Of Dawn and Darkness (The Elder Empire: Sea Book 2) (18 page)

Walking past, Calder actually clapped him on the shoulder. “Thank you, Andel. Now toss that barrel overboard.”

“And waste perfectly good beetles?”

~~~

Andel hadn’t seemed panicked about the journal. He’d read it, and he hadn’t come screaming out on deck, demanding that they change course. In fact, he seemed to accept the whole thing without complaint.

Calder couldn’t understand why. They were sailing into a death-trap.

As it turned out, the journal wasn’t
just
Valette’s thoughts about his upcoming mission. It also included copies of his original orders, as well as the reports that led to those orders.

The reports, taken in tandem with Bliss’ commands and Valette’s notes, told a frightening story.

“Farmers in the region report sightings of what they describe as ‘ten-legged spiders’ running through their fields at night. These sightings are often accompanied by the usual signs: stolen livestock, missing books, strange signs cut into cornfields. When the community contacted the local Blackwatch chapter house, we responded with a standard investigation. However, it reached no conclusion...”

He flipped the page.

“In southern Izyria, we cornered a hive of Inquisitors. They had abducted the elderly and those of mental infirmity, taking them to a cave for a ritual preparation we believe was intended to invoke the void. Watchmen on scene were able to contain the Elderspawn, but this behavior suggests an uncharacteristic boldness. Inquisitors are usually content to watch.”

Every entry was something like this. These ten-legged arachnid Elderspawn, these Inquisitors, had become active all over the Empire. There were sightings from Dylia, Vandenyas, the Nire, even the Capital. Overall, it painted a disturbing picture. As one entry put it,
“For Elderspawn to work with such coordination and precise timing suggests a greater intelligence at work. I think we all understand the nature of that intelligence.”

Most frightening of all were Bliss’ thoughts on the matter.

“The town of Silverreach was built on Ach’magut’s tomb. That seems like a silly place to build a town to me, so perhaps they deserve their fate. Except they didn’t build the town, their ancestors did. Anyway, they should move.

“The Inquisitors only act together under the orders of their lord, Ach’magut, and he’s dead. For now. If Ach’magut is alive again, it is quite possible that we are all moving according to a plan he laid more than two thousand years ago. You should travel to Silverreach and determine if the Great Elder has revived. You’ll be able to tell.

“If he has, we’ll have to schedule Silverreach for destruction. There is always the possibility that you will not return from this assignment, in which case I will assume that you have been captured and tortured by Ach’magut, and adjust my plans accordingly. I hope that does not happen, because then I would have to send three hundred silvermarks to your widow, and that is expensive. Be safe.”

Bliss’ concern for the welfare of her Guild members aside, the news froze Calder’s blood. They were sailing into the lair of a Great Elder who might be alive and waiting for them. In fact, their sailing to him could all be a part of his plan. Calder was having difficulty thinking of a more painful way to die.

By contrast, Jerri’s dark eyes were sparkling. “What if he’s
alive?
Can you imagine it? The Emperor is the only one who’s ever seen Ach’magut directly!”

Sometimes, it was hard to tell when Jerri was joking. “That’s exactly what I was thinking, except we’re going to change course. I wouldn’t drop anchor at Silverreach if there was a chest of gold buried every ten feet.”

That was an exaggeration; he probably would go ashore in that case. Gold was gold, and the Elder
might
still be dead.

“It can’t be too dangerous!” Jerri insisted. “Bliss is sending a man into the town, and she wouldn’t have hired us if this was absolutely suicide.”

Calder pointed at the journal page. “Even she’s admitting there’s a good chance he’ll be heading straight to his death. I can’t believe he accepted an assignment like this.”

Jerri laid a hand on his arm, moving a little closer. She looked at him earnestly, speaking softly, and her voice sent a quiver through his stomach. “Calder, he agreed because it’s worth the risk. That’s the mission of the Blackwatch: studying the Elders in the service of humanity. You remember.”

In another tone, that would have felt like a jab, but he did remember. He had already made a deal with one Great Elder for a cause he felt was worth it, and that hadn’t worked out too badly. Not as badly as it could have, anyway.

Sensing her advantage, Jerri pressed forward. “Besides, you know your mother supervises everything the Guild Head does. Even if
Bliss
would have killed a man just to learn something, would
she?
”

That was a good point. Alsa Grayweather wouldn’t have allowed this to proceed if there wasn’t a good chance the man would return. And since Calder suspected it was his mother’s recommendation that had landed him this job in the first place, he knew she wouldn’t put him within a hundred miles of Silverreach if it wasn’t
somewhat
safe.

“We don’t have to change course,” Calder said finally. Jerri beamed at him, so brightly that he found himself smiling back. He wasn’t sure why she cared about this, but for some reason she did, so he’d enjoy her good mood.

Before he could say anything else, she leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss.

He froze for a moment, stunned. A smile leaked out, tugging one side of his mouth up. If he didn’t know her so well, he would have thought she was
too
excited about going to town. But she had no reason to care, other than her boredom and her desire to go ashore. Maybe that was enough. For Jerri, the potential would just add some much needed spice.

Whatever the reason, she was happy to go to Silverreach. She was happy with
him
. And that was all the explanation he needed.

~~~

After learning that a Great Elder may be waiting for them in the town of Silverreach, Calder had lost himself imagining what else they might find.

It could be a town that seems normal, but at night, the townsfolk turn into bloodthirsty cannibals. Silverreach could have been wiped from the earth, covered by nothing but Elderspawn and squirming tentacles. They could literally sail straight into Ach’magut’s mouth.

Maybe they would see nothing wrong, and would return to report that to the Blackwatch...but it would all be part of the Overseer’s plan. He would sneak one of his Inquisitors into the belly of
The Testament,
and Calder himself would be the agent responsible for spreading an Elder infestation.

His speculation had run so wild that, when they arrived at Silverreach, he was not at all surprised to find it empty.

There were only three other ships docked, all of them smaller than Calder’s. Fishing vessels, with their catch rotting onboard. Gulls screamed as they whirled around the harbor, gorging themselves on piles of rotten fish. The smell had everyone onboard the Navigator’s ship wrapping rags around their faces, leaving only their eyes uncovered.

The town itself looked like a hundred others in the Empire—the houses were simple, mostly wood covered in plaster, with sloping tiled roofs and wide, cobbled streets. Silverreach moved uphill, watched over by a lighthouse that stood sentinel on the edge of the coast.

Everything was dark. Not only was the lighthouse unlit, but not a single window in the town winked. None of the chimneys blew smoke. A half-open door creaked as it swung in the breeze, audible over the wind and the shrieking of birds.

“I think we’ve seen enough of Silverreach,” Calder said. With a brief thought, he Read the Lyathatan. For the first time, the Elder actually seemed...wary. It did not sleep, here in the shallows, but kept its eyes and its Intent fixed on the shores as though waiting for a threat. That, accompanied by the eerie absence of an entire town, was enough to persuade Calder that they needed to turn back out to sea as soon as physically possible.

Mr. Valette scratched at his sideburns, watching the shore. He was in full Blackwatch costume—black coat, iron spikes tucked into loops at his belt for easy access, with the squirming Elder Eyes badge of his Guild displayed proudly over his chest. A case of tools sat by his feet, ready to be carried onshore, though Calder couldn’t imagine what tools the man would actually need. He was here to discover Elder activity, and obviously there had been some. He’d discovered it. The mission, in Calder’s mind, was over.

“I may not have been entirely honest with you, Captain,” Valette said. “There was indeed the...
remote
possibility of danger on this venture, aside from the usual. I don’t mean to alarm you, but it seems that there has been a significant Elder presence here.”

Calder tried to feign surprise, but his heart wasn’t in it.

“I was expecting to question the locals,” the Watchman went on. “However, I very much doubt there’s anyone here in the shape to be questioned. If you could assist me, I’d be grateful. I would even be willing to pay an additional fee to you, out of my own pocket.”

As interested as Calder was in making further progress toward his debt, he couldn’t help but wonder what the man meant by assistance. “I don’t see any reason for any of us to go ashore, Mr. Valette. You included. Nor can I determine what help I could possibly be to you; after all, I’m hardly a trained Watchman.”

From her own position by the longboat, Jerri snorted. Behind the passenger, Andel raised an eyebrow at Calder. Calder ignored them both.

“Well, Captain Marten, I’m not a Reader. I have to do all my research the tedious way, and I don’t think it likely that I will be able to do so here. If you could take a few Readings, get a sense of the Intent in the general area, that would be of great help to my task.”

“I’m sensing something from here,” Calder said. “I’m sensing danger, and a foolish risk that we don’t need to take. If it helps you, sir, I’d be happy to swear in the Emperor’s name that you overturned every rock in the town before leaving baffled.”

Jerri frowned at him. “We can’t just
leave
after coming all this way. The town is empty, so we can surely spare an hour or two to explore.”

“I’m sure it’s uninhabited,” Calder said. “I’m not at all certain it’s empty.”

Andel scanned the shore from beneath his white hat, expression unreadable as usual. “This may surprise you, Mr. Marten, but I agree with the lady. All of us can go ashore together, as there’s no chance of the ship drifting and no one could steal her. It’s five o’clock now. If we leave before sunset, I don’t anticipate too much risk.”

Jerri held out a hand toward Andel, as though presenting him. “I’m seeing you in an entirely new light, Andel.”

If the two of them had
not
read Valette’s journal, Calder would have understood. Even he would have been tempted to investigate the empty town, if he didn’t know there was a Great Elder underneath it. How could they have forgotten that?

“Tell me, what do we stand to gain from this risk?” Calder asked. “Because we have enough of a report to send to the Blackwatch. ‘The town is empty, it seemed abandoned, and we thought it too dangerous to travel further.’ Sounds reasonable to me.”

Andel turned to him, face as clear as ever.
“We
won’t gain anything. But the citizens of the Empire trust the Guilds to prevent things like this from happening. If we can learn anything here that prevents Elderspawn from emptying another village, that’s worth some risk.”

Mr. Valette nodded approvingly at Andel’s words, his expression as close to smiling as Calder had ever seen it.

He could sense when he was beaten. Especially when he knew they were right. The smart thing to do from their own perspective was to leave, sail away and never look back. But something had happened to these people, and he had the chance to find out what. His mother risked her life for that every day.

Jerri slapped the side of the longboat. “Lower the boat, Mr. Marten. We’re going ashore.”

Another quote floated to mind, from the journals of Estyr Six:
“If you’re not giving the orders, you’re not the one in charge.”

Calder sighed. “Yes, Captain.”

~~~

The air swirls with Intent, so thick that Calder could swear he’s standing in a Capital crowd. Curiosity, terror, greed, and a strange, burning hunger blend and drift together so that Calder can scarcely tell one emotion from the other. There’s something strange about it, something that violates common sense; it feels as though the people of this town were passionate about research. Too much so. It’s like a thousand people were so desperate for answers that their hearts might burst…

Calder took his hand from the beam of the house. He tried to shake away the lingering impressions hanging like cobwebs inside his mind; a thirst for knowledge, an inquisitive spirit desperate to be satisfied.

Jerri leaned over with her hands behind her back, smiling like a delighted child. “Well? Any
gruesome
deaths in the dockside house?”

He would have suspected that the unquenchable curiosity belonged to Jerri, if he didn’t know better. She was entirely too enthusiastic about their trip to an abandoned, Elder-haunted village. “Nothing from the house,” he said. That wasn’t unusual; the structure of a house would usually contain, at most, the skills and memories of the carpenter who constructed it. “Everything I could read came from the air, which is unusual enough. Intent seeps into objects like a dye and stains them, it doesn’t hang around like a fog. Except here.”

It was hard to explain to someone who had never experienced a Reading, like explaining a chorus to a man who had never heard music.

Jerri lifted her eyebrows. “Any visions? Any idea what happened?”

“No visions, which is strange on its own. Normally I have to sort through pictures and impressions, but this was pure emotion. Like it pooled here.”

She thumbed her earring, looking thoughtful. “What emotions?”

“Someone here, or everyone here, very much wanted answers to all their questions. But it was more than curiosity, it was…greed, it was hunger. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear these people all stabbed each other over a riddle.”