Ghosts of Ascalon (guild wars)

by Matt Forbeck

  Dougal's mind was spinning now. " 'Her'?" he managed.

  Logan walked to the doorway. "Ma'am?" he said.

  A slim woman in chain armor entered the room, and for a half-second Dougal's heart stopped. She had tightly wound auburn curls that stopped just short of her shoulders, and her icy blue eyes had the cold look of a military professional.

  "Riona," said Dougal softly.

  "Riona Grady of the Vigil," she said, holding up a document sealed with purple wax to the captain. "Here to take charge and responsibility for the prisoner on behalf of my order."

  Dougal held up his bare wrists to Groban. "If it's all the same to you, Lieutenant," he said, "I think it'd be safer for me if you put the manacles back on and closed the cell door on your way out."

  Riona did not say more than three words as Dougal regained his few confiscated belongings and followed her out of the jail.

  The city of Divinity's Reach was laid out like a great six-spoked wheel, with each spoke being a great high road that arched from the outer walls of white stone to the uppermost reaches of the city. The upper city, with its palace and senate and domed gardens, was at the hub, and the lower reaches between the arched high roads were where most people lived. Over the years, the divided sectors took on a regional flavor. The original Krytans predominated in one sector of the city, while the descendants of the Ascalonians, their homelands blasted by the charr centuries earlier, gathered in another. Other spaces between the bridges were dominated by Elonian and Canthan immigrants, their distant homelands now unreachable, thanks to the rise of the Elder Dragons.

  The southernmost of the two sectors were given over to an assemblage of inns, alehouses, general services for travelers and merchants, and the carnival. The last was a collection of ornate rides and vendors scattered through the area, funded by a powerful minister in the Krytan bureaucracy. It gave the area a surprisingly festive appearance and a false feeling that everything was safe and secure in the last human kingdom.

  Riona and Dougal wound their way among the hawkers, merchants, and revelers. Confetti drifted down from the sky, and in the distance the deep brass tones of a clockwork band drifted over the proceedings.

  Riona stopped at a shadow show, and Dougal stopped with her. The shadow show was an opaque white sheet set up at the base of one of the High Road's supports, lit from behind. About a dozen townspeople and a similar number of children gathered in the shade. Silhouetted puppets danced across the screen.

  "Riona, I…" Dougal started to say.

  "Hush," said Riona, her eyes locked on the screen.

  The shadow show told the tale of the kingdoms of Tyria. First was Ascalon, defended by its Great Northern Wall. The charr attacked the wall, their heavy-shouldered feline troops striding across the screen from the left. Human soldiers appeared on the wall, led by their heroic king, and drove them back in a cascade of arrows. The charr returned with great cauldrons, and out of the cauldrons sprung huge crystalline missiles that struck the walls and breached them. This was the Searing, when the charr broke through the wall and overran Ascalon.

  The screen darkened and brightened again. Another city, this one with more ornate, delicate structures, twisted towers and great arches. This was Arah, the greatest city of Orr. Again the charr, with their mystic cauldrons, arrived from the left, and a man in robes appeared in the tallest tower and summoned a great spell. The screen flashed and the charr were blown back, but the city itself was shattered. A wavy line representing the ocean rose up, and the pieces of the city settled to the bottom of the Sea of Sorrows. This was the Sinking of Orr.

  The screen darkened again, and the scene shifted back to Ascalon, where the charr were besieging its greatest metropolis, Ascalon City. The feline assailants broke through the gates and were soon on the walls, fighting the human soldiers. On the tallest tower the human king, Adelbern, fought with a powerful charr. The two locked their blades and there was a great explosion. The charr were all blown away as if by a wind, and the humans all went pale: they had become ghosts. This was the Foefire.

  After another flash, a large black blot ran from one edge of the screen to the other under the waves. Then the blot opened a great draconic eye. Now the ruined city of Arah rose from the waves, and at its tallest point a great winged form spread its wings and roared at the sky. This was the Rising of Orr, and with it the waking of the undead Elder Dragon known as Zhaitan.

  The dragon roared again and flashed its wings, kicking up a great wave as it did so. The wave traveled to the right, the risen city retreating to the left, and now a new city appeared at the right hand side of the screen. This was Lion's Arch. The wave struck it, and pieces of the city flew in all directions. When the dragon rose, the original Lion's Arch was flooded and swept away into the sea.

  The screen darkened one more time, and now the scene was of refugees entering from the left. They were dressed like Krytans and Ascalonians and Canthans and Elonians, and brought wagons with their belongings and great packs. Rising up before them came the walls of Divinity's Reach, and with them the upper city, and atop the upper city the Queen's Palace. Atop the tower the queen appeared, clearly modeled after Queen Jennah, welcoming the refugees to the city, and confetti drifted down from the sky as the happy travelers reached safety. The last of the refugees traveled into the city, the gates closed, and the banner of Divinity's Reach was raised from the queen's tallest tower.

  The crowd politely applauded, and the puppeteer, a small, smiling Canthan woman, stepped from behind the screen to take her bows, her puppets mounted on slender sticks. Riona did not applaud but simply moved on, and Dougal followed. She passed the ale tent and took a pint of lager. Dougal took one as well, careful to let her pay. She sat down at one of the nearby tables. Dougal sat across from her, and they were silent for a moment. Riona looked at the rough, knife-carved tabletop.

  "Riona, I…" Dougal started again.

  "I want you to know…" she said, bitterness in her voice, then stopped. Dougal held his tongue, and in the distance the band shifted to a different tune, more of a waltz converted into steam and strained through brass fittings.

  She continued. "I want you to know that, were it up to me, I would have left you there to rot. Like you left me."

  "I didn't mean to-" Dougal said.

  "Like you left me," repeated Riona, piercing him with her blue steel eyes.

  "It was…" Dougal started, then realized that the words "not my idea" would not be well received, nor would they be true. "… a mistake. I'm sorry. We shouldn't have left you."

  "You didn't just leave me," Riona snapped. "You knocked me out and left me for the Ebon Vanguard to find. You left me to pay the price for your crimes."

  Now it was Dougal's turn to look at the table. Five years ago, he and Riona and the others had all been in Ebonhawke, members of the Ebon Vanguard. They weren't very good at soldiering, and all of them talked about various schemes to get them to Lion's Arch, to Divinity's Reach, to anywhere but within a city besieged by the hated charr.

  Then Dak found the map-the map to the original Ascalon City. A map that showed the towers and streets of that ancient human city from the times before the Searing and the Foefire, before the devastation of the charr. A map that showed the royal castle of King Adelbern.

  And, most of all, showed the royal treasure vault and inventoried its contents.

  Dak had found a treasure map and Jervis suggested they go after it. Marga asked why they should wait, and Vala and Dougal agreed. Riona, alone among them, said it was a bad idea, that they would be put to hard labor if they were caught, or slain by the charr if not, because Ascalon City was in the heart of the charr territories.

  So Marga hit her over the back of the head one night when they were scheduled to go on patrol beyond the battlements. Marga and Dougal then loaded her into her bunk and told the commander she was ill and left her there. And they left Ebonhawke and never came back.

  "When your patrol didn't return, the Ebon Vanguard came for
me," Riona said, filling in the blanks on the table. "I didn't tell them what was going on, and they didn't believe me. I took the blame. They put me at hard labor in the quarries for two years before even considering reinstating my position. And they never let me patrol beyond the walls."

  "And you're with the Vigil now," said Dougal, looking away as the carnival swirled around them.

  "I served my tour. I left. I looked for a purpose. I found one with the Vigil and I came here, to Divinity's Reach. I've been here a year, and in all that time I never tried to hunt you"-she almost said "down" but brought herself up short-"out…" she finished.

  "And the Vigil wants me. Why?" Dougal returned her glare. Her accusing eyes still hurt to look at, but it was clear he was going to have to learn to live with it.

  "You survived Ascalon City. The others?"

  "Dead. Dak, Jervis, Marga…" The locket felt heavy around his neck, like a stone. "And Vala. Dead in Ascalon City."

  "And yet, you survived," said Riona, smiling. It was not a friendly smile. "Why am I not surprised?"

  Dougal stared back into the angry eyes and said, "We were wrong. I apologize on behalf of the dead. Now you need me. Why?"

  Riona bit her lip. "I need you to promise you won't run when I tell you," said Riona, and her expression softened just a bit.

  "Would you believe me if I did?"asked Dougal.

  "No," said Riona, "but I need you to promise anyway."

  Dougal thought a moment, then said, "You need something in Ascalon. The Vigil needs something in Ascalon. You need someone to go there."

  "Are you going to promise?"

  "I don't understand how you ended up with the Vigil," said Dougal. "Their leader is-"

  "I know what their leader is," said Riona. "I was looking for a purpose. For a chance to change myself, to change the world. I found it there."

  "Riona," said Dougal, leaning forward, dropping his voice as if sharing a confidence. "They think they can defeat the Elder Dragons."

  "Don't worry, they aren't asking you to fight a dragon, Elder or otherwise."

  "Then what are they asking me to do?" Dougal took a pull on his ale.

  "Go to Ascalon City," she said.

  Dougal looked over the rim of the glass. "And do what?"

  "That we'll talk about once we get to Lion's Arch."

  Dougal thought for a moment and said, "I'll need a sword."

  "You always were a horrible swordsman," said Riona.

  "I've gotten better," said Dougal.

  The two sat there for a moment, each daring the other to break the silence.

  "Fine. Finish your drink," said Riona. "I'll get you a damned sword."

  They returned their glasses to the vendor and weaved their way through the crowds. Riona kept shooting Dougal looks as if she anticipated him to melt away into the masses of carnival-goers.

  Dougal had to admit that he considered escaping, ditching her in the bustle of the festival, recovering the Golem's Eye from its precarious hiding place, and quietly heading for some small village far from Divinity's Reach. Although Riona's offer was intriguing, the idea of returning to Ascalon City was insane. He had barely escaped with his life before. But the chance to make good on previous failed promises…

  "A new shipment came in from Claypool," said the merchant, a squat man who, despite being surrounded by sharp blades, was in severe need of a shave. "Finest kind, fresh from the forge."

  Riona's brows bunched up. "You must be kidding. Look at that pocking. The grip wobbles. And the edge isn't even true."

  The merchant gave an irritated shrug. "You're not expecting Seraph quality, are you? And the really good stuff all gets shipped out to those Ebonhawke soreheads."

  "What do you mean by that?" said Riona, her eyes narrowing.

  "Ascalon is dead and buried," said the merchant. "Let the charr have it: it's blasted and filled with ghosts, anyway, from what I hear. Sending men and supplies to Ebonhawke-supplies we can use here at home to fight centaurs and bandits, mind you-is a waste of money. Good gold chasing after bad."

  As the merchant spoke, Dougal noticed Riona's visage grow darker and her hand drifting to the grip of her own sword. "This will do nicely," he said quickly. "Pay the man, Riona."

  "I'd rather-" started Riona, her jaw clenched.

  "Pay the man," said Dougal. "Let's move on."

  The two walked away from the merchant, Riona muttering, "That traitorous moron! And this is what people think of us in Divinity's Reach."

  "Ebonhawke is far away, like Orr and the dragons," said Dougal. "You can understand if they worry more about centaurs raiding their caravans and bandits robbing their fields. You're right about one thing, though." He flicked the blade back and forth a few times. The other pedestrians watched him cautiously as he executed some textbook moves. "This blade is miserable."

  "Told you," said Riona.

  "Most modern blades are. Modern human blades, anyway." He sheathed the sword. "Such is life in our dragon-haunted times."

  Someone called out Dougal's name from behind him.

  "Now what?" said Riona, but Dougal saw a green face flickering among the crowds, a verdant arm raised overhead.

  He smiled and shot a glance at Riona, who scowled at the approaching newcomer. The fact that the sylvari's appearance frustrated Riona made him feel even better. And Killeen looked fully recovered from her sojourn in the crypts beneath Divinity's Reach.

  "Riona Grady, member of the Vigil, may I present-" he began.

  "Killeen, born of the Cycle of Night," she said, holding out a hand in the human fashion.

  Riona scowled and nodded, leaving the hand unclasped. "It is good to meet you, Killeen of the Night, but I am afraid Dougal and I have business to discuss-"

  "Would you like an ale?" Dougal broke in. "There is a tent not more than twenty feet from here that does a passable brown lager."

  The look Riona shot him would have slain a devourer at ten paces, and Dougal allowed himself a smile. New sins for her to be angry about might help heal the old.

  "It's very nice," said Killeen a little later, sipping the ale. "Is that butternut squash in the mix?"

  Dougal shrugged amiably while Riona, leaning back in her bench, kept her arms crossed. She said, "I don't know many sylvari." From her tone it was clear that she would prefer to know one fewer.

  "And I don't know much about the Vigil," said Killeen, "other than they are a group made up of members from many races, nations, and guilds. They are dedicated to resisting the depredations of the Elder Dragons by force of arms. Are you hiring Dougal to fight dragons?"

  "I'm glad you're not still in jail," said Dougal, realizing that this was the first time he'd thought about Killeen since they had been arrested.

  "I spent the night there, and then a pleasant human with a mustache asked me questions, and I answered them, and they let me go." She sipped the ale again.

  Dougal thought about what Lieutenant Groban had said about one of their group confessing. "You?" he managed. "You told him?"

  "Of course. I told him about Clagg and Breaker and you and Gyda and where Blimm's tomb was and where you hid the gem by the entrance," she said. "They had forgotten about Blimm's tomb and were happy I told them where to find it. That's something that is strange to me: I hadn't thought about it before, that knowledge can die. It makes sense, when you think about it: someone who knows something dies without telling anyone else, then the knowledge is lost. But, to a sylvari, it is odd."

  Killeen did not notice that Dougal was now cradling his face in his hands and that Riona was chuckling. "So," began Dougal, "you told them where I hid the gem…"

  "Yes," said Killeen, smiling. "Honesty works out best, I find." At this, Riona actually laughed. "And that reminds me," the sylvari said, reaching for her pouch. "I wanted to give you this."

  She produced a small object wrapped in a lace handkerchief, about the size of an asura's fist. It thunked heavily on the table. Dougal picked it up, and a flash of red crystal fla
red in the late-afternoon sun.

  "Nice," said Riona, catching a glimpse as well. "Looks just like the type of thing you would risk your life for. Not magical, is it?"

  Dougal pushed the entire gem in his pocket, handkerchief and all. "I'm confused," he said, shaking his head. "You just told me-"

  "That I told our jailers where you hid the gem," said Killeen. "I didn't say anything about where I hid it afterwards…"

  "Where you…" The pieces of the puzzle fit together in his mind. "I see. When you climbed up my back…"

  "I pulled the gem from where you put it and moved it further up, and quickly sealed it up inside a skull for good measure. When I saw you leaving the jail, I went and retrieved it."

  Now it was Dougal's turn to laugh. Killeen leaned across the table and, in a conspiratorial tone, said, "So, what is the new job? Is it dragons?"

  Riona shook her head. "I'm sorry, Killeen of the Night, but this is a private matter between me and-"

  "Ascalon City," interrupted Dougal, ignoring Riona's glare. "She wants me to go to Ascalon City for the Vigil. She won't tell me why yet."

  Killeen leaned back and put her palms together. "Ascalon City is in the center of charr territory, and filled with ghosts."

  "I know," said Dougal, "I've been there."

  Killeen blinked in surprise. "I didn't know," she said, and was silent for a moment.

  Dougal felt compelled to add, "It did not work out well," and looked at Riona. For the first time Riona nodded in agreement, her mouth a tight line.

  Killeen looked up and said, "All right. Count me in."

  Riona looked up in shock and stammered, "I'm sorry, that's impossible."

  "Why?" said Killeen. "You're taking him." She motioned at Dougal with the glass and Dougal felt vaguely insulted.