City of Steel (Chaos Awakens Book 3) (33 page)

“A spy!” Xandrith growled as he drew close. “I’ve found a spy.”

The guard snorted and spat. “What?”

“In my camp, just there.”  Xandrith pointed.  “He has crystal weapons, like the men behind the wall.  I think he’s an informant.  He has it hidden under his cloak.” 

The guard looked dubious.

“Where do I get the reward for finding him?”  Xandrith pressed, seeing he needed to sweeten things a little.  He was sure to speak loudly enough so the guards to either side of the first could hear as well.

“Reward?”  The guard’s attention was peeked.  “I will investigate this.  Where was this spy?”  He boomed, now eagerly looking in the direction Xan had pointed. 

Xan pointed again. “The one on the north side. He’s sleeping, but you can see the weapon on his belt. He tried to hide it, but I found him. I want the reward!”

“Wait here.”  The troll said, and started off towards the camp, the other two guards at his side looked at each other, and then followed after.  They weren’t letting their friend get the reward without them.  Xandrith smiled and waited until they had walked away before he turned and slid in amidst the black tents. 

Xandrith exercised every bit of stealth he’d ever put into practice.  A mistake now could cost him everything, and when he was so close to his final goal the thought was terrifying.  For a time he sat and watched the coming and going of the knights.  He needed to know where they were gathering, and where he could pick up the most useful information.  After a while he began to spot a pattern in their movement. 

There were six tents in this part of the camp.  Five of them formed a circle around a center tent that seemed to be a meeting area.  The other five tents, from what Xandrith could tell, were shared by four or five of the bonesteel wielders each.  That meant there were at least twenty of them, and that was a frightening number considering how much power each one had at their disposal.

The assassin crept along the edges of the outer tents until he found a clear line to get to the center pavilion. There was no guard detail within the ring of trolls that circled the tents, but anymore security would have been unnecessary. The Templar were incredibly dangerous. This meant that Xandrith only had less eyes to avoid on his final run to the meeting tent, but that didn’t make him any less cautious. As he approached he could already hear voices spilling out through the fabric of the tent walls. Hearing normal human voices again was a bit of relief, though the content of their talk had the opposite effect.

“...siege will be done by dawn tomorrow.” A female voice said. “I, for one, will be happy to be done with this mess. These trolls reek, and the damn leash has been too tight recently for my liking.”

“Power always has a cost, and the cost of our servitude has been slight for the power it’s granted us.”  A male voice responded.

Xandrith placed a few fingers below the edge of the tent and gave it a slight lift to see how securely the walls were down.  They didn’t lift far, but laying down gave him a view inside the tent.  The room inside was dark, lit by a handful of candles.  He counted fifteen individuals sitting around a table in the center of the room. 

“Your cause is nearly at its end, Templar.”  Another female voice spoke and Xandrith’s heart jumped in his chest.  He recognized the voice.  He carefully adjusted his position to get a better view of who was talking.  He had to be certain.  “Once we have captured the Wellspring your service will be done and you may disperse as you see fit.” 

He saw her then, standing at one end of the table, her palms flat on the surface as she leaned over and spoke to the knights.  She looked different, but Xandrith would have known Kassa’s face anywhere.  Her cheeks were gaunt, her eyes like black coals set into sockets darkened by what looked like exhaustion.  Her skin was as pale as death, and the expression on her face was hollow and emotionless. It sent both a thrill and a horrible pain through him to see her again. Even with all the changes for the worse, she still looked like something of the woman he’d loved. It was as though she were sick, for all that he could see the changes he still had trouble accepting she was beyond him.

“Do you even need us to capture the spring?”  Another one of them asked.  “The troll shamans are bringing down the wall, and after that it’s just a matter of marching into the city and taking what is yours.” 

Kassa shifted her stance and Xandrith caught sight of a peculiar white dagger at her hip.  She was wearing the bone knife that Xandrith had gotten from the other god-thing.  A realization struck Xan then.  It had been Kassa who’d infiltrated the Forge.  She’d been the one to break Captain Fortsmith’s mind.  He’d been chasing Kassa this entire time, and now he’d found her, but she wasn’t his Kassa anymore.  The knights talked to her like she was their leader, like she was the god-thing he’d come to kill.  It was using her body as a puppet to directly influence the world. 

A shiver of horror ran through Xandrith.  Was Kassa still inside that thing?  Did she know what it had made her do?  What kind of agony would that put her in?  A psychotic impulse to jump into the room and run for Kassa swept through Xan.  She had the knife and he needed to get that back.  He could take her with him when he escaped.  Could any of that happen?

Those knights would bring the full force of their power down on him if he broke into that room, and Kassa, the thing that was wearing Kassa, wasn’t just going to go with him when he came for her.  It had already tried to kill him once.  Xandrith didn’t doubt that it would be more thorough next time.  What hope did that leave him?  Seeing her again, knowing that she was so close, was worse than having a dagger plunged into his chest. 

What was more, he’d just learned that the trolls had a plan to break through the wall.  The Unth needed to know, and Haley was at risk since she was probably imprisoned in the wall.  If Xandrith did something stupid now the attack would come upon them unprepared and everything would be lost.  He had to get back beneath the wall and warn the Unth what was coming.  He had to abandon Kassa to the darkness, again.  He closed his eyes, fighting back the turmoil that burned within him. 

Whispering voices swirled around Xandrith, a chorus of the dead taunting him from beyond the grave. 

“You won’t even try to save her when she gave everything for you?” Leahn.

“Do you care about anyone at all?” Crow.

“You’re trying to save everyone, but you can’t even save one girl. You’re pathetic.” Tilda.

“She’s right there, but you aren’t going to do anything.  It’s just like how you didn’t do anything for me.”  Raina, the girl from the carriage on the way to the Forge. 

“You’re a murderer, Xandrith.  That’s all you’ll ever be.  You kill everything you touch.”  Tibsenth, the keeper of the secret library. 

“Give up.  You might as well give up.  You can’t save anyone.”  Johndin.

Those voices were joined by others, hundreds from Xan’s past, victims he’d taken the lives of, and people he’d watched die during the course of his life.  Xandrith’s entire legacy of death and murder had come to pay him a visit.  He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the wave of abuse, but it was coming from inside his head.  He had nowhere to run from the demons that haunted him.

He wasn’t sure how long he lay in the dirt with hands gripped to the sides of his head, trying to block out the horrors of his past. When they finally faded he had rolled out into the open, a long way from the tent where he’d been listening.  Panic set in fast, and he immediately leapt to his feet and dove for cover.  No one had seen him, or if they had they hadn’t raised an alarm.  His heart was hammering in his chest, and he felt defeated, beaten worse than he’d ever been in his life.  Still, he had to go on.  He had to return to the Unth, to Haley.  He needed to warn them. 

He couldn’t risk running through the horde of trolls.  Most of them were sleeping the remaining daylight hours away, and if he went charging through the crowd he would draw attention immediately.  He moved at a quick clip with long strides, sticking to the places where the crowds were least oppressive.  Even though he did his best to remain unnoticed, eyes followed his progress.  No one had challenged him to that point, but many had seen his passing.  Maybe they would assume he was delivering a message or running an errand for those in charge. 

By the time Xandrith was halfway back to the cave, night was climbing into the sky and vanquishing the sun. The trolls were stirring, and Xan could tell something was set to happen. Platoons were starting to form up. The trolls were coming to order, and there was something more frightening about that than the normal chaos with which they existed. It was a testament to the power of their god that he could bring order to the chaos that was troll society. It was clear that without their god, the trolls would have remained beneath the surface of the world until the end of time. Their ambition and hate was tempered by their own self destructive nature, but the god-thing had changed that. It had focused the troll hate into a terrible weapon, and it was winning.

A massive hand snagged Xan by the shoulder, stopping him in his tracks and nearly sending him tumbling to the ground.  “You, what are you doing?  All troops to their places.”  The troll snarled at Xandrith.

Xandrith didn’t dare struggle to break the grip holding him in place.  He didn’t want to agitate his captor any further.  “Order, I’ve a message to deliver.”  Xandrith growled.  The troll was looking at him closely, trying to peer into his hood.  Xan kept his head down. 

“Let me see the message.”  The troll demanded and held out a hand, others were now watching the spectacle, eager to see if it would result in violence. 

“For command only.” Xandrith answered quickly.

“Who do you think I am?!”  The troll shouted, and Xandrith looked up enough to see that this troll was wearing a set of arm with dark blue stripes on his breastplate.  Xandrith didn’t know what that meant exactly, but it wasn’t what most of the others were wearing.  “Give me the message!”  He squeezed tighter and Xandrith winced.  It was his bad shoulder.  He could feel the damaged artificial pieces cutting the inside of his shoulder muscle as the pressure increased.

“Shamans!”  Xandrith shouted, remembering what he’d overheard, and immediately his shoulder was released.  The assassin staggered as he tried to regain his footing.  Pain rocketed through his body. 

“If you had orders for the Shamans you should have said so immediately!  Get out of here!”  The commander yelled, raising a fist in threat. 

Xan turned and this time he ran.  Activity in the camp was picking up, and Xan wasn’t taking any more chances.  Some few watched him go, but none attempted to stop him this time.  His leg was throbbing almost worse than his shoulder.  By the time he reached the rock below which his cave was hidden he was limping with every step.  The trolls weren’t watching him anymore.  They were forming, commanders taking charge and organizing platoons.  The entire army was mobilizing.  Xandrith ducked behind the supplies, checking to make sure no one could see him. 

At that point he could have been screaming at the top of his lungs and on fire and the trolls wouldn’t have been paying attention.  Xan ducked through the opening under the rock again, squeezing just barely through.  He made it into the tunnel and worked his way back to the crystal wall.  It was sealed and there was no one there. 

Xandrith hammered a fist against the barrier.  He wasn’t going to call out.  He didn’t want to bring any outside attention to the cave, but he did want to catch the attention of whoever was supposed to be waiting for him.  Time was running out.  He paced the small space of the cave, each step a practice in agony, but he couldn’t make himself sit still.  He felt like he was being chased, like he should be running for his life. 

The walls shifted and Xandrith could see a figure moving through the glass-like surface.  In a moment one of the Unth emerged, looking as calm and indifferent as ever.  His impassive stare fueled a surge of anger in Xan that he had to bite back with an incredible effort. 

“The trolls are coming. They’ve come up with a way to bring down the wall.” Xandrith explained quickly. “We need to get back and warn your people.”

The Unth didn’t respond, but he turned back to the wall.  “Follow closely.”  He commanded, and then stepped into the crystal.   Xandrith took a deep breath and dove in after him.  The experience was no more pleasant than it had been the first time he’d passed through the crystal, but on this trip he made sure to stay as close to the back of the Unth in front of him as possible.  He had no desire to get stuck in the wall. 

In short order they emerged from the wall.  “I need to talk to your people.  They need to know what’s happening.” 

The Unth nodded once. “I will show you to your room, and then we will come to speak with you shortly.”

“There isn’t time for that! The trolls are already forming up for an assault. Surely you can see that for yourself. We need to act quickly. We need to figure out what we’re going to do when the wall comes down!” Xandrith was almost shouting.

“I will show you to your room, and then we will come to speak with you shortly.”  The Unth repeated himself and gestured for Xan to follow him. 

“Damn it, are you even listening?!”  Xandrith was yelling now.  “The trolls are coming.  Their shamans have a way to take down the wall, and their entire army is about to march!” 

The Unth started walking, heading back for Xan’s room.  Xandrith let out a long line of curses and followed him.  He needed to find Haley anyway.  The wall was going to fall, and he wanted to be sure she was with him when things got exciting.  Maybe they could run.  How far could they get before the trolls arrived? 

They reached the room that Xan and Haley were being kept in quickly enough, and the Unth opened the door.  Haley was on her feet as soon as the door opened, running towards Xandrith with outstretched arms.  She grabbed a hold of him and squeezed tightly as he stepped into the door.  The assassin put an arm around her and was turning to tell the guard not to shut the door when the door shut at his back and locked in place.