A Thousand Eyes

by Christian Leese

  Canis clenched his teeth. Pain shot through his jaw. Someone swung an axe from the crowd, and Canis stopped the blow with his hand before snatching it from the man’s grip.

  Canis rose, leaping forward, and with his other hand, grabbed the man by the hair. The others lashed out, more than one rusty blade biting into his skin. All he wanted was the man’s head. He hacked through the neck with the stolen axe, separating tendons and spine.

  He kept hold of the decapitated head in one hand, the axe in the other. He breathed through his teeth, his shoulders and arms burning with adrenaline. His sweat-drenched hair was plastered to his face. His blue eyes pulsating.

  The inbred slave spun round, swiping in a circle with the axe and head. Skull smashed against skull, and one of the Bone Singers turned to flee. Canis slipped on the blood, another sword thrust coming close to sheathing itself in his body. He threw the axe at the coward who had bolted, and it thudded into his shoulder blade.

  He jumped onto the corpse, oblivious to the men slathering for blood. He heard whispers, more scared Bone Singers on the brink of desertion. He yanked the axe from the body and hammered blow after blow into the man’s head, fragments skidding in an arc around him. Soon the axe pounded against wet stone.

  “I am Canis Rayne!” he roared.

  The same child who had lured him into the Bone Singers’ clutches slunk past with an invisible target painted on his back. Canis went to embed the axe into the swine’s back, but stopped himself before Bane could overpower him. Thaddeus ran from the room screaming, “Kruger!” in his tiny voice. In Canis’ head it sounded like his own screams, but Bane fed Canis more strength and any glimmer of remorse or doubt left his mind.

  Canis turned, the last two men fleeing.

  He tried to gather his thoughts, but the exhaustion from his rage and the mooncap’s unpredictable effects left him weak, and Bane pulled the strings, his limbs burning. The door swung open and a man—two foot taller and wider—stooped in. Kruger. He carried no weapon and charged Canis with his right arm raised.

  The Scourge within laughed, mocking the human’s stupidity, but it was cut short as Thaddeus dove back into the room. Pipe to mouth, the boy shot a dart at him. He tried to dodge it, twisting his body, but it stuck in his axe-hand. The axe dropped to the floor as his arm went limp.

  Kruger planted a fist into Canis’ temple. His head snapped to one side while his ear rang. Kruger went to strike him again, but he used his other hand to deflect the blow. The Bone Singers’ leader thundered his fists into Canis’ body from all directions, skilled with both hands.

  Canis felt more than one rib snap. Kruger continued his assault as he pinned him against the wall. The boy clapped at Kruger’s side. Bane thrashed inside him, stretching his skin as it threatened to burst.

  “Kill the human scum!” said Bane who pumped fluids into Canis’ veins, some of it overflowing, popping out of his mouth and over his enemy. “Kill Thaddeus.”

  “What’re you doing?” asked Canis out loud, and Kruger stopped mid-attack.

  “What am I doing?” said Kruger. “You’re the one back from the dead, killing all my men!”

  “I wasn’t talking to you,” said Canis.

  “You weren’t?”

  “Noooo!” Canis yowled.

  Canis’ neck stretched as he drove his head into Kruger’s face. The big man screamed as his eye socket collapsed. Bane had absorbed most of the poison already and feeling trickled back into his limb.

  Agrim sprang from Canis’ hair and stuck itself to Kruger’s face. Kruger yelled in gibberish as the spider bit him. Canis tried ordering the spider back, and it did so with an eagerness that caught him off guard. Canis head butted Kruger again. In the same place, and with more power, the socket collapsed farther, shards of bone digging inward into the man’s brain.

  He pushed the dying man out of the way and lunged at the boy who had led him to such a place. He snatched him by the hair and dragged the crying child with him as he limped to Kruger who lay on the floor, clutching his face.

  “Shall I kill Kruger?” Canis asked, trying to regain control. “Or shall I bargain with him instead of Aurora, or Thorne?”

  “I knew it,” sobbed Thaddeus, his mop of dark brown hair hiding half his face.

  “With how they’ve treated you compared to the female,” said Bane. “We should take his head and kill every last one of these rats.”

  “You’re right, they left me to die.” He lifted the boy to talk face-to-face. “You broke my leg and left me to die.”

  “Please don’t hurt me!” Thaddeus screamed.

  Bane pressed his mind to obey, images of the boy’s body battered and bruised at his feet. His grip tightened. Thaddeus cried, his feet kicking out. Bane had been manipulating him from within the forest, turning him against Mortalo, lending him power when he didn’t want it. Enough!

  “I won’t kill him,” said Canis. “I won’t.”

  “You’re here to kill these people,” said Bane. “They stand in your way.”

  A surge of white-hot energy shot through Canis and his spine bent back. “No! I’m supposed to save them,” he sputtered. “I’m going to save them from monsters like you and Mortalo!”

  Canis forced his hand to open, and the boy dropped to the floor. Brown, bloodshot eyes welled with tears as the child looked at him. This time he didn’t let Bane remove the image from his mind. He looked at a mirror of himself, or at least who he used to be. Small and alone. This world consumed boys like Thaddeus, boys like Canis. Maybe Kruger is to the boy as Vann is to me.

  Thaddeus scrambled backward as Canis gathered his thoughts. Their gazes locked for a second time, and the boy turned to escape. Canis snatched at the axe and decapitated Kruger with a single blow. The metal cracked as it sparked off the stone. He picked up the head and tied it to his belt, using its greasy hair. Blood dripped, working its way behind the leather to mix with dirt and sweat.

  He closed his eyes, forcing Bane from his mind. It resisted at first, but without rage to influence Canis, or danger to cause him to take risks, it was unable to retain control. Canis placed the foreign thoughts deep into the recesses of his mind.

  All he could think about was Thaddeus’s eyes. You can’t do it. He threw the broken axe at the lifeless body of Kruger and fled back through the tunnels.

  Shadows lunged at him, silhouettes hunched over rocks positioned next to glowing mushrooms. His shoulder banged into one as he stumbled through the tunnel and a stuffed scarecrow fell behind him. He threw open the trapdoor above and clambered out. The same decoy from before had been repositioned.

  He stopped, still not sure he had control. Get out of me!

  “I can’t,” said Bane. “We’re one.”

  We aren’t one! We can’t be. Your hatred for peo—

  Bane cut him short. “I hate those who would put you in danger. They deserved to die.”

  Everyone here wants me dead, Bane! If I kill them all, what am I left with?

  Canis kicked the decoy and it fell to the floor. A featureless face stared back at him and he jumped on top of it. He struck the object and punched straight through it. And again. Blood from his knuckles dripped from small cuts, the decoy still in his hands. Who are you to judge me? He threw it against the wall and its limbs broke off. Deep pain, closer to bone than skin, radiated from his arms. Through his armor he saw bulging muscle. Who am I?

  The door groaned behind Canis and a hulking figure scraped the ground with its feet. At first, he thought it was Kruger back from the dead, but he looked down, the head still hanging from his belt. Talons hung at the figure’s sides and its shoulders rose and fell with every breath. Canis stepped back and his eyes registered Vann’s face.

  “Vann? So you’ve come to kill me,” Canis said as he charged. “I knew the old man would stoop to something like this! Why did he have to send you?”

  “Canis, no!” Vann said. He stepped aside, and Canis went headfirst into th
e frame of the door, cracking the middle.

  “Vann,” Canis said, hand on head. “It’s really you.”

  Vann put his hands in front of him and circled around. “I’m not here on Mortalo’s order.” Three steps away from Canis, he crouched so he was eye level with him. “I’ve come to warn you, to join you.”

  “Join me?”

  “When Mortalo sent you to your death, I was ready to tear the citadel apart, but when I got news you’d survived…” His lips twisted to a grim smile. “It was like something was lit inside me. Killing Mortalo is within our grasp. He’s gone too far.”

  “I like this man,” said Bane.

  “Nobody cares what you think,” said Canis.

  “What?” Vann’s face screwed up in confusion. “I don’t—”

  Canis stared through him, grinding his teeth. “Understand? You people never do.”

  “Canis?”

  “Sorry. Ignore me. I’ve lost a lot of blood. They cracked my ribs too. Help me up.”

  “Here, steady yourself.” Vann offered his hand and shoved it into Canis’ grip.

  Canis accepted it. “Thank you.”

  “I have to say, I barely recognize you.”

  “I barely recognize myself. What have I become, Vann?”

  “What all young men must aspire to, Canis. No longer do I see the little brother I once protected. Instead, I see a man. I believed in you long before Mortalo did. Why didn’t you return to him? Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you didn’t, but why?”

  A quiver of doubt settled in Canis’ mind. Is Mortalo playing tricks with me? Did he send Vann to play games, to learn? He looked into Vann’s eyes.

  “I can’t explain it,” said Canis, trying to avoid mentioning Bane. “I loved Mortalo. I know he’s done some bad things, but also some good. Without him we would be fighting for scraps in the streets, sleeping with the rats. And while I’ve never believed in myself like you and Mortalo do, I see it now. I am different, and I want to help people, my own way.”

  “I’m proud of you.” Vann smiled, rubbing his cold hands. “I’ll be there by your side.”

  Canis smiled back, but the pain from his ribs made him shudder. He steadied himself using the blade. Though he could already feel Bane at work healing him, drawing on the ether in his veins, the thought of moving free of help brought sickness to the back of his mouth. His hands shook, his body fragile, but seeing Vann kept the smile etched across his face.

  “How did you find me?” Canis asked.

  “Mortalo is offering rewards around to all the Company leaders, asking about you. I got to a Bone Singer before he did and got my answer.”

  Canis saw the crusted blood on Vann’s gauntlets. “You asked pretty hard, didn’t you?”

  Vann nodded. “How did you survive in the pit? A little worm said your leg was broken, but I’m glad to see you standing.”

  “Don’t tell him,” Bane said. “He won’t understand. He’ll be afraid of what you’ve become.”

  “By the grace of the maker,” Canis said as he steadied himself on his newly mended leg. “But we have much larger problems to discuss. How many guards is Mortalo travelling with?”

  Vann paused, perhaps calculating, perhaps trying to soften the blow. “At least thirty on patrol, many more back at the citadel and at the guard tower.”

  “If the two of us attack him, we’ll succeed in killing a few, but not Mortalo. He’ll never let us get close if we charge head-on. But we have to attack. He’ll never stop looking for me now that he knows I’m back in Blackrose.”

  “If we succeed at that.”

  Canis’ face screwed up. “The bastard will still live, wringing his hands and spinning his plots. That’s why I came here, to the outer Companies, to get help. I see his efforts, his way of life, as evil now.”

  Vann nodded. “You didn’t find it, the help?”

  Canis scowled, thoughts drifting back to the depths of the pit. “The cost was too steep. Kill the other Company leaders to get the support of one.”

  “It might be the only plan we have.”

  “Not the only plan,” Bane added.

  “I suppose you’re right.”

  “You can show them your little trophy there.” Vann pointed to Kruger’s head dangling from Canis’ belt. “I’m sure that would be a start. Did you find the Imperium’s weapon?”

  Canis shook his head and motioned him to follow as he opened the wooden door. They skulked in the Bone Singers’ decoy streets, Canis still leading the way, struggling to remember the twists and turns. The parasite tried to offer direction, but Canis pushed its thoughts away.

  After backtracking and running into dead ends, Vann found the same culvert Canis had entered through. The chittering of Scourge echoed through the pipes and holes, low in tone, not far away. Vann didn’t seem to notice, though, and he hoped he had caught Bane playing tricks on him.

  “The stench is unbearable,” Canis said before they entered. “Hold your breath.”

  They hobbled their way through the slop and sludge, which flowed under their boots while Bane needled and nagged at Canis.

  “All the beatings, the torture, the needless killing,” it said. “And you were the lucky one. What about the weaker ones? Mortalo took them from you.”

  Canis kept quiet for Vann’s sake, but his anger simmered, his inability to shut out Bane fueling his frustration. They crawled from the pipe and into the outskirts of the Dusk Raiders’ turf.

  “Where’s everyone?” asked Vann. “The streets were full of scum days ago, and now there’s not a soul in sight.”

  The clock tower rang, and Vann tensed, his right hand raised in defense. They looked at each other.

  Canis spat onto the cobbles. “They may not be happy to see me with one trophy. And I don’t know how they’ll react to seeing another outsider with me. We should stay unseen.”

  Vann stretched his arms as they both merged into the shadow of a crumbled wall. “Canis,” Vann whispered.

  “What is it?”

  “What do we do if this one doesn’t go along with our plan to kill Mortalo?”

  Canis thought for a moment. “We’ll find somewhere to hide.”

  “Don’t be foolish,” Bane said. “Mortalo dies at all costs. Don’t lose sight.”

  “Shut up,” Canis growled.

  “Huh?” Vann asked, shivering. “Do you think that’s a good idea? It won’t be easy to hide; everyone knows your name after your fight with the Warden. Did you really floor one with a single blow?”

  Canis caught his breath. “Kind of.”

  “What happened?”

  “Will you leave me alone!”

  “Tell me what’s wrong,” Vann placed a hand on Canis’ shoulder.

  “It’s nothing. My rage keeps trying to control me.”

  Vann smiled. “What do you mean?”

  “Mortalo’s experiments messed with my head as well as my body.”

  “I know how you feel, brother.”

  They crept, pressed against the walls at all times, as Bane cursed at Canis for ignoring his advice but taking the same thing when it came from Vann Xan.

  Keep yourself to yourself. I know what you're doing.

  “I don’t know what you mean,” Bane said.

  I’m sure you don’t, but know Vann is here now.

  Canis motioned for them to stop at an intersection of paths. Three Dusk Raiders walked with a stiff gait, arms at their sides, necks still. He signaled to Vann, and they cut behind the three women.

  Canis kicked a stone into the far wall.

  The three turned around after a second, as though they heard, but didn’t process the information. They smiled. Their eyes were hollow. Their waxy cheeks tightened into exaggerated grins.

  Vann stepped forward. Canis froze. No!

  “We must see Aurora Heart,” Vann said.

  “What happened to staying hidden?” Canis asked under his breath.
>
  “Stay,” one of the women said.

  “One,” another said. Their voices were like honed bells, ringing and sweet, but never varying in pitch.

  Is this your doing? Answer me, thought Canis. What’s going on?

  “Leave them,” Bane said. “They’re of no concern to you.”

  And why is that?

  Bane paused. “You have other matters to attend to. Or have you forgotten the plight of your brothers? Mortalo must die.”

  I know what I have to do. You don’t need to keep reminding me. I’ll kill Mortalo just to keep you silent.

  Canis’ legs tightened as he struggled to go one way whilst his thoughts went the other. The three women smiled at Canis and walked back to their inane, repetitive task. One of the women glanced at Vann, her smile drooping. Canis stood between them, and she continued to walk away.

  “I thought you said they would be dangerous,” Vann said.

  “Perhaps they’ve changed their minds,” Canis said as they left the infected Dusk Raiders behind.

  “If that’s the case, we needn’t worry,” Vann said. “Let’s move on.”

  Canis looked at Vann, but he wasn’t the same person he once knew, the man’s body now small in comparison to his own. Vann had always been so strong, caring, but there he was following Canis. I have to be strong for everyone, including Vann. He protected me when we were young, and now he’s left Mortalo to follow me. I have to show him he made the right choice, and I have to show the people of Blackrose we can survive.

  Chapter 13

  Canis Rayne rounded another corner of the Company’s maze, a five-way intersection, Vann Xan close behind him. Despite the few lights burning, every alley stretched into complete, cold darkness. Trading booths were vacant; the wares either long rotten or outright gone. A child’s hand-stitched rag-doll was face down next to hurried footprints, the double lines consistent with someone being dragged off on their heels.

  Figures milled around them in the dark, to the side streets and passages, ignoring Canis, though many turned to confront Vann. He felt the communal blood lust shared by Bane and the other Scourge. He felt the urge to attack Vann increasing as if he too was tempted. Canis kept quiet, kept moving them on.