Extermination (Daniel Black Book 3) (45 page)

That’s when the fun would begin. I’d found a variant on my power enchantment that made a terrifyingly energetic neutron source, and after a day of working with it I’d finally realized that there were simpler ways to apply it to a target than my original concept of smuggling radioactive dust.

Instead, when it activated my little device would let go of the branch and float up to a hundred feet or so above treetop level. Then it would hover over to the target zone, and drift around at random while directing a narrow cone of neutron radiation at the ground below.

Neutrons are invisible, and the divination wards I’d worked into my device would hide it from most methods of detecting magic. There was no ward around the target to detect physical objects entering the area, most likely because the birds and bats that lived in the jungle would have set off something like that constantly. At night there was virtually no chance of such a small object being spotted, and even if someone did catch a glimpse they’d probably assume it was a bat.

So I figured their first warning of danger would come when some of the guards started feeling sick, a few hours after the attack began. After that would come confusion and suspicion, checks for poisoning and exotic diseases, and a slowly growing realization that this wasn’t just a targeted attack on a few guards. But it takes time for radiation sickness to set in, and the random movements of my drone meant that there would be a lot of variability in exposure. The andregi weren’t that organized, and it could easily take them a day to realize the scope of the problem.

By then it would be too late. The device would banish itself at daybreak, and the marker pebbles would go with it. The only thing left would be the radioactive isotopes created by the neutron beam, in the trees and soil and even the bodies of the sleeping warriors.

I could envision the effects. First the trees that had been directly struck by the neutron beam would die, marking the random wandering of my device in trails of brown foliage and failing sleep pods. Any andregi who approached the dead zones would fall sick too, dying in a few days from the high level of residual radiation.

While those unfortunates were still watching their hair fall out the dead zones would spread, as the unstable isotopes created by the neutron beam continued to emit a steady stream of radiation. Pockets of sickness would spring up randomly around the surrounding camps and settlements as well, wherever an andregi managed to accidentally spread a dangerous amount of irradiated dirt or plant matter around.

Within a week, everything in the target zone would be dead. Trees, hedge, sleep pods, waking andregi, wildlife, even most of the insects. It would take months for the radiation to die down to safe levels again. Maybe years.

It was the perfect plan, for a victory that had to remain a secret. Gaea would have no one to blame, no clues about who had destroyed her genocidal army and no real understanding of how it had been done. For the targets who woke up it would be an ugly way to die, but fuck them. After what I’d seen, I didn’t care if they suffered.

As far as I was concerned, eight million dead andregi was a good start.

I checked the enchantments on the device one last time, making sure everything was in order. No sign that I’d been detected, either. Now all I had to do was keep it that way until I got back to our camp.

A distant sound caught my ear. A shout. The distinctive boom of a heavy object striking a metal shield. A scream. What the hell?

I turned back to the Halls, and immediately spotted a brilliant spike of magic that hadn’t been there before. A malevolent spell of warping and devouring… wait, was that a gate? A gate powered by necromancy, that could open anywhere. As far as I knew there was only one of those.

Firelight sprung up among the trees, and the commotion grew. I caught a momentary glimpse of war golems moving down a path spewing streams of flame, before they were hidden behind a column of smoke.

“Fuck! Brand, what are you thinking?” I muttered under my breath. “You can’t destroy this place with a commando raid. It’s too big. It would take days to do any real damage, and you won’t have that kind of time. The wards will put the fires out before they can spread, and you’ll get mobbed by the garrison.”

I watched for another minute, and realized it was worse than I’d thought. The consecration on the Halls was massively powerful, and it was gradually crushing the enchantments on those war golems. The wizards he’d brought were already struggling to maintain their spells, and the gate itself was becoming unstable. If they didn’t pull out quick they were going to get massacred.

Horns were blowing all over the Halls now, and in the encampment as well. More lights appeared, and masses of troops scrambled to meet the threat.

How far was this alarm going to spread?

I spun, scanning the distance, and saw more lights spring up in some kind of treetop perch a couple of miles back in the direction of town. Did the andregi have a signal relay set up?

What if they decided to check up on their visitors, and found me missing?

I fled for the river, cursing under my breath. No clean, leisurely sneak for me now. I had to make it back to camp before whoever was running things in Ugrot got word of the attack.

I didn’t quite beat the alarm back to Ugrot, but it was close enough. There were horns blowing at several points around the city when I dropped back into the camp, but there were no andregi in view.

Withril and Leskin were outside, peering out into the dark streets of the town.

“What happened?” Withril asked.

“Where’s Othvin?”

“Here.” The merchant stepped out of one of the tents, fully dressed and looking more irritated than nervous.

“Good. I think those idiots in Kozalin staged a raid on the Halls,” I said.

He groaned. “Freya’s tits, this is going to be a mess. Alright, we just need to keep our wits about us. They’ll have closed the gate by now, and I’m sure they’ll want to question us on general principles. But the crazy antics of desperate humans have nothing to do with us, and once they calm down a little they’ll realize that. Unless the attack did some major damage?”

I shook my head. “I doubt it. Either they pulled out quickly, or they got massacred.”

“Well, that’s bad for them, but good for us. I trust you’re prepared to explain your little excursion if questioned on it?”

I shrugged. “I climbed a tree and tried practicing my little trick for possessing wildlife? That’s not a crime here, is it? I just saw the fire from a distance, and decided to take a look.”

“There aren’t any owls in this region, so I assume it must have been a bat,” he mused. “Probably one of the big ones with the red marking around the eyes, since I doubt the smaller breeds would have useable eyesight.”

“Ah, yeah.”

“Well, don’t bring that up unless someone specifically asks about it. More generally, answer questions but volunteer nothing. Most likely we’ll be questioned by some low-ranked matriarch on general suspicion, and be released in time to finish our business.”

There was noise on the street, now. Marching feet, coming rapidly closer.

Othvin leaned closer to whisper in my ear. “If this goes bad, any one of us can get you through the Ways. You’ll just need to hide out in the jungle until they turn the gate back on.”

“Noted,” I said.

Then there was no more time for talking. Forty or so andregi soldiers burst into the market, and moved quickly to surround us.

“What are you puny creatures doing awake at this hour?” The apparent leader demanded. His men leveled their spears at us, ready to attack at the slightest provocation.

“We heard the commotion,” Othvin replied. “It’s hard to sleep through the sound of so many horns.”

How he managed to stay so cool I don’t know. His complete lack of guilt seemed to surprise the officer, but he only hesitated for a moment.

“Hah! A likely story. Hand over your weapons, all of you. The matriarchs will get to the bottom of this plot.”

They took our swords and daggers, and tied our hands behind our backs with thick lengths of rope. But they didn’t bother to search us, so I went along with it. I could get free whenever I wanted to, and I was sure the elves had tricks up their sleeves as well.

More feet approached while they were doing that, but I was too distracted to pay much attention. Until my enhanced hearing picked out a familiar voice.

“…already told you, Gorkul, I’m not going to bother with all that crap when it’s obviously a waste of time. The Red Conclave doesn’t have any svartalfar allies, and they wouldn’t need spies here to launch a raid like that anyway. Brand is the one I ought to be questioning. Those Aesir have to be up to something.”

I risked a glance, and caught a glimpse of long red hair in the middle of a group of especially burly andregi. Fuck. What were the odds?

“Elves are a lot trickier than Aesir, Exalted One,” a male I assumed must be Gorkul replied. “Rendall thinks Korak can handle beating on a prisoner, but if this group is up to something you’re the only one sly enough to see through them.”

“Great. I’m so thrilled my biggest brother thinks I’m a conniving bitch,” Mara said dryly. “Fine, let’s get this over with.”

She shouldered her way through the mob of soldiers, and put her hands on her hips. She looked very different than the last time I’d seen her, in Kozalin. She’d traded out the dress for boots, a short leather skirt and a leather halter top held together by rawhide lacing in the front. The outfit barely covered the essentials, and there was a wide gap between the two panels of her top that exposed the slopes of her breasts through the laces.

“Alright you devious fuckers, obviously something big is going down and it’s time for the obligatory questioning of foreigners. You’re going to tell me all about whatever petty smuggling and spying and shit you’re really up to here, and if none of it is what I’m checking for I’m going to shrug and say I don’t give a fuck. Then you all get to go home in one piece, got it?”

Othvin bowed. “Of course, Exalted One. We live to serve. Where should I begin?”

“Names,” Mara growled.

Crap, crap, crap. What do I do? Well, there’s always a chance she won’t recognize me with pointy ears.

“Of course. I am Othvin, the lead trader for this expedition. This is my special assistant Telvaris, my guards Withril, Leskin and Nalvin, and our mage Vinyil.”

Mara studied each elf intently as he was named, until he came to me. My heart sank as I watched the astonished shock spread across her face.

“You!”

“Hello, Mara. How are you doing? I have to say, the Amazon goddess look really works for you.”

“What the fuck are you doing here?” She shouted. “Have you completely lost your mind? Do you have any idea what… ah, fuck. Damn it! ”

Her face was turning red. Little flames sprung up in her hair, and danced along her arms. The andregi soldiers were all slowly backing away.

“Oh, don’t be like that,” I said. “I’m not here to cause trouble for you. I even brought you a present.”

“A… a present?”

Her flush deepened, and she looked adorably confused for a moment. But then the anger was back.

“You!” She shook her finger in my face. “You have a lot of explaining to do, mister. But not here. Gorkul, I’ve changed my mind. We’re taking these suspicious foreigners in for intensive questioning.”

She grabbed me by my braid, and set off across the market with me. I stumbled, and she used her handhold to shove me in front of her. Her other hand came to rest on my shoulder, and squeezed it tightly.

“Crazy man,” she grumbled under her breath. “Don’t struggle, or I’ll have to hit you.”

“I-”

“Shut up, ‘Vinyil’. Not here.”

I shut up.

We walked for some distance through the dark streets of the town, until we reached a clearing lit by more glowing gourds on sticks. There was a party of andregi on guard there, around a large stone disk set into the ground. Mara pushed me onto the disk, and directed the rest of the group to gather around us.

“Come on, come on. Guards, too. Yeah, all you limp dicks from the town guard are coming with us. I want lots of eyes on these guys. Make sure nothing is sticking out past the edge of the rock, or you’re going to lose it.

Mara fed a pulse of magic into the stone, and our surroundings changed in a flash. Now we were standing on a different stone, in the middle of a field of flowers. A gravel path led off across the field, past a stand of banana trees and up to a large passageway cut into a steep-sided hill.

“This way.”

My captor paused to pick a couple of bananas from one of the trees, and led us into the hill. The maze of passages inside was lit by windows and skylights, which let in more than enough light for elven vision even at night. It didn’t seem to bother Mara either, but our guards stumbled around running into walls and furniture until she lit up her hair again with an aggravated sigh.

We went down a flight of stairs, and then another. The skylights were replaced by glowing stones set into the walls, that shed a steady orange glow bright enough to read by. At two points we passed through heavy wooden doors guarded by groups of andregi heroes with blood weapons and armor, much like the elites I’d fought in Kozalin. Enough of them that I wasn’t at all sure I could get my people out of here if things went south.

Finally we came to a door that was made of stone, and closed. There was a little vision slit in it, and an andregi peering through from the other side.

“Open up, boys,” Mara ordered. “I’ve got some fresh customers.”

“Elves, huh? They won’t last long.”

The door swung open, and I was dismayed to find that the room on the other side was a torture chamber. A primitive one, with implements of wood and bone instead of metal, but it was still pretty obvious what they were for.

Mara shoved me roughly into the room, and the guards manhandled my companions in after us. Crap. Had I misjudged the situation? But she knew about my amulet, and she hadn’t tried to take it.

It was a big room, brightly lit by numerous glowing stones in the ceiling. One whole side opened up onto a giant pit, while a row of tiny cells lined the opposite wall. A couple of human prisoners were tied to posts around the edges of the room, and in the middle a hugely muscled form was strapped to a heavy wooden frame.

Brand looked up impassively as we entered. He looked like hell. Bruised and battered, with bloody wounds all over his arms and torso. He glared at Mara.

“You’ll get nothing from me, Unraveller.”

“I’m not here for you, dumbass. You’re my brother’s problem, and why isn’t he down here anyway? You guys should know better than to leave an Aesir this lightly guarded.”

There were a half-dozen andregi in the room, all of them pretty mean-looking customers. Still a good point, although I could see that the cords around Brand’s wrists and ankles were enchanted to sap his strength.

One of the guards shrugged. Or were they torturers?

“Lorin and Nerg had stuff to do, and Korak hasn’t shown up yet. I sent word up to Rendall, but I haven’t heard back yet.”

“What a pack of useless idiots,” Mara grumbled. “Fine, these guys are your reinforcements until someone who’s actually tough shows up. Gorkul, you’re the only guy here with any sense. Keep an eye on things, and give our guest a kick in the balls or something if he causes any trouble. Just get your ass out of here quick when Korak finally shows up. I don’t need him kicking your ass again.”

“What about the elves?” Gorkul asked.

“Put them in the cells,” she ordered. “Let them enjoy the view for a while, but nobody gets to touch them but me. I’m taking this one in the back for some personal attention.”

There was some laughter among the guards at that. Mara rolled her eyes, but another sound interrupted before she could say anything.

There was something in the pit. Something big and hideous and full of demonic magic. It was too deep to get a clear look from this angle, but I caught glimpses of an armored shell and huge crab-like claws as it shifted and hissed. And teeth. Way too many long, sharp teeth, in mouths that seemed to be mounted on the ends of thick tentacles.

“Oh, do you like our little pet?” Mara said. “He’s a god eater from the Stygian Abyss. Mom calls him Biter, because when he takes a piece out of you it’s not just your flesh he eats. Hey Brand, think you can guess what we’re going to do with you when we’re done asking questions?”

“I thought you weren’t going to bother with me, Unraveller?”

He was trying to act tough, but his eyes kept straying back to the monster as it moved. A long stalk with three eyes on the end rose up from the pit, and looked at him hungrily.

Mara turned a malicious grin on him. “Good thing he can’t climb, huh? Don’t worry, asshole, we’re not allowed to mess with each other’s prisoners. Too bad, cause I’d love to get a little payback on you for dad. Come on, elf boy. You’ve got some questions to answer.”

The elves were all securely locked into the barred cells by then. Mara pulled me across to the other side of the room, through a door I hadn’t noticed and down a short hallway into another room. There she slammed the heavy wooden door shut, and threw the bolt.

“There. Mom’s off fighting with Sigyn over who gets to fuck dad, and no one else can spy on us here. Now talk.”

“Well, okay. About what?”

She grabbed me by the front of my leather armor, and slammed me against the stone wall with an inarticulate cry of rage.

“Don’t pull that shit with me, Daniel! What the fuck are you doing here? Do you realize how dangerous this is? Yeah, mom’s kind of dumb, but if she figures out who you are you’re never getting out of here.”

Shit, she was strong. When did she get so violent? Keep it cool, Daniel, if she’s worried about you that’s actually a good sign.

“Yeah, hence the whole being an elf thing. I’m being careful, Mara. You’re the only one here who would recognize me.”

“And I’m supposed to just keep that a secret?” She shot back. “While you blow up mom’s house or something? I have to live here, Daniel.”

“I’m not planning to blow up your mother’s palace, Mara. All that would do is piss her off, and why would I go out of my way to do that? I have enough problems without having an elder goddess specifically out for my blood.”