I blinked, coming back to myself as I realised red lights were flashing over part of Treetown, wheeling away from me.
“Before the end of Illost,” Doomspeaker was saying, “part of southern Treetown between Ryntol Wood and the Cadersglen will be set alight. Yes,” she addressed the muttering, “Treetown again. We suspect this will be nothing more than a distraction, but we cannot directly foresee which other locations will be hit – we will require wizards on site, and I’ve discussed setting up an alert with Leafcloak, who has agreed to lay spells over the area.” The old seeress nodded across the circle to the old druidess, who nodded back. “The main thing to take away is that we shouldn’t all rush off to Treetown this time. Unless you’re a wizard and we’re specifically calling on you, stay where you are when the fires start, and stay vigilant.
“The real target is less clear. We’re anticipating a bank robbery, as it’s been awhile since they last took a significant sum, and…”
A bank robbery? I’d had no idea the heretics would lower themselves to such banal criminal activities – sure, your average darkmage, but heretics? Not that robbing a bank was actually ‘lower’ than killing lots of people – but I was surprised the heretics didn’t see it that way. I supposed even mass-murderers had to eat.
Though, as Doomspeaker was just now making plain, robbing a bank wasn’t something you could just send a demon to do – not here in Mund, anyway. There were a number of wards in place all around our financial institutions, which would inform us as to which bank they’d chosen to strike, allow us to respond in force. The temples of Brondor like the Home of Commerce in Hilltown had the best guards plat could hire carrying the best weapons plat could buy. And it wasn’t money they were looking for – it would be an artifact cache, housing magical items of considerable might, books laden with unspeakable lore.
“Fourthly, and finally,” Timesnatcher said as the gnome stepped back. “The vampires of Oldtown.”
So they did originate across the bridge…
He’d already piqued my interest, and I sensed rather than saw as, at my side, Em straightened up suddenly.
“At the tail end of the Incursion, a vampire-elder or vampire-lord used the distraction of the arch-sorcerers safeguarding the Winter Door to enter the city. We have scried a minimum of seventeen descendants, the most in living memory.”
A murmur of discontent rippled across the circle.
“I know.” Timesnatcher held up a hand. “This is an unprecedented number. We can only surmise that the elder or lord has had little opportunity to beget until now, and hope that he has exsanguinated himself to the point where, for a time at least, he can do so no longer…”
“Ecksaguinated?” Em asked in a whisper.
“When they’re out of their own blood,” I whispered back.
What happened to you at Roseoak, I thought grimly.
I caught her confused look so I quickly explained – it was the accepted truth that once a vampire shared their own blood with a victim, the victim would rise again as a vampire; but, just as Timesnatcher was saying, a vampire’s blood was a scarce commodity, being only slowly replenished in their weird, undead veins, even if they drank gallons from their victims.
Vampires weren’t a common problem in Mund, so I could understand her Magisterium training overlooking this particular knowledge. I wondered how folk-wisdom back in Onsolor differed – did they not have vampires there?
I didn’t get chance to find out.
“The majority,” Timesnatcher was continuing, “are currently housed in a single location in Oldtown.” The red light over Treetown had vanished, replaced now with lights over the new points of interest; I drank in the sight greedily. “A place it transpires was formerly an assassin’s guild-house. What’s worse, a number of these young vampires have attempted to make more of their kind, but without the requisite blood in their bodies to allow their new recruits to properly transition. Thus, a wave of ghoul-related crimes have been reported, across Oldtown, Sticktown and North Lowtown. Over two dozen murders have taken place just since last night.” More lights started to appear. “We are asking our sorcerers to attend to the problem.”
I caught Netherhame looking my way, gave her a nod in response.
“Other than that… We have only to induct our new members.”
The illusion vanished just as Sticktown was about to circle around to me, instantly replaced with the bare wet rock, the puddles reflecting the yellowy light.
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As Timesnatcher started walking over towards us I felt a sudden flush of nervousness – but when it became apparent we were just going to touch glyphstones with the other champions I quickly calmed down. Me and Em already had ours, and he provided one for Killstop.
One after another the three of us walked around the circle, tapping glyphstone to glyphstone, linking all of us in case of emergency. Many of the champions had interesting gloves and gauntlets, but the massive frozen fist of Winterprince had to be the weirdest, the glyphstone looking tiny in his palm. Some of the champions seemed to look dismissively upon me – upon all three of us, even – but most nodded as we went by. Some of the maskless even smiled.
“Very well.” Leafcloak spoke for just the second time once we resumed our places, her voice soft. “Thus concludes the Gathering of Illost.”
Immediately, many of the champions fell back to muttering to their fellows.
“So unlike him to not defend himself,” I heard one of the Rainbow’s Edge say to one of his fellows.
“Vampires and ghouls – a piece of cake,” another mage, a sorceress from the Constellation, opined.
“Never believe Neverwish was dark…” the gnome druid, Sunspring, whispered to Doomspeaker.
“… meeting again on the second of Mortifost,” Leafcloak was saying. “But before you leave, please allow me to remind you…”
She paused, and those who had started chatting quickly shut up again.
“Many of you will be labouring under the impression Neverwish was a good friend.” Her voice hardened. “He was not a good friend. He was not a friend. He was, and is, dark. He would’ve used you, each of you, to his own ends. I know it is hard to accept, but it must be accepted. No one is to seek audience with him. We will relate the Magisterium’s findings to you at our next meeting, never fear.”
Leafcloak broke off, turning to murmur something to Timesnatcher on her left – everyone immediately fell straight back into conversation.
“Well, that was quite… awesome,” Killstop said, smoothing down her nauseating robe and turning her frowny mask towards us.
“Yeah,” I replied. “I have no idea how Timesnatcher organises all that stuff.”
“He is an arch-diviner, no?” Em said.
“I’m an arch-diviner, and I wouldn’t know where to start,” Killstop mused. “It’s not like I can foresee much about the Gathering. He’s just…”
We hushed up as Timesnatcher came over.
“How did you do that, with the net?” he asked.
Killstop shrugged. “Wasn’t that my job? To back you up?”
“No, I mean -“
“I had a vision, I followed it – what more do you want from me?”
He cocked his head at her curiously, his lips pressed together in thought. Then he brought his hand out of his pocket, bearing another pendant on a chain.
Killstop took it, studied the four-pointed design, and before she could protest me and Em pushed our sleeves up to show the chains around our wrists.
The diviner shrugged – there was a blur that lasted only for one instant – then she was lowering her arms, the amulet plain to see hanging around her neck on the front of her robe, beneath the hood.
“I bet that makes it easier, getting ready in the morning,” Em said enviously, still keeping up the fake accent.
“I could even slow down time when I’m trying to choose what to wear, so it takes no time at all.” She curtsied, drawing attention to her horrid-looking garment. “But why would I want to go and do a thing like that?”
Timesnatcher chuckled.
Meanwhile Em had let her jaw drop in a deliberate display of unfiltered jealousy. She was definitely trying to make friends here. “Only yesterday me and Feychilde almost came to blows over that.”
“In my defence, you were over thirty minutes!” I said.
“We had been svimming!” Either she couldn’t quite manage that word or she was getting too passionate to care – she dropped her voice slightly: “Next time I’ll take an hour.”
“Ooh, is that a threat, m’lady Stormsword?”
She stuck her tongue out at me.
“Anyway, how does what we were doing before affect what you choose to wear after…”
She just poked me in response, and I laughed and stepped away, raising a hand in warning.
Killstop sighed theatrically. “However do you put up with these children, my dear Timesnatcher?”
“I don’t,” he replied, and, smiling to himself, wandered away towards Lightblind and Shadowcloud.
Killstop gasped as though affronted.
I clasped Em’s hand briefly. “Do you mind if I go have a word with Netherhame? It’s just -“
“Of course – go!” Em smiled as she shooed me away. She and Killstop were soon chatting with one of the mages from the Constellation about the Incursion, while I made my way through the champions towards the sorceress.
“Excuse me – Netherhame?”
She turned to face me and, waving an apology to Shallowlie and Glancefall, stepped aside from her current conversation.
“Feychilde.”
“About the vamp-“
“Feychilde, it’s been a long day, and you don’t want to be hunting vampires in the dark. We’ll get together tomorrow morning to discuss our plans, okay? I’ll contact you.”
“O-okay…”
She turned back to her friends, and I turned away.
Fair enough. I guess not all champions keep the night-time hours.
I was feeling full of energy, and I knew Em had only had a few hours of classes today, meaning she’d be up for doing something…
“My good man,” Nighteye said, stopping me by clapping me on the upper arm, “Feychilde –“
“My good man, Nighteye.” I gripped his arm in return.
“I, that is we, were going to go to the Mare,” he said. “Olveria Sornoro is playing and, you know, hm, we can give some of the wealth we’ve earned back to the people, if you follow me –“
“Give it back, by purchasing copious amounts of booze?” I raised an eyebrow behind my mask.
I saw his eyes scrunch up above the savage beak-mask covering his nose and jaw; he was grinning.
I looked back at Em and Tanra. Stormsword and Killstop.
I’d have rather taken them vampire-hunting, despite Netherhame’s warning, but I was painfully aware that we were the newcomers here. Making bonds with those we’d be fighting beside – that was important too.
“Something like that, Feychilde. If –“
“I’ll ask the ladies if they’re up for it.”
“The more the merrier,” he said.
* * *