Chapter 16 - Into the Wasteways
"The People’s Republic of Itria, more commonly known as simply the Republic, provides a sad example of the kind of nasty, brutish and short life that the subjects of the Empire might lead without the guidance of Her Eternal Majesty. Its leaders boast that their motto is ‘to each according to his needs, from each according to his abilities’. The sad reality is that they take from each according to their abilities and repay them with ever more work. While even the lowest peasant in the Empire can hold his head high, knowing that he is a free man under the benevolent watch of the Undying Queen, his equivalent in the Republic suffers a life of toil bordering on slavery. Doomed to an early death from overwork in its dark mills, its ‘citizens’ can only envy the lives of their counterparts across the border and pray that one day the Empire might bring them freedom.”
Two Thousand Years of Empire by Jahangir Amini
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After the Inquisitor had dismissed her and she’d cleaned herself up with a combination of cold water and magic, Ester practically fell into bed, heedless of the cuts and scrapes on her. However, sleep eluded her. At first anyway. Her heart was still pounding, there was just too much going through her head. She’d been caught disobeying Commander Savate and, worse, drawn the attention of an Inquisitor. Yet she hadn’t even made any progress in catching the Golden Shadows. That was just the things she could bring herself to think about. Then there’d been the chaos of battle, the terror for her life. The Weiryin advancing on her. People screaming and burning at her hand. It was too much.
Eventually Ester fell into a restless sleep as exhaustion gradually overwhelmed her. It was a long way from undisturbed. More than once she woke up gasping as writhing tentacles reached for her, or that horrible, gurgling voice echoed through her head.
For a few moments she thought the hammering was fists beating on a table she was hiding behind, until true consciousness returned with a jolt.
“My lady.” The apologetic voice came through her door. “You’re needed to join the search parties.”
All she wanted to do was to go back to sleep, but that wasn’t an acceptable response. “Thank you, I will be out shortly.” She forced the words out through a mouth that felt like it was filled with wool.
With the bothersome Watchman gone from outside her door, Ester seriously considered just trying to go back to sleep, but that wasn’t realistic. She’d found the Weiryin, she needed to help kill it. However little she wanted to go near the thing again. So instead she hauled herself out of bed and hurriedly pulled on one of her more practical dresses. She hesitated and then pinned her silver crossed lightning bolts to its collar. It was both a statement to the world and also a shield against it.
Only fifteen minutes later Ester stood in the Watch’s courtyard, sleepily rubbing her eyes as tired looking Watchmen were called out into smaller groups. A few other people milled around, far better dressed than was typical in the Watch headquarters. Mostly men, but also two women. She didn’t recognise any of them, but there was a certain feeling about them. One she felt sure she’d be able to work out if only she wasn’t so tired.
Commander Savate looked just as worn out as she felt. She wondered whether he’d slept at all. When he saw her he waved her over with a half-hearted gesture.
“Ah Lady Mazar, I hope you got some rest.” He didn’t wait for a response. “The Watch is mostly deploying to the streets to keep order, in conjunction with the noble houses’ enforcers, but we need search parties to hunt down the Weiryin. There’s no point sending Watchmen or soldiers out to die, so each search party is to be accompanied by either a Mage or two Adepts. You hurt the creature, so the Inquisitor thinks it won’t be able to put up as much of a fight.”
The last thing Ester wanted to do was to fight the Weiryin again, but she still nodded “Of course, I will do my best.” What else could she do? She hoped the Adepts had some combat training, even with two of them working together she was more than worried about their ability to survive a fight with the creature.
“I’d expect no less. You’ll be going into the Wasteways. Try not to get too excited about it.” He gave her an unreadable look and her response died in her throat. “Arsor will lead your squad, with Metie and Cai as support. He’s an experienced man, listen to him and try not to…” He glanced around them and sighed. “Stay safe.”
“Yes Commander.” Ester gave him a shallow bow and headed off to find the Watchmen, her heart sinking even lower at the Commander’s obvious disappointment. She supposed she deserved it, after the debacle she’d gotten herself into, but how had she been supposed to know that there’d be a Weiryin? If not for that her plan could have worked, or at least the Commander would have had no idea what she’d done and as it was, she’d helped save the city from a far worse threat than the Golden Shadows. Despite telling herself that, she didn’t feel any better.
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It had been hours of searching with little to show for it, but finally something had happened.
Aref Tabasi’s eyes narrowed at the man kneeling in front of him, two spear points at his neck. He was roughly dressed, not even in the dull styles of most of Vass Karan’s middling or common folk, but in clothing that would have had him slung out of Trevayn in a flash. He resisted the urge to yawn. He had come at the call from Lord Savate, after all he was a loyal subject, but this really was more than tedious and he was missing out on valuable sleep.
“Very well then, speak. You had better not be wasting my time or there will be consequences.” The odious fellow prostrated himself, forehead to the filthy ground. It was completely inappropriate for a subject of the Empire, a lowering of his head would have been sufficient given he was already kneeling. Still, it was at least a sign of proper respect.
“Of course not, my lord Mage.” The man’s voice was muffled by the dirt his face was pressed into. Not the correct title, but it hardly mattered.
“Straighten up man, I cannot understand a word you are saying!” One of the House Marcni guards accompanying Aref on the search for the Weiryin moved to give the man a kick, but Aref held his hand up to stop him. No point in dragging this out. The man could always be beaten later.
“Of course my Mage lord, sorry my lord Mage. I was sent, yes I was sent with a message for you, well for someone important my lord. From Thucer you see.” Even Aref knew that name.
“You work for Thucer?” He frowned, it was more than brave to admit such a thing in front of any decent subject of her Eternal Majesty.
The man blanched. “N n no my lord. I just got asked to do a favour for him, you know it’s hard to say no to someone like that. Begging your pardon my Mage.” The man was clearly terrified, as he should be if he was involved with Vass Karan’s greatest criminal. He likely deserved to hang for that alone, but his message must be important for him to be willing to take such a risk to pass it on.
“Very well, what is your message. You can be judged afterwards.”
“Thank you my lord Mage! Thank you!” The man sagged with relief. “It’s about the monster, the Weiryin that you’re looking for. Thucer knows where it is, I can take you there.” It sounded ridiculous, but a spark of hope ignited in him. Perhaps he could be back in his manor with his books a bit sooner than he had expected.
“You can take us straight to it you say? How does Thucer know this?”
“Well, uh, you know how it is my lord.” He did not, but he had not made it as far as he had in life by admitting such things. “There ain’t much that happens down here without Thucer knowing about it. So if you’d come with me I can show you where.”
“It’s likely a trap my lord.” One of the Marcni guards growled the warning.
“If they are stupid enough to think they can trap me, then they deserve to find out what would happen.” Aref dismissed the warning with a wave. Criminal lord or not, a Master Mage was not something the man could deal with. Still though, it did beg the question of why Thucer was doing this, if it was indeed Thucer. He turned his attention back to the cringing man. The Weiryin was able to control people after all. “My guard raises a valid point. What benefit does Thucer get from this?”
“Ah, you see my lord, Thucer thought you might ask that. He said to say while he might not be the best subject of Her Eternal Majesty, he is no traitor to her, nor to humankind. Some abominations cannot be allowed to live.”
“Hmm, really?” Aref allowed a hint of scepticism to bleed into his voice. He was certainly no expert on scum like Thucer or the man in front of him, but he doubted they did much out of the goodness of their hearts.
“Really, my lord he said that. He also said if you don’t believe that, then I should tell you that Weiryin are bad for business. No one wants the Inquisition coming around, may her Eternal Majesty bless their souls!”
Well, that was at least plausible. “Very well. On your feet man, you will lead us to the Weiryin and if this is a trap,” he paused for dramatic effect, “you will be the last to die and the slowest.”
“Of course, my lord Mage.” The man seemed more relieved than frightened by the threat though. That would not do. Not at all. Suddenly, Aref lunged forward and placed his hand on the man’s head.If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
“Egredealn.” Aref said the nonsense word as he stared into his eyes. “Now if you betray me your fate will be more terrible than you can possibly imagine.” Actually thinking up a suitable curse for the wretch would have been far too much effort. If it was a trap he would just have the man tortured to death to make an example after he’d dealt with whoever was deluded enough to think they were powerful enough to kill a Master Mage.
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Farzim Karimi resisted the urge to sigh. He had the power to summon the most powerful man in the city to attend to him. Great Spirits, he had the power to order Duke Marcni executed on the spot. In theory. On paper he spoke with the voice of the Undying Queen herself. In practice of course everything was rather more nuanced. Sadly that meant that he had to listen to the bald man as he ranted.
“A Weiryin, loose in my city! How has this happened?! Lord Savate your incompetence has…”
“Duke Marcni.” Farzim kept his tone mild. Ranting or shouting was rarely all that effective in his experience. To his satisfaction the Duke trailed off under his gaze. His actual power might not be absolute, but the word of an Inquisitor held considerable weight wherever he went. “Let us not be too hasty with our accusations. I can assure you that a full investigation will be carried out,” he enjoyed the man’s slight wince at that, “for now Lord Savate is providing his full cooperation with the hunt as I am sure you will too.”
“Of course, My Lord Inquisitor. Why, my household guards are already out assisting the search parties and patrolling the streets. You have the support of the entirety of House Marcni and Vass Karan behind it too!”
“Of course.” The Duke could not have given him any other answer. However, in this case Farzim was not worried. He doubted any of the noble houses of Vass Karan were involved in the Summoning of the Weiryin. It simply did not fit with the creature burying itself away in the underworld and subverting criminals. Of course he would still be making some serious efforts to find its source. The very existence of such creatures was an offence to the world and anyone foolish enough to bring them into the world needed to be found.
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Aref Tabasi stifled a yawn. He was not enjoying his journey through the Wasteways. Their wretched guide seemed to know where he was going, but Aref was as lost as he had ever been in the filthy twisting tunnels. Some were natural, others were manmade, none of them were pleasant.
He was not afraid of any ambush of course, but he had so many better things he could be doing. Sitting by the fireplace, working on his latest thesis for example. Or maybe visiting one of the city’s more impressionable ladies. It was always enjoyable finding out just how impressed they were by a few paltry magic tricks.
In a way it was young Ester’s fault. If not for her, he would be having a far better day. No, that was a little unfair, even he could admit that. The foolish girl seemed to have succeeded in making enemies around the city already, but stumbling across a Weiryin, even a relatively weak one was hardly something she could help. Regardless, it was not the kind of thing a woman should be dealing with. In fact it must have been quite traumatic for her. Perhaps he should pay her a visit after all this mess was resolved and give her some advice. If he could find the time.
It was her prerogative as a Mage to do as she wished of course, within suitable bounds. If she wanted to go and find monsters then he certainly would not stop her. However, that did not mean he could not express his disapproval to her if he got the chance. Perhaps if she could be diverted onto something more suitable? Maybe a more artistic endeavour?
His train of thought was broken when their guide came to a sudden halt.
“My lord Mage.” His voice was a harsh whisper. “It’s in there, in the big chamber, I swear it. After it was wounded it went there. I don’t know why, maybe to lick its wounds?”
“Thank you, goodman.” He kept his own voice low. Not out of fear like the guide, but because he did not want the Weiryin to escape. “You will stay with us, consider yourself under arrest for your association with Thucer. If you attempt to run you will be killed, but if you have told the truth, then I shall turn a blind eye when you make your escape. Am I understood?”
“Yes my lord Mage! Thank you, lord!” The man nodded his head so fervently that it looked like it might fall off.
“Good, now are there any other ways in or out?” The last thing he wanted was to find the Weiryin only for it to run away again.
“No, my lord, just the one way. It used to be some kind of storeroom I think.”
“Excellent. Let us be on with this then. I wish to return to my home as soon as possible. Stay behind me men.”
Without further ado, Aref reached down and twisted one of the gold rings adorning his fingers. The corridor ahead of them was suddenly illuminated with bright white light, banishing the gloomy shadows and flickering light of the torches his guards carried. With the way properly lit, he strode forward, utterly confident.
The corridor briefly narrowed and then widened into an archway, flanked by a pair of mostly worn away statues. Without hesitating, Aref went through and into a surprisingly large chamber, the ring casting harsh light around it. The first thing he saw was bodies.
He was no Battle Mage. He’d seen people die, but not many and never quite so… violently. They seemed to have been torn apart. At least twenty of them. Maybe more. It was a big chamber and he could feel his stomach twisting even without looking too closely. Some of them were missing parts, intestines and blood sprayed around them. Aref swallowed hard and hoped none of the others had noticed his hesitation.
Fortunately his eyes were dragged away from the morbid sight and onto the abomination lurking at the back of the room. It seemed to writhe, its appearance changing nauseatingly, adding to the sickly feeling in his stomach from the bodies of its victims. His eyes did not want to focus on it, to take it in. However, that was unacceptable. Reality was his to bend and well over a century of practice sat behind him. With a small effort of will he forced himself to look directly at it, to see through its veil.
Sadly it was just as unpleasant to see properly. The conclusion was easy, it was a disgusting monster that needed to be eliminated. Even if it was not so dangerous to the common people and the Empire, he would still gladly kill it to remove its stain from the world.
The Weiryin returned his gaze. Five empty white eyes fixed on him, six limbs holding it off the floor. If young Ester had injured it, there was certainly no sign of that. He was no expert on such creatures, the knowledge was restricted with good reason, but he suspected it had healed itself by gorging on its victims.
“Ah so you have found me.” Its voice was as unpleasant as its appearance, gurgling out from between a ring of tentacles. “These men and women were good, but you will taste even better I am sure.”
Aref sighed, he had no desire to exchange banter with the thing, he just wanted it dead. However, a thought did occur to him. The Inquisitor would want…
Before he could say anything, the Weiryin moved. Faster than the eye could follow, straight at him and the guards.
“Ceaxal tràth’fa.” He had been planning to see if he could defeat it without speaking any spells, just for the challenge, but some things were more important.
The spell came together, bands of magic forming around the Weiryin. Its natural resistance tried to slough through them, but Aref had power and will aplenty. It was not even a contest. The spell formed in a flash and the Weiryin stopped dead, frozen like an insect trapped in amber. Even the air around it would be utterly still until he released the spell. Perfect.
“You.” He gestured to the guards. “Take our guide back to the surface and fetch the Lord Inquisitor and let him know that I have preserved the Weiryin alive for his examination. I shall hold it until he returns. I have no doubt it will aid him in working out its origins.”
As they hurried away Aref looked for somewhere to sit and wait, preferably not facing the corpses.
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“So, my lady.” Ester tried to ignore Metie’s voice and focus on finding her way through the dark, dank tunnel they were in. The flickering light of the torches they carried were less helpful for that than she’d have liked. “You made Sergeant Sparkles magic armour, what would it take for you to make the same for me?” He glanced at the two Watchmen in front of them and shrugged. “For us.”
Ester could have sworn she saw one of the other two shake his head, but it was hard to tell in the dim light.
“It just doesn’t seem very fair like. You’re doing favours for Sergeant Sparkles and…” She dragged her attention away from trying to see anything moving in the dark tunnels and looked at Metie.
“Who is Sergeant Sparkles?” She tried to make her tone harsh, she was fairly sure that wasn’t an appropriate way to refer to his superior even if the Watch could be quite casual at times.
“Oh you know, old Etroan, but after you was done with him he just sparkled so prettily.”
“Sergeant Etroan,” she emphasised the name, “and my arrangement is none of your business Metie.” She went back to scanning the tunnel. The Weiryin had been so fast, what if it was hiding somewhere? Would she even see it? Would she even have time to do anything about it if she did?
“Oh it’s not an insult, we’re just jealous, aren’t we lads?”
“Shut it Metie.” Arsor sounded as nervous as Ester felt.
“Hey, I’m just trying to get us some benefits from working with the lady Mage here. No disrespect intended.” He leant slightly closer to Ester and lowered his voice to a mock whisper. “It’s not an insult see. I wouldn’t mind sparkling too. Bet it’d get me all the girls, begging your pardon my lady, so help a humble Watchman out?” She could see it too, Metie wasn’t an entirely bad looking man even if he was deeply annoying. Ester yanked her mind back to the task at hand. The gloom really was quite oppressive.
“I do not have time to do that for everyone, I am offering Sergeant Etroan payment for his help with certain matters.”
“Of course you are, but what’s Old Sparkles got that I don’t?” He paused and Ester studiously refused to fill the gap. “I bet I can help with whatever it is. Whatcha need? I’d do a lot for that, even if those boring sods don’t want to help.” That got him a growl from the two in front. Ester was starting to wish she was with them rather than walking next to him.
“Be quiet, please. I do not want the Weiryin to ambush us.” Of course Metie ignored her.
“Go on. We’re all brothers here in the Watch aren’t we? Well, sister in your case, but you get the drift, my lady. Help a brother out.”
"You’re not my bloody brother and I’m glad of it,” said Arsor. A sentiment Ester couldn’t help but agree with.
“Maybe not yours Arsor, I might be common but you’re what’s left after the commoners is done.” To Ester’s surprise that only got an amused grunt rather than an explosion of anger. Saying something like that would have been killing words at the Academy. Well, if they’d been allowed to try to kill each other anyway.
“Can we please focus on the mission, the Weiryin is dangerous enough without all this.” She gestured vaguely with her torch.
“Anyways Lady Mazar ain’t said she disagrees. You understand brother… sisterhood my lady, right?” She just knew Metie had an irritating grin spread over his face.
“Lady Mazar is a Mage, she’s nothing like us and especially nothing like you, you should show her more respect.”
“Ah come on Arsor, I’ve nothing but respect for the lady. She knows that, right?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Anyway she’s got a bit of a twang to her voice. Know what I mean?” Horror spiked in Ester. Surely he didn’t mean… “You was born one of us my lady, weren’t you? I can hear it. Good on you I say, but you can help a man out, right, make me sparkle too?” Ester’s lips worked as she desperately tried to work out what to say to that. Was it so obvious? She’d thought she had the accent just right.
“I…” She was cut off by Arsor’s voice as he came to a halt.
“There’s something ahead. Movement.”
All thought of Metie’s irritating needling fled Ester’s head as she desperately tried to peer into the darkness of the tunnel. She couldn’t see anything, but with everyone staying still there was definitely a sound. A shuffling scraping noise that she couldn’t place. Also a faint smell. Something unpleasant, wrong, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what. The Weiryin flashed across her mind, throwing itself at her. She wanted nothing more than to turn back and flee for the surface, leave it to someone more experienced.
“We’ll need to investigate.” Her voice was a low whisper, hopefully not betraying her fear. “Keep quiet and be ready for anything.” With that she started to creep forward, as quietly as she possibly could.