The inside of the place was nicer than she expected. The wooden walls were polished, the floor was covered with rugs and the chairs were solid. The clientele looked like they understood what bathing was all about. That went a long ways for her.
Stanna sauntered over to the bar and loomed over the man who stood there. “You have rooms?”
He looked up at her and nodded, very possibly terrified to do anything else. “Aye.”
“Baths?”
“Aye.”
“Food?”
“Mostly fish. Have a roast going but it’ll be a few hours.”
“Baths and rooms first then. How many rooms do you have?”
He looked at the group with her. “Not enough for all of you. Five all told.”
“We’ll take what you have. Is there another inn nearby?”
He nodded again. “Black Wings is on the next corner. They’ve good rooms, but no tavern.”
“So we eat and drink here and my lads go over there to sleep.”
“I’d be quick about getting the rooms. A lot of people are coming to town right now.”
She nodded her head. “Rhinen, see to the rooms.” She opened the purse at her belt and threw him coin enough to buy the damned place. He caught the coins easily and moved out into the street. Two men looked like they planned to follow him, but Sans and another slaver blocked them before they could leave the place.
There might have been a fight, but the slavers had the numbers. A moment later both of the men were dragged outside by eight men and, she had no doubt, were convinced to behave themselves.
The innkeeper looked on and nodded. “I might have two more rooms for you.”
“They’ll be left alive, but I’ll take the rooms just the same.”
The man behind the bar nodded. “Relax. Get comfortable. I’ll have baths drawn up. There are only two of them, but they can hold three or more comfortably.”
Tully settled herself in a chair and Temmi joined her. A moment later Stanna sat down with three mugs of ale. Tully drank deep.
Temmi spoke softly. “We should find a scryer.”
“What for?” Stanna wiped a mustache of foam from her upper lip and belched softly. The mug was already empty. Rather than rise from her seat she gestured to the man who ran the place and he hurried over with replacements.
Temmi looked at Stanna and sighed. “Because I want to know what happened to Niall. And I want to know if that thing is really coming back for us.”
“Scryers work for the kings, yes?” Tully only knew what she had been told. In her entire life the only scryer she’d ever met had been Temmi’s mother, and that woman had long since been retired from the job. Also, being dead at the hands of the very same He-Kisshi, she was in no position to offer aid.
Temmi nodded. “Except there is no king here. There are scryers, if you know where to look.”
“Do you know where to look?”
“No. But I’ll find one just the same.”
“You’ll need a guard.”
Temmi shook her head. “I’ll be fine.”
“Yes you will, because Butch and Loro are going with you.” Stanna’s voice grew louder and at their names two of the slavers got up. Butch was a thin man with a very large mustache. Loro was short, swarthy and balding, with a beard he kept trimmed short and the worst teeth Tully had ever seen. “Lucky you. Loro is from here. He can probably point you to a scryer.”
Temmi did not argue, though it was obvious she considered the idea.
Tully and Stanna shared a bath, while four of the men cleaned themselves in the next one over. It didn’t seem possible to get as dirty as they had, especially spending as much time as they had in the rain, but there it was. The men looked, but that was all right. She looked right back and so did Stanna.
The water was still mostly clear when they got out and the next group didn’t hesitate.
By the time they were dressed and back down the stairs, Temmi and her escorts had returned.
“That didn’t take long.” Stanna sat down and pointed to the stairs. “Up there to the left if you want a bath.”
“Soon.”
“What did your scryer say?”
“Ohdra-Hun, the Undying, will be back here soon. He will come alone.”
“Well, that last part is nice.”
“He’s no choice in the matter, the rest will be hunting for the same fool that sold your lot the false slaves. Seems he’s the one that angered the gods.”
“Not a wise man.” Stanna gave Temmi her undivided attention. “What else did your scryer say?”
“Hollum is gone, washed away. Most of the people from there are heading here. The news of Edinrun has reached them and they are avoiding the city.”
“Good thing I’ve rented us rooms, then.”
Tully nodded enthusiastically. She also considered the price that was likely on her head among certain people heading here from Hollum. If the Blood Mother was alive, it was a certainty that she would offer a bounty on Tully. Theryn was not a forgiving woman, especially to thieves she believed had stolen from her.
Four men in leather armor walked into the place, followed by a dark-haired woman with short hair and a sword on her hip. She walked with authority. She walked like Theryn, and looked to be roughly as friendly.
The woman looked around the room for all of three seconds and then moved toward Stanna.
“You are as tall as I’d heard.” It might have been a smile. It might just as easily have been a sneer. Tully could not decide.
Stanna looked at the woman and nodded. “You’d be Hillar Darkraven?”
“Aye. And you’re Stanna, of the slavers.”
“A few of my lads have told me the slave trade is likely gone. I’m inclined to agree.” Stanna pushed her chair back and stood in one easy, fluid motion. She towered over the other woman, who seemed utterly unimpressed by her height. “But I’m still Stanna.”
Hillar nodded. “So you are. I’ve need of a few good mercenaries and you seem like you might be in the mood for a new line of work.”
Stanna smiled. “How did you know I’m in town?”
“Well, first, you came with over forty slavers in tow. Second, my scryer mentioned it.”
Temmi immediately found the markings on the table in front of her extremely interesting. Stanna cast her a small glance and nodded.
“And what would you like me to do?”
Hillar pulled out a chair at the table and sat down, craning her neck to stare at Stanna until the other woman took a seat.
“Why does the woman who owns this city need mercenaries?”
“Because the Marked Men are coming and they seek war.”
Stanna leaned back in her seat and gestured to the innkeeper. She wanted food. The man hastily brought it. He knew exactly where his money was coming from and he was glad to provide.
“Why would the Marked Men come here? No disrespect, but this is hardly the first place they could attack.”
“They’ve already taken Edinrun.” It was possible that Hillar expected that proclamation to make people shiver, but she was wrong.
“Edinrun was overtaken by madness. Anyone foolish enough to go in there is likely to go insane, and even if they don’t, the area is being watched by the Undying, who don’t like people interfering. It’s the work of the gods, after all.”
“So my scryer has said. But they’ve taken it just the same. As I hear it, they’ll be coming here next, and they aren’t interested in surrender. They want to destroy as many people as they can.”
“To what end?” Tully could keep her tongue no longer.
The woman who apparently ruled all of the city did not look at Tully so much as studied her. “They’ve found a god they like better than the ones who are ending things. They are making that god happy with sacrifices. Lots of sacrifices.”
Tully laughed. She didn’t mean to, but it came out of her anyway, a wild shriek of amusement. “Are there no gods that don’t demand sacrifices?”
“Not as I’ve seen. No.” Hillar stared at her as if she might possibly be dangerous.
Stanna spoke up. “I can’t say for my lads, but I’d fight for you. Of course, forty men aren’t going to mean shit to the likes of the Marked Men. I’d suggest you hire more.”
Temmi looked at Stanna as if she’d grown a second nose that was wandering lazily across her face.
Stanna ignored the look.
Hillar Darkraven shook her head. “You misunderstand. I have an army. What I need are people to lead. I want you as one of my generals.”
“By all the gods, why?”
Hillar pointed to the room full of men, including a few who were currently coming down the steps having washed the worst of their stench away. “Because as big as you are and as fierce as you are, you manage to command these lads. I know from my own experience how hard that is for a woman to manage.”
Stanna shook her head. “There’s no secret to that. Pay them a fair wage and they are yours to command.”
“It’s more than that. You know it, too. There’s respect to consider. They respect you. I need generals who are respected by their teams.”
“Last I heard generals commanded a tidy sum. I would need a very tidy sum to lead men I’ve never met.”
Hillar chuckled deep in her chest and leaned toward Stanna. “There’s nothing left out there. Not on this side of the Broken Swords. Everything is going to shit. All of it. The only way I get to keep what is mine is by spending. You’ll have your money as I’ll have the coins from every last refugee coming to overtake my city.”
Stanna looked at the leader of the city and nodded her head. “We’ll work out the exact wages. I’ll be choosing my own as commanders. Need to see what you have by way of troops.”
“In the morning is soon enough. You’re welcome to stay here. Or if you like you and yours could be guests at my place.”
“Tomorrow is soon enough for that, too, Lady Hillar.” Stanna looked around. “We want food and rest for now. Tomorrow. Might come see you then if you point the way.”
Hillar rose from her seat. “Halfway up the hill. Look for the palace. There’s only the one.”
Stanna nodded her head as the innkeeper came with cuts of meat and bread. “Aye. We saw that on the way in. I expect we can find it again.”
Hillar waved casually and then she and her men were out the door.
Stanna took her knife and cut the bloody meat on the platter before her. Tully did the same as soon as the plate was set down. She was hungrier than she’d realized.
Temmi grabbed food as well, slapping the roast onto a cut of bread and chewing noisily.
Around them the men were being served and they too made their share of noise.
Stanna said, “Fancy that. I’m a general.”
Temmi replied, “Do you suppose anyone’s going to win this war?”
Stanna nodded again. “I expect the Marked Men will, unless the He-Kisshi get to them first.”
Tully nodded her head. “I reckon there’s a first time for everything.”
“How so?”
“I’m hoping the Undying win their argument with the Mentath.”
Stanna nodded her head in agreement. “Just so long as they leave a few for us to fight. Can’t get paid if there’s no work to do.”
Chapter Nine
Rivers of Blood
Interlude: Captain Odobo of Corrah
The sea was calm, and Captain Odobo of Corrah smiled to himself. Their passenger had paid in the coins of the gods and he was not foolish enough to refuse passage to the Undying. Four coins to take the cloaked shape from Corrah in the Kaer-ru to a place where the land was lost and the ocean stretched on for eternity.
The creature left them to themselves and they in return did little but offer it food and water as they followed the directions they’d been given.
There was little enough to see. The waters stretched on as far as a man could look and above them the clouds were almost as dark as night. By all rights the winds and the waves should have been crushing the life from the vessel and Odobo knew it, but the Undying had powers, and right now the water was serene and the air was a light breeze that pushed them in the right direction.
Lendre stood nearby and the expression on his first mate’s face said that he felt exactly the same way. They’d served together for ten years and knew each other well. Lendre looked his way and nodded, offering a small, tight smile.
There was a chance on any given day that the people who hired them for trips into the ocean might well feed whatever lived beneath the waves, but not on this occasion. Not at this moment. The Undying were vile things, but they were also servants of the gods.
Odobo did not serve all the gods, but he offered endless gratitude to the nameless god of the sea. Not nameless, not truly, but the name changed as often as the tides, and so names did not matter.
The Undying sighed and that cowled face turned toward him. Deep inside the darkness that hood offered, something moved, shifted and then the words came. “She has ten thousand names. But you do not need to know them. Simply continue to serve her and she will treat you with kindness. You have offered her sacrifices again and again in the course of your lifetime. She is grateful for all that you have given her, even if you were unaware of what your actions offered.”
Odobo nodded and bowed formally as acknowledgment of the words. He was not sure if the Undying could read his mind or not. He did not care. The nameless god of the seas had offered thanks and he could do little else in return.
“She has always been kind to me. How then, could I be anything less?”
Again that hood turned and he saw the endless tiny eyes around the edge, black glassy beads that he suspected saw so much more than he could.
“Would you see her?” So softly spoken, but the captain heard and his heart soared.
“Is that permitted?” Did he believe in the gods? Of course, but the thought that he might be allowed even a glimpse of one, especially the nameless god of the sea, was more than even the most faithful dared hope for.
“Only the gods can decide, but we are here because I am summoned and must now do the bidding of the gods.”
Odobo nodded his head and smiled. “If it is the will of the gods then I gladly comply.”
The Undying stood on the deck where it had been squatting for most of the last few days and threw wide its cloak-like wings. The air changed in that instant, the wind rising and the waves swelling.
The ship beneath them was unaffected as the waves moved, swelled and rose into the air around them. The deck tilted a bit as the waves moved, but they were not swept up or crushed and that by itself was enough to let Odobo feel he had been blessed, for the gathering waves rose higher and higher, some towering twenty feet above the mast of the ship and others rising five times that height. By all rights they should have been ruined if even one of those waves came toward them, but the Undying kept them safe. Or the gods. He was not certain that there was a difference.
The waters froze around him. They did not become ice. They simply stopped moving.
Odobo felt his heartbeat increase as he looked at the waves and columns of water that had risen high around him. Lendre ran from side to side of the ship, looking over the bow, looking past the starboard side and the portside as well, his eyes bulging. He had a mad smile on his face and his hands shook and flopped like fish caught and left on the deck to die. He did not speak, but he laughed softly and constantly, barely even taking the time to breathe. Several of the other men on the deck had fallen to their knees in supplication.
Lendre saw it first and pointed, his voice too high and his words incoherent.
Down in the depths, under the impossibly still waters, something moved. It seemed to rise slowly or simply to grow. There was no way to know for certain. In any event, whatever it might be, it was vast, far larger than the ship.
There was a moment when Odobo was certain whatever was down there was going to keep risi
ng and swallow his crew as easily as a shark might swallow the tiniest minnow. Instead it stayed where it was and something, a small sampling of it perhaps, rose to the surface.
The shape was humanoid. He could not say what it was made of, but it was darker than the water and devoid of true features.
The Undying sang a keening song that made Odobo’s ears hurt and his eyes shake in their sockets.
When the thing in the water responded, the sounds were a hundred times louder. He fell to the deck of his ship and covered his ears, squeezed his eyes tightly shut and clenched his teeth.
How long did they speak? Odobo could not say. He was thrilled to be in the presence of a god, or even a servant of a god, but he could not look up and he could not truly understand what was said. All that mattered during that time was the discomfort and the feeling that if he did anything wrong he would be destroyed.
He dreaded the idea of being noticed.
Eventually the conflagration of sounds ended and Odobo dared look up.
The shape in the waters was gone and the waves were settling back into the sea.
The Undying faced him and gestured with its hands. “Did you see?”
“Was that truly her?” His voice trembled.
“One of her names. Each name has a different face.”
Odobo nodded and slowly stood back on his feet.
“What happens now?”
“Now she will prepare for her part in what must happen.” The Undying turned and looked back at the waters. “We should be away from here before she moves again. She will be relentless.”
Interlude: Morne
All around Edinrun the dead burned.
Within the walls of the city the Mentath settled their tents and waited. There was some concern at first that the regular foot soldiers and cavalry might well go mad, but nothing seemed to happen. That was just as well. There was no benefit in separating the troops.
Fallen Gods Page 21