Wrath of the Risen God: Arcane Renaissance Book Three

by Tim Paulson

  “Now,” he said, smiling. “I will torture you... until you die.”

  “Or perhaps you should look behind you!” said Vex.

  This caused the sorcerer to whip around with a surprised look.

  Vex wasn't there though. He was with her. His left arm, those cool ghoul fingers with the claws, had wrapped around her waist while the other arm appeared to her right, making symbols in the air.

  Narael turned back around, incensed. “You!”

  “Hello Narael,” Vex replied, “and goodbye.”

  There was a flash of light as the spell completed and suddenly they were sitting on a roof nearby.

  “Oldest trick in the book,” Vex said, shaking his head. “And he's supposed to be so damned smart.”

  There was a boy to Celia's right, perhaps twelve. He looked at her, his head tilted in a way that seemed very familiar.

  “Please mademoiselle, may I?” he asked. The boy was Fenasian?

  Vex turned to the side, “Oh... I apologize. Where are my manners? Celia, meet Daniel.”

  “Daniel?” Celia said. The skull creature? It was hard to think with the screaming pain in her arms and legs. The inks must have given out. Too much damage, too quickly.

  The boy nodded. “Please, may I heal you?”

  “Yes...” Celia whispered.

  Daniel put his hands on her leg. The feeling of warmth and well being was incredible. The pain melted away.

  “Ohh.. thank you,” she breathed.

  “Any moment now...” Vex said, looking off toward the water, where the tower still stood like a great white thorn in the black of the harbor.

  “What?” Celia asked, sitting up. Her arms and legs had snapped back into place and now felt normal.

  Daniel sat back, looking tired, he rubbed his face.

  No doubt if she were here Giselle would be admonishing her for keeping a child up in the middle of the night. Still, he was a child.

  “Thank you, Daniel,” Celia said, patting his head.

  “You are welcome mademoiselle,” he replied softly. He seemed like a very sweet boy.

  There was a flash of light from across the water. A bright blue and white circle, like a miniature sun. It was so bright Celia was forced to shield her eyes from it. It was followed a few moments later by a deafening thunderclap. Flames were spouting from the tower as it began to collapse in on itself, tumbling down into the sea.

  “How?” Celia asked.

  Vex turned, smiling. “There is an old salmu trick...” he said, holding up one hand with the fingers twiddling while the other pulled a small bone from behind his back. “You make them look in one place...”

  It dawned on her. “The big skeletons were a trick... You had something else planned all along.”

  Vex nodded. “I couldn't tell you, in case he could use mind magic. I'm sorry.”

  Celia shrugged, waving. “It's fine... We're alive and the tower is destroyed,” she said. “But... how did you destroy it?”

  Vex pointed at Daniel who smiled at her.

  “He had me get several barrels of that powder from the workhouse,” Daniel said.

  “And one of the ghouls was glad to carry them into a vent at the base of the tower,” Vex said.

  “Is it.. is it alright?” she asked. It felt a little odd to be worried about a flesh-eating creature of the night, but they'd helped a lot.

  Vex nodded. “She's fine. I saw her leaving. Right before I transported you.”

  “But... you can't transport anyone!” Celia said.

  Vex put a hand behind his head, looking embarrassed as he looked to Daniel. “Actually... I should have thought of it before.”

  Celia's eyes widened, looking at the boy. “You're a wizard too. You ordered him to.”

  “Oui!” Daniel said, smiling but in his eyes, there was a distance, a sadness. It was disturbing to see it in a child. It told of loss, emptiness. Likely it was how she'd looked to others at that age.

  Celia put a hand on the boy's shoulder, pulling him close.

  Hugging wasn't her thing, it had never been something she'd asked for, or ever said that she wanted, but she hugged Daniel anyway. He needed it and she did too. Daniel fought her at first, but then he hugged her back. She was sad Giselle wasn't there to tell him a story or... do whatever it was she did with children, but this was something. Maybe not the best, but something.

  “Oh...” Vex said.

  For a moment Celia wondered if he was upset she'd embraced the boy but he was looking out to the harbor. It wasn't long before she saw it too. Two lights racing toward Valendam from the remnants of the tower. They were balls of fire, one in each of the sorcerer's hands while he raced atop the water, flying through the air.

  When he reached the buildings along the dockside Narael floated up, his hands went out, and gouts of flame gushed from them, engulfing the buildings of the city.

  “We must stop him... he's hurting people!” Daniel said, pulling away from Celia's embrace.

  Vex held up his hand. “We can't... we're too weak. We've hurt him, badly. That's why he's lashing out.”

  “But the people Monsieur Vex!” Daniel said.

  “He's right,” Celia said. “I barely survived that... If we're going to kill him. It will be another time.”

  In the distance, screams could be heard as people tried to flee the buildings and ships that had been set on fire along the harbor. Guns were firing as well and the occasional muzzle flash of a musket could be seen from a window as the citizens tried to fight back against what they surely saw as an agent of the dark one, if not the devil himself.

  “Don't worry Daniel,” Vex said. “He'll tire of this quickly. The one they call the old mother told me that he has an army to the northwest. He'll return there soon. If there's one thing I know about Narael it's that he is... persistent in his endeavors.”

  “But the army won't listen to him now?” Celia asked.

  “Something like that,” Vex replied. “It won't make it easier for him, that's for sure.” He looked to her, his red eyes boring into her. “The key here, my dear, is that you... are truly exceptional.”

  Celia grinned at him.

  He had no idea.

  * * *

  Mia awoke suddenly, gasping for breath. In her dream Adem was alone, surrounded by horrors. They were snarling at him, ready to attack at any second. Then she heard Henri's voice and her eyes had opened and... The tent. It was... noticeably warmer than the previous morning.

  What happened? The last she remembered was the battle. Marian... The sorcerer. He'd had her, he'd been about to kill her. Then... what? Her memory felt broken, fragmented.

  She sat up, taking in her surroundings. It was the same tent from last night. Only the arrangement of the small amounts of foldable furniture afforded to Ganex officers, which she wasn't technically but that was beside the point, was in different places. The tent had been moved.

  Mia stood up, shaking her head. She felt better actually. From the light on the tent, it was nearing dawn if it wasn't day already. That was bad.

  As she exited the tent it was hard to miss the enormous walls towering above.

  Magenberg. They'd retreated all the way to the walls. That explained the slight warmth she felt as well. Nothing was warmer in the winter than an over-sized city.

  Mia pulled aside the first Ganex junior officer she saw.

  “Where is Commander Von Tresckow”

  The girl pointed and Mia left, tromping through the mud of the camp. Much work was still going on. She wasn't sure why. The army could have just set up camp on the other side... Or perhaps not. She'd heard Magenberg was quite dense behind the walls. Maybe there wasn't room? Couldn't the soldiers quarter in citizens' homes? It didn't make any sense... until she entered the command tent.

  There an old man was berating two others. One was a bored-looking woman with short blond hair and the other was Claus who was lounging in a chair. In his right hand, he held a kerchief stained with blood. It was no surpri
se his condition was worsening given what had been happening. The wet cold weather wasn't exactly congenial to healing either.

  “I object, strenuously,” Clause said.

  The old man rounded on him. “I don't care!” He pushed a set of papers from the desk. “I'm not moving this command post inside the walls.”

  “Don't you understand Claus?” the woman said as she studied her fingernails. “The emperor's direction was to prevent the enemy army from making it to the walls.”

  “And they haven't!” the general said. “They've moved off and made camp. Their losses are such that they can't possibly come again.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Mia asked from the doorway.

  The general glared at her. “Who the devil are you?”

  Claus leaned forward. “This is the knight who killed the golden-eyed goliaths for us.”

  The man raised an eyebrow. “This little thing?” he grumbled. “She looks like a Tiverian harlot and she speaks like one as well.”

  Mia bristled. “What did you say?”

  Claus was up and had a hand on her shoulder surprisingly quickly. “Mia... no. Please... tell us what you meant.”

  “I meant that the only real losses the enemy has taken are to the republican goliaths.”

  “Which makes up more than three-quarters of their force,” the general replied.

  “Who cares?” Mia snapped. “The golden-eyed ones are the threat and their sorcerer leader.”

  “He is gone. I saw him disappear myself,” the woman said.

  Mia narrowed her eyes at her. “Oh, so you're one of the ones who stood by while my Marian was cut apart!”

  “Marian is fine Mia. Nina's been working on her all night. I don't buy chassis without spare parts,” Claus said.

  “The sorcerer is gone. That is good. We are glad to hear it,” the general said. “And now that the enemy is leaderless we strike. We'll drive them back to their pathetic little country.”

  Mia's jaw dropped. “Are you a fool? You'll get them all killed!”

  “Get her out of here Claus, before I have you both flogged.”

  Claus pulled her out of the command tent.

  “Let go of me!” she said.

  “Fine, fine...” he replied, looking saddened.

  “So what does this mean? Are Greta and Werner now out there assaulting the enemy?”

  “They are,” he replied, grimacing.

  “Where's Marian?”

  Claus pointed. “She's there. The guns... “ he tried to say, but broke into a coughing fit.

  “What guns?” Mia asked.

  He pointed up at the wall. “The hundred and forty... seven... of them,” he said, coughing. “If the enemy breaks the line... they have orders to fire. I'm sure they'll try to confine their fire to the enemy, but the guns are very big. Too big.”

  Mia's lips pressed together. “Cavalo! Those bastards!”

  She turned to go.

  “Be careful Mia... and please... Look after Greta!” Claus called before doubling over to cough at length into his handkerchief.

  “I will,” she said, already on the move.

  It wasn't long before Mia and Marian were charging for the front. Instead of the estoc that had been destroyed the previous day, now Marian carried a hand and half bastard sword. Nearly thirty feet of steel with veil along the entire edge. Marian liked it.

  “Of course you like it. Marcus always used one.”

  Marian corrected her, actually, she had used it, while Marcus was present.

  “Technically yes... but still. It was his preferred weapon for goliaths is what I'm saying.”

  What was she doing? Arguing semantics with a goliath? It seemed odd. Her relationships with the goliaths she'd ridden had deepened of late. They spoke in more than just feelings. There were full thoughts coming into her mind... Why was that?

  Marian felt that Mia had changed.

  “I know I have... I just don't know what it means,” Mia replied.

  Had something that had happened to her changed the goliaths she was around? Or, perhaps, had the goliaths always had thoughts and knights just hadn't been able to hear them?

  Thankfully Mia being changed meant that Marian could run at full speed over the hill without worrying about draining red veil powder too quickly, for there was none. That was good too... because supplies were nearly gone. The city barely had enough powder for its guns, let alone the goliaths.

  It made Mia shake her head. Clearly this had all been planned far ahead of time.

  Buckley. That snake.

  “You know what they say about snakes,” Mia said. “Cut off the head.”

  Marian agreed.

  When they reached the top of the low hill the battle ahead was already ugly. The remaining Ganex lines looked well disciplined, as usual, and the Republicans had largely gone into a mode of retreat, which was surprising. That probably came down to their center where the golden-eyed goliaths stood, more than a hundred of them, packed into a tight circle surrounding one of their own.

  From the rise, Mia could see exactly who that was. It was the sorcerer's. The one with the half head where Narael had sat upon his throne while Aaron and Buckley looked on from behind. Now it stood in the center of the rest, motionless as if waiting for something.

  It seemed the Ganex had been largely avoiding them and focusing on the republican goliaths.

  Then, as they paused at the hill top to survey the scene, Mia saw a flash of light on the head of the center goliath.

  “Oh... no...” Mia said.

  Narael had returned.

  This was a disaster. The Ganex had been ignoring the sorcerer's goliaths and were now well beyond their line like a great red horseshoe that extended to either side of the golden-eyed ring at its center. If they didn't pull back immediately, they'd be flanked and cut to pieces.

  That was bad, Marian thought.

  “Yes! Yes, it is!” Mia replied.

  The problem was, which side was Greta on? Claus was in command of the left yesterday but Greta had spent most of her time right of the center, or did she? That day had become a blur of hell. Did she go right or left?

  Marian thought right.

  “Fine... we go right!” she said and Marian took off her long sword gripped in two hands.

  They ran down the long slope toward the front where lines of red Imperial and purple striped republic goliaths clashed. As they approached the republic flank broke as ten medium goliaths turned and ran. Chasing them was a red goliath carrying a glowing veil estoc in its right hand and a whip on the left.

  “What?!” Mia shouted. That was not Greta.

  They must have switched sides!

  Mia had no idea what to do. She'd come all this way but what she wanted wasn't to fight, it was to call them back, but how? There was no way to yell to the Ganex knights. The Faustlanders of house Halett had used drums for that purpose and the Ganex used horns, but she had neither.

  Marian had an idea.

  “What? What do you mean?”

  She was treated to a memory, from years ago. Something Marcus had ordered.

  “You can do that?” Mia asked.

  Marian responded in the affirmative.

  “Then do!”

  Marian then lifted the great bastard sword high above her head, point down, and drove it into the hillside until it passed through the soil and entered the bedrock beneath. Then she stepped back and used a long side swing to flick her knuckles against the upper part of the still exposed blade. The sound it made was like a high pitched knife, piercing Mia's eardrums.

  “Stop it! Stop it!” Mia screamed at the top of her lungs, trying to get her arms to her ears but the harness inside prevented it. Rarely was a sound so loud that a knight needed to cover their ears. Massed cannons at close range didn't hold a candle to this horrendous noise.

  In response, Marian put her hand on the sword's pommel.

  Instantly, the sound ceased.

  When Mia regained her
wits enough to take in the field, Marian's eyes revealed that her little trick had worked. Every single goliath was now looking in their direction.

  Marian then ripped the sword from its place in the hill and pointed her left hand, palm flat, toward Magenberg, the Ganex symbol for an immediate retreat. Mia hadn't asked Greta for too much information about Ganex signs on their way here. However, in war there were two things you absolutely had to know. When to attack and when to retreat.

  She and Marian made the signal again, waiting. The Ganex were slow to respond, but Werner had seen and his goliath was now coming. The right side was following him.

  Mia only hoped they could make it back before the guns blew them all to kingdom come.

  Chapter 27

  "There are many things that influence a veil blade, not the least of which is age. As the metal gets older, the amount of power it can store lowers until it is nothing but base steel."

  -Lecture at the academy at Calinova by Pyrolian master weaponsmith Micolau Pinto, 1617

  As soon as the sorcerer had reappeared, Buckley stood but did not approach. He'd been fuming off and on for the entire night. Apparently he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast the previous morning. He'd been drinking the snow that accumulated on their goliath's head before he shivered himself to sleep.

  Were he not so pathetic, Aaron might have found it funny. Still, even after all that had happened, he found his heart softening again toward the man. It was hard to hold on to the hate that had grown in his heart. As time passed it simply faded, like a shadow when clouds shade the sun. Unfortunately, that didn't help him with his plan. Nothing seemed to help. Everything he'd tried had failed.

  Buckley opened his mouth to speak but then closed it again. Aaron could see him mulling over his words, trying not to get himself killed. Finally, after pulling on his goatee, Buckley stepped forward, but before he could say anything Narael turned to him.

  “What have you done here?” the sorcerer asked.

  Buckley's eyes widened. This was not a question he'd anticipated.

  “I... I... Nothing,” he replied.

  Narael sneered. “I can see that.” He turned back toward the front, sitting down on the throne at the front of the goliath's head. “I am... displeased.”