The Sword Of Angels

28

In the years they had spent together in Norvor, Thorin had made love to Jazana hundreds of times. But in those days she had always exhausted him, because she had the appetite of a woman many years younger and because Thorin had no magic to keep his manhood at attention. They had been well-matched lovers, though, and had enjoyed each other, and seldom spoke of their growing age.

For Thorin, those days were gone now. In the influence of his Devil’s Armour, he was so much younger than he’d ever been, and never tired of love making. With the spirit of Kahldris firing his loins, he could bed the beautiful Jazana over and over without tiring, proving his prowess to her each night in their grand bed. Tonight, Thorin listened to her moans, watching her breasts in the moonlight as her eyes rolled backward into her head. Cradled in his armoured arm, her neck pulsing with breath, she had yielded like a flower to his yearnings. Outside, a storm had rolled southward, rattling the windows with rain. Thorin listened to the thunder. In his mind he felt the pleasure of the demon Kahldris, like a good friend sharing his conquest. Through his eyes the demon watched the woman in the bed, adoring her. From the first time he had seen her, Kahldris had lusted for Jazana. And unknown to her, two lovers put their flesh against her.

Thorin held his passion, governing it, savouring it. His rigid body moved like a instrument over Jazana. His hand took her head, lifting it from the torn pillow, and her whole body came off the bed. She cried out, not in pain, and let his kisses pelt her neck. She was naked, twisted in the sheets, her hair wildly splayed, her fingers clawing his back. Kahldris trembled at the sensation, loving the way her nails bit Thorin’s flesh. Dawn was coming quickly, but tonight the lovers barely slept. On the eve of battle, Thorin’s hungers knew no end. Soon his armies would march. Soon the Kryss would be his again. The memories of former glories charged his body, exciting him.

‘Look at me,’ he groaned. He grasped Jazana’s hair. ‘Jazana, look at me.’

Her eyes fluttered open. Panting, she could barely speak. She smiled, her voice shaking. ‘I love you, Thorin. I love you.’

‘Jazana, I love you. You belong to me.’

‘Yes. .’

‘You’re mine.’

‘Yes!’

Hearing her laments broke the dam of his control. Kahldris loosed a silent scream as the passion convulsed Thorin’s body. He cried out just as thunder shook the tower. Slowly, slowly, his muscled tensed and then relaxed. The burning in his loins subsided. Still cradling Jazana, he lowered her to the mattress. Her body rose and fell with heavy breaths. Her eyes filled with him. Kneeling, Baron Glass leaned back and put his armoured arm across his chest, feeling the burning metal. Kahldris spoke to him. His words came like a syrupy dream.

Thank you.

Thorin nodded, catching his breath. It had been Kahldris that had pushed him, Kahldris who had wanted one more go before the sun rose. The demon laughed the way a comrade might patting Thorin’s back. Together they looked down at the woman, pleased with themselves.

‘Sleep now,’ moaned Jazana.

To Thorin, it sounded like a plea. She always did so much for him, never arguing, never refusing him. To others, she was made of steel. But sometimes, Thorin thought her weak.

‘Yes,’ he agreed, and lowered himself down next to her, draping his arm of flesh across her chest and putting his nose close to her cheek. As Jazana stared up at the dark ceiling, exhausted, Thorin eyed the window and the dark night beyond. At once his thoughts turned to battle.

In the city and the hills around it, his army waited, bivouacked in tents or housed in the old barracks of the Royal Chargers, enduring the rain and the long wait to fight. They were mercenaries mostly, seasoned troops who had long been part of Jazana’s world, but there were Norvan regulars as well, those who had not marched back to Norvor after Koth fell. Baron Glass supposed he had three-thousand men in the city ready to fight. A goodly number, surely, though not all he had hoped. The troubles in Norvor had prevented Demortris and Manjek and the others from sending troops, leaving Thorin to make do with his mercenaries. He knew that Raxor had come with almost as many men, and that the Reecians were all regulars, with not a single mercenary in their ranks. He was sure that his old enemy had brought only the best with him, and his scouts had confirmed the Reecian war machines and mastiffs. They would not be easy to defeat, but Baron Glass felt confident. In his fabulous armour, he alone could slay an army. He was convinced of that now. It would be no harder than taking a woman.

‘Your eyes are open,’ Jazana whispered. ‘Close your eyes.’

Thorin took a breath, smelling Jazana’s perfume and musk. He had not lied to her during their love-making — he loved her truly. She was more faithful than anyone had ever been to him.

‘I don’t deserve you,’ he told her.

Jazana laughed. ‘No more sweet talk. I’m tired. Go to sleep.’

‘I cannot sleep.’

‘You’re thinking too much. Close your eyes and relax.’

But Thorin was like a little child, too excited to sleep. He had still not answered Raxor’s letter, and enjoyed the thought of the old king twisting and afraid. Like the marvelous painting in the library, he had battled Raxor many times in his youth, when they both were virile. Raxor was old now, but Thorin was young again. He wondered what Raxor would think when at last they met.

‘He’s afraid of me,’ said Thorin. ‘That’s why he wants to talk.’

Jazana said nothing, for she did not like speaking of the matter. For too long she had lived with war. Now she wanted only peace.

‘I am thinking of speaking to him,’ Thorin went on, ‘in a day or so. When the weather clears.’

Jazana opened her eyes. ‘Are you? That’s good.’

‘We should speak. I want to see him. I want him to see me.’

‘Oh.’

Jazana rolled over.

Thorin admired her naked back. He traced a finger over her smooth skin. She was like a sculpture, beautifully timeless. Age had given her experience without robbing her looks. It was easy to tell when she was troubled, and Thorin knew she was troubled now.

‘They come to harm us, Jazana. I did not invite them here.’

‘You said you would talk to them. I misunderstood.’

‘To make him see what he is up against!’

‘To make yourself feel like a man. Now I understand. Go to sleep, Thorin.’

‘You try me sometimes, Jazana, do you know that? I have explained this to you.’

‘And I have accepted it.’

Still she gave him her back. Thorin grimaced.

‘I had a fine time tonight. Thank you, my love.’

The Diamond Queen chuckled. ‘Good.’

‘You have to understand, Raxor tasks me. He has brought his army here to challenge me. To challenge us, Jazana.’

‘So why talk to him? You’ve already made up your mind, Thorin. You’re going to take back the Kryss. I know you well enough, Thorin Glass. You want this war, so please don’t tell me you don’t.’

‘The Kryss is ours,’ muttered Thorin. He glared at the ceiling. ‘It was ours until Akeela gave it away.’

Jazana’s back rose with a sigh. ‘Promise me one thing, Thorin. Promise me that you’ll keep your promise to me.’

‘Eh?’

‘About Norvor!’ Jazana swiveled to face him. ‘Remember?’

‘Of course I do! When I have dealt with Raxor I will deal with Norvor,’ Thorin assured her. ‘Just as I promised.’

‘Norvor needs us, Thorin. It can’t wait forever.’

‘Have I not promised?’

She looked sceptical. Her lips twisted. ‘I worry, that’s all. We’ve lost Carlion. .’

‘I have told you, I will deal with it. When this business with Raxor is done, I’ll ride to Carlion myself to kill Elgan. You will have his head, my lady, and any other part of him you wish for your shelf.’

Jazana closed her eyes and was quiet for a moment. ‘War. I am sick of it. You should talk with Raxor.’

‘I will.’

‘No, I mean really speak to him. See what he wants.’

Before Thorin could reply, he felt Kahldris push his way forward, to the front of Thorin’s mind.

She speaks like a woman, the demon jeered. Raxor has come to test you, Baron.

Thorin tried ignoring the Akari. ‘Jazana, do not worry. We are stronger, stronger than Elgan. Stronger than anyone. Elgan’s days in Carlion are numbered. Soon you will return. But not yet. Please, not while I need you.’

Do not beg her! said the demon with disgust.

‘You should talk to him, Thorin.’ Jazana finally turned to look at him again. ‘Will you talk?’

No.

Thorin put the demon from his mind. ‘We have enough men to defeat them. I do not need to talk, Jazana. It will only make us look weak.’

‘That’s not what Rodrik says. He says the Reecians have come to defend themselves, because they’re scared of us. Scared of you, Thorin.’

‘Varl’s council clouds your mind, my love. Why is he here anyway? He should be back in Norvor.’

‘He is a good soldier, Thorin. Won’t you use him in your battle?’

‘No.’ Thorin grinned. ‘He stays to protect you from me, Jazana. He loves you.’

The accusation made Jazana uncomfortable. She draped her arm across his chest and, as usual, changed the subject. ‘We have Liiria, my love.’ She kissed his cheek. ‘That’s all you ever wanted. And I have Norvor, and that’s all I ever dreamed of having. Let the Reecians have their river. Talk to them and send them away.’

‘Jazana. .’

‘Talk to them for me. Show your love for me, will you? Have I not done much for you?’

Thorin had to nod. ‘You have. And I am grateful.’

Kahldris began to seethe. No, Baron.

‘Will you at least answer Raxor’s message?’ asked Jazana. She watched her lover carefully. ‘Say you will, Thorin.’

He could not say no to her. Because he loved her, because she had given so much to him, he relented.

‘All right,’ he grunted, pulling away from her lips. ‘For you, I will talk. Just talk.’

‘My big bear,’ Jazana purred. ‘I’m happy.’

‘Wonderful,’ drawled Thorin. He closed his eyes. ‘Now let me sleep.’

But Thorin could not sleep, for the promise he made haunted him, and the demon Kahldris screamed angrily in his mind. He felt betrayed, the Akari told Thorin, and refused to let his hope escape into slumber. Thorin lay naked in the bed with his eyes open, listening to Jazana’s soft breaths as he argued with Kahldris, finally tossing his feet over the side. There was a robe on a peg near the bed. Thorin grabbed it quietly, hurried it around his shoulders, then left his sleeping lover, going into the adjoining dressing room. He turned the key on a oil lamp along the wall, lighting the room gently and squinting against its brightness. Rain continued pelting the window and tower walls. The wind tore at the bricks. It would be an ugly day when dawn finally came.

Dress yourself, Kahldris commanded.

‘What?’

Walk with me, Baron Glass.

‘I’m tired, demon, and in no mood to fence with you.’

To Kahldris, there was no room for discussion. In a voice like ice he repeated his order.

Get dressed.

Instead of arguing, Thorin relented to the spirit’s command. In the room he found clothes for himself, quickly dressing in trousers and a wrinkled shirt. The shirt had only a right sleeve. The left one had been torn off to accommodate his armoured arm. He pulled boots onto his feet, found his leather cloak draped over a chair, and left the room by gently closing the door behind him. Out in the hall he heard only silence. Lionkeep and its servants slept. Thorin waited for Kahldris’ direction. Like a leash he felt the tug, dragging him onward, dragging him toward the stairs descending the tower. Man and demon were silent as they walked the halls, finally coming to a door leading out toward the stable. Thorin paused here, standing in the threshold and looking at the teeming sky.

‘I’m not going out there,’ he declared.

Sometimes he could see Kahldris’ face. Other times, like now, he could not, yet he could still feel the Akari’s sinister smile.

I have something to show you, Baron.

‘Something out there?’

Come with me.

Thorin hesitated a moment, then cinched the collar of his cloak tight around his neck before stepping into the night. At once the mud of the grassy earth sucked at his boots. Cold rain pelted his face. Unable to see clearly without the aid of his helmet, he looked around at the shadowed trees and buildings, wondering what possible lesson could be found in such a dismal place. Like the library, Lionkeep had been brought back to life after the battle of Koth. At least mostly. With him and Jazana Carr calling it home, the former palace of Liirian kings had been rebuilt, staffed with Liirians and Norvans alike and guarded by Jazana’s ubiquitous mercenaries. But in this part of the keep there were no guards, only empty stables and dilapidated buildings begging for repair. The wind made the broken hinges of the buildings sing. Leaves tumbled down from the trees, striking Thorin’s face.

‘So? Why are we here?’ he asked.

As he finished the question, he watched the air before him start to shimmer. Out of it stepped Kahldris, his body glowing, his face drawn with anger. This time, he wore the garb of the general he’d been in life, with a gleaming black breast plate and bare, muscular arms. A ghostly sword hung at his side. His eyes glimmered with unnatural light, turning to slivers when they locked on Glass.

‘Just walk,’ he told the baron, then turned and proceeded through the rain.

Thorin followed, confused by his appearance. Kahldris walked like a living man, but his feet made no impression in the muddy earth. His long hair trailed down his back, untouched by the rain, and there was no sound when he moved, only the noise of the breeze passing through him. He led Thorin past the old buildings and the broken corrals, into a field dotted with twisted trees. Shadows crawled across the rolling ground. In the east, the first blush of sunlight struggled up the horizon.

‘Where are you taking me?’ Thorin asked.

Kahldris extended his arm. ‘Come,’ he bade. ‘Walk beside me.’

‘I’m wet and cold, Kahldris. Tell me where we’re going.’

‘To a place far away, Baron Glass. A place long ago.’ Kahldris put his arm around Thorin. ‘Keep watch, and listen to my story.’

‘Story?’

‘A lesson, Baron Glass.’ Kahldris let his arm slide off Thorin as he walked. ‘Listen.’

‘Be quick, please,’ Thorin quipped. ‘I-’

He stopped, not just talking but walking, too. From out of the darkened trees he saw a rider approach, thundering toward him. Dressed like Kahldris, the man was clearly Akari, garbed in the same elaborate armour and bearing a long spear. His horse snorted as it tore up the ground. Thorin drew back as the beast bore down, dodging its gallop. Without regard the rider hurried past them. Thorin watched as he disappeared behind the curtain of rain. The wind swallowed the hoofbeats.

‘What was that?’ he asked. He turned to Kahldris. ‘Where are we?’

‘This place — it’s like a place I remember,’ said Kahldris. He continued walking, ignoring the Akari rider. ‘I have been watching Liiria, noticing it, how you adore it. And then tonight when you spoke to Jazana I remembered.’

‘No riddles,’ Thorin demanded. ‘Tell me what you remember.’

‘This,’ said Kahldris.

With a wave of his arm he thickened the clouds. The sun sank backward and the sky darkened. The wind retreated but the rain grew, as did the trees which pulled themselves up from the muddy earth. The world stretched in all directions, and soon the corrals and buildings were gone, replaced by foreign hills. Thorin wheeled, stunned by the enchanted world, and knew he was no longer in Koth.

‘This is one of your magics,’ he declared. ‘Take me back, Kahldris. I don’t wish to see this.’

‘I was a young man here,’ said Kahldris casually, completely ignoring Thorin’s plea. His gait was unhurried as he walked the strange world. Another of the Akari riders appeared ahead of them, but Kahldris paid the man no mind. ‘I was like the rest of them, so sure of myself. We were strong in those days. We thought we could beat anyone.’

The wind picked up again. Thorin clamped his cloak around him, unsure what he was seeing. He was used to Kahldris’s lessons, but this one’s vividness alarmed him. Ahead, he watched as a troop of riders joined the one horseman. Together they reined back their horses, pointing and shouting among themselves. Thorin looked about, wondering what they were seeing, or if they could even see him.

‘Three-hundred of us went to Maluja that day,’ Kahldris went on. ‘Three-hundred! More than enough, we thought.’ He continued walking with Thorin in tow, still oblivious to the gathering soldiers. ‘I was a minor commander in those days. Maybe I had fifty men under my command, I don’t remember.’

‘Kahldris, tell me what this is!’

‘Just walk with me, Baron Glass. Listen to my story. We had got a message from a Jadori named Dahlgen. He had built an outpost near our city Kaliatha. It was a forward position, the furthest the Jadori had pushed into our territory. But Maluja was close to our land, so we agreed to meet him there.’

Now there were dozens of Akari soldiers, not only gathered up ahead but galloping past them toward some unseen goal. Noise began to fill the field. Thorin heard shouts and the distant din of battle. He craned to see past the rain and darkness, and saw for the first time the outlines of Jadori. All around them, the glowing eyes of kreels blinked in the murk. Like a noose, the outlines took shape and converged.

‘By the Fate, speak to me, Kahldris! Tell me what this is!’

‘This is what comes of talk, Baron Glass!’ Kahldris spun to face him. ‘Look! Watch!’

The earth began to shake. The Akari riders stormed around them. The kreels came down from the hills, crashing likes waves over the unsuspecting men. With their spears and slashing sword, the Akari defended themselves from the flashing claws of kreels. Thorin stood frozen as the battle raged around them, never touching them. Kahldris grinned.

‘Closely now,’ he advised. ‘Watch.’

With nowhere to run, Thorin girded himself against the onslaught, barely able to stand. Around him the Akari warriors were falling like grass, easily cut down by the kreels and their screaming riders. The black-skinned Jadori worked their beasts effortlessly, darting under the Akari defenses and bringing up their snapping jaws. The hills around them filled with Jadori, pouring down mercilessly on the Akari. Thorin saw the faces of the men, their desperate eyes and open mouths screaming.

How long it took for the massacre to end, Thorin was unsure. The minutes stretched magically, making time intangible. One by one the Akari fell, or fled back into the hills. The bodies of them piled atop each other, until Thorin and Kahldris were knee-deep in corpses. Around them, the Jadori had stopped their attack. Amazingly, their enemies were gone, and the dark-skinned victors let their mounts pick at the bodies, stripping the meat from the bones with their reptilian tongues. It was daybreak suddenly, and the rain had stopped. The hills fell quiet as the Jadori rummaged through the dead.

‘I escaped,’ said Kahldris. ‘I don’t know how. I can’t remember.’

Thorin’s eyes darted wildly about the carnage. The conversations of the Jadori went on around him, yet they remained oblivious to the strangers in their midst. Looking down, Thorin saw a man clawing at the ground, dragging himself with his one good arm away from the battlefield. Like an insect he crawled over Thorin’s foot.

‘Fate save me,’ Thorin gasped, shaking the apparition of his boot. ‘Kahldris, I want to go. I want to go.’

A Jadori saw the crawling man. Curious, he got down from his kreel and went to him. He spoke some words Thorin could not understand, then raised his spear and put it through the man’s back, pinning him to the mud. Seeing this, Thorin cried out.

‘Get me out of here!’

Kahldris shook his head. ‘I’m not done with my story.’

‘What story? What is your point, monster?’

‘Can’t you tell?’ Kahldris seem perturbed. ‘This is Maluja, Baron Glass. The meeting place. This is what happened when we answered Dahlgen’s request to talk.’

‘All right,’ Thorin growled. ‘I understand.’

‘Do you? I wonder. You frighten me, Baron Glass. You’ve called an army to you, yet now you promise your woman to talk. But talk is not for men like us. Talk is for the weak, Baron. The losers.’

‘End this,’ Thorin commanded. ‘I have seen all I need to.’

Kahldris folded his arms across his chest, staring at Thorin. Then, with a sign he said, ‘It is over.’

And it was. A strong wind blew and wiped the world clean. They were back in Koth again, in the shadow of Lionkeep with the sun rising on the field. The corpses vanished, the hills flattened, and the Jadori ghosts returned to their realm. Thorin remained very still, listening to the rain. He didn’t know how long he’d been gone, but the clouds were parting overhead and the rain was more a drizzle now.

Kahldris was gone.

Thorin looked down at the ground where the Akari man had been. He could still feel the warmth of blood on his boot.