Malice

CHAPTER EIGHTY-SEVEN

KASTELL

Kastell paced down a wide, spiralled pathway, the others near him in the dark, as it wound around a black open space. He took a few shuffling paces closer to the pathway’s rim, looked over its edge and saw, far below, the glimmer of blue-tinged light.

The company walked in silence, the only sound the tramping of feet, the creak of leather. There was a heaviness in the air, a musty, old smell, which grew stronger as they walked deeper. Kastell began to feel anxious. Would there be more giants down here? Somehow the battle in the tunnel had felt final; there had been an extra ferocity to the Hunen, as if it were their last stand. But the Hunen were unpredictable. His thoughts returned to the battle amongst the mounds, the creeping mist and ground that had turned to bog. He shivered, recalling warriors sinking to a cold, suffocating death.

Then the ground levelled and he took in the sight ahead.

Warriors were spread before them, giants, kneeling in two great lines. Kastell quickly hefted his sword, then felt foolish.

They were dead. Long dead, the cadaverous warriors held upright by stiff coats of leather and chainmail, gripping axes or war-hammers that were planted into the ground, the butt-end of shafts sunk into small holes dug into the stone. Tall posts with bowls of blue flame interspersed the twinned rows of dead warriors.

Slowly the party moved along the wide road, spreading out. Kastell saw something at the far end, marked by blue flame. He looked suspiciously at the Hunen on either side, half expecting this to be some new form of glamour. Perhaps the skeletal warriors would burst into life and attack them. His skin prickled, feeling as if they were staring at him; but there were only black, sightless holes in their papery faces where once their eyes had been. Wisps of braided hair and moustaches framed gaunt, angular skulls wrapped in taut skin, preserved for Kastell knew not how long.

As he drew closer to the cavernous room’s end he saw Romar ahead. And Kastell finally saw what was placed there.

Upon a wide dais sat a stone chair, a throne, and seated in it was the body of a giant. He wore a coat of iron, made of small plates shaped like leaves, each individually stitched into the leather beneath it. Eerie blue flames flickered on the dull iron, the horsehair-plumed helmet upon its head and upon its greaved boots.

Bony hands gripped the long shaft of an axe, double bladed, with the metal looking different somehow from the iron everywhere else in the hall. It was dark, seeming to suck the torchlight into it rather than reflecting it like the other weapons in the chamber. What was more, Kastell had seen this axe before — in a hall in Mikil, guarded like treasure.

‘My axe,’ Romar breathed.

Alcyon and Calidus swept past Kastell with a score of the Jehar. He looked behind him, and more of the black-clad warriors were spreading about the hall amongst the remnants of the Gadrai and the men of Isiltir.

Alcyon and Calidus approached the dais. Calidus halted and Alcyon stepped up. He gripped the axe, then extracted it tenderly from the cadaver’s skeletal grip. He lifted it before him, a look of awe and rapture upon his face.

‘Hold,’ a voice called out, harsh in the almost reverent silence. ‘That is my axe.’

Alcyon stared at Isiltir’s King, with his small, black eyes. ‘It is Dagda’s axe,’ he said, his low voice almost whispering, though his words carried throughout the hall.

‘Dagda? Who is, was he?’

‘One of the seven forefathers, wielder of the starstone axe,’ Alcyon breathed, as if reciting some ancient rote of law. ‘This axe is one of the seven Treasures.’

‘I know it,’ Romar said. ‘And it is mine. Give it to me.’

‘This belongs to Nathair,’ said Calidus. ‘I claim it, as our only spoils in this, as our reward for aid given. You would not even have reached Haldis, let alone conquered it, without our intervention.’

‘What?’ Romar exclaimed. ‘I think not. You have come here uninvited, joined yourself to our cause when you were not wanted, not needed, and now you seek to take for your own the greatest spoil of this war.’ Romar stepped towards the axe, his challenge clear.

‘I claim this axe as trophy for Nathair, King of Tenebral, our Bright Star, the Seren Disglair,’ Calidus intoned. Kastell frowned, not understanding Calidus’ last words, at the same time seeing their effect on the dark warriors about him, as they readied themselves, somehow.

‘Nathair,’ Romar stuttered. ‘The Seren what? He is but a pup, a kingslayer, and he shall reap no gain from this, earn no coin from our spilt blood. Now,’ he said, turning his gaze upon Alcyon, ‘give that to me.’

‘No,’ Alcyon growled.

Romar placed a foot upon the dais, but Calidus stepped in front of him.

‘Get out of my way,’ Romar said, attempting to shoulder Calidus aside. But the thin man pulled the King round to face him.

Romar tugged against Calidus’ grip. ‘Let go of me,’ he grunted, reaching for his sword hilt, his honour guard moving forwards.

Romar looked up just in time to see Alcyon swinging the axe, before it slammed it into his shoulder, cleaving the King from collarbone to ribcage.

There was a moment of absolute silence, then men were running at Calidus and Alcyon, the Jehar moving to protect them. Out of nowhere, battle was now raging all about Kastell, as fierce as when they had faced the Hunen above.

Kastell hefted his sword and shield, and moved instinctively to Maquin, covering his friend’s wounded side as they stared, shocked by the ferocity of the fighting about them.

Even as Kastell watched he saw his Gadrai sword-brothers cut down, their opponents faster and more graceful than any swordsmen he had ever seen, all rivalling Vandil. Orgull battled nearby, slamming one of the Jehar to the ground by sheer brute strength, but another replaced him, easily trading blows with the bald warrior, halting his forward progress towards Romar’s body.

Then a warrior was coming for him, a woman, Kastell realized, her sword held high. Kastell blocked her blow, but the woman used her momentum to sweep around him and swing her sword in a blow that would have hamstrung him if Maquin had not lunged forwards, turning her blade. She rounded on the wounded warrior, instantly seeing his weakness. Kastell blocked her lunge at Maquin, and then she was coming at him again, a flurry of strikes aimed at his head and throat. He fell with a crash onto his back, the Jehar’s sword whistling where his throat had been. Instead of following instinct and rolling away, he rolled towards her, crashing into her legs. She fell and was almost on her feet when his shield smashed into her shoulder, knocking her back down, and Maquin’s sword suddenly chopped into her neck. She jerked once and then was still.

Kastell lay there a moment, grateful, and slightly surprised still to be alive.

He hauled himself up to find battle still raging all about, broken down mostly into little knots of individuals now. Vandil was a blur, his two swords swirling and sparking against a Jehar’s long, curved blade. He spun and struck, one of his swords burying itself in his antagonist’s chest.

The blade stuck for a moment. Vandil tugged hard, and suddenly Alcyon was there. The giant struck. Vandil saw the blow coming and swung his free sword to turn the axe, but the blow had too much power behind it and smashed into his chest, sending him flying backwards in a spray of blood and bone. The Gadrai leader slid across the flagstoned floor, came to a halt with one arm twisted underneath him. He did not move.

‘Come on,’ Maquin shouted, and together Kastell and Maquin ran across the chamber to their fallen leader.

There was a crash behind them, and Kastell saw Maquin set upon by another Jehar. Then Orgull was there, the bald man ramming his blade’s tip into Maquin’s attacker’s back. All three of them tumbled into one of the giant cadavers, disappearing in a cloud of bones.

He was about to leap after them when a figure stepped in front of him. Jael, sword in hand, and his cousin was smiling.

‘Out of my way,’ Kastell growled.

‘We need to talk,’ Jael said.

‘What?’ Kastell said, confused. Talk? Here, now? He pushed past Jael, then saw him move.

He managed to block Jael’s lunge, just, but fell away with a deep gash in his arm.

‘What are you doing?’ he hissed, looking from his bleeding arm to his cousin.

‘Claiming my throne,’ Jael said, stabbing again at Kastell.

Their swords clashed, Jael pushing forwards. Kastell blocked a blow, lunged at Jael’s chest, saw his sword turned as Jael spun inside his guard and cracked an elbow into his chin.

Kastell staggered back a step, tasted blood, then felt a blow to his gut, as though he’d been punched. He looked down to see a sword buried deep in his stomach.

Suddenly his legs were weak, and he felt unbearably tired. Cold.

Jael ripped the sword free, laughing. ‘I owed you that,’ he said.

Kastell tried to answer, but his voice wouldn’t work. He felt himself falling, vision blurred, then he felt cold earth on his cheek. The last thing he saw was Jael’s boots.