Daughter of Hauk (The Raven Chronicles Book 1) (33 page)

Chapter Thirty-Six

            
 
T
he setting sun reflected off the white walls of Tanisal, bathing them in an almost mocking testament of peace and tranquility. Arwenna scanned the top of the wall for sentries from the edge of the forest.

              “Do not vorry about it today, Sister. Ve go tomorrow mornink. They know ve are comink, no sense in frettink over it. I think it is goink to be one of the easiest times ve have ever had to get into a hostile city.”  Y’Dürkie spoke evenly as she busied herself with the campsite. Tearing her eyes from the city walls, Arwenna started to unsaddle her own horse.

              “Think Barek and Joss are recovered enough to come after us yet?” She dropped the heavy saddle on the ground with a thud. “Or do you think Barek decided to chase us down as soon as he woke up?”  Arwenna said this with a smile.

              “If Joss is smart, he vould have kept Barek asleep until Joss vas vell enough to come. Barek vould not be patient as Joss recovered from healink grandmother. Perhaps the two of them vill even be able to get along after a few days on the road together.”  Y’Dürkie put a good deal of hope into her words.

              Arwenna chuckled, “Somehow I don’t quite see that, Y’Dürkie. I don’t think they’ll kill each other, but I think the trip will be silent. At best, they’ll be able to tolerate each other’s presence. I don’t hope for much beyond that.”

              “You know, then? Vhat the problem is?” Y’Dürkie was looking at her with the question all over her face.

              Nodding, Arwenna continued to work on creating a ring of stones around the newly dug fire pit. “Barek’s been hearing the voices of Father Morgyn and Master Johannes for a while now. They thought they could talk him into running off with me, even against my will. He finally told me at that point.”  She sighed, absently pushing a stray hair out of her face. “Can we talk about something else?  This is just one thing on a long list I’m dealing with after tomorrow. If I start focusing on a myriad of other issues, I won’t be able to do what I have to do.”  She rubbed at her temple, willing away the dull headache building under her skin.

              They were both silent for a while, content to get a fire going and some food cooking. “It seems like a lifetime since ve left this place, Arvenna. So much has happened, so much has changed.”                Arwenna watched as Y’Dürkie started to sharpen her sword with long, deliberate strokes. “It is hard to believe this vill all be over tomorrow.”

              “What do you think you will do after this, Y’Dürkie?  There were many on the field who were Weasel. Do you and D’Mitta still have a home to return to?”  Arwenna poked at the fire with a stick.

              “There vill be a place for us to return to. Not all vere able to come to var, though a vast majority did. It vill take many years to regain our strength and numbers.” She put the whetstone aside for a moment. “Vhat of you and Joss?  Vhere is it you vill go?”

              “Most likely, we will ask to winter with the clan. The child will be born in the winter, and I would not wish to be bogged down in the snow with an infant if there is an alternative. I haven’t spoken to Joss about it yet, but I was very happy in that cottage we found a few days ago. It would depend on if the prior owners returned or not, of course. It was much like the one I lived in with my mother. Perhaps we could return there in the spring, enlarge it as necessary. But it felt so very much like home.”  Her voice trailed off as her mind was momentarily lost in the idea.

              “You know, Arvenna, you vill be visited upon often. Your child vill know who I am from an early age.”  Y’Dürkie handed a bowl of stew to Arwenna.

              She took the bowl eagerly, her hands liking the warmth that seeped through the bowl. Fall was not far off. “I wouldn’t expect anything less of Auntie Y’Dürkie,” she replied with a smile.                Y’Dürkie started at the title, blinking her eyes at Arwenna in confusion. One of them laughed at the idea. The laughter was contagious and they spent the evening amusing each other over past misadventures.

              The warmth of the rising sun woke Arwenna the next morning. “You should’ve woken me hours ago,” she chided Y’Dürkie. “You need as much sleep as I do.”  She hurriedly began to search her pack for a change of clothing. She packed her green dress just for this day.

              “Eh, I got sleep enough. Some fairies showed up after you vere asleep, said Lexi had asked them to guard us tonight so ve could both rest up. Seems she found a vay to help after all.”  Y’Dürkie finished repacking some of the camp gear. “Should ve even bother breakink camp, Arvenna?  I did not think ve vere goink to take the horses into the city. If it goes vell, ve can come back. If it does not…” her voice trailed off, not giving voice to the alternative.

              “We won’t need the stuff,” Arwenna finished the thought. “Just leave it. It will let Barek and Joss know we got this far, at least.”  She dropped the dress she’d been wearing for the last day or two onto one of the packs as she lowered herself to sit on a log. “Just take what we need for the day. It’s going to be a long one, but I don’t think we’ll have time to stop and eat much.”  With deliberate strokes, she started to brush out her braid.

              “You really should keep it braided and up, Arvenna. Havink it down and loose only gives them somethink to grab.”  Y’Dürkie sat down on a tree stump and began to strap on her armor.

              “Not this time, Y’Dürkie. Anything Corse sends my way won’t be something that simple-minded. This is a battle to be fought with magic, not swords or axes. I leave that art to you.”  She reached down and pulled on a shoe.

              “So, how do you vant to go about this?  I have not seen any sentries or guards on the vall. The city seems deserted. Do ve just valk up and knock?”  There was a hint of irritation in her voice that Arwenna easily picked up.

              “If we see any resistance, it’ll probably be undead. I’ll do what I can to clear them out before we enter the gates. After that, I think we need to find out where they’re hiding and do what we came to do.” She put the shoe back on, “From the message we got through D’Mitta, Corse is ready for me. I don’t think he’s going to be hard to find.”  She raised her head and looked Y’Dürkie straight in the eye. “I want your word, Sister, that you will not interfere between me and Corse unless I fall. He is mine to fight. I won’t step in your way with Senyan, don’t get between me and Corse. Do I have your word on that?”

              Y’Dürkie nodded, “Yes, you have my vord. It is possible ve may become separated.”

              “We’ll deal with that if it happens. Keep your target firmly in mind, Sister. He’s not the person you knew anymore.” Arwenna cautioned Y’Dürkie.

              “The Gem vill. It vill tell me vhat is real and vhat is an illusion. It does not like the vay the land has been decayed, and it vill take his death to break the hold.”  Y’Dürkie rose, placing her helmet on her head. “I am ready. Are you?”

              Arwenna nodded, rising resolutely from the log she had been resting on. “Let’s do this.”  Together, they began a slow march towards the city.

              The white walls sat silently, watching them approach. For Arwenna, the walls held none of the former beauty that she could remember. Signs of wear appeared; a crack here, crumbling mortar there. Corse was not kind when he took the city. And the city itself seemed diminished from it.

              The massive front gate stood open, the wooden doors now nothing but giant splinters hanging from bent iron bands. Arwenna put a hand out to stop Y’Dürkie from going through. Closing her eyes, she gathered some of her magic and sent out a wave of green that slowly made its way through the city. Howls of pain could be heard as the undead hiding out in buildings and alleyways began to disintegrate under the light of her spell. The screams halted, and Arwenna gave a nod to Y’Dürkie. Side by side they entered the city.

* * * * *

Joss leaned down and checked the firepit for warmth. Looking over his shoulder, he spoke quietly to Barek. “They can’t be far in front of us, Barek. The embers are still warm to the touch.”  He stood, brushing the ash from his hands. “I think we’ve managed to catch up with them.”

              Barek scanned the campsite, taking in the items left behind. “They’ve gone in pretty light.”  He looked towards the city walls. “Any idea how far behind them we are?”

              Joss bent down, examining a small apple core left near a log. “Less than an hour, judging by this.”  A small amount of hope grew within him, matched immediately by fear. If it’d been less than an hour, most likely Arwenna was fighting Corse or Senyan. One of the three might be dead already. Swallowing hard, he pushed away the thought that it was her.

              Feeling Barek’s eyes on him, Joss looked towards the huge half orc. “Don’t worry, Barek. I’ve got my magic available. The last of the curse that I pulled out of D’Mitta burned through me last night. I’m certain she’s still feeling the effects of the ordeal, but I’m fine now.”  Pulling the curse from D’Mitta had been very difficult and tiring. It had taken several hours to finally cleanse the last threads from her. Barek had kept a fast pace with the horses once they’d left, but not so fast that Joss hadn’t been able to recover.

              A low growl originated from Barek. Joss reached into his quiver and notched an arrow in reaction to the look on Barek’s face.

              The sudden tension faded from his face, but the rage still boiled just under the surface. “Elf, have you ever seen a barbarian go into a rage before?”

              “Yes, once or twice.”  Joss replied, keeping the bow ready.

              “Good. If I do that, don’t get in my way. There’s some people in there that I have to deal with. I promised Arwenna I’d keep you safe, so don’t get in front of me.”  With that warning, Barek headed towards the city. Joss watched him for a moment before following.

* * * * *

Corpses littered the streets. Men, women, children were left to rot where they had been killed. The walls of the shops and homes had started to crumble from vines pushing their way into crevices. The central square of the city lay in ruin, the once beautiful fountain now dry. Bodies had been thrown onto the massive spire in the center, the blood that had run down the once pristine marble had dried.               Y’Dürkie felt Arwenna’s eyes on her as she swallowed her rage. “Not yet, Y’Dürkie. But soon.”

The cry of a raven pierced the silence. Y’Dürkie and Arwenna both whipped their heads towards the sky to catch a glimpse of a bird heading to a tower not far away. Looking again at each other, Arwenna started walking quickly towards the tower, Y’Dürkie hard on her heels.

              “Vhy am I not surprised, Arvenna. This seems so very appropriate.” Y’Dürkie whispered into Arwenna’s ear as they came to a stop outside the stronghouse for the Paladins of Silas.

              Reaching out, Arwenna touched the wall. Y’Dürkie remembered the last time they had walked through this gate. Using the memory to fuel her rage, she strode through without hesitation. Senyan was in here somewhere, which meant Corse wouldn’t be far. “We go up, Sister. They’re up a level or two.” Arwenna’s voice penetrated her concentration. Cursing under her breath, she followed Arwenna across the courtyard, reaching her as she put her foot on a narrow staircase.

              Y’Dürkie’s arm pulled her back. “Me first, Sister. I do not need to trip over you to get to Senyan.”

              Arwenna moved aside to let Y’Dürkie climb the stairs ahead of her. They were both equally anxious to have this over and done with.

              The staircase spiraled upwards, opening into a small courtyard with four additional exits. Arched stone walkways surrounded it. Recent rains had covered the wall in dark rivulets of water, making the very stone seem to weep. Small puddles sat scattered about the wooden floor. Cautiously, Y’Dürkie led Arwenna out into the courtyard.

              “How very predictable. You still hide behind Y’Dürkie whenever possible, Arwenna. Haven’t you learned to fight your own battles yet?”  Senyan’s sarcastic voice taunted them from the left.

              Whirling, Y’Dürkie watched him as he emerged from the shadowy corridor. His face had changed little since she last saw him, though the intensity in his eyes was greater. A low growl escaped from Y’Dürkie’s throat. She could feel the strength surging through her muscular frame. Any doubt she had harbored about her task fled as her focus bent to sending him to whatever afterlife would take him.

              “Really, Senyan. I am surprised you would chide me for the very thing you used to do. Or did you prefer to hide behind rocks and trees?  I often forget which it was; you were so good at hiding.”  Arwenna’s voice floated at the edge of Y’Dürkie’s mind. She knew what Arwenna was trying to do. The more off balance she could make him with words, the faster he would make a mistake in the fight with Y’Dürkie.

              “Grow up, Arwenna. I don’t play childish games any more. I’m so much more interested in the adult ones.”  A fireball erupted from his hand, heading straight for Arwenna.

              Y’Dürkie took a small step to her left, unsheathing her sword with a fluid motion. The Gem pulsed to life, igniting her blade with green flame. The sword intercepted the fireball, engulfing both her and the sword in a heatless red glow. Y’Dürkie felt rather than heard the Gem growl in hatred. She stood tall, holding her sword point low, a small grin played at the corners of her mouth.