Sollis had time to bark out a command to light the fascines before the first beasts appeared. Four of the monstrous cats came streaking out of the gloom to throw themselves against the walls before a single arrow could be loosed. Sharp claws found easy purchase on the stone as they hauled themselves up with dismaying speed. Sollis leapt atop the battlement, drawing and lowering his bow in the same fluid movement, centring the arrowhead on the snarling maw of the cat directly below, its jaws widening in anticipation of the kill. Sollis sent his arrow into its mouth, the poison coated steel-head sinking deep. The effect was much more rapid than he expected. The cat’s convulsions began almost immediately, losing its grip on the wall as it tumbled to the ground, thrashed briefly then lay still.
“It works,” he heard Verkehla say with a note of surprised approval as he notched a second arrow. Pivoting to the left he sent his next shaft into the flank of another cat as it hauled itself to the top of the wall. The poison took fractionally longer to take hold this time, but the result was identical. Glancing around he saw the other two cats lying dead in front of the gate. The Banished Blades had evidently been over enthusiastic in their response for each cat had been feathered by at least a half-dozen shafts.
“Save your arrows!” Sollis called out in Lonak, repeating an order he had given several times throughout their preparations. “One for each beast is enough!”
He ordered the fascines cast over the wall. They arced out and down, bouncing along the ground until coming to rest some twenty paces out. The mingled firelight painted the landscape in shifting shades of red and gold which made the appearance of the onrushing beast horde yet more hideous. More cats came first, snow-daggers and lynxes loping up the slope in a dense mass, behind them came the pale, wraith-like wolves with the mass of apes visible to the rear.
Sollis notched again and drew a bead on the snow-dagger at the front of the pack, but before he could loose, one of Smentil’s arrows arced down from the tower to take it in the haunch. Sollis altered his aim and brought down a lynx a few yards to the left. He loosed off four more arrows in quick succession, notching and releasing with a speed and automatic precision that bespoke endless hours of practice. On either side of him the Lonak worked their bows with similar speed but less accuracy, Sollis seeing several shafts missing their mark as the horde drew ever closer. Even so, with such a wealth of targets they were less inclined to waste their arrows. Once the beasts covered the distance to the Reach it was impossible to miss and soon the ground beneath the wall became littered with the twitching corpses of cats and wolves. But many still lived, and more kept charging out of the darkness beyond the blazing fascines.
Seeing a number of wolves leap up to latch onto the wall, Sollis sank an arrow into the mass of animals below before setting aside his bow and drawing his sword. He sprinted to intercept the first wolf, the poison coated blade lancing out to skewer the beast’s foreleg as it crested the battlement. It let out a strange guttural sigh as the toxin flooded its veins, Sollis seeing the truth in its name in the dark grey mist that crept into the animal’s eyes at the instant of death. A pained shout drew his gaze to the right where a Lonak warrior reeled back from the wall, a trio of deep cuts on his arm. The ape that had wounded him leapt over the battlement in pursuit, claws outstretched as it sought to finish its victim, then fell dead as another Lonak sank her spear into its chest.
A quick scan of the wall revealed no more enemies for the moment, though the rising tumult of alarm from the battlement atop the gate indicated their troubles were far from over. “The bears,” Verkehla said as he moved to join her, her eyes grim. Switching his gaze to the slope Sollis saw the bulk of the horde had drawn back to the fringes of the light cast by the fascines, the intervening ground blanketed in corpses. For a few seconds a curious silence settled over the scene, soon broken by the loud huffing of several large animals at the run.
Eight black bears emerged from the darkness in a tight knot, the air misted by their breath as they loped forward, a dense mass of flesh aimed straight at the gate. Sollis quickly retrieved his bow and sent an arrow into the shoulder of the leading bear. Unlike the other beasts it kept on, its loping gait slowed but not halted by the poison raging through its body. Sollis swallowed a curse and loosed again, aiming for the join between the beast’s neck and torso, reasoning it to be the most likely spot for the tainted arrowhead to find a vein. The bear stumbled, back arched in pain as it let out a long final breath before collapsing to a halt.
At Verkehla’s command the Banished Blades let fly with a hail of arrows, claiming another three bears. The remaining four kept on, closing the final few yards to the newly crafted barrier and throwing themselves against it with a collective roar of rage. Sollis moved back to glance down into the courtyard, seeing Fehl-ahkim and his three companions pressing their weight against the barrier as it shuddered under the impact. It was clear from the despairing expression on the builder’s face that it wouldn’t hold for long.
Sollis notched another arrow, one of only four remaining, and leapt up onto the battlement once more. He leaned out to draw a bead on the bears, finding they had all reared up onto their hind legs, meaning their bulk was mostly concealed by the lip of the gate’s arch. He contented himself by sinking his arrow into an exposed paw then turned back, calling out to the nearest Lonak warrior, “I need a rope!”
“It’s all right, brother,” Verkehla said, hauling herself up to stand at his side. He stared in bafflement at the hand she held out to him. “Hold me,” she said, reaching out to catch his hand in a firm grip. “I need to see them.”
With that she placed her feet on the edge of the battlement and leaned out at a low angle, Sollis taking a firm hold with both hands as she focused her gaze on the bears. They had reared back a little to lunge at the barrier once more, but the assault never came. Sollis heard a low, keening groan escape the throat of one, then all, forming a kind of ghastly chorus of pain and confusion that soon choked off into a wet gargle. Glancing down he saw one stumble away from the gate to collapse a few feet away. It seemed to shrivel as it fell, the surrounding earth darkening with the fluids that leaked from every orifice. The others soon joined it in death, each one slumping down to cough out torrents of thick, dark gore until they were rendered into just a large pile of empty fur stretched over denuded bone.
Verkehla sagged and went limp, her feet slipping from the edge of the battlement. Sollis quickly hauled her back onto the parapet, drawing up short at the sight of her face. From her eyes down it had transformed into a red mask, blood flowing freely from her nose, eyes and mouth. “It’s done,” Sollis told her, placing a soothing hand on her forehead and finding it shockingly cold. “They’re gone.”
Verkehla’s eyes fluttered and a faint smile played over her lips as the blood flow slowed to a trickle then stopped. “Told you…” she murmured, causing a red bubble to swell and burst on her lips. “All… just water…”
“Will she live?”
Elera seemed reluctant to provide an immediate answer, spending several seconds pressing her fingers to Verkehla’s wrist before frowning in consternation and crouching to put an ear to her chest. “Her heart still beats,” she said. “But barely.” She straightened, bafflement on her face as she surveyed the unconscious woman. “This I have never seen before, brother. In truth, I don’t know if there’s any treatment I can offer.”
“There must be something,” Sollis insisted. “Some kind of medicine.”
“I have stimulants that can rouse someone from a coma, if that’s what this is. But she’s lost so much blood, it’s more likely to strain her heart yet further. I won’t risk it.”
Sollis stepped closer, lowering his voice. “Without her… ability, this place won’t survive another attack.”
“Then I suggest you find a way. I am a healer, I leave the killing to you.”
Sollis drew back at the harshness of her tone, seeing the determined anger in her glare. “Forgive me, sister,” he said.
Elera’s ire faded into a scowl and she inclined her head in acknowledgement before turning back to Verkehla. “I suspect this state is due to her losing so much blood,” she said, taking a cloth from a bowl of water and using it to wipe the drying blood from the woman’s face. “It will take time for her body to make good the loss. I’ll do my best to get water into her, it may help the process.”
“And the matter we discussed earlier?”
She gave him a cautious glance and shook her head. “No sign of it, though I’ve been busy stitching wounds these past hours.”
Sollis looked around at the dozen wounded Lonak in the keep, most nursing various gashes to the face and limbs. After the failed assault on the gate their enemy had tried another tactic, sending a pack of apes against the south-facing wall whilst a combined force of wolves and cats circled round to attack from the west. Fortunately, Smentil had been quick to spot the manoeuvre and Sollis had time to shift sufficient forces to contain it. Even so, the apes had managed to gain the parapet for a time, killing four Banished Blades before Oskin led a counter charge. Red Ears had been in the thick of the fighting, as evidenced by the red stain that covered her snout as she huddled beside a nearby fire. Oskin sat idly stroking her fur as he stared into the flames.
“Quite the old set-to, eh, brother?” he said with a smile as Sollis approached. “Can’t remember one quite like it since the Outlaws Revolt, and that was over a decade ago. ‘Course we were fighting men then. Beggared, soulless wretches the lot of them, but still men.”
“You should get some rest, brother,” Sollis said, sinking to his haunches and extending his hands to the fire. Now the frenzy of battle had faded the mountain chill had returned with a vengeance. He had noticed before how sensations seemed to heighten in the aftermath of combat, as if the body was reminding itself it was still alive.
“Reckon I’ll get all the rest I need soon enough,” Oskin replied with the faintest of chuckles.
Sollis saw it then, the paleness of his skin against the dark mask of his beard, the damp brightness to his eyes. Sollis’s gaze tracked lower, seeing how his brother held his left arm tight against his chest. Reaching out he pulled Oskin’s cloak aside to reveal the ragged tear in his jerkin and the bloody bandage beneath.
“I’ll get our sister,” he said, starting to rise.
“Leave her be,” Oskin said. The soft but firm insistence in his tone made Sollis pause. He met Oskin’s gaze, finding a need there, a plea for understanding. “I know a mortal wound when I see one,” Oskin continued. “Big bastard of an ape caught me a good one. Took his head off for it right enough, but not before he left one of his claws inside. Too deep to be dug out. Can feel it moving about.” Oskin winced, features tensing in pain. Sollis reached forward, grasping his brother’s shoulder to stop him slumping into the flames. Red Ears let out a high pitched whine and nuzzled closer to her master, tail moving with frantic energy.
“Good pup,” Oskin said, running a trembling hand over the hound’s head. “Best I ever reared. You’ll take care of her, won’t you, brother?”
“I will,” Sollis said. Feeling Oskin sag further he reached out to grasp both his shoulders, gently easing him onto his back.
“Dying amongst the Lonak,” Oskin murmured with a bitter sigh. “My reward for a lifetime in the Order. Perhaps it’s punishment for hating them so. Hate is not of the Faith after a-”
He jerked in Sollis’s grip, letting out a pained shout that echoed through the keep, drawing Elera to his side. “You old fool,” she said, seeing his bandage. It was soaked through with blood now, torrents of it streaming down his side. “Why didn’t you come to me?”
“Leave it,” Sollis said as she crouched lower to inspect the wound. “Please, sister.”
She drew back, briefly meeting his gaze before looking away. “I have something that will ease his pain,” she said, rising and moving to one of her saddlebags.
“Sollis,” Oskin whispered, beckoning him closer. “The sign… the mark you spoke of…” His voice diminished to a croak as Sollis leaned down to put his ear to his lips. “The stables… third stall from the gate…” He fell silent, his breath playing over Sollis’s cheek. Once, twice, then no more.
“Redflower with powdered green hops,” Elera said, returning with a bottle in hand. “I’ve never met the ache it couldn’t banish…” She stopped upon seeing Sollis removing the medallion of the Blind Warrior from about Oskin’s neck. As Sollis pulled Oskin’s cloak over his face Red Ears’ whines became a plaintive howl that filled the keep, drawing the Lonak closer.
“You burn your dead, do you not?” Fehl-ahkim asked, taking in the sight of Oskin’s lifeless form.
“We can’t spare the fuel,” Sollis said.
“Dawn is fast approaching.” The builder jerked his head at his fellows who duly came forward to gather up Oskin’s body. “A man who fights beside you deserves respect in death. Blue Cloak or no.”
They piled what wood they could gather in the centre of the courtyard, a few shards from the old ruined gate and the brush wood left over from fashioning the fascines. Oskin’s corpse was set atop it after which the Lonak used their scant supplies of lamp oil to douse the pyre. A warrior had relieved Smentil from his vigil atop the tower and he made his testament whilst Sollis lit the torch.
This man was my brother in the Faith, Smentil signed. And my friend in life. Never did he falter in either regard. He lowered his hands, turning to Sollis with an expectant nod.
Sollis chose to speak in Lonak, feeling the assembled Banished Blades deserved the courtesy for the consideration they had shown. “This man was my brother,” he began. “And he taught me many things. He taught me how to follow a track across bare stone. How to read the song of the wind in the mountains. How to trust the nose of a well-bred hound. But he saved his best lesson for his dying breath: it is no good thing to die in regret, despairing of the hatred you nurtured in life.”
Despite their willingness to respect Merim Her customs Sollis still saw little sign that his words engendered any additional regard amongst the Lonak. Rather, they all continued to exhibit only a stern, grudging respect. Smothering a sigh he touched the torch to the pyre, retreating a few steps as the flames took hold. They quickly enveloped Oskin’s body, drawing another piteous howl from Red Ears. The hound sank to her belly and tried to crawl towards the blaze, stopping as Elera crouched to run soothing hands over her pelt.
“I know you came here to honour the word from the Mountain,” Sollis went on, turning to address the Lonak. “But if the beasts come against us again in the same numbers, this place cannot be held.” He exchanged a brief glance with Elera before continuing. “There is a way out, a tunnel. We can escape.”
The Banished Blades shifted a little at his words, but their expressions grew puzzled rather than hopeful.
“The Mahlessa’s vision is not yet complete,” one said, a stocky woman with a stitched gash on her forehead. “We will not be granted restitution until it is.”
Her words heralded a general murmur of agreement from the others, Sollis seeing a certain scornful disdain on several faces. He had thought that, with their shaman laid low, their commitment to this hopeless enterprise might have waned. However, it was clear they didn’t need Verkehla to sustain their obedience. The Word of the Mountain was not to be questioned.
“My brother died in your defence,” Sollis said, suddenly angered by their subservience to a woman they had never seen. A woman he had sometimes suspected might be some mythical creation of their shamans, an immortal illusion designed to keep them cowering to their non-existent gods. “If you all die here his sacrifice means nothing.”
“It means a man who was our enemy helped us regain our honour,” Fehl-ahkim replied. “It means that our clans will speak our names once more and our stories will be shared at the fire without reproach or shame.” He extended a hand to the barrier he had built, gesturing to what lay beyond. “The thing that commands these beasts is not yet slain. Flee like a worthless dog if you must, blue cloak. We are the Varnish Dervakhim, soon to be redeemed in the eyes of the Gods. We stay here.”
Sollis searched his mind for some argument to sway them, but knew it to be in vain. Which left him a choice: stay and die, after having been forced to watch the woman fulfil her dire promises, or find the tunnel and leave with Smentil and Elera… and the children.
“No,” Fehl-ahkim stated with emphatic resolve when Sollis raised the question. “They stay with us. The creature comes for them. They stay.”
“They are innocents!” Sollis exploded, advancing on the builder, his hand going to his sword. “They do not deserve to be doomed by your Mahlessa’s bloody game.”
Smentil came to his side whilst Red Ears turned from Oskin’s pyre to join them in facing the Banished Blades, a low growl rising in her throat. Fehl-ahkim crossed his arms, whilst the Lonak at his back tensed in anticipation of combat.
“They are innocents, yes,” the builder said. “But they are Lonakhim and have learned from birth to honour the word of the Mountain. If you fight us you will die and they will stay.”
Sollis’s hand tensed on his sword hilt. He had no doubt the Lonak was right. There were too many for him, his brother and a grieving hound to defeat. Even so, he found his anger building. Rage was a rare emotion for him. The frequent irritations of life in the Order and the excitements of combat were one thing, but rage was another. It was something he thought he had surrendered to the masters’ canes in the Order House. Now he found it sparked anew. It was the children, he knew that. Their plight stirred long buried memories of hunger and cold suffered in a dozen ruined hovels, of his mother dragging him away from one burning village after another as they fled the king’s wars. Then came the day she took him to the Sixth Order mission house in a border village he still couldn’t name. She held him by the shoulders, speaking in clipped, uncoloured tones that didn’t reflect the rare tears shining in her eyes. I can’t feed you anymore. I spoke to the brothers. They’ll take care of you now.
He met Fehl-ahkim’s eyes and drew his sword, the scrape of the blade leaving the scabbard swallowed by a pain filled scream from above. Sollis’s gaze snapped to the top of the tower, finding it wreathed in some kind of dark cloud. The Lonak sentry who had taken Smentil’s place writhed within it, lashing out with his war club as his screams bespoke terrible torment.
Not a cloud, Sollis realised, looking closer. Birds.
The birds, crows, falcons and hawks moving with an unnatural unity of purpose, whirled around the struggling warrior in an ever denser spiral until he was lost from view. They continued to mob him until he tumbled over the edge of the tower, crashing to the courtyard in a bloody spectacle of flensed skin and shattered bone. Above, the birds wheeled away from the tower before sweeping down onto the battlements below, a dark stream of flashing talons and stabbing beaks lacerating the sentries on the walls.
Sollis started for the nearest steps, intending to retrieve his bow and use what arrows remained to stem the onslaught, but skidded to a halt at the sound of something very large impacting on Fehl-Ahkim’s barrier. The stone and iron construct shuddered, metal bolts squealing as they were worked loose from the walls.
“Get the children!” Sollis said, taking Elera’s arm and shoving her at Smentil. “Find the tunnel.”
She began to ask something but her words died as Smentil dragged her towards the keep. Sollis took a firm, two-handed grip on his sword and strode to a point some twenty paces from the gate, watching the barrier shudder again as whatever sought entry pounded at it once more.
“He found more bears,” Fehl-Ahkim observed, coming to his side, war club in one hand a knife in the other. The other Banished Blades fanned out on either side, some using their flat-bows to cast arrows at the birds still assailing their comrades on the walls, most readying their weapons as they stared at the gate in tense expectation.
“I think this might be something else,” Sollis replied, seeing how the stone in the centre of the barrier had begun to bulge under the repeated battering. He was surprised to find his rage had gone now, replaced by the familiar mix of anticipation and certainty that always seemed to grip him in the moments prior to combat.
“I don’t know if it’s of any concern to you,” he told Fehl-Ahkim. “But I’m glad I didn’t have to kill you.”
The builder bared his teeth as he barked out a laugh and began to reply, his words forever lost as the barrier shattered and a monster charged into the Reach.