The process was happening faster than it ought to according to the old records. Perhaps the Ghul had been weakened by millennia of imprisonment. Or perhaps some of Solareon’s spells binding it were still in place. In any case, this might perhaps represent a strange stroke of luck. If the Ghul needed to shift bodies constantly it would be easier to identify as the bodies decomposed and it would find it more difficult to locate new victims who would be wary of its appearance.
It seemed like it had already found a new victim, one who had not been wary enough, or perhaps one who had simply been overpowered by the knight. It occurred to Kormak that he had no idea what the new victim looked like. There did not seem to be any witnesses. He studied the ground for clues and found a staff and a bundle lying nearby, the sort that a tinker or an itinerant labourer might have carried. Had these belonged to Razhak’s last victim or was there no connection? In the absence of any further indicators, he would need to presume that there was a connection.
He looked around for tracks and found none. He had encountered no one on the road, so the Ghul had not doubled back. It was probably safe to assume that it was still fleeing before him, but for how long would that continue? If it reached a town it would have many more potential victims and many more ways to cover its tracks. Of course, there might be mages there who could help hunt it down. Kormak knew if the hunt took much longer he would need to seek the aid of a wizard himself. He could not simply rely on luck.
Part of him wondered why he was doing this at all. He could simply turn back and leave the Ghul to go on its way. No one would know but him. He could just turn his horse around and head west, back to Taurea and the home of his order. There was nothing to stop him. There were even those who would argue that it was his duty to do so, but he could not bring himself to believe that. The monster was free at least in part because he had failed. Lord Tomas and Wesley had taken his sword and his gear and used it in the ritual that had set Razhak free. It would not have happened if he had not been present and too weak to stop them.
Even as he pondered this he thought he heard movement in the undergrowth nearby. His hand went to the hilt of his sword. If Razhak was present he would need to defend himself. He walked closer to where the sound was coming from and he thought he heard sobbing. He kept one hand on the sword hilt and he pulled the bushes apart. Something looked up at him, large eyes staring fearfully out of a dirt-smudged face. It took Kormak a moment to realise it was a teenage girl.
She looked at Kormak. He inspected her for signs of possession.
“You just going to stare at me?” she asked. Kormak tilted his head to one side. She moved her hand. There was a knife in it. “If you come any closer I will stick you.”
She glared. He studied the pupils of her eyes. They were wide but they looked normal. There was no glaze and she was not looking at him fixedly. Her mannerisms were normal although that might not mean anything. A Ghul like Razhak had centuries to learn how to counterfeit those.
“What’s your name?” Kormak asked. He watched, listening closely for the slightest hesitation.
“Who’s asking?”
“My name is Kormak. I am a Guardian of the Order of the Dawn.”
“Yes and I am Our Lady of the Moon.”
“I would not say that too loudly where the Old Ones might hear,” Kormak said.
“It’s daylight. They do not come out in the sunlight.” She sounded normal but he had not really heard enough to judge. He needed to keep her talking. He needed to collect more information. Sometimes the only way to tell if someone was possessed was to look for small cues in their manner. He doubted that anyone who Razhak was within would rant and rave like a lunatic. The Ghul did not seem to be that sort of demon.
“Most of them can’t. Some can cloak themselves with spells. Others can take possession of human or animal forms. Sometimes they have other gifts. They can hear or see things a long way off. Particularly concerning things that are of interest to them.”
“You sound like a Guardian.”
“How would you know? Have you ever met one?”
“You sound like what they are supposed to sound like.”
“What is your name?”
“Are you on a quest?”
“I am hunting a monster. I am trying to decide whether you are what I am looking for.”
She looked insulted and then a little frightened and she brought the knife between them. She held it edge on, more as a barrier than as if she knew how to use it. She would have had the point towards him if she did.
“And if you think I am the one you are looking for, you will kill me, won’t you?”
He nodded.
“You’ll try,” she said.
“No. I will kill you,” he said. “It is what I do. That tiny knife won’t stop me. You can’t even hold it properly.”
His voice was flat and calm and that just made it more frightening. She flinched away from him.
“You really would, wouldn’t you?”
“I really would.”
“And you’re the sort of cold bastard who would tell me that as well.”
“I am trying to get a sense of who you are and whether you are possessed.”
“Like by a demon?”
“Yes.”
“It’s not an accident you are on this road. You are looking for something that looked like a rotting corpse walking.”
“I am.”
“It looks like the nastiest beggar you ever saw, smelled worse, smelled so bad you knew it could not be anything good.”
“You’ve seen it?”
“Why do you think I am hiding here?”
“I have no idea. I am trying to find out.”
“So you can decide whether or not to kill me.” He did not say anything, just watched her. He was ready for anything or he thought he was. He was not prepared when she laughed and said, “You’re as bad as the Wolves.”
“Who are they?”
“You’ve just ridden into these parts, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”
“They’re who has been burning and raping and looting and killing. They’re the worst of the worst, the remnants of Jaro’s army and something even nastier.”
“Who is Jaro?”
“Jaro was the Pretender. He raised his banner here in the mountains, declared himself king. A load of the local lads thought he’d make a good one so they signed on with him.”
“The real king of Valkyria decided different.”
“Who is to say who is the real king?”
“The one with the victorious army.”
“You’re not as dumb as you look, are you? Yeah-King Sturmbrand scattered Jaro’s rebels at Hell Ford. They say he struck down the Pretender with his blade Lightning but the body was never found. Massimo, Jaro’s pet wizard, retreated into the mountains to cook up some new devilry. The Wolves appeared soon after that.”
“So you’ve got what’s left of a rebel army riding around and plundering.”
“That’s how it started. Have you decided whether you are going to kill me or not?”
“Not yet. Keep talking.”
“You could be one of them, you know. You’ve got the eyes.”
“Have I?”
“Flat and cold and with a real distance in them. You’ve killed a lot of people, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”
“And you don’t even have to think about it or look embarrassed or ashamed when you say it?”
“Should I?”
“You obviously don’t think so. You’re proud of it, aren’t you?”
“No. It’s my calling. You were telling me about the Wolves.”
“They used to be called that because of the wolf’s head on Jaro’s banner. But since they started following his lieutenant, Massimo, the sorcerer, some of them have become real wolves. You heard of Massimo?”
“No.”
“He’s a bad one, has made pacts with the Shadow, so they say, and if you really are a Guardian you should take a look at him.”