“We should go and find them,” Aldric said. “It’s not safe out there with the Dead-eyes.”
“They’ve made it this far,” Soki said, “so they’re not unskilled. Besides, I think they must already be on their way here. There’s nowhere else close by. But I can check occasionally in the hours before dawn.”
Aldric nodded his agreement.
“Excellent!” Niklaus said, clapping him on the back. “We’ll get some sleep and see these people tomorrow. Whoever they are.”
~ ~ ~
The next day, after partaking of the dawn-tide to replenish his repository, Aldric pressed the settlers and his group to greater urgency in preparing for full-dark. Luckily, the fight with the Dead-eyes the previous night gave the settlers impetus.
Stray Dog and Razmus—who had declared himself fully recovered—and a work crew of settlers dragged the stick-limbed corpses some distance from the settlement, leaving them to rot in the sun. Burning wasn’t an option, as the creatures’ flesh gave off a putrid smoke. Besides, they wanted the crumbling carcasses to frighten off live Dead-eyes.
Aldric warned Razmus not to overexert himself, as he’d need another few days to recuperate, but the ex-soldier waved away his concern.
“I’m not a baby,” he said gruffly. “I need to get back out there and take the settlers through their drills. A few are coming along nicely, especially the miller, Drusst. But there are others who could still use a bit of guidance. I don’t want them panicking once the Dead-eyes get here.”
“All right, but stay in the shade, and just order them around. I’m sure you can manage that.”
The morning passed quickly, with Soki informing them the man and woman were headed toward Cherish. Aldric worked side by side with the settlers to finalize the barricades. Stray Dog seemed to get along well with the villagers, especially a lad named Alvar.
“Tell the woodsmen we don’t need any more logs,” he shouted to the younger man during a well-earned break. “It’s too late now to begin erecting more barricades. We need them back here to help out.”
“Yes, Stray Dog, sir,” Alvar said, and scurried off in a puff of dust.
“We should stop soon anyway,” Aldric said.
Stray Dog nodded. “They’ll be no good to us if they’re too tired to wield a weapon. We should give them a few hours’ break before nightfall.”
“Good idea. I’ll make sure Razmus and Bryn do the same.”
Aldric made his way to where the settlers were going through drills. He passed Niklaus standing at the opening between the barricades through which they hoped to funnel the Dead-eyes. The mercenary hadn’t been much help with the laborious preparations, but come full-dark when the Dead-eyes attacked, Aldric knew he’d be worth his weight in orichalcum.
To his eye, the settlers’ drills didn’t look too sloppy, though their long sharpened poles were unwieldy and tended to tangle, especially when Razmus had them change direction. Drusst the miller seemed to be taking a lead role and harangued the men as much as Razmus did.
To Aldric’s surprise, Bryn moved among the settlers, offering advice, showing them how to better position their feet and hands.
“They’ll do, but we should rest up soon,” said Razmus when he saw Aldric. He was sitting under a tree on a three-legged stool, with the remains of a meal of bread and cheese on a plate beside him.
“That’s what Stray Dog suggested,” Aldric replied. “And I dare say the scarecrow could use a break. I think they’ve gone through a few.”
Razmus chuckled, then stood and stretched his back. Aldric saw him hide a wince of discomfort from his recently healed wounds.
“With any luck they won’t see much action, and then this will be all over,” the ex-soldier said, a strange mix of anger and confusion playing over his face.
No doubt he was worried about Priska.
“Sokhelle is a good person,” Aldric said, trying to allay his fears. “She’ll look after Priska and teach her well.”
“It’s not Sokhelle I’m worried about. It’s that damned priestess and Niklaus.”
“We’ll be back in Caronath soon, and Priska will be too busy studying sorcery to have much time for anything else.”
Razmus grunted, looking unconvinced. “You don’t have any children, do you?”
“No, but I have a younger sister.”
“Then you should know what I’m talking about. These days, young women are too headstrong by far.”
Aldric thought of Kittara. He should have been there for her, but he’d been too busy. He shook his head. Now wasn’t the time for self-recrimination. He’d write to her and try to guide her as best he could.
“Priska will be fine,” he said to Razmus, and nodded toward the settlers. They had stopped their drills and were squinting at the sun, clearly anxious about the oncoming full-dark. “They should stop now and spend some time with their families. It may be the only time they have left.”
Razmus bellowed at Drusst and the other settlers, telling them they could rest after another hour. One young man approached Aldric to ask him to heal a shallow gash along his side from the tip of an errant sharp pole. Aldric obliged, though it weakened him. Afterwards, he made his way back to the meeting hall. As he stepped inside, he saw Valeria bending over his belongings.
She straightened when she heard the door open, a guilty look flashing across her face. As she saw Aldric, her expression changed to one of triumph.
“What have you been hiding from us, Aldric?”
She raised a hand, and he realized she held the pouch containing his relic.
“Give that back right now! Are you a thief as well as a … a …”
“A what? A priestess of a degenerate goddess? I know what you priests of Menselas”—she sneered the name—“think of us. It’s written all over your face.”
She tossed Aldric the pouch. He caught it and checked inside to make sure the relic was safe.
“Keep your hands off my belongings,” he warned. “And everyone else’s.”
“I sensed something, but only now just pinpointed it. Do you think it makes you special? How far have you delved into the memories?”
Aldric paused, his jaw clenched. How did she know? The relics were a secret of his Church, weren’t they?
“You know nothing about it,” he said.
“I know that wisdom that is borrowed, not earned, can be dangerous.”
“If I catch you going through my things again, I’ll swear I’ll—”
“What—kill me? What would your precious Sokhelle think of that? Oh, I know you two are intimate. It’s plain to see for one trained as I have been. Be careful this mission doesn’t get one of you hurt.”
Blood rushed to Aldric’s face, and he took a step toward Valeria, fists clenched. Part of him knew he’d lost control, but he was sick of holding himself back. “Is that a threat?”
He raised a hand and reached for both his dawn-tide and dusk-tide power, wishing for Valeria to give him an excuse to lash out. The smallest thing, and he would—
He cried out as agonizing fire lashed his skin. It dug deeper, into his muscles, and he sank to his knees, vision blurred with tears. His stomach rebelled, and he swallowed bile. The room swam around him, and he keeled over sideways.
When the torture subsided, he found himself curled into a ball on the floor. He breathed deeply, managed to gather himself and roll onto his back.
Valeria stood over him, face expressionless. “I don’t threaten,” she said softly. “That was just a taste of what I can do. Don’t ever raise a hand to me again, or you’ll wish you’d never been born. Do you understand?”
Aldric groaned. He felt like he’d been beaten to a pulp by a gang of burly men.
“Do you understand?” she repeated.
“Yes,” he croaked.
“Say you’re sorry.”
“What?”
“Say. You’re. Sorry.”
Valeria was unhinged. Maybe she always had been. Or perhaps whatever
the priestesses of the Lady Sylva Kalisia went through had made her crazy. After all, Sylva Kalisia was the goddess of pain and suffering.
“No,” he said, bracing himself. “I won’t.”
Valeria let out a laugh. “So you manage to find your balls when pushed. Maybe it isn’t too late for you.” She turned and left.
Aldric remained on the ground for a few minutes, fuming at Valeria, then got up and poured himself a cup of tea. The kettle had been left to keep warm by the side of the fire, and the tea was dark and murky. He grimaced at the bitter taste and ate a stale sweet roll to counter it.
Valeria was a problem. He surmised she’d used her goddess’s power on him; and just as his god’s power healed, hers caused pain.
“You’re driving yourself too hard,” Soki said behind him.
Aldric turned to find her almost close enough to touch. She’d entered the building unnoticed while he worried. Her cheeks were pink, as if she’d just scrubbed them, and her dark hair was freshly braided with the interwoven colored strings of her clan. Unconsciously, his hand reached out to her before he remembered their agreement. He jerked it back and gave her a guilty look. She didn’t need to know what had happened between him and Valeria. She had enough to worry about.
“It’s hard, I know,” she said, amusement in her brown eyes. “But it’s almost full-dark, and this will soon be over. With the rest of our group, we should be able to deal with the Dead-eyes with relative ease. The settlers have done a good job erecting the barricades, and they’ll fight for what they’ve built here. We’re well prepared this time.”
He knew she was right, and nodded. But he wondered if his troubles would end with the settlers. One thing was certain: he wouldn’t let Hannus push him into another mission like this one, even though the consequences of disobeying the archbishop would be severe.
“I’m more concerned about Razmus and Priska,” Soki said. “Now he’s healed, they’re back to fighting. She’s too headstrong, too eager to rush ahead with her training. It may be dangerous, and I fear she’ll get worse before she gets better. Razmus’s near death hasn’t tempered her behavior.”
“I’m confident you can control her. She looks up to you. She’ll see reason. And when we’re back in Caronath, you can keep her too busy to get into trouble.”
Soki’s expression softened. “Maybe. She’s been through a lot.”
She offered Aldric her hand, and, after a moment of surprise, he grasped it.
“I know you think I’m a powerful sorcerer,” she began. He made to interrupt her, but she placed a finger to his lips for the barest instant. “And compared to you, I am. I don’t mean to cause offense, but I know how you revile your sorcerous abilities. Only … there are greater powers than sorcery.” She uttered a nervous laugh, and her brow creased. “Listen to me, I’m rambling. What I mean to say is your god has touched you, and through him you have immense power over the body, over healing. I can sense that Valeria is also touched by her goddess. And her power could well be superior to mine. I have trained hard and pushed myself to my limits, and, I think, come close to the capabilities of the sorcerers of old. But I cannot defeat a goddess.”
Aldric regarded Soki thoughtfully. He debated telling her about Valeria overcoming him, but something held him back.
Tomorrow, he said to himself. It’ll all be over tomorrow.
“You’re wondering what Valeria’s plans are; why she’s here,” he said. “And you’re warning me that if it should come to a confrontation, you might not be able to withstand her. I agree. Let’s stay out of her way.”
Soki almost looked vulnerable as she regarded him with tenderness.
“It might be a stretch to say she’d attack me,” she said. “But she’s an unknown. And I hate unknowns.”
Aldric sighed. “She’s not here to protect the settlers from the Dead-eyes. Nor is she a companion to Niklaus, although they share the same goddess. I believe she’s here for the ruin. I should have realized it from the beginning. Holy Menselas, I hate being kept in the dark. Hannus and Valeria can go to the hells, both of them.”
“It won’t be over after the Dead-eyes,” Soki said. “Then we’ll have to deal with the ruins, and Valeria.”
Aldric shook his head. “One thing at a time. Protect Cherish first; then I … I mean we … can worry about Valeria.”
“It’s another worry for you. I’m sorry.”
Aldric smiled and shrugged. “You can make it up to me when we get back to Caronath.”
Soki clasped her hands behind his head, drew him down, and placed a kiss on his cheek. Then, quick as a cat, she bit his ear playfully.
“Ow!” he exclaimed.
She danced backward. “I can’t wait for Caronath.” She turned and, just as she was about to exit, said over her shoulder, “Be wary, Aldric Kermoran. I’d hate to lose you.”
And she was gone into the fading sunlight, the door swinging shut behind her.
~ ~ ~
Aldric buckled on his khopesh belt and checked the relic again. The memories of one of the high priests of the Five from thousands of years ago was irreplaceable. Useless to anyone but a priest bearing the god’s mark, but still there were collectors of curiosities who’d pay a good deal of royals for such a treasure. Valeria had obviously sensed it, from what she’d said, and couldn’t contain her curiosity.
His questing fingers found the hard lump inside the pouch, felt the silver wire surrounding it, and he sighed. With the attack on Soki and then leaving Caronath as quickly as possible, he hadn’t thought again about the archbishop’s request to borrow the relic. But after the revelation about Grandmaster Shalmara, he needed to use the gemstone again as soon as possible.
Outside, dark clouds covered the sky, moving swiftly from the south. Aldric considered going back inside for his coat, but thought he’d grow warm enough with some sword forms to work out the kinks.
He asked an elderly woman with a bent back and a broad-brimmed hat woven from straw where he might find the others of his group. She was shuffling off to the fields, carrying a hoe in one hand and a walking stick in the other. She directed him to the cliffs a few hundred yards away. Aldric arrived in a bad mood, having stewed over Valeria’s actions the whole way.
Then he spotted Bryn and Niklaus playing cards at a makeshift table. Each had a pile of copper coins in front of him, along with a tin cup, and empty bottles were strewn on the ground. A sheet of canvas stretched over a sapling framework protected them from the sun. Aldric felt his blood boil. Did they think this was a holiday? They were here to protect the settlers, not drink and gamble while they ordered them around.
“What in the hells do you think you’re doing?” he raged at them.
Bryn glanced at Niklaus and spread his hands, as if it was the mercenary’s fault. “Just a few games of Malice. It’s better with five players, but it helps to pass the time.”
Niklaus raised his eyebrows at Aldric, then took a sip from his cup. “Calm down. Things are well in hand here. Pull up a—”
“Why are you sitting around instead of training the settlers? It looks like a gambling den here. How much have you been drinking?”
Niklaus stood with a slight wobble. His cane was propped against his chair, Aldric saw, and his sword was strapped to his back.
“Anyone can teach them to poke a stick,” the mercenary declared. “We need to be fresh for when there’s fighting to be done. Besides, you’ve been doing what you want rather than helping.”
Blood suffused Aldric’s face. “I’ve been overseeing preparations and healing injuries among the settlers. And you’re not resting, you’re getting drunk!”
Niklaus waved a hand in dismissal. “You’ve left us to do the work while you indulged yourself, so don’t complain if things aren’t being done to your liking.”
Bryn glanced at Niklaus as if he thought he’d crossed a line, but didn’t say anything.
So Bryn also thinks I’ve indulged myself, Aldric thought. The settlers had neede
d his help. But … perhaps he shouldn’t have exhausted himself healing them. Still, that didn’t make lounging around and drinking and gambling acceptable behavior.
“Stray Dog doesn’t need any more timber,” Aldric said. “It’s the settlers that need the most help now. You should both be training them.”
“Might as well try to train a monkey to wield a sword,” sneered Niklaus.
Aldric suppressed an annoyed sigh. “They need all the help they can get. They’re terrified of the Dead-eyes, and they’re doing their best.”
“We should have gone to find out where the Dead-eyes are coming from,” said Niklaus.
“The settlers told us where the ruins are,” Bryn told Aldric. “We should go and take a look now, while there’s no action. There could be treasure there. Riches beyond your wildest dreams.” He laughed.
“I don’t need riches,” said Niklaus. “I’ll settle for a night with Priska once this is over.”
Bryn sniggered lewdly, and Aldric felt heat rise to his face. Maybe it was his humiliation at Valeria’s hands, but he couldn’t let this pass.
“Don’t come between her and Razmus,” he told Niklaus. “They have enough problems without you interfering. You may have saved Razmus from the Dead-eyes last night, but don’t push him, or me, too far.” His hand moved to his khopesh hilt.
“I wouldn’t,” warned Bryn. “Not if you like your guts inside your belly.”
Niklaus chuckled. “It was just a joke. Here, Aldric, have a drink.”
He filled up an empty mug and handed it to Aldric.
“Three is better than two for Malice,” Bryn said, gathering the cards into a pile. He began shuffling them, though seemed to be having trouble focusing. “Shit!”
Cards sprayed from the deck—and somehow Niklaus caught them all in midair. One moment he was still, and the next his hands held the spilled cards.
“Damn it,” Bryn said, staring at the cards he was still holding.
“Here you go,” said Niklaus, his tone dry. “Shuffle them back in.” He stood and checked his weapons. “Go and prepare for these new arrivals, Bryn, while Aldric and I check on the defenses again. I don’t think you’re in any condition to help at the moment, and we’re expecting the visitors soon.”
Revenant Winds (The Tainted Cabal Book 1) Page 38