The Way of Caine (The Warcaster Chronicles)

by Holmes, Miles

  “Aw … now what did yeh have to go and do that for?” Caine moaned, resigned. He sat back blankly, and then checked over the eaves again. No, he had not imagined it.

  The idiot was still dead.

  What now? In the stillness of the night, the bark of a dog in a nearby alley was his only answer.

  “Oh, I need a cigar,” he sighed. Reaching in the folds of his coat, he put a hand into a deep pocket, and felt within. He couldn’t find the familiar foil pouch for his stogies, but his hand did brush something else. He pulled it forth, and his eyes widened in recognition. It was the black felt bag Rebald had given him.

  “In case the story doesn’t line up,” the spymaster had said.

  Somehow, Caine had all but forgotten it. He held the thing in his hand as he sat cross legged on the roof. He debated against opening it. Finally, cursing, he reached within. There was only a single small object he could feel. It was light, and rounded. Drawing it out, he realized he was holding a bit of licorice root.

  “Bugger me,” Caine said, stunned, and flopped back on the roof.

  In that unseen alley, the dog barked again. Caine sat up, his face gradually more stern. Well lit even at this late hour, he could see Rynnard’s palace westward over the cityscape. It stood head and shoulders above the rest of the spires. He stared at it, and then shook his head.

  You had it figured from the start, eh Rebald? Still holding the root, Caine was at a loss.

  At length, he looked up to the night sky overhead. “Well? Do you see me now, you old drunk?” No answer. “You’d say I told you so, wouldn’t you?” he scoffed. “Maybe you’d be right at that, eh?” he muttered. He drew a Spellstorm, and aimed down the sights, at some phantom target. Maybe I am no better than this. Then again, maybe this matters. He holstered the weapon, and looked skyward one more time, his expression thoughtful.

  “And maybe I don’t give one whit what you think anymore.”

  EPILOGUE

  Two Weeks Later

  AR 596, Caspia

  Within the labyrinth that crisscrossed the venerable walls of mighty Caspia, the young courtier moved with purpose. His outfit was the simple blue frock of a royal clerk. His face was clean shaven, and his hair a close cropped blond. His steady pace echoed in the darkness as he negotiated the maze without hesitation.

  At last he arrived at a corridor ending in a solid iron door. Set within the center of the door was a single keyhole. The young man withdrew a small, dull key of unusual shape from the pockets of his trousers, and set it to the hole. He turned it a quarter turn left, then a full rotation to the right.

  The key’s movement was met with a series of clicks from deep within the thick reinforced door. As the final click sounded, the groan of thick iron bolts receding from their braces could be heard. The door swung slowly open, revealing a width of over a foot. The light from within bled into the ancient corridor, casting long flickering patterns on the musty floor.

  The clerk stepped smartly within, grasping the handle to pull the thick door shut behind him with a heave. Within the windowless room, an immense map of western Immoren stretched upon the great stone wall opposite the door. Light was cast upon it from gas lamps bolted into the arched alcoves along either side of the chamber. A wooden desk in the center of the room was scattered with numerous map cases and leather bound ledgers.

  He faced the back of a man dressed in grey who was busy adjusting pins upon the map. Each of the pins had been painted in a variety of colors, and some had been affixed with a strip of paper, etched with iconic markings. While the pins crisscrossed the entire map, there was a notable concentration along the border between Cygnar and Khador. Presently, the grey-frocked man added several more pins in the small intervening nation of Llael. He did not turn at the arrival of the young clerk, who stood waiting respectfully. The clerk found it strange, given he had entered arguably the most guarded sanctum in all of Cygnar, behind the back of her highest ranking spy, Scout General Holden Rebald.

  “What is it, Baldasarre?”

  “How did you ...” the young man blurted in astonishment.

  “Your left leg is perhaps two inches shorter than your right,” Rebald said quietly without turning. “You have developed a gait in which your left footfall has a brief but distinct shuffle to compensate the difference.” Rebald finished by pushing a pin in the center of Merywyn, and crossed his arms in contemplative silence. With an audible exhale, he motioned for the clerk to approach.

  The clerk looked in surprise at his feet as he sidestepped the battered oak desk, coming alongside with Rebald, his gaze followed Holden’s, up at the map.

  “Couriers have just arrived with word from Merywyn, sir.”

  The elder scout general turned wordlessly to raise an eyebrow at the clerk.

  “It’s good news this time, sir. Captain ... I mean Lieutenant Caine’s account led our agents to the wreckage at the bottom of the harbor. Our agents were able to extract the cortex, intact. They report there was nothing else remaining that might implicate Cygnar.”

  “Nothing?”

  “Ah, yes, the matter of Rynnard’s death. The official story from the Llaelese ambassador is natural causes. It seems they are either unaware or unwilling to accept the notion their king could have been assassinated.”

  “They are in damage control now, apprentice. They know. It is important only that they do not know who,” Rebald said, his arms still crossed. His attention remained fixed on the pin he had placed in the center of Merywyn.

  “What next, sir?”

  “We wait, Baldasarre, though I wish it were otherwise.”

  “How did Caine accept his demotion, if I may ask?”

  Rebald smiled approvingly at his apprentice’s persistent curiosity. “He took the news with stoic indifference.” The clerk nodded at the thought, but then frowned as he thought upon it.

  “To the point, do you think the gesture will have the desired effect with the nobles?”

  “For the virtuous among them? I believe so. Caine’s actions, to official account, were unbecoming. They could not be condoned. As for any true malcontents, there will be no appeasement we might offer. No, for them, other gestures are now being made. In the end, they will all come around.”

  Baldasarre nodded grimly. “Still, the scope of the nobles’ plan, now laid bare ... startling, was it not, sir?”

  “Aye. We came within a hair, make no mistake. I would scarcely have doubted the safety of our king within these walls prior to having read their communiques.”

  “And the implication of King Rynnard as their sponsor!” At this, Rebald looked once more to the pin he had placed in Merywyn. The spymaster’s trademark deadpan betrayed a hint of anxiety, if only for the briefest of moments. A second later, the clerk felt he may have imagined it.

  “We’ve traded their fate for a little time to clean house. In the end, that’s the net gain of Caine’s actions.”

  Baldasarre frowned. Seeing the confusion of his apprentice, Rebald pointed to the map.

  “Khador, ever ambitious, will now see a nation without a king. In turmoil. They will certainly take advantage, if not immediately, soon. Rebald sighed, looking up to the pin at the capital of Khador. “Why wouldn’t they?”

  “As you say, he’s given us time, sir. Was that not worth it?”

  “The people of Llael are much as our own, son. In killing their king, whatever his vices, we may well have killed them too. I feel the weight of it,” Rebald said with sober certainty.

  The clerk nodded, turning to the oak desk, and brought forward a brief, thumbing quickly to find a particular page.

  “And of Caine, sir? By his own account, the mission was clumsy in its execution, nearly lost at several turns. Do you risk activating him again?”

  Rebald looked dryly at his apprentice. “I think you’ve rather missed the point, Baldasarre. What Caine achieved in his first mission was … surprising. In the end, he succeeded on all points.”

  The apprentice skimmed
the brief again, running a finger down the margin of the page. He paused at a paragraph near the bottom of the page. “He killed an awful lot of men, sir. We can confirm only Rynnard’s death. Do you really believe this account?”

  “I’ve no reason to doubt it. For all of his faults, Caine is no braggart. In Fellig, he proved a force of nature when properly motivated. Now, in Merywyn he has demonstrated a measure of control, though I suspect his best is yet to come.”

  Baldasarre closed the brief, replacing it on the desk. “Impressive enough, I suppose.”

  Rebald turned to the young clerk, surprised.

  “I will tell you this, apprentice. That man was born to kill, and I will employ him to save this kingdom, whatever the toll to his soul ... or mine.”

  IRON KINGDOMS INDEX

  Ancient Icthier: An ancient city in the southernmost Protectorate, deemed the source of western Immoren’s Menite civilization and the original Canon of True Law.

  Armsdeep Lake: This is a massive lake and river at the heart of Rhul, and source of the Black River. The Rhulic cities of Ghord, Ulgar, and Brunder are along its shores.

  Battlegroup: A warcaster and the warjacks he controls.

  Berck: Ordic port city, largest city in Ord and home port of the Ordic Royal Navy.

  Black River: Longest river in western Immoren, which connects Rhul, Llael, and Cygnar. Merywyn, Corvis, and Caspia-Sul rest on this river and it forms the eastern border of Cygnar, separating it from the Bloodstone Marches.

  Blackclad: Term applied to enigmatic and potentially dangerous mystics who are part of an ancient secret society that draws on the destructive power of the elements and the wilderness.

  Blackwater: Cryxian port city and home to its pirate raider fleet.

  Bloodstone Marches: A large barren geographical region between the Bloodstone Desert and western Immoren, occupied by tribal Idrians, farrow, and the Skorne Army of the Western Reaches.

  Caen: Name of the world containing the Iron Kingdoms, Immoren, Zu, etc. Sometimes contrasted as the material world as opposed to the spiritual world of Urcaen.

  Carre Dova: Ordic port city, located on the northern shore of the Bay of Stone.

  Caspia: Capital of Cygnar, the ‘City of Walls’ and only human city not to fall to the Orgoth.

  Ceryl: Cygnaran port city, home of the Fraternal Order of Wizardry and the Cygnaran Navy’s Northern Fleet.

  Chatterstones: District of Five Fingers on Hospice Island, notable for a large mass graveyard filled during a former plague on the island.

  Colossal: Massive predecessors to the modern steamjacks, these great machines were originally constructed during the Rebellion against the Orgoth.

  Cortex: The highly arcane mechanikal device that gives a steamjack its limited intelligence.

  Corvis: Northeastern Cygnaran city occupying the conjunction of the Black River and Dragon’s Tongue River, also called the “City of Ghosts.”

  Crael Valley: Farm valley in northern Cygnar, south of Bainsmarket, briefly seized and held by Madrak Ironhide and the united kriels.

  Cryx: Also known as the Nightmare Empire, an island kingdom of necromancers, undead, and pirates in southwest ruled by Toruk the Dragonfather.

  Cygnar: Southernmost of the Iron Kingdom, ruled by King Leto Raelthorne, bearing the Cygnus on its flag.

  Deepwood Tower: Northern Cygnaran border fortress, destroyed in 608 AR.

  Dragon: Immortal and unnatural creatures spawned by Lord Toruk, the first and greatest of their number. Dragons are hostile to one another, and particularly to their progenitor, and rarely notice the affairs of lesser beings.

  Dragon’s Tongue River: River stretching from Corvis to the Bay of Stone which separates Cygnar from Ord and is relied upon by a number of river towns such as Point Bourne, Tarna, and Five Fingers.

  Drer Drakkerung: Ruins of the former Orgoth capital city on the Garlghast Island, now claimed by Cryx and deemed a seat of Lich Lord Terminus.

  Eastwall: Southeastern Cygnaran fortress along the Black River.

  Fellig: Northern Cygnaran city in the Thornwood, currently partly occupied by Ordic troops and cut off from Cygnar.

  Fisherbrook: Former Cygnaran town north of the Dragon’s Tongue River, razed in 607 AR by the Protectorate’s Northern Crusade.

  Five Fingers: Ordic port city known for its gambling, criminal gangs, and smuggling trade, also known as ‘the Port of Deceit.’

  Garlghast: Northernmost and largest of the Scharde islands, site of former Orgoth capital of Drer Drakkerung, partially occupied by Cryx.

  Ghord: Capital of Rhul, on northeastern shore of Armsdeep Lake.

  Gobber: A diminutive race of inquisitive, nimble, and entrepreneurial individuals that have adapted well to the cities of men. Most gobbers are around three feet tall. Gobbers are known to have undeniable aptitude for mechanikal devices and alchemy.

  Gun Mage: An arcanist capable of channeling their arcane energy into rune shots fired from their magelock pistols.

  Hammerfall: Western Rhulic fortress protecting the western approaches through the mountains to Ghord.

  Hellspass: An ancient ogrun city once conquered by the Khardic Empire and now part of Khador.

  Horgenhold: Southern Rhulic fortress protecting the southern approaches to the Rhulic interior, including the road from Leryn and the Black River.

  Highgate: Cygnaran coastal city, home of the Southern Fleet of the Cygnaran Navy and headquarters of the Cygnaran Third Army.

  Imer: Capital of the Protectorate of Menoth, a relatively recently expanded city near the Erud Hills.

  Immoren: Continent containing the Iron Kingdoms, Ios, Rhul, the Skorne Empire, and the lands between them. Much of Immoren remains unexplored, and its inhabitants have had limited contact with other continents.

  Ios: Isolationist nation east of Llael and north of the Bloodstone Marches, Ios was founded long before the nations of men by survivors of a destroyed empire called Lyoss.

  Iosan: Inhabitants of Ios, a long lived elven race that has suffered a long gradual decline and faces an imminent cosmological catastrophe.

  Iron Kingdoms: Initially the four nations founded after the Orgoth Rebellion: Cygnar, Khador, Llael, and Ord. The Protectorate of Menoth, founded after the Cygnaran Civil War and having recently declared its independence from Cygnar, became the fifth Iron Kingdom. With the conquest of Llael, little of that kingdom remains free.

  Jack Marshal: A person who has learned how to give precise verbal orders to a steamjack to direct them in conducting labor or battle. A highly useful occupational skill, although lacking the versatility or finesse afforded by the direct mental control of steamjacks exercised by a warcaster.

  Khador: Northernmost of the Iron Kingdoms, once a kingdom and now an empire. The Khadoran Empire is ruled by Empress Ayn Vanar.

  Khardov: Industrial city in western Khador that is also a major hub of the Khadoran railway.

  Korsk: Capital of Khador and that nation’s largest city, located on the eastern shore of Lake Great Zerutsk.

  Lake Great Zerutsk: Largest of the three large lakes surrounding Korsk in central Khador.

  Leryn: Former Llaelese city and birthplace of the Order of the Golden Crucible, now the seat of the Protectorate’s Northern Crusade. Occupied by Khadorans during the Llaelese war and was subsequently taken by the Protectorate.

  Llael: Once the easternmost Iron Kingdom; largely conquered during the Llaelese War from 604-605 AR and presently divided between Khador, the Protectorate, and the Llaelese Resistance.

  Mechanika: The fusion of mechanical engineering and arcane science.

  Mercir: Southern Cygnaran coastal city, home of the Mercarian League.

  Meredius, the: Western ocean, only successfully crossed by the Orgoth.

  Merin: Capital city of Ord.

  Merywyn: Former capital of Llael, presently the most important industrial city held in the Khadoran occupied territory.

  Midfast: Northern Ordic city and fortress, along the Khadoran b
order.

  Nightmare Empire, The: Cryx.

  Northguard: Formerly a northern Cygnaran border fortress, successfully besieged and taken by Khador in 608 AR, presently serving as a resupply fortress for the Khadoran Army.

  Nyss: Cousins of the Iosans, the Nyss are a race of wild hunters who wants claimed large portions of northern Khador as their territory. Largely decimated by the emergence of the Legion of Everblight, the surviving Nyss are largely refugees dependant on Khador and Ios.

  Ogrun: A large and physically powerful race renowned for their great strength and honor. Most ogrun are citizens of Rhul, though they can be found throughout the Iron Kingdoms and are also present in Cryx.

  Olgunholt: Forest in southern Ord and that nation’s most important source of lumber.

  Ord: Iron Kingdom on the western coast between Khador and Cygnar, largely neutral in the recent wars and seen as a haven for mercenary companies.

  Orgoth: A fearsome race of men who invaded and enslaved western Immoren for centuries. The Orgoth arrived in great numbers on Immoren’s western shores and soon conquered the human kingdoms of the era, and were driven out just over four hundred years ago.

  Protectorate of Menoth: Southeastern theocracy dedicated to the god Menoth. Considered the fifth Iron Kingdom, though it did not exist at the time of the Corvis Treaties.

  Redwall: Llaelese fortress on the Khadoran border, destroyed 604 AR.

  Rune Shot: The specially crafted rune inscribed bullets used by gun mages to channel their arcane energies into.

  Rhul: Northeastern dwarven nation bordering Khador, Llael, and Ios; natives called Rhulfolk.

  Rhulfolk: The dwarves of Rhul. A tenacious and skilled people who have long traded with the nations of man.

  Scharde Islands: Island group southwest of Cygnar, named after the largest island that has become the heart of Cryx. The majority of the Scharde Islands are part of the Nightmare Empire while those that are contested are preyed upon by Cryx.

  Sul: Western Protectorate city, formerly half of Caspia east of the Black River, ceded after the Cygnaran Civil War.