by Den Patrick
‘No!’ Streig stood at the edge of the shattered floor above and stared in disbelief as Silverdust was swallowed.
The end of the Vartiainen line is nigh!
Steiner ran forward and leapt, throwing himself onto the dragon’s muzzle, grasping hold of the dagger hilt that protruded from Bittervinge’s face. The sledgehammer rose and slammed down into the burned eye. The dragon flinched and convulsed under the black iron sledgehammer. Below, Kristofine plunged her sword through the black scales, causing another ripple of pain to course through the dragon’s body.
Far above, Streig had wrested an ancient great sword from a shattered display cabinet. He leapt from the floor above, black cloak billowing behind him.
‘Silverdust!’ The great sword tore into the dragon’s wing and sliced through the leathery membrane, opening a long wound. Bittervinge flicked his head to one side, dislodging Steiner, who sailed through the air to land on a pile of books with a grunt. The dragon flapped his wings as best he could in the confines of the library and Streig crashed to the floor below, the great sword spinning from his grasp.
‘Steiner!’ screamed Kristofine, as she stood before the terrible creature with her simple weapon held out before her with a trembling hand. ‘Steiner, I need you!’
The dragon lowered its head, craning its neck, the foot-long teeth and powerful jaws drawing closer to Kristofine with every heartbeat. Steiner started sprinting towards the dragon, slipping on debris, fearing he wouldn’t make it in time.
‘Steiner!’ Kristofine’s voice broke as the panic took hold of her. The dragon’s jaws spread wide and it lunged forward. Kristofine was lost from view as the horned head closed down on her.
The dragon jerked as if shaken, then hesitated.
Felgenhauer rose from the wreckage of the library like a vengeful shade, her robes torn and dusty, her expression murderous. She held up one forbidding hand, her eyes the dark grey of granite. Bittervinge trembled and shook, but could not close his jaws on Kristofine, who cowered beneath him. Veins of grey spread across the black scales as the arcane did its work. Teeth fossilised in seconds under the Matriarch-Commissar’s petrifying gaze. The dragon slashed at Felgenhauer with a claw but the Vigilant threw up a ward of force to block the rending talons. Bittervinge’s tail followed moments after, lashing out, breaking Felgenhauer’s concentration as it slammed against the ward. The Matriarch-Commissar stumbled backwards under the onslaught but did not fall.
‘Damn you!’ seethed Felgenhauer from between clenched teeth. Kristofine chose that moment to thrust upwards with her blade, the point piercing the soft underside of Bittervinge’s throat. Kristofine’s sword stuck between the black scales of the dragon’s neck as it turned away, leaving her unarmed. Bittervinge stared at Kristofine and drew back a taloned claw for the killing blow as Steiner ran several feet and leapt from the shattered floor, the sledgehammer’s swing carrying him forward.
‘Bittervinge!’
The dragon swung his wounded head around as Steiner smashed into him, knocking teeth loose, sending cracks through the petrified face. Steiner slammed into the wall of teeth, nearly falling to the ground before grabbing a jutting fang.
I have you now, Vartiainen.
The dragon flicked his head up and Steiner spun loose, tumbling through the air. For a moment he stared down into the dragon’s petrified and bleeding maw. The sledgehammer slipped free of his grasp and time slowed.
‘Steiner!’ Kristofine screamed from far below. He was dimly aware that Felgenhauer was running forward and Streig had become trapped under one of the dragon’s claws. The sword they had bought for Kristofine in Virag protruded from the dragon’s throat. All the trials and challenges of the last few months flickered past, pointless and fleeting. Bittervinge extended one claw and held Steiner in the air, suspending him with the power of the arcane. A deep and malevolent chuckle filled the library.
At last, Vartiainen. You will die.
Steiner stared down in shock and blinked. Silver light was emanating from Bittervinge’s chest. The dragon shuddered and coughed, then writhed to one side. The silver light grew brighter, streaming out of the dragon’s throat, glowing faintly from between every scale.
It burns!
Steiner plummeted to the ground, saved from injury by Felgenhauer, who slowed his descent with a gesture. Kristofine ran to him and they fell into each other’s arms.
What trickery is this? Bittervinge stumbled away from them, colliding with the remnants of the shattered floor above. The silver light became more intense and black scales flaked off, revealing scorched and smouldering flesh beneath. Bittervinge clawed at his chest in agony, writhing and convulsing.
‘What’s happening?’ whispered Kristofine.
‘Silverdust,’ said Steiner. ‘It has to be Silverdust.’
‘We should go,’ said Felgenhauer. A wave of heat washed over them and the books closest to Bittervinge sparkled into flame.
‘I think you’re right,’ replied Steiner. ‘We fall back.’
The dragon was a walking torment of terrible burning. Scales slipped and fell and the vast creature stumbled, drunk on pain, roaring louder than anything Steiner had ever heard.
‘Where’s Strieg?’ shouted Steiner above the din.
‘There’s no time,’ replied Felgenhauer.
A ripple passed through Bittervinge’s body, and Steiner was sure it must be the convulsion that heralded the creature’s death. The dragon’s jaws parted and a great gout of flame annihilated a section of the library in a heartbeat. Bittervinge’s fiery breath was a great streak of near-white heat with tongues of orange reaching towards the ceiling. For a brief moment the fire glowed silver and Steiner was certain the dragon had purged himself of the cinderwraith Exarch. Bittervinge hunched down on the floor, then sprang upwards, bursting through the ceiling of the library itself.
‘Frøya save me,’ whispered Steiner. ‘He got free.’ The shattered ceiling began to sag and collapse under the heat of the fire and Kristofine tugged at Steiner’s hand. Felgenhauer led the way, as they fled from the ruins of the greatest library in Vinterkveld.
‘Silverdust,’ was the only word Steiner could say when they finally emerged outside. The library succumbed to the grievous damage, the walls and dome collapsed inwards and exhaled dust and ash. Bittervinge’s prison was no more.
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
Kimi
The rage that infested Veles was tangible, Kimi could almost taste it, like coppery blood in her mouth. Her fingers were suddenly numb and her guts had turned to stone. The gholes who ran ahead of their master were infected by his rage, hissing with fury as they raced ever closer. Suddenly a ghole in the centre of the oncoming horde flinched backwards. The creature stumbled a moment, then collapsed to its knees.
‘That’s one,’ said Tief, reloading the crossbow as fast as he could. Kimi ran forward and swung the two-handed sword in a bright arc of shining steel. Two gholes dropped to the ground to avoid it while another lost its head entirely. Kimi felt a jolt of pain race across her shoulders as the blade bit deep. She gripped the hilt more tightly in response.
‘Two!’
Taiga held up the holy weapons of her goddess and shouted loud and clear above the chaos. The five gholes nearest to the priestess hesitated as if confused and another fell as if struck. Taiga wasted no time and raked at the closest with her sickle, then slammed the dagger into the creature’s cowl. The ghole went down without a sound.
‘Three!’
Marozvolk had already severed the arm of one ghole by the time Kimi glanced at her. She batted aside rending claws with her shield and stabbed the creature in the guts.
‘Hit it in the head!’ shouted Tief.
‘I know what I’m doing!’ bellowed Marozvolk, ripping the blade free of the ghole’s stomach. Entrails spilled out and the ghole stumbled backwards, then tripped on its own guts. Marozvolk threw her sword up a short way and caught it in a reverse grip, then slammed the point down into the creatu
re’s head. ‘Four!’
Black-clad bodies surged around them like an angry sea threatening to drag them under at any moment. Kimi swung wildly with the blade, hoping to stay clear of the poisonous claws if nothing else. A crossbow bolt whistled past her shoulder, finding its mark and taking down another ghole.
‘Mind where you’re pointing that thing!’ she shouted over her shoulder.
‘Five,’ shouted Tief as he ran back towards the standing stones to reload. The hateful gholes were close on his heels and Marozvolk stepped in front of him, slamming the rim of her shield into one creature’s face before slashing through the knee of another.
‘Reload faster,’ she shouted.
Taiga stood beside Kimi and slashed left and right with her shorter blades as Kimi used her longer sword like a spear to jab viciously.
‘We’re split up,’ complained Taiga as a ghole’s claws raked her vestments, narrowly missing the flesh beneath.
‘Kneel!’ shouted Kimi. The priestess obeyed without a word and Kimi flipped the blade over her shoulder and spread her feet wide. She whipped her arms about her head so the two-handed sword cleaved a wide circle. The gholes, who had crowded them so completely just moments before, collapsed backwards. Taiga sprang up and finished one of their unholy number, shouting triumphantly.
‘Six! At least!’
Kimi surged forward, decapitating another ghole as it reeled from her attack. The sun emerged from behind a cloud, bathing everyone in majestic light, and the gholes hunched lower; a few screeched in irritation and stumbled away from the melee.
‘And seven!’ shouted Taiga.
‘Wait,’ said Kimi, struggling for breath. ‘Where is Veles?’ She looked over her shoulder just as the vast serpent reared up from behind the standing stones. Marozvolk was still defending Tief from the gholes, unaware of the pale and sinuous danger behind her. Veles darted forward, his wedge-shaped head split wide to reveal blackened and cracked teeth.
‘No!’ shouted Kimi, but the serpent moved with alarming speed. Marozvolk turned and began to dive sideways just as Veles struck. He seized her about the waist with his cruel jaws and snatched her up into the air. Kimi was powerless to prevent the serpent mounting the standing stones. The sword slipped from the renegade Vigilant’s hands and Veles tossed her in the air, catching Marozvolk so her legs were in his mouth. Blood stained the jaws of the pale serpent but Marozvolk let out a furious cry. She began to punch the serpent even as it bit into her. Kimi ran forward as Marozvolk punched with fists of stone, knocking out ancient teeth and cursing at the top of her lungs.
‘You will not take me!’ shouted Marozvolk through blood-spattered lips. Kimi sprinted around the standing stones, bringing her sword down on Veles’ tail with every sinew of her body. The two-handed sword ripped through the tip of the dragon’s tail and the creature jolted. Kimi gripped the sword by the crosspiece and slammed the blade through the bleeding stub of Veles’ tail, pinning the creature to the ground, or so she thought.
Such was Veles’ fury that the stone circle came apart. Marozvolk was flung aside, landing at Kimi’s feet as the dragon ripped its tail free of the ground. The serpent slammed her with its sinuous body and for a moment nothing made sense. The ground slipped free and the sky tumbled deliriously beneath her. She fell into wet grass and felt a sharp pain in her shoulder.
Everything became dark.
You will give the Ashen Torment to me.
Veles was waiting when Kimi’s eyes fluttered open. There was no part of her that didn’t hurt. She was lying on the ground a dozen feet away from Marozvolk, but the renegade Vigilant wasn’t moving.
‘No,’ whispered Kimi, but the truth was plain to see in the renegade Vigilant’s unblinking eyes; they stared unseeing at the grey skies, the spark of life extinguished. Marozvolk was gone. ‘No.’
The gholes had formed a circle and two of their number stood behind Taiga and Tief. Both had been captured during the fighting and both had been forced to their knees. The gholes held poisoned claws against Tief and Taiga’s throats, waiting for the command from Veles. Kimi pulled herself to her feet, almost sobbing with pain and despair, trembling with agony.
The Ashen Torment can never be stolen or taken by force. Veles slithered around the outside of the ruined stone circle, keen to keep the gholes between himself and the woman who had wounded him. Bittervinge made sure a key part of the enchantment meant the artefact had to be given freely.
Kimi nodded slowly, the pain in her shoulder so intense it made her head swim. She reached for the chain around her neck with her good arm, pulling the jade dragon from beneath her shirt.
‘Frøya,’ she whispered. ‘Your high priestess is in grave danger, Veles himself has desecrated your shrine, and I stand here half-dead, supposedly your champion.’
Who are you speaking to? Veles reared up, daring to thrust his head into the circle of gholes.
‘I’m speaking with my goddess,’ said Kimi. The wind dropped and all was still on the hillside. Kimi lifted her good arm, and the jade dragon dangled on the bronze chain, reflecting the sunlight. The pain in her shoulder abated and the sun shone with renewed brightness. Kimi’s gaze fell on Marozvolk’s ruined form and a host of feelings swirled within her.
Give it to me! Veles writhed with impatience.
Kimi gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. The word that escaped her lips was of no language she had ever spoken, louder than any sound she had ever made, filled with all of her loss and anger and despair. The jade dragon flashed brightly and the circle of gholes exploded into fine dust, leaving only blackened rags to mark their passing.
What is this? You said you carried the Ashen Torment! Veles coiled about himself, hissing in confusion and fury. Kimi stooped to retrieve her sword, expecting to be driven to her knees with the pain of her wounds. She reached forward and saw that her arm was surrounded in a nimbus of light, the same light that played about Taiga’s silver weapons.
This is unthinkable!
Kimi looked into Veles’ face and breathed deeply, feeling the now-familiar weight of the two-handed sword. Veles flexed his cruel claws.
You are thieves from Yamal. Thieves and liars! You are no better than any other lost soul who stumbles into this province! Worthless!
Kimi watched the serpent tense, ready for when Veles lunged up and forward with bleeding jaws wide open.
You are nothing!
Kimi felt no fear as she stepped aside, graceful and swift, feeling half-drunk or dreamlike. Veles smashed his long face into the ground where Kimi had stood barely a heartbeat before and the earth shook beneath her feet. Kimi hefted the two-handed sword and thrust forward before the serpent could recover himself, burying the blade to the hilt in his vast diseased eye. She felt the metal scrape on bone and pushed harder, putting her weight behind the pommel, twisting the blade as she leaned forward. Veles clawed at the ground and then became rigid. He twitched once before a terrible exhalation escaped his scaly lips.
‘I am a Yamal princess,’ said Kimi. ‘And you just killed my friend.’ She twisted the blade and ripped it free from the dragon’s skull.
They buried Marozvolk at the site of Frøya’s shrine the following day. The rain did not trouble them and the ever-present mists of Izhoria failed to return. The sun rose that morning and bathed the land in a gentle temperate light. They had used the standing stones to create a sarcophagus of sorts, though it had taken the whole day to lift them.
‘This is as good as it’s going to get,’ said Tief, wiping away a tear. Taiga knelt beside Marozvolk’s resting place and prayed to Frøya. Kimi surrendered to her grief and a series of violent sobs wracked her body. All day she had held the feeling inside so she might finish the sarcophagus. Tief held her close until the tears passed.
‘She spoke of moderates within the Empire,’ said Kimi. ‘And I mocked her for it. She regretted not coming to find me sooner while I was trapped on Vladibogdan, said she was trying to work out who she was.’
Tief n
odded. ‘She was a hero for the sagas, is who she was.’
Kimi dashed away tears with the back of her hand. ‘She didn’t want to go to Yamal at all, but she came anyway. She came for me.’
‘She was so young,’ said Tief. ‘But what a woman. As dangerous as Frejna herself, armed or not.’ They watched the sun set over Izhoria as Taiga finished her blessings over the sarcophagus. Now the mist had cleared, the sunlight reflected from the many stretches of water in golden yellows and warm oranges. For a moment it seemed as if the whole country were aflame. They ate in silence though Kimi could scarcely bring herself to think of food, much less consume it.
‘I let her down,’ said Kimi when the meal was done.
‘No,’ said Taiga softly. ‘She came with us to kill the Emperor. We all knew the risks. We have to see it through now to honour her.’
‘Honour?’ Kimi snorted a derisive laugh. ‘There’s not much honour left in Vinterkveld.’
‘No, there isn’t,’ admitted Tief. ‘But she died defending me, even though I doubted her. And she died fighting for you, even though you had your differences. I say we follow her example.’
‘I let her down,’ repeated Kimi.
‘It was Veles’ awful braziers that killed her,’ said Taiga as the sun finally slunk beneath the gilded horizon. ‘The smoke they gave off, you see? The smoke affected her ability to draw on the arcane.’
‘So why were you not affected?’ said Kimi.
‘Vigilants draw the arcane from dragons, while priestesses draw power from their goddesses.’
Kimi stood up, stalked over to the corpse of the dragon, then gave it a hefty kick in the face. A moment later she was crying again, her anger fled.
‘Feel better?’ said Tief. He prodded the dragon’s head with his boot.
‘Not really.’
‘Would it help if we raided his horde again? You might find some armour, or money.’
Kimi shrugged. ‘It might.’ She put an arm around him. ‘I’m going to miss her,’ she said, glancing over her shoulder at Marozvolk’s grave.
