The Price of Faith (41 page)

Kessick was treating her to a blank stare. Once he was satisfied she was suitably cowed he turned and resumed walking. “The Dread Lords are returning, Jezzet. Already their power is beginning to effect the world, the Land of the Dead swarms with walking corpses and soon the Dread Lords will walk in this world again. The demons have shown me that and they have shown me that we are not ready.”

“Thanquil told me about this part,” Jezzet said. “Your dead boss said something similar. Darkness coming and the Inquisition being too weak to fight it.”

Kessick didn't stop, didn't slow, just kept on walking. “Inquisitor Heron was a puppet. I needed the help of someone higher up in the Inquisition and I chose her.”

“You chose her?”

“Did Arbiter Darkheart ever tell you he was sent to find Volmar's sword as a gift for the God-Emperor?”

“Yes. Lost for somewhere near forever and he found it out in the Land of the Dead.”

“Well he wasn't the only one sent to look for it. He found Volmar's blade and I found something else. I found Myorzo, the demon blade. The demon inside the sword showed me the truth and I gave the sword to Inquisitor Heron so it could show her. Her pride wouldn't allow her to play second place to an Arbiter so I let her think she was in charge. The outcome is what's important after all.”

Kessick stopped outside a two-story wooden building with shuttered windows and an old rusty sign showing a big, red
X
. He turned to look at Jezzet. “The Inquisition is weak. It is full of powerless cowards who wish only to further themselves and do not care to see the whole picture. They do not know what is coming and they will not be ready to face it. But I will. By the time the Dread Lords rise the Inquisition will be gone and I will have an army of demons at my command. I will send the lichs back to their oblivion and then I will rebuild the Inquisition stronger than ever before.” For the first time Kessick's voice betrayed emotion and Jez saw the fire of self-righteous zeal lit in his eyes. It didn't matter whether he was right or not, Kessick believed he was and he would do anything, sacrifice anything to achieve his goals. It scared her.

Nothing worse than those who do evil but believe they're doing good, Jez.

Kessick was staring at her, his eyes flicking back and forth searching her face. “You do not believe me. No, I see it. Come.”

He opened the door to the building marked with the red X and walked inside, his entourage nudging Jezzet along behind him. She rubbed at the scar on her wrist and followed the ex-Arbiter into the dingy building. It smelled of dust and sweat and blood, three things Jezzet knew all too well. The walls were warped and stained dark with years of neglect, the floor was covered in dust and mud brought in from the street and never cleaned. A stairway led up to the first floor but Kessick ignored it, heading down a short corridor and through a bent doorway sitting at a slight angle. Jez followed him inside and froze.

In the room, strapped to a solid wooden table, possibly the most solid construction Jez had seen since arriving in Absolution, was a man she recognised. He was one of Rose's guards, a big mouthed, big nosed, balding veteran who went by the name of Rabb and who never missed an opportunity to leer at either Jez or Rose. Now he was strapped down tight and his face was a horrible motley of red, blue and black.
Looks like he took a real beating from someone who really enjoyed it.

Jez sucked at her teeth. “What are you doing to him?”

Kessick regarded Rabb for a moment then turned to Jez. “He has potential. I'm going to put a demon inside of him.”

Jez took a step backwards and bumped into the man who had once been Nolan staring down at her through dead, pitiless eyes. “So why the fuck am I here? You said I've got no potential.”

“You don't,” Kessick said in his gravel voice. “But I want you to witness it all the same. I want Arbiter Darkheart to join me, Jezzet and I want you to convince him. This,” he pointed at Rabb, “is to provide you with motivation. If you cannot convince Arbiter Darkheart to join me, I will force his cooperation.”

Absolution. Strange name for a town located in the wilds, a place where most folk didn't know the meaning of the word and those that did wanted none of it. Stranger still that Kessick had chosen to make it his home. It didn't look like much but then places rarely did out in the wilds. Thanquil had spent a fair portion of his life within the glorious city of Sarth, white marble everywhere and thousands upon thousands of slaves to clean it everyday. Sarth put on a pretty face but under the skin it was rotten. In the wilds towns didn't even bother with the pretty faces and Absolution was no different.

“How ever will we get in,” Thanquil said staring at the walls.

Thorn sniffed loudly from beside him. “Reckon there's probably a...”

“No,” interrupted Henry tilting back her hat and giving Thorn a glare.

“What?”

“Ya were gonna suggest sewers. Ya always suggest sewers. What is it with you an' fuckin' sewers?”

Thorn looked a little indignant. “S'Good way ta get into a place. No one ever checks the sewers.”

“That's 'cos they're full of other folk's shit. Bad enough smellin' of ya own from time ta time but willingly smellin' of someone else's shit?”

“Never seemed ta bother ya before...”

Henry spat. “Always fuckin' bothered me jus' when we was on the other side of the law didn't have much of a damned choice. Now I reckon we're above crawlin' through sewers. Don't ever reckon the Hangman went on his hands an' knees through shit, nor the Saint.”

Thorn snorted. “Ya might be surprised what the Saint got up ta in his day. Try askin' Ben when we get back to Farpoint.”

“I believe you may have meant to say
if we get back to Farpoint
, boss.” Everyone turned and gave Anders a silent, meaningful stare. “Just putting things into perspective. Six of us, army of demons, little to no chance of survival. As a gambler those... are exactly the sorts of odds I like to play... of course that might explain my extraordinary lack of monetary gain over the years.”

Silence.

“So no sewers then?” Anders said with over-active joy.

Henry shook her head. “Sometimes I wish Drake'd kept him, ya know?”

The Black Thorn shrugged. “So the walls then?”

“Pick an abandoned-looking section... looks like there's plenty to choose from, slip in through the gaps and take a look around town,” Thanquil said. “Scout out the area, find out where Kessick is holed up and kill the bastard.”

“Ya make it sound so easy,” Henry said. “Thought we weren't lettin' him do any of the plannin' these days on account of none of us wantin' ta die.”

Thanquil glared at the little murderess but Henry only grinned back at him.

“Aye,” Thorn grunted. “As a rule I'd say that's a fairly safe one but I don't reckon he's wrong about it. Best we do this with some degree of stealth. Killin' Kessick when he ain't expectin' it seems the best way 'bout it.”

“I don't remember agreeing to assassinating anyone,” the Honin said, it had been so long since the last occasion Thanquil had almost forgotten how his voice sounded.

“Aye,” Henry agreed. “Seem ta remember us being done with that sort of work. “

Thanquil decided to opt out of the argument. Assassination wasn't in an Arbiter's dictionary, they preferred to call it
righteous judgement
.

Thorn gave Henry a hard stare. “I seem ta remember a time when ya wasn't above a little spot of murder.”

Henry gave Thorn a hard stare right back. “I seem ta remember a time when you was the same way. Also seem ta remember us both deciding it might be time fer a change.”

“We ain't assassinating no one,” Thorn growled. “Things go right we won't be doing no killin' at all. All we do is get Thanquil in an' let him deal with his Inquisition's heretic. A grand case of doing fuck all an' Kessick gets dead out of it an' maybe then my eye, the one that ain't fuckin' there no more, can stop itchin'. Good?”

Thanquil watched Henry grind her teeth, her jaw clenching hard, but eventually she nodded. Suzku nodded as though he had never had a problem with it in the first place and Anders just grinned.

“All set then,” Thorn said. “We'll wait a spell for darkness then slip in quiet, do the job an' slip out jus' as quiet.”

Darkness came sooner than Thanquil would have liked. He didn't feel ready for it, for what was to come. He wasn't sure why he was so hesitant, maybe because he knew something the others didn't. He patted the sword hanging from his hip. Might be because he knew how it was likely to end.

They stole up to the wall in silence, moving from shadow to shadow in short dashes. They had brought only what they thought they would need and left the rest out of the way with their horses. All six members of the crew were well armed and ready, all except Jacob who carried no weapons and, judging by his extravagant hand gestures, did not believe he would need any. They flattened up against the wall and waited. After Thorn was of the opinion no one had seen them he waved Henry through one of the larger gaps in the wall. She ducked through and was gone. A few very long seconds later and she reappeared, gave a quick nod and ducked through again. Thanquil followed her in.

Within the town walls Absolution looked a sad, sorry place. Squat buildings complete with an odour of rot and stagnant dust. They were behind a large wooden building, judging by the outdoor oven Thanquil guessed it to be a bakers though he doubted they'd find any fresh loaves on sale.

Thorn came through the wall last and looked about before waving them into an alley that ran alongside the bakery. They wouldn't stop there, they were looking for somewhere more central, somewhere with easier access to the small town.

Henry reached the mouth of the alleyway and stopped. For a while she stood motionless before turning her head slightly to speak to Thorn. “Reckon we might have a little problem here.”

She stepped out into the street and Thorn went with her. Thanquil and the others, each one of them sporting their own version of confusion, followed. The street was dimly lit, each building had its own lantern shuttered against the breeze and burning away merrily. In the middle of the street stood a single figure, a man dressed in mud brown cloak over stained leathers with a white warrior's tail of hair and a strangely conical straw hat obscuring his face. In the man's left hand was a slightly curved scabbard that Thanquil thought looked oddly familiar.

“He doesn't look much like a problem,” Anders said peering at the man. “We have him somewhat outnumbered.”

Suzku stepped forward away from the crew and further into the street. “You should go,” he said quietly. “This is not your fight.”

Thanquil saw the set of the big man's jaw and the way his hand hovered near his sword, which sat in a slightly curved scabbard, and realised he was looking at fear. It was possibly the first emotion Thanquil had seen Suzku show and it was not a reassuring one.

“Ain't the way we do things these days, Suzku,” Thorn said stepping up beside the Honin. “Ya part of the crew an' that means we look out fer each other. Don't let the others go off an' fight alone. 'Sides, can't let him warn Kessick we're here.”

The man with the straw hat hadn't moved at all. Thanquil was fairly certain a statue would have given away more intent.

“He won't warn anyone,” Suzku assured Thorn. “And respectfully I find I must leave your crew.”

“Eh?”

“This fight is mine and mine alone. What little honour I have left demands it.”

The last thing Thorn looked was pleased. His jaw muscles writhed like snakes in a bag. He grabbed hold of Suzku's shoulder and turned the Honin, treating him to a one-eyed stare. “Ya gotta do this alone then alright but don't think ya get ta jus' leave afterwards. Still part of the crew. Soon as ya done here ya catch us up. Good?”

Suzku nodded.

Thorn took a quick look at the man with the straw hat, let go of Suzku's shoulder and stalked away. The others followed, Thanquil with them. Only Henry stayed behind with Suzku, she said something to him, too quiet for Thanquil to hear, then hurried to catch up with the others.

Thanquil found himself beside Jacob. He looked up at the Templar. “What do you think that was about?”

Jacob chuckled and shrugged. He had a wild grin on his face that scared Thanquil far more than an old man with sword and a strange hat.

They ducked into another alley and Thorn waved to halt. “We may have hit a stroke of luck there,” Thanquil said breathing a sigh of relief.

“Why's that?” Henry asked from behind her voice as dark and dangerous as it used to be.

“The street was deserted apart from the one man. I'd say it could have been worse.”

The little woman pushed past him and up to Thorn.

“Don't reckon this town is too big,” Thorn said quietly. “Cross this street an' find a buildin' to call home on the next, I think.”

“Don't want ta try the main street,” Henry replied. “Should be somewhere near the centre. Reckon that's where we're like ta find Kessick.”

“S'where we're like ta find more folk too. Best we stick between outskirts an' centre, I reckon. Least 'til we know where we're goin'.”

Henry nodded. Thorn nodded back. Anders nodded at Thanquil. Thanquil shrugged back. Jacob stood tall and silent and watchful.

“Let's move,” Thorn growled and he was away, sprinting across the bare stretch of street. The others followed at similar speeds and they ducked into another alley. Still they saw no people.

“Startin' ta get a real bad feelin' 'bout this whole deserted issue,” Henry said.

“Could be we're getting lucky,” Thanquil replied.

Anders snorted. “Luck is a cheap whore. You pay her for the privilege and she gives your cock a nasty rash.”

Thanquil looked at the man then looked at his crotch.

“Don't you worry, my good man. I assure you it cleared right up after a few months.”

“That one,” Thorn said pointing at a building to their right.

Henry grunted her agreement, looked both ways out of the alley into the street and slipped out of cover, dashed across a muddy porch and up to the doorway of the the target building. She tried the handle and then disappeared from view as she darted inside. A few tense moment's later her hand popped out and waved them all in.