Promise of Wrath (The Hellequin Chronicles Book 6) (7 page)

“What’s the connection between Mordred and yourself?” I asked. “Friends? Something more?”

Anger lit up Isabel’s face. “How
dare
you imply anything! You know nothing about me.”

“I’m not implying anything at all,” I explained. “I’m asking a question.”

I knew Nanshe wouldn’t be impressed with my question, but while it was her job to help lead the Mesopotamian deities, it was mine to ensure that Avalon was safe. And that meant sometimes having to annoy people I might not want to annoy.

“No, we are not lovers. We are friends: something I imagine you’ve been told several times given that I’ve been asked that question a dozen times over since becoming involved in this situation.”

“I’m not here to make you comfortable,” I explained. “I’m here to find answers, and try to make sure no one dies. So if you’re unhappy with any questions I might have, then I’ll just have to accept that irritation and move on regardless.”

Isabel stared at me for several seconds before her obvious anger drained from her. “I helped him, and that kindness was repaid by being locked away. They say I’m no prisoner, but then they have guards follow me everywhere. Feels like a prison to me. It makes me less than inclined to continue helping.”

“I thank you for your aid in this matter,” I assured her. “I promise it’ll be over for you soon.”

“I want to see Mordred.”

“I wish I could take you, but I can’t. Mordred asked me to get you out of the city, so we need to leave.”

“I’ll not go. My friends and life are here. He would not ask such a thing of me.”

“How long have you known him?” I asked, feeling the warmth of anger inside me. “A week? Two?”

“Three years, on and off. Although I don’t see what business that is of yours.”

Apparently we were going back to being uncooperative again. “I’m surprised to hear that Mordred has been here for so long, even on and off.” I was more surprised that he’d managed to live here without trying to kill a lot of people. Normally, he arrived somewhere, caused mayhem and destruction, and left.

“I’m being held in this building, whether you call it a prison or not, all the while Mordred, whom I trust more than any of you, is imprisoned. Why would Mordred ask me to leave? Why should I believe you? Where is it that you’re hiding Mordred?” She waved her hand at the city beside her. “I’m not going anywhere until I see him.”

I considering knocking her out and taking her from the city by force, but the thing about doing that is it doesn’t exactly lead to a lot of trust, and there would be a good chance that she’d just run off the first chance she got. I know I would have.

There was also the possibility that she was lying—that she was involved in whatever scheme Mordred had planned, or maybe she was working for those who Mordred insisted were a danger to the city and the Mesopotamian deities’ move toward uniting with Avalon. A move centuries in the making, and one that would change the face of power across a large chunk of the planet.

“I don’t have time for this,” I said to no one in particular. I turned to Isabel. “I don’t know you, I don’t trust you, and I damn well don’t trust Mordred. But he has information we need, and that information is reliant on your being taken to safety. If I take you to Mordred, and you try anything that jeopardizes why I’m here—and that includes trying to free him—you’ll never see him again. Do we have an agreement?”

Isabel looked around at everyone on the roof, as if trying to figure out if my offer was genuine.

“Just say yes, Isabel,” Siris said. “Mordred is on the way out of the city, and it’s easier than standing here arguing about it.”

“I agree,” Isabel said, making it sound like she’d gotten exactly what she wanted all along.

“Okay. We’ll go say hello to Mordred and he can tell you himself,” I told her. “At least that way Mordred knows we’re actually doing what he asked. He can’t feign ignorance later.”

We were soon all walking through the evening sun back toward Mordred, with Siris and Isabel up front, talking to one another.

“Siris seems very friendly with her,” I said to Nanshe.

“Siris is friendly with everyone. I’ve never met anyone who makes friends as quickly as she does. The thing is, she actually wants to know everything about the people she meets. She’s not faking the enthusiasm, either: she’s genuinely interested in people.”

“What is she?”

“Water elemental. A powerful one, too—much more powerful than her position within the old deity system would have suggested. I don’t think she was ever thrilled about being the goddess of beer.”

“No. I can imagine that is a job that would get boring fast.”

“She’s invaluable, and I think she’s looking for a more important role during the transfer of our power to Avalon. I don’t think she trusts them. No offence.”

“None taken. Merlin will do all in his power to ensure that you keep the influence you were promised. And his power is vast. Besides, Elaine Garlot is helping, and I trust her completely.”

“Isn’t she related to Mordred?”

I nodded. “Mordred’s aunt. She’s a good person, though. She has given no suggestion that she’s in league with, or even supports, Mordred in any way, shape, or form.”

“If Mordred has been here for three years, why only now make it known that there’s a plot? Why not get Isabel out of here when all of this started? The negotiations for the Mesopotamians to join Avalon started about then. What’s changed with regards to his relationship with them, and with Isabel?”

“I assume it has taken them all a long time to actually organize something, whoever
they
are. I am curious as to why Mordred came here so long after the war ended. Usually he can’t go anywhere without a body count following him. I’d have expected him to wade in to the middle of the war, but turning up when it’s all over? That’s a new one.”

“I assume you agree with my assessment that Isabel and Mordred are not lovers.”

“I’ll admit you’re right on that one. I’ll see them together before confirming my suspicions, but there didn’t appear to be any romantic spark when she was talking about him.”

“Do you have any theories about what Mordred’s plan is? I assume you think he has one.”

“He always has one; I just have no idea what it is. Maybe his old partners didn’t go far enough and he wants to start a new crusade between the humans to get everyone killed. It’s not like humans need much of an excuse. Although neither do we.”

“Were you here during the crusade?”

“Thankfully, no. Although I had to remove a few thorns after it was over. Some people committed unforgivable atrocities and needed to be held accountable for their actions. There are a few who escaped punishment, but they won’t forever. Merlin doesn’t take kindly to people in power abusing his trust.”

We reached the building where Mordred was being held and Nanshe took Isabel inside.

“Thanks for your help,” I said to Siris.

“Glad to. I’m not a fan of Avalon and us merging, but I don’t want Mordred running around causing chaos. Anyway, I need to get going. Take care of yourself.”

“You too.”

I entered the house as Siris walked away, and descended the stairs to Mordred’s holding cell. When I arrived, Isabel asked him why she had to leave the city.

“Why did you bring her here?” Mordred demanded as I entered the room.

“Because she refused to leave, and because I don’t have time to play games. Frankly, I trust her about as much as I trust you, and I wanted to see whether or not you’re both playing some elaborate game. I don’t give two shits if she lives or dies. Hell, if she’s involved with you, I’ll slit her throat right here and watch her bleed to death. But you seem to care, and I want to know why.”

Isabel looked at me with genuine shock on her face. She hadn’t expected me to sound so cold and callous about the death of someone else. That was the evidence I needed, and I knew she wasn’t linked to whatever Mordred was planning. There was no way to fake the disgust at having someone tell you they’d be fine with killing you.

“Don’t you dare threaten her!” Mordred snapped. “I will kill you if you hurt her! I swear it: I will kill you, Nathan.” Apart from the usual hate and bile in his voice, there was something else: affection. There was a deep affection for Isabel, and it made me pause.

“We need to leave,” I told Isabel, and turned to Mordred. “She’ll be taken somewhere safe.”

“Not until you tell me why,” Isabel snapped.

I was beginning to wonder at what point stubbornness was going to turn into something that would get Isabel killed.

“They are coming soon,” Mordred said. “They’re going to kill as many people in this city as possible. The streets will run red with blood. You can’t be here when that happens.”

“I can take care of myself.” Tears streamed down Isabel’s face, which was flushed with anger.

Mordred shot off his chair, the chains at his wrist stopping him from going further. “Go! Run!”

The sounds of running echoed in the chamber before the door was flung open and Gilgamesh entered. “Hellequin, Lady Nanshe: we’re under attack.”

Mordred crashed to his knees, his head in his hands. “It’s too late. They moved the timetable up. They’re already here.”

CHAPTER
7

September 1195. City of Acre.

I
rushed out of the building with Nanshe just behind me. We’d told the guards to keep an eye on Isabel and Mordred; hopefully they’d be safe.

Night had settled since we’d been inside the building, and as I didn’t know the city well enough to lead the way, I followed Nanshe as we rushed through the streets. People were hurrying back to their homes and places of safety. The city had seen warfare not long ago, and many here would still bear the mental scars of what happened. No one wanted to see a repeat of it. No one wanted to be in the middle of a new battleground. I hoped the walls and soldiers would be able to hold off whatever had arrived.

It didn’t take too long to reach the first group of soldiers, all of whom were running toward us. They stopped before us, a dozen men-at-arms all ready to fight. It was the one thing I could guarantee they’d get their chance at.

“Nabu had us come find you,” the first soldier said, a tall man with terrible burn scars across one side of his face.

“Nabu is here?” I asked.

The soldier nodded. “He’s with Gilgamesh and Ereshkigal near the front gate.”

“How many enemies?” Nanshe asked as we fell into step beside her. I let her take the lead, knowing the soldiers would find it easier and faster only talking to one person.

“Unknown at this time. Each of the gates into the city were attacked at the same time. We took nineteen casualties, but we’ve managed to close them all.”

“Nineteen dead?”

“Six dead, the rest wounded. The majority of them will be unable to fight tonight.”

“How many soldiers do we have here?”

“Two thousand men, six hundred Templars, and two hundred Teutonic Knights. There’s also a smattering of the Knights of St John, but they’re helping with the influx of anyone who was outside of the gates when the attack took place. They’re not exact figures for men, but that’s what I was told.”

The notion of the Teutonic Knights being part of the battle force made me somewhat happier. They were well-versed in fighting nonhuman opponents, possibly more so than any other branch outside of Avalon.

“Three thousand men in a city with twenty thousand people to protect. Let’s hope whoever is out there doesn’t like the idea of a lengthy siege.” Nanshe stopped walking for a moment, forcing the soldiers to do the same. “Does anyone know what we’re fighting here?”

The men glanced at one another, none of them wanting to speak up.

“Now, soldier,” Nanshe said, her voice forceful and leaving no doubt that she wanted an answer within the next few seconds.

“I’m sorry, my lady,” the tall soldier said, managing to sound part embarrassed, and part terrified. “But the reports of what attacked us are . . . odd.”

“I do not care. Tell me. Now.”

“They were monsters,” another of the soldiers said, his eyes darting to his comrades, as if seeking solace in their own fear. “Monsters made of rock in some cases.”

“And with fangs,” a third soldier said, his voice barely above a whisper, as if the attackers outside might hear him. “They came out of the darkness. Vampires. Creatures of pure evil.”

Nanshe looked over at me. “Vampires and rock monsters.”

“This gets better and better,” I said.

We recommenced walking, and managed to find Nabu ordering several Templar Knights about. Nabu was considered the Mesopotamian god of wisdom, and it was a role that suited him. He was smart, cunning, and more than happy to treat his day-to-day life like a chessboard: a game I refused to play with him. He was a tall man, with long, dark hair that fell over his broad shoulders. His beard touched his chest, and he held himself with regal bearing. He wore chainmail but held no weapon that I could see. I’d met him several times over the years and liked him. He was smart and knew it, but never to the extent that he showed off or lorded it over other people.

“Hellequin, it’s good to have you here,” Nabu said, his voice was deep, the kind of voice that resonates in your mind long after he’s finished talking. “Although I think Gilgamesh will not relish any competition for defeated foes.”

“Gilgamesh can win this one,” I assured him. “I just want the battle ended without blood being spilled.”

“You know that’s unlikely,” he said. He kissed Nanshe on the cheek. “I’m especially glad you’re here. There are too few of our kin in the city.”

“This was to be a human city, run by humans,” Nanshe said. “I’d hoped that once we’d joined Avalon, they would station their own people here to protect it.”

“I’m sure they will,” I told them. “But right now, we’re all we’ve got.”

“Not all.”

I turned at the sound of the female voice and watched as soldiers hurried out of her way. She didn’t seem to mind that none of them wished to touch her; she’d cultivated her reputation as someone to be feared over many years—a reputation that was completely true from what I’d heard.

“I am Ereshkigal,” she said to me. The torchlight around us showed off her long, dark dress, although the light barely did the intricate embroidery justice. A red and black cloak trailed slightly along the dusty ground. I was pretty certain that she would have been able to hide weapons on her person with little problem. “You may call me Irkalla. Everyone else does these days.”

She had been the one leading the negotiations for the Mesopotamians to join Avalon. I’d heard good things from Elaine about her and her skill at the game of politics. That it had taken so long for the two sides to settle on a mutual agreement was apparently down to Irkalla, and the fact that she was not someone to bend her knee to anyone without considerable compensation. It was something that had angered several high-ranking Avalon members like Hera, and made me respect her all the more.

“It would have been more pleasurable to meet under better circumstances,” I told her.

“I was just about to leave for Avalon. It’s a shame this happened now, although I assume you’ll be wanting my help.” The last part of that sentence was aimed at Nabu.

“It would be useful.”

“Everything I do is useful, Nabu,” Irkalla said matter-of-factly. “Tell me who I need to dismember and I’ll get it done. I don’t really want to be up all night fighting some horrific little monsters. Have the attackers been positively identified as something we need to worry about, or did the humans just panic at the first sign of something they didn’t understand?”

I left them to talk and climbed the stairs to the battlements, where I found several soldiers looking out into the darkness beyond. The torches that usually lined the road approaching the city had been extinguished.

“They don’t want us to see them coming,” Gilgamesh said as he stood beside me. I hadn’t heard him approach; he was stealthy for such a large man.

I closed my eyes and activated my fire magic. When they opened, I was able to see despite the darkness. The colors were all variations of orange and red, but it was better than not being able to see at all.

“They’re just beyond the ridge,” I said. “Several hundred of them. They’re in a long line. There’s no battle formation that I can see. I get the feeling they’re going to run at the city all at once. Otherwise I see no benefit in what they’re doing.”

“You can see them?” Gilgamesh asked, surprised. “Impressive. What is the enemy we face?”

“I don’t know. I can’t make out features, but several of them are in armor.” I watched as the line broke and something much larger than the other fighters walked through. “That would be Asag.” I didn’t even try to keep the anger from my voice. The monster had killed someone I’d considered a friend, and tried to kill me, too. I owed him for both of those actions, although I knew it wouldn’t be easy. I needed to be faster and smarter than when we’d last met, but more importantly, I needed to put him down quickly before he could kill anyone else.

“Asag is among them?” one of the soldiers said, his fear carrying to all those around him as several soldiers exchanged concerned glances. “The devil comes for us!”

“The devil?” Gilgamesh laughed. “Asag is a giant rock: a being that used too much power and twisted himself into something evil. But he can be killed. There is a layer of nothing between his rock and skin. If you can break that rock, his skin is just as easy to pierce as yours or mine.” He raised his voice. “All of these so-called demons can be killed—” He raised the arm of the nearest soldier, showing everyone the sword he carried. “—with this: with steel. Their heads and hearts are just as fragile as a human’s. They are destroyed just as easily once pierced. Yes, these are formidable opponents, but you are all seasoned warriors: men who have faced death and found it wanting. Come the morning, you can regale your loved ones, your friends, even your next conquest with tales of your victory.” There was slight laughter at that, and he had the full attention of everyone on the battlements and those waiting below by this point.

“You can tell the tale of fighting beside heroes and gods, and you can tell them that for one night, there were no differences. This night, we will drive this evil from our land, and come the sunrise, we who remain will tell our children fearful tales of what happens to those who wish to do us harm. They think they can scare us? Well, let’s show them just how afraid we are. We are all soldiers tonight. We are all warriors. We are all brothers.” He raised his maul high into the night and a great cheer went up.

“And sisters,” Irkalla said from beside me. “I don’t want our part to be left out.”

I hadn’t heard Irkalla climb the stairs close by—I’d been too busy paying attention to what was in front of me—but I was glad to have her on the wall with us. “Any woman who wants to fight and bleed beside me gains the right to be called my brother-in-arms,” Gilgamesh told her.

Irkalla rolled her eyes as Gilgamesh walked away to talk to some more of the soldiers.

“He means well,” she said when we were alone. “He really does believe that calling us ‘brothers’ is a great honor. I doubt many would agree. Would the Amazonians have been happy being called brothers? Would any woman?”

“None I know of,” I told her.

“Progress. And that is why Avalon will lead the world, and why our little group will be lost to the annals of history, folded into Avalon and forgotten.”

“I doubt you’ll ever be forgotten.”

“Maybe not forgotten, but certainly no longer the first name that comes to mind when thinking of the powerful gods and goddesses of the past. It happened to the Romans, Greeks, Celts, and anyone else who was folded into Avalon. It’ll happen to us, too. And frankly, it’s for the best. Like I said, progress is the name of the game here. That’s why we’re fighting tonight: because not everyone can see progress when it’s staring them in the face.”

“And you’re okay with coming into the Avalon fold?”

“We get to keep our power base; we get to keep a lot. And we have influence inside the Avalon power structure. Frankly we’ll have more of a say than we do now. And I for one am sick of standing on the sidelines.” She leaned on the battlements and bellowed, “Will you all get a bloody move on? We don’t have all night!”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“I’ve spent far too much time in Avalon arranging this deal. I appear to have picked up some of the traits from those there. It’s not considered ladylike, but then no one ever accused me of being particularly good at pretending to be a lady before.”

As Irkalla stood beside me, ready for battle, I saw exactly why her reputation was so formidable with everyone in Avalon who’d spoken of her. “I’ve never been against women who fight, swear, drink, or speak their minds. Those who are, are either idiots or terrified they can’t out-think, out-fight, or out-drink them.”

A sly smile spread across Irkalla’s lips. “You missed one.”

“I don’t think battlements are the best place to discuss women out-fucking men.”

Irkalla’s laughter turned more than a few heads. “I’m going to like you, Hellequin.” She raised her hand, palm out, and closed her eyes. “Vampires. There are vampires out there.”

I scanned the scene in front of us. Beyond the city gate was a large wooden bridge, which covered a dry moat. Beyond that was a collection of boulders and rocks strewn across the open plain alongside a few plants and trees. It was some distance before the plain turned into hilly territory, and by then the well-worn road stretched out away from the city, merging with the rest of the landscape. In short, the city wasn’t going to be easy for any attackers to take, but these weren’t human attackers.

The soldiers had managed to extinguish all of the torches outside of the city, but that just made it easier for the vampires. They should have left things alone, but hindsight is always a wonderful thing.

“Can you tell how many?” I asked.

“No. It’s more than a dozen, certainly. They’re too far away for my necromancy to pinpoint them, but I can feel their anger, their hate.” She turned to me. “They come.”

The alarm went up as shapes in the darkness began to charge at the city. Dozens of creatures ran toward us. I drew my jian and waited for the inevitable.

Archers fired volleys of arrows, but only a few of the creatures were killed outright. Even those with serious injuries managed to drag themselves toward the city. Apparently death at our hands was preferable to being left behind for whatever creatures hadn’t joined in the initial attack.

I didn’t have long to wait as creatures sprang up onto the city walls and began scaling them. Boiling oil was poured over the sides, splashing over several of them, and the screams of the attackers tore through the night. But those climbing the walls were much faster than the humans manning them, and it didn’t take long for the attackers to reach the apex and climb over, killing those who stood before them.

Two attackers hissed at Irkalla, their vampire teeth already bared. She moved her hands forcing them to drop to their knees. She stabbed each of them in the throat with daggers I hadn’t seen before, and a few seconds later the bodies of the vampires slumped to the floor. Heat rose off them as they turned to dust.

“These vampires are young. The masters and elders wouldn’t have dropped to their knees so easily. Someone out there is making vampires. I would like to talk to them.” She didn’t make it sound like that would be a pleasant conversation.