As Far As You Know
Teasers
Together, Forever
“Is this really necessary?”
“Yes, I’m afraid it is. Otherwise we will all meet the same fate.”
Heath Egan paused for a moment, perhaps contemplating the Boyar’s ulterior motives for what we were doing. Then, he plunged the blade of his knife through Brother Jon’s throat, and taking hold of the fleshy part that contained the larynx with his free hand, pulled back and continued cutting until Jon’s entire throat dangled from his bloody fist.
Heath dropped the tissue in disgust as it blackened and turned to ash. Jon writhed and thrashed silently on the stake that impaled him, and the ropes binding his wrists and ankles wore down to his bones. Irving leaned in close to inspect the wounds, his features flickering as he focused on the brutal injuries we had inflicted on our Tremere companion. “Yes, this will do. We remove the Usurpers’ ability to speak so they cannot curse us or call for aid.”
The rest of us formed a circle around the tall stake that had been notably placed inside the Boyar’s courtyard. Below us on the hillside, a few villagers hurried to bring their livestock inside their small houses. Anything left under the stars would be considered an offering.
I looked again at the bloody figure writhing on the stake. Two fortnights had passed since we had returned to Irving’s village, and Brother Jon’s head wound had not healed. He had barely risen from his resting-place to eagerly drain the goblets we brought to him from the villagers. During his brief lucid hours, Jon spoke of the strange visions he now had of a torrential storm and a terrible reptilian beast that straddled a mountain. We could well imagine what he was seeing, because we had seen it too. Achadremenos plagued our sleep with horrific vistas of death and torture, of diablerie and war in a twilight city of crystal and machines. Worse still, we could see into each other’s dreams, and watch as phantoms of ourselves taunted and tortured the other. How long would this go on? Would anything convince the Malkavian to end his curse on us?
One of the young villager lads came running clumsily toward us up the slope, his breath making noxious clouds in the air. He addressed his lord in their Romanian tongue, “Boyar! They come! They come!”
I turned to look down the slope of the mountain. A dark column was drawing closer to us from the woods along the river. Irving told the boy to make sure the villagers were all shut tight inside. As the frightened mortal stumbled back down the hillside, the Boyar told us, “Remember, you are foreigners here. Do not draw their ire, nor show any fear when they try to provoke it. Remember we are allies, and do not contradict me in their presence.” Edmund and Theodoric looked unconvinced at this statement, but we all knew that Irving wouldn’t betray us now.
The horses at the front of the column led the way through the village, and did so without emitting a breath. Behind them, there were living mounts for the knights, but many of them could hardly be called horses anymore. Following the mounts, and making up the bulk of the army were infantry. Not the sort of foot soldiers one would see in the outside world, but warriors of every contorted shape and grotesque countenance imaginable. Even after hearing Irving’s description of the Voivode soldiers, I was unprepared for what I saw. My companions were affected even more greatly. “No fear”, I whispered softly to them in Latin as the terrible horde approached us.
“Hail Boyar!” The leader surprised us by addressing Irving in Latin. “To whom do we have the honor of meeting with you on our visit?” The entourage came to a halt just outside the open gate. The green and black leathers covering the horses hung motionless in the still air.
“Good evening, Lord Voivode. May I present my other guests, Latin crusaders on their way to the Holy Land to battle the Arabs.”
The Voivode scoffed. “I have no love for the Christians, but the Saracens are worse. I hope their mortals slaughter each other and stop using our land as a crossroads.”
An uncomfortable silence descended on the village. Irving said, “Will you be staying the day?”
“No, for we must march to the east for the rest of the night. But there is a matter I would speak of.”
“Of course. Please allow me to welcome you and your generals inside my home.”
The Voivode and the five others sitting nearest to him dismounted and strode through the gateway. The Voivode was amazingly tall, towering over even Theodoric. His armor was several layers of iron mail over a thick leather cuirass, but did not seem to affect his movement. At first I thought he wore a helm of fearsome design, with a pointed chin, wing-like ears and two curving horns protruding from the forehead. But as he stepped among us I could see that all those features were his own. The Voivode’s generals likewise did not look the part of men. The first was a thin man wrapped in black furs, clutching a gnarled staff with a muscular arm. His face was all but concealed by his mass of long black hair and beard. Then there was a pair of broad-shouldered knights completely covered in stained leather armor that sported spikes. A woman clad in a flowing gown of iron mail followed just behind the Voivode, her face hidden by a plain leather mask. The last general had been brought into the night as a very old man, his wizened features peering out from a hooded robe sewn together from moldering human faces.
“Another sacrifice to the dawn?” The Voivode nodded his horned head toward the mutilated figure of Brother Jon who still writhed in agony on his stake.
“Yes, Lord Voivode. We often catch Usurpers traversing the lands near the village. We entice them here, and see that they meet a fitting end.”
“His vitae is thick. You should have saved him for me.”
“Forgive my ignorance, Lord Voivode. The next time I know you are on your way to visit, I shall preserve the night’s prisoners for you.”
As a group, we all made our way into the Boyar’s house, and took chairs around the dining table. Irving sat at one end; the Voivode sat on the other. The Boyar’s daughter Usuri served us goblets of warm vitae drawn from the Boyar’s mortal servants and then stood in the doorway to the front room.
“So, I trust that the war goes well?” Irving asked in a cordial tone.
“We make progress still. But the flying demons harry us. They have halted two other hosts, and even I have lost soldiers to their cowardly raids. Now that we travel into the south I expect to see them more and more.”
“As always, you may count on whatever support my humble village can offer.”
“I would expect no more, Boyar. But this night I come to you to discuss a theft.”
I kept my face expressionless, and hoped my companions did the same. Irving replied, “What has been stolen, Lord Voivode?”
“What has been stolen from me is an ally: a Cainite of royal blood, who would have lent his strength to our war effort. His resting place was disturbed while he slept.”
Irving seemed to think for a moment before replying. “Is it possible someone sent their mortal servants to capture him?”
“No, it certainly is not. He was kept in a place no mortal could reach, and protected with Szlachta. And not only was he himself taken, but his heavy bronze coffin was stolen as well.”
“Forgive me, my Lord Voivode, but I have heard nothing of this Cainite you speak of, or of his bronze coffin.”
“Then perhaps these others have heard of this crime. The Cainite that I speak of is an elder of the Clan of Seers, who could be manipulated into helping an army conquer its enemies. Perhaps enemies in their Holy Land, I imagine.”
I broke my silence then. “My Lord, we are but travelers from Venice on our way to Constantinople. Our Christian army knows nothing of our nature, and we would never endanger their immortal souls by revealing one of the Blood to them. Cainite allies like the one you speak of would be no use to us.”
The Voivode shot to his feet, his horns narrowly missing the ceiling beam above him. “Who are you who dares to address me out of turn?” His mouth twisted into a sneer, revealing rows of sharp fangs. “Thieving foreigners like you should be made to grovel on your hands and knees and disembowel yourself before even speaking to me!” At once, the rest of us stood around the table and hands were on weapons.”
“My lords, hold!” Irving made a gesture of supplication. “If it would please the Lord Voivode, I may assure you that no such Cainite is to be found in my lands. Allow me to guide you through the rooms of my house if you have any doubt…”
“You have served the Voivodate well, Boyar, and I will take you up on your offer to provide any assistance necessary. We will search this house, and the village as well. And if any sign is found that you have been deceitful, you will share the fate of that cursed prisoner of yours outside!”
The Voivode issued an order to the man in black furs, who faded into the darkness under the table. Shouts could soon be heard from outside as the Voivode’s forces were given instructions to raze the village. We stood in the dining room helplessly as the man in black furs and the masked woman walked through the Boyar’s house, turning over furniture and terrifying the servants. Irving stood with his eyes squeezed shut, as if concentrating on something. When all of the rooms had been assessed, the man in black furs reentered the dining room and said, “My Beloved Lord Voivode, we can find no other Cainite or coffin hidden within this house. However, there is a tapestry…”
At that moment, shrieks and battle cries were heard. The Voivode and his servants rushed to the front of the house, and we followed them outside, where all was chaos.
The Voivode’s army was scattered through the village. Many of the huts had been broken into, and the bodies of their occupants had been dragged out and lay sprawled on the ground. The pillaging soldiers had ceased attacking the villagers, and now sought to defend themselves from the sky.
Demons seemingly crafted from solid stone circled and dived among the Voivode’s men, slashing them with talons or smashing them with powerful blows.
The Voivode and his generals ran to their horses. The Voivode shouted “Reform! Reform!” and his men began to assemble on the hillside before him. The flock of gargoyles began to withdraw and fly off to the east. As they left, a great undulation rose up from the army, and curses were hurled after the retreating attackers.
The Voivode turned to look at us one last time with a hateful glare, and then ordered his troops to pursue the flying enemies.
We watched the Voivode’s host move away from the village until the last had disappeared behind a ridge. As soon as they were gone, a rhythmic flapping of wings announced the arrival of a large gargoyle that landed beside Brother Jon, and carefully pulled him off of the stake.
Irving spoke to it first. “We thank you for coming to our assistance, servant of the Tremere. I did not really expect you to answer my call.”
The gargoyle finished freeing Jon from his bindings, and regarded us with eyes that glowed like coals in the darkness. His voice was deep, as you would expect from one who spoke with a stone tongue. “You and Regent Jon are united now, and as you called me, I must obey as if he had. You all are of the same clutch of eggs now.”
The gargoyle’s words chilled me to the core of my heart. There, in the Boyar’s courtyard, we regarded each other, as the meaning of our union became clear. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I could hear Achadremenos laughing.
Stryck Wiki