Magefall

by Stephen Aryan

  At the time she hadn’t been focused on a long-term plan. Her goal had been her continued existence. It was only many years later that she considered how she might put her children to better use by nudging them closer to those in power.

  By using her own name it had made it that much easier for Vargus and the others to know who was responsible. All it had taken was for one mouthpiece to say it out loud. That one utterance created a ripple and she was still feeling the repercussions now. She was an outcast from her brethren and her orphanages in Yerskania were gone.

  “You’ve been this for too long,” said Kai, gesturing at her body. “You’ve spent so much time around humans you think you are one. I had one of my people, Pavel, show you that caring for them had made you weak, but it seems as if it was too little too late.”

  “I’m dealing with it,” said Akosh.

  “Hmm, I wonder,” he said, sounding unconvinced. “If I look beneath your skin, what will I see? The real you, or just human meat and bone?”

  Akosh’s tolerance was starting to wear thin. She was used to dodging those more powerful than her, working covertly and feigning respect when necessary, but no one had ever spoken to her like this before.

  Reaching out with her senses she wondered how powerful he really was in comparison to her. She’d heard all the stories and once caught a glimpse of his real form, but perhaps it was all just a show designed to intimidate. Only ten years ago he’d been on the cusp of extinction, whereas she’d been gradually building her power for decades.

  Kai sensed what she was doing and grinned, his eyes turning red again. All of the shadows in the room coalesced behind him on the wall, merging together into one massive shape. She tried to use her power against him, to hurt or control him, but quickly realised she had underestimated him. The scale and depth of his power dwarfed her significantly.

  Akosh felt his presence fill the room as all light drained away and absolute darkness filled the space. With her eyes open or closed it was the same. An endless void of night. She sensed he hadn’t moved from his chair and yet an immense weight began to press down on her, shoving her deeper into her chair which creaked under the pressure. Two malevolent red eyes appeared, glowing in the darkness, then four, then eight more, and soon a hundred eyes were watching her, all blinking in unison. A scream started to build up in her throat but she couldn’t breathe and clawed at her neck. A tight band of pain was squeezing her chest, her heart, her head. This was the end.

  Akosh stumbled out of her chair onto the floor, gasping for air. Slowly the darkness receded and the pain faded away. When she felt strong enough she looked around the room and everything was as it had been before. Kai was human once more, delicately sipping his wine and savouring the taste. With heavy limbs she wobbled to her feet and then fell back into her chair. After a few minutes she’d regained her breath but still felt light-headed.

  “Would you like to try that again?” asked Kai, raising an eyebrow. Akosh shook her head then drained her glass of wine to wet her throat. “The only reason you’re still here is because of me. They gave Vargus the job of finding you and he’s very good at it.” Kai shook his head and an unreadable expression passed over his face. She couldn’t tell if it was fear, admiration, or both.

  “Then why am I here?” she asked.

  “Because I dealt with it. Six of your little friends saw you strolling around this city as if it belonged to you. Did you even notice them spying on you?” She hadn’t and it made her wonder what else she had missed. “Each of them went running to tell good old Vargus all about it and earn themselves a pat on the head for their obedient behaviour.”

  Akosh had always assumed that many of the other younger gods had faded away over time when their power had waned. Now, staring at Kai with his insincere smile, she began to wonder about their fate.

  “You killed them.” It was a statement not a question.

  “Oh no,” he said, showing teeth. “I intercepted them, before they had a chance to speak with Vargus.”

  “They’re not dead?”

  He slowly shook his head. “The death of their bodies would mean they’d go back into the Void. And if their source of power remained then eventually they’d be reborn. No, they’re all safe, here with me.”

  Kai opened one side of his long coat, revealing a tailored silk lining and fine stitching. As she started to ask the material faded away and she found herself staring deep into an endless void full of stars she didn’t recognise. Somewhere in the dark she heard voices whimpering, begging for mercy and crying out in pain. As if they were caught in an ocean, faces swam towards her in the darkness, reaching out with beseeching hands, screaming desperately for help. As they drew close to the surface she recognised the faces of all her brethren that she thought had died.

  Snaking around all of their naked limbs, snaring them like flies in a spider’s web, was a tangled knot of deep purple tentacles. A thick red vine was embedded in each of their stomachs, standing out proud against their bare skin. As Akosh watched a pulse of bright white energy ran down the vine from their convulsing bodies before disappearing into the dark. A second later there was another pulse and their bodies seemed to contract slightly before recovering.

  She stared in disbelief at her friends who saw her and were given a glimpse of hope. Someone finally knew of their horrific plight and had come to help. Then the tentacles flexed and dragged them away into the darkness again to be fed upon by the thing that lurked in the shadows.

  Kai closed his coat and poured them both another glass of wine. “So, do we understand each other a little better?” he asked, clearly wanting an answer.

  “Yes,” she said, feeling as if she might vomit all over his expensive clothes. Her mind was reeling. What she’d seen was a nightmare worse than any she’d considered. For years she’d simply assumed their stars had waned, their power vanished and they’d passed beyond the Veil. But theirs was a fate far worse than non-existence. “What do you want me to do?” she asked.

  Kai’s smile, genuine or not this time, was still unsettling. “I want you to continue with your plan. Destabilise Yerskania and create a nation of your own here in the north, with one religion. Isn’t that your big dream?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Keep playing your little games and I’ll make sure Vargus and the others stay away.”

  “Why?” asked Akosh. There was nothing she could do if he chose to consume her. But she still needed to know. “Why are you helping me?”

  Kai shrugged. “Perhaps it’s because it amuses me, watching you all scurry around, fighting over scraps of land. Or perhaps it’s because scared prey tastes so much better.” He licked his lips with a long purple tongue and she couldn’t repress a shudder of revulsion. “If you need to contact me, send word via Bissel.”

  With that he drained his glass of wine, made another appreciative sound and walked out of the room.

  Akosh stared at the closed door, listening to the sound of his receding footsteps. She only relaxed when she heard the front door of the tavern close behind him.

  And with that everything she had been building for decades was gone. Her people and plans were still in motion, but only because he allowed it. Tomorrow he could change his mind and tell her to tear it all down, and she’d do it, without hesitation. Because it seemed there were worse fates than dying or disappearing into the Void.

  CHAPTER 29

  Tammy rubbed the skin just above her right eye in an attempt to stop the headache that was forming. For the last few days she’d been working all hours, hadn’t seen any sunlight and had barely slept. The four walls of her office had become a prison of her own making. It was a vain attempt to try and keep her mind away from what she’d done.

  The Old Man had provided her with a name and an address. It led her to an ordinary tailor’s shop where she left a note. That evening at a tavern she met with a jolly, chubby man called Griss who told jokes that made her smile, if not laugh out loud.

  If she
hadn’t known what he did Tammy’s first impression would’ve been that he was a baker or a merchant. Griss had an easy-going manner that suggested he dealt with people all day. He tried his best to make her feel comfortable in his presence. It would probably have worked if she’d just met him.

  Originally from Seveldrom, he’d been living in Perizzi long enough to be recognised and considered a local. After ordering drinks at the bar, which he insisted on paying for, they found a quiet table to talk. A few people in the tavern recognised him and stopped by their table to briefly shake his hand and thank him for their tasty meal. As it happened Griss was a renowned chef at the Queen’s Rest, an expensive tavern situated close to the palace. She’d only been inside once, and that had been to speak in private with Kovac before he’d left the city.

  Griss was adept at changing his manner depending on who he was speaking to. With her Griss was polite and his jokes were witty, but when a group of sailors stopped by their table he exchanged coarse banter as if he’d been at sea for years. It made her wonder what he was like when there was no one around. Tammy also wondered what people would think of Griss if they knew what he liked to do as a hobby.

  When they were alone again Tammy quietly explained what she needed. When she started to give details of what it was for Griss held up a meaty hand.

  “I don’t need to know why. Only what needs doing,” he said. “It’s safer.”

  Given his hobby Tammy was surprised that she didn’t sense anything untoward about him and that worried her. He was affable, relaxed and when he smiled, which was often, it was genuine. She’d worked with violent men and women in the past who liked inflicting pain. In each one of them there was a void. Something inside them was lacking and they attempted to fill the space with the screams of others. When they were silent, when they were still and she looked in their eyes, she could see the empty space within. They were broken people. Griss worried her more because he seemed whole and so normal.

  As she explained what needed doing he listened intently, but his eyes roamed around the room, following the crowd, pausing on the trio of musicians trying to enthuse the weary crowd. It gave her an opportunity to study him but everything, including her instincts, told Tammy that he was just a chef.

  “You won’t find it,” he said, turning back to face her.

  “It?”

  His wide smile showed off his white teeth. “Whatever you’re looking for. The dark splinter. The sorrow lurking within that shaped me. It’s not there.”

  Even now, two days later, as she went over a report about a series of thefts, his words came back to haunt her. A timid knock on the door provided a welcome distraction as Rummpoe stuck her head around the edge.

  “Sorry to disturb you, ma’am, but that document has arrived.” Tammy gestured for her assistant to come into the room which she did with some reluctance. Their relationship had been difficult at the beginning, but Rummpoe was proving to be a useful resource that Tammy had come to value. Despite mentioning this to her, Rummpoe frequently seemed intimidated, although on reflection Tammy realised some of that may have come from her recent brooding. The situation with Griss still weighed heavily on her mind and it had put her in a bleak mood.

  She forced a smile and tried to make it genuine. “Thank you. Just leave it on my desk.”

  Rummpoe scuttled into the room, dropped off the envelope and left without another word, quickly closing the door behind her.

  For a while Tammy didn’t pick up the envelope and just stared at it. There was nothing inherently malicious about it, but once she read the names on that list she knew it would change her because of the means by which they’d been obtained.

  Several of her best Guardians had questioned the bookkeeper, Bertran, and he’d not revealed a single name. A few hours alone in a cell with Griss, his tools and his intimate knowledge of causing pain, and the bookkeeper had given them everything.

  The Old Man had told her there would be moments like this. When the only choices available were bad or worse. It all came down to what she could live with and what she was willing to do in order to serve the greater good.

  Realising there was little point in delaying it, she opened the envelope and scanned the list of names. A low whistle of surprise escaped her lips. Many of them were familiar but she recognised two that normally would have been obscure if not for recent cases. Pulling down a volume of her journal from the shelves, Tammy scanned the list of crimes to confirm her suspicion. With a deep sinking feeling she sat back and carefully considered her next move.

  “Rummpoe!” she bellowed and her secretary came running.

  “Ma’am?”

  Tammy scribbled down two names on a sheet of paper and passed it across the desk. “Have Guardian Faulk carry out a discreet check into the history of these two people. Place of birth, family, their faith, known associates. The usual. I need it done as soon as possible.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “And Rummpoe?” she said, as her secretary turned to leave.

  “Ma’am?”

  “This stays between the three of us,” said Tammy, holding her secretary’s gaze to impart the seriousness. “Is that clear?”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  Tammy was so familiar with the route through the palace to the Queen’s office she’d stopped looking at the plush surroundings. Her mind remained elsewhere, trying to imagine the patience required by Akosh. The latest information about the names on the list indicated that there was a lot more to the woman and her cult than Tammy had realised. Despite that, she wasn’t quite ready to accept Balfruss’s suggestion that Akosh might be more than human. There was definitely a cult of personality around a central figure, but so far she’d found no evidence of anything magical or unexplainable. However, after all that she’d seen in the last dozen years Tammy remained open-minded. It also wouldn’t hurt to take necessary precautions, just in case. Not for the first time she wished the sword on her hip was Maligne and not the plain weapon she carried instead. She’d always felt just a little bit safer with it close by. It might be necessary to retrieve it in the coming days.

  When she entered the Queen’s outer office her assistant, Dorn, was vainly trying to sort through a stack of old books. One slipped from his grip and a cloud of dust erupted from its yellowing pages making him choke and gasp for air. Nevertheless, he waved Tammy to go ahead before he’d regained the power of speech.

  As usual Queen Morganse was seated behind her desk but at the sound of Dorn’s wheezing she went to investigate before returning to her seat with a faint smile. “Did you lose a bet?” asked Tammy, jerking a thumb towards the secretary who she could still hear coughing through the door.

  “He came highly recommended, but sometimes I wonder if they just wanted to get rid of him.” Morganse pushed her papers aside and briefly studied Tammy. “You look tired,” she noted.

  “I’ve been dealing with some troubling issues,” conceded Tammy.

  “So your note indicated. Tell me,” said the Queen, sitting back and giving Tammy her undivided attention.

  “In an attempt to find out more about Akosh’s cult, I recently acquired a list of names from one of her people. Many of them are familiar figures in the city, but two less well-known names stood out from the others. As I’m sure you’re aware, Dockmaster Lohag recently died.”

  “I thought that old goat would outlive me,” said Morganse. “He must have been at least seventy.”

  “Seventy-eight, according to his granddaughter. His death didn’t seem suspicious, until I noticed who was to succeed him. It’s a woman called Rohane. She’s well known on the docks. The captains of several ships have told my people that she’s firm but fair.”

  “What makes you think foul play was involved?”

  Tammy took out the list of names, running down it again even though she’d memorised all of them. “Rohane’s name was on the list I obtained from Akosh’s bookkeeper. I had one of my people make subtle enquiries and he found out she was an
orphan and doesn’t visit any of the main churches. A discreet search of her home revealed an idol identical to this one, which we found in Guardian Brook’s home,” she said, holding it up. As ever Guardian Faulk had been very thorough in his work, but he’d left no trace that he’d been in Rohane’s home.

  Morganse took the crude idol and studied it briefly before setting it down on the desk. “That doesn’t prove she was involved in Lohag’s death.”

  “No, it doesn’t. She may have no knowledge of what happened.”

  “There’s more, isn’t there?” she asked and Tammy nodded.

  “The Minister of Trade recently passed away. He had a new young wife and overexerted himself. The family are contesting the inheritance. What’s more interesting is that his successor is Tovin.”

  “I know Tovin,” said the Queen. “He’s been a loyal right hand and faithfully served in the Ministry for years. He deserves the position.”

  Tammy wished she had better news. “He’s also an acolyte of Akosh. His name is on my list. One such death in a month might be coincidental but two …” She trailed off and shrugged her shoulders.

  “Show me the list,” said Morganse. Tammy noticed the Queen’s hand shook slightly as she held it out. She passed the list across and watched the colour drain from Morganse’s face as she scanned the names.

  The Queen moved to the window and stared out at the city. When Tammy had read the list she’d also needed time to come to terms with what it meant. All the names the accountant had given her were those of orphans. All of them contributed a portion of their wealth to local orphanages dedicated to Akosh.

  Both Rohane and Tovin had lived in the city for many years and each had worked hard in their respective roles. Despite the circumstances surrounding the deaths of their superiors, Tammy could find no proof that either of them had been involved. However, that didn’t mean that someone else, who also followed Akosh, hadn’t arranged it so that they could be promoted. Most troubling was that two deaths had occurred in less than a month. It could have been a coincidence of timing but she didn’t think so. A plan was in motion.