by Dante King
A road ran down the mountainside from the palace to the city. We stopped just before our path intersected with it.
“I will scout ahead,” Tahlis said. “To see how busy the fortress is and how watchful its guards appear.”
“I could help, Master,” Elorinelle said. Her eyes flitted between the guildmaster and the fearsome fortification up ahead. “I have a keen eye.”
“I know you do,” Tahlis said. “But scouting is about where you can get, not just what you can see.”
“I know I’m not as slim as some of the other girls,” Elorinelle said, “but I’m still nimble.”
She looked away from the guildmaster, biting her lip.
“I understand.” Tahlis laid a hand gently on her shoulder. “And in other circumstances, you would be a great asset. But can you do this?”
The ground opened beneath him, and he disappeared into the dirt. A moment later, he reappeared on the far side of a heap of rocks.
“No, Master,” Elorinelle admitted. “Not yet.”
“Then I’ll do this one alone. And when this is over, we’ll talk about training you in more techniques.”
He scurried off up the road, leaving us to wait.
We took the opportunity to rest our weary legs, eat, and take on water. The whole time, I kept my eye on the road from the city to the fortress, watching out in case of trouble. The road led into a gateway at the rear of the city, not as grand as the one where we’d fought the golem but large enough to let laden wagons in and out.
“That’s the Pathway Gate,” Ganyir said. “Because it faces away from the docks, it’s never needed to cope with as much traffic as the Main City Gate. Not that there’s much going through there right now.”
“It will get better,” I said. “Growth and trade will return once you’re in charge again.”
“I hope so. But I made some terrible mistakes. What’s to stop me from making them again?”
“You know you made them. That’s half the battle.” I paused before considering my next words. “Besides, if you fuck up, then I’ll have to come back and kick your ass.”
Ganyir glared at me before almost breaking into a smile. Still, he could hardly hide his mirth because the crow’s feet around his eyes pinched together. “You are a brave one, Swordslinger. I wouldn’t want to earn your ire.”
After an hour, Tahlis reappeared, erupting out of the road just in front of a startled Onvar. The guildmaster laughed at his student’s discomfort, then gathered us around.
“The fortress is operated by a skeleton staff,” he said. “Most of what’s left of the army must be down in the city. If we can get past the gates, then we should be able to take control.”
“Let’s get to it,” I said. “Tahlis, you and Ganyir shouldn’t be at the front; there’s too much risk that someone will recognize you. I know that you’re used to leading, not following, but you should be at the back with your hoods firmly up, at least until the gate is open.”
We formed into something resembling a military column, with Vesma, Kumi, and I at the front. Ours weren’t faces people in the fortress had seen before, so we could pretend to be Gonki soldiers without someone realizing we were from the other side. Kegohr was too conspicuous, with his tusks and gray skin, so he joined the heavily hooded contingent at the back, while the initiates filled the space in between.
We marched up the road, weapons sheathed or resting on our shoulders. Kumi whistled as we went, a tune that rolled with the rhythm of the sea, and we used it to keep pace. Soon, we stood in front of the fortress’ main gates.
“Who goes there?” A man in a guard’s uniform leaned out of a window above the gates. Bags hung under his eyes, and he yawned widely as he looked down at us.
“We’ve come from the village,” I said. “The fighting is over. Everyone else has returned to the city.”
“You got those traitors?” the guard asked.
“Me?” I said. “I wish! Reckon they’d have made me a lord if I could do that.”
“All right, smart ass,” the guard said. “You know what I mean. Did the cult win?”
“Of course we did. Lord Targin’s got quite a haul of prisoners, not to mention some heads that’ll be going on pikes. One or two of the rebels might have got away, but things never go as smoothly as the commanders predict, do they?”
“Damn right. So, what are you lot doing back here?”
“Been sent to relieve the watch. Which I guess means you get to go rest.”
“Thank the gods for that. You took your sweet time getting here.”
“Couldn’t come before the battle was won.”
“That should have been yesterday.”
“You mean because that’s what the commanders predicted?”
The guard laughed bitterly, then looked back along the line. His gaze fell on Kegohr, whose face was hidden by his hood but whose bulk still made him stand out amid the initiates. Past him, Ganyir was equally imposing.
“Couple of big guys you’ve got there,” the guard said. “Surprised they’ve sent them back for this instead of keeping them to help tear down the temple.”
“You mean Toji and Gronk?” I said, quickly thinking about excuses. “They’re not the brightest lads; both managed to hurt themselves in the fight. Our captain sent them back in case they did something stupid in front of his Lordship.”
“Leg hurt bad,” Kegohr said in a deep growl. “Toji need to practice club more.”
The guard laughed again, a vicious rather than a joyful sound.
“All right,” he said. “I’ll come on down and open the gates.”
He disappeared from view. I looked back across my band of friends and allies, checking that they were ready for whatever happened next. The further in we got without drawing attention, the easier this was likely to be. Everyone looked ready, with eyes alert and hands gripping their weapons. Ganyir looked particularly tense, his jaw clenched and eyes narrowed.
Chains rattled, and wood creaked somewhere inside the gatehouse. The gates, great slabs of ancient oak bound together in iron, swung slowly back to reveal the portal beyond. A cluster of figures stood in the sunlit courtyard at the far side of the gatehouse, watching us. They must have been the guards we had been sent to relieve, or perhaps simply cult members who had been passing through on their way to other parts of the fortress and wanted to hear about the battle.
We walked down the short length of tunnel that was the gateway, our footsteps echoing back to us from the stone walls. Dark, narrow apertures were set in the ceiling above, holes through which rocks or boiling oil could be dropped on any intruders who fought their way through the gate. The lack of projectiles showed that our story had really worked.
At the far side of the gateway, the guard who had challenged us was waiting alongside half a dozen of his comrades. More looked out at us from windows and doorways. They wore the robes of guildsmen and city guards, yellows and browns with baggy pants and closely fitted turbans. On the left breast, each wore a triangle of black cloth, stitched on with varying degrees of skill. I realized that I had seen it on the robes of some of the soldiers we had fought, but not on any of the robes we had managed to salvage.
As we emerged back into daylight, swift footsteps came up behind me. Ganyir pushed past between me and Kumi and walked up to the guard.
“What is this?” He tugged at the corner of the black triangle on the man’s chest.
My stomach sank. I had hoped to get deeper into the fortress before any kind of confrontation took place. That was clearly not going to happen.
I shifted my feet into a fighting stance, trying not to be too obvious about the movement.
The guard looked down at the gauntleted fingers that held his symbolic scrap of fabric like it was an insect in need of crushing.
“It’s the symbol of the Unswerving Shadows,” the guard said. “Like we were told to sew on yesterday.” He looked around at us. “Haven’t any of you done it yet?”
I muttered a cu
rse under my breath.
The guard looked back at Ganyir’s hand. “Who are you, anyway? I don’t remember seeing you around before.”
Ganyir pushed his hood back, revealing eyes that shone with fury. “Recognize me now?” he asked.
The guard’s mouth hung open. Others took longer to respond, but when they did, there were gasps and shuffling feet. I wanted to grab Ganyir and knock some fucking sense into him, but doing so would only further blow our cover. I shouldn’t have expected the lord would be able to keep his cool when surrounded by traitors.
“How dare you bear this filth into our ancient citadel?” Ganyir ripped the black triangle off the man’s robes and flung it on the floor. “This is meant to be our safe haven, and you have brought in the blight that threatens our whole land. You cower behind the walls your ancestors built even as you bow down to those bringing their land to waste.”
I could say this much for the guard: he wasn’t a coward. He looked his lord straight in the eyes and took a step back.
“The Straight Path is the righteous path,” he said. “We will burn out the weakness that you have allowed to fester, and we will restore Gonki to its former glory. The provinces of the empire will fear the Granite Legions once more.”
He drew a two-handed mace with impressive speed but not as impressive as Ganyir. The Lord of the Gonki caught the haft of the soldier’s weapon as it came down and held it there, a foot from his head, while the guard futilely pressed with all his strength.
Some of the other warriors were drawing their weapons, but many looked uncertain.
“Get in here, you idiots!” the gate guard shouted.
“That’s Lord Gonki!” one of them replied. “I don’t want to die.”
“Targin is Lord Gonki,” the gate guard said.
“Targin is dead,” Ganyir replied. He placed his other hand on the haft of the mace and started to twist.
“Even if that’s true, Saruqin lives,” the guard called out. “And what will he do to you if you fail the cult now?”
That made up their minds. The wavering warriors drew their weapons and charged.
The closest had stood with the guard from the beginning, and they immediately attacked members of my little band. But others were coming in, and if I wanted to avoid them outnumbering us, I needed to do something to stop them.
I sank to one knee and slammed my fist into the packed dirt of the courtyard while I channeled Vigor along my earth pathways. The magic flowed through me and exploded into the ground, where it became a rippling wave of dirt and rock. The Ground Strike slammed into the approaching warriors and threw them from their feet. One hit the wall with a wet crunch and slid limply to the floor. Others landed on their backs with groans of pain and twisted limbs or saw their weapons flung from their hands.
I drew upon the power of water and coated myself in Frozen Armor, ready to fight. Fallen guards were stumbling to their feet and more were running out of a door at the back of the courtyard. Combining the earth and water I’d just used, I triggered a Mud Geyser. The mud fountained up out of the courtyard where the warriors were emerging. They were scattered and flung about, blinded by sprays of sticky mud. As they tried to find their bearings, I charged.
I cut the first down with the Sundered Heart Sword before he even knew I was there. The next had just wiped the mud from his eyes and had a second to blink at me in confusion before I ran him through with the flaming blade. I pulled it free and turned to see a hugely muscled warrior bearing down, swinging a massive warhammer.
With a leap, I dodged clear of the attack, and the hammer smashed into the ground. Its head became so buried in the packed dirt that the warrior had to stop and heave to get it free. I didn’t give him the chance to finish. My blade came down trailing flames and sliced both hands off at the wrist. He staggered back screaming and staring at the blackened stumps.
The others were making swift work of the guards by the gate. Ganyir had snapped the gate guard’s mace in two, then beaten him to a pulpy mess with his armored hands. Kumi and Vesma had cut down the opponents nearest them, while Kegohr and the initiates dealt with those coming from the sides. Tahlis popped in and out of sight, disappearing into the ground and reappearing wherever enemies weren’t looking to catch them with sudden spear strikes.
One last warrior charged at me with a two-handed sword swinging. I parried his first attack, but the sheer force of the second got past my defenses and gouged a chunk out of the ice protecting my leg. The warrior parried a blow from my sword, but I was ready with my off-hand and blasted him with Untamed Torch. My technique left a basketball-sized hole in his stomach, and I could see the wall behind him through it. He stumbled back before his body gave out, crumpling to the floor.
In less than two minutes, we had cleared the courtyard of all opponents. Our entry into the colossal fortress was assured.
Then came more movement. Three figures in long, black robes emerged on a balcony high above us at the back of the courtyard. Their faces were shrouded in shadow, but their movements spoke to a sinister purpose. These had to be priests of the cult.
They raised their hands and started chanting.
All around the courtyard, the ground shook. Figures emerged from the dirt, scattering stones and clumps of earth. They looked like the lesser earth golems we had faced in the Vigorous Zone, gray humanoid beings carrying rocks or crude blades. But their stone flesh was shot through with black, like the Stoneskin Augmentation.
These weren’t ordinary lesser earth golems. They were tainted by the evil magic of the Cult of Unswerving Shadows.
Together, the humanoid monsters raised their arms and advanced.
Chapter Sixteen
The golems stepped out of the craters and walked with steady purposefulness toward us. The dark veins running through their features added an extra menace that their counterparts in the desert hadn’t displayed.
On the balcony, more robed priests were emerging to join the three already standing there. The edges of their black garments glittered as they swayed their arms from side to side. Their chants became a heady concoction that blurred the senses, and I fought it off with slow breathing and focused thoughts.
The ground shook, and more craters started to form around the edges of the courtyard.
“We need to take out the priests before we’re overrun with golems,” I said.
Vesma ran across the courtyard and grabbed me. “Hold on tight.”
I had an idea of what she was planning, so I wrapped an arm around her middle and held on for all I was worth. Vesma pointed one hand at the ground and bunched her legs. She leaped and fired a blast of Untamed Torch. The intense burst gave her a boost that carried us both into the air. We soared in a steep arc toward the wall of the stronghold’s keep.
We reached the wall halfway up to the priests and a little to the left. I got one hand through an arched window only six inches wide and grabbed hold of the sill. As we lost our momentum, the two of us hung there, with Vesma clinging to me and my arm straining beneath our combined weight.
Vesma scrambled up my body to the window. It was too narrow for even her to fit through, so instead, she kept climbing. She kicked off her sandals and used fingers and toes to find grips in the gaps between worn stones, then started moving insect-like up the wall.
“There must have been an easier way to do this,” I said, still hanging beneath the window.
“I’m the one who got us halfway up here,” Vesma said. “You got carried. That is the easy option.”
I couldn’t help but smile as I brought my free arm around and sent a surge of Vigor through my palm. I fired Stinging Palm thorns into the gaps between the stones. At last, I had something to rest my feet on.
A rock hit the wall six inches to my left. Several corrupted golems had gathered at the base of the wall and were aiming projectiles at me. It was time to get moving.
I fired more thorns into the gaps to my right and above. I started scrambling up, using the holds I�
�d made, the frames of windows, and any gap in the stonework wide enough to take my fingers.
“Follow me,” Vesma said.
She scrambled across the wall, clinging to gaps I could barely see, until she reached the stones directly beneath the balcony. Here, the faces of the blocks had been carved with the shapes of animals native to the Gonki Valley. From a fennec fox to a beady-eyed vulture, each one offered a strong and substantial handhold.
A rock cracked against the wall near Vesma’s head, but she ignored it. She grabbed the statues and climbed.
I followed only a couple of feet behind her. I kept one eye on the ground below, watching out for any golem that might come close to hitting me. A rock came sailing straight toward my head, and I pushed off with one hand to swing wildly away from where I had been. The rock smacked off the wall, and a moment later, I swung back to grab the vulture’s wing, seconds before my other hand lost its grip.
“Grab my foot,” Vesma called down.
“You can’t take my weight!”
“Foot. Now.”
I reached up and took it. Vesma pointed her hand down, and there was a flash of fire. We soared into the air again. As we passed the balcony, Vesma stuck her spear out between two of the pillars of its carved rail. We spun around that pivot and landed, Vesma upright and me on one knee, amid the chanting cultists.
Up close, the priests were even more unsettling. Their robes were as black and deep as space, trimmed in a gold thread whose shimmer emphasized the darkness. Their faces were sheltered by hoods that cast shadows so deep as to seem unnatural and made it impossible to see their features. They chanted in deep, dissonant voices, and when they spoke, they spoke as one.
“You forsake the Straight Path.” Their rasping chorus set my nerves on edge. “You will be crushed beneath our hordes of stone.”