Chaosmage (Age of Darkness)

by Stephen Aryan

  Today the water was a mix of murky blue and slate grey and there was little wind. The surface of the lake was fairly still, which made it easier to cut through the water. Here and there patches of fog clung to the surface, obscuring their view, and after a little while she couldn’t see the docks any longer. A few voices drifted to her ears announcing the presence of other fishermen, but they were somewhere out of sight.

  Crinn offered no conversation as his attention was focused on the water. His eyes darted across the surface, looking for anything unusual. Alyssa had heard the stories but had yet to meet someone who had personally experienced trouble on the lake. Large bodies of water held a certain level of fear for most people, especially once they couldn’t see the shore. It was perfectly natural given not everyone knew how to swim.

  When their boat was far enough out they worked together to unravel the net and then cast it wide across the water. As they waited in silence a wonderful calm came across her. Their boat bobbed in the water, gently rocking from side to side. Before the city’s fall she would have heard the mournful cries of seagulls, but they were long gone. Instead the only things she could hear were the lapping of the water and a faint murmur of the wind.

  Something stirred in the lake and Crinn’s gasp made Alyssa open her eyes. The boat wobbled alarmingly from side to side for a few seconds before settling. Staring out across the water she could see that the passage of something to her left had created some shallow waves. Nothing broke the surface but the wave continued moving further away from them as something under the water continued on its path.

  “We need to go. Now!” whispered Crinn, afraid that the sound of his voice would draw its attention. There was definitely something big in the water and Alyssa didn’t want to find out if it was dangerous or not.

  Moving slowly and carefully they started to draw in the net, always keeping one eye on the lake. To her left the wake continued to spread, steadily moving away from them. Something cold and wet flapped against her leg and Alyssa recoiled, scrabbling backwards. A moment later she realised it was a fish. In fact the net was completely full of them, almost as if they had been fleeing from a predator. Her arms began to burn as the net seemed impossibly heavy, and it was only half hauled in.

  “We should cut the net,” said Crinn, drawing a crude knife from his belt.

  “No. We need this,” she said. Crinn looked as if he were about to argue but, against his better judgement, he changed his mind. Instead he put the knife away and redoubled his efforts. By the time they’d pulled the last of the net in the bottom was flooded with fish of all shapes and sizes.

  The sound of raised voices caught their attention and turning her head Alyssa saw something break the surface. She had a brief glimpse of something long and black before it disappeared again. From the size of the fin, if that’s what it was, it could have been a whale. Except that the lake was completely landlocked and the fin was the wrong shape.

  Crinn must have seen it too as his face turned incredibly pale. He fumbled but managed to set the oars in the oarlocks and immediately started rowing with vigour. When the oars slapped the water they both cringed but nothing happened.

  Then came the screams. She didn’t want to turn around but part of Alyssa couldn’t help looking behind her towards the noise. The patchy fog hid most of it but she saw something massive burst out of the depths. The snapping and crunching of wood that followed seemed impossibly loud. A man screamed and she heard a heavy splash as something hit the surface. Next came the pleading and sounds of choking, gurgling water and then silence.

  Alyssa offered a prayer to the Blessed Mother for the safe journey of the fisherman’s soul.

  Crinn was wheezing and muttering a litany with each breath as he pulled on the oars, gliding the boat along with long, smooth strokes. He could have gone faster but he was trying to make as little noise as possible. They were making good time and Alyssa hoped their luck would hold out just a little while longer.

  Something stirred the water again and now the wake was moving towards them. At first it was barely noticeable, just a slight increase in the rocking from side to side, but soon Crinn noticed. His eyes widened and he looked as if he wanted to scream but swallowed it instead.

  It was definitely coming towards them.

  She saw the question on his face before he asked it. Should he stop rowing? Would it be better to be motionless and hope that it didn’t notice them, or keep going?

  “Keep going,” said Alyssa, peering over his shoulder towards the bay. She couldn’t see the docks but they couldn’t be that far away by now.

  Crinn leaned into the oars even more, pulling harder and faster, caring less about silence and more about speed. Alyssa split her focus, watching behind Crinn for the docks as well as looking out across the water. The wave moving towards them continued to build as the thing approached. Soon, without realising it, her own voice had joined with Crinn’s, murmuring an almost inaudible prayer to the Blessed Mother to protect them and keep them safe from evil.

  A large black fin broke the water moving directly towards them. A moment later Alyssa saw a second one appear in parallel and then a third and fourth a little distance back. The water was too dark to see beneath the surface so she couldn’t be sure if there was one huge creature or a pod of them swimming in formation.

  The fins closed the distance between them with alarming speed and then swerved away and disappeared beneath the water again.

  It could have taken them. It could have flicked them out of the water with little effort and yet it hadn’t.

  It was playing with them.

  Alyssa turned her attention back towards the shore and was relieved to see the shadowy outline of the docks. Crinn saw her smile but didn’t turn. He maintained his pace and rhythm, praying and rowing.

  Something slapped the water to the left of their boat, sending them off course and breaking Crinn’s stroke. He flailed, dropped one oar, and the other jumped out of the lock and started to slide over the side. Alyssa dived towards it and managed to grab it in time before it disappeared into the water. The boat tipped alarmingly to one side but Crinn moved to balance the weight and it quickly settled.

  They reset the oars and then waited for any sign of the creature, staring out at the water. All was silent and utterly still. Even the faint wind seemed to have died.

  “Keep going,” said Alyssa, no longer bothering to whisper.

  “But—”

  “It’s playing with us. Toying with its food. I am nobody’s prey.” Alyssa focused her attention on Crinn and he immediately regained a semblance of calm. “Row.”

  At her command he leaned back, adjusted their course and resumed rowing towards shore.

  Alyssa didn’t need to see the creature to know that it was waiting somewhere close by. She could feel it deep in her bones. It was probably watching the little boat amble along on the surface, letting them create an illusion of hope as safety came within sight.

  When the next attack came they were close enough to shore that she could see the three men standing at the end of the dock. They started to wave but she saw their arms drop as hands pressed to their mouths. A mighty splash behind her actually pushed the boat forward, instantly soaking her and Crinn to the skin. His eyes were wide with terror as he’d been looking directly at it. If only they had some kind of a weapon, but Alyssa wasn’t sure if anything would harm it.

  A massive shadow passed under the boat and she heard the wood creak in alarm. Water began to trickle into the boat from a hole in the bottom, but it was a slow leak for now. Crinn was frozen, hands still resting on the oars.

  “Row!” she screamed, urging him to do something, but he didn’t move. Shoving him to one side Alyssa sat down beside him and grabbed one of the oars with both hands. Whether it was her proximity or physical contact Crinn started to move again. Keening like an animal he grabbed the right oar and they worked in unison, driving their boat towards shore with a rhythm born of desperation.

&n
bsp; The three men were shouting, but whether it was prayers or a distraction she couldn’t tell. The sound of her heart and Crinn’s frantic breathing filled her ears. Her gut told her the creature wasn’t far away now. The next attack would come at any moment.

  As she’d expected, a wave started to build towards them. Alyssa saw it coming this time. The dock was so close now. Just another minute and they would be safe. Bracing her legs on either side she stood and pulled the oar from its lock. With a sharp motion she brought it down against the side of the boat, snapping the wood in two.

  Crinn screamed at her and tried to pull her back down but she shook him off. The oar was ruined and now tapered to a sharp point. It wasn’t much but it was better than nothing.

  Their momentum and the wave moving ahead of the creature would drive their boat to shore or dash it against the stone dock. Perhaps that was what it wanted. For them to feel safe only to be snatched out of the water as they flailed towards the stairs.

  Four fins appeared above the water, moving towards them with incredible speed. Two more and then yet others joined them until what was apparently a whole school of the creatures was coming towards them. The shadow of the stone pier fell over her and a second later something started to rise out of the water. Pushing off with her feet Alyssa leapt the short distance from bow to stern, driving the wooden spear downwards with all of her strength and weight. She heard the wood begin to splinter and pieces sheared off, cutting her face and digging into her head. To avoid looking her doom in the eye, she closed her eyes as it attacked.

  A sound unlike any she’d heard before passed through her. It made every part of her body ache, moving across her skin like a wave of agony. Alyssa dropped the spear and fell back into the boat on top of their catch. In the wake of the sound she couldn’t move but she could still feel and hear.

  Crinn was screaming over and over until something seemed to tear in his throat and he fell silent.

  Slowly the pain eased and Alyssa managed to roll over and make it onto her elbows and knees amid the fish. She looked around and saw Crinn clutching the remaining oar to his chest.

  Behind him something massive and black fell over them and the temperature dropped. Crinn’s mouth opened to scream but no sound emerged. In unison they looked behind him.

  It was the docks. They were safe. Without waiting to see what Alyssa did, Crinn dropped the oar and scrambled up the steps. He ran the entire length of the dock and didn’t stop until he’d disappeared from sight. Alyssa stared out into the lake but couldn’t see anything. With help from the three men she carried the fish up the stairs and dumped them onto the dock.

  Looking out across the water from the end of the pier, she waited for any sign of the creatures. She waited a long time, but saw nothing. Just as she was turning away something struck the stone pier hard enough for it to knock her down.

  Frantically she looked for the cause but part of her already knew. Lying flat on her stomach she crawled to the edge of the pier. Staring down over the edge she saw something monstrous and black withdrawing into the water. Alyssa had no idea what she was looking at. All she knew for certain was that the multitude of fins didn’t belong to several creatures. It was all one enormous monster.

  Scrambling backwards she urged the men to pick up the net and together they ran back into the city.

  CHAPTER 28

  Zannah rubbed her hands together in an attempt to chase away some of the chill. The temperature had dropped again and the sky was a uniform lead grey that promised snow or sleet at the very least. Fighting on the wall tonight could be even more difficult with slippery footing.

  The sky was starting to darken around the edges when Alyssa finally came into view at the far end of the street. Even at this distance she could recognise her friend. Zannah’s relief was short-lived when she noticed the three men accompanying Alyssa. All four were carrying something between them but it wasn’t that which alarmed the Morrin. Long before they reached the gates Zannah heard the loud wheezing breaths of all four echoing off the broken buildings. They had been running as fast as they could for quite some time.

  The rope was thrown down but before any of the men could scramble up Alyssa tied it to their burden. Staring down into the street Zannah was amazed to see a net full of fish. She was about to pull it up when Tammy came up the stairs with Balfruss a step behind her.

  “Let them do it,” whispered the big warrior, gesturing with her chin towards the other defenders. Zannah had heard about how the local people had defended the wall without her last night. Many of them now strutted about with their weapons, believing themselves to be warriors. Previously they had only picked up a blade or bow when it was absolutely necessary and always at the last minute. For the rest of the day, the weapons were kept in a little shed in the courtyard. It had been up to her to keep the swords free of rust and salvage as many arrows as possible. Now they had begun to try and care for their own weapons.

  Zannah said nothing and made no move towards the rope. Three women and one local man bent their backs to the task. Slowly the heavy net of fish was dragged up the wall and then carried down into the courtyard. A dozen men and women came up from the lower levels and the fish was taken away to the food store.

  The three men came up the rope next and Alyssa followed them. All four looked terrified and Alyssa’s clothes were wet and musty. She was shivering in the cold and her fingers had turned red, but Zannah didn’t think her trembling was because of the temperature. A deep terror had taken up residence behind her eyes and the three new arrivals carried it as well.

  “We went onto the lake,” she said, her teeth chattering.

  “Get warm and then you can tell us,” said Zannah, but Alyssa wouldn’t move. She grabbed hold of the Morrin’s arm and her eyes were wide.

  “I saw it,” she whispered.

  “Saw what?” asked the Sorcerer. “Was it the Forsaken?”

  “No, it was . . . ” said Alyssa, trailing off. Several times she tried to describe it, but she didn’t have the words. All that emerged was a terrified babble about something huge in the water.

  “Who are they?” asked Zannah, gesturing at the three men.

  “They were sent by Fenne to fish on the lake.” Alyssa gratefully accepted a blanket from one of her people, which she pulled around her shoulders. The three men still looked terrified but now they were staring at Tammy.

  “We saw you at the temple,” said one of them. Zannah noticed the men flinched when Tammy put a hand on the hilt of her dagger.

  “You must have made quite an impression,” said Balfruss. They’d all seen her bruises and how stiffly she moved, but so far she hadn’t told anyone what had happened inside Fennetaris’s camp. The girl, Rheena, had said very little as well since her arrival. Perhaps Alyssa could speak with her later to discover the truth of why the men were so scared of the Guardian.

  Monella, the grumpy woman with one blind eye, came up the stairs with more blankets. “No oaths,” said Alyssa, glaring at Monella as if she knew what the older woman had been about to say. “They can stay here without that.”

  Monella was not appeased. “Everyone must play their part.”

  To Zannah’s ears, it sounded like a familiar saying, or perhaps it was a piece of their scripture. Whatever its origin Alyssa’s reaction was not what Monella wanted. Her back straightened and that regal bearing swept over her again. The blanket held loosely around her shoulders could suddenly have become a cape.

  “You’re right. Monella, I’m putting you in charge of new arrivals.” Alyssa waited for her to protest but instead she bowed her head. “I want you to see that they’re fed, clothed, given blankets, and find somewhere for them to sleep. We’ve not touched the lower level. It seems that will have to change. Find six people and get them to clean out the rooms.”

  “As you wish,” said Monella, her face twisted into something halfway between a smile and a grimace. Zannah couldn’t tell if she was pleased or not. It was so hard to keep up
with how quickly human emotions changed. Perhaps it was because their lives were so short.

  “Zannah.” The imperial tone of voice was still there. “You’re in charge of the armoury. Make sure everyone who can fight has a weapon. If they don’t know how to look after it, show them. Bows stay in the shed until they’re needed, but everyone else is to keep their weapons on their person at all times. We need to be ready.” Alyssa said this more loudly than was necessary, to make sure every person on the wall heard her. A few looked unsettled at the decision but it was too late. They had raised her up and now Alyssa was wielding her authority with both hands.

  “If we don’t have enough weapons, tell me. I know where there are several caches in the city.”

  “It will be done.” Zannah didn’t bow and Alyssa flashed a brief smile of thanks. She disappeared inside and even from on the wall Zannah could hear her giving more orders.

  “That’s quite a change,” said Tammy, and Balfruss just grunted. Something had unsettled him. Since coming back mid-afternoon he’d been quiet and kept rubbing the tattoo around his wrist. Zannah noticed this was something he did when he was thinking something through.

  An hour later Alyssa reappeared, dressed in dry clothes, but her new attitude remained the same.

  “There’s someone in the street,” called one of the women on the wall. Zannah glanced at the sky, noting it wasn’t dark enough yet to warrant the torches. Four figures jogged towards them in the gloom. Defenders scrambled to string their bows in case it was the Forsaken. They’d not attacked this early before, and never with so few, but Zannah saw no point in trying to predict what they would do next. It seemed as if their technique would continue to change until they succeeded in getting inside and everyone had been hollowed out.

  As the four figures came closer to the wall it was difficult to see their features until Balfruss summoned a ball of pale blue light.