Awake the Cullers (History of Ondar) (10 page)

“What is it?” she asked, surprise
d to see him so out of sorts.

“You have visitors,” he answered carefully.

Leaving the guards to their discomfort, she proceeded to follow Svanteese through the foyer toward the visitor sitting room. Curious who could get the palace in such a stir, she didn’t bother asking any further questions. Instead, she flung open the double doors and gasped in shock. Pielere, Mirerien and Eirae stood waiting for her. She felt her palms burn and wished briefly her gloves were gone.

“Hello, Sister,” Eirae grinned at her reaction.

“You may go,” she said to Svanteese before closing the doors behind her. “I assume there is some reason for this visit.”

Pielere rose from his seat next to Mirerien. Eirae remained lounging arrogantly against a chair. “We are here to discuss a matter of importance to both our cities. The raiders from the Southern Plains have continued their northward path. They will be at the wall soon.”

Maerishka laughed, her tension gone. “Is that all? Let them come. No one can get through our wall.” The outer wall that wrapped around both Suriax and Aleria was a massive construction. Solid stone, it measured thirty feet high and was over ten feet thick, more in some spots. Watch towers sat at each corner and by all access points. Guards paroled a parapet embellished walkways at the top of the wall. An attack from Aleria was a much greater threat than any outward force breaching their defenses. As they were once one city, the walls separating them were much thinner and easier to overcome.

“And what of the survivors from their earlier raids?” Pielere asked. “Even now, they make their way through the mountains. They will be slaughtered the moment they leave the protection of the caves.

Maerishka narrowed her eyes. “Since you seem to know so much about my people, you should also know the refugees are not unprotected.”

“And you think a four man team is any match against an army of Cullers?” Eirae asked.

Maerishka bristled, but refused to comment on their knowledge of the size of her team. Instead, she focused on the latter part of her question. “Yes, I’ve heard those rumors as well. Don’t tell me you actually believe that nonsense. The Cullers were wiped out in the wars.”

“The men who lived during those times died. The ideas they fought for, the mindset of chaos, destruction and rage
, are not so easily overcome.” Eirae stood and dropped his casual posture. “These raiders travel as a plague, engulfing any place they touch, killing without mercy, standing and continuing to fight with no regards to their own pain or death. Whatever their goal, they travel north. Our cities are the only way, save by boat, to cross the Therion River for over a hundred miles. No matter what name you choose to call them, it is undeniable they present a very real threat to all of us.”

“You need not worry about your precious city. If anyone, Culler or otherwise, tries to break into Suriax, they will die long before reaching Aleria,” Maerishka assured.

“And what of the refugees?” Mirerien asked. “If we were to send an escort to aid in their protection, would you object?”

“Fine,
you may send your escort, via the wall, but should any of your soldiers set foot in the city, they will be subject to immediate arrest. Understood?” Mirerien nodded. Maerishka turned to leave, then stopped, a thought occurring to her. “He is with them, isn’t he? That is why you are so concerned with a group of refugees from the Southern Plains.” When they would have answered, she raised a hand. “Never mind, you may save your brother. I won’t stop you, this time.” With that, she left.

*   *   *

The air was still. The trees and animals were quiet. Even the city was quiet. Maerishka looked up at the ramparts. Her guards stood rigid, at complete attention. They were disciplined, always vigilant in their duties, but today was different.

She shook off her unease and continued to her personal dock. On her order, the gate was opened, and a small ship sailed in. She waited as it was secured and Alvexton was escorted off. He smiled at seeing her and took her hand, flinching at the contact. Taking pity on him, she dropped his hand and pulled out a potion of fire and heat protection. He downed the liquid quickly and took her hand again, though it would be at least a minute before the potion took full effect. “What did you learn?” she asked as they walked, hand and hand from the beach.

“I think the Alerians may be right.”

Maerishka grimaced. Shortly a
fter the first report from her cinder unit, Alvexton expressed a desire to go to the Southern Plains and personally lead recovery efforts for his people. The Southern Plains were his territory before their marriage. It was only right he should take a hands on role in their protection and assessing future threat levels.

With all reports indicating the raiders were gone from t
here, she agreed. Given their continued presence in the Alerian territories south of Suriax, she insisted he travel by the Therion River. The river stretched for hundreds of miles in either direction, bisecting the sister cities of Suriax and Aleria. It ran east, through the Eastern Ridge, and travelled south, through Suriaxian territory. The way was not easy. Only an expert captain could pilot a ship through the traitorous mountain passes. Once past the mountain, the river ran all the way to Lerein, the capital of the Plains, but to see the areas deeper in his territory it was necessary to anchor the ship and ride by hound. It was a hard journey, but he seemed no worse for the wear.

“The destruction was unbelievable. I only went to a few of the places hit, but they were all the same. Nothing and no one was left. The fact that we had any survivors is a miracle. I thought to help with recovery, but there is nothing to recover. Any village attacked is gone. All the other towns and settlements are frightened but otherwise untouched. It was as if a massive storm swept through and then left. I have never seen anything like it before. If they are, in fact, traveling in this direction, we need to prepare.”

“My people are not simple farmers. They can handle anything this hoard has to offer,” she offered indignantly.

Instead of getting insulted
by the comparison, he patted her hand reassuringly. “I would never underestimate the strength of the people of Suriax. The truth remains that the city is still recovering from the Fire. Followers of Ferogid continue to hover around. Tensions are high. Random fights break out as those once weak now vie for dominance. An attack at this point could very well dissolve all of the progress the city has made.”

Maerishka took in all he said, looking around her city as they walked back to the palace. Maybe he had a point. Suffering more loss of life and property so soon after rebuilding would add a tremendous amount of stress to their lives. They were already feeling it. Of course they did not
know exactly what was happening but there were rumors, and those could be more dangerous than truth. Those who knew nothing could still feel the tension. They were nervous, on edge, and most did not know why. Stopping mid-step, she turned to her guards. “Assemble the city. I make an announcement at midday, today.”

*   *   *

She watched her citizens assemble in the great stadium tree. The entire city was shut down, save for the guards at the wall, but they already knew what she would say. She practiced her speech on them. Despite the thousands of people gathered in the tree, conversation was kept down to nervous whispers. She stood on her balcony, and even that stopped. Every man, woman and child anxiously awaited what she would say. Taking a deep breath, she began.

“Citizens of Suriax, I come to you today with news of a possible threat to our city. As many of you know, the people of the Southern Plains have suffered greatly from a series of raids on their cities. These attacks were brutal. In all but a couple of isolated incidents, there were no survivors. Any village touched was completely destroyed.

“The raiders continue to travel north. They are currently in the Alerian territories to our south. Every indication is they intend to come this way. While I do not anticipate they will be able to get past the wall, their numbers are great, and their skill in destruction is undeniable. If we do find ourselves under a prolonged siege, it is possible, however unlikely, we could find ourselves fighting a battle within the city walls. Should that occur, boats will be waiting at the docks to transport anyone unable to fight due to age or infirmity.

“
There is one more thing you should know. There are those who believe these raiders are in fact an organized band or army of Cullers.” There was an audible gasp from the crowd. “I know what you are thinking. I do not know if these rumors are true. I can tell you the raiders are strong, difficult to kill and relentless. Whether they are monsters from our past or an entirely new kind of monster is irrelevant. They enjoy attacking villages of helpless farmers in the dark of night, while they sleep. We will not prove so easy a target. And if they survive their battle with us, they will know never to challenge our strength again.” Cheers rang up from the crowd. She waited a moment to let their excitement build, then held up her hand for silence.

“Take this time to make whatever preparations you deem necessary for you and your families. Thank you.” Inclining her head to the crowd, Maerishka returned to her chamber. The tree, quiet before, was a hive of activity and sounds.

“You did well,” Alvexton said, taking her hands.

She agreed. The tension of this morning was replaced by excitement and planning. The biggest problem with any disaster was its unexpectedness. They were all caught off guard and unprepared on the Night of Blue Fire. That would not happen this time. Let the raiders come. Suriax would be ready.

*   *   *

It was too easy sometimes.
Ridikquelass accepted an apple from the street vendor and munched on her snack while she walked around the city. So this was Suriax. It was big, as she expected. Across the street, boys sparred, their hands covered in blue flames. She watched the practice with excitement. They moved with fluid grace and strength, throwing off small balls of fire at each other with every punch and kick. One boy picked up a shield, as his opponent’s attacks grew too much. The stronger boy laughed and pulled all the fire to one fist, concentrating its heat to his knuckles, and punched. The shield shattered. The boy fell. In battle, this would be the time when the stronger fighter pressed his advantage and destroyed his adversary. This was not a battle. The weaker boy raised a supplicating hand and was helped to his feet. The stronger boy then proceeded to show the other boy how to perform that focused fire punch.

Ridikquelass
wandered around some more. Everyone was busy preparing. They thought to ready themselves against attack. She almost laughed out loud. Instead, she tossed her apple core into a trash barrel and sat down at a small diner. She decided she wanted a glass of warm tea. Elves did make the best tea, after all. She should enjoy some before the city was destroyed.

The waitress brought out a glass of water and added the herbs at her table. Holding the glass with both hands, her palms began to glow blue. The water in the glass bubbled with heat. Once satisfied the temperature was right, the woman
set down the drink and walked away. She blew on her tea and sipped it carefully. Perfect.

“
Having fun?”
a voice said, close to her ear. A woman with long dark hair and a simple dress sat down across from her. If not for the conch shell pendant hanging around her neck, even Ridikquelass would have difficulty recognizing her.

“Careful, Nadda, don’t want anyone noticing your little voice trick.
They may become suspicious.”

Nadda shrugged. Resuming her mute act, she motioned for
Ridikquelass to give her report. She took another sip of tea and was rewarded by Nadda’s look of annoyed impatience. “Okay,” she said at last, keeping her tone low. “So, we were right about the people in the caves. That Suriaxian woman from the Tynerock raid is with them. If we intercept them before they reach the city we can snag her, although I don’t know if we should even bother. Everyone here can do that blue fire trick. Some are probably even stronger than she is.”

Nadda nodded. Standing, she waited for
Ridikquelass to follow her. Getting into the city was a simple task. They came in through the main entrance by claiming to be evacuees from the south. Not wanting to risk leaving the same way they came in and arousing suspicions, why would evacuees leave so soon with the warning of danger approaching, they moved to the southern wall and slipped out through a small tunnel left under the wall by some animal. They found it and three other similar weak spots unnoticed around the perimeter on their initial search of the city. Soon they would be back, and Suriax would fall.

*   *   *

“Are you sure we didn’t walk past Suriax and Aleria?” Marcy asked.

Thomas laughed.
“Cheer up. If we did, we can just keep going until we get to my old home up north.” Marcy rolled her eyes.

“We didn’t pass them,”
Rand assured everyone.

“Is your
mother a good cook?” Kern asked Thomas, ignoring Rand, “because I am really in the mood for good stew and ale.”