Path of Ruin

by Tim Paulson

“Nothing too terrible, not for a man with arms like that!” The Innkeeper said with a laugh. “Was you a smith where you from?”

  “Yes. That's why the commander brought us in. He said the farrier here needs a hand.”

  “Oh yeah, if only that were all he needs. It was one of his grand sons died trying to stop the church fire. Terrible business that, terrible. I don't like to gossip as I told you, but he's taken up with the drink something fierce he has. I had to cut him off here but last I heard he's making his own brew just so he can drink himself silly. Shame that is.” The man shook his head sadly and his jowls shook as well, though slightly slower.

  Mia tapped Henri's hand again, more insistently this time. He glared at her and returned to smile at the Innkeeper.

  “You mentioned something you need done?”

  “Ah yes. Now that my two lads have gone off hunting their fortunes, God bless them, I've need of labor. My old back ain't what it used to be. If you'd be kind enough to go on down the church cellar and bring back a few of the ale kegs I'd be more than willing to throw a few silver your way.”

  “That sounds gre-” he was interrupted by Mia slamming her fist on the table.

  “Hey now!” The innkeeper said, then his eyes widened. “Ain't this one a lovely little thing,” he said, noticing her for the first time. When his eyes ran over her uniform however, his expression darkened. “I don't want any trouble in here you know... them imperials pay with gold!”

  “What?!” Henri said.

  “Look!” she said, eyes burning with indignation. Her finger pointed to his right toward the hearth at the center of the room. There little Adem, with the yarn doll who called himself Harald tucked under one arm, was gesticulating wildly as he explained something to a large crowd of red cloaked soldiers.

  “Oh God,” Henri said.

  When had he gotten away?

  His eyes flicked to the empty seat in the booth where Adem ought to be. The boy must have crawled out under the table while he was talking. The little weasel, he thought with equal amounts of frustration and love.

  “Your boy's quite a hit,” said the Innkeeper. “But if I were you...” He glanced at Mia again. “I'd be leaving and soon,” he said and left.

  Wonderful, Henri thought, as he drained the bottom half of his flagon of ale, savoring the crisp flavor. If everything was about to come crashing down, he would at least enjoy the last of his ale first.

  He lowered the cup only to find Mia boring holes in his head with her eyes. Over by the hearth with the roaring orange fire silhouetting his squat little body, Adem was miming a huge something swinging down from above.

  “Oh, here's the climax,” Henri said.

  Mia nodded her head over toward Adem, eyes glowing with anger in the reflected firelight. “Get him!” she said.

  Now Adem was pointing back at their booth and then at the doll he held in his other hand. Henri got up, trying to seem nonchalant as he approached what had been quite a loud group of imperial cavalrymen only moments ago. Now they were quiet as all were listening to Adem's tale with rapt attention, clutching their wooden mugs of ale like precious crystal goblets.

  “Come back to the table Adem, there's more to eat,” he said, trying to add just enough command to his tone so the boy might feel compelled to obey.

  “Awww... but daddy I was just telling how the goliath tried to chop you but then Harald saved you with shor-sherry by making smoke,” Adem said.

  Henri looked around at the many drunken faces. Hard men and women, but smiling. He realized they must think it all child's make believe.

  “Oh did you!” he said, adding his best patronizing tone to the mix, “Did I turn into a bird and fly away this time?”

  Adem's brow furrowed with exaggerated childlike anger. “NO!” he said. “We went to the pine trees and...” The boy paused, trying to remember what came next. That would be difficult as it was the point when Harald had used the sleeping rock.

  “Your boy's quite the teller of tales!” said one of the soldiers.

  “Tell us one about some mermaids next!” said another, raising his glass.

  “Klaus, would you shut up about the goddamned mermaids? Nobody cares!” said a taller broad chested soldier.

  “I do,” said Klaus as he took another sip of ale.

  “Come on Adem, time to go prepare for bed. It's been a long day with all those goliaths and all,” Henri said. “Thank you for entertaining him.”

  “No bother at all, he was entertaining us!” the first of them said. He was a wiry man with curly hair and a crooked nose.

  Henri snatched up the still protesting boy and whisked him back toward their table. On the way back he spied the innkeeper in deep conversation with the imperial commander. Both of them kept looking toward their table.

  Not good.

  “It's time to go!” he said as soon as he'd returned.

  “I hope you found out something useful!” Harald said from under Adem's arm.

  “Why didn't you talk to the soldier men!” Adem said to Harald angrily, giving him a stern shake.

  “My job is to keep you alive, not help people take you seriously boy, deal with it,” Harald said.

  This was the wrong response. Adem gave him another very good shake.

  “You're a bad doll!”

  “We're going Adem.” Henri dropped four silvers on the table. It was a bit much for the food but the ale made up for it and then some.

  Mia slipped out of the booth without a word, though her face radiated contempt.

  “Stop them! They're agents for the baron!” yelled the commander from across the room.

  There was a mad scramble as two dozen soldiers in various stages of drunkenness attempted to unlimber swords or pistols without impaling or shooting themselves or each other.

  Henri and Mia seized the moment of confusion to snatch up Adem and Harald and bolt out the front door before anyone was even close to stopping them.

  Outside it was nearing sunset, the shadows were long, but not yet dark enough to hide in. Also unfortunately, the woods were too far from the crossroads to make a run for.

  “We'll go around back,” Henri yelled as he ran around the side of the building, a surprised Adem clasped to his chest.

  “But they were nice Daddy! They liked my story!” Adem said, squirming.

  They came upon and jogged around a horse tie with about ten too many horses tied to it. Henri went around it, Mia disappeared for a moment before reappearing and slapping the flanks of as many horses as she could.

  “Good idea, tell them where we are!” Henri said.

  “If you'd kept your eyes on your son we wouldn't be in this mess!” she said, one gloved finger pointing at his chin.

  “Adem was fine! You caused the problem by slamming your fist down and breaking Harald's rock... thing!” Henri said.

  Mia scowled. “I wouldn't have had to if you hadn't gotten so full of yourself that-” She was interrupted by the seven least inebriated cavalrymen who appeared around the corner.

  “Here! They freed the horses!” said one of them, his red cloak billowing in the gusting wind.

  “Come on!” Henri yelled. “We don't have time for finger pointing!”

  He ran around the next corner to the back side of the inn hoping to find some sign of what he'd been looking for. It took a few seconds of scanning but he found them.

  Barely visible in the waning twilight were wheelbarrow tracks heading from the back door of the Inn out into a field and toward an overgrown mound that looked much like it once had been a structure.

  “I'm finger pointing? I'm finger pointing? Please!” Mia said as they ran along the tracks.

  When they reached the building, presumably the remains of the old church, they found a pair of double doors leading down into the earth but they were were locked. Mia drew her softly glowing veil rapier and sliced the lock in one smooth motion, still glaring at Henri.

  They ran down into the cellar aided only by the light from Mia's
blade. Henri found himself in a darkened stone room filled from floor to ceiling with casks of ale, all with the same symbol of a Scarosian lute with wings burned into their wood.

  “Yes! You're the one finger pointing!” Henri said as he put Adem down in the center of the only open area in the room. He could hear men shouting outside. Any second they would enter the church cellar and they'd be caught.

  Harald wriggled free of Adem's grasp, falling to the floor. “This is it! I can feel it!”

  “Hey!” Adem said as the doll dropped from his arms but then the boy paused, staring.

  The walls of the room began to glow with hundreds of arcane symbols. Though they'd been white washed multiple times in an effort to erase their existence, now the symbols sizzled through the paint, appearing all around them and casting their party as well as the many ale casks with a bright light blue glow.

  Henri took Adem's hand, squeezing gently to reassure his little boy but grunted when Mia plowed into his chest, perhaps having tripped over some basement debris. Instinctively his other arm wrapped around her waist.

  “It's not the perfect orientation, but there aren't that many of us, I can make do,” Harald said, waving his arms around his head like mad.

  Henri looked up from watching Adem and Harald to find that he and Mia were face to face, frozen in time with the intensifying glow of the walls illuminating her features. Again he was struck by her beauty. Incredibly, instead of pushing him away, she yielded to his embrace, sinking into his chest, her lips parting, her dark eyes fixed on his own. He could see that her anger was gone, replaced by something else, something good. She leaned forward.

  She was going to kiss him.

  No, not like this, not with her enslaved by sorcery. It wasn't right. He pulled away.

  Mia's eyes widened, like he'd slapped her in the face.

  “There!” came a shout from the door. “Holy hell, what's going on in here?!” a man's voice exclaimed.

  Then there was a flash of light and instead of standing in a cellar surrounded by casks of ale, they were outside surrounded by three tall stones.

  It smelled different too, the air was clean and clear with the scent of tall grass and dry brush and something else, pine maybe, but old and decayed. The wind was fiercer here, it tugged on his clothes.

  Mia pushed herself from his embrace with the same surprising strength she'd used to toss him to the floor of his shop.

  “Wow!” said Adem. “Where is this?”

  “Our destination,” Harald said from the ground. “Right down there.”

  “Wait... Mia,” Henri said.

  She was gone, stalking down the trail with Harald at her side, not looking back.

  “I'm sorry,” he said.

  “Come on... daddy!” Adem said as he pulled his hand away. He tried to follow the others but stumbled. Henri had to move quickly to keep the boy from falling over and dashing his face against the rocks of the canted hillside path.

  “Let me go!” Adem said, sounding woozy.

  Chapter 13

  "The Chevalier chassis must have at least four cubes of veil powder at every meal, this is required to keep her healthy and in good spirits."

  -Fenasian Goltech training manual, 1610

  “Are you coming?” Harald called back to Henri, yarn hands on his hips.

  “Yes,” he said. “We just need to drain Adem and we can-”

  “No!” Adem said.

  “There's no need for that. Just follow,” Harald said.

  “Follow you where?” Henri asked. “There's nothing here but old ugly pines.”

  Harald ignored him, waddling forward on his stubby little legs. “Mia, come pick me up.” he said.

  Mia complied, wordlessly, without even a hint of a glance in Henri's direction. It was as if nothing had happened between them at all.

  “Pick up the boy and let's go. Use the rune I gave you to put him to sleep if you must,” Harald said from Mia's shoulder.

  Henri shook his head, imagining pulling the stone from Harald's stuffed center and crushing it to powder. Would such a thing count as murder if the person was already dead?

  Still, he complied, for he had no choice. He fished the stone from his pocket, careful to keep his hands on the cloth.

  “Adem, look at this. Harald made it for you,” Though this was technically true, it made him ill to say it. Even more so when he watched his little boy's eyes light up.

  “What is it daddy?” Adem said, as his hand reached out for the stone. As soon as the fingers touched it, the boy collapsed into Henri's arms.

  Held close Henri could detect a rank odor to Adem, like sour milk. His skin was too warm as well, like the start of a fever. It made Henri sad to notice these things. He wanted it all to go away. His poor little boy, he didn't deserve this.

  He followed Harald as he directed them into the pine forest where improbably tall trees jabbed the sky like the lances of an army of gods. As they went deeper into the trees Henri realized something. There were no birds. It was as if something in this forest hated life and kept it away at all costs. This did not give him a good feeling.

  “Halt! Who dares to enter this haunted wood!” said a deep booming voice.

  Mia jumped, drawing her glowing blue rapier in a flash and scanning every direction. Harald nearly fell from her shoulder.

  “You know precisely who it is you fool,” Harald said.

  “You're late, he's been waiting,” said the voice.

  It sounded as though it came from all directions at once. Then one of the trees moved and Henri's mind fought what it saw. At first it appeared to be a moving talking tree but the longer he looked at it the less it looked like a tree and the more like a construction of some kind, an animated creation of wood with joints and plates like any goliath might have. It was quite tall with long arms that reached all the way to the ground.

  “Unavoidable. We ran into some delays on the road but we're here now, so open up,” Harald said.

  “As you wish,” said the tree-like golem. As it stepped aside, to Henri's astonishment, what had seemed an endless forest of ancient pines simply melted away to reveal a sight unlike anything he had seen before.

  Where once had been rows of thick evergreen trunks now stood an utterly bizarre landscape. The wrecked skeletons of what must have been unbelievably massive towers of arcane design loomed above. Inexplicably the decayed buildings both blotted out the colors of the evening sky and yet also somehow captured them, reflecting a prism of pinks, yellows and oranges. As beautiful as they were, the primary impression they gave was one of long decay, of death. It was a glorious city that was, a tomb long forgotten.

  They were standing at what once must have been a main entrance to the city. The remains of an impressive series of arches followed by scores of broken statues littered the ground. However, a path had been cleared through the debris and Harald directed Mia to follow it.

  As they proceeded along that path Henri found it hard to take it all in, it was too much. Instead he found himself focusing only on individual elements here and there. He saw a statue of a man with two heads and another of an exceptionally tall woman who once had her arms raised but the arms had broken off at the shoulders long ago. Other statues weren't even recognizably human, many had the heads of lions and thick muscular bodies while others had a variety of combinations of human and animal features.

  All of the statues were broken but some were worse off than others, particularly those made of darker material. For those, only the feet, paws, or hooves remained to give any evidence that the debris around them had ever been a figure.

  They continued along the path through the rubble until it took a sharp left turn near a gigantic cracked black stone sphere. The great sphere was covered in carved lines and symbols that must have looked incredible when it was whole. Now a jagged line split the monstrous ball into two crumbling halves showing the inside, also solid black, all the way to the core.

  As they passed the broken sphere Henri
caught a glimpse down a thin alley of a remarkably intact tower in the distance. The tower had a series of spires, each a different color, that rose together and entwined like a braided rope. At the very top was a shining translucent sphere. He wondered if this was the tower Harald had mentioned before. It had a malevolent feel to it, like an up thrust spear, piercing the sky, radiating power.

  Past the dark sphere the buildings took a darker cast to them which was just as well because most had been demolished into little more than piles of rubble. Whatever had scarred this place had clearly cared very much about ruining the dark buildings above all.

  That was why it was so surprising to turn a corner and see one in pristine condition. It was a smaller structure sure but like its destroyed brethren the walls were dark and twisted. The structure itself reminded Henri most of the shell of a snail if that snail had horns and spikes jutting from every curve and crevice.

  Harald pointed them toward the entrance which was located down a long flat walkway of the purest shining obsidian that Henri had ever seen. Carrying Adem toward this coiled black building he felt an increasing sense of foreboding. The statues and reliefs here were more intact as well and every bit as twisted. Tentacles writhed and human forms reached outward as if begging for mercy that would never come.

  The sight was unnerving. Henri marveled that Mia had said nothing this whole time until he happened to notice that her eyes were closed. Harald had a yarn palm on the side of her head, controlling her like a human puppet and he hadn't even noticed until now.

  “What are you doing to her?”

  “It doesn't concern you smith,” Harald said, not even looking in his direction.

  “What is this place?”

  “This is the greatest city that has ever been or ever will be,” Harald said with solemn reverence, as if the city itself were a long lost lover. “It is my home, or was, long ago. You'll learn its wonders.”

  “I'm not sure I want to,” Henri said as he regarded the horrifying spiraled building before him.

  “You have no choice,” said a familiar voice.

  Out of an unsettling circular doorway that resembled a trembling orifice emerged the old woman.