The Hungering Flame (23 page)

Claude had not been happy.

“
There,
”
Claude shouted, pointing into the night.

Garrett’s insides writhed as he leaned over to look at the dark swamp far below. After a moment, he spotted it, the ruins of the elvish city, aglow with a hundred bonfires. As they flew closer, he was able to make out the shape of red tents in between the ancient buildings.

“
How close can you get me?
”
Garrett shouted to be heard over the wind.

Claude spared him only a contemptuous glance over his shoulder, and nosed the black gaunt into a bowel-twisting dive.

Garrett gritted his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut. This was turning out to be a very, very bad idea.

The massive gaunt leveled out beneath them, and Garrett risked a peek out of one eye. The fires of Taelish rushed up toward them at frightful speed. Garrett’s heart pounded. This was the time.

He reached back, grasping the scroll tube in his right hand, praying that Claude would hold the beast steady. He yanked the binding cord free over his head and held the case ready behind his neck. He scanned the tents below, uncertain what it was he was looking for.

“
Over there!
”
Garrett shouted,
“
The big tent!
”

Claude urged the gaunt lower. Garrett’s eyes stung as they blasted through a column of smoke from one of the bonfires, trailing swirling vortices in their wake.

Somewhere below, someone screamed,
“
Demon!
”

Claude’s gaunt did not flinch as a crossbow bolt punched a hole through its leathery wing. Garrett saw more of the projectiles arcing up toward them, firelight glinting on their steel heads. Claude batted one out of the air with the back of his gloved hand. The gaunt jerked to the left, dodging another volley.

Garrett got his bearings again, just in time to look down into the face of Callister Felix who stood in the middle of a courtyard with his sword drawn, staring up at them with a consternated look on his face. A moment later, Felix lay far behind them as they raced over the ruins.

“
Back!
”
Garrett shouted.

“
Hold on!
”
Claude growled. The vampire clutched a double handful of bristly gaunt mane and tugged hard.

The mighty gaunt screeched, pitching its horned head back and climbing into a sharp bank.

Garrett dug the fingers of his left hand into Claude’s collar, barely maintaining his hold on the scroll case.

The gaunt wheeled around, and Claude leaned back, hard and fast, as an arrow zipped by, and inch in front of his face. Garrett leaned far to one side as they bore down on the command tent once more.

Callister Felix stood in
the
center of the yard, his free hand pointing at them as they came around again. His companion, Nochs, stood in front of his master, leveling a crossbow at the approaching gaunt.

Just as Nochs’s bow snapped its shot off, Claude’s gaunt veered to the left, clear of the missile.

Garrett hurled the scroll case with all his strength, and the gaunt carried him away into the night sky.

Garrett looked back to see the wooden case bounce to a stop, landing at Felix’s feet.

He thought he saw the Chadiri stoop to pick it up, just before the clouds of roiling smoke closed over the camp and Claude’s gaunt flew, screaming, into the night.

****

Claude landed the gaunt in the forest near a deep ravine where
Claude had said
the Gloaran army made camp. Garrett slid off the gaunt’s bristly back, glad to feel the ground again beneath his stockinged feet. Claude tended immediately to the creature’s wounded wing, his back to Garrett.

“
Thanks, Claude,
”
Garrett said,
“
That was… You’re a really good flyer.
”

Claude showed no sign that he had heard.

Garrett looked toward the
ravine
.
“
I’m going to see where everyone is… anyway, thanks again.
”

Garrett started toward a stair-like cleft that led down into the ravine, but Claude was suddenly standing in front of him, barring his path.

“
What are your intentions?
”
Claude demanded in a dangerous whisper. He still wore his amber flying goggles, and his thin lips stretched back over his fangs.

“
I…
”
Garrett stammered,
“
I’m going to find the others!
”

Claude tore his goggles off, his blood-red eyes staring Garrett down.
“
What are your intentions with Lady Veranu?
”

“
What?
”

“
You
know
what I mean, necromancer!
”
Claude hissed.

Garrett went suddenly cold. He met the vampire’s gaze, unflinching.

“
You have no idea who she is,
”
Claude said,
“
You have no concept of what she will become.
”

“
I know her,
”
Garrett said.

“
You know nothing!
”

“
What then?
”
Garrett said,
“
I’m tired of all this mystery about everything. I’m tired of dark magic and ancient legends and wars and blood and burning everything! Why can’t people just care about each other because they care about each other? Why does it have to be so hard?
”

Claude’s lips curled into a sneer. He shook his head slowly.
“
You’re just a boy…
”

“
No!
”
Garrett shouted, stepping toe-to-toe with the vampire,
“
I am not just a boy! I’m not ever gonna be a boy again, because people like you took that away from me! If I have to be a man, I will be. And nobody is ever gonna tell me how I should feel about anyone else again!
”

The vampire’s face went hard. After a moment, he spoke again, his voice low and cold.
“
Remember this, necromancer, when your bones are moldering in the earth, Marla will still be alive. She will be more powerful than you can possibly imagine, and you will be only a fading memory to her.
”

“
Then I will be a
good
memory,
”
Garrett spat,
“
Now get the hell outta my way!
”

Claude blinked, his lips pulled back over his teeth. A muscle in his face twitched.

He stepped aside and let Garrett pass.

Garrett’s brain seethed with rage, unheeding of the sharp stones beneath his feet as he climbed down the cleft into the shadows of the ravine. In the darkness below, it took a few moments to realize what he was seeing.

An army stood motionless in the dark, pale traces of moonlight sifting down from above upon their dead faces. At the head of the column, a figure in a hooded black robe sat astride a flayed horse. A polished silver skull glimmered beneath the hood, watching him in silence.

“
Garrett?
”
a hollow voice called from beneath the hood.

“
Max?
”
Garrett said.

Max Zara swung down from the saddle and ran to Garrett, his black cape billowing behind him. He knelt before Garrett on the temple floor and hugged him tightly to his armored chest.
“
Garrett, I’m so sorry!
”
Max gasped.

“
I’m all right,
”
Garrett said,
“
Warren and Marla saved me.
”

“
I should never have let you go!
”
Max said, swinging his visor up to reveal his haggard face,
“
I knew I shouldn’t have.
”

“
I’m all right now. Did Marla make it here?
”

“
Yes,
”
Max
said,
“
She’s fine. I sent her ahead with the others.
”

“
Are we leaving?
”
Garrett asked.

“
Yes, we march for Taelish immediately,
”
Max said.

“
But it’s a…
”

“
A trap, I know,
”
Max said,
“
Marla told me.
”

“
But why?
”

“
It’s too good a trap not to spring,
”
he said with a feral grin.

“
I don’t…
”

“
Don’t think too much Garrett. You’ve done more than enough already. Just enjoy the show,
”
Max said,
“
Will you ride with me?
”

Garrett nodded.

“
Good!
”
Max said, standing up again,
“
Come, we don’t want to be late for the party.
”

Garrett rode out of the ravine seated on the saddle behind
Max
. An army of muddy boots tramped sullenly at their backs.

“
You know, when this is over, we’ll need to get you your own mount,
”
Max
said.

“
I kinda like the wolf that Marla gave me,
”
Garrett said.

Max
scoffed,
“
Nonsense! You need a proper mount for a deathlord… something less alive.
”

“
Cenick’s horse is alive,
”
Garrett said.

Max shook his head,
“
Don’t go patterning your career after him now. Cenick is a fine friend, but he has absolutely no sense of style!
”

“
I like living things,
”
Garrett laughed.

“
Corrupted already!
”
Max said,
“
Liking has nothing to do with it! You need to strike the proper fear into the hearts of your enemies. When they see you on the field, they must feel the dread of living death in the pit of their stomach. It’s part of the mystique of necromancy.
”

“
All right,
”
Garrett said,
“
Maybe I’ll have an undead horse just for battle or something.
”

“
That’s the spirit! But why settle on just a horse? Perhaps a bull? Or a tiger of some sort.
”

“
What’s a tiger?
”
Garrett asked.

Max
half-turned to stare back at Garrett incredulously.
“
You really need to travel more, Garrett. In any case, you can ask Cenick about tigers sometime. He’s ever so fond of them!
”

Garrett laughed.

“
Garrett,
”
Max said, his tone growing serious,
“
I regret not being there when you needed me most. I’m truly sorry.
”

“
I’m really all right,
”
Garrett said,
“
I know it’s strange, but, in a way, I’m kinda glad it happened… it made me stronger, I think.
”

Max nodded.
“
And wiser.
”

Garrett said nothing.

Max reined the horse to the side of the trail and looked back at Garrett.
“
I swear to you, Garrett, when we are finished with the Chadiri, we will march their dead straight through Astorra and rip the lying tongue from Cabre’s throat!
”

Garrett stared at his own reflection, distorted in the mirrored skull of
Max
’s visor. A cold tingling crawled over his skin. Something dark twisted in his heart, finding a crack there to burrow inside. His lips parted, as if to say something in the prince’s defense, but nothing came out. All Garrett need do was keep his silence. The cowardly prince would pay for his crime. Max would see it done, and Garrett would not lift a finger or speak a word to stop it.