Hammers in the Wind

by Christian Warren Freed

  “Three glasses past dawn, almost noon.”

  Noon? Damnation. “Why was I allowed to sleep so long?”

  Harnin One Eye cleared his throat, giving Badron the feeling of apprehension. “The house jarl heard voices late in the night. We judged it best to let you sleep.”

  Voices in the night. Badron cursed himself. Fear made him careless and now another man knew he had received unexpected visitors. He almost panicked. If word spread through the household it might prove disastrous for them all. Badron knew he must act quickly if he was going to be able to keep his dealings private. Unfortunately he did not have the luxury of waiting on the Dae’shan’s return. He had to act now.

  Badron motioned for water, which Harnin graciously supplied. The king drank deep as his eyes slowly adjusted to the sunlight. Harnin stood patiently at the foot of the bed with an expectant look in his eye. Greedy bastard, Badron thought as he set the mug down. Very well, a secret I shall give him.

  “Lord Harnin, do I have your full trust and confidence?” he asked with a measured voice.

  Harnin feigned momentary confusion. He had obviously spoken with the jarl. “Unquestionably.”

  Badron gave him a stern look but did not speak his thoughts. Instead he said, “I have something you should know. Listen closely, for this affects the future of the kingdom. I did indeed have visitors last night. Two of them to be precise.”

  Harnin passed his first test and remained silent. He listened intently to a man he’d known for decades as he wove an impossible tale of creatures that could not exist. A small part of him recoiled at the telling. That part was much smaller than he expected. The one eye clung to every word. The horror was initially too much but then greed set in. He envisioned a new world of possibilities. A world where he might rise to be king himself. A terrible warlord of the frozen north. Harnin concealed the glee he felt inside.

  “What do you think of my tale?” the king asked once he finished.

  He studied Harnin closely, searching for any minute sign of betrayal.

  Harnin blinked rapidly. He felt trapped. The next few moments needed to be handled carefully. “I do not know what to say. It hardly seems possible that such beings can exist.”

  “There are older beings in this world than man. Some we know, yet others remain hidden. Who can say what their motivations are?”

  “So it must be with these Dae’shan,” Harnin surmised. “That does not explain why they have come to Delranan.”

  Badron agreed. “No it doesn’t. It is too convenient for these Dae’shan to arrive on the eve of our invasion. I feel that they are after much more than the kindly offering of their services. They want something and are unwilling to tell me yet.”

  “We have no incentive to trust them,” Harnin added.

  “Precisely my thought.”

  Harnin scratched his jaw. “Perhaps there is a chance to turn this into a great opportunity for our kingdom.”

  Finally. “How so?”

  “If these creatures are as powerful as they claim, they will be useful in securing conquered territories. Think of it, sire. We would be invincible. I see why we should limit the fury of the Wolfsreik to a single kingdom.”

  The king pretended to think on this. In truth he already had everything worked out. He half smiled. “Why indeed. There is one problem, however.”

  Harnin narrowed his eye. “What would that be?”

  “The house jarl.”

  He agreed, perhaps a bit too readily for Badron’s taste. “He is a loose end. Do you wish me to deal with him?”

  “Personally, if you don’t mind. I do not yet know if we can trust everyone in this house, especially given our recent attack,” Badron told him. He was surprised at how easy the order to kill a trusted man was to give.

  Harnin bowed. “He will be taken care of today.”

  Badron’s smile was deceptive. “Good. I knew that if I could trust anyone it was you, old friend.”

  “I have ever been at your side,” the One Eye admitted proudly.

  His reply answered most of Badron’s questions. “Now, tell me of the army’s disposition. How close is General Rolnir to going to war?”

  “He assures me that the first battalions will deploy before the next new moon.”

  “Under cover of darkness? Isn’t that dangerous, especially through the Murdes Mountains? I would think Rolnir would be looking forward to displaying our full military might to the world.”

  Harnin expected the reaction. “He feels that it is best for surprise. We do not know how prepared Stelskor is to repel our invasion or if the Pell Darga will bar the way.”

  “Stelskor would be a fool to come at us piecemeal,” Badron grunted. “He knows his defenses are no match for us.”

  “Sire, the confines of the mountain passes will steal our strength of force. I am in agreement with Rolnir on this.”

  Badron remained skeptical but he had virtually no choice in trusting his top military commanders. They were the men who were going to win or lose this war.

  A fisherman found the body washed up on shore later that night. The tongue had been cut out and he’d been crippled before death. Every finger and toe was broken. The fisherman prayed for the man’s soul and turned the body in to the harbor patrol. Not a question was asked.

  TWENTY-FOUR

  I can’t believe I am going to do this, Bahr thought for the hundredth time as he gazed up at the near impregnable wall. Cold and tired, he was far too old to be playing at games like this. That didn’t take from the fact that they’d made it all the way to Rogscroft without further incident. Bahr and Boen agreed to send out reconnaissance patrols in the city and around the castle. The Sea Wolf insisted on leading a team himself. No one questioned this.

  Bahr let Ionascu take a six-man team around the east while his went west. He was becoming increasingly convinced that Ionascu either knew who the spy was or was the spy himself. Either way he didn’t trust any of Harnin’s handpicked men. He cursed again and heard Boen snort mockingly behind him. He must have read my mind, Bahr thought.

  “What do you think?” he asked, trying to focus on the task at hand.

  Boen stared hard at the walls. “Solid construction. Good walls. We’d need an army to break them down.”

  “We don’t have to break them down, just get past them.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Boen shrugged. “I’m sure the alert has already been sent to every guard station and outpost in the kingdom. Just because we lost them in the wild country doesn’t mean we are safe.”

  “We should get back. This is not the place for a conversation and Ionascu should be headed back by now as well.”

  Boen agreed and led them back to the village. They’d been moving constantly since arriving the night prior. The journey to Rogscroft had not been dull. A raiding party caught up to them a day ago. The battle was vicious and bloody. Another of Ionascu’s men was killed by a barbed pike. The loss was relatively minor in terms of mission success but it left a hollow feeling among the survivors.

  A half hour later Boen pushed open the door to the abandoned hut they’d confiscated. Skuld eagerly awaited them.

  “Miss us, lad?” Boen asked with a gruff laugh and tousled the boy’s hair.

  Skuld grinned wolfishly.

  Bahr asked, “Has anyone else returned?”

  “No sir. You are the first. I was starting to think something had gone wrong.”

  A twinkle entered Boen’s eyes. “What could possibly go wrong? You’ve got me here, don’t you?”

  Bahr ignored the boast. He was never one to stand on arrogance and felt there was little room for it in this situation. He supposed it was a failing of Gaimosian bloodlines, seeing as how they’d been hunted and abused for generations. Most ordinary people would have given up and faded into history. Not the proud sons of Gaimos. They continued to struggle with sheer tenacity and indomitable will. Sometimes Bahr wondered if those responsible for the destruction of Gaimos ever understood what they
had unleashed upon Malweir. All that aside, Bahr thought Boen needed to be more considerate of the attitude he was fostering in Skuld. He made a point to talk to the man later.

  “What do we have to drink?” Bahr asked.

  “Mint tea like you said.”

  The Sea Wolf nodded. “Good. This cold will be the death of me yet.”

  They closed the door behind them, only Skuld choosing to remain on guard outside.

  “You shouldn’t encourage him so much,” Bahr chastised once he’d taken his gloves off and poured them both a mug of tea.

  Boen’s face tightened. “He needs a positive male role model. The boy’s had no one his whole life. I give him hope.”

  “All I am saying is not to fill him with false hope. Skuld is young and impressionable. He’s the one person capable of believing all the shit you talk,” he replied with a laugh.

  The Gaimosian shrugged. “I am nothing without an audience.”

  Nothol Coll and Dorl Theed arrived then. Their faces had a bluish tinge and they were out of breath.

  Dorl spotted the mugs. “Drinking without us?”

  “Tea,” Bahr replied stiffly.

  Nothol graciously accepted a mug and said, “It is getting colder out there. The first snows aren’t far off. Could make trouble for us on the way out.”

  Bahr agreed. “Hopefully we can make it back to the Bane before the snow gets too deep and she doesn’t get iced into the shore. That might be worse than being hounded by Stelskor’s men all the way to the coast.”

  “You’re planning something,” Dorl suggested.

  A calculating smile. “Naturally. Any captain worth his salt has some scheme cooked up just in case. You worry about the princess, I have the rest of it.”

  Others returned, each bearing a dejected look.

  Dorl raised an eyebrow. “Seems getting in is going to be more of a trick than we had planned.”

  “You didn’t seriously think we could just walk through the front door did you?” Bahr asked him.

  The sell sword wisely chose to remain silent.

  Bahr continued, “We wait for everyone to return before we jump to conclusions.”

  The wait proved shorter than expected. Ionascu and his team were the last to return, and then only by a few minutes. Everyone was at the point of exhaustion. Bahr watched them all, on edge from the dangerous glint in Ionascu’s eyes. He sighed. They had been delaying the inevitable since leaving Stouds. The time for talk and plots was done. Action needed to be taken and the mercenaries were already prepared.

  “What news?” Bahr asked.

  Ionascu swallowed the last of his tea. “Nothing good. Seems the castle’s been told about us. The whole place is on a war footing.”

  “Looks like they are gearing up for a major campaign,” seconded another.

  Bahr heard the concern in the man’s voice but made no comment.

  “It can’t be about us,” Boen chipped in. “We’re just a handful of men. That doesn’t make us much of a threat to national security.”

  “Nonetheless, what Oleg says is true. Rogscroft prepares for war,” Ionascu reinforced.

  Bahr thoughtfully chewed the side of his tongue. “What do you suggest?”

  “Hard to say. The walls are solid and too well armed for us to climb unnoticed. The main gates have rotating shifts every four hours. That keeps the guards fresh and alert. We might just be wasting our time.”

  “We knew the risks when we accepted the job,” Bahr told them.

  Ionascu shrugged off the comment. “That doesn’t change the fact that we simply cannot break in. My men found no weaknesses along the perimeter.”

  “How about we go in the front door?” Dorl suggested.

  “What?” they shouted in unison.

  Boen cracked a smile.

  Dorl eased to the center of the room. “It’s the one place they won’t be expecting us.”

  Bahr waited for the murmuring to die down. There was some merit to what Dorl was saying, but he needed more to be convinced. “What’s your plan?”

  His cheeks flushed. “No one will be looking for men trying to break in. We don’t need to be sneaky about it. Besides, they might easily be preparing for something Badron cooked up.”

  “A deception.”

  The sell sword nodded sharply. “We could pose as a trader caravan, maybe just a few merchants with guards.”

  “A trader caravan?” Ionascu laughed. “Just where do we come up with the costumes, goods, and animals?”

  “We can buy what we need from local merchants. Princess Maleela will be in the most heavily guarded part of the castle. We wait until market day to get inside,” Nothol came to his friend’s defense.

  Boen arched his eyebrows. “He has a point. They both do. We can afford it all, but they will be wary of strangers, especially ones with Delrananian accents.”

  “I didn’t say it was much of a plan,” Dorl admitted.

  “All right, calm down!” Bahr growled. “It may not be perfect, but it is all we have to go on at the moment. Besides,” he grinned, “we have enough cunning and guile amongst us to make it work.”

  “Our next move?” the Gaimosian asked.

  “Find out when merchants are allowed in the castle, scout out what we can and get ready to fight.”

  Boen nodded. “Good. I’m tired of running and hiding. I need to knock the rust off of my sword.”

  “Which leads me to my next point. No visiting the local taverns. No drinking. No whoring. We do this right or we all die.”

  *****

  Outside, ear pressed closely to the door, Skuld listened to every word. He began to see them for what they were, madmen. He doubted his decision of sneaking aboard the Dragon’s Bane. Pell Darga treasure. What was he thinking? All of life’s hardships conspired to send him to this very moment where death stretched out its icy fingers and reached for his throat.

  The grip on his shoulder was enough. Strength left him and his legs went numb.

  “Shhh,” whispered a familiar female voice as he began to whimper.

  Rekka Jel stepped out of the darkness and patiently waited for him to compose himself. Raw emotions could easily drive the boy mad and a knife in her gut was the last thing she needed.

  Skuld’s eyes went wide. “Rekka? We thought you’d been killed. Where were you?”

  “Matters have turned against us,” she whispered. “Where is Bahr?”

  “Inside with the others.”

  She nodded. “I must see him now. I have much to tell.”

  Despite the urgency in her voice Skuld took the time to smile as he opened the door. “I’m glad you’re back with us.”

  Rekka touched his cheek with the back of her hand and slipped inside. The conversation slowed to a quiet murmur as each took notice of her. Bahr pushed his way through them and came face to face with worry in his eyes. Rekka nodded in understanding.

  “I bring ill tidings,” she simply said.

  Boen’s deep voice rumbled from the hearth. “Quiet down lads, let the lady speak.”

  She waited for them to settle before beginning her tale. “I was covering the withdrawal like we’d agreed. I managed to slay five of their scouts without much trouble. Then I ran into something unexpected, something darker and threatening. I am not ashamed to admit this, but I knew fear. It spread from my very marrow and nearly consumed my mind. It has been many years since last I felt that sting.”

  “What could rattle your nerves so?” Nothol asked. His voice was cold, almost somber.

  “They are known as the Dae’shan.”

  Anienam Keiss hissed, “Impossible!

  One by one they looked to the old man who, until now, had been no more than a steward. He winced, cursing his carelessness. That left him with just one choice.

  “The Dae’shan are extinct. The last of their kind vanquished from the face of the world. You speak of the immaterial.”

  Rekka’s eyes hardened. “I know of what I speak. The Dae’shan threat is
real. This is not the first time I have encountered one.”

  “What are these beings you speak of?” Bahr interrupted.

  “Murderers. An ancient order intent on bringing the dark gods back to Malweir,” Rekka explained. Her voice rippled with conviction.

  “They are no more. I was there, Rekka Jel. I had a hand in ending their evil for eternity. The Dae’shan are dead.”

  Anienam Keiss bordered on vehement. He knew he was right. He must be. After all, it was his sword that slew the last one. That was the day his father, Dakeb, died. Four against two and only Anienam had walked away. The past drifted further away, but the nightmares continued to this day.

  He quietly added, “This simply cannot be.”

  Boen, having traveled the face of Malweir many times over, gently asked, “What are these things and how do we kill them?”

  The wizard relented, but only a little. “Some might call them demons. Certainly their powers are equal to the name. No one knows where they came from. They are the soulless servants of ancient evil. It is chronicled that they were the true power behind the war that destroyed Gaimos.” Boen’s face darkened. “They manipulated the kings of old and used them to wipe Gaimos out. That is not their only crime. They have done this throughout our known history.”

  “Why?” Boen asked in a dangerous growl.

  “A prophecy. It is said that the sons of Gaimos would deliver the final blow and vanquish the dark gods forever. The Dae’shan are afraid of this and sought to end the threat once and for all. They ultimately failed. It was Gaimosian blood that first began the order of mages. Peace and prosperity reigned for a time, until the Dae’shan returned again. They seduced Sidian, the Silver Mage, and began a new war that lasted almost five hundred years.”

  “When my father managed to kill Sidian in his fortress city of Aingaard he thought he had at last accomplished what our kind had been struggling against for so long. He was wrong. The Dae’shan returned to hiding, patiently waiting in the dark forgotten places of the world. If what Rekka says is true, they feel their time is here.”

  “Is it?” Bahr asked.

  She nodded. “It appears so. This is a day my people have long feared. The Dae’shan are the ultimate evil. They have the power to destroy us all.”