The Grim Company

Back on the Run





He pushed with all the strength he could muster. It was like trying to force a pebble through the eye of a needle. Or an arm through one of the Shaman’s wicker cages.

The High Fangs were a world away, but there were some memories you couldn’t leave behind. No matter how far you ran.

Brodar Kayne bit down and grunted with the effort. His large, scarred hands trembled around his manhood. The pain was excruciating. Spirits be damned, the pain was unholy. He’d taken arrows and blades in the gut that hurt less than this. At least, he thought they had. That was the problem with age. It played tricks on the mind.

Concentration. That was the key. Shut out the maddening noise of the street and focus on the job in hand. It was easier back up in the Fangs, where the wind was a constant whisper broken only by the howls of wolves or other beasts and a man respected another’s privacy enough to let him take a piss in peace. Here in the big city it seemed everyone wanted to interfere in his business. Merchants thrust their wares into his face as if he was a pleasure maid at a chieftain’s war gathering. It was madness.

He’d knocked one trader near-unconscious earlier in the day. The merchant had grabbed his hand, apparently intending to press some cloth into it. Brodar Kayne had apologized when he realized the fellow had meant no harm.

Gradually he felt the pressure in his bladder begin to relent. Obstructions of the purifying mechanisms by which the body is cleansed, the physician had told him. He’d wanted to make a small incision, and had only just escaped without his metal tools wedged somewhere unpleasant. Kayne hadn’t survived this long by allowing men with sharp implements to poke around his body.

Ten, nine, eight, seven… He mentally counted down in a silent ritual. If there was one thing he’d learned over his many years it was the importance of routine in defending the human body against the depredations of time. It had nothing to do with superstition. Or getting old.

Five… four… three… and he sighed in relief as the pain eased and his bladder prepared to empty itself. Two… one… ‘Shit.’ The sounds of a noisy pursuit interrupted him as he was on the cusp of release, a few drops of discoloured piss dribbling down his leg before his cock seized up like a dead man’s chest.

Kayne thrust his treacherous member back inside his breeches and strode out of the side alley determined to find out what all the fuss was about.

Someone was going to pay.

A lad slumped against the side of an old warehouse a little further up the street. His head rested on his chest and his breathing was ragged, as if he had an internal injury that made every inhalation a struggle. Faces peered out from behind doors and then melted away as Brodar Kayne approached the miserable figure. He grabbed a handful of sweat-matted hair and pulled the boy’s head back.

A mouthful of bloody spittle missed his eye by a finger’s width. A hand groped up, desperately seeking a weapon but succeeding only in prodding him painfully in the groin.

As swift as a snake, he grabbed the youngster’s arm and twisted it, eliciting a yelp. His other hand cuffed the insolent bastard in the head hard enough to bounce it right off the wall behind. He reached down and hauled the fool upright.

‘You picked a bad day to start something with me,’ he snarled down into the blood-smeared face. He was a lad of around twenty winters, Kayne saw, fair-skinned like most of these city folk. His steel-coloured eyes were unfocused and slightly watery, as if he’d been crying. Kayne shook his head in disgust.

‘You know you’ve lived too long when a smack upside a fellow’s head is enough to set him to tears. At your age I’d killed more men than I could rightly remember. Took some wounds that could kill a man too, and came through ’em none the worse for it. You got yourself a broken rib, I reckon, and that nose won’t ever be as straight as it was. Still, you’ll live – assuming I let you.’

He heard the rustle of chainmail behind him and turned, releasing his grip on the Lowlander, who promptly flopped to the ground.

‘Out of the way! This is Crimson Watch business.’ The speaker was an ugly little man with a plague-ravaged face. He dragged his right leg as he approached. A trail of blood glistened behind him.

The other fellow was younger and somewhat broader but still half a head shorter than Kayne, who saw that he sported a fresh bruise beneath his right eye. The red-cloaked soldier scowled up at him.

‘You’re a Highlander. What are you doing so far south? A man of your years ought to be tending goats or sitting around a campfire spinning bullshit tales to convince some maiden to suck your cock – or whatever it is you mountain folk do. You’re not welcome here. Lord Salazar has no love for the Magelord of the High Fangs.’

Kayne shrugged. ‘Can’t say I blame him,’ he replied. ‘The Shaman and me, we got our differences as well. Enough to make the frozen north an unsafe place for an old barbarian.’ The youth at his feet had begun to moan. ‘I was down this way. Thought I’d see the sights of the city. Tell me, what’s the boy done?’

‘What business is that of yours?’ said the pock-faced fellow. ‘He’s guilty of interfering with the application of the law. The f*cker stabbed me in the leg with this dagger. It won’t stop bleeding.’ He gestured at the weapon at his belt and then to his leg. There was a hint of panic in his voice.

Kayne’s eyes swept over the weapon and noted the telltale glow. ‘Magic, if I ain’t mistaken,’ he said. ‘I’m no expert but I reckon that wound won’t be closing by itself any time soon. Best find yourself a decent physician.’ He folded his arms and fixed the two soldiers with his best implacable stare.

The younger soldier’s hand went to his sword. ‘Not without this shit-eater we’re not. Come on, move aside.’

Kayne flexed his neck. It clicked slightly. He sighed in satisfaction. ‘No,’ he said.

‘Then you’ll die with him. Merrik, you take his left side.’

The Watchmen advanced on him slowly, their scarlet cloaks fluttering in the breeze.

Come at me, he thought, reaching behind him to the hilt of the greatsword slung on his back. He felt its familiar grip beneath his fingers. He stepped away from the prone lad, sparing the twitching figure an annoyed glance. This wouldn’t make things any easier. His opponents circled around him.

The soldier to his right feinted low and then brought his sword around in a vicious backhand chop. Kayne thrust his hips backwards and drew his chest in. The sword whistled past, barely an inch away.

He caught movement out of the corner of his left eye and spun, dropping into a crouch. As he felt the steel pass harmlessly over his head, his right elbow rose and crunched into the cheek of his assailant, who flopped to the ground. He pulled his greatsword loose of its scabbard with his other hand as he completed the rotation, raised it just in time to parry the other soldier’s follow-up attack.

His opponent stepped back and blinked. ‘F*ck,’ he said.

‘Aye,’ nodded Brodar Kayne. ‘Let’s get this over with. I need to piss.’

Greatsword and longsword came together. Kayne hardly moved as he casually responded to the wild thrusts of the Watchman. In desperation, his opponent launched an overhead slash intended to cleave his skull. Kayne neatly sidestepped it and brought his own blade sweeping around at waist height.

The Watchman stared at the entrails spilling from the bloody mess where his midriff had been. He dropped his sword and moved to gather the glistening, snaking things in his hands, but then dropped them in disgust.

Always bad when that happens, Kayne thought sympathetically. He raised his greatsword and cut the man’s head from his shoulders.

Wiping the blade clean on the corpse’s tabard, he sheathed it behind him and then walked over to the other Watchman, who was struggling groggily to his feet. He grabbed the soldier’s head and smashed it four, five, six times into the side of the warehouse. Holding the body upright with one hand, he took the dagger from the dead man’s belt with the other and let him fall.

He turned the dagger around in his hands. It was a fine enough weapon. The hilt and guard were plain, but the pommel was inset with a large ruby and the slightly curved blade radiated the soft blue glow that signified an enchantment of some kind. He sheathed it at his belt and was just starting back to the tavern when a cough got his attention.

‘Almost forgot about you,’ he muttered to the moaning lad. ‘Suppose I should thank you for this. Might be tough finding a merchant who’ll take it off my hands here in Dorminia, but it’ll fetch a tidy sum elsewhere.’ He hesitated for a moment, then raised a boot and placed it over the boy’s neck. ‘Sorry about this,’ he said. ‘More of those rotten bastards will show up soon. If they find you here, you’ll be wishing you was dead a hundred times over before the day is out. I’m doing you a favour.’

The lad’s face turned blue as Kayne’s boot pressed down on his windpipe. His hands flapped weakly. A pathetic gurgle escaped his lips. Grey eyes met his, wide with the terror of death.

They were begging him. Pleading with him.

Kayne looked away. He remembered that same look, eyes of a similar hue on a face much the same age. Recalled the mad agony as Mhaira’s wild screams hammered at his skull and the sickening stench of burning flesh filled his nostrils while he scraped his arms bloody on a cage that refused to yield.

He looked down at his forearms. The marks were still visible, though it hardly mattered a damn. There were other, worse scars to carry. The kind that changed a man forever.

Sighing heavily, the old barbarian removed his boot from the lad’s throat and hauled him upright, tossing him over his shoulder with an ease that belied his years. With a final grunt, he turned and loped away as fast as his creaking legs would carry him.



The Wolf was well into his cups by the time Brodar Kayne stumbled into the grimy tavern near the slums. The patrons of the smoky dive cast curious glances at him as he dropped his groaning burden to the ale-spattered floor. His back ached like a bastard.

He’d grown soft, that was the problem. They could be on their way east to one of the Free Cities by now. He doubted any of them could compare to this sprawling, stinking place – but they were well within the Unclaimed Lands, where no Magelord held sway and magic wasn’t contraband as it was in the Trine. The dagger at his belt would fetch a chieftain’s ransom from the right people.

But no. Instead he’d been unmanned by the bloody fool who was now writhing around at his feet.

Jerek had spotted him. He was sitting in the dingiest corner of the tavern, hunched over his beer, casting dark scowls at anyone foolish enough to meet his gaze. His bald head reflected the torchlight, giving him an angry red glow. His eyes narrowed further as Kayne stalked over.

‘Time to go, Wolf. I had a run-in with the local authorities. They’ll be all over this place like a rash within the hour.’ He waited expectantly as his friend slowly drained his cup and refilled it from the pitcher in the centre of the table.

Jerek looked up at him briefly. Then he raised his cup and drained it again. ‘Who the f*ck’s that?’ he asked in his gruff, rasping voice, slamming the cup down and nodding at the youth across the tavern. His tone was almost conversational. An ominous sign.

Kayne sighed. Might as well get this over with. ‘The lad? He was about to be murdered by a couple of those bastards with the red cloaks. They told me to step aside. I weren’t that way inclined.’ He waited patiently for the outburst he knew was coming.

Jerek stood up suddenly. He wasn’t a tall man by Highlander standards, though he was plenty broad. Fire danced in his dark eyes as he stared at the boy. He stroked his short beard, which was black and shot through with grey. The stroking became a tug. His mouth began to twitch. Here it comes, Kayne thought.

‘F*cking unbelievable!’ the Wolf growled. He slammed his fists down on the table, upsetting the pitcher, which tumbled off the edge and spilled its contents on the floor. He reached behind him and drew his twin hand axes.

The Wolf gestured at the boy with a shake of his left axe. ‘That cunt? Who’s he? Nobody. Let him die. Makes no difference to us. You had to go and get involved, didn’t you? Thought we’d done well. Made it here alive. Looked forward to a night of drinking. Well deserved. Can’t say it ain’t, all the shit we’ve been through. Planned to get myself some p-ssy tonight, did you know that? Don’t look that way now, does it? Always the hero, that’s you. I’ve had it with this shit. I’m f*cking tired.’

Kayne waited patiently for Jerek to finish his rant. The Wolf might be the angriest person he’d ever met in a world full of angry men, and he might be quick to draw blood when a calm word was all that was needed to defuse a situation, and he might have a tendency to alienate just about anyone who spent more than five minutes in his company, but at the end of the day he was the closest friend he had ever had. You take the rough with the smooth, as his father always used to say.

Jerek had stopped to draw breath for a moment. The old Highlander seized his chance. ‘Calm, Wolf. We’ll steal a couple of horses and ride east to the Unclaimed Lands. We’ll be there inside a couple of days. See this?’ He drew the glowing dagger from his belt and held it up. ‘Magic. Belonged to our friend over there. I reckon it will fetch us thirty gold spires. Maybe more.’ A thought occurred to him. ‘Didn’t you say you were desperate for female company? You’ve been drinking for the past three hours. Plenty of whores over in the corner there.’ He pointed to the opposite end of the tavern where a small group of scantily dressed women were attempting to solicit business.

Jerek scowled. ‘Fancied a drink first. Can’t a man wet his whistle? I’d empty this tavern’s cellar and still do ’em all raw and you f*cking know it, Kayne. Impugning my manhood. The front on you.’ The Wolf’s grip on his axes tightened and his knuckles turned white.

‘Nothing meant,’ said Brodar Kayne hurriedly. ‘Just an observation. Let me have a quick word with the owner of this joint and then we’ll be out of here.’

He moved over to the bar, where a man with a monstrous boil on the side of his nose watched him suspiciously. Kayne rummaged around inside the pouch at his belt and withdrew two silver sceptres. He placed the coins down on the bar. ‘See that lad twitching around on the floor over there? I want a roof over his head for as long as he needs to get himself up and on his feet again. He’s got a few cracked ribs and his head will hurt like hell for the next day or two, but he’ll live. If the Watch happens to stop by here, you never set eyes on him. We understand each other?’

The bartender’s eyes went to the coins and then to the struggling youth. He shook his head and pushed the silver away. ‘My life’s worth more than your sceptres can buy, Highlander. If the Watch discovers me sheltering an outlaw they’ll burn this place down. I have a wife and a daughter—’

He was interrupted as the door of the tavern swung open and a rotund man wearing a blacksmith’s apron burst into the common room, sweat trickling down his soot-plastered face. He spoke in a high-pitched voice completely at odds with his appearance.

‘Important news, fellas! The city’s under lockdown! No one is allowed in or out of Dorminia until further notice. The order’s come straight from Lord Salazar himself.’

Brodar Kayne glanced across at Jerek. The Wolf was tugging at his beard again. ‘Since when?’ he asked the blacksmith. He had a sinking feeling.

‘Since just now,’ the man replied in his girlish voice. ‘Something big’s happened. Something to do with Shadowport and the war over those bloody islands.’ He rubbed at the bristling whiskers on the sides of his face. ‘There’s a group of Watchmen just south of here. They’re searching for someone. Apparently a pair of the bastards got murdered nearby.’

Shit, Kayne thought. How did they react so fast? He turned to Jerek.

‘We’ll make for the harbour and find somewhere we can lay low.’ He felt a tugging at his trousers. The lad was struggling to pull himself up. Kayne reached down and hauled him to his feet.

The boy immediately bent over, his hands curled around his chest, drawing in ragged gasps of air. Then, remarkably, he straightened up. Pain was writ large across his blood-caked face, but there was a determined look in those steel-coloured eyes. So. You’ve got some backbone after all.

Jerek had stalked over and was now staring balefully at the youth. To his credit, the boy met the Wolf’s gaze and didn’t flinch.

‘My name’s Davarus Cole,’ he said, in a voice that held a curious strength in spite of his obvious pain. It was almost as if he was reciting some kind of speech. ‘I know a place north and west of here where we can seek shelter from the Crimson Watch. We’ll be among friends.’ He coughed and spat out a glob of blood. For a second he looked as if he would faint. Then he seemed to notice the two Highlanders watching him, and he shot the bloody spittle a hard glare.

Kayne scratched his head. This Lowlander was a strange one all right. ‘I’m Brodar Kayne. This is Jerek. Can’t say I have a better plan, so we’ll take you at your word. What is it?’ He noticed the boy staring at the belt on his waist. ‘Ah. That. I’ll be keeping hold of this dagger for a while, on account of me saving your life.’

Cole looked as though he was about to protest, but Jerek shot him a look that screamed brutal murder and he promptly closed his mouth.

Kayne reached over and gave young Davarus Cole a reassuring pat on the back. ‘Right then. Lead on.’





Crossroads





The city was abuzz with activity as Davarus Cole led his new companions through a winding maze of side streets. Fortunately, they encountered no Watchmen among the bustling crowds.

Fate smiles on me once again, Cole thought in satisfaction. His chest throbbed and blazing pain shot through his skull with every laboured step, but at least he was alive.

He cast a quick glance behind him. The older Highlander was of impressive height, almost a head taller than Cole himself. He looked to be around fifty. Despite his advancing years, the man’s lean muscles were evidence that he’d lost little of his strength. His broad-nosed face was weathered and creased. An ugly scar began just beneath his left eye and ran diagonally to just below his cheek. The Highlander’s grey hair had receded slightly and thinned a little at the crown, but the mane still fell impressively to the nape of his neck. Silver stubble covered his face, but his deep blue eyes were undimmed by age.

All in all, Brodar Kayne looked exactly as Cole imagined the stereotypical Highlander barbarian would look – albeit one who was a score of years past his prime. Cole suspected that women would still consider him handsome, in a fatherly kind of way.

The same couldn’t be said of the silent figure stalking alongside him. Cole judged Jerek to be somewhat younger than Brodar Kayne, perhaps in his early forties. Shorter than his compatriot yet still a few inches taller than Cole, he was a burly man with the kind of countenance that gave children nightmares. His dark eyes stared out from a scowling face horribly burned on the right side. His head was hairless save for a short beard.

Jerek’s eyes met Cole’s own and bore into them. ‘Problem?’ the Highlander growled at him. His hands shifted slightly towards the twin axes on his back.

Cole cleared his throat. They had arrived at the Hook. ‘We’re nearly there. You see the crumbling building on the other side of the plaza?’

Brodar Kayne squinted as if it were an effort to make out the old belfry a hundred yards ahead of them. ‘I see it. Seems a risky place for a secret hideout.’ His expression turned grim. ‘Are those gibbets?’ He nodded at the cages hanging from the large wooden frame on a raised platform in the centre of the plaza. The wind had picked up with the onset of dusk, causing the swaying cages to clank together in a grisly rhythm.

‘Salazar keeps them well stocked,’ Cole replied. He was taken aback at the look on Brodar Kayne’s face. The man’s expression had turned to stone. ‘The tower is part of an old abandoned temple to the Mother. The Shards meet there once a month. The vestibule collapsed long ago, but there’s a secret entrance at the back.’

‘The Mother,’ Jerek rasped. ‘Ha. Ain’t no goddess looking out for us now.’ He spat on the ground.

Cole decided to move the conversation along. ‘We’ll go around the outside of the Hook. I might get recognized if we try and cut through.’ He suddenly remembered the old man whose skull had been split by the Watchman’s sword. He thought he could see a dark smear of blood on the Tyrant’s Road. It appeared the body had already been hauled away and likely divested of any valuables it had possessed. Such was life in Dorminia.

Cole gestured to the Highlanders and they set off around the edge of the Hook. His keen ears picked up fragments of conversation from passers-by as they made their way along the perimeter of the large plaza. Talk seemed to focus on the lockdown and what it meant for the city. Cole could only vaguely recall the last lockdown, which had occurred when he was a young child. A massive abomination had besieged Dorminia’s walls and a squad of Augmentors had been dispatched to nullify the threat. Not all of them had returned.

He overheard a pair of old women chattering about the weather. They were pointing at the horizon. They quieted as Cole and his companions strolled past, and he felt their curious eyes tracking them as they made their way to the opposite side of the Hook.

Highlanders were exceptionally rare in the Trine. Their homeland bordered the very edge of the world far to the north, beyond the tortured Badlands that were once the vast steppes of the nomadic Yahan horse-tribes.

Cole glanced at the grim figures following behind him. The mere fact they had survived the epic journey this far south was telling enough. These were hard men.

Perhaps almost as hard as he was.

They were nearing the ruined tower. The first droplets of rain began to fall. Cole could see a dark blanket of cloud rolling in from the south-west. He paused for a moment and tilted his head back, intending to wet his face and wipe away some of the blood from his chin. Jerek barged him in the back and he stumbled, hot pain shooting through his ribs.

‘Keep out my f*cking way,’ the Highlander snarled. Cole’s mouth dropped open. He had half expected an apology, or at least some acknowledgement that the collision had been accidental. He wanted to call the man to task for his rudeness, but the Highlander’s tone unsettled him. Instead, he gave a sickly smile.

‘Jerek doesn’t like the rain,’ Brodar Kayne said, almost kindly. ‘Causes his scars to itch something rotten. Don’t take it personally.’

‘No offence taken,’ Cole replied casually, though in his mind his fists had already made a bloody mess of the bastard’s face. ‘Almost there.’

They skirted around the side of the ruined tower and the crumbling walls of the western court and vestibule. The skeleton of the building was snaked with ivy. Cole led them around to the rear of the temple where the walls had subsided and the cracked pediment leaned out at a dangerous angle. Warehouses had sprung up near to the rear of the temple. The close proximity of the buildings created a mostly enclosed space hidden from prying eyes.

With a quick look around to ensure no one was watching, Davarus Cole bent down and pulled aside a large patch of ivy. Behind the vegetation was a gap just small enough to squeeze through. He pushed himself through it and gestured at the Highlanders to follow him. Brodar Kayne made it inside with surprising ease, his long limbs negotiating the aperture with impressive flexibility. Jerek proved less supple. A torrent of foul curses accompanied his grunts of exertion as he finally forced himself through the opening.

‘We’re here,’ Cole said. He stared down the stone passage to the steps leading up to the sanctuary. The Shards were doubtless even now fretting about his absence. He felt a shiver of anticipation. He had sustained wounds that would have surely incapacitated a lesser man, and yet here he was, the stoic hero breezing in, doughty new companions in tow. He could hardly wait to see the look on Sasha’s face…

‘Something the matter?’ Brodar Kayne enquired, jolting him out of his reverie. Cole shook his head in response.

‘The door ahead leads to the sanctuary. The Shards will be up there. Let me do the talking and everything will be fine.’ Cole strolled to the end of the corridor and climbed the handful of steps, then rapped out a complex sequence on the door at the top. He waited for a few moments, hearing muffled whispers from just beyond. Finally a bolt was released and the door swung open.

‘Cole!’ exclaimed Sasha. Her eyes assessed his battered face without a hint of compassion. ‘You’d better get up here.’



The Shards were gathered around the remains of the large altar that had, at one time, sat proudly at the heart of the Mother’s sanctuary. When, centuries ago, the goddess’s last few worshippers finally accepted her demise and abandoned the temple, they had stripped away the gold statues of the Mother in her various aspects, along with everything else of value. Now the place was bereft of adornment. Rainwater pooled near the base of the altar from a large crack in the temple ceiling above. It proceeded to trickle down into the nave, collecting dust, rat droppings and other assorted filth as it went.

To add final insult to the Mother’s memory, Garrett had his considerable arse propped up against the altar as he watched Cole approach. Ten other pairs of eyes turned to regard the young Shard. It was hard for Cole to be certain in the dim light, but they didn’t seem to contain the expressions of sheer relief he had been expecting.

‘You’re late,’ said Garrett. He tapped the pocket watch in his hand. It was a lavish device, a new invention from the City of Shades. Garrett had purchased it from a Shadowport trader at extravagant cost just before the conflict with Dorminia had exploded.

‘Better late than never, eh?’ Cole replied, giving his best rueful smile. ‘I was sidetracked by an incident with our friends in the Crimson Watch. No harm done.’ He pointed to his face. ‘Except to the nose. Don’t worry, Sash, it will heal.’

Someone coughed. Sasha shook her head and looked at the floor.

‘No such luck for the Watchmen, though,’ Cole continued. He paused dramatically, and then gave a nonchalant shrug. ‘They’re dead.’

Silence met his words. Eventually, Garrett spoke. His voice was soft. ‘Who are those men lurking behind you, Davarus?’

Cole glanced back at the door behind him, where the Highlanders were waiting in the shadows. His palms were beginning to sweat. ‘I was just getting to that. I met them on the way here. One of them, ah, lent me some assistance with the Watch. They needed a place to lie low, so I thought—’

‘F*cking unbelievable. Place is a shithole. What, you want us to hide out here? How about you f*ck off. I ain’t staying here. This ain’t fair.’ Jerek emerged into the light and barked the words right in Cole’s face. The young Shard reeled back from the Highlander’s sour breath. Brodar Kayne melted from the shadows an instant later and placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

As one, the Shards went to their weapons. Crossbows were raised and levelled at the two strangers. Jerek’s hands immediately went to his axes.

Cole closed his eyes. This wasn’t going quite as well as he’d hoped.

‘Enough,’ commanded Garrett. ‘Lower your weapons. These men are not with the Watch.’

‘Damn right we ain’t,’ said Brodar Kayne. ‘It was me that saved your lad here. He’s got some fruits on him sure enough, but it seems the blows he took scrambled his memory. He was down and out before I intervened.’

‘Is this true?’ Garrett asked. He was using that tone he had so often in the past when his protégé had done something to disappoint him. Cole winced. It still held a certain power.

‘Well, yes, but I had a plan,’ he replied. Looking back, he realized all he’d needed to do was distract one of the Watchmen long enough to steal his weapon and then run them both through. He was a hero, after all. Success was practically guaranteed.

The old Highlander’s brow began to furrow. He had that same look Cole had seen back at the Hook. For all of his compatriot’s aggression, something told Cole that getting this man angry was every bit as dangerous as aggravating Jerek. ‘Plan or no plan, I’m grateful for the help,’ he added quickly.

‘Right,’ said Brodar Kayne. The Highlander’s expression turned thoughtful and he scratched at his jaw. ‘The fact is, we’ve got a city full of soldiers searching for us and nowhere to run. Not with the lockdown in effect. Young Cole said we might hide here for a time.’

Garrett suddenly leaped off the altar, his ample gut bulging out of his jerkin and his twin chins wobbling in a manner Cole would have considered comical, were it not for the seriousness of his words. ‘Tell me you gave these Highlanders a soporific before you led them here, Davarus!’

Sudden dread struck Cole like the pommel of the Watchman’s sword. ‘I didn’t think… There were no mindhawks in the sky…’ His voice trailed off before the collective fury in the many pairs of eyes now boring into him.

‘You may have given our location away to the Watch,’ Garrett said quietly. ‘They could be on their way here even now.’

‘Not likely,’ said Brodar Kayne. ‘There ain’t been a mindhawk in the High Fangs for years. Turns out we don’t give up our secrets as easily as you Lowland folk. Stronger wills, I reckon.’

‘You’ve learned to hide your thoughts?’ Garrett asked. He sounded surprised.

‘Can’t say I know anything about that,’ Kayne replied. ‘Thought-mining just don’t work on us. The Shaman roots out dissenters the old-fashioned way.’ His voice trailed off as he spoke. The old warrior suddenly had a troubled look in his remarkable blue eyes.

Relief flooded through Cole. He glanced over at Jerek, who was standing with his arms folded, a dark scowl on his face.

‘Well then,’ said Garrett. The merchant’s panicked expression had been replaced by one of careful consideration. ‘That eases my fears somewhat. I am Garrett, and I lead the men and women you see before you. We are the Shards, a rebel group opposed to Salazar’s tyrannical rule.’

Jerek snorted. His voice dripped with derision. ‘A rebel group. F*cking priceless. I ain’t gonna stand here and listen to this shit.’ Without another word the angry warrior stormed off down the stairs leading to the nave and began examining the ancient stone benches arranged there. He chose one, threw his pack down on the floor next to it, and then lay down on his back, hands folded behind his head.

Several of the Shards had raised their crossbows again. The Urich brothers were red with anger, murder in their eyes. Garrett gestured frantically. They relaxed a fraction at his command but continued to shoot furious glares in Jerek’s direction.

His compatriot looked mildly embarrassed. ‘The Wolf’s just a bit irritable,’ said the old barbarian apologetically. ‘He gets like that when he’s tired. He don’t mean no disrespect. I’m Brodar Kayne—’

A bitter voice echoed up from the nave, interrupting the tall Highlander. ‘Well, ain’t this the very lap of luxury. A just f*cking reward for surviving the deadliest places known to man.’

‘Nice place you got here,’ Kayne finished. He cleared his throat. ‘Now that we’re acquainted, you mind getting us something to eat? All this excitement is making me hungry.’



Cole stared into the flames and listened to the rain drumming on the ruined dome of the temple. They’d managed to get a small fire going away from the damp, in a spot where the roof was mostly intact. Loud rumbles of thunder competed with the crackling of fire and Jerek’s snoring to overwhelm Garrett’s droning voice as he informed Brodar Kayne of the finer details of the group. The tension had eased somewhat, though certain of his colleagues still appeared uncomfortable with the presence of the two grizzled warriors.

‘—and this is Sasha, our best seditionist,’ Garrett continued. ‘She plots to stir up resentment against Salazar and his Grand Council. It is a fine line to walk. Hatred, as with every other strong emotion, is like a flare to the mindhawks. We have to be cautious.’

Too afraid to do what needs to be done, Cole thought. If it was up to him, the Shards would be taking the fight to Salazar in a far more direct manner.

‘Vicard here, our alchemist, manufactures the narcotics that allow us to shield our thoughts from those magical mutations in the sky. Consuming too many of the drugs can be dangerous – and our supplies seem depleted as of late.’

‘The more we push, the greater the demand,’ Sasha said, somewhat hotly. ‘We’ve spoken about this, Garrett.’

‘I know,’ Cole’s mentor replied in a soothing tone of voice. ‘It was simply an observation. The ingredients grow ever more expensive and difficult to get hold of. I keep us as well stocked as I can.

‘You’ve seen our physician in action,’ Garrett continued, gesturing towards the thin old man sat opposite him. Cole’s eyes narrowed. He was sure Remy had taken a sick pleasure in clicking his nose back into place. It was all he could do to stop from screaming as tears poured down his face. At least his ribs were only bruised and not broken. Remy had warned against any kind of physical exertion for at least a fortnight, but Cole had quietly decided to ignore his advice. Heroes didn’t sit around waiting for their wounds to heal.

Brodar Kayne gave him a broad grin. Despite himself, he couldn’t help but smile back at the Highlander. Like Cole, the old barbarian was clearly a man of action.

‘And these two strapping fellows?’ Kayne asked, nodding across the fire. Cole frowned. He disliked the Urich brothers, who had given him a hard time as he grew up in Garrett’s care.

‘Aram and Garmst,’ answered Garrett. ‘Twins, if you hadn’t guessed. They’re the fiercest fighters in the group,’ he added, to Cole’s displeasure.

‘If there’s killin’ needs doing, we’s your boys,’ growled Aram, shooting Brodar Kayne another glare.

Cole couldn’t help himself. ‘Just don’t ask them to do anything more complicated than hit something,’ he quipped. ‘I’ve heard they check each other’s trousers each morning to make sure they’re not back to front.’

He grinned at the faces around the fire. Brodar Kayne chuckled softly. The Urich brothers gave him looks that promised grim retribution. Everyone else stared back at him coolly except for Sasha, who wore a faint smile. In Cole’s estimation, that made it worthwhile.

‘On to business,’ Garrett said. ‘I received news last night. News that could not wait. Salazar has summoned his Augmentors to the Obelisk. Every single one of them.’

What? Cole could hardly believe his ears. ‘The Augmentors are Salazar’s elite force,’ he added, in response to Brodar Kayne’s puzzled expression.

Garrett shifted on his haunches and exhaled slowly. He looked every inch the wealthy and successful merchant – and as far as his colleagues in the Grey City Cartel were concerned, that was exactly what he was.

None of Garrett’s peers could have suspected that he spent much of his considerable wealth funding a rebel organization dedicated to overthrowing the Tyrant of Dorminia. Cole loved his foster father dearly, but he knew that when the time came for him to take the reins of leadership and guide the Shards, he would achieve more than the humiliation of a few magistrates. He would see the Magelord dead.

‘The war over the Celestial Isles will not end with our navy’s defeat,’ Garrett was saying now. He placed a hand on his stomach and made a sour face. ‘The political situation in the Trine is on a knife edge. Marius of Shadowport and the White Lady of Thelassa know Dorminia is weakened. Salazar will seek to strike back, and quickly. He will not accept being relegated to the position of third power in the Trine.’

‘But why gather all his Augmentors to him?’ Vicard said, rubbing at his nose. He did that a lot, Cole noticed.

‘He’s working great magic. Magic on a scale that has not been attempted for many years. He’s siphoning.’

‘From his Augmentors?’ Sasha exclaimed. ‘Is that possible?’

Garrett nodded. ‘Salazar is served by at least forty Augmentors. The raw magic he has spent decades accumulating is invested in swords and spears, shields and helms that elevate an Augmentor above any normal soldier. Yet that magic is still tied to him, to be drawn upon and added to his own formidable reserves. He could be working a spell to wreak devastation on a scale not seen since the Godswar, when he and his peers slaughtered the deities. Murdered the very goddess whose temple we now shelter in.’

Everyone was silent for a time. Eventually Cole spoke. ‘Salazar’s Augmentors defend Dorminia’s territory from abominations and other threats. If he consumes their magic, they’ll be useless. He can’t afford to lose his enforcers. Can he?’ He suddenly felt a surge of possessiveness towards Magebane. He looked across at Brodar Kayne and the magical dagger at his belt. As if reading his thoughts, the Highlander placed a hand over the weapon. With his other hand he took a huge bite out of the old apple he was eating and spat the core into the fire, where it sizzled slightly.

‘Salazar is utterly ruthless, as we all know. He will do whatever it takes to further his aims,’ said Garrett. He rubbed at his stomach again before continuing. ‘The Celestial Isles are the greatest source of raw magic in the known world. Dorminia’s existing supplies will have dried up within a decade. A Magelord who holds the Celestial Isles will ensure their domain goes unchallenged for centuries. Augmentors can be replaced, new items of power forged and bound to those Salazar considers worthy.’

Sasha leaned forwards. Cole couldn’t help but notice that her eyes looked huge in the firelight. ‘With his Augmentors at the Obelisk, Salazar’s assets are suddenly vulnerable,’ she said. ‘This could be our chance. Our chance to do something big.’

Garrett’s heavy moustache twitched and he smiled at the group. ‘The Wailing Rift,’ he said. ‘Dorminia’s only active magic-mining operation, and hence of great value to the Magelord. It is usually guarded by at least a dozen Augmentors. We are going to sabotage it.’

‘But the city’s under lockdown,’ protested Garmst. His brother nodded sagely, as if this detail had escaped everyone else around the fire.

‘Let me worry about that,’ Garrett replied. He turned to Sasha. ‘You will lead a small group down to the harbour where my contact awaits. I’ll give you the exact location when I brief you. Vicard is going with you. Remy, your presence would also be useful.’

‘Not me,’ the drab physician replied. ‘I’ve no taste for adventure. Besides, I must spend the evening with a patient, one of the city magistrates. He won’t be happy if I fail to turn up.’

Garrett sighed and then turned to Brodar Kayne, who had finished the apple and was now attempting to dislodge a particularly stubborn pip from the back of his teeth. The merchant’s expression became grim. ‘I would have you speak your intentions, Highlander. You and your friend now know enough to get us all killed.’

The old barbarian raised an eyebrow. ‘I saved young Cole’s life. I reckon we’ve earned your trust.’

Garrett had that calculating look Cole had seen on those occasions he had accompanied the merchant to negotiate business. ‘I have made my fortune out of my ability to read people,’ his foster father said slowly. ‘There is little that escapes me. I note, for example, that your compatriot’s breathing seems to have slowed a fraction – and that his hands are mysteriously closer to the axes at his side than they were a moment ago.’

Cole glanced across in surprise, just in time to see Jerek’s eyes shoot open and witness his silently mouthed shit. He felt a sudden rush of admiration for his wily old mentor.

Brodar Kayne, too, appeared vaguely impressed. ‘You got my word,’ he said. ‘I ain’t never broken it except once, and in the circumstances I would have called any man who acted differently a damn fool.’

Garrett nodded. ‘As I said, I have made a living out of judging men. I suspect that, even outnumbered five to one, the two of you would turn this temple into a bloodbath if it came to it.’ He shook his head ruefully. ‘But enough of such talk. I have a proposal for you.’

‘Go on.’

‘The Rift is at the very edge of the Trine. Bandits often cross over from the Badlands to the north. And the area is plagued by abominations.’

Brodar Kayne raised an eyebrow. ‘Bandits and abominations? I reckon I got more experience with them than most.’

Garrett nodded. ‘Sasha and Vicard will require some muscle to accompany them. I would send the Urich boys but they’re needed elsewhere. How does ten gold spires sound?’

The old Highlander stopped picking at his teeth for a moment. ‘The way I see it, this magical dagger is fair reward for rescuing your lad Cole. I reckon I would get more than twenty spires for it in the Unclaimed Lands.’

Garrett shook his head. ‘You will find that Magebane is useless to you and most anyone else who attempts to wield it.’

Brodar Kayne looked puzzled. ‘Why’s that?’

Despite his growing annoyance, Cole couldn’t help but grin. He knew the answer to that question.

‘Magebane’s magic will only work for those possessing the blood of a true hero,’ Garrett replied. He shifted a little as he said it, as if the words made him slightly uncomfortable.

Brodar Kayne scratched his nose and then grinned. ‘Counts me out then. I never claimed to be no hero. But what’s to stop you refusing to pay up after I’ve fulfilled my part of the deal? It ain’t like I could find you again in a city this size.’

The leader of the Shards pursed his lips and said nothing. In the silence that followed, Cole could hear the tick tock tick tock of the timepiece in Garrett’s pocket.

‘I’ll hang onto this dagger,’ Kayne said eventually. ‘When our business at the Rift is concluded I’ll hand it back to your lad here. Just as soon as I’ve got the thirty gold spires you’re about to offer. Fifteen each for both me and the Wolf there, I reckon.’

Garrett narrowed his eyes. ‘You barter like a merchant,’ he complained. ‘Fine. We have a deal. Just be sure to keep that dagger safe. Its value cannot be underestimated. It is the one thing that can negate a Magelord’s magic.’

‘I won’t let it out of my sight,’ said Brodar Kayne.

Cole had heard enough. He rose angrily. ‘It looks like I’ll need to find another weapon. What time are we leaving?’

‘You’re not going anywhere, Davarus.’

Cole paused. What was Garrett talking about? ‘Look, my ribs are fine,’ he said in exasperation. ‘Even with these injuries, I’m still quicker than anyone here.’ He swept his gaze over the assembled Shards, daring any of them to gainsay him.

‘It’s not about your injuries.’ Garrett’s voice was heavy with weariness. ‘You nearly got yourself killed today. You disobeyed my explicit instructions and almost drew disaster down on us all.’ His voice softened slightly and grew sad. ‘I’ve raised you since you were eight years old. I love you like my own son, Davarus. But you refuse to do as I ask. You think only of yourself and glory. You must learn to act as part of a group before I can trust you again.’

Cole could hardly believe what he was hearing. He felt like he’d been stabbed in the gut. ‘This is ridiculous,’ he protested. ‘I’m the best man for this mission! You know I am! This is what I was born to do!’

‘I’m sorry, Davarus,’ Garrett said.

Cole looked around, desperately seeking support. No one met his gaze except the old Highlander, who remained silent.

‘I’m Davarus Cole!’ he shouted furiously. ‘My father was a man without equal! You can all cower around and pretend you’re making a difference. I won’t stand by as an innocent is murdered in the street.’ He reached down under his leather vest and withdrew the green quartz crystal Garrett had given him on his eighteenth naming day, when he had been officially sworn in as a member of the Shards. It hung on a simple cord of leather. He gave it a hard tug and the cord snapped around his neck.

He stared at the crystal for a moment as it rested in his palm. He remembered how proud he’d been when Garrett had presented it to him. Twelve years the man had been as a father to him. Over half his life. And this was how he treated his prodigal foster son?

Cole shook his head in disgust and, to the collective gasps of those seated around the fire, tossed the crystal into the flame. Then he stormed out of the temple of the Mother and into the stinging night rain where two hundred miles to the south the city of Shadowport had at that moment ceased to exist.