by C S Vass
“Very well,” the old woman said. “For one more day and one more night you may stay. Then be on your way.”
“I don’t believe this,” Yaura complained. “Just remember, you old hag, it was the Shigata who saved all of your sorry arses.”
They spent the better part of the day sleeping in the dead woman’s house. Godwin realized that had also been a lie from the village. There was no peaceful old woman who died in her sleep. He should have sensed it before.
Yaura recognized it immediately. The moment they walked in the door she said, “The spirit of the house is gone.”
“I suspected as much,” Godwin said. “The spirit was Bethany. With her corpse resting, the ghost is free to move on. There’s nothing else to tie her here.”
Robert instantly relaxed upon hearing that there was no ghost in the house. “If that’s true, then I’m off straightaway to bed.”
They woke up in the late afternoon but not wanting to travel for a mere hour or two before making camp, they decided to stay the night. They ate more of the thin mushroom soup, and drank lots of the thin watery beer. Before long they were feeling tolerably better, though still sore from the fighting.
“Anyone for a game of Tanzen?”
“It’s been a while, but sure,” Yaura said.
“Tanzen?”
Yaura and Robert looked at Godwin like he had just announced his intention to give up the way of the sword and join a circus.
“You can’t be serious,” Yaura said.
“Good gods, man,” Robert gasped. “You truly don’t know?”
“Well are you going to tell me or stare at me like a jackass with your mouth open,” Godwin grumbled.
“You have decks I take it?” Yaura asked.
“I do. We’ll have to play first while Godwin watches.”
Tanzen, as it turned out, was a card game. Unlike the only cards Godwin was familiar with that had patterns of shapes and numbers, the Tanzen cards had expertly painted pictures on them of various people, demons, locations, and so on.
“Listen up,” Robert said as he handed Yaura a deck and began shuffling. “It’s not hard to learn once you get a grasp on it. Yaura and I are at war. Each of us will draw ten cards. There are several different types of cards. Person, demon, and animal cards are our fighters. Then there are location cards, such as swamp or beach and so on, that allow us to put down fighters. A fighter can only be played if the location card matches the location type labelled on the fighter. Understand so far?”
“I do,” Godwin said, though he had stopped drinking his beer. He had a feeling coins were about to start being wagered.
“Now this,” Robert said as he pulled out a strange looking die, “Is the icosahedron. It’s the key to the game and master of our fate. See the number on the warrior cards. You roll this twenty-sided die and if the number is greater than the number on your warrior card, then you can use your warrior card to attack.”
“Just get started,” Godwin said. “I’ll figure it out as I watch you.”
The game started simply enough, but as time went on Godwin realized it was becoming impossibly complicated. In addition to the cards already mentioned there were also various mage cards, spell cards, natural disaster cards, constellation cards, and plague cards. Just when Godwin thought there couldn’t be any more rules Robert had used a cow maiden card to seduce one of Yaura’s warriors and followed up by attacking during the ensuing distraction to win the game.
They continued playing cards and drinking well into the evening, long enough for them to forget their ill-luck in dealing with the sorceress. Godwin even ended up winning a game, but that was mostly because Robert had become drunk and tried to move his navy through Godwin’s mountains only to have them killed by a group of cult members once his ships were stuck.
After many, many games it became obvious that this was going to become something of a regular event for them until they reached Black Wolf. When the candles started burning low and Yaura was quietly snoozing in a corner of the room, Godwin realized that it was time to get to sleep. Regardless of what happened, it would be time to leave come the dawn.
Violent pounding shook Godwin awake. Or it would have, had he been asleep. In truth the Shigata had not fallen asleep, and was not surprised that someone was at the door.
“What’s going on?” Yaura asked sleepily.
Robert, terrified, had rolled behind the couch and was defending himself with a fire poker. “The necromancer’s back! He’s here to finish me off! Godwin, stay away from the door!”
“Whoever’s knocking means business,” Yaura said.
“We’re guests here. It would be rude not to see who’s here,” Godwin said. He lit a candle, approached the door, and opened it to see the terrified face of the old woman.
“How nice to see you,” Godwin said.
“Take it,” she said as she thrust a vial of something into Godwin’s hands. “Take it and leave me be!”
Godwin nodded. “That’s quite generous of you. After all, I didn’t truly kill a rusalka as you had asked me to.”
“I want nothing to do with you. Our deal is complete. Take the bagiennik oil and go! You may stay the night as I said but you must leave tomorrow.”
“I’ll be disappointed to miss another meal of that delicious mushroom-broth soup,” Godwin smiled. “But I suppose it would be rude to overstay our welcome.”
“You…yes, you should go,” the old woman said. “But let no man call me oath-breaker.”
“Of course not,” Godwin said. “I wouldn’t dream of it. You had no obligation to me. But I thank you for this boon all the same. I’ll be sure I put it to good use.”
“Good, ill, it matters not,” the old woman said. “As long as you take it away from here and never mention this village again.”
“Very well, we get the message,” Yaura said. “Now leave us. If you want us out of here at an early hour, then we’ll have to get some sleep.”
The old woman didn’t need to be told twice. She vanished into the night.
“What was all of that about?” Robert asked as the door closed.
“It’s not so rare for someone to have a change of heart,” Godwin said.
Yaura’s eyes were wide. “Godwin, you didn’t. You bastard!”
“She was never in serious danger,” Godwin said. “I made that clear to him.”
“What on earth are you talking about?” Robert asked. “Why did that old woman come back to gift the oil to you after making such a scene about it earlier?”
“Because he had some help from a dark mage,” Yaura said accusingly. “You asked the necromancer to pay her a visit in the night!”
“He was more than willing,” Godwin said. “He has no love for this village.”
“Godwin! We worked hard to do some good in this village. To boost the reputation of the Shigata in the eyes of the people that live here. And you throw all of that away to spook an old lady into giving you some magic oil?”
“I did,” Godwin said. “I’m sorry we feel differently Yaura. I really am. But the people will never love us no matter what we do. We are Shigata. No amount of good-deeds will change that.”
“Well,” Robert said. “Since we’re up anyway…I don’t think I’m going to get back to bed after all the sleeping we’ve already done. The sun will rise in a few hours. Anyone up for another game of Tanzen?”
As it turned out, Godwin was in the mood for just that. They played cards until the sun rose, and the next day left the mysterious village behind them forever.
Chapter 21
“I had hoped not to go on another journey for a long while.”
You’re not the only one who feels like moping, Paetrick, Faela thought. Being in the Chillway was bad enough. Worse was traveling east into the Shield before going even farther from Coldclaw. Farther from home.
“Buck up,” Brett said from his horse. “We have more sun than is usual and a brisk wind at our backs. Before long we’ll be in Frost.”
Faela rolled her eyes. “We would have been in Frost days ago had we taken a ship.”
“Had we taken a ship, the demons of Ice Bay would be feasting on our entrails. It’s not safe I tell you.”
“Only because your precious King wouldn’t spare a true vessel for us to travel in,” Faela mumbled. Brett pretended he didn’t hear that.
They made for an unlikely group, especially since Benjiko had stayed behind in Iryllium. After Paetrick had revealed the Shigata talisman, one awful decision after another had been made without anyone so much as asking Faela’s opinion.
First Benjiko decided that Paetrick would have to go to Unduyo to return the talisman to the Shigata—a move Faela considered not far from a death sentence. Then, the Prince said he wouldn’t be going with them. He had matters of state to attend to, and so he would send Brett in his place to keep them safe. Finally, he forbid them from traveling by boat, and instead ordered them to take the treacherous path to the city of Frost by way of the Shield. From there they would take a quick ferry to Black Wolf, the secret island of the Shigata.
“I never imagined I would travel to Black Wolf,” Paetrick said. His horse snorted at the name. At least Benjiko had been reasonable enough to see them mounted for their journey. “I hear there are still giants that roam the woods there. And old witches that live in houses set upon chicken legs.”
“Stop your nonsense, boy,” Brett said seriously. “I’ve been to Black Wolf. There’s naught but the city of Meno, Castle Unduyo, and trees so thick you can barely walk through them.”
“I hear the people of Meno are descended from an ice dragon,” Paetrick said, obliviously.
Brett rolled his eyes. “Then perhaps you can explain to me why they don’t have scales.”
“They say the ice dragon was one of the elder gods. He mated with a human woman.”
“Quiet!” Brett said. “I have trouble enough as it is on my mind without you piling your senseless nattering on top of it. Now be silent.”
Paetrick’s cheeks flushed red. Faela was in no mood to defend the lad. She had fought viciously when Benjiko declared they would go to the Shigata. They should have thrown the blasted talisman into Ice Bay and been done with it. There was no purpose in fooling with those foul sorcerers.
That night they ate black bread as hard as stone and heavily salted pork. Then they froze. Brett had forbid them to light a fire. Faela was left to determine if they were more likely to be killed by the Shigata, or simply freeze to death before they got there.
Fortunately the Captain of the Guard wasn’t completely without his tricks. He had a surprising knowledge of old magic and was able to draw some runes into the snow that they slept on which kept the cold at bay enough that if they huddled together for warmth nobody lost any fingers or toes.
The Shield was comprised of a strip of land that jutted out from the western continent. In appearance it resembled a long shield that was connected to the continent only by a slim path from the mainland near Iryllium. It consisted of the North Shield, with the city of Saebyl far above them near the Frost Forest and the Clouds, and the South Shield that made up the landmass east of Ice Bay that trailed down to Frost.
Their journey south at least offered some striking scenery. From their path they could see the crystal waters of Ice Bay to their right and the large stretch of black ocean known as the Dark Sea to their left. Beyond the Dark Sea lay Eastern Gaellos, where Emperor Julius Hercinium ruled his domain.
“I want to thank you for agreeing to come, Faela,” Paetrick said to her one day. “We’ve already come so far together. I wouldn’t have wanted to go even farther south without you.”
“I know,” she said. As much as the prospect of going to Castle Unduyo intimidated her and left a bad taste in Faela’s mouth, in reality she would never have left Paetrick to simply deal with it on his own.
Still, she was worried. There wasn’t much she knew about the Cult of Ashanimara other than that they hailed from Eastern Gaellos and worshiped the Wolf Queen, but judging by Benjiko and Brett’s reactions the group was to be feared. The safest place for Paetrick would be back in the Temple of Ice and Shadow, and that’s exactly where she planned to see him.
“What can you tell us about the Cult of Ashanimara,” Faela asked.
“Shh,” Brett hissed.
Faela looked around at the endless sea of grey-blue that surrounded them. “They must have some good ears,” she said.
“Be silent,” Brett said. He furrowed his brow. The Captain of the Guard had been in a foul mood from the start. Just like me, Faela realized.
“They’re very dangerous,” Brett said. “Let me put it this way. They swear no allegiance to the Emperor, and yet are still allowed to exist in the East.”
“Why would they come here?” Paetrick asked.
“Gods only know,” Brett said. “The bigger question is why did they have a Shigata talisman.”
“Is there magic in them?” Paetrick asked.
Brett nodded. “They’re silver, so certainly. But still. Perhaps we can use the situation to our advantage. When we arrive at Castle Unduyo we can inform the Shigata what has happened. They’ll be glad to have the dragon-in-chains back, and they might just decide that the Cult of Ashanimara needs to pay for their thievery.”
Faela snorted. “You have a lot of faith in those murderers. They’re just as likely to blame the whole thing on us and take our heads.”
“Your prejudice is foolish, Faela,” Brett said. “The Shigata are poorly understood. Especially in Coldclaw.”
“Oh really?” Faela spat, growing angry. “Am I misinformed then on what they do to themselves? The mutilation of the soul they willingly undertake?”
“The world is not made up of good and evil alone,” Paetrick said. “The monks say that the Shigata are a divine order, sent by the gods to eliminate the incarnation of our sins.”
“You don’t really believe that?” Faela asked, shaking her head. “You don’t really believe that demons are born every time a human commits some evil act, do you?”
“Well, why else would they exist?” Paetrick asked.
“Why would anything exist?”
“Because the gods of ice and shadow will it.”
Faela threw her hands in the air. “I should have known better than to philosophize with a monk.”
“You think I don’t know anything,” Paetrick argued. “But I know some things you don’t.”
“Oh?” Faela asked as she gripped the reins of her horse. “Why don’t you enlighten me, wise one?”
Paetrick huffed. “I know that the Cult of Ashanimara has real power. Dark power. I know that Ashanimara is a very old goddess. One of the gods of ice and shadow who rebelled from her brothers and sisters and went her own way. She teaches men who sacrifice at her alter to wear the skins of wolves.”
You speak more nonsense every time you open your lips,” Faela said. “Werewolves are nothing more than ordinary demons who carry a disease that can be transferred to others. It has a name, young monk. Did you know that? The phenomenon is called lycanthropy, and it is well understood. You’d do well to keep your worship of the gods to the realm of death, where science hasn’t already proven it superstitious garbage.”
“Stop bickering!” Brett said. “I’ve had about all I can take from you two.”
“You know, Faela, you’ve turned a lot meaner since we separated in Iryllium,” Paetrick said. “I think I liked you better before.”
That evening they huddled together under the side of a cliff. Brett had drawn another rune to keep the worst of the winter night at bay, but their spirits dampened when the rain began to fall.
“If I had my fire, then I could at least make a small controlled blaze to keep us warm,” Faela said.
“You could,” Brett agreed. “But I would forbid you from doing so. Even a small blaze would be far too dangerous.”
“Why?” Paetrick grumbled. “It’s cold and there’s nobody here.”
“Does that answer your question?” Brett asked. Even the Captain of the Guard seemed unnerved as he stared wide-eyed into the darkness.
Not one of them slept that night.
They made it through the night undisturbed, but all of them were eager to continue their journey. They were nearly past Frost, and the prospect of high city walls made all of them want to hurry.
“Let me help you with that,” Faela said to Paetrick as the monk struggled to fasten one of his bags properly.
“I don’t need your help,” Paetrick said, turning his back.
Faela felt a twang of guilt. Paetrick was right to be angry with her. She had spoken to him harshly yesterday. It was merely the result of her own anger at being forced into the journey to Unduyo. She knew she couldn’t let Paetrick go without her, but all the same it took a huge amount of her willpower to force herself into it.
“We won’t stay long in Unduyo,” Brett said once they were moving. “For one the Shigata won’t allow it. They’re highly protective of their secret fortress. Besides that, I mislike being away from Benjiko for too long. We will say what we have to, and head back immediately.”
“That’s fine by me,” Faela said. She looked around the barren landscape. There was no sign of wolves or cultists. Just grey sea and grey sky. Still, she kept her ruby-pommel sword loose in its sheath.
“So why did the King summon all of the Dragons to Iryllium?” Paetrick asked. “Is it because of of these Ashanimara cultists? Does he plan to fight them?”
Faela and Brett exchanged a glance. The Captain of the Guard’s forehead was drawn into lines of worry. “We can deal with that when we return to Iryllium,” Brett said.
Paetrick shrugged. “I was just wondering. Why not summon all of the Star-blessed? Sure the Dragons are powerful, but there are nine other signs that could be useful.”
“Too much power in one place can have dangerous consequences,” Brett said. “Perhaps you haven’t heard the stories of what can happen when too many Star-blessed gather.”
