by Ashley Capes
“You know what I told you of my brother?”
“Yes.”
Never raised an eyebrow.
Luis lowered a handful of deep red berries. “You think he...”
“Yes.” He sighed. “Perhaps. At least for now, keep this between ourselves. I don’t want to upset Elina on account of idle speculation.”
“Right.”
Footsteps bounded along wood. Elina crossed the boards and climbed down, taking a seat in the prow. “Ready?”
“Ready,” Luis said as he untied the boat.
Never took the oars, dipping them into the water and pulling the vessel into the current. “Elina, can Karlaf find the prince? I do wonder, will it make a difference, him leaving before us?”
“I hope so. We may reach Sedrin first, depending on where the prince is, but he has to know either way – it’s his father.”
“Fairly spoken... but would he not know before us?”
She glanced at him. “You’re assuming he’s in a position to hear such news.”
“Is he not?”
“Never, I do not know for sure. Please, just row.”
He resumed rowing. The boat picked up speed, trees flowing by. Thin green leaves twirled by the banks when a breeze picked up, crossing the water to caress his knuckles. By the time Luis had taken his turn, the sky had darkened as worm-like grey clouds moved in from the distant mountains.
“How far to our next stop?” Never asked. “Those clouds don’t look like they’re going to offer cheery tidings.”
“It’s only a summer shower,” Elina said without looking up from the prow. She’d been watching the water for some time.
He grunted. “Well, I think my question stands.”
“Nightfall. We’ll reach Togan. We need more news.”
“What are you looking for?”
She glanced back at him. “I thought I saw the Rainbow Mud.”
“Do you have any grasshoppers?”
She shrugged then sat back. “No. It doesn’t matter. Just trying to distract myself.”
“If you want a distraction, you can finish my turn if you like.” Luis grinned.
Elina folded her arms. “You’re as bad as each other.”
When dusk fell, light glowed through the tree trunks ahead where the river bent around a steep outcropping of earth. There a topless tower stood, half-buried by the trees – yet it was dark. The lights came from the huts gathered at its base.
Like Lonig, canoes and smaller boats were tied at timber piers extending from the banks. Still a village, the settlement seemed busier than Lonig.
“What was the tower used for?” Luis asked. “Togan doesn’t seem large enough for anyone to attack.”
“True,” Elina said as they neared the first dock. “Beyond the village you’ll see why. In old times there was once a much larger town here – Togalner.”
“What happened?”
“An earthquake – some say connected to the slide at Sarann.”
A man stood on the pier, as if waiting for them, but when Luis steered the boat close enough, Never noticed a breath of smoke rising from a pipe. Just a fellow who’d stepped outside to smoke in peace.
Once they’d tied off and crossed the pier, Elina led them along a dirt road and past weary-looking fishermen to an inn, The Dragonfly. Like the other buildings in Togan, it stood on stilts and was but a single storey with a thatch roof. Unlike the inns found in Marlosa, The Dragonfly lay arranged in a square. Guest rooms flanked both common room and a drafty barn – to which the owner of the inn, a short man with a limp, led them with an apologetic gesture.
“It’s all I can spare tonight. Lots of travellers about lately.”
“It will be fine,” Elina told him. “We can eat in the common room, I take it?”
“Of course... ma’am.” He said. He seemed unsure of how to address her – her speech seemed to oppose her travel-worn cloak but Elina did not offer a title or clarification, so the man had obviously gone with something he hoped was acceptable. “Plenty of room and hot food there.”
“Sold,” Never said, paying the owner. “We’ll be taking meals shortly.”
The man nodded as he left.
Luis lifted a handful of rather dry-looking leaves. “It’s probably better than sleeping outdoors.”
The walls of the crowded common room were lined with windows. A huge insect of metallic blue with a segmented body and wide, translucent wings, hung over the fireplace. It looked like the inn’s namesake – only the creature was the size of an eagle.
Never took the remaining table. Once they were all seated, he gestured to the fireplace and leant closer to Elina, in order to be heard over the chatter. “Is that real?” Folk seemed drunk already, cheerful grins and nonsense conversation. Many men had their jackets open at the throat and when one man removed his boots at a nearby table, the groans of his companions were met by a curse. “It’s too damn hot, you bastards.”
She nodded. “Some of the dragonflies, the hornet-stripes, can grow larger again.”
“I never saw anything like that downstream, near the city.”
“They’re growing rare – some villages eat them. Others once used the segments as part of their armour.” She tapped a finger on the tabletop. “We mostly use steel like everyone else nowadays.”
“Hope you both like fish with garlic sauce,” Luis said, glancing toward the kitchen.
“Sounds agreeable to me,” Never replied.
During the meal, which was better than he’d expected, he noted the man from the pier enter, emptying his pipe into a small bucket before standing near the bar. He had the build of a soldier but wore no weapons at his belt. He was a regular-looking man, right down to the common brown of his hair.
When he passed their table he nodded to Elina, who offered a slight incline of her head. The man’s throat was scarred and bruised.
“Friend of yours?” Never asked.
“No.” She frowned. “I’ve never seen him before; just being polite. Something you should try one day.”
“Tempting.”
“What’s ahead then?” Luis asked.
“Another day and we’ll join the Carene. From there, it’s still six days to City-Sedrin. We’ll have to climb down the Long Falls but other than that it should be simple enough.”
“What will that mean?” When Never visited Hanik in the past, it’d been via roads and once over the mountain range of Folhan that separated the forest nation from Marlosa. The Long Falls didn’t sound all that agreeable.
“We carry the boat around and down the cliffs. It’ll take half a day; the Long Falls are steep but not endless.”
“Carry the boat?”
“You don’t look part-fish to me, Never,” she said with a smile.
“Suddenly I wish I was.”
Luis laughed. “Worry about it when we get there.”
*
In the barn Never lay on his pile of crunching leaves in the stuffy dark and tried not to breathe through his nose. Or listen to the clamour from the common room. Or let the moonlight strike him in the eye – yet the chink in the roof was perfectly positioned and the horses below were always going to be horses.
And as for the rabble in The Dragonfly, nothing he could do there either.
He rolled onto his side.
Dawn had better come quickly.
Yet when it did, he groaned in the grey light. How long had he slept? Couldn’t have been long. And who turned the bed of leaves to a bed of stone overnight? He massaged some life back into his shoulders, muttering curses as he did. Most were directed at the innkeeper, but he sent a few the way of the Gods too, just for good measure.
“Breakfast?” Luis asked, holding up a slab of toasted bread smeared in honey.
“You take my share,” he said. “I’m n
ot that hungry.”
Once they were back at the river, die rolled and Luis the loser, he splashed some water onto his face and permitted a sigh. At least it was cool. They set off and the passage of the boat created enough airflow to simulate a breeze, which soothed his dampened skin.
“Look,” Elina said.
Luis paused at the oar and Never lifted his head from the water.
Beyond her pointing finger lay a sheer rock face, jagged and broken, yet looking as if a giant had cleaved an entire slab from the mountain. The tower that overlooked Togan perched near the edge of the ‘cut’. Stone peeked out on the opposite bank, extending from the shore.
Nearby, two fishermen were already at work, lines like thin white strips of fire streaking from their rods; the black lattice of their nets cast through the air to splash into the river.
“The water is always clear here,” Elina said. “You can see some of the remains of Togalner below.”
Never steered them closer, one hand on the tiller, the other shading his eyes from the sun. It sparkled on the water, but when the boat neared the slide, and he could finally penetrate the surface, he whistled, even as Luis gave a soft gasp.
A dozen feet below the surface rested buildings. Mostly intact; the closest bore arched windows and open doorways. Fish darted in and out of the stone graves and scattered as the boat passed overhead. Further below lay rubble, but half-buried within was the hint of a statue’s arm and torso.
And then the sunken city of Togalner was slipping by beneath them.
Chapter 3.
“See the wreaths on the banks?” Elina said as their boat continued to drift beyond the underwater ruin. “Remembrance for those who perished within. Even now, scores of years later.”
Bright flowers rested in deep bunches along the rocky shore. Beneath were the brown remnants of older flowers. Old carvings stood on small stones too, some set on tiny altar-like piles, but he could not read the inscriptions.
“I didn’t know the river was so deep,” Luis said.
“The Carene is wider but shallower, in general terms. But the Rinsa is swift and deep.”
“How do you think Karlaf is faring?” Luis asked.
“With luck, he is close to the prince already. I pray they reach City-Sedrin before us.”
“Then Prince Jenisan is nearby?” Never asked. “You weren’t sure before.”
She considered him a moment. Her eyes were difficult to read. Was she weighing up the value of revealing secrets? Or, regretting the need to keep them in the first place? It was a strange mix and he could not be sure his guesses were even close to accurate. “Do you remember when I first saw you, in that inn back in Marlosa?”
“Certainly. I remember you weren’t very quick to leap to my defence with Gums.”
She ignored him. “The prince and I were in Marlosa gathering information about the war. You can understand, King Noak does not wish for the conflict to spread to Hanik.”
“A wise man.”
Now she glared at him. “Just listen. Our job was to hunt down a ring of warmongering Hanik nobles; those who we believe had been meeting with the Vadiya army in secret. They were supplying them with weapons and other resources. One man, Baron Denarc, we pursued to a location south of Petana. When we caught him, the prince extracted a confession. Others had already turned south. We suspect they’d been meeting with Vadiya forces and offered them – at a cost – passage north through the Hanik forest.”
“Allowing them to attack Marlosa from two sides,” Never said.
“Exactly.”
“And I doubt your king wants a continued Vadiya presence in his forests.”
“Nor do I. We headed south, splitting up to spread across the northern villages and find traces of Denarc’s conspirators. I don’t know... maybe some even have an eye on the throne? We have no evidence.”
“But you found me instead?”
“Something about you drew my attention, yes. And when I saw your blood, well...”
Never nodded. “And the argument? That was you and the prince?”
“Yes – I wanted to take you with us, back to my grandfather but Jenisan disagreed.” She paused. “We argued; I shouldn’t have done so. He wanted to catch the traitors. Their trail ran south and you were headed north so I could not follow you.”
“But you kept an eye out for me, didn’t you?”
Now back to him – half a smile on her lips. “Of course. If I was right, and I let you go, Grandfather would never have forgiven me. I cannot break the oaths I took when I joined the Order.”
“And what about the rest of the nobles?” Luis asked.
“We lost them, but Prince Jenisan felt he’d found another piece of the puzzle in the south east – it led back to Hanik. He’s been searching for one of their hideouts for weeks now, south of the city last I heard.” She glanced across the banks. “The King, ill even then, sent me to the port of Lenan, in case some of them tried to circle around the Marlosa coast.”
“And did they?”
“One.”
“You found him?” Never asked.
“Yes, but he was little more than a recruiter. He knew nothing, I made sure.” Her expression had grown hard.
Luis was frowning. “The last thing the Vadiya need is assistance. They’ve already taken half our bloody lands. We should have seen it coming.”
“Yes, but how?” Never asked. “There were no warning signs – I was in the Imperial City in the days leading to the first attack. The dock crawled with rumours about an affair between the Empress and one of her personal guard but that was all.”
Luis shrugged. “I don’t know. But they crossed the mountains a little too quickly, by all accounts.”
“True.” King Noak had been right to doubt his nobles – the two-pronged attack on Marlosa had come from the plains and the mountain – someone had let them through from the south.
“How did you escape the city?” Elina asked.
Luck and blood. “I found a less... traditional way into the palace and its library when the attack occurred. Harstas and his hounds interrupted my search for the map.” He patted the dice where they were tucked away in his vest. “Luckily, many would have been injured fighting their way in. Most were looking for the Empress, no doubt, not me.”
“Your curse?” Luis asked.
He nodded. “Ten men at least I killed that day. It cost me more blood than I’d ever lost but as I said, I’m unreasonably lucky sometimes. Once I slipped through the palace walls – leaving quite a trail, a friend helped me onto a fast horse and out of the city. I hope he survived.” Temilo seemed a strangely crafty lad, there was always a chance.
Never took his turn at the oars. The tendrils of war – everywhere. And despite his efforts to the contrary, there was every chance he’d be pulled into it if he wasn’t careful. And by the Gods he would be careful now – now that he finally had a true lead to follow. Just slip into the city and its library, help Elina for only so long as he must, and then out again... before the petty scheming of nobles and bloody Vadiya pulled him in.
By evening they’d hauled the boat through tall reeds and tied it to a willow tree, leaving the water to break against the hull in gentle waves. Luis cleared a campsite and Elina set off with her bow while he gathered fallen wood for their fire.
Elina would find some game if she was as good a shot as she claimed. Supplies from the Bleak Man were sustaining and pleasant enough, but something fresh would go a long way to breaking up the monotony of working the oars or watching the banks slide by.
Once a blaze crackled, he stood with his back to the light. Luis hummed as he set water to boiling. “I’m making the last of our tea,” he said. “Did you want any?”
“Thanks.”
“It won’t be very strong. It has to do for the three of us –”
�
�Wait.” Never straightened. Had something moved beyond the shadows? “Did you hear anything?”
A slight whoosh and something bit into his neck.
He spun with a curse, knife in hand. The other hand ripped a feather-tipped dart from his neck. Poison? Shadows burst forth, one slamming into his waist, sending him crashing to the grass.
He grunted on impact, grappling with his assailant – until his muscles began to stiffen. A chill spread down from his neck. In moments he was frozen in place, barely able to look around the camp, barely able to breathe, let alone cry out. His attacker stood. An unshaven face in the firelight. Hanik, a heavy brow and a patched tunic.
Gods be damned, if he had to be captured, couldn’t it be by someone with more class than the local footpad? More men were filling the clearing, shouts rising from nearby. A cry and a body thumped to the ground.
“Never,” Luis shouted.
Two men circled the fire, then jumped back. Luis’ spear was obviously keeping them at bay.
“Get here.” Someone spoke behind him, and he was wrenched around by one frozen arm to be dragged over the grass then along the bank. Four hands – two men then.
Never strained against the paralysis. Useless. No sound escaped his lips and his heartbeat quickened.
“Where’s the other one?” someone shouted from the fire.
A bowstring snapped.
Cries followed, first of anger, then panic.
“Where is she?” someone else asked, voice rasping.
“I don’t know,” came the reply.
“Well find her, damnit!”
Another snap of the bow and a nearby thud vibrated along the ground. Only one man dragging him now, his breath ragged.
The fellow stopped, crouching low, only the dark suggestion of his knee and shoulder visible.
More cries from the camp’s glow.
“You’re not worth this,” the thug said, and released Never, running off into the shadows.
Chapter 4.
“Never, are you all right?” Luis knelt beside him, a hand on his shoulder. He and Elina had searched, calling for Never with burning branches held high, until finally stumbling upon him near the water.