Demon Cycle: Messenger's Legacy Part 4

Seventhday services were just ending as they approached the Holy House in Bogton. The faithful were spilling from the chapel doors, congregating in the yard to eat and drink and enjoy the sun on the warm spring afternoon.

aFind the Speaker and give them the news,a Ragen told Derek as they rode up to the hitching post. aLast time I was in Bogton it was a woman named Marta, but that was a decade ago. Take the men with you, and keep things quiet until the Speaker has a moment to think. These people need to evacuate, but panic wonat help anyone.a aMe?a Derek asked. aShouldnat you aa aIam not in the Messengeras Guild any more, Derek,a Ragen said. aItas not my place, and I have other concerns if Iam going to find Briar before the townas overrun.a Derek pursed his lips, but he nodded, tying his horse and signalling the men to follow as he went into the crowd in search of the Speaker.

Ragen saw Tender Heath at the chapel doors, leaning on a crutch as he shook hands and traded smiles with the exiting faithful. His belly had doubled in size since Ragen had seen him last, but he looked healthy still. His hair more dark than grey, his eyes full of life.

Those eyes widened at the sight of Ragen, and the Tender broke off from a grey couple he had been speaking to, turning to greet him. aRagen!a He opened his arms. aThank the Creator youave come.a aHow could I not?a Ragen said after a crushing hug. He half turned, gesturing to Elissa. aMy wife, Mother Elissa.a He said nothing of the coming Krasians. The Tender would hear of it soon enough, and Ragen meant to be out looking for Briar by then.

Heath bowed as far as his crutch would allow. aYou honour our tiny village with your visit, Lady.a aNonsense,a Elissa said. aThe honour is mine.a aOur sod roofs and mud streets may not impress as the fabled cobble streets of Miln,a Heath said, abut there are good folk here.a aIf that were true, we wouldnat have needed to come all this way,a Ragen said. aWhat good folk leave a boy not yet sixteen to wander the naked night?a aIgnorant, frightened ones,a Heath said. aIam not defending it, but since the Krasians took Fort Rizon, the Boggers have grown distrustful of outsiders.a aI donat remember them being any better before,a Ragen noted. aAnd itas only going to get worse.a aEh?a the Tender asked.

aNever mind,a Ragen said. aAre you positive it was Briar you saw?a aCreator my witness,a Heath said, using the crutch to step out of the shade of the doorway and into the open sun. aHeas been stealing the Seventhday Offering off and on for years.a aYears?a Ragen felt a lump of anger welling in his throat. aYears?! And you write to me now?a aPeace, Messenger,a Heath said, holding up a hand. aI wasnat going to write all the way to Miln just to tell you my Offering was going missing. You might have come all this way and discovered it was squirrels.a Elissa laid her hand over Ragenas and he realized he was clenching it into a fist. He relaxed, breathing deeply.

aForgive my husband,a Elissa said. aHe has thought of nothing but Briaras safety these past weeks, and is impatient to begin the search. Please go on.a aThere is nothing to forgive.a Heath drew a ward in the air at Ragen. aThose were words of love for Briar, and will weigh as such when the Creator judges your heart.a Ragen forced himself to be patient. He had never been religious.

aBeen trying to catch the thief for years,a Heath went on. aPut bells on every door and window, slept on the altar, everything I could think of. But sooner or later I nodded off or turned my back an instant, and the next thing I knew the Offering was gone.a Heath held up a finger in triumph. aBut then it hit me. I put a bell inside the tray cover. I was hiding in the vestibule, and when I heard the ring I a"a he clapped his hands loudly aa" pounced! Caught him right in the act. He was filthy, and older, but it was undoubtedly Briar Damaj.a aHow is that possible?a Ragen asked. aA boy of six surviving a decade in the naked night?a Heath spread his hands. aI prayed for a miracle. Perhaps the Creator had one to spare for the poor boy.a aI seen him, too.a The three of them turned to see the speaker. She was perhaps sixteen summers, still a girl by Milnese terms, but a woman grown out in the hamlets. She was familiar, but Ragen couldnat place her.

aWhat do you mean, child?a Heath asked. aSeen whom?a aBriar Damaj,a the girl said.

aAy, Tami!a a voice called. Ragen looked up at her family and realized why she looked familiar. Masen Bales still had a gap in his teeth where Ragen had knocked one out.

aSeen him watching me sometimes,a Tami said, afrom across the yard in the hogroot patch.a Masen stormed over. aAy, girl. What the Core you think youare doina, interrupting the Tender when heas with someone?a aA moment please, Masen,a Heath said. aTami was telling us sheas seen Briar Damaj.a aNight!a Masen cried. Tami wilted at the glare he threw her. aDonat you go spouting that Mudboy nonsense again, girl.a aYou saw him, too,a Tami dared to argue.

Masen shook his head. aSaw some boy trying to peek as you bent to milk the cow, but he ran off before I got a look at him. Coulda been any of a dozen living boys in this stinking town. Sure as the sun wasnat some ripping ghost.a He looked back at the Tender apologetically. aGirl told all her friends about the ghost, and now half the kids in town are telling fire stories about having seen the Mudboy.a aWhat about the other time?a Tami demanded of her father.

Masen rolled his eyes. aHereas where she goes completely peat-brained.a aWhy is that?a Heath asked.

Tami looked at her feet. aSeen him from the window at night, sneaking a cup of milk from Maybell.a aHalf-demon, head have to be,a Masen said, awalking about in the naked night. Either you seen a ghost, or you seen nothing at all.a Heath coughed. aYes, well. Thank you Tami. Good day to you, Masen.a Masen grunted at the dismissal, grabbing Tamias arm and turning to go.

aJust one thing,a Ragen asked, pulling them up short. aWhen you saw this boy, which direction were you facing?a aEast,a Tami said. aTowards the dump road.a Ragen nodded, producing a gold sun. The coins were common enough among Milnas upper cla.s.ses, but in a backwater hamlet like Bogton, half the folk had never even seen gold, and the other half hadnat been allowed to touch. Perhaps it would help as they fled the coming army.

aFor your a.s.sistance,a Ragen said, handing Tami the coin. She and Masen stumbled away, staring at the coin, dumbstruck.

6.

Cories 333 AR Autumn aThis would explain how he kept from being cored,a Elissa said as they approached the Bogton Dump. She waved a hand in front of her nose. aDemons canat stand the reek.a While the Boggers were still gathered in the Holy House yard, Ragen and Elissa had asked the local children for tales of Mudboy, paying a silver star for each new one. Most of them were impossible nonsense, but two or three seemed plausible, and on further questioning, Ragen felt sure they had seen a something. Something that all credible accounts had coming from the direction of the town dump.

aReek doesnat cover it by half,a Ragen said, slapping a mosquito on the back of his neck. aBog air reeks all by itself. This? This is a work of art. Swamp stink laced with rotting carca.s.s and aa aSomething Iad find in a babyas nappy after a night of sick,a Elissa said.

Ragen heaved, but managed to swallow it back down. aAll the more reason we find Briar and get as far from this place as possible. If heas here at all, and this isnat some tampweed tale.a aYou donat believe it?a Elissa asked.

aHeath is famous for drinking his own ale,a Ragen said. aYou can see it in the broken veins of his face. And it was Seventhday, no less. No hangover like a Tender on Firstday morn, as the saying goes.a aThe girl swore she saw him,a Elissa said.

Ragen nodded. aAy. But itas not odd for a child whoas lost a friend to think they see them when they donat.a aNight, I do that now,a Elissa said. aCouldave sworn I saw Cob on the street in Angiers last week.a They circled the dump, riding around the junk piles and garbage mounds, getting the lay of the land.

There was vegetation everywhere. Mostly weeds, but also a surprising number of useful plants. At first glance it appeared chaotic, but by the third pa.s.s, Ragen began to think it no coincidence. He slipped from the saddle, inspecting the plants.

Elissa followed, squatting to part the fronds so the stalks were visible down to the damp soil. aTheyave been cultivated.a Ragen stood. aAy, but that doesnat mean Briar did it. Could have been the refuse collectors or their families. Soilas good here, if you can stand the smell.a They returned to their saddles, circling the area again.

There was a cliff with worn wagon ruts leading to its edge, the place where the rot waste was dumped. The rest of the area was filled with more solid trash, piled into small mountains by generations of waste. At the edge of this was the bog, stretching on for miles into thick and forbidding fog.

aWeave never really discussed what weare going to do if we find him,a Elissa said.

aDo you have to ask? Weall take him back to Miln with us.a Ragen smiled. aIt wouldnat be the first time I brought home a stray.a aWhat if he doesnat remember you?a Elissa asked. aWhat if he doesnat want to go?a Ragen shrugged. aThen we drag him for his own good. Canat spend his life living like an animal in the bog.a There was a rustle in the weeds off to one side, and both of them pulled up short, staring in the direction of the sound. A hogroot patch. The stalks still shook slightly, though there was no breeze.

aBriar?a Ragen called loudly. aThat you, boy?a There was no response. The stalks settled back in place. But something didnat feel right, and Ragen nudged his horse into the weeds for a closer look.

He was beginning to think head imagined the whole thing when there was an explosion of movement as something burst from concealment, a dark blur pa.s.sing so close his mare gave a great whinny and stood on her hindquarters, kicking the air. By the time Ragen managed to calm her, whatever it was had fled.

aYou see that?a Ragen demanded, leaping the horse out of the weed patch. Without waiting for an answer he kicked and rode up one of the more solid mounds of trash, standing in his stirrups for a better vantage.

Elissa was beside him in a moment. aI only caught a glimpse, but it was too big to be a rabbit, too small for a nightwolf. Saw it dart across the road into the weeds there.a She pointed.

Ragen could see where the weeds were trampled, his trackeras eye following the trail as easily as he found markers on an overgrown Messenger Way. Whatever it was had darted from cover to cover, heading straight for the bog. The fog was still stirring where the thing had disappeared.

Ragen slipped from the saddle, taking his night satchel, spear and shield. aStake the horses and put up circles. Iall be back before dark.a Elissa pointed to the satchel. aIf youall be back before dark, why are you taking your weapons and portable circle?a aCommon sense,a Ragen said.

Elissa crossed her arms.

Ragen sighed. aIall leave markers. Circle the horses and catch up. Weave only got a few hours of sunlight left.a Ragen smacked another mosquito, biting down the curse on his lips, lest he give away their position with his shout. The trail had not been easy to find, but their quarry was in a hurry, and the muck of the bog left undeniable prints. The shoes had mismatched treads, but they were consistent with a teenage boy.

It still wasnat proof, but Ragen wanted to believe.

aIall admit I thought Messengering glamorous from the warmth of our manse,a Elissa slapped a mosquito drinking deeply from the back of her hand. aI was even jealous, sometimes, when you talked of cities and sights.a aItas the glamour that makes the Jongleuras songs,a Ragen said. aThey never add a verse for mosquitoes.a aOr slogging through muck until your boots are soaked through,a Elissa agreed. aFeels like Iam walking on two blocks of ice.a aHead back to the horses and dry off,a Ragen said. aIall be along soon.a aCome with me,a Elissa said. aWe can look more in the morning. No reason to cut it close to dark. If that was Briar, heas got a safe place to hide for the night, or he wouldnat have lasted this long.a A fat mosquito landed on Ragenas nose. He struck it instinctively, effectively punching himself in the face. Elissa put a hand over her mouth, hiding a smirk. As the pain subsided, Ragen blew out a long breath. aAy, maybe youare right. Weall head back, though Iam not convinced the bog demons are likely to be any worse than these coresp.a.w.ned mosquitoes.a Elissa looked around, amus.e.m.e.nt fading from her face. aYou do know which way is back in all this fog?a Ragen smirked, pointing. aI may be fat and grey, but the first thing you learn as a Messenger is to point north even if youare p.i.s.s drunk and spun in a circle.a aCharming,a Elissa said.

Ragen started back to their camp, but stumbled as his boot slipped into a sinkhole. He pitched forwards as pain blossomed in his ankle.

aCoresp.a.w.ned ripping demons.h.i.t!a Ragen screamed.

Elissa was by his side in an instant. aKeep calm.a She dug in the mud to free his ankle, but suction held the boot fast. Ragen screamed again as she pulled his foot free of it, hauling him onto a solid ma.s.s of relatively dry peat.

Ragen took a deep breath, flexing the foot experimentally. The dull, throbbing pain flared again with the movement, but everything moved as it was supposed to. aI donat think itas broken. Find something to bind it, and I should be able to limp back to camp.a The words had more confidence than he felt, but Elissa took them at face value, taking the riding scarf from her shoulders and wrapping the ankle tight before it could swell. She dug Ragenas boot out of the muck and he bit down hard on a stick as he pulled it back on. She took the night satchel and his shield, leaving the spear for him to lean on.

He limped on for some distance, but they were deeper in the bog than he realized, and the pain grew with every step. At last he could stand it no more.

aI need a moment to rest,a he said, collapsing onto a rotted stump.

Elissa had given him s.p.a.ce for pride, but now she moved in quickly. aYouare bathed in sweat. We need to get rid of that armour.a Ragen shook his head. aThis was my fatheras aa aI know,a Elissa put a hand at the nape of his neck, stroking his sweat-slicked hair. aBut he wouldnat want us to die for it.a Ragen gritted his teeth, but he let her help with the fastenings.

aWe can send the men for it in the morning,a Elissa said.

aItall be rusted by morning,a Ragen said as he dropped the heavy linked shirt into the muck. aAnd I wonat ask any of the men to risk themselves looking for it with an army on the way.a Ragen took a deep breath and leaned on his spear to stand. Admittedly, it was easier without forty pounds of metal on his back. He began to hope they would make it back to camp with time to spare.

But his ankle howled with every step, the pain worsening as it swelled inside the tough leather of his boot. They would have to cut it off.

First my armour, now my favourite boots, Ragen thought. Then he took another step and his ankle gave out completely, pitching him back onto the ground.

Suddenly the boots were the least of his problems. He looked to Elissa, wondering if they would die here, alone in this Creator-forsaken bog, for a boy who might not exist.

He expected to see fear in her eyes, but Elissa only huffed and cast her eyes about, spotting a wide peat flat amidst the endless streams of the bog. She nodded in satisfaction, and moved to Ragen, putting his arm around her shoulders.

aWhat are you doing?a Ragen asked.

aYouare not going to get much further on that ankle, and I canat carry you,a Elissa said. aIall help you to that flat, and then set up the circle around us.a aYou coulda"a Ragen began.

aIam being patient with you Ragen,a Elissa said, abut Creator my witness, if you so much as hint that I should leave my injured husband in the swamp to try and save myself, youall be wishing the demons got you before Iam through.a Ragen felt too drained to argue. It took all his energy to stumble to the flat. By the time they made it, he was leaning almost his full weight on her, but Elissa bore it without complaint, setting him in the centre of the flat and taking out his emergency circle. It would be a tight fit, but enough to ward off the demons for the night.

The ground was uneven and damp, hardly ideal, but Elissa moved with a.s.surance, laying the circle. Ragen managed to pull himself into a sitting position at its centre and started work building a fire.

It was going to be a long night.

Ragen stared into the gloom. The light filtering through the fog was dim now, the shadows long and deep. If the sun had not dipped completely below the horizon, it soon would.

aIave done the best I could,a Elissa said, coming over to him. The portable circle was ten feet in diameter, but the island of peat wasnat quite so large and sloped sharply on one end.

While Elissa worked to lay the circle, Ragen cut blocks of peat for her to use in keeping the wardplates level with one another. Several rested on little pillars of the packed moss. Two stood in a stream like bridge supports. Another sat upon a sculpted ledge that hung precariously over a sinkhole. Others, planted on even ground, had muddy water welling up around them.

Individually, the problems were minor, but a series of subtle shifts in alignment could play havoc with a portable circle. The wards would still function, protecting their immediate vicinity, but Ragen and Elissaas lives depended on the web the magic wove as the wards linked together, their lines of power forming a dome of protection around them.

aYou did masterfully,a Ragen said. aIf we get back to Miln, youall receive a medal from the Warderas Guild.a Elissa smirked. aI hear the Guildmaster gives those to all the Warders he sleeps with.a aOnly the ones that save my life.a Ragen got slowly to his feet. The rest had done him some good, as had the pinch of bitter stiffroot powder he had washed down. The pain was numbed, and the swelling less, now. He was in no position to run, but their lives might depend on swift action the first time a demon tested the wards.

There would be holes in the net, but there were too many factors at play to guess them precisely. But when a coreling struck the circle, the wards would leach some of the creatureas magic and there would be a flare of power through the net.

It would be gone in an instant, like lightning forking in a cloudy sky, but it would be enough for them a" and the demons a" to see the gaps.

If the gaps were small, or easily defensible, they would see the dawn. If not, Ragen would get to put his warded spear to use, fending the demons off until Elissa could adjust the plates.

aAny minute, now,a he said.

Elissa nodded, and again Ragen marvelled at the steel in her eyes. He had thought just the sight of a demon would be too much for her, but she was as calm as any Messenger.

The eye in Ragenas mind opened, flashing images of a lifetime on the road together, instead of countless months spent apart. A few other Messengers did it, but Elissa had been royal born, and it had been unthinkable.

His eyes began to tear, thinking of all those wasted years. Elissa saw and brushed them aside with a gentle hand. aIt will be all right. A year from now weall be back in the warding shop, bickering over how I mother poor Briar.a He smiled, loving her more than he could say.

But then a bog demon came hurtling out of the fog, and the net flashed to life. Elissaas eyes snapped to the net, searching for gaps, but Ragenas attention was held by the demon. The coreling should have been thrown back by the rebounding magic, but it wasnat. Its claws whined across the wardnet with the sound of a thousand fingernails on slate, magic sparking and crackling in their wake.

aThe whole circleas weak,a Elissa said. The net remained illuminated like the filament of a lectric bulb while the demon touched it, reflecting brightly off the surrounding fog.

They scanned the lines quickly, finding several gaps. One would allow a coreling to tunnel under the circle a" easily done in the soft peat a" but demons were not known for their cleverness, and might miss it.

Most of the others were too small for a demon to fit through, but with the clawing bog demon keeping the net illuminated, there was a map to the large ones every coreling in the area could follow.

The biggest danger was above their heads. The web should have spun a dome of protection over them, but with so many of the plates out of alignment, it veered at angles, sometimes inwards, sometimes out. The result was a jagged gap two feet wide practically right above them.

aRagen!a Elissa snapped him out of contemplation, pointing.

Two more bog demons emerged from the glowing mist. Overhead there was a shriek. The flashing wardlight had caught the attention of wind demons, as well.

One of the demons struck at the wardnet, but the plates there aligned properly. It was thrown back, leaving a deep dent in the peat a dozen feet away.

Ragen smirked, but it was short-lived as the other demonas claws skidded across the forbiddance, catching fast on an open seam. Elissa shrieked and leapt back as it thrust a long, spindly arm through the gap, talons closing mere inches from her face.

But the flaring lines of power remained impa.s.sable, and the demon was held fast at the shoulder. It croaked in pain as magic buzzed and crackled, sending shocks through its body, but with human prey in sight it did not give up, straining against the magic with every fibre of its being.

A ten-foot circle was large enough if it was working properly, but if demons could reach at them from all sides, the safe s.p.a.ce shrank to almost nothing.

aItas stuck,a Elissa said, catching her breath. aIt wonat get through.a aDoesnat matter,a Ragen said. aThis racket will lure every demon for miles. Theyall break the circle with sheer weight of numbers.a aWhat can we do?a Elissa asked. aI canat adjust the plates with it swiping like that.a Ragen lifted his spear, meeting the bog demonas huge, lidless eyes with a cold stare. The coreling clawed the air impotently, struggling to reach him. aIall just have to ask it to quieten down.a In one smooth movement, he stomped forwards, thrusting his spear. His ankle exploded with pain, but it was a distant thing, like a flash of light in the distance. In his mind, there was only the demon and the spear.

The wards formed an impenetrable barrier for the demon, but for the spear it was only air. A bog demonas tough, slimy skin could turn almost any thrust, but the wards Arlen had carved on the spearhead flared, and it punched clear through the demonas chest.

Power shocked up the shaft and into his arm, jolting him with magic. Arlen had spoken of the effect, but Ragen had never felt it himself.

The tales failed to do it justice. Strength surged through Ragenas muscles, blasting away fatigue. The pain in his ankle faded, allowing him to put weight on it again.

He understood now Arlenas addiction to fighting demons. The demon croaked in pain, flailing at him, but Ragen was fast and agile like he had never been, easily dodging the hooked claws. With the magic coursing through him he felt euphoric, immortal. They would survive the night, even if he had to kill every coreling in the bog.

It was with reluctance that he tried to pull the spear free. The weapon was caught fast, but Ragen worked his powerful arms, slamming it into the wardnet over and over until the spearhead popped free and the demon fell back, dead.

Night, Ragen said, feeling his stomach drop. I just killed a ripping demon. Relan had told him the dalaSharum did this every night, but until this very moment, a part of him had not believed it.

The commotion had drawn more of the creatures. They quickly surrounded the weakened circle, jostling one another for position as they tested the wards.

One found another gap and stuck an arm through, but before Ragen could react, two of its fellows leapt on it, killing the demon and gnawing its arm until one end dropped lifelessly into the circle.

Elissa turned from the sight, and even Ragen felt his stomach churn. The two demons then turned on each other, fighting for access to the gap in the wards. Two other demons found open seams, and now there were grasping talons on all sides.

Ragen s.n.a.t.c.hed up his shield and set his feet, thrusting into any demon that got too close to a gap. The wards on the spear were hungry, tearing into coreling flesh with a sizzling spray of ichor, illuminated in the wardlight. But not every blow was a killing one, and the magic jolting through him was just a taste of what coursed through their veins. Many fell back only to recover a few moments later and return to the press.

He moved back to the tiny island of safety at the circleas centre to catch his breath. Ragen still felt strong, the pain in his ankle now just a dull throb, but the euphoria had faded and reality set in. He would fight to his last breath, but there were too many demons, and likely more on the way.

They were going to die.

Unable to get close to the crowded circle, one bog demon leapt atop the back of another and sprang high, hooked claws catching the edge of the jagged gap in the wards above. Magic spiderwebbed through the air as it dragged itself to the opening. The demon coughed a thick spray of bogspit into the circle as it readied itself to pounce.

Ragen wrapped an arm around Elissa, pulling her close as he threw up his shield. There was a thump and crackle as the glob of bogspit rebounded off the wards, spattering in every direction. He swept the shield aside, hurling his spear at the demon before it could drop into the circle.

The moment the weapon left his hand, Ragen knew it was a mistake. The spear took the coreling full in the chest, but the demon took the weapon with it as it fell back, landing dead a dozen feet from the circle.

Bogspit droplets clung to their clothes like snot, already beginning to smoke and burn, but with talons grasping at them from all around, it was the least of their problems. They huddled close, turning slowly as they hid behind the scant protection of the shield.

The entire wardnet shook. Ragenas tendons clenched as he followed the distortion back to its point of origin. Bogspit had struck the taut rope between the wardplates resting on the pillars in the stream. It was smoking, and any second a The rope snapped, and an entire quadrant of the circle fell away. The corelings tensed their muscles to spring for the gap, fully prepared to claw their brethren out of the way to be the first to enter.

aGet ready to run,a Ragen said.