The Fifth Empire of Man

by Rob J. Hayes

  “While still working for the Neotromo, I sneaked off to the capital city of Tresingsare, where I worked my way into an audience with the Emperor and revealed just whom I worked for. The Emperor and the Neotromo were ever at odds, and I played them off each other.”

  Kebble sighed. “I wish I could say I did it for some noble reason, but the truth is I did it to further my own agenda. I played both sides into starting a war against each other, knowing full well whoever won would have me standing by their side.”

  “Who won?” Elaina said.

  Kebble laughed. “The forest.”

  Elaina was about to savage the man for such a purposefully vague answer, when she realised he’d stopped and was staring at something above her.

  A gigantic stone arch rose a hundred feet into the sky, the trees of the forest clinging to it and twisting around its great pillars. To either side of the arch were the crumbling remnants of an ancient wall, long since brought low by the forces of nature. Huge vines hung down from the arch, almost like a curtain, obscuring the view through it. Not that Elaina needed the view; she could already see that the forest gave way behind to powder blue skies dotted with white cloud, and above it all the sun shining down on them.

  “Welcome to HwoyonDo,” Kebble said. He sounded sad. “City of scholars and traitors.”

  Keelin rushed forwards, straight past Kebble and Elaina, and began hacking at the vines that hung down from the arch and pooled upon the floor. Smithe ran to help, and soon both men were frantically chopping their way through the natural gate while the others just stood and watched. Keelin was first through the hole they created, with Smithe only a step behind. They stopped on the other side of the arch, Elaina’s view obscured by their bodies.

  Kebble stepped forward and placed a hand on the stone. He dropped to his knees and began to cry. Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, Elaina strode forwards, pushing through the hacked tangle of vines and inserting herself between the two men on the other side.

  The city of HwoyonDo rose up before them like the nest of some giant insect. Buildings of grey-brown stone rose higher than most had cause to be, with the smallest of them a good five or six storeys tall. Stone bridges ran across the sky from one building to another; some were no more than broken piles of rubble on the ground, but others had stood the tests and rigours of time and nature, and gave easy, quick access from one structure to the next.

  The roadways between the buildings were easily large enough for ten men to walk abreast, and to either side of the roads were trenches where water rested or flowed. The forest had started to reclaim much of the city, and a lot of the buildings closest to the arch were infested with trees and vines. Some had even started to crumble beneath the strain, but it seemed there was only so much the forest could reclaim, even after such a period of time.

  Elaina felt someone push against her back, and she stepped aside to let Alfer through behind her. More members of the expedition filtered in, and soon all of them were standing there, staring at the half-ruined city spread out before them. Only Kebble hadn’t ventured through the arch. Elaina found herself more and more convinced that the marksman was no madman, but was in fact telling the truth about his immortality and even his origins.

  “We’re here,” Keelin said, a look of reverence in his eyes.

  “Aye,” Smithe said. “Looks like you finally made good on that promise. Now, which way to the riches, Captain?”

  Chapter 36 - The Phoenix

  “Everything in this city is treasure, Smithe,” said Keelin.

  The grandeur of HwoyonDo wasn’t lost on Keelin, far from it, but it was a distraction that didn’t interest him. Of the eleven of them that had set out, two were lost already, and the longer they stayed, the more likely those who remained would join their missing companions. Keelin needed to find the Observatory. He didn’t care even a drop for the supposed treasure the city held.

  “We’ll just pick up some bricks and run them back to the ship then, eh?” Smithe said with a sneer.

  “I don’t give a fuck what you do,” Keelin snarled, barely sparing Smithe a glance. “There must be some street signs somewhere. Maybe I can see it if I get high.”

  “See what?” Aimi said.

  Keelin ignored her, striding forwards into the city. Buildings rose up high on both sides and extended far into the distance, blocking out any chance of seeing what lay ahead. Rubble littered the ground where the forest was starting to reclaim its territory, but further in there were fewer signs of the jungle. It gave Keelin hope that the Observatory was still standing and untouched. He picked a tall structure on his left with vines growing up the walls. Much of one side of it had been knocked down by the trunk of a tree. It looked like it may have once been used as housing; a small metal stove, rusted beyond use, hung precariously out of one hole in the wall. Shards of pottery lay strewn among giant roots, and a tarnished spoon had been half absorbed by a gnarled knot of wood.

  If he could climb up the vines and find a way to the rooftop, he might be able to see the layout of the city, maybe even spot the Observatory itself.

  “Keelin!”

  A hand appeared on Keelin’s arm, but he shook it off, not caring who it belonged to, and advanced upon the nearest vine that looked sturdy enough to take his weight. Aimi slipped around him and stood between him and the building. Her brow was furrowed and her cheeks reddened.

  “Stop!” she shouted.

  For a moment Keelin considered shoving the little woman aside and starting the climb before any of the others could try to stop him. He glanced back to see the rest of his expedition standing just a few paces behind Aimi, sharing worried glances between their captain and each other. Even Smithe was frowning with concern.

  “What?” Keelin said.

  “Where are you going, Keelin?” said Elaina, hanging at the back of the group.

  “I need to get to the Observatory.”

  “That where the best treasure is kept?” Smithe said.

  “Why?” said Aimi.

  Keelin felt his jaw clench. He was so close to his vengeance, only to be held back by those who were supposed to be helping him.

  “My city is dead,” Kebble said sadly as he walked slowly towards the others. Keelin spared the man a glance, and was shocked by what he saw. Kebble looked older, as though every line on his face was etched more deeply than before. His eyes were red from tears, and there were streaks down his face where they’d washed away the dirt and grime of the last few days.

  “Eh?” Smithe grunted.

  “It has been dead for over a thousand years,” Kebble continued, his eyes darting around the ruined city before them. “Even the ancient wards that kept the forest at bay have started to fail. It’s all my fault.”

  “Wonderful,” Keelin growled, impatience tearing away at his last nerve. “This is all we need.”

  “Your city?” Smithe said. “Ya been here before, Kebble?”

  Kebble nodded slowly. “Long ago. When thousands lived here and we…”

  “Good stuff,” Smithe said. “It’s all very tragic, I’m sure. You know where we can find the gold? Or at least the stuff that’s worth its weight?”

  Kebble nodded slowly. “Yes. We should act quickly. The city may be dead, but it does not want us here.”

  Smithe opened his mouth to reply, but quickly shut it again with a shake of his head. Keelin groaned and turned back to the vine; he had no wish to indulge Kebble’s delusion that he was immortal. Aimi still stood in his way, a determined look on her face.

  “We’re not splitting up,” she said slowly.

  “I have to do this alone,” Keelin said. He knew that what he was about to do was dangerous, and he wanted no one else to risk themselves for his attempt at vengeance. There was something else as well. He wanted no one to see the pain and rage that he’d kept balled up inside ever since the death of his little sister, ever since he’d watched her burn and had been powerless to stop it.

  “Do what?” Aimi s
aid.

  They’d been butting heads for weeks now, but there was real concern in her eyes. For a brief moment Keelin considered telling her everything. He considered telling her how his father had torn their family apart, about how Keelin had spent the last ten years hunting down the Arbiter who had murdered his sister. He couldn’t though. He couldn’t let her see his greatest weakness. Keelin had built his entire piratical career on secrets and lies. His identity was a lie, his life was a lie. Now he thought about it, there was very little that was true in his life.

  “Keelin,” Aimi said insistently. “Do what?”

  Drawing in a ragged breath, Keelin composed himself. He looked down at the little woman in front of him and shook his head. “Go with the others. I will be back here by this time tomorrow.”

  “No.”

  Aimi stood her ground, her hands balled into fists at her side. Keelin was acting erratically, and the last thing she was about to do was let the fool run off on his own. Aimi wasn’t the type to bandy around romantic clichés, but she was sure of one thing – she liked the captain a lot more than as a friend, and despite his recent spell of acting like an arse, she couldn’t let him go off on his own. They’d already lost Feather and Bronson.

  The captain fixed her with a steely glare, but Aimi held fast, though the intensity made her want to shrink away and join the others like a nice, meek crew member. It would take more than a stern eyeballing to scare her off.

  “Jolan,” Keelin said, his stare still on Aimi. “I have an errand to run elsewhere in the city. Make certain Aimi does not follow me.”

  “Fuck that!” Aimi spat.

  “Smithe…” Keelin said.

  “You can’t just…” Aimi threw out her arms to push Keelin’s chest, but he caught her hands and twisted her aside, sending her stumbling towards the others. A moment later two thick arms wrapped around her, holding tight.

  “Smithe. Find us some treasure to take back,” Keelin continued. “As much as we can carry.”

  “Damnit, Keelin,” Aimi shouted, struggling against Jolan’s grip only for it to tighten. “You simpering gull fart, you can’t just fuck off on ya own.”

  Without another word, Keelin turned and leapt towards the nearest vine, climbing upwards hand over hand. Aimi struggled, but Jolan held her tight. Everyone else just watched the captain climb up and up, until he made it to the rooftop and disappeared from sight.

  Aimi stopped struggling and Jolan relaxed his grip a little. The pirate smelled of sweat and fear, and it made her stomach curdle. She went limp with a heavy sigh, and Jolan loosened his grip a little more.

  “Sorry, lass,” he said quietly. “Captain’s orders an’ all.”

  “Uh huh,” Aimi grunted, a moment before hooking her left leg around Jolan’s and throwing her body back with as much force as she could muster.

  Jolan stumbled and tripped, taking Aimi with him, and hit the ground. His grip released and Aimi rolled free in an instant, springing to her feet and running towards the same vine that Keelin had climbed. Someone shouted something behind her, but Aimi was no longer listening. She leapt for the vine and raced up it as fast as her hands and feet could take her. No one aboard The Phoenix could climb rigging even half as fast as Aimi, and it seemed climbing vines was no different.

  The plant was rough and slimy to the touch, and by the time Aimi reached the rooftop her hands were stinging. She ignored the pain. The building had a flat roof, and much of it was crumbling away as the tree that had taken residence inside squeezed through the bricks. Aimi knew it took time, but she was always amazed by how destructive a simple tree could be when it really tried. It rose up behind her, providing shade from the midday sun. Before her stood a city the likes of which she’d never seen before.

  The size of HwoyonDo put even Larkos to shame. The city stretched out forever, far into the horizon. Buildings rose high and then higher, and they were all interconnected with the stone bridges Aimi had seen from the ground. From her vantage point she could see that the forest was starting to reclaim the city in many places and, even further in, the buildings were coloured green by nature’s advances – vines, trees, and moss all working to take back what humans had once stolen.

  Aimi looked upon the wonder of HwoyonDo, and nowhere did she see Keelin. How he’d disappeared from sight she didn’t know, but he was gone, and there were no tracks to be found on the rooftop.

  A cooing noise caught Aimi’s attention, and she turned to see a large bird sitting on a nearby roof, watching her every movement with beady black eyes. The creature was unnerving, to say the least, and not just because it was the size of a small dog. Aimi did her best to ignore the beasty as she wandered over the rooftop, looking for signs of where Keelin might have gone.

  By the time Aimi descended the same vine she’d used to climb up, her hands were red, sore, and blistered. She trudged towards the group in a stupor, and could barely find the energy to apologise to Jolan.

  “Bloody hurt, ya little bitch,” the pirate said, looking very indignant. “I was only following orders.”

  “Sorry,” Aimi said, collapsing into a cross-legged heap on the ground.

  “Ah, it’s alright. Didn’t hurt that much.” Jolan smiled. “You feeling alright?”

  “My hands hurt,” she admitted, showing her palms to the pirate.

  Elaina’s priest rushed forwards, tutting and fussing and demanding to have a closer look at Aimi’s hands. She let him, focusing on the conversation going on between the others, led by Smithe.

  “There’s gotta be a palace or something. Place where all the best loot is kept,” Smithe argued.

  “HwoyonDo has no palace,” Kebble said quietly. The marksman looked as though he were carrying the weight of the city on his shoulders. “There is the Sky Spire, but I cannot be certain the traps will have lost their potency.”

  “Traps?” said Alfer Boharn, Elaina’s quartermaster.

  “Yes,” Kebble continued. “Magical in nature and designed to resist intruders and thieves. I believe we would be considered both.”

  “So stay away from this spire then?” said Smithe.

  “I would suggest just that. The temple may have some riches remaining. Many would travel to pay tribute to the god.”

  Alfer sucked in a hissing breath. “Ain’t wise to steal from gods. Some don’t take kindly to such.”

  “Where’s Elaina?” Aimi said as Pavel wrapped strips of cloth around her blistered hands.

  “Huh?” Smithe grunted. He looked around. All seven of those who remained turned this way and that, looking for the missing captain. Elaina Black was gone.

  “Cap?” Alfer shouted, his voice echoing a little in the distance but receiving no reply.

  Pavel tied off the bandages and stood, nervously shifting his weight from one foot to the other as though he really needed to piss. Aimi pushed to her feet and went to stand next to Kebble. He was the only one of them who didn’t look worried.

  Chapter 37 - The Phoenix

  Keelin passed from building to building, barely taking any notice of their contents. Rooms blurred together as he entered through one skybridge to leave across another, always towards the Observatory. His hands were blistered from the climb up the vine, but it was only a minor distraction. Up on the roof he’d seen the Observatory standing tall amidst a sea of smaller buildings. It was obvious even to his eye, with its rounded roof and the broken remains of what had once been a giant monoscope that the scholars of HwoyonDo had used to study the heavens.

  Keelin raised his hand against the glare as he stepped out onto a skybridge. Inside, the light was dim and the atmosphere cloying. Outside, so high up, the air was crisp and the sun was bright.

  “Shit!” The bridge that spanned from this building to the next was gone. It wasn’t the first such unfortunate ruin he’d encountered; more than once already he’d had to double back to bypass a section that had fallen to rubble.

  He could, of course, have continued his journey on the ground, but Kee
lin knew just how easy it was to get turned around in a large city. He preferred to stay near the rooftops, where he could see his destination to correct his course if need be.

  Keelin glanced down. He was easily six storeys up, and any fall would result in almost certain death, smashed upon the cobbled streets below. The telltale rubble of crumbled bridges and walls littered the floor, and a small, rat-like creature scurried about from cover to cover, no doubt hiding from aerial predators.

  Looking up, Keelin spotted another skybridge a good ten feet above him. It appeared to be intact for the most part, veering off at an angle to connect to a nearby building that was at least vaguely in the right direction. He heard the scuff of boot leather on stone and glanced back inside the building. It wasn’t the first time, and he was now certain that someone was following him. It was probably Aimi, and the sooner she realised it was safer to go back to the rest of them, the better.

  Keelin shuffled up to the edge of the broken skybridge, sending a small cascade of loose dust and rocks hurtling to the ground far below. He edged sideways, placed his left boot on a nearby window ledge, and pushed upwards, grabbing hold of a door frame and beginning the climb. It wasn’t taxing – there were hand and footholds all over the outside walls in the forms of ledges or chunks of missing brick. It was, however, nerve-wracking, knowing that a fall would likely end his life as a nameless corpse in a city full of bones.

  Keelin rolled onto the intact skybridge, wiped the sweat from his forehead for the hundredth time, and got his feet beneath him to move in a crouch, ready to leap for safety at the first sign of the bridge giving way beneath him. The stone held, and after only a few moments he was across, a new doorway before him leading into the next building. Keelin hesitated only a heartbeat before stepping through into the dim room beyond.

  Like all those before, this one smelled stale and dusty. There was little of any real note. Over a thousand years had long since turned all but the most sturdy of items to dust. Here and there tarnished metal glinted underneath the rubble and dust; some of it might even be valuable. To Keelin it was worthless. The real treasure of HwoyonDo lay in its magical accomplishments, and there was one in particular that interested him.