Ascension of Death

by Andy Peloquin

  Kodyn cocked an eyebrow. “Unless you’ve got an army hiding underground, you’re going to wind up dead.” He thrust a finger upward. “You saw how many there were outside. Imagine how many more are in the tunnels. Even if you had a hundred Secret Keepers, you wouldn’t have enough to hold off that many Stumblers. Trying to hold the temple would be suicide.”

  “It is the price we are willing to pay in service to our goddess,” Ennolar signed.

  Kodyn wanted to shout “Your goddess doesn’t exist!” As the Hunter had explained, and Evren and Hailen confirmed, the gods were nothing more than Serenii worshipped as deities by the ancient Einari.

  Yet that would do no good. Men like Ennolar, men who lived their lives in service to an idea, simply were incapable of accepting that their ideas were built on falsehoods. The Arch-Guardian would take the statement as an insult and dig his heels in even harder.

  Kodyn had to try a different approach.

  “If you don’t want to leave, that’s up to you. But I’m going to take Briana and Hailen and get them out of here before the temple is overrun.”

  “And where, exactly, do you plan to take them?” Ennolar arched an eyebrow. “You saw the streets. There is no way to escape that horde.”

  “Not true.” Kodyn shook his head. “The Stumblers are massed around the Artificer’s Courseway, with most of them focused on bringing down your front door to get in. But I saw the back streets on the south side of the Temple District. They’re nearly empty of Stumblers. We just need to get out of the temple and onto the smaller alleys, and we’ve got a chance of getting to safety.”

  “Again, where do you plan to go?” Ennolar asked.

  “The palace,” Kodyn replied. He, too, could outstubborn a rock, especially in the name of protecting his friends. “We needed to get to the Vault of Ancients, anyway.” A thought struck him. “What if this is just a tactic by the Iron Warlord to keep the Secret Keepers tied up? Keep you away from the palace while he goes for the Vault of Ancients?”

  A furrow deepened Ennolar’s sloping brow as he frowned.

  The more Kodyn thought about it, the more likely it seemed. “It’s almost too perfect, this coordinated attack from the front and back. The Iron Warlord knows that the Secret Keepers are the only other people in Shalandra who know the secrets of the Vault of Ancients. He wants you all out of the way so there’s no one to stop him once he gets into the vault. And, by flooding the temple with his Stumblers, he knows he’ll eventually get his hands on Suroth’s artifacts and journal. It’s a win-win for him!”

  Ennolar’s frown deepened.

  “But if I get Briana out of here and safely up to the palace, it takes the artifacts safely out of his reach,” Kodyn pressed on. “The palace is going to be the most heavily-guarded place in Shalandra, with an army of Indomitables and Keeper’s Blades between Tethum and the vault. We’ll have enough time to figure out how to stop him. Or, at the very least, figure out what the Final Destruction is that he’s after and foil his plans.”

  From Ennolar’s expression, Kodyn could see he was getting through to the man.

  “You say that you will die to protect the Mistress’ secrets.” Kodyn inclined his head. “I can understand that. I’d die to protect my friends. But do all of you need to die? Shalandra needs its Secret Keepers. If you all fall here, then your mission would have been in vain. But if some of you, even just a handful, live to fight another day, you honor your Mistress with a different sort of sacrifice.”

  Ennolar’s face darkened. “You expect me to condemn my brothers to death while I flee?”

  “I expect you to make the decision that benefits not just your brotherhood, but all of Shalandra, the city that you have sworn to protect and serve.” Kodyn fixed the Secret Keeper with a solemn gaze. “If all of you die here, no one will be able to stop Groebus from spreading his black alchemy. He can turn everyone in Shalandra into Stumblers, then set them loose on Einan. That alone is a battle worth living to fight!”

  Ennolar’s eyes darkened, and Kodyn saw the internal war raging in the priest’s mind as he wrestled with the decision. Long seconds passed before he nodded slowly, his face twisted in painful resignation. “So be it,” his fingers signed. “We will not abandon our Mistress’ secrets, but we will choose a select few to pursue the fight against Groebus and his black alchemy.” He shook his head. “But there is no other way out of the temple. So if we are to survive, we will need to find one.”

  From the moment Kodyn had thought of fleeing, his mind had set to work figuring out a solution. There was no fleeing into the tunnels, but he stood by the plan to take to the streets.

  “I need to get to the roof,” he said. “I have to see the Temple District to find a way down.” He was no Pathfinder, but he’d spent enough time training with Jarl to have at least a rudimentary understanding of how the Journeymen crafted the bridges, ropes, and traverses of the Hawk’s Highway.

  Ennolar nodded and triggered an opening in the hallway that led onto the same staircase he’d used earlier. “Let’s go.”

  Kodyn raced up the stairs, not bothering to wait for the portly priest. To his surprise, he found Briana and Hailen still sitting on the roof. They jumped to their feet at his approach, their eyes flying wide.

  “What happened?” Briana asked. “I thought you were—”

  “Stumblers in the Serenii tunnels,” Kodyn said, but didn’t stop moving. “We’re getting out of here. I’ve just got to figure out how the bloody hell we’re going to do that.”

  He raced toward the edge of the flat stone roof and peered down. The throng of Stumblers surrounding the temple had swelled to more than a thousand. But, as he’d told Ennolar, the back streets on the south side of the Artisan’s Tier, beyond the buildings opposite the Temple of Whispers, had only a few of the creatures. If they could reach those alleys, they could duck into the shadows and lose the Stumblers in the twisting, turning maze of narrow lanes. Unless the monsters numbered in the millions, there was no way they could fill every street of the city.

  It was their best chance of getting out.

  Now to figure out just how to do that.

  If this was Praamis, he’d use the Hawk’s Highway. At the very least, he’d find a way to rig a rope and harness, aerial runway, or some other way to climb down the temple’s exterior. But this was Shalandra, and the buildings were too far apart for him to leap across, the stone masonry not quite solid enough for him to sink a grappling hook or anchor a rope without the proper tools.

  He turned to Hailen. “Run to the east side and tell me if there are Stumblers there.”

  The boy took off running, and Kodyn raced to the western edge of the rooftop. The alleyway between the Temple of Whispers and the adjoining white marble obelisk to the Swordsman was crowded with Stumblers, as was the lane on the north side. In fact, the entire northern section of the Temple District was flooded with the creatures, though the lanes far to the east, nearer Commerce Square, had far fewer Stumblers.

  He raced back to the doorway, just in time for Hailen to come running back.

  “Alley’s thick with them,” Hailen said.

  Damn! So much for climbing down.

  He discarded that idea and considered the only next-best, not-quite-worst option: going out the front. He glanced at the crowds of Stumblers shoving at the vault door. The metal and stone groaned beneath the weight of so many bodies, yet it showed no sign of strain. It should hold as long as it remained closed.

  But to get out, they’d have to open it.

  Ennolar appeared on the roof beside him, with Uryan at his side. The two joined him on the roof’s edge and glanced down at the Stumblers flooding the Artificer’s Courseway. “What are you thinking?” he signed.

  Kodyn thrust a finger toward the near-empty alleys. “We just need to get there and we’ll have a chance of getting out of here in one piece.”

  “How do you plan to do that?” Ennolar asked.

  Kodyn arched an eyebrow at the priest. “You
said the Temple of Whispers has defenses, right?”

  Ennolar nodded.

  “Any chance those defenses can be used to clear a path through those Stumblers?”

  Ennolar pursed his lips. “Clear a path?”

  Kodyn thrust a thumb downward. “Our best chance of getting out of here is through the front door. If we can knock the Stumblers back enough to open the door and make a break for it, we’ve got a chance.”

  “I had something that could have done that.” Hailen’s voice held a note of scorn, and he shot a glare at Ennolar. “That Serenii artifact you took from me could have cut through the Stumblers like they did Hallar’s Warriors.”

  Ennolar frowned. “Some weapons are too dangerous to be unleashed on the world, even in the most desperate situations. And yet…” The Arch-Guardian frowned down at the crowd of monsters. After a long moment, he turned to Uryan. “Have Thevoris bring me the...”

  Kodyn’s brow furrowed. He didn’t understand the last words Ennolar had signed. The meaning of the gestures was unfamiliar to him.

  The Secret Keeper bowed and disappeared down the stairs. Kodyn caught Briana and Hailen’s curious expressions. The two had joined him and Ennolar in watching the Stumblers. Slow-moving or not, the sight of so many hideous creatures was a truly terrifying sight to behold.

  As Kodyn waited for whatever Ennolar had requested, he occupied himself studying the nearby temples. The Swordsman’s obelisk was too close to the Temple of Whispers—even if he could find a way to climb down its vertical sides, they’d be less than ten paces from the densely-packed mass of Stumblers. To the east, the sanctuary stood at the same height as the Temple of Whispers; even if he could somehow anchor a line on its flat stone roof, the traverse would be damned near impossible for Briana, Hailen, and the Secret Keepers.

  He turned his attention to the temples south of the Artificer’s Courseway. The Temple of Derelana was even taller than the Temple of Whispers, its clay tiled roof too steep for him to easily climb down. The Master’s Temple, the grandest structure on the Artisan’s Tier, was immediately discarded—the marble façade would crumble, and it stood too far away for him to reach.

  The Temple of Prosperity, however, caught his attention. Not for the eye-watering, mind-bending patterns etched into its stone surface, but for its height. It stood just over two stories tall, with a flat roof of plain sandstone—stone hopefully solid enough to serve as an anchor for a bolt. If he had a crossbow as powerful as the one he’d found in Handsome’s lair, he might have been able to make it work. A weapon that could put a bolt in Councilor Angrak from four hundred paces could send a crossbow bolt the hundred-and-fifty paces across the Artificer’s Courseway and drive its bodkin point into stone deep enough to serve as an anchor.

  But unless the Secret Keepers were hiding weapons that powerful in their vaults, he’d have to find another way.

  At that moment, Uryan returned, accompanied by a second Secret Keeper carrying two fist-sized balls made of dark grey clay. A length of string, almost like the wick of a candle, protruded from one side of the spheres.

  “These,” Ennolar signed, “are Thunderstrikers.” He spelled out the last word letter by letter so Kodyn could understand it. With a grin, he signaled to the Secret Keeper. “Show him what they can do.”

  Striding to the edge of the roof, the Secret Keeper turned the clay orbs so they both faced string-side up. He gripped the strings and, with a barely perceptible wince, yanked them free and immediately dropped the dark grey balls. They plummeted toward the horde of Stumblers and disappeared into the densely-packed mass without a sound.

  Kodyn cocked an eyebrow. Well, that’s a bit anti—

  BOOOM! Twin explosions rocked the crowd of Stumblers, throwing twenty of them to the right and left like ragdolls tossed about in a hurricane. Plumes of foul-smelling black smoke rose from the Stumblers, who seemed disoriented by the sound and the thunderclap.

  “Bloody hell!” Kodyn’s eyes flew wide and he turned to Ennolar. “You called those Thunderstrikers?”

  Ennolar beamed, pride in his expression.

  “Oh, yes.” A broad grin split Kodyn’s face. “Those will do very nicely.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “Well, that was just rude.” Evren shook his head. “She summons me to speak to her, then orders us to wait outside. I’ve got better things to be doing with my time.”

  “Such as?” Hykos cocked an eyebrow.

  “Such as getting down to the Artisan’s Tier and making sure the others are safe!” Evren’s frustration echoed in his voice.

  “Unless your memory of those underground tunnels is different from mine,” Hykos responded, “you know there’s no way to get there and back without fighting your way through a wall of Stumblers.”

  “Yes, but…” Evren ground his teeth. “I can’t just sit here and do nothing!”

  Hailen was down there, locked in the Temple of Whispers. Briana as well. It didn’t matter that tens of thousands of Stumblers barred his way to them; a part of him insisted that he try and reach them anyway. He ached to give in to that small voice, the one that chafed at sitting around the palace waiting. Yet, he’d done his part. He’d gone to rescue Issa, helped her arrest the Keeper’s Council—and all that after battling the Ybrazhe Syndicate and stopping them from overwhelming Killian’s defenses.

  Thoughts of the blacksmith only added to his worry. Killian had sent him to Lady Callista. Somehow, the smith had the peculiar coin that gave Evren access to the Lady of Blades. He’d admitted to being a Keeper’s Blade, and had almost come out and said that he worked in the name of Shalandra. Perhaps he had a working relationship with Lady Callista. Given their shared history in the Keepers—

  “What you said back there, in the Hall of the Beyond.” Hykos’ words snapped him out of his thoughts. “Why’d you say that?”

  Confusion furrowed Evren’s brow. “What, exactly, are you referring to?”

  A flush of color rose to Hykos’ cheeks. “You said, ‘I can see why you fancy her’.”

  “Oh yeah.” Evren grinned. “She’s fearless, Issa is.”

  “But what makes you think that I fancy her?”

  Evren’s jaw dropped. The look on Hykos’ face was so innocent, almost bordering on naïve. He seemed more surprised by Evren’s statement than Issa had.

  “Because you clearly do,” Evren replied, his tone matter-of-fact. “I mean, the way you look at her, the way you risked your neck to save her—”

  “You risked your life, too.” Hykos’ eyes darkened. “Does that mean you fancy her, too?”

  That “too” spoke volumes, as did the sudden raising of Hykos’ hackles. Oh, he’s smitten, all right. Smitten and hard.

  “No.” Evren chuckled. “I owed it to her to try and rescue her. It was…” His smile faded as the burden of guilt returned. “It was my fault that the Necroseti arrested her. I’m the one that attacked Madani, frightened Tinush to death.”

  Hykos’ eyebrows shot up. “Tinush died of fright?” A smile tugged at his lips. “I’m certain that was one detail the Necroseti didn’t want getting out.”

  An image flashed through his mind: a white-faced, gape-mouthed Tinush clutched at his chest, a horrible gasping, gagging sound echoing from his mouth as he staggered backward and toppled over the railing. Yet another memory chased it away: Issa, kneeling in the blood-soaked dust of Killian’s training yard, her hand gripping the pale, lifeless hand of her grandfather.

  “I convinced her that arresting Tinush was the right play.” Evren spoke in a quiet voice. “I thought she was going to storm the Hall of the Beyond and take on the Necroseti’s guards single-handed. But really…” He swallowed. “She just wanted to save her grandparents.”

  Concern filled Hykos’ eyes. “Her grandparents?”

  Evren nodded. Exhaustion and hunger settled onto his shoulders once more, dragging him down with a weight that suddenly seemed far heavier than ever before.

  “They were fighting for their lives,
under siege by the Ybrazhe Syndicate,” Evren said, barely above a whisper. “Issa just wanted to go fight to save them. And it’s my fault she didn’t.”

  “Horse-shite.”

  Hykos’ retort took Evren by surprise. He looked up at the towering Keeper’s Blade, eyes going wide.

  “Since the day I met Issa, I’ve learned that nothing can dissuade her from doing precisely what she wants.” He shook his head, but a hint of humor sparkled in his eyes. “She stood up to Tannard, one of the highest-ranked Blades in the city, and defied him to his face. I’ve heard her shouting at him, not out of anger, but because of something she perceived as an injustice. I read the reports from the Indomitables that were with her when she fought with every shred of her strength to stop the soldiers rampaging through the Slave’s Tier. You saw the way she battled at the Hall of the Beyond.”

  “And heard her try to convince the Earaqi not to revolt.” Evren nodded. “Saying she has a strong will is like calling that sword of yours a ‘pretty knife’.”

  “Damned right.” Hykos grinned. “The only person I know with a will to match Issa’s is Lady Callista. Those two are so alike, it’s like looking at mother and daughter.”

  Evren could see that. She had weathered every storm—from the assassination attempt on the Pharus to the Council’s betrayal—with stoic calm. He’d only seen Lady Callista crack once, the moment she’d heard of Issa’s capture.

  The memory of her fury, the tears in her eyes, struck him as odd. Hells, everything about the Lady of Blades’ interactions with Issa seemed strange, every word laden with nuance and meaning. There was something there, just like Killian’s true identity as a Keeper’s Blade. Some secret remained to be uncovered there.

  “But that’s exactly my point.” Again, Hykos’ strong voice drew Evren back to the present. “If Issa wanted to storm the Keeper’s Temple, if she knew it was the right thing, nothing you or I said could have stopped her. Same for protecting her grandparents. If she went with you to the Hall of the Beyond instead of going after her family, it’s because she made that choice.”