City of Steel (Chaos Awakens Book 3)

by Heath Pfaff

  “A week.” The Unth female replied. “They have made multiple attempts at the wall every day except today, but none have been anywhere near successful. We have killed hundreds of them already.”

  The assassin’s eyes rolled over the horde, looking for some sign of where he might start searching for the knife and the troll god. “Do you know where their leader is?”

  “Our Farseers have spotted several generals amongst the horde, but our magic is obscured the further out we try to look. The trolls have magic of their own, though it has proven ineffective so far.” The Unth reported like a well-informed tactician.

  “I didn’t think there would be this many.” Haley noted, looking out over the edge of the wall with an overwhelmed expression on her face.

  “What do you intend to do?” The Unth asked Xan, as though he would have been able to formulate some plan in the minute he’d had to take in the gravity of the troll problem.

  Xandrith shook his head. “I don’t know yet. I’m going to need some supplies, weapons, gear, and I need some time to think about this. I didn’t suspect that trolls would be so numerous. I had no idea.”

  The Unth didn’t seem impressed. “You may return to your room if you’d like. I can send for some supplies, but you should be aware that there are many common items that the Unth do not need, and therefore do not have.”

  “I’m not ready to go back just yet. I need to see more of this if I can. Do you have a spy glass?” Xandrith asked hopefully.

  “No.” The Unth replied.

  “Alright, then I’ll just have to take in as much as I can without one. Can I walk this wall?” Xan pointed in one direction and then the other.

  The Unth nodded. “Yes, but I will accompany you.”

  Xandrith returned the nod with one of his own, and then began to walk. He watched the horde as he moved along the length of the wall. Haley walked beside him, also scanning the crowd of trolls below. He was glad to have her eyes on the problem as well. She might see something that he didn’t. There was too much for one person to take in. How was he ever going to find the knife in that mess?

  The assassin made mental notes of locations that looked particularly important along the troll line. There were encampments of better quality than others, as in any army, and those he set to the forefront of his mind. If they didn’t have what he was looking for, they would probably house officers or superiors who might have information that he could use to narrow down his search. Information traveled fast in armies that marched together. What one person knew, they all knew. He just had to find the right trolls to talk to, and find a way to talk to them without alarming the entire horde.

  Xandrith was excellent at killing, but not so excellent that he was going to charge blade first into a group of thousands of trolls. He imagined he might get all of two of them before he was ripped into small, easily digestible pieces. This was a daunting task.

  Xandrith walked a mile in one direction, and then turned around and walked two miles back the other direction before returning to where he’d started. He’d seen as much as he cared to see. There was no one point that looked better than any other. If there was a main camp, something more formal than the officer’s camps he’d seen, it was too far back in the horde for him to spot from the wall. He’d have to rely on intelligence he gathered once he was down amidst the trolls, but before he could do that he’d have to get better equipped and find a way to disguise himself so that he wasn’t killed on sight.

  Being part troll himself did give him some small advantage, but he clearly didn’t have enough of the troll look to avoid being singled out as an outsider. The big troll that had gotten him in the Forge had said he smelled like a human, particularly his blood. He’d have to be sure not to bleed. That was one of his favorite goals anyway, so it was a good thing to have on his list of no-nos. Bleeding would ruin everything.

  “Alright, I’ve seen enough.” He told the Unth. “I need to gather some supplies, and work out a disguise that will work well enough to allow me to go down amongst those trolls. There’s nothing more that can be done from here.”

  The Unth gave a sharp nod. “I will return you to your room then. You may tell me what it is you need and I’ll see if it can be acquired for you.”

  Xandrith wasn’t certain he liked the idea of being returned to his room. He’d spent enough time in various prisons that the idea of being in another didn’t strike him as particularly enticing. Still, he didn’t exactly have another option.

  “I’ve only got one good knife on me. I’d like another set of fighting knives. A pair of daggers with edges the length of my forearm. Narrow, strong blades. The sharper they are, the better. In an emergency they’ll need to cut through troll skin. I’m also going to need some troll attire. I’ve seen some of them dressed in cloaks made of strange animal skins. The most covering thing you can find would be best. If it has a particularly strong troll odor about it, even better. I’ll also need something to darken my skin temporarily. Nothing that will give off a magical radiance. That would attract too much notice.” Xandrith thought for a minute and made an addition to his list. “I need a heavy sword, troll made. If I go out there without a visible weapon they’ll know I don’t belong, and it wouldn’t hurt to have something that could potentially separate one of those bastards from its head.”

  “I need a disguise too.” Haley chipped in, but Xandrith held up a hand.

  “No, it doesn’t make sense for both of to go amongst the trolls just to gather information, Haley. You should stay here.” Xandrith kept his voice level and firm.

  Haley shot a pointed look at the Unth. “I don’t feel comfortable staying here on my own. I’d be more use to you out there.”

  Xandrith could understand her desire to accompany him, and if it didn’t put both of them at greater risk he would have gladly taken her with him. As much as Xandrith didn’t want to endanger the girl, she was a reliable and powerful ally to have in a tough situation. She’d also proven herself against trolls, even a giant one, which was a huge point in her favor.

  “I’m not leaving you behind because I’m afraid you can’t handle yourself out there, Haley.” He could see the protest already forming on her lips so he jumped ahead to speak before she did. “It is going to be difficult for me to remain hidden on my own, but one person is going to be easier to disguise than two moving together. If trolls are anything like humans, than a single new body amidst a crowd isn’t going to attract much attention. If we’re in there together that just gives them more of a chance of noticing something amiss.”

  Haley’s protest faltered, but she didn’t look happy. “What if you get into trouble out there?”

  “Let’s hope that doesn’t happen. If I get into trouble, one more person isn’t going to make a difference amidst that horde of trolls. We would just die together. I don’t plan on getting in trouble.” Xan tried to sound as confident as he didn’t feel.

  “You never plan on getting in trouble, but you always do.” Haley noted with more than a hint of worry touching at her fox-covered features.

  Haley’s assessment was painfully accurate. “Well, I’m planning extra hard this time. I’m sure things will work themselves out.”

  The Unth, who had been silent until that moment, spoke up to clarify. “Then you will only be needing the items you mentioned before?”

  Xandrith looked once more at Haley, who let out a soft sigh and looked away.

  “Yes, that should do. Could you provide some food for my friend, and see that no harms comes to her while I’m away?” Xandrith was a little worried about leaving Haley alone with the Unth. They were difficult to read as a people. So long as he and Haley did not come between the Unth and the Wellspring, there shouldn’t be any direct conflict, at least not until Xan’s business was finished and they were ready to leave. That was a problem for another time.

  “If that is all, I will see you back to your room while I gather the necessary gear for you. It will not take long.” The Unth
didn’t wait for a reply. He turned and began walking back towards the stairs that would lead down to their room.

  Xandrith and Haley fell in behind him quickly. The assassin wasn’t excited to be locked up again, but he also wasn’t ready to antagonize his hosts any further by trying to secure some more free time to walk around. Besides, he’d seen most of what he needed to see for the time being. What still remained to be seen was how he was going to get down into the troll population without being seen, and that raised another question. He’d asked for troll supplies because he needed them, but he’d expected some protest from the Unth about actually locating what he needed. It seemed they had a way to get in physical contact with the trolls at least enough to secure the items Xan needed. The Unth had even said that it wouldn’t take long.

  If the Unth could get outside their wall and into the troll horde to gather items, did that mean that there was some secret path that trolls might discover and use to get inside? That was a frightening prospect. Xandrith wanted to ask about it, but at the same time he didn’t think he’d get a satisfactory answer, and he didn’t want to raise suspicion by asking about the Unth security. If they suspected that he was a spy, things would not end well for him and Haley. He would learn the truth soon enough. The Unth would have to give him a way to get out amidst the trolls without it being obvious that he’d just come from inside the walls. He could assess the situation more closely when that time came.

  The door closed behind him and Haley and he heard the sound of the lock engaging almost immediately. Xandrith sighed and walked back to the bed to sit down. His leg was aching and his mind was spinning with the details of the task that lay just ahead. The task felt insurmountable.

  “I’m afraid to be alone.” Haley’s voice was soft when she spoke, a whisper that somehow shattered the silence.

  Xandrith looked up at his young companion. She was slowly pacing the room, looking every bit like a young vixen caught in a hunter’s live trap. “You’re not alone Haley, and you won’t be when I’m out there either.”

  Haley half-smiled, an expression a little too close to Xan’s own false smile. “I think I’ll be pretty alone when you leave. I don’t think the Unth are going to keep me company.”

  Xandrith was about to speak but the words slipped away from him as a strange darkness settled in the room. At first it seemed as though the glow of the fire had been covered by a nearly opaque curtain, but a moment later curling strands of darkness began to leak out of the new and alien shadows. Xandrith jumped up from the bed and grabbed his knife.

  “Xan?” Haley’s voice was full of concern, he turned to tell her what he was seeing, but as his eyes fell on her the darkness transformed her as well. Black ichor poured from the corners of the eyes of her mask, burning black streaks down the wooden surface and transforming the familiar fox features into a skeletal, horrifying grimace. The bottom jaw unhinged and opened, dropping wide and expanding into a hungry maw. A terrible, low keening exploded from the thing that had been Haley. The sound was a mix of a dying animal’s scream and the fearsome roar of a predator.

  A weight settled on Xandrith’s shoulder and he spun around to face something he sensed behind him. When he turned he found himself face to face with Tilda, or something that wore Tilda like a poorly fitting suit of armor. The old woman’s body was shattered, twisted and broken, bone protruding through flesh at unnatural angles, face smashed and torn. She smiled as Xandrith took a step back in horror, and her smile exposed a mouth full of broken teeth that split unnaturally in the center as though the lower mandible had been split in two.

  “Crow sends his regards, Xandrith.” Tilda spoke, her voice was exactly as Xan remembered it, but her words were a slur of barely recognizable sounds because of the wreckage of her mouth. “He wants you to know that we’re going to kill you for doing this to us. We’re going to kill you and everything you love because you brought us out here to die. Your whole life is a curse, Xandrith Dalt. You destroy everything and everyone who gets close to you, and soon we’re going destroy you.”

  “I did everything I could!” Xandrith pleaded with the vile remains of the old woman. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I’m just trying to do what’s right!”

  “How could someone like you ever know what’s right?” Tilda laughed. The sound was terrible coming from her broken mouth.

  A pressure on Xandrith’s back made him jump and turn back around. He’d forgotten entirely about the thing Haley had become. He turned around hesitantly. He didn’t want to show his back to the risen Tilda creature, but he couldn’t leave another threat at his back either.

  “Xandrith?” It was Haley’s voice. He looked at her and for a minute he could still see the twisted version of the fox mask, but it seemed to melt away before his eyes. As it vanished, the light returned to the room. It peeled away the darkness until everything was back to the way it had been when they’d first arrived. “What’s wrong, Xan?” Haley asked, her concern was evident.

  Xandrith stepped away from her and returned to the bed. It had all seemed so real. He’d even been able to smell the rot coming from the phantom Tilda, and the chill of the darkness had settled into his skin. What was happening to him?

  “Please talk to me!” Haley was pleading now. Her voice was on the edge of panic, near the point of hysteria. Xandrith really did need to tell her what was going on.

  He gestured at the bed. “Come sit down. I’ll try and explain as much as I can, but I don’t understand it all.”

  Haley quickly sat down. She had an expectant expression on her face, as though Xandrith might be able to tell her something that would make her feel better. He wasn’t sure she was going to like what he had to say.

  “I’m going insane.” He began.

  Chapter 8

  Beyond the Wall

  “Maybe it’s some sort of troll magic?” Haley posed the possibility after Xandrith had finished his exhaustive explanation of what was happening to him. She’d gone through a wide range of emotions during his retelling, but had finally settled on a heavy concern.

  “You’re the one who can sense that kind of thing, do I appear to have any magic tied to me?” He asked, somewhat hopefully. It would be nice to know that he wasn’t actually losing what was left of his mind.

  Haley looked crestfallen, answering Xandrith’s question before she even spoken. “No, I don’t see any magic on you.”

  “That doesn’t leave a lot of alternatives.” The assassin noted morosely. “This is my own fault. I abused the powers I had, and I intentionally shattered my own mind to give Kassa a second chance. I would do it all again, though. I just need to hold it all together long enough to finish what we’re doing here. Since I know that some of the things I’m seeing are not real, I can make an effort to act accordingly when things start to get strange. My imagination can’t kill me. I think.”

  Haley frowned. “That sounds like you’ve already given up on yourself. You’re not in this thing just to die. You’re going to survive, and you’re going to get better.”

  Xan shrugged helplessly. “I don’t want to die, or to go insane, but I’m already doing the latter. I don’t know if it’s reversible. I’ve never heard of anyone going uninsane.”

  Haley was still hopeful. “You’ve told me yourself that there are healers who can work wonders, Xan. When this is all done we can find one together. I can get my burns fixed, and you can have your poor brain repaired.”

  “Maybe.” Xandrith pretended to smile. If Haley wanted him to hold onto hope, he would pretend to do so for her sake. He’d never heard of anyone having a mental breakdown healed by a mage, and there were very few mages left in the world. For Haley’s sake, Xandrith hoped she would find someone to work on her burns. He was aware that she was in constant pain. Some of the burns still tore and bled when she was being particularly physical. She never complained about the pain, or let it interfere with what she needed to do, but Xan knew it wasn’t easy.

  The door to thei
r small room and prison cell opened and a group of Unth stepped in carrying several pieces of equipment. Xandrith felt something close to relief as a distraction from his mental problems presented itself so neatly before him.

  “We have acquired the things you requested.” One of the Unth men spoke. He wasn’t the same one from earlier. Xandrith found it strange that they never gave names and seemed to work interchangeably without ever drawing attention to the fact that the individual you were working with at one moment wasn’t the same one who came around next time. It was like they were on some kind of work schedule and when one was off duty the next stepped up and took over seamlessly. It was a little disconcerting, but so were a lot of things about their people.

  Xandrith stood up and walked over to the Unth. One of them held up a set of knives the likes of which Xan had never seen. They were in scabbards on a brown leather belt, but even in the scabbard they were strange. The scabbards were made of the same material that the wall was made of, and the knife appeared to be made of the same crystal, though the hilt was wrapped in leather. Xandrith reached out to accept the blades, but the Unth pulled them back out of his reach.

  “These knives are not like typical blades. Watch closely.” He nodded to one of his companions who pulled out a wood block and set it on the small table in the room. The Unth with knives approached the block and drew one of the daggers, which was made of crystal so refined and thin that it was like a shard of glass. It was edged on both sides of the blade with a tip that was just slightly flared. There was a black stone set in the middle of the knife’s crosspiece. The Unth slid his thumb across this and then pressed the knife blade against the block of wood.

  Xandrith didn’t have to wait long to see what made this Unth-built knife different. The blade sunk into the wood block like a hot knife through warm butter. He pulled the knife from the block as easily as it had gone in, and then just set the blade against the wood, holding the hilt in his hand loosely. The blade sunk through the wood, slicing into it as though it was possessed of its own will. The Unth returned the blade to the scabbard.