by Den Patrick
Streig, who knew of Matriarch-Commissar Felgenhauer by her steely reputation, found himself in the strange position of having to defend her. The situation was made stranger still because his opponents had been, until just moments before, corpses.
‘What need for Hel with monsters like these?’ he whispered, swinging his blade in a wide arc. Two gholes jumped back out of range, but a third caught the strike in the side of its head and dropped to the ground. Felgenhauer cowered behind him.
‘Get back!’ he shouted. Changing his grip on the two-handed sword, he thrust forward, spear-like, and ran another ghole through the throat. A twist of the blade and the creature’s head came free. The last of the gholes attacking Streig came for him before he had recovered his stance. Bony claws reached out before the undead creature was flung across the court, where it crashed into the ruins of the throne. Streig looked over his shoulder. Kjellrunn smiled.
‘That was close,’ he whispered.
‘Sorry,’ replied Kjellrunn. ‘This is partly my fault.’ She made another gesture, striking the air with a flat hand. Another ghole was thrown into the wall, as if it had been swatted.
‘Keep knocking them down,’ said Streig. ‘And I’ll keep carving them up.’ He swung again, not quite believing he was fighting shoulder to shoulder with the Stormtide Prophet.
Silence settled upon the Imperial Court once more as the gholes were bested. Steiner stalked around the room, caving in the skulls of the creatures.
‘Just in case any of them entertain the notion of coming back. Again.’
‘Did the Emperor really think that would pose a danger to us?’ said Tief. ‘Two dozen gholes are barely a threat with Kjellrunn and Silverdust here.’
‘Thanks,’ said Steiner, not looking up as he smashed in the head of another wizened corpse.
‘No offence, Steiner, but a kid with a hammer is no match for the arcane.’
‘Tell that to Vigilant Shirinov,’ replied Steiner. The ceiling above them creaked and dust drifted down.
‘What now?’ muttered Tief. Flodvind’s head peeked through the hole in the ceiling.
You may want to get to the rooftops. Something has happened, and it has affected the whole city.
‘Frejna’s teeth.’ Steiner mashed the last of the ghole’s heads with the stone hammer.
‘The whole city?’ said Kjellrunn, pale and worried.
The dead are walking the streets, avenging themselves on the living. Nowhere is safe.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Kimi
While the defeat of the Emperor and Bittervinge were tumultuous events, their deaths were conducted out of sight but for a few. The refugees from the city, however, saw firsthand what came next. With nowhere to go, little food, and few weapons, the tide of gholes posed a real threat to an already desperate people.
– From the memoir of Drakina Tveit, Lead Librarian of Midtenjord Province
They slept badly, barricading themselves into the palace as best they could. Those who were able took watches through the small hours. The gholes did not disturb the palace through the night but no one had a good word to say come the dawn.
‘We should never have summoned him,’ said Kimi, fixing a saddle to Flodvind in the Imperial Gardens. ‘Now things are worse.’
‘No knowing how many of those things are out there,’ agreed Tief.
‘So you’re just going to leave?’ said Steiner. As ever Silverdust lingered just behind him, a looming shade. Felgenhauer and Kjellrunn were also present to see them off.
‘There’s an encampment to the south.’ Kimi flashed an angry look over her shoulder. ‘Lots of people have fled the city, some Yamal among them. They won’t stand a chance without our help.’
‘They’re miles away!’ replied Steiner.
‘And gholes hunt,’ said Kimi. ‘You didn’t see them in Izhoria. They hunt for miles and they hunt the living. I will not let my kin die at the hands of such creatures.’
‘Tief? Not you too?’ said Steiner. The Spriggani was fixing a saddle to Stonvind with a pained expression on his face.
‘You have Silverdust and Kjellrunn,’ replied Tief. ‘And Kimi has always had Taiga and myself.’
‘And two dragons!’ replied Steiner.
‘It does sound a little uneven when you put it like that,’ replied Tief. ‘You have Streig too. He’s a fine lad.’
‘Not exactly a dragon though, is he?’ replied Felgenhauer with an arch look. ‘No offence, Streig.’
‘None taken,’ replied the soldier.
Tief shrugged with an embarrassed expression. Kimi mounted up and extended a hand to help Taiga into the saddle, but the high priestess shook her head.
‘I’m sorry, Your Highness, but my brother has a point. I’ll stay here with Steiner and Kjellrunn.’
Kimi looked aghast. ‘What?’
‘Kjellrunn is the Stormtide Prophet; our faiths have always worked hand in hand. I don’t see why today should be any different.’
‘Taiga, I …’ Kimi slid down from the saddle. Flodvind flapped her wings in irritation. ‘Staying here is a death sentence.’
‘So you admit it!’ said Steiner with a curl of his lip.
‘You created this!’ replied Kimi. ‘No one, not one among us wanted you to bring back the spirit of Volkan Karlov, but you and your sister wouldn’t listen to reason.’
‘I don’t have time for this horseshit,’ replied Steiner. ‘I have a palace to defend.’ He turned away and stalked off, trailing curses as he went.
‘Taiga.’ Kimi took her friend’s hand. ‘There’s no telling how many gholes are roaming the streets. They’ll fetch up here soon enough.’
She has made up her mind. Flodvind dipped her head until it was close to enough for Taiga to reach out and rest a hand against the azure dragon’s snout. It was an honour to fly with you.
‘I will see you again, Your Highness,’ said Taiga calmly. ‘Both of you,’ she added, looking at Flodvind.
‘Taiga, have you finally lost your mind?’ Tief frowned. ‘We’ve always stuck together, flown together, fought together.’
‘And now Namarii is gone. It’s best Kimi takes Flodvind. I’ve always preferred to keep my feet on the ground. You know that. I’ll be right here, so be sure to come back for me.’
‘I will.’ Tief hugged his sister and turned away, his face creased in anguish. The Spriggani’s tears prompted Kimi’s own and she reached inside her tunic, pulling the Ashen Torment free, lifting the chain over her head. The dragon charm glittered in muted jade green.
‘You should keep this,’ replied Kimi. ‘Just until I return.’ Taiga nodded and the two women embraced.
‘Go and save your people, Your Highness. I’ll look after Steiner. Not that he needs it with his sister here.’ The Spriggani woman smiled and Kimi felt her heart break a little as she climbed up into the saddle once more.
Are you ready to leave? asked Flodvind, but she had never felt less ready in her life.
The flight south did nothing to reassure Kimi. Gholes dashed and scurried through the streets, hunting the living with all the hissing rage of the hateful dead. Tief was grim-faced and Stonvind remained quiet. Even the sound of the wind seemed muted as the dragons flew south.
‘There!’ Kimi pointed to a knot of gholes, pale skin contrasting sharply with the grasslands. The creatures ran hunched and bent low to the ground, hands reaching forward, ready to strangle the life out of whatever came close.
Stonvind dipped lower, then released a terrible sound as fire emerged from his jaws, immolating everything on the ground. A few of the creatures staggered on until the fire burned up their bodies, leaving charred bones and little else.
Tief waved from his seat at Stonvind’s shoulders. The dark grey dragon returned to the skies alongside Flodvind.
‘Let’s hope it’s always that easy!’ shouted Tief above the wind. Kimi nodded and forced a smile.
Do not give up hope, Kimi. Flodvind’s gentle words drifted into her mind like
dandelion seeds. This turn of events is nearly at an end.
‘But whose end?’ Kimi couldn’t keep a leash on her bitterness. ‘We were supposed to kill Bittervinge and the Emperor. We were supposed to change things for good, but now we have hundreds of undead stalking the province. What happens if they organize themselves and start raiding other provinces?’
Flodvind declined to answer but descended gracefully. They had reached the camp. The people surged towards them, keen for news and for answers, not least for an explanation of the amethyst light that had shone from the city.
‘The Emperor is dead!’ shouted Tief. ‘Slain by Steiner the Unbroken and the Stormtide Prophet!’ The crowd called out in shock, caught between cheering the end of tyranny and mourning the end of the Empire. ‘And Kimi Enkhtuya stands before you, Princess of Yamal, slayer of Veles and Bittervinge!’ The crowd erupted into applause and Kimi did her best to smile, but in truth she didn’t feel victorious. The rise of the gholes had soured her every waking thought. Tief told the crowd everything, while Kimi kept to herself, an imposing yet aloof presence by his side.
They had landed for perhaps two hours before the next hunting party of gholes were sighted. Stonvind and Flodvind were ready to take to the air. Kimi climbed back into the saddle, though her thoughts were far away, preoccupied with Khlystburg and the palace, fretting for friends she had turned her back on in the name of duty.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Kjellrunn
Not even someone in command of all the facts could have foreseen how things would end from there. But end they did, and in the most shocking of ways. The regrets of that day lingered long in the minds of the living and many were left wondering if the cost had been too high.
– From the memoir of Drakina Tveit, Lead Librarian of Midtenjord Province
‘He’s really gone,’ said Steiner. Try as they might they couldn’t find his body. Marek had been erased by the Empire just as the Vigilants had seemingly erased children with witchsign.
‘I’m afraid so.’ Kjellrunn held her brother close. Her heart ached fiercely. It ached for Steiner, and for herself, but most of all for her father. How terrible his final hours must have been, holding out hope his children would save him, only to be slain by Volkan Karlov.
‘I’m sorry, Steiner,’ said Felgenhauer.
They had retreated to an upper floor of the palace, to a room fit for a dignitary. A portrait of a noble with a lofty expression stared down at them, and a four-poster bed dominated the room. The furniture was exquisite and dusty in equal measure. Silverdust and Streig had taken a room at the other end of the corridor. Both rooms were situated by staircases and it was agreed that nothing was to come up and no one was to venture down until Kimi returned.
‘They could at least have taken us with them,’ complained Steiner, changing the subject.
‘The dragons would never have managed with all of us,’ said Kjellrunn softly. ‘It’s a wonder they’re flying at all after everything they’ve been through.’
‘You should eat something,’ said Felgenhauer, ‘before the food spoils. There’s no telling when we might get another chance to eat.’
‘And no one wants to go back to the kitchens,’ added Kjellrunn. Seven roaming gholes had awaited them the last time they had searched for food.
‘I can’t believe she left,’ said Steiner, still nursing his grudge against Kimi.
‘But we didn’t,’ said Kjellrunn. ‘We still have each other.’ She smiled at her aunt, and Felgenhauer smiled back, exhausted and wrung out as she was. A knock on the door roused them and Taiga entered a moment later.
‘You should keep a better watch on the staircase,’ said the high priestess of Frøya. ‘Those things can move quietly when they choose to.’
‘What have you seen?’ asked Kjellrunn. Taiga had taken to wandering the battlements, keeping watch over the grim and restless city.
‘Nothing good.’ She was about to say more when sounds of fighting interrupted them. Kjellrunn rushed from the room just in time to see a flash of light at the end of the corridor. Silverdust was casting arcane fire down the stone stairwell, no doubt attacking a ghole. Kjellrunn ran on and saw Streig cut another attacker down with his two-handed sword. The ghole collapsed and fell down the stairs, a crumpled corpse to add to the pile.
‘That’s the second attack in two hours,’ said the young soldier. ‘At this rate there’s no telling how long we’ll hold out.’
We will endure. Silverdust immolated the corpses on the staircase with an outstretched hand.
‘You’ll endure, you mean,’ said Streig. ‘I’m fairly certain there’s nothing that can kill you.’
Kjellrunn left the unlikely friends to their duty and hurried back to all that remained of her family. She would cry later, she told herself, once they were safe. Until then she needed all of her wits and all of her focus.
‘I don’t see how we’re going to survive,’ said Felgenhauer quietly. There was a resignation in her voice that chilled Kjellrunn.
‘Why not?’ asked Taiga. ‘We’ve made it this far.’
‘Steiner and I came through the catacombs beneath the palace when we were trying to steal one of the Ashen Blades.’
‘Catacombs,’ said Taiga, almost wincing.
‘Catacombs containing dead war heroes from over seventy-five years ago.’ Felgenhauer bowed her head and released a long sigh. ‘There’s no question the Emperor’s parting gift was meant to bring them back. The dead city folk? They’re just a convenient benefit. It’s the soldiers Volkan wanted to raise, and not even death could stop him.’
The sound of naked feet slapping against stone told them the conversation was over. Steiner lunged forward, stone hammer in hand, muscles straining under the weight. Taiga took a deep breath and drew her holy weapons before following the Unbroken to the top of the stairs. Kjellrunn joined them just in time to see Steiner catch a ghole in the face with the upswing of the stone hammer. Its head came apart in a shower of dark red gore, but another two creatures were racing up the stairs behind it.
‘Steiner!’ shouted Kjellrunn, thrusting a flat palm outwards. The arcane responded, slamming the first ghole against the far wall. Taiga stepped forward and thrust her silver dagger into the second ghole’s chest, before raking her sickle across the creature’s scrawny throat. The fell corpse twitched before collapsing, clutching at its neck.
‘Is that all of them?’ asked Kjellrunn. Steiner leaned out over the rail and glanced down. The staircase was not quiet and Steiner’s expression gave her little hope.
‘We should get to the roof,’ he said. ‘Now.’ As one they turned and ran towards Silverdust and Streig at the other end of the corridor.
What are you doing? Arcane fire reflected from Silverdust’s mirror mask as he seared another pair of gholes threatening to climb the last few steps.
‘There are too many!’ shouted Kjellrunn above the din of fighting. Behind her a ghole broke through a window in a shower of glass. The creature hissed and flexed withered fingers, the white bone ready to rend Kjellrunn’s flesh.
‘No!’ she bellowed. A glimmer of the old anger she had once felt rose and the ghole was ripped apart. Felgenhauer stared at her with an expression somewhere between awe and fear.
‘How did you—?’ But there was no time to answer such a question.
Streig was climbing a ladder that would take them to the roof. Silverdust changed one of his hands into a burning spearhead and punched through a ghole’s chest as it reached the top of the stairs.
Quickly now!
Steiner was guarding the corridor they had just retreated along, where six gholes were fighting among themselves in order to reach the living first.
‘The roof is safe,’ shouted Streig from above them through a trapdoor. ‘For now at least.’ Taiga climbed the ladder next, followed by Felgenhauer.
‘You go,’ said Steiner, hefting the stone hammer. Kjellrunn took him by the shoulder and slipped in front of him, then made a two-ha
nded gesture, both arms sweeping downwards. The floor in the corridor shook and the gholes stumbled and fell.
‘You go,’ said Kjellrunn. ‘I was too late for Father; I’m not losing you too.’
‘Frejna’s teeth, Kjellrunn. Why are you always so stubborn?’
Kjellrunn grinned. For the briefest of moments they were just two bickering siblings, not the Stormtide Prophet, not Steiner the Unbroken, not grieving children.
Come on now! Both of you! Silverdust ascended to the roof; the cinderwraith needed no ladder to help him escape. Steiner smashed another foul creature back down the stairs and raced up the ladder as more seething gholes gave chase.
‘Kjell?’
She had known there wouldn’t be time to climb the ladder, but she was the Stormtide Prophet, and her ways were not the ways of mere mortals. Kjellrunn stepped through the recently broken window as the gholes closed in on all sides. She took a deep breath and focused, then levitated up to the roof. The gravel paths of the Imperial Gardens waited below her, along with a seething tide of gholes all scurrying to find a way into the palace and hunt them down. Kjellrunn smiled and levitated higher, joining the others. An idea was forming. Steiner was hammering every ghole who climbed the ladder, but they would not have long before the unholy creatures began to climb the walls and reach them.
‘So this is how we go?’ said Streig, forcing a smile.
Not while I remain! Silverdust’s hands were two fiery blades, ready to reap a scorched harvest.
‘Taiga, I need the Ashen Torment,’ said Kjellrunn. ‘Will you pray with me?’
‘Of course,’ replied the high priestess of Frøya. ‘What are we praying for?’
‘A cessation of all dead things,’ replied Kjellrunn, dropping to her knees. Her eyes glanced towards the mirror-masked cinderwraith. ‘I’m sorry, Silverdust.’
I understand. There is no other way. Promise me Streig will be safe.
Kjellrunn nodded to the cinderwraith as Taiga handed over the jade artefact and adopted a similar pose. Steiner continued to defend the trapdoor, where scrabbling claws and hissing skulls stared up from the floor below. Felgenhauer huddled close to her nephew.