Hernus tried to wiggle free, shaking his head, but he was too weak to do anything but grasp at the arm that held him up. His chest and arms were charred, his clothing, where it had burned away, was mottled with raw flesh. Even part of his face had been blistered.
Armagon pulled the red crystal dagger from his belt, the same one Camry and Golas had sworn their oaths on, and plunged it into the man’s shoulder joint. Hernus howled and his struggles to get free and rid himself of the dagger grew desperate. Armagon heaved the priest through the portal, and the swirling red power swallowed him without a sound.
Chapter 25
317 Br. summer
“Dragons are known to have their own politics, but there are legends and songs of some delving into the politics of the lesser races’ kingdoms and free-states. Most keep their identity hidden, but some do enjoy taking a heavier hand in the rulings and reveal their true natures. When questioned about the interest in the affairs outside their isles, one answered, “Our kind is slow to make decisions. It is more interesting among the younger races with their short lives. Their choices must be swift and deeds finished within their lifetime. It makes a good distraction.”
-Chronicle of the States and Dragons
K hain whistled as he twirled the red crystal blade in his hand, and stopped at the edge of the flooded room in Asmodeus’s temple. “They have Old Blue locked up tight this time. Shielded the room so I can’t get in.” He tilted his head at the falling water. “And your beau will be coming back soon.”
“Beau?” Selien sighed as she materialized before Khain, like smoke coalescing into her form. “I am Death, Infinite and Immortal, Ruler of the Afterlife, and one of the five Entities.”
“And?” Khain asked, bemused.
Selien had the grace to frown at him. “I am starting to dislike your soulless nature.”
“You’re the one who fell in love.” Khain shrugged with a mischievous grin. “Which is odd that you didn’t know that would happen, oh Infinite, Immortal.”
Selien scowled at him. “No one is omnipotent. Not kings, nor emperors. Nor devils, nor gods. Not even the five Entities. Anyone who assumes we are is foolish. Freewill cannot be predicted.”
“And prophecies?”
“A river maintains its course.”
Khain chuckled and continued, “Who is Lil’ Brother bringing with him that can break Old Blue out?”
“The mage who brought us here.”
Khain’s grin faltered. “Alive? I’d think he would rather kill that elf than talk to him.”
“He would, but freeing his brother is more important to him.” She placed an ethereal hand on Khain’s shoulder. “You did well helping Sadria get my sword to him.”
“So he knows now?”
“He knows.” Selien took her hand away and made a shooing motion. “Now go and make ready for my Champion’s return.”
Khain turned to leave, but hesitated after a step. He turned back to Selien, and she waited with an expectant look. “Sadria did point out a book Arkhed had her steal from a certain archdevil. She said I should take it, but I can’t read it. She mentioned it’s in the Titan language, that mean anything?”
“The First Children of the Mortal plane. I think one day you’ll find a way to decipher it.”
“So it’s important?”
“All books are important, Khain,” Selien chastised gently.
“Important enough for you to make a prophetic statement.”
Selien snorted indelicately. “Hardly prophetic. But yes, I would recommend keeping it safe.”
***
Armagon barely spoke to Camry as they returned to the inn. By the time they reached The Speckled Dog, the sun was starting to dawn, and the sound of demons disappeared with the night.
“Wake Golas up, sell the donkey, and gather your things. Meet me across the river, at the northern docks.” He didn’t wait for Camry’s reply, instead he turned and took to the air, flying northeast across the city toward the docks.
Camry frowned at the sarpand’s departing figure, not liking the brusqueness. She turned back to the inn, and the door swung wide toward her, as the patrons they had left behind eagerly welcomed her back. It took all of her patience not to yell at the people to get back and stop congratulating her. She didn’t feel like she had accomplished anything.
The woman they’d saved from being sacrificed rushed to Camry, and grasped at her hand, trying to kiss it. Camry caught a glimpse of Golas, still asleep at their table. She pried herself away from the people and hurried up to their rooms to gather their things. Maybe the crowd would disperse before she returned to rouse him.
She edged through the crowd and made it to the stairs where the path was clear to the rooms. Once behind her closed door, Camry took several relieved breaths at being away from the press of people. Usually, she was avoided, shunned, and wasn’t prepared for the throng of adoration from her escapade with Armagon.
Carrying all the gear she and Golas usually used the donkey for, was staggering. Most of the people were gone from the common room. She heaved the packs onto the table, where Golas had produced a pool of drool, making him startle from the noise and vibration. She smiled at her mentor, amused at his hangover fatigue and the imprint of the wooden table on his face.
“Did he live?” Golas mumbled, rubbing at his eyes and face. He called for warm tea to clear the taste of stale alcohol from his mouth.
Camry couldn’t help her smugness. “Yes, we lived.”
Golas spluttered, “We? You and him?” When she nodded, he stood up, but caught at the table to steady himself. “What were you thinking? Going out there?”
Camry’s sureness faltered. “There was a woman who needed help. We saved her. And then he needed to send the message, so I went with him. I’d sworn to help him, and I wanted to learn to fight demons because we’re going to the Hells.”
Golas sat heavily as the barmaid brought his tea. He took a long drink of the hot liquid, letting it help focus his mind. Finally, he set the cup down and said, “He shouldn’t have let you go with him.”
“He did tell me I should stay here.” Camry shrugged. “But I swore an oath to help him, same as you.”
Golas frowned and kept his eyes on the mug of tea.
Camry felt she had explained herself enough. “Come, we need to sell Isabelle and meet Armagon.”
Golas dickered over the price with the innkeeper, not liking that he had to sell his donkey. Camry forced Golas to pare down his pack, as she had done, since they would have to carry their own supplies, and sold those items too.
When they reached the docks, Camry wasn’t sure how they were going to find Armagon among the people, cargo, wagons, and dozens of ships. It didn’t take long for him to find them though; he landed near them with a thump on the wooden pier.
“I have a ship.”
Golas and Camry didn’t have time to question him, as he turned away as soon as he spoke the sentence. They tried to catch up to him, but the mass of people parted for, and closed, behind him. No one wanted to get near the armored sarpand. It made the path for the pair of elves more difficult.
There was one person who didn’t step out of his way, in fact, she turned to face him. “Armagon?”
Morkleb’s lecture on the different types of ships came to an end when Madger spoke. He, Kharick, and Seal turned, as surprised as Armagon seemed at their paths crossing. Camry and Golas stopped behind Armagon as he stared up at the giantess.
“I don’t have time for this,” Armagon grumbled.
Morkleb leaned around Madger to gain a better view of the sarpand. Wasn’t he one of the brothers they’d gone to see in Meerwood? His eyes went wide at the sight of Armagon’s aura. “You’re a cleric?” he exclaimed.
Madger tilted her head at Armagon and released her hold on her magic. Armagon’s aura had shifted and become larger, it wasn’t the same black tying him to the Hells. And the two elves at his back brimmed with magic. The silver haired one showed even more
power than DraKar and she took a step back and snatched up her magic again. She hadn’t thought she’d ever see someone who could match her, much less surpass DraKar.
Golas examined Armagon with his magic. “How? You weren’t two days ago.” He looked over the four they’d bumped into examining Madger as she did with him.
Armagon clenched his teeth to keep from spouting curses.
“You need a cleric to teach you.”
He took a breath as Selien’s voice settled his agitation. He looked past Madger to Morkleb. “I’m new to the abilities. I could use some help learning to control them.”
Morkleb’s ears swiveled back and forth and he struggled to answer.
“No,” Seal said and tugged Morkleb behind her.
Kharick’s beard twitched as he moved closer to Seal, and rested a hand on the ax on his belt.
Armagon grimaced and caught Seal with a stony look. “We’re going to the Icren Isles. Just come with us for the trip and I’ll pay for your voyage back.”
“You’d hire us for a boat ride?” Seal scoffed. “The four of us?”
“I’m hiring your cleric.”
“His name is Morkleb,” Madger said. “And what about the promise you made me?”
“I have a ship waiting. Come with us, and I will explain on the way. And yes, I’ll hire the four of you if I must.”
“This is a bad idea,” Seal warned.
“Easy pay,” Kharick said. “Is it easy pay?” he asked Morkleb.
“I’ve never taught another cleric before. Maybe?”
“It’s a damn boat ride,” Camry answered. She pointed at Morkleb’s ear chains. “I don’t think it’s his first.”
Madger turned to Morkleb. “We might miss your family. But it’s your decision.”
“You sure you want to get back on a ship, lass?” Kharick asked.
“I don’t, but I can’t avoid the water forever.” Madger raised an eyebrow back at him. “And you?”
“Aye, same.”
The chains in Morkleb’s ear chimed as they continued to shift back and forth. “You aren’t a cleric of Thesda, who do you worship?”
Armagon went still, hardly breathing and his jaw clenched. Of course he would be a cleric of Thesda. “I serve an Entity you wouldn’t recognize, but I fight demons.”
“Fight demons,” Morkleb muttered. “Is that why you’re here? Is that why you’re going to the isles?”
“Yes.”
Morkleb wrung his hands together. “I read about it, but never practiced it.”
“There aren’t many clerics who do,” Armagon said. “That you’ve read about it is a step up from most.”
Morkleb nodded, this he could do, this he would do for Jarah, for his sister. “The trip to the isles is little more than a week. We’ll be back before the month is over. I can leave a message at the temple for my family to wait for us to return.”
Seal let out an agitated sigh. “Fine, but we aren’t getting off the ship.” She pointed at Armagon, her blue eyes flinty. “You hear me, you scaly bastard? We aren’t getting off the damned ship.”
Armagon let a twinkle of amusement catch in his eyes, and gave a familiar smile back at her. “I honor our agreements.” That made Seal pale and drop her hand. “Gather your things, leave your message, and meet us on the High Moon.” They parted and Armagon led Camry and Golas to the ship.
He met the captain at the top of the ramp. “I have four more passengers coming.” He dropped several gold coins into the human’s hands. If he needed to spend much more he’d run out. Without DraKar to conjure more he’d have to get to one of their stashes or Meerwood. With luck they’d be in the Hells and have his brother back at his side before it became a problem.
The captain tested the coins and scowled. “We don’t have many cabins.”
“We’ll make do.”
The captain grunted and turned to his crew, issuing orders to make ready for the extra passengers. As he called out orders to his crew, Armagon motioned for Camry and Golas to follow him.
“Who are those people you spoke with?” Golas asked.
“A small mercenary band,” Armagon answered. “We don’t need them. Only the cleric.” He didn’t wait for further questions, and led them to the rear quarter of the ship.
Inside, he opened a door to a small cabin, just large enough for two bunks, table, and small wash basin. Turning to Camry, he glowered at her. “Next time I tell you to stay somewhere, you do as I say. You don’t know how I fight and I don’t know all that you are capable of. If you had listened to me, it would have saved us both some trouble. You’re lucky you didn’t die.”
Armagon left Camry gaping and entered an interior cabin across the hall.
Golas looked sharply at her. “What did he mean by all that?”
Camry dropped her pack inside the room. “This might take a while,” she muttered as Golas joined her and shut the door.
***
It was over an hour before Kharick, Madger, Morkleb, and Seal boarded High Moon. Madger hesitated a moment at the bottom of the ramp. Kharick hadn’t slowed, instead he gained speed, and a determined length to his stocky gait up the ramp. The smell of ocean and vessel made her stomach turn. She took the remains of her courage, balled it up and stoppered the pit of anxiety in her guts. When she joined the others onboard the crew snatched up the ramp and began preparations to disembark.
Morkleb looked back across the city, just able to pick out the spires from Thesda’s temple. He’d been able to leave a note for his family, but Master Len was gone on one of his trips to audit parishes. He turned back as the captain muttered a curse.
“I don’t have enough quarters for each of you. Especially a fucking giant. The damn sarpand didn’t say nothing about no fucking giant.”
Morkleb stepped between the captain and Madger. She didn’t look prepared to answer, much less defend herself, already unsteady on her feet and they hadn’t castoff from the dock yet. “We can berth with the crew; just hang a curtain for the ladies to have some privacy.”
The captain scowled, sucked on a crooked tooth and finally called to one of his crew, giving the instructions to set the four of them up in the rear of the crew’s section. “Follow him,” he said with a sharp jab of his thumb.
They didn’t stay below deck long. Madger had to leave, as fast as she could, hunched over, trying to avoid beams, and made a final dash to the railing of the deck. Morkleb winced, they hadn’t even left the harbor.
Madger sagged down, sitting with her back against the railing. “I think I’ll stay up here for a while.”
Morkleb handed her his flask of watered wine. “Rinse out your mouth. I’ll get you some water. Try and keep something in your stomach. Don’t want to worry that ulcer open again.”
She did as he said with a muttered thanks. Kharick sat down next to her and took a swig from his skin of ale. “Now might be the time to take up drinking, lass.” He offered it to her, but she took one sniff of it and had to drag herself back up to lean over the railing. “Right then,” he mumbled and stoppered the skin.
Seal stayed with Morkleb as he went to get some water for Madger. “You don’t meet with Armagon without me. You don’t speak to him or those two elves without me.”
“Why not?”
“Because, I don’t trust him.”
“He’s a cleric!”
“A cleric of whom?” Seal demanded.
Morkleb shrugged his wing-covered shoulders. “I don’t know. I imagine we’ll get to that when I start working with him. It isn’t a dark god though, nothing evil.”
Seal choked on her retort, biting back her knowledge of Armagon.
***
Camry and Golas emerged from their cabin when the call for lunch went out. Camry waited at Armagon’s door but it remained closed.
“Isn’t he going to eat?” Camry asked.
“Likely in his own time. Sarpand are solitary creatures.” He waved his finger at her, a sure sign of his next lesson and Cam
ry rolled her eyes. Golas didn’t notice and continued, while leading the way out to the deck. “Why, they don’t even raise their young!”
Camry ignored much of what he said as she gathered her food and sought out the odd mercenary crew Armagon had hired. They had to be more interesting to listen to than her mentor.
The giant and dwarf hadn’t gotten any food and remained separated from the cleric and white-haired woman as they ate. “Can I sit and talk with you?” Camry asked.
Morkleb hesitated only a moment at her dusky skin. A step up from most by Camry’s experience. “Please,” he said and made a gesture at the empty deck near them. “You’ll have to excuse Madger and Kharick. They aren’t feeling well. Some people don’t set ships well.”
Camry eyed the two at the railing as she sat. “I see.” She introduced herself and Golas while Morkleb did the same. “How do you know Armagon?”
“The sarpand? I don’t,” Morkleb admitted. “I mean, I never really met him. Madger talked to him once. They’d made some sort of deal.” He turned to Seal. “How did you all meet him?”
“Unchained him from a wall,” Seal mumbled around her food.
Morkleb gave the two elves an apologetic smile for Seal’s manners. “And the two of you? I can’t imagine hunting demons is a common thing.”
Camry was still trying to make her mouth work after hearing they’d unchained Armagon from a wall. She doubted relaying their intention to go to the Hells to a cleric of Thesda was a wise choice. Thankfully, Golas came to her rescue. “We owe him a debt.” His tone killed further conversation.
When Armagon didn’t emerge from his cabin for dinner, Camry went to him. She knocked and he was slow to answer. There was a scuffing of scales against wood, and a shifting of footing, so she knocked again and was a little surprised when he opened it for her. The heavy scent of weapon oil wafted over her. She was startled by how dark the windowless cabin was, he hadn’t lit any of the lamps. Carefully, she stepped inside, not sure how large his cabin was or where the bolted down furnishings were.
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