Soki flashed him a smile, then went back to looking through her designs. “Good. I think there’s much we could learn from each other. And I enjoy your company.”
“And I yours. I have a mission already though. I’ll be gone for at least a few weeks, probably longer.”
Once the settlers were trained to his satisfaction, he couldn’t see them waiting for the Dead-eyes to come to the settlement. They’d probably have to hunt them down in the mountains, but at least that would shorten the trip.
“Oh.” Soki stopped riffling through the pages and reached for her tea. “Damn, it’s gone cold.” She whispered a cant, and steam rose from the cup.
Aldric was impressed. She showed such a fine control of her abilities, something that was far beyond him, even if he studied and practiced for decades.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“There’s a settlement that’s come under attack from some Dead-eyes. The Church of Menselas has joined with another Church to help the people there. A show of unity, or so I’m told.”
“Filthy creatures. The Dead-eyes, I mean. They’re always a nuisance up here. I don’t know why they keep harassing us. There’s enough grubs, worms, bugs, and mushrooms for them to live off in the forests and mountains.” Soki cleared her throat and sipped her tea. “I thought we’d have a bit more time together before you became too busy with your new duties.”
“I’ll buy you an expensive dinner when I get back. Or three.”
Soki laughed. “Pleasant company is what I need, not expensive food. Street-vendor fare is good enough for me, if I’m with the right person.”
Am I that right person?
“That sounds … enticing. There’s still much of the city I haven’t seen. I’d like it if you showed me more.”
Soki frowned and blew the surface of her tea. “This settlement … Is there a ruin close by? That would …” She trailed off.
“So the archbishop says. I gather he’s keen for me to recover some artifacts from it, though I don’t see the point.”
“Aldric, I …” She hesitated. “I have to tell you something. I agreed to do some work for your Church a few days ago. A priest came to see me. Standard contract conditions: artifact examination and analysis, with recommendations. He paid well—not that I need the royals, but something this big piqued my interest. And making the connection with your Church didn’t hurt. They avoid sorcery, as you know, and I thought it a golden opportunity.”
It was one thing for Hannus to order Aldric to bring back what he could find in a ruin, but another entirely to engage a sorcerer to examine such artifacts. A sorcerer not of the Church, no less.
“What’s the artifact?” he asked.
“That’s the strange thing. He didn’t have it yet. Said it might be a few weeks until it was in their hands.”
Aldric grunted. His Church was playing some sort of game, and they’d dragged both him and Soki into it. “Bloody hells!” he said under his breath. “I don’t know if Hannus or Hierophant Karianne is behind this, but I mean to find out. Have you ever been asked to examine something found in a ruin that turned out to be … beneficial?”
“To have power? An artifact that could be used?”
“Yes.”
“A few times. Just small things. Once there was a dagger—a knife, really. Its metal was still bright, though it had to be really old. It wasn’t blunt to the touch, but it wasn’t sharp either, yet it cut through metal like it was soft cheese. A noble bought it from a merchant for a considerable sum, and I never saw it again. I’ve a sketch of it somewhere. The sorcery on it … I’ve never seen the like, and I don’t think I ever will again. It had edges … not of this world.”
Aldric wasn’t entirely sure what she meant, and he didn’t want to know. Sorcery such as that was beyond him.
“The settler that came here—do you think he’s genuine?” he asked.
“I expect you’ll find out when you get to where the settlement’s supposed to be. Which means, instead of sightseeing, we’ll have to spend the time until you leave working on your sorcery.”
“But—”
“No excuses. If you get injured out there and I could have done something to prevent it, I’ll be annoyed.”
“Annoyed? Is that all?”
Soki’s eyes glittered, and she smirked. “Maybe more. Pour yourself some tea, and we’ll start right now.”
Aldric did as she suggested. Already, things were growing complicated, and he couldn’t be sure what he’d face out there in the wilderness. When situations became desperate, he couldn’t deny sorcery came in handy.
“I can’t stay long,” he said. “I have to be up at first light to arrange mounts and gear.”
Soki cleared her throat, then glanced at him, and away. “Only a few lessons, I promise. Then you can relax. Stay the night. I’ll wake you before dawn.”
Aldric’s heart beat faster, and his throat tightened. He could get to like it here. Perhaps he’d finally found a place where he could settle down. But cursed as he was, did he deserve it? And would his Church let him stay? “I’d enjoy that,” he said.
Soki leaned over and their lips met.
~ ~ ~
Aldric buckled his khopesh belt around his waist, then realized he hadn’t put his boots on yet. He cursed quietly, glancing at Soki, who was still asleep. Except she wasn’t. Her eyes were open, and she began to laugh.
“Were you sneaking out before I woke?” she said.
“No. I just wanted you to rest. I would have woken you to say goodbye. Today I’ll be busy organizing our departure.”
Aldric was a little uncomfortable, he had to admit. Some in the Church saw relationships as a sign a priest wasn’t fully devoted to the faith. And Aldric knew any relationship he had would be intensely scrutinized. It was bad enough the Church interrogated him constantly because he was a sorcerer; add in a sorcerer lover, and they’d submit him to even more intense grilling.
Rubbing her eyes, Soki snuggled further under the quilt. “The ward I cast woke me at the same time as you. It’s still warm in bed though. Maybe you should come back. Would it be so bad if you didn’t leave until later?”
Aldric looked down at his bare feet. He wanted to stay, but …
“I can’t,” he said reluctantly. “The sooner we leave for the settlement, the sooner I’ll be back. And I don’t know if I can trust this mercenary, Niklaus. I need to make sure the men we’ve been given can do the job.”
Soki threw off the covers, stood up and stretched. She was completely naked. Her skin shone in the light of the sorcerous lamp. Aldric felt his face flush. He looked away, then cursed himself for a fool and turned back to openly delight in her body.
She laughed warmly at his attention, then slipped a nightshirt over her head.
“I’ll help you with your boots,” she said. “Then you can get to work while I go back to bed. And, Aldric, please be careful.”
He met her eyes and nodded. “I will. This mission will be over before you know it.”
Chapter Sixteen
Another Invitation
THIS MISSION WAS ALREADY turning into a headache for Aldric. In a brief moment of self-pity, he longed for the vastness and solitude of the wilderness, where he felt more at home than in a bustling city, dealing with other people.
After acquiring mounts and saddles, he’d traced Niklaus to a blacksmith’s, where Razmus had said the mercenary was buying weapons. Except as far as Aldric could see, Niklaus hadn’t purchased anything. The mercenary was speaking heatedly to an older man.
For a change, it was Niklaus who was agitated, and the man he spoke to was calm and collected. He was long in the tooth, but carried himself well, his weight spread evenly across both feet. His dark eyes scanned the crowd in the street even as he listened to Niklaus. A slightly curved sword swung low from his left hip, and the thumb of his right hand was casually hooked into his belt—ready to draw the sword if necessary. There was a wiry hardness to the man and a
wariness. He always expects a fight, Aldric thought. And expects to win.
The man shook his head, and Niklaus raised his eyes to the sky, then ran a hand through his hair. Negotiations weren’t going too well, then.
Aldric crossed the busy street, catching Niklaus’s eye as he approached. The mercenary waved him closer.
“Tell him, Aldric. There will be danger aplenty on this trip. Not just Dead-eyes, but other creatures too.” He turned his head and winked at Aldric.
“I saw that,” said the man.
Aldric wasn’t sure what to say. Niklaus’s words implied the man didn’t want to join them because the mission wasn’t dangerous enough. And it seemed the two men knew each other already. He settled for: “I’m Aldric. A magister of the Five.”
The swordsman gave him a short nod. “You can call me Bryn. Niklaus here tells me you’re going to babysit some settlers. People that can’t even fight off some Dead-eyes.”
“But there’s more!” Niklaus said. “A lost ruin! Riches beyond—”
“I’m not interested in riches,” interrupted Bryn. “I did a lot of spending when I was young, and it wasn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I’m after a challenge. Thought you’d be the one to provide it, but seems I was wrong.”
“A whole tribe of Dead-eyes, Bryn. Plus whatever’s leading them. It was luck that I found you here, and luck will make you rich.”
“Probably just a smarter Dead-eye,” said Bryn. “Though there aren’t many of them. I think I’ll look elsewhere. There’s rumor of something dangerous stalking trappers to the west.”
“Maybe it’s a Dead-eye leading them,” Niklaus said. “Maybe not. Over the centuries, other beings have used the Dead-eyes for their own purposes. It could even be a wraithe!”
Aldric turned his head sharply to Niklaus, but the mercenary was looking at Bryn. He couldn’t possibly know about Aldric’s encounter with the wraithe in the wilderness. It had to be a coincidence.
“And think of the ruins,” Niklaus continued. “There’ll be something inside guarding the treasures. There always is.”
Bryn grunted, unimpressed, fingers tapping the pommel of his sword. “You can’t guarantee anything.”
Aldric saw the pommel was made of cast silver in the shape of a hideously disfigured face with the tongue sticking out. The hilt was covered with tanned sea-ray skin: the choice of many a master swordsman for its excellent grip. If Bryn was as good as Niklaus seemed to think he was, he’d be an asset to their team. But Aldric sensed Niklaus was fighting a losing battle.
“I don’t know what you’re after,” he said to Bryn, “but there are no guarantees anywhere. What we’ll be doing is dangerous, and there’s a chance—a small one, admittedly—that we’ll have to face stronger powers.”
Bryn’s pale eyes regarded him. “You’ve been told to go by your Church?”
Aldric nodded. “I’m usually sent to sort out difficult situations.”
The swordsman turned to Niklaus. “And you’re here on the Lady’s request?”
The mercenary’s face was studiously blank. “Yes. I believe so.”
“Well,” Bryn said, “this stinks to the abyss—your two faiths teaming up. This isn’t a walk in the park, no matter what they’ve told you.”
“I’ve worked that out already,” Aldric said. “I think we both have.”
“Hmm,” Bryn said. “I’m in. Whatever’s going on, I think it’ll turn nasty.”
Niklaus grinned. “That’s the spirit! Now, get your gear together and meet us at the old haggle yard on Locust Street. Do you have a horse? Good, we’re leaving tomorrow. We’ll provide all food and lodging, plus a decent bonus.”
“Fifty gold royals now. Another fifty when we’re done,” Bryn said.
Aldric shook his head. A hundred golds? They could hire at least fifty men for that and still have change.
“Done!” Niklaus said.
Aldric felt his temper flare. How could Niklaus agree so readily to such an outrageous sum?
“I’ll get your coins,” the mercenary continued. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to arrange supplies, and there’s some business I have to attend to. Aldric, you’ve got the mounts? Bryn has his own.”
Aldric nodded, keeping his temper in check. “Yes. I’ve organized them. There are six of us so far.” Hopefully Niklaus wouldn’t hire anyone else.
Niklaus’s eyes narrowed. “That brute chopping wood, what’s he like?”
“He can handle himself. Oh, I forgot to tell you. A woman turned up after you left—one of your Church’s priestesses. She wants to join us.”
Niklaus sneered and looked about to spit, then thought better of it. “Bloody meddlers,” he said vehemently. “Think they know everything. I’ll deal with her.” He stormed off without a farewell.
Aldric’s mind was still reeling at Niklaus agreeing to pay a hundred gold royals to Bryn. “Why would Niklaus pay so much for you?” he asked the man cautiously, then held up a hand. “No offense, but that’s a lot of coin.”
Bryn smiled and tapped a finger on his sword’s pommel. “Not so hard to believe if you know Niklaus. He doesn’t care for coin, or many other things. He’d spend a fortune to have someone he trusts who’s decent with a sword guarding his back. And he wants the company too: he doesn’t like boredom. He could have used the coin to hire a few dozen fighters, but then he’d have the headache of looking after them.”
Aldric exhaled hard through his nose. He’d prefer a dozen good men to one extraordinary one, but it was Niklaus’s money, not the Church’s, that was paying for Bryn. Well, it couldn’t be helped. It seemed Niklaus would do whatever he wanted, Aldric’s views be damned.
“How long have you known him?” he asked Bryn.
“He’s an odd one. I’ve known him for years, and of him for decades. I move from town to town, looking for challenges, and we’ve worked together a few times here in the north. Some treasure hunting. Some mercenary work.”
It seemed vague descriptions were all Aldric would get out of Bryn. “He’s a good fighter, then?”
“Good?” Bryn laughed. “He’s one of a kind. Trust me, Magister, you don’t want to be on the wrong side of Niklaus. He’s the best I’ve ever seen. Go against him, and he’ll put you down, sword or no sword, sorcery or no sorcery. And your faith won’t help you either. I’ve seen it. He’s a demon in human form, or so some say.”
“Those that have faced him?”
Bryn laughed evilly. “No. They’re all dead.”
Chapter Seventeen
Truths and Chains
KURIO WOKE TO A stench she’d hoped never to smell again: burned flesh, overlaid with something sharp. The abhorrent odor seemed to have substance as it forced its way into her nostrils and mouth and into her lungs. She blinked, trying to focus. She shook her head, and a fresh wave of agony overcame her. Her hair covered her face, and she realized she’d been strung up by her arms and was hanging in the middle of a dimly lit room. Her feet dragged on the floor, and her arms had lost all feeling. Sweat trickled down her face and onto her lips. She sucked at it greedily before she could control herself. She was thirsty, her mouth as dry as a desert.
She raised her head slowly, to avoid any more pain. The filthy space was lit by a motley collection of lamps that cast a muted yellow glow over a number of tables and vats and containers, all covered with years of grime and gods knew what else. More light came from a brazier in one corner. Hot coals glowed orange, and rusty metal bars poked from them, their ends wrapped with leather strips.
Kurio didn’t want to inspect the devices closely, but her eyes were drawn to a table that held a collection of metal implements. Unlike the rest of this shithole, they were bright and shiny. Someone cared for them.
I’m in a lot of trouble.
She stood, wobbling slightly, and wriggled her body, hoping to get blood circulating into her arms so they weren’t completely useless. As they began to regain feeling, she gasped. Bloody hells, they felt like they were
on fire! She whimpered, waiting for the throbbing to subside. A trail of blood flowed down each arm, caused by the edges of the iron manacles cutting into her wrists. They were closed with a lock, not riveted shut, which was something, she supposed. Separate chains ran from them up to a pulley system bolted to the ceiling.
When she thought she could move a bit more without passing out, she took stock. She had none of her weapons and didn’t know where she was or who had captured her.
On another table, jars and vials caught her eye. Underneath the table lay pale shapes that were probably teeth and splinters of what was maybe bone. From somewhere that might have been a few rooms away came a long, low, moaning wail.
Big trouble.
Metal squealed behind her, and she jerked around, unable to control her breathing. “Who are you?” she gasped.
Through a broad oak door walked a squat man wearing a leather apron. He might have been a blacksmith with those muscled arms covered with cuts and burn marks. But she knew he wasn’t.
He leered at her with pale gray eyes and shook his bald head. “Didn’t think you’d be awake yet.”
Kurio became aware of how her position tightened her clothes against her body. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself as the torturer scuttled over to the brazier. He stamped on a foot-bellows to the side and pumped vigorously. The coals flared and hissed, spitting sparks into the air. Apparently satisfied with the heat, he moved to the table with the shiny implements and paused, one finger tapping his lips.
“Listen,” Kurio said, desperation in her voice. “There’s been a misunderstanding. I’m sure we can clear it up. Whatever you think I’ve done, I didn’t. Please, you have to believe me. And if I have something that’s yours, take it.” She knew she was babbling, but couldn’t stop herself. “I don’t know where this stuff comes from. I’m just a fence. I resell stolen goods. I don’t make it my business to know what they are, or read … whatever might be on any papers or in books. If you just let me go, I’ll disappear, and we can both forget this happened.”
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