Toll the Hounds

Not my mess.

Spinnock, you owe me, and you will never know. I will say nothing-let this rain wash the blood from my hands-

He had begun this march half drunk, but nothing of that remained. Now, everything was on fire.

Reaching the slope of the camp’s main avenue, he began the ascent. The rain was fine as mist, yet he was quickly soaked through, steam rising from his forearms. The ground gave queasily beneath his boots with every step. He arrived at the crest leaning far forward, scrabbling in his haste. Straightening, something flashed into his vision. He heard a snap, a crunch that exploded in his head, and then nothing.

Gradithan stood over the sprawled form of Seerdomin, staring down at the smashed, bloodied face. Monkrat crept closer and crouched down beside the body.

‘He lives. He will drown in his blood if I do not roll him over, Urdo. What is your wish?’

‘Yes, push him over-I want him alive, for now at least. Take his weapons, bind his limbs, then drag him to the Sacred Tent.’

Gradithan licked his lips, tasting the staleness of dried kelyk. He wanted more, fresh, bitter and sweet, but he needed his mind. Sharp, awake, aware of everything.

As Monkrat directed two of his Urdomen to attend to the Seerdomin, Gradithan set off for the Sacred Tent. Sanctified ground, yes, but only temporary. Soon, they would have the barrow itself. The barrow, and the ignorant godling within it.

Along the track, the once-worshippers of the Redeemer knelt as he passed. Some moaned in the dregs of the night’s dance. Others stared at the mud in front of their knees, heads hanging, brown slime drooling down from their gaping mouths. Oh, this might seem like corruption, but Gradithan wasn’t interested in such misconceptions.

The Dying God was more important than Black Coral and its morose over-lords. More important than the Redeemer and his pathetic cult. The Dying God’s song was a song of pain, and was not pain the curse of mortality?

He had heard of another cult, a foreign one, devoted to someone called the Crippled God.

Perhaps, Monkrat had ventured that morning, there is a trend.

There was something blasphemous in that observation, and Gradithan reminded himself that he would have to have the mage beaten-but not yet. Gradithan needed Monkrat, at least for now.

He entered the Sacred Tent.

Yes, she was still dancing, writhing now on the earthen floor, too exhausted perhaps to stand, yet the sensual motions were still powerful enough to take away Gradithan’s breath. It did not matter any more that she had been a Child of the Dead Seed. No one could choose their parents, after all. Besides, she had been adopted now. By the Dying God, by the blessed pain and ecstasy it delivered.

Let her dance on, yes, until the gate was forced open.

Gradithan lifted his head, sniffed the air-oh, the blood was being spilled, the sacrifice fast closing on the threshold. C7ose now.

The Dying God bled. Mortal followers drank that blood. Then spilled it out, transformed, so that the Dying God could take it once more within himself. This was the secret truth behind all blood sacrifice. The god gives and the mortal givesback, All the rest… nothing more than ornate dressing, nothing more than ob-fuscation.

Die, my distant friends. Die in your multitudes. We are almost there. ‘You are dying.’

Seerdomin opened his eyes. An unfamiliar face stared down at him.

‘You are bleeding into your brain, Segda Travos. They mean to abuse you. Tor-ture you with terrible sights-the Urdo named Gradithan believes you a traitor. He wants you to suffer, but you will defy him that pleasure, for you are dying.’

‘Who-what…’

‘I am Itkovian. I am the Redeemer.’

‘I-I am sorry.’

The man smiled and Seerdomin could see how that smile belonged to these gentle features, the kind eyes. Such compassion was… wrong.

‘Perhaps it seems that way, but you are strong-your spirit is very strong, Segda Travos. You believe I am without true compassion. You believe I embrace suffering out of selfish need, to feed a hunger, an addiction.’ ItkOvian’s soft eyes shifted away. ‘Perhaps you are right.’

Seerdomin slowly sat up. And saw a domed sky that glittered as if with millions upon millions of stars, a solid cluster vying for every space, so that every splinter and whorl of darkness seemed shrunken, in retreat. The vision made his head spin and he quickly looked down. And found he was kneeling on a ground composed entirely of coins. Copper, tin, brass, a few sprinkles of silver, fewer still of gold. Gems gleamed here and there. ‘We are,’ he said in an awed whisper, ‘within your barrow.’

‘Yes?’ said Itkovian.