Stealer of Flesh

THAT WAY LIES DEATH

“THAT WAY LIES death,” said the old man. The frown deepened the lines on his leathery face into trenches. A mad gleam shone in his eye. Perhaps it was the look of ascetic fanaticism brought on by too much exposure to the desert sun or possibly he truly had been touched by holiness. Why else would he be sitting half-naked by a milestone in the desert along the ancient road to Sunhaven?

Kormak looked in the direction the hermit had indicated with his wizened hand. It did not look any different from the rest of the wastes the road passed through. It was a harsh dry land where the only touch of colour came from the yellowish blooms of some hardy creosote plants.

Kormak removed his helmet and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He was hot and all too aware of it. His leather tunic and mail shirt had not been intended for a climate like this. Again he considered removing them and putting them with the cloak in his saddlebags but the road to Sunhaven was famous for its bandits and its monsters and he had no desire to die with an arrow through him if it could be avoided. At the moment, he thought sourly. Another few hours of this and he might feel differently.

“Death seems to be everywhere here,” said Kormak. “This would be an easy place for a man to leave this life.”

“In yonder direction lies the lost city of Tanyth,” the old man said. “It is guarded by demons, the haunt of the damned. They fly over the desert in a night when it would take men a week’s ride or more to get here.”

Kormak looked at him again. “You have chosen a strange place to dwell then.”

The old man smiled and gestured in the direction of the nearby hills. “I have my cave. I have my spring. I have retreated from the wickedness of the cities of Men. I contemplate the mysteries of the Holy Sun here where the sky is clear and His light is brightest. I do not fear demons for He watches over me.”

“What sort of demons are there?” Kormak asked. He had a professional interest in such things.

“Lamia, succubae, she-fiends. They visit me in the night. Disport themselves lewdly. Seek to tempt me back to the ways of flesh. I reject them.”

Kormak wondered whether the Holy Sun was the only thing this ancient saw visions of and how real these temptations were. Perhaps they were simply projections of the desires the old man thought he had left behind. Perhaps not. Kormak had encountered too many demons to discount the possibility that the old man was right.

Kormak tapped the blade that hung over his shoulder. “I do not fear demons,” he said.

“Ah but you are a Guardian of the Order of the Dawn. I know your kind. One passed through the City of Light in the years of my youth. Many men died before he departed. Once he was gone, the killings ceased.” He let the words and their accusation hang in the air, all the while keeping his bright, mad gaze focused directly on Kormak.

“Such is often the way,” Kormak said. The old man rubbed his grey stubble.

“They say the men who died were wicked. No doubt some of them were. Others were not. I am not sure your order is as righteous as it claims.”

Kormak agreed but it did not seem politic to say so. The old man’s gaze shifted and he focused his eyes back on the road. Riders were approaching. Pennons fluttered on the end of their lances. They held the short moon-curved bow so common in this land. When they got closer, he would doubtless find they were armed with scimitars.

“Riders often pass along this road. Some of them are charitable,” said the old hermit. Kormak fumbled some change from his purse and dropped it in front of the old man. He laughed and picked it up then rose to his feet and handed it back to Kormak

“I have no use for silver out here. It would only tempt men of violence and make me think of the foul uses I could put it to back in the city.”

Kormak shrugged. “I cannot spare food or water; I have a long journey ahead of me.”

“Perhaps I can spare you some then,” said the old man. “Water at least. This road is no place to be caught without water.”

The riders were close enough now that Kormak could see he was wrong. They carried the straight blades of Sunlander Templars. Their gear was an odd mix of light armour, recurved lunar bows and western helmets and swords. Kormak guessed these were descendants of the Oathsworn who had set out to reclaim the Sacred Lands from the moondogs generations ago. They had adapted to the local climate. There were obviously some things he could learn from them.

One of the men was as richly dressed as a prince. His robes were silk, his breastplate worked with intricate shapes that were only vaguely recognisable as Elder Signs. The patterns were almost lost as if the people who had made the device were more concerned with decoration than protection from the Old Ones and the Shadow. The rest of the men were warriors, either feudal retainers or well-paid mercenaries. They had a hard competent look to them. Kormak took his place beside the old man. He did not really expect violence here but you never knew. The normal laws of men were sometimes suspended in the wastelands.

The lead rider came closer. Kormak could see he was a handsome young man with very dark hair and very white teeth. His hair fell in ringlets to his shoulders. His beard was well-trimmed to two points. He looked foppish but there was something about the way he sat in the saddle and assessed Kormak’s stance that told the Guardian he was not quite as soft as he looked.

“I see another has come to consult you, father,” the newcomer said. There was something taunting in his speech and at the same time something deferential. There was respect there as well as mockery as if the youth sought to prove how cynical he was and yet at the same time, in his heart of hearts, feared the wrath of the old man’s god. It was an attitude Kormak had seen many times among the spoiled nobility of the far west. The young man looked at Kormak. “Not a Sunlander and not an easterner either. That is a puzzle.”

“An Aquilean,” Kormak said. “It’s north-west of Taurea.”

“You are a long way from home.”

“Sir Kormak is on a quest, my son.” There was something odd in the way the hermit said those words as well. “He is hunting a demon.”

“Then that is a dwarf-forged blade upon his shoulder. Interesting. I had not expected ever to see such a thing. Would you mind if I took a look at it?” He held out his hand in complete expectation that Kormak would simply hand the blade over.

“Yes,” Kormak said. “I would.”

His tone obviously rankled the retainers. They reached for their weapons.

“Tell your men I can kill you before they reach me, and then I will kill them,” Kormak said. He said it loudly enough so that the youth did not need to.

“Are you really so good with the blade?” the youth asked. He did not seem in the least bit frightened.

“Yes,” Kormak said. “But if you feel the need to put that to the test, by all means, go ahead.”

The youth smiled. “That will not be necessary. It was rude of me to ask a Guardian to part with his weapon. I spoke without thinking. There is no harm done to my dignity. I hope you will accept my apology, Sir Kormak.”

The retainers at once relaxed their grips on their sword hilts. They did not look any less wary though. All of them inspected Kormak with fierce, hawk-like eyes.

“The matter is forgotten,” said Kormak.

“Very good. Let us start again. I am Prince Luther Na Veris of the city of Sunhaven. I have come here today to bring alms to this noble and long-suffering hermit,” Again there was that faint and ironic emphasis in this speech, “and then I will ride back to the city. I hope you will do me the honour of riding a ways with me and perhaps guesting in my mansion.”

“I would be honoured to ride with you, Prince, but I am on a most urgent mission and I cannot accept your hospitality.”

“You can tell me of your quest as we ride. Perhaps I may help you in some way. I am not without influence in these parts and it will do my soul some good to aid the righteous.”

There was still an element of mockery in Luther’s words, just as there had been when he spoke to the hermit, but Kormak sensed the underlying seriousness of the young man’s intent. “That would be a blessing.”

The Prince nodded and then gestured and two of them men at arms dismounted and took leather-bound packages from their saddlebags. They brought them to the hermit, set them down beside him with respectful bows and then retreated back to their steeds.

The Prince walked over to the hermit and they exchanged murmured words. There seemed to be some quiet debate going on, possibly of a religious nature. Kormak studied the guards as they waited. They looked back at him. Most of them were indifferent but some glared. They had taken his earlier words as a challenge and they were keen to show that they were not afraid.

In the clear sky Kormak saw a hawk in flight. As he watched it stooped, and he knew that somewhere in the distance death had touched the desert.

A moment later Prince Luther returned. “With your permission, Sir Guardian, let us be away!”


They rode side by side towards the city, with the line of retainers stretching out behind them. Kormak was uncomfortably aware that there were men with bows at his back and that he might be shot without warning. The die was cast though, and he did not believe any of the retainers would attack him without a word from the Prince. He paid very close attention to Luther Na Veris as they rode.

A warm wind had sprung up from the desert. It made Kormak’s eyes feel dry and the skin of his face itch. The Prince produced a scarf and drew it across the bottom half of his face. The warriors did likewise, gratefully. Kormak realised that they would not do the thing until Luther did.

The Prince gazed at Kormak sidelong. “It is strange for a Guardian to be so far from Mount Aethelas.”

“I hunt a demon. I have tracked it for hundreds of leagues, from Vandemar and beyond. I think my hunt will come to an end soon.”

“A demon? Of what sort?” The question was casually put, in the same way as a wizard might put it.

“You are a sorcerer?” Kormak asked. The Prince laughed.

“No. I am a dabbler. I have read some grimoires and some ancient texts written by the Old Ones. I read them more for the imagery than the knowledge. I find it helps with my compositions.”

“You are a scholar then.”

“Of sorts. It is my poor pretence to be a poet.”

“Luther of Sunhaven,” said Kormak.

“You know my name I see. It is flattering to be renowned as far away as the cold hills of Aquilea.”

“I heard your name at the Court of the King of Taurea. A bard had set certain of your lyrics to music.”

“I wrote a cycle of love poems in my salad days. They enjoyed a certain ephemeral popularity. They are still sung in taverns and sailors carry songs far.”

“I had not realised you were a prince.”

“It is a not uncommon title in the Sacred Lands,” Luther said. “A lot of nobles awarded themselves high honours when they stole these lands from the Seleneans. I am descended from one. There are many others. Princes are as common in Sunhaven as knights in Taurea or so they say.” He smiled affably. “But you were telling me of your quest. It is not every day I get to meet a man who hunts demons.” Once again there was an element of irony in the Prince’s speech, mocking and undercutting his protestations of interest.

“It’s not every day I meet a Prince who is also a poet.”

“I assure you I have had by far the less interesting life of the two of us.”

The walls of the city appeared on the horizon. They were massive. Sunhaven had quite clearly been built to withstand a siege. The walls extended outwards in buttressed points. They were ten times the height of a man and Kormak had heard it said you could drive a chariot along the top of them. Over the walls a gigantic white tower worked with patterns of gold loomed over the city, dominating the entire skyline.

“It is true,” Kormak said. “The walls of Sunhaven are laid out in the same pattern as the Elder Sign.

Luther nodded. “The walls of all five of the Holy Cities are. It is said that if you looked down from the sky, the way the Holy Sun does, that the roads between them would form the pattern of a gigantic Elder Sign as well. It may be true. These ancient roads run straight enough.”

“Is that so?”

“It makes you wonder, doesn’t it? How the ancients did it. Built so straight and so far that they could enclose an entire kingdom within the Elder Sign’s sacred protection.”

“Some would say they were inspired by the Sun himself. After all it was one of the Prophets who commanded the work.”

Luther smiled indulgently. “Personally I wonder why they did it. Elder Signs are used to keep demons in as well as out.”

“You think this land is some sort of prison?”

“There are certain old grimoires that hint as much.”

“Go on.”

“Some say this land is a massive gateway to the Realms of Shadow, that armies of demons lie in wait beneath the crust of reality to emerge and work evil. They say it is from this place that the Shadow first entered the world, before the coming of Men. That is why the Holy Cities were built here—they are watchtowers against another onslaught by the Shadow.”

“There are regions where such things happen,” Kormak said. “But I have never encountered one so huge.”

“But you have visited such places?”

Kormak nodded.

“We really should talk you and I. There are many things I would question you about.”

“Would that I had the time, Prince.” Luther nodded affably at this refusal. He did not seem at all troubled by the response.

“It is a strange thought, is it not, that the earth upon which we walk may have the legions of Shadow beneath it?”

“It is a disturbing thought.”

“This can be a disturbing land.”

“But one that can inspire a poet,” Kormak said. “If his imagination ran in certain directions.”

“I hear a hint of the Inquisition in your voice, Sir Kormak, the trace of fanatical disapproval.”

“It was an observation, that was all.”

“I have noticed that certain of your observations sound like threats.”

“I would say that perception lay within the mind of the listener. In this case, at least.”

“You debate like a priest, sir.”

“I was taught by them,” Kormak admitted.

“That in no way surprises me,” said the Prince. He shaded his eyes with his hand and stared off into the distance. “I think we shall be in time,” he said.


The city came ever closer. Kormak could see that many buildings lay outside the huge walls and were dwarfed by them. It was often the case in this world he had found. Cities outgrew their ancient defences. In the west there were places where the walls marked the age of certain parts of cities the way the rings of a tree did.

There was no real boundary between the desert and the outer city. At first they merely rode between isolated white-washed mud-brick houses, which became more and more common until they were ragged, half-empty streets and then densely packed ones. People went from being relatively rare on the outskirts to swarming crowds as they got closer to the walls.

Soon they were surrounded by hawkers and water-sellers and jugglers and clowns. Beggars and thieves moved closer as well. About half of the folk were dressed in western style tunics and britches made from light linen fabrics. The others, darker skinned, were garbed in flowing robes of the Desert Tribes. The men in britches tended to wear the Sign of the Sun and walk proudly and aggressively. The desert men wore Lunar symbols and spoke softly.

Prince Luther nodded to one of his men, the same one as had given the package to the hermit and the man produced a purse and tossed a shower of small coins into the crowd. People scrambled to pick them up as the Prince rode through.

Ahead of them a gate surmounted by an Elder Sign loomed ten spans high. It had huge valves of bronze. Armoured men stood on either side. Prince Luther studied the sky. It was starting to get dark. “Good,” he said. “The North Gate is still open. There will be no need to spend time in some Low City Tavern and wait for the dawn.”

“I regret I must take my leave of you, Prince,” said Kormak. “And seek a bed for the night.”

“It would do me great honour if you accepted my hospitality, Guardian. You will lose no time or money and more importantly you will not get your throat slit in some low dive. It does happen here.”

“Men have tried to cut my throat before, Prince. I am still here.”

“I have a library containing many volumes that might interest you. I have scrolls concerning the Ghul and their city in which you might find knowledge valuable on your quest. I have maps too. I am quite the collector in my way.”

Kormak glanced at him sidelong. In that moment he was reminded a little of Lord Tomas who had freed Razhak originally. Luther had a similar intensity. Still the things he offered might prove useful. “That would indeed be useful.”

“Then it is settled. You will accompany me to my mansion and you can consult with my library and I will avail myself of the opportunity to pick your brain of knowledge and bore you with displays of my own erudition.”

“Very well, Prince Luther, I accept your offer. For this night alone.”

“Capital.” They rode through the North Gate. It was like riding into a tunnel, dark and shadowy. It was full of men with donkeys and camels and carts all trying to get passed the guards. Prince Luther was obviously recognised for he was waved through as were all those with him.

The streets of the Old City were very different from those of the new. They were laid out in perfectly straight lines and all of the buildings showed a similarity of architecture, a symmetry of proportion, that marked them as having been built at the same time, in a different age of the world.

“Laid out according to the geomantic principles of the ancient Solari,” said Luther, when he noticed Kormak’s glance. “They built this city in the First Age of Men when the power of the Empire was at its height.”

All of the streets led to a gigantic citadel whose single central tower rose like a spear aimed at the sky. At first glance the buildings were as impressive as all the work of the ancients but when he looked closer he could see everything had been repaired in a patchwork fashion, that many of the mansions were crumbling, that smaller buildings and newer had sprung up between the older ones.

“The city was not always in the hands of the Sunlanders,” Luther said. Once again it was as if he was reading Kormak’s thoughts. “There were centuries of neglect while the Seleneans held Sunhaven. They did so until the Oathsworn reclaimed the Tower of the Sun. Some say it is only a matter of time before they do again. Our hold on this land is still quite precarious. Without aid from the West we can hold out for a generation at most.”

“The Kingdoms of the West have their own problems,” Kormak said. “They are not united as they were in the Time of the Oathswearing.”

“The same problem could be said to exist here,” the Prince said. “There are those who think we should come to an accommodation with the moon-worshippers. Others think we should withdraw before we are over-run.”

“What do you think?” Kormak asked.

“I believe it is inevitable that the city will fall back into the hands of the Seleneans. This is an isolated pocket of Solar worship now. We are surrounded on all sides by lands that are either debated or have been swamped by the moondogs.”

They rode into a wide avenue of walled mansions, all with a clear view of the tower. It was clear they had been spotted for servants were already opening the gates of Prince Luther’s mansion while guards watched from the flanking towers. As they rode into the courtyard it occurred to Kormak that every wealthy man’s house in the city must be a small self-contained fortress.

Now he was trapped within one.


A fountain stood in the courtyard. Solar angels held great amphora above their heads and from them poured water. Orange trees stood in small enclosed walled gardens. Servants came forward to take the horses. Kormak allowed his to be led to the stable.

A majordomo advanced on Prince Luther, bowed and presented him with some scrolls. The Prince broke their seals casually and read them as they walked into the cool interior of the building. A halo of servants trailed them as well as the two bodyguards who had disbursed the Prince’s money to the crowd. The rest of them seemed to have taken entry into the house as a signal that they were dismissed. Clearly there was a routine to this place and everyone knew their part in it.

Luther strolled through corridors lined with beautiful statues and entered a low courtyard opened to the sky. There was seating all around it. On a chair at its edge, a woman sat, reading a book.

“Sister,” Luther said. “We have a guest.”

The woman looked up and assessed Kormak with a cool gaze. There was a definite family resemblance to the Prince. They had the same dark curly hair, very white teeth and compelling dark eyes. She was very lovely. She put the book down on the table beside her, after marking her place with a silk ribbon.

She rose and made a courtly curtsey. Kormak responded with a formal bow. She placed her hand over her heart. “Welcome to our home, Guardian of the Dawn.”

“Olivia is the scholar of the family,” Luther said. “She has studied art, philosophy, history and alchemy. She understood the significance of the way you wear your blade as soon as she saw it.”

“You are a long way from Mount Aethelas,” the woman said.

“Sir Kormak is on a quest. He hunts a demon.”

“There are no shortage of those in the Wastes beyond the Holy Road.”

“He hunts one in particular, a Ghul.”

“I thought those were all gone from the world. Imprisoned by Solareon or exterminated by your Order, Sir Guardian.”

“There is one left,” Kormak said. He felt like he was interrupting a conversation between these two. Prince Luther seemed happy to answer any questions his sister addressed to Kormak.

“But not for long if Sir Kormak has his way,” Luther said. The woman sank back into her chair and with a graceful gesture indicated they should join her. She rang a bell, three times, with a particular rhythm. It must have been an accepted signal for in a short time a servant girl arrived with a silver tray containing apple tea for three. It was very sweet. Prince Luther added honey.

“How did you encounter, my brother, Sir Kormak?”

“He was talking to our father,” said Luther before Kormak could reply. Kormak studied the Prince and his sister. He was trying to recall the old hermit’s features. It was possible that there was a family resemblance there.

“I can see you have baffled the Guardian.”

“The hermit is really your father?” Kormak said. “I thought you used the expression merely as a sign of respect.”

“No! Our father has foresworn the world and its guilty pleasures. He has renounced all his estates and worldly goods and mistresses in favour of my sister and myself. He seeks to save his soul and redeem his sins.”

“He has many sins to atone for,” said Olivia. Luther shot her a warning glance. She shook her head almost imperceptibly as if she was telling her brother she would not be silenced.

“Our father was a famously wicked man, Sir Kormak,” she said. “He studied for the priesthood when he was young and then abandoned the path when his elder brother died and he inherited the estate. It is said he broke all of his priestly vows in a single night that they still talk about down in the Street of Seven Pleasures.”

“I have heard of novices who did the same,” Kormak said.

“From your own order?” Luther sounded curious.

“My order does not ask men to foreswear pleasures of the flesh.”

“Save for one,” Olivia said. “You may not marry.”

“That hardly means foreswearing women, sister. You are not so innocent!”

Olivia smiled. She did not look embarrassed. She considered Kormak in a measuring way and then looked back at her brother.

“Father insists on his folly then,” Olivia said. “He will not return and let us care for him.”

“It is hardly folly to embrace godliness,” Luther said.

“Is that what he is doing?” Olivia said. “I thought this was just a new form of egotism. He is enjoying the drama of renunciation. Once he is bored with it, he will return. Be certain of it.”

“My sister is a cynic, Sir Kormak,” said Luther. She inclined her head. Kormak decided it was not just the father who enjoyed drama in this family. They seemed happy to have an audience to play out their discussion in front of. He started to get the sense that for all the fact that they lived in the city these might be people isolated from normal society. Thinking of the bluff warriors he had encountered since he came to this land, Kormak had some idea how that might come about.

“She simply knows her father too well,” said Olivia.

“I admit to the possibility of that,” said Luther. The shadows were starting to lengthen. Servants appeared with lamps. They burned perfumed oil, not tallow. There was no shortage of money in the house.

“Tell me of your quest, Sir Kormak,” said Olivia. “It has been centuries since any man has encountered a Ghul. They were rare even in these demon-haunted parts in this age of the world.”

“That is strange is it not,” said Kormak. “Tanyth was once their city.”

“They ruled this land in the days between when they rebelled against the Old Ones and the coming of the Solarians,” said Olivia. “The First Empire broke them, destroyed Tanyth. The Emperor Solareon imprisoned the Ghul in punishment for their evil. Those who could fled from his wrath and were scattered over the world. Presumably there must have been some who were not in the city at all. There is considerable speculation on the subject among the ancient scholars.”

“Razhak was in the city. He was imprisoned by Solareon. I handled the flask in which he was bound myself.”

“Razhak,” she said. “That is an evil name. He was a mighty wizard among the Ghul or so the old books claim.”

“I can believe that. I saw as much in his mind when he tried to possess me.”

The girl shuddered. Prince Luther looked quizzical. He tilted his head to one side. “Tried to possess you?”

“He failed,” Kormak said, his tone making it clear he had no wish to discuss the matter further.

“And still you pursue the creature,” said Olivia.

“I have followed this demon a long way. He has eluded me so far but soon the chase will end.”

“How can you know that?” Luther asked.

“He is weakened and must return to Tanyth to use the great spell-engines there or he will die. Perhaps that is the wrong word. He will unravel. His life force is woven into a pattern of energy that should be self-sustaining.”

Olivia looked up sharply. “But some part of it is undone and it is starting to unravel like a tapestry from which threads have been pulled.”

“Exactly so.” Kormak said.

The woman looked excited. “That confirms what Eraclius of Anacreon claimed,” she said.

“It may be,” said Kormak. “But I have not read any of that sage’s works.”

“We have a collection in our library,” said Olivia. “You may study them before you retire. Of course, they are written in High Solari.”

“I am familiar with the tongue,” said Kormak.

“A Guardian would be,” she said. “I am surprised you have not read Eraclius. I had always heard that the Library at Aethelas was the best in the world.”

“It is lady, but I have read only a tiny fraction of its volumes. My duties are of a more active than scholarly nature.”

“Of course,” she said. “They would be. I will see to it that you are brought a selection of the scrolls pertaining to your quest. The knowledge they contain may prove useful to you.”

“Thank you, Lady Olivia.”

The Prince said, “We should eat now and I would question Sir Kormak about his career. There is a lot he can tell me and I would get it down while I have the chance.”

Luther seemed as keen about this as his sister did about her scholarship. They were an odd couple with strange enthusiasms and a languor about them that seemed to fit their surroundings.

He began to suspect that they were perhaps more typical of the Sunlander aristocracy in this land than he had at first thought. There was a doomed quality about them, as if they were simply passing through this land, shadows in the light of the harsh sun, destined to vanish with the coming of night.

A servant brought in parchment and quills and Luther rose and sat himself at table. He began to ask Kormak about his life and his training and his travels. He was interested in the oddest things. Was he afraid when he confronted his first demon? What did it feel like to kill an immortal? Did he sometimes find himself sympathising with those he killed?

The last question obviously had a resonance with Luther. He clearly identified with the ancient immortals whose lives were being extinguished by one whose lifespan was an eyeblink to them. He wondered about the lost knowledge and what those eyes might have looked on. Certainly far more than Kormak would ever see no matter how far he travelled.


It was late when the servant finally showed Kormak to his chamber, illuminating the way with a lantern. The room was as luxuriously furnished as the rest of the mansion. A large four-poster bed in the western style was there, decorated with carvings in the ornate local fashion that were seemingly Elder Signs intended to ward the sleeper as they dreamt but which were so ornate that Kormak doubted they would function as intended.

He stripped off his armour but made sure his scabbarded sword was within easy reach on the bedside table. He threw open the shutters and looked out into the night. The moon rose huge and strange over the towers and minarets of the city. The Tower of the Sun loomed gigantically over everything. At its peak something burned like the beacon in a lighthouse. Kormak remembered being able to see that light from leagues away across the desert. He thought about Taurea and the lands of the West he had left behind. It would be winter there now. It was winter here but it just did not feel like it. He was a long, long way from home and he felt it.

There was a gentle knock on the door. Kormak picked up his scabbard and walked over to the door, unbolting it. Olivia stood there. She carried a bunch of scrolls tied up with a ribbon. Her dress was lighter than the one she had worn downstairs, revealing her figure. Her hair was pinned up revealing her neck.

“I brought you the works of Eraclius I talked about,” she said.

“It was not necessary for you to bring them yourself, my lady,” Kormak said.

“It is my pleasure to do so, Guardian,” she said. “Do you mind if I come in?”

For a moment Kormak was reminded of stories of Old Ones who could only cross thresholds when invited. He had seen this woman in daylight though and he thought he would know if it was an elder being wearing her shape.

“You may.” She entered the room, closed the door and put the bar in place. They looked at each other across the length of the room. The bed was a looming presence between them. She swallowed and then smiled as composedly as she had done in the atrium downstairs.

“I hope my brother did not keep you talking too long,” she said. “He does not get the opportunity to speak with a man like you very often.”

“It is unusual for a Prince to be so interested in my work.”

“He is not really a Prince and I am not really a Princess,” she said. “In the west we would be minor nobles at best.”

“You would be wealthy ones,” Kormak said. “Not many of the nobles I have encountered live like this.”

She walked over towards him. He was very aware of the swishing her nightdress made as she moved. She stood in front of him, offering him the scrolls submissively. The smile on her face was anything but submissive.

“Why are you here?” Kormak asked.

“Do you find it so hard to believe a woman might find you attractive?”

“Many women have,” Kormak said. “As I am sure many men have found you beautiful.”

“I do not encounter many men,” she said.

“Why would that be?” Kormak asked.

“We are not popular with our neighbours or with the local nobility in general. My father is regarded as a degenerate, my brother an effete poet. Some of his verses are regarded as scandalous. Many think him mad and that madness runs in our family.”

“Do you think so?”

She shook her head. “He has morbid interests. They stimulate his imagination. He is not mad though. He really is a poet. I think he is going to offer to accompany you to Tanyth.”

“Why would he do that?”

She leaned so close he could feel her scented breath.

“He is curious and they say only madmen visit Tanyth, that the place is accursed. He wants to go to the place that all men are afraid of, and he wants to return and write about it and so win fame.”

“He is already famous. I had heard his name in Taurea.”

“He wants to be remembered, to make his name immortal. It’s the only certain form of immortality men will ever have, is it not?”

Kormak reached out and touched her cheek, ever so gently. She shivered and then leaned her face against his callused sword hand. “And you do not want him to go?” Kormak asked.

“On the contrary, I want to go with you.” Her eyes were very large and wide and innocent and Kormak found that he did not trust her in the slightest. It did not stop him wanting her though.

“Why?”

“We can talk about that later,” she said, leaning forward and bringing her lips close to his. They parted slightly. He kissed her and then swept her up and carried her to the bed.


The Lady Olivia lay naked on the bed. Part of her body was in shadow but that just made the white flesh and the curves he could see all the more voluptuous. She stroked his cheek with one soft hand. Her nails were long and had tiny runes worked on them in dye.

“Why do you want to go to Tanyth?” Kormak asked. She smiled at him sardonically, teeth glittering in the dark,

“No compliments, Sir Kormak. You are not very gallant.”

“I am not a gallant man,” he said.

“No, you are not,” she said. “Perhaps that is why you are attractive. You do not speak of honour or nobility. You are not a hypocrite.”

Kormak studied her face in the darkness. She seemed serious. He smiled. She obviously did not know him well. “You are projecting what you want to see onto me,” he said.

“Most men would not tell a lovesick girl that.”

“You are not a girl and you are not lovesick. Let us not pretend otherwise.”

“You do not think there is even the slightest possibility of that?”

“I am certain.”

“You do not understand what life is like here then. It is not often I see a handsome man who interests me. It is not often I have the chance to break out of here.”

“Is that what you want?” She sat up suddenly and reached out and took his chin, playfully twisting so that he had to look directly at her.

“To be a woman in this land is to be a prisoner. We may not go out unaccompanied lest the moon-worshippers ravish us. We may not do this. We may not do that.”

“You do not seem to accept many limits.”

“My situation is unusual. Within the walls of this house I am mistress. Outside of them I must go veiled. I must become invisible”

“And you wish to be seen.”

“I am not so unlike my brother, Sir Kormak. I am a scholar. I will write upon this subject. I too wish to be remembered.”

“I will remember you.”

She smiled. “That is a start,” she said, reaching over to kiss him again.


At breakfast next morning they sat like strangers. It was odd to rest in the chair and look at the woman sitting there so cool and collected and to remember the passion of the previous evening.

Prince Luther strode into the atrium, sat down at the table, picked up a sweetmeat and said, “I have been thinking about your quest, Sir Kormak. I would like to go with you.”

“It will be dangerous, Prince Luther,” Kormak said. His conversation with Olivia the previous evening had prepared him for this.

“That will only spice the dish,” said Luther. “I have a hankering to see Tanyth, to look upon its ancient wonders.”

“Why have you not done so before?” Kormak asked.

“Because those who go there go mad or never return. I think that if I go in the company of a Guardian, I may return to tell the tale.”

“My quest is not to protect you, Prince. It is to slay Razhak and end his evil. He has killed a number of people since he was freed. I will see that he kills no more.”

“Understood, Sir Kormak, but I could be of help to you. I can provide maps, guides, supplies, warriors, finance an expedition. It is not just demons you must worry about in the wastes. There are bandits and wild beasts and other dangers. If we go together you would not need to worry about such things. Nor would you need to worry about being granted permission to cross certain lands or go to certain places.”

Kormak understood the veiled threat there. The Prince could no doubt make it difficult for him to leave the city if he wanted or place other obstacles in his path. And to tell the truth he could see certain advantages in taking up the Prince on his offer.

“Will your soldiers accompany you into Tanyth? You said that men fear the place.”

“They can await us at a safe distance from the city. I do not fear to enter the city.”

“Very well, I accept your offer,” said Kormak. Olivia stared at him very hard. “On one condition…That your sister accompanies us as well.”

The Prince glanced between Kormak and his sister. His smile was slow and a little sad. He clearly sensed that something had passed between them.

“So that’s the way it is,” Luther said. “Very well. I accept. All three of us will go to Tanyth.”

He said it as a child might when considering a treat. Kormak wondered if Luther really knew what he was letting himself in for. He wondered if he knew what he was letting himself in for himself.

“We need to leave immediately,” Kormak said. “We need to stop Razhak before he can find his spell-engines and perform his ritual.”