Necrophobia (8 page)

“That’s possible. Very possible.” Amelia smiled, grateful for a more constructive approach. Reiner felt himself redden. “The Inquisition may well be our allies but it is prudent to be prepared for the worst. We have Intel of our own on them too. The only flaw in your logic, Captain is that the Inquisition is hunting him as well. He’s been declared rogue, that should limit his resources.”

“Well…” He hesitated, she leaned forward waiting with interest. “He might be a known traitor in their order but I doubt they’ve made that information widespread. He could easily deceive honest citizens with his credentials and badge if they didn’t manage to take it off him. It’s unwise to deny an Inquisitor’s request after all.”

“Very good.” She smiled and her glance lingered on him once more. She tilted her head slightly before facing the rest of the Captains. “The Inquisition may well have information on how to best some of our magical defences, I’m sure they use very similar ones. We’ve seen how adept at magic they were in animating such a large army.”

“Not to mention resurrecting and enslaving the noble dragon, Valdgeirr.” Lewis spoke once more. He’d been so quiet it was difficult to remember he was present. As far back as Reiner could remember this never happened. “I understand this Inquisitor escaped on the back of Valdgeirr and flew away from the island. Towards Kriegfeld? A large black dragon like that might have been spotted by some of the locals or authorities. Seems a good place to start.”

Amelia nodded, scribbling down several notes onto one of her notepads. “I concur, Captain. Thank you all for coming. We’ll reconvene in a few hours.”

There was a loud rustling as the present captains got to their feet and grabbed their belongings.

“Except you Captain Soranus, I’d like a word please.”

Reiner froze in a panic, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. Beside him Olivia elbowed his stomach with a small grin crossing her otherwise miserable face. He looked down into her eyes watering around the edges and her ashen-blonde hair falling loose. She was trying to put on a brave face and continue her good-natured mocking but her heart wasn’t in it. Valen Stavros had been a competent and loyal Caelite and showed a lot of promise, he’d only been with the Caelites for a year and a half and his sudden death came as a shock to them all. She left without a word along with the other Captains leaving a very quiet office as the door closed.

“Excellent deductions Captain Soranus, I am impressed.” Amelia spoke after several seconds. He turned towards her and became very interested in something at his feet.

“Thank you Commander.”

Leaving her books and notes behind she walked around the desk and stood before him, sitting on the desk as he stood to attention.

“There’s another option I think you’re aware of but didn’t wish to discuss before the others. Am I right?” She watched him carefully for a reaction, her vivid-green eyes unwavering. He glanced at her but did not allow himself to linger, instead surveying the office around him.

“I’m not sure what you mean.” He replied after a pause, he could think of several things but he none seemed relevant.

Seeing his sudden interest in the surroundings she chuckled to herself. “Relax Reiner; the room is soundproofed.”

“Oh.”

“I took the liberty before I called this meeting. I don’t think what we discuss here should be overhead or said to anyone else before I am sure.”

“My lips are sealed, Ma’am.” His hand rubbing the back of his neck in apprehension, the thick winter-lining of his plated mail seemed tight and stuffy in the closed office with no windows open.

She tilted her head a few inches. “I can see that Captain.” After another pause that felt like a century she spoke again, her voice lowered despite her claims of confidence in the room’s soundproofing. “Allow me to clarify then, if you do not wish to say this yourself.”

He nodded, as words failed him.

“We have a traitor in the Caelites Reiner and I’m sure you suspect as much. That’s how the enchantments were dispelled and no doubt information leaked on our layout and resources. It was wise to not mention it before the others just yet.”

“Oh yes, of course.” He breathed an inward sigh of relief. “I wasn’t sure if I was just being paranoid or not, but it’s too convenient. Too organised.”

“I agree. Do you have any suspicions?”

He paused despite himself. “You don’t suspect me?”

“Should I?”

“Well no. Yes. But I’m not the traitor.”

“I appreciate thoroughness. It’s not you, you know it, I know it. You’ve got too much to lose, too much pride in your work and from what I can observe you just don’t have it in you. You’re an honest sort.” She crossed her arms with a wry grin. “It also helps that you are accounted for at all times, haven’t been near the mortuary in days, and as Olivia so emphatically explained she checked them yesterday.”

Reiner felt an odd mixture of pride, happiness and respect for his commander mixed with healthy doses of fear, nervousness and confusion. It was a lot of things to feel all at once and Reiner always tried to keep his own thoughts and feeling simple and compartmentalised and was woefully unprepared. Taking pity on him, Amelia changed the subject.

“I have my suspicions who it is but I’d like to hear it from your thoughts without my influence. Please, in your own time.”

He nodded and stared into space for a few seconds, his embarrassment forgotten.

“If Olivia checked the seals yesterday that means it’s either Carmine or Falkner’s turn today. It could be Carmine, perhaps his undead allies turned on him but I doubt it. He doesn’t seem the type either. Falkner’s been with us longer than I have, he’s more experienced and he knows all about our methods, or defences. He’s nowhere to be found either which is suspicious.”

“Precisely. Perhaps the most pertinent fact is he’s the only one with both the knowledge, experience and a possible motive. We didn’t always see eye-to-eye on matters I understand that but this last year he’s been distant and uninvolved. That unpleasantness in overseas didn’t help either.”

Reiner listen with interest, he’d heard rumours and half-truths but never been given a full-account and Falkner had never spoken about it in detail. He had all of the pieces but putting it all together would take time.

“Captain I’m going to send you to Kriegsfeld to investigate. Find out about Valdgeirr, find Falkner and see what you can find about Haures, though he won’t make that easy. Take people you trust and keep your numbers small. We’ll play this one quiet until we know for sure. It won’t be an easy task, if you don’t wish to I can ask anoth—”

“—I can do it, Ma’am.” He replied with a snappy salute. “You can trust me.”

“I do. We’ll discuss the finer details later. I have a few other things to take care of but I will require your assistance later.”

“Of course, commander.” He saluted again and turned towards the door. His hand clasping the cold metal door-knob.

“One last thing, Captain?”

“Yes, ma’am?” He asked looking over his shoulder.

“A grave matter?” She raised her eyebrow. “That was almost a joke from you.”

As ever his face betrayed him and flushed red. “It was an accident ma’am. Won’t happen again.”

Her shoulders sagged. “Of course it was.” She replied in a quiet voice. “Carry on, Captain.”

Claire stood watching the blizzard from atop a watchtower as the heavy snowfall engulfed and swirled around the mountain. Even with the blasphemy disrupted and the undead purged, the storm raged heavier and heavier each hour. Sheets of thick snow piled up against the temple-stronghold blocking the doors and coating the windows. The distant village and port lost in the snowfall and the approaching night.

“Good thing we’re not out in that.” Sevaur said as he entered the observation room with a broad grin. “This cape’s getting a little threadbare.”

“How’d you know I was here?” She smiled at her old friend.

“Well, I know you. This is both high up and remote — a good vantage point. Gives you somewhere to think.” He leaned against the stone windowsill and watched the storm for several moments. “It’s where I’d come to read a book.”

“Not bad.”

“Alright.” He raised his hands in surrender. “Jorge told me you were up here. But! This is still the first place I’d have looked anyway.”

She looked into his face, he was of almost even height to her and wore his perpetual roguish grin. His face framed by his messy black hair, tangled and windswept by the unforgiving storm outside. He was almost the opposite of his tall, lean and dour brother. Stockier and shorter; his hair unkempt and almost woollen, Reiner’s hair slick and light brown. Sevaur’s eyes a deeper shade of blue than his brother’s; were it not for the jawline and face structure you’d never realise they were related.

“Avoiding your brother again?”

“Guilty as charged.” He shrugged. “I was worried though. Last I heard you were chasing werebeasts in the forest when the undead attacked.”

“Werebeast?” Claire shook her head. “That explains a lot. How is Caelholm? I couldn’t help I was miles away.”

“We managed. Your dad and I fought off the undead. The narrow streets helped funnel them — made it hard to miss them with a fireball at least.”

He flickered a flame in his left hand before extinguishing it with a weary grin. She could see the dark circles around his eyes and the exhaustion he was hiding. His earlier magic taking its heavy toll on the caster, he was fighting it but it’d catch him up eventually.

“Take a seat.” She pointed towards one of the wooden chairs and pulled up one of her own.

He sat down and spotted the torn and blood-stained clothing around her stomach. “What happened to you?”

“Razakel and I reached the summit and we managed to kill one of the cultists leaders but we couldn’t stop their ritual and then I got stabbed.” She laughed when she saw his horrified expression and showed him where the wound had been. “He healed it. I’m fine.”

“Razakel?
The
Alvis Razakel?” He replied incredulous.

“You know him?”

“Nope. He’s an authority on all-sorts of magic though. Even wrote some of the spell-books I’ve got back home. One of the greats amongst our time! You didn’t know?”

“No.” Embarrassment crept up on her. “I figured he was some sort of scholar but I didn’t recognise him. He said he knew my mother though.”

Sevaur paused and his smile faded. “I can believe that. He worked with the Inquisition many times. Either that or they met at the Imperial Academy of Magic sometime. I know he’s got tenure.”

She sat in silence for a while.

“You didn’t ask him?”

Claire shook her head. “I wasn’t sure what to make of him.”

“He’s the real deal. Ask him later if you’re still curious.” He answered as he sat flexing his left gauntlet and staring out the window; his mind preoccupied. “Good work finding those heretics though.”

“I was lucky. Or unlucky I suppose you could say. The source of the undead looked even less human than they did. An arrow through his brains only stopped him for a while; severed his control over the undead at least.”

Sevaur laughed. “That explains why they all collapsed at once. We hoped it was to save us the trouble; but seems that was your doing.”

“That man came back to life and yanked the arrow out of his head though. Razakel said he was immortal. Never seen anything like it.”

“Then how did you kill him?”

“I didn’t. Razakel tricked him into getting close and he turned him into stone and shattered him.”

Sevaur whistled and grinned. “Clever. And the Inquisitor? We’re all starved for details here.”

“Spent most of it casting that foul ritual. Tried to stop him but I couldn’t. He just caught the arrows and threw me around with magic. That’s when a cultist got the drop on me.” She massaged the phantom pain where her wound had been. “Sorry to disappoint.”

“Lucky you survived at all then. Good thing the Caelites reached you when they did. The Inquisitor fled and the dead haven’t stirred. Sounds like the pair of you saved the day. Don’t let it go to your head.” He laughed and gave her a playful shove.

She shoved him back with a smile. “Like I would. Besides he’s still out there, and whatever master he serves. It’s not over yet.”

“You still want to go after him? Any idea where to start?” Sevaur leaned forward, his own taste for adventure flaring.

“Not yet, but I’ll think about it. You in?”

“Of course.” He leaned backwards and outstretched his arms. “Not going to spend my whole life in Reiner’s shadow am I? I need to live a little.”

“You know he cares he just doesn’t know how to show it. That stick up his arse can’t be helping much.”

The Knight-errant laughed heartily. “Ah I know that, you can care about someone and still think they’re a pain in the arse.”

“I believe you” She rose and turned towards the blizzard once more.

“You’re lucky you’re an only child. Don’t get me wrong I’m sure I’m a handful as well — I did get all the looks and the wit.”

Claire glanced over her shoulder and shook her head. “You wish Soranus.”

“I’m not interrupting anything am I?” A voice asked. Knight-Commander Rhae stood behind them clad in full plated mail and resplendent in her cape and silver armour.