Rhanu guided his horse back to his companions. Ayna gave him a coy glance.
"My husband is a brave man."
He didn't know whether it was a compliment or a remark on his foolhardy attack. That was the problem with women. Especially the Sha. He nodded in acceptance.
"Thank you." He rode forward, trying to ignore Han's amused sniggers.
Soon after they came to a bridge so worn and rotted it seemed impossible that one man could cross, much less an army. The Reaver turned slightly.
"Wait here."
When the Night Mare stepped onto the bridge, her hooves rang as though striking iron. Horse and rider were swiftly swathed by a cloak of fog. The army fell into a silence no one felt like breaking. Even the Ulfhenar were unusually muted.
A guttural roar shook the ground. The scream of the Night Mare rang out, and an explosion of fire bloomed in the mist. The roar turned into a shriek before it quickly silenced.
The Reaver's voice rumbled from the mist.
"Come."
The men eyed the bridge warily. Finally, Rhanu dismounted and led his horse over. Gingerly, he took one step, then another. Though the bridge seemed to be rotted and fragile, the material itself was dense as stone.
"It's all right. The bridge will hold."
As though to make up for their hesitation, the Ulfhenar immediately howled and shoved forward. Theron ran his fingers over the surface of the half-broken guardrail. "Ironwood. Never have I seen such a massive piece, and so cunningly made."
Some of the Ulfhenar poked at a huge charred corpse and exclaimed among themselves. Rhanu drew closer. It was the smoking remains of what had been a gargantuan green-skinned creature, humped and misshapen. The head of the monster lay a few yards away. Its saucer-sized eyes bulged above its snout of a nose, and its wide mouth was slack, displaying jagged broken teeth.
"Bloody bridge ogre," one of the Ulfhenar said. "Too bad he saved no killing for us."
"There's plenty of killing ahead," Han said. The Ulfhenar gave a whoop, and he and his comrades all but ran forward.
Fregeror shrugged. "Bloody Ulfhenar."
The army marched through the evening and on into the night, led by their phantom figurehead. Many times the Reaver would scout ahead while the men took brief rests for food and water. Often after they marched again, they would find the remains of some grotesque creature it had slain. Rhanu had quit counting the twitching legs of the last creature they passed, but he was sure they numbered more than twenty.
They came upon a valley where steam and ash erupted from cracks in the earth at regular intervals. Waves of heat washed over them, while ash fell like winter snow. The earth trembled as though it would burst apart. It was almost unbearably hot, so that Rhanu thought the knights would not make it in their plate armor. Yet no one voiced a word of complaint as they followed their spectral leader.
The Reaver descended without hesitation, somehow managing to avoid the explosions of boiling air. Some of the men were not as fortunate. After several were blasted off their feet by the eruptions, they learned to stay back from the cracks when the ground shook.
"This is why this place remains hidden. The steam and ash form a never-ending cloud cover. That mixed with this fog makes sure the sun will not shine on this place."
Ayna gazed upward. She had her wide hood pulled over her head to ward off the fluttering ash. "There is more to it. Something controls the fog as well, containing it to cover only the grounds of Aceldama."
"That is what we will find out, Amisi. Whatever it is, I mean to destroy it."
They were able to top the other side of the valley with no more losses. The Reaver's ragged cape fluttered in the moaning wind as it waited. There was something about its stance that indicated an air of eagerness. Its ember eyes blazed when it turned to Rhanu.
"We are close."
Chapter 61: Alaric
Celestine waited. She was dangerously away from the protected grounds of Aceldama, surrounded by twisted shapes that had once been trees. a wide moss-covered stream was before her. The fog was thick there, able to hide the carnivorous beasts that slunk in it, invisible until they ripped your flesh apart.
But Alaric knew she was not afraid. She had the Crafts, and no lowly beast could approach without her knowledge. They knew it as well, and avoided her. He studied her for a moment as she waited for him to arrive. It was not without regret that he would eliminate the Sects. Perhaps a few might be spared.
No. I must purge them completely or not at all. The limbs must be pruned so the tree can thrive.
He whispered from behind her. "Celestine."
She turned in surprise. She expected to have sensed the effects of his Shadowmeld, but his skills were beyond her. No matter how she applied herself, she would always be limited.
That was the point of their existence.
She bowed. "As you have commanded, so I obey, your Majesty. I am at your disposal."
Alaric gazed intently at her. "Your compliance in this and all matters is appreciated more than you know, Celestine. I have noticed your zeal in adherence to the Code, and your diligence will be rewarded."
She dropped her head to hide the flush in her cheeks.
He intensified his gaze. "You wish to please me, do you not?"
Her skin squelched in the mud as she knelt and grasped his hand. "Majesty, all I have done has been for the glory of the Blood. Though I am not one of you, I have always held my Sect and myself to your high standards. To please you is an honor you cannot imagine."
Alaric smiled as he gently pulled her to her feet. "Killian has betrayed us, as you know. The other Speakers are uncertain at best when it comes to my trust." He tilted her chin to look into her eyes. "Yet I am certain I can trust you."
"If…if I dare to speak so boldly, if his Majesty would appoint one in charge of all the Sects, then order might be restored all the quicker."
He smiled inwardly. In the end, it was power that motivated them, one and all. "Perhaps that can be arranged. I have weighed the value of your service, and find you worthy in all respects. Should you succeed in this task, you shall be my voice to all the Sects under the Co'nane. This I promise."
Celestine gasped as she realized the scale of his words.
That should serve to motivate her. He stared into the fog. "Yet time is against us, so let us proceed. The last Reavers had nearly destroyed us before I discovered their weakness. They are bonded to their Night Mares. Destroy the beast, and the Reaver will weaken enough so it can be defeated. Enough so it can be slain. I hear you are powerful enough to generate a miasma. Can you do this for your king?"
"As you command, your Majesty." She could not hide the pride in her voice. Generating any elemental creature was a task only the most skilled at the Crafts could accomplish. Even something as simple as a golem took great proficiency.
"My lord will have to forgive me. The summoning requires performance of the ancient rites of the Druid Elious, and I must follow their methods to be successful."
Alaric said nothing, only looked at her without expression. She unlaced her cloak. It fell to the ground, exposing her nakedness. Her cream-colored skin shone in the grainy light as though dusted by diamonds. She stood unashamed, her body taut and supple. He supposed she was beautiful by mortal standards, but he had Serona. Anyone else was wretched and pitiable in comparison.
Celestine gathered her focus and Shifted from her Outer mind to the Inner. Alaric felt her link to the elements through Eler, the energy of life. Her first was to Tropos, the Craft of weather. His skin tingled as the air transformed into a million caressing fingers. He heard Celestine gasp aloud at the sensation as she linked to the threads, intertwining them at her mental command.