by James Wisher
Alden could only agree. In the distance thunder rumbled. All they needed now was a rain storm to add to their misery. They landed, he pulled the scroll out, and consulted the new information Dale had provided. Based on the nearest building numbers they were two blocks south of where they needed to be. Alden hadn’t taken more than a handful of steps when Imogen grabbed his arm.
“Do you feel that?” she asked.
Alden concentrated. He sensed a faint flicker of something, but couldn’t tell what. The lowing of cows came from a nearby building.
“It’s coming from there.” Imogen crossed the street and went toward the cows. Alden clenched his jaw and followed.
She hadn’t gotten over halfway across when the moos turned to pained screams. Alden had never heard animals make a noise like that. It reminded him a little of some of the prisoners he’d questioned.
They stopped at the closed door of the slaughterhouse. “I sense corruption.”
Alden felt it as well and if he could sense it the source had to be close. “Not too strong. Certainly not a demon.”
“No, but if not a demon then what?”
That was an excellent question. Unfortunately the only way to answer it was to open the door and take a look. Imogen conjured her golden armor and ax then looked at him. Alden sent power to his shield and nodded.
Imogen pushed the door open and the coppery tang of fresh blood washed over them. Alden sent globes of light into the dark building. Ten stalls covered the back wall. Four of them held dead cows. A small stream of blood ran across the stone floor and down the drain in the center of the building. The grate lay on the floor about three feet away, the edges of the steel seemingly melted.
“So much for the pipes being secure,” Alden said.
A hiss came from one of the stalls along with the sound of tearing meat and smacking lips. Alden gagged, but swallowed his nausea. Imogen gestured and the stall doors swung open. The sounds stopped and three heads popped up from behind one of the carcasses. Burning red eyes bore into the intruding sorcerers.
For a moment Alden thought they were dogs, but the muzzles were too long and narrow. The fur only grew in patches and where the fur ended bone spurs poked through the creatures’ flesh. One of them climbed up on the dead cow. It had a long, ringed tail that ended in a spike dripping greenish fluid. Everywhere the glop hit smoke rose.
“They’re raccoons,” Imogen said, disbelief clear in her voice.
“Maybe they were raccoons, but now I’m not so sure.”
The other two climbed up beside the first and all three hissed. Another hiss came from above them. Three more pairs of red eyes stared down at Alden. He sent more lights up into the rafters. A trio of twisted animals leered down at them, their tails dripping acid on the floor.
“You want the three in the rafters or the three by the cow?” Imogen asked.
Alden wanted to go for reinforcements, but that didn’t appear to be an option. Imogen lunged toward the three on the ground, her golden ax flying ahead of her. The freakish raccoons dodged the whirling blade and split up.
A stream of acid spattered against his shield, reminding Alden that he had his own opponents to deal with. He sent a handful of blades streaking into the rafters. One blade sliced a raccoon on the side, but the nimble creatures dodged the rest.
Two of them raced for the open door. Alden concentrated and a golden dome surrounded the building. They couldn’t have demonic raccoons running around the city, the normal ones caused enough trouble.
The two that ran looked back at him and hissed. A shout from behind him indicated Imogen was having problems of her own.
Alden sent more blasts at the raccoon still in the rafters, but it dodged them all. He clenched his jaw. Ranged attacks weren’t going to get the job done. The targets were too small and fast.
He conjured a globe around the raccoon. It lasted an instant before the monster shattered it with its tail. The acid burned through his thin construct like it was nothing.
More acid spattered his shield and he had to reinforce it or get his back melted. His opponents outflanked him in every direction.
Alden surrounded himself with a conjured sphere and put half his remaining power into it. The acid would take a while to burn through that. He spun and found Imogen standing over the corpse of one raccoon while the other two ran around her squirting acid and dodging her ax. Her golden armor looked ragged. She must not have enough power left to repair the acid damage.
He flew down and brought her into his barrier.
“What are you doing?” Imogen glared at him.
“The two of us aren’t enough. I can’t even hit mine, much less kill them. We need help. I can maintain our defenses if you send a message to the archmage.”
Imogen’s face looked like she’d bitten into a lemon. “Very well. I just hope they arrive before either the dome or bubble give out.”
Chapter 8
Carmen Warren crouched amid the rubble of a collapsed tenement. She hated this part of the city. The stench of blood and offal made the air almost unbreathable. How the others lived amidst such filth Carmen couldn’t imagine. Nestled between the two broken timbers beside her rested a rune-stitched satchel holding a black urn. Carmen neither knew nor cared what the urn was for. All that interested her was the huge sack of gold she’d been promised for its delivery.
Across the street two members of the Crimson Legion were approaching the slaughterhouse where her contact told her to meet the couriers. She didn’t recognize the two sorcerers. Whenever one of the legionnaires passed her in the castle she made certain not to meet their gaze. Morana had assured her when she brought the first pouch of gold that sorcerers couldn’t read her mind, but Carmen wasn’t taking any chances.
The sorcerers disappeared inside. If they captured the couriers how would Carmen get the urn out of the city? And more important, how would she get paid? She didn’t want to have to go back to Jonny for help. He’d made it pretty clear after she tied him up that she was on her own. Maybe she could steal the crystal bird that brought his orders and send that for help.
A golden dome appeared over the slaughterhouse and from inside came several explosions. Carmen slipped the satchel over her head and slunk back away from the battle. This was a waste of time. She needed to escape before the sorcerers finished their business with the courier.
When she’d moved out of sight of the dome she turned and ran. She’d left Jonny tied to the bed in their favorite room at the White Stag inn. The cleaning ladies didn’t get started until midmorning and given the damage from the quake they’d probably start later yet today. She had plenty of time to sneak back and convince Jonny to help. If he refused and she got caught he’d be in as much danger as her. Carmen doubted she’d stand up under questioning and she planned to make that very clear to him.
The inn had remained standing through the quake, but the front steps no longer connected to the building and all but two windows lay shattered on the dirt outside. She opened the door and leapt the gap between the doorway and landing. Inside the girls were working at setting up tables and sweeping glass. Two of them glanced up when she entered before returning to their tasks. Carmen came here a lot and no one gave her a second look. The scent of frying sausages and brewing tea wafted out of the kitchen.
She forced her hunger aside and ran up the stairs to the second floor. Carmen slipped into room three and found her lover right where she’d left him, naked and tied to the headboard.
“What the hell are you doing back here?” Jonny asked.
“The legion got to the drop before me. They were fighting the courier when I left. I need help, some other way to get rid of this thing.”
“What do you want me to do? I’m supposed to resume my post after they find me tied up. If I help you anymore there’s no way I’ll be able to go back to my position.”
“After this conversation you’re doomed anyway. We both need to get out of the city. If either of us is caught the other’
s had it.”
“Damn it, Carmen, that’s why you weren’t supposed to come back. Fine, cut me loose. I know another way out of the city. We’ll deliver the package to my contact outside of town. I can send for Holly in a few months.”
Carmen almost leapt for joy. Of course Jonny had a secret way out of the city. He’d been spying longer than she had. The prick might have mentioned it before now, but that was an argument for when they were safe.
His clothes hung on the back of the door and Carmen dug the little knife he always carried out of the front pocket of his pants and sliced the cheap scarves holding him to the bed. He watched her through half-closed eyes and rubbed his wrists.
“Hurry up. We need to get out of here.”
Jonny sat up and punched her in the side of the head. The room flashed in and out of focus and the knife clattered to the floor. His big, strong hands wrapped around her throat and squeezed.
Carmen tried to fight, but he spun her over and slammed her skull into the headboard. Everything went dark for a second.
“Keep it down in there!” someone shouted from out in the hall.
She tried to call for help, but no sound came out.
“Sorry,” Jonny said. “We got a little carried away.”
A muffled grunt then steps on the hardwood floor. No help from that direction. No help anywhere.
The world went red then black.
Chapter 9
Damien packed his spare tunic and pulled the drawstrings on his rucksack tight. Somehow he’d imagined he would have more than one night in his own bed before he went on another mission. He yawned and debated a nap, but dawn waited only a couple hours off and then he’d have to get going again. It wasn’t worth the fuzzy head he’d end up with. Times like this he wished he could wash the exhaustion away with soul force the way Jen did. Maybe he could order a cup of double-strength tea.
He looked around his room and sighed. It could be anyone’s room. It looked the same as it had the day Dale first brought him here. Nothing decorated the wall, no knickknacks sat on his desk or nightstand. This wasn’t home, it was just a place to sleep. Not that he got to do much of that either.
A knock on the door brought him out of his morose musings. He glanced at the door and it swung open. Jen stood outside, a tray of food in her hands. She’d traded her usual slashed, blue and silver uniform for a tunic and pants in mottled browns and greens. It looked similar to what Leah wore.
“Breakfast?” Jen asked.
Damien conjured a table and chairs. He sat and Jen joined him, setting a plate in front of him. His mouth watered when he smelled the eggs and roasted potatoes. She poured them each a mug of tea.
He shut the door and smiled. “And you said you didn’t know what to get me for my name day.”
She returned the smile and they ate in silence for a few minutes. When they’d cleaned their plates and only the tea remained Jen asked, “How are you holding up?”
“I could have used another couple days to rest, but I’m fine. You?”
“I imagined a day or two of peace and quiet with my brother when Karrie said she was throwing you a party. Investigating an earthquake caused by a group I’d never heard of didn't cross my mind.”
Damien sipped his tea, the caffeine already washing away some of his fatigue. “Well, it’s not the sort of thing that comes up often.”
She raised her cup in salute. “I’ll drink to that.”
“Karrie still wants me to marry her. She even asked to meet Lizzy and said she was willing to share me. Can you imagine?”
“No. How did you leave it?”
“Twisting in the wind. We were supposed to talk more after the party, but the earthquake saved me. Heaven’s mercy! I don’t know what to do. Lizzy says Karrie’s afraid the noble boys will take advantage of her and try to take over. She seems to trust me, probably because I don’t care about being in charge of anything. If it was just a matter of helping her I wouldn’t mind, but there are expectations I don’t want to deal with.”
“Expectations?”
“Yeah, family expectations, you know…heirs. Not to mention I’d have to spend my time sitting in the castle listening to nobles or merchants or whoever bitch about their problems. I couldn’t do that and stay sane.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to chase down rogue druids with you and try not to think about it.”
Jen shook her head. “The problem will still be here when you get back.”
“True, but every day I delay increases the chances Karrie will find someone that will actually be a good match for her. Of course it would help if she was actually looking for someone else.”
Damien sensed the soul force approaching a moment before the golden energy slid under his door and across the room to his nightstand. Letters formed. Throne room. Now.
Damien sighed. “It appears I’m wanted in the throne room.”
Jen gathered up their plates and her tray. “Go on. I’ll take care of this.”
“Thanks.”
He opened the door and found Salem waiting with a honey roll. She started and stepped back. “I thought you might be hungry.”
“Jen brought me breakfast, but I always have room for a roll. Thank you.” He accepted the snack and took a bite. “I’m headed for the throne room. Walk with me?”
“Okay.”
The living quarters were mostly cleaned up. They passed the errand boy Damien had talked to earlier picking up pieces of a broken lamp. He waved at Damien before returning to his chore. Damien found Salem smiling at him.
“What?”
“Nothing. It’s just you seem to make friends so easily. I’ve never had any before I met you.”
“No surprise considering where you came from. I trust you’re doing better here?”
“Oh, yes. I’ve been helping John tend to the injured. They’re all so happy to see a sorcerer coming to help. People really do look at us differently here.”
“Told you. Just wait, in a year or two you’ll have so many friends you won’t know what to do with them all.”
They reached the throne room and the archmage waved him over.
“Be careful,” Salem said.
“It may not be something dangerous.”
“If she wants you to do it I’m sure it’s dangerous.”
What could he say to that? He waved goodbye and went to join the archmage at the map table. “Master?”
“Imogen and Alden are in trouble and you’re the only sorcerer I can spare. I hate to send you out this close to your departure, but I’m out of options.”
“Of course. Where are they and what’s the problem?”
“They’re trapped in a slaughterhouse on Steak Street by some sort of demonic animals.”
“Like the wolves? It seems unlikely it’s a coincidence.”
“Agreed. Another reason I’m sending you is in the hopes that you’ll recognize the demonic energy. If it is the same I need to know.”
“Understood. I’ll be back soon.”
Damien marched out of the throne room and into the courtyard where he leapt into the sky. This was what he was meant to do. Fly out, find something evil, and kill it. He flew high above the city and soon spotted the golden dome surrounding a stone building near the wall. That had to be Alden’s barrier.
He shot like an arrow straight at the target. When he reached the building a gap opened in the dome and he slipped through. He concentrated. There were five weak demonic energy sources surrounding Alden and Imogen. It felt the same as the wolves, but he wasn’t certain.
The trapped sorcerers were in the center of the building so he went to the western edge and blasted a hole in the roof. Capering like deranged imps in a children’s story, five twisted raccoons ran around a golden bubble. Every so often one of them paused and squirted something from its tail at the shield where it would smoke and eventually slide off onto the floor to pit the stone.
One of the creatures must have s
ensed him. It broke off and ran towards Damien. He tried to blast the ugly thing, but it dodged.
He frowned and a hand appeared. His construct grasped the creature and squeezed so hard its head popped off. Golden bubbles surrounded the remaining four monsters.
They tried to dissolve the traps with their acid, but he poured more soul force into the bubbles. A moment later he shrank them to a quarter of their starting size. The raccoons were reduced to puddles of black ooze.
Damien gathered the carcasses, including a sixth one he spotted near a dead cow, and incinerated them. Alden and Imogen descended to the floor, and the sphere and the barrier outside the building vanished.
“Excellent timing, Damien,” Alden said. The two men shook hands. “I don’t know how much longer we could have held out.”
Imogen walked a little ways away, ignoring him completely. Damien shook his head. “What happened?”
“We were tracking down a lead on the urn and Imogen sensed the monsters. We investigated and were overwhelmed.” Alden smiled. “You made it seem so easy.”
“I was expecting trouble. If they’d surprised me I’m sure it would have gone differently.”
“No it wouldn’t.” Imogen stared at him, arms crossed. “We do not require your pity.”
“And lucky for me I don’t require your gratitude.” Damien nodded to Alden. “Be careful.”
Damien flew up and out the hole he’d blasted in the roof. He had an hour or so before he had to leave. What more trouble could he get into?
Chapter 10
Alden focused on the drain, his soul force drawing the stone down to form a plug so nothing else could slip through. Off to his left Imogen worked at checking all the stalls to make sure there were no other outlets. Alden sighed and finished his shaping. Who’d have thought the city would have to worry about demon raccoons? It sounded like a bad joke.
He glanced over in time to watch Imogen send a bucket clattering across the floor. Getting rescued had turned her bad mood into a terrible one. At least her anger wasn’t directed at him, for the moment.