They arrived at a scene of utter chaos. Guardsmen and Warders lay dead and dying on the cobbled streets, spears broken and burning. Three bloodied men-at-arms wrestled with a wind demon, attempting to pin it long enough for a pair of Warder's apprentices to trap it in a portable circle. Others ran to and fro with buckets of water, trying to smother the many small fires as flame demons scampered about in glee, setting alight everything in reach.
Arlen looked at the breach, amazed that a coreling could dig through twenty feet of solid rock. Demons jammed the hole, clawing at each other to be next to pass into the city.
A wind demon squeezed through, getting a running start as it spread its wings. A guard hurled his spear at it, but the missile fell short, and the demon flew into the city unchallenged. A moment later, a flame demon leapt upon the now-unarmed guard and tore his throat out.
'Quickly, boy!' Cob shouted. 'The guards are buying us time, but they won't last long against a breach this size. We need to seal it fast!' He sprang from the cart with surprising agility and snatched two portable circles from the back, handing one to Arlen.
With Ragen riding protectively beside them, they sprinted towards the key ward flag of the Warder's Guild, marking the protective circle where the Warders had set up their base. Unarmed Herb Gatherers were tending rows of wounded there, fearlessly darting out of the circle to assist men stumbling towards the sanctuary. They were a scant few to tend so many.
Mother Jone, the duke's advisor, and Master Vincin, the head of the Warder's Guild, greeted them. 'Master Cob, good to have you…' Jone began.
'Where are we needed?' Cob asked Vincin, ignoring Jone completely.
'The main breach,' Vincin said. 'Take the posts for fifteen and thirty degrees,' he said, pointing towards a stack of wardposts. 'And by the Creator, be careful! There's a devil of a rock demon there; the one that made the breach in the first place. They have it trapped from heading further into the city, but you'll have to cross the wards to get into position. It's killed three Warders already, and Creator only knows how many guards.'
Cob nodded, and he and Arlen headed over to the pile. 'Who was on duty at dusk tonight?' he asked as they took their load.
'Warder Macks and his apprentices,' Jone replied. 'The duke will hang them for this.'
'Then the duke is a fool,' Vincin said. 'There's no telling what happened out there, and Miln needs every Warder it has and more.' He blew out a long breath. 'There will be few enough left after tonight, as is.'
'Set up your circle first,' Cob said for the third time. 'When you're safe within, set the post in its stand and wait for the magnesium. It'll be bright as day, so shield your eyes until it comes. Then centre yours to the dial on the main post. Don't try to link with the other posts. Trust their Warders to get it right. When it's done, drive stakes between the cobbles to hold it in place.'
'And then?' Arlen asked.
'Stay in the damn circle until you're told to come out,' Cob barked, 'no matter what you see, even if you're in there all night! Is that clear?'
Arlen nodded.
'Good,' Cob said. He scanned the chaos, waiting, waiting, then shouted 'Now!' and they were off, dodging around fires, bodies, and rubble, heading for their positions. In seconds, they cleared a row of buildings and saw the one-armed rock demon towering over a squad of guardsmen and a dozen corpses. Its talons and jaws glistened with blood in the lamplight.
Arlen's blood went cold. He stopped short and looked to Ragen, and the Messenger met his eye for a moment. 'Must be after Keerin,' Ragen said wryly.
Arlen opened his mouth, but before he could reply, Ragen screamed 'Look out!' and swiped his spear Arlen's way.
Arlen fell and dropped his post, banging his knee badly on the cobblestones. He heard the 'crack!' as the butt of Ragen's spear took a diving wind demon in the face, and rolled over in time to see the coreling carom off the Messenger's shield and crash to the ground.
Ragen trampled the creature with his warhorse as he kicked into a gallop, grabbing Arlen just as he picked up his post and half-dragging, half-carrying him over to his position. Cob had already set up his portable circle and was preparing the stand for his wardpost.
Arlen wasted no time setting up his own circle, but his eyes kept flicking back to One Arm. The demon was clawing at the hastily placed wards before it, trying to power through. Arlen could see weaknesses in the net each time it flared, and knew it would not hold forever.
The rock demon sniffed and looked up suddenly, meeting Arlen's eyes, and the two matched wills for a moment, until it became too much to bear and Arlen dropped his gaze. One Arm shrieked and redoubled its efforts to break through the weakening wards.
'Arlen, stop staring and do your ripping job!' Cob screamed, snapping Arlen out of his daze. Trying his best to block out the shrieks of the coreling and the shouting of guardsmen, he set the collapsible iron stand and placed his wardpost within. He angled it as best he could in the dim flickering light, then placed a hand over his eyes to wait for the magnesium.
The flare went off a moment later, turning night into day. The Warders angled their posts quickly and staked them in place. They waved with cloths to signal completion.
His work done, Arlen scanned the rest of the area. Several Warders and apprentices were still struggling to set their posts. One post was alight with demon fire. Corelings were screaming and recoiling from the magnesium, terrified that somehow the hated sun had come. Guardsmen surged forward with spears, attempting to drive them back past the wardposts before they activated. Ragen did the same, galloping about upon his destrier, his polished shield reflecting the light and sending corelings scrambling away in fear.
But the false light could not truly hurt the corelings, One Arm did not recoil as a squad of guardsmen, emboldened in the light, sent a row of spears its way. Many of the speartips broke or skittered off the rock demon's armour, and it grabbed at others, yanking hard and pulling the men past the wards as easily as a child might swing a doll.
Arlen watched the carnage in horror. The demon bit the head off one man and flung his body back into the others, knocking several from their feet. It squashed another man underfoot, and sent a third flying with a sweep of its spiked tail. He landed hard and did not rise.
The wards holding the demon back were buried beneath the bodies and blood, and One Arm bulled forward, killing at will. The guards fell back, some fleeing entirely, but as soon as they backed off, they were forgotten as the giant coreling charged Arlen's portable circle.
'Arlen!' Ragen screamed, wheeling his destrier about. In his panic at the sight of the charging demon, the Messenger seemed to forget the portable circle in which the boy stood. He couched his spear and kicked the horse into a gallop, aiming at One Arm's back.
The rock demon heard his approach and turned at the last moment, setting its feet and taking the spear full in the chest. The weapon splintered, and with a contemptuous swipe of its claws, the giant demon crushed the horse's skull.
The destrier's head twisted to the side and it back-pedalled into Cob's circle, knocking him into his wardpost and sending it askew. Ragen had no time to untangle himself, and the animal took him down with it, crushing his leg and pinning him. One Arm moved in for the kill.
Arlen screamed and looked for aid, but there was none to be found. Cob was clutching at his wardpost, trying to pull himself upright. All the other Warders around the breach were signalling. They had replaced the burning post, and only Cob's remained out of place, but there was no one to aid him; the city guard decimated in One Arm's last assault. Even if Cob quickly fixed his post, Arlen knew Ragen was doomed. One Arm was on the wrong side of the net.
'Hey!' he cried, stepping from his circle and waving his arms. 'Hey, ugly!'
'Arlen, get back in your ripping circle!' Cob screamed, but it was too late. The rock demon's head whipped around at the sound of Arlen's voice.
'Oh yeah, you heard,' Arlen murmured, his face flushing hot and then immediately going cold. He g
lanced past the wardposts. The corelings were growing bold as the magnesium began to die down. Stepping in there would be suicide.
But Arlen remembered his previous encounters with the rock demon, and how it jealously regarded him as its own. With that thought, he turned and rai past the wardposts, catching the attention of a hissing flame demon. The coreling pounced, eyes aflame, but so did One Arm, driving forward to smash the lesser demon.
Even as it whirled back to him, Arlen was diving back past the wardposts. One Arm struck hard at him, but light flared, and it was thwarted. Cob had restored his post, establishing the net. One Arm shrieked in rage, pounding at the barrier, but it was impenetrable.
He ran to Ragen's side. Cob swept him into a hug, and then cuffed him on the ear. 'You ever pull a stunt like that again,' the master warned, 'and I'll break your scrawny neck.'
'I was s'posed to protect you…' Ragen agreed weakly, his mouth twitching in a smile.
There were still corelings lcose in the city when Vincin and Jone dismissed the Warders. The remaining guardsmen helped the Herb Gatherers transport the wounded to the city's hospits.
'Shouldn't someone hunt down the ones that got away?' Arlen asked as they eased Ragen into the back of their cart. His leg was splinted, and the Herb Gatherers had given him a tea to numb the pain, leaving him sleepy and distant.
'To what end?' Cob asked. 'It would only get the hunters killed, and make no difference in the morning. Better to get inside. The sun will do for any corelings left in Miln.'
'The sun is still hours away,' Arlen protested as he climbed into the cart.
'What do you propose?' Cob asked, watching warily as they rode. 'You saw the full force of the Duke's Guard at work tonight; hundreds of men with spears and shields. Trained Warders, too. Did you see a single demon killed? Of course not. They are immortal.'
Arlen shook his head. 'They kill each other. I've seen it.'
'They are magic, Arlen. They can do to one another what no mortal weapon can.'
'The sun kills them,' Arlen said.
'The sun is a power beyond you or I,' Cob said. 'We are simply Warders.'
They turned a corner, and gasped. An eviscerated corpse painted the cobbles red. Parts of it still smouldered; the acrid stench of burned flesh thick in the air.
'Beggar,' Arlen said, noting the ragged clothes. 'What was he doing out at night?'
'Two beggars,' Cob corrected, holding a cloth over his mouth and nose as he gestured at further carnage not far off. 'They must have been turned out of the shelter.'
'They can do that?' Arlen asked. 'I thought the public shelters had to take everyone.'
'Only until they fill up,' Cob said. 'Those places are scant succour, anyhow. With rapes and beatings over food and clothes common, many prefer to risk the streets.'
'Why doesn't someone do something about it?' Arlen asked.
'Everyone agrees it is a problem,' Cob said. 'But the citizens say it is the duke's problem, and the duke feels little need to protect those who contribute nothing to his city.'
'So better to send the guard home for the night, and let the corelings take care of the problem,' Arlen growled. Cob had no reply save to crack the reins, eager to get off the streets.
Two days later, the entire city was summoned to the great square. A gibbet had been erected, and upon it stood Warder Macks, who had been on duty the night of the breach.
Euchor himself was not present, but Jone read his decree: 'In the name of Duke Euchor, Light of the Mountains and Lord of Miln, you are found guilty of failing in your duties and allowing a breach in the wardwall. Eight Warders, two Messengers, three Herb Gatherers, thirty-seven guardsmen, and eighteen citizens paid the price for your incompetence.'
'As if making it nine Warders will help,' Cob muttered. Boos and hisses came from the crowd, and bits of garbage were flung at the Warder, who stood with his head down.
'The sentence is death,' Jone said, and hooded men took Macks' arms and led him to the rope, putting the noose around his neck.
A tall, broad shouldered Tender with a bushy black beard and heavy robes went to him and drew a ward on his forehead. 'May the Creator forgive your failing,' the Holy Man intoned, 'and grant us all the purity of heart and deed to end His plague, be Delivered.'
He backed away, and the trapdoor opened. The crowd cheered as the rope went taut.
'Fools,' Cob spat. 'One less man to fight the next breach.'
What did he mean?' Arlen asked. 'About the plague and being delivered?'
'Just nonsense to keep the crowd in line,' Cob said. 'Best not to fill your head with it.'
12
Library
321AR
Arlen walked excitedly behind Cob as they approached the great stone building. It was Seventhday, and normally he would have been annoyed at skipping his spear-practice and riding lessons, but today was a treat too fine to miss: his first trip to the Duke's Library.
Ever since he and Cob had begun brokering wards, his master's business had soared, filling a much needed niche in the city. Their grimoire library had quickly become the largest in the Miln, and perhaps the world. At the same time, word had gotten out about their involvement in sealing the breach, and never ones to miss a trend, the Nobles had taken notice.
Nobles were an irritation to work with; always making ridiculous demands, and wanting wards put where they didn't belong. Cob doubled, and then tripled his prices, but it made no difference. Having one's manse sealed by Cob the Wardmaster had become a status symbol.
But now, called upon to ward the most valuable building in the city, Arlen knew it had been worth every moment. Few citizens ever saw inside the Library. Euchor guarded his collection jealously, granting access only to greater petitioners and their aides.
Built by the church before being absorbed by the throne, the library was always run by a Tender, usually one with no flock save the precious books. Indeed, the post carried more weight than presiding over any Holy House save for the Grand Cathedral or the duke's own shrine.
They were greeted by an acolyte, and ushered to the office of the head librarian, Tender Ronnell. Arlen's eyes darted everywhere as they walked, taking in the musty shelves and silent scholars who roamed the stacks. Not including grimoires, Cob's collection had contained over thirty books, and Arlen had thought that a treasure. The Duke's Library contained thousands, more than he could read in a lifetime. He hated that the duke kept it all locked away.
Tender Ronnell was young for the coveted position of head librarian, still with more brown in his hair than grey. He greeted them warmly and sat them down, sending a servant to fetch some refreshment.
'Your reputation precedes you, Master Cob,' Ronnell said, taking off his wire-rimmed glasses and cleaning them on his brown robe. 'I hope you will accept this assignment.'
'All the wards I've seen so far are still sharp,' Cob noted.
Ronnell replaced his glasses and cleared his throat uncomfortably. 'After the recent breach, the duke fears for his collection,' he said. 'His Grace desires…special measures.'
'What kind of special measures?' Cob asked suspiciously. Ronnell squirmed, and Arlen could tell he was as uncomfortable making the request as he expected them to be in filling it.
Finally, Ronnell sighed. 'All the tables, benches and shelves are to be warded against firespit,' he said flatly.
Cob's eyes bulged. 'That would take months!' he sputtered. 'And to what end? Even if a flame demon made it so deep into the city, it could never get past the wards of this building, and if it did, you'd have greater worries than the bookshelves.'
Ronnell's eyes hardened at that. 'There is no greater worry, Master Cob,' he said. 'In that, the duke and I agree. You cannot imagine what we lost when the corelings burned the libraries of old. We guard here the last shreds of knowledge that took millennia to accumulate.'
'I apologize,' Cob said. 'I meant no disrespect.'
The librarian nodded. 'I understand. And you are quite correct, the risk is
minimal. Nevertheless, His Grace wants what he wants. I can pay a thousand gold suns.'
Arlen ticked the math off in his head. A thousand suns was a lot of money, more than they had ever gotten for a single job, but when accounting for the months of work the job would entail, and the loss of regular business…
'I'm afraid I can't help you,' Cob said at last. 'Too much time away from my business.'
'This would garner the duke's favour,' Ronnell added.
Cob shrugged. 'I Messengered for his father. That brought me favour enough. I have little need for more. Try a younger Warder,' he suggested. 'Someone with something to prove.'
'His Grace mentioned your name specifically,' Ronnell pressed.
Cob spread his hands helplessly.
'I'll do it,' Arlen blurted. Both men turned to him, surprised that he had been so bold.
'I don't think the duke will accept the services of an apprentice,' Ronnell said.
Arlen shrugged. 'No need to tell him.' he said. 'My master can plot the wards for the shelves and tables, leaving me to inscribe them.' He looked at Cob as he spoke. 'If you had taken the job, I would have carved half the wards anyway, if not more.'
'An interesting compromise,' Ronnell said thoughtfully. 'What say you, Master Cob?'
Cob looked at Arlen suspiciously. 'I say this is a tedious job of the sort you hate,' he said. 'What's in it for you, lad?' he asked.
Arlen smiled. 'The duke gets to claim that Wardmaster Cob warded the Library,' he began. 'You get a thousand suns, and I…' he turned to Ronnell, 'get to use the Library whenever I wish.'
Ronnell laughed. 'A boy after my own heart!' he said. 'Have we a deal?' he asked Cob.
Cob smiled, and the men shook hands.
Tender Ronnell led Cob and Arlen on an inspection of the Library. As they went, Arlen began to realize what a colossal task he had just undertaken. Even if he skipped the math and plotted the wards by sight, he was looking at the better part of a year's work.
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