“Why didn’t you stop them?” Dervish asks.
“They were working for somebody else, taking orders from a superior. I wanted to expose their partner. I felt that was more important than stopping the crossing, although I hoped to do that as well.”
“No prizes for guessing who their boss was,” Dervish grimaces. “Ugly cow, disfigured, covered in pus and blood?”
Kirilli nods and shivers. “They were in regular contact, but I couldn’t get a fix on who they were talking to. From what I overheard, it sounded like there were no imminent plans to open the window. They made it sound like they’d be on the boat for months, waiting for an order to act.
“They either knew I was eavesdropping and said that to fool me, or there was a change of plan. Either way, they opened the window earlier today. About twenty demons spat through and set to work on the crew and guests. I managed to shield myself. That’s all I could do. There was no point fighting them—I wouldn’t have stood a chance.” He looks at us appealingly.
“You did all you could,” Sharmila says kindly. “You are a spy, not a warrior. Besides, Disciples never fight when the odds are stacked against them. You have no reason to feel guilty.”
Gratitude sweeps across Kirilli’s face. “I expected the window to close after a few minutes but it stayed open and there was more magic in the air than I’ve ever experienced. The demons went on torturing and slaughtering. They took most of the people below deck. Maybe the sun bothered them and they wanted to do their work in the shade.”
“No,” Beranabus grunts. “Lodestones need blood. They were feeding it.”
“What’s a lodestone?” Kirilli asks but Beranabus waves at him to continue. “Balint and Zsolt— the mages—remained up top. They did their share of killing but nothing to compare with the demons. Not long before you lot arrived that woman… that thing crawled up from below.” He shudders. “I wasn’t sure if she was human or Demonata. I’m still not certain.”
“I doubt if she knows herself anymore,” Beranabus says softly.
“She barked orders at the demons and they killed the last few survivors,” Kirilli goes on. “Then they retreated through the window and the woman said a spell to close it. Balint and Zsolt were grinning, mightily pleased with themselves, but she turned on them. Melted them into twin pools of bloody goo. Laughed as they screamed for mercy. Told them they were fools to trust the word of a monster. She lay down and wallowed in their juices when they were dead, then went below deck. That’s when I climbed into the lifeboat.”
“Interesting,” Beranabus murmurs. Then he winks at Sharmila. “This definitely stinks of a trap.”
“So we will leave?” Sharmila asks eagerly.
B
eranabus chuckles. “I’ve walked into more traps over the centuries than I can remember. The Demonata and their familiars think they’re masters of cunning but they haven’t got the better of me yet. Let Juni and Lord Loss spring their surprise. I’ll blast a hole in it so big, you could sail this ship through.”
“Are you sure?” Dervish asks uneasily. “Juni was your apprentice. She knows all about you. Maybe you have a weak spot which she plans to exploit.”
Beranabus shrugs. “I love a challenge.”
“I really do not think we should—” Sharmila begins.
“We’ve no choice,” Beranabus snaps. “She’s our only link to the Shadow. It’s a gamble, but this is a time for gambling. I don’t think you understand the stakes. This is the end game. We don’t have the luxury of caution. If we don’t risk all and find out who the Shadow is and what its plans are, the world will fall.” He waves at the corpses around us. “A world of this, Sharmila. Is that what you want?”
“Of course not,” she mutters.
“Then trust me. We’re precariously balanced and I might be testing one trap too many, but we can’t play safe. It’s all or nothing now.”
“You truly believe matters are that advanced?” Sharmila asks.
“Aye.” Beranabus’s eyes glitter. “The Disciples have exercised caution over the years because there have always been other battles to fight. But this could be the final battle. Ever. Better to risk all on a desperate gamble than play it safe and hand victory to the Shadow. Aye?”
Sharmila hesitates, then smiles shakily. “Aye. If we fail, at least I will have the pleasure of saying, ‘I told you so’.”
“That’s the spirit,” Beranabus booms and heads for the nearest door. Without any sign of fear he leads us down into the bowels of the ship in search of the vile viper, Juni Swan.
HER MASTER’S VOICE
We progress in single file, Beranabus leading, Sharmila second, then me and Kirilli, with Dervish bringing up the rear. As we start down the first set of steps, Kirilli whispers, “Care to let me know what’s going on? I caught some of it but I’m in the dark on a lot of issues.”
“There’s a powerful new demon called the Shadow,” I explain. “We need to find out more about it. Juni—the mutant you saw—possesses information.”
“And all that talk of a trap…?”
“We think Juni or Lord Loss may have lured us here, that they might be trying to trap us. This could all be a set-up.”