The Price of Faith

by Rob J. Hayes

  “You I remember,” Kessick said in a voice like grated sand that tugged on all of her nerves. “You named yourself Jezzet Vel'urn and claimed to be an employee of H'ost. You killed Arbiter Kosh.”

  Jezzet sniffed. “Twice.”

  Rose shot her a look. “How do you kill a man twice?”

  “The first time didn't take so I tried again.”

  Jez didn't have to look around to know that Kessick's forces had started to leak into the street, her finely tuned senses were warning her that violence was likely imminent. She touched Rose's arm and nodded behind them. The magistrate turned and Jez saw the colour drain from her face.

  “You wanted excitement and tough scrapes,” Jez said with a forced grin. “Stick with me long enough and one or the other are bound to turn up.”

  She heard one of Rose's entourage whispering quick prayers to a God that she couldn't name nor did she care to. An acrid smell filled the air and Jezzet got the impression that one of their hardened guards had pissed him or herself. She decided to satisfy her curiosity and looked around. The street had filled with men, women and, in a few cases, children. There were hundreds of them and more arriving, gliding silently from open doorways and surrounding the small group.

  “I would suggest laying down your weapons,” Jez said to the group. “Might be Kessick will feel gracious... though I doubt it.”

  “I ain't goin' out without a fight,” Nolan growled out through a tight mouth. “Take as many of the fuckers with us as we can.”

  Jezzet laughed. “That would be none. You can't kill them.”

  “Huh?”

  She had that same feeling, the feeling she'd had around Kosh in Sarth and the feeling she had when Thanquil had summoned the demon back in Chade though she had never told him she had bore witness to the scene. The folk that had them surrounded now might look like villagers, merchants, slaves, beggars or sell-swords but that was only on the outside. Each one of them was a demon wearing human skin and it would take more than cold steel to kill them.

  “You know more than you're letting on?” Rose asked, a pair of throwing knives having appeared in her right hand.

  “I do,” Jezzet admitted. “But telling you would serve no purpose. You wanted to treat with Kessick, Rose. Now's your chance.”

  Rose hesitated for a moment then grabbed hold of Jez's chains and started forward, dragging the Blademaster behind her and out of their circle of guards into the open.

  “Kessick,” the magistrate shouted. “Drake Morrass wishes for peace between you. He says he's leaving the wilds for good and you're welcome to them. And he's instructed me to give you this.” Rose gave the chains a hard tug and Jez stumbled forwards. A moment later she felt a boot kick into the back on her legs and she went down onto her knees in the dust. “A gift.”

  Been called worse, Jez. There was that time Thanquil called you a...

  “What need have I for a Blademaster who's blade works for my enemies?” Kessick asked. “I have no interest in vengeance for either Kosh or Heron. Your master's gift is as worthless as your lives. I suspect he knew that when he sent you to me.”

  “Sorry about this,” Rose whispered before raising her voice. “Arbiter Thanquil Darkheart knows you are still alive, Kessick.”

  “Does he?”

  “The Inquisition has sent him to kill you,” Rose continued her hand firmly on Jezzet's shoulder as if to keep her grounded. Jez briefly considered breaking the woman's wrist and regaining her feet but she had taken an insidious liking to her and didn't feel much like hurting her. Though she also didn't feel much like being handed over to Kessick in chains but she still seemed to be going through with that.

  “A hostage to dissuade the Arbiter then?” Kessick's mouth moved to form the words but the rest of his face remained as still as though it were carved from rock. Jezzet got the feeling there was not a bit of humour in the man. “What makes you think I would need her when I have an army at my command?”

  Rose squeezed Jez's shoulder. Actually she squeezed and rubbed it. Any more and we'll have to call it a massage.

  “H'ost had an army, far larger than this band of scary miscreants,” Rose said. “The way I hear it Arbiter Darkheart tortured the man to death inside his own fort and then set his entire town to the slaughter.”

  “I heard it was the Black Thorn,” said one of Rose's men.

  “I heard is was her in chains,” said another.

  Jez glanced back at them and gave her very best predator's grin before turning her own attention back to Kessick.

  “Keep her or don't,” Rose continued. “Choice is yours. Either way Drake's gone, never to return.”

  “And you?” Kessick asked.

  “Oh I'm still here. Looking after Chade, free city, open to anyone and everyone.”

  Kessick considered that for a time and all the while more of his people moved to surround the group. Eventually he seemed to make up his mind and pointed to her. “Bring her,” he ground out and a woman of an age with Jezzet and wearing a faded yellow dress ripped off above her knees moved forward to obey.

  Rose gripped hold of both of Jezzet's shoulders and put her mouth so close to her ear Jez could feel her breath. “Good luck.”

  The woman in the yellow dress grabbed Jez under her right arm and hauled her to her feet. Stronger than she looks. Stronger than she should be.

  “We'll just be going then,” Rose announced with a shallow bow.

  Jezzet saw Kessick hand something to the man with two swords before turning back towards Rose's group. “Test them all,” he said. “Kill any that aren't compatible.” He started to turn away and stopped. “Let the woman go. An ally in Chade could be useful.”

  Jez heard shouts of protest from behind but she didn't have time to turn around. The woman in the faded yellow dress was dragging her along behind Kessick. As she was pushed inside a solid stone building she heard the shouts of protest change to screams of pain.

  Thanquil

  He had never seen a demon in its full monstrous form and this one was most definitely a sight to behold. Thanquil stared up at it and his mind refused to calculate its size but somewhere to close to REALLY big seemed an apt description. Its hulking form was a mass of shifting, spiky darkness and its head was... well Thanquil would have placed a bet on it being able to swallow an elephant whole. Behind its teeth a bright white light shone from within and its eyes were two blazing yellow lights as blinding as the sun.

  Then there were the chains, the ties that bound the creature to the Inquisition. Gigantic black links of metal as dark as the creature itself, wrapped around the beast constricting it, binding it. Thanquil had never seen the chains before but he saw them now and wondered at their construction and at the creature who could have made them. He wondered at the power of Volmar.

  He could feel the creature's anger, like a blazing forge the heat of it washed over him in waves that blotted out all other thought. For thousands of years both the demon and all its brethren had been made slaves to the creature that had defeated it and they were none too happy about the injustice. They wanted nothing so more than to be free. The demon knew it couldn't kill its tormentor, Volmar was too powerful and beyond the beast's reach, but that didn't mean they couldn't kill Volmar's servants. The demons wanted to be free and they wanted the Inquisition to pay for the thousands of years of enforced servitude.

  The demon screamed, a primal bellow containing emotions he didn't understand and couldn't make sense of but the shear force of it felt as though his soul were being ripped from his body.

  He heard the chains.

  Thanquil's eyes flew open and he sat bolt upright, drawing his pistol and...

  BANG!

  Something exploded in a shower of blood, bone and feathers.

  Thorn rolled onto his feet, axe in one five-fingered hand, knife in the three-fingered hand and one eye squinting against the darkness. Thanquil heard the others rousing in similar haste. He was drenched in a cold sweat and breathing in quick, hea
vy gulps of air. Jacob stood by a stark white tree spattered with drops of blood.

  “What the fuck was that?” Thorn asked into the darkness.

  “Uhh...” Thanquil began but lacked words.

  “A raven,” answered Suzku sitting cross legged on the ground behind Thanquil and watching Jacob with wary eyes. “The Arbiter got it.”

  “Aye?” Thorn said. “Why?”

  Suzku shrugged. Thanquil still couldn't find his tongue. The dream still lingered too heavily in his mind. The sight of the demon, the sound of the chains, the sight of the demon.

  “Perhaps it was a heretical raven?” suggested Anders already sipping from his flask.

  “Is that... Is that possible?” asked Henry, she crossed in front of Thanquil and moved to sit beside Suzku, grinning at the big Honin.

  “Well I don't reckon Thanquil's gonna be questionin' it none ta find out,” said Thorn. “Might as well change shifts seein' as we're all up.”

  Thanquil slowly lowered his pistol and tucked it back into his belt deciding that it was probably best to leave it unloaded until he needed it. He stood up and stretched. “I'll take a watch.”

  “I'll stay up also,” said Suzku his eyes back on Jacob who returned the stare in kind.

  Thorn looked at them both. “You two jus' been sat there starin' at each other all night?”

  Suzku shrugged. “Occasionally one of us blinks... not often though.”

  Thanquil patted the sword at his side, the feel of Myorzo still at his hip both comforting and terrifying. He picked a direction and started walking out into the night.

  “Don't go too far, Arbiter,” Henry said from behind. “Wouldn't want ya gettin' lost an' victimised by a bunch of heretical laughing dogs.”

  He grunted an affirmative and continued on his course only stopping once he was out of sight of the others. His hand was shaking in his pocket so bad he had to keep it clenched to stop the trembling and that just made the old burn scars ache.

  Anders stepped up beside Thanquil reached into his trousers and pulled out his cock. A loud, dramatic sigh later and he was releasing a steady stream of urine. “No sense being modest all the way out here in the wilds, Arbiter.”

  Thanquil looked away. “Some of us have more to be modest about than others.”

  The drunkard laughed. “You know why I first learned to pick pockets, Arbiter?”

  Thanquil had a bad feeling about this conversation. He didn't think he'd stolen anything from any of the crew members lately but he was not always aware he had stolen anything until it turned up in his possession.

  “Boredom for the most part,” Anders continued heedless of Thanquil's fairly obvious discomfort. “Taught myself simply for lack of anything fun to do. There might have been some attention seeking as well. My father was... is a fairly hard man. Did I tell you he tried to have me executed recently?”

  That was a story Thanquil had heard from three different angles and none of them seemed to match up.

  “I failed a lot at first, more than I succeeded and I was caught and punished, by my father, accordingly. He was maybe a little light on the punishment back then but only because he hadn't actually gotten to know me yet, otherwise I don't doubt I'd be missing a hand and not just a finger.” Anders waved his maimed hand at Thanquil, lost control of his stream and almost pissed on Thanquil's boots before quickly taking hold of his cock again and redirecting the flow. “It wasn't until I was cut off from the family funds that I actually found a legitimate use for this skill I'd learned. After all when one is bit-less and in desperate need of liquid fortification, one must find means from somewhere.”

  Anders finished pissing, shook his cock and slipped it back inside his trousers. Thanquil sighed.

  “I quickly learned a number of useful little pointers during those days. Chief among them that many people, particularly those paranoid about losing something, have a habit of regularly checking it's still there. They were always the best marks because you could always tell they had something of value to steal... except for that one time I ended up finding a mouse in a man's pocket...” Anders seemed to run out of words.

  “My point is, Arbiter; I'm wondering what a witch hunter, especially one who should already know such a thing, is so damned worried about losing.” Thanquil turned to find Anders watching him without the usually drunken haze. “What is it you keep wrapped in bandages beneath your coat, Arbiter?”

  “None of your concern,” Thanquil said turning away but Anders nimbly dodged back in front of him.

  “Ah, but, if you'll humour me, I think it is my concern. I think it's all of our concerns.” He waved back in the direction of the crew. “But I'm willing to just let it be my concern. Either that or I could tell the boss about my concerns.”

  Thanquil stared a hole through the man and silently wished, for once, he was taller than someone. “It's a sword forged by Volmar to imprison the first and most powerful demon ever summoned from the void. It holds the demon within the blade and the damned thing won't stop whispering to me and giving me nightmares.”

  Anders looked more than a little taken aback and even more sceptical. “Why do you have it?” he asked in a voice that suggested he wasn't entirely convinced Thanquil wasn't making fun of him.

  “I wish I knew. It was entrusted to me by an Inquisitor who's instructions were somewhere between vague and non-existent.”

  “Hmmm,” Anders grunted.

  “Hmmm,” Thanquil agreed. “And I was really hoping for some sort of helpful insight from you.”

  “Well you know what they say, Arbiter. A problem shared is somebody else's problem.”

  Thanquil let the awkward silence stretch out into eternity. Staring at Anders until the drunk decided the short bit of darkness between them was not nearly enough.

  “Well I'll let you get back to touching your evil sword,” Anders said stepping backwards. “Just a few days to Absolution though, Arbiter. Hope you're ready for... whatever it is you're planning.”

  Thanquil watched Anders walk away until the man disappeared into the darkness. The truth was he had no idea what to do when he reached Absolution. He just knew he had to deal with Kessick so he could finally continue his search for Jezzet.

  Part 5 – The Ties that Bind

  Jezzet

  Jezzet's eyes flicked open and she reached for a sword that wasn't there. It was an ingrained reflex she knew she would never rid herself of and one she did not want to rid herself of. It had, in fact, saved her life on more than one occasion. Also very useful to give voracious Arbiters a scare.

  She saw bars and her heart gave the beat equivalent of a sigh. Why does everyone feel the need to lock me up? I haven't committed any crimes in at least... a few weeks. Gaol cells had become a regular occurrence in her life, she seemed to find herself inspecting a new one every six months or so though in truth one tended to look much like another and none were the most luxurious of accommodations.

  Her left wrist ached like she'd been stabbed and if anyone knew what being stabbed felt like it was Jez. Thanquil had once tried counting her scars but the Arbiter had never been known for his patience and had soon given up, finding other ways to occupy himself and her instead. She rubbed at her wrist idly and froze.

  There was a scar on the inside of her left wrist. It was an old scar. It's your oldest scar, Jez. Your very first wound. But today it felt different, the skin was raised, puckered and angry to the touch. It almost felt as though the scar was new, a couple of weeks by the feel of it. Jez rubbed at it some more and gave it a closer inspection. The flesh of the scar was knitted but it was new. Either she had been unconscious for a few weeks or there was something unnatural at play.

  The charm!

  Jez poked at her wrist, wincing at the pain and feeling through the flesh. It was her first scar because Yuri had wanted to make certain he could use her body without the consequences. He had had a charm sewn into her flesh to ward against pregnancy.

  The flood of relief that coursed
through Jez when her probing fingers touched against the tiny wooden charm came out as a wild giggle that echoed in her small cell and she collapsed back onto the straw that coated the floor.

  She noticed a small rat sat by a tiny hole in the wall. The little creature was sat on its hind legs watching her with plenty of nervous nose twitching. She smiled at it. The rat ran away.

  Can't say it feels good to know the bastard has been poking around inside my body but at least he didn't take the charm. Now Jez thought about it the idea that she had been cut open made her feel more than a little violated. She didn't even remember falling asleep. One moment she had been happily gulping down a cup of water and then... Drugged, Jez. Bastards drugged you. At least they finally got around to taking off the chains though. No matter how bad things get there's always something to be thankful for. That had been one of Catherine's favourite sayings and it was safe to say the bitch had known full well just how bad things could get.

  Stretching, and giving her wrist a further good rubbing, Jez rolled onto her feet and took a damned close look at her bars. Sturdy set of rusted irons. She gave them a good shaking all the same, hoping but not believing that one might shake free and provide her with the freedom she needed to go in search of her captor and give his throat the slitting of a lifetime.

  The bars didn't budge an inch so Jez gave the rest of her cell a similarly close inspection. From what she had already gleamed the gaol was one of the few stone buildings in the entire town. Built like most wilds shit-holes, Absolution was cobbled together from whatever the original residence could scavenge, steal or barter. There were a good few buildings with more than one story but Jez wouldn't bet her life on the stairs being what most sane people would consider safe. Most of the buildings sported only the one floor and most of those sported only one or two rooms. Absolution was built for folk who lived hard and were not opposed to leaving when that living got too hard. Jez wondered how many of those original inhabitants were still living here now but with demons inside of them.