Chapter 14

Sigrun walked over and stood near Tythos. He didn’t glance at her. He got the impression she was trying to be imposing. He dropped the stick. Regina tutted from somewhere behind him. Peony was beginning to sweat as he drew the lines of the sigil. The nightmare had sat down in the middle of the room and was watching Camfer with a hungry expression. Camfer had retreated into the empty corner, pulling his unit-mate with him. He was eyeing the creature, speaking in low tones with the other man who had regained consciousness. Bird had gone outside to have a look around. Lance was still asleep on the floor nearby.

Tythos looked up at Sigrun, picking the stick back up, “Yes, princess?”

Sigrun’s brow darkened, “I’m not a royal,” she said.

She sounded like she was genuinely correcting a mistake. Regina chuckled. Tythos felt irritated that she was laughing at her commander, even though he was the cause of it. He stood, though Sigrun still towered over him, it was more respectful.

“What do you need, commander?” He put some snap into his voice. Regina shut up.

“I need to know the plan,” Sigrun said. “I agreed to help you, and have to decide how best to deploy my unit.”

“It’s going to depend on weather or not I can teach hot-shot here to activate this sigil.”

“If you can?”

“We sneak into their camp, modify their wards to be this sigil and activate it. Then kill anyone who survives. Saving one or two for questions of course.”

“If you can’t?”

“I find another way to kill everyone.”

“Why not evacuate the farmers?”

“One, they woudln’t go. Two, they’ve got nowhere to go, which is the reason for one.”

“Have you considered negotiation?”

Tythos eyed her, “Actually no. Do you think we have a chance of success?”

Sigrun was quiet for a long moment. She nodded. “We do, if them keeping you alive is a better outcome for the orders they have.”

“Explain,” Tythos said.

“Sounds like they’re working hard to stay out of sight. It’s unlikely that’s for your benefit, since you’re going to be thrown in a hole when we get where we’re going.”

“I thought you said you didn’t know what the commander wants.”

“I don’t, but your logic makes sense. How up to date are you on the goings-on of the kingdom?”

“I’m a common pig farmer on the ass end of the kingdom, who only speaks to other farmers. How much could I know?”

Sigrun raised an eyebrow at him.

“Yeah, ok,” Tythos chuckled. “You’re sharper than I thought you were.” He paused to give Sigrun a chance to get angry, but she didn’t take the bait. “I know the dream world is causing problems. Even the local farmers know about what they’ve been calling the ‘Darkening’. Stupid damn name, but I haven’t been able to talk anyone out of using it. I’ve tried to get several names to catch on: Everdark, The Everstorm, and my favorite, Even-tidal-wave.”

“Can we stay on topic?”

Tythos scowled at her, “You too? Damn.”

Sigrun pressed on, “Containment failed, and it’s spreading.”

“Containment? You mean they broke the treaty.”

“Treaty?”

“Ahh, seems you don’t have enough status to know about that. That was what I secured the last time I went to the other side.”

“There are rumors that you entered Ginnung Gap and came back.”

“Rumors? They put you in charge of secreting me across the country and that’s all you know? Rumors? Fucking politics.”

“Then why not you put them to bed, eh?” Regina said.

Tythos glanced at her. She had a little smile quirking the corner of her mouth. Her eyes danced with amusement, searching his face and seeming to like what she saw. Tythos looked away before he smiled back.

He growled an oath and tried to focus. He had things to do. Promises to keep. He would not become attached to this group of people. He turned back to Sigrun.

“I really don’t care to, no. Believe what you want.” He didn’t know if he was addressing Regina or Sigrun. “We’re way off topic. You really think you can ride into this camp and convince these soldiers to ride on?”

“It’s worth a try,” Sigrun said.

“Like hell it is. If it works, it’s our best option. If it doesn’t, it’s our worst. Right now, they don’t know that we know they’re there. You ride in and fail, we give away that advantage, and they probably kill you to make their point.”

“I think I’ve got it!” Peony looked up from the board he’d been working on.

“You think?” Tythos glowered at him, “How about be sure?”

The elation on the kid’s face melted away. He looked at what he’d drawn then back at Tythos, “I think I’m sure?”

“Damnit, let me see it.” He took the board and inspected the sigil Peony had drawn. He nodded. It was close. He handed the board back. “This sigil is symmetrical. Keep that in mind and you can find the mistake you made.”

Peony’s eyebrows drew together in concentration as he leaned over the drawing. Tythos turned back to Sigrun.

“Think through the problem. Why are there soldiers hidden out there, prepared to kill everyone on our back trail while you sneak me across the country?”

Sigrun folded her arms across her chest, “If you know why, then just tell us. I don’t need you to try and teach me something.”

Tythos stretched his neck, looking up at her was becoming tiresome, “Can you sit down before my neck cramps trying to talk to you?” Sigrun didn’t move. “No? Wonderful. Okay… I’m a common and a pig farmer. I’ve been in this valley for a decade. I’ve got three or four good guesses as to what’s going on, but not enough current information to be sure. So, you should use what you know, and make a guess so that I’ve got more information to work with. Think out loud, walk me through it.”

Sigrun’s mouth formed a hard line and she searched his face before coming to a decision. After a moment of thought, she nodded. She glanced at Lance, who was still unconscious.

“This is the northern-most holding in the kingdom,” she began. “Seigneur Endelmyer controls more land than is typical for his station. He is the king’s brother’s son, and I’ve heard it said that he requested of the king that you serve as common on his holding. Apparently he was unhappy about being sent so far away from the capital.”

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Tythos nodded, “That makes sense. That man’s a weasel who would murder his way into a position to be in line for succession of the throne.”

Sigrun raised an eyebrow, “Isn’t that what you did?”

“Yes. And we both know I’m a monster and what my motivations are. Keep thinking out loud.”

Sigrun made a face, but pressed on, “Well, in light of the orders for secrecy on our part, it seems unlikely that Seigneur Endelmyer knows that the king ordered you moved.”

Tythos nodded, “I’ve been meaning to ask you about that. If you had orders to keep it secret, why didn’t you show up in the night, instead of riding up on my farm and shouting my name?”

Sigrun creased her brows, “We’re not thieves. We’re king’s men. We do not skulk around in the dark. Besides, I had Bird scout the farm, he said it was isolated.”

“Uh-huh, and did you have Bird look for watchers who were going to report back to Endelmyer? Seems to me he didn’t even know who it was he was coming to act as guide to.”

“I was under orders to tell no one—“

“That’s your problem right there,” Tythos cut her off. “You’re not thinking past your orders. You just proved you can think, but you got this great big blind spot called duty—“

Sigrun took hold of Tythos by his shirt, and leaned close, practically spitting the words, “You do not get to tell me what my problem is!”

Tythos looked back at her, his expression placid. “You’re right. I got no room to throw stones. Now let go of my shirt.”

Sigrun looked for a minute like she was going to try and push him into the fire, then she let go, turned and walked out the front door. She didn’t bother to close it behind her. Tythos could hear her footsteps as she walked into the snow.

“You really put your foot in the goat,” Regina said.

Tythos turned toward her, “What?”

“Woman is a fickle thing,” she said.

“Are those two statements supposed to be related?”

“Mmm,” she smiled. “Yes, and no.”

Tythos scrubbed his hand across his face, “Your mama know you’re flirting with a madman? If I’d started early, you’re young enough to be my granddaughter.”

“Did you,” her smile widened, “Start early?”

“No.”

“When did you start?”

Tythos could feel the attention of the nightmare turn in his direction.

“Yeees, when did you start?” The creature said.

“We’re not talking about this,” Tythos said.

The nightmare sauntered over, “Inquiring minds want to know.”

“I’ve got it!” Said Peony.

Tythos turned toward Peony, “Alright hot-shot, show me what you got.”

“Your boys are leaving,” Said Regina.

“What?”

Tythos glanced at her. She pointed behind him. Tythos whirled in time to see the pair of soldiers slip out the front door.

“Goddamnit!” Tythos muttered and took off after them. He stumbled on Lance’s prone form and caught himself with his hands on the ground. The hand that was an outline held his weight for a fraction of a second, then passed through the floor. Tythos blinked at it. He could feel underneath the boards. He pulled his hand free and stared at it.

Lance stirred underneath Tythos and came awake. He let out a cry and began fighting his way out from underneath. Tythos caught an elbow in the thigh and kicked Lance out from underneath him. Tythos rolled into a crouch at the same time as Lance did, Lance reaching for the dagger at his belt.

Tythos grabbed the man’s wrist, locking it down and caught a straight jab from Lance that rocked his head back. Growling, Tythos reached out and got hold of something and squeezed. It had a familiar feel in his hand and the picture came easily to his mind. He had reached inside Lance’s chest and taken hold of his heart. Tythos bore down on it, fighting it to stillness. He looked lance in the eye as the man’s stunned expression went from shock to horror. His eyes rolled up in his head and the man slumped. Tythos leaned in and squeezed harder— something hit him on the top of his head.

Tythos looked up. Regina had her unstrung bow and had slapped him on top of his head with it. She said something, but he couldn’t hear past the roaring in his ears. He looked back down at the man in front of him. The heart he had hold of was not struggling anymore. He let go and lance fell in a lifeless heap.

His hearing came back as his temper cooled and he heard Regina shouting at him. He didn’t recognize the language she was speaking. He sat back, breathing hard. She stopped shouting and crouched over Lance, putting a finger to his neck, then putting her ear down by his mouth.

She sat up and looked at him, “You killed him.” Her statement was so calm it was almost a question.

Tythos looked at the prone figure and shook his head. He sighed.

“Not quite,” he said.

He pulled the body closer and rolled it onto its back. He hit lance in the chest over his heart. Nothing happened. He hit him again. Again, nothing. He hit him several more times, spacing out the rhythm of it. After the fifth or sixth blow, lance gasped and arched his back. He began coughing, then clutched at his chest and curled up, letting out a low keening sound.

Tythos pushed himself to his feet. He sighed again and headed for the door.

“Keep trying with that sigil hot-shot,” he said to Peony. The kid gave him a wide eyed look, but nodded.

Tythos stepped outside and looked for the soldiers. There were four sets of tracks leading away into the snow. Tythos shook his head.

“This is turning into a long damn day,” he said and picked one to follow.

***

Regina sat by the fire, looking at the door Tythos had left by. This was turning into a weird day. She glanced down at Lance, who was sitting up, with his back against a wall, eyes closed, focused on breathing. Peony was sitting by the fire, pulling his tuning forks out of his pack. Regina knew what they were, even though she’d given him a hard time about them.

She’d come into this assignment with the usual assumption, that her job would be easier if no one knew what she was. When the people you were traveling with learned you were an assassin, they stopped sleeping as well. They’d have questions for you every death they encountered, no matter if it was impossible it’d been you, and they stopped letting you have a turn preparing food. Not that she could blame them. Assassin was not a role regularly trained in the king’s soldiers. People knew about them, but what they knew was largely obscured by the intentional disinformation that was spread about.

Regina had played dumb, laying on her accent thick and not volunteering anything. She was pretty sure the only one who saw through her was Bird. That man was sharper than anyone realized. When he’d caught up with her and Peony, at the charred remains of the forest fire, he’d pulled her aside.

“I expected better of you,” Bird said, his tone angry.

“Excuse me?” She’d been ready to fight, but he didn’t let her get going.

“We both know you’re better than this. Letting whatever game you’re playing risk the lives of the people in your party is beneath you. I’m not going to tell them you’re not who you seem, but if you can’t toe the line and pull your weight, we’ll be better off if you disappear. Nothing worse than thinking you’ve got support, when that person will abandon you at the first sign of trouble.”

Bird had turned and walked away, none of the others seeming to have noticed anything out of place. He’d led them until they found Lance, then brought them all to this farmhouse.

Regina had taken off the wet layers of clothing while Peony started a fire. Then she’d proceeded to sulk. She made a face and shook her head. She’d like to make an excuse for why she’d sat in the corner and played foreigner, but she knew the truth. It sat like a weight in her stomach.

She’d seen the two soldiers would try to run. No one else had seemed to notice. She had kept her mouth shut. She’d tried flirting with Tythos, which had made him angry. She wondered when the last time he had someone in his life was. He kept up a brusk front, but Regina thought the man was more alone than anyone she’d ever met.

She wanted to understand him. When he’d walked in and taken the city, she’d become fixated on him. The power he had. Able to take what he wanted. And he’d tried to do good with it. She saw that. He’d announced the dissolution of status. After twenty days, the riots had started.

She knew it was those who’d lost the most who were behind it. They dressed up as the poor and incited the people to riot. It started small, but rumors spread and the rioting grew worse. For nearly a year, things were bad. She’d watched the city pull itself apart.

Then there’d been the duel. Sigrun had challenged Tythos. Regina had been well informed around the time this had happened. The faceless troublemakers had promised to withdraw if Tythos won. Equal stakes were asked for on Tythos’s part. It was all a ploy to assassinate Tythos, but he’d done what no one expected. He’d accepted, arranged the duel in a very public place, lost the duel quickly, and ordered the withdrawal of his army. They’d left, and Tythos had surrendered. He’d been held while things settled and then a year later, publicly executed. Regina had not attended.

She’d mourned the loss of the, so called, Tyrant king. Regina had never mustered the courage to use her connections to approach him. He had clearly been in over his head, trying to take over the rule of the city. She believed that if he’d had the right advisors, he could have ushered in a new era. His ideas were radical, that the common were people who deserved equal rights, and magic was evil. It had all gotten lost in the rumors spread about him. He was now perhaps the most hated man in history, held up as an example of what evil was.

Now she’d met the man. She’d seen him up close and somehow still hidden from him. She’d wanted to tell him that she knew what he’d tried to do and the she thought he was right. Instead she’d made him uncomfortable until he’d lost his temper. Twice.

She glanced at Lance. The man still hadn’t opened his eyes. Tythos had been reaching inside of his chest with that weird dark hand. Regina shuddered. She tried to turn her thoughts back to self recrimination, but her heart wasn’t in it. Regina decided to change things going forward instead of feeling bad now.

She got up and began to dress for travel in the snow. She hated the cold, it reminded her of being powerless and hungry on the streets. That didn’t mean that she couldn’t push those feeling aside. She finished quickly and said a prayer. It was time for her to contribute to this party. It was time for her to support the man who had shaped her motivations for her life. She had never told anyone, but Tythos was the reason she drove herself to become dangerous. Pushing even these thoughts aside, Regina slipped out the door and into the night. It was time for her to do her job. She was going to go kill some people.

***