The Shadows of Grace (33 page)

“Good luck with your justice,” Haern said. He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a thin, short piece of rope. With it he tied the priest’s ankles together.

“Try to flee and I’ll kill you,” Haern said. Finished, he stepped back, breathing heavily. All he could feel was hate, and he used it to bury the shred of guilt that dared protest in his heart. He wasn’t finished, not even close.

He left them to be found by the guards. It was time to visit the rest of Karak’s faithful. Behind him the temple of Ashhur burned, and he did nothing to stop it.

T
he temple to Karak was ten times the size of Ashhur’s. Large iron gates surrounded the complex. Several buildings linked with thin corridors towered over visitors, decorated with roaring lions carved into the stone. The main chamber for worship had four doors of oak, with paid guards standing watch at all times. Haern stood in the shadows, watching their patrols. He assumed the smallest of the three buildings was the priests’ living quarters. It was there he would have his fun.

Before he could make his move, a hand grabbed his shoulder. He spun, slashing with his sabers. Both clanked against the wall. He saw no one.

“You play dangerous games, Watcher,” said a voice, referring to his title back in Veldaren. Haern turned again and glared at the interloper.

“What do you want, Deathmask?” Haern asked, keeping his weapons ready. The sorcerer laughed as ash floated around his face, all but his eyes hidden behind his gray cloth mask. His mismatched eyes, one red, one black, held no joy as he laughed.

“I want you to cease your efforts,” Deathmask said. “Go join your Eschaton.”

“I do the same as you,” Haern said.

“No,” Deathmask said. “You go too far. We have only beaten them, giving them solid warning as to what would happen if they interfered with our business. You, however, have killed two, and mutilated two more.”

Haern frowned. It had been less than an hour since he left the temple. How could have already known?

“I did what had to be done,” Haern said. “Let’s see the queen deny their guilt when they are found at the scene of their own crime.”

“Their own crime, oh yes,” Deathmask said. “Blind, dumb and bleeding. You proved their
innocence
, not their guilt, you stupid fool.”

Haern pointed a saber, his patience ended.

“Move,” he said. “Or I go through you.”

“So worried about vengeance,” Deathmask said. “Did they kill someone you love? But what will you do now, Watcher? They’ve harmed another of your friends while you were not there to protect them.”

“What?” he asked, lowering his blade. “Who? What have they done?”

“Go to your Eschaton,” the sorcerer said. “Now.”

Haern sheathed his sabers, glared, and then vanished in a blur of gray. Deathmask shook his head, glancing up at the rooftops.

“He’s nothing but a wild animal,” Nien said, peering down from above.

“Wild and dangerous,” Mier said from the opposite roof.

Deathmask nodded in agreement with the twins.

“We will contain him the best we can,” he said, staring down the long street where the assassin had vanished. “Especially after tonight.”

“
S
ure it was wise leaving the two of them alone?” Tarlak asked as the three waited on the outskirts of the camp.

“Lathaar and Mira will behave,” Aurelia said, nudging him in the side. “At least, I hope.”

“If me and Aurry could behave during all those late night assignments, I’m sure a paladin can stay on task,” Harruq said.

“Guess so,” Tarlak said, eyeing the halforc. “You know, you two did vanish an awful lot. You sure you behaved?”

“Stop worrying,” Aurelia said. “And try to focus.”

The wizard shrugged. They were standing outside a large tent they had purchased. Sleeping inside were ten priests of Ashhur. Ten more slept in a similar tent, except instead of between the giant walls, it was set up in the western fields, with Lathaar and Mira watching over.

“Just why is it we’re always stuck doing jobs at night?” Harruq asked. “Can’t someone pay us to work during the day?”

“Shush! People are trying to sleep,” Aurelia said, gesturing to the multitude of tents around them. “Don’t either of you have any decency?”

“Figured we’d already established that as a no,” Tarlak said. “And we take jobs at night because there are less witnesses at night, and besides, it’s not
my
fault that people won’t try to kill our charges during the day.”

Harruq suddenly straightened. He pointed deeper into the camp, to where a lone man with a torch walked among the rows of tents and smoldering fires.

“Go check him out,” Tarlak whispered. “And keep it quiet.”

Harruq ducked low and ran, Aurelia chasing after. Tarlak stroked his goatee and frowned. From his distance, it looked like a priest of Karak, but why would one wander so openly in their camp, with a torch so all could see?

“Son of an orc lover,” Tarlak said. “I’m an idiot…”

He felt a tingle of magic all over his body, his knees went weak, and then he collapsed as sleep tugged at his eyes.

“
H
ey stranger,” Harruq said as they neared the cloaked figure with a torch. “What brings you here so late?”

The torch shifted, and in its light they saw an old man with graying hair.

“Sleep is hard for one as old as I,” he said, his hand slowly waving before them. “But perhaps not for you.”

Harruq felt his eyes droop, and his whole mind blanked. He fell to his knees as beside him Aurelia slumped to the ground.

“You better be gone when I…” he said before succumbing.

A
hooded man slipped inside the large tent, where the ten priests lay on various blankets. A wave of his hand and he cast another spell, deepening their sleep. He drew his dagger and waited. Moments later an old man stepped inside and pulled the hood from his face.

“Careful, Greer,” he said. “We must be quiet while we work.”

“I’m no fool, Hayden,” Greer said. “You take the left, I’ll take the right.”

“Actually, you’ll take neither,” Tarlak said, flinging open the flap of the tent. “Word to the unwise, sleep spells are pretty easy to ward against.”

He whistled, and at the sharp sound many of the slumbering priests stirred. When they saw the intruders they bolted awake, kicking and pulling at the others who slept. Hayden and Greer glared as they found themselves surrounded and outnumbered eleven to two.

“Won’t you two make a wonderful gift to the queen?” Tarlak asked.

Hayden laughed. It was a tired and ragged sound.

“After tonight, you won’t step foot in the castle without the guards striking you down,” he said.

Greer let out a vicious cry. Ethereal shadows stretched from his back, protecting him and Hayden from the other priests. Hayden grabbed his holy symbol with one hand and waved the other. Tarlak crossed his arms and summoned a shield as a bolt of dark magic shot for his face. He grunted at the impact. The priest was far stronger than he thought. The priests of Ashhur cast their spells, but could not penetrate Greer’s wall. Its creation appeared to pain him greatly, for he arched his back and screamed a long, constant wail.

“The queen will see the truth,” Tarlak said, still tensed and waiting for a second attack. Hayden only shook his head.

“She’s ours, wizard. It’s to us she prays. You’ll have no victory here.”

Tarlak uncrossed his arms, and from his chest a bolt of lightning leaped across the tent, swirling around Hayden. The priest raised a hand and let the bolt gather at his fingertips, having done no harm.

“Karak be with you,” Hayden said, returning the spell. Red electricity joined the yellow, and together the barrage hit Tarlak like a thousand hammers. He flew out the tent, smoke trailing from his robes. Before he landed, his body halted in air. Aurelia held him with a spell and gently lowered him to the ground. From the open flap Hayden made an ancient symbol with his hands.

“It was by my hand King Baedan banished your kind from our kingdom,” Hayden said. “And I will not let you insult our presence further.”

He hurled two bolts of shadow, but Aurelia batted them aside with her hands. She glared with sudden intensity, and all around her the dust rose into the air.

“You caused the war?” she said, magical power sparkling white in her eyes. “You banished us from our home?”

A pure beam of magic shot from her hands, a swirling rainbow of colors. Its raw power slammed into Hayden, who had no strength to shield himself. He screamed as his body shuddered and weakened. His robe ripped. His bones broke. He fell to his knees, his arms limp and useless at his sides.

“A mistake,” he said, gasping for air. “That was… a mistake.”

Inside the tent, Greer finally collapsed, so weakened from his shield that he fell unconscious. In the sudden silence they heard shouting and rustling armor. From the city hundreds of soldiers of Mordan came marching, holding torches high.

“What nonsense is this?” Aurelia asked as the soldiers approached.

“Arrest her!” Hayden shouted, ignoring her. “She has struck a loyal servant of her majesty!”

“Keep your hands off me,” Aurelia said, lightning sparkling around her fingers.

“Just go with them,” Tarlak said as he struggled to his feet. His hat hung crooked on his head, and pieces of his goatee were still smoking. “We’ll get this sorted out in the morning.”

“I have only defended myself,” Aurelia said, her glare daring any guard to touch her.

“Killing a soldier will only get you in real trouble,” Tarlak said. “Just go.”

The elf sighed and lowered her hands. The magic left her fingers. The soldiers grabbed her, two to an arm, but they were careful not to hurt her. More guards surrounded them as the priests of Ashhur exited the tent.

“What is going on here?” one of them asked.

“Go get Bernard,” Tarlak told him. “And hurry.”

In one large mass the soldiers took Aurelia back to the castle. Tarlak limped over to where Harruq lay sleeping.

“Sorry, buddy,” the mage said as he dispelled the sleep magic. The halforc sputtered and woke with a start.

“What the Abyss is going on?” he asked.

“They attacked the tent,” Tarlak said, helping him to his feet. “They cast a sleeping spell on all of us, but I had warded me and Aurelia against it. Now promise me you’ll stay calm.”

“Where’s Aurelia?” he asked, looking around.

“Promise me.”

Harruq stopped, put a hand on each of Tarlak’s shoulders, and pulled him close.

“Where is Aurelia?” he asked again. Tarlak swallowed.

“They arrested her.”

The halforc shoved him aside and stormed off toward the castle.

“We can handle this,” Tarlak said, scurrying after him while trying to fix his robe and hat at the same time. “She’s an elf, and the queen practically kissed her butt when we arrived.”

“I’ll kill all of them,” Harruq said, his swords already drawn. “Every single bleeding one of them, Tar.”

“You will do no such thing!” Tarlak shouted.

Harruq meant to ignore him, but then he felt something sweep against his legs. His balance lost, he tumbled. As he hit hard on one knee he realized Haern stood before him, his sabers also at the ready.

“What happened here?” Haern asked.

“Where the Abyss have you been?” Tarlak asked.

“Forget it,” Haern said, frowning at Tarlak’s ragged appearance. “What happened?”

“They’ve arrested Aurelia,” Harruq said, still on his knee. “Claimed she burned down the temple.”

Haern grimaced, and slowly he shook his head side to side.

“This city is sick, Tarlak,” he said. “It’s poisoned and wounded, and none of them have a clue.”

“What do you plan on doing about it?” Tarlak asked.

“I plan on seeing just how deep the sickness goes.”

Haern turned and vanished into the night. The two waited, unsure of what to say to one another. When Bernard arrived, Lathaar and Mira in tow, Harruq finally sheathed his weapons.

“Are you all right?” the priest asked.

“We’re good,” Tarlak said. “I just got a little singed. Were you guys attacked?”

“All quiet in our camp,” Lathaar said. “I take it you were not so lucky?”

“My priests told me what happened,” Bernard said. “But I fear things are more complicated than we thought. Someone burned down our temple, and left two priests of Karak mutilated. A third was killed.”

Harruq shot a glance at Tarlak, who glared at him to keep quiet.

“Do you know what they plan to do with Aurelia?” Tarlak asked.

“I will find out,” Bernard said. “Come morning, they will have to issue an official reason for the arrest, as well as her punishment.”

“Punishment!” Harruq shouted. “She hasn’t done a thing!”

“I will make sure no harm comes to her,” the priest said, patting him on the shoulder. “Have faith in me, and Ashhur.”