The Devil's armour eog-2

by John Marco

  Breck’s expression was inscrutable. He looked at Van, who was quietly smouldering, then back at Lorn. ‘I need every able-bodied man I can get,’ he admitted. ‘Especially one with knowledge of the Diamond Queen.’

  ‘I can help too,’ snapped Van.

  ‘I know you can, but will you?’ asked Breck sharply. ‘Lorn the Wicked has vengeance in his belly. That’s good; I can use it. But what do you have, Vanlandinghale? I put it to you — will you be loyal? Or will you keep whining about hardships?’

  ‘I was deceived,’ said Van, looking straight at Lorn.

  ‘So?’ barked Breck. ‘We were all deceived. I was deceived into thinking King Akeela was a good man. You think I want to have my family living here, preparing to die? And you — you deceived people who trusted you into thinking you were a Royal Charger.’

  ‘I am a Royal Charger!’ cried Van. With a threatening step toward Breck he added, ‘How about I prove it to you?’

  Breck laughed. ‘Good! That’s the kind of fire you’ll need. Because Jazana Carr isn’t like you. She’s not a mercenary who’s out for money. She’s playing for all the cards this time.’

  ‘That is so,’ echoed Lorn. ‘You should listen to him, Van. Demons drive Jazana Carr. She’s insatiable. You may go on thinking me a tyrant; I can’t change that. But this is your country at stake now.’

  ‘You don’t have to convince me,’ said Van. ‘I’m here, aren’t I? I’ll fight Jazana Carr with you, Lorn.’ Amazingly, a hint of acceptance crossed his face. ‘Now we’ll both have a chance to prove ourselves.’

  Lorn smirked. For some reason, he still liked the arrogant Vanlandinghale. There would be no real truce with Van tonight, but maybe in time. He turned back to Breck. ‘I expect no special treatment,’ he said. ‘I’m not asking for anything but the chance to help you defeat Jazana Carr. I’ll tell you everything I can about her. I’ll pick up a sword and fight. And if I get close enough, I’ll cut out her heart and eat it.’

  Breck smiled. ‘Let’s pray to the Fate that you get your chance, Lorn the Wicked. But it won’t be tonight. Right now we all need rest, and I have a wife waiting for me. Murdon, take them somewhere and make them comfortable. If they’re hungry give them food.’

  ‘Commander, my daughter. .’

  ‘Your daughter is being cared for,’ said Murdon. ‘I’ll take you to her.’

  ‘We’ll talk in the morning, Lorn,’ Breck added. ‘Lieutenant Vanlandinghale, you’ll be reporting to Murdon. He’ll tell you everything you need to know.’

  Van gave a reluctant nod. ‘I understand, sir.’

  Breck sighed and rolled his head around his shoulders until the muscles in his neck popped. ‘Dismissed, all of you.’

  The men seated at the long table rose and began filing from the chamber, following Breck toward the door. Aric Glass, however, stayed behind, as did Murdon.

  ‘There’s room in my barracks,’ volunteered Aric. ‘They can both quarter with me.’

  ‘Just Van,’ said Murdon. ‘He’s a soldier. He needs to be around other Chargers again.’

  ‘What about me?’ asked Lorn.

  ‘You come with me. There are other people you can stay with.’

  Before Murdon could lead him away Lorn paused and said to Van, ‘I’ll see you in the morning, after I speak with Breck. I’ll tell you what happens, keep you informed.’

  The offer got only a nod from Van, who followed Aric out of the room.

  ‘I’d like to see my daughter,’ said Lorn as Murdon headed for the door.

  ‘That’s where I’m taking you.’

  ‘That man Garthel you sent to me — will I be boarding with him?’

  ‘We keep the citizens away from the soldiers. That’s where you’ll be sleeping.’

  ‘That’s what I guessed.’ To Lorn it really didn’t matter. He had meant what he’d said to Breck — he wasn’t looking for luxury. He only wanted the chance to battle Jazana Carr. And, if possible, to keep Poppy safe.

  Concern for his daughter sped Lorn’s pace as he followed Murdon out of the chamber. He was not sure how quickly word would spread of his identity, and he was too weary to argue with anyone else. In the morning he would deal with Vanlandinghale and try to convince him of his worthiness. Tonight, though, he wanted only to sleep and keep up the pretence that had kept him anonymous so long. He was grateful that the halls of the library were mostly empty now. At last, the soldiers and citizens calling the place home had retired to bed. Lorn took the time to study the library as they walked, noting its stout construction. The architects of the library had unwittingly built Koth a fortress, a formidable perch from which to defend the city. There was a good chance that they could hold off Jazana Carr’s forces here and hold Koth indefinitely. Given time, maybe they could rally other Liirian cities to their defence. The odds were terrible, but from here they just might be able to turn the tide against the Diamond Queen.

  But those were concerns for the morrow, and Lorn decided not to keep himself awake with them. In the morning he would strategise with Breck, and for that he needed rest. He was glad when Murdon finally led him up one of the library’s towers, supposing he would discover his sleeping quarters there. As he stepped out into a new hall of brick and torchlight, an air of peace and silence seized him. Murdon walked more quietly here and led the former king to a room at the end of the hall. Murdon paused a few paces from the threshold. There was no door to the room, just a rounded arch of stone. Lorn could see candlelight emanating from inside. A woman’s voice spoke softly, but he could not make out the words.

  ‘In there,’ whispered Murdon. ‘Your daughter.’

  It didn’t occur to Lorn to ask if this was where he’d be sleeping. Knowing Poppy was inside he went to the room with a hasty goodnight, leaving Murdon and entering the soft-lit chamber. Cautiously he peered inside, spying the walls filled with books and the floor lined with chairs of different sizes, some so small they were obviously for children. Blankets and pillows draped much of the furniture, all of which was smoothly worn with overuse. A single window graced the room. Cut into the farthest wall, it let in soft moonlight. The white light struck the face of a young woman in a chair near the window, cradling Poppy in her arms and whispering to her, oblivious to Lorn’s presence. There was a book in her hand, propped up while she held Poppy. Her eyes were wide and dramatic as she read from the book. As though she could hear the story being told, Poppy’s expression was serene. Lorn stopped breathing for a moment. The simple beauty of the sight was like a hammer-blow. The woman’s honey-coloured hair reminded him of Rinka, his dead wife. Mesmerised, Lorn watched the young woman. The smoothness of her skin and the poetry of her voice enraptured him. She was young, perhaps eighteen, perhaps a little older. Was this Garthel’s daughter? Had she nursed Poppy? Lorn looked around the room and realised there was no bed, just chairs and books and blankets. Not wanting to frighten the woman, he softly cleared his throat.

  She looked up and smiled at him. Her green eyes gleamed from across the room.

  ‘Akan?’

  Lorn nodded. ‘Yes,’ he replied. He took a step closer. Poppy’s eyes drooped with sleepiness.

  ‘She’s tired,’ remarked the woman. ‘Such a good girl. A good eater.’

  ‘You fed her?’ Lorn asked. It was the first time he noticed the towel beside the woman’s chair.

  ‘My father asked me to,’ said the woman. ‘He brought Reena to me, told me you were meeting with Breck.’

  ‘I thank you, madam,’ Lorn said. He went close enough to see Poppy’s face, but not so close that the woman felt compelled to hand the child over. Seeing his daughter so at peace heartened him. ‘Your father, Garthel. . he told me not to worry about her. I see now that he was right. You have a way with her.’

  The woman’s smile turned melancholy. ‘It is easy to care for such a little creature,’ she said. ‘Look. . see how contented she is?’

  It was true. Poppy had obviously eaten her fill and now seemed blissful.

 
; ‘She is a good child,’ agreed Lorn. ‘But not all women have your skill with her. I’m grateful to you, madam. It’s only luck that brought you and I here together. I’m fortunate that you have your own child.’

  The woman’s face darkened. ‘No, sir, you are mistaken.’

  ‘No?’ Lorn looked at her in puzzlement. ‘But you are nursing. .’

  ‘Because there are other infants here that I care for,’ said the woman. ‘I wet-nurse them.’

  Lorn didn’t know everything about women, but he knew for sure that a woman without a child couldn’t nurse. ‘Madam, forgive me, but you say you have no baby of your own? How can that be? Your father told me you had a child.’

  ‘Did he tell you also that my child is dead?’

  The casual question made Lorn start. He cursed his stupidity.

  ‘Apologies, madam. It’s late and I’m tired. I should have realised what you were saying.’

  ‘Do not be sorry,’ said the woman. She hefted Poppy in her arms, then started rocking her. ‘You were right to think as you did. I had a child recently, a boy. But he died an hour after birth.’ Amazingly, she kept a soft expression as she explained herself. ‘He was my third, you see. All born the same. All dead out of my cursed womb. But I’m of some use here, at least. Until we leave for Mount Believer, I can be a help.’

  ‘Mount Believer? What’s that?’

  The woman glanced up at him. ‘You mean you don’t know?’

  ‘No, I’ve never heard of that place. It is somewhere in Liiria?’

  The woman laughed, but it was a pretty laugh and without offence. ‘Sir, Mount Believer is the healing place! It’s where my father and I are going soon. We’re travelling across the desert with the others. My father’s sick. I’m sick, too. In Mount Believer I will be cured of my poisoned womb.’

  ‘Cured? Madam, I’m sorry, but you make no sense to me.’

  But then he remembered the rumours he’d heard of Jador. He had been far too busy with his war against Jazana Carr to pay the tales much credence, but suddenly he recalled them. It was where Lukien had gone, the Bronze Knight of Liiria. It was said that the city held the secret of eternal life.

  ‘The city where blind men see,’ he whispered.

  ‘That’s right,’ said the woman. ‘Then you know why we’re going there. To be healed. Forgive me, but when I saw your baby was blind I assumed you had come here to join us. We’ll be leaving soon, my father and I. And everyone who’s coming with us is gathering.’

  ‘Madam, this place you speak of — it’s a myth, surely.’

  ‘Oh, no, sir,’ said the woman. ‘Not at all. Mount Believer exists. Our Liirian soldiers who returned from there saw it with their own eyes! It’s Grimhold, Akan. Mount Believer is Grimhold.’

  ‘I know about Grimhold,’ said Lorn, ‘and I’ve heard the stories. The place of monsters.’

  ‘But they aren’t monsters,’ said the girl. ‘They’re wizards! Healers of great power.’ A remarkable sureness lit her face. ‘They’re going to heal my father. He’s got the bone tremors, sometimes so bad he can’t stand up straight. But in Mount Believer he’ll be whole again. We all will.’

  The story was outrageous, yet this beautifully naive girl seemed to believe it.

  ‘Madam, what’s your name?’ asked Lorn.

  ‘Eiriann,’ the woman replied. ‘Apologies. I should have told you sooner.’

  She was so kind it was hard for Lorn to dissuade her. He said as gently as he could, ‘Eiriann, this place you call Mount Believer — it’s nothing but a legend. How could there be a place like that? A city where the blind can see? No. .’

  ‘Yes, Akan, yes,’ Eiriann insisted. ‘It does exist. Even Breck believes.’

  ‘Impossible. He can’t believe in such a thing.’

  ‘But he does. Breck knows many things, Akan. He knows the men that returned from Jador after the war. They told him the truth about Grimhold. Even the Bronze Knight lives there still. An amulet keeps him alive! There’s magic there, for all of us!’

  ‘But I came here with a man who was in Jador. He never told me anything about magic. He never told me anything of the kind.’

  ‘Yes,’ sighed the woman. Her face grew suddenly dark. ‘There are those who won’t speak of it. They are too damaged by what they did there. Tell me, Akan, this friend of yours — he was a soldier?’

  ‘That’s right,’ said Lorn. ‘A Royal Charger. His name is Van.’

  ‘And did Van see many horrible things in Jador? Did he kill people, destroy things?’

  ‘Yes,’ Lorn admitted. ‘Yes, he did.’

  ‘Then your friend has been harmed,’ said Eiriann. ‘He does not believe in the magic because he cannot, and if you asked him about it he would deny it. So many of our men who came back are like that. They are so guilty. They believe in nothing.’

  Indeed that sounded like Van to Lorn. In the time they’d been together, Van had volunteered little about his days in Jador.

  ‘And you?’ asked Lorn. ‘You’re going to Mount Believer because you think your womb is poisoned?’

  Eiriann scowled a little. ‘Do not mock me, sir. Three children have I delivered, all dead within an hour. What would you call that if not a poison womb?’

  ‘I would call it the cruellest of fates,’ said Lorn. Spotting one of the larger chairs against the wall, he dragged it forward and sat down before her. Poppy had fallen asleep in her arms, rocked by her gentle movements. ‘Eiriann, I would never willingly offend someone who has been so kind to my daughter,’ he began. ‘And I should tell you, I know the pain of losing children.’

  Eiriann raised her head. ‘You do?’

  ‘Indeed. I’ve lost children of my own,’ said Lorn without explaining. ‘I know how hurtful it can be. It can turn a heart to stone and a mind to madness.’

  ‘I’m not maddened, Akan,’ Eiriann assured him. ‘The risks of going to Mount Believer are not a mystery to me. But I won’t be alone. My father will be with me, and many others who seek the healing.’

  ‘And what about your husband?’ Lorn asked. ‘Does he approve of this folly?’

  ‘My husband is gone,’ said Eiriann. She shifted her eyes from him, staring down at Poppy instead. ‘After our third son died, he left me.’

  At last, Lorn understood. This, surely, was what had driven her to believe such myths. So young and already abandoned. Her husband was a fool, indeed. Lorn wondered what he could say to change her mind, but before he spoke she surprised him.

  ‘You should come with us,’ she said. ‘This child can be made whole in Mount Believer. Their magic can save her, cure her blindness.’

  ‘No,’ said Lorn gently. ‘It cannot. And I have business here with Jazana Carr.’

  ‘What business? Vengeance? Do you really think that’s more important than the life of this child?’

  ‘Easy, now,’ Lorn cautioned. ‘I’ve given her a life. If I’d stayed in Norvor she’d be dead now, or a slave to the Diamond Queen.’

  ‘You may have saved her from death, but it won’t be a life. There is no life for people like her, and you won’t be around forever to protect her. Forgive me, Akan, but you are old. What will she do when she grows to womanhood? How will she provide for herself, protect herself from the prowls of men? Have you thought of any of that?’

  They were terrible questions which Lorn had never really considered. He had no answer for the forceful girl.

  ‘I’ve given my daughter everything I have,’ he said. ‘I’ve risked both our lives by coming here. If I could make her be sighted or able to hear I would.’ Lorn looked around the nursery. It reminded him of everything Poppy would never have. ‘I would give anything for her to be normal.’

  ‘Even forgo your vengeance against Jazana Carr?’

  Eiriann had no idea how deep Lorn’s vengeance went, or how much the Diamond Queen had taken from him. Still, he told her the truth.

  ‘Yes,’ he confessed. ‘Even that.’

  ‘Then come with us, Akan. I am not
lying to you about Mount Believer. It exists. And there is magic there to save this child from a miserable life.’

  Lorn shook his head. ‘No. There can’t be. .’

  ‘There is,’ urged Eiriann. ‘Ask Breck about it. Ask any of the men who will talk about it. They will all tell you the same thing.’ The young woman held up Poppy and smiled. ‘There is healing magic across the desert. Do you think I would make such a journey if I did not believe? But I do believe, with all my heart I know the stories are true. If you come with us, you’ll be doing your daughter a great kindness.’

  For a moment Lorn sat still, unable to take the child from her, paralysed by her confidence. It had been too long since he’d contemplated anything outside his vengeful plans. The spark of hope Eiriann presented was like a blinding light to him. She was radiant in her words, pure-hearted. Believing her would be blissful.

  ‘What proof have you?’ Lorn asked. His voice fell to a conspiratorial whisper. ‘How do you know, in your heart as you say, that this magic really exists?’

  ‘I have the word of those who’ve been there,’ said Eiriann, ‘and that is all I need.’

  ‘That is not enough,’ said Lorn. ‘To be driven by desperation. .’

  ‘Akan, if you mean what you say — if your daughter really means as much to you as you claim — then you would take this chance with the rest of us. To cure her blindness! What father would not risk the world for that?’

  Lorn had no answer for her. His head was spinning, filled with her hopeful words. Exhausted, he rose and held out his hands. Eiriann handed over Poppy, then looked at him wistfully.

  ‘You are able-bodied,’ she said. ‘Not many of us are, and there are only a handful of men going to Mount Believer. You would be such a help to us.’

  Lorn fumbled with Poppy’s blankets, making sure she was well wrapped. ‘I’m tired, girl. Have you a bed for me?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Eiriann. ‘With my father and the others.’ She rose from the chair and went slowly to the entrance, pausing there for Lorn to follow. He had disappointed her; he could tell from her bland expression.