The Tinkerer's Daughter (23 page)

The village was a mish-mash of strange, rudimentary construction. Lean-to tents lined the outer perimeter, facing in towards a group of small buildings. Some of these buildings were made from stone and adobe while others appeared to be made from animal hides stitched together and stretched tight over poles.

The buildings formed a half-circle that faced a pyramid at the base of the volcano. The entire thing was carved from the stone face of the mountain. The walls were of smooth stone, but a row of steps in the front climbed up to the sacrificial altar at the top. Even in the darkness, I could see bloodstained stones. They were blackened from centuries of human sacrifice.

I could feel power emanating from that altar, though at first it was just a nervous tingle in my chest. As I got closer, I realized that it was more than nerves. The altar had absorbed the life of those sacrifices, the energy of human souls, and had become a strange epicenter of dark magical energies. It was like a demonic presence, like an entity staring at me with eyes of cold stone. I shuddered as I look at it, and a chill crawled down my spine. I knew exactly how I’d end up, if I got caught.

I snuck around the outside perimeter of the village and crept closer to the pyramid. I could feel the energy growing, pressing against me like an invisible force. I felt my guts twisting up with sickness. I couldn’t explain it, but it was evil. It was as if the pyramid had stored up all those years of suffering and madness, and now projected it outwards. I had to wonder how many people had been sacrificed there over the centuries.

I watched the Kanters eat their meals and begin to settle in for the night, and I waited patiently for the right moment. As I watched, my eyes adjusted to the flickering light of their camp, and I began to take note of things. Their campfires were not lined with stones, they were surrounded by human skulls. Their buildings and tents were decorated similarly, with the bones and skulls of their victims dangling from leather thongs or nailed into wooden posts. I realized with a sickening certainty that the skins used to make their tents were likely
not
the skins of animals. I had to force the bile down my throat.

I had a powerful urge to get back in my plane and go get some of Tinker’s cannon charges. I wanted to level that place to the ground. I managed to keep that emotion in check by focusing on my mission. Somewhere, in one of those buildings, I had to find proof that Sheldon had been working with the Kanters. I had no idea what I might be looking for, but I knew I had to find
something

The moon slid down towards the horizon, and one by one, the Kanters began to slip into the dream world. I was growing anxious. I could feel my opportunity approaching. Then, to my surprise, I suddenly heard the ringing clip-clop of horseshoes against stone.

The Kanters were almost all asleep by then, but as soon as they heard that sound they leapt to their feet and went careening into their tents and homes. The males emerged carrying long spears and knives made from sharpened bone. The women and children slipped inside their dwellings and stayed there.

The warriors gathered at the far side of the village and then made a commotion as their visitors arrived. To my surprise, I heard the sound of cheering. The oddness of the situation struck me at once. I knew already that the Kanters didn’t ride horses. I’d never even seen a horse that could have carried a full-grown Kanter.

Tal’mar didn’t ride horses either. They preferred the quick stealth of traveling among the tree branches. That left only one possibility. Humans had arrived.

I bent forward and stared unblinking into that crowd, straining for a glimpse of the humans. Eventually, when the Kanters settled down and started walking back into the village, I saw them. I was not surprised. Prince Sheldon was there, with a dozen guards. He spoke to the Kanters in their growling, guttural language for several minutes. They questioned him and listened expectantly to his answers, and several times, they all broke into laughter. Then I heard a shout and everyone turned towards one of the buildings. The Kanter who emerged could only have been the Warlord Keng’Sun.

He stooped as he exited the tall doorway, and I heard the clinking of the dried skulls he wore on his necklace. Once outside, he stood erect and I almost gasped. He was easily fifteen feet tall. His body rippled with muscles, and his skin glistened with sweat. The tattoos that covered his body seemed to dance in the firelight. He stretched, and his bones cracked like hammers against anvils. Then he turned to face Sheldon, and bellowed out a deep, guttural laugh. I cringed as I saw the sharp, yellow teeth that lined his mouth.

Sheldon strode forward, and bowed down before the giant. His guards stepped into the clearing behind him, following his lead. The prince said something in Kanter, but the Warlord responded in the common tongue.

“At last you return,” he bellowed. “Have you come to reward us for a great victory?”

“Indeed I have,” Sheldon said. “The land itself quakes beneath the strength of your army.”

Keng’Sun’s laughter was like a drum. “Come, human. Let us discuss these matters.” He turned away from the crowd and went strolling towards the pyramid. Sheldon and his men followed. I caught my breath and slipped back into the shadows, making myself as small as possible.

I know they couldn’t see me down there in the corner, but I swear the warlord paused and looked right at me as he started climbing those stairs. I cast my eyes down, fearful that they might reflect the light and give me away. Keng’Sun grunted, and resumed his climb.

Most everyone in the village looked on as the group climbed up towards the altar. I heard the scraping sound of stone against stone, and their voices disappeared inside the mountain. The villagers returned to their campfires and began to speak amongst themselves. I started looking for an alternate path up the pyramid.

The stones were smooth on the outside walls, but they weren’t flawless. I found that they were riddled with cracks large enough to accommodate my fingers. The mountainside at the edge of the pyramid was also quite rough, and easily allowed me to begin making my way up. I had to move slowly of course, taking great care not to make a sound. I moved a few inches at a time, pausing often to survey the village below and make sure that no one was looking in my direction.

I was breathless by the time I reached the top, but I forced myself to keep moving. There was a tall stone door behind the altar, and it stood partially open. There was no clever engineering that allowed the door to open; it required brute force. I doubted any of the humans inside could have opened that door without a Kanter’s help.

I crept up behind the altar, ignoring the wild magic that disrupted my senses and the nausea that twisted at my guts. I took a good look at my surroundings. Once I was certain that it was safe, I slipped inside.

The doorway opened into a steep tunnel that twisted down into the mountain. Sheldon and his men had brought torches with them, but I had to rely on my night vision. Fortunately, my vision was quite functional in this dark environment. Even the pale starlight that streamed down from the entrance was enough to light my way.

Where the path became too steep to accommodate easy passage, the Kanters had carved stairs into the floor. This allowed for a quick descent, and within a few moments, I had reached the end of the tunnel.

I approached the opening cautiously, my senses trained on the voices in the room beyond. As I got closer, I realized that the room was in fact the crater of the volcano itself. I crept up to the doorway, kneeling in the shadows, to spy on the men. I saw them standing in a group about ten yards away. They were surrounded by pools and streams of lava. Waves of heat radiated out of the volcanic core, sucking a constant stream of cool air in through the tunnel as the warmer air rose into the night.

Sheldon and the warlord were talking –mostly in common language now-about how the war had been going. “The troops ran into some trouble with the cannons,” he explained, “but they were easily replaced. Unfortunately, it did leave us a few days behind schedule. The Borderlands have not yet been attacked, and even now the general is preparing to confront your army.”

“The general knows we are coming?”

“Yes. You understand that this changes things?”

The warlord made a grand gesture, throwing his hands in the air. “This is not my FAULT! We did everything you said!”

“Nonetheless, your men have failed.” It was clear from the prince’s tone that something was going on. I got the impression that Sheldon was somehow trying to alter their agreement. Keng’Sun pointed a long finger at Sheldon.

“You promised us land! You promised us food!” I could see some of the men drawing their swords, and Keng’Sun noticed it too. “Betrayer!” he shouted. He rushed forward, swinging a massive fist at Sheldon, but the guards leapt between the two, brandishing their swords. The warlord stopped in his tracks, and Sheldon backed up a few steps.

“You didn’t really think I’d turn over half of my kingdom to an animal like you, did you?”

The warlord’s eyes went wild with rage. As if proving Sheldon’s statement true, he threw his head back and roared. “I’ll kill you human!” he shouted.

Sheldon’s men started swinging their swords, but killing Keng’Sun was about to prove harder then they’d expected. He moved, and his limbs became a blur.

Two of the closest men thrust out their swords, trying to stab him in the gut. Keng’Sun twisted sideways, displaying surprising agility as he picked the first man up by the head and threw him. The warlord caught the second man with a backhand as he spun around, and I heard the unmistakable sound of the guard’s neck breaking.

The rest of the men fell back. It was obvious that none of them could take the warlord down individually. They needed to attack him as a unit. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get close enough to hit him without getting in each other’s way. This compounded the problem that Keng’Sun had turned out to be a much better fighter than they had expected. I saw a look in their eyes, and it was terror. Sheldon however, was too stupid to realize it. He continued taunting the warlord.

“Your army will rush in to attack Anora tomorrow, and the general will be waiting for them. In the meanwhile, the reinforcements I have requested from King Ryshan will fall in to cut off their retreat. Your army will be slaughtered.”

Keng’Sun laughed when he heard that. “Your plan is falling apart, little man. You might defeat me, but you’ll never gain the throne.”

Sheldon threw his head back and gave the warlord a haughty stare. “Not so. While the King’s personal guard is busy cutting off your army’s retreat, the King will be assassinated -by one of your men, of course. And then, after I assume the throne, I’ll come back here and crush you. You’ve left your entire country unguarded you fool. When I’m done this land will be scoured clean, and your entire filthy race will be eradicated.”

Keng’Sun flew into a rage. He started kicking and swinging, and all the men around him had to jump out of his way. A few tried to rush in behind him, but the warlord was far too quick for that. He spun around and caught one of them by the arm. He ripped the man’s arm out of the socket and tossed it aside. The man dropped to the ground, screaming. Two fell back but another rushed in and managed to stab Keng’Sun in the back of the leg. The warlord threw his arm back, slamming it into the soldier’s chest. The volcano echoed with the sound of breaking bones as the man’s rib cage was crushed. He died instantly.

It was then that I noticed a change in Sheldon’s face. I think he was starting to realize that his men weren’t doing so well. “Kill him!” he shouted. “Kill the dog!”

The guards went mad, cutting and slashing wildly. The Warlord anticipated their moves, and danced just out of reach. I heard screams as men fell, their bodies broken. The warlord let out an occasional howl as one of the blades struck him, but never more than a glancing blow.

It was beginning to look like everyone in the room was going to die. Except Sheldon, of course. He was slowly but surely backing towards the tunnel… towards me! Unfortunately, by the time I realized this, it was already too late.

Sheldon spun around and plunged headlong towards the tunnel, and I had no choice but to step out of the shadows and start running. There was a split second where our eyes met, and Sheldon almost tripped.

“YOU!” he shouted. I turned and ran.

I heard rather than saw Keng’Sun’s reaction as he realized Sheldon was escaping. “SHELDON!” he roared, and the sound of his voice went booming through the tunnel. There was a clash of weapons and a chorus of screams. I glanced back down the tunnel as I ran. I saw Prince Sheldon’s shadowy figure running full tilt behind me, and I saw a large, dark shadow appear behind him. I didn’t wait to see more. I put on a burst of speed and ran for my life.

I was already thinking ahead as I ran. In a few seconds, I was going to emerge at the top of the pyramid. Judging by the screams echoing up the tunnel from behind me, my exit would not go unnoticed. Sheldon was hot on my tail, and my best guess was that Keng’Sun was right behind him. The odds of any of us escaping alive were getting slimmer by the second.

The only consolation I had was that if they caught me, they were certainly going to catch Sheldon too. Which meant his plan to assassinate King Ryshan and steal the throne was as good as dead. I hadn’t planned on this turning into a suicide mission, but if it turned out that way, at least I could die knowing I had saved the people I cared about.

The first thing I noticed as I plunged through the doorway was that the moon had set. The land was very dark now, which was going to work to my advantage, if I could get past the Kanters. The bad news was that the Kanters had grouped up at the base of the pyramid, and they were waiting for us with spears and torches.

I heard Sheldon’s heavy footsteps behind me and I stepped aside, pressing myself back up against the wall next to the door. He plowed out of the doorway and came to a screeching halt as he saw the angry crowd of giants waiting at the base of the stairs. He spun around and saw me standing next to the doorway. And he joined me