by Choi, Bryan
“Don’t feed the girl lies,” Taki said.
Jibriil finished off the last of his broth and sucked cartilage off a bone before standing. “We should be on our way, Sir Taki. While we have the cover of night.”
Taki considered telling Jibriil to shush, but he knew the man was right. It was comforting and warm in the house, but there were more chevaliers around, and the peasants weren’t exactly friends. “Very well, we’ll go. And, good sir, I advise you to remove the bodies and stow them far from here, for fear of dogs.”
“Thank you, milord,” the farmer said.
By the next bell, the trio headed out at a brisk canter through the trees. The night was pleasantly moonlit, and the horses were laden with food, perhaps overly so. Taki occasionally looked over his shoulder, expecting to see the torches of an Ursalan cavalry column in the distance, but so far there was nothing but silence.
“Did you sense it?” Jibriil asked, finally.
Taki blinked. “Sense what? You think they were going to report us?”
“Nay, but I believe something else might have been afoot concerning that family. I didn’t want to say it at the time because I had no proof, but when scouting to find a place for our horses, I encountered a great many bones hidden under the leaves. Based on the shape, probably human.”
“Bones litter all battlefields, though.”
“I know, but I also saw no clearings or fields around the homestead. A farmer must clear trees and rocks away lest he ruin his plows. And yet there was no sign of such activity.”
Taki frowned. “Are you accusing them of cannibalism?”
“I don’t know,” Jibriil said, “but I am glad that what we ate was prepared in front of us. And I wouldn’t worry overmuch about taking so many of their winter stores. We might have left them a surfeit of meat in exchange.”
“Cannibals or not, I didn’t sense evil. Perhaps they were driven to desperation and lost their way. Many Ursalans seem to be.”
“Somehow, I get the impression they weren’t luring in armed patrols,” Jibriil said. “I only hope they haven’t been enticing too many innocents. Lonely woods like these hold many terrible secrets.”
Taki laughed. “You’re a suspicious sort, aren’t you? I didn’t think so back at the Temple. I always imagined you more self assured.”
Jibriil winked. “And I never imagined myself being stuck between chevaliers and wendigo. But I’m glad, though.”
“For what?”
“That you are a capable commander after all. I feared you would be bloodthirsty and weak willed. But I was proven wrong. I’m glad to serve you, Sir Taki.”
Jibriil extended his hand, and Taki shook it.
16
By the valley entrance was a tower of skulls. Skulls stacked on top of long bones stacked on top of yet more skulls, with the smaller bones—phalanges and vertebrae—used to fill in gaps. Some still wore rusting helms and decaying chain cowls, but nearly all of them were marked with the same feature: bullet holes.
“What the hell is that?” Taki asked.
“A welcoming sign,” Jibriil said. He unslung his carbine and chambered a round. “It means we’re in the right place.”
Enilna’s eyes widened like saucers, and she trotted over to the ossuary, where she started to poke at the exposed ends of old bone.
“What the hell are you doing, milady? That’s dangerous!”
“I’m just looking!” Enilna said. “They told me about the famous greeting towers, but I’ve never seen one in real life. It’s really impressive. I wonder how long it took to make. How many bodies are in this thing, anyway?”
Jibriil wrung his hands. “The natives introduce themselves by shooting you in the head from a kilometer away. Our only chance for survival is to constantly watch each others’ backs and stay discreet. That tower was our last warning to leave.”
“So how are we to avoid trouble?” Taki said.
“Same way anyone does. A bribe.” He reached into his saddlebag and withdrew a bulging sack. Holding it high in the air, he wheeled his horse around and then slowly trotted up to the skull tower. Finally, he set the bag on an altar of ribs and let it fall slightly open.
Taki drew in a sharp breath when he saw what was inside: glinting rounds of Old Nayto Standard. “Will it work?” he asked.
Jibriil shrugged. “It should prevent the older clanswomen from attacking us outright. They’re the better shooters—the ones we should be especially concerned about. The younger goats might still try to kill us and loot our corpses, but they’re nowhere near as fearsome as the nannies.”
Enilna snorted. “They charge a hell of a toll, and we’re still expected to defend ourselves from raiders and not do anything to offend their sensibilities. What a ripoff.”
“Better than getting picked off while you’re taking a shit,” Jibriil said.
Taki shook his head and pulled ahead. In his peripheral vision, he spied the glint of sunlight reflecting off a rifle scope hidden in a copse of trees on the mountainside. Knowing that he was in someone’s sights unnerved him greatly, but there was nothing to be done about it. If the sniper had wanted him dead, Taki would have already been face down in the mud. Hopefully, the payment was enough. If not, then the trio would not only be dead, but poor.
Over the next three days, they endured the agony of traversing a mountain range. The horses tired easily, the air was chokingly thin, and the evenings were never restful. Every distant howl, flap of a wing, or shift of the logs on their fire was enough to induce an anxious wakefulness. In the distance, pairs of eyes glinted in the trees but vanished when focused on. Mornings brought relief at having survived another night in this savage hinterland. On the fourth day, as they crested the peak of yet another endless series of hills that barely failed as mountains, they saw the town of Ulrichtochten.
“Remarkable, isn’t it?” Jibriil said. “Like the Fall just didn’t happen in this corner of the world.”
“You’re right,” Taki said, “it’s too pristine. I thought no one had been spared the wrath of the demons.”
“This land has always been strange,” Jibriil said. “Even before the Fall, they were an isolated sort that didn’t care for the demands of their neighbors. It’s plausible that they may have defended themselves successfully. I don’t know.”
“But we’re not all speaking their language, so something happened to make them perish, anyway,” Taki said. “Anyone within?”
“Assuredly,” Jibriil said, “and the matron is down there somewhere. They’re testing our resolve. Do we go through and start looting and get shot, or do we go around in fear? It’s a game for bored locals to play on the tourists.”
“But these are the people your master wants us to bargain with, so we’ve got no choice. They think we’ve got grad, so they’ll be willing to talk.”
Enilna huffed. “Do we have enough to just buy them?”
Jibriil shook his head. “There’s not enough grad in the world for that. We’ll need to find the matron and come to another arrangement. Be careful, though, and prepare to fight your way out.”
“Sounds like if it comes to a fight, we’re dead,” Taki said.
“Perhaps, but we’ll take out a lot of them before we go down.”
“I like the way you think, Jibriil.”
After a short hike down the hillside, Taki set foot on the first paved surface he had seen since leaving the Salted Fortress. When he realized just how well preserved it was, a chill went through his core. Intricate architecture overlooked expertly planned avenues lined with well-manicured trees, and the storefronts still had glass in the windows. Like all glass, it was distorted from centuries of slow melting but still glistened attractively in the light.
“It’s so beautiful,” Enilna whispered. “Did everyone in the old world live like this?” She twirled around and inhaled the apple-scented air.
“Stay alert,” Taki said. A scowl marred his features as he regarded the rooftops and alleys.
&nbs
p; “Look, if anyone wanted to actually attack us here, we’d be dead ten times over already. We’re in five killzones at once right now. This is the worst possible place to be trapped, so just enjoy yourself, okay?”
“I still prefer to be prepared.”
“You know, if a man’s too stressed, he’ll find it hard to get it up.”
“Christ! Enilna!”
“Company,” Jibriil said.
In front of the squad stood a pair of women cloaked in hides fringed with ragged tufts of burlap. They carried rifles with immaculate wooden stocks and not a trace of rust. Taki recognized the guns as Gewehr rifles that only shot the best types of milligrad and always hit their targets. The Temple had possessed a few examples, but those had been considered too precious to take into battle.
Jibriil gestured for the others to stand back and approached with his hands calmly at his sides. “I speak for the holy diver of Astarte. Please, show us to your matron.”
One of the women spoke. “For what purpose, male?”
“His Holiness wishes to enter an agreement. One bullet turns to a thousand.”
The two women started to murmur to each other. After another tense moment, the women simply turned and gestured for the trio to follow. Eventually, they led the band to the outside of a massive granite tower in the middle of a tiled courtyard. One opened the door. Jibriil made to enter, only to find rifles aimed at his chest.
“Males may not enter,” one of the women said.
Jibriil scowled. “I said I speak for the diver. If I cannot enter, I cannot speak for him.”
“Your mistress may enter.”
“What?” He looked around and then at Enilna. “You mean her?”
“Who else?” the woman said.
“She’s not of Astarte! She knows nothing of His Holiness’s plan—”
“Wait, Jibriil,” Enilna said. “Didn’t you have a scroll or something that the primate gave you? Surely you didn’t just memorize the entire agreement?”
“I…I do, but he entrusted me to handle it,” Jibriil said, scratching his head.
“But if they won’t let you in, then nothing will happen.”
“Then we’ll leave,” Jibriil said, and crossed his arms. “I don’t like this one bit.”
“It’s not up to you, anyway,” Enilna said, and crossed her arms too. “It’s up to our leader. Well, what say you, Taki?”
Taki furrowed his brow. “Jibriil, you said you were only to be our guide. Did the primate expect you to negotiate for him?”
Jibriil grimaced. “No. He only wished to have the matron sign the agreement.”
“So there shouldn’t be a problem with giving it to Enilna. Besides, if she has a question, she can always take her leave and come out here to ask you.”
“But…”
“We went through a lot to get here. My captain, Sir Aslatiel, and all of my friends are depending on our success. We lost one of our own for this, and I won’t have his life be spent in vain.” He locked his gaze with Jibriil’s. “Give her the scroll.”
For a moment, something inscrutable flickered in Jibriil’s eyes, almost so quickly that Taki wouldn’t have caught it if he hadn’t been staring the man down. It wasn’t hatred or contrition or anything so obvious, and by the time it had even registered in Taki’s consciousness, the look had long faded. Jibriil’s eyes flicked down and then back to Taki’s. Then, he extended the scroll to Enilna.
“Have the matron seal it with her personal chop, too,” Jibriil said. “Tell her if she dislikes any of the terms, they’re all negotiable later. If you have questions, come out and ask me as Sir Taki said to.”
Taki nodded, and Enilna took the leather-bound scroll. She strode into the building and disappeared from view. The cloaked women also turned and entered. The door closed with an ominous clanking sound. Now, the two men were alone again.
Taki spoke first. “Thank you, Jibriil.”
“Beg pardon?”
“I said thanks. For being flexible and patient. I know you were loath to part with the scroll, but sending Enilna was our only option.”
Jibriil chuckled and stretched. “I still have misgivings. The madchen are notorious bandits, and not simply because of the sniping. They use their tongues to steal, even more so than their guns. But as you said, Sir Taki, you’re in charge. I must abide by that.”
Taki bit his lip. “Yes, that’s right. But you still have my thanks.”
“I remember the first time I saw you. You were a fresh corporal then, were you not?”
“I’d graduated the academy only a fortnight before the fall of Vergina.”
“Your type of power is rare, and I heard you were a gifted student. I’d have scooped you up into my unit in a heartbeat, had I the choice. How did you end up stuck in Tirefire the Lesser?”
Taki let out a half smile. “It’s a long story, but suffice to say, it was mostly Hecaton Mezeta’s fault.”
“The old bag sure liked to screw with people.” Jibriil snorted.
“The last thing she did was steal our pensions.”
“Really now? That’s…” Jibriil counted his fingers. “Five hundred rounds. I heard you all were after her like hungry dogs. Now I see why.”
“Well, the captain said that next time we see her, Mezeta’s dead no matter what.”
“If I’m around, you’d better let me in on the slaughter,” Jibriil said, and extended his hand.
“Aye to that,” Taki said, and shook it.
For a moment, both were silent. Jibriil sighed. “Don’t misapprehend me, but how is Lo—I mean, your captain?”
“She is well.” Taki toed the dirt. “Perhaps better than she has ever been before. Certainly happier to be away from the Temple…and away from you.”
Jibriil smiled, though sadly. “Then I am happy for her. I always thought her destined for better things.”
Taki wanted to stop there but found himself unable to. “Then why did you mistreat her so?”
“Sir Taki, you may never believe this, but I did—and still do—genuinely love her. Lady Lotte is a woman unlike any other. She’s strong of body, heart, and mind. She possesses valor to rival the exarch’s, and I mean Choniates and not Michail when I say that. She’s…” He paused. “If I’m not mistaken, you’re also acquainted with her virtues as well.”
“You still haven’t answered my question,” Taki said, trying not to redden.
“Sir Taki, do you know aught about these parts?”
“No. I don’t see what that has to do with—”
“I told you, my father was a mountaineer. My mother was one of the madchen, who are a strict matriarchy. It’s what naturally happens in a society where everyone’s armed to the teeth. Regardless, there are no adult males around these parts. Clanswomen will occasionally meet with men from greater Ursala to procreate, but they only keep the girl children. I was lucky and was given back to my father. He was a lout. His answer to disobedience was a fist or a boot. The same applied to the women he kept. When I was finally taken to the Temple, I knew nothing else. I knew nothing of how to court, so to speak.
“I joined the Lotte’s unit right out of the academy. You know how brutal and yet tender she can be. Because of that, I worshipped her, perhaps literally. Then, she saved my life and lost everyone else. I finally had my chance, so I took it. I thought I’d treated her fairly and shown her my love. I had done no wrong, and my power confirmed it. But then we lost to the Imperium, I woke up to my own burial, and I had to start over from nothing. I lost her, and deservedly so.”
“You sound as if you blame your father for your actions.”
“No, I do not. I have only myself to blame. I was happy to see her again and finally apologize. It does little to mend things, but words are better than nothing.”
“You’ve still a long way to go to deserve her forgiveness.”
“As I said, I don’t expect it.”
“Then take my advice, Jibriil. After our business here is concluded, don’t
approach her again. Even if you’ve changed, none of us need suffer the memories your presence brings.”
“I’m glad, Sir Taki.”
“For what?”
“That you serve her now. You’re a good commander and a brave fighter. And, take no offense, but I can tell you have more than simple devotion in your heart. In return, I shall give you advice.”
“And what would that be?”
“Don’t two-time her. Don’t make her share your attention with Lady Enilna.”
Taki crossed his arms. “Enilna’s just a friend.”
Jibriil snorted. “Is she?”
The door to the granite tower creaked and drew both men’s attention. Taki rested a hand on his pistol grip. Visions of Enilna’s severed head presented at the tip of a pike drove him to a cold sweat. I forgot, dammit. I forgot to tell her to take their salt and bread first. Shit!
“Okay,” Enilna said, and stepped out. Taki unclenched to see her. His breathing returned to normal. “I got her to sign and seal it, but we’ve got to pay her now.”
“Pay her?” Jibriil threw up his hands. “The primate specifically said no concessions!”
“And that’s what pissed her off!” Enilna crossed her arms indignantly.
“We used our funds to bribe our way in here. We’ve got nothing.”
“I’m way ahead of you. Instead of 'grad, we’ll provide services instead. So, uh, we’ve got a feast to attend. And a monster to, uh…kill.”
Later, in the smoky, high-ceilinged hall of the grand lodge of the canton, Taki feasted. He sat cross-legged on a pile of hides in front of a low-set table piled high with roasted cuts of venison and blackened pheasants. Enilna sat next to him and busily devoured a shank crusted with salt and whole peppercorns. They tore into drumsticks and thighs with relish and mopped up the grease on their plates with chunks of coarse bread. Wine, tapped from ancient casks, flowed freely.
“Enilna, I never knew you liked rare meat,” Taki said between bites and swallows. “Thing’s practically running out of your grasp!”