Vainglory 3.44 - Leviathan Stirs

Enjoy the chapter - I THINK we'll finish up this book next week. Might take another chapter or two more than I think, though - tends to happen to me.

-Plum

44 – Leviathan Stirs

When Ward climbed out of the coach in front of Master Rose’s place, he wasn’t feeling any better. In fact, the dread certainty that he should be hauling ass away from that city was making it hard for him to concentrate on anything else. He started to walk away from the coach, mind buzzing with anxious, racing thoughts, but Marie cleared her throat and called his name from the open door, “Ward?”

He turned, frowning, hand on sword hilt. “Yeah?”

“Did you hear me?”

He shook his head. “I guess not.”

“One hour. We’ll meet at the Assembly Building in one hour.”

He nodded. “Right.” Coral was going to get help from the wardens, Marie was going to gather what was left of her mercenaries, and Ward was supposed to see if he could convince Master Rose to help. Apparently, she was well known in the city for her prowess, but also for her reclusive nature. He didn’t let on that he was already pretty sure she was onboard—under-promise and over-deliver was a lesson he’d learned a long time ago.

She frowned, clearly aware of his absent-mindedness. “All right, then. Be careful.”

Ward nodded, waved a little dismissively, and turned back to the gate. He heard the coach hum as it rolled away, then he pulled the gate open and started up the path to the Gopah master’s house. He’d just mounted the stoop when the door opened, and Haley charged out, crushing him into a hug.

“Ward!” Her voice was muffled, pressed into his shirt.

“Hey, kiddo.” He squeezed her back and wasn’t surprised to see Grace appear, standing behind the young woman. “Someone wants to say hello.”

Haley pushed away from him and narrowed her eyes. “Grace?”

“Hey, sweet girl,” Grace said, and Haley whirled.

“You’re okay!”

“I’m fine! Just needed a bit of rest. I’m sure glad to see you looking so good!” She held out a hand, and Haley instinctively reached for it, but their fingers passed through each other. “Darn it!” Grace chuckled. “I wonder how your master could touch me—”

“When one has mastered the rhythms of the eleventh cycle, spirit beings are within one’s grasp,” Rose said, stepping through the doorway.

Haley bowed at her master’s appearance, but Rose didn’t seem to expect any such formalities. She gently rested a hand on Grace’s shoulder, smiling down at her. “I’m pleased to see you’re well, Grace. I didn’t get a chance to thank you for the tribulation you put yourself through on Haley’s behalf.”

Grace returned her smile, and in Ward’s opinion, gazed up at Rose with something of a starstruck expression as she replied, “It was nothing. I did it for Haley.”

“I wish I could hug you, Grace!”

“Well,” Ward quipped, “better keep working on your Gopah, then.”

“She’s very close to claiming her gray belt. Unfortunately, it will have to wait until the battle we face is over.” Rose looked pointedly at Ward. “I’m not mistaken, am I? The battle draws nigh?”

Ward grimaced, once again reminded of the anxiety clawing at his guts. “Very nigh. We have to meet the others in an hour.”

“Others?” Haley asked.

“Reembak, Coral, the wardens—if they’ll help—and some mercenaries.”

“Reembak?” Haley cried, eyes wide.

Ward nodded, shrugging slightly. “Turns out I had her all wrong, but that’s because she had me all wrong. Anyway, we worked it out. Oh, and guess who the cult leader was?”

“Someone from the Assembly Building,” Rose volunteered. “I’ve felt a dark presence there—different from those infected by the…whatever is behind the Umbrage.”

“Who?” Haley asked, grabbing the front of Ward’s shirt.

“Gwen. She had Coral under control, but Reembak captured her. I used the artifact, and now Pallishae is, um, inhabiting her.”

Rose clicked her tongue. “A dark business.”

“Yeah, I know, but I couldn’t think of another way. We’re going to be up against something like fifty cultists. Some are sorcerers, and some will be inhabited by demons. It’s going to be a hell of a fight. Pallishae and Marie—that’s Reembak’s first name—are both powerful, though, and, well, if you come along, Rose…”

“I shall. It’s time I stopped watching this city fall into corruption.”

Haley tugged on his shirt for attention. “Ward, we should tell Fitz!”

“Sure. We can swing by his place. Maybe he’ll send Lali with us.”

“Ward,” Rose asked, “do you need time to meditate? Do you need to prepare your spells?”

Ward shook his head. “We took turns using the floor in the coach during the ride over.” It hadn’t exactly been comfortable, but he’d managed to prepare Shadow Step, Mana Bolt, and a fresh Chains of Silence, just in case he came up against a strong sorcerer without one of the others to help him out. His mind was full with those three spells, almost painfully so, but he’d managed.

“Then let us depart. The Fitzwallace estate is a short walk, and we can hail a coach from there.” Rose turned and pulled her door closed. “Haley and I are ready.”

Haley nodded, hurrying ahead, but turned to wait for Ward to catch up. “Tell us about your trip to the countryside. What happened?”

“Well, it’s kind of a wild story. I guess things started getting interesting when my coach got attacked…”

As they walked, he told the whole tale, filling Rose and Haley in on his fights and the deadly misunderstanding Reembak and he had about each other. Haley, of course, was distrustful, but Ward tried to reassure her, explaining that Pallishae was now inside Gwen’s head and he’d know if there was some kind of duplicity going on with Reembak’s story. The walk was quick—less than ten minutes—and he’d barely finished when they approached the gates.

Ward smiled at Haley and nodded to the footman on duty. “Go ahead. Talk to Fitz, and we’ll wait here.”

Haley glanced at Rose, who nodded, then she smiled, waved quickly at Ward, and hurried over to the gate. She was almost immediately admitted, and then she jogged up the drive, her feet silent as whispers on the cobbles. Ward looked at Rose. “Did you get to do much practicing with her? I thought I’d be gone longer than a day.”

“We were productive yesterday, and Haley proved to me that she’s more than capable of advancing; she just needs to learn some control. She’s very talented.” Rose looked at him and smiled, and Ward found himself wishing he could see her eyes. “She reminds me of myself. I don’t mean to sound braggadocious, but I ascended through the ranks of Gopah quickly.”

“She’s something, that’s for sure,” Ward said, nodding along.

“Her demeanor has vastly improved thanks to you and Grace.”

At the mention of his inner demon, Ward looked around. Where had she gone? “I think she’s still recovering.”

“Grace? I wouldn’t be surprised. Tell me, how did you bring her forth again? Did she come out on her own?”

Ward shook his head, but before he could speak, Grace appeared and said, “The big dummy gave me some anima.”

Rose’s mouth opened in surprise. “Ah!” Frowning, she put a hand on Ward’s shoulder, sending tingling vibrations deep into his bones. “Then this endeavor carries great risk for you.”

Ward shrugged. “Nothing new.”

“Don’t be so nonchalant!” Grace punched his other shoulder, and Rose smiled.

“Hey, I’m not planning to die. With any luck, we’ll kill a demon or two, and I can absorb some anima.” He’d checked his hemograph reading while riding in the coach and had been relieved to see that Grace hadn’t taken even half of his anima; he’d been at 74/100.

Rose gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze, then let go. “A worthy plan, dear wolfen sorcerer.”

The sound of the gate rattling brought their attention back to Fitz’s estate, and Haley came through, followed by Lali, Fitz, and half a dozen men and women bearing spears and wearing livery that matched the footman minding the gate—blue surcoats over chainmail shirts that bore a gilded crest that must represent Fitz’s house. Haley ran over, cheeks red, breathless with excitement. “Fitz is coming, and he’s bringing his household guard!”

Fitz waved, coming over to stand before Ward and Rose. “A pleasure to see you both. My coachmen are bringing two vehicles around. We’ll make haste to the Assembly Building.”

Ward looked him up and down, noting the hardened leather vest he wore over his finely stitched tunic and pants. He frowned at his polished boots and feathered hat. “Fitz, I don’t know if—”

“Ward, you were right about the Garden Gates, but I won’t stand down when the city is on the line. Haley told me what you found out, and I must, as a noble citizen and a man of honor, stand against the evil that brews in the depths of—”

Suddenly, everything shifted, and a deep rumble echoed through the city. Dust exploded into the air as stones rubbed against stones, and some of the more fragile structures nearby collapsed. Ward stumbled, but maintained his balance. The same went for Rose and Haley, but Fitz and many of his men fell with panicked expressions on their faces as the ground did something most of them had never experienced: quaked.

It was a brief quake, and not, in Ward’s opinion, a very severe one, but it was evident that the city of Ordo Caelus hadn’t been built with earthquakes in mind. As the dust settled and unearthly stillness took hold, first one, then a dozen voices cried out around the neighborhood—people screaming for help, looking for loved ones, or just shouting to the heavens in dismay. Ward grabbed Fitz’s hand, hauling him to his feet, and the urgency he felt in his gut must have made its way into his voice because when he spoke, the man blanched. “Get those coaches. We have to hurry!”

“Was that—” Rose started to ask.

“It was,” Ward said. “Something terrible is coming, and we don’t have much time.”

Fitz spun to face his troops, still scrambling to their feet. “Go! Hurry the coaches!”

It took longer than Ward would have liked for the coaches to make their way forward; apparently, the drivers had exited the vehicles in panic, and the guards had to chase them down. The gate had come off its track, but Ward helped to pull it open regardless, grinding the metal wheels over the cobbles. When the coaches came out, they all climbed in while Fitz hollered his demand that they make all haste to the Assembly Building.

When Fitz climbed in, the coach was already moving, and soon it was humming, the mana engine burbling with the effort as the drivers piloted the two vehicles around slower traffic, breaking whatever traffic laws the city had by driving on sidewalks whenever necessary. Ward watched out the window, looking at the bewildered citizens and the efforts they made to sift through the collapsed stone here and there to make partially obstructed buildings accessible. Ward didn’t see many obvious injuries, but here and there, he saw people lying on the sidewalk, awaiting transport or treatment.

“This is just a taste,” he muttered.

“Is that your bloodline speaking?” Rose asked.

“Yeah. It’s telling me to get the hell out of here.” Ward spoke curtly, more of a growl than words, and he continued to gaze out the window, not interested in small talk; it was taking everything he had to ignore the voice in the back of his head screaming, “Run, fool! Run!”

To his surprise, Grace appeared, squeezing into the spot between him and the window. She took his hand and gently massaged the meaty part of his palm between his thumb and forefinger. That was it; she didn’t say anything—no teasing, no telling him to put his chin up. She just tried to comfort him, and he appreciated her in that moment more than he had since she’d first invaded his mind.

Haley and Rose spoke quietly with Fitz, giving him more details about the Umbrage, and Lali sat listening, arms folded over her armored chest. The others, Fitz’s house guard, were in the other coach.

Surprisingly, they made good time through the city, and thankfully, there weren’t any more quakes before they came to the Assembly Square. The driver had trouble getting close to the great building because of the throngs outside. A great crowd had gathered, waiting to hear from their leaders about why the earth was suddenly far less dependably fixed beneath their feet.

“Just let us out!” Ward growled, and Fitz backed him up, ordering the coachman to stop. Ward ripped the door open and jumped out, suddenly aware that not only was his dreadmarked blood trying to get him to flee, but so was his damned wolf; it wanted open air and vast forests beneath its feet. It didn’t want to be in this stone landscape when things began to fall.

He didn’t wait for the others as he pushed his way through the crowd toward the building, but they hurried to keep up, following in his wake as he shoved people left and right, heedless of their protests, curses, and threats. When he broke through, he found a line of breastplate-wearing soldiers with polearms standing shoulder to shoulder, holding the crowd back. “I need to get through,” Ward growled.

“Stand back!” one of the men shouted, tilting the blade of his glaive toward him.

“Ward?” a familiar feminine voice called out.

“Marie?”

“Let him through!” Suddenly, Reembak was there, flashing her Assembly badge—a golden medallion embossed with the three figures that adorned the top of the building—at the soldiers. When Ward pushed through, but the guards closed ranks, stopping Haley and the others, Ward whirled, grabbed the nearest guard’s cloak, and threw him back.

“There’s no goddamn time for your bullshit! They’re with me!” His voice thundered over the crowd's noise, and he knew his eyes were flaring with the amber-red light of his lycan blood. The soldier leveled his polearm at him and glanced nervously at Reembak.

“Stand down!” she screamed. “The fate of the city rides on these people!” Now her eyes were blazing with brilliant emerald light, and the guards parted ways for Ward’s companions. As they all hurried into the grand foyer of the Assembly Building, she said, “Thank the old gods you’re here. Pallishae has been going mad. She—or he, curse it!—insisted on going to the lower level and preparing the path. The wardens are with him.” She hurried briskly down the central corridor. “Coral wanted to come, but his knee gave out. He’s not up for the descent.”

Ward waved a hand. “It’s fine.”

Reembak turned to look at Rose and ducked her head. “Thank you for coming, Master Rose. We—the city—need you.”

The blindfolded woman nodded serenely. “I pray we aren’t too late.”

Reembak’s panicked face said she hoped the same. “Pallishae says the shaking we felt means they released one of the seals. There are four.”

Her words didn’t soothe Ward. He picked up the pace, stretching his legs, and Reembak had to practically jog in order to stay ahead of him and guide the way. They wound through several corridors Ward had never seen, and then they came to a door guarded by two hard-looking men wearing leather coats, baldrics adorned with knives and bullet casings, and heavy belts laden with pistols and other weapons. “Wardens,” Ward said by way of greeting.

“Go on through, Assemblywoman,” the man on the left said. “They’re working on breaking the seal.”

Reembak nodded and led the way into a large oval chamber with a heavy-looking pair of iron doors, showing the rusted patina of years and years. A dozen more wardens stood around watching Gwen—Pallishae—trace glowing symbols on the massive steel chain wrapped around the iron handles. Ward glanced to his left and saw the mercenaries from Coral’s estate hunkered against the wall, watched over by the two lycan swordsmen. None of them looked happy to be there.

“Marie,” Pallishae said. “Help me here. These chains are warded.”

“Those bastards,” Marie hissed, striding forward. Ward turned to regard the wardens again, only to find True striding toward him.

“Ward!” she said. “Too long, my friend!” She held out her hand, and Ward clasped it.

Something about seeing here and there, along with all the others willing to lay their lives on the line, helped to calm the urgent voice in his head. When he smiled, it was genuine, and he shook her hand enthusiastically. “You were cranky as hell the last time we spoke. I thought maybe you skipped town.”

“What? Me? An’ miss all this?” She laughed, slapping a hand against her leather coat, feeling for a pipe that she pulled out and stuck between her teeth. “Truth be told, the Marshal General’s thinking ’bout giving me a duty position here at the Citadel. ’Twould be a dream, if I’m honest. Brought you up a few times in our meetings. He wants to meet you, but things are mad over there.” She glanced at the door where Pallishae and Marie were consulting in hushed tones. “Gonna be madder now that Vott Coral spilled the beans about the corruption. Some dirty Wardens…”

Ward shrugged. “Maybe you’ll get lucky and the whole city will sink. Won’t have to worry about all that noise.”

True punched him in the shoulder, and so did Haley, who’d come up behind him. “Don’t put that thought out there!”

Ward rubbed his shoulder, scowling at the two women, then shrugged. “Didn’t know you were so superstitious.”

“Who’s this?” Lali asked, walking over. “Another old girlfriend for me to be worried about?”

Again, Ward couldn’t stop the smile on his face. “Oh, hell, Lali.” He laughed again. “This is my friend, True. She’s a hell of a law…woman.”

True winked at him and clicked her teeth on the pipe stem. Then she regarded Lali. “He likes ’em big, don’t he?”

“He’s definitely got a type.”

“Jesus,” Ward groaned.

Just then, with a rattling, clanking racket, the long, heavy chain began to fall from the door handles, and Reembak turned to regard everyone gathered in the room. “Beyond this door, everyone we meet is an enemy. Gird yourselves for battle, and”—she fixed her eyes on Ward—“someone with some bulk get over here and yank these damn doors open!”