Eight 5.26: Scouting the Way I

Author's Note: The audiobook for Eight 4 is publishing on May 27th. I'll share the pre-order link as soon as it's ready.

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The next day, we delayed our departure because of freezing rain. It was late in the season for such bad weather, but the temperature aboveground had dipped sharply overnight. I likely would’ve been fine, but Fala and the Deer God would’ve been miserable.

We ended up waiting until just after 10 AM to leave. The wet ground outside was like a shining field in my awareness—the trees and bushes outlined in slick, silvery water and every step causing the field to shimmer.

There was a well-maintained road, in addition to a goodly number of game trails and paths used by Maltra’s soldiers, all of which we avoided. The way wasn’t so dense that we couldn’t slip between the trees and bushes. We only lightly touched the land to keep from disturbing them, making it hard for anyone to recognize we’d been there.

Scouts regularly patrolled the area; they’d note the presence of anyone carelessly trekking through these woods.

Our plan was to go wide before swinging around back toward the Eagle Fortress. That meant navigating a series of rocky cliffs, free climbing our way up. Each time, we shifted the water out of the way, so that we could grip the rock solidly. Where there were no handholds, Fala made them for us. And afterward, she erased them to leave no mark that we’d been there.

Being element-touched was such a cheat.

We paused about halfway to the fortress when we heard the sounds of battle. Approaching cautiously, we saw a Maltran soldier team fighting a hellmouth—a relatively young one from the looks of it.

The creatures looked like Brussels sprouts on four legs to me, but they were no joke to fight if you didn’t know what you were doing. In this case, the soldiers were taking it apart from a distance, bit by bit, rightly cautious of the poison gas the creature emitted.

‘There are more soldiers,’ the Deer God sent, directing our attention upslope.

A second team hid among the trees, clearly on overwatch, so we retreated about fifty yards to wait out the fight. We lost about an hour that way. Partly, it was due to the drawn-out nature of the battle, and the rest because the soldiers waited for the poison gas to disperse before harvesting the hellmouth’s light.

Eventually, they moved on. And then we waited another hour just to make sure.

###

The architecture of the Eagle Fortress was split into two sections.

The part below was the more normal of the two. There was a wall, of course, and protected by it were a collection of buildings, a paddock, a mine entrance, and what looked like facilities for processing ore.

The uncertainty came from the observation that there was hardly any activity, even though it was well past noon by then. Soldiers guarded the compound, but the mine otherwise didn’t seem to be operating. It was like looking at a well-constructed movie set.

The section above was where things got strange. Think of three boxes, two on the bottom and one stacked on top between them. Now, turn the boxes forty-five degrees, so that their edges faced you. That was what was embedded into the cliffside above the mine.

The more I thought about it, though, the more I could see the reasoning. Each of those facings had slits built into them for defenders to shoot from, either arrows or spells. They also had sight lines a full one-hundred-eighty degrees in front of the fortress.

Why did they call it the Eagle Fortress? Maybe it was because if you squinted you could vaguely see a bird shape. Eh, not really. The answer was more likely to be someone wanted an imposing name for the place. People were like that.

Fala and I made a full circle around the fort, examining it from nearly every angle. Later, when evening came, we constructed a blind from which we could continue our observations. Fala dug out a stronghold behind it, so that we’d have a place to rest in between shifts.

We learned a few things throughout that day and evening. Namely, the compound wasn’t as deserted as it first had appeared. There was no sense in leaving perfectly good buildings unoccupied, so they’d been converted into barracks and offices for soldiers and officials from the fort. Among them had been a group of people talented in construction. Listening in with Owl’s Ears, we’d overheard them talking about plans to expand the fortress deeper into the mountain.

They’d apparently received orders directly from Sister Moon to double the available space. None of them knew what it was for, but they’d all been eager to prove themselves worthy of the task.

Also, anyone going into or out of the mine had been stopped and searched, a series of runes embedded into the ground flaring to life each time. Our best guess was that it was some kind of identity check, since the light emitted from the runes differed for each position a person held—purple for soldiers and staff, yellow for the builders and other authorized visitors to the fort.

The next morning, a wagon loaded with food pulled into the mining compound. Instead of letting it drive into the mine, though, the soldiers unloaded it out in the open, then they hand-carried the barrels and crates it was carrying through entrance. The process took a while, since the people and goods were thoroughly examined every time.

There was only the one entrance, and it didn’t seem like we’d be going through it anytime soon.

Next, we sneaked away from our stronghold, so that Fala could test the stone around the fort. She had no problems merging with it when at a distance, but the walls stopped her as soon as she got close. They’d been enchanted to keep the Earth-Touch from slipping through them.

Fala attempted the walls from every angle, but she came back shaking her head.

So, we spent some time getting to know the personnel better, listening for a weak link that we might exploit to get us inside. For example, there was a builder overly fond of her liquor. Another found one of the guards attractive, but his attempts at flirting had been rebuffed. He harbored a mild intention for petty revenge.

Alas, neither of those two vulnerabilities was easy to leverage. Nor was there anything obvious among the soldiers. They were an unshakably loyal bunch; my teeth hurt from looking at the dizziness in their spirits.

###

The four of us gathered around a small table in our stronghold. It was a cold camp, so we ate a simple meal and drank only water—nothing with a strong scent that might give our presence away.

As near as I can tell, we’re left with two options, I thought. We either go in hot—

The others all shook their heads.

—or Fala merges with water to flow through one of the arrowslits. That would get the three of you inside, but then I’d be left outside.

‘To cause a distraction?’ Yuki asked.

That’s what I was thinking, I replied.

‘I do not like this idea of splitting up the herd,’ the Deer God sent.

I shrugged. It’s not ideal, no, but we have to work with what we have.

‘Albei’s land soldiers wear necklaces that act as keys to their gate security,’ Fala sent. ‘We’re sure the Maltrans don’t use an equivalent?’

I thought back to what I’d experienced of the people. We should probably double-check, but I’m doubtful that’s the case here. The builders feel honored to have been chosen, but there’s no tangible focus attached to it other than Sister Moon. If they’d been given any kind of token, that would’ve registered in their spirits.

‘The drunk one then.’ Fala suggested.

She’s probably already passed out for the night, I thought. We can go right now for that double-check.

‘And we’ll slip an extension of our consciousness into her at the same time,’ Yuki said.

‘Are you going to aim for moving from person to person?’ Fala asked.

Their qi bobbed in a nod. ‘Into one of the soldiers if we can.’

Good idea, I thought. That’ll give us a clearer picture of their security procedures, and we can start to build a map of the interior.

The Deer God huffed and pointed out, ‘You have not yet mentioned a reconnaissance by spirit journey.’

The idea had occurred to me—it’d been incredibly helpful to send the earth spirit into Bashtencru’s administrative hall before the rest of sneaked inside—but there was one more observation about the mining compound that worried me. I hadn’t seen a single ghost since we’d begun our surveillance.

‘I know what worries you,’ the Deer God said, continuing. ‘Yet we are silvered, and more importantly, I still hold the power bestowed upon me by our Earth. The spiritual weight I carry will not see me swept up by a sorcerer’s tricks.’

I don’t like the idea of you going alone, I thought.

‘Then come with me,’ the Deer God replied. ‘You are tied to me and I to you. This will ensure you do not fly into the sorcerer’s maw.’

The pros and cons flashed through my mind, but I knew it was something we had to at least try. And if we approached the fortress slowly and carefully, we should be able to retreat if anything untoward happened.

All right, I thought. We’ll break this evening’s activities into two phases. First, we investigate if the builder has a gate key and sneak an extension of Yuki into her. Second, the Deer God and I go on a spiritual journey to directly scout the interior. Are we all agreed?

The answer didn’t come immediately. The others thought the situation through in its entirety before one-by-one they nodded.

###

Her name was Melida, born in a town called Okteinta to a family of masons and carpenters. She’d earned her journeyman rank at only twelve-years old, because the stone spoke to her. Not literally—she wasn’t blessed to be Earth-Touched—but she did possess an understanding for how stone behaved. She also had some influence, able to sweet talk it into becoming stronger and more resistant to those trying to break or sneak through.

She was talented, this Melida. And it went to her head, making her think she was wise in all things, not just stone. The results were foolish decisions in both love and business. At home, her spouses nagged her to improve their standing. At the lodge, her sponsors and creditors hounded her for the money they were due.

It was enough to drive a good woman to drink, the fastest way to silence the worries constantly eating at her insides.

This commission at the Eagle Fortress was a heaven-sent opportunity to regain her footing. She’d prove once and for all that her talents were not wasted, and it was thanks to the grace given to her by Sister Moon.

So far, she’d had the opportunity to survey the fort’s exterior and the foundation underpinning it, but the real work would begin soon. The lead architect was due to arrive any day now.

###

Melida was sprawled on her belly on the floor of her room, not quite having made it to her bed. She had a hand on the wooden frame, but that was as far as she’d gotten.

Moonlight splashed against the wall adjacent the window.

The room itself was spare, with signs indicating that the resident had only been here for a week or so. The only things personalizing it were a trunk at the base of the bed full of clothes and a collection of stones on the night stand, each one polished smooth.

Melida’s spirit was a disordered mess of pride and guilt mixed together. Yuki had had no issues infiltrating her meridians. Honestly, she was so insensate that I could’ve bonked her on the head with a hammer and she wouldn’t have noticed.

‘There’s no gate key,’ Yuki said. ‘Instead, the soldiers took her and the other builders to a room where one of the captains cast a spell. He told them that it would allow passage into and out of the fortress. Anyone not affected by the spell would cause an alarm to sound.’

What kind of alarm? I asked.

‘The fort has a dasekua,’ Yuki said. ‘Anyone not of the fort triggers a warning heard by everyone inside.’

Fala had been at the door to Melida’s room, keeping watch. She sent, ‘They used a dasekua for a fortress?’

‘They did,’ Yuki confirmed. ‘Our friend here saw it marked on a rough map of the place. This was part of her initial briefing.’

The map—I began.

‘—is mostly useless,’ Yuki finished. ‘It was drawn with broad strokes. It didn’t even highlight where not to go. The builders are always accompanied by soldiers, and they would be the ones to warn against going into the restricted areas.’

So the builders are never left alone? I clarified.

‘Not once so far,’ Yuki replied. ‘We’re not optimistic about moving around unseen while inside the fortress. Better to investigate a soldier now when they’re less likely to be on alert—perhaps one of the two guarding this building?’

Yuki’s lichen emerged from Melida’s back, the extension picking their way out from behind her shirt. I reached down to let them return to my body. Meanwhile, Fala slipped out into the corridor; I felt her intention to scout the building. The Deer God followed after her, one with the herd.

I planned to search the room one more time, then I’d head to the building’s entrance. The guards were posted just outside.

Looking down at the back of Melida’s head, her braid slovenly done, I thought it unlikely she’d drown in her own vomit if she threw up while she was passed out. Almost, I walked away. Instead, I knelt to turn her head to the side, just in case. That was when I saw the small mark on her forehead, invisible to the mortal eye but shimmering on her spirit. The shape was of an eagle.

I found the gate key.

###

A pair of soldiers stood out front, each of them with short, heavy blades sheathed at their sides. Yuki sent their extension under the door and had it creep toward the older one on the right. They sneaked into the man’s meridians via his right ankle. A moment later, as they worked their way up into his dantians, information started to roll in.

The soldier’s name was Hamu the Talker, though he wasn’t talking now. Careless chatter wasn’t allowed while on duty, and duty mattered very much to Hamu. He felt tremendous honor in being assigned to the Eagle Fortress.

He didn’t know the nature of the work within the inner facilities, but the quality of the people involved told him all he needed to know. He’d never seen so many silvered in one place—as if they were like common soldiers.

Hamu was proud of his five talents and how he’d nurtured and bent each one to better serve the empire. And yet he wasn’t too proud to protect the fortress’s outer facilities. Every piece had its place, after all, and his was outside, protecting the visitors.

These builders had been selected to do the important work of expanding the fortress. Hamu wouldn’t let anything happen to them, nor would he allow them to go where they shouldn’t. His orders had been clear on that part: anyone who strayed was to be cut down immediately.

Behind the scenes, Yuki prodded the soldier to think about the fortress’s layout and to review where visitors were and weren’t allowed to go.

This had once been a working silver mine before being commandeered by the empire. The upper levels of the mine had been reinforced and converted into the lowest levels of the fortress. The tunnels below them had been filled by the Earth-Touched.

Hamu knew personally the team that checked the earthworks daily. He often bought them drinks, and he was pleased to think that they enjoyed his company and his stories. His time among the soldiers, fighting to the south…

Yuki gently floated the idea that he should be careful of daydreams. His duty was to focus on the fortress and how to protect it. If he wanted to dream, then it ought to be about how he could rise in the ranks and serve within the inner fortress.

And for the first time, Hamu quailed. There was no thought or intuition attached to the reaction. His body simply operated at a fundamental level—hormones and neurotransmitters flowing in preparation for fight or flight.

There’d been something below the level conscious thought that had triggered it. The strange thing was, Hamu mistook the heightened stress for excitement. He then quickly explained to himself that while the idea of working in the inner fortress was incredible, he wasn’t worthy of the honor. He then proceeded to think about the mundane aspects of life until he calmed down.

So far down he didn’t even recognize it, Hamu was afraid.

###

We left the extension of Yuki inside Hamu and retreated to our stronghold. The first thing we did on our arrival was to pull out paper and charcoal to draw a map of the fortress’s outer facilities—the places the “common” soldiers were allowed access to.

The result was only partially helpful. If we could get through the gate, we’d be able to navigate the first two floors fine, but anything above that—the area contained by the three “boxes” above—was restricted.

Looks like a spirit journey will be needed, after all, I thought.

The Deer God left the herd to appear beside me. ‘I would like to eat some pine needles before continuing, he sent. My belly is empty.’

Okay, you do that, I replied. It’ll take me some time to get ready anyway.

He nodded, and Fala opened the door for him to slip out.

I was grateful for the opportunity to put my head in order. The first time I’d gone on a spirit journey, then-Ikfael had had to travel three days to procure and return with the ritual ingredients required.

Now, my Spirit Walker talent allowed me to go on journeys cost-free, though I still needed a ritual to make it happen. It was just that the ingredients were no longer necessary.

I’d done some testing of the talent, but not as much as you’d think. One reason was that there were so many other abilities to explore first. Another was that Tenna’s Gift didn’t always apply when journeying. In fact, the rules for how things worked were nebulous. They changed depending on the… let’s call it the framework of the entities involved.

Here is how I was coming to understand the nature of things:

There are universal laws underlying reality, but most existences aren’t able to grok them in their entirety, so only a partial understanding is accessible through a person’s framework—a magical practice, a religious worldview, or some other way of approaching life.

Think of it like carrying around your own ruleset. Then, when you encounter another being, you also encountered their ruleset. The play between them depends on whose set of rules is more aligned with the universal laws.

Or how powerful the existences are, because a strong existence might be able to overwhelm a weaker one, even if their ruleset is in greater alignment with the universal laws.

Complicated much?

Once I’d realized how deep this practice went, I’d told myself to take it slow. Other than my tests, I’d gone on only one real spirit journey, and that had been to meet with Helen—the one when she’d told me she was returning to the cycle of rebirth…

My thoughts were interrupted by Fala putting a hand on my shoulder. “Are you all right?”

I nodded, which was a lie and she knew it. She let the lie be, though, and pulled me over to sit on our bed. Her body fit next to mine like we were made for each other.

Her hand rubbed my back in soft circles. ‘Happiness comes, and it goes. Sadness, anger, good fortune and bad. Just think of the entirety of Amleila’s experiences. Nothing lasted, and it made her bitter and bored. But I want us to be the stone in the middle of a pool—steady amid the flow. The water will change us, but the earth constantly renews itself. Though we will be polished smooth, we will still be ourselves.’

That’s beautiful, I thought.

My beloved turned my head so that I looked into her eyes. ‘Your Helen’s death has polished you smooth, and you are still yourself. This mission for Silasenei is changing our shape, and we are still ourselves. Time will attempt to conquer us, but we will triumph and remain ourselves.’

I nodded again, and this time it was the truth.