“I can tell by the stubborn set of your jaw that nothing I say is going to change your mind, is it?” said Alyssa and Zannah shook her head.
A smile tugged at the corners of Zannah’s mouth. “I will watch and listen. I will not fight unless I must.”
Part of her wanted to jump from the wall and start running but she knew it would be reckless. Zannah caught Balfruss staring as if he knew what she had been thinking. Perhaps he did. Instead they fetched the rope and she went down, feigning caution.
As soon as her feet touched the ground Zannah turned and ran down the street, heading for the nearest mercenary base. A few minutes later she heard a disturbance up ahead. Someone was shouting angrily but there were no sounds of fighting.
Slipping into a nearby building Zannah navigated through the ruins, going up a flight of stairs and climbing through windows until she stood looking down into the street by the first mercenary base in the old bank. Much to her surprise the street looked abandoned but then she noticed two figures stood in the middle of the road. The two men were perfectly still, their faces tilted up towards the roof where three mercenaries watched them. They had to be Forsaken to stand out in the open like that, and yet they didn’t attack. Each group watched one another, waiting for something, but neither of the Forsaken moved or even seemed to breathe. One of the mercenaries shouted something and wasted an arrow that fell short. The Forsaken didn’t react. Zannah left them to their staring match and moved on.
At the next base she found something similar but equally worrying. A handful of Forsaken were roaming around outside, endlessly circling the mercenary camp. Like Roake they kept calling out names of people inside, telling them to come out and join them. They claimed it was much better to be with them, to be Embraced, than to be a slave to people who didn’t care. It was another stalling tactic, to keep those inside scared. The six Forsaken could be easily dispatched if any of the mercenaries came out from behind their walls, but they didn’t want to take the risk. Fifty more Forsaken could be waiting in the shadows. Zannah left them to their mind games and turned away.
Before she reached the third base Zannah heard the frantic sounds of battle. Taking her time to avoid being spotted, she crept through the rubble until she could look into the street from a first-floor window. Twenty or more Forsaken were trying to break down the front door of the building with a battering ram while others stood waiting with bows. Every time a mercenary attempted to drop something onto the Forsaken in the street, several bowstrings twanged and one or more defenders were wounded or killed. One man was hit with three arrows and he tumbled from the roof into the road. As soon as he landed, three Forsaken spirited him away. Zannah saw the terrified look on his face, more so from what they might do to him than his injuries. He would soon discover that sometimes it was better to die in battle than live and have to deal with whatever came next.
This base would fall tonight. The Forsaken were determined. The others were being harried by only a few, while the majority seemed to be focused here. It was probably the same at Fennetaris’s base, one or two Forsaken keeping a hundred or more frozen with fear.
As her eyes scanned the street Zannah picked out more figures waiting in the shadows of surrounding buildings. If the mercenaries inside panicked and opened the front door to dispatch this first wave of Forsaken the others would rush in. It was over, no matter what happened.
Retracing her steps, Zannah moved back through the building before pausing in the open doorway. The wooden door itself had been stripped away long ago, so she stayed further back in the shadows, watching the street. Once she was certain no one was there she stepped out with her sword drawn.
A few seconds later three people came around a corner. Two carried bows and the other a sword on her hip, but these were not mercenaries. As they opened their mouths to scream Zannah rushed at them, cutting down one of the bowmen before he could reach for a weapon. The other man discarded his bow and managed to draw a dagger from his belt just in time for Zannah to hammer the pommel of her sword into his face. She followed up with a kick to the chest that sent him reeling backwards.
By now the Forsaken woman had drawn her sword and she came at Zannah with a scream. With a frown of disappointment the Morrin stepped to the side and casually tripped the woman with one foot as she stumbled past. Being Forsaken might make them stronger, but it did not imbue them with any sword skills. Using both hands Zannah drove the tip of her sword through the woman’s back. It burst from the front of her body, spraying gore across the street. She gasped once and then slid off the sword, falling to the ground in a crumpled heap.
As the other man stumbled upright Zannah kicked him in the face again and he collapsed. The fight had lasted barely a minute. Nevertheless she paused and tilted her head to one side, listening for the sound of anyone lurking nearby. Apart from the endless pounding of the battering ram in the distance there was nothing. Not even the faintest scurry of vermin or insects.
The woman cried out once as Zannah cut off her head and the bowman made no sound at all. More Forsaken could find her at any moment. She needed to hide the bodies. Gripping them by the feet she was about to drag the corpses into one of the empty buildings when she had an idea. A vicious smile slowly crept across her face.
She beheaded the third Forsaken but instead of hiding the bodies she left them where they were, tossing the heads into one of the buildings. Being Embraced and becoming one of the Forsaken might change a person, inside and out, but it wasn’t a total transformation. The essence of who the person used to be was still there and they still had emotions.
Fear was a useful weapon and in their hands they had held the entire city to ransom. Now it was time to use it against them.
CHAPTER 25
The chilly night air started to seep into Balfruss’s body despite his woollen gloves and scarf. His hands and feet were warm, but he felt weary after his time fighting more pupils of Kaine.
Zannah had been gone for over an hour now and still there was no sign of any Forsaken in the street. Occasionally the faint sounds of battle reached his ears from somewhere in the city. A distant cry, the clash of weapons, but it never came any closer to them at the winery.
A dozen people, plus Tammy, were stood alongside him on the wall, staring into the dark. Tammy had briefly told him what she’d found in the camp run by the last rogue Morrin. She’d skipped over the details but he knew the weary slump of her shoulders came from more than just fatigue. The cuts and bruises on her face told a story of their own but right now she didn’t want to talk about it.
“They’ll call us if anything happens,” he said, touching her on the arm and startling her out of a reverie. “We should go and lie down.”
The furrows in Tammy’s forehead eased and she raised an eyebrow. “That’s quite an interesting proposition.”
“I didn’t mean,” he spluttered before realising Tammy was teasing him.
“Maybe tomorrow, when I’ve got a bit more energy?” she said and he chuckled before it became a full laugh. It felt good to laugh. It was the first time he’d properly done so since arriving in Shael.
“I’m going to get some sleep,” he said, pretending to storm down the stairs. “Alone!”
“Sounds like a good idea,” she called after him.
Balfruss went to his room and lay down but despite it being warm under the blankets he couldn’t rest. His mind kept turning over what the boy, Willem, had said and how ruthless Kaine must be to put them in that kind of situation. They were just children and because the Red Tower was no longer what it used to be, a different kind of Seeker had found them. Instead of learning about the joys of the Source and all of the things it could create, they’d been taught how to kill while living in a city of sorrow and death.
Giving up on sleep Balfruss walked the hallways of the winery looking for a distraction. It was fairly gloomy at night so he summoned a blue ball of light to chase away the shadows. He descended one flight of stairs and slowly walked t
he full length of each corridor, glancing into open doorways. Some people were asleep, others sat reading by meagre candlelight, and the rest were playing games or just talking quietly to distract themselves from another long night. Many of the adults had weapons close to hand in case they were called to be on the wall and defend the base.
When he passed Kai’s room Balfruss glanced in and then stopped in surprise. The door was almost closed but through the gap he saw it was pitch-black inside. It was as if the deepest shadows had been pulled together and a solid wall of nothingness erected on the threshold to the room. Pale blue magical light from the orb in Balfruss’s hand touched the edge of the void and the darkness recoiled as if it were alive. Nudging the door open with his free hand he saw the interior of the whole room was swallowed in an unnatural black and dense fog.
Sending more power into the orb Balfruss pushed his arm forward and the black receded then vanished as if it had never been there. Suddenly he could see inside the room as normal. There was a pallet in one corner, scattered empty wine bottles on the floor and Kai was hunched in one corner where the last traces of darkness resided. His eyes flashed red and then returned to their normal colour.
Kai offered a friendly smile, trying to cover up what Balfruss had seen, but it was too late. He knew the priest was talking but he wasn’t listening. He drew more power from the Source, which he fed into the orb of light until it blazed like the sun. The magical fire spread across his hand and beyond until his arm was aflame, eliminating all darkness from the room. Kai flinched at the light and his smile wavered.
Balfruss remembered what Alyssa had said about the priest being unsettling and now he felt that same unease in his gut. Reaching out with his senses towards Kai he searched for something out of place. Kai’s smile disappeared as if he knew what Balfruss was doing, which was impossible. Only someone who could feel the Source would know.
“I wouldn’t do that,” warned Kai, his voice taking on a commanding tone. Instead of withdrawing Balfruss moved closer to the priest, amplifying his senses with even more power. The room flickered before his eyes as he concentrated on Kai. At first nothing seemed different but then he noticed the shadows in the room had returned and were now gathered around Kai as if he was the source of all darkness. His eyes started to glow red and the shadows behind him merged and swelled into one massive shape. Part of the shadow started to writhe, like the many arms of a giant squid.
When Balfruss looked at Kai again the image of the man flickered for a second. For a brief moment he saw something else. A monstrous creature with writhing tentacles and dozens of glowing red eyes that glared at him. And there was something else too. A terrible weight started to press against his mind.
“What are you?” whispered Balfruss, summoning a shield and drawing more power into him.
“Enough,” said Kai, standing up quickly. He made a cutting motion with one hand and the world around them changed.
Balfruss barely managed to hold on to the Source as suddenly he found they were not standing in the winery any more. Instead they were in an enormous hall with a stone floor and a long banqueting table running down the middle. Identical wooden chairs were spaced out equally along its length and at the head sat a massive chair far bigger than the rest. Cold stone fireplaces, large enough for Balfruss to walk into, were spaced out along the walls and there were no doors or windows anywhere in sight. The room was utterly lifeless and he could hear nothing except his own echoing heartbeat.
“Where are we?” asked Balfruss, summoning power into his hands and crafting it into a ball of something deadly. “What are you?”
“I’m not a threat,” said Kai, holding up both hands and making a show of them being empty. “I was sent to Voechenka to investigate the darkness, just like you.”
When Kai took a step forward Balfruss moved backwards, maintaining the distance between them. His hip brushed up against one of the chairs and vivid colours and images of bright summer days flashed through his mind. Stumbling back he moved away from the chairs while trying to keep his hold on the Source.
“I wouldn’t do that again if I were you,” suggested Kai.
“You’re not human,” said Balfruss.
“No, I’m not.”
“Are you working with Kaine or the Forsaken?”
“You’re not listening,” said Kai. “I was sent to find out what the Forsaken really are.”
Balfruss was listening but at the same time he was also looking for a way out of the room. There had to be a door hidden somewhere in one of the walls. Maybe a secret panel inside one of the fireplaces. The high ceiling above his head was criss-crossed with thick black wooden beams like the bones of a monstrous beast. He also realised there were no lanterns or candles anywhere in the room and yet there was enough light to see normally.
“Who sent you?” asked Balfruss.
Kai winced. “That’s difficult to explain.”
“How do I get out of here?” Balfruss touched one of the stone walls and found it was cool and the surface was rough against his fingertips. It felt real enough and yet as he applied some pressure he felt the wall bend ever so slightly. “What is this place?”
“It’s nowhere and everywhere,” said Kai. “We’re still in the winery. This place is just between moments.”
Balfruss stared at him without comprehension. “Take us back.”
“Wait—”
Stalking towards Kai, Balfruss summoned more power while channelling light into the glowing sphere clasped between his hands. Kai squinted at the brightness of the orb and involuntarily took a step back.
“Take us back now!” demanded Balfruss, his voice echoing around the room.
“Hello, Balfruss,” said a calm voice from behind him.
The Sorcerer spun around and this time his concentration did fall apart. All of his summoned power vanished and the light in the room returned to normal.
It was Vargus.
He looked exactly the same as when Balfruss had seen him last, in Charas. Except that was impossible, because Vargus was dead. Balfruss had heard the story from many who were there during the warrior’s final moments. They’d seen him fall from the walls of the city. That was over four years ago.
“What are you?” was all Balfruss managed to say.
“What do you think, Sorcerer?” asked the warrior. He said the title with an odd inflection and it sparked a memory in Balfruss’s mind. A memory from their time together during the war when a drunken Vargus had described the Warlock as nothing more than a child playing with fire. He’d also talked about meeting Sorcerers in person when no one had used the title in centuries. At the time Balfruss had put it down to Vargus being drunk and confused, but now as he stared around the banqueting hall, he knew it was something else.
“You’re not human either,” said Balfruss. Vargus smiled and gestured for him to continue. “You’re old. Very old in fact. When we first met you knew about ancient and obscure religions like the Twelve and the Triumvirate.”
“Kai shouldn’t have brought you here, but now that he has there seems little point in denying it. I cannot tell you everything, so please do not ask for more than I’m willing to share.” Vargus waited for Balfruss to agree before he continued. “There are beings in the world, far older than mankind. Older than the Vorga and even the Sull, that live among you. Kai and I are two such beings.”
“Are there more like you?” asked Balfruss, and Vargus raised an eyebrow. “Sorry,” apologised the Sorcerer. “It’s just with so many chairs I guessed there had to be more.”
“Yes, there are,” confirmed Vargus, “but don’t ask anything else.”
“I can’t help asking questions.”
“That’s one of the reasons mortals are so dangerous,” said Kai, moving around the room until he stood on the other side of the table. “You’re always asking why, what and how. Why is the sky blue? What’s over that hill? How do we build this thing bigger? That looks dangerous, how do we kill it?”
&nb
sp; Balfruss was glad they were both standing where he could keep an eye on them. Part of his mind was screaming at him to run or attack, but there was nowhere to go and he doubted his magic would hurt them. After all, Vargus had died and yet he was alive in this nowhere place. To make matters worse there was also the troubling shadow Balfruss had seen behind Kai and his glowing red eyes.
It was a lot to take in and Balfruss felt light-headed. He was about to suggest sitting down when he noticed both Kai and Vargus stayed away from the chairs. In fact there was a distinct gap between them and the furniture.
“What he means is that’s one of the reasons mankind has flourished,” said Vargus, frowning at Kai.
“I know what I meant,” was all he said.
“By the Maker,” hissed Balfruss, and both Vargus and the priest winced.
“Don’t say his name,” said Kai, glancing at something behind Balfruss. “Especially not here.”
The pieces began to slot into place. Balfruss glanced at the massive chair at the head of the table and then back at Vargus. He felt as if the world were spinning and yet he knew nothing had moved. Stumbling he moved to one of the walls and leaned against it, hoping it didn’t give way. Pressing his forehead and hands against the stone Balfruss took a moment to collect his thoughts. He tried to speak several times and had to swallow hard before he could manage it.
“Is he out there too?” asked Balfruss, pointing at the huge chair. “Walking around as one of us?”
“Not that it matters,” said Vargus, “but yes he is. Right now you need to focus on the fallen city.”
“Do you know what has infected Voechenka?” asked Balfruss.
“For all of our knowledge we only have theories. If you could tell me about what you’ve found we might be able to help.” Vargus gestured at himself and Kai, who didn’t look very confident.
“The city has been poisoned,” said Balfruss, scrubbing a hand over his face as he tried to collect his thoughts. He casually studied his surroundings at the same time, trying to record every detail. “There is no life anywhere. No birds or rats, not even any insects in the earth. Something has drained it all away. I suspect if you planted a seed in the soil nothing would grow.”
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