Witchbreaker (Dragon Apocalypse) (36 page)

“Then why would you come?” asked Slate.

Tell him you love him and cannot bear the thought of not being at his side.

“I most certainly will not,” said Sorrow.

“I’m confused,” Bigsby said. “Are you going or aren’t you?”

Men are simple creatures. You’ll gain great power over him if he thinks you desire him.

“Shut up,” Sorrow said.

“I’m just asking,” said Bigsby.

“I just... I guess I’m still a little scatterbrained from where Mako banged my head into the deck.”

“I said I was sorry,” said Mako.

“Apology accepted,” said Sorrow. “So, let me be clear, I’m not going with Slate because I in anyway find him attractive.”

Eyebrows shot up around the deck. Slate looked especially surprised.

“I’m going because I’ve spent my whole life hating people who worship a stupid book. And I’ve never even seen this book. I mean, what if there’s something about this religion that I’m just not getting because I haven’t taken the time to really try to understand?”

“This is... open-minded of you,” said Brand.

Sorrow shrugged. “A lot of things changed in the swamps of Podredumbre. It’s not just my body that got rearranged. I’m starting to see I might have the same vulnerability to blind faith that I accuse my enemies of. I give you my word I’m not going to this temple looking for trouble.”

“That’s twice you’ve mentioned Podredumbre,” said Levi. “You wouldn’t have anything to do with the uprising there, would you?”

“What uprising?” Sorrow asked.

“We’ve gotten reports that the residents killed King Brightmoon’s governor two weeks ago. The whole island is in a state of anarchy.”

“That’s just after we left,” said Jetsam.

“But we didn’t start a revolution,” said Sorrow. “Not directly, at least. And, I promise, I’m not going to start anything here.”

Slate still looked skeptical, but said, “The path of the pilgrim is open to anyone who cares to walk it. I cannot tell you to remain on the ship.”

They believe your words
, said Avaris.
We both know you’re going to the temple with malice in your heart.

“I’m going because you told me to!” whispered Sorrow.

“What’s that?” said Bigsby.

“Nothing,” said Sorrow.

As Levi grabbed the jibboom in his massive hand to tow the
Circus
, Sorrow turned and ran below deck, whacking her wings against the edge of the hatch as she descended. Once she was out of earshot of the others, she said, “Now is a fine time for you do decide to speak to me. You’ve been inside my head for two weeks. Why haven’t you said anything?”

I saw no purpose. By now you must have noticed that Rott’s power tries to enter your body during moments of stress. You’ve spent the last two weeks in calm meditation. And out at sea, if you’d summoned Rott’s powers, there was no one to harm but your shipmates. Now that you’re in a city of enemies, you’ll have more suitable targets to focus your power upon.

“Fine,” said Sorrow. “But couldn’t you have explained things before now? Have you been watching and hearing me this whole time? Why haven’t I seen or heard things you’ve experienced?”

You haven’t experienced my senses because I do not wish you to. As for whether I’ve been watching you continuously, I’ve actually given you little thought. As you’ve just learned, events in my corner of the material world have been turbulent. Many have sought my aid. No evening goes by when the child of some colonial master isn’t presented to me as an offering. My castle has engorged itself with their fat souls.

“Are you trying to provoke me?” Sorrow asked. “Are you purposefully boasting of such evil deeds as some sort of test?”

It would be convenient for me if you believed that it was only a test, wouldn’t it?

Sorrow clenched her jaw. Just what kind of creature had she made her bargain with? But knowledge was knowledge, and Avaris obviously knew more about magic than anyone else Sorrow had ever met. A man who trained in the use of a sword could use that skill either for murder or for the defense of his family. Just because Sorrow would learn from a person with corrupted morals didn’t mean that she herself would follow the same path into darkness.

The first thing you must do is protect the rod you’ve stolen.

Sorrow had almost forgotten about the lightning rod. She looked at the yard-long crystal she carried. Here in the shadowy hold, its inner light was quite brilliant.

Stormcallers can sense the weapon and will soon send enforcers to recover it. You must mask it at once with bands of negation. Since you weave iron, I assume you know how to make these?

“Yes,” said Sorrow. She found one of the swords she’d used when training with Slate, tore off fist-sized wads of metal and molded them into rings around the shaft. Most energetic magics were baffled by iron barriers.

Excellent. The lightning rod is more than just a powerful attack. It absorbs any lightning directed toward it. Even Tempest could not harm you with his electrical bite.

“Will the rod work even with the negating bands?”

No. But you can remove them with only a touch.

Which was true enough. Of course, she hadn’t come here to fight stormcallers or Tempest.

“I assume you want me to make use of Rott’s powers when I go to the Temple of the Book?”

Why be timid? You command the power to decimate armies. You’ve spent your whole life wishing to strike a blow against the church. Wouldn’t destroying the sacred book itself bring you satisfaction?

Sorrow felt her heartbeat quicken. The thought of tearing through the temple on a rampage of destruction certainly appealed to her. But she felt unprepared for the aftermath. She didn’t know how the world might change once the book was gone. Would she be opening a path to a golden age, or would she only be inviting anarchy?

Don’t concern yourself with the effects of your destruction. You’re now a force of nature. Greatshadow devours stands of trees with insatiable hunger, leaving only barren land in his wake. Yet new growth sprouts in earth made fertile by his rampage. If you burn through all of civilization, leaving only ashes, you will create fresh soil for a new world to grow.

“I know you’re right. I still feel unprepared. If you’d only spoken to me earlier, we could have formulated a better plan for me to enter the temple.” A board creaked overhead. From the weight, it had to be Slate. “I’d rather fly ahead and leave Slate behind. If things turn violent, I’d as soon not have to fight him as well.”

So you do have feelings for him.

“Yes. I feel like he practically knocked my damn head off the first time I fought him. Also, he didn’t do a bad job of taking down your unstoppable bodyguard. It’s wise to keep him at a respectful distance. The only problem is, if I fly toward the temple, I’m bound to be seen. I’ll have a whole army of knights and truthspeakers waiting for me by the time I arrive.”

You need not fear armies.

“I’m glad you’re so confident in my abilities. I’d feel more encouraged by your words if the army you want me to fight didn’t scare you so badly you live in another reality now.”

Fine. If you fear being spotted in the air, walk.

“That doesn’t help,” said Sorrow. “It’s not like my wings disappear when I’m walking. They’re too damn big to hide with just a cloak.”

Then change your body to something that can be concealed.

“How? I was able to alter my form in the Black Bog, but I can’t just wish away my wings in the material world.”

True. The body of Rott that bleeds through from the abstract realms can’t be gotten rid of. But with bone-weaving, you could still alter your form.

“What? And go back to the tail?”

You could spread the dragon mass evenly across your body. I did so briefly. It was monstrous. Even your face will be covered with scales. Your hands will be hideous talons. You’ll be much larger than your current stature, but not inhuman in size. You could conceal your body beneath a cloak and a veil, and hide your talons with gauntlets.

“Trade my wings for full body disfigurement? You really know how to sell a plan.”

You’re the one who came to me to learn the art of bone-weaving. Now you reject the very tool that would help you reach your goals? Slate’s lack of memories and confusion over his origins leave him vulnerable to emotional manipulation. You could bed him this evening. Given his enviable physical attributes, you’ll no doubt find the experience to your liking. As your body fills with procreative energies, I can guide you in the transformation of your form.

“I was just thinking that, if I did decide to experiment with physical contact with a man, there’s nothing I’d want more than to have a disembodied bystander watching the whole thing and shouting out advice.”

If you reject all my suggestions, I’ve nothing to teach you.

Sorrow hid the lightning rod amid her blankets. “I know,” she said. “Just... give me a little while to think about this.”

As you wish.

B
Y NIGHTFALL, THE
Circus
was in quarantine and Levi had gone to secure the necessary papers. He wouldn’t be back until the morning. The Romer children were in good spirits after seeing their brother, but Gale was still pensive as she stood vigil near the wheel, staring at the docks nearby.

Sorrow joined her. She followed Gale’s gaze and saw that she was staring at the slave market, barely fifty yards away. The place was a long dock with a warehouse upon it, with iron bars over every window. A lone ship was unloading, with a string of thirty pygmies walking down the gangplank, their legs in shackles.

Gale shook her head. “I thought I’d raised him better.”

“Levi isn’t to blame for this,” said Sorrow. “Slavery is as old as mankind. We live in a world designed to corrupt. He’s as much a victim of the system as those poor pygmies.”

“I risked everything to oppose that system.”

“As have I. Don’t despair, Gale. The world that exists today is built upon a foundation of lies and oppression. Place the right weight upon it and that foundation will crumble, as it has in Podredumbre. Change is coming. Faster than you think.”

Gale glanced at Sorrow. “I’ve heard your speeches before. You’re fighting for a cause larger than yourself.”

“I’d like to think so.”

“And your battle places you in great danger. Just by allowing you on my ship, I’m placing my family at risk.”

“I won’t deny it. But you’re tough enough to bear the burden of associating with me. You’ve spent the money I’ve paid in the past to charter your ship happily enough.”

“Happily isn’t exactly the sentiment,” said Gale. “But it’s not that far off either. I’d rather be ferrying a revolutionary dreamer around these isles than another load of cotton or booze. I like you, Sorrow. I hope I can help you reach your destination.”

Sorrow tilted her head, not sure if she’d heard Gale correctly.

“Don’t look so surprised. We’re both people who act as if our beliefs matter, even as the world around us tries to make us abandon our most deeply held values. No matter how hard the headwinds become, no matter how rough the sea, you push forward. I’ve no patience for the poor souls of this world who get driven off course the moment they encounter a patch of bad weather. You’re never going to turn away from your goals because the going gets rough.”

As Gale’s words sunk in, Sorrow smiled.

“This isn’t something you should smile about,” said Gale. “Having the courage to stand up for what’s right when the rest of the world is determined to drag you down is a terrible burden.”

Sorrow smiled even more broadly. “I know. But I didn’t know you felt this way. I just... I never meet anyone who approves of my goals. I’m used to people telling me I should let go of my anger. I’m used to people looking at me as if I’m crazy!”

Gale shrugged. “Perhaps we’re both crazy. I sometime think that what the world accepts as sanity is merely the capacity to grow numb to outrage. I find sanity to be a depressingly common commodity. Your anger exists for a reason, Sorrow. I admire that you still have the capacity to feel it. I admire that you’re willing to risk everything in order to try to put the world right.”

Sorrow couldn’t control herself. She threw her arms around Gale and hugged her with all her might. Gale hugged her back, and whispered, “You’re more my daughter than Levi is my son.”

“Oh, Ma,” Sorrow answered, as she choked back tears.

I
T WAS LATE
at night when Sorrow knocked on Brand’s door. Sage had gone to sleep. Mako was on watch in the crows nest.

“Risk everything,” she whispered. “Don’t be afraid of a patch of rough water.” She took a deep breath as she heard Brand’s footsteps approach.

Brand’s hair was wet when he opened the door, his face pink and freshly shaven. Before he could speak she pushed him back into his cabin and closed the door behind them.