by Choi, Bryan
Jibriil sighed. “Regardless, we must plan our way back to Astarte.”
Taki lifted his chin. “We can’t retrace our steps?”
“No, it’s too dangerous, especially since we took out that group of chevaliers and left the farmsteaders alive. We’ll have Ursalans up our arses day and night. The Salted Fortress might not even let us in.”
“So what do you propose?”
“If we go but a day’s march south, we’ll end up in Uri, where there’s lodging, food, and most importantly, beer. Farther south, and we’ll be in the primate’s domain again.”
Enilna pointed an accusing, tremulous finger at Jibriil. “What? Why didn’t we just take that route in the first place?”
“Because,” Taki said, “that way we’d have to pass through the Teufelsbrucke. Isn’t that right, Jibriil?”
“Yes,” Jibriil said. “There was no way we’d have made it through there coming from Astarte with an agreement scroll and a sack of grad, but look at us now. We’re poor, covered in shit, and out of options. Basically, we’ll pass inspection without a problem.”
“What about the castellan? They say he can sniff out a spy leagues away. What makes you sure we’ll escape his notice?”
“Because,” Jibriil said, “there’s something different about us now. We trust each other. Don’t we?”
Taki blinked. Only a week ago, he’d have never agreed to that statement. In fact, he’d have gladly put a bullet in the former archangel’s head. But Jibriil had just saved his life. It would’ve been easy to let the Wailing Lady crush Taki, and no suspicion would have ever been cast on Jibriil. Tentatively, Taki nodded. “Aye, we do.”
18
Taki rubbed his upper lip and frowned as his fingers came away feeling simultaneously slick and sticky. The cold, dry air of the Lepontine Alps made his nose run continuously. So much so that his handkerchief was already saturated, and now he was forced to use his bare hands. One thing that Jibriil had failed to warn him about was the danger of drowning in his own snot. He leaned over the top of the stone railing on the bridge and gazed miserably down at the rapids a hundred meters below. Astarte, even with its intrigue and terrible memories, was becoming quite appealing. Enilna, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying herself immensely and was entirely unaffected by the weather.
“You mind?” Taki said as she jostled him.
“I don’t mind at all,” Enilna said. She grinned to show him the food stuck between her teeth. In her hands was a steaming potato, freshly plucked from a bed of coals and dusted with salt and coriander. Around them was a crowd of several dozen packed on the Uri side of the bridge, gathered in the hopes of passing through the Teufelsbrucke.
The Devil’s Bridge was infamous. The sole pass through an otherwise impenetrable mountain range, it was the gate to the Ursalan heartland and the best-defended toll fortress in the Serene Kingdom. Stretching thirty meters high in the air, its stone face was riddled with arrowslits and murder holes and permanently blackened by centuries of battle. But the real source of the fort’s brutal legend was the man who controlled it.
“Take this a bit more seriously,” Taki said. “You’re just stuffing your face and making an ass of yourself.”
“I’m blending in,” Enilna said. “You’re the one acting all rigid, like some sort of enemy spy.”
“Can you not say that word here?”
“Spy?”
Taki crossed his arms and glared at her.
“She has a point, Sir Taki,” Jibriil said. “The key is to be relaxed. I know that doesn’t come easy.”
“No, I can do it,” Taki said. “Not like our lives are on the line or anything.”
Before arriving in Uri, Jibriil had suggested the trio discard and bury their arms and armor. He had gone so far as to suggest the guns meet the same fate, but Taki and Enilna had refused. Jibriil had ended up burying his carbine with many promises to return after the Imperium stormed the fortress. Despite the comforting weight of his Herstal, Taki still felt naked without his brigandine and saber.
“Where the hell is this Doohickey guy, anyway?” Enilna asked.
“Duvalier,” Jibriil said.
“Doodoo, whatever. Isn’t he supposed to judge all who try to pass the bridge? We’ve seen lots of people go across and nothing.”
“Be patient,” Taki said. Enilna had been right, though. Perhaps he died or moved on. Or perhaps he never existed at all? The last thought he quickly pushed down into the rubbish bin of his consciousness. Of course Duvalier was real, or Lotte wouldn’t have ever lost her status as archangel.
Enilna broke his thoughts by tugging on his sleeve and thrusting the half-eaten potato at his face. “Want a bite?”
“No.”
Enilna seemed taken aback, but her eyes quickly lit with realization.
“Oh,” she said with what seemed to be genuine contrition. “I forgot about your trauma. Do you want to talk about it?”
Taki rolled his eyes. “I don’t have potato trauma!”
“That’s classic denial. Do you startle easily when you see a root vegetable? Irulan tells me that’s one of the cardinal signs to look for.”
“Commissar Surenovna needs to stop pretending she’s a surgeon,” Taki said, and turned with his back to the rail. “I’m just…worried. I’d almost rather the castellan be present than hidden.”
“True, but isn’t it nicer this way?” Enilna smiled. “Soon we’ll be across the bridge, and it’ll be easy travel to Astarte. You should feel lucky to spend a few peaceful days with a cutie like me.”
“You? Cute?”
Enilna flicked him on the forehead. “Don’t push your luck, V-bag.”
“You’re horrible, you know that?”
“For a small fee, I won’t teach that word to Dassa.”
“How much?” Taki sighed and fished around in his money pouch to buy her silence. Of course, it was a lack of funds that had driven the trio to try passage across the bridge in the first place.
“A round of Old Nayto.”
“That’s extortion.”
“We’re up next,” Jibriil murmured. “Remember the plan.”
Taki swallowed, gritted his teeth, and trudged past the thick iron bars that made up the portcullis. He was in a small square courtyard ringed by a raised stone platform with a tall archway at each corner. The walls of the fortress loomed high above him and were also ringed by torches. In front of him was another portcullis, similar to the one he’d passed under to enter this place. And past that gate was freedom.
A sentry raised his hand. “Halt.”
With a rumble that Taki could feel through his feet, the gates behind and in front of him closed. The trio was now trapped inside the fort. From the archways, Templars stomped out and assumed a silent vigil. They hefted poleaxes, dark and stained with grease.
Enilna’s eyes widened. Taki saw her reach, unconsciously, under her poncho to where her Colt was. Quickly, he put a hand on her forearm and stroked it reassuringly. She in turn intertwined her fingers in his and squeezed. Together, they stood in silence.
“Kneel for inspection by Lord Duvalier!” the sentry said.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me…
From a darkened archway above emerged a man of middling height and great beauty. Blond and smooth faced, the castellan carried himself with the surety and grace of a man who not only accepted but actually embraced his station in life. He stepped up to the edge of his perch and peered down at the group.
“Pray, tell me your names and destination,” Duvalier said.
Oh fuck, it’s him.
Jibriil raised his head. “Milord, I am Sir Silas of Rouen, a poor knight-errant in search of employment. I beseech you let me pass to Astarte, where I may petition the primate for work.”
Duvalier sniffed. “Pray tell, Sir Knight, what Ordo did you forsake?”
“The Ordo Draconis, mi
lord. I am…not proud of my misdeeds, but I aim to regain my honor through virtuous employment.”
“And those two?”
“My squire is Giles of Rouen. The girl is a farmer’s daughter he has ruined and taken ownership of.”
“Her name?”
“Cosette, of no special origin.”
Duvalier nodded. “You know, Sir Silas, I also have need of men skilled with arms. If you wished, I would extend an offer of work as a sentry. I pay better than the apostate in Astarte, too.”
Jibriil bowed his head again. “My thanks, milord. But…I have family in Astarte. My father has perished, and my poor mother has none else. She is the reason I left the Ordo in the first place.”
“How virtuous of you.” Duvalier smirked. “How about we have a test of sorts? If you can defeat one of my guard captains, then I will let you and your dependents pass unmolested. If not, then…well, you weren’t strong enough to survive the intrigues in Astarte anyway, and neither was your mother.”
“Milord, I beg you!” Jibriil balled his hands into fists. “I have no sword, shield, or armor! Surely you, who are the epitome of justice, will not make me fight one of your men, naked as I am?”
“You raise a fair if cowardly point, Sir Silas. If you don’t wish a trial by combat, then my men will simply take the wench off your hands. Unlike you, my guardsmen are brave and deserve comfort. And by your admission, she has no virtue to ruin. When they are done with her, she will be returned to you. Not to worry. They won’t kill her, and they’ll pay her well for her services.”
Enilna clenched her jaw and tensed. She gripped Taki’s hand until his knuckles turned white.
“I won’t let them!” Taki stepped forward and rolled up his sleeves. “If J—Sir Silas won’t fight, then I will! Who wants it first?”
Jibrill glared at him. “Quiet!”
“Ah, Sir Giles, it seems your squire has more sand than you,” Duvalier said with a chuckle. “Perhaps there is some hope for the youth of Ursala after all. Due to your stirring display of valor, young squire, I will allow you, your wench, and your cowardly master to pass. Raise the gates and send in the next group.”
With that, the castellan turned and disappeared back through his archway without ceremony. The Templars tromped back through their passages as well. And with another rumble, the portcullises began to open. With his legs feeling leaden, Taki grasped Enilna’s hand and trudged forth without checking if Jibriil accompanied them.
The crowd of onlookers on the Astarte side of the bridge murmured excitedly, and some reached out to try and touch the trio. Taki shrugged off the grasping hands and continued to walk. He walked silently until they were in the middle of a town center, where inns and taverns offered weary travelers rest and liquid courage.
“Taki!” Enilna jerked his sleeve. “You with me?”
Taki blinked and forced himself to turn. His heartbeat throbbed all the way up to his ears. How the godrotting hell did we manage to survive that? He brought a thumbnail to his teeth and started to chew frantically.
“Is this the mental sickness of a virgin?” Enilna asked, rapping on his skull.
Taki glared at her and stopped chewing. “No, it’s not! We were nearly discovered! You were nearly…ugh, I don’t want to talk about it! Dammit, Jibriil! What happened to your grand plan?”
Jibriil rubbed his face. His palms were smeared with sweat. “I’m sorry. I didn’t expect a trial by combat! I’d forgotten what a twisted bastard the man was.” He clapped a hand on Taki’s back. “Look, though! We’re through the gate. We’re home free! We’re alive, and that’s what matters.”
Taki twisted away. “Look, we just need to leave. I want to get as far away from here as possible, right now.”
Jibriil hung his head. “We can’t. There’s a blizzard cresting the horizon. The roads will be naught but death within a bell. Our best bet is an inn. It’ll be warm. We can eat and then leave early in the morning. Besides, the castellan’s done with us. He doesn’t have jurisdiction over these towns, just his fortress.”
Taki cursed but knew Jibriil was right about the impending blizzard. The clouds overhead were starting to darken, and the air had taken on an unfriendly chill.
“I’m with Jibriil on this one,” Enilna said. “Besides, my feet are cold.”
“I suppose we can hunker down for the night,” Taki said. “Do we even have enough for a room, though?”
“I, uh, know an innkeeper here,” Jibriil said. “She’ll accept forms of payment other than grad.”
Taki scrunched his brow. “Other forms?”
“I’ll pay her back with certain favors.”
“What sort of favors? Jibriil, be clear.”
“Taki, he means that she’ll make him rub her feet all night long,” Enilna said. “Isn’t that right, Jibriil?”
“Absolutely,” Jibriil said with a smile.
“What the hell is it with women and their feet?” Taki said, feeling slightly better.
A silver dusting of snowflakes had already settled on the rooftops in announcement of the storm to come. Taki drew his cloak tighter. Though it was damnable luck that they couldn’t leave until the next day at earliest, Enilna’s presence lessened some of his worry. She was ill mannered and impulsive, but that in turn only warmed him more. Damn you lot, he thought to his companions in Tirefire the Lesser, you’ve all made me a masochist.
Jibriil’s promised lodgings were more humble than Taki had expected. Actually, it’s more like a cell, Taki thought as he rearranged the embers in the meager hearth. He looked at their dwindling stack of wood and regretted not having the funds for more. Jibriil was absent, having disappeared into the innkeeper’s chambers to pay off his debt.
“It’s so godrotting cold! Maybe I should’ve taken up the castellan on his offer,” Enilna said.
“Ugh, why did I ever try to stand up for you, again?” Taki said.
“Oh, hush. You know I’m just japing.” Enilna sidled up next to him on the edge of his pallet and slung her blanket around his shoulders. “Here. It’ll be warmer if we’re like this. We’ll save body heat.”
“I think you’re the one draining most of it,” Taki said.
Enilna scowled and shoved her hands under his jerkin and shirt. The chilliness of her fingers against his bare belly made Taki want to yelp and wiggle away, but he controlled himself.
“Thanks for the warms,” she said with a sardonic smile.
“My hands are cold, too. Maybe I should do the same to you!” Taki said. A moment later, he blushed in realization. Hadassah would have slapped him for that. He did not want to think about how Lotte or Lucatiel would have reacted. To his surprise, Enilna moved her hands from his skin, grasped his, and guided them under her shirt. “I w-wasn’t being serious…”
“I lied earlier,” she said. “I don’t see you as just a friend. I like you, Taki Natalis. I desire you as a man. I want you to see me as a woman, not as the scared little girl I was before. You told me I shouldn’t offer myself until I’m ready. But I’m ready now.” She locked her eyes with his. “Please, believe me this time.”
Taki swallowed. The terror that had been in her eyes on the zeppelin was gone. He inched his trembling hands up her torso, and she smiled and kissed him. Again, his heart fluttered as it had when Lotte had done the same. Unlike many times before, he felt truly at ease. It did not matter that he was a virgin and inexperienced. It did not matter even if his comrades were somehow eavesdropping and making jests at his expense. It did not matter if he was Enilna’s superior by age and rank. It did not matter that the castellan of the Teufelsbrucke had almost slaughtered everyone. For once, everything was right. He drew closer.
“Can I…take you?”
Enilna’s lips tickled his ear. “Yes!”
An axe head crashed through the thin wooden boards of their door, and Taki scrambled for his pistol. Enilna was slower but raised her weapon a moment later when the door shattered on its hinges and a pair of footmen rushed i
n with cudgels raised.
Taki’s head throbbed painfully as he shot the closest intruder, but he only gritted his teeth and continued. Enilna’s pistol belched fire as it discharged and bowled the remaining man over. Two more, this time in stiff boiled leather, charged in with spears. Curiously, the tips had been blunted. One of them caught Enilna in the side and knocked her back. She crashed against the shutters of their window, clutching at her ribs, and the aged wooden slats fell to pieces.
A howling gust from outside dusted snow in Taki’s hair. He knocked one of the spears away and sent the last round in his pistol into another man in armor. Enilna seemed to want to bolt out of the door, but a deep thudding sound stopped her.
A fully armored Templar ducked into the room wielding a bar mace wrapped in leather thongs. One of the wounded Ursalan footsoldiers tried to reach out for help, only to have his hand crushed under the Templar’s boot.
Taki swore and flooded his prana gates. They’re trying to capture us alive!
“Out the window!” he ordered Enilna. “Take the roof and get out of town. I’ll hold them here!”
“No! We’re leaving together,” she said.
Taki whirled around and leveled his side arm at her. “Do not question my orders! If we don’t get back to the captain, we’re dead for nothing!”
Tears streamed from Enilna’s eyes, and she gnashed her teeth, but she slipped into the icy gusts. Taki turned back to face the Templar. He wondered why it had not simply clobbered him yet. Taki thrust his right hand forward and braced his elbow with his left hand.
“I see,” he said. “It’s me you want, after all. Well, I don’t have all night. Come at me, man!”
The Templar raised its mace to attack. Taki let out a grin and started his incantation. A second later, the swirling whiteness of the blizzard was saturated with blinding light.
19
With the one eye that wasn’t sealed shut from bruising, Taki stared at the rat with a mixture of fascination and dread. It was one of the largest he’d ever seen, almost the size of Babu back at the Cloud Temple. How the rat had gotten so large was no mystery: it obviously had a taste for human flesh. If Taki wasn’t vigilant, if he fell asleep, then the biting would begin anew.