As the Sharum clawed at his face, Briar ducked behind his shield, rushing forwards and knocking him into the wall. He groaned and pushed back, so Briar took a quick step back, then drove forwards again. He broke the press again, cocking back and hitting the Kai in the throat with the edge of his shield. The warrior dropped to his knees, gasping, and Briar took the heavy shield in both hands, bringing it down on the back of his head.
The Kai dropped to the floor and Briar snatched up the knife, cutting the Tender free.
‘Who?’ Heath asked. One of his eyes was swollen shut, and he had to turn his head for a good look. ‘Briar?’
Briar nodded. ‘Need to get to the bog. Others hiding there. Krasians won’t follow.’
Tender Heath allowed himself to be hauled to his feet. Briar gave him one of the warrior’s spears to use as a crutch as they made for the Holy House’s back entrance.
‘What of the demons?’ the Tender asked. ‘How will we survive when night falls?’
Briar smiled. ‘Cories are easy to hide from.’
‘Look! The Tender!’ a woman cried.
Ragen looked up, seeing Tender Heath stumbling into camp. His face was bruised and puffy and he leaned heavily on Briar. The boy was clad in Krasian black, but he had discarded the turban and his young, filthy face was unmistakable.
To Ragen.
‘And one of them corespawned desert rats!’ Masen Bales cried. He and his remaining brother raised their heavy peat spades, freshly inscribed by Elissa with Arlen’s fighting wards.
‘He’s not one of them!’ Heath cried, holding out an arm and stepping in front of Briar as several Boggers, led by Masen, moved in. ‘This is Briar Damaj! He rescued me from the Holy House!’
‘Move aside, Tender,’ Masen said. ‘Everyone knows those mudskins were spies for the invasion.’
‘They know it because you’ve been telling it to everyone who stands still more than a minute,’ Heath said. ‘Without a lick of evidence, I might add.’
Ragen shoved through the press to stand with them. ‘Briar had nothing to do with the invasion, Masen. He was with us when it happened. He only left when he heard Heath was taken.’
‘Then why’s he dressed like them?’ someone in the crowd demanded, the question echoed by others.
Briar was taut, ready to fight or flee. Ragen expected Masen would quickly regret it if he charged, but there were too many Boggers for them to fight, even as Derek, Elissa, and his remaining men joined them.
‘Stole clothes,’ Briar rasped. ‘To sneak.’
Masen turned and raised his voice to address the crowd. ‘Don’t be fooled by the Mudboy’s lies! He and his paved the way for this. This is the Creator’s punishment for accepting that heathen Relan!’
‘What nonsense!’ Heath cried.
‘Nonsense, is it?’ Masen demanded. ‘Whole town went to the Core when that desert rat showed up. And now we got their kind running wild through town doing Creator knows what!’
There were nods and shouts of agreement from the crowd. Ragen tightened his grip on his spear as Masen pointed the sharp edge of his peat spade at Briar.
‘Now you folks get out of the way,’ he said, ‘and let us skin the mud off that little traitor.’ The men in the crowd tensed, readying to close in.
‘What in the Creator’s name is the matter with all of you.’ a high voice shouted, cutting through the din. All eyes turned to Tami Bales, striding between her father and Briar.
Masen balled a fist. ‘Girl, you get …’
Tami ignored him, addressing the Boggers instead. ‘You should be ashamed of yourselves! The Damajes never did a corespawned thing but right by this town, and all we gave them was spit. Now you’ll turn on the Messenger who’s to guide us to safety, just for a taste of desert blood?’
Masen’s scowl only deepened, but the other townsfolk were shifting and looking at their feet now, unsure. He reached out to grip her by the hair, but she stepped back smoothly, delivering a resounding slap to his face.
‘Night, Da,’ Tami said. ‘What would Mum say if she saw you acting like this?’
Masen stood dumbfounded, and as his passion died, the other men took the cue and backed away. Soon it was just the Bales brothers standing alone before Briar, Ragen and his men, and their enthusiasm evaporated with their support.
‘Ent going anywhere with that Messenger,’ Masen said at last. ‘Bogton’s my home. Ent leaving it to the desert rats.’ None of the Boggers looked ready to lift their weapons again, but there were murmurs of agreement from many.
‘You don’t need to, Masen,’ Heath said loudly, though his voice was dry and hoarse. ‘Shepherd Alin of Lakton’s been putting a plan in place since Rizon was taken. There’s a monastery by the lakeshore with strong walls and a rocky bluff on three sides. The Tenders who’ve survived the raids will be leading their flocks there. Briar and I are going there, to join the resistance.’
He looked out at the Boggers. ‘Families will reunite there, and book passage to Lakton, where the desert dwellers cannot reach. But it is a hard road through the wetland. It may be safer and easier to go with the Messenger. It’s a decision each of you must make on your own.’
The Boggers made it quickly, their decision unanimous. They would make for the monastery.
Tami went with her father and uncles as they turned and rejoined the others, but glanced back at Briar as she did. The smile she flashed seemed to strike the boy as hard as the slap she gave her father.
He’ll never come to Miln with us now, Ragen thought, but he found he was smiling, too.
He looked at Elissa, who nodded her assent, and turned to Heath. ‘I know the monastery. Been more than twenty years, but I can find it again. We’ll see you there, and then take Messenger Ways north to avoid the Krasians.’
Ragen looked at Briar. ‘The Laktonians will need Messengers in the coming years, Briar. One who can move through the bogs at night, pass for Krasian, and understand the tongue could mean the difference to the resistance.’
‘Father … Messaged with you?’ The words still fought with his tongue, but they were getting clearer.
‘He did,’ Ragen said. ‘Learned the craft quickly, and could have been great, if he hadn’t fallen in love with your mother.’ He laid a hand on Briar’s shoulder. ‘But you, Briar asu Relan, will be even better.’
WARD GRIMOIRE
Introduction
Wards are magical symbols whose origins are lost to history. Long thought to be the stuff of superstition, their power was rediscovered when, after an absence of thousands of years, the demon corelings returned to plague the surface of the world.
By themselves, wards have no power. Demons, however, are infused with core magic, and wards siphon a portion of that magic away, repurposing the energy. The most common wards are defensive in nature, but a handful of wards that can achieve other effects are known, and in theory, it is possible to create a ward for any desired effect. Recently, mankind has discovered offensive wards, which can actually harm demons, who are otherwise immune to hand weapons and can quickly recover from almost any injury.
Defensive Wards:
Defensive wards draw magic from demons to form a barrier (forbiddance) through which the demons cannot pass. Wards are strongest when used against the specific demon type to which they are assigned, and are most commonly used in conjunction with other wards in circles of protection. When a circle activates, all demon flesh is forcibly banished from its line. Some examples:
Defensive ward against: Clay Demons
First appeared: The Great Bazaar
Description: Clay demons are native to the hard clay flats on the outskirts of the Krasian Desert. Small, they are about the size of a medium-sized dog, made from compact, bunched muscle and thick, overlapping armour plates. They have short hard talons that allow them to climb almost any rock face, even hanging upside down. Their orange-brown armour can blend invisibly into an adobe wall or clay bed. The blunt head of a clay demon can smash through almos
t anything, shattering stone and denting fine steel.
Defensive ward against: Flame Demons
First appeared: The Warded Man/The Painted Man
Description: Flame demons have eyes, nostrils, and mouths that glow with a smoky orange light. They are the smallest demons, ranging from the size of a rabbit to that of a small boy. Like all demons, they have long, hooked claws and rows of razor-sharp teeth. Their armour consists of small, overlapping scales, sharp and hard. Flame demons can spit fire in brief bursts. Their firespit burns intensely on contact with air, and can set almost any substance alight, even metal and stone.
Defensive ward against: Mimic Demons
First appeared: The Desert Spear
Description: Mimics are the elite bodyguards to mind demons (coreling princes), and are believed to be the most intelligent and powerful demons, short of the princes. Their natural form is unknown, but they are able to assume the form of any living thing, including other demon breeds, clothing and equipment. These demons are somewhat lacking in creativity, and so are usually restricted to taking the forms of creatures they have themselves encountered (unless directed by a mind demon). One of their favourite tricks is to take the form of an injured human and feign distress to lower the defences of their prey.
Defensive ward against: Mind Demons
First appeared: The Desert Spear
Description: Also known as coreling princes, mind demons are the generals of demonkind. They are physically weak, and have little in the way of the natural defences of the other corelings, but they have vast mental and magical powers. They can read and control minds, communicate telepathically, and kill with their thoughts. By drawing wards in the air and powering them with their innate magic, they can create almost any effect. The other corelings, great and small, follow their every mental command without hesitation, and will give their lives to protect them. Sensitive to even reflected sunlight, mind demons will only rise on the three-night period of the new moon cycle in the hours when night is darkest.
Defensive ward against: Rock Demons
First appeared: The Warded Man/The Painted Man
Description: The largest of the coreling breeds, rock demons can range in height from six to twenty feet tall. A hulking mass of sinew and sharp edges, their thick black carapaces are knobbed with bony protrusions, and their spiked tails can smash a horse’s skull in a single blow. They stand hunched on two clawed feet, with long, gnarled arms ending in talons the size of butchering knives and multiple rows of bladelike teeth. No known physical force can harm a rock demon.
Defensive ward against: Sand Demons
First appeared: The Warded Man/The Painted Man
Description: Cousins to rock demons, sand demons are smaller and more nimble, but still among the strongest and most armoured of the coreling breeds. They have small, sharp scales, a dirty yellow almost indistinguishable from gritty sand, and they run on all fours instead of two legs. Rows of segmented teeth jut out on their jaws like a snout, while their nostril slits rest far back, just below their large, lidless eyes. Thick bones from their brows curve upwards and back, cutting through the scales as sharp horns. Their brows twitch continually as they displace the ever-blowing desert sand. Sand demons hunt in packs, known as storms.
Defensive ward against: Snow Demons
First appeared: Brayan’s Gold
Description: Similar to flame demons in build, snow demons are native to frozen northern climates and high mountain elevations. Their scales are pure white, blending into the snow, and they spit a liquid so cold it instantly freezes anything it touches before evaporating. Steel struck with coldspit can become so brittle it shatters.
Defensive ward against: Swamp Demons
First appeared: Mentioned in The Warded Man/Painted Man
Description: Swamp demons are native to swamps and marshy areas and are an amphibious form of wood demon, at home both in the water and in the trees. Swamp demons are blotched in green and brown, blending into their surroundings, and will often hide in mud or shallow water, to spring on prey. They spit a thick, sticky slime that rots any organic material it comes into contact with.
Defensive ward against: Water Demons
First appeared: Mentioned in The Warded Man/The Painted Man, seen in The Desert Spear
Description: Water demons vary in size and are seldom seen. They are long and scaly, with webbed hands and feet, tipped with sharp talons. Some breeds have tentacles ending in sharp bone. They can only breathe under water, though they can surface for a short time. Water demons can swim very quickly, and delight in savaging fish, though they prefer warm-blooded mammals as their prey, especially those humans bold enough to dare to sail at night.
Defensive ward against: Wind Demons
First appeared: The Warded Man/The Painted Man
Description: Wind demons stand about the height of a tall man at the shoulder, but with head fins that rise much higher, topping eight or nine feet. Their great long snouts are sharp-edged, like beaks, but hide rows of teeth, thick as a man’s finger. Their skin is a tough, flexible armour that can turn any spearpoint or arrowhead. That resilient substance stretches thin out from their sides and along the underside of their arm bones to form the tough membrane of their wings, which often span three times their height, jointed with wicked hooked talons that can cleanly sever a man’s head when they dive. Clumsy and slow on land, wind demons have tremendous power in the sky, and can dive, attack and reverse direction before hitting the ground, taking their prey away with them.
Defensive ward against: Wood Demons.
First appeared: The Warded Man/The Painted Man
Description: Wood demons are native to forests. Next to rock demons, they are the largest and most powerful demons, averaging from five to ten feet tall when standing on their hind legs. They have short, powerful hindquarters and long, sinewy arms, perfect for climbing trees and leaping from branch to branch. Their claws are short, hard points, designed for gripping through the bark of trees. Wood demons’ armour is barklike in colour and texture, and they have large black eyes. Wood demons cannot be harmed by normal fire, but will burn readily if brought into contact with hotter fires, such as magnesium or firespit. Wood demons will kill flame demons on sight, and often hunt in groups called copses.
Offensive (Combat) Wards:
Combat wards siphon magic from a demon, weakening its armour at the point of contact, and redirect that magic as offensive force. This force can manifest in many different ways. Some examples:
Combat ward: Bludgeoning/impact
First appeared: The Warded Man/The Painted Man
Description: This ward turns coreling magic into concussive force. The stronger the original blow, the more power generated. It can be placed onto any blunt weapon.
Combat ward: Cutting
First appeared: The Warded Man/The Painted Man
Description: This ward, when etched along the length of a blade, can enhance its sharpness, allowing the weapon to cut cleanly through even coreling armour and flesh.
Combat ward: Pressure (Arlen’s palm ward)
First appeared: The Warded Man/The Painted Man
Description: Pressure wards exert a crushing force that builds in heat and intensity the longer they remain in contact with a demon. The Painted Man has one on each palm, and has been known to squeeze a demon’s head with them until it bursts.
Other Wards:
Many recorded wards have no known use, their purpose lost to antiquity. Because testing requires bringing them into contact with a demon, volunteers to conduct the research are understandably scarce. Some examples:
BY THE SAME AUTHOR
The Painted Man
The Desert Spear
The Daylight War
SHORT STORIES
The Great Bazaar and Brayan’s Gold
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Messenger’s Legacy Page 9
