The Call (18 page)

“And do you want me to sit in the inn tonight?” Katja asked. She couldn't hold back some bitterness.

“What have I told you? Twice?”

“That I won't be rid of you until you declare me ready.”

“Indeed. You will stand guard by the wall. Just in case something comes up. And besides, I,” Serdra hesitated, and closed her eyes a few moments. “I sense something dangerous on the horizon. Something far closer to us than the war and the Brotherhood's scheme.” She opened her eyes. “Be prepared for anything.”

---------------------

Revenge. Honour. Revenge. Honour. Thorir repeated these two words again and again in his mind to hold back the delirium. The infection was killing him. The pain was unbearable, the smell was revolting and he shook and shook and shook. He was only barely aware of his comrades as they stood around him in a circle.

Now and again he could focus enough to recognize the chants they were using and could hazard a guess as to how much was left and how long he would have to battle the darkness which was swallowing him.

Revenge. Honor.

The chants did their work and the divide began weakening. Thorir felt the entities beyond watch him greedily. They wanted flesh. They wanted to live. And they offered almost no resistance when his comrades' sorcery bound them within the protective circle he lay in. They wanted him.

“Come.”

He wasn't sure whether he'd managed to say the word out loud or just imagined so, but they didn't need encouragement. They slipped into his thoughts, into muscle and bone and scratched, whispered and sang.

Revenge!
he thought, to cling to some part of himself in the clamour. He thought of the misery, weakness, bitter disappointment and the smell of his own infected flesh. He thought about killing the damned Redcloak who had caused all this.

They did not argue. They understood hatred and bloodlust just fine.

Thorir could see his comrades finish the spells, and one of them took out a small but sharp knife. He didn't fear the next part as much as he'd expected. Not with the entities growling within his mind. They were like a discordant choir, which nonetheless gradually came to agree on what notes to sing.

Revenge
.

--------------------

Tovar stared into his wine mug. The wine was foreign and expensive and the one barrel he'd bought was purely for himself. This was one of the rare moments of rest he had permitted himself in a long time.

The worries had gnawed him slowly and steadily for the last weeks. He had known they would be an inevitable part of the situation he had fought to get into. He absolutely refused to complain or feel sorry for himself, but they were still a heavy burden and he couldn't shut them out for a moment. Being free of them would just have to be his reward for success.

Tovar sipped the wine, closed his eyes and savoured the taste before swallowing.

“Worth every crown,” he muttered to himself.

He had approved the Lojhan-ritual after brief consideration. Thorir's sacrifice would be a good example to the rest of the coven, and
perhaps
he would be able to solve the Redcloak-problem. If he failed it would probably draw unnecessary attention and perhaps even expose some of his brethren. It was a gamble, and he didn't care for the solution he would have to resort to if Thorir failed.

Footsteps approached his private chamber and he felt the worries lay their full weight on him again. The moment of peace had passed.

There was a soft knock on the door and a tall, sturdy man with a blond beard and a shaved head opened it.

The man tried to project confidence but underneath he was clearly balancing between anger and fear. Tovar couldn't help but smile a bit inside. He hoped his own eyes revealed as much.

“Step in, captain.”

The man hesitated a moment, and then tried to make up for it by walking very quickly to the middle of the room. Tovar leaned back and sipped the wine.

“How are you?” he asked nonchalantly and stared straight into his guest's eyes.

“How am I doing?” the man asked with a quaver in his voice and rage in his eyes. “What happened to Jan?!”

“What do you think happened to him?”

“He is delirious and vomits blood!”

“My. That must be unpleasant for you. As well as him.”

The captain leaned ever so slightly forward as if he meant to walk up to Tovar, but then settled for pointing at him.

“Is it true you put a hex on him?”

The captain and his men knew enough about their employers to do the job ahead, but no more than that. What they knew was still enough to make them nervous, and that's the way it was supposed to be.

He let the man writhe beneath his gaze for a little bit.

“I hired you and your men to accomplish a task, and I demand obedience and respect,” Tovar said and dropped his innocent tone.

“We have done everything-”

“You are impatient. You moan and complain about the wait in spite of the reward I have promised you. Such is to be expected from men to offer their services to the highest bidder, but I do not tolerate the kind of talking you did last night.”

A twitch went over the mercenary captain's face and he fell silent. He was probably trying to decide whether or not he should lie. Last night they had been confident no-one was listening.

He opened his mouth.

“Do not lie to me,” Tovar said firmly and pointed at him.

The man grimaced and took a deep breath. Fear held him in line. That was just how he wanted these mercenary scum. And if he had to prove their fears were well-founded he would do just that.

“Release the spell,” the man asked with his palms out. “It was just drinking talk. He won't do it again.”

“Not for a third time at least, that I promise you.”

“We need him,” the foreign captain said.

“
I
don't need him. No
one
of you matters to me. Keep that in mind.”

Tovar pretended to think things over.

“Talk to your men,” he then said. “I will assume they'll conduct themselves better from now on. But next time I will do worse.”

The man backed stiffly out of the chambers and closed the door.

Tovar leaned back, sipped his wine and awaited news from the city.

Chapter
12.

The wait at the inn was dreadful. The worries had started to gnaw at her when they left the Shades and intensified little by little as darkness fell. And she couldn't even discuss it with Serdra as sound carried far too well between the rooms.

Katja alternated between trying to sleep as Serdra urged her and using the relaxation methods she'd taught her but nothing worked. She had a bad feeling about the evening. She didn't know whether it was simply worry at breaking into the most guarded place in the city or the fact that she was still weary from the journey and weighed down by the hidden dread hanging over the country. Or both.

Serdra sat up, calm as ever, while Katja twitched about on the bed. The woman occasionally got up and stretched, but otherwise mostly just seemed to be letting her mind wander; probably into the future.

Eventually the other guests quieted down as did the traffic outside, and total darkness reigned. They waited some more, for a period that felt like an eternity, but finally the moment came. Katja hadn't gotten a wink of sleep.

Ugh
.

They took their weapons, opened the door carefully and walked out.

---------------------

“Now,” Serdra whispered, and they snuck across the street together. The moon was hidden behind clouds and the next streetlamp was some distance away so it was more important to go quietly than quickly.

They entered the alley between a storage house and a residential house that still stood empty after a fire. The meeting place was behind them, right up against the defensive wall around the government area.

“
Thunder
,” Serdra whispered.

“
Shield
,” came the reply from the darkness. They walked around the corner of the burnt house and there the Shades stood in enough darkness to justify their title.

“Any trouble?” whispered an indistinct silhouette with Frank's voice.

“No,” Serdra said. “What about you?”

“Everything is quiet,” he replied. “I have looked around a bit and things are organized as they usually are. There are four guards roaming around on this side of the wall and two beyond it. There are normally six up on the wall around the city hall and six more at the ready within, and I see no signs of change.”

“Are your magics ready, rune man?” Serdra asked the other silhouette.

“Ahh, I don't want to call this magic but yes, I made doubly sure.” He touched something on his side. It seemed to be a side bag, firmly strapped about his waist. “I have everything I need. If the governor has indeed been cursed I can lift it.”

“I have already placed the rope,” Frank said and pointed at the wall. It was too dark for Katja to see anything.

“Did you use a hook?” Katja asked.

“No, that would have made a clang. There is a stone missing on top of the wall. I wrapped the other end of the rope into a giant knot and lodged it in the gap.”

“Are there any questions or any preparation left?” Serdra asked.

No-one spoke.

“Let us be off,” she said.

Serdra was the first one up and vanished into the darkness almost without sound. Katja was next and took off her sword and strapped it to her back so it wouldn't smack into the wall. She grasped the thick, rough rope, breathed in and began the climb. The knots on the rope were a big help, but it was still a struggle to make it up without a groan or gasp.

Serdra took her hand and helped her. The wall was about half a metre thick, and she carefully straddled it next to the gap and let her legs hang off on either side.

The view was interesting. An occasional lamp burned on a wall or in a window but aside from that one could only see the vague outlines of the largest buildings.

Frank climbed up nimbly and finally Armin came. The rune man ascended slowly and he needed considerable help with getting up on the edge, but they managed it without noise.

Frank pulled the rope up, turned the knot which held it in the gap and let it slide carefully down the other side. They waited until the echoes of a guardsman's footsteps grew distant, and then Serdra gave Frank a signal to be the first one down. He then received Armin.

Serdra stalled at the rope and looked at Katja.

“What?” Katja whispered.

Serdra put a hand on her shoulder.

“Keep calm,” the woman said. “If something comes up you must react quickly, but also intelligently. Do not imagine a non-existent threat, and don't ignore signs of danger either.”

“I... yes. I will... try.”

“No-one can see you up here without a powerful lamp. Keep quiet and be patient and then everything should be fine.”

Katja nodded. She had been on edge all evening. But her teacher's words made her feel a bit better. A bit.

Serdra swung off the wall and went down the rope like a spider. Katja hurriedly pulled the rope up and placed it on the wall. She heard Armin's footsteps for a few moments, but then the trio vanished utterly.

She was alone in the dark.

Alone guarding a piece of string. Exciting.

She tried to remain bitter, but had to admit to herself that she was partially relieved over not going with them. Facing monsters was one thing, but to sneak past ordinary people who had done nothing wrong? What was she to do if spotted? What could she say? She certainly hadn't had to justify herself to the hill wretches she and Serdra had fought.

She closed her eyes and took a slow, deep breath like Serdra had taught her. She tried to picture the trio's journey in the dark and estimate how long it would take them to get past the defensive wall.

Frank would be in the lead as he knew the area better than Serdra. He would check whether guards lay ahead in the darkness and hiss carefully as a signal for the others to follow. When they arrived at the wall he would then find the right place to throw a lasso over the wall and climb up. Then he would again check for guards.

It's probably happening right now
, Katja thought.
If everything has gone smoothly.

She kept her eyes on a spot in the dark where she believed they would make the climb.

Serdra would go up after him and then the rune man. They would take the rope with them to make it back over the wall and then sneak to a pantry. It had no lock and no traffic at this hour, and within was the door the contact had left unlocked. That was their way into the city hall itself.

Clicking footsteps could be heard from the paving stones below in the government district and echoed off the wall. Soon she also heard the clink of armour and saw the light of a lamp, and a guard walked into her field of vision.

Katja knew she would have been invisible in the dark even if he hadn't had light in his eyes, but she still felt a knot of tension form in her stomach and drew her feet a bit closer.

The man stopped, yawned widely and shook himself to get his blood moving. He was clearly terribly bored.

Are they in the pantry by now?
Katja thought and took her eyes off the man. She couldn't remember how big the garden around the city hall had been.

The guard sighed and continued his round. Katja breathed a bit easier but still couldn't shake a feeling of foreboding. This whole situation didn't sit right with her.

Once in the first floor of the city hall they would quickly reach little-used stairs meant for servants. This short walk nonetheless took them past a guard post, and was probably the most dangerous part of the entire endeavour. The second floor was patrolled non-stop by three guards, and they would have to carefully time the moment when they shot out of cover, went through a long dining room and into a certain hallway.

Katja carefully pressed her palms down on the wall and stretched her legs out. She rubbed her arms slowly enough to make no noise and tried to keep her mind sharp. There was nothing to see but the occasional flame and nothing to hear except the distant feet of the guards. It was far too easy to let the mind wander.

But not now. Not when Serdra wasn't within reach to deal with any problem that might come up.

She tried to draw the sword, but had some trouble as it hung on her back. She took the belt off and placed the weapon next to her on the wall.

Something happened.

Katja wasn't sure what it was, but the unease within her suddenly turned into fear.

What happened? Did I hear something? Did I feel something?

She held her breath and looked in every direction but of course saw nothing. Danger could be hiding anywhere, and her fear intensified.

She picked up the sword and carefully drew it.

What do I do
, she thought worriedly,
on top of a damn wall?

She stood up and felt for the edges of the wall with her feet and stood at the ready.

What happened just before it started?
she thought, irritated and scared.
Was I focusing? Or did I fool myself?

She closed her eyes and tried to apply this sensitivity she had only just started to grasp.

Shut out everything else. Don't think, don't remember, just FEEL.

“Katja, we are back.”

The whisper came from the street.

“Serdra?” Katja whispered back.

Were they back already? Could they really have gone all the way and back so quickly?

Or could they? How much time has passed?

She thought it over again but it was as if her sense of time was asleep. Had she been distracted, or had she imagined the whisper? Neither option was good.

Am I just being crazy?

She went down on one knee and carefully peered over the edge. She heard nothing. No whisper or breathing or anything else.

“Revenge.”

“What?” Katja muttered but wasn't sure if she'd done so out loud. She was so tired. It was as if she couldn't focus on a single thing.

Maybe I need to take a nap
, she thought.
Get my bearings.

She sheathed the sword and straddled the wall again.

I haven't slept, after all. I need to be able to think if I am to be of some use.

She placed the sword on top of the wall in front of her and closed her eyes.

Just a little nap. I'll be awake before they return.

“Go to sleep,” Serdra said.

“Yes, I...”

Hold on
, she suddenly thought, but the drowsiness kept assailing her. It was as if something were dragging her down.

This isn't normal.

She fought the weariness. The weariness fought back. It was like swimming in honey, but also made her all the more determined now that fear was giving her strength. Something was close by. Something inhuman. She felt it with these senses Serdra had taught her to use.

Katja threw off the drowsiness like a heavy coat and stood up with the sword in hand. Something stood opposite her on the wall with some sort of club. Something with a human figure but a supernatural aura, and now that she could think clearly she felt a disgusting smell of rotting flesh.

“Revenge,” the creature growled with many voices at once and moved closer.

Katja drew the sword from the scabbard and slashed at the creature as it attacked. It dodged the attack but immediately struck again. Katja slashed a second time and inflicted a minor wound. The creature retreated again.

What is that?

Katja herself retreated from the next attack but her foot slipped on the top of the wall and she almost fell off.

Not here! Too narrow and too public.

She feinted, then turned on her heel away from the government district and leapt out into the darkness.

She landed on the roof of the burned house. A few tiles came loose under her feet and she fell forward. The creature leapt after her and swung the club down. Katja rolled to the side and evaded the attack, but fell down a hole in the roof.

The drop was short and she maintained her grip on the sword, and had risen the moment the foul-smelling creature jumped down after her.

It struck at her but she stepped behind a support pillar. She heard rather than saw that it tried to get at her, and she let it chase her around the pillar as she tried to think of something clever.

“Who are you!?” she hissed.

It quickly changed direction and tried to seize her but was unsuccessful. It made some noise Katja didn't understand and drove its shoulder into the pillar.

The burnt wood made a loud crack.

Katja tried to stab the monster but it retreated and kicked the pillar. It snapped completely and a roof beam and some tiles collapsed down on them. Her reflexes saved her from the debris but the burnt plank she stepped on gave way.

She stumbled and almost fell. She sensed the creature's next attack and dodged as she regained her balance. Katja kicked before her enemy could swing again and hit it in the chest.

It was thrown backwards and Katja heard more loud cracks and a thud. It had fallen through the planks to the floor below.