Oathkeeper (54 page)

Sedric sipped at the soup, mostly to warm himself. Everything in Castleguard tasted of boiled potato. Normally in an organized arrangement, the statues themselves had shifted. Vander, Kholster, and Kilke stood on one side. Jun stood in the middle, hands outspread as if keeping the factions apart. Shidarva, Torgrimm, Sedvinia, and Minapsis were on the other side with Xalistan, Gromma, Queelay, and Yhask standing clear of the conflict, nominally seeming to favor Shidarva's forces but wary of both.

“Has anyone spotted Nomi's statue?” Sedric frowned down at his broth before sipping at it again.

“Oh, for Shidarva's sake, Sedric,” Cassandra laughed. “It's not spiced like they do in the south so that your eyes water and your bowels run, but it tastes fine.”

Waving over one of a group of guards (half from the college at the Guild Cities and half from the Castleguard relay), Cassandra sent for mulled spice wine.

“They found her in the woods,” Cassandra said once the guard had run off to the Long Speaker Tower.

“Nomi?” Sedric asked.

“Yes.” Cassandra nodded. “A huntsman did. Hiding behind a tree; the statue of the goddess, not the huntsman. I have a few of the acolytes out there tracking her.”

Sedric raised a brushy gray eyebrow.

“Oh.” Cassandra leaned in close. “She's in a different direction noon and midnight. Always hiding.”

“And this . . . standoff?” Sedric asked.

“For seven Changings now.” Cassandra smiled as the guard returned with the wine, accepting a portion for herself and for Sedric. “The priests don't know what to say about it anymore. Try to keep the people calm, most of them, but—”

—
But
, she continued in his thoughts,
King Mioden is talking about raising an army and marching south to kill the Aern and stop them from slaying gods.

As if that would do anything.
Sedric groaned at the thought but sighed pleasantly at the heat, both temperature and spice, of the wine.

You don't have to tell me! The Token Hundred down at the gate can't even come into town now without risking a fight with the Harvest Knights. I'd considered killing the old bear
, Cassandra thought,
but we'd have to assassinate so many before we got to a reasonable heir
,
there is no chance it would go unnoticed.

Kholster
, Sedric prayed.
Vander, I hope you both know what you are doing.

“Two minutes to midnight,” a Harvest Knight in brigandine bellowed. “Two minutes.”

All conversation wound down as the assembled watched the stones around them to see what their gods would do.

*

Nomi ran. Kholster was coming for her next. He had to be. She was the obvious choice. But where on all Barrone could one hide from the Harvester?

Through forest and mountains, never feeling safe. Yes, she had flaming hair and immortality, but her power was at its core merely an extension of a part of Dienox's responsibilities he did not want. But if Kholster decided to kill Dienox, attacking the god of war while possessing a portion of Dienox's former power could only hasten his victory.

She'd thought herself safe; she'd never played in any of the games the other gods and goddesses played, never participated in their wars and intrigues. Life as a goddess had been fun, gadding about the halls of power, taking different shapes and walking among mortals, exploring the Outwork, Barrone below, and even the Dragonwaste beyond before she'd come to accept that it truly was empty.

Vibrations of power rose in the ether, though. She heard what the other gods were saying, had been able to hear anything said within Dienox's hearing ever since she'd taken his hair, and they all kept mentioning a battle destroying everything and leaving the gods alone amid the debris.

If only Kholster would give in a little bit
, she thought,
then he might have no interest in further conquest. But if Vander and Torgrimm could not or would not weaken his resolve, get him to see reason, to play along with them until they calmed down, to make only small changes, or even convince Kholster to slay all of the others except for her, then who on Barrone could?

Nomi stopped running.

“I'm an idiot,” she swore. To whom did Kholster always listen? It was like a rule of the universe. If Wylant could be convinced that Kholster needed to stand down, then she would be able to make him do it, if anyone could.

*

Supervising the defensive preparations at Fort Sunder had swallowed Wylant's world. It had started with realizing how little room there was and then moved on to how they were planning to feed and water so many refugees. Beginning with the people of Bark's Bend, she'd told them to come with her to Fort Sunder and bring everything they could: animals, crops, clothes, food—and then to have the warsuits and the Bone Finders help harvest whatever crops they could as Wylant and representatives from the current village moved on to the next.

At all the Eldrennai villages, they did whatever she asked with the understanding that they would be allowed to take refuge at Fort Sunder when the Zaur came. And even though she did not see how she could house even the ones already on their way, she said yes because she needed the supplies and the help gathering them. She did not say whether she could protect them after.

Human villages went poorly until she started keeping the helmet on. When community elders thought she was an Aern, they were perfectly agreeable. “Just so long as your lot remember us when the lizards come and when you done killed those high an' mighty elves. Do you think you'll be using their Port and Watch cities when you done them in?”

We're misleading all of these people, Mother
, Vax thought.
Or many of them.

I know, Vax.
Over the last few days, these were the conversations that broke her heart.

There isn't room for them all at Fort Sunder, not inside the walls
, Vax thought.

I know.

But you said you'd protect them
, Vax said.
You promised.

No, Vax.
Wylant and Clemency had made it back to the fort, but it was so late, she would have been asleep in the saddle if not for Clemency.
I have promised to remember them. I have promised to try to protect them when the Zaur come, or in a nonspecific way. I have said I will allow them within the walls—but not
when
I would allow them within the walls.

She waited for the hurt and betrayal. This was as hard of a push as Vax had ever made an—
That is correct,
Clemency thought.
I have tracked her oaths and you may review them, Vax. They were all prudently worded to allow flexibility.

Oh.
Vax was silent while Wylant directed a new batch of people to go down to Bark's Bend so the villagers could teach them how to gig for frogs or help weave mats.
Hey, Clem is right, Mother. I'm sorry for doubting you. You'd do more if you could, though. Right? It's not all loopholes in the oath with you, right?

“Of course it isn't,” she whispered. “But, Vax, even with a warsuit, there is only so much that is within my power. I'm not like your father. I'm not—”

Fire bloomed into existence next to her. Humans and Eldrennai fled, but the Aern and warsuits all looked to see who it was before resuming their tasks as if a goddess had not just manifested in their midst.

“You have to talk to Kholster,” Nomi said. “I know you are busy here, but the gods are all taking sides and—”

“—a god.”

Wylant took her head off with a single cross-body draw of Vax. Catching the head of the goddess in her free hand as she pivoted, Wylant brought Vax's blade up to Nomi's hairline, Vax already shrinking into a smaller knife for the scalping. Clemency's helm opened and fell back revealing Wylant's now-bare scalp. Settling the flaming tresses atop her skull, amazed that fire did not burn her, she willed the fire to be hers.

It can't be that easy
, she thought.

It was.

A scream so full of emotions she could not tell them apart tore free of her throat, raw and ragged, and . . . triumphant. She jumped in shock as the Aern and warsuits echoed her victory with shouts of their own. She looked down at a small Eldrennai child, one of the two young Aeromancers she'd seen playing down in Bark's Bend, who stared up in fear and disbelief.

“How else was I going to keep you safe?” Wylant asked her.

Screaming, the little elf ran for her mother. That got a reaction from the assembled Aern and warsuits: A mixture of laughter, hoots, cheers, and applause.

That was all of the things, Mom
, Vax thought.

What?

The things Dad wanted you to figure out
, Vax said.
That there were way more of the enemy than you suspected, that they wanted the Eldrennai hemmed in at Fort Sunder so their magic would be unreliable, and that if you took Nomi's power, you might be able to win.

“Your father,” she swore nonspecifically, taking flight and trailing fire through the sky as she headed toward the remains of Port Ammond.

*

Sedric and Cassandra saw the statue of the new goddess flying over the tree line and began to move as quickly and as quietly as possible from the area. Fighting did not break out until they had made it to the bottom of the hill; then those assembled lost their minds. One god losing a portion of his power to a mortal had happened before. They knew how to react to it—stories and legends let them process the change—but to have two more gods thrown down in a scant space of days was too much. Nomi had been the only human god and was well-liked.

Cast as a mischief-maker in tales, Nomi was famous for stealing fire from the gods and showing humans that, though they were mortal and the shortest-lived of Barrone's races, they could take comfort in the knowledge they could rise to any heights.

Tower or Gate?
Sedric thought at Cassandra.

Tower.
Her teeth were gritted as Long Arms and Far Flames repelled the crowd.
It's closer and the Knights may make for the North Gate to attack the Token Hundred.

Tense minutes later, safely behind the bolted and barred gates of the Castleguard Relay, Cassandra and Sedric sat in front of the fire in the common room staring at one another.

“Do we let the information out?” Sedric asked.

“I don't know how we can stop it.” Cassandra looked into the fire, seeing Sedric knew not what within the flames.

It was still small enough that they could. Working together, they could offer discounted services, and while their customers came expecting to send messages, the Long Speakers could erase or alter memories. It would be barely feasible, and it would only delay the inevitable.

“People aren't as religious in the South,” Sedric said finally. “I mean, they are, but not like in the North. They wouldn't go to war over it.”

“No?” Cassandra asked.

“I hope not.”

“We'll adjust to this, Sedric,” Cassandra said. “Even if all the gods change, most people trust and fear the Aern as it is. They've viewed Kholster as a creature of legend for years.”

“I hope you're right.” Sedric held his hands before the flames.
I'm too old for this
, he thought, then laughed at himself.
Was anyone really young enough for times like these?
Caius came to mind. He would grow up in a different era. Uncertain, where even the gods seemed impermanent. What would that mean to the coming generations? How would it shape them?

“At least nothing worse can happen,” one of the nearby guards offered.

Sedric did not strike the man, but he was pleased when Cassandra did.

*

Purple lit the sky of the smoking ruin of Port Ammond. Where nothing had been, the fractured top of the Tower of Elementals popped into place. It hung in the air long enough for Coal to perceive its existence and then, as he started drawing in heat, it exploded in a fine powder of debris, the last remnant of a once-great city's history dashed to pieces.

One being flew out of the cloud, white hair strung out behind him as he soared straight at the dragon, hands outlined in purple and gold. Vapor trails of breath spilled from the edges of Hasimak's mouth as the cold struck him. Coal thrilled at the sight of his old playmate, so much so he was tempted to ignore the four Eldrennai dropping out of the base of the clouds, heading for the Port Gates.

“No. No. No.” Coal launched his bulk at the base of the fallen tower. “No fair fights.”

*

“There will be no agreement.” Shidarva's face contorted in rage, blue fire glowing within the veins of her cheeks and forehead. “No compromises until you tell us what you have done with Aldo! I want to see him.”

She did it
, Vander thought.

I know
, Kholster sent.
I have Nomi. I'm healing her body and forcing her soul to stay in it until she's strong enough to live on her own.

Is that guilt, sir?
Harvester asked.

A little
, Kholster sent.
She did exactly what I wanted and I knew what Wylant would do to her. Death is supposed to be on the side of the mortals. All the mortals. I shouldn't pick sides.

Truly?
Harvester asked.

Of course
, Kholster thought.
I can't always help, but I'm rooting for them. All of them. Just like Torgrimm would have if he hadn't broken himself on our behalf. This isn't just about Oathbreakers and Oathkeepers. It's about setting things right.

By breaking them?

The road to victory and the road to defeat can look astonishingly similar until you reach the end
, Vander told them.

And sometimes
— Kholster cleared his throat —
you have to make sacrifices to draw your true opponent out of hiding. Pretend you don't see him.

And then you kill him, sir?

I am powerless against him because Torgrimm thought he was fighting Kilke.