The Price of Faith

by Rob J. Hayes

  “Now transcribe the first rune, Darkheart.”

  Thanquil picked one of the wooden chips and inked the brush, he recalled the first rune and set about copying it onto the wood. The first rune was fluid, swirling in on itself in a most organic, circular fashion and ending with an angled tail that connected it to the second rune. Thanquil could feel the energy flowing out of him into the wooden chip and felt his arms wobble slightly. When he was done he put down the brush and stepped back for the instructor to inspect.

  Instructor James scrutinised Thanquil’s copy and gave a grudging nod of his head. “What is the purpose of the first rune, Darkheart?”

  Thanquil had been expecting this and he could answer the question without hesitation. “It is an energy rune, Arbiter. The rune required to summon a demon is a strong one and so an energy rune is required to power it.”

  Instructor James grunted. “Transcribe the second rune.”

  Again Thanquil stepped forward and picked up the brush. The second rune was more angular, there was nothing fluid, nor organic about it; it was harsh and rough, showing many edges and forking back on itself in most unnatural of ways. Once finished Thanquil stepped back. The very shape of the rune seemed to make his eyes itch but he refrained from rubbing at them.

  Instructor James whistled through his teeth. “It will suffice. What is the purpose of the second rune?”

  “It is the summoning rune, Arbiter. It opens the path between our world and the void for a demon to pass through.”

  “Transcribe the third rune.”

  Thanquil bent to the task with vigour after his two successes, an arrogant pride warming him inside. The third rune was easy and one he knew well; a large triangle and a smaller one above with a line running straight through the centre of both. He finished, placed the brush back in the ink pot and stepped back with a smile.

  “It’s Volmar,” he declared before Instructor James could ask. “His name in runic.”

  The old Arbiter turned to Thanquil with a sneer. “And what is its purpose?”

  Thanquil had already opened his mouth to answer when he realised he didn’t know. He floundered, his mouth working but no sound coming out. When it was clear he had no response James grunted.

  “It is used as a binding rune. The demons are already bound to obedience but invoking Volmar’s name in the summoning reminds them to whom they are beholden. Never draw a summoning rune without it, Darkheart. The demon will be that much stronger if you forget.”

  Thanquil nodded and made sure to file the information away.

  “Now. Summon your first demon,” Instructor James said with a wave towards the table.

  Thanquil crept forward and picked up the rune in both hands. He looked back at Instructor James and for once the old Arbiter gave a reassuring nod. Thanquil sent a prayer of thanks to Volmar that the old man was standing behind him and, grasping the rune between thumbs and forefingers he snapped the wooden chip in half, dropping both to the ground and taking a step backwards.

  Both halves burst into blue flame and immediately Thanquil noticed the room darken and the temperature drop. The shards of light flowing in through the windows became dim slivers of grey and his breath frosted in the air as it left his mouth. A metallic clinking noise played on the edges of his hearing, as though chains were rattling somewhere far off and Thanquil shivered.

  The area in front of him grew darker still and Thanquil could just about make out the shape of a great, jagged face, almost triangular and covered in lethal spikes. Two black horns jutted out from atop the face and as Thanquil stared on two bright yellow flames flickered to life. A jagged line of white light formed into a mouth and the demon drew in a breath. Thanquil felt his blood go cold as the demon looked upon him, its face a maniacal grin of sharp black teeth and hungry eyes.

  Then it screamed. Cold air rushed past Thanquil, battering and buffeting him as the demon’s mouth, just a couple of feet from him, roared its deafening bellow.

  Thanquil heard a gasp from behind and then the sound of instructor James hitting the floor hard but he did not move. He stared right back at the demon and prayed to Volmar he wasn’t shaking as much as he thought he was.

  There was a crack and one of the floor boards in front of Thanquil splintered as the demon stretched a giant, serrated foot out of the void and into his world. Still the demon stared at Thanquil through those bright yellow flames.

  “BANISH IT!” he heard instructor James scream.

  Thanquil’s training took over. He pushed down his fear and with a voice that cracked on the words shouted at the demon. “Go back to the void.”

  Already the demon was fading but the set of its mouth left Thanquil with no illusions it was laughing at him. “We obey, initiate Darkheart.”

  As the light in the hall grew brighter the demon faded entirely leaving the splintered wooden board and Thanquil’s overwhelming sense of relief as the only evidence it had been there at all. He turned to find instructor James staring through eyes showing equal amounts of awe and terror. It took only a moment for the Arbiter to collect himself and the man lurched back to his feet and coughed loudly.

  “Back outside, Darkheart, now. Tell the others all classes are cancelled for the day. You are all to study Volmar’s text on the third level of curses.”

  Thanquil ignored the order. “Was it supposed to…”

  “I gave you an order, initiate,” instructor James roared.

  Thanquil bowed his head in submission and bolted for the door before the Arbiter could deal him another backhand. He burst out into the early morning sun and quickly slowed, determined to approach the others as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened despite his growing suspicion that the truth was quite the opposite.

  Thanquil

  When Thanquil dreamed of his past he never woke truly rested and this time it was certainly not helped by the pounding in his head from being struck by a sword hilt. He supposed he should be thankful the Dragon Knight hadn’t broken his jaw though re-living that first demon summing was more terrifying than any broken bone he had ever suffered and he had experienced his own fair share.

  He could hear cheering, loud and raucous and coupled with the unmistakeable sound of steel bashing against wood. Swords hitting shields, he decided and hoped the fort was under attack. He knew it was far more likely that…

  A thunderous roar that rattled the shutters on the windows blasted over the noise of the cheering and Thanquil knew there was only one beast that could make such a sound. He had heard it many a time sounding over the capital but usually at a much greater distance. The Dragon Prince had arrived.

  In a magnanimous decision of spite Thanquil rolled over and tried to cover his face in order to garner some more sleep. It was then he discovered his right hand was chained to something. Upon cracking an eyelid, and wincing at the pain it brought, he discovered he was fastened to the stone wall by a thick iron chain that showed not a spot of rust. He made an exploratory tug of the chain and decided it would likely hold even with a blessing of strength. Thanquil groaned, threw his left arm over his face and waited for oblivion to claim him.

  Oblivion, it appeared, did not want him. The dragon roared again and again Thanquil devoutly ignored it, focusing instead on the pulsating pain in his skull and trying to remember the face of the man who’d dealt him the blow. His mind was as unaccommodating as oblivion and all Thanquil could remember about the Dragon Knight was how hard his dragon bone sword was.

  It wasn’t long before he heard a door open nearby and the sound of chain armour clinking and heavy boots on wooden floor.

  “Prince Naarsk wants to see you,” said a loud, male, overly gruff voice.

  Thanquil didn’t bother opening his eyes but his rattled his chain. “I’m sure he does and I’d love to oblige but I appear to be a little tied up.”

  “Clean him up,” said the male voice. “Don’t worry, we’ll be right here. Won’t let him hurt you.”

  This time Thanquil opened his eyes,
an act that brought a fresh wave of nausea and pain and lifted his head. A young girl stood between two Dragon Knights, she looked familiar and it only took a moment for him to notice the resemblance.

  “You’re Berry,” Thanquil said wincing at the pain in his face. “The witch’s daughter.”

  “Careful, witch hunter,” said the Dragon Knight who looked suspiciously familiar. “If you so much as lay a finger on the princess we’re ordered to put you down.”

  Thanquil smiled and hoped he hid how much the expression hurt. “She is no princess,” he said and quickly continued before the Dragon Knight could object. “And no amount of arguing is going to make it so. Your own empire’s laws are quite clear on the matter.”

  The Dragon Knight grumbled something Thanquil could not and did not care to hear. “Nevertheless,” he continued. “I will not harm her.”

  The girl moved forward with a small bowl of water in her hands and set it down on the bed. She picked a cloth out of the bowl and wrung it twice before gently applying it to the left side of Thanquil’s face. He winced.

  “Sorry,” the girl said. “Father ses t’ clean ya up.”

  “Of course,” Thanquil replied as she dabbed his face with the cloth. “Wouldn’t want to see evidence of his own troops’ brutality. I presume it was your mother who suggested you be the one.”

  The girl nodded. “Mhm. She sed it might make you op’n ya eyes.”

  Thanquil looked at the girl. She was the spitting image of her mother only with eyes that pulled down a little at the corners and darker skin. She bit her lips as she dipped the cloth in the water and wrung it out again.

  “Ma ses ya ain’t so bad,” the girl said. “Just… she ses ya misguided.”

  Thanquil attempted a shrug, it set his shoulder to hurting. “She’s wrong.”

  The girl giggled. “Only da’ ever ses that.”

  Thanquil wasn’t entirely sure he believed the girl but he didn’t argue. “That’s an interesting necklace.”

  The girl drew back and her hand went to her throat. “You can’t have it. S’mine”

  Thanquil laughed. The necklace was a small green gemstone set in a bronze holding and glowing with an inner white light. He knew the stone well for it was his. The witch had taken it and gifted it to her daughter to show Thanquil that she had potential. No doubt she expected that seeing such a young girl and knowing how she would be treated in the Inquisition would sway him, convince not to do what he must. She was wrong.

  He shifted his gaze to the two Dragon Knights. “We’re done. I would like to see your Dragon Prince now.”

  “Berry,” said the familiar Dragon Knight as he stepped forward.

  The girl hopped off the bed and scurried away, hiding behind the man. She peered out at Thanquil from behind his leg but he could still see the gemstone necklace glowing. The girl was powerful and no mistake but he wondered how much she had been taught about that power.

  The second Dragon Knight, a bald man with a gorget that covered everything below his mouth, moved forward with a heavy iron key and proceeded to unlock the manacle holding Thanquil to the bed. He quickly stepped back and drew a large, very sharp-looking dagger that Thanquil had no intention of experiencing.

  “Up witch hunter. Start walking.”

  Thanquil rolled off the bed and slowly stood up before making a show of rolling his shoulders and stretching out his arms. He bowed his head slightly and grinned at the bald knight. “After you.”

  The Dragon Knight looked worried for a moment then reached out and gave Thanquil a push with the hand not holding a sharp knife. Thanquil stumbled towards the door and started walking. Berry was gone but the familiar-looking Dragon Knight turned and led the way, trusting his companion to warn him should their charge cause any trouble.

  They led him through the fort, past locked doors and alert sentries, past servants and soldiers. Prince Naarsk seemed to keep an austere home and a prepared fighting force. The knowledge didn’t surprise Thanquil, he knew the Dragon Princes fought each other and were more than happy to kill each other but he’d never seen evidence of their warfare up close before.

  The familiar-looking Dragon Knight stopped before a large metal doorway and glanced back at Thanquil with a grin before setting one hand to either door and putting all his weight into pushing them open. It took a moment for the giant slabs of metal to shift but when they did they grated against each other with such a noise that set Thanquil’s teeth to itching.

  By the time the doors boomed against their holdings Thanquil could already see what awaited him inside the fort’s great hall. If someone had told him Prince Naarsk had summoned every man in the fort he would likely have believed them. People packed every corner, wall, table and balcony in the hall. A strip along the centre of the hall remained bare of people and along it Dragon Knights were lined though whether to keep Thanquil from the crowd or the crowd from Thanquil he couldn’t decide.

  It was the massive dais at the far end of the hall that demanded his attention though. The witch, Verla Pre’lain stood conversing with a tall, thin man dressed in leather and half plate. The man had long, jet black hair and stood with a predator’s ease. Behind and towering over them both sat Prince Naarsk’s dragon.

  Like a giant scaled bat the dragon sat behind them as tall as a house and half as wide. Its wings were folded up onto its forearms but Thanquil knew from experience its true span was many times as wide. Its brutish head hung on a short neck and its pointed snout ended in a razor sharp, toothy overbite. Two beady eyes locked onto Thanquil and stared with a savage intensity. The giant tail, thick as human body and easily twice as long as the tallest man Thanquil had ever seen flicked in a way that suggested agitation.

  Thanquil had been in the presence of dragons before, many times, but never had he been subject to such scrutiny by one of the beasts. Its reptilian appearance belied its savage intelligence but he knew they were capable of communication, though of a form he had never experienced. Dragon and prince could understand each other though none other could.

  A murmur had picked up from the crowd as Thanquil entered the hall but the dragon’s breathing was louder by far; great hissing breaths sucked in slowly and let out as a foetid rush of air that he could smell even from a distance. As Thanquil walked closer, still escorted by his armed guards, the dragon let out a low, rumbling growl and Prince Naarsk turned to regard his beast.

  “He doesn’t like you,” the prince said turning his head and giving a nod to his knights. The three escorts stopped and the man behind Thanquil grabbed hold of his wrists and twisted them behind his back.

  “A shame,” Thanquil said with a wince at the pain in his shoulder, “I was hoping we could be the best of friends.”

  The sun just started to dip low enough to shine in through the giant balcony behind the dragon and bathed the creature in a golden light that set its green scales shimmering. Thanquil had noticed most forts and official buildings in the Dragon Empire sported huge balconies that were able to land two dragons.

  “Why are you here, Arbiter?” the prince asked.

  “Don’t tell me your witch didn’t tell you…”

  “My witch has a name,” Prince Naarsk interrupted Thanquil but his voice was calm and level with not a hint of anger, his dragon, on the other hand, seemed to be a boiling river of rage that might burst its banks at any moment.

  “They all have names,” Thanquil muttered.

  The knight behind Thanquil pulled his arms up a little and an involuntary gasp of pain escaped his lips. Thanquil craned his neck to look at the knight from the corner of his eye. “I’d much rather you didn’t do that. It actually hurts.”

  The knight only lifted higher causing more pain and Thanquil would have sworn blind the dragon managed a smile but the witch whispered something in Naarsk’s ear.

  “No I think he can stay like that,” the prince said his face as emotionless as stone. “I like him humbled.” A rumble of laughter ran through the assembled crowd and th
e knight behind Thanquil relaxed a little.

  “I ask you again, Arbiter,” the prince said once the laughter died down. “Why are you here?”

  “To claim my right as an Arbiter of the Inquisition and pass judgement on your witch.”

  “Your right?”

  “Yes. The Inquisition operates within the borders of the Dragon Empire under the express permission of the Dragon Empress. It is my right to question, judge and sentence anyone within its borders.”

  “Except for members of royalty,” the Dragon Prince said his eyes narrowing slightly. “We are above your… suspicions. My wife is above your suspicions.”

  Thanquil glanced at the witch who stood with her eyes lowered. “She never told me you were married.”

  “It is a recent development. She is both my wife and the mother of my…”

  “Regardless,” Thanquil interrupted the prince. “You have no royal blood yourself but are considered royalty only by your relationship with that thing.” He nodded towards the dragon. “The protection afforded you from the Inquisition does not extend to your wife or your daughter.”

  The pressure on Thanquil’s arms increased again and this time was accompanied by a loud roaring from the crowd drowned out by a much louder roar from the dragon. Thanquil decided it was very possible he had said the wrong thing.

  For the first time Thanquil noticed the little girl hiding behind one of the dragon’s great, folded wings. She peered out at the proceedings from her position of safety.

  Prince Naarsk again waited for the noise to die down. “You come into my home, Arbiter. You threaten my wife and my daughter and you expect me to simply give them to you for your biased judgement?”

  “No,” Thanquil quickly shouted over the murmur of the crowd. “I have no interest in your daughter but I do demand you step aside while I judge your wife. As is my right!”

  Prince Naarsk slowly shook his head and spoke, his voice quiet and commanding. “Denied.”