They moved back from the edge of the hill, crawling on hands and knees so as to avoid notice. None of them wanted to attract the attention of that monster, no matter how unlikely it might be.
“There’s no way we can cross here.” Tryst said grimly, “We shouldn’t even be this close, an army that size probably has outriders for miles.”
“I didn’t see any outriders. I didn’t see any supply wagons or the usual trappings an army has.” Vilhylm said, stowing his spyglass. “Something’s definitely not right there.”
“Let’s get out of here first and chew gristle about what’s not right about the city being destroyed by an army following a god rotting dragon later!” Callindra hissed.
Cronos nodded his agreement, his face as pale as hers. “I don’t like this. Not this place, not that fight.” He looked at Tryst apologetically, “Not this mission either.”
“But we don’t have a choice.” Tryst protested, “We must cross, we must complete our mission!”
“Nobody is saying we won’t go.” Callindra said quickly, “Just that it’s suddenly more difficult than it was in the beginning. Especially now that we can’t cross the river here.”
They made their way back to where their horses were tethered in a small meadow. Callindra looked mistrustfully at the foul tempered dun mare she’d been given. She didn’t blame the creature for being cranky, that small keep had been full of mistrustful angry people and little fodder. To her surprise, the animal bumped her playfully with its head and whickered a welcome.
“Good to see you too.” She said scratching it behind the ears before mounting up.
They cantered upstream, following the steep riverbank and looking about for any way that they might be able to cross. It was a fruitless effort though. The river had cut through soft stone to form deep ravines, the only places that were not cliffs were where the stone was harder but waterfalls had formed there and those were certainly not passable either.
After riding for the rest of day, they made camp in a copse of trees.
-
The night was blessedly uneventful and the next morning while Vilhylm busied himself preparing breakfast, the rest of them sat around the fire.
“How in the hells are we gonna get across the river?” Callindra said, “We can’t possibly travel all the way up the next bridge, it’d take at least a month.”
“Our mission is far too important to wait that long.” Tryst said, “We absolutely must communicate with the Druids in the High Forest before the situation becomes more desperate than it already is.”
“Perhaps I could be of some small assistance?” The voice was coming from Cronos’s mouth but it wasn’t his. This was the dry, emotionless voice Callindra had heard before when the boy had been killed by Dergeras in Tyreen’s tree.
“No!” Cronos struggled, trying to get up from where he sat. “Master, I don’t want-”
“What you want is immaterial apprentice.” The voice interrupted, cutting him off. “This mission is nearly as critical to the world as the young priest believes it to be.”
“Really?” Tryst’s face shone with religious fervor, “I mean, I knew it was important but.”
“I said nearly as critical.” The voice said, “You have a vastly inflated opinion of yourself youngling. Something that seems to run in your family.”
“But how can you help us?” Callindra asked, “What are you going to do, fly us over to the other side? I thought Cronos said you were dead.”
“Ha! You have a mouth on you girl.” He laughed, “I like that in a whelp. Shows your grit, and Gods know you’re going to need every single shred of strength you can muster to survive what’s coming. I’ll let you all eat your breakfast, then we’ll take care of your little river problem.”
Cronos looked at them with a haunted expression on his face and Callindra folded her arms.
“Talk.” She said, her voice flat, “Before I was willing to just let it go and watch you to see if you went crazy on us again, but now I want answers and by the Absent Gods I’m going to get them.
He took a deep breath and blew it out. Callindra reached into her belt pouch and took out her pipe, stuffing the bowl with tac and lighting it with a splinter from the fire. She puffed it alight and leaned back against her saddle with the air of someone who had all the time in the world. When Vilhylm brought over toasted bread and cheese Cronos finally started talking.
“My Master was working on some kind of experiment. I don’t know what it was and he won’t tell me… but it was important. It had something to do with a power of old and some war long since passed, but he had done things like it many times before so I just assumed it was more of the same.
“Something went wrong. I don’t know what it was, but I believe something … felt him probing. It saw him from the other side of… time? Whatever it was saw him and with a flicker of power more vast than worlds destroyed him. Being the God rotting bastard that he is, he had LINKED our minds and bodies.
“So when he died, a part of him and part of his power attached to me. At times he is able to use it, or to force me to use it or…” He ran his fingers through his hair, bowing his head for a moment. “I don’t know how it works. Even though he has apparently used it to save my life I’d almost rather he’d let me die. Nobody should be forced to live with another person in their head.”
The food in Callindra’s mouth lost its flavor. She cleaned the dottle out of her pipe and carefully stowed it in its watertight case. “I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to trust a dead man living in your head.”
Cronos laughed, “I DON’T trust him!” He said, “Would YOU trust someone who did this to you?”
“I must cross the river.” Tryst said grimly, “I will take whatever chances I must but I will not ask the rest of you to do the same.”
“Oh don’t be so cursed melodramatic of course we’re coming with.” Callindra said, punching him on the arm. The look of relief on his face as the others chimed in made her forget her fear about what was to come, and even deadened the pain she felt about failing Glarian. She would get through this. They would get through this. The only other option was to give up and that just wasn’t something any of them would accept.
-
“So you want us all to just… ride toward the cliff at speed?” Vilhylm asked, staring incredulously at Cronos.
“You expect our horses to jump?” Said Tryst, “These nags?”
“My girl can do it.” Callindra said with a feral grin. She patted her horse’s neck and the animal whickered eagerly. “See? Let’s do this!”
“The only way the magic works is if you believe it works.” The voice that wasn’t Crono’s voice said.
Callindra couldn’t help it, she burst out laughing. “Oh come on now, that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard! Magic is a God rotting curse, if it was that easy to get rid of it I’d be free. How about you stop playing the fool so we can get this over with?”
“Oh you’re no bedamned fun.” He said, giving her a disgruntled look. “The beasts will be happier if you blindfold them. You all can close your eyes too if it makes you feel better.”
They all bound cloths over the eyes of their mounts who snorted and tossed their heads in annoyance but otherwise took the treatment with good grace. Walking their mounts to the edge of the cliff, they paused to look down at the water churning far below. The horses snorted and stamped nervously.
“Time to go.” Callindra muttered, swinging into the saddle. Looking back along the road that followed the river she caught a glimpse of something moving. “Hey, someone’s out there.” She whispered to her companions.
“What?” Vilhylm had been looking dubiously at Cronos but now he swung his gaze to follow hers. “Trouble, we need to move!”
Cronos grimaced and his master’s voice cursed, “Sorry, no time for the kid gloves.”
A group of humanoid creatures, running fast and using their arms as much as their legs broke from the bushes near the road. Befo
re they had covered half the distance, an impact like falling into water from on high slammed into Callindra and her friends, tossing them through the air like thrown stones. The horses screamed in fear, thrashing about.
Timing the landing, Callindra managed to tuck and roll, absorbing most of the shock of the landing but still bruising herself on rocks and sticks. The others didn’t fare so well, Tryst getting the worst when he tumbled into a thorn bush. Cronos crumpled as though he was a puppet with broken strings.
The best part was the creatures on the other side of the ravine screaming their rage to the sky. Their anger made it all worthwhile. Callindra laughed and made a rude gesture toward them and fell onto her back.
“We made it!” She said, her voice rough from the terror that had gripped her until she realized she was going to survive.
Chapter 23
After nearly a week’s travel across wilderness that was more remote and barren than Callindra had ever remembered seeing they finally came to something that resembled a road. From what they’d seen by looking at the map that Cronos had, they were only about an hour from the small town of Maple if they managed to keep their current pace.
As their tired band rounded a corner in the road, they could see down a short rise. A traveling carriage was disabled alongside the road, one wheel having come off in a pothole. A pair of guards were straining to lift the wheel while a gowned and coiffed Lady stood to one side, a maid holding a lace parasol over her head. Even at this distance her strident voice was audible, although the words were still indistinct.
“A Lady in trouble.” Vilhylm said, “Perhaps we can offer assistance.”
Callindra sighed and rolled her eyes, but the others seemed eager to help and she didn’t see any reason not to. Nobility were difficult and entitled but fulfilled a necessary role; certainly not one she wanted to fill. They rode toward the struggling men and were caught completely unaware when a dozen misshapen creatures with jaws that dripped glowing green ichor leaped from the trees.
Half of the monsters sprang on the men, slashing with razor sharp claws and biting with wicked fangs. The others landed close enough to Callindra and her friends that they could smell the decaying flesh on their breath.
“Arm yourselves!” Callindra shouted, vaulting from the saddle and swinging Brightfang from his scabbard at the same time, severing the thing’s arm off just above the elbow. She landed, bringing her blade to guard just as one of the monsters tried to remove her head from her shoulders.
Cronos unleashed a burst of flames from his fingertips, but he only managed to kill one of them. The blast knocked him from his horse and onto the dust of the road where he struggled to his feet, cursing like a soldier. While the others attempted to dismount and keep control of their horses, she drove their opponents back with a wall of flashing steel.
“Take heart against these demons from the Abyss!” Tryst said, “Fight and destroy thine enemies!” Callindra felt his magic form around her, bolstering her resolve and her physical strength.
Vilhylm let go of his horse’s bridle and slammed a fist into the midriff of one of the creatures like a hammer, throwing it back into the trees. Ignoring the monsters that threatened his friends, he bounded forward with giant leaps, landing between the Lady and the other group of beasts.
Cronos incanted a spell that made his muscles swell to strain against his armor and drew his hand and a half sword. He swung with the same motion, finishing off the monster Callindra had wounded. They spun and fought back to back, slashing their way through the attacking creatures with a series of coordinated strikes. In spite of the danger she had to smile at how well they fought together.
The first few of the fallen creatures began to swell as though they were rotting from the inside at an incredible rate. The flow of the fight took them away from the fallen and they began to explode one after another, each throwing showers of boiling ichor on anyone unfortunate enough to be close. A few drops spattered on Callindra’s cheek and burned like cinders.
“Pox and rot!” She shouted, “Ware the corpses!”
Even as she spoke, she saw the two guards go down screaming as several more of them exploded. The lady’s maid was already laying in a pool of her own cooling blood but Vilhylm had managed to keep the Lady alive somehow. The horses screamed in pain, one going down thrashing and the other dropping like a poleaxed cow.
As suddenly as it had begun, the attack was over. All the creatures had been killed and then had exploded, some of them had even killed their own kind then their bodies burst. Tryst looked them over swiftly, making sure none had serious injuries before seeing to the horses.
“I will need to heal this mare.” He said, “Her foreleg is broken and this carriage is too large to be pulled by one.”
Callindra approached and helped him calm the animals, something that normally Vilhylm would have done. Vil was occupied with the Lady, she was crying out at his few burns and minor cuts, exclaiming at his bravery and lavishing praise on him.
“You! Boy!” The Lady said, “Get my parasol, I will not risk burning my skin in the heat of the day!”
Callindra waited for the outburst she was sure Cronos would unleash for such treatment, grinning to herself as she loosened the harness of the frightened horse. Tryst was chanting softly under his breath, a glimmer of light emanating from his hands and the shield on his back as he called upon holy powers to heal the wounds of the other animal.
“Boy, I said get my parasol!” The Lady said again, “The Countess Adbar will not be left second to the ministrations of animals!”
Callindra glanced up and saw that the Countess was pointing at her, Cronos having left to gather their own horses. She met the other woman’s gaze levelly, her sea green eyes meeting the Countess’s dark brown.
“I am Callindra Sol’Estin, a warrior who slew monsters that would otherwise have been gleefully dancing upon your corpse at considerable risk to myself.” She said coldly, “I am no boy, nor will I cease tending the beasts that will otherwise be unable to pull your carriage.
“Oooh, you’re a girl.” The Countess said, eyes artfully widening in surprise, “I never would have guessed what with that hair and those clothes. Or that sword. Or that armor.”
Callindra sighed inwardly at the foolish prejudice of the nobility. She had seen as much before, although this particular noble was more direct and rude than most. Instead of rising to the bait she turned her attention back to the horse. Stroking him on the nose, she kept him calm as she unbuckled the last two straps of his harness so he could struggle to his feet. Other than a few scrapes and some small burns he seemed fit enough.
Tryst finished his spell and the other horse shuddered, the sound of the bone setting itself and knitting back together grated in Callindra’s ears. She winced, but the animal didn’t seem to feel the pain. Instead, she lurched to her feet and eagerly nudged Tryst’s chest until he rose to his feet and patted her neck reassuringly.
“You’re welcome girl. Humans aren’t the only ones who deserve the attentions and healing I can offer.” He said with a smile.
“If we are going to reach that town before the sun sets we need to get moving.” Cronos said, approaching with their horses.
Now that the adrenaline of the fight had worn off, Callindra was beginning to feel all of the scrapes, cuts and burns she had suffered but not noticed before. With a heavy sigh, she began to buckle the gelding back into his harness while Tryst did the same for the mare.
-
It was just after sundown when they limped into the small town of Briarwood, the horses as tired as they were. The lights of the tavern were inviting and they were drawn as moths to a candle flame. A boy came to take their horses and Callindra tossed him the reins.
“Careful, she bites if you don’t watch her.” She warned.
Vilhylm was helping the Countess Adbar from her carriage, all bows and smiles. Callindra rolled her eyes; she expected most men to be god rotting predictable, but had imagined her compan
ions were of a different sort. Ah well, she supposed the Lady was pretty enough, if you like soft curves.
They walked into the common room, the light and sound overwhelming at first. A large man in a clean white apron stood behind the bar pulling tankards of dark brown ale and flirtatious barmaids made their way among the patrons, handing out frothy mugs and saucy winks in equal measure.
“Hey hon, what can I getcha?” A wench walked up, swaying her hips invitingly before she noticed that Callindra was a girl. Her eyes stayed on Brightfang’s hilt for a few moments before going back to her face.
“Ale. Dinner. We need rooms and stabling for the night too.” Callindra said smiling and rolling a gold nobel over the back of her hand and flicking it to land in the girl’s hand. “That ought to at least get us started?”
Grinning, the wench bit it and tucked it into her generous cleavage, “Aye that’ll be a good start. Find a table an we’ll getcha sorted out right enough. Good bitter tapped tonight an fresh venison on th spit.”
“I declare, what a quaint place you have brought me to Vilhylm.” Said the Countess, looking around the room with a derisive smile on her lush lips. “Barmaid, you will prepare a bath and your finest room. I will wait here with whatever passes for wine in this town.”
Vilhylm led her to a table and pulled out a chair for her. Callindra sighed and sat down at the table, taking a long pull from the tankard the wench brought. The strong bitter ale washed the road dust from her throat and she felt the annoyance she had at the Lady’s attitude fade. It wasn’t her fault that she’d been born to privilege, and it didn’t make a lot of sense to expect her to change her ways immediately.
The common room resumed some of its noise, but was much subdued compared to how it had been. When their food arrived, a young girl in a brown dress came and nervously informed the Countess that her bath was ready. She rose, handing her cloak to the girl and following her from the room, her silk gown whispering like a bedroom promise.
The Callindra Chronicles Book One - First Quest Page 20