Intimations of Evil (Warriors of Vhast Book 1)

by Cary J Lenehan

  “I am Subadar Sanjeev Dahl, and this is Shri Rani Rai.”

  Rani reluctantly held out a hand towards the Metropolitan, unsure what to do. He grasped it, but instead of shaking it he held it to his lips and lightly kissed the back of her hand before releasing it.

  “We are on a mission of importance from the governor of Garthang Keep to see what is happening to our trade caravans,” he finished.

  “Delighted to meet you,” said the Metropolitan with a broad smile that was clearly visible through his expanse of beard and with a strong accent that Rani recognised as being Greek.

  The mayor continued, “And this is Captain Leonas of Goldentide. He left Freehold behind many years ago and is now our military commander.”

  The soldier gave a short bow to each of them without speaking. Sanjeev immediately returned the bow, while Rani was a bit slower, as she thought about how many different ways these outsiders could find to say hello.

  “Your Reverence, do you have the map?” asked Cynric.

  Metropolitan Cosmas indicated a table over by the side and led them over to it. “This is a map of The Land,” he said. “It is as accurate as we have been able to piece together from old maps and information we have gleaned since the passing of the Plague. These lines,” he indicated on the map, “show what we know of the usual paths that traders follow.”

  Cynric took over, “We were worried that your people had made a deal with the Khitan and started new routes from Freehold,” he waved a hand, “to Haven,” and pointed. We control only this area, including the paths through Glengate,” he pointed again, “and Evilhalt care for a similar amount. We have hunters and trappers who venture further out than our fields, but we have had no reports of anything amiss. Metropolitan...”

  “Our Church is not strong in seers,” said Cosmas, “we are good at spells of healing and fertility. There has been something interfering with far-sight, but what we have seen has indicated a major realignment and upheaval. We thought that this referred to the opening up of Darkreach and lately we came to have the opinion that you may have deliberately diverted caravans to attack us financially. We may have been wrong about this prediction.” He turned to the captain. “You may have to send patrols across the river on the ferry and out a long way to see what is happening,” Cosmas then turned to Cynric, “and this may mean stepping up all of our militia obligations. You will need to discuss this with the town council.”

  “They won’t like it,” said Cynric. “Each day a person spends as a soldier means a day less they can spend earning money.”

  “True,” agreed Cosmos, “but if the caravans stop, or we are overrun, then there will be no money coming in to the town at all.”

  Cynric grunted and nodded unhappily at the logic.

  “What are your intentions?” Leonas finally spoke and asked Sanjeev.

  He paused and then turned to look at Rani. “Can we tell them?”

  She thought for a moment. This may lead me to some of those people that I am supposed to gather, she thought. She nodded at Sanjeev, who turned to the other three.

  “Shri Rani is headed north on what we thought was another matter. Be free to talk about our concern over the caravans, but we ask you not to tell anyone of this second matter. It seems now that it may prove to be connected with the problem of the caravans. We only realised that situation a week ago. We decided to use this matter of the caravans as a cover for her real trip and we will continue to Evilhalt where I will find out what I can and where I will leave Shri Rani. Once I have found out what I can I will return home and report. This is a not just a problem for Haven. Trade disappearing concerns us all. If you wish I will share as much as I can with you. I am not sure what will happen when I return, but I am sure that something will.” He paused. “Would you like to send someone with us to Evilhalt who can speak for you and your concerns?”

  Having spoken as a military man, he suddenly thought to look at Rani for confirmation and she quickly nodded back. It made sense to her as well.

  The Metropolitan took the lead. “Father George has just arrived back here from the seminary and currently has no other pressing duties. He can ride with you tomorrow. Would you mind bringing him back with you?”

  “A priest?” asked Sanjeev. “He will behave with propriety I assume?”

  “Don’t worry,” said the Metropolitan with the smile returning to his face. “I know that your people are a bit isolated away in the south, but since we lost out in the schism and only retain the churches outside Freehold we have become much better at getting on with others—we have had to,” he added wryly. “He will not try and convert anyone or offend your beliefs. In much of The Land we are now the mediators. It is just to Freehold, and of course to the Brotherhood, that we cannot go.” He turned to Cynric, “Do you want to send anyone?”

  “No, Father George was born here and knows our situation well. As long as he is looked after and returns safe, then I am happy.” He smiled and turned to the Havenites. “Father George has just married my eldest daughter, Godiva. If any harm at all came to him then it would be visited on my head threefold.”

  The discussion continued a little longer, but nothing useful was added. Eventually Sanjeev took leave for them both and they returned to the tavern. Being used to Havenite visitors the cook had provided a series of tasty curries for them in a room upstairs. The military were looking forward to all going to bed immediately after eating, but Rani decided to try and find out if anything interesting was being said. She asked Sanjeev if any of his soldiers were good at finding out things without being obvious and he indicated a small and pretty cavalrywoman, Indira, his second in command. Rani gave her a supply of money and told her to find out what people were thinking and saying before retiring to her room to wash up and change.

  After taking off her padding and putting on travelling clothes and putting a wand on each sleeve she was about to step downstairs when she realised that she already felt uncomfortable without her weapons, so she put that belt on as well.

  Entering the noise and commotion of the common room was a major shock for her. As a Kshatya and a Master of the University she was accustomed to a certain deference being paid to her. Here, as she crossed the crowded room towards the bar she felt a sharp tweak and leapt in surprise. Her bottom had been pinched. She was not sure who did it, but what with the glare she gave to the group that the culprit had to belong to, and her clapping a hand on her sword, a little space was cleared around her, even if there were several suppressed smiles she didn’t like. It soon became evident that her beauty was making her the centre of attention for most of the men in the room and perhaps a few of the women.

  On the other hand, she was most interested in talking to the men she heard talking in Darkspeech even if she was unsure of their caste and whether even talking to them would pollute her. All of them were apparently at least partly Human. They must have left the fully Kharl outside on watch. Whilst as a battle mage she had, of course, learnt to speak their language fluently, it was only recently that people from that realm had been seen west of the mountains except as invaders and she had never actually talked to anyone from there before now.

  It turned out that these…men were from a trade caravan, which was hoping to push further than they had previously. All previous trade during the whole year of the open border had been either with the Caliphate, high in the mountains and virtually inaccessible to the rest of the world, or with Evilhalt, for as long as anyone could remember the controller of all forms of access to Darkreach. This group of traders were hoping to trade much further afield. It seemed like they were peaceful and interested in real trade and Rani assured them that, although she was not a trader, but a Master of the University, her land was always interested in new trade. At the news that she was at the university she noticed that a reticence appeared in her audience and they moved a little back from her, although they were eager to keep talking, pumping her for information.

  In her attempts to learn from them
she thought they got the better of the exchange. The only other item she gained from them is that these particular Darkreach citizens were Orthodox—the same as their hosts. Apparently they did not worship Hrothnog their ruler. She wondered if any did. She also wondered about all of the other stories she had heard of Darkreach and how many were true. It seemed that, although people were happy to talk to her and, in particular, to try and buy her drinks, she was not going to get any useful information from them at all. She decided to leave the issue to Indira who, without creating as much attention as she had, seemed to be circulating through the room, matching the people in it drink for drink and talking to almost everyone there quite happily and inconspicuously. Perhaps Rani had been of some use tonight after all—but only as a distraction for the other woman. Rani sighed and decided that it was time for her to go to bed.

  That night, when she looked at her cards she received a reading that made no sense at all. It was not the first time this had happened on this trip.

  What was she to make of the way forward when the card bore a couple with hands linked and kissing pictured under a woman driving a chariot pulled by doves, its archer being a chubby child with wings? It was the card of the lovers. She had even seen several times in the position of resolution the ace of talents; the head of a goat-horned man depicted on a large coin and held aloft by a hand. Its meaning, usually, the element earth but it also meant prosperity and a hidden wealth of metals and minerals, security and well-being. What place did that card have in the mystery that she sought to untangle? She was going to become a miner? It seemed as if the more complex readings, usually the most reliable, were the worst affected and the least helpful. She decided that, until she had a very clear question in her mind, she would not make any more attempts to put together a reading and when she did so it would be only a simple pattern that she used—one that could only have the simplest of interpretations placed upon it.

  ~~~

  In the morning, as the horses were brought down the street from the stables, Indira briefed Rani and Sanjeev on what she had found out. To Rani’s disgust the girl showed no effect of her night’s drinking. She felt worse herself. The woman seemed bright and cheerful. Indira said that she had found out nothing new in regard to the caravans. The matter was an open question in the town and discussion had been heated, but that there was no information to back any of the speculation up. However, she had heard a hunter say that he had called to see a friend who had started a new assart to the far south with his family and had found no trace of either him or his belongings. He had first supposed that he had moved back to the town, but no one there had seen him there either.

  As they were mounting, Rani saw a young bearded man wearing lamellar armour like the Khitan wore, but made of bronze, and with a helm that was similar to Rani’s, come down the road, leading a horse, to join them. On his left arm was a teardrop shaped shield with a series of straight lines on it. Tucked under his horse’s girth was a staff sling and at his side was a horse mace. He introduced himself in Hindi, but with a local accent, as Father George.

  “I have a letter from the Metropolitan and from the Mayor to the Baron of Evilhalt. I believe that both urge cooperation with you and advice, respectively of vigilance and caution.”

  He took a place with the other riders. Sanjeev had them ride in pairs, placing himself with Father George and Rani with Amin. The cavalry’s lances were kept at a uniform level as if on a parade and the packhorses were kept at the rear.

  As they left the gate to the town and went through the caravan campsite Rani could see that the Darkreach traders were preparing to leave. They nodded politely to Rani, but this time the guards were paying more attention to what they now realised was a military group from Haven. She looked at the group as they passed. The traders and animal handlers might be partly of Kharl heritage, but the guard itself consisted of a hand each of large and of small Kharl who were observing everything they could.

  The larger ones had a lighter skin tone than the smaller ones, but both had facial features that were much more animal than Human. The closest would be to describe them as having flattened pig faces—complete with tusks. They guarded a caravan made up of twelve light two-wheeled wagons. It appeared that the guards had no mounts, so they either rode on the wagons or walked beside them. The smaller Kharl all had short recurved bows. The larger ones had shields on their backs and swords or axes on their belts. There was also a sheaf of long spears standing upright near one of the wagons that likely belonged to them.

  Following the trail out of town, and keeping the lake on their left, Sanjeev had them maintain this formation until they were nearly at the tree line. Once there they reverted to their normal movement formation and entered a forest that was again different to that they had come from, even though they had really just crossed a very large clearing. Rani was not an expert on plants, but to her eyes, although there was still a remnant of southern vegetation to be seen here, the dominant plants were already cooler temperate trees and shrubs. Asking others she found that they were towering tiny-leaved myrtle-beech, broad-leafed conifers, oak and brambles of all sorts. She noted that the air here was even made cooler with a breeze coming off the lake. She was soon glad to be wearing the warmth of the padded clothes.

  ~~~

  Sanjeev had let Rani know that four days travel lay ahead of them along a well-travelled trade route, patrolled from both ends. She noted that Father George fitted in well with the patrol, his quiet regular prayers offended no one and he was jovial and friendly, willing to assist with work around the camp.

  “If I am destined to look after people in a new village, then I must know what everyone does in it.” He took his watch with Sanjeev, but kept them all awake late by telling them the history of the Lake Erave area; the two towns; the one controlling the lake and the river and the other controlling the ford and through this control being the gatekeepers from Darkreach to the west. He told them the legends of battles that had survived The Burning of the plague. He told them of the final battle at Evilhalt where armies bigger than any of today’s nations fought for control of the ford and the way south for over a week until the very ground they walked on was made mud with the spilt blood of men and Kharl and of the last of the Elder Races to stay in The Land and became laden with bones and artefacts. Not many believed all that the good Father said, but he was a good storyteller, so everyone listened eagerly. She was sure that some of these stories she had never heard before.

  ~~~

  Rani was awake when they were attacked on the last night of travel before reaching Evilhalt. They had camped at a caravan campsite, one that was much too big for them, beside a small stream but well away from the river. A nearby ruin, probably of some settlement lost in The Burning, had provided a plentiful supply of well-dressed stone that had been used to make a large yard for the animals. On one corner of this a raised platform had been built about four paces high and it was the cavalryman on watch here who raised the alarm with a long, shrill blast on his signal whistle and a cry of ‘Look’ as he pointed to the east. Panic was at its brightest and Terror was at half. In this light Rani and the other three on watch could see a moving wall of beings coming out of the woods towards them. Rani peered intently and saw that the moving wall was made up of undead—skeletons—perhaps hundreds of them.

  “Quick,” cried Rani. “Wake the others. Get the priest first, then Amin. Do not get between me and them.” She strode over to where she had laid out her pentagram so that she could quickly step into it at need and then drew her wands. The skeletons were already within her range and so she began firing. Nine blasts of fire for each wand, each blast removed a skeleton. Even though they moved slowly there were more of them coming than she could account for. Rani was vaguely aware of the rest of the camp slinging on armour as she bought time by removing the closest skeletons. Still they came closer. She had six wands, two on her arms and four in her coat. She had more in her baggage, but had not expected to need them.


  Now they were too deeply buried to get out in time. She jumped in her pentagram, the undead were very close and the soldiers had formed up on either side of her. Rani took a moment to collect her thoughts. She became aware that Amin had joined in magically throwing a few smaller bolts, but he quickly used his entire mana supply in a few spells and it seemed that he had no wands with him. Still, each time he hit he had eliminated another menace. Rani finally fanned her hands and cast a spell. Drawing flame from her small fire pot she magnified it and a sheet of flame erupted from her hands and took out twenty of the advancing undead leaving a smell of old burning bones and mildew. She paused to wait for more to come into range. There were still over sixty left.

  Father George now stood forth from the line. “In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost I abjure thee to be gone thou creatures without a soul and to return to your graves,” he intoned. He held up his shield and a cross. The lines on the shield seemed to take a new significance. Whatever he did worked at least a bit. A hand of the creatures turned around and began to leave while one just crumbled away to dust. The others paused briefly, but soon resumed their slow march forward.

  Again Rani fanned her hands and drew flame. She had less success this time; the surviving creatures were more spread out. Those on the wings were already engaging the patrol. Rani chose to cast one more spell, intoning the phrases as the undead closed on her. When she let the fan of flame go out the closest skeleton was only a bit over an arm’s length from her. She decided not to risk another blast. Her mana was nearly exhausted and to overdraw it, at the same time as most likely being hit while casting gave her too high a chance of a miscast—something that was at least painful and possibly even fatal.

  Rani leapt out of her pentagram, drawing her sword and main-gauche and looked to join the fray. To her right Amin stood back to back with Indira over a fallen trooper. To her left Father George stood over two fallen soldiers trying to protect them, his mace striking out as he intoned in Latin what sounded like prayers, but could be a recipe for soup for all she knew. She could not see Sanjeev and did not have time to look as she moved quickly towards the Father. A cut removed the head from one undead trying to attack him from behind, but it kept fighting until she stomped on the skull, shattering it, and struck a blow at its body, scattering ribs around and cleaving its spine. Yells and curses announced success and failure on the part of the soldiers; the skeletons struck and were eliminated silently. Eventually there were no more to hit. When Rani looked around there were eight of their group still on their feet, some just barely, including Sanjeev.