“Goddess save us,” Kath said. She saw fear in his eyes.
Why did the Veil choose him? she wondered. He’s just a boy, he has nothing to do with this. He was so young, so ill-prepared for the task ahead, for the danger they were in now. An image of Kath’s body flashed through her mind, face-down in a pool of his own blood. Suddenly she was back in the camps, standing over a different body, this one much younger and with a blade in his back. Panic welled up inside her, and it was all Ijanna could do to stay standing. The Veil is cruel, she told herself. It has its reasons. It doesn’t matter what they are, because he’s here, and you don’t have any other choice.
“Kath,” she said. “Please. I need your help.”
He ran his hand over his face and wiped away his sweat. Kath was broad and tall, with thick shoulders and an imposing frame that seemed to defy his boyish face. The dust and grime from their long voyage was caked on his skin and armor, and he looked like he hadn’t properly rested in weeks. Ijanna imagined she must have looked much the same.
The light dimmed as clouds cut across the moon. So many shadows stirred in the darkness it was impossible to determine exactly where their pursuers were. Ijanna Breathed the Veil, and her lungs turned raw as magic rushed from her lips and filled the air with invisible vapors. She tasted rock salt and dust, felt small vibrations in the landscape, smelled the subtle but telling mark of humans and noted the tainted stench of creatures held in the grip of evil magic. Her eyes glazed and glowed as she looked out across the barbed wastes.
“I see them,” she said. “They’re maybe an hour away, but they’re moving fast. Much faster than we can.” She looked at Kath. “I’m sorry for dragging you into this, Kath. But I’m glad you’re here. I don’t want to be alone anymore.”
Kath looked back into the darkness as if he’d actually see the Chul coming. Even with the dim moonlight it seemed the two of them stood at the edge of the world, strangers lost in a sea of night.
“I don’t have a choice,” he said sadly. “But I don’t want it to be like that. I want you to know I’m here with you, no matter what.” He pulled off his pack, carefully removed his axe from where it was slung over his shoulder and started untying his crossbow. “If we’re going to ambush them, we’d better get to it.”
His sudden resolve lifted Ijanna’s spirits.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Don’t thank me yet,” he said. “I just hope we’re up for this.”
“We are,” she said. “I think the Chul are about to find we’re more than capable of taking care of ourselves.”
Sixteen
It didn’t take long for them to “dig in”, as Ijanna put it, but Kath insisted they call it what it was – fortifying their position against a superior enemy force. Granted, there wasn’t much to fortify, and even with Ijanna’s magic Kath didn’t think there was a chance in hell the Chul would actually walk into their ambush, especially if those cannibal’s senses were as keen as Ijanna claimed they were.
In spite of his misgivings, Kath made every preparation he could. He spread oil to either side of the small rift between the hills and prepared several quarrels to be lit and fired, which he stacked near one of the leaning stones next to his flint and steel. He also tied rope tripwires ahead of the crevice and concealed them with dirt and scrub, then pounded sharpened stakes into the fissure walls to snag anyone who tripped and fell in.
Fear made them work fast. Their preparations didn’t feel like much; Kath would have felt better with another able body at their disposal.
Or a catapult. That would be nice.
He and Ijanna decided to watch the crevice from the steeper hill on the south side of the rift. They’d be firing from higher ground, and the standing stones would provide them with places to hide. Kath worried about the lack of light, but if they started the blaze and took out at least a couple of those bastards early in the battle the darkness wouldn’t matter.
Ijanna worked like a woman possessed. She helped Kath at every turn when he wasn’t asking her to keep a lookout, and she eagerly tackled any task he assigned to her. He was surprised she gave him the lead – yes, he was the soldier, but he’d been following her ever since they’d met, and it felt strange to have their roles reversed. Kath wasn’t used to being in charge. All his life he’d been told what to do, where to go, then made to suffer the consequences when he got it all wrong. Ijanna was making him feel empowered, and it was a bit terrifying.
Our lives are in my hands. Goddess help us.
The only thing Ijanna didn’t offer was to use her magic. Kath wasn’t sure if she was just being practical or if the talents of a Bloodspeaker weren’t conducive to preparing for battle. Either way, he didn’t press the issue.
Things were strange between them now, more tense than before they’d left Ebonmark.
Back when you didn’t know that she planned to resurrect the Blood Queen.
He decided that if they lived through the battle he’d ask her to explain why she had to bring back Carastena Vlagoth. He couldn’t believe it was the right thing to do, no matter how many innocent lives it might save, but not hearing Ijanna out wasn’t helping either one of them. She’d tried to talk to him before they’d left the city, but he’d refused to listen. Now he knew he had to. His drive to protect Ijanna hadn’t faded – if anything, it was growing stronger – but he could no longer tell if his protective instincts were his own or if they were born of the Veil. Ultimately, it no longer mattered.
You’re here now. Do what needs to be done.
They finished their preparations, hasty though they were, and hid among the tall stones. If the Chul wanted to get at them they’d have to brave open terrain, jump across the narrow rift and climb through the rocks in order to do so. Kath wasn’t sure how powerful the Skull of the Moon made those killers, but he hoped the higher ground and simple traps would help even the odds.
His stomach twisted with fear, and his nerves were on edge. He tried to remember his training, tried to think about anything but the coming fight, but the notion of facing a bunch of psychopathic cannibal warriors made powerful by tribal magic chilled him to his core.
He set a small pot of oil on the ground and wedged it against the rock. Beams of moonlight spilled through the clouds and gave them a good view of the plains. Ijanna thrust the thar’koon into the dirt and rested her back against the nearest stone. Kath loaded his crossbow, and his axe was nearby.
I’d give anything for another crossbow right now. He gazed out through the rocks and saw the Chul’s silhouettes in the distance. The eight of them had wickedly curved blades and edged armor. I’m going to die here, he thought, trying his best to fight off panic. Just like Illistra, I was stolen from my family by a Bloodspeaker, and now I’m going to die.
The Chul were in no hurry. They waited.
Kath watched, his palms covered with sweat and his heart pounding. Ijanna sat next to him, her back against a rock and facing the other direction. Her eyes were closed. Even with her golden-blonde hair pasted to her face she looked perfect, so beautiful and pure. He’d do anything to protect her, even die.
He was angry at himself for feeling such fear when Ijanna needed him. He clenched his fists and ground his teeth.
Kath had been in battle a handful of times before. The worst had been an engagement against Tuscars south of Ebonmark, when Captain Tyburn’s squad had come across an overrun farmhouse. They’d silently taken out the Tuscar sentries before rushing the ruined farm, hacking down every enemy in sight. Kath remembered the battle like it had happened yesterday, the adrenaline, the horror, the shock at the Tuscar’s ferocity and grotesque appearance. He’d felt a surge of power as his axe split the skull of one Tuscar and broke the sword of another. The battle was over in a heartbeat, but those moments before the charge, waiting in that grey field under the cold noonday sun, praying to the One Goddess and wishing for his bladder to stop hurting, had been the longest of his life.
This was worse. Much worse. Th
e shadows of the Chul made them look like ghosts, too far for him to see or hear clearly. He kept waiting for another keening war-cry to cut through the air like a soiled knife.
He checked the crossbow, the oil, the flint and steel he’d use to light it, the quarrels, the axe, Ijanna’s weapons. She sat there, her breaths growing slower by the moment.
“Are you all right?” he asked her. It was a stupid question, but he needed to say something.
She looked at him. Her eyes shone scarlet in the darkness.
“Are you?” she asked.
Kath held her gaze for as long as he could, his heart hammering. At last he looked away.
“No,” he said. “No, I’m not.”
“We’re going to be all right,” she said. “These Chul don’t know what they’re up against.”
Kath nodded. He knew she was just trying to make him feel better, but he appreciated the effort.
“I’ll do my best,” he said.
“I know,” she said. “That’s all we can do.” She glimpsed at the rift. “How close are they?”
The Chul were moving slow, just at the edge of the trees.
“They’ll be here any time,” he said. “They’re waiting.”
“They’ll try to outlast us,” she said. “The Skull of the Moon makes it so they don’t have to sleep. We need to stay awake.”
“I think we’re out of coffee,” Kath said with a nervous laugh.
“Then we’ll talk,” she said. “We just need to keep sharp.”
“Ok,” Kath nodded. They looked out through the rocks. Gritty wind came at them, and the plains between the rift and the distant and dead trees where the Chul waited were filled with clouds of sand and dark dust. “Let’s talk.”
“I need you to keep an open mind,” Ijanna said after a moment. “I’ve told you about the Veil,” she said, “but in order to understand what’s happening there are things you need to know about Carastena Vlagoth…and about me.”
Kath didn’t like the sound of that.
“Are you sure this is the right time?” he asked.
“It’s as good a time as any,” she said.
“All right,” Kath said with a nod.
“First,” she said, “the Chul. Like I said, I’ve encountered them before. It was a few years ago...before the camps.”
Kath knew she meant the death camps, where rebellious Dawn Knights had tortured and killed hundreds of Bloodspeakers. His mother Illistra had been a victim of those camps, killed after a Bloodspeaker named Malath had seduced her and stolen her away from her family. The pain of her death was three years old, yet it still felt fresh.
Ijanna, too, had been in those camps. So far as Kath knew she was the only one who’d escaped.
“Before the camps?” he said. “I thought you said the Chul have only been hunting you for a year?”
“They only learned I’d survived the camps a little over a year ago…myself and a few others. Our feud is older than that. You see, Kath…I’ve been on this quest before.”
He had to think on that.
“You mean seeking out the other Skullborn?” he asked.
“Yes.” Ijanna brushed a strand of hair from her face. They watched the unmoving shadows in the distance. “The Witch Mother, leader of the Chul, is one of the Skullborn,” Ijanna said. Kath looked at her, but Ijanna kept her eyes straight ahead. “There are only three of us. We share the gift of a limitless supply of magic in our blood, and we know when we’re close to the others. We’re physically almost identical.”
“Like…triplets?” Kath asked. “How is that possible? Are you sisters?”
“After a fashion. All three of us are meant to fulfill a purpose. We share the same destiny, even if none of us want it. I learned of the Witch Mother’s identity and sought her out. I knew about the Chul even then, but I was hoping our connection would allow me to gain audience with her...and I was right. The Chul escorted me to their queen, who hid in the depths of the Ravenwood. She knew who I was without understanding how, just as I knew her, and we were both aware of the existence of the third Skullborn even though neither of us had met her or even knew who she was.”
Kath felt a lump in his throat. Ijanna had been born of evil magic. She was the prisoner of a cursed birth.
“What happened when you met with the Witch Mother?” he asked.
Ijanna was shaking. A cold wind ripped at them, this time carrying the stench of the Chul – blood and rot, intestines and sweat. The smell of hunters.
“She was intrigued,” Ijanna said. She turned her gaze back and stared at the distant Chul. “I’d come to her for answers. Nightmares call to me, Kath.” Her red eyes were glassy and frozen, and something in her voice sounded ready to crack. “Every night I dream of the Black Tower. I feel Chul Gaerog pulling me, dragging me closer. Every moment I’m not moving towards that terrible place I feel its icy presence, like a cold breath on the back of my neck.” She looked at him, and she was near tears. “But the Witch Mother had never felt such a compulsion. I had to fight it, and I thought maybe she would know how.”
Kath looked back at the warriors in the trees. He wanted to take the fight to them just to put an end to the waiting, but he knew that was what they wanted.
They’re trying to bait you out. Don’t let them. Be patient, for her sake!
“It was so strange, being in her presence,” Ijanna continued. “Like looking into a twisted mirror. She looked like me, but we couldn’t be more different.” Ijanna took a breath. The memory of her meeting with the Witch Mother was obviously a painful one. “She knew all about our destiny, and she’d have nothing to do with it, because she intended to take Chul Gaerog for herself. She’d used her powers to heal others, to bend them to her will and gather a small army, and she made each of her followers as twisted and corrupt as she was. She shares a bond of suffering with her soldiers: every life they take and every person they consume just darkens their souls even more. They see everything through a lens of brutality. In her mind the only way to save the world is through causing pain. She won’t heal Malzaria by sacrificing herself, but by sacrificing others.” She looked at Kath. “That’s how she’s resisted the lure of the dreams. The sound of her own madness drowns out the call of the Black Tower.”
Kath swallowed.
“Goddess. Is…is what she wants to do possible?” he asked. “How can she take Chul Gaerog?”
“Vlagoth invested a great deal of her power into building that citadel, and she had help from the Voss and the Arkan. It’s a formidable stronghold – many would like to get their hands on the secrets and magic the Blood Queen left behind. Ever since the end of the Rift War people have searched for a way to breach Chul Gaerog’s defenses and lay claim to it, but none have been successful. The Witch Mother and the Chul worship Chul Gaerog, and they believe gaining access will bring them glory.”
A wolf’s howl cut across the plains. Kath’s stomach growled, but the thought of eating made him ill.
“What happened then?” he asked, not really certain he wanted the answer.
“She tried to kill me,” Ijanna said. “She seemed to think she could steal my magic by eating my flesh and drinking my blood, and that sacrificing me was the key to breaching the Black Tower. I’d approached her under a flag of truce, and at first it seemed she’d honored that. She let me go, and it wasn’t until I reached a small village a few miles north of Ravenwood that I fell into her trap. The Chul had already murdered the people who lived there. Three of the Witch Mother’s most powerful warriors waited for me.” Ijanna looked off.
“You killed them?” Kath said.
“Yes. I don’t respond well to being backed into a corner.” Her voice was cold. Kath was suddenly very afraid of the notion of incurring Ijanna’s wrath. “As it turns out, one of the three she’d sent after me was her son. Another was her daughter.”
“Oh, Goddess…”
“They were nothing to her,” Ijanna said. “It’s power she wants. My power. And failing to
kill me has doubtless made her seem weak in the eyes of her followers.” She sat back against the stone. “They’ve been after me ever since. They, the Jlantrians, the Phage, the Black Guild…” The look in her eyes was distant and pained. “I’m so tired of running.”
Kath watched her. She was so strong, stronger than he was, stronger than he’d ever be. He couldn’t imagine the force of will it took to keep fighting, to keep running, when all her life she’d been told she was going to die.
I’ll die for you, he thought. He didn’t know if the thought was his own or if it had been put there by the Veil, but it didn’t really matter.
“Ijanna…listen,” he said. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I promise.”
Ijanna smiled. To his surprise she leaned over and hugged him. The motion took him off guard, and her touch sent a jolt of electricity through his body, but she only held him for a moment, long enough for him to feel her warmth deep in his soul.
“Be careful,” she said sadly as she pulled away, “not to make promises you can’t keep.”
Kath looked back to the rocky hills. The Chul were still waiting, and there were still eight of them.
Good. But I wish they’d just get it over with.
Was this it? Was he going to die out there in the middle of nowhere?
She was worth dying for. He’d never had anyone in his life like Ijanna, not ever, and the thought of her not being there with him was terrifying.
I love you, he wanted to tell her, but he wouldn’t, because he didn’t know if it was true.
“So what’s the connection?” Kath asked. “You said you were sisters.”
“Yes,” Ijanna said. “We’re the Blood Queen’s children.”
“What?!”
“Not flesh and blood,” Ijanna said. She sat there quietly, burdened by the weight pressing down on her. If she felt any relief to be sharing these secrets she didn’t show it – she seemed more like Kath always felt at confessional, reluctantly telling the priest all of the impure thoughts that made him so ashamed. “She cursed our fathers,” Ijanna said. “The men who killed her and ended the war.”
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