by C S Vass
“The Sages aren’t going to like this,” Yaura grumbled.
“We won’t know until we ask them,” Robert said with a wide smile. “Now off we go!”
The snows fell ever faster as they walked the streets of Meno. Tradesmen packed away their things, and hunters returned from the woods with slain deer on their shoulders or sacks of rabbits, squirrel, and fish.
“Natal chart?” An old woman called to them from behind a stand. She wore flowing purple robes that covered everything except for scarlet eyes that stared from behind folds of cloth.
“We haven’t the time, grandmother,” Godwin said. “We seek shelter for the night.”
“If you be poor travelers, you’ll find none better than here,” the old woman replied, gesturing to the building behind her. “Warm beds and a hot meal. Discounted prices if ye be Shigata warriors.”
Yaura shrugged. “It’s worth investigating, I suppose,” she said.
“I want a natal reading,” Robert said excitedly as he approached the woman’s stand.
The old woman smiled and dipped a large black feather into a porcelain inkwell. “Come hither then.”
“I have no need to see my stars,” Yaura said. “I’m going in to see about a hot bath.” Yaura disappeared into the building. Godwin was about to follow her when he felt a firm hand on his shoulder.
“I need to speak with you.”
He felt his jaw tighten. Turning, he saw the baleful eyes of Rekki the ogre staring at him.
“I had thought our business was concluded,” Godwin said.
“It’s not,” Rekki said. “I need a moment of your time.” The ogre looked deeply uncomfortable. She swallowed. “Please. It won’t take long.”
Godwin nodded. He had never in his life heard an ogre use the word please.
Rekki walked with him just a few streets over towards the edge of town. She stopped by the trees that marked the entrance into the wilderness.
“Why all the secrecy?” Godwin asked. “I would think the more people know of the threat, the better chances your cause has to succeed. I’m sure the residents of Meno would be disturbed to know what’s going on so close to their home.”
“Perhaps,” Rekki said. “But I find I do better with speaking with humans one on one.”
“Very well. What message do you have for me?”
“The situation in Jagjaw is extremely serious.”
“So you’ve said, Rekki. I’m afraid I’m in no position to do anything about it until I return to Unduyo.”
“You misunderstand me, human. I left out some details in Wolfbane’s court. There is more happening than you humans are aware of. Things our guardians have seen.”
Godwin misliked the strange wobbling of Rekki’s voice. If he didn’t know better, he might have mistaken it for fear.
“The Lord of Meno has grown fat and indolent,” Rekki said. “It’s obvious he’ll be no help. I believe if he was truly aware of what was coming, not only would he be even less inclined to provide aid, but he might also flee altogether.”
Godwin frowned. “Is it truly so bad?”
“It is,” Rekki said. “The time of terror is coming. Not just here, but to all of Gaellos. The symbols are in the sky, for those literate in the elder runes of the stars. The constellations are in chaos. Signs come and go in an instant. There is…instability in the heavens.”
“Hardly a matter for those of us grounded on earth,” Godwin said. “I fail to see how the Shigata can help you with the stars.”
“Listen to me!” Rekki shouted. Bloody red veins strangled the whites of her eyes. “This is no longer about some idiot lord sending us help. You must warn the Shigata. You must tell your allies to prepare for the turbulence. If we are not ready, I fear for the future of the world.”
“I don’t understand you, Rekki. If you know something, then speak plainly to me. Otherwise, I fail to see what it is that I could do to help with matters.”
Rekki shouted and struck a pine tree with her fist. Bark splintered from it and turned to dust in the frosty air.
“I should have expected as much from a human,” she said once she had calmed down. “You’re all deaf to the world around you. You fail to see the trees amongst the labyrinth of stars. You fail to see the heavens in the water. How do I make you understand?”
Godwin waited patiently for her to continue. He had the strongest feeling that it would be most unwise to interrupt the ogre when she was this upset.
“The world has not been right for a long time,” Rekki eventually continued. “It started with the destruction of the Rainbow Wood. That never should have happened. The great forests of the elder days were cleared to make room for your human civilization. But now, you seek even more. You strip away silver from the bowels of the earth. You steal the ancient bones of the forest. What will be left?”
“First off, I’ve stolen nothing,” Godwin said. “Unless you mistake my sword for a pickaxe. Secondly,” he took dangling silver chain in his hand. “It’s a bit convenient to forget that you wear a silver chain around your neck, isn’t it? It would seem that humans aren’t the only ones with a thirst for new magic.”
“Bah! I could better make my case to the rocks and the wind,” Rekki said. “It matters not, I suppose. I’ve told you all that I can. I ask you, take my message to your Sages. Warn them of the impending danger, and pray that they take the matter more seriously than you do.”
Godwin did not answer immediately. The pink glow of sunset had melted into blackness, and the stars were swirling above them. Rekki waited patiently.
“I thank you for telling me this,” Godwin said after a while. “Though I must admit, I don’t understand what it means.”
“You are not alone then, Godwin,” Rekki said. “Neither do I. But, I trust the elders and the guardians among my people. They forewarn of a terrible calamity. One that might still be prevented, however unlikely that chance is.”
“Where will you go?” Godwin asked.
“I will take the night to consider,” Rekki said. “My heart tells me to return to the Jagjaw Mountains and join my people before the storm hits. My head tells me to go to Iryllium and shout from every rooftop that we must prepare ourselves. Perhaps the answer will visit me in my dreams.”
“Rekki. I’ll warn the Shigata. There are changes that need to happen among my people as well. The Shigata have turned into something that we were never meant to be. Many of them have returned to this island to collect bounties from the demons that plague the South. I will speak with them. I will speak with the Sages too.”
“Thank you, Godwin. I apologize for my temper earlier.”
Godwin smirked. “I was impressed. For an ogre I found you measured. Some of your kin would have cut down the Lord of Meno for the way he spoke to you.”
Rekki’s eyes glittered in the darkness. “Believe me, the prospect was tempting. Let my restraint speak to you about how dire this situation really is.”
Chapter 24
“It hardly feels real that we’re here,” Robert said.
“As real as any other day,” Godwin replied.
They were in the woods outside of Meno. Castle Unduyo was a day’s march away if they dawdled. Half a day if they moved with intent as Godwin planned to.
“It hasn’t been so long of a journey,” Yaura said. “It just feels like it has been because so much has happened.”
Robert scoffed. “And here I thought everything we’ve been through was completely ordinary for a legendary Shigata warrior.”
“Our days are tumultuous, or they’re not,” Godwin said. “There is not a lot of in-between for us. Still…I can’t help but feel nervous. My stomach is unsettled.”
“You all get nervous too?” Robert said. “The way folks speak of you back in the East, I would have thought you were all gods.”
“Don’t say such things,” Godwin said, quietly. “Especially not in the wilderness. Unduyo is not far, and our allies in the area are many, but all the same these
woods contain many secret things. Not all of them are friendly.”
Robert grew serious at that news, and for the next hour they travelled in silence.
“It is fascinating,” Robert said a good while later. “I had so much of the lore of this place mixed up before I met you both. I barely knew that Black Wolf was the island and Meno was the city. I also thought Unduyo was inside of Meno.”
“Unduyo is the stronghold of the Shigata,” Godwin said. “It has been for thousands of years.”
“Most confuse Unduyo and Witchika Khareen,” Yaura said.
“I admit I’ve never heard of Wi-Withitha—what was it?”
“Witchika Khareen,” Yaura repeated more slowly. “It is the school of the Shigata. The training program that determines if one will earn their silver thrygta.”
Robert laughed. “What happens if one fails out of the Shigata school?” he asked. “I imagine it must be a little different than failing out of the University.”
Godwin and Yaura did not share in his laughter. “They’re killed, swiftly,” Godwin said. “Usually by their classmates.”
Robert’s laughter died in his throat. “Y-you’re serious?”
“I am,” Godwin replied. “The path of the Shigata is not one chosen lightly. Once our secrets are revealed, they cannot be allowed to be carried away with those outside of our order.”
“We don’t jest, Robert,” Yaura said. “Unduyo will be a very dangerous place for you. You must only go where you are explicitly told you may go. Must only speak with whomever speaks with you first. If you stray, even once, we will not be able to help you.”
Robert’s face grew pale. “I…I should have, expected as much, I suppose.” He wiped a hand through his oily black hair. “Give me a moment. I have to piss.”
Godwin laughed darkly. “Somehow I’m not surprised.”
When he was out of sight Yaura tugged at Godwin’s wrist. “Are you aware?” she whispered.
He nodded.
“It’s best not to make a scene,” she continued. “The closer we get to Unduyo the less favorable conditions will be for whoever they are.”
“Go forth with Robert,” Godwin whispered back. “I’ll deal with the situation. Make no announcements, just take him by the hand and walk ahead.”
Yaura furrowed her brow, but decided against arguing. When Robert returned, she did as Godwin asked and wordlessly took him by the arm and led him at a near jogging pace ahead of them.
Whoever follows me here, it will be someone I do not expect, Godwin thought. Few dare play in these woods. They may simply be a fellow Shigata, but then why not reveal themselves? Most demons would not be able to contain themselves this long near fresh meat.
He loosened his blade in its sheath. It has been far too long since I’ve returned here. Perhaps an enemy’s head will make a proper gift to the Sages from the prodigal son upon his homecoming. We shall see.
Suddenly, wildly, impatience flared within him. He felt the insult of being stalked like a mindless animal. “Reveal yourself!” he shouted into the wilderness.
There was no answer but snowfall melting upon the trees.
“Coward,” he growled. “Very well. You will regret turning me from hunted to hunter.”
Moving swiftly, Godwin backtracked through the woods. Despite their tracks being visible in the snow, he paid careful attention, and searched for any bent leaves or suspicious sign of activity in the brush.
He needn’t have paid such careful attention. When he saw her, his heart sank. The ogre had been slashed to ribbons, and was cradled in the roots of a massive tree. Her body was slowly being buried by the snowdrift.
“Rekki!” he shouted.
Godwin ran to her. The wounds were from sadistic swordplay. Her opponent was highly skilled, curving their blade at intricate angles to miss the most vulnerable arteries that would have ensured a faster death.
The ogre’s eyes flickered. “G-Godwin?”
“Rekki, who did this? I can save you, get you to Unduyo. What foe is nearby? I’ll kill them, I swear it.”
He was losing control. The wall of emotion that Godwin had built around his heart and fortified for twelve long years was crumbling. Against his better judgement, he leaned into it. It had been so long since he allowed himself to feel such burning, vengeful rage.
“Godwin,” she said. “Y-your eyes. They frighten me.”
Rekki’s eyes closed.
“Hang on!” he yelled.
Before his hands touched her another voice spoke.
“Her fate was her own to choose, Godwin.”
Godwin lifted his eyes. Before him stood a stranger cloaked in black and wearing a cat-like mask with red runes painted on it.
“Did you do this?” he asked.
“Your instincts to return to Unduyo are good, Shigata,” the stranger said. “It has been too long since the Shigata returned home. It would do well for your brothers and sisters to join you.”
Godwin was fuming. The sensation was so familiar yet so distant. An echo of who he used to be.
“You are not Shigata then?”
The stranger laughed. The sound was shrieking. Oddly bird-like. “No Godwin, I am not of your order.”
“Then your life is forfeit. I’ll kill you for what you did to her.”
The stranger stepped closer. “What scary eyes you have, my friend. I had heard rumors of that look, but I had always assumed it was the stuff of children’s stories. Imagine my surprise to see that you’re actually quite terrifying. Perhaps you had better hear me out before you make such faces at me.”
Godwin drew his sword. The satisfying hiss of steel on leather made his fingers twitch. “Why did you kill her?”
“For interfering with Shigata business,” the stranger said at once. “Would you believe that? It’s almost like I’m doing your job for you.”
“You’re a dead man.”
“Perhaps. You know, before I was finished with her—”
Godwin launched himself at the masked person. Clutching the hilt of his sword by his right hip he planned to spear the stranger through the chest before the bastard could draw their weapon.
Steel flashed like twin windmills spinning in the stranger’s hand. The masked assassin had drawn two daggers. Two daggers against a Shigata longsword. They would be dead in a moment.
Godwin speared his blade forward and was shocked at the force which his opponent crashed into his sword with. A single dagger diverted his blow when it was mere inches from their heart and sent Godwin stumbling.
Godwin growled in anger as he lifted his blade defensively. He had been vulnerable to an attack. The stranger had created an opening, and there could be no doubt now that they had the skill to take advantage of it. But they didn’t land the killing blow. The fury Godwin felt at that realization was indescribable.
“Is that it?” his opponent mocked. “That’s the strength of the legendary Godwin of Brentos. The fabled Odruri?”
The word struck Godwin like a bolt of lightening. He had not thought of that name in many years.
“What do you want?” he demanded.
“To find a damn Shigata worth trusting,” the man behind the mask said. “I’m beginning to think the task might be impossible.”
Godwin launched himself again, calmer this time. Rage would not increase his chances of victory. He forced himself to see the battle as a defense of Unduyo rather than revenge for Rekki. His attacks became more subtle, more deliberate, with a gradual crescendo until the masked person was flailing like a wild animal trying to defend against the vicious barrage of blows.
It didn’t matter. Try as Godwin might, the longer they danced the more it sunk in. He was outclassed entirely. For the first time in his life since those lonely days in the mountains of the North with that bastard Reinko Assini, Godwin was in a fight that there was no hope he could win.
That did not change the fact that he had no choice but to keep fighting.
Sending a sweeping blow at his
opponent’s legs, Godwin slid on the ground and tried to hack the stranger down from his knee-caps. The masked fighter swept upwards, just high enough off the ground to avoid the blow, just fast enough to send a dagger sinking into the weak point of Godwin’s leather jerkin near his armpit.
Stringing pain resounded through his body.
Godwin collapsed.
“Why aren’t we waiting for Godwin?” Robert asked.
“Because you’re too obviously hostage material,” Yaura snapped. “Be glad we came to that conclusion. It really throws an enemy off when they think they have a valuable hostage only to realize that they don’t. You would have made excellent bait.”
“Point taken.”
The sky expanded before them as the woods thinned. Blue turned to black as the sun’s dying rays echoed over the landscape.
“The stars are wild tonight,” Robert observed.
He’s not wrong Yaura thought nervously. The heavens above swirled with dizzying motion. Such turbulence was rare. But what did it mean?
“Look!” Robert shouted. “Is that smoke off in the distance?”
Up ahead black plumes drifted skyward. “It’s coming from Unduyo!” Yaura shouted. “Come on, we have to hurry.”
They bolted through the woods as quickly as their legs could carry them. Come on, Godwin, Yaura thought desperately. We need you back here with us.
Chill shock blasted up her spine as Yaura stepped through a patch of ice and soaked her left leg up to her knee in freezing water.
“Shit,” she grumbled.
“Take my hand,” Robert said as he attempted to help pull her free. She was about to grab his arm when Robert suddenly jerked backwards with a sharp yell.
“Robert!” she shouted. Her jaw dropped in horror as she saw the reason for his sudden collapse.
Robert hadn’t tripped. He had been pulled back by some hellish demon the likes of which she had never seen. Its head was strangely insect-like, and it stood on two haunched legs like a werewolf. But most shocking of all was its body, a great oozing blob of flesh that was covered in small mouths lined with rows of teeth as thin and pointed as sewing needles.
