Black Coven (Daniel Black Book 2)

by E. William Brown

  “At any rate, for harder targets the experts normally fire from a prone position. Like this.” I got down on the ground and demonstrated. “It might look a little dumb, but it really works. If you’re standing up you’re constantly swaying back and forth from the wind and your breathing and a thousand other little things like that. On the ground you’re stable, so there’s not as much to throw off your aim. I’ve seen experienced marksmen hit a target at six hundred yards like this, although they usually use specially made guns that are more accurate than mine.”

  “Beyond that, keep in mind that the bullet drops a little as it flies. Like a crossbow bolt, only not as much. Wind can affect it some too, but again not as much as with a crossbow.”

  “Any questions?”

  One of the men scratched his chin. “Will these things really kill a man at that kinda distance, milord? An arrow’d just be a little love tap that far away.”

  “Depends on how good his armor is. At close range these bullets will punch through even heavy plate like nothing. If your target is a couple hundred yards away a good suit of armor might stop them, but if you hit flesh you’ll still make a big hole.”

  “Any way to get plunging fire, milord?” Asked another. “Or is this like crossbows?”

  “Like crossbows, pretty much. It’s possible, but it isn’t really worth bothering. The bullets move so fast that if you fire them up at an angle from here, they’d end up coming down somewhere in the woods on the other side of the river. Even with massed fire you’re not going to hit anything that way.”

  There were grudging nods all around at that.

  I spent another half hour circulating around the training area, taking in all the activity. Oskar’s sons had the smithy in operation already, and were turning out a batch of nails for the carpenters. Avilla had moved the carpentry work out to one of the new buildings, and laborers carried new pieces of furniture out of the busy workshop at regular intervals. A work party was making forays into town with one of the transports, hauling in loads of raw materials and food.

  My little settlement was starting to take on a life of its own. Thanks to the inevitable forces of bureaucracy I now had a staff meeting to run every other day, but at least I could count on my people to keep our various projects moving without my personal supervision.

  Which was a good thing, because that was when the prince’s messenger found me.

  After that putting up refugee shelters consumed most of my day. I wasn’t sure if that would actually save more lives than building better weapons to defend the city with, but I also wasn’t sure it wouldn’t. I wasn’t the only wizard in the city, but I was apparently the only one who was going to solve this particular problem.

  Things were more organized this time, which I supposed was the benefit of the extra day of warning. I was escorted first to a recently-cleared mustering yard next to the city wall, where the city’s chief engineer was ready to advise me about any infrastructure details I might need. There was also an older man in especially fine plate armor coordinating things.

  “Good morning, Adept Black. I’m Sir Hansen, with Prince Caspar’s personal retinue. I understand you’re going to perform a miracle of earth magic for us today?”

  I shook his hand. “Pleased to meet you, Sir Hansen. Yeah, I hear I’ve got my work cut out for me. What are we starting with?”

  “A barracks, if you please. Can you fill the space here, and build it to the height of the towers? An exit onto the wall would be good, but don’t worry about elaborate defenses. Stout doors will do well enough for now.”

  “I can do that. But I thought we were going to address the refugees first?”

  He sighed. “This is the best I can do on that front. Once this is up we can move the companies of infantry that are camped in Baker’s Square at the moment, and then you can put a shelter there. After that we should start getting ahead of things, but I fear we’ll need to resettle at least one more military encampment after this.”

  “I see. How many refugees are in the city right now, anyway?”

  “Our best guess is a bit under forty thousand, Adept Black. Add twenty thousand fighting men on top of that, and you see the scope of the problem.”

  “Damn. That’s worse than I thought. Well, let’s get started then.”

  Even with my powers, I wasn’t going to be building decent living space for sixty thousand people. But a lot of that number already had shelter, in inns or barns or the city’s barracks, and the remaining soldiers at least had tents. Not to mention that this first effort didn’t need to provide more than a space to huddle together out of the cold. Anything beyond that could wait until they weren’t going to freeze to death in some dark alley.

  So I built a six-story iron barracks building on the mustering yard, and then a pair of smaller shelters over plazas in the Trade Quarter. Then it was over to the Docks, where there was an empty warehouse I could tear down and replace. Sir Hansen’s troops did a good job of keeping people moving, and I didn’t have to waste any time waiting for them to clear out the plots I was building on. Every time I finished a building there was a long line of people queued up in the street, waiting for the chance to move in.

  A little before noon Cerise caught up with me to deliver one of Avilla’s ingeniously packed hot lunches. I thanked her, and let her know I wasn’t going to be home until after dark.

  “Avilla’s going to lecture you if you start overdoing it again,” she told me.

  “I know, I know. I’ll have to stop around sunset anyway, so tell her I’ll be home a little after dark.”

  By late afternoon we were reduced to building on an archery range, and I could tell Sir Hansen was running out of ideas. Not that there weren’t still open spaces within the walls, of course. But no one was going to suggest using that giant open plaza in front of the Iron Citadel to house refugees, or the similar spaces around the temples or the royal palace. Even the square in front of the city council building was exempt, although it had actually been considered.

  It didn’t surprise me that the dignity of high-status factions was considered more important than a few thousand lives. Besides, I couldn’t really object. I wasn’t going to volunteer space on my island either. The two hundred or so people I had living in my complex now were a drop in the bucket compared to the teeming masses in the city, but I wasn’t going to get them killed in another vain attempt to save everyone.

  As the sun set a stream of people trooped into the last shelter, and I paused by the entrance to confer with Sir Hansen.

  “I think that’s about the best we can do for now,” he told me. “That’s the main groups accounted for, at least. But it will take a few days to check the back alleys for stragglers, and find something else we can knock down to make room. Can I count on you for another shelter or two then, if we need them?”

  “Sure,” I said. “Just give me some notice if it comes up. I’m going to be doing some big projects of my own, and I can’t always stop in the middle of one.”

  “Of course. Well, here’s the license the prince promised you. Do you know who you’re going to be sending to the war room?”

  “Captain Rain, formerly of the 5th Margold. He’s the best military man I’ve got.”

  “I’ll leave word with the staff to look for him. A word of advice, though. The war room is always manned, but the prince is usually there first thing in the morning. He doesn’t like interruptions, so it’s best to put off other business until he leaves for the day.”

  I frowned. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to have staff meetings during the day, or in the evening after all the reports are in?”

  “I’m not going to tell his highness how to run things,” the elderly knight pointed out. “It’s not a course I’d suggest to anyone else, either.”

  “Good point.”

  He took his leave, but I stayed for a few minutes to watch the refugees filing in. Most of them looked a lot like the ones I’d seen in Lanrest. Peasants dressed in rags, clutching the
ir few remaining possessions and shuffling forward in a daze. Substantially more women than men, but hardly any children between the ages of two and eight or so. Those proportions were a tale of sacrifice and desperation to anyone who noticed.

  But here and there were some that were different. A group of townspeople in proper winter clothes, the men forming a perimeter while pairs of women and older boys carried heavy-looking bags hung from poles. A pack of young men carrying spears and bows, with cloaks of uncured wolf hide flung over their clothes. A grizzled old man in leather armor, with a pair of long knives on his belt and three huge dogs following along at his heels. A figure with a faint spark of magic who passed through the crowd like a ghost, completely concealed by a long cloak and scarf, with a purposeful gait and eyes that never stopped moving.

  Survivors. People who’d planned, organized, fought back and come through their ordeal unbroken. Not as many of them as I’d like, but I was relieved to see that they existed. We were going to need them.

  The streets rapidly emptied as I made my way home. Slivers of firelight shone through windows here and there, outlining the wooden shutters that people here used instead of glass windows. But Kozalin had no streetlights, and few people ventured outdoors after the sun went down. A few groups of workmen hurrying home after a long day, and the occasional messenger or city watchman. Even those stragglers thinned out rapidly as the last hint of light faded from the western sky.

  By I reached the gate to the Docks district it was already closed, with only the postern gate still open. The guards passed me through respectfully enough, but I heard the rattle of the bolt as they closed it behind me.

  Then I was alone on the dark streets of the city. It was a clear night for once, with a million stars shining down like diamonds. I jumped to a rooftop, and stood there for a few minutes looking up at the familiar constellations.

  The bitter cold of an arctic night settled around me, and I wondered again how bad this was going to get. Ice ages come on quickly, and that was without magical encouragement. How many years would it take for glaciers to form? If the Gulf Stream had been diverted, did that mean the North Sea could freeze? Was there any place we might be able to import crops from next year?

  How long would it be before this war between the gods began in earnest? If they had the power to cloak an entire continent in an unnatural winter, what else could they do? Perhaps I should be digging bomb shelters instead of throwing up towers.

  “One thing at a time,” I reminded myself. “Next year’s problems won’t matter if I die tomorrow.

  I jumped down, and trudged on through the gathering gloom. Maybe I should start carrying a staff after all? It would be nice to have something to hang useful little enchantments on, if nothing else. But for now I’d make do with a light spell.

  The long walk down the pier to my tower left me feeling uncomfortably exposed. But the postern gate was open, and the sentries on duty greeted me happily. Probably because they could shut the door once I was inside, but it was still good to be home. I took the elevator up, and opened the door to the master suit.

  The little entrance room just off the atrium had a rug and a couple of chairs now. One of them was occupied by Elin, who held a ball of deep blue light in one hand so she could read from the tome that filled her lap. She looked up as I entered, and smiled at me.

  “Welcome home, sir. Avilla asked me to wait up for you. She, ah, said it would be alright if I borrowed a book?”

  She held up the volume in question, and I saw it was one of the ones I’d looted from the temple in Lanrest. A volume on weather magic that I kept meaning to read, if I could ever find the time.

  “That’s fine, Elin. Feel free to look at the other ones, too. Is everyone in bed already?”

  She nodded. “The maids have all bedded down for the night, and I think Cerise is up to some mischief with Tina. Avilla mentioned that she’d have dinner waiting for you in your room.”

  “That woman spoils me. How are you doing? I think I can fit you in for another healing session after the staff meeting tomorrow.”

  “Thank you, sir. In most respects I’m much better, but adjusting to those changes you made is giving me fits. I keep having this urge to shift now, like an itch I can’t scratch. I’m actually wondering if…” She trailed off, hesitating. “But no, that would be silly.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Wondering if the shape you’re in now is actually a natural one? I’d be surprised if it was, Elin. It feels to me like you’ve got at least three or four different things mixed together. Like you were shifting forms and got stuck partway through.”

  She frowned thoughtfully. “Truly, sir? I’ve had that feeling, sometimes. But I can’t imagine what other shape I might have, besides the beast.”

  “Something from your mother, maybe? I’ve read of undines taking the shape of sea creatures before, and some of what I saw reminded me of a seal or dolphin. But I expect we’ll have to finish getting the mercury out of you before we can look into that. Tomorrow?”

  “Yes. Thank you, sir. You’ve given me much to think on, there.”

  Stone walls and heavy wooden doors muffled the soft feminine sounds coming from under Cerise’s door, but it was obvious someone was having a good time in there. Well, good for them. I opened my own door, and found the room lit by candlelight.

  The master bedroom was pretty roomy, with space for a little sitting area in addition to the large bed and wardrobe. It had been empty this morning, but now there was a little table there surrounded by three chairs. Avilla sat at one of them, dressed in a house robe and making notes in a ledger. The rest of the table was occupied by two covered dishes, a bottle of wine and empty glasses.

  Avilla looked up, and smiled shyly. “Hello, Daniel. I’m glad you made it home at a decent hour. Or at least, not too indecent. I was afraid you’d get caught up in something, and be out half the night.”

  I shook my head. “We ran out of empty lots to build on. Besides, I said I’d be back about now. I’m trying to get better about telling people what I’m doing, so you don’t have to worry needlessly.”

  “Thank you, Daniel. I appreciate that.”

  I went to hang up my cloak, and then sat on the bed to get my boots off. Avilla put her ledger away and knelt at my feet.

  “Let me do that,” she said as she started on the laces.

  I let her, leaning back to enjoy the view instead. Her robe was modestly cut, giving only hints at the figure beneath, and she’d made no particular effort to pretty herself up with makeup or a fancy hairdo. But she didn’t need to. She radiated a healthy, honest beauty that was all the more striking for the lack of artifice. Her flawless skin and golden-blonde hair made her look like an angel pretending to be human, and a man could drown in depths of her deep blue eyes.

  Did she even realize how beautiful she was? She rarely seemed aware of it, and it struck me suddenly that she might not. She’d never had boys following her around asking for dates, or a coterie of girlfriends to compete with, or any of the other normal experiences of childhood. I wasn’t sure she’d even grown up, as opposed to just being created in her current form.

  “I want to apologize,” she said as she pulled off my boot. “I feel terribly embarrassed. I hope Cerise is right about what happened, because I honestly don’t know what came over me.”

  “That does concern me. She said you didn’t even know you were doing it at the time?”

  She shook her head, and went for the other boot.

  “No. It’s a bit frightening, Daniel. I should be skilled enough to tell if I’m being enchanted, at least after the fact. But I had no idea why everyone was looking at me so strangely until Cerise started interrogating me.”

  “Cerise thinks I’m just naive and vulnerable, and I suppose she may be right. I’ve certainly had a lot of new experiences since we left granny’s home. There have been times when I’ve had… urges, around some of the men. But I’ve never had trouble controlling myself before.”


  I stood, and gave her a hand up. “So you’re not having second thoughts?”

  “No!” She said vehemently. “Daniel, you have to believe me. I love what we have together, and I’m committed to making this work.”

  “Not interested in sampling the competition first?” I pressed.

  “Granny always said your first man is the easiest one to fall in love with,” she replied. “I’d hate to spoil things just when it seems to be working.”

  I stopped. “Love?”

  “Wouldn’t it be grand? You and me and Cerise, together? It makes me breathless to think about it. I’ve loved her for years, but I’ve always known I’d want a man in my life. When we first met, and you saved me from the troll, I wanted it to be you. When Cerise and I seduced you, and you were so good to us both, I knew it would be. You’re so fierce in our defense, and you build such wonders for us. It makes me burn for you, Daniel.”

  “But what about you?” She asked, and looked away nervously. “I don’t know much about men. My book says it’s easy to win a man’s heart, if you’re cute. Just be pleasant company, a good housekeeper and eager in bed, and as long as you’re sincere about it any man will fall for you. But I don’t know if it’s really that simple, and Cerise is no help. She just laughs and tells me I’m being silly. What do you think, Daniel? Is it working?”

  I put my arms around her, and pulled her close. “Yeah. It’s working. It’s hard not to love you, Avilla.”

  She smiled up at me, and twined her arms around my neck. “I’m glad. I know you don’t trust easily, Daniel. But please believe me when I say that I’ve made my decision. This is what I want. We’re going to make this work, no matter what.”

  I kissed her.

  She melted against me, and I felt the hard peaks of her breasts through two layers of clothing. But after a moment she pulled away.