It was the third day now. And they still hadn't left this miserable city!
If this was to be the beginning, what could they expect at the finish?
William, Tanith, Felix, and Jehair took time to get to the warehouse. The smoke of burning corpses rose from pyres to heaven. Warriors drank while speaking of adventures hunting undead monsters in the area outside.
Kata's hair was no longer braided and had fallen around her shoulders long. Her fur robes were torn, and beneath them was a chain shirt. In one hand was a spear, and Furbearers were talking to others.
As she saw them, Kata stood up and ran to embrace William. He held her for a moment and then stepped back. The feeling of her against him was... nice. Even so, he broke the embrace and looked at her for injuries. There was a cut on her cheek, and he healed it quickly, being careful with his gauntlet.
"Kata, what news?" asked William.
"We... well, we won," said Kata. "Though we'd have lost many more people if the Paladins hadn’t been here. I don't think things were as easy as we expected they'd be."
"We'd best continue this discussion elsewhere," said William, looking to the nearby men.
"I... I put a spear through someone," said Kata. "He died. He was coming at me with a scimitar, and I raised my weapon and got him in the stomach. I remember his eyes..."
"Oh, you made your first kill. Good work," said Tanith.
"Good work?" asked Kata in surprise.
"Don't mind her; Tanith lives for war," said William. "Are you alright?" He thought she looked very beautiful with her hair down.
"Yes," said Kata, adjusting her spear. Her garb was torn in several places, and her hair was down and wild. "I think so."
"Good. You should speak to someone about it when we have more time," said William. "For now, you're a leader. Never show weakness, or it will hurt those you command. Grieve when you have the time."
"How was it for you?" asked Kata.
"I fought a satyr in Seathorius in single combat. He nearly killed Felix, and I killed him," said William with a shrug. "There was no choice, but it doesn't make anything better. You learn to deal with these kinds of misery.
"Pain is how we grow." And they began to walk together.
"It shouldn't be that way," said Kata. "Why do you brag about this kind of stuff, Tanith?"
"I love battle," said Tanith. "I saw terrible things in the war and learned to like them.
"Either way, we have a mission."
They found Farwa healing the sick and injured outside the slaver compound. There were a lot of them, and more were being brought out by the moment. She was casting spells and looked very tired.
Looking up, she finished her work, stood, and nodded to him, dark hair flowing in the wind. "Sir William, you come at last. I have begun healing the slaves and injured here.
"We are also coordinating with healers who have emerged since our victory. Suran knew the locations where things were worse. We have helped more people since you came to us than ever before."
"I am pleased to hear it, but you give too much credit to me," said William. "I am simply playing the part mine by right and duty.
"Princess Kata informs me of you and your men's heroics. I commend your performance here. Suran is presently occupied with other businesses. I ordered him to assist as needed."
"That is wise," said Farwa. "I shall send men to his service."
"On that note," said William. "I must warn you, Lord Dunmoore may be shut out, depending on the situation. Tensions are going high, and the presence of the Paladins here could be a problem.
"Lord Rius is not in a position where he can trust anyone completely. I think it may be best, once the plagues are in hand, for the Paladins to move out of the city so there are no tensions."
"But we would never consider such treachery!" said Farwa.
"Yes," said William. "However, Lord Rius may not know that. If he doesn't let Dunmoore in, Dunmoore's allies may think some treachery is afoot. Everyone could end up fighting.
"And if there is a group of Paladins, a well-intentioned man might ask them to open the gates. It would be far better to find an equally urgent task elsewhere."
"I will see to this at once," said Farwa. “We shall do what we can. But, could your presence not pose a similar problem."
"Happily, I'm not going to be here in a few days," said William. "I have pressing business further inland, so we'll be heading in the same direction.
“Where is Jehair?"
“Jehair is here,” said Jehair, emerging from a room. “I apologize for my absence. I have been occupied.”
"We should take different paths," said Felix. "And move in small groups. We'll cover more ground that way."
"For now, Lord Rius has put me in command," said William, looking to Tanith, who nodded. "I ask you to bear with me for a bit. Everything has become a bit hectic.
"We will be entering the slaver compound."
"Of course," said Jehair. "It has not yet been cleansed; there is a force in there we do not understand."
“Gods protect you,” said Farwa.
"We'll be careful," said William.
And so it was that they scaled up the steps and through the fortified door. Beyond, they found cells lining the walls. Within it was a foul stench of death and filth that made William flinch. Grasping for his harp, he was assailed by the will of some horror he could hardly see. Yet playing the music against it, he drove back the waves.
"So tightly packed..." said William, retching. "How can anyone breathe?"
"They prefer quantity to quality of experience, William," said Tanith, unaffected. "Personally, I'm not fond of taking slaves. I mostly just prefer killing everyone I capture and can't ransom.
"They don't put Harlenorians out of work, they can't come back for revenge, and the trip back is more pleasant. Besides, slaves are never valuable."
"Did you expect otherwise?" asked Felix.
"I did not expect anything," said William. "This place must be cleansed. Farwa, have people from this city bring water to wash away the filth. It must be done by them and them alone."
"As you command," said Jehair, raising a hand in salute.
William continued to play as they moved through the cages, and he sensed death after death. The pain and suffering of those who had died in this wretched place assailed him, tearing at his mind. But his music quieted the agony a little so that he could perceive the blood on the walls and floor. There had been real fighting here.
"Why wouldn't they employ the Healer's Guild for this? Are they not allies?" asked Jehair thoughtfully.
"Business partners may be a better term, Jehair," said Felix. "I expect they have a common purpose but still charge for their services to one another. Assuming they are connected at all."
"Felix, scan this place for any documents or letters or anything we could use," said William. "The others might have missed something. Don't give them to Rius; I want to keep them myself.
"...Are you alright?"
"This place..." said Jehair, raising a hand as people with water came in. "It festers with the unnatural. There is corruption here that does not exist in nature. Yet, if properly balanced, nature might find a home."
As Jehair raised her hand, the music of William's harp was enhanced by songs of birds from outside. The patter of rain from some far away place mixed with his music to burn at the horrors. Years and years of torment and agony were driven back little by little.
The people with water began to cleanse the place, washing the filth away from flagstones. Yet no matter how far they worked at it, nothing worked. They scrubbed at it, but only the surface of the rot was rubbed away. Water soaked the floor, but it did not seep it in nor drive the corruption. And all the music in the world could not purify this place.
On and on it went, and William looked to Jehair. "Why would there have been so many sick and injured people in this place?"
"Priests make rounds the docks to heal anyone who comes off a ship, William," said Tanith. "The setup was made specifically to deal with this kind of thing. I guess they must have not had a replacement."
"I once saw an entire cageful of people decaying to death," She was playing cards with herself on the ground. "But never this heavily packed. It usually only hits slaves. It spreads by skin contact with the person or the water they were in.
"So when you put them all down in the hold, water seeps in sometimes and spreads to their ankles."
"At one time, there was an outbreak in this city, a hundred years ago," said Jehair. "Most of the healer's and priests were off fighting or had been killed in the Calishan wars. The Calishans were taking Artarq, or you might have been taking it back.
"I was part of the effort to heal it. It spread throughout the entire town, and by the time healer returned it was too late."
"Tanith, I think we may have found the source of this plague," said William thoughtfully. "It must have spread to the other villages through the slave trade. And with the Healer's Guild in place, it would have gone unchecked.
"Therefore, we cannot ship any of these to the plantations."
Looking up, he saw a statue in a cell on an altar. Going into it, William saw it was of a woman with many blades coming from her back. The statue was crude and difficult to see, but there was a vicious edge. "...What is this?"
"A common deity worshiped by slaves," said Felix. "Though I have always found her disgusting.
"Karus, Lady of the Bound," said Jehair. "She provides hope for those who have none and hears their cries. Though I've never seen any cult or priest of her."
"I think you mean she gives them false hope to use them for her ends," said Felix. "Her contracts are made under pretenses. They are merely another kind of slavery."
"Isn't Karus' the ancient Goddess of Fate, Destiny, and Choice?" asked Kata.
"Someone who is a slave has no choice," said Felix.
"What kind of animals would do this to people?" murmured Kata.
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"Animals driven by a disease I cannot cure. Men who have been severed from good conscience and good sense," said William.
"Hey!" said Tanith.
"I'm referring to people who continue in this area of operation, Tanith," said William. "I don't mean you. You briefly dabbled in the trade as a means of conquest and abandoned it for what it was."
"Yes, I am certain the villagers greatly preferred being slaughtered instead," said Jehair. "Do you ever tire of warmongering?"
Tanith turned to Jehair. "Warmongering?"
And then Jehair had a sword to her breast and her back to a wall.
"Tanith?!" said Kata.
"I haven't seen you lift a finger to help us without being ordered since you got here, Jehair," said Tanith. "And you seem to have a very good idea about what is happening here. Everyone knows you on a first-name basis. But you're as surprised as we are by this unexpected chain of events.
"A set of events which you've been watching unfold for months.
"Who is it who bought you, and at what price? When everyone is dead, you'll feed our corpses to the flowers and bring your elf-friends back in to take our land?!"
"Enough!" said William. "Tanith, I will speak to you about all of this later. You have my respect and my trust, but wild accusations are helping no one. Now remove your sword and let the insult pass before you get us all killed."
Tanith nodded and stepped back, her sword sheathing as quickly as it was drawn. "As you wish."
William nodded. "Tanith, you are going on too fast with such accusations. If you suspect such a thing, it ought to have been brought to me in private.
"Jehair, your words could be considered a grievous insult. Especially since the horrors here are chipping away at everyone's patience. For now, this vendetta must be postponed until it is useful to pursue it. If ever."
Tanith shrugged.
"William is right; we can't let these disagreements get in the way of our goal," said Kata.
"Which is?" asked William, looking at her, only to find the statue of Karus'.
"Who are you talking to, William?" asked Kata.
"You, obviously," said William. "Not everyone in his room has the same goal, Kata. We're aligned for the moment. But you might one day become an enemy of someone in this room. Or perhaps you'll have to choose between them."
"But you're my friends," said Kata.
"Yes, but, as nobility, you may one day be obligated to fight against us," said William. "Alliances shift, situations change. Nobles are afforded great privileges because they have terrible responsibilities.
"To be noble is to be responsible."
Kata nodded. They went further into the slavery compound and came to a room filled with papers. There was also a bar where ale was available, and several spilled cups were lying around. Felix picked up the cups and set them down as people came in to clean the place.
"...Why aren't there any Temples to Karus anyway?" asked Felix suddenly.
"I imagine most have no association with her, save when they've no money for a temple," said William. "Unless you call this one."
"Why pay for a statue, then?" asked Kata, looking at Jehair.
Jehair put a hand on Kata's cheek and smiled. "It is believed to ward off misfortune and increase survival rates among slaves."
"William, I found the documents," said Felix, sorting through papers without looking up. "Nothing directly links them. But there is this." He passed it to William, who looked through it. The pages looked to have been turned and were stained with something.
"An order for a great many slaves. Far higher than is normal," noted William.
"That's to be expected," said Tanith. "Slaveholders burn through slaves fast, and the merchants keep track of it. Many of them estimate how many they need and order them in advance. Sometimes they don't buy all of them, but usually, someone needs more slaves than expected.
"As a result, the number of slaves imported is usually pretty predictable. At least, barring a shortage in demand. You'd only get something like this if there was reason to believe you'd have a serious jump.
"Look here." She pointed to part of a page.
"What is this?" asked William as he took it.
"The purchase of broken cargo by the Body Runners," said Tanith, returning Jaha's look. "They are an organization that ships corpses out the east gate."
"Corpses?" guessed William.
"Well, yes, the bodies of slaves that die," said Jehair. "As well as bodies of people who are sold here to be hidden away. Murders happen in ports, now and then, and slavers sell corpses to the Body Runners as well. They also transport slaves sometimes."
"Who leads them?" asked William.
"A man named Lamech, who is a long-time associate of Tavish," said Jehair. "You see, they preserve them in caskets and ship them off to the vampires of Antion. The vampires need a supply of them and don't mind the condition.
"So if you're a common murderer and kill a man, you sell them here. They take the body, give you some money, and ship it out east to the servants of Neral Dinis."
"This is sick," said Kata, looking sick. "Why would your King allow this?"
"All nations have things like this, Kata," said William. "If the King is good, it's kept small and manageable, with high risk. But if there is a demand for a product, somebody will want to find a supply to meet it.
"If they find a way to supply it, they'll provide it for a price. And once you set up a market, it's much harder to uproot."
"It shouldn't be this way," said Kata.
"No, no, it should not," said William. "It wouldn't be the De Chevlons. Raynald has never mentioned anything like this. And Father would never have associated with them. Not if they did this openly, at any rate.
"And such an open action would draw unwanted attention."
"You are correct," said Felix. "Neral Dinis plays the role of a middleman. He collects the bodies that lesser vampires eat. Even as the Baroness De Chevlon collections the slaves that they dine on.”
"I knew some warriors who have done the same," said Jehair. "Though I put them in the grave myself and cremated it to make a point. That was before Neral Dinis’ preferences were legalized."
"Would you rather they eat live prey?" asked Kata.
"It's a matter of principle," said Jehair. "Anyway, this is a repulsively neat and tidy operation, isn't it?"
"Too neat and tidy," said Kata, shaking her head. "Why is Reg here?"
"What do you mean?" asked William.
"Everyone here was going to get rich," said Kata. "Reg's doesn't need to be here. All these men could be employed in something else. Why expose your operation and bring the wrath of House Gabriel down on you-"
"Two different operations," blurted Jehair.
"Hmm?" asked William, guessing what she meant.
"We're facing two different operations here," said Jehair. "One is a preexisting system of exploitation that has ingrained itself into Antion. The other is a disruptive, violent uprising using the loose ends of exploitation.
"So whoever put Reg up to this was trying to use the operation to disrupt things."
"Whoever these people are, they must have contacts in the system," said Felix. "And enough pull to arrange something like this."
"It doesn't matter," said Tanith. "What do we do here and now?"
Jehair leaned against the wall. "A fine idea, Tanith. One should live each moment as though it is the last, for it may be."
"First," said William. "We will complete our search."
And their search began. They went down a floor and found several storehouses packed with valuable cargo. Much of it was untouched. They opened this and found many goods that looked to have been stolen. Most notable were the weavings of the battles of Escor.
"I know these patterns," said Jehair. "These are the works of Magicorian Weavers. You can tell by the slightly unreal part of it. Or they are very convincing imitations.
"They only sell by specialized licenses. Someone has been selling stolen cargo."
"We'll call it weregild for the atrocities done to the Furbearers," said Kata.
"I have no issue with that," said William. "However, you should tell as much to Rius when the situation is calmer. Courtesy is necessary."
"This way," said Felix at the door. "Tanith I have found something."
They found a room with an altar with the floor covered in bones and dried blood. There was a sacrificial knife on the altar, perfectly preserved and cleaned. And there was a body on it that had their throat slashed.
Over it stood an altar to Melchious, wings splayed outward. His vulture aspect was looking down. William felt like it was glaring at him and felt a biting sensation in his mind. Drawing his harp, he played notes to contest it. For a moment, it held sway, and then his hands were shaking. Looking around, William thought he saw his friends being ripped to shreds. All by vultures without realizing it.
They kept looking on, as little by little, they were turned into animated bones. Then those bones fell to dust. And no matter how much magic William played, the visions of horror assailed him. He saw on the altar Imogen, the girl from before, and saw her pushed down and tied down. Once done, her throat was slashed, and she gurgled before the spirit vanished.
Then the body was gone as though it had never been.
"Are you alright?" asked Jehair. "You have been meeting the gaze of that statue too long."
"This place is a room of execution," said William. "It must be cleansed. But first;" Snatching up the dagger, he broke it on the ground. Then raising his sword, he cleaved the statue down the middle and smashed the altar. With one blow, the altar broke in twain, and there was a scream of rage.
Then he turned and saw people from before cheering behind him. William wondered if they were really there or just a phantom. "We should continue our search," said William, desperately unhappy. "This room must be cleared and the bodies laid to rest with proper rites.
"Keep an eye out for a secret passage. These men might have someplace they can leave in a hurry. Or find some other place."
"That was a poor move," said Jehair. "Melchious will remember that act."
"Let him," said William in disgust.
Jehair frowned and brushed a strand of hair from her head. "How much do you know about Neral Dinis?"
"Felix, how much do we know about Neral Dinis?" asked William, smiling at him.
"He is a vampire of formidable power," said Felix, almost laughing. "He was a bitter enemy of the Gabriels in the Escorian Civil War. He was said to wield bolts of pure sunlight without fear of being burned. It is by some sorcery we do not understand.
"But he lost his clan and his power to Erik the Voyager. And they took up service under the De Chevlon's, who had once been his rivals. I believe you had great enmity with him."
"You are correct," said Jehair. "We have long been enemies, even before the Escorian Civil War. He killed one who was dear to me by torment. And I hunted many of his minions.
"Over the years, we have clashed many times. Yet now we are restrained. Your enmity with Melchious and mine with him may be similar."
"What was the Escorian Civil War like?" asked William as he looked through merchant manifests.
"Complex," said Jehair. "In those days, there were many people and many vampires to hunt them, with little cooperation. Every faction had their own agenda. The population grew ever larger; their agendas became all the more unbearable.
"Oaths were broken, friends betrayed, and anger grew worse. Years of conspiracy tore apart every friendship, and many trees were felled. My lady, the Flower Maiden, groaned by the misery cut into the land.
"But, all that changed in the Escorian Civil War.
"With a full-scale war going on, it was impossible to coordinate conspiracies. And coordination was how they were able to maintain their power. Rivers of blood flowed over the land, and whole regions were wiped away. The Pass of Dragon Bones was nearly taken at one point, though it held with my help.
"And everyone in Escor hated the vampires, except House De Chevlon. So they suffered terribly."
"I remember this," said William. "They had very conservative rules about feeding on the wicked and avoiding collateral."
"Anyway, when the war began in full swing, anyone who had an opportunity to kill a vampire did it," said Jehair. "Of course, most vampires are stronger than the average person but are also stagnant. And there were many more people than them.
"They ended up getting picked off little by little, and Erik the Voyager killed many of them.”
"Ultimately, we exterminated the Dinis line. Neral had to rebuild from scratch as his master. So he sought service under the De Chevlons and plotted his revenge. But I had business in other places and departed House Gabriel. Instead, I focused on helping the land to heal and grow in my Lady's name."
"Wait," said William, feeling a flicker of awareness. Something beneath him, a familiar presence. Not evil like Melchious or even destructive, but something else. "Do you sense that?"
"Yes," said Tanith, moving forward. Moving aside a table carefully, she pulled a rug off the floor. There they saw a trapdoor. "Look here."
"A trapdoor," said Kata. "Where do you suppose it leads?"
"I don't know, but we'd best find out," said William. "Felix, head up and tell Tanith where we are going in case we can't return. Jehair, I'd like a word with you."
"Yes, child, what is it?" asked Jehair.
William considered his question and moved to one side into what appeared to be a kitchen. The slavers had cooked and eaten here. Several side doors with bars on this side had been opened. Now people were using them. "...Why did Rusara ask you to accompany me? And why that particular inn? It struck me as an odd place."
"Perhaps she wants you to find that question on your own," said Jehair across from him.
William looked at her. “Please give me an answer.”
"I'm afraid not," laughed Jehair. "Rusara and I were enemies of old, though it was not personal as it was with Neral Dinis. Still, she consulted with me infrequently. I accepted her request with equal confusion. But since I planned to go down to Gel Carn myself, I might humor her.
"I confess, you are more interesting than I anticipated. I was hoping to have you as a traveling companion.”
"And what did you anticipate?" asked William.
Jehair smiled back and put her arms beneath her breasts. All while shifting in a manner that made her very seductive. William wondered if she did not realize it. "Someone less benevolent and more focused on getting to his destination. I had taken your books to be a mere exaggeration."
William shrugged. "Good propaganda never says anything that is untrue or exaggerates at all where they can help it. A lie can be disproven or disbelieved based on what you see. Father taught me instead to focus on those aspects which are favorable. To downplay the aspects contrary to the image you desire to project."
"Then why does Tanith Telus appear in your books?" asked Jehair.
"Because I'm not writing propaganda," said William. "I am William Gabriel. I am what is written." There was no way Jehair was actually interested in him any more than Tanith or Kata.
"That's a nice line. Did you come up with that just now?" asked Jehair, smiling faintly.
"Yes, actually," said William.
At that moment, Tanith came back, and William hadn't known she'd left. "Well, my men are getting ready right now. We'll be behind you soon enough."
William nodded. "Good work Tanith. Then let's get to work."
Finally, things were looking up.