A Clash of Shadows (6 page)

Serdra went first and went about as they had been doing. They crept into a wing for the serving staff. There they searched for doors to small rooms.

They were about to try out a promising one when a baby’s cries suddenly emanated from it. They hid in a corner and waited for it to fall silent. They heard shushing and soft humming from a grown woman and time seemed to crawl by as the little one cried and cried.

Finally it seemed to fall asleep. They waited a bit longer to be fairly sure the woman had herself fallen asleep and then continued.

They found another interesting room abutting from a dining room, right next to a large fireplace in which embers glowed.

Serdra took a candle lamp off a shelf and a rag off a table and pointed at the door.

Katja grasped the handle and opened it slightly. The hinges squeaked a bit, but no more than normal. She held her breath, tightened her grip on the knife and opened more.

The crib was indeed small. A small bed could be glimpsed by the stone wall and small chests on either side of it. A lamp stood on one of them and a water carafe on the floor. The darkness hid all else.

Katja stood still and listened and heard a slow, deep breath from the bed. The resident hadn’t been disturbed.

Few possessions
, Katja thought.
No spouse or child. As would be expected for a new servant, who perhaps isn’t planning to stay for long.

Circumstances matched up to their expectations but didn’t suffice as evidence by themselves. Katja moved further in with great care and silently asked the person not to wake.

She knelt by the headboard. As far as she could tell this was a woman beneath the blanket, facing Katja.

She looked back and saw Serdra enter with the lamp in her hand. She knelt close to her pupil and gave her a questioning look. Katja could only shrug and look at the lamp.

Serdra glanced at the person on the bed, perhaps to assure herself they were fast asleep. Then she lifted the rag off the lamp, just enough to let a bit of glow on the bed.

Katja stared. She remembered this face. It was strange seeing it relaxed in sleep. Defenceless and innocent.

But then how do I myself look?
Katja suddenly thought.

Serdra covered the lamp again and Katja nodded to her. This was the right woman.

Serdra nodded back and lifted the rag enough to blow out the candle. Then she crept back out and motioned for Katja to follow.

She looked at this sleeping enemy of hers and suddenly remembered she was still holding the knife. She didn’t particularly want to stab a sleeping person, but it still felt funny to let an enemy out of her grasp like this. She hadn’t looked so innocent in the vision. There she had shown her true face, not the one she presumably showed the people of the council hall.

Well. Perhaps we’ll meet again later
, she thought with some savagery and snuck to the doorway.

Serdra was placing the lamp back on the exact spot when Katja exited. Katja closed the door as carefully as she’d opened it. And so this mission was done for now.

They went back up to the fourth floor and out on the balcony. Serdra fastened the rope and when the coast was clear Katja let it slide down in two strands and climbed down both of them. Serdra pulled it back up while the guards passed. Then she went down herself and pulled on one strand to loose
n
the knot up on the balcony.

They then crossed to and over the wall. Katja finally relaxed once she again stood on cobblestones. She had broken in the council hall and made it back outside. Another threshold was behind her.

6.

They spent the rest of the night beneath the bridge. They crawled out from under it as dawn broke and split up in search of Frank. It was Katja who found him and reported the night’s events. She described the Brotherhood woman in detail, as well as her dwelling. He would then report to the Shades living in the city and together the people would investigate the woman and seek ways to get at her.

Katja tried not to view this whole thing as a disappointment. It was important to know who was responsible for the death curse. And the Silent War was after all mostly spent waiting and travelling and researching. But she yearned for action and felt a bit like an opportunity had been snatched away from her.

“So we’ll be going back home?” Katja asked after reuniting with Serdra.

“Yes. Let us report to Maron.”

They walked to the gate and got through it as easily as they had entered and headed to Gvendur and the horses.

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

“I see,” Maron said. They were sitting in a lounge in the homestead. “I shall contact our people in the city and oversee an operation against this woman.”

“But you have received new
s
,” Serdra said.

Maron watched her silently for a moment.

“Indeed,” he then said. “News from Farnar.”

Katja got excited at that and knew she was showing it.

“A demon went on a rampage there, just when you had the Sensing,” Maron said with even more severity than usual. “Accounts agree that it was of solid flesh and enormous. It charged out of a forested area close to the capital and attacked dwellings.”

“Was there any order to it?” Serdra asked.

“It doesn’t seem so,” Maron answered. “It was just frenzied. I will admit the descriptions are rather vague, but from the sound of them it was out of control and just destroyed right and left. It tore up objects, beasts and people and sometimes killed every living thing within reach but sometimes just went from one thing to another.”

“Were there attempts to fight it?” Katja asked.

“That is less clear. Some no doubt pointed spears at it in desperation, but you must realise most people just flee at the sight of such a thing.”

“Yes, I suppose they do.”

“But regardless of that it seems to be inactive for now. It left a trail of destruction outside of Farnar City, only to vanish near the Rose Manor.”

“Do you mean people lost sight of it or it
vanished
?” Serdra asked.

“That is one of those unclear details,” Maron said. “The man I spoke to didn’t witness these events personally and stories get less reliable with every mouth they pass through.”

“This is our business,” Katja said firmly and looked at her mentor. “We need to know more, and whether or not a person is responsible for this such a monster needs to be destroyed. Right?”

“There is indeed a need to know more,” Maron said before Serdra could reply. “And as for people there are reports of mysterious traffic just before the monster appeared. Traffic and combat in the night.”

“This sounds like a coven showdown gone out of bounds,” Serdra said, looking thoughtful. “It is certainly worth investigating.”

“And a perfect opportunity to batter the Brotherhood even more, correct?” Katja asked and was really starting to like this turn.

“Yes,” her mentor said. “If two covens are wounded, or one is splitting from the inside, it is best to take advantage.”

“So you will be heading north?” Maron asked.

“Yes. We will go,” Serdra said. She looked at her pupil. Katja thought she saw a smile flash across her mentor’s ageless face.

She herself couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear as she felt the wonderful and terrible mix of fear and excitement course through her being.

I am insane.

“I can arrange passage to Farnar,” Maron said. “From Bag Harbour. It will be far quicker than riding north and south through the Golden Plain.”

“And safer,” Serdra said. “And if this is related to whatever the Brotherhood is attempting in Amerstan then this is big.”

Maron nodded.

“They may be watching the roads,” he said.

“Then we had better use the Ox Road. Is it in any use these days?”

“Not really. It is one victim of the decline.”

“Then we should be only slightly slower than if we used a more popular route. And far safer.”

“And in the meantime I can send a man with a message to ready a boat.”

“There is no reason for us not to set out immediately,” Serdra said. She looked at Katja. “Pack your things.”

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

They changed clothes while a man saddled rested horses for them. They put on jackets, pants and boots of leather, clothing which would offer some slight protection from injury without drawing too much attention. The actual armours would be hidden in the luggage until needed.

Katja felt rather like she was shrugging off the disguise she usually had to wear and buttoning on her true nature.

They finished by throwing rough wool cloaks over all the leather, partly as a defence from the elements and partly to make the swords and leather less obvious.

Serdra finished first and walked out while Katja was putting the boots on. She fastened the cloak on and made sure she could freely draw the sword.

She took a deep breath and walked out of the room.

The time has come.

She almost smacked into Linda.

“I heard you were leaving,” the girl said. She seemed a bit alarmed.

“Yes,” Katja said and couldn’t quite calm her own feelings. “Just... just now.”

“Will you be back?” Linda asked. She held her hands behind her back and Katja thought she looked a bit vulnerable.

“I...” She thought about it. “I expect so. Probably. It will probably depend on what happens in Farnar. But it’s not certain.”

“Yes. Well,” Linda said with some sadness and shifted from one foot to the other. “I made this for you the other day.”

She presented something made of woven brown leather. Katja leaned forward to inspect it more closely.

“It is a choker,” Linda said.

“Ah, I see,” Katja said and didn’t quite know what to say. It had been a while since she received a gift.

“I wanted to give you something that would last,” Linda hurriedly explained. “And something in a dull colour, since you need to be able to hide. And a choker won’t snag on anything in life or death situations.”

“You’ve given this quite a lot of thought,” Katja said with a smile, but felt some nostalgia through the excitement. This might very well be a partin
g
present.

The choker was quite nice-looking despite the lack of colour. The threads were thin and woven into a beautiful pattern of great precision and skill.

“Turn around,” Linda said and Katja obeyed.

The girl placed the band around her neck and tied the loose ends together.

Katja turned back around to face her friend, feeling moved. She touched the choker. The leather was soft enough to not chafe.

“Thank you, Linda,” she said sincerely.

Linda hugged her.

Katja hugged her back and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Good luck with your business,” she said.

They separated and walked out together.

The horses were ready and Maron, Serdra and some of the homestead folk stood by. Katja looked into the saddlebags, to see with her own eyes that all was as it should be. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Serdra look on with approval.

“Is there anything left to tend to?” Maron asked the older Redcloak.

“No, I cannot think of anything,” the woman answered and mounted. Katja followed suit.

Maron nodded.

“May the wind be at your backs.”

“Farewell Maron.” She looked over the assembled people. “Farewell all.”

“Thank you for everything,” Katja said. “Don’t get bored while I’m away.”

Anton shook his head but Katja thought she saw a hint of a smile. Katja looked at Linda. They had already said their goodbyes and now did so again with their eyes.

Serdra kicked her horse and Katja followed.

The homestead vanished from sight as the highlands approached. The homestead folk watched them leave as long as they could be seen. Then a hillock came between them and the journey began in earnest.

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

The Ox Road was an old and almost forgotten road that lay west and east through the highlands that marked the border between Amerstan and Baldur’s Coast.

The way was rather forested and the elements had not been kind to the road, so the going wasn’t as fast as would have been preferable. But that was how they lived; out of sight and paranoid.

Not that Katja couldn’t appreciate a ride through a beautiful area. The trees and hillocks the Ox Road snaked through usually blocked the view, but they occasionally rode through a short stretch where one could look down on a vibrant forest stretching far into the distance.

Now that nothing was going on and since everything had gone well Katja could start enjoying having broken into such a secure building. The council hall was far bigger and more guarded than its colleague in Baldur’s Coast. And they had strolled in and out without anyone being the wiser. It was fun to have such a secret.

They spent the first night beneath foliage in the side of the road. In the morning they ate boiled eggs and crispbread from their luggage and continued.

Shortly before noon it began to rain and Katja threw the cloak hood over her head.

“Oof,” she said out loud as the rain penetrated her clothes and soaked every spot on her body. But she had always wanted to travel and this was a part of it.

“So how do you know this way?” Katja asked once when they rode side by side.

“Maron’s brother introduced me to it when I needed to go about discreetly. Granted, everyone who knows the history of this area knows of this road, but I didn’t know exactly where it was.”

“And what history would that be?”

“You should see it come nightfall.”

They made good progress through the rest of the day. Katja had ample time and peace to wonder what the woman had meant. It was her observation that when an experienced Redcloak spoke of history it could go back quite far.

Suddenly the realization hit that now she would miss the Summer Celebration. She had been too excited over finally leaving to give it thought.

She frowned. So much for that.

It had to be considered a fair trade. Her nature had to be satisfied and the celebration would just have been a bonus. Still, it would have been fun to have both. They would not be staying at the homestead forever. When would she again be able to celebrate with people she knew?

Best not complain over a wish coming true
, she thought a bit sadly.

“We’ll make camp here,” Serdra said once the sky was darkening and the horses were tired.

The location was a rather wide break in all the hillocks. Maron’s homestead would have fit there with a bit of squeezing.

They bound the horses, examined their horseshoes, gave them oats and put blankets over them before tending to themselves.

They placed the two-person tent beneath foliage in the centre of the area. It was made of leather and the blankets wrapped in it had stayed dry. The rain had ceased and the sun peeked out late in the day, so they didn’t bother with a campfire.

Katja hastily broke open two duck eggs and scarfed them down. Then she dug a little hole in the ground and buried the shells so as to not attract wildlife.

She looked around a bit and her gaze settled on a large hill towering over the area to the north.

“Do you need me for anything?” she asked.

“No,” Serdra said as she took practice swings with her sword.

Katja jogged through the trees and up the hill. The area was very uneven and Katja briefly reminisced about childhood frivolity of leaping between mounds.

There were almost no rocks on the hill and the grass was still slick with rainwater. Climbing up it took some effort, especially after a day of riding, but she made it.

Katja walked up on the peak and stood up straight. Amerstan stretched far out before her in the last light of day. There was little to see besides trees and hills and the occasional river. The nearest farmland could just barely be glimpsed. But the seeming emptiness had a beauty of its own.

She sighed contentedly. She was headed for mortal danger, but here alone on the highest spot in the region she could let herself forget that for a moment. Forget about killings and monsters and villains and even her nearby mentor.

Katja stretched her arms out and briefly imagined that she could fly off the highlands over all this empty landscape.

Look at me, Dove
, she thought.

But then she felt a stab of hunger and let her arms drop. The moment of peace had passed and she again felt her savage warrior nature. She snorted a bit with a smile on her lips and started sliding down the hill.