Broken World Book Three - A Land Without Law

by Southwell, T C

  "You idiot!" Letta scolded, "If he's gone, I'll brain you, I swear! How could you be so stupid?"

  Vosh raised his arms to ward off her next missile. "I was scared of the warriors, sweetheart, I didn't mean to upset the kid, honest!"

  "But you had to ask for more, didn't you? Why couldn't you settle for what you had?"

  "Those things are abominations, my love. They should be destroyed!"

  Neither of them appeared to notice Law standing in the doorway, so engrossed were they in their argument. Letta drew back her arm to hurl the pot at Vosh's head. "Fool! You -"

  "Stop." Law stepped into the chamber, and Letta whirled in surprise. Vosh radiated immense relief as he straightened. Letta dropped the pot and flung her arms around Law's neck, making him step back in surprise at her uninvited touch.

  "You came back!" Letta hugged him, ignoring his wriggles of discomfort. "We're so happy you did, Law."

  She held him away, then pushed him towards the table. "Sit, have some food. Vosh is very sorry for what he did. Aren't you, dear?"

  Vosh nodded. "Sure am, kid. Those critters gave me quite a fright, that's all."

  Law sat, glad to be released from the woman's clinging arms. She put a bowl of food before him, and he picked up a spoon. The two people turned to each other as Law ate, his mind occupied with the new knowledge he had gained that day. Vosh sat opposite.

  "Do you think the queen will give us a better place to stay? After all, you're kind of royalty to them, aren't you?"

  The youth nodded. "Yes."

  Vosh beamed at Letta. "See? I told you. Our son can have anything he wants, and so will we."

  Letta pulled up another chair beside the Mujar. "We're going to take real good care of you, Law, you can count on that. Anything you want, you just say."

  Vosh nodded. "That's right, and when they bring us the women, you'll have your pick, I promise. The men won't begrudge you anything, seeing as how you've set us free."

  Law ignored their eager promises, content to sit and eat the good stew. Their offers did not interest him, as long as he had shelter and food, he wanted nothing else.

  Over the next week, the Truemen showered Law with gifts, some of which he enjoyed, others he ignored. The men, learning that this blind Mujar was willing to help Truemen and excited at the prospect of having women again, helped to provide the gifts Vosh seemed to think he needed to give Law. They made him an outfit of soft black leather studded with silver, which pleased Law, who found the new covering comfortable. Vosh demanded wood from the workers and built a bed for his foster son, which Law also found good for resting upon. Letta, apparently disappointed by Law's loss of appetite, slaved over her pots to produce tasty treats for him.

  Vosh demanded that his chamber be enlarged, and ordered the work done in Law's name. In a bustle of activity that lasted two days, workers invaded the cavern, knocked down walls and built new ones. They added several extra rooms and coated the walls with a veneer of spit, like the queen's chamber. A few days later, warriors returned from across the sea with the women Vosh had asked for, bruised and hysterical, but unharmed.

  Vosh threw a party and invited all the men to meet their new mates amid music and feasting. The men took turns to play the instruments, none of them musicians, and the thumping and screeching hurt Law's sensitive ears. He tried to escape, hampered by the frenetic activity of the people who danced around the room, jumbling the images his brain received. Vosh caught him at the door and dragged him back, spun him around and made him stagger. He thrust a soft creature at Law, whom the Mujar fended off in agitation. Mujar disliked being touched, and Law was no exception.

  Vosh laughed. "How about this one, Law? Pretty, isn't she?"

  All people looked the same to Law, only their scent defined them, and he pushed the female away. The girl, apparently finding him attractive, pressed herself closer and twined her arms around his neck. Relaxed and drunk on the crude liquor the men had brewed, the women became bawdy and made advances that the men happily accepted. Only Law was unhappy with the situation, and the more the girl tried to seduce him, the more he fended her off.

  Letta came to his rescue, pushed the girl away and imposed herself between them. With her help, he escaped the cavern and retreated to the peace of the tunnels. Letta stayed with him, muttering about Vosh's behaviour until the party reached its conclusion, whereupon they returned to the deserted rooms. Letta discovered that Vosh had left with one of the women, and prepared a meal for Law with much banging of pots.

  * * *

  Across the sea, Truemen had discovered that life was good. Not only were crossbreeds useful and hardy, but the war with the land had long since ended and the threat of the Hashon Jahar was almost forgotten. A crop of earth wizards sprang up, formerly farmers or traders who discovered that they could manipulate inanimate objects with their minds. They explored this new power to its fullest, inventing spells with which they could make rock or steel cut wood like butter. The men in power put their skills to good use, sending them out with armies of woodcutters to clear vast tracts of forest for grazing, the wood hauled away to build cities and ships.

  Herds of wild deer and cattle were driven into vast stockades and slaughtered to feed the armies of manbulls every city now owned, and the hides were cured to clothe them. Clever men became rich overnight, and earth wizards grew richer still, as did fire wizards. Stockades that trapped wild game fed the new fortified towns. Rich men employed earth wizards to unearth priceless gems and became richer still, while other earth wizards did it on their own. The world was Truemen's oyster, helpless to defend itself against their plunder.

  The only problem they faced were the wild crossbreeds, fearsome creatures prone to attacking Trueman villages and woodcutters for no apparent reason. The worst of these were those with insect and Trueman blood. Cunning and quick breeding, they established fortified colonies from which they raided Trueman stock and villages, carrying off cows and people alike. The chaos beasts' threat drove many villagers to abandon their towns and invade the cities, which swelled their populations and provided fodder for their rulers' giant armies. The rulers, pressured by their rich citizens to gain more land, sent their armies to war. Thousands of manbulls and manhorses fought long and glorious battles, legions of seasoned Trueman warriors backing them up. At times, these wars were fought against the manant colonies, and blood reddened the earth.

  Water wizards plundered the seas, filled fishermen’s' nets with tons of helpless fish and hunted the great whales for their meat and blubber. Rich women demanded beautiful clothes and baubles, which started a booming trade in rare furs from distant shores. New and unwholesome trades sprang up, and great wagon trains crossed the land. Men built new roads to new cities wherever wealth was to be found. Ore was carried to giant smelters for refining, then forged into armour and weapons for the vast armies that had been formed to fight the many wars. Earth blood was pumped from the ground to tar the new roads and burn the forests, polluting vast tracts of land with its careless use.

  The people who enjoyed the wealth and prosperity these outrages brought shouted down those who raised their voices in angry protest. Protesters found themselves ostracised and at times threatened. Most left the safety of the cities and returned to the towns that those who had fled from the chaos beasts had abandoned. These chosen found their lives hard, for chaos beasts attacked their poorly defended towns, stole their cattle and killed their people. They scratched a living from the soil, but many did not survive.

  Deep in the forests, the tribesmen who had lived in harmony with the land for centuries found their woods vanishing under the onslaught of earth wizards and woodcutters eager to feed the fires of the smelters and provide wood for building new cities and ships. Within four years of the breaking of the Staff of Law, Truemen had gained supremacy over the earth and plundered it without remorse. As the laws broke down, however, other, more terrible things happened. Things that Truemen could not have foreseen, nor find a use for, and othe
rs that would strike fear into the bravest hearts.

  Chapter Ten

  The drumming of hooves woke Talsy. The distant thunder brought back memories of the Hashon Jahar, and with them the chilling fear they provoked. Alarmed, she crawled from her tent to find everyone awake and gathered around the campfire, which was kept burning all night to warm whoever was on guard. Kieran and Brin muttered together, Mita comforted Shan while Taff stared into the darkness as if trying to penetrate its veil. She went over to the Prince, interrupting his discussion.

  "What's going on?"

  He flung her an impatient look. "We don't know yet. Chanter went to see."

  "Shouldn't we get ready to run if necessary?"

  "I was just discussing that with Brin, but he says that the sound isn't getting nearer. Whoever they are, they're passing by somewhere over there." He gestured.

  Talsy glanced around and shivered, the ground's trembling soaking into her with the cold. A grey owl floated out of the darkness and landed nearby, and a rush of wind that guttered the fire transformed it into the slender unman. Chanter approached and squatted beside Kieran and Brin.

  "There's no danger. They're passing by, but I think you should all come and see. It's a danger we may have to face yet."

  The warriors rose, and Talsy grabbed a warm jacket as they hurried after Chanter. He led them up a wooded hill, slowed as he neared the top and crouched down. The others followed his example, crawling towards the ridge of rock at the top of the slope. Chanter flattened himself and poked his head over the ridge, gesturing for the others to do the same. Talsy peered over the rocks and gasped. On the other side, the land dropped away in a steep incline, flattening out below to form a shallow grassy valley in front of another dark forest.

  A column of Black Riders rode through the valley, four abreast, their armour glinting in the moonlight and their tireless steeds' silken hides gleaming like satin. As before, the Riders made no sound other than the thunder of hooves, but these were not Hashon Jahar at all. Their stone faces no longer stared blindly ahead with expressionless eyes, but were twisted into expressions of scowling hatred and snarling anger. Their eyes glowed with a sullen yellow light, and their horses also possessed the glowing orbs, but, in addition, they had long fangs protruding from their lips. The sight of them made her stomach clench. Their lances bore pennants with strange sigils on them, and their formation's perfection was gone, their lines uneven and ragged. The last of them thundered past and vanished up the valley, leaving the fading rumble of their hooves and a pall of dust that hung in their wake.

  Talsy turned and pressed her back to the rock, and the others turned away with expressions of horror and despair. Kieran slumped, looking stunned. Chanter stood up and gazed after the Riders, then glanced down at Talsy.

  She looked up at him and loosened her tongue in a dry mouth. "What are they?"

  "Good question," he mused, squatting down and running his eyes over the chosen. "They were Hashon Jahar, but they aren't any more. They are another product of the chaos, a mingling of life and death. The Hashon Jahar were truly dead, a creation of the Goddess Marrana. They carried their victim's souls in them to be tortured by their people's deaths. This was the punishment of the unchosen, decreed and carried out by the gods.

  "The Hashon Jahar were animated by the power of Death, and had no vestige of Life, breaking no laws. From what I've seen tonight, I would say that the souls that were trapped within those Black Riders have mingled with them and animated them. Previously the souls were merely carried by the Hashon Jahar, but now I think they rule them. That yellow light you see in the Riders' eyes is the souls' power." He paused to study their shocked faces. "It would take many souls to animate a Rider and its steed. Their power is weak, and can only be strengthened by one thing."

  Kieran frowned. "What's that?"

  "The gathering of more souls to serve the stone body."

  "But they always were killing machines. What's the difference?" Talsy asked.

  "Now they're worse. They'll kill whatever they can find, and trap its soul. They killed only Truemen before, and collected the souls. Now they'll slaughter beasts as well, and, since they're now endowed with the characters of the souls they carry, they may strike foul bargains with powerful rulers in exchange for the sacrifice of innocents to feed them."

  Talsy glanced around, surprised that Chanter had not taken her and Kieran aside as he usually did, but had told all of them. The Aggapae stared at the Mujar with sick eyes, their gentle natures clearly outraged by such evil in their land.

  Kieran muttered, "So what can we do about them?"

  "Stay as far away from them as possible," Chanter stated. "Especially me."

  Talsy looked up at this last statement, but Kieran spoke first. "Is there any way to fight them?"

  "How can you fight that which is neither dead nor alive? As Hashon Jahar, they could not be defeated, for they could not be killed. Now, as then, they're immortal, but every battle strengthens them as they gather more souls and drink blood."

  "Why especially you?" Talsy demanded.

  Chanter looked at her, and his eyes flicked to the Aggapae, telling her that this was something to do with his being Mujar. She thought he would not answer, then he looked down.

  "I am Life in its purest form." He raised glowing eyes. "The reason Mujar cannot be killed is because the Life within us is too strong. We are the children of Antanar, God of Life, and endowed with an endless font that cannot be withdrawn until our time is up, when Antanar himself snuffs out our existence. All other creatures fall under the sway of Life and Death. Antanar creates them, Marrana snuffs them out." He lowered his gaze again. "If a Mujar fell into the hands of those things, they would leech that Life from him and become so powerful they might even cross the threshold and birth themselves. Drinking Mujar blood... is forbidden."

  Kieran stared at Chanter, his expression wondering. "Mujar, the accursed undying. You're not cursed at all, are you? You're blessed."

  The Mujar nodded. "Those things, that were once Hashon Jahar, are now the accursed undead. We must be even more careful from now on."

  Talsy sagged, dismayed by the increasing numbers of monstrosities they faced. First the chaos beasts, now undead Black Riders. "We should call them Ghost Riders," she suggested wearily.

  Chanter translated, "Torrak Jahar."

  Kieran stared after the Riders, frowning. "What worries me is that they're going in the same direction as we are, towards that city. What if they're also going there?"

  "Then we'll find out when we arrive in a couple more days." Talsy rose to her feet and started back towards the camp. "It's no good worrying about that bridge until we come to it."

  Two days later, they stopped at the forest's edge to gaze across a vast expanse of cultivated land surrounding a city that spanned several hills, undulating over them like an ugly, mottled scab. The city huddled behind a deformed wall of slumped, stretched and bloated stone that crept up and down the hills like a putrefying snake. Although inept earth wizards had clearly built it, the wall was tall and strong, an excellent defence against chaos beasts. The remnants of a tar web protruded from under the wall here and there, mostly buried by the expanding city and its new defences. Strange half human, half animal creatures tended the fields, and a stream of wagons trundled in and out of the gates, guarded by armed men. There was no sign of the Torrak Jahar, which meant that they had either passed by or entered the city. Talsy hoped it was the former, she had no wish to meet the unread Riders. She slid from Chanter's back, and he transformed into a man in an icy hush.

  "Well, what do we do now?" she asked.

  "The wind saw it fall there, in that city," the Mujar stated.

  "Then someone will have to go and look for it."

  "I'll go," Kieran offered.

  "Alone?" Talsy raised her brows. "How brave of you, My Prince."

  "Bravery has nothing to do with it," he said. "I'm the most obvious choice."

  "Because you're expenda
ble?"

  "In a way." He gazed at the distant city. "The Aggapae would be lost in there, and their horses wouldn't like it. Chanter can't go near the place, and you're just a girl. I'm the only one who's qualified, and I have the sword."

  "You've got it all figured out, haven't you? Have you forgotten that this mere girl can summon the wind and saved your rotten hide when we were captured before?"

  "Stop thinking only of yourself. If you get into trouble in there Chanter will be forced to come to your aid, and if they capture him..."

  "He's right," Chanter murmured before she could retort. "He's a warrior, and he has the Starsword. The last piece was mine to find, this one is his. Perhaps the next will be yours."

  She glared at Kieran. "So how do you plan to find it?"

  He shrugged. "Ask around. If a ruddy great piece of stone came hurtling out of the sky and landed somewhere inside those walls, someone must have seen it and know where it is."

  Talsy swung away, miffed. "Well, don't take all year to find it then." She walked back into the trees and flopped down on the leaves, drew up her knees and hugged them.

  Chanter nodded at the warrior. "Be careful."

  "I'll be fine, but I'll need some money."

  Talsy tossed the pouch to him, and he turned to Brin. "Will my horse carry me to the city?"

  The Aggapae communed with his horse, which whickered the enquiry to the piebald. Kieran's mount snorted and stepped forward.

  "As far as the city gates," Brin explained.

  "That's fine."

  Kieran mounted, and the Aggapae wished him well before he rode towards the distant city. Talsy glared after him, confused by the depth of her concern and resentful of it. Shrugging it off as purely for the sake of finding the staff, she tried to put it out of her mind.