Quillblade (9 page)

The lookout straightened and hefted her crossbow over one shoulder. ‘If they aren't landing at Gesshoku, why are the bells still ringing?'

Captain Shishi was staring towards the western wall. ‘Those are warning bells. They ring when Demons are sighted in the Wastelands.'

‘Great.' Kenji started climbing back up the airdock. ‘Let's get out of here.' No one moved. He paused. ‘Captain, don't you think we should make our escape?'

‘And leave the people of Gesshoku to face the Demons alone?' Shin's brow was creased in disapproval. ‘Coward! What kind of monster are you? There are children here. We cannot leave.' She turned to the captain. ‘We have to fight.'

‘If you're finished with your righteous speech, Miss Morality,' the navigator snapped, dismissing her with a wave of his hand, ‘you might want to consider the fact that if the Demons do attack and the signal fires are lit, very soon this
airdock is going to be swarming with military airships.
Shôgo
airships. The kind of airships we should really try to avoid, unless you
want
to be dragged back to Itsû to face Lord Shôgo.'

‘We're in Tsuki domain, Mister
Navigator,
' Shin retorted. ‘Chances are the Yûgure clan will come before the Warlord's forces, and they won't turn us over to the Shôgo.'

‘Oh, and you have spoken to Lord Yûgure lately, I suppose. Even if you are right, don't you think the Warlord might be a bit suspicious that there's a signal fire burning in Gesshoku when we were last seen heading north? Then there's that Shôgo airship that just flew by and is heading over to the Wastelands, which is where the Demons are, by the way. Of course he's going to –'

‘Enough, both of you.' The captain stepped between them. ‘Unless I am mistaken, the Bestia who powers the
Hiryû
is exhausted. Is that correct, Master Clemens?' Lenis nodded, still looking pale. ‘Even if we could abandon these people to the Demons, we cannot leave until the Bestia is fully rested. It would do no good to leave now, only to fall out of the sky and be at the Warlord's mercy. We have some time before the Shôgo forces arrive. We can use that time to help the people of Gesshoku.'

Kenji shook his head but followed the others as they made their way to the western wall, about five hundred yards from the base of the airdock. Missy's mouth went dry as she realised there was going to be another fight. A battle far worse than the one with the Shôgo forces because this time
they wouldn't be fighting humans. They'd be facing Demons. Savage, relentless Demons. Threats couldn't stop a Demon. From the tales Missy had heard, almost nothing could.

Lenis grabbed Missy's hand and held her back. ‘Missy, I have to talk to you about something.'

‘I know, brother. This will be the first time either of us has ever seen a Demon.'

Now that it came down to it, Missy's curiosity about the Wastelands evaporated. She decided she could quite happily live out the rest of her days without ever knowing any more about Wastelands and Demons than she did now.

‘No!'

Missy turned to look into her brother's eyes. ‘Lenis, what is it?'

‘It's about Seisui.'

‘Seisui?'

‘The Blue Dragon Tenjin said the temple was dedicated to! I've been dreaming about her, I think, only she called herself something else.'

This was hardly the time to be talking about dreams, but her brother was being so intense. ‘What do you mean?'

Lenis was still pulling on her arm. ‘Apsilla. She called herself Apsilla, but she was a dragon, and she called herself the Blue Dragon of the East.'

‘So?'

‘The Blue Dragon of the East, just like Seisui!'

‘Lenis, I don't –'

‘It must be her, Missy!'

Missy pulled her arm out of her brother's grip. She placed both her hands on Lenis's shoulders. ‘Calm down, little brother. It was just a dream.'

‘I've had it more than once.'

Missy looked over her shoulder and saw that the others were almost at the wall. ‘How often?'

‘Every night since we came to Shinzô.'

Missy took a deep breath and turned back to Lenis. ‘Describe it to me.'

Lenis told her about the blue light, the dragon's silhouette, and about how Apsilla had asked Lenis to save her daughter. When he was finished Missy let out a long breath.

‘It
could
be a Bestia calling out to you ... I don't know, Lenis. Sometimes, when Bestia are far away, they will reach out to a Bestia communicator through dreams, but ... Have you ever had any dreams like this before?' Lenis shook his head. ‘There's not much we can do about it now. Let's catch up with the others. We can ask the captain –' Lenis went even whiter and Missy hurried on, ‘or Lord Tenjin about it later.'

Lenis remained silent as Missy led him to the wall. It rose before them, ten feet high, six feet thick, sturdy, stone, but it seemed paltry compared to the threat of the Demons. Missy had already decided they would be twenty feet tall and capable of knocking down the village's defences without any effort.

As they drew nearer Missy noticed the villagers had come out to join them. They were surprisingly well armed
with swords, bows and spears. The weapons had obviously been well maintained, even if the houses of Gesshoku had not, which was mute evidence of the reality of life near the Wastelands.

They reached the wall and Missy climbed up the thin ladder in front of her. Lenis followed. As her head appeared over the top of the wall the wind pushed back into Missy's face. It carried with it the sickly-sweet odour of unclean things and made her gag. ‘What is that?'

Tenjin was leaning on the edge of the wall, looking out over the field below. His breath was shallow, making his words rasp. ‘It is the miasma of the Wastelands. Wrap a scarf around your face so you do not get too much of it into your lungs. It can cause sickness if you are not careful.'

Missy felt a tug on her sleeve and turned to see Namei offering her a scarf identical to the one around her own neck. The cabin girl showed her how to wrap it around her head to protect her nose and mouth without suffocating herself, before offering another strip of fabric to Lenis.

‘Thank you,' Missy said through the muffling cloth. Namei nodded.

Lenis, halfway through securing his own scarf, pointed to the horizon. ‘Look!'

Missy turned towards the west. A wall of fog seemed to be bearing down on them, and beneath it shadows swirled and writhed. She could hear a low growling coming from behind it. Missy shuddered. It was like the commotion she had heard
earlier. It had to be the Demons. They were communicating telepathically with one another in a language she could not understand. But if they could talk to one another, then they were more than just the mindless horrors she had heard stories about. They were intelligent.

Savage, relentless,
intelligent
Demons.
As Missy's terror grew she felt an answering tingle in the Quillblade, hidden inside her shirt.

‘Here they come.' Captain Shishi drew his sword. The rasp of the metal sent a chill down her spine.

Lenis struggled to breathe through the strip of cloth Namei had given him to cover his mouth and nose. The scarf wasn't enough to block out the acrid vapour that rose up from the plain below the walls of Gesshoku. The Demons were close enough now for Lenis to see the red gleam of their eyes and the green-tinged foam that flecked their maws. They came in a surprising range of sizes and shapes, from lumbering bear Demons and sturdy ox Demons, to swift-footed rabbit Demons and winging avian Demons. Not all of them were black either, as the stories Lenis had heard always claimed. Some were an assortment of scabby browns, dirty tans and grey ash. Whatever their colour, their skin peeled in places to reveal raw flesh.

Bestial cries of rage and despair flowed up to the top of the wall, leaving behind only a lingering sense of sadness that muted Lenis's fear. The Demons' communal sorrow rode on
the wave of miasma that rolled before them. Lenis could feel it, as surely as he could feel his own Bestia's emotions, but there was something behind that sorrow, literally
behind
it, hidden in the Wasteland fog. The rumbling of the Demon charge set the walls of Gesshoku trembling, but behind it all was another rhythm, another beat. It was the steady tramp of feet, not a disorganised Demonic onrush, but a measured and militant marching. These emotions weren't the simple, instinctual, unfocused passions Lenis sensed in the Demons. They were too complex, too individual, for Lenis to register anything concrete, but whatever was waiting behind the Demonic vanguard, hidden by the foulness of the Wastelands, was a terrible presence full of hunger, a dreadful anticipation and triumph. It was an aura stronger than any Lenis knew.

‘Wait for them to come to us,' Lenis heard Captain Shishi say.

‘Such is not the way to glory!' Yami cried as he leapt to the base of the wall. Everyone stared after him, but his drawn blade shone with a light so bright that Lenis had to shield his eyes.

The captain swore and raised his own sword above his head. ‘We cannot allow him to fight alone!
Go!
' The last command was issued in Shinzôn, but Lenis didn't need his sister to translate it for him. It was time to fight.

But he could not.

The villagers and most of his crewmates were already at the base of the wall. Those who had landed heavily took a
moment to recover their balance and then chased after their more agile fellows. Fear, like something that could be caught by the wind, rushed up from both forces to surround Lenis. He reeled.

‘Lenis, what is it?' Missy's grip on his arm was firm.

‘What's wrong with him?' Namei's voice was higher, more urgent.

Tenjin knelt before him. ‘The spirit of the field has overwhelmed him.' The old man's face filled his vision and the insistent sense of fear and regret receded as he stared into the lines on Tenjin's face.

Behind his shoulder he saw Namei watching him closely. She looked concerned, but he could feel something very close to disdain in her. Did she think he couldn't handle it? That he was going to faint?

Lenis focused on Tenjin. ‘We have to stop them. They don't know! They can't feel it.'

Missy pinched his arm. ‘Feel what?'

‘Can't you hear them?'

‘Who?'

‘The Demons.' Lenis forced himself to stand. Over the top of the wall he could see the two forces moving closer to each other.

Missy frowned. ‘What about them?'

‘There's something behi –'

Lenis's words were drowned out as the two forces collided. He looked over the top of the wall. Yami had reached the
front rank of the Demon army and had already penetrated deep into their midst, his flashing sword swinging in wide arcs. The Demons fell away, their blood darkening the grass beneath them. The other defenders of Gesshoku tried to keep up with him, but they seemed unable to match his ferocity.

‘It's too late.' Lenis covered his face with his hands and tried to block out the maelstrom of emotions that rose up from the field. Somewhere behind the battle something much more dangerous was waiting, and he had to try and locate it.

Just in time, he did.

‘Look out!'

Namei screamed as the Demon emerged from the miasma. ‘What is
that?
'

Tenjin stood to look over the parapet. ‘It is an
Onishu.
Demon Lord.'

Lenis jumped. He had heard Tenjin clearly. The field below had fallen quiet. The Demons melted away from their Lord, retreating into the Wastelands. The defenders of Gesshoku stood and stared. None of them had seen a Demon like this before. As far as Lenis knew, no one had.

The Demon Lord towered above the combatants, twice as tall as the walls of Gesshoku. His feet were clawed like a bird's; he had a serpentine tail and two sets of great bat wings sprouted from his back. His chest and limbs were otherwise like a man's, but his face was that of a bull and he had a woolly mane. Ram's horns crowned his temples. His eyes were small blue flames flickering in otherwise empty sockets
and his breath, hot and tainted with the stench of the Wastelands, reached the walls. In one hand he carried a tree-length spear.

Lenis stared. They all did. The Demon Lord stood before them, and Lenis could feel the satisfaction it felt at their reaction.

The horrible creature shook its mane. ‘I am Shamutar, Lord of Destruction. Submit to me!'

This
was what Lenis had sensed lurking behind the Demon horde.

The Demon Lord swung his spear down and pointed it at Gesshoku.

Tenjin had pulled a thick book from somewhere within the folds of his robe and was running a finger down one page. Suddenly he looked up and slammed the book shut. He raised one hand above his head and called out over the battlefield, ‘I summon forth the Guardian Storm!'

Lenis looked to his sister, who shrugged and pointed back to the Demon Lord. Far above his head, dark clouds had begun to gather out of the otherwise clear sky. Shamutar threw his arms wide and roared into the growing darkness. Great balls of orange flame erupted from his mouth and flew into the cloudbank. There was a moment when the whole underside of it turned red, and then it darkened again.

Shamutar folded in on himself and then straightened, howling louder, sending larger, brighter balls of flame into the cloud.

Tenjin fell back and covered his eyes with his hand for a moment. ‘I am not strong enough.' His voice was haggard. He opened his eyes and clutched Missy's arm. ‘But you could do it.'

Missy tried to pull away, but the old man must have had a strong grip because no matter how she struggled, she couldn't shake him off.

‘Hey!' Lenis grabbed Tenjin's arm and tried to prise his grip loose.

The old man suddenly let go, and Missy fell back against the parapet. ‘Listen to me, both of you! There isn't much time. The only being powerful enough to defeat a Demon Lord is a Totem. Lord Raikô is our only chance. You must summon him!'

Lenis looked from Tenjin to Missy. His sister was frowning, but he could tell from the way she had drawn her brows together that she was thinking.

‘Lord Raikô?' she said.

The fiery glow from the battlefield grew more intense and the cacophony coming from the Demons began to drown out the battle cries of the defenders of Gesshoku. ‘I am too old,' Tenjin went on. ‘I no longer have the strength, but you could do it, Misericordia Clemens. You have the Quillblade. Lady Iki came to your aid back in Itsû. She recognised your bond with the avian Bestia who serve Lord Raikô. You can use that bond to summon him to fight this Demon Lord.'

Lenis gasped. What was the old man rambling about? Summon a Totem? Did they even exist? And the Quillblade! Lenis didn't like that thing one bit. If just holding it had taken Missy's fear from her, what would using it to summon a creature as powerful as a Demon Lord do to her?

But Missy nodded. Her frown vanished, replaced by a look of determination Lenis knew was a mirror of his own. ‘All right. What do I have to do?'

‘Missy!'

‘I can do it, little brother.'

Tenjin's relief was palpable. Lenis felt it pushing back the spirit of the battlefield below. ‘Hold the Quillblade aloft and call out to the Lord of Storms. He will come.'

Missy nodded again and took a step away from the records keeper. She drew the Quillblade from under her cloak and held the limp feather above her head in both hands.

‘No!'
Lenis cried.

Too late.

Missy was already shouting, ‘Raikô! Lord of Storms! Totem of Thunder and Lightning and Wind,
I summon you!
'

The Quillblade stiffened and a spark of lightning arced from its tip to the roiling mass of cloud that Tenjin had created. There was a crack of thunder and the air itself seemed to shake. A fearsome avian shriek pierced the field.

Lenis clamped his hands over his ears, focusing all of his attention, all of his special gift, on Missy. Something was draining out of her, being sucked up through the
Quillblade and channelled into the looming cloudbank. What was happening to her? Lenis had never sensed anything like this before.

Suddenly Missy cried out and fell back. The Quillblade wilted in her hands.

‘Missy!' Lenis crouched beside his sister. Her eyelids fluttered closed. Something was terribly wrong. Lenis felt nothing from her, as if she were dead. ‘Missy!'

Thunder pealed and a bright flash lit the sky. Lightning struck the Demon Lord. Shamutar cried out again. Lenis could feel his pain and outrage.

He didn't care. He pushed it away. ‘Missy!' He pulled her into his arms.

A droning noise covered the field. Lenis felt tears on his cheek. Too many. Not tears. Rain. Hard rain. The droplets stung his skin, soaked him through in a moment. The water plastered Missy's hair to her face and turned her lips blue, her cheeks almost white. The earth shook, and then there was silence. The rain stopped. The sun shone again.

‘Forgive me, Master Clemens.' Tenjin slumped down on top of the wall. ‘Your sister was not ready for such a summoning.'

‘You've killed her!' Lenis threw back his head, sending water flying from his hair and shoulders. His shrill cry carried through the now still air.

The old man knelt next to him and pressed a finger to her throat. ‘She still lives. We must get her back to the
Hiryû
so Long Liu can look at her.'

Lenis shook his head. It didn't make sense. How could she still be alive? She was ...
empty.

‘The Demons are running away!' Namei cried. ‘It's like the sun is melting the miasma. The Demon Lord's gone, too.'

Lenis couldn't feel Shamutar's presence any longer, but what did it matter? He held his sister's body close to him and cried.

‘Master Clemens?' He could feel Tenjin's confusion, but Lenis didn't care. The old man had killed his sister. ‘We must get her back to the
Hiryû.
'

Tenjin's words made no sense. No matter how hard Lenis tried, no matter how deep he sent his strange awareness, he could feel nothing from his sister. She simply wasn't there. How could she be alive?

Lenis felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up. It was Namei. ‘Let me help you carry her back to the airship, Lenis.'

If Namei hadn't spoken his name, he would have refused, but somehow the sound of it drained away his defiance. He nodded.

Namei lifted Missy's feet and Lenis took her shoulders. Together they manoeuvred her awkwardly down the ladder, Tenjin following. By the time they reached the ground the villagers had opened the gates and the fighters were returning. Yami moved through the crowd quickly, his head bowed, his eyes staring out from behind his dishevelled hair.

He stopped when he saw them carrying Missy, and then hurried towards them. ‘What happened?'

The other crewmembers came up, and Lenis took a moment to notice they were soaked in blood and mud before turning his attention back to his sister.

‘I don't know.' Lenis bit his lip to keep from saying more, or crying out.

Namei went on for him. ‘We have to get her to Master Long.'

Yami nodded. He took Missy out of their arms and draped her over his shoulder before running off towards the airdock.

The captain placed a hand on Lenis's shoulder. ‘What happened, Master Clemens? How is it your sister was injured when she did not take part in the fighting?'

Didn't take part?
Lenis seethed. The captain drew his hand back quickly, as if Lenis had physically struck him. He wanted to, too. If Missy had stayed out of the fighting, she wouldn't be in the state she was now, whatever that was. The captain should know exactly what Missy had done for him and the rest of the crew, for the whole of Gesshoku! Lenis almost choked on his anger and frustration. He couldn't say anything. This wasn't some stunt Missy had pulled. She'd somehow summoned something more powerful than a Demon Lord. This wasn't even about the captain selling them. Who knew what these people would do to a slave who had the power to do what Missy had just done? They might make her try to do it again, to use her power to do horrible things, or they might decide she was too dangerous to keep
around and too dangerous to sell off, which would only leave one option ...