Tides of Blood and Steel (25 page)

“Will you continue to scream as I tear you limb from limb? Flense your frail human form until you wear nothing but blood?”

She tried to run, tried to figure out where her uncle had gone. Maleela was frozen in place. She couldn’t defend herself. The shadowed face leered closer, strange yet oddly familiar.

“You didn’t think you could ever escape me, did you?”

Darkness seethed. She cried out as her flesh burned where it touched her.

“Look into my eyes and you will find the truth of your existence.”

She did, and screamed at the top of her lungs.

Bahr reached out to pull his niece close, whispering that it was all right.

“It was so real,” she whimpered. “That face…”

Bahr struggled not to cry. The pain of not being able to help her hurt worse than anything else he had experienced since this nightmare began. “Whose face did you see?”

She pulled away slightly. “My father’s.”

Bahr felt as if he’d been punched in the stomach. He was speechless. Bahr was unskilled in dream reading and lacked the emotional development to be much more than empathetic. His initial impulse was to tell her to forget about it, that it was only a dream. Doing so might serve to make matters worse. What he really needed was Anienam. The wizard would know exactly how to treat this situation.

“It was nothing but a dream, lass. Shhh.”

He did his best towards comforting her, but he had never been a father. This was as alien to him as growing crops. His words felt empty. Bahr almost felt lost. Maleela glanced up at him, shifting to avoid scraping her face on the stubble of his chin. Her eyes were filled with diminishing fear.

“Uncle, I know what I saw. My father is involved with sinister forces. This dream was much too real to be otherwise.”

“We should not jump to conclusions. Wait for Anienam to read the truth in your dream,” he cautioned.

“What if he tells us what I already believe?” she asked.

Her voice cracked. Bahr looked up. Dawn broke across the horizon. The others stirred and slowly came awake. Anienam was the first to the fire, as if he expected to be needed. He rubbed his tired hands over the fire. His liver spots were darker, making him look much older than he was. He met Bahr’s stare.

“Long nights in the field never agree with me,” he said and smiled.

Bahr offered a warm smile. “It is not an easy life. I much prefer being on the ocean. Things are less complicated on the deck of a boat.”

Anienam grunted. “If you say so. I prefer a warm room in the local inn with down blankets and mulled wine.”

“You’ll get no arguments from me.”

Maleela couldn’t take it anymore. “Wizard, may I speak with you in private?”

His gaze danced between Maleela and Bahr. The Sea Wolf nodded.

“Of course.”

She explained her dream, at least what she could of it. The visions were too real. The hurt was too deep. Anienam sat silently and drank it all in. His brow furrowed at the mention of her father. Maleela finished speaking and waited expectantly for Anienam to solve all of her problems. He only wished he could. The wizard traced his moustache idly while trying to figure out what to say. The dream was not an easy one to decipher. Any number of possibilities might come from it. Still, a cold sense of dread settled over him.

“I know that look in your eyes,” she said. “What is it you know?”

“Most of the dream is meaningless. Riddles that we might go crazy from trying to decipher.”

An eyebrow arched. “Most?”

He gestured wildly with his hands. “Yes, most. I think this was more than dream. What you had was a vision
of sorts. Flames and thorns mean nothing from your past. Not unless you’ve got dark secrets none of us know.”

She smiled despite herself. “No flames or thorns.”

He nodded absently. “The part your father plays disturbs me. He is no great charitable figure, but his visage as some demonic being suggests an influence we do not know of. There is darkness loose in the world. The Dae’shan that hunted Rekka when we came to rescue you was but one in four. Three are known. They have been active players since the night your brother was killed, if not longer.”

She flushed. Her brother’s murder was unintended and pointless. Her selfish desires robbed him of a long and potentially meaningful life. She had never really needed rescuing. The love shared with Aurec went beyond any other feeling. That love had been torn apart and now his kingdom stood upon the brink of destruction. The possibility that she might never get the chance to tell him she loved him ever again tore at her heart.

Maleela tried to push those dark thoughts from her mind. “Do you think my father has anything to do with the Dae’shan?”

“It is possible, but hard to tell. The Dae’shan are almost timeless. They manipulate in order to facilitate the will of their masters. Badron may well be under their influence.”

A new fear clutched at her. “Perhaps they seek to turn him to their will.”

Anienam nodded. “It is a thought. Unfortunately right now there is no way for us to be sure.”

His answer was too much for her to take. “Anienam, we must learn the truth. My heart tells me that we are heading into a horrible time.”

Bahr coughed from near the fire. “How do we do that? I am in no rush to go back to Rogscroft and confront my brother, not with ten thousand soldiers of the Wolfsreik at his back.”

“We may have no choice,” the wizard countered. “Confronting Badron may be the only way to end this war. I do need to remind everyone that deciphering Maleela’s dream is not our primary concern. Venheim awaits. We must find the forge of Giants and their blood hammer before time runs out. The Dae’shan are cunning and deceptive. It might already be too late to make a difference.”

“How do you manage to bring us darkness every time there is a glimmer of hope?” Bahr asked.

The wizard forced a grin. “Live as long as I have and your outlook will be just as sour. Stop avoiding the subject. Venheim remains our best hope for stopping the Dae’shan.”

“Does your book give any light to what we need?”

Heads turned as Boen rumbled up from his sleeping bag to warm himself by the fire. Anienam was reminded of one of the big jungle cats ready to attack. The Gaimosian was Mankind’s predator. A dangerous race, he mused. Perhaps that was a large part in why Gaimos had been annihilated all those years ago. Maleela blushed. She had hoped to keep the conversation between the three of them. Foolish to be sure, for there was little privacy in such intimate company.

“The book contains many secrets. I’ve only managed to get halfway through it.”

Bahr had given the matter much thought since leaving Praeg. There were too many secrets and mysteries for him to grasp the central theme. A sudden thought dawned on him, one he hadn’t had before. “What if the Giants can tell us about the dream?”

Anienam’s eyes narrowed. “How do you mean?”

“The Giants clearly had a part in the writing of this book. Isn’t it conceivable that they might have the capability to decipher Maleela’s dream?”

“Giants are reclusive. They seldom suffer strangers on their lands. That the men who wrote the book survived their encounter speaks volumes, but it does not support your theory. Most of the world has forgotten the Giants,” Anienam replied.

Bahr shrugged. “It’s not a theory. I am merely suggesting we may find the answers to the dream and the riddle of the Dae’shan with the Giants.”

“Whatever,” Boen said. “We shall find out as soon as we meet these creatures. There’s no point in guessing what if.”

Anienam dismissed him and looked back to Bahr. “There is some merit in what you say. We must find the forge first.”

Boen nodded. “We are wasting time.”

“I agree. We should be moving,” the wizard echoed unexpectedly.

Maleela frowned. She was left with the impression that her dreams had just been blown off for other speculation. Enraged, she was unsure what to do. She was outmatched and overpowered by the false bravado of their male machismo. Maleela decided to quietly bide her time. Soon enough she would get the opportunity to prove she was every bit as capable as the blooded warriors. She was the daughter of a king. It was time to start acting like one. Maleela turned to shake off the snow from her sleeping bag before rolling it up.

“Are you well?” Rekka Jel asked.

She’d approached without Maleela hearing her. The question lacked sincerity, almost sounding demanding. Maleela took comfort in the solidarity aspect Rekka offered. The diminutive warrior was easily the best of their group with a sword. Her skill and technique were unmatched, even with Boen’s brute strength.

“I don’t know,” she finally answered after a few minutes of quiet deliberations.

Rekka slipped closer. A concerned look lined her soft features. “I heard your cries last night. I, too, have had nightmares. You must excise these demons before they consume you.”

Maleela had no intentions of reliving the night’s dreams. The pain of them transcended into horror mixed with moments of blind terror. Putting all this behind her was the best for all of them.

“You have no reason to be embarrassed,” Rekka continued. “We all have our pasts to contend with.”

“My past has haunted me since birth. My dreams have grown dark and uncertain. I am afraid, Rekka.”

The smaller woman nodded and moved so close that only Maleela might hear. “Fear must be harnessed if we are to move forward.”

“How?”

Rekka placed a warm hand on Maleela’s shoulder. “The answer can only be found in each of us. The way I deal with matters might not work for you. Have courage, Princess. Hope is not yet lost.”

Maleela considered it. She knew what needed to be done, but was hesitant to do so. She wasn’t a warrior, despite being the daughter of a northern king. All children were expected to be able to read, write, and handle a sword. Maleela wasn’t particularly skilled with soldiers’ tasks, but she could stab someone well enough. It wasn’t enough. She decided to take her first steps in a new direction.

“Teach me how to use a sword.”

Her voice was rushed, as if her excitement threatened to override common sense. Rekka stared back at her, quietly judging the princess. Finally she relented. “All right. Your plan will not be easy. Keep that in mind.”

“Nothing ever is,” Maleela said and smiled politely.

“Let’s move out!” Bahr shouted to the group.

The forge of Giants awaited them.

Ghosts

Cold winds lashed into them, pelting them with ice and snow. Each gust was a painful scream, like a dying animal caught and left for dead. Loose snow underfoot made the worn path treacherous. Rocks broke and slid down the mountainsides in miniature avalanches. The sun was already setting. Darkness would soon be upon them.

Bahr pulled his hood tighter and cursed under his breath. It was snowing so hard he could barely see beyond the end of his horse’s nose. The journey grew more dangerous the further they went into the mountains. Bahr was confronted with two options: push forward in the dark with no visibility on unknown terrain or try to find shelter until the storm passed. Both options presented unique and inherent problems. It was not the kind of decision to be made alone.

“Boen!” he shouted over the angry winds.

The Gaimosian reined up beside him. “This damned storm is going to be the death of us.”

“Agreed. We will die if we keep going forward.”

Boen shook his head. “We have no choice. We can’t go back! The only way is forward.”

“Forward to where? We can’t see anything.”

Boen recognized they were walking into a potential trap. He also failed to see another way around it. “What do you want to do?”

Bahr took a quick glance around, knowing it was a waste of time. Visibility had worsened in the short amount of time they spoke. His choices withered. “We need to stop. It is too risky to go on tonight.”

The Gaimosian nodded despite disagreeing. The hunger in his blood stirred again. He gave a brief thought to abandoning them and striking out on his own. His loyalties to Bahr extended only so far. The blood demands of his heritage demanded much more and it grew increasingly difficult to suppress them.

“Let me scout ahead. I can find us a path.”

Bahr reluctantly agreed. The chance of becoming permanently separated disturbed him, but not enough to stop the man. They had to find shelter or risk freezing to death in the snow and cold.

“Do it. We will continue on this path until you ride back to us,” he said.

Boen set off without another word. A lifetime of being alone in the field took over, freed from the repression of operating with a group less experienced. Boen was a simple man who knew how to get things done. It was the mark of a good soldier. Bahr watched him until his silhouette was lost in the building darkness and wondered if he had just condemned them all.

The path wound up and around the mountainside for another kilometer before Boen was forced to stop. He hadn’t seen any deviations or side paths along the way, though that didn’t mean there weren’t any. Reduced visibility hampered more than just his vision. Boen felt constricted. Winter was his least favorite season. The snow and cold of the Murdes Mountains did not agree with him.