The Vitalis Chronicles: Tomb of the Relequim

by Jay Swanson

  Another scream, this one a horse. He started back the way he had come. Then he saw something black. And another something black. There were creatures moving through the grass. Low, scurrying, like insects or cats – Woads. He knew it in his gut. He rounded the corner in time to see Rain searching the ground around her. The trees had thickened here, he realized, now that they had stopped blurring past. The tops of the hills were covered in them – but they seemed to be moving on their own as well.

  Rain's huge destrier was terrified, panting, lathered and bleeding. Three long gashes showed themselves on his broad chest, oozing blood. It seeped through the cloth wrapped around him and ran down his legs. And then one of the black things lunged for Rain's horse. Its head seemed to protrude straight from its shoulders. Long legs stretched out to double its length, while jagged black talons stretched out to grasp at the horse's throat.

  The impact alone broke the destrier's neck. Gella shied at the sight. Horse and rider were flung to the ground as Ardin stared in horror. Suddenly the entire little valley was crawling with the things. They converged on Rain with intent, few even turning towards him. Gella tossed her head, stamping the ground as the grass quivered black.

  He focused on the horse then, calling up the warmth to calm her, and drove her into the fight.

  TWENTY

  SMOKE ROSE FROM THE WALLS OF ELANDIR IN THE EARLY MORNING LIGHT. The way it diffused the sun you would think the shadows were liquid themselves. But it wasn't just the walls that were burning. Parts of the city had been hit hard as well.

  Major Dennan moved frantically from post to post, trying to find the unit he had lost in the night. Rather, the unit that had lost him. When the first shells had struck the walls, he had been in bed, in his home. When the rounds started landing among the city's buildings he had been well on his way to the barracks where his unit was garrisoned.

  His men had been ready to move, and he had wished that he hadn't been soft and gone home for the night. They didn't get leave, why should he have taken any himself? The guilt was quickly lost in the sounds of explosions around the city, however. And when he had moved out with his men, one of those explosions had left him buried under an assortment of cement, shards of wood, and bent metal sheets.

  When he'd come to there hadn't been any sign of his unit. Save the handful of uniformed corpses scattered around the area, he was alone. It had felt like he had been out for hours. The clock tower above told him it hadn't even been one.

  Dennan made it to the City Guard on foot, but it had taken him far longer than he had wanted. Blood and sweat mingled on his brow and stung his eyes. His men weren't here. In fact, no one appeared to be. He ran through the long, bare halls, yelling and hollering and getting nothing in response. He rounded a corner and looked outside at the parade grounds. Half of the barracks had been decimated. In fact, the rest of the square building was leveled on that side. It made him sick to his stomach, he hoped no one had been sleeping in that half of the compound last night.

  He stumbled into a wireless room and searched frantically for a working set. None of the gray and black boxes seemed to be functioning. In fact, most appeared broken at a cursory glance. It dawned on him that this wasn't the communications room. It looked like it was a repair shop of some sort. Finding no working wireless units, he gave up hope and made to leave until he heard a low crackling noise. Turning and searching frantically, he found an old long-wave unit powered on and humming underneath the desk.

  He turned up the volume and was about to call out when he heard chatter come through.

  “Got 'em on the run here, sir, over.” Crackle. “Good work, Horton. Break break. To the south, give me a SITREP. Over.” Crackling for a bit longer this time. “Shit sir, bastards put up a fight. We never really saw them, not truly, but we pushed 'em back well enough, sir. Looks like they were leavin' before we ever got to 'em. We've got a good number wounded, but they're runnin'. Over.” Crackle crackle buzz... the noises coming through this thing made the waiting that much harder. “Command, command this is Colonel Gredge calling in. Command, this is Gredge. Over.”

  The crackling didn't stop this time. No one responded.

  “Command, this is Gredge. Pick up your damned receiver. Whoever's at the barracks, pick up the damned receiver.”

  Dennan grabbed the receiver and swallowed hard as he thumbed it into action. “This is the City Guard Barracks, sir. I repeat, this is the City Guard Barracks. Over.”

  “Command,” he corrected. “You're command on the damned wireless. What do things look like in the city? Over.”

  “Sir.” Dennan wondered what the protocol was for this. If there was protocol for this. “The majority of the barracks has been leveled. Your command post has been eliminated... over.”

  A long string of crackles and hums wandered the room until Gredge finally picked up again. “Command, command. Who am I speaking to? Over.”

  “Major Dennan, sir.” He released and then clicked the button down again hastily. “Over.”

  “Good god, you're alive? Your men reported you dead. Over.”

  “My men, sir? Are they alive? Do you know where they've been sent, sir? Over.”

  “Son... damnit son if they aren't all dead. Looks like you're the lucky one today after all. Over.”

  Dennan hit the floor with the receiver glued to his hand. It's not possible, he thought. It can't be possible.

  “Son, I need you to collect yourself and get a hold of the Southern Tower. You tell them we need what reinforcements they can send to the port. Bastards tried to get into the city on the loop, but we've pushed them back out to the Elandris. We could use some more guns to get them dislodged from the port. You tell them that, then you get yourself on down to Horton and you help his boys move back inside. Over.”

  Dennan didn't move. He had never fought an actual battle. In fact, his entire command had been one gloriously long farce. All the training, all the marching, parading, war games. What had it all been for if he wasn't even there when his men were killed?

  “Dennan, Major. Get your ass moving and make those damned calls. Are you still with me boy?”

  “Aye sir,” Dennan clicked back onto the wireless. “I'll get it done... sir?” He hesitated, the question unwilling to form on his tongue. “Any idea who did this? Over.”

  “Shit, son. We can't transmit that kind of information. Get out to Horton and you'll see for yourself soon enough. Over and out.”

  Dennan made the calls in a blur. He couldn't believe any of this was happening. The first few phones he tried in the barracks were dead. But eventually he found a dedicated line that got him out. The Southern Tower was surprised but relieved to hear the news he had to offer. He thought it strange they didn't have a long-wave of their own they could be using.

  He found a small arms locker and grabbed another pistol and rifle. His had been lost in the streets, the least of his worries in searching for his men.

  Wandering through Elandir was like a nightmare. It looked like hellfire had swept the streets. Black soot covered everything as sporadic fires raged above the rooftops. The brick and stone masonry of some of the city's oldest buildings looked like they'd been punched in by some drunk giant. Smoke poured out of the upper levels of one of the highrises in the financial district. The top of the building was lost in the broiling blackness, the dark windows melting and rising seamlessly into the sky.

  He did his best to avoid the carnage, but when he stumbled upon bodies he felt obligated to do something about them, even though he couldn't. Ragged men and women dragged the remnants of loved ones away from the rubble with sobs and silence. Blood streaked what snow remained and mingled with the ash of the past. Others lay untouched, unsought. He couldn't bring himself to do anything for them, even if he wanted to. He had orders. He had to fill them. He didn't want to touch the dead in any case. Let them lie a little longer; they wouldn't mind.

  Sarah came to mind. Her deep red curls and quick laugh. He thought about her sitting i
n their little two-bedroom house, wondering what had happened to him. About what state their home could be in after the shelling. What state she could be in... he shook those thoughts free. He couldn't entertain them now. Or could he? Should he? His throat was raw, the frigid ash-laced air scraping its way in and out of his lungs as he plodded on.

  He was south of the city before he realized it. Standing outside the wall left him feeling naked. He looked back, finding a guard station built around the Southwestern gate he had just walked through. Walking through those gates was like walking through a tunnel, yet somehow he didn't remember even seeing them.

  With his attention back on the road, he hefted his gun on his shoulder as he moved out into the farmlands. It took him a mile or so to actually reach them. Once he was surrounded by the open fields, he felt better somehow. Perhaps he was exposed here, but at least he wasn't surrounded by the dead.

  He unslung his rifle and flipped off the safety as he scanned the horizon for any sign of Major Horton's men. The smoke off to the south looked the most promising, so he made for it. It took him another twenty minutes of walking before he actually spotted them. He wondered what was happening up north, if the fight in the port was going well. He should have headed that direction. They could use another fighter, but was he really a fighter? Would he really be of any help?

  They tried to get in on the loop. Gredge's words echoed in his mind as the snow began to fall around him. What a bunch of morons, Dennan thought. The Elandris branched off to create a small island, on which a part of the city was built. The walls spanned the little bit of river, known only as “the loop” and dropped plenty of heavy grates over it to prevent anyone accessing the city by water. It was a good way to bring smaller ships into the city for trade, but was generally left closed to the world.

  Why would anyone try to enter the city like that? He wondered as the world gradually turned white around him. The walls were well fitted with mounted guns over the river, both for the Elandris and the loop. It was well within Elandir's interests to control both, and so there they were. No thinking man would take so much as a rowboat up the loop. It would be suicide.

  And so it would be. The thought wormed away in the back of his mind as he caught sight of troops moving towards him in the distance. He dropped to a knee instantly. Thankfully one of the lenses in his field glasses was still whole. He focused it on the advancing troops and they did the same to him. Hand signals were exchanged for identification, followed by an offensive jest about his manhood, and then they continued towards him.

  Dennan waited, wondering who they had been fighting all the way out here. They were still a mile off. He didn't really feel like standing out in the open like this; there could still be enemies about. Would-be snipers wanting to try their luck on an officer of the Black City. There were some sheds burning nearby, the warmth was inviting, as was the upturned feed barrel lying ten yards closer. He could use a sit.

  Major Dennan wandered over to the barrel, being sure to sweep the area for hostiles before he took a seat. The snow continued to accumulate around him, though in the ring of the fire's heat very little of it ever reached the ground.

  He sighed as he pulled out a canteen, his breath crystallizing in front of him as he did so. He hadn't realized just how cold it was until he had gotten closer to the fire. He wondered whose sheds these were, and where they had been when their property had been burned. Hopefully they were in Elandir, safe and– the memory struck. Elandir wasn't much better off.

  He hadn't smoked in a long time, the habit long kicked. But he still kept a pack in his vest. just for the comfort of its presence, he had always told himself. He felt like he could use a smoke about now. There was enough of the stuff in the air as it was; he might as well enjoy it.

  He lit up, his hands fumbling to light the match on his canteen. They were shaking. He was shaking. And he wasn't even cold. God... God, I'm worthless. Why make me a soldier? He laughed at himself as he waved the match to put it out. He wasn't sure if he was praying or going crazy. Probably both. He didn't believe in the Creator much any more. A lot less after today.

  He threw the smoking match to the side, watching as it sizzled and sank into the snow. And then something else caught his eye. His eyebrows drew together as he stood. He took the few feet towards his now cold match with caution. There was a boot in the snow. He kicked at it warily, pulling out his pistol as he did so. The boot didn't move. But it was definitely connected to a leg.

  He walked around the corpse. The outline was visible to him now in the flickering light of the fire. How had he missed this? He kicked at it again before kneeling down and brushing the snow off its face. It was a man, a soldier. He brushed the chest to see if he could find out who he was.

  Major Dennan didn't finish brushing the snow before he fell back in shock. He scurried away from the corpse as he tried to catch his breath. It couldn't be real. Couldn't be possible.

  How could they? He thought as his stare remained unbroken. “Why would they?”

  “Bastards didn't want to wait until spring to get the fight started, I guess.”

  Dennan whipped around on the voice, pistol cocked, eyes wide.

  “Woah there, Dennan! Woah! Friendlies!” Major Horton put his hands in the air. “It's not us you want to be shooting at now. Take a good long look at that rat-turned-snow rabbit. It's Liscentia you've got a beef with. Liscentia. Desert rats struck first.”

  ARDIN HADN'T SEEN WOADS BEFORE, BUT IT DIDN'T TAKE A GENIUS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON. He couldn't see Rain in the midst of the brambly foliage, grasses, and writhing animals. The world slowed down around him as Gella launched herself into the chaos. She was bred and trained a warhorse; now it showed.

  Ardin closed his eyes, trying to picture Rain, see her on the ground like he had seen Tertian in the mountains. Like he had seen Cid on the coast. He found her more quickly than he'd ever been able to find anyone before. Without thinking he thrust his arms forward. A burst of energy shot out, making a tunnel of pressure that flew along and around his downed companion. A handful of black monsters went flying from the grass.

  He reigned Gella in next to Rain as she rose, reaching down to grab her by the hand and swing her up. No sooner had their fingers touched did he find himself enveloped in a world of black putrid stink. Hot searing pain ran all along his back and legs as he was carried off his horse and into the grass. The impact of the ground was even more violent than being tackled. He didn't have time to think; he had to react.

  The warmth swelled up inside his chest, flowing out to his arms and legs, and before he knew it he was on his feet. Spinning in place, blazing heat emanated from him as his presence lit the grasses on fire. Then he found his attacker. It was sailing through the air already. Arms outstretched. Jagged mouth gaping. But before it could make contact, he seared it to ash with a gesture.

  Rain screamed. He turned as long yellow teeth framed in oily black fur crawled up over her dead horse. Gella was nowhere to be seen, he hoped she had made her escape.

  The Woad on Rain's dead horse quivered for a moment then lunged at Rain. Its deceptively long arms unfolded, talons reaching to claim her. The deep, dark mouth opened like a straight shot back into its gullet.

  Ardin stepped in, catching the monster in mid air with tendrils he only half-knew existed. He wrapped it in his clutches, crushing it before he swung it over his head and face first into the ground behind him. He turned, breathing hard and grinning as Rain simply stared. Terrified.

  “Ardin?” Her question turned to a scream in her throat as another Woad lunged at Ardin from behind.

  He sensed it. How strange of a feeling, but he sensed it. Knew it was coming. Charsi's innate knowledge was in motion. He whipped around, left arm outstretched to smash the monster's stubby face in. Right arm cocked and now extending. Pushing out, sending a shockwave. Forcing it through fur and flesh and bone. He shouted, and the little creature was sent spinning off into the hill, blood streaking out behind it. He ha
d never touched the Woad, not really. At least, not with his hands.

  Ardin realized in that moment that he had already set up enchantments everywhere. In seeking out Rain he had left behind a series of tripwires and signals all over the place, making it practically impossible for his assailants to surprise him. He laughed audibly as he backed towards Rain. Charsi's inheritance was bursting out of him, erupting from his need. It was reacting to the threat like adrenaline.

  “This will all be over in a minute.”

  “Ardin?” She clutched at the plate of leather that was strapped to his back. “These are Woads... we need to go.”

  “Where would we go? There are too many. We need to finish this.” He grinned over his shoulder before pushing her to her knees. I need to finish this.

  His hands were up in a flash, bringing up an invisible wall as two of the monsters leaped through the grasses. Knocked on their backs, he grabbed them both, slammed them together then flung them into the trees beyond. More were coming. A lot more.

  Suddenly the little draw was overflowing with the things. Ten. Twenty. Now fifty. He could feel each and every one of them. He drew a shield around Rain, thoughtlessly making her invisible to the monsters that sought her. Then he stepped onto a nearby rock, he couldn't help but grin openly now. He relished the rush, ecstatic to exercise his power. To use it to protect Rain, to destroy these wretched monsters.

  “You think you're so sneaky,” he yelled at the top of his lungs. Hoping to draw their attention. It worked well enough. “But I can see you!”

  Six were in the air now. He could only see three but he could sense them all. His outstretched arms flexed and were followed by a shockwave that boomed through the grasses. All six fell dead or dying to the ground.

  Holy shit, Ardin thought. I'm doing this myself. I'm actually doing this.