Thieves of Blood

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Makala, free of her manacles, tried not to shiver as Onkar and Jarlain escorted her down a cold, dank corridor. She was chilled and she was frightened, but she’d been trained never to show the least sign of weakness to an enemy. She visualized standing on a beach in the bright noon sunshine, and it helped… a little, anyway. The hall was shrouded in gloom and shadow, the darkness relieved only by the occasional placement of torches that emitted a greenish light that did little to push back the darkness. Still, it was better than nothing, if only just.

She experienced an unexpected longing for the evil spirit that had once shared her soul. If their essences were still intertwined, she wouldn’t have to struggle to control her fear. The spirit had made her feel strong, confident, invulnerable.

The surfaces of the walls, ceiling, and floor were smooth and even, and every few dozen yards iron support beams had been erected to brace the tunnel. The corridor had obviously been carved into the interior of the cliff, and despite her current situation, Makala couldn’t help but be impressed at the time and effort such a feat of engineering must have required. It was worthy of the dwarf miners of the Mror Holds, though she doubted dwarves were responsible for the construction of this place. She’d seen no sign of a mining operation so far, let alone any dwarves. Besides, the ceiling was ten feet from the floor. Why would dwarves build a tunnel with so high a ceiling?

They passed wooden doors reinforced with bands of iron, though since all of the doors were closed, Makala had no idea what might lay in the chambers behind them. Considering what she knew of this place’s occupants, she didn’t think she wanted to know. The corridor was deserted for the most part, though occasionally they encountered others, mostly men and women with shaved heads like the Black Fleet raiders, though these were garbed in simple black robes. Once a pair of shaved heads were escorting a group of a half-dozen prisoners who were shackled at the wrist and ankles just as she had been. Makala guessed that they had been here for a while, for their clothing was torn, tattered, and caked with filth. Their hair was long and tangled, fingernails broken or chewed to the quick, and the men all had beards in varying stages of development. The prisoners were cadaverously thin, looking almost like living skeletons with only a thin layer of pale-white skin stretched over their bones. Their eyes were sunken into their sockets, the flesh around them so dark it looked bruised. Their necks, arms, and legs were dotted with puckered round scars, as if they had been tortured by having needle-sharp spikes driven into their flesh. Makala knew the skin of these poor people hadn’t been violated by metal but rather by teeth, hungry, thirsty teeth. Worst of all was the expression on their faces. Their features were slack, eyes half-lidded and devoid of the least sign of intelligence or awareness. It was as if their lifeforces-indeed, their very souls-had been bled out of them along with their bodily fluids. Was this the fate that awaited her, Zabeth and the others from Port Verge? Makala didn’t want to think about it, and she was glad when they moved past the prisoners and continued on their way.

To try and get the lost, vacant expressions of the prisoners out of her head, Makala turned her thoughts to Erdis Cai. Could he really be the Erdis Cai, the legendary sailor and explorer? While growing up, she’d heard tales of his exploits, and she remembered how Diran had liked to read about Cai in the days when they’d both still lived in Emon Gorsedd’s manor. She’d skimmed one or two of those books herself, just to get a feeling for what Diran was reading as a way of getting closer to him. From what she recalled of her reading, Erdis Cai, after more adventure than most humans saw in a full lifetime, disappeared along with his crew before his fiftieth year. That had been four decades ago. She supposed that it was possible that the man she was going to meet was indeed Erdis Cai, assuming that he’d remained alive and in hiding for the last forty years. The man would be in his eighties by now, unless…

She glanced sideways at Onkar. If he was a vampire…

Makala started shivering, and this time she couldn’t stop herself.

The corridor continued on for a long distance, but finally the hallway began to grow wider, the ceiling higher, and the corridor came to a dead end at a pair of large metal doors. Two huge iron rings served as knockers, and Onkar stepped forward, lifted one, and let it fall. The ring slammed against the metal surface of the door with a deep, hollow boom that vibrated through Makala’s bones. A moment passed, then two, and the doors slowly swung open. Makala expected to hear the protesting creak of ancient hinges, but the doors opened silently and smoothly, obviously well maintained. When they were open all the way, Onkar turned to her, and with a mocking gleam in his eye, made a sweeping bow.

“After you.”

Jarlain smiled but said nothing.

Makala did not want to go inside. Every instinct she possessed screamed for her to turn and run back down the corridor as fast as she could. She knew that doing so would result in punishment or perhaps even death, but that didn’t matter, just as long as she didn’t have to pass through the doorway that lay open before her. Despite her terror, or perhaps in a strange way because of it, Makala held her ground. She took a deep breath, held it for a moment, then slowly released it. She crossed the threshold, Onkar and Jarlain following close behind.

The first thing that struck Makala about the chamber inside was its size. It was immense, so large that she couldn’t see the far wall. The second thing that struck her was the stalactites hanging from the ceiling, and she realized that she wasn’t standing in a manmade structure at all but rather a huge natural cavern. A series of black iron braziers were placed throughout the cavern, their flames burning with the same subdued green light that illuminated the corridors. Makala neither saw nor smelled smoke, so she assumed the green fires were magical. The cavern, despite its size, was far from empty. The uneven rocky floor was covered with all manner of objects, both large and small, mundane and esoteric, scattered about without any apparent thought to organization. There was so much crammed so close together that Makala couldn’t comprehend it all. Certain items stood out, though, and caught her eye. Among these were a wooden barrel filled with cutlasses, each with a severed skeletal hand still gripping tight to the handle; the shell of a gigantic turtle, its hard surface covered with sparkling gems that appeared to have grown there naturally instead of being mounted in place by a jeweler’s hand; stone tablets sitting upright, indecipherable runes carved into their surface, the marks seeming to blur, distort, and rearrange into new yet equally enigmatic shapes if stared at for too long; a ten foot chunk of amber, trapped inside the shadowy form of a humanoid creature with four arms and a long forked tail; a pair of polished curving mammoth tusks propped up next to a set of huge jaws that could only have come from a monstrous shark; a gold-framed upright mirror whose smooth surface displayed no reflection but instead a furiously roiling darkness; a trio of what Makala at first thought were statues, but which she realized were instead deactivated warforged, but none like she’d ever seen before. These were crafted to resemble human-sized spiders, four of their eight legs terminating in wickedly sharp scimitar blades.

Though these and other bizarre objects dominated the cavern, by far the most common items in the sprawling collection were piles of weapons: swords, pikes, battle-axes, spears, bows; mounds of jewelry-necklaces, medallions, rings, brooches, all wrought from precious metals; vases, goblets, bowls, platters… paintings, statues, musical instruments… and of course coins; platinum, gold, silver, copper-different sizes, shapes, and denominations. It was as if all the riches and wonders of Khorvaire had been gathered up and stored within this cavern.

Makala could only stand and stare, jaw hanging open, scarcely breathing as she struggled to cope with the staggering grandeur spread out before her.

“One tends to acquire quite a few possessions over the course of eight decades. I keep thinking that I really should get rid of some of it, but I can never bring myself to do so. Too sentimental, I suppose.”

Makala heard the voice, but she didn’t see the speaker. The sound seemed to come from right next to her, as if whoever it was had spoken softly in her ear, but when she turned to look, no one was there.

“I’m glad to see you’ve returned from your latest voyage, Onkar… and with a guest. She could use a bath and a change of clothes, but otherwise she’s quite lovely.”

Makala still couldn’t see who was speaking, but she didn’t appreciate what he’d said.

“At least I don’t hide from an unarmed woman like a coward,” she snapped. She instantly regretted her rash comment. She’d been trained to keep a tighter rein on her emotions.

There was no flash of light, no puff of smoke. One moment the space in front of her was empty, and the next a man stood before her. He appeared to be in his mid-forties, tall, broad-shouldered, with close-cropped white hair that tapered to a subdued widow’s peak. An old scar ran from the top of his forehead, over his right eye, and down to his chin. Instead of marring his appearance, the scar only served to enhance it, making his handsome, patrician features stand out in counterpoint. His skin had a whitish-blue cast, though it was currently tinted green from the mystic verdant fires that burned in the braziers illuminating the cavern. His gaze was clear and sharp, blazing with both fierce intelligence and indomitable will. The eyes themselves were tinted red, but unlike Onkar’s eyes they didn’t glow with an inner crimson fire. Makala sensed the great power the man commanded, but she could also sense that he held it in check, controlling it, making it serve him instead of the other way around.

Though he wore no helmet, he was otherwise encased in full armor with curved spiked protrusions at the shoulders and elbows. At first Makala thought the armor had been forged out of some kind of black metal or perhaps that it had been painted black after it was made. The armor didn’t reflect the greenish light from the braziers; rather, it seemed to absorb it, as if the armor had been wrought from some arcane shadowy substance. She thought one might reach out to touch the armor, only to find one’s fingers sinking into the darkness as if it truly were nothing more than shadow, and a hungry shadow at that. The armor wasn’t completely black, however. Emblazoned on the breast plate was a symbol, a large crimson teardrop shape that appeared to be emerging from the fanged mouth of a bestial copper skull. Hanging from the swordbelt around the man’s waist was a black-handled broadsword in an ebon scabbard. Makala wondered if once the sword was drawn it would shine with a silvery metallic gleam or if the blade would be as black as the man’s armor. She hoped she wouldn’t get an opportunity to find out.

Makala could only stand and stare, heartbeat pounding in her ears loud as thunder. She couldn’t move, could scarcely breathe, could only stand immobile before him like a small animal frozen in terror by the mesmeric gaze of a hungry snake.

“Welcome. My name is Erdis Cai.”

He said nothing more, just continued to look at her with his piercing red-tinged eyes. Sensing he was waiting to see what she would do, Makala put on a brave front.

“Am I supposed to be impressed?”

Erdis Cai’s eyes widened in surprise, then he threw back his head and laughed. His laughter echoed throughout the cavern, and Makala could feel the rock tremble beneath her feet in response to its master’s mirth.

When he looked at Makala again, he was smiling. “How delightful!” He turned to Onkar. “I think I’m beginning to see why you brought this one to my attention.”

Onkar smiled. “Her name’s Makala, Captain. She helped those two I told you about kill Sagaj. She used a crossbow, but there’s more to her than archery skills.” The crimson fire in the sailor’s eyes blazed more intensely. “A lot more.”

Jarlain looked at Makala then, but there was no amusement in her eyes, no smile on her beautiful pale face. “Perhaps she should spend some time with me then.” The woman reached up and stroked Makala’s jawline with a long-nailed index finger. “You know how much I enjoy getting to know newcomers… peeling away their outer layers to discover what secrets lie hidden underneath.”

As Jarlain stroked Makala’s jaw, Makala felt a sudden surge of fear. Her breathing came in short, ragged gasps.

Onkar chuckled. “You mean we know how jealous you get whenever the captain shows an interest in anyone but you. The more you learn about her, the better you’ll be able to compete with her, yes?”

Jarlain’s eyes flashed, and she removed her hand from Makala’s face. The physical contact was broken; the fear that had gripped Makala drained away, leaving her shaky and weak.

“Watch you tongue, Onkar. You may be commander of the Black Fleet, but I am the mistress of Grimwall!”

Before Onkar could reply, Erdis Cai interrupted, his voice cold as winter frost. “You both are who I say you are. No more, no less.”

Jarlain and Onkar exchanged hate-filled looks before bowing to Erdis Cai.

“My most sincere apologies, my lord,” Jarlain said, though in a tone that made it clear she wasn’t sorry in the slightest.

“And mine,” Onkar said. “I’ll keep quiet if the ‘Mistress of Grimwall’ will.”

Jarlain glared at Onkar but didn’t take his bait.

Still unsettled from the lingering emotional traces of the sudden fear she’d experienced. Makala looked to Erdis Cai to see how the man felt about this exchange between his underlings. If she were to have any hope of escaping Grimwall, it would be because of what she learned about the place and those who ruled here. She knew, as Emon Gorsedd had taught all his, that knowledge was the ultimate weapon.

Erdis Cai’s face might well have been carved from polished ivory for all the expression it showed. Makala sensed no anger in him, not even simple irritation. It was as if the man he’d seemed to be a moment ago had been but a disguise, one that he’d allowed to slip, revealing the true face underneath. It was as emotionless and cold as a reptile’s face, inhuman and uncaring-the face of a being to whom the difference between life and death was so minor as to be meaningless, a being who saw others simply as either prey or not-prey.

Makala knew which she preferred to be.

Then, just as fast as it had been discarded, the disguise was back in place once more, and Erdis Cai smiled like a tolerant father.

“That’s enough, you two. We don’t want to make a bad first impression on our guest, do we?”

Both Onkar and Jarlain nodded, looking only slightly chastened.

Makala was beginning to feel the first faint stirrings of hope. If there was conflict between the three of them, then perhaps if she were clever enough, she might find a way to exploit it for her own advantage.

“Jarlain, since you’re so eager to get to know Makala, why don’t you take charge of her for a time?” Erdis Cai said. “See she freshens up, eats, and is provided with new clothing. See also that she gets some rest. Bring her to me again after sunset. I would like to… talk with her further.”

Without saying farewell to either Onkar or Jarlain or giving Makala another look, Erdis Cai turned and strode off, making his way easily through the mounds of ancient artifacts, precious treasure, and arcane junk that crammed the cavern. Within moments the shadowy gloom of the cavern had swallowed him and he was lost to Makala’s vision. Most of her was relieved to see him go, but part of her, the part that still longed for her dark spirit, wished he had stayed.

“Come, girl. You heard the master.”

Jarlain grabbed Makala’s wrist, and the woman nearly panicked, recalling the horrendous fear that had gripped her previously, but this time Jarlain’s touch didn’t spark any reaction within Makala other than disgust.

Jarlain led Makala out of the cavern, Onkar following close behind. Once they had crossed the threshold, the metal doors swung shut and the lock engaged with a soft click. Back in the corridor once more, Jarlain turned to Onkar.

“As for you, Commander, go do whatever it is you do when you’re not at sea.”

Onkar glared and his hands twitched, as if he were considering wrapping them around Jarlain’s neck and squeezing until her pale white face turned purple-black, but he made no move to attack the woman.

“I suppose I’ll go check on the new prisoners before I turn in.” He looked at Makala. “Have a pleasant day.”

The vampire headed down the corridor leaving Makala alone with Jarlain.

“Let’s us two girls go get acquainted, shall we?” Jarlain squeezed Makala’s wrist in a grip just short of being painful, and Makala offered no resisted as Jarlain escorted her down the corridor.

As the metal doors shut, the green fire burning in the braziers throughout the cavern slowly dimmed until it was gone, leaving behind only the darkness. Erdis Cai strolled through the cluttered maze of his possessions, not needing any illumination to make his way. Even if he didn’t have a vampire’s eyes, even if he were still mortal, so well did he know the position of every item in the cavern that he could have gone blindfolded and still not have bumped into anything or gotten lost. He’d spent a great deal of his time in here during the last few years, too much of it, perhaps. He’d even taken to resting here during the daylight hours, something he knew Jarlain didn’t approve of. She didn’t think it was “healthy,” whatever that meant.

He paused for a moment and stretched out his senses. Dawn would be coming soon, and though no light could penetrate the tons of rock that lay between him and the sky, nevertheless he would be forced to rest. It was one of the limitations of undeath, but he didn’t mind. The power he possessed was far greater than anything he had known as a mortal man, and it was well worth whatever minor inconveniences accompanied it.

He continued touring his collection, occasionally reaching out to touch this or that object, as if by doing so he might relive the adventure during which it had been acquired. Though the memories came, they were empty, hollow, unsatisfying, but then Erdis Cai had never been one to settle for past glories. He’d always searched for the next destination, the next challenge… always looking for something but never quite finding it, until, that is, the day he and his crew had anchored offshore of a certain island in the far frozen north where they’d discovered a castle and what dwelled within its cold, dark halls. Erdis Cai had found what he’d truly been searching for that day, or perhaps, he mused, it had found him. Whichever the case, Erdis Cai had, like a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly, become something much greater than he’d ever imagined.

If that were so, why did he hold onto all these things? Why did he spend so much time among them while his fleet, under Onkar’s command, sailed the Principalities, working to make the final preparations for their next adventure, the one destined to be the greatest of them all?

He knew how Jarlain would answer that question, for she had spoken to him on the subject numerous times before.

You’re in your eighties, Erdis. You’re coming to the end of what would’ve been your natural life span just as you’re about to see the fulfillment of a plan you’ve worked to bring to fruition for the last forty years. It’s only natural that you should spend some time in contemplation and self-reflection.

Perhaps she was right. Jarlain possessed great knowledge and insight into the mysterious and often baffling ways of the mind. Certainly she had infinitely more understanding than he-who, at heart, was still just a simple sailor-would ever have.

Lately he’d begun to fear that something else was at work here, something darker and more complex than the simple melancholy of an old man. He thought Jarlain had gotten it right when she’d first pointed out that he was, at least in terms of years, at the end of his human life. More and more often it felt like the personality that called itself Erdis Cai, the man who had once been one of the greatest mortal sailors ever to ply the seas, was dwindling away, eroding, shedding pieces of itself, like a calving iceberg, and in its place remained only a cold, fathomless darkness, like the uncaring ebon depths of the most frigid sea. Forty years ago, his body had died and been reborn, but now it seemed his very self was dying, and what new being would arise from its ashes, he couldn’t guess.

He grew tired of this brooding. He would just have to trust to the grand darkness that had transformed him so long ago. He pressed his hand against the crimson symbol on his breastplate-a symbol known as the Mark of Vol.

Thy will be done, Mistress, he thought.

He sensed the night dwindling outside Grimwall, felt the first light of dawn glowing gently above the eastern horizon. A dull, leaden weariness came upon him, and he knew it was time to rest. He simply lay down where he was, between a massive shield he had once stolen from a storm giant and a large clay jar. He didn’t bother to remove his armor. He was well beyond the need for what mortals would consider comfort.

As the day’s oblivion began to take hold of him, he thought of Makala. That she was something special, he had sensed right away. Just how special, though, remained to be seen. She would be the next mystery for him to explore, and he was looking forward to it immensely. That, at least, was something about him that hadn’t changed.

He closed his eyes as in the outer world, the sun edged up over the horizon and a new day began.