Faceless: The Takeover (The Shapeshifters Book 1)

by Xaiver Morden

  “Hey, wanderer! Haven’t you seen a horseman in noble armor around here? His horse had the same colour as yours.”

  “I am sorry, sir, but I only saw a carriage transporting wood over the last one hour. There was no one around here.”

  The man observed me thoroughly then he nodded to the others.

  “To the flesh of rotting dogs! Let’s go on, lads, he cannot slip through our fingers!”

  The horsemen galloped away on the road, leaving a cloud of dust behind them, not even suspecting that the man they were looking for was in front of their eyes just a minute before. Fools, I smiled to myself.

  “You will not get your money back, Fergund, regardless of how much you want it to!” I muttered silently towards the leaving horsemen.

  I spurred my horse and proceeded towards Rockclaw at a foot’s pace. If I estimated well, I was about one day’s ride away. Finally, I was calm that I had arranged everything that could have hindered us in implementing our plan. Now I only had one thing to focus on. The harvest ball!

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  The Twins

  It took us a good week to return to the center of our order, the Grand Bastion, the castle hosting the Inquisition of the north, lying along the border between Therwold and Argwiran. The castle was constructed five centuries ago along the Denur River that poured down from the mountains. The mighty river flowing towards the Frosty Sea kept the moat of the castle constantly filled with waters. The Inquisition was independent of any monarchy, but its name was respected in the whole Northern empire for risking our lives to eradicate the evil wherever it might have raised its head. The training of the novices happened in the fortress, on average one out of three applicants was able to successfully complete the probes, and become an Inquisitor. The training was hard not only on the body, but on the mind as well. I entered the gates of the fortress nearly twenty years ago, and I still considered it one of the best decisions I had ever made.

  The journey could have been quite agreeable, had I not been constantly fighting my other half who called me at the most unexpected moments, confusing my thoughts. It meant great struggle for me to preserve my sanity and to quench that voice in my head. Iriana, the Hight Priestess of the Shadow Sisters almost pushed me through the gate of insanity, and although we had stopped her in time, she revived my other half that had been dormant somewhere in the depths of my mind until now. He named himself and asked me to call him Gusir in the future. The events of the previous weeks were spinning in my head, just like a tornado that picks up the objects it encounters effortlessly to just fly them far away. I had to give a report to the leader of our order, the Main Inquisitor. I was standing in front of a huge double oak gate, the height of two people, waiting for my audition. The gate was guarded by four knights from the inner circles, the guards of his Excellency, they were wearing full plate armor. Very few had the privilege to get into their circles. Each and every of them were excellent swordsmen, but this is not what made them inconvincible enemies, it was the magic objects in their possession.

  How long will this big-headed leader of yours keep us waiting, Noan? my other half asked.

  I have no idea, Gusir, but I hope not for too long. It is always unpleasant waiting to be called at this door.

  Why don’t you leave this idiotic order and follow your own path?

  You would never understand. I have taken an oath to devote my life to the Inquisition. We have our own internal rules that we must abide by.

  The bloody hell, Noan! You risked your life for the Inquisition and now you let them pass judgement upon you? About what you did right and what you did wrong?

  This is how it always goes. Accept that at least, if I have to share my body with you!

  How great it would be to just wander around the world and decide about our own fate and to not let some old trod tell it for you.

  I would lie, Gusir, if I said that the Inquisition was infallible and sacred. It had made many mistakes over the centuries, convicting innocent people to be executed by the pyre, extorting fake confessions in torture chambers slick with blood and sweat.

  These unfortunate souls who died in our hands, Noan, they didn’t deserve their fate, although I agree with you on the fact that we should rather kill ten of them than letting even one sinful soul elope their due punishment.

  I can see that you are beginning to grasp the complexity of the situation. These mistakes are inevitable, which is hard to accept, but I must. I swore before God on the day of my initiation that I would combat the followers of darkness with all the possible tools and the emphasis is on the “all.” I am going to suffer for my sins in the afterlife, now I have to focus on this world where heretics are present in every little dusty place. And I have to fulfil my duty and eliminate as many of their followers as I possibly can!

  These are emotional words, my other half, luckily I didn’t take any oath like you did, but I will help you on your way. I might even find pleasure in killing some of these souls.

  At that moment, the enormous double door opened and an old man with short hair appeared in a light hazel caftan.

  “Master Noan, please, come inside! His Excellency, Oppenor, is waiting for you,” the old Master invited me inside.

  I entered the huge hall that I had seen several times but it still mesmerized me each time I returned. In the middle of the hall, there stood a massive old silver pine table which could comfortably seat thirty people. These ancient trees might reach the height of four hundred feet and even twenty people are too few to surround their trunk. Many important decisions had been taken among these walls in the past. The whole ceiling was decorated with colorful reliefs depicting countless victorious battles from the history of our order. Despite the cloudy weather, enough light could pass through the huge, pointed windows on my right. The head Inquisitor was sitting at the end of the table, opposite me, between two other men – two of the old Masters. His Eminence couldn’t have been much older than me and he had been a Grand Master for more than five years. Since our previous master resigned due to his deteriorating health, the symbol of our order, the silver medallion depicting a prancing unicorn, had been hanging around his neck. His pervasive, dark brown eyes made one feel like standing stark naked before him. The burden of the decisions he had to take on had made his once brown hair turn almost completely grey. I went closer to them and greeted them traditionally by hitting my fist to the chest.

  “Order and glory, brother Inquisitors!”

  “Order and glory, master Noan!” they replied simultaneously.

  “Please, have a seat beside us and share your report with us,” Oppenor said, offering a seat next to them.

  “Thank you, Grand Master!”

  “Well, tell us the events of your mission. What did you find out in Tizland?”

  I told them the whole story of what happened me and my team.

  “I have heard of only three witches who were capable of such acts, they were all considered the grandest witches of the north. You are lucky to have been able to conquer her with such little loss. Why didn’t you ask for help from the Order if you had encountered such a perilous enemy?” the Grand Master began his interrogation and he was right to do so.

  “I thought that the help of the Arch Mage of the duchy would be enough reinforcement and I would be able to resolve the problem.”

  “Alright. Please, continue,” he folded his hands on the table.

  “We also managed to find out that they wanted to bring the Eye of Damnation to the city. Has his Excellency heard about it?”

  He frowned and nervously scratched his neck as he looked at the others.

  “Yes and I am aware of what that dreadful relic is capable of. We had never managed to get hold of that object of great power from the Sister Shadows, although we had tried everything. Have you found any trace of it?”

  “I only heard that their plan was to bring it to the city. According to legend, a gracious person of Velinore is buried in the city of Tizland and they want t
o violate his grave. The ramador might have been able to tell more, but I made her be cut into pieces after we had defeated her.”

  “It would have infuriated the goddess for sure, it is reassuring that you managed to interfere. So, is this all that happened to you and your team, Master Noan?

  “There was also a mysterious case that aroused my curiosity. Chances are good that I have encountered a shapeshifter.”

  “A shapeshifter?” he asked, startled.

  “Yes, sir, in the inn, where we stayed. A merchant and his guards were murdered. The evidence suggests that it might have been committed by a shapeshifter, or someone who used a powerful illusion charm to take another person’s shape, at the very least.”

  “Interesting story. Their race is an ancient one but these days, we rarely hear about them,” said the Grand Master.

  “Many scientists assume that they are at the brink of extinction and they live in retreat,” one of the old Masters added.

  “Still, I have heard about a case that happened recently.”

  “Would you fill us in, Master Noan?” Oppenor asked.

  “Of course. In any case, the inquisition is also affected. Does the council know about what happened to Countess Cerylen?”

  “Yes, we have been informed but this is confidential, how did you obtain this information?” one of the old Masters rubbed his chin attentively.

  “I have formed a good relationship with Bishop Burron of Tizland, he had mentioned it.”

  “I would like you to handle it with the utmost confidence and not tell it to anyone! Have you understood, Master Noan?” Oppenor warned.

  “Yes, sir. What would you like me to do?”

  “There is no need to explain to you the delicacy of this matter. A shapeshifter in noble circles, can you imagine how people would react?”

  I nodded silently. I knew that we were entering dangerous waters.

  “If it were to spread that shapeshifters have infiltrated the nobility, a rebellion would break out and the mob would shed blood after all suspicious news,” I responded.

  “You see the situation clearly, Master I am satisfied with your results. I would therefore trust you with another important mission. Now that you happened to learn about the Eye of Damnation, I ask you and your team to follow the tracks, hunt it down, and if possible, obtain it. I will provide you with all the assistance you may need.”

  “Yes, sir. What about the shapeshifters?”

  “Leave those dangerous creatures to me. I am personally in charge of the reconnaissance and their liquidation. If you want new members to join your team to replace the deceased, pick your choices from the freshly graduated novices.”

  “Thank you, Grand Master. I will act to the best of my knowledge.”

  “I expect you to do so, Master Noan! You may leave.”

  “Order and glory!” I stood up from the chair with the ceremonial farewell.

  “Order and glory!” they responded, raising their hands to their chest.

  Well, well, this was an interesting conversation, the voice said as I left the hall. They praised you and then charged you with another mission of vague outcome.

  I will follow the command as I have always done. If I have to find the perilous relic, I will find it, Gusir! Dermeron will guide my way.

  Sure, your god but he is not my god. I don’t trust so blindly.

  Stop this blasphemy, for fuck’s sake! Our fate is in his hands, he is the only one who can decide over life and death.

  If you say so, Noan. As I have noticed, they don’t reveal important information to you and now they threw you a bone to play with it like a yowling pup.

  I must agree with you on this. I would have rather hotfooted after the shapeshifter, but a command is a command. I want to select two new team members and then commence the hunt as soon as possible.

  Is it always about work and obligation? When are we going to play some evil games? I know that deep down you also want to. To whip a slut or to take the intestines out of a living dog – what do you say?

  I will not listen to this anymore! – I smacked my neck to finally silence Gusir. In the meantime, I arrived back to my team and entered their room. They were in the middle of arguing over some insignificant topics but they quieted when I arrived.

  “We are mandated with a new mission, Inquisitor brothers!”

  “What mission, Master?” Funny asked as he was sharpening the blade of his sword.

  “It is no routine job,” I grimaced. “We were charged with it directly by the Grand Master.”

  Stout came closer and folded his arms, his muscles nervously twitching. I looked over the people, everyone was tense with attention. Fist was gripping his staff with both hands, Father Tero folded his hands, ready for prayer.

  “People, we are going to track down the Eye of Damnation!”

  This sentence broke the magic of the moment as an unexpected storm would destroy a beautiful summer morning.

  “Well, this sucks,” said Funny, putting down his blade.

  The others sighed and shook their heads.

  “I was expecting a bit more enthusiasm, goddamnit! I know that this is not a usual task but I believe that it was no coincidence that we had found its tracks in Tizland. Fate has guided us. Father Tero, the gods’ ways are inscrutable, aren’t they?” I turned my head to the old Inquisitor.

  “This is true, Master, I agree with you on that. However, no one has heard about the whereabouts of this relic for more than a decade, how will we even start the search?”

  “By indulging in its past. I want to know everything about it that the folios mention. Then we will see how to proceed. I trust my instincts and the will of Dermeron.”

  First rolled his staff around his body and smacked it on the ground.

  “Great, so now we are going to be immersed in the folios for days, right? When do we start, Master?”

  “You’re right, my friend. I believe we should start as early as tomorrow.”

  “Forgetting about work, I have a new joke, guys, which I am sure you haven’t heard yet,” Funny grinned.

  “Spit it out, you will not be at ease until you tell it to us, am I right?” I shook my head.

  “You bet! So, what do you say to a cross-eyed woman if you want to sweep her off her feet?” He looked around with a mischievous smile.

  Nobody answered, we just opened our arms, waiting for the pun.

  “Any ideas? Alright then, you say to her that I am burning in the crossfire of your eyes!” He said and burst out in laughter.

  “Asshole, you are hopeless!” said Stout.

  “Especially if she is a firewizard!” I smiled.

  “Tell me I’m not right, comrades!”

  “Enough of this idiocy, listen to me! There is another important matter. To make the team complete again, I am going to select two new members, welcome them in a way that respectable Inquisitors would do.”

  “A woman, please finally select put a babe on our team, Master.” Funny crossed his fingers imitating a prayer.

  “If there is a suitable female candidate, I am not opposed to the idea. Tomorrow morning we are going to start the research, prepare yourselves!” I left their room.

  “We will, master!” they shouted after me.

  Will you really select a woman to the team, Noan? At least there will be someone to release the tension with, am I right?

  You wish! The regulation strictly forbids close contact among team members.

  Oh Noan, so strict you are! Be a bit more flexible and look at things from a different angle. You keep referring to those rules. They are to be breached!

  I have no time to waste on the likes of you. I still have a lot to do today, so please leave me in peace!

  I walked to the cantonment of novices and I asked for the results of the fresh graduates. After having thoroughly studied them all, two of them attracted my interest – twins, to be exact. One of them is the priestess of Velinore, the goddess of nature, the other is a swordmaste
r girl from Irwaldia. She had one of the best results at the combat and tactics training, her sister stood out from the average students in the theory of dark magic and charms. I decided to give them a chance; if they make a good impression on me, I will take them. But first I wanted to personally inquire about them from their trainers, so I visited the practice field of Master Vanduron who was in charge of the physical and martial preparation at the Order. He was making some novices climb the rope when I arrived, not being easy on them at all.

  “Up, up, you sissy cunts! Vividly, pull those sloppy asses of yours upwards as if a bear was chasing you!”

  I approached the man who was facing the other direction.

  “I can see you have changed nothing, my old friend! You are the same as you were fifteen years ago, that time you were kicking my ass.” I smiled at the man who turned his back in surprise.

  “Master Noan! I haven’t seen you in the training yard for a long time!” the grim man of my age shook my hands firmly. “What winds have brought you here, brother? Are you here to join these sissies to show them how rope climbing is done?”

  “No, my old friend, another time maybe. There are other intentions behind my visit,” I told him as I glanced at the novices struggling on the ropes. “I have some questions about one of the novices. I am looking for new team members and I have found a fresh graduate girl who aroused my interest. What can you tell me about Weridan?”

  “I can see you haven’t lost your good instincts for spotting the real talent,” he mysteriously rubbed his chin. “I couldn’t teach her much. She knew almost everything about close combat before she came here to become an Inquisitor. I improved a bit on her stamina over the months and her muscles hardened as well. The others couldn’t reach up to her in fighting with swords, especially if she could wield both of her blades. She is taking advantage of her skills impeccably, she can easily handle stronger enemies. I believe she will be a valuable asset to our Order.”