Primeval fic: A Gathering Of Forces 3: Oaths Given And Promises Made
Title: A Gathering Of Forces 3: Oaths Given And Promises Made
Author: knitekat
Word Count: ~6940
Characters: Matt Anderson, James Lester, Blade (OC), OCs
Rating: 15
Disclaimer: Primeval belongs to Impossible Pictures. Certainly not me. Writing for fun and will replace. Blade belongs to Fredbassett.
A/N: For my Primeval Bingo Card (round 2) prompt: Oaths And Promises. Part Three of my A Gathering Of Forces AU Fantasy 'verse, first fic is here and the second is here. Thanks go to the wonderful Fififolle for the beta.
The dark-clad man tugged his horse to a halt at the crest of the last hill south of the true Isenfells and considered his options. To the left, looming over the lowlands, lay the brooding Burrow Downs while straight ahead lay the Isenway, the well maintained paved road which led down into the rolling lowlands of The Ridan. But which way would his prey have chosen when the man knew he was being hunted?
He pulled his hood back to reveal dark hair and troubled eyes, his gaze searching for any sign of movement on the Downs. Would the man he hunted - one Niall the Blade - risk travelling over that desolate place just to lose his tracker? He shook his head and dismissed that as an option, only a madman would risk the Downs from the tales he'd heard about it, and Niall wasn't mad. No, he would pretend to be a traveller and move from place to place as he attempted to lose him, keeping as low a profile as the masterful assassin Niall was.
His mind made up, he nudged his horse on, knowing he would soon find settlements along the road, ones where he might find his latest bounty or at least clues to where Niall was heading. Hopefully he'd be close behind the other man and would swiftly catch him, he had grown bored of being on the road and craved the companionship of sitting in an inn and watching the locals interact around him, even if he sat forever apart. He shook his head, much as he wished he could just relax for a time, the promise he'd made to his father drove him on in his seemingly endless search for the answers he needed.
His attention returned to the road and he frowned at the trees and thick undergrowth that crowded close to its edges, wondering why it hadn't been cleared back instead of being left to provide the perfect hiding place for bandits or other creatures to ambush travellers... and the perfect place for Niall to wait for him if the man knew he was being hunted - and Niall did. His every sense was alert and his hand rested on the hilt of his sword as he clicked his horse forward, and even then he almost missed the symbol that appeared to have been melted into a slab of stone off to one side. Well, that explained that, he grumbled to himself, not even the risk of ambush would convince anyone to cut a tree down in a place sacred to one of the Gods that ruled the wilderness.
He rounded a bend in the road and pulled his horse to a stop, cursing his inattention when he found his quarry mounted on a black horse and watching him with cold, green eyes. He let the energy build as he began to silently recite the words of a spell. Niall quickly made a warding sign, one that had the bounty hunter's eyebrow quirk slightly as he manipulated the power. “I've not seen that ward for a long time.”
Niall shrugged. “I learned it from my gran. She's one of the cunning folk.”
“I am Matt Anderson,” the bounty hunter said. “Why did you stop here? You could have ridden hard and been several villages away by now.”
Niall shrugged. “I wanted to know why a mage is chasing me.”
“Because you assassinated a merchant up in the Isenfells.”
“That fat bastard deserved it, and you know it,” Niall growled back. “Not just the short changing but selling shoddy goods.” He glared at Matt, his eyes cold as green ice. “Several got sick after eating his fare and a boy died.”
“And you could have left it to the authorities to deal with him,” Matt pointed out, “rather than kill for coin.”
“Authorities?” Niall snorted. “The only authorities up there belong to whoever pays them and he paid them to look away.”
“So, you killed him out of the goodness of your heart?” Matt asked in disbelief.
“Of course not,” Niall informed him. “I got provisions and a few rough stones they had.” He glared at Matt. “And your spell should tell you I speak the truth.”
Matt nodded, letting the spell fade and knowing Niall certainly believed he spoke the truth. “His business partner informed me you stole all the money they'd made from their trading.”
“That would be the money he stole from their trading company after I killed his partner, I expect.”
Matt didn't know the answer to that, but he wouldn't have put it past the merchant, remembering how the man had been reluctant to part with any coins for his own hire, and then barely the minimum amount at that. “Say I believe you, you still killed a man.”
Niall fingered one of the many knives he wore. “And you're going to try and bring me in?”
Before Matt could reply, both men's horses started when a young man dashed into their midst, his clothing torn and bloodied. He slipped and fell, desperately scrabbling to regain his feet and failing. “Don't let it get me! Don't let it get me!”
Matt swung off his horse and drew his sword as he began to weave his power. “Troll?” Niall shrugged as he dismounted and slapped his horse's rump, sending it safely into the trees. He drew his knives and gave Matt a feral grin. Matt now understood why Niall was an assassin, the man got off on danger.
Matt couldn't hear anything approaching, even with every sense straining to the utmost, and turned to the man to see if he could find out what was chasing him. One look at him told Matt the man was too scared to make any sense and he turned back to Niall, knowing the assassin was better suited than he was for scouting. “Do you want to go and see what it is?”
Niall nodded before he silently moved through the vegetation at the side of the road, leaving hardly a sign that he'd passed. He was only gone for a few minutes before he returned, a look of disappointment on his face. “Nothing. What did he have to say?”
Matt frowned before turning towards the man and swore. The man was gone. But he would have heard the man if he'd ran. “What the hell?” He moved over to where the man had been lying and checked for tracks. “What’s the nearest village?”
Niall looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. “Remmnan.” He cocked his head and considered Matt. “Are we going to Remmnan? Together?”
Matt nodded. “You could give me your word as an Assassin that you won't run and I can give you mine that I won't attempt to capture you until we know what's happening.”
Niall snorted. “Fine, bounty hunter.”
Matt mounted his horse and set off towards the village, a cold shiver down his back as he felt something watching him and he knew the eyes didn't belong to Niall. He glanced at the trees and thought he saw something moving through them but when he stopped his horse for a closer look - whatever it was had vanished.
***
The road curved before the trees gave way to open fields full of growing crops, but devoid of anyone tending them. Matt started at a noise but on investigation found it was only a flock of sheep cowered in a hollow, seemingly too scared to move or even utter a sound.
Matt's expression didn't alter when they entered the village, even though every sense screamed of danger and their horses' hooves sounded far too loud in the stillness. Not a person stirred, even though it was mid-afternoon. The familiar sounds and sights were absent - the clang of a hammer on an anvil, the good natured chatting of villagers as they worked, the sound of children laughing as they played. He tugged his horse to a halt and swung down, patting his mount before whispering in his ear. He nodded at Niall before he drew his sword and cautiously walked into the eerily silent village, ready for any threat - man or beast - and the sense he was being watched had only increased. He knew Niall followed behind him, close enough to provide support yet not so close as to be caught in the same attack. A squeak had Matt spinning quickly as he dropped into a combat stance, his sword raised and a ball of power in his other hand.
“It is but a shutter swinging in the breeze,” Niall informed him but Matt noticed the assassin didn't relax.
Matt breathed out slowly before straightening, but he stayed alert. The foe he'd been raised to fight too often used distraction to lull its prey into a false sense of security and, even in his current role, his human prey often tried to do the same. He gestured to Niall to guard his back as he walked into the house, his every sense alert as he quickly but thoroughly searched the two rooms and loft. The furniture was scattered and food left uneaten on the table... whatever had happened had been fast. He stepped back out of the house and caught Niall's eye as he shook his head. “Empty.”
“What happened to them?” Niall asked as he scanned the village. “If anyone was still here, they should have come out by now.” He turned to look at Matt. “Slavers?”
“This far into the Realm?” Matt wondered aloud. True slavery, as opposed to indenture servitude, was illegal within the Realm, even if not so in the bordering nations... but for a slave raid to penetrate this far was unheard of and for the slavers to take everyone - man, woman and child, hale or not - was even rarer.
“What else can it be?” Niall asked. “It's not trolls as the doors and walls are whole and there are no discarded limbs lying around and it can't be a dragon, otherwise the place would be burning. What else could it be but a slave raid?”
“I hope you're right,” Matt told him, knowing of other things which could do this and hoping to any Gods who would hear his prayers that it wasn't one of them.
“Gasts, you mean?” Niall asked, before dismissing the idea with a shake of his head. “Not likely.”
Matt had to agree, the villagers should have observed all the offerings to the Gods and, living this close to the Downs, he doubted they'd forgo any of them. Not unless someone had disturbed a barrow and raised a vengeful gast... and who'd be fool enough to do that? He could only hope it wasn't what he feared it was... they couldn't be here already, for if they were it might mean he was already too late.
“I'll check the next one,” Niall announced before moving, deadly silently, towards one of the houses, clearly showing why he was so good as an assassin. He slipped inside as if a gast himself and Matt shook that thought from his head before following Niall, almost wincing at every sound he made himself.
By the time they'd checked the seventh house, both men had given up any hope of finding anyone still alive. By the tenth house, Matt was firmly of the opinion this wasn't the work of slavers and, by the grim look on Niall's face, he knew his new - if temporary - ally agreed.
The sound of something falling had both men tensing before Matt used hand signals to convey his plan to Niall, waiting for the assassin to nod before he chose the spell he would cast. He began to gather the required energy as he watched Niall approach the door with his knives drawn. Matt held the ball of power ready and held his breath as Niall slowly reached out for the catch, his fingers gripping it before he yanked it open and dodged to the side, his blades raised and ready to strike.
Matt saw movement and fired off a bolt of fire, finding his aim jogged as something slammed into him and the bolt slamming against the ceiling and igniting it. He struggled to free himself from whoever held him, before hearing Niall's voice in his ear. “It's a boy.”
The knowledge he'd almost incinerated a blameless boy stopped Matt's struggles and he just lay on the floor, staring up at the burning roof until Niall hauled him to his feet and pushed him stumbling out of the building where he dropped to his knees.
He watched as Niall emerged mere moments later with the quaking boy in hand and crouched down, Niall's voice gentle as he asked, “What happened here?”
Tears streaked the boy's face as he shook his head, his eyes full of fear.
Matt retreated into his training and gathered his wits, he needed to know what had happened here and whether it was what he most feared. Matt pasted a smile on his face before he knelt by the boy and Niall. “Was it men?”
The boy shook his head, his gaze darting around as if he expected to be attacked at any moment.
“He's too scared to tell us anything,” Niall murmured before glancing back at the burning building. He rose and held out a hand to the boy. “Come with me.” Matt trailed behind them as Niall led the boy towards one of the buildings they'd already searched and settled the boy into a nook, hidden from casual view. “Stay here until we come back for you, OK?”
The boy nodded, his eyes wide with fear before he squeezed even deeper into the hiding spot and hid his eyes.
“I promise I'll come back for you,” Niall said as he ruffled the boy's hair, meeting his fear-filled gaze when the boy dared to open his eyes. He smiled, one that Matt noticed reached the assassin's eyes for the first time since he'd met him, before unsheathing one of his namesake blades. He offered it hilt-first to the shaking boy. “Keep this safe for me,” Niall said. When the boy gingerly took the blade, holding it as if it might bite him, Niall added, “It was the first blade my father gave me.”
The boy stared at the knife before holding it tightly in one little fist before settling back into his hiding place, still scared but Matt could tell the boy felt safer. He frowned as he considered Niall. Who would have thought an assassin would be so gentle with a child? It was something to think about when their lives weren't in quite as much danger.
Once they were outside, Niall said, his voice barely a whisper, “He's terrified... what the hell did he see?”
Matt shrugged before realising he needed to tell Niall what he feared they faced. “I don't think it is gasts or men, Niall.”
“What do you think it is?”
“Demons.”
Niall's green eyes bore into Matt before the man cursed. “You really think it is demons?”
“Yes,” Matt nodded. “They can wipe a village out and their very form would certainly terrify a boy.”
“Great,” Niall muttered as he turned to continue checking the rest of the village. “I don't mind danger, Matt, but I prefer something I can kill.”
“They can be killed.”
Niall turned back to look at Matt. “You're not just a mage and bounty hunter, are you? You're a bloody demon hunter bounty hunting on the side.”
Matt shrugged. “It keeps me in coin and practice.”
Niall eyed him before smiling. “So, how do I kill one?”
“Apart from spells, do enough physical damage to one and it will die. The trouble is doing that before it kills you. Then you just have to make sure to burn them afterwards and then get a priest to purify the area.”
“Sounds simple enough,” Niall murmured as he checked his various knives, pausing on the empty sheath, before he stalked off to check out the next house.
***
Matt paused outside the last building left to check and looked up at the swinging sign above its door - a raven perched on a rock. “Ready?”
“This place served some damn good ale, and the stew and spiced potatoes...” Niall sighed. “It'll be a pity if Frederick and his kin are dead.”
Matt shot him a look before entering the inn, his quick reflexes the only thing that saved him when a blur leapt at him. He quickly rolled to his feet and looked for his foe, noticing Niall had his back to a wall and his blades drawn before he let both fly and quickly drew two more.
The shriek told Matt those knives had found their target and he quickly gathered the energy he needed, feeling blood drip from his nose as he pushed himself to the limit. He waited until he was sure he could see the demon before sending a shower of black ice shards towards it, smiling grimly as blood blossomed on its hide.
Niall didn't make a sound as he leapt at the demon, he was grinning widely and his green eyes flashed with excitement while his blades flashed as blood flew before he ducked a swinging claw and hissed as it caught him a glancing blow.
Matt took advantage of the distraction to send his own blade slashing deep into the creature's back and sending spells when he was sure he wouldn't catch Niall as well. The two men began to slowly wear the demon down, one striking while the other defended himself from the demon's claws, turning the beast this way and that and not allowing it a moment to rest. He knew they needed to end this fight soon, for he was tiring and bleeding and Niall didn't look in much better shape. He was relieved to see the demon finally begin to slow down and then Niall stepped in close and rammed one of his blades up beneath its chin and into its head. When he released the hilt, the demon collapsed and Niall kicked it before putting a boot on its face and retrieving his blade.
Matt panted as he regained his breath and wiped the blood from his nose before turning to Niall, his experienced eye noting the various wounds the assassin bore stoically. “Niall?”
Niall waved his concern off. “I'm fine. It just got a few lucky strikes.” He wiped his blade clean on a cleaning cloth from the bar. “You?”
“Same.” Matt replied, an eyebrow quirking slightly when he noticed the arousal tenting Niall's trousers... the assassin was a bloody danger addict. “Now we burn it.”
“Ugly looking bastard,” Niall commented as he stared down at the beast he'd killed. “What is it?”
Matt had to agree as he took in the demon's visage, it had hairless skin of a greyish hue and its long, gangly limbs ended in sharp claws. Its large head had a lipless mouth full of sharp teeth, a strange opening in the centre of its face and eyes seemed so small as to be nearly useless.
“You do know what it is?”
“It's a Lutian and it doesn't belong here.”
Niall frowned at him. “Does any demon?”
“No,” Matt paused, wondering what he should tell Niall. “These ones are intelligent, fast and deadly. We were lucky for they usually hunt in packs and love ambushes. It is why they are commonly called Skulker Demons.”
“By demon hunters maybe.” Niall peered at the beast. “Doesn't look like any demon I've ever heard the priests talk about.” He grabbed an ankle and started to drag it out of the inn.
“They come in many forms and shapes, as many as man could dream of,” Matt began before trailing off as he heard a noise. He glanced at Niall and noticed the assassin had dropped his hold on the demon and had drawn his blades once more.
Both men stood ready with blades and, in Matt's case, magic as they listened intently but they could only hear their own breathing.
“Another demon?” Niall asked quietly.
Matt shrugged. “Maybe. They do hunt in packs.”
Niall nodded. “Cover me.” He stepped forward and almost seemed to glide across the floor. He paused when he moved behind the bar and cocked his head as if listening intently. He waved Matt nearer and pointed at the floor when the mage reached him.
Matt grinned at the trapdoor in the floor, if the sound had come from there it was unlikely to be more Lutians, but rather surviving villagers. He smiled in relief before opening the trapdoor and found himself yanked backwards by Niall as a crossbow bolt shot through the space he had been occupying. “We're human!” He shook his head, that was a stupid rookie mistake, one that might have got him killed apart from Niall's reflexes.
A man stepped into the dim light the trapdoor let into the cellar, his eyes wide with fright and a crossbow clasped firmly in his hands. “You don't look like demons.”
Niall rolled his eyes when he looked at Matt before he returned to dragging the dead demon from the inn. “I'll burn it, you talk to them.”
The man climbed up the steps into the inn. “Is it safe?”
“For now, we killed the beast,” Matt informed him. “Niall is going to burn it and you need to have a priest purify the area.”
The man stared at him before turning back to the cellar he'd emerged from. “Leo!”
Another man appeared, this one rather portly. “Frederick?”
“They're burning the demon,” Frederick informed him. “You need to...”
“Purify the area,” Leo interrupted. “I do remember.” He nodded to Matt as he left to follow Niall. “My thanks to you and your friend.”
***
A short time and one burnt and purified demon later, Matt sat at a table in the inn and watched as Leo bandaged Niall's wounds, having already had his own seen to. The villagers were subdued and some still shook with fear, like the boy they'd found earlier and who now huddled in front of the hearth, Niall's blade still held protectively in his hands.
Frederick put food down on the table in front of Matt and Niall, along with tankards of ale. He looked torn between curiosity and concern before he finally asked. “Who are you?”
“Niall the Blade,” Niall informed him.
“Matt Anderson,” Matt replied as he glanced around at the thankfully large number of villagers crowded within the inn's main room. “Can anyone tell us what happened?”
Several looks were exchanged before Frederick spoke. “It came in the night about a week ago. When we woke the next morning it was to find an entire household had disappeared. No sign of a struggle, no blood and no one heard a sound in the night.” He shook his head at the memory. “The next night, we set watches but still no one heard anything when another house was found empty in the morning.”
“No one went for help?” Matt asked, although he understood the reluctance of anyone to leave even the pitiful protection of the village.
“Oh aye,” Frederick said. “A small group set off but it wasn't more than two hours before the only survivor staggered back. Addled with fear and gibbering fit for a mad man. Even though we had people stay with him that night, he vanished without a sound when their backs were turned for but an instant.”
“And then you decided to shelter in the cellar?” Niall enquired mildly.
“We had decided it was demons hunting us and Leo thought we'd be safer all together with the priests sanctifying the cellar. It kept the demons out but we were running out of food.” He sighed. “A few men tried to leave in the daylight, thinking they could gather supplies before the demon saw them...” Frederick didn't need to finish that tale.
Matt looked up when Frederick's words registered. “Demons?”
“There was more than one?” Niall added.
“Aye,” Frederick informed them. “At least three.”
Niall raised an enquiring eyebrow and Matt shrugged. “They moved on... what would make them leave prey?”
***
Matt found himself wandering after hearing the tales of the villagers and almost smiled as he came to the babbling brook he'd been told about by Frederick. He had informed the man he needed a quiet spot to meditate, but that wasn't the entire truth.
He took a deep breath of the clean air and gazed around at the life that surrounded him, so different from the desolation that he had called home for the first 23 years of his life. He remembered his wonder at the scant hands-breadth of moss he'd discovered one day as a boy, more grey than green and how he'd fed it some of his water ration to keep it alive.
He shook his head and scattered those thoughts, he needed to prepare himself for the battle to come and he needed to track down Nick Cutter, Stephen Hart and the troll, Finn Grimsson. He needed to make haste to Wearcester and find out what they had found on the Downs and what they might have awoken, other than a handful of Lutians.
Matt looked up at the scrape of boot on stone and knew Niall had purposely announced his presence. “Do we ride for Wearcester or explore the tower Frederick spoke of?”
Matt considered the man, knowing he'd taken the payment to bring him to justice but... the demons were more important and Niall had already killed one and saved Matt's life into the bargain. He needed allies if he was to fulfil the promise he'd made to his father and Niall, despite his profession, seemed to be an honest man, if somewhat crazy. No normal man hunted demons for a living or got aroused by that fight... but, could Matt afford to be picky? Niall had proven himself capable of facing and killing a demon and that was good enough for Matt. And Niall himself seemed to have fallen into their alliance without question. He glanced towards the Downs. “Whatever was on the Downs had been awoken.” He meet Niall's eyes. “And can you imagine the slaughter a pair of Lutians would cause in a city like Wearcester?” He nodded, his mind made up. “Besides, we need answers and those lie in Wearcester.”
***
Even though Matt wanted to find the answers to his questions, he still stopped at every village to enquire of any disappearances. He also took the time to inform the local priests that a demon had been slain but two more remained who might prey on their fellow villagers. Forewarned was forearmed, after all, and the priests should be able to protect their villages using the age old methods... at least from any Lutians.
Matt drew his horse to a halt as they crested a rise and stared down at the magnificence that was Wearcester. With its great stone walls and moat, it looked impregnable, but he knew that was a lie when it came to demons. Even the castle in the centre, the most protected spot, would not keep the demons out.
“Matt?”
Niall's voice snapped Matt from his thoughts. He had already considered the best way to talk to Nick Cutter and Stephen Hart and decided the college was the best place to try and talk to them. “Once we're in, can you find what we need to know?”
“Aye.” Niall told him. “I'll contact the Thieves' Guild, they'll know if anyone has disappeared without their 'help' and then I'll meet you at the 'Book And Goblet' on College Street.”
***
Matt sighed as he slumped in his chair in the 'Book And Goblet', and, although he'd managed to find and talk with the Dean, the man was most unforthcoming when it came to the activities of either Nick Cutter or Stephen Hart. Apparently they were no longer at the college full time, much to the distaste of the Dean, but were instead employed in some task by the local Earl, one James Lester. He glanced up when Niall sat down beside him, his back likewise to the door. “Any luck?”
Niall nodded, his voice a mere whisper as he placed his hand over his mouth to shield his words from any interested watchers. “I made contact with the Guild, as I should entering a new city, and made such enquires one as myself would.” At Matt's quirked eyebrow, Niall continued. “No one has disappeared unexpectedly and the Guild does keep an eye on the beggars and street kids.” Niall frowned when Matt looked worried at his news. “Surely that means they have gone elsewhere?”
Matt sighed. “Maybe.” He gnawed his lip for a moment before adding, “Or that someone had controlled them...”
“Ah, and some would do so without seeing the dangers.”
Matt was impressed by Niall and knew if he'd been born where Matt had been, they would have been brother hunters. As it was, he was quite happy to forego the bounty on Niall's head and have his aid in hunting demons. Of course the merchant might not be happy about that and Matt made a note to contact his Guild and inform them of the merchant's implicitness in his partner's murder. Dragging his thoughts back to the present, Matt sighed. “And once the way is opened, others may follow more easily.”
“Worse than these Lutians?”
“Much worse.”
“So,we need to talk to Nick Cutter and Stephen Hart,” Niall said, before adding, “Did you find them?”
“No, they still have rooms at the college, but they now work for an Earl named James Lester.”
Niall let out a low whistle. “The Black Wolf.”
Matt sat up and cursed himself for a fool for not recalling that James Lester was the Black Wolf. He remembered his father speaking of the man, saying the man was either an ally or their greatest foe. “We will need to talk to this Black Wolf.”
Niall sighed. “Easier said then done, especially for ones such as us.”
“Then we break in.”
Niall just grinned before nodding, his green eyes bright with at the thought of that challenge.
***
Of course, breaking into the castle of the Realm's rumoured Spy master was not as easily done as said. The man's personal Huscarl, the Black Wolves, were well trained and then there were the regular soldiers who manned the walls and patrolled the corridors. Matt left the mechanics to Niall, believing the assassin better suited to such tasks than he was.
In the end, they gained entrance without much trouble and crept along the corridors, even if they had several near misses when they were almost discovered. Matt couldn't believe the ease with which they penetrated the castle and from the worried look Niall shot him before the assassin gave up on creeping told him Niall knew that too. They were expected and that was why no one had made a serious attempt at stopping them. They were being lured deeper into the castle and all Matt could hope was that this Earl James turned out to be an ally, for otherwise they were willingly walking into a trap.
Matt slowed and took the time to examine the corridor he walked through before they entered into a hall. His footsteps slowed even more as he recognised it, even though he'd never stepped foot inside the castle before today. His thoughts flashed back to the day his father had died.
***
Matt ducked the claws of the flying pest before sending a blast of fire to incinerate the bloody imp - an Orlege, he believed - in mid-air. He hurried on into the inner sanctum, clambering over fallen masonry and feeling the building shake as the enemy pounded it with magic and artillery. He threw himself to one side just in time as the roof caved in under the impacts, choking on the cloying dust and staring up at the hellish sky now visible. He scrambled to his feet, ignoring the thump of approaching wings, and raced onwards, he had to reach his father and mentor.
He finally reached his goal, slowing as his gaze swept the devastated area. A soft swear left his lips when he spotted the man sprawled on the floor, pinned by a fallen column. “Master Gideon!” He hurried over and fell to his knees before reaching out a hand, his fingers barely brushing his master's face as if fearful he'd cause more pain. “Father!”
Gideon gasped, turning his bloodied face towards his son. “Matthew! We haven't much time.”
Matt nodded and rose to his feet, his hands scrambling for purchase so he could move the fallen stone from his father. He jumped when a hand grasped his arm. “Father?”
“No, Matthew. It is too late for me.” The words were mere gasps now, his father's lungs compressed by the heavy weight pressing on his chest.
Matt shook his head as he collapsed to his knees once more, racking his mind for a suitable spell to use and cursing his - and his father's - decision for him to learn the way of the warrior as well as spell-crafting. If only he'd concentrated on spells alone, he might know how to lift the stone and save his father.
“Matthew!” His father's words were full of command and Matt looked up to meet his father's pain-glazed eyes as the older man forced the words from his bloodied lips. “You must go back while there is still time. You must stop the Great Disaster. You must save us all.”
“How can I stop it?” Matt asked. “No one knows how it happened or who caused it.”
“You will find a way.” His father reached for the pendant around his neck, struggling to remove it before holding it out to Matt with shaking hands. “Take this. Use it to open the portal.”
“If I take it, the others won't have a way to escape.” Matt looked up at a distant crash and heard the tell-tale sound of a lightning bolt crackling through the air followed by a inhuman scream as it hit its demonic target.
“You must go, Matthew.” His father's words were fainter now and Matt had to lean closer to hear them. “It is too late for the rest of us... you must go now or the pendant will fall to the enemy and the past with it.” When Matt still hesitated, his father continued. “The fate of the world rests with you, my son. Make me proud.”
Matt swallowed as he watched his father's eyes dull and his breathing stop. He leaned forward to press a kiss against the older man's forehead. “I will, my father.” He stood, the pendant clasped in his fist before he turned and walked towards the portal, shimmering in its fractured form. He paused before it for an instant before gathering his resolve and placing the pendant around his neck, feeling its warmth even through his armour.
He heard a hiss and threw himself to the side as a barbed tail slammed into the pillar he'd been next to, smashing it to the ground where it bubbled and dissolved. He rolled to his feet, sword in hand as he turned to face his foe. His eyes widened as he recognised it as a Sceotan, a soldier demon. Its head was dog-like, almost skeletal in appearance, and its lipless mouth pulled back to reveal dagger-sharp fangs from which ichor dripped. Large, tattered bat-like wings rose from its shoulders and its black and spiky armour gleamed wetly. It wielded a jagged-edged sword in one hand and a wicked-looking double-headed spiked axe in the other. Matt knew he could defeat one of them in combat, the problem was, Sceotan were rarely encountered singularly. He readied a spell, the words falling from his lips before he flung his arm upwards and shards of black ice sped towards his foe. He was already moving when he heard its shriek as its blood dripped from wounds to hiss and splutter as the stones boiled where those black drops landed.
The spell merely staggered the demon - although it would have slain a lesser one - and Matt knew he could leap in and swing his sword, severing its head and destroying it before it would have time to react... but he could hear someone, something, approaching. He took his gaze from the Sceotan for an instant, losing his chance of a kill, but he needed to know who approached. He swore again as his gaze swept over not just more Sceotan approaching but something else, something far larger and much more dangerous.
An Ofsnidian - unlike the Sceotan, this demon's head was an unholy amalgamation of goat and dog, horned and fanged. It too had great, leathery bat-like wings jutting from its powerful shoulders, although unlike the Sceotan, its wings were whole and each wing-rib was tipped with a sharp spike. Its armour was black and almost looked alive as it glistened and throbbed and it held a large, jagged bladed sword in each of its taloned hands.
Matt knew he couldn't stay and win this fight, not against so many foes and certainly not when one of them was an Ofsnidian. He didn't want to run, it went against his nature, but... this was the moment his father had been training him for. He had to succeed or every death would have been in vain and the oaths he'd sworn would be broken. With one final look at his father, Matt turned and dove for the portal. It was like diving into an icy pool and he shivered as he felt something burning touch and twirl around his ankle before he was through... to somewhere - or rather, to some when else.
Matt rose to a combat crouch, every sense alert as he held his blade ready. He heard a hiss behind him and spun, his gaze falling on the dissolving stone beneath the severed tip of the tail of one of the demons he'd faced. He smiled grimly before muttering a quick fire spell to destroy it, there was no sense in leaving it for another to find and misuse.
He straightened before wincing as his ankle throbbed and he cast about for somewhere to rest, to take stock and figure out both where and when he was. He knew only one thing, he would carry out his father's last request and stop the Great Disaster if it took the last breath he had.
***
“Matt!” Niall's voice brought him back to the present and he shook his head to clear those memories, knowing he stood in the castle whose ruins would become one of the last strongholds of humanity against the demon hosts. He knew the way to the castle's great hall - the inner sanctum - and strolled onwards to meet the man who he knew would be waiting for them.
When Matt stepped inside the huge room, his feet stopped as his gaze sought out the place his father had... would... die. A cleared throat had Matt look up to meet the green-eyed gaze of a man waiting for them, sitting behind a desk as he steepled his fingers and studied them. Matt knew the man wasn't alone, even without Niall nodding towards where members of the Black Wolves stood watch in the shadows.
“And to what do I owe this pleasure?” The man - Earl James - drawled.
Matt stepped forward and wondered what to tell him. This hadn't been how this moment should have been, he should have had his father and oath mates with him... not facing the man who could be the enemy all alone. Well, alone apart from an assassin who loved danger. Should he tell Earl James the truth or only part of it? He needed allies but he needed to know who he could trust first.
“We came from Remmnan, my lord,” Matt began, “I was hunting Niall here but we found a more dangerous foe.”
“Do continue,” James murmured, his eyes alert and considering.
“We encountered a demon, my lord,” Matt told him, watching the Earl's reaction closely.
“Remmnan?” James asked, and when both men nodded, he sighed. “And now you want to talk to Nick, Stephen and Finn and see if they woke anything?” He tilted his head to one side before nodding. “I must admit I did wonder what an assassin and a demon hunting mage bounty hunter could want.”
“Which is why you didn't have your men stop us,” Niall stated.
“Precisely,” James agreed before calling out to one of his guards. “Ryan, arrange for rooms for our guests. They'll break fast with us in the morning when,” he fixed his gaze on first Matt and then Niall, “they will get to talk to Nick, Stephen and Finn.”
“Yes, my lord.” Ryan saluted before beckoning Matt and Niall to follow him.
Matt would have preferred answers now but he knew better than to push the Black Wolf, especially if the man might prove to be an ally rather than a foe. He did pause on his way out of the great hall, to turn back to the earl. “There were three demons, my lord. Two of them are still alive and might even be within the walls of Wearcester as we speak.”
James' eyes narrowed. “I will have to consult with my mages.” He waved Matt out and the last words he heard were James'. “Jenny, summon the council.”
Author: knitekat
Word Count: ~6940
Characters: Matt Anderson, James Lester, Blade (OC), OCs
Rating: 15
Disclaimer: Primeval belongs to Impossible Pictures. Certainly not me. Writing for fun and will replace. Blade belongs to Fredbassett.
A/N: For my Primeval Bingo Card (round 2) prompt: Oaths And Promises. Part Three of my A Gathering Of Forces AU Fantasy 'verse, first fic is here and the second is here. Thanks go to the wonderful Fififolle for the beta.
The dark-clad man tugged his horse to a halt at the crest of the last hill south of the true Isenfells and considered his options. To the left, looming over the lowlands, lay the brooding Burrow Downs while straight ahead lay the Isenway, the well maintained paved road which led down into the rolling lowlands of The Ridan. But which way would his prey have chosen when the man knew he was being hunted?
He pulled his hood back to reveal dark hair and troubled eyes, his gaze searching for any sign of movement on the Downs. Would the man he hunted - one Niall the Blade - risk travelling over that desolate place just to lose his tracker? He shook his head and dismissed that as an option, only a madman would risk the Downs from the tales he'd heard about it, and Niall wasn't mad. No, he would pretend to be a traveller and move from place to place as he attempted to lose him, keeping as low a profile as the masterful assassin Niall was.
His mind made up, he nudged his horse on, knowing he would soon find settlements along the road, ones where he might find his latest bounty or at least clues to where Niall was heading. Hopefully he'd be close behind the other man and would swiftly catch him, he had grown bored of being on the road and craved the companionship of sitting in an inn and watching the locals interact around him, even if he sat forever apart. He shook his head, much as he wished he could just relax for a time, the promise he'd made to his father drove him on in his seemingly endless search for the answers he needed.
His attention returned to the road and he frowned at the trees and thick undergrowth that crowded close to its edges, wondering why it hadn't been cleared back instead of being left to provide the perfect hiding place for bandits or other creatures to ambush travellers... and the perfect place for Niall to wait for him if the man knew he was being hunted - and Niall did. His every sense was alert and his hand rested on the hilt of his sword as he clicked his horse forward, and even then he almost missed the symbol that appeared to have been melted into a slab of stone off to one side. Well, that explained that, he grumbled to himself, not even the risk of ambush would convince anyone to cut a tree down in a place sacred to one of the Gods that ruled the wilderness.
He rounded a bend in the road and pulled his horse to a stop, cursing his inattention when he found his quarry mounted on a black horse and watching him with cold, green eyes. He let the energy build as he began to silently recite the words of a spell. Niall quickly made a warding sign, one that had the bounty hunter's eyebrow quirk slightly as he manipulated the power. “I've not seen that ward for a long time.”
Niall shrugged. “I learned it from my gran. She's one of the cunning folk.”
“I am Matt Anderson,” the bounty hunter said. “Why did you stop here? You could have ridden hard and been several villages away by now.”
Niall shrugged. “I wanted to know why a mage is chasing me.”
“Because you assassinated a merchant up in the Isenfells.”
“That fat bastard deserved it, and you know it,” Niall growled back. “Not just the short changing but selling shoddy goods.” He glared at Matt, his eyes cold as green ice. “Several got sick after eating his fare and a boy died.”
“And you could have left it to the authorities to deal with him,” Matt pointed out, “rather than kill for coin.”
“Authorities?” Niall snorted. “The only authorities up there belong to whoever pays them and he paid them to look away.”
“So, you killed him out of the goodness of your heart?” Matt asked in disbelief.
“Of course not,” Niall informed him. “I got provisions and a few rough stones they had.” He glared at Matt. “And your spell should tell you I speak the truth.”
Matt nodded, letting the spell fade and knowing Niall certainly believed he spoke the truth. “His business partner informed me you stole all the money they'd made from their trading.”
“That would be the money he stole from their trading company after I killed his partner, I expect.”
Matt didn't know the answer to that, but he wouldn't have put it past the merchant, remembering how the man had been reluctant to part with any coins for his own hire, and then barely the minimum amount at that. “Say I believe you, you still killed a man.”
Niall fingered one of the many knives he wore. “And you're going to try and bring me in?”
Before Matt could reply, both men's horses started when a young man dashed into their midst, his clothing torn and bloodied. He slipped and fell, desperately scrabbling to regain his feet and failing. “Don't let it get me! Don't let it get me!”
Matt swung off his horse and drew his sword as he began to weave his power. “Troll?” Niall shrugged as he dismounted and slapped his horse's rump, sending it safely into the trees. He drew his knives and gave Matt a feral grin. Matt now understood why Niall was an assassin, the man got off on danger.
Matt couldn't hear anything approaching, even with every sense straining to the utmost, and turned to the man to see if he could find out what was chasing him. One look at him told Matt the man was too scared to make any sense and he turned back to Niall, knowing the assassin was better suited than he was for scouting. “Do you want to go and see what it is?”
Niall nodded before he silently moved through the vegetation at the side of the road, leaving hardly a sign that he'd passed. He was only gone for a few minutes before he returned, a look of disappointment on his face. “Nothing. What did he have to say?”
Matt frowned before turning towards the man and swore. The man was gone. But he would have heard the man if he'd ran. “What the hell?” He moved over to where the man had been lying and checked for tracks. “What’s the nearest village?”
Niall looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. “Remmnan.” He cocked his head and considered Matt. “Are we going to Remmnan? Together?”
Matt nodded. “You could give me your word as an Assassin that you won't run and I can give you mine that I won't attempt to capture you until we know what's happening.”
Niall snorted. “Fine, bounty hunter.”
Matt mounted his horse and set off towards the village, a cold shiver down his back as he felt something watching him and he knew the eyes didn't belong to Niall. He glanced at the trees and thought he saw something moving through them but when he stopped his horse for a closer look - whatever it was had vanished.
***
The road curved before the trees gave way to open fields full of growing crops, but devoid of anyone tending them. Matt started at a noise but on investigation found it was only a flock of sheep cowered in a hollow, seemingly too scared to move or even utter a sound.
Matt's expression didn't alter when they entered the village, even though every sense screamed of danger and their horses' hooves sounded far too loud in the stillness. Not a person stirred, even though it was mid-afternoon. The familiar sounds and sights were absent - the clang of a hammer on an anvil, the good natured chatting of villagers as they worked, the sound of children laughing as they played. He tugged his horse to a halt and swung down, patting his mount before whispering in his ear. He nodded at Niall before he drew his sword and cautiously walked into the eerily silent village, ready for any threat - man or beast - and the sense he was being watched had only increased. He knew Niall followed behind him, close enough to provide support yet not so close as to be caught in the same attack. A squeak had Matt spinning quickly as he dropped into a combat stance, his sword raised and a ball of power in his other hand.
“It is but a shutter swinging in the breeze,” Niall informed him but Matt noticed the assassin didn't relax.
Matt breathed out slowly before straightening, but he stayed alert. The foe he'd been raised to fight too often used distraction to lull its prey into a false sense of security and, even in his current role, his human prey often tried to do the same. He gestured to Niall to guard his back as he walked into the house, his every sense alert as he quickly but thoroughly searched the two rooms and loft. The furniture was scattered and food left uneaten on the table... whatever had happened had been fast. He stepped back out of the house and caught Niall's eye as he shook his head. “Empty.”
“What happened to them?” Niall asked as he scanned the village. “If anyone was still here, they should have come out by now.” He turned to look at Matt. “Slavers?”
“This far into the Realm?” Matt wondered aloud. True slavery, as opposed to indenture servitude, was illegal within the Realm, even if not so in the bordering nations... but for a slave raid to penetrate this far was unheard of and for the slavers to take everyone - man, woman and child, hale or not - was even rarer.
“What else can it be?” Niall asked. “It's not trolls as the doors and walls are whole and there are no discarded limbs lying around and it can't be a dragon, otherwise the place would be burning. What else could it be but a slave raid?”
“I hope you're right,” Matt told him, knowing of other things which could do this and hoping to any Gods who would hear his prayers that it wasn't one of them.
“Gasts, you mean?” Niall asked, before dismissing the idea with a shake of his head. “Not likely.”
Matt had to agree, the villagers should have observed all the offerings to the Gods and, living this close to the Downs, he doubted they'd forgo any of them. Not unless someone had disturbed a barrow and raised a vengeful gast... and who'd be fool enough to do that? He could only hope it wasn't what he feared it was... they couldn't be here already, for if they were it might mean he was already too late.
“I'll check the next one,” Niall announced before moving, deadly silently, towards one of the houses, clearly showing why he was so good as an assassin. He slipped inside as if a gast himself and Matt shook that thought from his head before following Niall, almost wincing at every sound he made himself.
By the time they'd checked the seventh house, both men had given up any hope of finding anyone still alive. By the tenth house, Matt was firmly of the opinion this wasn't the work of slavers and, by the grim look on Niall's face, he knew his new - if temporary - ally agreed.
The sound of something falling had both men tensing before Matt used hand signals to convey his plan to Niall, waiting for the assassin to nod before he chose the spell he would cast. He began to gather the required energy as he watched Niall approach the door with his knives drawn. Matt held the ball of power ready and held his breath as Niall slowly reached out for the catch, his fingers gripping it before he yanked it open and dodged to the side, his blades raised and ready to strike.
Matt saw movement and fired off a bolt of fire, finding his aim jogged as something slammed into him and the bolt slamming against the ceiling and igniting it. He struggled to free himself from whoever held him, before hearing Niall's voice in his ear. “It's a boy.”
The knowledge he'd almost incinerated a blameless boy stopped Matt's struggles and he just lay on the floor, staring up at the burning roof until Niall hauled him to his feet and pushed him stumbling out of the building where he dropped to his knees.
He watched as Niall emerged mere moments later with the quaking boy in hand and crouched down, Niall's voice gentle as he asked, “What happened here?”
Tears streaked the boy's face as he shook his head, his eyes full of fear.
Matt retreated into his training and gathered his wits, he needed to know what had happened here and whether it was what he most feared. Matt pasted a smile on his face before he knelt by the boy and Niall. “Was it men?”
The boy shook his head, his gaze darting around as if he expected to be attacked at any moment.
“He's too scared to tell us anything,” Niall murmured before glancing back at the burning building. He rose and held out a hand to the boy. “Come with me.” Matt trailed behind them as Niall led the boy towards one of the buildings they'd already searched and settled the boy into a nook, hidden from casual view. “Stay here until we come back for you, OK?”
The boy nodded, his eyes wide with fear before he squeezed even deeper into the hiding spot and hid his eyes.
“I promise I'll come back for you,” Niall said as he ruffled the boy's hair, meeting his fear-filled gaze when the boy dared to open his eyes. He smiled, one that Matt noticed reached the assassin's eyes for the first time since he'd met him, before unsheathing one of his namesake blades. He offered it hilt-first to the shaking boy. “Keep this safe for me,” Niall said. When the boy gingerly took the blade, holding it as if it might bite him, Niall added, “It was the first blade my father gave me.”
The boy stared at the knife before holding it tightly in one little fist before settling back into his hiding place, still scared but Matt could tell the boy felt safer. He frowned as he considered Niall. Who would have thought an assassin would be so gentle with a child? It was something to think about when their lives weren't in quite as much danger.
Once they were outside, Niall said, his voice barely a whisper, “He's terrified... what the hell did he see?”
Matt shrugged before realising he needed to tell Niall what he feared they faced. “I don't think it is gasts or men, Niall.”
“What do you think it is?”
“Demons.”
Niall's green eyes bore into Matt before the man cursed. “You really think it is demons?”
“Yes,” Matt nodded. “They can wipe a village out and their very form would certainly terrify a boy.”
“Great,” Niall muttered as he turned to continue checking the rest of the village. “I don't mind danger, Matt, but I prefer something I can kill.”
“They can be killed.”
Niall turned back to look at Matt. “You're not just a mage and bounty hunter, are you? You're a bloody demon hunter bounty hunting on the side.”
Matt shrugged. “It keeps me in coin and practice.”
Niall eyed him before smiling. “So, how do I kill one?”
“Apart from spells, do enough physical damage to one and it will die. The trouble is doing that before it kills you. Then you just have to make sure to burn them afterwards and then get a priest to purify the area.”
“Sounds simple enough,” Niall murmured as he checked his various knives, pausing on the empty sheath, before he stalked off to check out the next house.
***
Matt paused outside the last building left to check and looked up at the swinging sign above its door - a raven perched on a rock. “Ready?”
“This place served some damn good ale, and the stew and spiced potatoes...” Niall sighed. “It'll be a pity if Frederick and his kin are dead.”
Matt shot him a look before entering the inn, his quick reflexes the only thing that saved him when a blur leapt at him. He quickly rolled to his feet and looked for his foe, noticing Niall had his back to a wall and his blades drawn before he let both fly and quickly drew two more.
The shriek told Matt those knives had found their target and he quickly gathered the energy he needed, feeling blood drip from his nose as he pushed himself to the limit. He waited until he was sure he could see the demon before sending a shower of black ice shards towards it, smiling grimly as blood blossomed on its hide.
Niall didn't make a sound as he leapt at the demon, he was grinning widely and his green eyes flashed with excitement while his blades flashed as blood flew before he ducked a swinging claw and hissed as it caught him a glancing blow.
Matt took advantage of the distraction to send his own blade slashing deep into the creature's back and sending spells when he was sure he wouldn't catch Niall as well. The two men began to slowly wear the demon down, one striking while the other defended himself from the demon's claws, turning the beast this way and that and not allowing it a moment to rest. He knew they needed to end this fight soon, for he was tiring and bleeding and Niall didn't look in much better shape. He was relieved to see the demon finally begin to slow down and then Niall stepped in close and rammed one of his blades up beneath its chin and into its head. When he released the hilt, the demon collapsed and Niall kicked it before putting a boot on its face and retrieving his blade.
Matt panted as he regained his breath and wiped the blood from his nose before turning to Niall, his experienced eye noting the various wounds the assassin bore stoically. “Niall?”
Niall waved his concern off. “I'm fine. It just got a few lucky strikes.” He wiped his blade clean on a cleaning cloth from the bar. “You?”
“Same.” Matt replied, an eyebrow quirking slightly when he noticed the arousal tenting Niall's trousers... the assassin was a bloody danger addict. “Now we burn it.”
“Ugly looking bastard,” Niall commented as he stared down at the beast he'd killed. “What is it?”
Matt had to agree as he took in the demon's visage, it had hairless skin of a greyish hue and its long, gangly limbs ended in sharp claws. Its large head had a lipless mouth full of sharp teeth, a strange opening in the centre of its face and eyes seemed so small as to be nearly useless.
“You do know what it is?”
“It's a Lutian and it doesn't belong here.”
Niall frowned at him. “Does any demon?”
“No,” Matt paused, wondering what he should tell Niall. “These ones are intelligent, fast and deadly. We were lucky for they usually hunt in packs and love ambushes. It is why they are commonly called Skulker Demons.”
“By demon hunters maybe.” Niall peered at the beast. “Doesn't look like any demon I've ever heard the priests talk about.” He grabbed an ankle and started to drag it out of the inn.
“They come in many forms and shapes, as many as man could dream of,” Matt began before trailing off as he heard a noise. He glanced at Niall and noticed the assassin had dropped his hold on the demon and had drawn his blades once more.
Both men stood ready with blades and, in Matt's case, magic as they listened intently but they could only hear their own breathing.
“Another demon?” Niall asked quietly.
Matt shrugged. “Maybe. They do hunt in packs.”
Niall nodded. “Cover me.” He stepped forward and almost seemed to glide across the floor. He paused when he moved behind the bar and cocked his head as if listening intently. He waved Matt nearer and pointed at the floor when the mage reached him.
Matt grinned at the trapdoor in the floor, if the sound had come from there it was unlikely to be more Lutians, but rather surviving villagers. He smiled in relief before opening the trapdoor and found himself yanked backwards by Niall as a crossbow bolt shot through the space he had been occupying. “We're human!” He shook his head, that was a stupid rookie mistake, one that might have got him killed apart from Niall's reflexes.
A man stepped into the dim light the trapdoor let into the cellar, his eyes wide with fright and a crossbow clasped firmly in his hands. “You don't look like demons.”
Niall rolled his eyes when he looked at Matt before he returned to dragging the dead demon from the inn. “I'll burn it, you talk to them.”
The man climbed up the steps into the inn. “Is it safe?”
“For now, we killed the beast,” Matt informed him. “Niall is going to burn it and you need to have a priest purify the area.”
The man stared at him before turning back to the cellar he'd emerged from. “Leo!”
Another man appeared, this one rather portly. “Frederick?”
“They're burning the demon,” Frederick informed him. “You need to...”
“Purify the area,” Leo interrupted. “I do remember.” He nodded to Matt as he left to follow Niall. “My thanks to you and your friend.”
***
A short time and one burnt and purified demon later, Matt sat at a table in the inn and watched as Leo bandaged Niall's wounds, having already had his own seen to. The villagers were subdued and some still shook with fear, like the boy they'd found earlier and who now huddled in front of the hearth, Niall's blade still held protectively in his hands.
Frederick put food down on the table in front of Matt and Niall, along with tankards of ale. He looked torn between curiosity and concern before he finally asked. “Who are you?”
“Niall the Blade,” Niall informed him.
“Matt Anderson,” Matt replied as he glanced around at the thankfully large number of villagers crowded within the inn's main room. “Can anyone tell us what happened?”
Several looks were exchanged before Frederick spoke. “It came in the night about a week ago. When we woke the next morning it was to find an entire household had disappeared. No sign of a struggle, no blood and no one heard a sound in the night.” He shook his head at the memory. “The next night, we set watches but still no one heard anything when another house was found empty in the morning.”
“No one went for help?” Matt asked, although he understood the reluctance of anyone to leave even the pitiful protection of the village.
“Oh aye,” Frederick said. “A small group set off but it wasn't more than two hours before the only survivor staggered back. Addled with fear and gibbering fit for a mad man. Even though we had people stay with him that night, he vanished without a sound when their backs were turned for but an instant.”
“And then you decided to shelter in the cellar?” Niall enquired mildly.
“We had decided it was demons hunting us and Leo thought we'd be safer all together with the priests sanctifying the cellar. It kept the demons out but we were running out of food.” He sighed. “A few men tried to leave in the daylight, thinking they could gather supplies before the demon saw them...” Frederick didn't need to finish that tale.
Matt looked up when Frederick's words registered. “Demons?”
“There was more than one?” Niall added.
“Aye,” Frederick informed them. “At least three.”
Niall raised an enquiring eyebrow and Matt shrugged. “They moved on... what would make them leave prey?”
***
Matt found himself wandering after hearing the tales of the villagers and almost smiled as he came to the babbling brook he'd been told about by Frederick. He had informed the man he needed a quiet spot to meditate, but that wasn't the entire truth.
He took a deep breath of the clean air and gazed around at the life that surrounded him, so different from the desolation that he had called home for the first 23 years of his life. He remembered his wonder at the scant hands-breadth of moss he'd discovered one day as a boy, more grey than green and how he'd fed it some of his water ration to keep it alive.
He shook his head and scattered those thoughts, he needed to prepare himself for the battle to come and he needed to track down Nick Cutter, Stephen Hart and the troll, Finn Grimsson. He needed to make haste to Wearcester and find out what they had found on the Downs and what they might have awoken, other than a handful of Lutians.
Matt looked up at the scrape of boot on stone and knew Niall had purposely announced his presence. “Do we ride for Wearcester or explore the tower Frederick spoke of?”
Matt considered the man, knowing he'd taken the payment to bring him to justice but... the demons were more important and Niall had already killed one and saved Matt's life into the bargain. He needed allies if he was to fulfil the promise he'd made to his father and Niall, despite his profession, seemed to be an honest man, if somewhat crazy. No normal man hunted demons for a living or got aroused by that fight... but, could Matt afford to be picky? Niall had proven himself capable of facing and killing a demon and that was good enough for Matt. And Niall himself seemed to have fallen into their alliance without question. He glanced towards the Downs. “Whatever was on the Downs had been awoken.” He meet Niall's eyes. “And can you imagine the slaughter a pair of Lutians would cause in a city like Wearcester?” He nodded, his mind made up. “Besides, we need answers and those lie in Wearcester.”
***
Even though Matt wanted to find the answers to his questions, he still stopped at every village to enquire of any disappearances. He also took the time to inform the local priests that a demon had been slain but two more remained who might prey on their fellow villagers. Forewarned was forearmed, after all, and the priests should be able to protect their villages using the age old methods... at least from any Lutians.
Matt drew his horse to a halt as they crested a rise and stared down at the magnificence that was Wearcester. With its great stone walls and moat, it looked impregnable, but he knew that was a lie when it came to demons. Even the castle in the centre, the most protected spot, would not keep the demons out.
“Matt?”
Niall's voice snapped Matt from his thoughts. He had already considered the best way to talk to Nick Cutter and Stephen Hart and decided the college was the best place to try and talk to them. “Once we're in, can you find what we need to know?”
“Aye.” Niall told him. “I'll contact the Thieves' Guild, they'll know if anyone has disappeared without their 'help' and then I'll meet you at the 'Book And Goblet' on College Street.”
***
Matt sighed as he slumped in his chair in the 'Book And Goblet', and, although he'd managed to find and talk with the Dean, the man was most unforthcoming when it came to the activities of either Nick Cutter or Stephen Hart. Apparently they were no longer at the college full time, much to the distaste of the Dean, but were instead employed in some task by the local Earl, one James Lester. He glanced up when Niall sat down beside him, his back likewise to the door. “Any luck?”
Niall nodded, his voice a mere whisper as he placed his hand over his mouth to shield his words from any interested watchers. “I made contact with the Guild, as I should entering a new city, and made such enquires one as myself would.” At Matt's quirked eyebrow, Niall continued. “No one has disappeared unexpectedly and the Guild does keep an eye on the beggars and street kids.” Niall frowned when Matt looked worried at his news. “Surely that means they have gone elsewhere?”
Matt sighed. “Maybe.” He gnawed his lip for a moment before adding, “Or that someone had controlled them...”
“Ah, and some would do so without seeing the dangers.”
Matt was impressed by Niall and knew if he'd been born where Matt had been, they would have been brother hunters. As it was, he was quite happy to forego the bounty on Niall's head and have his aid in hunting demons. Of course the merchant might not be happy about that and Matt made a note to contact his Guild and inform them of the merchant's implicitness in his partner's murder. Dragging his thoughts back to the present, Matt sighed. “And once the way is opened, others may follow more easily.”
“Worse than these Lutians?”
“Much worse.”
“So,we need to talk to Nick Cutter and Stephen Hart,” Niall said, before adding, “Did you find them?”
“No, they still have rooms at the college, but they now work for an Earl named James Lester.”
Niall let out a low whistle. “The Black Wolf.”
Matt sat up and cursed himself for a fool for not recalling that James Lester was the Black Wolf. He remembered his father speaking of the man, saying the man was either an ally or their greatest foe. “We will need to talk to this Black Wolf.”
Niall sighed. “Easier said then done, especially for ones such as us.”
“Then we break in.”
Niall just grinned before nodding, his green eyes bright with at the thought of that challenge.
***
Of course, breaking into the castle of the Realm's rumoured Spy master was not as easily done as said. The man's personal Huscarl, the Black Wolves, were well trained and then there were the regular soldiers who manned the walls and patrolled the corridors. Matt left the mechanics to Niall, believing the assassin better suited to such tasks than he was.
In the end, they gained entrance without much trouble and crept along the corridors, even if they had several near misses when they were almost discovered. Matt couldn't believe the ease with which they penetrated the castle and from the worried look Niall shot him before the assassin gave up on creeping told him Niall knew that too. They were expected and that was why no one had made a serious attempt at stopping them. They were being lured deeper into the castle and all Matt could hope was that this Earl James turned out to be an ally, for otherwise they were willingly walking into a trap.
Matt slowed and took the time to examine the corridor he walked through before they entered into a hall. His footsteps slowed even more as he recognised it, even though he'd never stepped foot inside the castle before today. His thoughts flashed back to the day his father had died.
***
Matt ducked the claws of the flying pest before sending a blast of fire to incinerate the bloody imp - an Orlege, he believed - in mid-air. He hurried on into the inner sanctum, clambering over fallen masonry and feeling the building shake as the enemy pounded it with magic and artillery. He threw himself to one side just in time as the roof caved in under the impacts, choking on the cloying dust and staring up at the hellish sky now visible. He scrambled to his feet, ignoring the thump of approaching wings, and raced onwards, he had to reach his father and mentor.
He finally reached his goal, slowing as his gaze swept the devastated area. A soft swear left his lips when he spotted the man sprawled on the floor, pinned by a fallen column. “Master Gideon!” He hurried over and fell to his knees before reaching out a hand, his fingers barely brushing his master's face as if fearful he'd cause more pain. “Father!”
Gideon gasped, turning his bloodied face towards his son. “Matthew! We haven't much time.”
Matt nodded and rose to his feet, his hands scrambling for purchase so he could move the fallen stone from his father. He jumped when a hand grasped his arm. “Father?”
“No, Matthew. It is too late for me.” The words were mere gasps now, his father's lungs compressed by the heavy weight pressing on his chest.
Matt shook his head as he collapsed to his knees once more, racking his mind for a suitable spell to use and cursing his - and his father's - decision for him to learn the way of the warrior as well as spell-crafting. If only he'd concentrated on spells alone, he might know how to lift the stone and save his father.
“Matthew!” His father's words were full of command and Matt looked up to meet his father's pain-glazed eyes as the older man forced the words from his bloodied lips. “You must go back while there is still time. You must stop the Great Disaster. You must save us all.”
“How can I stop it?” Matt asked. “No one knows how it happened or who caused it.”
“You will find a way.” His father reached for the pendant around his neck, struggling to remove it before holding it out to Matt with shaking hands. “Take this. Use it to open the portal.”
“If I take it, the others won't have a way to escape.” Matt looked up at a distant crash and heard the tell-tale sound of a lightning bolt crackling through the air followed by a inhuman scream as it hit its demonic target.
“You must go, Matthew.” His father's words were fainter now and Matt had to lean closer to hear them. “It is too late for the rest of us... you must go now or the pendant will fall to the enemy and the past with it.” When Matt still hesitated, his father continued. “The fate of the world rests with you, my son. Make me proud.”
Matt swallowed as he watched his father's eyes dull and his breathing stop. He leaned forward to press a kiss against the older man's forehead. “I will, my father.” He stood, the pendant clasped in his fist before he turned and walked towards the portal, shimmering in its fractured form. He paused before it for an instant before gathering his resolve and placing the pendant around his neck, feeling its warmth even through his armour.
He heard a hiss and threw himself to the side as a barbed tail slammed into the pillar he'd been next to, smashing it to the ground where it bubbled and dissolved. He rolled to his feet, sword in hand as he turned to face his foe. His eyes widened as he recognised it as a Sceotan, a soldier demon. Its head was dog-like, almost skeletal in appearance, and its lipless mouth pulled back to reveal dagger-sharp fangs from which ichor dripped. Large, tattered bat-like wings rose from its shoulders and its black and spiky armour gleamed wetly. It wielded a jagged-edged sword in one hand and a wicked-looking double-headed spiked axe in the other. Matt knew he could defeat one of them in combat, the problem was, Sceotan were rarely encountered singularly. He readied a spell, the words falling from his lips before he flung his arm upwards and shards of black ice sped towards his foe. He was already moving when he heard its shriek as its blood dripped from wounds to hiss and splutter as the stones boiled where those black drops landed.
The spell merely staggered the demon - although it would have slain a lesser one - and Matt knew he could leap in and swing his sword, severing its head and destroying it before it would have time to react... but he could hear someone, something, approaching. He took his gaze from the Sceotan for an instant, losing his chance of a kill, but he needed to know who approached. He swore again as his gaze swept over not just more Sceotan approaching but something else, something far larger and much more dangerous.
An Ofsnidian - unlike the Sceotan, this demon's head was an unholy amalgamation of goat and dog, horned and fanged. It too had great, leathery bat-like wings jutting from its powerful shoulders, although unlike the Sceotan, its wings were whole and each wing-rib was tipped with a sharp spike. Its armour was black and almost looked alive as it glistened and throbbed and it held a large, jagged bladed sword in each of its taloned hands.
Matt knew he couldn't stay and win this fight, not against so many foes and certainly not when one of them was an Ofsnidian. He didn't want to run, it went against his nature, but... this was the moment his father had been training him for. He had to succeed or every death would have been in vain and the oaths he'd sworn would be broken. With one final look at his father, Matt turned and dove for the portal. It was like diving into an icy pool and he shivered as he felt something burning touch and twirl around his ankle before he was through... to somewhere - or rather, to some when else.
Matt rose to a combat crouch, every sense alert as he held his blade ready. He heard a hiss behind him and spun, his gaze falling on the dissolving stone beneath the severed tip of the tail of one of the demons he'd faced. He smiled grimly before muttering a quick fire spell to destroy it, there was no sense in leaving it for another to find and misuse.
He straightened before wincing as his ankle throbbed and he cast about for somewhere to rest, to take stock and figure out both where and when he was. He knew only one thing, he would carry out his father's last request and stop the Great Disaster if it took the last breath he had.
***
“Matt!” Niall's voice brought him back to the present and he shook his head to clear those memories, knowing he stood in the castle whose ruins would become one of the last strongholds of humanity against the demon hosts. He knew the way to the castle's great hall - the inner sanctum - and strolled onwards to meet the man who he knew would be waiting for them.
When Matt stepped inside the huge room, his feet stopped as his gaze sought out the place his father had... would... die. A cleared throat had Matt look up to meet the green-eyed gaze of a man waiting for them, sitting behind a desk as he steepled his fingers and studied them. Matt knew the man wasn't alone, even without Niall nodding towards where members of the Black Wolves stood watch in the shadows.
“And to what do I owe this pleasure?” The man - Earl James - drawled.
Matt stepped forward and wondered what to tell him. This hadn't been how this moment should have been, he should have had his father and oath mates with him... not facing the man who could be the enemy all alone. Well, alone apart from an assassin who loved danger. Should he tell Earl James the truth or only part of it? He needed allies but he needed to know who he could trust first.
“We came from Remmnan, my lord,” Matt began, “I was hunting Niall here but we found a more dangerous foe.”
“Do continue,” James murmured, his eyes alert and considering.
“We encountered a demon, my lord,” Matt told him, watching the Earl's reaction closely.
“Remmnan?” James asked, and when both men nodded, he sighed. “And now you want to talk to Nick, Stephen and Finn and see if they woke anything?” He tilted his head to one side before nodding. “I must admit I did wonder what an assassin and a demon hunting mage bounty hunter could want.”
“Which is why you didn't have your men stop us,” Niall stated.
“Precisely,” James agreed before calling out to one of his guards. “Ryan, arrange for rooms for our guests. They'll break fast with us in the morning when,” he fixed his gaze on first Matt and then Niall, “they will get to talk to Nick, Stephen and Finn.”
“Yes, my lord.” Ryan saluted before beckoning Matt and Niall to follow him.
Matt would have preferred answers now but he knew better than to push the Black Wolf, especially if the man might prove to be an ally rather than a foe. He did pause on his way out of the great hall, to turn back to the earl. “There were three demons, my lord. Two of them are still alive and might even be within the walls of Wearcester as we speak.”
James' eyes narrowed. “I will have to consult with my mages.” He waved Matt out and the last words he heard were James'. “Jenny, summon the council.”