Malice

CHAPTER TWELVE

VERADIS

Searing heat flashed all about Veradis as he leaped through the wall of flames and rolled into the shallow stream, smelling burned hair, leather, flesh. He was dripping, steam smoking from patches all over him. He did not pause to assess the damage done by the flames, just hurled his spear straight at the chest of the giant that was still holding a sword to Nathair.

Somehow, moving faster than Veradis could track, the giant swung his great blade. There was a crack, and two parts of his shattered spear spun away in different directions.

The giant made no move towards him, just stared with emotionless, black eyes. Veradis scowled and drew his sword with a hiss.

‘No, Veradis!’ Nathair shouted, but Veradis was already moving. He circled to his right, tucking behind his shield, moving in quickly. The giant swung two-handed at him, but Veradis ducked low, felt the blade whistle over his head, then lunged forwards. The tip of his sword slid off the giant’s mail shirt, no power in the blow as the giant stepped backwards. Instead of retreating out of range, Veradis carried on moving forwards, trying to stay too close for that broadsword to be used against him. He rammed his shield into the giant’s gut, chopped his sword at an ankle.

The giant grunted as his blade bit, though not deeply, and Veradis felt a moment of elation before his shield rim was grabbed by a huge hand and ripped from his arm, the leather straps snapping. There was an explosion in his chest, a blinding pain and then he was flying through the air, crunching into the ground, rolling, then his face smashed into something solid. White lights burst in his head.

‘You fight well, little man,’ the giant said as it took great strides towards him, the traces of a smile twitching its drooping moustache, voice sounding like an iron hinge rusted from lack of use.

Veradis tried to push himself up, groping blindly with his other hand for his sword hilt, which had somehow disappeared. A black fog was pushing at the edges of his vision, drawing in. He tried to focus, concentrate, knew death was a stride, a heartbeat away.

Then Nathair was there, standing over him, sword drawn.

‘Hold!’ a voice cried, somewhere beyond the giant. Veradis pushed against the ground but the pain in his head exploded with the effort, then he was falling, sinking, and he knew no more.

Pain. Rhythmic, throbbing pain. Tentatively Veradis opened his eyes, sharp knives jabbing into his skull, sending waves of nausea pulsing from his stomach.

Where am I? Nathair.

He moved, too fast, pain spiking behind his eyes. He took a deep breath, blew it out slowly and waited for the world to steady.

‘You live, then.’ It was Rauca, looming over him. The warrior put a hand under his arm and helped him semi-upright, leaning against the trunk of a laurel.

‘Nathair?’ Veradis muttered.

‘In that tent,’ Rauca nodded over his shoulder.

They were still in the dell, Veradis in the shade of laurels beside the stream. He saw warriors scattered around about, some silhouetted on the ridge-line, standing guard. The dark-haired giant stood in front of the entrance to the bright-coloured tent.

‘What happened?’

‘You mean after you tried to set yourself on fire?’ Rauca said, squatting next to him, grinning.

‘Huh,’ grunted Veradis.

‘Well, as far as I could see, you chopped away at that giant for a while, then he clumped you, sent you flying into these trees. .’

‘I remember that,’ Veradis muttered, lifting a hand to his face, his nose, which was throbbing, sticky with blood.

‘Then it looked like the giant was going to stick you with his sword, but Nathair put himself between you both.’ Rauca grinned again. ‘Weren’t you supposed to be protecting him?’

Veradis flushed red. ‘Things didn’t go according to plan. What happened next?’

‘Well, the old man got involved then, calmed the giant down. It seems the whole thing — the flames, the giant, the sword — were about making a point.’

‘A point?’

‘Aye. That Nathair was in their power, and that if they’d wished to harm him, they could have.’

‘Oh. But they didn’t.’

‘No. As I said, that was their point. Nathair seemed convinced by it, anyway, because after he saw you were still breathing, he has spent the entire time in that tent, with the counsellor.’

Veradis looked at the tent, at the giant guarding the entrance, and grimaced. ‘What of the fire?’ He remembered it leaping up from the small cook-fire, becoming a searing wall.

‘I don’t know,’ Rauca shrugged. ‘I’ve heard tales of those that can do such things. Elementals?’ he whispered.

‘So have I,’ Veradis muttered, shivering.

Rauca helped him upright, supported him over to the stream and assisted him, with much groaning and bursts of pain, in removing his chainmail shirt. He hurt in a score of places: where he had fallen, where he had hit the tree, patches of raw skin that the flames had singed, but two spots hurt the most. There was a dense purple bruise blooming where the giant had punched him in his chest, though his mail shirt seemed to have protected him from broken bones, and his nose still throbbed where he had connected with a tree.

‘It’s broken,’ Rauca proclaimed, with too much pleasure for Veradis’ liking. ‘Shall I set it for you, or would you rather stay looking like one of Asroth’s Kadoshim?’

‘Set it,’ Veradis grunted, unclasping his leather belt and biting down on it.

Rauca placed both hands either side of the bridge of Veradis’ nose, then twisted them suddenly. There was a muffled crack. Veradis gasped and bit down hard. He cupped a handful of water from the stream and washed away the fresh blood that gushed from his nose.

‘My thanks,’ he grunted as Rauca crouched beside him.

‘You’re welcome,’ his friend grinned, patting his shoulder.

They made camp in the dell that night, Nathair not emerging as the sun dipped below the horizon and the sky slowly turned to black velvet, with stars like shards of ice.

Orcus maintained a guard on the ridge, and set another group to watch over the tent and giant all through the night.

Veradis woke stiff and sore.

Quietly the warband broke their fast, waiting for their prince. Soon after, the giant, still standing guard, lifted the tent’s entrance, Nathair and the silver-haired man emerging into the daylight.

Nathair sought out Orcus, then the warband were making ready to leave. As they did so the giant dismantled the tent, the old man standing with arms folded, eyes fixed on Nathair.

As they went about the business of breaking camp Nathair saw Veradis and marched over to him, grinning broadly.

‘I am glad you are well,’ the Prince said, gripping Veradis’ shoulder. ‘I shall never forget what you did.’

‘It was you that saved me, from what I hear,’ Veradis said.

‘That’s true,’ Nathair grinned. ‘Nevertheless, you jumped through flames for me, Veradis, did what no other even attempted. .’ The Prince shook his head. ‘It won’t be forgotten.’

In a short while all was ready. Nathair spoke with the counsellor again, taking a leather scroll-case from the silver-haired man. Veradis stood at the Prince’s shoulder, his eyes drawn to the giant, who towered half a man over them all, glowering. He was clothed in dark leather and chainmail, a tattoo of vine and thorns swirling up his left arm and part-way down his right, the hilt of his broadsword jutting over his shoulder. His face was human enough, though all sharp planes and ridges. A drooping moustache was tied with leather strips. Suddenly its black eyes fixed on Veradis. He looked away.

‘Safe journey,’ the old man said and gripped Nathair’s forearm in the warrior fashion.

‘Until we meet again.’

‘Until we meet again,’ the counsellor echoed, and then they parted, Nathair leading his warband up the steep slope and down the other side.

Soon they were mounted and riding north along the banks of the Nox, Orcus taking the lead, along with a handful of the eagle-guard. Nathair rode with his own men, Veradis and Rauca either side of him.

Nathair had not spoken since leaving the dell. ‘I have negotiated a peace,’ he said suddenly, startling Veradis.

Rauca frowned at the Prince.

‘I know it will be a shock for most, but its impact will be significant, I think.’

‘Shock. Many will struggle, Nathair.’ Veradis had grown up along the coast, and although the Vin Thalun had been quiet for over a decade, their reputation remained. And recently the raiding had begun again.

‘Nevertheless, it is for the greater good,’ Nathair said.

‘But how can you trust them?’ Rauca muttered.

‘I don’t. But they did prove their point,’ the Prince said. ‘They could have slain me, if they wished. They clearly want me to trust them. Why, we shall find out. And a great deal of what they said is true — an alliance would be useful. There is much that could be accomplished with their aid. I will use them as they seek to use me.’

‘Just be careful,’ Veradis said, glancing at Rauca.

‘Of course,’ Nathair grinned. ‘Friends close and enemies closer, eh.’

‘Did he tell you his name?’ Veradis asked.

‘Aye. Calidus,’ Nathair said quietly, almost a whisper. ‘It is not to be mentioned. Apparently he and my father had some kind of disagreement, many years ago. I would not have my father reject all I have achieved because of a name.’ He looked at Rauca and Veradis. ‘I will have your oaths on this.’

‘Of course,’ Rauca said. Veradis nodded.

Nathair smiled suddenly, nodding to himself. ‘As I said, it is for the greater good.’

The black walls of Jerolin glinted in the bright sun as Veradis crested a low rise, saw the fortress and lake before him, on the horizon the Agullas Mountains a serrated line separating land from sky.

The journey back had been uneventful, the warband making good time, and all were relieved to escape the heat of the south. It was still hot here, in the north of Tenebral, but it was tempered by a breeze that blew down from the mountains.

Fisher-boats and larger merchant rigs bobbed on the lake as the warband rode past the palisaded walls of the village by the lake and up a slope to the fortress. The eagle-banner of Tenebral snapped in the wind, and with a clatter on stone they were through the wide-arched gates and dismounting at the stables.

All was chaos, stablehands and warriors and horses crushed together. Veradis saw Valyn trying to bring some semblance of order to the situation, his voice raised over a cacophony of sounds. Then King Aquilus and Queen Fidele were there, flanked by warriors, and the stables noticeably calmed.

Fidele ran to Nathair and hugged him tight, the Prince looking stiff in her embrace, eyes searching for his father. Aquilus stood further back and greeted his son more soberly. The King called Orcus, and the four of them left, heading towards the feast-hall and tower beyond.

A good while later Veradis followed Rauca and Bos into the feast-hall. Bos slammed a jug of wine on the table. He poured three cups and drained his in one motion.

‘I can see how you got so big,’ Rauca said, looking at Bos’ overflowing trencher. Bos shrugged and continued eating.

Veradis tucked in to his food, sitting back when he was finished and pushing his empty plate away. He sipped on his cup of wine and looked around the half-empty hall.

‘Is that Peritus?’ he asked quietly, looking at a group of warriors on the far side of the hall. Sitting in their centre was a slim-built older man, of average height, his close-cropped hair and single warrior braid not hiding his thinning hair.

‘Aye,’ Bos grunted.

‘I thought so,’ Veradis said. He had seen Aquilus’ battlechief once before, but that had been at least eight summers gone, and he had only been ten years old at the time. Peritus had led a warband to his home town and helped his father deal with a band of lawless men that had taken root in Tenebral’s greatest forest.

‘He arrived this morning,’ Rauca said, ‘not long before us. With only half the warband he set out with.’

‘What happened?’ Veradis asked.

‘Giants. They’ve been raiding south of the mountains. Local barons prodded at Marcellin; he prodded Aquilus; Aquilus sent Peritus.’

‘Only half came back? I didn’t know there were enough of the giant clan left to do that,’ Veradis said, thinking of Balara, the ruined fortress that sat crumbling near his home. Tenebral was full of reminders of the giants, but the giant clan had been broken, scattered generations before; or so he had thought.

‘Don’t need to be too many of them to do a lot of damage,’ Bos said. ‘My da served under Marcellin before he took up the eagle here, said you need at least four handy warriors to be sure of taking one giant down.’

‘Not if your name’s Veradis,’ Rauca said. ‘He’ll take them on one on one.’ The warrior grinned and cracked his cup of wine into Veradis’, spilling red liquid on the table. Veradis scowled.

Just then a small group of warriors entered the hall, Armatus, the weapons-master, at their head. He saw Peritus and strode over to the battlechief. They embraced, thumping each other on the back.

‘They grew up in the same village,’ Rauca said. ‘Came to Jerolin together to join the warband, back when Aquilus was the Prince.’

Soft footsteps sounded behind them and stopped next to Veradis. He looked around, saw Fidele standing above him. The Queen’s face was pale, highlighting her red-painted lips; touches of silver showed in her jet hair.

The three warriors made to rise but she held a hand out and rested it on Veradis’ shoulder.

‘I heard what you did for my son.’

Veradis felt he should say something and opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

‘I wanted to thank you,’ Fidele continued. ‘He needs good men around him. Men like you.’

‘Thank you,’ Veradis mumbled, feeling heat in his face.

Fidele smiled, squeezed his shoulder and walked away.

‘Brave you might be,’ Rauca said, ‘but eloquent you certainly are not.’

Bos chuckled and Veradis blushed redder.

The next ten-night passed quickly for Veradis, life falling into a routine, most of his time spent in training with Nathair’s fledgling warband. The Prince was rarely with them, though. Upon his return Nathair had outlined their journey and the meeting with Lykos’ counsellor to Aquilus, detailing the treaty proposed by the Vin Thalun. Aquilus had not been as enthusiastic as Nathair had hoped, though, taking days to deliberate over the proposal. So when Veradis had last seen Nathair the Prince had been tense and short tempered.

The warband, though small, continued to grow: any that came to the fortress hoping to serve as a warrior for the King of Tenebral being offered the choice of joining Nathair’s band instead. On the eighth morning since their return from the south, Veradis was in the weapons court, sweating heavily after sparing with Bos, his knuckles red and stinging from a glancing blow. He had won the bout, though, and was quickly getting a reputation amongst Jerolin’s warriors. On more than one occasion he had noticed weapons-master Armatus watching him approvingly.

As he sat watching others train, letting the sun dry his sweat, footsteps sounded behind him. He turned and saw Nathair striding towards him, grinning broadly.

‘It is done, Father has agreed,’ the Prince said, clapping Veradis’ shoulder.

‘That is good,’ Veradis said, though years of mistrust where the Vin Thalun were concerned dampened his enthusiasm.

‘Our prisoner Deinon will take the answer to Lykos.’

‘Aquilus not separating his head from his shoulders, then?’ Veradis said.

‘Of course not. That would not be the best way to begin a new alliance,’ Nathair grinned.

Voices and footsteps rang behind them. King Aquilus strode past the court, Deinon and two eagle-guards behind him.

Nathair watched them for a moment, then followed, signalling for Veradis to accompany him. They caught up at the stables, where Deinon was mounting a horse, as were the two eagle-guards. With a brief farewell the Vin Thalun rode away, the scroll-case strapped safely inside a saddlebag. The eagle-guards fell in behind the corsair and rode with him from the fortress.

‘Walk with me,’ Aquilus said to his son. He strode away, Nathair and Veradis following.

They walked in silence a while, Aquilus leading them until they stood upon the battlements, looking out across the lake and plains beyond. Deinon and his escort were pinpricks in the distance, now. ‘Why the warrior escort, Father?’ Nathair asked. ‘It is a simple enough journey to the coast.’

‘They are to make sure he reaches the coast, Nathair, that he does not linger, or take any detours. I do not trust him. I do not trust them.

‘For generations the Vin Thalun have raided our coasts, along with the coasts of our neighbours. And now, suddenly, they want to make peace, form an alliance, and with us only. Why not Tarbesh, or Carnutan? Why Tenebral? Meical thinks the timing of this is more than coincidence. I agree with him.’

Nathair’s face clouded. ‘Counsellor Meical.’ He snorted. ‘I don’t trust the Vin Thalun either, Father. But they are useful, that is beyond doubt. We must be wary, that is all.’

‘Aye, son. You must bait a trap well to catch your prey. I would know what the Vin Thalun seek to achieve. This seems the best way to do that.’ He pinched the bridge of his nose. ‘You have done well, but these are dangerous times. War is coming, and we must be vigilant. .’

War, Veradis thought. He was still tracking the departing Vin Thalun when he saw a large group of horsemen on the road, riding towards the fortress. ‘Who are they?’ he said.

The three of them stared in silence until the approaching horsemen were almost at the gates. They were a party of forty or fifty warriors, carrying a banner that Veradis had never seen before, a sickle moon in a star-filled sky.

‘So it begins,’ Aquilus said quietly. ‘They carry the banner of Tarbesh. I believe it is Rahim, Tarbesh’s King. The first to answer my call to council.’