A Glimmer on the Blade

by Rachel E. Baddorf

  The jaded Dragons had started out nonplused and grown more rapt as the ceremony unfolded. Now a few let out held breaths while others relaxed their hands from the white-knuckle grip they had on their sword pommels. Anoni was watching Yupendra with wide eyes.

  “Now what?” she asked.

  “We wait. I have asked a local light spirit to come to our aid. One may not be in the area to hear the invitation, or there may not be any that choose to come. It’s just an invitation,” Yupendra shrugged expressively, looking tired.

  “I didn’t know you could...” Anoni trailed off, not knowing how to categorize this latest occurrence.

  “You never asked,” Yupendra said with a smile. “I can’t do it in Aquillion, or in most of the Empire proper. There’s not much left out there to work with that isn’t the Goddess. She is not my Goddess, so I cannot ask her for power.”

  “Wait, wait, wait,” Giovicci interrupted in disbelief. “You just summoned an Ozuk here. A forest spirit.”

  “A light spirit,” Yupendra corrected.

  “But they don’t...” Giovicci stopped in frustration. He tried again. “If something does come, it could kill us all.”

  “I summoned what your books would call a second degree emitting Ozuk.” Yupendra said ‘books’ like it was a curse. “I need to heal Vansainté and it might know where Copelia is.”

  Giovicci said desperately, “But they’re just myths.”

  “You and your Goddess,” Yupendra said with mild disgust. “You think magic only exists in her power. You think that there is nothing beyond your priestess’s fingers.”

  Whatever Giovicci was going to combat that with was interrupted by a low humming sound and a glowing blue light that flared over the fire. It was contained within the gold circle that still glowed around the fire. The blue light moved like smoke, billowing and twisting. Finally, the billowing revealed the creature. It had no physical body, but floated above the calmly crackling camp fire.

  Anoni breathlessly asked, “Are they supposed to be...cute?”

  Corin shot her a startled look then turned his attention back to the entity. It was pudgy rodent perhaps a foot and a half in length, like a large groundhog with no eyes in the sockets. Its long translucent fur was glowing blue on the ends and three or four small gold points of light swarmed inside the hollow skull. It looked inviting enough to pet, if you didn’t mind your hand melting off afterward. Giovicci—the most learned man in the Dragons—was watching it with poorly concealed fear. Corin remembered Alcyenne’s warning with a small jolt of adrenaline. He should not let the Ozuk touch him. Corin backed up a step then two, keeping the Ozuk in view. It had not moved. He wasn’t sure he was afraid of it, but he didn’t know what it could do to him.

  “Greetings, Ozuk,” Yupendra said calmly. “We are in need of healing and guidance. Are you here to fulfill the need?”

  “YES.” The voice was deep and blended with the humming, seeming to issue forth equally from the entire creature. The rodent mouth had not moved.

  Yupendra waved Vansainté forward. The man gave Anoni a look and came forward to stand beside the healer. Yupendra spoke. “This is he-who-has-need,” Yupendra introduced Vansainté. “He was harmed in helping a friend and now his sister is missing.”

  “YES,” said the Ozuk.

  Yupendra grasped the hand of Vansainté’s injured arm. Then he stepped close to the fire and offered his hand to the creature. “Spirit of light, help me heal this man-who-is-hurt-and-lost.”

  The points of light in the head swirled faster. “SHE-WHO-IS-LOST SLEEPS WEST OF HERE OUTSIDE THE-CITY-OF-MANY-SHRINES WITH MEN-OF-THE-WHITE-CRANE. AT DAWN THEY ENTER THE CITY WITH FIRE AND STEEL. HE-WHO-IS-HURT-AND-LOST MUST LEAD THE WAY BEFORE THE SUN RETURNS. HE-WHO-IS-HURT-AND-LOST SERVES LIGHT AND MUST BE GIVEN SERVICE.” With that the creature began to glow gold brighter and brighter until they all had to look away. Yupendra stuck his hand up to the creature and the light centered on his hand. Curling gold lines lit up in sharply angular lines this time as the light disappeared into Yupendra, passed through him, and pooled in the ill-prepared Vansainté. His hurt arm blazed golden as he screamed, back bowed in pain. The light dimmed and Vansainté dropped like a stone.

  The circle and creature were gone. Yupendra knelt by Vansainté’s body, hands not glowing anymore, checking his pulse and breath. Anoni quickly knelt next to the pair.

  “Goddess...is he all right?” questioned Anoni.

  Vansainté’s arm still glowed gold, the light only slightly muffled by his sleeve and sling. Yupendra nodded after a moment.

  “His pulse is there. Give him a second,” said Yupendra as he and Anoni rolled him over and the rest of the men circled around.

  “Oh Mishi, why did you kick me?” Vansainté mumbled drunkenly. His eyes fluttered open to see them all clustered around him. “So I’m not dead.”

  “No. How do you feel?” Anoni asked.

  “Like I should be. Some healing, eh?” joked Vansainté. He looked at Yupendra accusingly. “Help me up.”

  Anoni and Yupendra helped him to a sitting position. After a moment, he took the sling off and flexed his arm. It was so bright it made after-spots on Corin’s vision. Vansainté looked at Anoni. “What did it say?”

  “It said we have to get to Almacenista before sunup. A squad of imperial marines are going to take the city. Copelia is with them. What I can’t understand is why I didn’t know about this. They must have left before we did, or gone by sea. Aquillion has no interest in the Safiro. What the hell are they doing north of the Border Wall?”

  A grim look passed between the Dragons.

  “Why is my arm still glowing?” Vansainté asked.

  The healer shrugged. “I think the spirit wanted to make sure we could get to the right place in time. I take it the arm is supposed to light the way,” Yupendra said as he stood up.

  “Do you feel well enough to go on?” Anoni asked.

  “Yah, I think so,” grumbled Vansainté. He got to his feet with Anoni’s help.

  “All right. Make sure the horses are watered and rested. In a quarter of an hour, we’ll mount up and make for the city,” Anoni said. The men went to see to their mounts, a few gathering up their supplies and getting them ready to go back on the horses. “Make sure everyone gets something to eat,” Anoni called after a moment.

  “Yes, Boss,” Wix answered.

  Corin had nothing to do but wait. He watched as Anoni took Vansainté aside. Corin strained to catch the words. “This is third time I owe you now. First the Audience Chamber, then Copelia, now...now you’ve got a lighthouse for a sword arm,” said Anoni.

  “Don’t forget about your mission and that certain business involving white lights and large amounts of imperial gold. That’s five. But really, I’ve stopped counting.” Vansainté smiled. “You can buy me sets of black kid gloves when we get back to the capital. I’ll need them if this damn thing doesn’t dim by then.”

  Anoni clasped his bright arm hard with her own. “I’m serious. I want you to know...”

  He cut her off, with a serious expression. “Don’t. We all came here out of our own free will. You may hold secrets against the rest of the world, but not against us. You told us what we were getting into. Besides,” now he smiled, “you being a weepy woman might be the shock that kills me.”

  She gave him a relieved smile. “Would you prefer I go all male about it and tell you to walk it off?”

  Vansainté snorted. “Oh just shut up.”

  ***

  Safiro Wilds, Near Almacenista

  Anoni

  They slogged through the night, blazing a trail as they went, no longer following Copelia’s circuitous trail. Progress was slow but they made it within four miles of Almacenista’s city wall just an hour before dawn. The squad of imperial marines—fifty of the Empire’s toughest fighters—were camped without cook fires about three miles from the city. With all the camouflage used, only knowing that the marines were there kept the Dragons from accidently stu
mbling into the camp. Anoni climbed a tree in the violet light of predawn to get the lay of the land. The marines rose from their tents, sleepily, relaxed in the knowledge they faced an easy target that day.

  The men were camped in a square formation with tents on three sides. The picketed horses took up the left side. There were two larger tents clustered in the center of the camp with the supply carts on the side closer to the Dragons. Copelia had to be in one of the central tents. The Delkeran was absent from the pickets. Anoni? Anoni swayed, her attention split by the voice in her head, and grabbed for a tighter hold on the tree.

  Norsson? What is it? replied Anoni.

  We found our pigeon. I think the Armsmaster’s plan will work.

  Anoni nodded to herself and replied, If it gets those hostages out of our hair, I’ll try anything.

  You? Norsson snorted. You have no idea what it’s like trying to keep that many women and children fed, watered, and taken to the privy while blindfolded.

  Good point, she replied.

  We’ll do it tonight. Will you be with us in spirit?

  Um, no, she replied. I’ve got an imperial marine problem we need to handle. Let me know if anything goes wrong.

  All right, Norsson replied, his thoughts well ordered. He was not worried that she could not be there.

  Luck of the turning tide, Norsson, she added.

  You too, boss, Norrson thought.

  She broke the connection and sent a quick thought out to Franco to let him know when his plan was going to happen. He wanted to talk about it, but she cut him off, her thoughts focused on Copelia.

  Beginning the climb down, a dark rage brewed in her mind. If the marines had harmed Copelia in any way...They were rough men with a female prisoner. They were also imperial marines, the best trained and most disciplined of the soldiers. It was a fifty-fifty chance that their commanding officer had ordered his men to leave Copelia alone, or conversely, to rape and kill her. It depended what kind of man the commander was. If Copelia had told them she had tagged along with the Dragons on their quest, then the marines might have kept her for questioning in relation to the Dragons or for ransom. She might be dead already, if Highlord Shaiso had that much control. Killing Copelia or keeping her hostage would be an easy way to split Vansainté’s loyalties.

  A breeze coming in from the sea swayed her tree and reminded her she needed to get moving. She breathed in deep the smell of brine and dead fish. Peering farther east, she could see Almacenista a half mile from the mainland on a rocky peninsula. During her drunken romp in the common room in Lyceo, Anoni had heard that the city had a huge harbor cavern bored out under them by the ocean. The city had good defenses, but with the marine squad so close to the peninsula combined with a one or two-pronged attack by sea, the Empire could take the city. Anoni imagined Almacenista was used to pirate attacks from the sea, but nothing more complicated than that. The wilderness of the Safiro Wilds was supposed to protect their landward side from armies, if not from Ozuk. All the marines would have to do would be to sneak in and open the gates. Their sea-faring comrades would be able to storm the city and it would all be over.

  As the marines began to stir and get dressed, Anoni could see they were putting disguises of nondescript homespun clothes over their uniforms. Anoni started climbing down and then jumped the last few feet to the ground, quickly giving her men a rundown of enemy positions and probable tactics.

  “The priority is finding Copelia in the tents, but if we can take out the marine squad and get a warning to the city, they’ll have a very good chance at weathering the attack,” she finished. “Yupendra, mix us up some wakeup juice. Wix, you give him that moonshine in your pack. I know you brought it. He can make up some dragonfire. We don’t have much time before dawn. Vansainté, you handle assigning positions, I have to talk to our guest. Time to get suited up.”

  Anoni pulled Corin aside as Vansainté started giving orders for deployment. With only six men, they would all have to work at their best. Anoni turned her attention to Corin.

  “You know how you said I was full of secrets. It’s truth time again,” said Anoni.

  He groaned. “What? You’re really a mystical sending? A horse? A dark comedian in disguise and this is all a joke?”

  “No.” She smiled. “Well, maybe the last one. My men and I have been raiding imperial treasuries and store houses over the last year using theomanic disguises that make us look like Ozuk.”

  “How in the name of the Goddess can you be the Ozuk-bandits and be working for the interests of the prince?” He gesticulated at the sky in frustration, as if he thought the Goddess would really answer him.

  “I keep the people from starving. I help keep an underground going in the name of the prince. I try and thwart the worst abuses of Shaiso’s lords,” Anoni answered calmly. She would not give in to his theatrics.

  “Is that what you do? Thwart?” he asked sarcastically, eyes narrowed in a glare.

  “Yup. Thwart thwart thwart all day long,” she said wickedly.

  “You thwart that gold right into your pockets, eh?” he accused.

  “Oh, that. I have it in a safe place to finance it all. Spies have to eat you know.”

  Corin covered his face with his hands. “You know I’ve been trying to have you killed for months?”

  “Really? You personally? Was that the assignment the prince gave you?” she said dryly.

  “Never mind. How does this affect me now?” He stifled the urge to laugh hysterically.

  “Here.” She handed him a communion stone. “Wear this. I can communicate with you through it. If something happens, we may need to keep in touch.” He put the necklace on, tucking it under his shirt. “You’ll be with the men covering our retreat,” explained Anoni.

  “All right,” he said and followed her back to the other men.

  Anoni made sure all the men had on their chain mail, and reviewed the placement of her people as they all choked down shots of Yupendra’s herbal wakeup juice. “Don’t activate your Ozuk disguises until things go to hell. We don’t want to be recognized, but I would also like to avoid the complications of this being an ‘Ozuk attack’ if possible. Vansainté, you aren’t coming.” She took her rings from their bag and put them on.

  “What?” he demanded, disbelieving.

  “You heard that thing. You have to warn the city,” said Anoni.

  “No! What good am I if I’m not there? She’s my sister,” argued Vansainté.

  “I’m sorry. You are the best horsemen we have. You can go around the marines’ camp and get to the city before dawn on your half-Delkeran,” she said, adding, “he won’t let anyone else ride him.”

  “Anoni, I have to be there,” said Vansainté.

  Anoni sighed and asked, “Vansainté, what was the first rule Master Gurin taught us?”

  “Mental balance is essential in battle. I don’t—”

  “I'm not asking, Vansainté. I’m ordering you,” interrupted Anoni. “There is a city out there full of sleeping people that need you. You’ll have to find a way to warn them before the boats strike. I need you to go.” Vansainté clenched his jaw, eyes sharp with anger.

  “I’ll bring her back to you,” Anoni promised. “You need to go.”

  “I hate this,” he said in a broken voice. He closed his eyes, breathing deep, and looking like he was searching for his resolve. Finally, he seemed to find it. He turned and went to get his horse.

  Concentrating, Anoni spoke to his mind. Goddess protect you and give you speed. He responded, Mishi guard your daughter, Goddess give your children success. Vansainté faded from contact. Anoni hoped she had done the right thing. She contacted the two men on the road and gave them a quick explanation. Tevix complained about missing all the fun and wished them luck. Anoni broke the link with a muttered prayer, Our Lady of Mystery, if we fail today, you will have a lot of explaining to do...

  ***

  Safiro Wilds, Near Almacenista

  Anoni

  Anoni
and the Dragons left Corin and Yupendra in two high trees as archery snipers on the edge of the clearing to cover the retreat. Still in their patchwork of merchant’s clothes, Anoni’s group crept up on the camp in the morning mist. Arjent took care of the sentry with a small throwing knife. The unfortunate marine slumped gurgling against a tree, his breakfast still in his hand. The Dragons made their way to the south of their original position to the unguarded spot between the marines and the horses. There they broke up. Wix made for the supply carts with his moonshine fixed in bottles with wicks attached at the necks. He carried a small clay pot with a few glowing coals in it to light the wicks.

  Giovicci made for the horses. Nothing like stampeding horses to cripple the squad’s mobility and breed chaos. He drifted into the mist among the strings of drowsing horses.

  Anoni and Arjent made straight for the larger tents. Anoni had put on her male disguise. They walked as if they had every right to be there. There was no reason they couldn’t have been marines in merchant disguises and no one stopped them on their approach.