The guard stepped into the room, holding his arm up to his nose. He looked towards the captain, avoiding looking at what laid behind him. The captain beckoned him closer, so he obeyed, the light of his lantern slowly revealing what had been in the captain’s shadow. His eyes looked down for a moment, drawn to what could be now clearly seen but they darted back up to meet the captain’s gaze. His face tired but not showing any signs of disgust, the guard wished he could do the same.
“The kaihand is at a small temple,” he said.
“Lower your arm,” the captain said, “did you also go to the main one and alert the high priest?”
The guard lowered his arm, scrunching his nose, “he did not appreciate being awoken, but I gave him your request.”
The captain nodded. “Let us wait out front, there’s nothing we can do here.”
He bowed his head and moved outside, taking a breath of fresh air once he could. The night air was damp still from the rain during the day, it had stopped just before sunset, but there still remained puddles along the street. The captain came out and handed his lantern to the other guard who had been waiting outside. He took out his pipe and stuffed some resin inside, using the lantern to light it. The guard sniffed the air, the smoke smelled like dry fruit and earthy herbs. Occasionally he would smoke with his sister’s husband, but they never got the same quality stuff the captain always had. His always seemed to have more subtle aromas.
After the captain had finished his smoke and the other lantern had gone out, three men approached them. The shortest stood in the middle, holding a lantern in his left hand, his right was hidden under a cloak. The guard could see the lamellar armour underneath when it caught the light as the man walked. On his left, the tallest of them, a little taller than the captain, had an embroidered strip catching all the light of the lantern: within a circle there was a blossoming fruit tree with a stoat underneath. The third man was in the shadow of the first, all the guard could see at first was his outline. He had his hair tied up in a knot and was carrying a sword. As they drew closer to the house, the details emerged, they all had their hair tied back in some way, their robes were bright under their dark cloaks.
“Thank you for coming in the night,” the captain half bowed, holding his hands together.
They all bowed their heads and held their hands together. The one with the lantern spoke, “we appreciate you having us called immediately, captain, rather than wait until the morning, may we see inside”
“Of course, follow me.” The captain opened the door and led them in.
The man with the high knot smiled at the guard on his way in. The guard looked away, uncertain why would someone smile entering into such a gruesome scene.
Caryth set his lantern down in the middle of the room and squatted, taking in the full scene while Juran, Zacmos and the captain stood behind him. A man and a woman laid on the ground, their limbs about in awkward positions, the man’s back arched, both of their robes torn off, leaving them uncovered. Parts of their skin had been flayed, wedding bands missing from their wrists. The abdomens ripped open, like a pack of coyotes had got at them, flesh and blood was strewn about, some splattered on the walls and the ceiling. Cayrth stood back up, taking the lantern with him so he could look at the man’s back.
“His mark has been flayed,” he said as he stood back in the middle, he pointed to both bodies, “I think the other removed skin were their aseshand tattoos.”
“I don’t see their wedding bands,” Juran said looking around.
“I searched for them,” the captain said, “I found some other jewelry they had hidden, some coin, nothing else was taken.”
“It’s only the symbols of the Tribune missing,” Zacmos said, moving around to look at the bodies from another angle.
Juran nodded, “not a good sign.”
Juran knelt in the middle of the room, resting his hands on his knees and closing his eyes, he began to chant softly to himself.
Caryth looked to the captain, “their kai was unharmed?”
“Yes, but he was covered in blood, he must have been right here when it happened.”
Caryth looked to Zacmos, who frowned and shook his head. Caryth sighed. “Where is the kai now?”
“He was taken to a small temple neaby.”
Caryth put his hand on Juran’s shoulder, “follow us once you’re finished.”
“You’re leaving already?” asked the captain.
“Yes, we need to see the kai as well.”
“The guard outside,” the captain pointed, “he can take you.”
Caryth nodded, he went outside and Zacmos followed. The guard holding the lantern turned to look at them.
“Can you take us to the temple you took the kai to?”
“Yes, follow me.”
They began walking but Caryth made the guard pick up the pace. They moved quickly through the street, first along the river then through a narrow alley until they came to a small temple. The guard banged at the door for them. Caryth did not like how long they were waiting, he got his flat mace free and held it in his right hand under his cloak. Zacmos unsheathed his sword as Caryth used his left hand to open the door slowly, peeking in.
“Stay here,” Caryth said to the guard and he went inside, Zacmos following behind him.
He could smell something coppery over the faint scent of burnt out incense. There was something else, a smell he noticed in the house that he had come from what the captain had been smoking. The main area was empty, they moved slowly to the back near the altar, scanning the shadows for any movement. There were faint sounds coming from the back rooms, Caryth approached the half open door just so he could peek in, but he could not see anything without casting a shadow into the room first. He looked to Zacmos and nodded towards the door.
Zacmos quickly approached the door and opened it all the way, swiftly moving into a guarded stance. Caryth could see an old priest on the ground, he looked like the man and woman from the house. Zacmos relaxed his guard, giving space for Caryth to walk in and look around. There was a large basin of water, slightly red with rags in it and what looked like the kai’s robes hanging next to the fire. A trail of blood led further into the back. Both followed it cautiously together. The small hallway opened into a larger room with a few empty beds around the walls. The kaihand was squatting in the middle of the room bare but covered in blood, his parents’ bands were around his forearms, his head was held up and he dropped something from above into his mouth and chewed it.
“By Narasimir,” Zacmos said.
The kaihand stood up and looked over at them smiling as he kept chewing. Caryth stood there, there was no other door, only some windows high up on the wall, he would have to try to go through them to get out. The kaihand started laughing, his hands held his stomach as he began laughing harder, until he started coughing. He fell to the ground, using one hand to keep himself up, he kept coughing until he began to heave. He threw up. It was that same smell Caryth noticed at the house, but so much more intense and disgusting, like a rot. He looked at the vomit on the ground between them and saw the torn and chewed up pieces of flesh that had been the tattoos and the marks. The kaisesh knelt back onto his feet and laughed lightly again, looking at Zacmos.
“Vile creature.” Zacmos said.
“It’s not a demon,” a voice behind them, Juran had caught up to them.
“What else could do this?” Caryth asked, not taking his eyes off the kaisesh. It seemed like the blood was continuously dropping off of him.
“A corrupt object, we just need to take it from him.” Juran pointed and Caryth noticed his other hand was clenched. “Try not to hurt him, the effect is different than possession.”
“You can try.” The kaihand said before he sprung up at Juran.
Caryth stood in the way, using his left arm to grab the kaisesh by the shoulder. He felt himself be pushed back a bit, instinctively he swung his mace at the kaisesh who blocked it by punching it with the clenched hand. The kaihand laughed, he rolled his other arm to push Caryth off his shoulder and jumped back. Zacmos had sheathed his sword, he moved forward and tried to use the scabbard to trip the kaihand, but he had jumped up and kicked Zacmos in the face, knocking him back a few feet.
He grunted, “I thought you said it was different than possession.”
“His flesh is weak and won’t heal quickly, the strength he is using is likely also injuring him, we need to subdue him quickly.”
Juran began a chant to summon the Grace, but the kaihand began screeching. Caryth felt his ears pop and moved towards the kaisesh. There was a glow around the kaihand’s clenched fist, like liquid, it looked like a metal came out from his palm and surrounded his hand, extending out into a flat, sharp point. Caryth barely had time to raise his mace up. The blade deflected up, cutting through his cloak and catching his arm. The kaihand moved to strike Caryth again before he had time to recover, but Zacmos’ blade knocked his hand back as he stood in front of Caryth.
Zacmos brought his blade down with two hands, the kaihand blocked but had to take a step back. Zacmos pushed more, the two moving back away from Caryth. Juran began to channel the Grace again, Caryth readied himself in case the kaihand broke away from Zacmos. As Juran performed his incantation, the kaihand hissed. He stepped the side and pushed Zacmos’s blade away. Caryth moved forward before the kaihand could try to get to Juran, instead the kaihand jumped backward, onto the wall, using the blade to punch into the stone so he could vault up to the window and escape.
Juran grabbed Caryth and asked, “are you alright?”
“It’s deep,” he said as he shook his head, “he would have got my heart.”
Zacmos sheathed his sword, “he can’t keep this up?”
Juran shook his head as he pulled back the fabric around Caryth’s wounds, “he’s likely sprained or broken some of his bones already, once we get the object from him and the he’s free of the corruption, he’s going to be in agony.”
“What can we do to stop him quicker?”
“The Grace will take too long, we need what’s in his hand. Something to bind him may be the only option.”
“I could remove his hand, would that do it?”
“Zac,” Caryth said, “he became an orphan today, he may be scarred with the memory of everything he’s done, we can’t cripple him also.”
“He may cripple himself worse if this goes on,” Zacmos turned to the door, “I will track him for now, you better come up with a plan.”
Caryth grunted as he walked away. Taking his hand might be the quickest way, if the kaihand somehow broke his back or maimed his legs, it may be worse than losing a hand. He needed a way to catch him.
“Juran, what will he try to do, what is the nature of the corruption in the object?”
Juran finished up his rough bandage after he stopped the bleeding using the Grace.
He took a step back and put a hand under his chin, “based on the emotions I felt and the things it’s made him do, it’s like a revenge against the Tribune. If anything I’d say this is the Purge itself.”
Caryth looked over at him, “what?”
“Sorry, like the Purge. It must have been created by someone corrupted by Akadorcha or Argryn.”
“Based on the rotting smell when he threw the skin up, even Nasver, maybe we are dealing with all their priests.”
Juran shook head, “not likely, I doubt they would come together for something like this.”
“Well the why doesn’t matter if we can guess his next actions or a way to get him trapped.”
“Yes, back to the emotions, it was rage, frustration, hurt. It’s torn off the symbols that represent the Tribune, made the orphan wear the wedding bands of his dead parents, it’s mocking the gods.”
“Why eat the scarred and tattooed flesh? That doesn’t seem to me to fit into rage, frustration or hurt.”
“No, you’re right.”
Caryth went over to the pieces of skin on the floor and looked at them. The smell was wretched. He picked up one of the pieces of skin and dropped it, wiping his finger off on his cloak.
“Rotten smell and flesh tinged black. Maybe someone the Tribune failed to heal?”
“There’s a hospice on the south side across the river.”
“Should we wait for Juran?”
“No, let’s go.”
They began running towards the hospice. The guard tried to ask them something but they kept on moving. Caryth took the lead and led them through alleys and hidden bypasses, having an intimate knowledge of the city had always helped him move faster than others.
They came to the bridge and stopped halfway through. Juran held his hands together and began preemptively summoning the Grace. Caryth took off his cloak and rolled it together like a rope.
A few minutes later, the kaihand with Zamcos not far behind came running to the bridge. He saw the two of them and let out another unnaturally loud screech. As the kaihand lunged forward with his metal hand, Juran shouted the final words of the incantation and opened his hands outward at the kaihand. A bright beam hit the kaihand in the face, making him stop and hold up his hands.
Caryth rushed forward, wrapping his cloak around the kaihand and his arms. He writhed, trying to get free. His hand blade caught Caryth in the leg and they fell to the ground together. He held on tight, trying to wrap his other leg around the kaisesh’s so he would move less.
The kaihand began screaming, Caryth felt his ears pop again. Zacmos came over and grabbed the kaihand’s forearm with one hand and with the other covered his mouth. Juran came in and placed his vestments over the kaihand’s hand, focusing the Grace to revert the metal blade back to whatever it was before.
Zacmos yelled and lost his grip as the kaihand managed to bite part of his hand. The blade swung more, catching Caryth’s leg again. With that and the screaming, he could feel himself getting to his limit, pain pounded throughout his body and a darkness was around his vision but he held the kaihand tight, determined to keep in place until he was unable.
Juran stood up, raising a hand to the sky, still chanting his incantation despite the kaihand’s screaming. Zacmos had given up trying to silence him and held his arm with both hands. Caryth could see a bright flash in the sky as Juran’s hand came down before his vision and all the pain finally faded away.
The guard heard the same loud sound again. The same one from the temple that sounded like screaming, he felt the hairs on his neck prickle up in spite of how hot he was from running around the summer night.
The captain stopped dead in his tracks when there was a blinding flash of light that came out of the sky, like a thick lightning. The guard stopped behind him, only able to catch a single breath as the captain started running again. The guard wished he seemed more like his age, the captain was almost in his heitesh, but still managed to outrun most of those under his service.
They came to the bridge a few minutes later, it looked like they were all on the ground. As they approached, Juran was kneeling next to the kaihand holding his forehand with one hand and his belly with another. His eyes closed and praying. Zacsoth was next to Garyth, he looked up to them.
The captain raised his hands to a half bow, “is he going to make it?”
Zacsoth looked over to the kaihand, “he will, his arm is broken and he’ll take a month or longer to heal from everything.”
The captain cleared his throat and looked down to Garyth.
Zacsoth looked down and padded a bandaged leg. “He lost a lot of blood but will be fine.”
The captain nodded. The guard looked at the kai and Garyth, blood was everywhere on the ground. He noticed something catching the light of his lantern near the edge of the bridge. He went over and picked it up, holding it to the light. It was a small, polished carving of a rose. There was a dark shadow along it, he tried turning it in the light but it wouldn’t go away. He held it closer.
A cloth covered it and it was pulled from his hands by the tall one, Juran. His eyes followed it as Juran folded it neatly in the cloth and walked away. He could have sworn he heard whispering but it didn’t sound like Juran praying. Juran turned to the captain after.
“Could you get a stretcher and some other men to help us move them both?”
The captain whistled and motioned for the guard. His eyes lingered on the cloth in Juran’s hand for a moment before he looked up to the captain, “I’ll get the others.”
He sighed to himself and began running off again to complete his orders.
Amid Worlds, Between Time 