by C S Vass
“Don’t look, just run,”
Faela looked.
In the distant snowy hills three hulking figures ran across the land. Panic welled in her chest once more. She reached inside for her fire, and was too exhausted to endure even a moment of the pain.
“We should leave the pony,” Brett said at once. Immediately the beast snorted and kicked the air in protest, almost throwing Paetrick from his saddle in the process. “I’m sorry,” he pleaded. “But it’s you or us. Most likely you and us in any case.”
“No,” Faela said. She was sympathetic to the beast but there was a more important reason why they couldn’t do that. “Paetrick is as good as dead if we take away his mount.”
“Leave me too,” Paetrick said. He straightened up and tried to put on a brave face, but his bottom lip was trembling like he was in the midst of a seizure. “I already said there’s no point.”
“Fuck off with that,” Brett said. “I already told you, I’m not getting indebted to a band of ogres for no reason.”
“We won’t let you stay behind,” Faela said firmly. “We started this journey together, and we’re ending it together. No matter what.”
The last rays of light finally died and with them the last sense of hope that Faela had. This is truly the end, she realized. She felt more sad than scared. She was still young. There was much that she had hoped to do in this life before playing in the gardens beyond the sun. It seemed that fate had other intentions.
The pony collapsed.
They rode the beast too hard too fast. It was strong and dutiful, but it was also young and tired. As the moon rose its legs buckled and gave out, tossing Paetrick from his seat into the snow.
“Paetrick!” Faela shouted. She ran towards him. Another howl sent shivers down her spine.
Paetrick tried to say something but a series of coughs racked his body and prevented him from speaking.
“It seems we have no choice but to make our stand,” Brett said. “There’s no more point in running.”
“No, I suppose not,” Faela said, swallowing.
“It doesn’t mean we can’t take a few of them with us,” Brett said confidently. “Who knows? There are only three this time. We may well surprise them!” He hacked the air with his longsword, stretching out the tired muscles in his body.
Faela drew her sword as well. She might not be able to fight with fire, but she could still fight with steel.
“I’m…I’m sorry,” Paetrick said from the ground. “I never meant to involve you all with this.”
The werewolves descended.
There were three: massive hairy beasts with haunched legs and bloodlust in their eyes. Faela suspected that they knew the fate of their allies. These wolves did not stop. They had no mocking words. They appeared, and they attacked.
Brett surprised her with a vicious series of slashing attacks that drove the werewolves back. The beasts suffered superficial wounds to their muscular bodies while the pony screamed terrified and fled into the night. Faela joined him in the bloody work, following up each of his attacks with a series of her own jabs.
They were a good team, she realized. They spoke with their bodies, not their words, in a language perfectly comprehensible to both of them. The werewolves were hatred incarnate with eyes like molten fire and teeth stained with blood. Still, Faela and Brett were able to drive them back.
It wouldn’t last.
“I’ll take you right to hell you bastard!” Brett shouted as he slashed a werewolf across the snout and sending a trail of blood exploding across the snow. As he did, Faela felt pain in her left leg as the beast’s jaws closed around it. She tumbled to her knee and was able to turn and slash thus winning momentary freedom. But still, the damage was done.
As the battle waned, Faela felt as though she were watching it from outside of her body. This wasn’t real. It was happening to someone else. Paetrick wasn’t really on the ground, slowly dying. Brett wasn’t really taking on two of the werewolves at once, his sword knocked from his hands. Faela wasn’t really staring down the third beast as it approached her with murder in its eyes.
It was all a slow-motion dream. It was all someone else’s nightmare. Even the stars seemed fake. They had slowed in the sky nearly to a halt. Looking up at the infinite number of glowing fires made Faela feel strangely calm. The throbbing in her leg subsided. A feeling of peace and power washed over her.
Faela!
The voice might have belonged to Brett. It was hard to say. She was so far away from the horror that was happening to them. The stars were so beautiful. A constellation was forming up above. Two bright stars at the tip of the wings. Four more along the length of the tail. The others finally came at just the right angle.
Time stopped.
Or maybe not. Maybe she was just outside of it, like an open door she never noticed that she could simply walk through and be on the other side. She was there floating like a ghost. The werewolves were upon them, radiating hatred. Brett was on his knees swinging his fists desperately to keep the beasts at bay. Paetrick was on the ground, pale-faced and frightened.
All of it stopped. There was only her and those beautiful stars that formed the Dragon. She had only seen that magnificent constellation a handful of times in her life. This time was somehow different. It was more than just an arrangement of stars. She could really feel the power in the heavens. The secret magic woven in darkness between the starlight.
Faela saw the Dragon.
She felt like a rapidly blossoming flower. Wells of energy, raw burning power, swelled in her navel. It was at her command yet somehow completely uncontrollable. It burned from her eyes, sweltered in her hands, draped her body like sun glow in the morning.
Streams of molten energy blasted from her fingertips into the werewolf in front of her. The creature erupted in flames like the wick of a candle, screeching in pain before falling silent.
Faela could barely hear it. The only thing she could hear was her heart thumping like a war drum and the stars humming above her. The two other werewolves charged her. From her perspective they looked as if they were running through molasses.
She opened her mouth and sang a beautiful high-pitched note. Flames resonated with her voice and exploded with the ferocity of an erupting volcano. Hair burned. Flesh melted. Blood congealed and bones cracked while the marrow within blistered away into nothingness.
Then it was done.
They sat together for a long while before anyone said anything. Brett busied himself tending to Paetrick’s injuries. Somewhere along the line the pony returned, perhaps drawn by the warmth of the flames, perhaps for some entirely different reason.
The stars shifted. The Dragon left the sky. Faela felt as if she were sitting in a hot spring despite the midnight chill. Slowly, she felt more and more like herself.
“Well,” Brett said after a time. “It would seem that your fire’s back.”
Paetrick laughed first. Then Brett. Finally Faela. They laughed like madmen in the frozen hills of the Southern Shield. Then they slept as sound as newborn babes in their mother’s arms.
It had been a long journey, after all.
Chapter 28
Predawn had never unsettled Godwin in such a way.
The far-off shimmer of light in the morning mist combined with the plumes of smoke drifting above Unduyo to make him feel as if he were bearing witness to something tragic and maddening. A pale blue butterfly landed on the leaf near his head.
From the brush he heard Logun chuckle, each laugh stabbing the big man’s chest. “These bastards are everywhere.”
They were in a thicket of woods outside of the castle. Upon approaching Unduyo they had realized that they were perhaps too late. Enemies in black cloaks were all around them. Their ships had sailed into the small bay that Unduyo rested above, and they had conquered the castle.
“We have to get to the Sages,” Godwin replied. “We have to figure out what’s going on.”
He had been counting o
n Logun to explain things, but his Shigata brother knew only as much as he did. Unduyo was under attack. The enemies were allying themselves with demons. What this all would amount to, however, remained to be seen.
“My arms are tired, brother,” Logun said gruffly. “I don’t know that we can win this. There aren’t enough of us here. Too many of our brothers and sisters have been killed. What are we to do?”
“Our duty,” Godwin said angrily. “Be thankful nothing terrible happened when the Dragon appeared. I thought for sure they would have some bloody bastard waiting to burn down what remained of the castle.”
Logun nodded. He was breathing heavily and the ebony handle of his war hammer was slick with blood. They had fought hard throughout the night working in secrecy, searching for other Shigata, and trying to find a way into Castle Unduyo that wouldn’t result in them being swarmed by dozens of enemies. So far they had come up short.
“The Dragon is gone, but I’m more worried about that,” Logun said pointing to the bright blue star of the Serpent’s eye. “It’s unusual for a constellation to linger so long in the sky. We should beware of treachery.”
Godwin nodded, though he didn’t like the sound of that at all. Beware of treachery? The only allies he had there were Logun, Yaura, and Robert. None of them could be traitors. Still…it didn’t bode well that the Serpent still hovered above them.
Thinking of Yaura and Robert didn’t help any either. Godwin had been sure that sending them ahead would protect them from whoever their pursuer was, but he may well have spurred them onward to their deaths without realizing it.
“Fucking Forsaken,” Godwin grumbled.
“What’s that?” Logun asked.
“Nothing. Look, we need a plan.”
Logun nodded. “I hate to say it, Godwin, but the best plan might be to live. Fall back and fight another day. The castle is lost and we don’t even know who took it.”
“How did it come to this?” Godwin asked, shaking his head. “This is Unduyo, gods be damned! How could we lose the castle? I won’t allow it. We’re going to take it back.”
“Sounds like a suicide mission,” Logun said. “But hey, what does a Shigata have to live for anyway? Especially once our home has been taken.”
“We can’t abandon the Sages,” Godwin said. “If they’re still on the island, then we have to do absolutely everything in our power to make sure that we get them out of here safely.”
“Risk my neck for three old wise men?” Logun said. “Sounds like a fairy tale. But we go far back, you and I. I knew you, Godwin, when they called you by another name. When you carried another sword.”
“Logun,” Godwin said with just a hint of anger in his voice. “Some things are better left in the past.”
Logun pressed on anyway. “I’m just saying that if we’re really going to do something crazy like bust into the castle, then we might do well to have a little of that fire you brought to the Bloodwater Wars. They remember. Men would flee you, Godwin. Trained warriors. Men would flee just at the whisper you were nearby.”
“I can’t revive a dead reputation, Logun. Besides, I have a better idea. You’ll like it. You won’t even have to go into the castle.”
“Oh? Saving all the glory for yourself?”
“Hardly. How’d you like to burn down a small fleet?”
Logun grinned. “The bastards in the bay? Nothing would give me greater pleasure. But even if we did have the appropriate firepower, they’d spear me like a fish before I could get to a second or third ship. They have at least a dozen.”
Godwin smiled.
Logun shuddered. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen that face. What are you thinking, Godwin?”
“I’m thinking I was saving this for a rainy day. I just didn’t realize it would come so soon.” Godwin reached into his jerkin and pulled out a tiny bottle.
“Still tinkering with your potions I see. Well, what am I drinking this time?”
“Nothing,” Godwin said as he handed Logun the bottle. “Unless you want to melt your intestines. This is bagiennik oil.”
Logun’s eyes grew wide. Godwin smiled again.
“How in the name of the gods did you get your paws on this?” Logun asked with amazement. “Never mind. I really don’t want to know. But just tell me honest, this is the real deal?”
“It is,” Godwin said. “You’ll have the honor of creeping down towards the bay. Dump the oil in the water and run like hell.”
“It’s said that this stuff can incinerate half an ocean,” Logun said. “There’s barely a drop in here but still. You’re sure about this?”
“You have a better way to take on an army with just the two of us?”
“I suppose not. What will you do?”
“Once you set the oil into the water I’ll rush the castle and try to get to the Sages. And hopefully find some more Shigata.”
Logun snorted. “Our brothers and sisters are too busy filling their pockets with Lord Shade’s gold in Valencia. They don’t have time for trivial matters like defending their home.”
“Then be sure you live,” Godwin said. “We’ll have to go see them after this mess and remind them what their duties are.”
“Always the black sheep, aren’t you Godwin?” Logun rose. “Very well little black sheep. No more baaing for now. We have work to do. After I use the bagiennik oil, I’ll make my way to the woods outside the castle entrance and do my best to clear any obstacles that might be waiting for you. Just don’t die in there.”
Godwin stood and met Logun’s eyes with his own. “Thank you, Logun. This is only the beginning. There will be much work to accomplish when this is all over.”
“Oh good,” Logun said. “I was hoping you’d keep me from getting bored.”
The two men embraced in the shadow of the ruined castle. Each armed with their purpose, their paths divulged.
Godwin raced around to the other side of Unduyo. The outer wall had been destroyed in several places so he had no problem finding his way inside. He chose his location so that he could overlook the bay where the enemy ships flew sails without crests and floated like lilies on the surface of the water.
“Come on you bastard,” Godwin grumbled. His heart thumped as he waited for some sign of Logun’s success.
“Halt!”
The voice that spoke was high-pitched and uncertain. A nervous voice. Godwin turned and saw a young soldier in a black cloak crouching before him defensively with a spear pointed at his head.
“D-drop your weapons,” the soldier said. “I don’t want to hurt you, but I will.”
Godwin laughed in his face. “Funny. I want to hurt you, but I won’t. That is if you tell me who you are.”
“You’re Shigata,” the soldier asserted, trying to quell his trembling lips. He couldn’t have been older than twenty-one years. “We’ve taken your castle. Drop the sword and come with me. It’s over.”
“Don’t worry, you brat,” Godwin growled as he took a step forward. “I’m not going to draw my sword on you. But I am going to cause you a great deal of pain unless you tell me just who the hell you are.”
“Last chance, Shigata!” the lad trembled. “I mean it.”
“Come on, what are you waiting for?”
The soldier yelled and rushed forward clumsily. The tip of the spear was aimed at Godwin’s heart, but Godwin seriously doubted that there was even enough strength behind the blow to pierce his leather armor even if he were to allow a direct hit. Deciding to play it safe, Godwin snatched the spear with his right hand and yanked the soldier to the ground with a single tug. The weapon popped out of his hand without resistance, and as the soldier cleared the mud from his eyes Godwin snapped its wooden handle over his knee with a single thrust.
“Let’s try this again,” Godwin said as he drew his own blade. “Who are you?”
The soldier was trembling like a leaf in the storm. “My…my name…my name is…I’m called—”
“I don’t give a bloody shit abo
ut your name!” Godwin snapped. “What army are you from? Who commands you? Why the hell are you attacking our castle? Out with it!”
“My name is Yugo Janus. I’m with the 43rd Navy, Imperial army under the Command of Emperor Julius Hercinium.” Yugo spoke all of that very quickly without stopping, despite the violent tremors that took over his entire body.
Godwin frowned. This was bad. Very bad. The Empire was at it again. Of course he had suspected as much…but to have it confirmed was a terrible thing.
“Why?”
“Oh Sacred Jeresemeno I don’t have a bloody clue!” the soldier shouted. “Please don’t kill me. Please don’t kill me! Oh Jeresemeno I don’t want to die.” He sobbed uncontrollably at Godwin’s feet, convulsing like he was having a seizure.
“Stop that!” Godwin ordered. “Just…just go.”
The soldier didn’t need to be told twice. Racing to his feet, he stumbled off through the woods like a drunk rushing down towards the ships in the bay.
“I’m getting soft,” Godwin muttered to himself.
As the lad descended, a ripple of white flame blasted across the waters engulfing the ships. Yugo Janus stopped in dead fear, trapped between Godwin of the Shigata and a burning fleet.
Godwin laughed, then proceeded towards Unduyo. The time for playing was over.
The Imperial soldiers fled Unduyo as fast as the rats fled the burning ships in the bay. Godwin waited several minutes while soldiers poured out of the castle and raced down to see what the cause of their threat was. With such a massive amount of fire, they would surely think King Boldfrost’s war ships had poured into the bay to attack them.
It was strangely beautiful to watch, though Godwin did regret that he had to use the bagiennik oil so soon. Still, it would be difficult to think of a better use for it than protecting his home from Imperial soldiers.
He wanted to wait for some sign of Logun, but Godwin knew that he couldn’t risk it. Logun would have to find his own way to safety. They could meet up after Godwin rescued the Sages.
Rushing through the outer wall and into the inner bailey, Godwin encountered little resistance. A few soldiers attacked him. They were quickly disposed of. Others fled. It seemed that Julius Hercinium had not sent his best to deal with Castle Unduyo. A grave mistake, that.
