“Anukis?” he said gently.
“Father!” She fell into his arms and he held her, his powerful arms encircled her and she cried, cried tears of gold and blood, and she knew then that everything would be fine, the world would be good, and Anukis would not have to face the horrors of the world alone. “I’ve missed you so much, Daddy. I’ve been so alone and so terrified without you.”
“You need to listen to me, girl.” His voice was gentle, despite his size. “I am in…a curious place. I think I may be dead.”
“How did you come to my dreams?”
“I do not know, girl. What I do know is your position. They have found out, yes?”
“It was horrible,” she wept.
He wiped away her tears. Firelight glinted on his silver fangs. Out of all the vachine, every single one of the eighty thousand strong population in Silva Valley, Kradek-ka was the only creature who could take pure silver. Normally, silver would disrupt every other element of clockwork, twist every ounce of silver-quartz, dislocate every heartbeat rhythm; but not with Kradek-ka. He was a mystery to the Engineers. A conundrum to other Watchmakers, and even to the Patriarch Himself.
“I have advice for you.”
“Tell me what to do.”
“Marry Vashell.”
“What?”
“It is your greatest chance of survival. And I want to see you live, Anukis. I want to see you live so very, very much.”
She awoke, and the room was warm; it smelt of oil. It smelt of the narcotic, blood-oil.
Vashell was there, naked beside the bed. His erection was magnificent to behold, his balls inset with tiny gears, the smallest of spinning toothed cogs which ground and whirred, and all reflecting the light from a hundred burning candles.
Anukis lay back, panting, her golden curls highlighting her pale frame.
“I wanted you so much,” he said.
“I love you, Vashell,” she said, remembering the fear in her father’s eyes. The lie tripped easily from her tongue. It was a lie of existence. A lie of endurance. A lie of survival; for if she survived, she could find her father, and save her sister.
“And I you.” He touched her, his hands on her breasts, her hips, sliding smooth into her slick cunt, and she closed her eyes and allowed him to take her, again, and again, and again, the only sound his panting, and the tiny
tick tick tick
of his clockwork inside her.
“Shabis!”
Shabis ran across the room, bare feet curling in thick carpets, and fell into Anu’s arms. “Nuky,” she said, nuzzling her older sister, and they held each other, breathing one another’s natural scent, feeling the flow of sisterly love, of a bond greater than all else.
Shabis pulled back, tears coursing her cheeks. “How are you?”
Anu glanced to Vashell over her shoulder. “I am well. I am in love! How are you? Have the Engineers harmed you? Are you well?”
“I am fine,” laughed Shabis. “I have been treated like royalty. Spoilt, really. You look happy, Anukis; although battered a little.” She glanced over her shoulder at Vashell. “He told me about you, kept me informed about your health. I am so glad you two are in love! It will be a marriage made perfect, and your children will be beautiful!” She giggled, pulling Anukis to the bed. She turned, and waved Vashell away. He departed.
“Truly, have they looked after you?”
“They have,” said Shabis, and kissed Anu’s cheek. “And you?”
Anu’s face went hard. “I have been condemned, Shabis. I have been treated worse than any dog, worse than any canker.” She pulled away, stood, walked to the splendid view. It had begun to snow in Silva Valley, and a thick fall muffled the world.
“What do you mean?”
Shabis was behind her. Holding her. Concern shone in her eyes.
“Vashell beat me. He hurt me, Shabis. He hurt me bad. He paraded me like a slave before the Engineers. Then he…he took my blood.” She heard a hiss of in-taken breath. “He drank from me, Shabis. He drank from my veins, made my impurity whole, for all to see. Then he…he took me. Physically. Carnally. I had little choice if I wanted to save both of us.”
She fell silent, brooding, watching the snow. Somehow, Silva Valley had again lost its beauty, its charm. It was a perfect pastel painting, framed by silver-quartz and yet to Anukis, now, after everything that had happened, it was a vision of hell. Worse. Of a canker-riddled cancer hell.
“What will you do?” Shabis’s voice was barely more than a whisper.
“I have a plan!” Anu took Shabis, and shook her with passion. “I will kill Vashell. And we will flee. We will leave Silva Valley, we will leave this world for good. Cross the Black Pike Mountains; make a new life.”
“But what of the vachine?” said Shabis, softly. “What if the clockwork becomes faulty? Who will fix us?”
“I have some skill,” said Anu, eyeing her sister, sensing the fear, the lode of cowardice that ran through her like an earthquake fault in the world mantle. “Don’t you understand, Shabis, they killed our father! We are alone now. Alone in the world.”
“Killed…no! They did not! He still lives! He is on a journey under Black Pike, he will be back in a few months.”
“And you believe them?”
“Why should I not?”
“What else have they told you?”
“Nothing! Anu, you’re frightening me. Stop it!”
“I’m sorry, little one. Sweet Shabis, we must leave this place. I want you to be ready. Do you understand?”
“Yes. I understand.”
Anu shook her, and Shabis’s hair fell, tousled. “You’re hurting me!”
“This is serious, Little One. Do you understand?”
“Yes! Anu, yes!”
“Good.”
There came a hiatus. Shabis played with her hair, and they both watched the snow. Eventually, Shabis said, “Anu?”
“Sister?”
“How will you kill him? Vashell, I mean?”
“I have a secret weapon.”
“What is that?”
Anu’s eyes glowed dark. “You will see.”
Night had fallen. Anu was awoken by a savage blow across her face, which broke her nose and left her choking on a gush of blood down her throat. She rolled instinctively, momentarily blinded, covering her face, her claws out and slashing a wild vicious arc, but connecting with nothing. After a few moments she could see, and she stood, naked, blood covering her breasts, to see Vashell holding a pick-axe helve. It was stained with her blood. His eyes shone.
“What is this?” she snarled, fear touching the edges of her heart.
“Show me your secret weapon! Come on, Anukis, show me how you intend to kill me! Show me now.”
Anu backed away, and Vashell moved around the bed.
“Where’s Shabis? What have you done with my sister?”
“Shabis?” Vashell smiled, and from the gloom, in the glow of the candles, Shabis appeared. She was smiling, a broad smile. Her hands came up, rested, interlacing over Vashell’s shoulder. Her hips were staggered, her stance commanding.
“What are you doing?” said Anu. She felt understanding flood from her soul.
“Vashell is mine, bitch. He will marry me. He told me what you did to him; how you tried to poison him with your impure blood. You are a canker, Anu, diseased, toxic, not a true vachine. You will rot in hell.”
Anu stood, mouth open, pain pounding through her head, her crushed nose stinging, and stared with utter, total disbelief at the scene before her. Her jaws clacked shut, and she watched Vashell turn, kiss Shabis, sliding his tongue into her mouth.
“He will never marry you,” said Anu, eventually.
“Liar! We are betrothed. The Watchmakers will conduct the ceremony in three weeks’ time. You lied about him taking you; you lied to make him more evil in my mind, so when the time came for you to kill him I would help. Vashell is filled with honour; he would never stoop to fuck an impure.” She snarled the word, fangs ejecting a little. Her dark eyes were narrowed, and Anu could not believe what she was seeing. She could not comprehend the hatred emanating from her sister. She did not understand.
Vashell ran his hand down Shabis’s flank, stroking her, and said, softly, “Kill her, Shabis. Kill Anukis.”
Growling, Shabis ejected claws and fangs with tiny slithers of steel and brass. She dropped to a crouch, and moved around the bed, eyes narrowed and fixed
on her sister, face full of hatred, her tongue licking lips in the anticipation of fresh blood…
“No,” said Anu, voice near hysteria. “Shabis! Don’t do this! Vashell lies!”
“Spoken just like an impure,” snapped Shabis, and with a feral vachine snarl, leapt at her lifeblood.
Kell tensed as the canker lowered its head, muscles rigid, a low metal buzzing growl coming from its wide open head and loose flapping jaws; and he stared into that wide open maw, stared into those eyes and shuddered as his past life—and more importantly, more hauntingly, the Days of Blood—flashed through his mind and he felt regret and self-loathing, and a despair that he hadn’t put things right, hadn’t found forgiveness and sanctuary from others, and more importantly, for himself…
The canker howled, rearing up. More dust and stones flew, fell, pouring from the destroyed ceiling. A huge cross-member dropped, clunking against the canker which hit the ground under huge weight, snarling and snapping, and through the falling dust Kell saw Saark, his blade buried deep in the canker’s flank and Saark screamed, “The roof’s coming down! We’ve got to get out!”
Kell nodded, slammed his axe into the canker’s head with a thud which brought another bought of thrashing and snarling, then he squeezed around the
edges of the wall and sprinted, as more stones and timber toppled around him, diving out of the doorway and hitting the snow on his belly with a violent exhalation of air. Behind, the cottage screamed like a wounded beast, shaking its head in agony; and the roof caved in.
Saark was there, black with dust, dragging Kell to his feet. “I don’t think it will stop the bastard.”
Kell took a deep breath. Snow drifted around him, like ash in the night. He turned, staring at the cottage which seemed to rise, then settle, a great dying bear. For a second it was still, then somewhere deep within started to shift and stones, rubble, timber, all started to move and rise and Saark was already running towards the shingle beach and the boat, where Nienna and Kat urged them on. Kell followed, wincing at pains in his ribs, his shoulder, his head, his knees, and he felt suddenly old, and weary, battered and bettered, and he stumbled down onto the shingle as behind them, with a terrible sadistic roar the canker emerged from the detritus in a shower of stones.
The heavens grumbled, and distantly lightning flickered a web. Thunder growled, a beast in a storm cage behind bars of ignition, and heavy hail pounded the shingle around Kell as he heaved the boat down the beach, axe cleaving the securing rope, and leapt in, rocking the vessel.
They moved away from the bank, as the canker orientated.
“It can’t see us,” whispered Saark. “Shh.” He placed a finger on lips.
As they drifted away, they watched the canker, seemingly confused; then its head lifted, huge open maw searching the skies, and it turned and its head lowered and it charged across cobbles and mud and snow straight in their direction…
Nienna gave a gasp.
“It’s fine,” breathed Saark, throat dry with fear. “The river will stop the bastard.”
The canker reached the edge of the rampant water and without breaking stride leapt, body elongating into an almost elegant, feline dive. It hit the black river, rippled by hailstones, and went under the surface. It was gone immediately.
Kell stood, rocking the boat, and hefted his axe.
“Surely not,” snapped Saark, lifting his own blade and peering wildly about their totally vulnerable position.
“It’s under there,” snarled Kell. “Be ready.”
Silence fell, like a veil. Hail scattered across the river like pebbles. More thunder rumbled, mountains fighting, and lighting lit the scene through storm clouds and sleet.
“It was sent, wasn’t it?” said Saark, gazing at the dark river.
“Yes,” said Kell, eyes searching.
“How did it find us?”
“It followed your petal-stench perfume, lad.”
“Hah! More like the stench from your fish-laden pants.”
Calm descended.
They waited, tense.
The boat suddenly rocked and there came a slam from beneath; it swayed violently, turning around in
the current. Something glided beneath them, snapping the oars with easy cracks; broken toothpicks.
“I don’t like this!” wailed Nienna.
“Shut up,” growled Kell. “Take out your swords. If you see anything at all, stab it in the eyes.”
The boat was slammed with tremendous force from beneath, lifting out of the water, then slapping down again and spinning, turning, all sense of direction lost now, gone now, in the turbulent storm. The boat was hammered again, and it shuddered, timbers creaked, and a long crack appeared across the stern.
“We need to get back on land!” shouted Saark.
“We have no oars,” said Kell, voice calm, axe rigid in steel-steady hands. “We will have to kill it.”
Abruptly the canker emerged, mighty jaws ripping free the prow of the boat and Saark ran with a scream, sword raised, as the canker released the boat and lunged, grabbing his leg and dragging him backwards, his body thumping from the boat’s prow and disappearing suddenly over the edge…
Everything was still.
The river surged, and the water levelled.
“Saark!” screamed Katrina. But the man was gone.
With a curse Kell dropped his axe to the floor of the boat, and leapt into the black river. He was encompassed immediately, swamped by darkness, by a raging thunder, merging with the gathered filth of Falanor’s major northern city. Down he plunged, unable to see Saark, unable to find the canker. He swam down with powerful strokes, and withdrew his Svian from beneath his arm; down here, Ilanna would be
useless. What a warrior needed was a short sharp stabbing weapon…
Where is he? screamed Kell’s mind.
His lungs began to burn.
He thrashed, turning, round and around, but everything was black. He felt panic creep into him like crawling ivy; he had scant seconds before the canker drowned Saark, and that was providing the beast hadn’t ripped him apart with tooth and claw.