It is held that souls are greater than man, for obvious reasons. Their power is beyond that of a man, and the wisdom gained from them is more than a lifeti of study could hope to achieve. There is disagreent on this point, however, as others say that the man is the greater part of their joining. No soul ever acts upon the world unaided; they cannot be said to exceed man any more than a sword or plough.
This argunt contains the seed of truth, albeit evoked for the wrong reasons. A man, with nothing more than his flesh and bone, may carve the mark of himself upon the world. He may be a holy man, a man of purpose, and give rise to a bountiful family with their own joys and burdens. Yet that sa man, possessed of a soul, might forsake all that to accomplish incredible feats. He may vanquish armies, fill granaries or sway the hearts of a nation.
There is little stopping this man from living the life he might otherwise have led. He could have his humility and his family despite his soul. Yet that soul lights a new path ahead, one that stretches far beyond the mundane. n cannot help but hear the call of its wild distance.
- Saleh Taskin, On Reclamation, 687
Veras flat was midway between the train station and the port, a fairly ideal circumstance; Michael wasnt surprised that Vera had selected it with so consideration for eventual property value. The neighborhood was pleasant and clean, with plenty of large trees - likely a wonderful sight in sumr, but right now the twilight canopy of grasping and bare twigs gave the street an ominous look.
More ominous still were the darkened windows and drawn curtains of the flat; Michael sliced cleanly through the doors bolt and walked inside. It was a ss, with drawers and cabinets ajar, their contents strewn across the floor. They picked their way into the foyer, pausing at a large table that occupied one end of the room. There was an envelope there with Michaels na inked in precise handwriting upon the exterior.
Michael picked it up and withdrew the single piece of paper inside, unfolding it to reveal more of Veras handwriting.
Michael, it read.
Unimportance is a difficult pursuit. I had resolved to seek it here, and would do so gladly if not for an opportunity that my conscience cannot permit to let pass.
There may be a path forward for my dearest friend.
I shall endeavor, therefore, to save her life as she once saved mine. She has not borne the burden of my absence well, nor the presence of her bereaved cousin. Her burdenso soul tornts her with visions of what she has inflicted, and with the consequences of her spite; her sight and mind are so degraded by this torture that I have little fear of her reading this letter.
There is only one place where she might begin to heal. Please consider this your second invitation to dinner.
Forever in your debt,
Vera Reuss
P.S. - Please apologise to Lars on my behalf for the theft of his vessel; I shall make it up to him with interest at a later date.
Michael read through the letter once, then again, his heart clenching at the postscript. Finally, he handed the paper to Sobriquet. Her brows drew together as she read it. Vague, she said.
Specific enough; shes told us where theyre going. Michael tapped his finger against the paper. Raven House, in Calmharbor. Its her refuge, where she retreated from the world - and where she served dinner once, hence the reference.
She gave him a skeptical look. You think Vera can steer Sibyl there?
She is a Shine, Michael said. Although I very much doubt shed use her soul on Sofia. Its a logical first place to look for her.
Sobriquet made a face. In Ardalt. Michael, thats going to take days, not to ntion the return trip - and thats at a minimum, to say nothing of any delays in locating her once were there.
We knew it was a possibility from the start. He glanced through the letter once more, his eyes lingering on the line that was set apart from the others. There may be a path forward for my dearest friend. He thought back on his last conversations with Vera, and his frown deepened. If I didnt know she was a Shine, Id suspect her of being an auspex, he muttered.
Problem? Sobriquet asked.
Michael shook his head. I dont think so, but - we should move. The harbor isnt far, weve got our supplies with us. Vernon, we need to be on a ship out of here as soon as possible. Do you have enough pull to make that happen?
Probably not, the auditor admitted. Itll be difficult at this hour. But if you can bear to wait a short ti at the port, I can probably find soone who does.
Michael stepped aside to draw back one of the curtains, peering up at the stars beginning to erge against the purpling sky. Were going to be on a ship out of here by midnight, he warned. One way or the other. We dont have the luxury of waiting for niceties.
Vernon gave a droll chuckle. Noted. Ill see what I can do.
Their transit of the Cauldron Sea was quick and uneventful, bringing them within sight of the Ardan coast before the end of their second day, leaving them to spend a tense night navigating around the coast. They stayed far from the shore for fear of rocks and patrols, though they saw neither. In fact, the interior was dark as they passed, devoid of light and motion even where Michael thought there must be a city or port. Every so often he thought he saw the flickering light of fires or lamps, but the faint blazes were gone before he could truly train his sight on them.
By the ti the sea brightened from the inky black of night, they were at the mouth of the Iron Bay. This was where Michael had been sure that they would be stopped and challenged by Ardan patrols, but he could not see any other traffic underway at this hour. A low winter mist cloaked the land from view, rendering its contour in a faint gradient that peeked through the grey.
There was a persistent sll of smoke on the harbor, stronger than the usual miasma from the factories; instead of the tarry industrial scent that he was accustod to, Michael slled the rich scent of woodsmoke mixed with sothing sweeter that he couldnt place.
The bay remained quiet as their boat slid towards Calmharbors docks, the city earning its na in the glassy morning stillness of the water. A light broke the mist as they drew closer, tainting it with a flickering orange hue. It proved to be the burnt hulk of a ship smoldering at one of the piers, subrged to the deck with blackened scraps still dancing with tongues of fla where they protruded above the water.
Sothings not right, Michael murmured. Sera.
Her apparition blurred into being beside him. What? she mumbled, the bleariness of her voice clear even in its distorted tones. Whys the - oh. It straightened up, popping up from the floor to hover stock-still to Michaels right. Damn. This is going to complicate things. It turned its featureless head to Michael. Theres been so sort of riot. Bodies in the street, burnt buildings - not many people out. Dont see any military presence, so thats a positive. She frowned. Nor police. I was worried about running into both, and now Im more worried at seeing neither.
Michaels vision stretched out, racing through the fog to find the familiar brick and cobble of his hotown. Shattered glass glinted on the street, or sat with quiet malice in empty windows while the fog danced blithely across the shards. Several of the facades were blackened or collapsed from fire - indeed, there were a few bright spots amid the murk where buildings were burning rrily away. Yet there was no rush of firen to the scene, nor constables.
What people he saw were lurking in alleys or huddled around fireplaces inside. A few gangs of n road the street, carrying bulging sacks and ard with crude weapons - clubs, shovels, here and there a battered rifle.
The living, though, were not in the majority. Bodies sprawled across the frozen streets, ice glittering on waxy corpse-skin and flashing bright from staring eyes. They lay slumped against walls or fallen in the street. There were pools of dark blood beneath so of them, but most lay peacefully in their repose.
His sight raced on, down blocks that lay farther distant from the port. Here, entire blocks had burnt to blackened timbers and cracked bricks. The ones that had been spared the fire had been ransacked. A plaza that Michael rembered faintly from his youth was crowded with neatly-arrayed bodies - then haphazard piles beyond those.
Hundreds, thousands of dead. Michael peered close at the bodies and saw crusts of blood around their mouths and noses, sores upon their faces. So bore bandages, in the earlier piles. So sort of sickness, Michael said quietly. But not one they could stop. They- He paused, his mind shaking itself free of its shock enough to tie so facts together. Luc. This was Luc.
Stellars light? Sobriquet asked. He killed the whole town?
No, not even most of them, Michael said. But enough. Think about who would have gone close to him. People at the Assembly, people close to the military. Governnt, police, ensouled - the powerful, the important. Everything else he just left to - fall apart.
And they burned their own town to the ground the second nobody was looking? Sobriquet retorted incredulously. That doesnt make any sense!
I doubt that was intentional. Michael pressed his lips together, still surveying the ranks of the dead. All of the most important n in the city dead, and nobody to keep order. All the wealth of Ardalt sitting in empty hos. All the businesses shipping food and goods into the capital left leaderless. He pulled his sight back to the ship, still floating at a cautious distance from the docks. And when they couldnt buy food at the market anymore, the people probably started taking it from wherever they could. Empty houses first, and then-
He gestured to the city grimly. And then were here.
Its like Gharon all over again, Sobriquet muttered, her head tilting to the side. Im not sure that Sibyl is here, Michael. Nobody would flee here for safety.
She doesnt have anywhere else, Michael said. Check for . Its- He frowned, gaining his bearings, then pointed. Farther out from the city, between those low hills. There should be a single house surrounded by a large wooded area-
Found it. Sobriquet frowned. Hard to see much detail. Hold on. Her apparition vanished, then reappeared just as quickly. Shes there. I dont think she saw checking. Vera is there. Several dead bodies, not sure who.
Michael nodded sharply, then opened the throttle enough to send the boat inching forward. Gather the others, then. Were going ashore.
Reviews
All reviews (0)