undying legion 01 - unbound man

by karlov, matt

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Maps

  Dramatis Personae

  Prologue

  Part 1: The Falling Pebble

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Part 2: The Comfort of your Tears

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Part 3: To Wake in Darkness

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Copyright

  The Unbound Man

  Book 1 of The Undying Legion

  Matt Karlov

  Imago Mundi Press

  Maps

  Dramatis Personae

  In Spyridon

  Arandras, a former Quill linguist, now poor-quarter scribe

  Tereisa, his wife, deceased

  Mara, a seeker of lost treasures

  Druce, a thief

  Jensine, a sorcerer

  Onsoth, an officer of the Library

  Yevin, a Library scribe

  Sten, a trader of antiquities

  Grae, a courier

  Leff, a ditch-digger

  Wil, his son

  Of the Quill

  Damasus, governor of the Anstice schoolhouse

  Narvi, a sorcerer and researcher

  Katriel, a child, Narvi’s daughter

  Bannard, a researcher

  Senisha, a librarian

  Ienn, leader of a field team

  Halli, a sorcerer

  Gord, a researcher

  Derrek, leader of a field team

  Cal, a sorcerer

  Rawlen, a researcher

  Of the Oculus

  Clade, overseer of the Anstice unit

  Garrett, his adjunct

  Sinon, a sorcerer

  Kalie, a sorcerer

  Meline, a sorcerer

  Rathzange, a sorcerer

  Sera, a newly-bound sorcerer

  Niele, a deserter, deceased

  Estelle, a Councillor

  Weneth, a Councillor

  Azador, a god

  Of the Woodtraders

  Vorace, Guildmaster

  Laris, Trademaster

  Pel, her adjunct

  Eilwen, a trader

  Kieffe, a trader

  Tammas, a hired sword, deceased

  Havilah, Spymaster

  Ufeus, a spy

  Brielle, a spy

  Caralange, Guild Sorcerer

  Orom, a sorcerer

  Soll, Treasurer

  Phemia, Seneschal

  Ged, house steward

  Others

  Isaias, a trader of rare items

  Jasser, a trader

  Peni, a trader

  Qulah, a Tahisi trader

  Dallin, a moneylender

  Terrel, a mercenary captain

  Hosk, a mercenary

  Yuri, a mercenary

  Noash, a boy

  Jon, his brother

  Prologue

  When a phoenix is about to die it builds a great nest upon a rock. Surrounded by twigs and leaves, it settles down among the tinder and there it gives itself over to immolation. The phoenix burns, the nest becomes ashes, and an ember is formed from which a new, younger bird will arise.

  Sometimes the flame is too weak. The nest smoulders. The ember cools. The phoenix dies, yet its new self is not born. The ember hardens and dims and lies dormant, like a seed awaiting a spring that will never come.

  But sometimes the flame is strong, so strong that the nest cannot contain it. It leaps and burns: a tree, a hillside, a forest. The fire spreads, and other embers that have long been cold and lifeless are kindled at last. Slowly, slowly, they awaken and remember what they are, and what they are to be.

  When the fire is done, all is cloaked in ash. And who can say what embers now glow beneath the desolation, or when they might at last give birth?

  So it is when empires die.

  — Tiysus Oronayan

  Histories

  Third Volume

  They were being followed, and Derrek was weary of it.

  He lay back on the patchy grass and gazed at the glittering twilight sky. The evening was cooler than usual for summer; the breeze had turned that morning and now wafted down from the north like a whispered benediction, mild and refreshing, rustling the leaves of the trees surrounding the clearing. Somewhere in the dark, a nightbird called to its companions.

  The sky had been clear the past three nights, ever since they found the small urn buried among the ruins of a modest, long-dead temple. There’d been nothing to suggest that anyone else had been there for centuries, still less that very day; but Derrek had felt eyes watching them as he pulled the urn from the earth, and again that evening as they made camp. They’d set a watch, despite the complaints — and, in the end, the somnolence — of Rawlen, but the dawn had arrived without incident.

  Yet the feeling of being watched remained.

  “Watch what you’re doing, boy! If I want your foul tea poured all over me, I’ll do it myself!”

  Derrek sat up to see Callidora wiping ineffectually at her boot with a handful of grass. Cal was short and round, and had difficulty reaching her feet at the best of times. Rawlen stood frozen before her with the pot in hand, face flushed with embarrassment. Another trickle splashed over the back of Cal’s hand and she yelped. “Put it down, you fool boy, before you throw the rest of it over my head!”

  Jolting into motion, Rawlen lowered the pot clumsily to the ground. His mouth opened and closed until at last he turned away, stumbling around the campfire and throwing himself down with a frustrated sigh. Derrek forced himself not to glare after him. A newborn foal would hinder us less.

  He rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the persistent ache in his back. Walking all day through a forest or sleeping on the hard earth had rarely bothered him before. Once, a long time ago, it had even been exciting. But lately he’d found himself missing the comfortable schoolhouse beds, the generous meals, the opportunities to just sit quietly for a while and read, or think, or do nothing at all. You’re getting old, he told himself. Old and soft. The thought would have been distasteful even a year ago; now, it was merely resigned. Of course it is. Submission to the inevitable — another characteristic of age.

  Even the thrill of finding their goal had been muted. He’d tucked the urn beneath his leather jerkin with barely a second look, heedless of its unblemished condition. It was made of metal — pewter, Derrek thought — its mouth sealed with a cap. But if either the urn or its contents possessed the sorcery of the long-dead Valdori, it was subtle enough to be indiscernible. Just an antiquated trinket, no doubt. Pretty enough to look at, but nothing more. The find would doubtless delight a Quill historian somewhere, but before long it would disappear into the archives, making its final home among the countless other inconsequential relics of the past.

  Cal tossed the wad of grass into the fire and fished a strip of dried meat from her pack. Derrek thought again of the schoolhouse’s hearty meals. Sighing, he settled himself beside Cal and poured himself a mug of Rawlen’s tea.

  “
Someone’s still trailing us,” he said. “I’m sure of it.”

  “Well, good for them,” Cal said, chewing noisily. “They can follow us right back to the schoolhouse for all I care.” She caught his expression and snorted. “Oh, come on. If they were going to show themselves, they would have done it by now.”

  Derrek shrugged. “Maybe.” The past few nights had been clear and moonlit. Their tracker might have merely been biding his time, waiting for more opportune conditions before… what? He sipped his tea, grimacing at the astringent taste.

  “Why would someone want to follow us all this way?” Rawlen sat huddled on the other side of the campfire as though it were the middle of winter. “I mean, why bother? They must know where we’re going.”

  Derrek’s frown deepened. The boy had a point. It should have been obvious at the ruin that at least two of the party were Quill sorcerers. Now they were retracing their steps and had rejoined the trail that led back to the main road. Yet their tracker evidently still considered them worth following.

  “I don’t know,” Derrek said. Not very reassuring. Try again. “But I doubt he would be foolish enough to cross the likes of us. And if he is, well, you’ve seen what Callidora can do. You’re safe enough.”

  Rawlen turned his gaze back to the campfire, his chin resting on his knees.

  “Tomorrow we return to the main road,” Derrek continued. “We’ll find an inn for the night. If our tracker wants to remain anonymous then, he’s going to find it a lot harder.”

  Rawlen nodded slowly and Derrek looked away, trying to keep the concern from his face. Their stalker would be well aware of the road’s proximity. If he had malign intent, he would never have a better chance than tonight.

  They finished their meal in silence. The campfire dwindled and the stars grew brighter, a thousand gemstones embedded in the sky, each lit from within. Rawlen’s eyes closed and he fell into a doze, his chin still propped up on his knees. Cal sat motionless, absorbed in her own thoughts. Derrek shifted restlessly, unable to find a position that didn’t cause some part of him to ache.

  “Missing the comforts of home?” Cal said at last, the hint of a smile in her voice.

  Derrek chuckled softly. “Aye, something like that,” he said, moving his legs to one side. After a moment he sighed and stretched them before him again. “Do you never grow weary of this endless search for ancient trinkets?”

  He sensed Cal’s shrug. “Some are more than just trinkets. Better we find them than someone else.”

  “That’s not what I meant. Don’t you ever want to… I don’t know, just stay in one place for a while?”

  “And do what?” Cal gave her familiar snort. “Research? The very word sounds tedious. Teach? Might as well raise children.”

  “Well, there’s that.” Derrek had no children that he knew of, and little patience with childish fancies. But then, teaching the blade or training sorcerers is hardly like instructing youngsters in their letters. Such things require a certain maturity —

  Cal’s hand on his arm cut short his thoughts. “Company,” she said, staring at a low rise on the other side of the trail.

  Derrek peered between the trees. Leaves whispered to one another, casting shadows that danced across the ground. He blinked, looked harder among the shifting patterns of darkness — and then he saw them.

  Figures strode through the trees toward them, five at least, weapons in hand. They seemed to be all dressed in black, though the moonlight made it difficult to be sure. Derrek scrambled to his feet, drawing his own sword and holding it at his side, point downward.

  “Stand, and state your business!” he shouted.

  Rawlen started, blinking up at the others before twisting around to follow their gaze. He froze at the sight of the advancing men then scrambled to his feet and around the campfire to stand behind Derrek.

  The figures continued their advance as though no-one had spoken, unhurried, their stride unbroken.

  “Go and hide in the trees behind us,” Derrek said to Rawlen. There were six figures, he could now see. “Don’t do anything stupid. Callidora and I will take care of this.”

  Rawlen stammered his assent and hurried away, his rapid footfalls quickly fading.

  Cal crouched by the campfire, poking at the glowing embers with a half-burnt stick. Even as Derrek glanced down, a thin flame emerged, curling reluctantly upward, and Cal stood and nodded.

  “I say again, stand or be considered hostile!” Derrek called, stepping away from the campfire and raising his sword.

  The figures came on, heedless of his warning, neither hastening nor slowing their pace. Blades glinted in the moonlight.

  So be it.

  A column of flame ripped the night apart, erupting from the ground and enveloping one of the approaching figures. Derrek raised his hand, shielding his vision from the blazing light, and glanced across to the campfire. Cal stood as though transfixed, her hand stretched toward the fiery shaft and the screaming figure within. Her other hand reached for the campfire at her back, its small flame fluttering wildly as it bent toward her.

  The screams ended abruptly. Cal lowered her hand and the blazing column vanished. Where the flame had been, only a blackened circle remained, with a dark, unmoving lump at its centre. The sickly scent of charred flesh hung in the darkness.

  The remaining figures glanced at each other as though suddenly uncertain. Derrek drew breath to call out again, but before he could speak, one of the black-clad men shouted a command and the figures resumed their approach on the camp. Two swift paces, a third; then they broke into a run.

  Ah, shit.

  They arrived in a rush, two closing with Derrek, their assault pushing him back as he worked furiously to parry their attacks. Orange light flared from Cal’s position, highlighting the faces of his assailants: a scowling, pale-skinned Mellespene and a shorter man with hard eyes and a calculating frown. If either was shaken by the fate of their roasted companion it didn’t show on their faces.

  Gods, this just keeps getting better.

  Derrek blocked one thrust and dodged another, his foot slipping on the uneven ground. His opponents pressed the attack, forcing him back and back again. The man on the left aimed a blow high and Derrek raised his sword to block, not recognising the feint until a moment too late. He disengaged, twisting desperately away. Pain bloomed across his arm and shoulder and he staggered backward, narrowly avoiding another swing.

  The Mellespene stumbled, momentarily blocking his companion, but Derrek was too slow to take advantage. He flexed his wounded arm, wincing at the rush of pain. The blow had been glancing, but the leather jerkin seemed to have done little to impede it. I need to finish this quickly. A finger of luck was all he needed. Dreamer, Weeper, and Gatherer, grant me victory. Deliver me from my foes, I pray.

  The man on the right launched a fresh assault, his shorter companion stepping back and moving to circle around. Derrek countered the thrusts, stepping sideways to keep both men in sight, awaiting an opening. Cal’s orange light shifted and rippled, casting unsteady shadows across the clearing. Come on. Just one little mistake. Just one…

  The taller man stumbled slightly and Derrek leapt forward, chopping at his neck and catching him off balance. The man raised his blade, somehow managing to deflect the blow, but as he hopped back his heel caught on a rock and he tumbled onto his arse. Derrek stepped in and stabbed the man through the chest. Surprise blossomed over the man’s face; then he sagged, his head lolling sideways like a broken puppet.

  Derrek yanked his sword loose and spun to face the second man, but even as he turned he felt fire erupt in his belly. Blinking down, he saw a blade pull free, the steel covered with his own blood and fluids. Oh. That’s not good. He slumped to his knees, gaping at the shadowy clump of grass before him. The ground swayed and he toppled sideways, head hitting the dirt with a jarring thud.

  He groaned, suddenly cold despite the mild evening, and braced for the deathblow. But as his vision cleared he saw his attack
er already running across to assist his companions against Cal.

  Three rings of flame enclosed Callidora and the campfire, one each at shoulders, waist, and knees. They spun and tilted, now shifting apart, now almost touching. The men prowled around her like balked dogs, snarling at the fiery barrier. A gap opened before one of them and he darted in, aiming a blow between the rings. But as his sword broached the barrier, a flaming tendril snapped out at his head and he reared away, cursing.

  Derrek sucked in a mouthful of smoky air. Every breath was agony. It’s all down to you, Cal. The woman was a better firebinder than most Derrek had known, but even she couldn’t sustain a binding like this for long. Maybe if you kill them quickly, you can think of a way to save me. The men circled, cautious now, figures of black against the blazing rings. Please, hurry.

  Another gap opened, inviting a blow — and this time the man stepped too close. Flame uncoiled, striking him in the head, engulfing his face. He shrieked and reeled away, stumbling sightlessly to his knees near Derrek and screaming like a gutted pig.

  Yes! Wild hope surged through Derrek. But even as Cal sent another tendril just short of a swinging blade, the man who had stabbed Derrek stepped away from the others and drew something out from beneath his shirt.

  A prickling sensation covered Derrek’s skin, and a whimper escaped him before he knew why. Anamnil. Gods, no. The man crouched by the campfire at Cal’s back, unfolding the object until it was about the size of a child’s blanket; then, with a flourish befitting a street-corner illusionist, he tossed it through the lower ring. Derrek watched in horror as it floated gently onto the campfire, smothering it. Cal’s vicious curse floated across the clearing. A moment later, her fiery defences winked out.

  There was nothing he could do but watch. One moment Cal stood amid a blur of swords; the next, she had fallen without so much as a cry. Gods have mercy. Cal.

  Who’s going to save me now?

  A sudden scramble rose from beyond the clearing, then the sound of someone crashing away through the trees. The men spun around and darted away in pursuit. Rawlen, you idiot. Despair welled up beside the pain in Derrek’s stomach. Blundering through the forest with a pack of swordsmen at his back, the youth would be lucky to last a hundred paces.