by Curtis, Greg
“You should go.” Maybe it was wrong trying to give an enemy advice. But the fury didn't feel like an enemy to her. And maybe she owed her something for killing the harpy.
“Soon. Master say to help first.”
“Help?” Nyma was beyond help. Already the last of her vision was disappearing, and the smoke in her lungs was choking her, making her cough. Save that the poison had weakened her so greatly that she couldn't. All that came out were half hearted wheezes.
“Bring to safety.”
“Too late.”
“Not too late. Prometheus saw. Nemesis acts.”
Nyma wondered about that. Wondered why the fury was talking of the gods when she was a servant of the demons? But really, it was too late by then to care about such things. Not when she could suddenly feel the pressure in her chest building, and her lungs wouldn't move any more. She had taken her last breath.
Pain filled her. Terrible pain as she desperately struggled to breathe. To take one more glorious breath. There was fear too. Panic as she started to suffocate. But the worst of it was that she suddenly realised she wasn't dying alone. Her baby was dying with her.
But there was peace too, and little by little the pain eased and the peace filled her. In the end, though she couldn't have said how she knew it, there was something good about everything in life. Even death.
And that was a good thing when the world was going dark.
Chapter Sixty One
It was a sunny afternoon. The war was going well. Half the eastern side of the Kingdom of the Lion was theirs and now as they marched north to Lion's Crest, Erislee's army had been joined by the dryads from Inel Ison. They were eighty thousand strong now, and they were meeting with little resistance. People saw them coming and locked their doors and hid in their homes. The temples were either deserted because the wizards had beaten the thralls and then abandoned them as they retreated for the city, or nearly empty because the thralls had won the battle but been badly decimated in the attack. Most of them as they drew closer to the capitol were empty.
In fact now the thing slowing them down mostly was the army's size. Having to drag the war machines along behind them, cart endless wagons of food and other provisions, bring portable infirmaries for the healers to work in – all of it slowed them down. And the camp followers, those who did everything from sharpen swords to repair clothes and sell food, slowed them down further. But that was acceptable. It was spring, the air was warming, and she had no intention of letting summer pass with these false priests still breathing.
And now she had her first ever envoy to deal with.
It was a strange sight. Seeing the three men on their horses riding across the land towards her, white flags fluttering over their heads. It was a sight she had never expected to see. And dealing with them was something that she had never expected to have to do. She was a little nervous about it. She was also a little curious.
What were they expecting of her? Were they surrendering? It would be the logical thing to do, though of course for the six Circle wizards there was no surrender possible. They had to know that surely? And if they were in charge and they knew that only death awaited them, why would they surrender?
Or had they come to make some sort of deal? Some sort of bargain to save their lives? But no bargains would be accepted unless they involved the Circle wizards going in the cage and she knew that would never be on offer. But sooner or later the remaining Circle wizards would still die even if only by natural causes, and when they did the disaster would still unfold. Their lives were forfeit to the cage no matter what else was agreed to. The lives of any thralls were also forfeit, though she was beginning to realise that they were mostly dead anyway. Here in the Kingdom of the Lion the wizards had mostly won the war.
But those were all questions that would be answered shortly. So instead of worrying about them she stood there and waited for the three riders with her advisers and war masters and tried not to look nervous. But she did brush down her robes a little despite that. After months of marching they were starting to look a little grubby and it didn't seem right to meet people in dirty clothes. Maybe that was her mother's influence at work? All those years of raising her to be a respectable child. And it was also expected in the temple.
It would be proper to be wearing the robes of a high priestess she thought. In fact she felt distinctly under-dressed without them. But she couldn't do that. Not when the enemy was wearing those same robes. If nothing else they would confuse the soldiers. Besides, the garments had been soiled, as had the temple itself. When this war was over everything would have to start afresh.
“Don't fidget child! You are the one in charge here, not them.”
Dina stood beside her and schooled her from her left, and for once Erislee was glad of her words. She was right. These three had come to see her. They had an offer for her. It wasn't the other way around.
“The one leading them is Octan of Wild Falls. He was the court scribe five years ago.”
One of her war masters spoke up, letting her know what he knew – though what he said was unexpected. Despite everything some of the court had survived the attack on Lion's Crest. And one of them now stood with her as a war master. She was glad of that as he could identify their envoy, but she shared his confusion. Court scribe? It seemed odd that a person from such a menial station should now hold the post of envoy. More than that since he was the one in the centre leading the others as they trotted up the last few paces, it seemed he was the head of the envoys. Then again, most of the court had been killed so she understood. Maybe he was all that was left.
“The one on the left is Ferris, a minor wizard of water as I recall and never one of the most powerful. He didn't study as he should have either.” Dina indicated a younger man in bright yellow robes, who looked completely out of place among the trio. Not least because of his youth.
How could he also be an envoy she wondered? As for the third no one knew who he was, but he was dressed as a soldier. Which, when she thought about it made sense. They had a wizard, someone from the court and a soldier. The three arms of power in Lion's Crest were represented between them. Though in reality they all knew there was only one true arm. The Circle wizards. They had learned that Terellion the Bright had claimed the throne, which meant the Circle wizards controlled the court or what was left of it. And the soldiers were mercenaries. They worked for whoever paid them, which in this case was also the Circle.
Dina had been shocked to learn that Terellion was king. But more than that Erislee thought, outraged. There had been something offensive in the very idea. And for days after finding out she had wandered around the camp looking by turns sullen and shocked.
Erislee had been surprised too. She hadn't actually thought they might be facing a king. She remembered something of Terellion from her time in the city before the attack. He was a summoner and a lecher. Someone who had spent his days indulging his passions for women, wine and wealth. Someone who had somehow bedded half the women in the city according to gossip. But never someone to be taken seriously. Of the six Circle wizards that remained he was the one she would have thought least likely to become a king. To lead the others. And White Tail had said that no one had led them before he had died. He'd had no reason to lie. So maybe no one did? Maybe it was just a pretence of some sort?
The three men dismounted and walked the last few paces towards them, still in formation with the former scribe still leading them. Erislee had no idea if that was intentional or not. But when the scribe was the one to greet her she knew for certain that he was the one in charge.
“High Priestess.”
He'd only spoken two words and instantly Erislee's hairs on the back of her neck rose. She didn't like him. She didn't like those words coming out of his mouth. They were a lie. Not because she wasn't what he claimed – she was. But because he meant neither of them. To him she was nobody. Less than nothing.
“That's enough falsehood out of your mouth deceiver. Say what you ha
ve to say then leave and tell your Circle wizards and the thralls to prepare for death!”
Erislee was in no mood for conversation with him and she didn't completely know why. Maybe it was the Goddess speaking through her, letting her thoughts be known? Because the Goddess was very angry. There would be no compromise with those who had interfered with the hunt.
“Very well then, I bring word from the king”, replied the scribe, his disdain for Erislee apparent. “He says that you're a liar. That you can't kill him or any of the other Circle wizards because you know what will happen if you do. And he says that you should run back to your little hole in the ground and hide. The Kingdom of the Lion is his.”
The others were shocked when the scribe said that, but Erislee wasn't. She was actually grateful for his bluntness. Happy that the man was finally saying what he meant.
“I know what will happen and I don't give a damn! He will die. They will all die. And this world will be cleansed of their stench!”
“Really?” Suddenly the deceiver was back. The man showed calculated disbelief, but she knew it was all a pretence. “You saw what happened in Midland Heights. You were lucky to survive. And it's only going to get worse with each death. Until the end.”
“We can deal with that. Tell that worm not to worry about it. We will survive him and the others.”
“No! You won't! Terellion has seen to that. If you attack he will kill the Circle wizards himself. He will destroy you, the kingdom and everything else before he lets you win.”
For a moment Erislee was speechless. Struck dumb by what he had said and trying to work out if he had actually said it. Because he couldn't have. Could he? It was madness! The man would rather kill himself and destroy everyone else all around him than be killed?
Then again she thought, maybe he didn't have that much to lose personally. Maybe this was desperation talking.
And how could these three envoys remain so calm knowing that one way or the other they were going to die? How could they deliver such a threat? And yet they had. They stood there before her, seemingly completely unconcerned by what they were saying as they promised to destroy themselves completely if she didn't back away. Surely they knew what they were saying? Were they as mad as their king?
In the end though, she realised it didn't matter. Whether it was true or false she could do nothing about it. Nothing except what she was already doing. So she stood up as straight as she could, took a deep breath and stared the man straight in the eye.
“So be it! This meeting is over. You can return to your poxy king and give him these words exactly. He has little time in this world remaining to him. Because if he doesn't kill himself I will.”
“Now get out of my sight!” She didn't raise her voice, but still they understood she had finished with them. That she would listen to no more. And so they turned on their heels and left. And then when they mounted up and rode off across the grasslands she stood and watched them go, without saying a word. No one said anything.
But what was there to say? The man had just delivered the most unbelievable ultimatum she could ever have imagined. The most appalling too. And no one knew how to deal with it. No doubt the war masters would have some ideas in time. But somehow she doubted they would be any better than those she had. And her only thought was that it had to be a bluff. Because it couldn't possibly be true. Or maybe, she just couldn't let herself believe it.
Things remained quiet as she walked back to her camp fire. Even Dina for once was silent as she walked beside her, and that seemed odd. The woman was never silent when she had counsel to give. Which she slowly realised explained her silence completely.
Had she done the right thing? Erislee didn't know. She doubted anyone who had been there would know. In the end she had simply done the only thing she could. If the Circle wizards died because of it, it would only mean that they had died a little sooner than expected. And if the kingdom was torn apart because of it, there was still nothing she could do.
But really she thought, it was a falsehood. A hollow façade of bluster to save their worthless lives. These men had not done all the terrible things that they had to allow themselves to die in this way. They couldn't have. They wanted to live! They wanted to be gods! They would do anything to achieve that goal. They would not kill themselves. It simply wasn't in them. This had to be desperation talking.
The bad news wasn't over though. She discovered that as she walked to the fire where she and Dina had been camped to discover a messenger standing there waiting for her. And he looked serious. That was always bad, and she just didn't need any more bad news just then.
“Yes.” She snapped at him a little more brusquely than she should have.
“I'm sorry High Priestess,” The man stepped forward and bowed his head suddenly. “But I bring grave news from Inel Ison. From Ilendigo. Your sister Nyma has been killed in a harpy attack.”
The words were like a blow to the body as she heard them. Powerful, terrible words that seemed to suck the strength from her legs and the air from her lungs as she heard them. Words that didn't even make sense. They couldn't. Because Nyma was safe. She was having a baby. She was with her family. How could she be dead? It simply wasn't possible.
But the man carried on, telling her the details of the attack no matter how much she didn't want to hear them, and convincing her with his knowledge, Eventually she had to accept the truth of his words. And then she had to work out what to do with them.
Nyma dead? It just didn't seem possible. She was reckless and fearless and bold. But she was also tough. Too tough to die. She would ride through a thousand battles without a scratch. Defeat any enemy. And always come back to them with a smile on her face.
In the end Erislee did nothing. She just stood there in shock while Dina gravely thanked the man for his message and sent him away. Then she sat her down and made her a cup of the tea. And all the time Erislee remained frozen, unable to act. Unable to think. Not even when Dina started making the arrangements to send messages of condolence to the family, and of course to inform Harl of the shocking news. Because no one would have told him. He was not her husband. The news was already weeks old and he wouldn't yet know.
Harl, her sister's lover and the father of her child. Erislee was appalled with herself that she hadn't thought of him. But grateful that Dina would send him the message, because she simply didn't know what to say to the man. She owed him her freedom and her life. To bring him this sort of news seemed a terrible way to repay him for that. A cruel way. Especially to a man who had already lost so much. His home, his life, his family, and now his lover and his child. How could one man be punished so terribly? What could he have done to deserve such a fate?
And then there was Nyma. Her older sister. Her warrior sister. The one who was reckless and fearless, and unbelievably skilled with her blade. Killed in a place of peace. Killed when she was finally becoming a mother instead of a warrior. It was wrong. But she knew it was a story that so many others had surely heard a thousand times before. No one had suffered more in these last five years than the innocent and peaceful. They had been sacrificed mercilessly.
They were the reason the hunt had been called. This wasn't a hunt for food. It wasn't to show skill or daring. This had always been a hunt for that most terrible of prey – the man-eater. And it was that knowledge that eventually pulled her back to herself and let her carry on with her duties even as the tears flowed down her cheeks and the sobs forced themselves from her throat. Even when she wanted to fall down and die. First her mother and now this. It was too much.
The pain was there. A mass of grief and shock that simply would not go away. She suspected it always would be with her. But in the end she was a huntress. The Goddess had chosen her to be that. And she had prey to hunt.
These Circle wizards would be taken down.
Chapter Sixty Two
Terellion sat on his throne staring out over the throne room and wondered for the thousandth time how his life had come to this
. How could the Blind Mistress of Fortune have so turned her back on him as to leave him here in this disaster, soon to die? It was unfair. It was as though Tyche truly hated him.
Everything had gone wrong. Xin had betrayed him. He was at war with both the High Priestess and the demon king. Less than half his wizards and soldiers had made it back from the rest of the five kingdoms to stand with him in the city of Lion's Crest. Far less than half. The city itself was in ruins, the walls were broken and despite their attempts at repairs they would not survive forever against the High Priestess. And now the city was slowly being surrounded.
The war masters swore that all the work they had done in preparing for the siege would protect them. For many years maybe. But he was king! Ruler of the five kingdoms! And now he was king of only one city. Worse he was trapped, and in time he would be killed. Even if the city held for as long as the war masters promised it would, old age would claim him eventually.