Bone Magic (12 page)

One door was
jammed shut. The other swung open with a squeal of rusty hinges.
Inside, everything at first glance seemed undisturbed and long
abandoned. There was a dais close to the door, festooned with
cobwebs, and rows of benches facing it. The benches were covered
with dust, but there was no dust on a path between the rows of
benches. The building was not quite as abandoned as it seemed.

Pale light
filtered in through eight window set high on the walls. Half of
them were almost opaque with dirt. The other half were broken. Tira
paused, waiting for her eyes to adjust. She could smell dust and
mouse droppings, and behind her, Tam sneezed.

Most of the
interior space was taken up by the one big, high-ceilinged room. As
her eyes became used to the gloom, though, Tira was able to make
out a door at the back. She headed that way, stepping softly,
fighting the urge to draw her sword.

These hinges
were in much better condition. The door swung open almost silently,
revealing a narrow corridor lit by tiny windows. She followed the
corridor to a 'T' intersection and turned left, opening doors as
she came to them. There was a storeroom, the shelves bare except
for rats' nests, and a kitchen, similarly bare. Tam sneezed again,
and she realized that their feet were stirring up quite a lot of
dust. They had made a wrong turn, then.

On the other
side of the intersection, the corridor was dust-free. There was
another storage room, this one full of splintered barrels. The room
beyond that was a tiny alcove, empty, with a staircase descending
into darkness.

The remains of
a wall hanging plus a couple of barrel staves provided them with
torches that they lit from the embers outside. Tira led the way
down the steps and into darkness.

She knew in an
instant that they had found what they were looking for. The
basement of the monastery had stone walls and a dirt floor, and it
looked as if it had been used for cold storage. Rotten shelves
lined to walls, and it was distinctly colder than the rooms
upstairs. It was not the temperature, however, that made Tira
shiver.

Occult drawings
covered one wall. There were lines of rune-like shapes, done
sloppily in red paint, and a larger image, curves and sharp angles
in a pattern that was abstract but somehow offensive and wrong.

A set of
shackles hung from another wall, rust-free, looking newer than the
rest of the room by at least a decade.

The room's
central feature was a wooden table, solidly built, about seven feet
long by four feet wide. She could see four sets of broad leather
straps with heavy buckles mounted to the sides of the table, and
dark stains across the table top that might have been blood.

And unlit
brazier stood beside the table, and several heavy candle stands
complete with melted tapers. It looked like everything a dark
wizard would need for casting unspeakable spells.

"Look at the
table," Tam said, his voice full of horrified fascination. "It
slopes inward, and there's holes drilled at the low points." He
made a face. "For drainage, I guess."

The brazier was
cold and empty, and there was no sign of coal for it, or spare
candles, or buckets to catch the blood as it drained. The
necromancer was gone, and it didn't look as if he was coming back.
Tira's torch was nearly out, and she dropped it. "Let's get out of
here. I could use some sunlight and fresh air."

They stayed at
the monastery that night, deciding that a roof to keep rain off and
a door to keep mosquitoes out outweighed the horror of the bloody
altar and the danger of discovery by the undead. Tam cooked up the
last of the fresh meat, grumbling that it had to be Tira's turn to
cook soon. She brushed down the animals and picketed them in the
tall grass between buildings.

"What next?"
Tam asked as they ate. "Do you want to wait here and see if the
necromancer comes back?"

Tira shook her
head. "No, I think we need help. This is much too big for the two
of us." She wiped her plate with a crust of bread and popped it in
her mouth, trying to remember what she'd seen when she rode through
this area a week before. "There's a real town, just a day's ride
east of here." Tam shot her a hurt look, and he amended, "A bigger
town, I mean. Almost a city." It seemed strange that she knew the
local geography better than he did, but they were as far east as
he'd ever been in his life.

"I'd like to
see a city," Tam said.

She thought
about trying to tell him about the stink and the crowds and the
guardsmen and the pickpockets, but she didn't bother. She could
still remember being his age, knowing nothing of the world, and
being absolutely certain that there was a wider, brighter world out
there, somewhere just over the horizon. He could keep his illusions
a little bit longer.

"We'll find the
local lord," Tira told him. "Whoever sent Carmody and his men must
be wondering where they've gone. We can tell them what happened. We
can warn them what to expect. This is a job for an army to solve,
not a pair of hired swords like us."

He beamed and
sat up a bit straighter, delighted to be called a hired sword. Tira
smothered a grin as she finished a cup of weak tea. His simple
enthusiasm was exactly what she needed to keep her melancholy at
bay.

They set out
early and rode all day, stopping only briefly to let the animals
rest and graze. The road was empty, and they passed no settlements
until late afternoon when the forest ended and farmland began.
Every village had a wall around it, chest high. This was goblin
country.

The sun was low
in the sky behind them when they saw the walls of the town on the
horizon. Their shadows stretched, vast and spidery, across the
plain before them, and the walls of a castle shone golden in the
setting sun, the town spread around it like the setting for a
gemstone, encircled by the town wall.

"Aronia," Tira
said. "I just remembered the name."

"Aronia," said
Tam, scratching his head. "I thought it was much farther away." He
leaned forward in the saddle, as if it would help him see the town
better. "I've heard of Aronia. I can't believe I'm actually going
to see it."

Tira shook her
head in amused disbelief. Aronia was a dull backwater town. She had
been there a week before, and she could barely remember it. But to
Tam, it was something out of a story.

A wagon rolled
down the road toward them, coming from the city. They rode forward,
watching the wagon slowly grow until they could make out a team of
oxen and a cloth top stretched over hoops. A man was driving the
wagon, using the whip frequently, keeping the oxen moving at a fast
walk. A woman in a bonnet and a long blue dress sat beside him,
periodically leaning out to peer past the bulk of the wagon at the
road behind them.

When the wagon
was close, the man shouted, "Turn back! Goblins have taken the
city."

Tira gaped at
him in surprise. "What? Are you sure?"

"They attacked
this morning," he said. "They were inside the walls before anyone
knew they were coming. They took the castle right away." He shook
his head, his face grim. "I never thought I'd see the day."

Tira had
questions, dozens of them, but the man kept the oxen moving. "The
king will take back the city, you mark my words," he called as the
wagon rolled past. "Until then, you better steer clear."

Tam and Tira
stopped in the middle of the road, watching the wagon roll away.
"Goblins," Tira said. "Really?"

"I told you it
was a city," Tam said, and gave her a weak grin.

She ignored
him, booting her horse forward. He hurried to catch up.

"Where are we
going?"

"To Aronia,"
she told him. "I'll believe it's goblins when I see them."

She pulled up
fifty yards from the walls. She could see low shapes peering
between the crenellations atop the guard towers on either side of
the gates.

"Are those
goblins?" Tam asked. "All I see is that they're short."

"They're
staying out of sight, hoping to lure us in," Tira said. "As soon as
they realize we're not coming any closer, they-"

A low green
shape rose up between the crenellations. She could make out a
broad, toothy face as the goblin drew a bowstring back to his
pointed ear. She heard the distant twang of the bowstring, and the
arrow came arcing out to land in the dirt near their feet. They
turned their horses and retreated another dozen yards.

"Is this a
coincidence?" Tira said. "Maybe the goblins saw Carmody and his men
ride out, so they attacked the town?"

"I don't know,"
Tam said, "but I do know this. That necromancer is going to have
plenty of dead bodies to work with pretty soon."

Tira nodded.
"Maybe it's some kind of unholy alliance. The necromancer helps the
goblins get into the city, but he doesn't tell them that he plans
to use them for undead soldiers. Once the king's soldiers arrive
and take back the city, the necromancer will walk in and start
raising the dead."

"Maybe," said
Tam, and Tira bit back an annoyed reply. She was starting to
realize that when he contradicted her, it usually meant he had
thought of something she had missed.

"What if he's
already inside?" said Tam. "Someone let the goblins into the town,
and into the castle. My guess is that the necromancer is in there
right now. The goblins are bringing him prisoners, and he's killing
them for the energy to make more cursed weapons. When the king's
army gets here, they'll end up fighting each other more than the
goblins."

It was an ugly
scenario. "I really hope you're wrong," Tira said, "but I'm afraid
you might be right."

"So what do we
do?" Tam said, his voice plaintive.

"Ride away and
don't look back?" She didn't mean it, though. She was going to put
an end to this necromancer. Maybe, just maybe, if Sari was avenged
and Lina was made safe, she would stop seeing Sari's face each time
she closed her eyes.

"Maybe it's
time to ask the mysterious archer for help," Tam said.

"Oh, sure,"
Tira said with a touch of sarcasm. "The next time we see him, we'll
ask." She paused. "You know something, don't you?"

"Take a look at
that," he said, and pointed.

She turned in
her saddle and followed his pointing finger. Smoke rose from just
inside the tree line. Not a column of smoke, but regular white
puffs. It was a signal of some kind.

"It's going to
be dark soon," Tam said. "If we're going to investigate, we need to
do it now."

"It's probably
more goblins," Tira said. "They're sending a signal to the goblins
inside the town."

"City."

She sighed.
"Let's go take a look."

The sun was
below the horizon by the time they reached the edge of the trees.
Tira fixed in the direction of the rising puffs of smoke as best
she could. After that, all they could do was blunder through the
trees and do their best to stay in a straight line. In the end it
was her nose that kept her on track as she caught the acrid smell
of green plants burning.

A faint glow
through the trees told her they were nearing the fire. They
dismounted, looping their reins over tree branches. Daisy gave a
low, discontented bray, tugging at the rope that connected her to
Tira's saddle. Tira shushed her and led Tam through the trees at a
slow sneak.

In the center
of a small clearing they found the remains of a fire. Nothing
remained but glowing coals. There was no one in sight.

"Oh, for the
love of Neris," Tam said, "what now?"

Tira glanced
around at the dark trees and lowered her bow. "I've been meaning to
ask you something, Tam. How do you feel about elves?"

His eyebrows
rose. "You think the necromancer is an elf?"

"Not n-"

"It makes
sense! They use magic, and everyone knows they can't be trusted.
They're always sneaking around, never showing their faces. That
sounds like who we're looking for."

Tira shook her
head. "Actually, I-"

"An elf would
get along well with goblins," Tam said, warming to the subject.
"They both have pointy ears, and they like sneaking."

"Tam, would
you-"

"All we have to
do is get into the city, look for someone who's skulking around,
and check their ears. If they-"

"Tam!"

He looked at
her, blinking in surprise.

"Stop
talking."

He opened his
mouth, and she scowled at him until he closed it. Then she turned
to the trees around them. She wasn't sure exactly how she knew they
weren't alone, whether it was the silence of the birds or some
sound or scent just below the threshold of consciousness, but she
was sure. "Come on out," she said. "It's time we met
face-to-face."

There was the
faintest rustle of leaves, and a slim shape appeared among the
trees. The stranger stepped into the clearing, holding a bow in one
slim-fingered hand and using the other hand to push back the hood
of a dark green cloak.

It was an elven
woman, impossibly beautiful in the manner of her kind. Her face was
long and narrow, her eyes tilted up a bit at the corners, long
blonde hair tied back to reveal ears that ended in delicate points.
Her expression was solemn, but there was a hint of amusement in her
pale blue eyes.

"How did you
know I was an elf?" she said.

"I'm a pretty
good tracker," Tira said. "I can move quietly, I can avoid notice,
and I'm good with a bow." She looked down at the bow in her hands,
loosened the tension on the string, and replaced the arrow in her
quiver. "You're better at all those things than I am. A lot better.
Too good for a human, in fact."

The elf nodded
her thanks.

"And then
there's the way you've been hiding." Tira gave Tam a sharp look as
she added, "Like someone that nobody trusts."