by Den Patrick
‘Deferential, remember?’ Kristofine whispered.
‘I did,’ replied Ving, ‘just as I know you’re carrying his sledgehammer in your sack. It’s not polite to turn up to a simple conversation with a weapon like that. Especially given my history with it, but you’re not to know about that sorry tale.’
‘Are you always this obscure with your visitors?’ said Steiner.
‘We’re done with deferential then?’ said Kristofine. Ving chuckled and shelved the last of the books.
‘I suppose Felgenhauer told you to bow and scrape to me.’ Ving chuckled again. ‘A nice touch. I like her, she’s very thoughtful for a human. I understand she’s your aunt?’
Steiner nodded. ‘What do you mean, “for a human”?’
Ving gestured to a pair of leather couches and bade them sit. A low table lay between the couches and a decanter of wine stood on a silver tray with some glasses.
‘Best thing you people ever did,’ said Ving, as he poured the wine. ‘And the only thing that makes my imprisonment tolerable.’
‘This doesn’t look like any prison I’ve ever seen,’ said Steiner, looking at the neatly ordered bookshelves. ‘And I’ve been to Vladibogdan.’
‘I heard you all but destroyed Vladibogdan,’ said Ving, sitting back on the couch and sipping his wine. ‘And the Ashen Torment along with it. I imagine that seized the Emperor’s attention.’
‘I imagine the Emperor is feeling uncertain about a few things,’ said Steiner. Something about the arrogant librarian made him want to boast, put the man in his place.
‘Just think on it,’ said Ving. ‘You lead an uprising on an island barely anyone knows about, you fly a dragon across the Sommerende Ocean and kill a Vigilant, then you destroy one of the most powerful arcane artefacts in all of Vinterkveld. Not content with freeing all the dragons beneath the island, you go on to stage three acts of open violence against the Empire in Virag, Trystbyre and Vostochnyye Lisy.’
‘Credit where it’s due. Virag was down to my sister and some friends.’
‘These are uncertain times, Steiner,’ continued Ving as if he hadn’t heard. ‘And you are the source of the Emperor’s uncertainty. He hates you. I, on the other hand, am invigorated by uncertainty. It is the food and drink that so rarely reaches this place.’
‘I suppose when you lay it out like that,’ said Steiner.
‘You couldn’t have known Steiner’s great-grandfather,’ said Kristofine. ‘That would make you close to ninety years old. No one lives to such an age. And besides, you don’t look much older than fifty.’
Ving chuckled in a deep baritone. The sound gave way to laughter, and eventually glimmers of tears could be seen at the corners of his eyes. He laughed until he was breathless and took a while to compose himself.
‘You’re right,’ said Kristofine quietly. ‘He really is an arsehole.’
‘Are you going to explain what’s so funny?’ said Steiner.
‘Steiner,’ said Ving, suddenly serious. He sat forward on the couch and put his glass down on the table. ‘The dragons you saw were young, am I right?’
‘It was awful.’ Steiner nodded as he remembered. ‘They didn’t last longer than perhaps thirty years, but they were huge—’
‘No, they were not. The dragons you saw were adolescents at best,’ said Ving. ‘Dragons mature more slowly than men. It takes around a hundred years before one can truly call one’s self an adult.’
‘So the dragons I saw were just kids?’
Ving chuckled again. ‘I like you, Steiner. I don’t get many like you up here. In fact I don’t get anyone like you up here.’ Ving sipped his wine. ‘So these “kids”, as you call them, don’t have the full benefit of their powers. Dragons aren’t just big lizards, no matter what the Emperor used to tell the common folk; dragons were masters of the arcane.’
‘I know about the arcane,’ said Steiner.
‘But you don’t know as much as the dragons do,’ said Ving a smile halfway between smug and condescending. Steiner wanted to punch it. ‘They’re not limited to the four elements like you humans are. Dragons knew the deeper mysteries, the power over life and death. The power of transformation.’
Steiner stood up slowly and backed away until he was standing behind the couch. Kristofine followed, her eyes darting from Steiner to Ving and back again.
‘Frøya save me.’
‘Steiner, what’s going on?’ whispered Kristofine.
‘Ah,’ said Ving. ‘And here I was thinking I’d have to spell it out to you, or give you a demonstration. I hate doing that, I usually rip my robes in the process.’
‘You’re not just Ving,’ said Steiner.
‘I did say it was an abbreviation.’
‘You’re Bittervinge, father of dragons.’
Ving sighed happily, sipped his wine, and sat back on the couch with a crooked smile. ‘And you managed to remember my title. Impressive.’
Kristofine frowned. ‘Did you hit your head during the voyage over here? He’s just an old man that’s spent too much time on his own with too many books.’
‘There’s always one,’ said Ving. ‘Look, it’s just not practical to be a dragon when you’re imprisoned. You take up too much space, your appetite is commensurate with your size, and it’s difficult to read books when you have claws instead of hands. I’m not going to lie to you, I miss flying every day I’m in here, but it’s the wise choice. And besides, I need to maintain the Emperor’s fiction that he killed me, or rather your great-grandfather killed me.
‘My great-grandfather?’
‘And with that sledgehammer no less,’ said Ving. ‘He was named Steiner too.’
‘This is ridiculous,’ said Kristofine, crossing her arms. ‘I’ve heard some drunken horseshit in my time but this is something else.’
‘If what you’re saying is true,’ said Steiner, ‘then you know the Emperor better than anyone alive.’
Ving nodded. ‘Of course I do.’
‘You were defeated by him, enslaved by him—’
‘Get to the point, Steiner.’ All trace of amusement slipped from Ving’s face. ‘I have no wish to dwell on past defeats.’
‘So you’ve been here ever since thinking how you’d kill him if the chance presented itself. You’ve been here for over seventy years thinking about it.’
Ving began to smile again. ‘You’re not as foolish as you look.’
‘So I’m told,’ said Steiner, taking his seat on the couch once more. ‘I need you to tell me what I need to know to kill the Emperor.’ The sledgehammer lay in the hemp sack, resting across his knees. Ving’s gaze lingered on the hidden weapon and shook his head.
‘It’s near-impossible to kill the Emperor now. Even your brutish hammer won’t smite the life from that twisted husk.’
‘Why not? The hammer seems to do well enough against everyone else.’
‘The hammer was made to strike true,’ agreed Ving. ‘And more than that, it’s cast from the same material as the staircase you’ve just climbed.’
‘Black iron?’
‘Dragons can endure most things.’ Ving looked as if he might spit. ‘But black iron is not one of them.’
‘So how do I kill the Emperor?’ said Steiner. ‘Tell me how to do this thing.’
‘Only two blades in all of Vinterkveld can kill the Emperor,’ said Ving. ‘I know this because I made them myself in the late stages of the war. One the Emperor kept for himself and the other was stolen from me by a sibling.’
‘A sibling?’ said Kristofine.
‘He was born from the same clutch of eggs.’ Ving gestured vaguely. ‘My title may be “the father of dragons” but that’s simply because I rose to prominence, my fame going before me.’
‘Who was this light-fingered sibling of yours?’ asked Steiner.
‘His name is Veles. He took one of the Ashen Blades and replaced it with a fake. I discovered the switch but Veles had hidden the original. I ripped the wings from his back and still he
refused to tell me where it was. In the end he escaped to Izhoria and surrounded himself with an army of dead souls. If I ever get free of this place …’ Ving looked away towards the windows with a terrible frown. Light streamed in and caught motes of dust as they floated lazily on the air.
‘So I have to break in to the Emperor’s palace, find the Ashen Blade, and kill him with it?’ said Steiner.
‘Or hunt down Veles in the swamps of Izhoria, fight your way past his legion of undead, kill a dragon, and claim his blade for yourself, yes.’
Steiner pressed a hand to his forehead and released a long, despondent sigh. ‘Frøya save me.’
‘Did you think assassinating the Emperor would be a simple matter?’ asked Ving, pouring more wine for himself.
‘We were under no illusions,’ breathed Kristofine, ‘but this is beyond anything we could have imagined.’
‘And yet it will happen,’ said Ving. ‘I feel it. A change is coming to Vinterkveld, and perhaps you will be the agent of that change, and perhaps there is another.’
‘What do you mean? Is someone else trying to kill the Emperor?’ said Steiner.
‘I only know what the bones tell me when I cast them,’ said Ving.
‘And what do they say?’ pressed Kristofine.
‘They say a warrior queen rises in the south. They say she has endured unimaginable hardship. They say she is coming north, but to what end I cannot tell.’
‘What else?’ asked Steiner.
‘A power comes from the sea, something that has slept many long decades.’
‘And my father?’ asked Steiner as he stood up.
‘The bones say nothing for him,’ replied Ving. ‘He is unimportant in the times ahead.’
Steiner took the sledgehammer out of the sack and stood up.
‘He’s not unimportant to me.’
‘Destiny cares not for sentimentality, Steiner. Your father’s future has little bearing on the ultimate outcome. He has played his part.’
Steiner lay the metal head on the man’s shoulder. ‘My father’s future has every bearing on me. I’ll kill this entire continent to get him back if I have to.’
Ving looked at the sledgehammer and grew pale. He glowered at Steiner and brushed the weapon aside.
‘Such bravado. Still, it has always been the way of the Vartiainen men.’
‘Let’s go,’ said Kristofine softly. ‘He’s been useful in his own way.’ She took Steiner by the hand and they headed towards the staircase.
‘Steiner,’ said Ving, rising from the couch. ‘If you do kill the Emperor, if you do take throne, don’t make the mistakes I made and don’t make the mistakes of the Emperor.’
‘That was never my intention. I simply want the Empire to stop taking children from the Scorched Republics. I want them to stop splitting up families. Destroying families.’
‘Nature abhors a vacuum, Steiner. You will be drawn to the throne, and your mistakes will be recorded for all of history.’
‘What mistakes?’
‘Power is intoxicating. It is cruel and unfeeling. The desire to be in control, to be admired, to be untouchable. All of these things will take you away from your truest self.’
‘Steiner has something that you and the Emperor never had,’ said Kristofine, lingering at the top of the black iron stairs.
‘And what is that, my spirited child?’ said Ving, his patronising smile fixed on his handsome face once more.
‘He has me,’ she said with a smile of her own. ‘I’ll keep him honest.’
‘She’s right,’ said Steiner. ‘I couldn’t have done any of this without her.’ He took a moment to look at his proud and brilliant woman as she faced down Bittervinge. ‘She’ll keep me honest if I find myself in charge of things, but I have bigger problems to worry about right now.’
‘That you do,’ said Ving. ‘Problems like finding your way into the labyrinth beneath the Imperial Palace. Go now.’ He waved them off with a shooing gesture. ‘Go to your problems and don’t get caught by the Emperor’s men. Even now they are coming to kill you.’
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Kimi
‘We assumed the worst when you didn’t return,’ said Kimi. She twisted her wrists against the hair rope that bound her. The silence was broken by the sound of water dripping down the sides of the cavern. The wind would faintly shriek down the tunnel adding to the misery of the place. Tief sat by the brazier of stinking peat, head bowed in exhaustion or shame. Kimi suspected he was feeling a touch of both. Or perhaps the feelings were her own. She hadn’t wanted to tell Veles where to find the remnant of the Ashen Torment, but the dragon had left her with an impossible choice.
‘Veles will kill Taiga when he finds the camp,’ said Tief. His words were grave, his tone flinty. ‘Or his gholes will.’ Tears were running down his cheeks. ‘Why did you tell him where to go, Kimi? Why did you tell him where Taiga is?’ Kimi had no answer and checked on Marozvolk as a distraction. The renegade Vigilant was still unconscious. Kimi bent over to listen and was rewarded with the faintest sound of breathing.
‘Kimi.’ Tief didn’t shout, but his voice was an angry hiss that startled her all the same. ‘My sister is going to be killed because you told Veles where our camp is.’
‘He was going to turn you into a ghole.’
Tief looked away and grunted in frustration. ‘My sister …’
‘Is that what you wanted? To be turned into one of those things?’
‘If it means keeping Taiga alive, then yes.’ Tief glowered at her and struggled with his bonds.
‘Our best bet is that Veles brings Taiga back here,’ said Kimi. ‘Maybe he will let us go after all.’
‘Our best bet?’ Tief shook his head. ‘Wishful thinking is one thing but this is foolishness.’
‘Be grateful you’re alive at all,’ said Kimi. They settled into a sullen silence and Kimi slunk around the cavern looking for anything that might help them escape. The water continued trickling down the walls and a spiteful chill filled the cavern.
‘Frejna’s teeth,’ she muttered, looking into the water.
‘What is it?’ Tief was on his feet and edged towards her, picking his way across the uneven ground.
‘A corpse, more of a skeleton really.’
‘Perhaps he doesn’t turn everyone into a ghole,’ said Tief, kneeling down to get a better look at the body. ‘Some he eats.’
Kimi searched the stream at the centre of the cavern, her boots sloshing in the icy water.
‘There’s plate armour here.’ She grinned. ‘And a knife.’
‘What use is a knife going to be against a dragon, halfhead?’
‘We don’t have to kill the dragon, we just need to free ourselves.’ She retrieved the blade from the water, and began sawing through Tief’s bonds.
‘Human hair,’ he said, grimacing. ‘I’ve seen a few things but this …’
‘Hold still,’ chided Kimi. ‘I don’t want to cut you.’
The dagger was fairly blunt and it took far longer than either of them wanted, but soon they were free. They spent breathless moments searching the detritus of the stream, stumbling over old bones, finding curios but nothing much of use.
‘Our gear is over there,’ said Tief, pointing at the mouth of the tunnel. ‘I saw it when I was brought in.’ No sooner had he said the words than Veles appeared like a vengeful spirit, twisting this way and that as his coils propelled him forward. Kimi’s heart leapt as the dragon descended upon her, one clawed foot seizing her around the throat and shoulders. Veles lifted her off the ground so quickly the air was squeezed from her lungs, then slammed her into the cavern wall. She was high enough that any fall would surely break her.
It was not there! The Ashen Torment was not where you said it would be. There is no camp. You lied to me!
Kimi stared in wide-eyed dread at the dragon, too stunned to speak. Veles craned his sinuous neck forward and sniffed, then stared upon her anew with a seemingly blind eye.
&nbs
p; I may not be able to read your mind but your Spriggani friend is quite a different matter. Tief stared up at the serpent and glanced at Kimi in alarm.
The dragon cocked its head for a moment and regarded the Spriggani.
‘Get out of my head, you old snake,’ shouted Tief, pressing his palms to his eyes. He bent over double and moaned.
Veles licked his lips and returned to face Kimi. You are no mere Yamali thief. How extraordinary! Royalty! Royalty, here, visiting me at my seat of power.
The dragon lowered her to the floor of the cavern with a father’s care, then lowered his head and closed his diseased eyes.
‘Is …’ Tief stared with disbelief. ‘Is he bowing to you?’
Kimi nodded slowly. ‘What will happen to us now?’
Why, you must stay, of course! My hospitality has been sorely lacking and for that I give you my most sincere apologies. Had I known of your lineage sooner our relationship would have begun quite differently, I assure you! The dragon straightened up and looked around the cavern in the manner of someone who has just received unexpected guests. I will find you food and we will talk of our great nations and what it is to rule! Come now! Come! Warm yourself by the brazier while I make the necessary preparations for my royal guest.
Tief and Kimi picked their way across the room and knelt down by Marozvolk.
‘Is he …’ Tief touched two fingers to his temple and looked at the wingless dragon.
‘Imagine living in a swamp for over a hundred years with only gholes for company,’ replied Kimi. ‘I think that’s enough to send anyone out of their mind.’
‘Or anything,’ said Tief, watching the pale serpent issue orders to the gholes. Marozvolk stirred and mumbled a sound.
‘Hoy there!’ said Tief with a smile, dashing over to her. ‘She’s waking up.’ He took Marozvolk’s hand in his own and leaned forward. ‘How are you feeling?’
‘Well, I was held underwater by four undead monsters until I lost consciousness.’ Marozvolk coughed for a time and pressed a hand to her forehead. ‘But I’ve had worse hangovers to tell the truth.’ Tief gave a long low chuckle and Kimi let herself be caught up in the sound, allowing herself a smile.
