by C S Vass
“You speak as if I disagree with you,” Torin said. “The destruction of the Rainbow Wood was a tragic crime. Possibly the worst genocide in history. That’s to say nothing of the trees and water. People just don’t care about the important things.”
“Many don’t,” the Messenger said. “But nevertheless, I apologize for speaking as if you don’t already know these things. It’s a bad habit I’ve developed when talking to the less sophisticated people of the West.”
Torin snorted. “You apologize with insults. But I can let it pass for now. I really must be getting old, because it’s taken me a moment to realize the significance of what you’re telling me.”
The Messenger sipped his beer. “So you don’t need me to spell it out for you?”
“Well it seems to me if the Cult of Ashanimara really is here, well on top of all of the demons already spilling out of the South, King Boldfrost is going to want the Shigata to get involved.”
“He will,” the Messenger said. “This is obviously unacceptable.”
“Well what the hell do you want me to do about it? I’m not king.”
“The Shigata will need to fall into place when the time comes, Torin. We are living through a shifting of the ages. The Gaellean Prophecy is nearly upon us. It could usher in ten-thousand years of paradise, or an eternal void that all life used to fill. The stars of ice and shadow are shifting. I suspect we may be facing the end of all things.”
“I suspect you exaggerate, friend,” Torin said. “But never the less, don’t let it be said that my loyalty has ever wavered from our just cause. I will do whatever I can to help. But now we get into the meat of it. How to help is something I may well have a difference of opinion on.”
“Oh?” The Messenger raised an eyebrow. Torin didn’t like that he sensed a challenge within that facial expression.
“Kanjo is still our main problem.”
The Messenger grimaced. “Our main problem caused by you, if I remember correctly.”
“You do,” Torin said, defensively. “I misjudged things. To be honest I’m shocked that Godwin didn’t shove a sword through the bastard’s head. I assigned him that contract. Godwin was one of my most reliable. How was I to know he would goof?”
“You might have guessed,” the Messenger said, somewhat angrily. “If you had realized another of your order was searching for him.”
“What?”
“A woman. Yaura. She was searching for Godwin ever since they had some misadventure in the Jagjaw Mountains. She found him shortly after you left him. She must have convinced him to spare Kanjo.”
“Gods be damned,” Torin breathed. He chuckled. “I’ll be a monkeys arse. Just how do you know all this?”
“You have to ask?”
“No. Spies, everywhere. Probably watching me too.”
“Do you think I’d trust you enough to show you my face if they weren’t?”
“Alright, point taken,” Torin said.
The Messenger slammed his fist down on the table. “No! Point not taken, Torin,” he said. “The point is that this may happen far sooner than any of us dreamed. You had a singular mission. To bring the Shigata in line so that when the stars move we can be ready. You haven’t done that.”
“I have not,” Torin agreed. “But why do you think I’m heading to Unduyo right now?”
“I would be delighted to hear your reasons.”
“Godwin is recruitable. Perhaps more importantly, he’s a good man. Let me be honest with him. I’ll explain things as they stand. He’ll see the light and come over to us. After that everything else will fall into place.”
The Messenger laughed, but he did not sound amused. “You truly believe that? You think that you can bring Godwin over?”
“Why not? He has no love for the kingdom that turned him into a hardened killer. He has no allegiance to the western lords. And above all, he has no allegiance to Shigata run by Sages who have him hunting down humans every other contract.”
“Your game sounds dangerous, Torin,” the Messenger said. “Are you sure you’re not mistaking the man for his reflection in the mirror?”
“I’d stake my life on it,” Torin said. “But I have a feeling that doesn’t matter because you’ll kill me anyway if I mess this up. So I have something even better.”
“Oh?”
“I’ll stake Godwin’s life on it.”
“Your best friend? Are you so willing to dispose of those you care about?”
“For just anything, no. For the Gaellean Prophecy? Yes. But it won’t come to that. Understand, Godwin and I are two Forsaken. Nobody understands us the way we understand each other. I can bring him over.”
“I hope you do, Torin. I hope you do.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
They had arrived in Meno.
After the events in the nameless village, their journey proceeded unimpeded. They were all in good spirits except for Robert of who had caught some vile stomach illness. Had they been pursued, the trail of vomit that Robert left behind would have made them easy to track. Fortunately they encountered no such pursuers all the way to the frozen strait of land that led them to Black Wolf.
“This is truly it?” Robert had asked, awestruck when they arrived on the island.
Godwin smiled. It had been too long. Black Wolf’s thick Redwoods frosted with snow were unnatural in their grandeur. It was all the more beautiful for that.
Meno itself had welcomed them warmly. It was unique in that the city was poor and happy. Security by sea was enforced by King Boldfrost’s troops who viewed its location as essential to guarding Ice Bay (and as such, guarding Iryllium) from a naval invasion from the East. Demons feared to play in the market square despite its close proximity to the Jagjaw Mountains and the Blood Wood because Unduyo was so close by.
The folks there had and wanted little. Basic needs were met. Jobs were sparse. Food was readily available so long as hunters were willing to venture into the woods. Traders were willing to take demon heads won by Shigata warriors in exchange for the fruits of the earth. A robust underground economy of mages trading various parts of demons had existed for centuries.
Godwin, Yaura, and Robert found themselves welcomed into the hall of Lord Blake Wolfbane. The Lord of Meno was a fat man with grey-blue eyes, an enormous mustache, and a no-nonsense demeanor. Lord Wolfbane was known for two things: his near execution at the hands of King Boldfrost for unauthorized use of the Shigata, and his hatred of the Empire. Most agreed the second quality spared his head after his mishap with the King.
“We thank you for the hospitality, Lord Wolfbane,” Godwin said to the Lord of Meno. The chills of winter were kept at bay by animal pelts and a warm fire that reflected in Lord Wolfbane’s grey-blue eyes. “If I may, I would like to inquire if there’s a reason you’ve summoned us here other than to bestow us with your hospitality. I fear we are short on time.”
“Of course, Shigata,” Lord Wolfbane said. “I expect you’ll want to leave as soon as your friend has recovered.”
Robert, who was still ill, was resting in a private room. “Perhaps even before then,” Yaura said. “But we will see.”
“Then I’ll not keep you longer than necessary. I’ll allow our ambassador to explain.”
“Ambassador?” Yaura asked. “What does an ambassador want?”
“I have no idea,” Lord Wolfbane said. “She refused to tell me. She insisted on speaking with the Shigata, and you were the first to answer my summons. Rekki!”
The doors swung open and in walked an ogre with an angry expression. She wore the mismatched furs of several animals and a long dangling necklace of polished silver. Like all ogres, she had almond shaped eyes and a large forehead.
Godwin looked upward to greet her.
“Rekki, this is Godwin and Yaura. They are Shigata on their way to Unduyo. They will hear your plea.”
“Thank you,” Rekki said in her throaty voice. “I am not a woman of many words so I will make this brief. I come to Meno
as an ambassador from the Jagjaw Mountains. My people have sent me to seek a Shigata envoy to help broker peace between the three races. Will you help us?”
“Go to Jagjaw?” Yaura asked, awestruck. “We need to get to Unduyo.”
“That’s quite a request, Rekki,” Godwin said. “I appreciate that you’re not much of a talker, but some more details would be helpful.”
Rekki rolled her eyes. Godwin had forgotten how stubborn ogres could be. “A peace is necessary,” she said. “We won’t reach one by ourselves. Surely in Meno you’ve noticed. The demons are growing more active. Even our main roads through the mountains are no longer safe. The dwarves and elves refuse to work together with us. Worse still they’re are at our throats more often than not. We need human intervention.”
“I suppose you’re here to tell us that the ogres have been perfect throughout all of this?” Yaura said.
“No,” Rekki said angrily. “When a dwarven ambassador came to the hall of my master and offered a pittance of gold in exchange for hiring some of our warriors, my master was so insulted by the amount that he took the dwarf’s head. That was…not diplomatic.”
Godwin snorted. “No, I should say not.”
“Still,” Rekki went on. “We need their help. The dwarves are willing to give up everything. They simply tunnel deeper into the mountains and build greater defenses. They are cunning, but we fear they will disturb something best left sleeping if they continue. Meanwhile, the elves have become extremely hostile. Many of them are dead, and the ones who live use the old magic to create illusions and traps so we can’t even find them when we want to. They kill us first.”
“What do you want us to do about it?” Yaura asked.
“The Shigata still have respect among the people of the mountains. They will listen if you speak to them. I know they will.”
“I must interject,” Wolfbane said. “Rekki, I appreciate your circumstance but this is a request that would be better made to King Boldfrost. Surely you all know my history. If I allow a Shigata envoy to go to Jagjaw for diplomatic purposes without consulting him, well…” Wolfbane’s eyes glittered. “Well, he wouldn’t appreciate it.”
“I don’t have time to sail to Iryllium!” Rekki shouted. “The mountain paths are slick with ogre blood.”
“Be that as it may, Lord Wolfbane has a point,” Godwin said. “To further complicate the issue, the Shigata would not want to risk the pleasure of Meno by going on this mission to Jagjaw that you don’t approve of, Lord. Forgive me for saying so, but this all would be much easier had you not heard the request.”
Wolfbane sat down and stroked his thick mustache. “Aye, I hate to say it Shigata, but you’re not wrong. I can’t well pretend I don’t know this is happening at this point.”
“Why not?” Yaura asked. “We won’t tell. Listen, why don’t you come with us to Unduyo, Rekki? You can plead your case directly to the Sages. For the first time.”
“I came to barter with the Lord of Meno!” Rekki snapped. “I don’t have time to run around the island like some errand whelp. Is this the hospitality of Black Wolf, Lord Wolfbane? Do you forget that if we of Jagjaw disappear, there will be naught to prevent the hordes of demons from descending upon you and swallowing up your tiny forest city?”
“I warn you Rekki,” Wolfbane said, standing. “I will not be spoken to like that in my own hall.”
“Bah! You humans barter and haggle like virgin milk maids.”
Lord Wolfbane’s face flushed crimson and the veins in his neck purpled.
“Easy,” Yaura said before he could speak. “Both of you. I understand this is frustrating. But the good Lord Wolfbane has a complicated history with our King. If the situation is truly as dire as you say, King Boldfrost will need to be informed regardless.”
“Besides,” Godwin said. “It seems like your own negotiating tactics are why you need us in the first place.”
Rekki’s nostrils flared. “I could crush your head like a pumpkin if I were in the mood to drink its juice.”
“Enough,” Yaura said.
“Yes,” Godwin said. “I have heard enough. Unless, Rekki, you’d like to tell us what you’re leaving out.”
“Leaving out?” Rekki’s mouth hung open. He could see drool pooling in its corners. “I left nothing out.”
“Not even the part about the ogres attacking the dwarves’ hideouts?”
Rekki’s face flushed. “They provoke us. They build their secret holes, fill them with food and fire. Then they won’t show us the magic they use to tunnel and build. What are we supposed to do?”
“Ask nicer,” Godwin said. “Or get used to your new demonic neighbors.”
“This is an outrage!” Rekki said. “Am I supposed to allow my people to be eaten by demons because you Shigata won’t help?”
“I have no power over them, Rekki,” Lord Wolfbane said. “This seems more and more like an argument you should have in Iryllium.”
“You have power over your own men,” Rekki pointed out. “We keep you safe and get nothing in return. Send your soldiers into the mountains if you truly want to help!”
“We protect our own lands as you do with yours!” Lord Wolfbane shouted as his temper flared. “Or do you think if we didn’t protect your sorry arses from the Empire that Julius Hercinium would just leave you alone and not notice that those massive bodies you ogres have would be more valuable to him in chains?”
Rekki waved the comment off. “Human squabbles are nothing to me. You fight like starving dogs snapping at bones amongst yourselves.”
“Ba—You—How dare!” Lord Wolfbane’s face flushed to a dangerous shade of purple.
“Careful Rekki,” Godwin said. “It’s considered impolite to insult your host.”
“Everyone—out!” Wolfbane finally managed to say. “You are all expelled from this stronghold! I’ll have nothing more to do with it, and I won’t allow King Boldfrost to accuse me of conspiring behind his back. Rekki, you’ll have to find your aid elsewhere. Maybe you can go to the hall of copper and get a loan so you can pay the Shigata yourself.”
“We thank you for the hospitality you’ve shown us,” Godwin said formally. “We’ll collect our comrade and be off.”
Rekki’s eyes narrowed. For once her voice was cool, and it made the hair on Godwin’s neck straighten. “Just remember, if my people die, so do yours.”
* * *
Robert was faring much better when they returned to him. “A sunny day in a new land,” he said, looking around as they left the fort that served as Lord Wolfbane’s seat.
“Sunny and cold,” Yaura said. “And we won’t have the sun for long. It’s too late to set out for Unduyo. We should get lodging for the night before we find ourselves out of doors.”
“Or before the other Shigata in the city take it all,” Godwin added. “I’d be surprised if we don’t see some friends here.”
“I’ll be surprised if you still have any friends among our brothers and sisters,” Yaura said.
Godwin ignored the comment. “I suppose this will be the last night we spend together,” he said.
“What do you mean?” Yaura asked.
“In the morning, we head to Unduyo. Robert, you have a ship to search for that will take you across the sea, do you not? Meno is the place for you to do that.”
Robert looked surprised. It dawned on Godwin that he had completely forgotten the initial purpose he had for traveling with them.
“Well, perhaps not,” Robert said slowly. “It’s winter after all. I don’t fancy dealing with the storms in the Dark Sea at this time of year. Ships headed east are bound to be few and far between. Who knows how long I’ll end up waiting in Meno? Bedsides, how often does one get the chance to see a place like the legendary Castle Unduyo?”
Godwin rolled his eyes. “So you plan to journey with us? Were you going to ask? You do realize that Castle Unduyo is off-limits to outsiders, don’t you?”
“Come now,” Robert said with a wave of his
hand. “You’re not really going to give me the boot. Surely you have all your secret Shigata mysteries safely locked away in some corner of the castle. I’d be much surprised if you didn’t have a bed to spare for a lone wanderer.”
“The Sages aren’t going to like this,” Yaura grumbled.
“We won’t know until we ask them,” Robert said with a wide smile. “Now off we go!”
The snows fell ever faster as they walked the streets of Meno. Tradesmen packed away their things, and hunters returned from the woods with slain deer on their shoulders or sacks of rabbits, squirrel, and fish.
“Natal chart?” An old woman called to them from behind a stand. She wore flowing purple robes that covered everything except for scarlet eyes that stared from behind folds of cloth.
“We haven’t the time, grandmother,” Godwin said. “We seek shelter for the night.”
“If you be poor travelers, you’ll find none better than here,” the old woman replied, gesturing to the building behind her. “Warm beds and a hot meal. Discounted prices if ye be Shigata warriors.”
Yaura shrugged. “It’s worth investigating, I suppose,” she said.
“I want a natal reading,” Robert said excitedly as he approached the woman’s stand.
The old woman smiled and dipped a large black feather into a porcelain inkwell. “Come hither, then.”
“I have no need to see my stars,” Yaura said. “I’m going in to see about a hot bath.” Yaura disappeared into the building. Godwin was about to follow her when he felt a firm hand on his shoulder.
“I need to speak with you.”
He felt his jaw tighten. Turning, he saw the baleful eyes of Rekki the ogre staring at him.
“I had thought our business was concluded,” Godwin said.
“It’s not,” Rekki said. “I need a moment of your time.” The ogre looked deeply uncomfortable. She swallowed. “Please. It won’t take long.”