“I never thought I would be able to run so far.”
“Your body has certain limits. Even though you can kill the pain, you can’t push it like that without consequences,” Will cautioned. “I’ll try to get you some almamenth. We may even have to get you something stronger.”
Adan drank the water, but he felt no refreshment as it went down. It looked brackish, but because of his bioseine it had no taste.
“Thank you,” he told Will.
Nox, who was on his third or fourth cup of water, not including the one he’d simply dumped over the top of his head, came towards them, clearing his throat. His kaff was gone and he flashed his crooked grin.
“So, great one, you saw the strength of the Waymen today.”
“Oh, yes. The Wayman spirit is legendary in the Vast,” Will said, raising his voice and eyeing the crowd around them.
“But it will be tested tomorrow, eh?” Nox laughed noisily, spraying water out his mouth and nose. Some of it landed on Will’s garrick. Nox apologized profusely and reached out as if he meant to pat him down. As he made the move to touch Will, the people gave a collective gasp and Will took a step back.
“It’s fine, Nox. It’s nothing, really,” he said, waving to the crowd and showing them that he was all right. He turned and addressed Nox, lowering his voice. “Listen, I need you to take me to where you’re keeping the vision water before I meet with the Reeve.”
“The Reeve—yes, he is awaiting your arrival.” Nox clapped his hands together. “And you were asking for—what were you asking for?”
“The vision water.”
“Ah, yes, in the azanya of relics. That’s where we are keeping it. It’s very safe, great one, very safe I assure you. Come, follow me.”
Nox waved his arms petulantly at the crowd and the other Waymen warriors. “Stop your gawking and get back to your azanyas, you miserable swedges! The seer doesn’t need a bunch of riffraff following him around and watching his every move. Out of our way!”
The members of the crowd bowed reverently as Will passed, then quickly scattered, carrying whispered conversations away with them into their dwellings. Will and Adan followed Nox, winding their way to a large tent in the heart of the sprawling camp.
Two Waymen stood guard at the entrance, but they pulled the tent flaps aside at a gesture from Nox.
A blast of hot air greeted Adan as he entered. The tent was well-lit by flickering lights from various braziers and torches. Adan had never seen an open flame before. The dancing orange tongues caressed the smoke which drifted up through several large holes in the top of the tent, fading into the weak morning light. He marveled at the beauty within these rough tents, and yet no one else gave it so much as a look.
Four other men stood in front of dozens of stacks of pointed metal shafts. Adan recognized these instruments at once; they were the same cruel weapons the somatarchs had used against the Welkin in the Basin. Adan shivered at the sight of them.
Nox pointed to the back of the tent. “You shims! Move these pinions and fetch the seer his relic. Now!”
The men jumped to obey, shoving several bundles of shafts off the top of some rugs. They pulled these away to reveal the bare sand beneath and brought over shovels and started digging. Sand flew like a mini storm had erupted inside the tent.
“They’re strong young shivs,” Nox said, smiling. “They’ll fetch you the vessels in no time, great one.”
Despite Nox’s assurance and the relentless way the men labored, they dug for quite some time before they finished. Then at last one of them pulled out a tarnished metal case from the hole. They handed it to Will who stared at it for a moment, his eyes blazing in the firelight.
The remin fluid.
Adan stepped back, bumping into a pile of pinions, but causing no harm. Now that it came to it, he wished there was a way to delay this moment a little longer. Though he was convinced they needed to return to Oasis, there would be no turning back once Will had recovered whatever was inside that liquid. He stared anxiously at the dingy little box as Will set it down on one of the rugs.
Nox handed Will his set of pincers and Will snipped off the two metal rings which kept the case shut. Inside rested two vials of neon green liquid, snuggly encased in black foam. One had a blue stopper and one had a red. They glowed with their own inner light.
Will withdrew the vial with the red stopper and removed it. A strong metallic smell filled the air. He paused, raised the vial, and said confidently, “For the glory of the Waymen.”
“The dust take us,” Nox said, his voice hushed for once.
Will gulped the liquid down, then closed his eyes and winced. When he opened them again and looked at Adan, his eyes were bloodshot.
“What’s wrong?” Adan asked, reaching out to Will’s mind.
“Nothing,” he replied, but his thoughts were swirling and unclear for the first time since Adan had discovered how to connect to them.
“I have received the vision,” Will announced to the Waymen. His voice sounded strained and he coughed several times to clear his throat before he went on. “Take me to the Reeve. The eternal city awaits.”
Twenty-Eight
The Legend of the Eternal City
Adan and Will were escorted from the remin tent to another one close by. This new structure was more than twice the size of the tent holding the remin fluid. It was not as hot inside, with only two, low-burning braziers set on the floor, casting heavy shadows about the room. A faint smell drifted through the air, but Adan’s bioseine, still in control of his internal systems, masked it, making it less intense than it actually was. He briefly considered taking back control of his senses, but a quick warning from his bioseine told him that his body had not yet recovered from the journey across the desert. He needed almamenth or some other form of medical attention, but that would have to wait until this meeting was over. This was the tent of the Waymen’s leader and Adan got the sense that his attendance was not optional.
There were four guards inside, equipped with jagged metal blades similar to the shivs the Waymen carried, only longer. They also wore several metal pinions slung across their backs and stood there, stone-faced, even when Nox announced that the great seer had arrived.
Propped up against the walls of the tent were scores of violent-looking metal instruments, weapons of some sort no doubt. Most of them were falling apart and looked like they hadn’t been used in some time, but they cast distorted, intimidating shadows upon the walls. Adan shifted uneasily in their presence, imagining what sorts of things they’d been made for.
A set of curtains on the opposite side of the tent parted and a tall man wearing blood red robes passed through. His head was entirely bare and he had a severe look to his face, as if he were coming to render some sort of judgement upon them.
“Greetings, seer,” he said in a smooth voice, nodding towards Will. He thrust a long, metal pole towards him. It had three jagged blades on the end of it, all pointed directly at Will’s chest.
Will gave a start, “I was expecting—”
“Vor is dead,” the bald man said, flatly. “He met an untimely death in the wastes, no doubt taken by the sand demons. I, Sparc, lead the thral of Gyre now.”
This man’s presence provoked doubt in Will’s inner thoughts, but he nodded respectfully, regaining his composure. “The crossing of our paths bodes well. I congratulate you on becoming the new Reeve. I am sure you will lead the thral to many great feats.”
“I accept your words.” The man nodded, withdrawing his weapon. “Have no fear. Though we have not met, I, like my predecessor, understand the significance of Tasada. I stand ready to fight alongside you, just as he.”
After speaking these words, Sparc stepped to the side, revealing the presence of another man who must have entered along with him. Coming out from Sparc’s shadow, was a small, bald man, his skin shrunken and withered. A thick black band had been painted across his eyes going all the way around his head. Stranger still, his eyes rema
ined shut as he shuffled forward and nodded in Will’s direction. Adan wondered what was wrong with him, but was too nervous to ask.
“Great seer, I am sure you remember Durm, the canter of our mighty thral,” Sparc motioned toward the man with the painted face.
“Yes, of course.”
“That man frightens me, Adan thought to himself.
“He’s harmless,” Will replied. “He’s just a holy man. Sparc is the one we need to worry about. He’s the Reeve. They’re the most violent and best warriors in the thral. They lead by brute force.”
His mind swirled and went dark after that.
I don’t like this place, Adan thought. These people are even more dangerous than I imagined. And Will…what is going on with him?
Spark’s voice broke into his thoughts. “Before we begin, Durm wanted me to tell you how honored he is to be in your presence during this fateful moment.”
“The honor is equally mine.” Will nodded towards the painted man, who nodded back, eyes still closed. “And this is my companion, Adan. He also is skilled in the mystical arts, and will aid us in our assault.”
Sparc gave Adan a curt nod, but said nothing. Durm remained motionless. Nox scratched behind his ear.
The Reeve motioned for them to sit down on the rugs which covered the floor. The guards remained standing.
“So, have you received the final revelation?” Sparc asked, training his eyes upon Will.
“Yes, I have seen the vision and will tell you of it now—” Will began, but Nox cleared his throat so loudly at that moment that Will paused, waiting for him to speak up. Nox just shook his head and waved his hand indicating that Will should go on.
“As you know,” Will resumed, “the Reeve of Tasada has made the Desiccant Flats a land of death so that no Wayman may enter them.”
“Yes, and several of the more craven thrals used that as an excuse not to join our throng, but no matter. The greater the glory for us when we capture the eternal city.” Sparc’s eyes blazed greedily.
“The ruler of Tasada has hidden mystical relics within the flats, relics so powerful they can unmake a man before he is ever aware that his life is in danger,” Will said. “These relics are called ‘whisper cannons’, for it is said that the last sound their victim hears before he dies is a gentle murmuring upon the wind.”
Nox interrupted, impatiently, “Perhaps I am but an empty shaft, oh seer. But weapons that kill with whispers? Weapons we cannot see? How will we overcome such things?”
Sparc took in a sharp breath, “Let him finish, Nox,” he said firmly. “Clearly the seer has found a way across the Flats or he could not have seen the eternal city for himself.”
“As I was saying, these weapons are powered by the same ancient arts as the relics we see buried all across the Vast. The demons jealously guard their secrets, but I have mastered them and am able to pass undetected across the Flats. My companion and I will destroy them before they can take the lives of all of your warriors.”
“Before they take the lives of all? I do not understand,” Sparc said. “Can you not destroy them before we enter the Flats?”
“The cannons will not appear until they perceive a threat. For me to destroy one, we must bait it into attacking. I will go ahead of you and, once I am out of sight, you will enter the Flats and trigger the weapon to appear. The cannons are spaced far enough apart so that we will only have to pass by one of them. It should not take me long to destroy a single weapon.”
A low chuckle escaped Nox’s lips. “So we just have to walk into the Flats, cover our ears, and hope this relic doesn’t ‘whisper’ at us—”
“Silence, brother!” Sparc gave him a withering look. Nox shrugged his shoulders and something between a grimace and a grin stretched across his face. Adan could not tell whether it was given apologetically or defiantly.
Durm leaned over and seemed to say something in Sparc’s ear, but Adan heard nothing. It looked as if he were just moving his lips.
“The canter and I approve of your plan, oh seer,” Sparc said once Durm’s mouth stopped moving. “For the Waymen, life is as metal shavings. They must fall to make the pinion sharp. To die in battle or running with the throng—that is all we can hope for in this life.”
“Truly. It is well spoken,” Will said. He seemed able to match the formalistic tones and phrases of the Waymen perfectly.
“We sent for all the thrals we could find,” Sparc said. “We had twelve at first, but two lacked courage and turned back to the dunes while we waited for your arrival. But we will have enough numbers for the attack. Losing a few shivs to this ‘whisper cannon’ will not stop the mighty throng we have assembled.”
The hardness in Sparc’s face showed that he cared nothing for the men he would be sending to their deaths. Adan wondered why people would give their lives for a man they meant so little to.
Sparc went on. “But crossing the Flats is only the first step. There will be interior defenses as well, I am sure. The legends tell of the great army of Tasada. After we cross the Flats, what sort of forces will the demon send out against us?”
Will nodded. “You are very perceptive, great Reeve. The ghostly army within is so terrible that if all the host of the Vast descended upon it, we should not prevail. However, here is where our enemy’s pride will be his undoing. For we will seem but a little threat to him. He will not send the whole army at once, but merely a small force.”
Nox snorted. “Ha! What are a few guards against the great might of the Waymen throngs? We shall pour over them like grains of sand covering a vadi.”
Sparc gave Nox another piercing glare.
“Do not be so quick to put your hand to the shiv,” Will said. “Remember those spirits you fought today? You overcame them by sheer numbers. But those warriors were unarmed and still each one killed ten shivs apiece. In Tasada, there will be many, many more. And they will not be unarmed.”
Nox rubbed his hands together excitedly. “Then we will just send in a few shivs and slit their throats while they sleep—”
“Enough, Nox!” Sparc bellowed, whipping the three-bladed pole around and pressing it against his neck. “If you were not my brother I would cut out the voice strings from your throat and stitch your mouth shut with them for good measure. Then I’d be rid of your prattle and that obnoxious grin of yours at one go. This is a conclave of war. Do not interrupt the seer again.”
Nox cringed and pulled one of the loose rugs up off the floor to shield himself from the impending blow, but Sparc merely scowled at him and lowered the weapon.
“Pay no attention to my foolish brother, great seer. He is overzealous at times. Now, please continue,” he said.
Adan shifted restlessly. Why had Will ever agreed to ally with these people? He felt they would surely turn on him at some point, even if they were successful in conquering this “eternal city”.
Will calmly took a breath and continued speaking. “Though there will be many warriors guarding the city, if we cut off the head, the body will fall.”
Once again, Durm reached over and mouthed words into Sparc’s ear. Whatever he said, it seemed to trouble the Reeve.
“Why should we expect our enemies to run like ishtos into the desert just because we kill their leader? I maintain my rule of this thral through force of will and a metal fist, but if I fall, another will rise and take my place. Is it not the same with the ruler of Tasada?”
“Do not forget who stands before you.” Will spoke with slow, measured confidence. “I am a master of the mystic arts and I tell you that the leader is a demon and no man. He rules his thral by magic and not by might. Kill him and you break the spell by which he controls his army.”
Sparc grinned shrewdly at Will’s reply.
Will went on. “The final revelation tells of a vadi deep within Tasada, not of water, but of magic. It is the source of the demon’s power. The warriors and the demon are one as long as this magical vadi exists. But this energy can be changed. If the vadi is poisone
d…”
“…all who drink from it would die,” Sparc finished the sentence.
“Exactly. Unfortunately, I must journey deep into the heart of the city to release the poison. This is why your great host is essential. You will engage Tasada’s forces, falling back bit by bit so that he thinks you are being defeated. In the meantime, I and my companion will steal into the city and poison the mystical vadi. The poison will shatter the demon’s hold on his warriors. Bereft of the demon’s power, we will vanquish the armies of Tasada in one swift storm of death, allowing you to seize the city and claim what is rightfully yours.”
Sparc regarded Adan for the first time since the conversation had begun. Even Durm turned in his direction, though his eyes remained unsettlingly shut.
“You speak many mysteries,” Sparc said. “But if you and your companion can do as you say, it shall be a glorious victory for the Waymen.”
Durm whispered more silent words in Sparc’s ear. The Reeve nodded and rose to his feet.
“It is settled then.” The rest of the room rose with the Reeve. “You will destroy the power of the demon’s magic while we do battle with his ghostly army. Fate is with us. We shall not fail.”
Adan, especially, was relieved that the meeting was finally drawing to a close. He felt as if he had been holding his breath the entire time and was able to breathe again at last.
Sparc’s face was no longer as grave as when he had first entered. Even Nox seemed to have regained some of his swagger, risking a timorous chuckle.
They said their good-byes, but before he turned to leave, Will addressed the Waymen one last time, his azure eyes glinting with confidence. “May the words we have spoken here carry out across the winds into the ears of our enemies. May those who have kept us so long from this jewel of the desert hear our words as a deafening shout!”
“You speak like the Reeves from the old tales,” Sparc said.
His eyes still shut, Durm’s face broke out in a crooked smile.
The Chronotrace Sequence- The Complete Box Set Page 20
