“Why some tiny island in the middle of nowhere? If you were going to expend such sorcerous strength, why choose this place?”
“I do not know, Guardian,” said Terves. “That’s more your line than mine.”
“And what about the corpse we saw down in the town? Bones broken, arms torn from sockets. It would be a strange sorcerer who did that.”
“A familiar, a demon, I don’t know,” said Terves. His face was pale. His hands clenched. He was clearly struggling to keep calm. Kormak clapped him on the shoulder.
“Do not worry. We will get to the bottom of this.”
“That’s what I am afraid of, Guardian. That’s what I am afraid of.”
A soldier came to them and led them towards another partially tumbled stone structure. The bars of a steel door had been bent. The chains set in the walls had been snapped, except one which held a body. Its head was missing and its neck was mutilated. There was no sign of a skull anywhere.
“Whatever it was took most of the prisoners and the guards, except this one. I wonder why?” said Terves.
“Maybe it wanted a snack,” said Rhiana.
“Maybe it was making an example,” said Kormak.
“Trying to convince the others to get moving, you mean?” Terves said.
“Exactly.”
“Biting off someone’s head. That’s a pretty convincing argument,” the sergeant said.
Kormak nodded. He was thinking about the sort of creatures who could bite off a human head, or tear one off by sheer strength. There were Shadow demons who could do that, and Old Ones. Some moonchildren too.
What had happened here? Where were the population of the town? He looked up at the sky. The sun would soon be down. Nightfall would be the most likely time for whatever had done this to return.
“Terves, tell the men we’ll continue the search until the sun is a few fingers above the horizon, and then we shall return to the ship.”
Terves looked at him for a moment. He seemed grateful not to have to take responsibility for ordering a retreat.
“As you say, Guardian.”
Kormak prayed to the Holy Sun he was not making a mistake. There had been too many of those recently and other people, like Gerd, had paid for them. He looked at Rhiana. She smiled at him. He studied the headless body and did his best to keep from imagining the same thing happening to her.
Chapter Ten
T hey moved out towards the edge of the town, where the fields edged up to the forest. Great dark trees drooped over broken buildings. One had been toppled so that its roots showed, and its branches had smashed through the slate of a roof.
Something had smashed a passage through the trees and undergrowth. The earth was churned by the passage of many feet. Kormak knelt and found human footprints in the soft loam, the first sign of living people they had found since they reached Fort Wrath.
“It will be dark soon,” Terves said. His voice was level. His tone resigned. Kormak knew that if he ordered the man to follow this trail into the forest, he would. A company of soldiers blundering around in the darkness would not help anybody under these circumstances.
He looked over at Rhiana. She tilted her head. He felt almost as if she could read what he was thinking.
“No matter,” Kormak said. “We shall go back to the ship.”
“There might be survivors,” Rhiana said. “Look at the tracks.”
“We won’t help anybody, if whatever did this can see in the dark and we can’t.” Kormak’s voice was gruff. He was caught in a cleft stick. He should follow the trail. If he had been on his own, he would have, but he did not want to put Rhiana and the others at risk.
Rhiana produced the green pearl she used when diving. A glimmer of green glowed within it even in the daylight. By night, it would provide enough light to see by.
“We can follow the tracks,” she said. Grumbles sounded from among the soldiers. Terves might be willing to chance the dark and the forest, but many of them were not. They were brave men, but their
“I do not know, Guardian,” said Terves. “That’s more your line than mine.”
“And what about the corpse we saw down in the town? Bones broken, arms torn from sockets. It would be a strange sorcerer who did that.”
“A familiar, a demon, I don’t know,” said Terves. His face was pale. His hands clenched. He was clearly struggling to keep calm. Kormak clapped him on the shoulder.
“Do not worry. We will get to the bottom of this.”
“That’s what I am afraid of, Guardian. That’s what I am afraid of.”
A soldier came to them and led them towards another partially tumbled stone structure. The bars of a steel door had been bent. The chains set in the walls had been snapped, except one which held a body. Its head was missing and its neck was mutilated. There was no sign of a skull anywhere.
“Whatever it was took most of the prisoners and the guards, except this one. I wonder why?” said Terves.
“Maybe it wanted a snack,” said Rhiana.
“Maybe it was making an example,” said Kormak.
“Trying to convince the others to get moving, you mean?” Terves said.
“Exactly.”
“Biting off someone’s head. That’s a pretty convincing argument,” the sergeant said.
Kormak nodded. He was thinking about the sort of creatures who could bite off a human head, or tear one off by sheer strength. There were Shadow demons who could do that, and Old Ones. Some moonchildren too.
What had happened here? Where were the population of the town? He looked up at the sky. The sun would soon be down. Nightfall would be the most likely time for whatever had done this to return.
“Terves, tell the men we’ll continue the search until the sun is a few fingers above the horizon, and then we shall return to the ship.”
Terves looked at him for a moment. He seemed grateful not to have to take responsibility for ordering a retreat.
“As you say, Guardian.”
Kormak prayed to the Holy Sun he was not making a mistake. There had been too many of those recently and other people, like Gerd, had paid for them. He looked at Rhiana. She smiled at him. He studied the headless body and did his best to keep from imagining the same thing happening to her.
Chapter Ten
T hey moved out towards the edge of the town, where the fields edged up to the forest. Great dark trees drooped over broken buildings. One had been toppled so that its roots showed, and its branches had smashed through the slate of a roof.
Something had smashed a passage through the trees and undergrowth. The earth was churned by the passage of many feet. Kormak knelt and found human footprints in the soft loam, the first sign of living people they had found since they reached Fort Wrath.
“It will be dark soon,” Terves said. His voice was level. His tone resigned. Kormak knew that if he ordered the man to follow this trail into the forest, he would. A company of soldiers blundering around in the darkness would not help anybody under these circumstances.
He looked over at Rhiana. She tilted her head. He felt almost as if she could read what he was thinking.
“No matter,” Kormak said. “We shall go back to the ship.”
“There might be survivors,” Rhiana said. “Look at the tracks.”
“We won’t help anybody, if whatever did this can see in the dark and we can’t.” Kormak’s voice was gruff. He was caught in a cleft stick. He should follow the trail. If he had been on his own, he would have, but he did not want to put Rhiana and the others at risk.
Rhiana produced the green pearl she used when diving. A glimmer of green glowed within it even in the daylight. By night, it would provide enough light to see by.
“We can follow the tracks,” she said. Grumbles sounded from among the soldiers. Terves might be willing to chance the dark and the forest, but many of them were not. They were brave men, but their
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