, lanky woman.
“No, there have been some complications there, boss,” the woman replied nervously.
“What kind of complications?” Herad asked with more than a hint of anger.
The female bandit winced and paled slightly. Blacknail was glad he wasn’t the one who’d annoyed the chieftain.
“A lot of the dealers are having problems with their stock. A lot of the animals in the city are sick. They think there’s either a flu going around or that someone has been poisoning them. I don’t know why anyone would do that though,” she explained quickly.
Herad grunted in acknowledgment and some of the anger left her face. It was quickly replaced by confusion. She didn’t seem to know why anyone would do that either. Blacknail went very still and tried to look as innocent as possible by forcing himself to smile. He wasn’t sure it was working very well. Luckily, Herad didn’t look his way. Saeter turned and gave the hobgoblin an irritated look though.
“They started it!” Blacknail whispered to him.
His master didn’t seem convinced by this argument. The old scout sighed and shook his head until he turned back toward Herad a second later.
“Smelly stupid horses,” the hobgoblin muttered to himself. How dare they get him in trouble! Next time, he was going to use stronger poison.
“What about Zelena
? Is she moving?” Herad asked.
“Well, we still don’t know where she actually is, but none of her men seem to be doing anything yet,” a blond man replied. He was one of the bandits Blacknail couldn’t be bothered to remember.
“Good, then we probably have some time. I want you to tell the guards to lock and block every door but the main entrance, girl,” Herad said as she looked at Khita.
The young redhead pointed to herself uncertainly.
“Yes, you,” Herad replied irritably and pointed to the door.
“I have a bloody name,” Khita muttered darkly to herself. The young woman knew better than to disobey though, and she hurriedly headed for the exit. Blacknail watched her go, and when Khita noticed him, he stuck his tongue out at her mockingly. She scowled at the hobgoblin in return, but that only made him smile smugly.
Herad then turned toward the band’s only mage. Blacknail hadn’t noticed him at first because he’d been standing at the back of a group of people and out of sight. Also, while most humans looked the same, Mahedium was even more generic looking than most.
“Mahedium, I want you to visit your friend Avorlus and deliver a message for me,” she told the mage.
The mage frowned in displeasure as he considered Herad’s words. “Is he going to like this message?”
“Probably not.” Herad chuckled as she threw Saeter a smug smirk.
The old scout’s face muscles tightened and he clenched his fists, but he didn’t say anything. Mahedium sighed in resignation, and Herad handed him an envelope. The mage then nodded and left the room.
“Blacknail and Saeter, I have a job for you two as well. Saeter, I want you to take some of the other scouts out and stop anyone who tries to approach the base. I don’t want Zelena to know what she’s getting into before it’s too late,” Herad told them.
“You’re the boss, how could I refuse?” Saeter replied coldly.
“What do we do if too many enemies show up?” Blacknail asked quickly.
The hobgoblin didn’t want to give Saeter the chance to annoy Herad. He also wanted to know exactly when it was all right to run away. That was an important thing to know if there were going to be lots and lots of angry humans around.
City of Daggers (The Iron Teeth Book 2) Page 30