by Kalyn Crowe
They all turned at once and eyed me, then Conrad.
He grazed his handbow through his jacket and stepped forward. "Excuse me, Nancy. The High and Second Templar have stopped by."
Kat came around the corner and stopped. She looked from me to the templars. She tightened her posture but without a change to her neutral expression.
Conrad nodded to the tall Templar. "You'll have to forgive me. I wasn't told about your arrival, Ansgar." He then bowed to the woman. "Second Templar Farago."
She grimaced. "You should refer to our High Templar by title as well."
Several candles lit wood tables and chairs which stood about the room. Bookcases lined the walls between three sets of arc-shaped double doors. I wanted through any of those.
Kat and I locked eyes, and I raised a brow.
She nodded.
"Oh, there's Lady Katonga. Come along, Leyla," I coughed, "let's get to my paperwork." The muscles in my legs wavered as I drew closer to the people who could have signed my mother's arrest warrant. "Forgive me, Uncle, but should we address my paperwork?"
My move backfired.
The High Templar said, "Ah, so this is Nancy?" The question reverberated through the lobby.
Kat shifted to a pillar behind the templars.
Conrad licked his dry lips and reached up to clap the man on the shoulder. "That she is. Nancy, this is High Templar Ansgar Sawyer." His other hand motioned toward the woman. "And this is Second Templar Bora Farago and her grandson, Duri Farago."
"Call me, Ansgar." He put a hand to his chest and bowed.
Something tingled through my mind. I bowed my head and hid behind my hat as long as possible.
Ansgar said, "Don't worry."
I looked up.
"Titles are just that. I'm some old lumberjack's simple boy." He smiled.
I found myself return it.
Duri sneered over my shoulder, so I checked behind me.
Leyla stood with her head down and hands folded in front of her.
I leaned toward her. "Are you all right?"
"She is as she should be," Bora said. "Conrad, is it not enough she must stay with that vicar family, need they stay with her?"
Conrad didn't blink at Bora.
In turn, she rested her stoic gaze on him.
Ansgar covered his mouth with his fist and coughed. "Eda's girl is probably here for help with paperwork. Nancy is new to the city, new to the Order. A vicar is a wonderful aid."
I didn't expect him to recognize Leyla.
He said, "Let's have a go at getting along for five minutes."
"Of course, sir." Bora cracked a pleasant expression. "And if that be the case, Duri, accompany the High Hunter's niece and her aid. Help them in any way you can."
"Yes, ma'am," he answered in a nasal voice.
Conrad waived Kat over. "Nancy's induction forms, please."
She bowed. "Let's use that one." She pointed to a table in Conrad's line of sight.
Kat led, and Duri walked beside me. I tried not to tense or shrug away, but even reasonable distance felt too close.
Leyla trailed behind.
He said, "So, how long have you been in town?"
"Only a day."
Kat turned and put a folder on the table and then frowned. "I'm sorry, I forgot to bring one of the files with me. Wait here; I'll be back as fast as I can." She squeezed my shoulder and mouthed, "Sorry."
"It's all right. We'll be right here." Sweat prickled under my hair, but I didn't dare unbutton my jacket or remove my bag. One slip ended this before it began.
Leyla watched Kat leave. Her gaze then snapped back on Duri.
He said, "Some help they got you."
She looked down.
He huffed and twisted up the corner of his mouth. "So, I heard you came through one of the smaller college towns."
"That's true."
He cracked a couple of knuckles and nodded. "I also heard your uncle was there following up on a pretty interesting strike. Even had our best Formist and your new Master involved."
I pulled in a stiff breath. "Yes, well, my uncle didn't tell me much about it. He mentioned he was able to meet me on my way from the south due to an investigation aligning with my travel." I probably said too much.
Duri seemed satisfied if not still nosy. "Crazy, isn't it? Especially since it was the same school as the Weaver witch's daughter."
I'll show him a witch. I said, "Why is it you seem to know so much about this?"
He puffed out a chuckle. "I mean, think about it, my grandmother there is the Second Templar."
"My uncle is the High Hunter, and yet you still know more than I do."
"That's the usual. Everyone thinks of us templars as only enforcers. You'll learn we are the real strength in both body and mind of the Order."
"Is that so?"
"Sure." He leaned in. "And look, think about this school attack. Rumor is he was one of the advocates of wards and was on the staff to remove them for testing."
I didn't recognize him, but I wouldn't have if the school hired him recently.
Duri said, "You know what that means?"
"I haven't the foggiest notion."
"Shows that sympathy leads to leniency, and that gets us nowhere, only strength and conviction move us forward. High Lord Travere means well, but he overthinks." He tapped his head. "He got rid of us throating all those heretics' children, like your help there." He pointed at Leyla.
She kept her eyes down.
He said, "She's never going to cast. It's permanent, secure. Force is the answer with these people."
"The wards allow for rehabilitation." My cheeks felt hot. "So they, well, don't follow in their parent's footsteps."
This exchange in front of Leyla was awful. I felt stepped on my whole life, but even with her vicar apprenticeship, the world stomped on Leyla.
I said, "Anyway, Leyla is an Apexist; they aren't dangerous." The least I could do was acknowledge her Attunement and give some sort of credit to her.
Duri crossed his arms and laughed. "Right, like how people used to think Weavers were safe? They used to cut off their children's hands. You know that?"
I put mine in my pockets. "Yes." All too well.
"This one's mom did something dangerous enough to get her named a heretic. I'm surprised she's even a vicar. She owes her aunt."
My nails dug into my palms.
Then, a soft hand touched my back.
Leyla. Sly and behind me in such a way no one saw.
The two senior templars and Conrad looked over. Bora surveyed us between her own surely snooty comments. So, I gave Duri a warm smile. I wanted to gag.
To my surprise, Bora came over. "Why are you two dawdling? Where did Eira go off to?"
I thought for a second about whom she meant. "Oh, Lady Katonga is retrieving some additional files for my induction."
"How typical."
Duri chuckled again.
Bora glared at him.
He stiffened and tilted his head down.
She said, "Your new Master is quite young. I would warn you; Pinnacle is nothing like a tiny southern town. You would do well to acquire better allies than those thrown at you, family or not." She frowned over her shoulder toward Conrad. "Your name will not earn you glory on its own."
At this moment, I became Nancy, the sharp-edged girl from the sticks. "Your name seems to have helped your grandson feel confident enough. My uncle is a great man, and I can only hope to fill his spats, name or not."
She scowled and pulled her head back in dismay. "My grandson feels confident as he should. He became a cavalry patrol leader fresh out of apprenticeship. Duri already walks the path of his father, my son, who gave his life to save many more in the Abyss Ring War. A war your uncle sat on the sidelines of." She stepped forward. "No girl, your name's only honor lies with a woman who died in Abyss and came by it from a misplaced marriage."
I gulped.
"I apologize if she upset you, Bora." Conrad's
voice came from behind her.
She snapped her head at him. "She's green. She will learn respect for the fallen and those above her station soon enough."
Ansgar held a wrapped package in his hands. "Lady Bora, please take this to the High Hall."
"Sir?"
"I'd like to stay here a bit longer, and it is due as soon as possible to the High Lord."
She bowed. "Thank you for your trust with this task, sir. Come, Duri." She walked with a brilliant and terrible stride.
He bowed to Ansgar and all but scurried after his grandmother.
I couldn't stand him, but Bora was something else. Her prejudices made me cringe, but her remembering Conrad's wife hit a soft spot in my heart. I shouldn't have snapped at her. It was foolish, no matter how I looked back on it.
Ansgar surveyed around. "It's pretty empty around here today."
"I have to keep them busy."
"Do you think I might talk to Kat after she helps Nancy?" said Ansgar.
"She's a bit young for you, don't you think?" Conrad chuckled.
Ansgar folded his hands, his knuckles white.
Conrad's smile faded fast. "What's on your mind?"
"I wondered if Lady Sybil had anything to say about the strike at the school, off the record." He leaned on a chair back.
Conrad blinked more than usual.
"I heard you transferred Philomena's daughter south. She hasn't checked in yet," added Ansgar. He sounded worried.
"No one has updated me," said Conrad.
Ansgar sighed but nodded. "At least Lady Sybil is searching for the Grand Counterbalance. I wish the council allowed us to send a contingent with her." He chuckled. "What am I saying? She wouldn't allow it."
Conrad put his thumbs in his belt loops. "I hope she finds it, and the council and High Lord agree to find a way to close the Maw."
Ansgar scoffed. "They won't. For the good it did, they'll send us back in."
"Maw or not, I'm trying to stop this," said Conrad, "No attacks mean no reason for war, I hope."
They shared a long look.
Did someone intend to close the Maw with my mother's death? Bora's son died in there, but so had Conrad's wife. So had hundreds.
Kat came back with a file tucked under her arm and the faintest shine of sweat on her brow. "Sorry, damn papers are three stories up." She laid it on the table and looked around. "Normally, I wouldn't mind missing a nice visit with the Farago family." She rolled her eyes.
Conrad clapped Ansgar on the arm. "Speaking of which, I see Farago still isn't a fan of me."
Ansgar stood with a grin. "And you've changed your mind about her?"
The air shifted, and a shock of screams echoed from within the HQ.
A thunder of water followed.
I sniffed.
Sulfur.
11 - Coming and Going
The roar grew.
It weakened my knees and shook the building, nothing like what happened at school.
Ansgar unsheathed the massive sword from his back. "Easy, the creatures use the acid to herd people when they're hungry. If that's the case, it wants us whole. Don't worry."
The weapon, his words, he rendered me speechless.
Kat and Conrad already aimed their hand bows at the front doors.
"Girls, get behind me. Listen for the footfalls." Ansgar stood between Leyla and I and the front doors but scanned the alcoves further in the HQ.
Instead of the ward, choice wrapped my mind.
A seal might save or damn us.
Ansgar would see if I gave up my disguise to block an attack. I could let him die and protect those who already knew, but I'd have to live with myself. Guilt tore deep that I even considered it.
A dark blue fluid hissed and bubbled through the doors between the bookcases.
Ansgar took a quick sidestep, checked on us, and regripped his sword.
A torrent blew the furthest set of interior doors off their hinges and ripped through the far side of the lobby. It carried remnants of bodies in its sizzling surge.
Maybe the monster wasn't hungry.
Kepi peeked out from our bag.
I readied my hands.
"Wait." Conrad halted.
The acid sucked back through the way it came. Entrails and bits of bone caked onto the walls like barnacles on a pier. The metallic smell of death combined with the salty rot already in the air.
It churned the stomach.
Leyla pushed her face into her sleeve.
The horrible stench dazed even Kat and Conrad.
Ansgar's steady voice brought me back. "Genet."
Alight.
His sword listened and lit. He held almost two arm lengths of steel coated in sky-colored light — a gorgeous Abyss imbuement.
Its power could force the acid away with a swing.
Leyla patted Ansgar's arm and then pointed to the table behind us.
He helped her climb up. "Good idea. Get on, everyone. As Apex is a land of birds and cats, Abyss is a world of sharks and wolves."
He gave me his hand, too, and took a moment longer to let go, or was it me who hesitated?
Kat leaped from chair to tabletop and took a knee. She placed her bolts in better reach. "This is no accident."
Conrad nodded and crouched beside her.
Ansgar stepped onto the table, and I looked at his fully armored left leg again. He saw me notice and tapped his shin. It rang hollow. "There are no tables in Abyss."
Harried voices and shouts echoed beyond the set of doors behind us.
We snapped around and readied weapons.
A group of hunters, only five, burst through the doors and into the lobby. They carried one, unconscious, or dead, with only a powder-coated stump left for a leg.
Ansgar bowed his head.
The leader called out, "Sir, it will be upon us at any moment." Her jacket hung in shreds over a blood-streaked blouse. Neutralizing powder covered her hands.
"Stand firm, Hunters. Don't run. It's trying to corral us." Ansgar refocused on the walls. "And it's working."
The lead Hunter pleaded with her eyes at Conrad.
He said, "Listen to the High Templar, he's fought them. Get on the tables. Ready your weapons."
"If he's right, then we should run and not get stuck here," another hunter said as he shook.
Conrad looked over at the same wall as Ansgar. The surge of noise beyond worked into a din.
"We're not staying in here," another of the small group yelled.
Others nodded and ran for the front door with their unconscious comrade.
Conrad reached out. "Apex above, don't open it."
They did.
A lash of dark acid poured in. Even at only knee-high, it ate everything it touched.
It took the legs from the group of hunters.
Splashes silenced screams.
The acid flowed over where we once stood. It came for the legs of our table.
I raised my hands.
Ansgar lowered his sword to meet it, and the acid arced away.
As if the deadly ink possessed thought, it lurched along the floor. The flow slipped around us and further into the Headquarters. There was only silence in its wake.
It slipped back to its creator.
I touched Kepi in the bag.
She peeked out and narrowed her eyes.
Then a thump.
Another.
More and more rapid, the pound repeated beyond the wall.
My heart synced with the sound.
Footfalls.
Books and splinters of shelves flew through the air.
We ducked under our arms.
Ansgar shielded us with his back. "Whatever happens next, live. Save the city and her people." He met eyes with Conrad.
A dark haze circled. The fog stung and made cold sweat roll down my face.
Ansgar's blade glowed brighter as the leather-clad grip creaked under his strength.
Long, webbed paws curled around the ragged en
trance into the lobby.
Then it lunged.
Ansgar intercepted. His blade flared in a brilliant blue aura.
Huge claws wrapped around the blade. Not the steel itself, but the area of Abyss which emanated from it.
The dense fog eclipsed everything except for a platter-sized teal eye. Lit by the sword's imbuement, Ansgar's entire strained face reflected on the glassy surface.
The Abyssite narrowed its great round pupil.
A volley of bolts flew over Ansgar's shoulder, and the monster reeled backward.
Ansgar pushed with the momentum and went on the attack.
The fog lifted, no, sucked into the monster. It reveals a slender body pierced by bolts. Purple blood ran over its silver skin and soaked into oily fur between thick scales.
It curled back its head and opened its mouth. Three rows of teeth lined an incredible muzzle with slits for a nose. The creature let out a call too song-like to call a howl, too terrifying not to curdle the blood.
"Aim for the gills, the lines of shadow," Ansgar yelled back.
The fog filtered into the Abyssite through slots between the ribs. Shadows under layers of fur and scale. Even the acid flowed upward into its chest, and the skin stretched as the bones expanded.
Bolts sought their targets. It forced the creature to throw Ansgar back and defend its sides.
The blow sent Ansgar into the wall.
His sword flickered, but then he heaved air into his broad chest and shook his head.
Kat's handbow clicked and clicked again. "I'm out."
Two bolts struck true even as the monster lashed its long arms at the missiles. An inky mix of blood and acid spurted from the injured gills, but the bolts fell to the floor as sizzling sticks.
Conrad's arm slowly lowered. "Me, too."
The Abyssite bent over to all fours and continued to inflate. It aimed and arched its back.
Ansgar pushed himself forward. "Get behind something."
The monster spewed a violent rush of acid.
I whipped my hands together above my head. Filaments of Apex descended. In a flash, a golden, glassy bowl-shaped seal exploded before us. Its sudden burst into existence sent a deep vibration through the room like a bass strum of power.
The acid collected in my seal but kept coming. I raced to grow the circumference to hold the liquid.
