A World of Secrets (The Firewall Trilogy)

by James Maxwell

  He cast a swift glance behind him. Selena anxiously watched from her high position. Lars and Ruth were both at the bottom of the cliff, facing Taimin’s way.

  Vance’s shouts became louder. Taimin’s pulse quickened. He no longer had any doubt. There was immediate danger.

  Taimin turned toward Lars and Ruth. “Get up there! We have to go. Now!”

  Without waiting for a response he took a step toward where the shouts were coming from. He drew his sword and stared. As he held his breath, he saw a running figure revealed in the moonlight. Vance was sprinting for all he was worth. He was covered in dirt and bellowing while he ran.

  Lars called from behind Taimin. “What’s happening?”

  Taimin waved over his shoulder. “Go!”

  Vance reached Taimin and put his hands on his hips. His chest heaved. His clothes were torn. Red-faced and sweating, he was panting so hard he could barely speak. “Have to go . . . now . . .”

  “What is it? Trulls?” Lars demanded. Taimin cast a swift look back to see that the rope dangled at Lars’s side. Ruth also watched from the bottom of the cliff. Neither had started to climb.

  Vance shook his head. He coughed as he struggled to make words. “Monsters.”

  “What are you talking about?” Lars growled. “What’s out there?”

  “Giants!” Vance grabbed Taimin’s shoulder to get him moving toward the rope. “It doesn’t matter if you believe me. We have to go!”

  Vance’s fear was contagious, and soon Ruth was hauling herself up the cliff. Lars followed behind her, the muscles in his arms bulging as he pulled himself up. Next it was Vance’s turn. Taimin stood with his back to the cliff and peered into the gorge, searching for movement.

  He heard Selena’s voice from high above. “Taimin! Come on!”

  Sheathing his sword, Taimin went to the rope and wrapped his arms around it. He put his good foot into the first of several clefts he had seen the others use as they made their ascent. He lifted his body off the ground. Steeling himself, he placed his injured foot onto the next protrusion.

  Red-hot needles shot up his leg from his crippled right foot. He gritted his teeth and lifted his left foot, wedging it in as he tried to take his weight with his arms and place his bad foot into the next position.

  It was impossible. He gave a sharp sound of pain as the rope sped through his hands, burning them. He fell to the ground, his back striking hard enough to knock the breath from his body.

  “Taimin!” Selena cried.

  Taimin groaned and returned to his feet, leaning to one side. He saw Selena up above, watching him from safety. The others were with her, waiting for him. “You should go,” he called. “It’ll take me too long to get up there, even if you help me.” He had no doubt that what he was saying was true. “Pull the rope up!”

  Taimin saw a familiar stubborn expression on Selena’s face. “I’m staying right here. Just take the rope. Hurry!”

  “There won’t be time. Whatever it is, I’ll fight it.” Taimin still had no idea what Vance had seen as he drew his sword again. “Pull it up!” he shouted at Selena.

  Selena became still. She stared farther along the gorge and the color drained from her face. Her expression of worry shifted to fear, and then horror.

  Taimin whirled.

  A tall figure strode out of the darkness. Taimin felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck.

  Whatever the creature was, it was a giant—half again as tall as a human, easily nine feet in height. Spiral-shaped horns jutted from either side of its forehead, and it wore brown clothing blazoned with a bold symbol, covering skin a darker shade than its red horns. Fiery eyes blazed like embers. Hard, sharp angles carved its flat face. The monster approached with clear menace, carrying a long spear with a slightly-curved blade.

  The giant came to a halt. Red eyes roved to take in Taimin and the people watching from above. As the creature considered each human in turn—inspecting Lars, Vance, Ruth, and then Selena—it dismissed them.

  The monster’s attention settled on the one member of the group standing ready with sword in hand. Taimin’s stomach churned as the tall creature began to walk directly toward him, jaws parted to reveal a multitude of sharp teeth. The spear came up, gripped in both hands.

  “You,” the giant grunted, stopping to point its spear directly at Taimin. There was something in the gaze Taimin was leveled with. He felt that the monster had an interest in him personally. “Die.”

  Taimin fought to stop his hands from shaking. He lifted his sword. He couldn’t climb the cliff. He had to summon his courage, or Selena would watch him die.

  The giant—or whatever it was—nodded as if satisfied.

  Without warning the creature attacked.

  The spear curled in a swift arc, with the blade lined up to strike Taimin across the neck. Taimin’s training and experience in the arena made him duck. The spear swept overhead, its passage so close he heard it. Taimin straightened and already the spear was coming at him again; this time the sharp end thrust toward the center of his chest.

  Taimin brought his sword down to smash the steel blade against the monster’s weapon, moving it away and twisting his body at the same time. The long spear pierced empty air.

  The giant strangely gave an expression that couldn’t be anything but a smile. As Taimin evaded another blow his opponent picked up the pace, thrusting and swinging its spear. With each attempted strike, Taimin’s right foot screamed in agony as he shifted his body. He dived to escape a horizontal sweep he couldn’t dodge any other way. From his position on the ground he kept rolling. The spear struck the dirt once, twice. Taimin was forced to hold up his sword to block the next blow. The force of mountains crashed into his arms; the creature was so strong that Taimin could barely hold the position for a heartbeat, before he slid blade against spear and rolled again. Taimin struggled to return to his feet, weaving unsteadily as he faced the monster again.

  As his opponent circled him, Taimin saw a second giant nearby, watching and waiting. But this one, with smaller, pointed horns and much plainer clothing, was unarmed and appeared content to view from a distance. Rather than join the fight, the smaller creature clutched a glossy metal box.

  Taimin moved into the attack. He stepped inside his opponent’s range and lunged at the creature’s head. Trying to ignore the pain in his right foot, he forced the giant to give ground and heard savage grunts as it defended itself. The giant weaved deftly to the side, and a moment later the tip of its spear flew at Taimin’s neck again. Rather than duck, Taimin spun around his enemy’s weapon, gritting his teeth as his foot protested. He slammed his sword down onto the giant’s hands.

  It was a clumsy blow—Taimin struck with the flat of his sword rather than the sharp edge—but whatever the creature was, it clearly felt pain. The giant gave a surprised cry as the spear flew from its hands.

  The giant’s eyes widened. With his opponent unarmed, Taimin grew more confident. He stepped forward, putting his weight onto his right leg.

  Pain worse than anything before stabbed his crippled foot. Taimin’s leg gave way. Before he knew what was happening, he saw the ground coming at him. The side of his head struck the hard dirt. Stars sparkled in his vision.

  He found himself sprawled out on the ground. Agonizing shivers climbed up and down his leg. Dazed, he heard sounds of movement, and turned his head to see the giant at his side, towering over him. The giant gazed down, but rather than retrieve its lost spear, the monster stood still, head tilted as if perplexed.

  The giant was waiting for Taimin to get up.

  Taimin drew in a breath and pressed his hands into the dirt. But as soon as he put any weight on his right foot, pain shot up his leg. He gritted his teeth, but the fight had taken too much out of him. It was no use. He remained on the ground. He didn’t even know where his sword was.

  The giant came close and leaned down. A hand with long, clawed fingers reached for Taimin’s foot.

  The monster took hold a
nd squeezed.

  Taimin screamed, unable to stop himself. The giant squeezed a second time and for a moment Taimin couldn’t breathe as he felt the bones shifting. He gritted his teeth, but couldn’t help releasing a long moan when the giant finally let go.

  With blurred vision, Taimin saw the giant appear to sigh. The monster turned and beckoned to its companion.

  Taimin craned his neck to look behind him. They were all still watching: Selena, Vance, Lars, and Ruth. When Taimin heard deep, guttural voices he returned his attention to the two tall creatures. They were speaking to each other in a strange language. The smaller giant with the short, pointed horns came forward and, stumbling over the words, spoke in a loud voice.

  “He wants to know where there are more humans.”

  Taimin gasped; his foot felt like it was on fire. As the moments passed, the monster with the curling horns grew impatient and walked over to retrieve its spear. Through a haze of pain, Taimin wondered if he was about to meet his end.

  Lars broke the silence. Both giants turned to face him as he called from the clifftop.

  “There is a city—Zorn—where you will find plenty of humans.” He raised an arm to point. “It’s back the way you came.”

  As soon as Lars finished speaking, the taller giant said something to his companion. The monster with the face of pure malice then turned on his heel and stalked away. Both creatures disappeared into the darkness.

  “The fates are playing a cruel joke,” Ungar growled as his long stride ate up the terrain.

  Moonlight guided Ingren’s footsteps. All she wanted to do was rest, but she knew better than to press her bondmate when he was in one of his moods.

  Ungar scowled at her while she walked beside him. “We cross the barrier to intercept these humans. We hunt them down, tracking over a period of many days. As we expected, one of their group is a competent warrior.” His voice rose in volume. “But in the end . . . he is . . . a cripple!” He spat the last word.

  “He fought well,” Ingren said. “You must admit it, bondmate. I doubt you have forgotten that you lost your spear.”

  “Yes, he was skilled.” He tossed his head. “For a cripple!” He muttered something under his breath and then pointed his spear up at the sky. “I thought the stars were watching over me. But I could never return to Agravida with the head of a cripple. The marshals expect to hear of my exploits. Can you imagine what they would hear me say?” His tone became dry. “Yes, he put up a good fight, but in the end I was the victor when he collapsed for no reason at all.”

  “Bondmate,” Ingren said, “not everything is the work of higher powers. Some things just are. Remember, if undertaking a quest was easy, it would not be worth doing.”

  Ungar’s grunt of reply was noncommittal. Ingren decided to give him some time to calm down. In the end he always did. She knew he would be frustrated to be retracing the route they had taken, and wouldn’t be satisfied until they had covered a lot of ground. It was going to be a long night.

  After some time, when the moon had shifted position in the sky, Ingren spoke up. “There is another matter we must discuss.” She used a gentle tone of admonishment she knew wouldn’t provoke him. “We are not supposed to leave witnesses. You are aware of this.”

  “I have wasted enough time. There were only a few of them.”

  “Bondmate . . .”

  He scowled at her, but Ingren returned his stare.

  “I cannot go back,” Ungar said. “They will be gone, scattered to the wind.”

  “But next time.”

  “Next time I will do as you say.”

  “As I say?” Ingren raised an eyebrow. “I did not make your rules of conduct; they are far older than I am, and I do not particularly enjoy seeing humans killed just so they will not tell tales of us. If they know we exist, they will organize, and the nature of the quest will be changed forever. You are supposed to hunt and, as I understand it, to stay hidden when you can.”

  “Yes, yes . . .” Ungar said as he climbed a ridge, leaving Ingren to hurry after him.

  When he reached the top, he glanced back, and a crease of irritation formed in his forehead when he saw he had left her behind. He stared into the distance, pondering as he waited for her to rejoin his side.

  “In truth, it was a good fight,” Ungar admitted as they walked together once more. His spirits appeared to improve. “He was a worthy opponent, at least for a time.”

  Ingren tried not to smile. “He was, bondmate.”

  “Are you sure you understood what the old one said?”

  “I am certain,” Ingren said. She considered for a moment. “He called the outpost a city.” She found the idea amusing. “These humans have no idea what a real city is.”

  “Whatever he chose to call it, we know for ourselves that humans live there.”

  “It is a long way to go.” Ingren hesitated. “And, bondmate, what if you do not find a human as skilled as the one you just fought?”

  “We were going to travel to the bax village next. The outpost lies in the same direction. There will be a better human trophy among a greater number.” Seeing Ingren’s dark expression, Ungar spoke reluctantly. “But I take your point, Ingren. If there is not, we can always find the cripple again.”

  7

  Taimin stared at his foot. Not only was it squashed from his childhood injury, it was covered in purple bruising and swollen beyond belief.

  At first, he had worried about undertaking such a long journey and surviving the numerous threats in the wasteland. Now, he had to contend with menacing creatures who, it seemed, had sought him out and wanted him to die.

  Taimin was a hunter. He knew that a hunter’s first concern was to avoid becoming prey himself. A sensible person would get to safety, which meant Zorn. Once inside the city, Taimin could tell Zorn’s leader, Elsa, about these strange creatures.

  But his quest was too important. He had to keep moving. All he could do was get to where he was going, fast.

  Taimin watched the dawn; his throbbing foot meant he hadn’t slept at all. He sat on a rock at the top of a slope, not far from the narrow defile where he and the others had made their hasty camp. He saw the golden orb of Dex crest the distant horizon and reveal itself one bright sliver at a time. Shades of gold and purple tinged the sky. As the sun rose to light up the rust-colored landscape, he focused on scanning the terrain, eager for a task that might distract him from the pain. Daylight banished some of the fear. After taking one last look at his foot, he pulled on his boot, groaning until he had squeezed his foot into the leathery embrace. He sucked in a deep breath and exhaled.

  The previous night wasn’t something he wanted to remember. Hours passed but still the group pressed on. Visions of nightmare creatures stayed with them, along with voices that sounded like rocks breaking. Eventually, Selena had found a steep cleft, a crevice in the rock wall at the very end of the dried-up riverbed. It was a good place to rest until morning.

  Taimin heard movement and turned to see that both Vance and Ruth were awake. Ruth murmured something to Vance, and he nodded. Then she left him, heading deeper into the crevice until the steep walls swallowed her. Vance climbed up to join Taimin, who shuffled so they could sit together.

  Vance shared the view for a moment, but his mind was clearly on something other than the morning sky. “Taimin,” he said. He dragged the word out and then stared directly into Taimin’s eyes. “What were those things?”

  The warm light couldn’t wash away the gray color of Vance’s face. He was haggard and drawn, but Taimin supposed he must look even worse himself.

  “I have no idea,” Taimin said. He continued to scan the landscape for anything moving, anything that might threaten the group. “Where did Ruth go?”

  “She’s looking for herbs . . .” Vance trailed off.

  Taimin’s mouth tightened. He hated being a burden.

  Vance leaned forward. “You’ve traveled the waste,” he pressed. “You must know something.”

&
nbsp; Taimin gazed into the distance. “Before my aunt’s death I hadn’t seen much at all. Just the area around our homestead. Most settlers stay close to safety. Lars is the one to ask. He—”

  “Ask me what?” a voice called from behind them. Lars looked as tired as Vance. He gave the horizon a quick glance, habitually checking for dangers. Rather than sit, he stayed standing, and kept a hand close to the axe on his belt. “Well?”

  “Ask you about those creatures.” Taimin turned toward the skinner.

  “What were they?” Vance asked.

  “I don’t know,” Lars said. “I’ve never come across them before. But I’ve also never traveled these lands, and I’m pretty sure I can say the same for everyone here.”

  “There are supposed to be five races. Five,” Vance said grimly. “Now there’s a sixth?”

  “We’re safe now,” Lars said. “That’s the main thing.”

  “I can’t believe you sent them to the city.” Vance gave Lars a dark look.

  Lars glared back at him. “We’re alive, aren’t we? There are thousands of humans in Zorn. They’ll have a better chance than we did.”

  Vance shook his head but fell silent. When he spoke, his eyes were troubled. “So why didn’t they kill us?”

  Taimin thought for a time before he spoke. He remembered the monster’s puzzled look when his leg buckled. “The one with the big horns wanted me dead. That seemed clear. But then . . .” He shook his head, recalling how the creature had squeezed his foot. “I don’t know what to think.”

  “The one with the spear was male,” Lars said matter-of-factly.

  Taimin nodded. “The other one referred to him as he—”

  “No,” Lars interrupted. “It’s not just that. It’s the horns. You didn’t notice? They were almost exactly like the horns of a firehound. Curling for a male, short for a female.”

  Taimin frowned and then slowly nodded. “The skin was like a firehound too,” he said. “That look and color.”

  “Or a wyvern,” said Lars. He scratched at his thick black beard.