That struck Yaz as an excellent idea. Silas led the way toward their hopefully waiting mounts. If Yaz never saw another sewer or thief, it would be too soon.
Yaz didn’t have the words to describe how happy he was to be out of the city. It seemed like whenever they were around people they ended up in trouble. A few feet in front of him Silas froze. Yaz tensed and raised his spear.
“What is it?” Yaz pitched his voice low.
“The kid’s dead.”
“How?” Brigid asked.
Silas shook his head. “Can’t say. I only know he’s dead. The moment his heart stopped beating, my spell ended. The curse can’t kill him if he’s already dead.”
“I can’t imagine there are many predators, either two or four legged, this close to the city.” Yaz looked around the silent forest for some clue and found nothing.
“What are we going to do?” Brigid asked.
“Unless we’re willing to give up our horses and supplies, there’s only one thing to do, track them down,” Yaz said. “Hopefully they’re still close to where the thief died.”
Silas set out again, slower and more cautious this time. He pointed at the treetops and Wicked flew into the canopy. Maybe the little undead would spot something and let them know.
Five minutes later Silas stopped again. Directly ahead of them in a clearing lay the body of the young thief. He was sprawled on the ground, the cause of death a very bloody slashed throat. No animal did that.
“I smell a trap,” Yaz said.
Silas nodded. “The enforcers. They’d have no trouble getting close to him. They’re probably watching the clearing right now waiting for us to come running in.”
Wicked flew down a moment later and looked into Silas’s eyes. After a moment the wizard said, “Two of them survived my trap. They have swords and daggers, but no ranged weapons.”
“If they’re skilled, daggers can be ranged weapons,” Yaz said. “How do you want to handle this?”
“Magic is safest.” Silas gestured and Wicked flew off again. The wizard closed his eyes and murmured an incantation over and over again.
In the forest there was a rustling in the bushes near the clearing. First one then another man in black stumbled out. They were shrouded in a dark aura. Their skin was pale and pasty, their eyes sunken in. The dark magic was literally sucking the life out of them.
Brigid clutched him and buried her face in his shoulder. Yaz watched the thieves die in slow motion. It was enough to convince him that next time he should kill their prisoners cleanly. That kind of magic was no way to die.
It took nearly two minutes for the thieves to finally collapse in a pile of gray ash. Silas blew out a breath and wiped sweat from his brow. “I hate that spell, but it works. What do you say we find the horses and get out of here?”
Yaz thought that was a fine idea. He put his thumb and forefinger in his mouth and blew a piercing whistle. If Thunder was nearby, he’d come running, with any luck bringing the other horses with him. In the city the bells began to chime the hour. Now that they’d finally escaped Yaz found the sound oddly appealing.
Chapter 14
No updates had reached Leonidas either from the City of Bells or Blinder. He assumed that meant bad news since his subordinates would certainly rush to point out any successes. The lack of news meant he had to assume an investigation was underway. The information he had so far didn’t indicate any serious effort by the courts of either Rend or Carttoom, rather it appeared the work of a pair of busybodies poking their noses into his business. Hopefully they’d be crushed soon enough. At the very least they were no threat to his work.
Still, best to get the next phase in motion. Leonidas pushed away from the desk in his office, stood, and stepped into the empty hall. The most high’s office was well off the main corridors which was one of the reasons he liked it so much. People seldom bothered him. Though he was willing to admit his reputation had as much to do with that as his location.
Another advantage was how close the office was to his suite of rooms. It took less than a minute to make the walk. He paused outside the finely carved doors and touched two particular images, a dragon and a tower, which deactivated the wards Domina had woven into the entrance. Not that the magic would have harmed Leonidas. Even if he triggered the spells, his black ring would absorb the energy the same way it did any magic he encountered, unless he specifically commanded it not to.
The dragon’s eyes flashed green indicating it was safe to enter. He pushed through into the main room. Domina sprawled across one of his lounge chairs. A long bare leg draped over the arm. She leaned her head back and looked at him upside down through a veil of black hair. Even knowing much of her beauty came from an illusion, the effect was still stunning.
“Want to play?” she asked.
Leonidas smiled and stroked her cheek. “Not right now. I need to contact Shade and get him going on part two of the plan.”
She pouted. “Are you sending me with him?”
Domina didn’t especially like Shade. In fact, as far as Leonidas could tell, she didn’t particularly like anyone besides him.
“No, I’ll send Jax and Rondo along with two squads of Shadow Blades. It’s just a scouting mission. Once they locate the second tower, we’ll go in force to claim it.”
Her expression brightened. “Do you wish me to make contact?”
“Please.”
Leonidas didn’t trust his important orders to pigeons. Not only would they most likely not survive a trip to the capital, anyone could read them before they were sent. That’s why he established two-way magical communications as quickly as he could acquire the necessary artifacts, in this case a pair of black-framed mirrors. One hung on the wall of his bedroom here and the other was installed in the central tower.
Domina rolled off the couch, adjusted her short silk robe, and sauntered into the bedroom. Leonidas followed. She stepped in front of the mirror, raised her hands, spoke a brief incantation, and touched the mirror. Her finger sank into the surface up to the third knuckle. He shivered. No matter how many times he saw that it still gave him a chill.
After half a minute she pulled her finger back and stepped aside. Now they just had to wait for someone to notice the connection had been established. It wouldn’t take long since the instant the link activated a magical shriek sounded nonstop on the other end until someone responded.
As he predicted, less than a minute passed before Shade’s rumpled, squinting face appeared in the mirror. “Boss?”
“Did I wake you, Shade?”
“Yeah. What’s up?”
“Show some respect!” Domina hissed.
Leonidas only smiled. Shade’s respect came in a different form than his other cadre members. The assassin might talk to him like they were old drinking buddies, but when Leonidas gave him a task, there was no question about it getting done, no matter how many throats Shade had to cut. While Domina might complain, that was more than enough respect for Leonidas. In fact, sometimes he suspected Shade acted the way he did simply to annoy Domina.
“Is Jax around?” Leonidas asked.
“He’s lurking in the basement. Want me to get him?”
“No, that’s fine. The time has come to move on the northwest tower. You have the map?” There was an exact duplicate of the map in Leonidas’s office at the tower, only that one held detailed measurements that should pinpoint the locations of all the towers.
“Yeah, it’s on the table where you left it.”
“Good. I want the three of you to confirm the tower’s location. Take two squads of the Shadow Blades and one of the secondary flying ships. Once you find it, secure a position nearby and contact me. Domina and I will join you in gaining access.”
“You think two squads is enough?” Shade asked.
“If it’s not, fall back and we’ll make a new plan. Don’t take any foolish chances. You and Jax are too valuable to lose on a scouting mission.”
Shade grinned. “What abo
ut Rondo?”
“Rondo’s along in case you need bait.”
Shade barked a laugh. “We’ll be in touch. Later, Boss.”
In the mirror, Shade’s image wavered and vanished.
“You shouldn’t encourage him,” Domina said.
“Why? Shade is every bit as loyal as you or Jax. That flip exterior hides a core of steel. With ten individuals like Shade, I could rule the world. As it is, I’ll have to settle for dragons.”
Rondo stood at the ship’s rail and watched the sea of green passing below them. He’d seen forests before, but never a forest like this. They’d been flying over it for nearly a day. If there was anything resembling civilization under the boughs, he had yet to see any sign. And the trees. Gods above, some of them were nearly as wide as the tower itself and twice as tall. How were they supposed to spot anything with that thick, evergreen canopy, not to mention the equally thick fog, obscuring everything?
Maybe Umbra had some magic trick that would reveal the tower when they arrived. Rondo glanced back at the pilot’s station. Umbra stood at the control pedestal fully shrouded in his black cloak. Rondo still hadn’t seen the man’s face. Having to guide the ship during the day put the wizard in a foul mood and Shade admonished Rondo to keep his distance. That was advice Rondo fully intended to follow.
The ship lurched and came to a full stop. Rondo barely had time to think before Shade came bounding up on deck followed a moment later by gray-clad mercenaries of the Shadow Blade company, all twenty of them. Apparently, they often worked for Lord Black. Shade had been busy during the trip divesting them of a chunk of their pay in the innumerable card games they played to pass the time. Rondo didn’t like to gamble, a habit he picked up from his parsimonious father. Shade, on the other hand, took everything with a smile, win or lose.
“Jax, my man,” Shade said. “Are we here?”
“We’re somewhere,” Umbra said. “These are the coordinates Lord Black supplied, or at least as close as I can get. Further searching will have to be done on the ground.”
“Right. Rondo, you’ll take First Squad east and I’ll take Second west. We’ll search until dark then fall back to the ship. If you find anything mark your location and return to the landing zone. Okay?”
Rondo didn’t know the first thing about the forest, survival, tracking, or anything remotely useful in a situation like this. Nevertheless, he nodded. “Got it.”
“Great. Second Squad on me.”
Ten mercenaries gathered around Shade while the rest moved to join Rondo. None of them looked overly thrilled to have him for a leader. That was fair given how little Rondo wanted the job. Hopefully the mercenaries knew their business and Rondo could just stay out of the way.
The deck wobbled under him and a moment later Rondo found himself in the air and slowly descending beside his squad. Thick branches slapped him in the face as they fell through the canopy. Once they were through, they wove around branches thicker than some trees back home to finally reach the ground.
Their boots made no sound when they landed on a thick cushion of needles. Spruce perfumed the air and bird calls flitted on the breeze. If you enjoyed being outside this was probably paradise. For Rondo it was a personal hell.
“The other group is descending, sir,” said one of the mercenaries, a tall, broad, grizzled fellow probably twice Rondo’s age.
Rondo had been so preoccupied with his thoughts he hadn’t noticed the squad, his squad, moving to one side. He cleared the landing area just in time to let Shade and the other mercenaries land.
“Let’s get moving,” Shade said. “It’ll get dark faster than you think under these limbs.”
Without further comment Shade led his team deeper into the forest. Rondo’s squad all looked at him expectantly. He scrubbed a hand across his face. Much as it galled, his options were limited.
“Which of you is the most senior here?” Rondo asked.
The man that warned him about the others descending said, “I am, sir. Corporal Simms.”
“Well, Simms, here’s the deal. I know nothing about hunting or tracking. As such I’ll be deferring to your expertise. Please assume command of the mission.”
Simms goggled for a moment then nodded. “Yes, sir. Anton, you’ve got point. Let’s move.”
The squad set out while Simms held back a fraction to walk beside Rondo. “Something on your mind, Corporal?”
“I just wanted to thank you for letting me take charge, sir. I’ve heard stories from some of the other squad leaders about sages that think they know everything and walked their squads right into trouble. We appreciate working with someone more… reasonable.”
Rondo nodded, pleased with the mercenary’s attitude. Working with someone professional was a great improvement over depending on that savage Koltin. They quickly caught up to the rear of the squad and Simms directed Rondo to a position in the center of their line while he made his way to the second position.
The walking was actually quite easy. Aside from six inches of orange needles, the forest floor was devoid of obstacles. Several hours passed and they saw nothing but giant trunks and the occasional bird. A gray fog cut visibility to only a few yards. They could have walked right past the tower and never seen it. It was like finding a needle in a giant forest.
“Sir,” Simms said. “We should probably start making a loop back to meet Shade and the others.”
“As you think best, Corporal. Lead on.”
They didn’t make a sharp one-eighty, instead Simms guided them on a slow curve that would let them cover the maximum area while still getting them back to where they wanted to go. Rondo’s mind wandered as he walked. He truly hoped he wasn’t going to have to spend weeks or gods forbid months roaming this primeval forest.
So wrapped up in his moping was Rondo that he nearly walked right into the soldier in front of him. “Why did we stop?”
“No idea, sir. Signal to hold came from up front.”
Rondo was about to make his way toward the front when Simms came rushing back, an eager smile on his hard features. “We found something, sir. Best come see.”
By all that was good and holy let them have found the tower. Rondo dismissed the idea at once. If Simms had found the tower, he would have said so.
At the front of the line Simms stopped and pointed at a three-foot-tall stone. “Isn’t that something?”
Clearly Rondo was missing something. “It’s a rock.”
“It’s a road marker, sir.” Simms scuffed his boot through the needles, kicking them aside to reveal a section of smooth path set with stones. Imperial work for sure. “Bet this leads right back to the tower Lord Black’s so keen to find.”
“Hopefully, Simms, but which way?”
The corporal shrugged. “No way to know, sir. We’ll just have to check both directions. Won’t take long if Shade’s group goes one way and we go the other. We’ll mark a clear trail from here to the rendezvous point.”
Rondo’s hopes were buoyed considerably at the thought of ending this search quickly. His moment of relief was ended by a high, loud scream from the direction of the landing zone. He never should have gotten excited.
“Bloody hell!” Simms said.
That summed up Rondo’s feelings perfectly. “Let’s hurry, Corporal, but be sure to mark that trail. I don’t want to have to find this road again with nothing but luck to guide us.”
They ran toward the scream, one of the soldiers cutting deep grooves in every passing tree as they went. When Rondo and his men reached Shade, the battle was over. Four… somethings covered in thick brown hair lay dead and bleeding on the ground while one of the mercenaries was nowhere to be seen. Shade held a pair of blood-drenched daggers and the look on his face as he scanned the treetops sent a chill down Rondo’s spine.
“You okay, Shade?” Rondo asked.
The assassin gave a little shake of his head and offered a lopsided grin. “Yeah, lost one of my boys though. Those hairy bastards fell on us out of nowhere
.”
Shade kicked over one of the corpses. Its face resembled a cross between a man and a bulldog. The nose was crunched up flat in the face and a pink tongue lolled out between long, sharp incisors. Beady, black eyes stared at nothing from under heavy brows. It had four-fingered hands that ended in sharp, hooked claws, perfect for climbing trees.
“What is it?” Rondo asked.
“Hell if I know. Maybe Jax will have some idea.” Shade bent and cleaned the blades of his daggers on the body. “Did you see any of them?”
“No, but we found an old imperial road. Corporal Simms reckons it might lead to the tower.”
“Ha! There’s a bit of luck.” Shade pointed to a pair of his men. “Grab one of those things and let’s get to the landing zone. Every other man keep your eyes on the trees. Those things blend in so well you can barely see them even when they’re moving.”
As Rondo walked, he kept a hand on the back of the soldier in front of him since he refused to lower his gaze from the treetops. If something was hunting them, he didn’t intend to be taken by surprise, not that there was much he could do about the monsters on his own. Rondo was less skilled in combat than he was in wilderness survival.
Perhaps the death of their fellows discouraged the rest or maybe a larger group was more than they wanted to deal with, Rondo didn’t really know. All that mattered was they reached the landing zone without further trouble.
Shade and his squad stood in the same spot where they landed and he said, “We’re here.”
Some magic must have allowed Umbra to hear his voice because a moment later they were floating up through the branches. Rondo moved his squad into position and tensed; this would be a perfect moment for the monsters to attack. Shade’s ascent took several minutes and more than once Rondo forgot to breathe.
At last their turn came. The feeling of floating upward with nothing under your feet and no ropes around your arms was a difficult one to describe. Rondo had never felt anything like it. There was nothing uncomfortable about the process, aside from the constant fear of attack.
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