Chaosmage (8 page)

W
ith ash still swirling in the air from the dead guard's pyre, they marched away from the garrison towards Voechenka. In addition to her armour and sword, Tammy carried a heavy pack laden with food and medicine. Each of the twelve priests also carried a large pack, but she and Balfruss bore the heaviest items.

The priests would carry any weight stoically, never once complaining, right up to the moment they collapsed. It was the way with priests of the Lady of Light. They looked after everyone but themselves. The plague priest, Kai, had cursed at the weight, earning him disapproving looks from the others, but in some ways his grumbling had been reassuring. It showed he was more than just a priest and that as well as caring for others he cared about himself.

Despite travelling with the priests for days Tammy couldn't name them all and she knew very little about them as individuals. Not because they were secretive, but whenever she asked a question they always found a way to turn it back to their faith. They were devout to the point of having no real personalities of their own, which was slightly worrying.

They marched in silence wrapped up in their own thoughts and weighed down as much by what had happened last night as by their backpacks. She knew something bizarre was happening in Voechenka, but had thought some of it exaggerated to bring attention to the city's plight.

Both she and Balfruss would have liked to inspect the guard's body, but they were so paranoid about what might happen if they didn't burn it immediately, she didn't ask. Captain Rees had asked again if she really wanted to go to the city and to his obvious disappointment Tammy had said she must. He gave her a tragic smile, as if she were already dead, before offering a
half
-
hearted
blessing.

It seemed that out here most had abandoned their religious beliefs. But in the face of such desperation Tammy couldn't think of much to be grateful for. It was a much shorter journey for her since she didn't believe in any of the gods.

At midday they stopped for a brief meal and a rest, but quickly got back on the road. Darkness came early at this time of the year and they needed to be inside the city and behind a secure wall before it was fully dark. It was also getting close to winter and it would be freezing if they were caught out in the open.

Captain Rees had been insistent about them finding shelter with one of the groups. No one had ever survived a night in the city outside one of the camps. He'd heard the screams but never found the bodies and when they came back the following night it was as if a stranger had taken up residence inside their skin.

Finally, after several hours of trudging along in silence, across a rotting, almost volcanic landscape of broken slate, grey rocks and gnarled trees, she spotted the city gates. The gates themselves were missing, presumably burned for fuel months ago. The surrounding decorative wall was six foot high in some places and as low as half a foot in others.

Art that had once been brightly coloured adorned the wall, depicting landscapes that made no sense, with trees growing from a sky with two suns and three moons. Animals that were predators and prey danced together with children, while nearby a crowd of people enjoyed a feast of roasted meat in the sun. Now, slogans of despair and warnings had been scrawled over the top, telling visitors to turn back and that the city was cursed.

Balfruss briefly glanced at the art and then at the sky. The afternoon was further along than they would have liked. It wasn't dark yet but Tammy guessed they had a couple of hours at best before long shadows started to form. Their pace had been slow due to the packs and the priests not being used to such long walks, but there had been no choice.

As they stepped beneath the stone arch and entered the city proper Tammy drew her sword. It was mostly for show, as fighting with the bulky pack would be nearly impossible. If the worst should happen though, and a fight became inevitable, she could cut the shoulder straps and be ready in a few seconds. Balfruss didn't draw the axe from his belt, but she saw him loosen his neck and carefully study their surroundings.

On board the ship he'd explained the necessity of being discreet. Not only with his identity but also his magic. Until they knew who, or what, they were facing and the nature of the threat, he wanted to keep knowledge of his abilities to a minimum. Throwing around a large amount of power would create a sound that anyone else with sensitivity to magic would be able to hear. It could even tell another mage exactly where he was in the city. That might draw unwarranted attention and at the moment they knew very little about what was waiting for them.

Tammy appreciated his caution. However, she wasn't sure that they could protect all of the priests in a fight without his magic. One thing she had learned on the voyage was that none of the priests were armed and violence was abhorrent to them. They would rather die than take up a weapon to protect themselves.

As they passed along a main street she glanced at the surrounding buildings. It looked as if an earthquake had struck the city or it had been under a lengthy siege. Every structure bore some kind of damage. Some had been reduced to rubble, others had gaping broken windows and roofs, collapsed walls and black smears of soot.

Looking at the buildings Tammy had never seen the like before in a city. Every one was slightly different from its neighbour. Tall thin buildings stood alongside what had once been magnificent domed structures, large enough to be cathedrals. Beside them was a row of squat
single
-
storey
buildings that couldn't have housed more than four or five people. Each looked identical but a closer inspection revealed slight differences. Stacked up outside each on the pavement she saw the remnants of dozens of metal chairs. The wire frame of several awnings hung limply from the front of many buildings, but the material was long gone. Tammy guessed they had been a row of taverns where customers had sat outside on the street.

Staring in every direction all she could see was desolation and more rubble. The broken fragments of
once
-
grand
buildings reached towards the sky like beseeching fingers.

“Do you hear it?” said Balfruss, cocking his head to one side.

Tammy listened and at first didn't know what he meant. After a few seconds she understood. There was nothing to hear. Nothing at all. No birds, not even the buzz of a fly, just the endless rustling of grit and gravel being stirred by the wind.

“Keep moving,” she said, realising that they'd come to a complete stop.

Working from the landmarks Captain Rees had told her about, she led them to what should have been the first of the independent shelters. A large hole in the ground was all that remained. There were a few blackened stones, a faint whiff of smoke in the air and nothing else. No bodies, no bones, not even a stray weapon to tell her what had happened. There were footprints in the surrounding earth but too many to tell her anything useful.

She didn't need to say it. The others just looked at the hole and kept walking.

Balfruss stared at the crater and she saw a muscle twitch in his jaw.

“What is it?”

“This whole place, it's saturated with echoes,” he whispered, so that the others didn't hear.

“Echoes of what?”

“Pain, mostly. Ever since we crossed into the city I've been feeling them, but they're getting stronger. The whole area is
criss
-
crossed
with layer upon layer of suffering and memories of torment. There are also threads of magic all over as well.”

“Will you be all right?” she asked, concerned that they'd barely been in the city for an hour and already he was showing signs of strain.

“I can shield myself,” he said, heaving a long deep breath. Nothing visibly changed except that the tension eased from Balfruss's jaw and his shoulders settled from being hunched up. Tammy wondered if this was what had affected Fray when he'd been sent to Voechenka before them. He'd not been trained at the Red Tower and didn't have the same experience as Balfruss. After another minute of walking he offered a brief smile and dropped back to guard the rear.

At the next possible shelter, this one belonging to a group of mercenaries, they found more than a crater but not much. Two of the outer walls still remained, but the rest had been toppled, seemingly from the inside out, and then ground into
fist
-
sized
chunks of stone. Where the front door should have been was a massive hole that extended to one of the windows. It looked as if something the size of several barrels had broken through the thick stone wall like it was paper and then rampaged around inside. It had thrown its weight around so much it had brought the whole building down. There were large heavy prints on the ground in some places, but they didn't belong to any beast she recognised. Balfruss shook his head but also made a little gesture with one hand, moving his fingers up and down. She grunted but said nothing. More magic.

“It must be disappointing,” said a voice from off to her left. Tammy raised her sword and span around, one hand on the straps of her pack. She could drop it and draw her dagger or pull her shield from her back, depending on how many they were facing. A lean man dressed in battered mail armour sat on a small pile of rubble not far away. He was armed with a short sword and dagger but currently was focused on eating a slightly withered apple.

Tammy scanned the area around them but couldn't see anyone else. Even so, there were plenty of places to hide. Behind walls, inside the hollow remnants of buildings or behind piles of rocks.

“What's that?” she asked.

“To have travelled so far, and instead of finding shelter there's just that,” he said, jerking his head at the rubble. He grinned, showing her an even set of white teeth, then went back to his apple, taking a few last bites before swallowing the core and throwing away the stalk.

“Do you know where I can find one of the independent shelters?” asked Tammy.

“Oh they're no fun,” said the man, who she guessed was a mercenary. He had a certain swagger and she noticed small patches of rust on his mail shirt. No soldier, even an
ex
-
soldier
, would let their equipment get in that bad a state. “They're all pious and serious. You should come and stay with us. We're a lot more entertaining.”

“I don't think so.”

“You might like it,” he said, waggling his eyebrows before looking her up and down in a way she was very familiar with.

“You're starting to try my patience,” said Tammy, playing for time. Balfruss was slowly herding the priests together into a tight group while he took up a position on the far side of them. It wouldn't offer the priests much in the way of protection, but it was better than nothing.

“Ooh, then maybe I should be punished.”

“Come closer and I'll be happy to oblige you,” said Tammy, slipping her pack to the ground. She thought about drawing her dagger, but opted for a
two
-
handed
grip on
Maligne
instead. Mercenaries didn't have the discipline of a trained warrior, but they knew how to fight. It was better not to underestimate them.

“I think you should drop your weapons and be nice to me, then maybe I'll be nice back.”

Tammy raised an eyebrow. “Nice?”

“I'll let you keep half of whatever you've got in those packs,” said the mercenary, jerking his head.

“And if I'm not nice?”

The mercenary shook his head, before putting two fingers to his lips and whistling. Seven men rose up from the surrounding rubble, armed with swords and axes. All of them were
hard
-
looking
mercenaries dressed in mismatched armour of leather and chain.

“Is that it?” said Tammy. “Eight of you.”

The mercenary was baffled. “I don't need more. There are only two of you carrying weapons.”

Tammy turned in a slow circle to get a better look at the men surrounding her. Balfruss met her eyes and inclined his head ever so slightly.

She turned back to the mercenary. “I have an alternative suggestion. One you might find personally satisfying.”

“You're a whole lot of woman,” said the mercenary, “and normally I'd love to go somewhere private to negotiate, but this isn't a discussion. Time is short, so leave half of everything and go.” All traces of good humour had now evaporated from his expression. Tammy noticed he kept glancing at the sky. He knew time was marching on and obviously wanted to be indoors behind a wall before it was fully dark.

“Stop playing games, Del,” said one of the mercenaries. “Let's take it all.”

“Last chance,” said Tammy.

Del shook his shaggy head. “You brought this on yourself.” He flicked one hand towards the others and stood up. “Take them.”

As he was the most immediate threat, Tammy focused on Del. She rushed towards him, blocked a crude swing from his short sword and riposted with a slice that caught him across his other arm. Del hissed in pain and fell back, dropping his dagger. The screams of the priests turned to yells of surprise, and then came a peculiar silence followed by the sound of retching. Del's eyes widened and his attention drifted, giving Tammy enough time to move closer and slug him in the jaw. As he dropped to the ground she kicked away his sword and put her blade against his throat.