The Brazen City

by Torsten Weitze

  Uldini loosened one of the rear wheels with a tiny spell so that it slipped off the axle late the following afternoon. Even though the travellers had been expecting it, they were still literally shaken about the place by the ‘accident’. The escorting soldiers immediately got down to work, trying to repair the damage, but Uldini’s clever magic ensured that it would take them some time to get the wheel back on properly. And so they presented the classic picture of the stranded carriage as the sun began setting behind the horizon. As soon as the light conditions hid the magic shield which protected the two Ancients, Ahren jumped out of the carriage and walked stiffly to the next bush as if he urgently needed to answer the call of the wild.

  The apprentice loosened his tunic and squatted down in the undergrowth so that the assassin would literally catch him with his pants down, and he felt like the goat tied to the stake as bait, which came up in every story about bad monsters. His pulse was racing, and his throat was tightening as he waited for the murderous arrow, which would hopefully be stopped by the magic.

  Just as the demoralising realisation came into his head that not one the goats in any of these stories had lived to tell the tale he heard a high whizzing sound and a heartbeat later he was thrown forward by a hard bang between his shoulder blades. Ahren felt the tip of the arrow pressing into his skin before it was stopped in its tracks by the magic shield. He couldn’t breathe when he realised what a narrow escape he’d had and he almost forgot to perform the one action that was required of him in their ruse. He quickly let out a death rattle and then remained as still as possible.

  The soldiers ran around wildly, some of them forming a protective wall around him, not having been let in on the secret, so that everything looked as convincing as possible. Then Culhen leaped out of the carriage and with an extended theatrical howl, indicating his grief for his fallen friend, and rushed to Ahren in order to sniff the supposed body. Although Ahren felt the vain wolf was taking things a little too far in his performance, it certainly seemed to persuade the guards who shrank back. The animal quickly sniffed the attacker’s scent and a satisfied I’ve got him was transmitted into the mind of the apprentice.

  Be careful was the message Ahren sent back to his friend, but Culhen had already whipped around and was sprinting so quickly he seemed to be flying over the ground. Uldini simultaneously floated out of the carriage and soared into the air at lightning speed all the time following the white wolf’s eyes.

  Ahren gave up his charade as it had to be clear to the assassin by now that he had been caught in a trap, and he turned around nervously, making sure he was protected by the shield of one of the soldiers. The scoundrel was already trying to flee for safety, but the young Paladin had already experienced enough revengeful creatures not to rule out the possibility of the attacker shooting off another arrow rather than turning tails.

  Be careful that he doesn’t shoot at you he transmitted after the wolf and then closed his eyes in an effort to dive into the wolf’s mind.

  The picture he could see was surprisingly clear. It was as if he himself was racing through the nearby fields. Culhen’s nose was following a faint scent which looked like a black ribbon leading directly through the air to a little hill just a hundred paces away. The wolf saw a movement behind a large tree and ducked into the high grass behind a fallen tree trunk. A dark outline whizzed over him as the assassin’s arrow shaft narrowly missed him, and the wolf howled and gave his rage free rein. He stormed up the incline and caught sight of a figure dressed in black with a strange looking bow retreating several paces, with its free hand sliding towards a dangerous looking hunting knife.

  Culhen was preparing to leap when the figure pulled the knife out, and Ahren’s heart almost stopped beating as he called out to the wolf not to jump. At that instant a flash of light lit up the evening sky and blinded his friend. Culhen broke off his attack in confusion, shaking his head wildly while Ahren instinctively rubbed his eyes. The animal’s nose was picking up the smell of burning flesh, and when Culhen’s eyesight returned to normal, he saw a smoking glimmering bundle of charred flesh, beside which was a knife and the strange looking bow.

  Relieved and disgusted at the same time Ahren freed himself from his friend’s thoughts, and the wolf’s howl of triumph echoed across the Plains while Uldini was already flying back to the apprentice’s side.

  ‘You know it really does one good to exercise one’s magic muscles every so often’ he said in a smug tone. ‘Although somehow I think our one-time assassin would have a different opinion.’ He laughed darkly, and Ahren could see in the faces of the guards who were standing there that they found this side of the Arch Wizard just as unnerving as Ahren did. The young man knew that it was the destructive power of the battle magic that was speaking out of the childlike figure, but he still had an uneasy feeling in his stomach.

  The others too came out of the carriage having heard the wolf’s victory howl. Falk was leaning heavily on Trogadon and became even paler when he saw the arrow lodged into Ahren’s back.

  ‘Everything is fine’, called out the young Paladin reassuringly, and yanked the long shaft out of the material of his tunic, ignoring the stab of pain as the arrowhead slipped out of his skin. ‘Nothing more than a scratch.’

  Reassured, Falk nodded and Trogadon laughed in relief. ‘Then maybe you should pull up your trousers now, what do you think?’ the dwarf called out cheerfully.

  With ears burning, Ahren followed the warrior’s advice as quickly as possible and then stood up with as much dignity as he could muster.

  ‘That worked well, didn’t it?’ interjected Jelninolan and seemed to be grimly satisfied. If she was disturbed by the assassin’s grisly end, she was hiding it very well. It seemed that the elf’s gentleness had limits too.

  Khara stood beside her mistress and bowed slightly in Ahren’s direction. ‘That was very courageous’, she said, and Ahren decided to take the meagre compliment without reply. At least she hadn’t commented on his dropped trousers and he considered that to be progress of sorts.

  Some of the soldiers had salvaged the mortal remains of the assassin, but Uldini’s magic had unleashed so much destructive power it had charred the body from within so they could only look for clues from the clothing. They quickly found a few Sunplains coins and a folded piece of paper describing Ahren in great detail and offering a reward of five hundred gold pieces for his death.

  Trogadon gave an appreciative whistle. ‘That’s a tidy little sum. No wonder the chap was so stubborn. You should watch yourself more carefully from now on, lad.’

  ‘Luckily we don’t have to worry about that for now’, snorted Uldini. ‘That was a contract killer, no common or garden highwayman. They don’t go bounty hunting. The risk of months of work coming to nought at the last moment by a rival getting to the target more quickly is too great. So, there was only one on our heels. Nobody else is going to be bothered with it until the news of his death gets around.’ He grinned darkly. ‘And if the manner of his death spreads too, that might well put off any potential imitators.’

  ‘And if it doesn’t, then it’s my turn next’, interjected Trogadon and he stroked his hammer.

  ‘Alma and I have a few little ideas about what we could do to a fellow like that.’

  ‘Alma?’ asked Falk in disbelief. ‘You’re really calling a priceless artefact of your folk, one that has survived over the centuries, Alma?’

  The Dwarf shrugged his shoulders in a deliberately nonchalant manner. ‘Of course, I could have called her Deathshadow or Backsquelcher, but they sound too pompous to me and they don’t roll off the tongue. And anyway the real Alma was a dwarf I courted once. Boy, was she able to mete it out. I woke up three days later in a disused mine shaft and it took a moon before the ringing in my ears died down.’ He stroked the head of his weapon. ‘So now you know why I really think it’s a good name.’

  While everybody else was laughing uproariously Ahren was thinking how nice it was to have escaped the dangerou
s threat of the assassin. For now, at least.

  Chapter 13

  The headwind caressed Ahren’s face, the spicy scents from the surrounding fields tickled his nose in a most pleasant manner and the sun left a warm sensation on his skin. The rumbling of the wagon beneath him had become a familiar sound, and it was mixed in with the shouting and talking of the merchants and farmers travelling beside them.

  Ahren had made himself comfortable on the roof of the carriage and enjoyed every second of his newfound freedom outside in the fresh air. Culhen’s appearance on the Sword Path had put half of the horses and oxen into a panic, almost causing a large-scale pile-up, and now he spent his time in the nearby fields sniffing around as they moved along.

  The young Forest Guardian heard the clip-clop of hooves and looked to his side. It was Falk riding alongside on Selsena. The enforced idleness over the previous weeks had been difficult for the old man too. He was wearing his Paladin armour and carrying the shield that Trogadon had presented him with that time. ‘Better safe than sorry’, was all his master had to say on the matter and Ahren suspected that the memory of his injury was still too fresh in the mind of the indestructible old man. He didn’t want to risk riding along unarmed. The apprentice instinctively scratched the point where the arrow had hit him between the shoulders and he couldn’t blame his master’s desire to wear protective armour.

  ‘I heard that you were busy during my recuperation’, said Falk once Selsena was in position beside the carriage. The Elfish charger was emitting rays of overwhelming joy at the fact that she was able to go for a canter with her master, and Ahren had to smile at the storm of emotions as he answered.

  ‘Trogadon helped me’, was all he said. He really didn’t want to talk about the first days of their journey and anyway he was quite sure that the dwarf had given the old man all the necessary information.

  Falk nodded in acknowledgement. ‘I think we should relax your training a little. You’ve learned enough by now to be able to train on your own, and if you need to know something or if I can help you along, just come to me. Conversely, if I notice you’re neglecting a particular aspect of it, I’ll point it out to you.’ He studied Ahren keenly. ‘How does that sound?’

  The young Forest Guardian was dumbstruck and simply nodded. His master was showing enormous trust, and Ahren was determined not to let him down.

  ‘Good’, growled Falk. ‘The next while is going to be more turbulent anyway, so take every opportunity you can find to practise.’ He looked intently at the young man. ‘I think you’re beginning to realise why we’re constantly driving you to improve.’

  Ahren nodded enthusiastically. ‘I’m not just protecting myself, but also others’, he said keenly. The images of the attack at the volcanic lake were going through his mind, and he heard the sound of the arrow as it tore through Falk’s body.

  ‘You understand then’, responded the old man calmly. ‘The next time I expect it will be you getting me out of the line of fire.’

  Ahren almost burst out laughing, but then realised that Falk wasn’t joking. His master was being very clear with him: it wasn’t a matter of if one of them might be in mortal danger, but when. And Ahren had better be prepared for the occasion. They exchanged silent looks. Then Falk rode off and Ahren swung himself down into the carriage to get his weights.

  Ahren spent the following days growing accustomed to his new-found freedom by developing his training techniques in various ways. He would shoot from the roof of the carriage at targets he had mentally selected such as corncobs or branches of trees, and order Culhen to fetch the discharged arrows. He also invited Khara up to practise swordplay with him. It didn’t take him long to realise this was a mistake because the young Paladin still hadn’t developed sufficient balance to handle the combination of rickety carriage with the movements during combat. After he had almost tumbled from the roof three times, they had agreed on an evening lesson on solid ground. Nevertheless, that bungled training session had taught him quickly and clearly what his limits were and he was grateful that his master had given him the opportunity to try it out.

  He could have carried on training in this manner for weeks, but finally they left the Sword Path and turned onto a trading route five paces across, which both carriage and honour escorts completely filled. Ahren could already make out the mountain range where Thousand Halls, the kingdom of the dwarves, was situated. Iron Peak, the mountain on whose top the Brazen City was situated, was situated in the eastern foothills. According to Uldini they would arrive there in several days and Ahren noticed, much to his surprise, that the thought of meeting his Emperor again was making the ageless Arch Wizard nervous.

  While they gradually ascended into the mountains Ahren asked himself what sort of a man could command such respect from the Ancient.

  The encampment of Justinian III, the Sun Emperor of the Sunplains, and the most powerful man in Jorath (depending on whom you asked) looked like a newly built city. Ahren stared in amazement at newly constructed walls whose mortar still wasn’t dry and at a squat little palace in the centre, which was still imposing despite its improvised nature. Of course, there were also hundreds of tents at the periphery of the camp, but what really astounded Ahren was that a complete building had been constructed in the middle although the Emperor had no intention of spending even a summer in this spot.

  Uldini looked particularly embarrassed when he noticed the apprentice’s reaction. ‘My Emperor doesn’t believe in holding back. But that’s part of being Emperor of such a huge area. Do you remember the barons that the king of the Knight Marshes, Senius Blueground had to keep in check because they were constantly challenging his authority?’

  Ahren nodded at the memory of the troubled king whose kingdom they had saved from civil war.

  ‘It’s ten times worse here. The Sunplains are a juggernaut which has become so big that if you killed the Emperor today, you would still be able to collect taxes in his name in the south of the empire next summer because nobody would have heard the news yet. He has to plan every step precisely and show his strength at every opportunity because there are hundreds of senators who would gladly replace him.’ He pointed at the constructions. ‘There are many little cities like this all over the country. Over forty advisors accompany the Emperor on his journeys. The business of state never rests and Quin-Wa’s spies are everywhere. It would be highly irresponsible to rely on thin tent walls under the circumstances.’

  Ahren nodded in a daze. He tried once more to imagine the sheer size of the Sunplains, but it was simply too much. Only the magnitude of this improvised city gave him a sense of the empire whose ruler he was about to meet.

  While the carriage was being led from sentry post to sentry post, its interior was a hive of activity. Everyone was making sure they looked immaculate in their best clothes, and Ahren was amazed to see that even Trogadon was trying to make himself as presentable as possible. Ahren quickly followed their example, and when the carriage finally came to a halt, he had to force himself not to stare in astonishment at his companions.

  Uldini looked as ageless as ever in his black robe, as indeed did Jelninolan, who had slipped into her green Elfish finery again. Falk on the other hand had dressed himself in the full regalia befitting Baron Dorian Falkenstein and every inch of his Deep Steel armour glistened in its characteristic whitish sheen. Khara was wearing a short green tunic that Jelninolan had given her while her hair had been artfully tied up in a knot which made her look more mature and dignified. Ahren had decided on his Elfish ribbon armour in order to give him a martial look – after all, they had to persuade the Emperor that the apprentice was indeed the newly named Thirteenth Paladin. Selsena was wearing her armour of course and Culhen had been brushed until his white fur was hanging as smooth as silk. The noises he had made in the apprentice’s head while he was being groomed were almost indecent, and Ahren decided he would have to have a word with this wolf about his behaviour or he would never brush him again.

  U
ldini examined them with an eagle eye and then gave a curt nod. ‘It will have to do. I would have liked to have made more of an effort, but Justinian will know that we’ve just completed a long journey and he will make allowances for our shabby appearance.’

  Ahren gave a nervous laugh, but nobody else joined in. Surely the Arch Wizard wasn’t serious? Before he had a chance to enquire further they were on the move. He had been informed in no uncertain terms that from this moment on he should not speak unless requested, and so he followed the group with his lips firmly sealed.

  The young Paladin remembered well their visit to King’s Island where Uldini had almost casually floated into the king’s hall. This time there was no sign of that jovial attitude in the Arch Wizard, and the others’ formality almost made him afraid. When he considered that their intention was to stop the ruler from taking further action against Bergen, the signs were looking rather ominous.

  They were led through a large lobby area with more guards than guests. Although Ahren could see enough wealth to fill a small treasury, the people who were standing around took absolutely no notice of the costly wall hangings with golden borders, the crystal goblets and silver plates, not to mention the furniture made of ebony. Their attitude suggested that the furnishings here were only on a modest scale. But he also noticed, much to his delight, that both he and Falk were being examined with great interest. He suppressed a haughty grin and went instead for a modest smile which unnerved everybody he looked at.

  Uldini looked at him out of the corner of his eyes while he floated in front of them. ‘Not bad at all, but don’t lay it on too thick. If you intimidate them too much, you might quickly turn them into enemies.’

  The Arch Wizard’s comment brought Ahren down to earth immediately and he quickly brought his facial gestures under control even though it struck him as ridiculous that he could have so much power over these people. He stayed close by his master, who had a polite smile fixed on his face which never changed during their procession to the main hall.