Dark Legion (14 page)

“Watch your mouth, you codpiece!” Podge said.

“Come now, Podge, there is no need—”

“My name is Darcy. Now shut your damn mouth.”

I tilted my head in thought. “Darcy… Darcy… Not a name I've heard. Are you a royal servant?” The young man's face flushed with anger.

“He is Darcy DeMonza, nephew to the emperor,” Marcus mumbled through his hands.

I thought about it for a moment. “I like Podge better. I'll keep using that instead.” Podge did not respond to further questions after that, which I found quite rude.

 

Another hour or two passed, and I managed to drift off to sleep for a short while. I woke up when the floor tilted beneath me and sat up too quickly. I felt light-headed.

“We've pulled anchor,” Marcus said. He did not look to have moved at all. His face was still buried in his hands, and our guard too looked to be in much the same position as before.

“Are you kidnapping us, Podge?”

Podge only looked up briefly.

“Marcus,” I whispered. “Tell me about Podge. Everything you know.”

Marcus knew quite a lot about Podge, also called Darcy. As much as I was teasing the man, we truly were in a pretty dire situation. I decided to try something I had only succeeded at once before. I took everything Marcus told me of the man and fashioned a true name, folding the knowledge I had gained around his name with magic, ready to uncoil within his mind.

I bit down hard on my tongue, and the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. It hurt badly, but that was the point. “Darcy,” I said, channeling the pain I felt into the name. “Darcy, open the cell.” A chill went down my spine as I spoke the words, and I smiled broadly. It worked. Darcy stood to his feet, picked up the key, and walked to the door. He looked horrified, as though he could not believe what he was doing.

“Darcy, you will remain here until I tell you to leave, and you will not scream or cause a commotion. You will not try to cause harm to us in any way.” Marcus looked up to see what I was about, and his eyes widened when the door to the cell swung open. “Darcy, some treasures were confiscated during the forging of the empire and recently shipped from Qash to Sagemont. Tell me about them.”

Podge's face was flushed with anger. I could see him strain against his bonds, but he could not break them. “I don't know the details. Just that they were delivered a week ago in a different ship.”

I responded with every profanity I knew, which was a lot. Marcus put a hand on my shoulder. “We need to get off the ship before the sails are up.”

“Darcy, lead us off this ship in a manner that avoids our recapture.”

 

We gathered our belongings from a chest against the wall. Unfortunately, most of my ill-gotten loot had been confiscated, though I was pleased to see the cheese was still in my satchel. Podge—I really did like the name more—led us through a series of passages that we had yet to visit. They appeared to act as a conduit for servants. Those of the higher classes hated seeing servants going about their jobs, even while depending on them. We arrived at an intersection of sorts, perhaps a landing, with three sets of steps leading down and two going up. Podge led us up. A cold wind blew down at us when he opened the door at the top.

Three surprised nobles stood on the other side. A young man held a lantern in one hand and had his other hand raised to open the door himself. The men were swaying more than the ship itself, clearly intoxicated.

“Darcy? What is the meaning of this?” one asked, looking at Marcus and me. Podge had no response. He just stood there, unable to speak. The one with the lantern drew his rapier with his right hand and stepped toward us.

“Explain yourself,” he said, his voice fluctuating from low to high and back again in the manner of most teenage boys. A bit old for that, I thought. I guessed him to be about sixteen. He took another step forward. I reached past Podge, slammed the door in the young man's face, and ran back down the steps to the landing. “Come, Podge,” I yelled over my shoulder. “Follow.” There was a lot of screaming going on behind the door I'd slammed, and I wondered if his face had gotten in the way of the door. I hoped it did.

We ran up the second set of steps and onto the deck. A group of people ran past without paying us any attention. My eyes followed them to the side, where the young man ran around in a circle, screaming. He was on fire. When I'd slammed the door it must have smashed the lantern he was carrying. I wondered at the type of idiot who would bring an oil lantern aboard a ship. The deck, too, was on fire, and those who ran past us joined some sailors who were busy trying to put it out. The new arrivals took off their expensive jackets and beat the fire. It was small, and I was sure they would have the flames under control soon. We needed to be off the ship before that.

We ran to the stern, and I slid down the rope to our small boat. The ship was moving, though slowly, and our boat was being tugged behind it. As soon as Marcus was on board, I cut the rope, and we drifted away from the ship. Marcus had just put oar to water when a huge splash erupted beside us, covering me in frigid water. A moment later, Podge emerged. “By Svyn's balls!” I swore. I'd forgotten to break his bond. My last order to him was to follow, and follow he did.

“Leave him,” I said.

Marcus started rowing again, but when Podge insisted on swimming after us, he stopped and looked at me. “He helped us, and I will return the favor.”

 

The three of us were halfway to shore when Marcus stopped. He stared past me, and I turned myself around in my puddle. The imperial ship was ablaze with fire, the flames licking high. I knew what my big friend was thinking. “We can't help them, Marcus.”

He looked at me accusingly. “We have to try.”

“No, we don't. This small boat is sitting low enough, thanks to Podge's fat arse. They have their own lifeboats. If we go back there, those overboard will swamp this little boat and sink us. Besides, how long do you think those dandies will stay afloat in their state of dress? Not long, I imagine, and it took us long enough to get this far.” We watched the ship burn in the predawn light, the bright orange flames reflecting on the surface of the lake. I thought I heard screaming, but it might just have been my conscience trying to be heard.

“Darcy, why was there a room filled with treasure on the ship?” I asked.

“For the princes to use when they arrive in the provinces they will be ruling.”

We continued to watch the flames for a long moment. “Many for the one who waits,” I whispered, looking up at the Eye of Svyn. It was unfortunate for the nobles, but part of me enjoyed my revenge, as accidental as it was. An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. One burning family for another. A pity Solas wasn't there to see it.

 

We beached our boat a kilometer to the east of Sagemont. The ship was no longer visible. Either the flames had gone out or the ship had gone under. I felt more than a little depressed. Not about the ship or its passengers, which I suppose was bad, but about the complete and utter failure of our two separate attempts to retrieve the crown and ring of my people. What a disaster of a night. I had no idea what to do next. Well, I had to kill Podge, but after that...

We walked west along the beach to Sagemont. The beach was dark. Dawn had barely broken, and we were in the shadow of the mountain. Marcus led the way, Podge walked in the middle, and I took up the rear. When we were close to town, I drew my dagger, closed the distance to Podge, and held the blade to his throat. A gasp escaped from him, and Marcus spun around.

“Saul, stop!”

“We can't let Podge go.”

“So, what, you're just going to kill him?” Marcus asked.

“Pretty much, yes. Perhaps you're confused about the situation, so allow me to clarify.” Podge squirmed and I pressed the blade a little closer. “If that ship sunk, and we both know it did, it sunk with all three princes on board, not to mention a shipload of nobles, and a whole lot of treasure. Perhaps they made it onto their lifeboats, perhaps not. There is a good chance that Podge here is the sole survivor. What do you suppose will happen to us when he tells the Dark Legion, or his uncle for that matter, about what happened?”

Marcus's face was tense, but he did not answer.

“I'll tell you, then. The most horrible death imaginable, that's what.”

Marcus did not reply, but I could read his face well enough. He realized our situation, but his honor would not permit Podge to be killed in this manner. I wasn't sure how far I could push the man before he abandoned me. The past few days were already taking their toll on him. We stared at each other for a long moment. The multitude of birds that chirped and flapped about the forest were incredibly loud and managed to add to the tension of our standoff.

I sighed, bit down on my already painful tongue, and brought my lips close to Podge's ear. “Darcy,” I whispered. Blood from my tongue spattered into his ear. “You will forget everything that happened from yesterday at sunset until the next moment you emerge from the lake. You will remember nothing of this time, no matter what.” I put away my dagger, and shoved him into the water.

“What in the hells, Saul?” Marcus asked. He had not heard my whispered words, and even if he had, he knew nothing of my ability.

Podge came up for air and coughed up water as he stumbled ashore. “What happened… where am I?”

I rushed to him and held an arm around his shoulder. “You're alright! Gods, we heard someone screaming out in the water and rushed over. But you're alive! How did you manage to swim all the way here from the burning ship?”

“The… what?” Podge asked.

“That big ship. We saw it burning on the horizon. I did not think anyone would survive… truly, it was engulfed in flames. But here you are.”

“The ship burned? I… I can't remember a thing. Where is everyone else?” I grimaced, and Podge looked away out across the lake. “Mind helping me to town? I need to lead a search party.”

“Good idea,” I said. “Curfew is up, so I am sure many will jump to your aid.”

Marcus's mouth and eyes were competing with each other for which could be the widest. He had no idea what had just happened, and I didn't know how I was going to explain it to him. Not with the truth, obviously.

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Dark Arrival

 

We walked into the Shady Oak and were greeted by Elijah. He was the only one awake at the inn.

“Coffee?” Elijah asked. I nodded enthusiastically.

“An odd time to arrive,” he said.

I had no answer to that, but Marcus smiled. “No offense, your rooms are great, but we thought we'd check out those at the Blue Lotus.” Elijah nodded in understanding and left to get our coffee. I guessed that he'd seen many of his guests return from brothels at odd hours. He'd probably seen quite a few whores rushed out in the early morning, too. I was surprised to hear the lie come so easily to Marcus, though. He struck me as an honest man, but there were moments when something else shone through. I sat down near a window, and Marcus excused himself to get changed.

 

I was halfway through the coffee when a number of people made their way past the inn. It was early still—too early for that level of activity. By the end of the coffee, it had turned into a crowd. They were all going in the same direction, and it could only mean trouble. Elijah was pouring me another cup when Marcus came down.

He looked out the window and frowned. The morning sun had just crested the roofline, and the street was a contrast of deep shadow and too-bright light. He pulled out a chair and sat down. “Shall I order us some breakfast?”

I shook my head. “Not hungry.”

“What's happening outside?” Marcus asked.

I looked up, a frown pulling at my face. “I'm guessing last night's shenanigans have drawn some interest.”

“Gods…” Marcus said. “It would, wouldn't it?”

I nodded.

“Come, let's go,” Marcus said. “We'd look less suspicious if we were curious like the rest of the town.”

I felt anxious about what we would find, but I nodded, finished my coffee, and stood.

We made our way down the street. The rush of people had dwindled to a trickle by the time we joined them. I guessed that our activities the previous night had been far from silent—a monster chased screaming men down the streets after all. The locals must have been eager to see the results of our exploits. I noticed deep gouges along the exterior of several buildings we passed. A shop owner was standing in front of one such wall, running his finger along the groove. Damage done by the monster we set free, I figured.

The flow of people led to the port, where the previous noticeboard had been knocked down and replaced with a much more elaborate one. We joined the crowd standing in front of the new noticeboard. It had no title to it, but it didn't need one. What it had was the red skull icon of the Inquisition. Five members of the Dark Legion were leaving the square as we arrived, their overdecorated red robes streaming behind them. One was laughing like a madman, which he was. I needed a sorcerer in town like I needed a hole in the head. Three more were standing nearby talking to Podge. It was the first time I'd seen that number in one place at one time. It was a bad sign. I wondered at how so many of them could have arrived so quickly. It was as if they'd materialized out of thin air. We stopped at the edge of the crowd and looked at the sign. It contained a list.