A Clash of Shadows (15 page)

“Wrong?” Mikael said with forced cheer. “Not in my mind.” He seemed uneasy to Katja, but if so he covered it up quickly.

“Let’s go,” he said and pointed east.

The walk was similar to the earlier one. Still, Katja was less at ease now that the group had shrunk and the guardsmen seemed to have little truck with the Crescent. This was probably the most convenient place for another attack.

“Go on ahead a bit,” Serdra said. “I want some time alone with my thoughts.”

Mikael readily assented and Katja thought she understood the point. Now there was hopefully less chance of an observer connecting the two of them and Serdra might spot pursuers.

The raven fluttered about as it had been doing and suddenly put Katja in mind of a bodyguard checking if his master’s route was safe.

“Where does one get one of those?” she asked.

“From an egg.”

“Right. It’s fun to have a secret.”

He looked at her and she looked back. They were both hiding various things and they were both amused by it. His eyes ruled out all doubt.

The mutual secrecy was a bit strange and Katja couldn’t help but giggle a bit, before she remembered paying attention to her surroundings.

They walked silently after that, until exiting the Crescent and ascended a mound.

“There,” Mikael said and pointed downwards. Splitlog hadn’t been big in life, but the dead blackened oak stood alone in a bare area and so was easily spotted. A group of watchmen would also be easily spotted, even in the dark. The Fox had chosen well. Perhaps this was a common meeting place for just that reason.

Serdra caught up with them and looked at the dead tree.

“We will see each other tomorrow evening then,” Mikael said.

“Yes. Goodbye until then,” Serdra said.

They watched him walk away. The last hint of him was the raven taking another short scouting trip before vanishing behind a house.

“Wellll,” Katja said slowly. “Those will be our travelling companions. What do you think?”

“They don’t seem stupid, at any rate,” Serdra said. “Which prevents various possible problems.”

“But don’t you think it’ll be a problem if the demon wakes while we are all inside the manor? And then we can hardly deal with it without giving ourselves away.”

“We will just have to accept that,” Serdra said. “Perfect secrecy is more goal than reality. We will examine the circumstances inside the manor before we decide on anything. Perhaps they will find what they are looking for and then return without us.”

“And that’s another matter,” Katja said and sat down on a rock. “What do you think they are up to?”

“Someone in the north has sent them to fetch a family artefact,” Serdra said. “Or they are descended from the Clan of Roses and aim to prove it with papers. Or they just believe they know of something only of value in the north. It makes no difference to us. Let us focus on our task.”

“Fine,” Katja said, though curiosity bubbled within her. “We snuff the demon next evening, meet Leifur on our way back and then hopefully get information that can lead us to the Acolyte.”

“Yes. And then we will probably tend to that task,” Serdra said. “Slaying an Acolyte is a fine deed, Katja. It may even be more important than felling the demon.”

“It’s good that this isn’t a wasted trip,” Katja said and smirked. “And will we head back home when this is all done with?”

“You know the answer to that, Katja.”

Katja sighed.

“
It will depend on circumstances
,” she sing-songed.

“Exactly. We will probably have to kill the Acolyte without delay, but I would like to find out why he is here.”

“Yes,” Katja muttered absent-mindedly. Her attention had fluttered to the north-east. Towards the manor.

There, somewhere between worlds, lay the demon.

“Do we
have
a day and a night?”

Serdra didn’t answer right away, which did nothing to soothe Katja’s nerves.

“Probably.”

--------------------

“Katja.”

Katja awoke to the whispering and poking and opened her eyes. She stared into utter darkness and tried to remember what was going on.

“What?” she whispered.

They were in their room at the inn. Serdra had had an ill feeling and told her to sleep clothed.

Katja carefully swung her feet out of bed and grasped the unsheathed sword where she had placed it.

Her vision started to clear and she could glimpse Serdra in the middle of the room. The woman was dressed, as she had been when Katja fell asleep, and stood at the ready.

The danger-tension began coming over Katja and sharpening her. Something was wrong. She sat stock-still on the edge of the bed and listened. She heard nothing out in the hallway. Nothing from the floor below.

She looked towards the window. She didn’t hear anything outside except a bit of a breeze and the general ambiance of night.

What is going on?!

She stopped trying to use her ears and tried to activate her other sensitivity. She was just beginning to expand her mind when Serdra started.

The woman held her hand towards the window and lit a powerful Sentinel Flame in the room. Katja neither saw nor heard anything, but she felt something scream at being hit by the Flame. Then it vanished and Serdra let the Flame peter out.

“
What
?!” Katja hissed between her teeth.

“I sensed a presence,” Serdra said so quietly that Katja had to focus to understand her. She took it as a message to be similarly quiet. “Faint. Distant. Hidden. And I heard a sound outside.” Serdra looked at the window and picked up her sword. “We are in danger.”

Katja stood up and positioned herself opposite the door.

“What was that? Some kind of spirit?”

“A soul drifter, I think,” Serdra replied.

Katja’s eyes widened. A sorcerer who could leave his body. Such abilities were very rare.

Serdra pressed her ear to the window shutter and Katja kept silent until her mentor spoke again. “The Brotherhood has found us. We are about to be attacked.”

“Here?!”

Serdra turned towards her.

“It mustn’t be here. We would have to flee into the night to avoid being questioned by the guardsmen. We will have to charge out into the street and finish them quietly.”

Katja twirled her sword a bit through the air. This was dangerous. Really dangerous. Guards would demand an explanation for a bloodbath. Perhaps even wish to detain them. News of the fight would spread through the city and reach the ears of their enemies. Who would then know exactly where to find them.

“How do you want to do this?” she asked.

“I will exit the doors downstairs,” Serdra said. “You stay by the window, ready to leap out when the opportunity rises. If all goes well we will then move the bodies.

Bodies. Before the guards arrive.

Katja took one of the helmets and put it on and handed the other one to Serdra when they passed one another. Katja took up position by the window. She still heard nothing outside. Had it fallen silent or was Serdra really this much sharper?

Serdra carefully slid the latch back and opened the door a crack.

“Count to forty. Then I will be at the door.”

With that her mentor snuck out and closed the door soundlessly behind herself. Katja didn’t hear her pass along the hallway. She began counting at the speed they had practised and took the latch off the shutter.

13.

Thirty
.

Katja waited in quiet tension by the window. She still hadn’t heard anything outside except a rustle that might as well have been junk blowing about.

She had mentally gone over how she would open the shutter and leap out. She knew how high the drop was and she would absorb it. Now something just needed to happen.

Come on now!

She cleared her mind of the people sleeping in the house, who could very well awake to the fighting and perhaps look out of a window. Perhaps even identify them later on.

Thirty five.

The main priority was surviving and winning. Secrecy would have to be secondary.

Forty
.

She heard a sound from the front door. Some kind of struggle.

Now!

She flung open the shutter and breathed in before the leap. Her reflexes snatched her to the side at hearing the whack of a string and she heard a piercing whistle blow past her. Something smacked into the door. Katja looked back and saw an arrow sticking out of the wood.

On a roof
, she thought.
It is the only possible place.

She pressed her hand down on the window sill and jumped over it before the archer could ready another arrow. The street approached fast in the dark and gave a jarring greeting when her soles hit the ground.

Katja let her knees give in and transferred the power of the landing into a roll. She rolled on the hard cobblestones with the sword held wide and then sprang up by the wall opposite the inn. She had glimpsed the archer on the roof of that house.

She heard quiet fighting from around the corner. Serdra was dealing with those in front of the inn. She looked up. The man on the roof might very well be able to shoot the woman from where he stood.

I have to deal with him
, she thought and prepared to scale the wall. Just then she heard light footsteps and felt and glimpsed a man coming at her with a short spear.

He thrust at her and she dodged. The assailant was quick to recover after the miss and Katja had to defend from another stab rather than counterattack.

He is good.

She sprang from the wall to have more room and waited for the next attack. It came without delay and Katja nimbly sidestepped and slashed at his side. She felt the blade hit him but he didn’t go down. The thick coat must have protected him.

Katja heard a whizz and something smacked into the stones by her feet. She had entered the archer’s field of vision.

She jumped right back beneath the edge of the roof and the spear-man took advantage of it. Katja braced for defence with the sword up and forced herself to delay her reactions a bit. Then she jumped to the side rather than parry and the spear tip hit the wall. Katja stepped past the shaft and slashed with all her strength. The man tried to retreat but took the blade right in the arm he held up.

She then smacked the hilt into his face before darting back under the roof. Perhaps the wound would kill him and perhaps not, but the archer had priority.

She held the sword between her teeth and leapt up and got hold of a sill. She pulled herself up and soon grasped the roof edge. She realized full well how vulnerable she was and felt as light as a feather as she yanked herself up on the roof.

The man released the arrow and it shot across the roof like whizzing death. Katja rolled to the side and escaped. She stood up and ran towards this unknown enemy.

The man saw where things were headed and jumped across onto the next roof. He landed with fair grace and ran to the middle of the roof and pulled out another arrow.

Just how many did he bring
? Katja thought for a moment and sped across the roof.

She landed before the enemy could finish drawing the arrow. Katja didn’t see his face but the man dropped the bow and hurriedly reached for a long knife.

Katja meant to step forward and slay him before he could mount a defence but then she heard something behind herself. She glanced back and saw the one with the spear climb onto the roof she had just jumped away from.

His arm seemed to be fine.

Katja looked away from him and attacked the knife-wielder. The man retreated. He probably wanted to await his comrade. Katja had other plans and kept her assault up furiously. The man didn’t dare get closer to the edge and tried to sidestep. Katja intercepted him and slashed. The knife didn’t suffice as protection and the blade cut through his ribs. He bowled over, gave a choked cry and stumbled onto the edge.

Katja stepped closer and kicked him. The man flew out into the darkness and down onto the street.

She turned around and the smack of the landing mixed with the spear-man’s landing on the roof. He continued his momentum and wielded the spear with both hands.

Katja ran towards him so as to not share his comrade’s fate and parried a powerful thrust. The blow rattled considerably but she could take it and didn’t let herself be driven backwards.

They pressed their weapons together and took tiny steps in a semicircle to prevent the other one from getting the upper hand. Finally Katja released the spear to his surprise and slashed past the wild swing it went into. He defended with his arm but the blade slid along his forearm and cut into the unarmoured upper arm.

The man retreated upon being injured and grasped the bottom of the shaft and swung the spear with his other arm.

The swings were wild and powerful, meant to hold her back rather than connect. The man backed towards the edge and Katja was about to attack through the swings when he switched the weapon into a throwing position and sent it flying.

The throw wasn’t masterful, but the missile came from a short distance and once Katja regained her balance after the sidestep the man had landed on another roof.

Katja followed and watched him speed across this new battleground and leap towards a house almost a man’s height taller than the rest. He hit the roof edge and despite the wound he had climbed up before Katja could reach him.

The man then leapt to his feet and took an axe from his belt with his uninjured arm. He took up position by the edge and hefted the weapon. Katja came to a screeching, ungainly halt on her roof. She saw no clear way up to him that didn’t involve taking an axe to the face.

They stared at one another across this short distance that made such a difference.

“Yes, you are no milkmaid,” the man growled. Then he coughed out a bitter laugh.

“No,” Katja said and smirked. “I am rather awesome.”

“I should have demanded more money,” he added.

“Was that your friend I sent to suck on cobblestones?” she asked nastily.

The bearded man put up a sneering smile and opened his mouth to reply. Just then Katja snatched her knife from the sheath with her left hand and threw it.

The man reacted quickly but given the grunt he received at least a minor wound. Katja was already on her way when she heard it and hurled herself over the alley. She landed in a hug with the roof edge and pulled herself up, about three metres away from the man.

The knife only distracted him a moment and he immediately ran towards her. Katja swung at him before getting all the way to her feet and almost hit him. He responded with an axe swing. Katja sidestepped and slashed him in the side before he could recover. He screamed and she slammed into him and drove him off the edge.

She heard the smack that ended his journey, but didn’t dare wager that it had sufficed. She picked her knife up off the roof and peeked down into the alley. She saw her enemy lying very still and another person standing over him.

Serdra had broken his neck. 

Katja looked down at her mentor. The woman waved for her to come down and when she hesitated the woman pointed at the house’s south-eastern corner. Katja leaned forward off the edge and saw a large window there. The frame suited well to getting down.

She sheathed the sword and walked to the corner on light feet. She let herself slide down off the roof until her toes found the frame. Then she carefully moved her grip down to the window and let herself hang from it. Then she could let herself drop down.

She managed to land softly, but still felt a strange fear go through her. There had been a certain freedom up on the roofs of the city. Above the people and eyes and guards. Now she was back down, where problems could lie behind every corner.

“Come,” Serdra whispered. “Quick. Back to the inn.”

Katja had somewhat lost her bearings during the chase but trusted her mentor and followed her at a light jog until she spotted the first body slumped up against a wall. It looked like he had tried to run.

She knew her way after that find and soon saw the inn’s darkened silhouette.

The woman stood perfectly still for a few moments and seemed to be listening.

“Let’s move the other two a bit,” she then said. She walked towards the bodies Katja spotted just then.

Katja grasped the dead, limp wrists of one of them and dragged him off while Serdra took the other one. It was a short distance to a small bridge on a narrow street and they let the bodies dangle off it and then drop.

Farewell boys
, Katja thought through the fear of being spotted.
That’s for trying to kill us.

They jogged back to the inn. The way was still clear and Katja now saw that Serdra had managed to close the door before the fight. The woman listened at the door before opening it carefully.

No one shouted for the guardsmen or other residents so they hurried inside. They closed the door, put the bar back into place and then went up as fast as the creaky floor allowed. They couldn’t afford someone linking them to the mess outside.

They made it to the room. Katja released the breath she had been holding since the ground floor. The false safety of the walls was back.

They were silent for a while and Katja closed her eyes and listened. She didn’t think she heard anything notable from the other rooms.

Had it all really been this quiet?

Serdra went to the window and closed it and Katja took it as a sign that they could relax further. She stepped to the door and pulled the arrow out of it.

All that danger, rush and effort and the world at large had barely noticed. It was terribly strange.

“So is that it?” she asked quietly. “Did we get all of them?”

“Did you notice any sorcery?” Serdra asked and sat on the bed.

“No.”

“I suspect we only killed mercenaries,” her mentor said. “The soul drifter looked in here to confirm our presence and then dispatched them after I drove him off.”

Katja stepped to the centre of the room and turned the sword in a slow circle.

“So we could expect another attack?”

“Perhaps. If the one behind this one was prepared for it to fail. And if he has anything else to throw at us, on such a short notice.”

“And if he dares, now that we are expecting,” Katja added.

“Yes. The only thing I know for certain is that we are no longer safe here. We will wait for morning and then get out of the city.”

--------------------

They did not go back to sleep. The rest of the night was spent with one of them sitting by either entry into the room, arms at the ready.

When light blessedly spread out over the world again and the morning bells rang they hurried to their feet and down into the stable. They loaded their luggage on the horses and led them towards the gate.

Katja saw blood on the street, where Serdra had killed two of the men. The amount wasn’t dramatic, but still enough that someone could very well link it to the night’s events.

She thought about the arrow hidden in their packs.

“News!” a man shouted at regular intervals as he strolled along the main street. “Bloodbath in the night! Five men slain!”

“Don’t look so furtive,” Serdra whispered.

“I am not furtive,” Katja responded automatically before thinking. Perhaps she had been just that. But how could she not pay attention to every single person that could be seen close to the inn? Wouldn’t the Brotherhood try to follow them now they had been found?

Once they finally walked along a street where no person or open window could be seen Katja brought out the arrow and let it fall into the gutter.

The guards by the gate gave their effects a cursory examination. They had cleaned the weapons to the best of their abilities in the darkened room and it seemed to have sufficed. The armour caused a bit of surprise but the men had plenty to do and let them out. Katja breathed much easier once in the Crescent.

They exited the urban area and headed west. They paused a few times to check for pursuit and one time Serdra snuck in a wide circle as Katja waited in hiding with the horses. But there was nothing to see.

They made it to the tree line without being accosted and exited by a little-used path.

There was some difficult in finding a good hiding place they could lead the horses to, but it was probably worth it. The place couldn’t even count as a clearing, but the foliage around was very thick and isolated enough that no sound would carry to the path.