Chapter 26
Desperate, Jagdish tried to save Great House Vadal.
He had claimed a workers’ factory as his command post because it was the tallest structure near the fissure. From that wide flat roof, he had watched in horror as the demons had ripped through the armies of man. The air was filled with smoke, first from the endless firing of guns and cannon, and then from the fires that had broken out along the riverfront. Those now raged out of control, unable to be fought by the workers’ fire brigades because demons danced between the flames. With Heart-augmented eyes he no longer required a spyglass to see distant things, but the situation was so dire that he’d rather be blind.
It appeared that one of Vadal’s armies on the west side of the river had been routed, leaving an entire district of the city cut off. His scouts reported that an organized force consisting of hundreds of demons were advancing inland there, including several of the giants. The surviving warriors had retreated to prepared fortifications to withstand a siege. The fate of every Vadal citizen who had not evacuated yet would be left to hell’s nonexistent mercy.
Worse, the reports said that a particular group of demons was being led by an especially deadly creature with a physical appearance different from all the others, and every wizard and Protector who had tried to stop it had been effortlessly eradicated by the thing.
Yet why were the demons concentrating their wrath against that one particular district? It held nothing of strategic note. Jagdish had already sent word to the only force near enough to try and intervene, but he didn’t even know if the Sons of the Black Sword were in any shape to respond, or if they would be able to catch the odd demon in time. All Jagdish could do now was try to manage the rest of the chaos as best as he could.
From up here he had a fine view of the end of the world.
“I require another flyer!”
“Here, sir!” A young wizard rushed forward.
“Go to Phontho Gotama and tell him the demons have broken into the eastern market district. He must send a few paltans to reinforce Girish along the jade avenue immediately.”
“Yes, sir!” That wizard immediately went to the edge of the roof and leapt off like a lunatic. A moment later, a great black bird flew away. Such a transformation was unnerving no matter how many times Jagdish had seen it, and since nearly half the wizards in Lok had converged on this place and been granted more bone and hide than they could imagine, it had become a relatively common sight. Wizards were more likely to get past demons than runners. They were even more reliable if he knew there was another wizard waiting on the other end capable of receiving words sent through the air itself.
“I need someone who can do a message spell.”
Another wizard ran to him, this one wearing the colors of Great House Vokkan. War against demons made for strange allies amongst man. “I know that pattern, Phontho.”
“Good. Send to your counterpart among the Maharaja’s wizards that he’s got demons moving south of his position swimming up Cold Stream. Phontho Luthra saw at least ten of them. Warn the Maharaja he needs to strengthen his left flank or risk being cut off.”
“It’ll be done.”
After that wizard left to weave his magic, Jagdish took a deep breath to steady his nerves. Those were all the orders he could give for right now. So he went back to pacing along the edge of the roof, watching the destruction unfold below him.
His fanatical bodyguard was standing by, watching him in silent judgment.
“What’re you looking at, Najmul?”
“I see a tiger stalking about in a cage. You are a warrior who yearns to be in the fight.”
“Of course I want to fight. This is my home. Those are my people!” From up here Jagdish could hear thousands screaming in terror. He’d had the evacuation bells rung as soon as the warriors were in position, but over a million people lived here. Ashok’s warning had surely saved many lives, but an untold number remained trapped while demons spread like wildfire. “Every drop of Vadal blood that gets shed is my responsibility. Yet even though I’m stronger than I’ve ever been before, here I sit in relative safety above the fray, while men I trained and have fought beside lay down their lives.”
“You’ve been called to fight with your mind, rather than your sword. There’s a time for both. No offense intended, Jagdish, but I’ve fought you. Your mind is worth more than your arm.”
Unsure if that was a compliment, an insult, or both, Jagdish snorted. “Don’t worry. I will fulfill my obligation.”
Najmul nodded. “Good. Because only fools let their passion trample sense. The gods have chosen wisely.”
“Look at my city burning, Najmul. If your gods are real, then they’ve clearly forsaken us.”
“We forsook them first. They were forgotten. Remembering is a painful process.”
“I’d throw your idols in the sea right now if I could,” Jagdish snarled. “If your so-called gods expect us to prevail, they’d best send help soon.”
“I trust they will when the time is right. If they don’t, then I will die assuming they withheld their aid because we displeased them somehow.”
“Well, they’re a petty, spiteful bunch, then.”
Najmul shrugged, as if to say such was life.
There was a flapping of wings as a great black bird descended upon them. It rapidly melted into the form of a Vadal battle wizard who landed gracefully on the roof a few yards away. Jagdish saw that it was Mukunda, whom he trusted more than any other wizard. That was why he had been the one Jagdish had dispatched to warn Ashok of the western breakthrough.
“What’s the word, Mukunda?”
“The Black Heart says his army will march toward the incursion immediately.”
Jagdish breathed a sigh of relief at that. With unstoppable Ashok harrying them, the demons wouldn’t be able to feast on the innocents quite so easily. “How did the Sons of the Black Sword fare?”
Wizards tended to be a canny lot, but Mukunda had spent far too much time among the warrior caste, so he was unable to hide his genuine emotion. “It is like nothing I could imagine. They lost probably a quarter of their number, but Jagdish, the shore was filled with dead demons! From the bluff to the casteless quarter are strewn carcasses. No one has ever seen such a thing. Demon corpses litter the ground there. They told me Ashok killed half of them by himself, but I think those fanatics slew nearly as many of the beasts as the rest of our armies put together. The Sons didn’t just hold, they killed them by the score, then chased all the demons who dared challenge them back beneath the ground.”
Everyone on his command staff roared approvingly as they heard that report. It was the only good news they’d received over hours of unrelenting awfulness and endless defeats. Most of the other warriors had been unable to hold the riverbanks for long at all and been forced back to their designated fortifications to withstand a siege. But the Sons had prevailed! Who would have ever imagined that Law-abiding officers of the warrior caste would cheer for religious fanatics?
Jagdish couldn’t help but grin, for the tiny gang of criminals he’d helped lead and organized had turned into an army, thousands strong, and able to beat demons! What warrior wouldn’t feel pride at hearing that his old unit had done so well against such impossible odds?
“That’s my boys. Make sure news of this great victory is sent to every other phontho of every house. They could use some inspiration.”
“Can’t have criminals outfighting them, now can they?” Mukunda said. “I’ll see to it, Phontho.”
As his men returned to their duties, Jagdish saw that his bodyguard was smirking. “What?”
“Don’t throw my idols in the sea just yet, Jagdish. The gods may have already sent us all the help we need. What’s the army of hell when compared to the might of the Forgotten’s Warrior?”
Having fought with and against Ashok, Jagdish couldn’t argue with that assessment. From the reports he’d received, the other bearers had fought well, but nothing like that. “As long as most of the bridges are under demon control, that whole section of the city is in Ashok’s hands now.”
“It appears Ashok has gone from your house’s greatest enemy to their only hope.”
That was doubtlessly true. There had been a few other mighty ancestor blades and some skilled Protectors on that side of the Martaban, but Jagdish hadn’t received any word from them yet. Those heroes were probably either dead or besieged. Yet somehow dishonored Ashok Sword Breaker still fought to save Vadal. Jagdish was honored to be called brother by such a man.
“I will see to it that Thakoor Bhadramunda is told of this,” Jagdish vowed. “Even if we all die, Ashok deserves to have his name restored for what he has done for us today.”
The phontho returned to studying his battleground. Yet his eyes kept being drawn toward the plumes of smoke rising to the west.
The demons were lashing out everywhere, but this particular incursion was especially troubling, because he could not understand why? Why was the army of hell concentrating on a part of the city that held nothing of strategic value? The Thakoor’s holdings were to the east. The Defender’s Heart had been moved to their strongest-walled fort, also to the east. Everywhere else the demons had broken through they had immediately split up to range about and cause the most carnage possible, while his scouts told him these particular demons were remaining in a cohesive force, organized and hundreds strong. That force was pushing toward an old worker district, home to metallurgists, foundries, and refineries. Even if they didn’t understand humanity, wouldn’t demons be more inclined to destroy their imposing buildings rather than the humble ones?
“Bring me a map of the Lantern District.”
“What’re you thinking?” Najmul asked.
“Demons are savage, but they’re not without logic. While the rest of them spread out and distract us everywhere, these demons push toward a mysterious goal.” Jagdish took the offered map from one of his aides and unrolled it. He studied the detailed drawing, but nothing there leapt out at him of having any particular value. It had always been easy for Jagdish to put himself in his enemy’s shoes, to understand their perspective so that he could anticipate their moves, but how could a rational man think like a demon?
The terrain was mostly flat and on the other side of that district was humble farmland, so unnoteworthy that it was specifically where he’d sent the Sons of the Black Sword to set up their camp, to try and avoid drawing the ire of the city’s more respectable residents…
“What if their target isn’t a place, but a person?”
“Who?” Najmul asked.
Jagdish had ridden with the Sons long enough to know they truly believed with all their hearts that Thera Vane was the prophet of the ancient gods. He himself had heard the Voice roar like a thousand lions in his mind so he knew she was something. Jagdish had seen Thera’s badly burned palms after she’d formed a molten spear in order to slay a powerful demonic entity, so he knew her magic was powerful. The deadly House of Assassins had believed her form of magic to be unique, and so had the Inquisition…
Maybe the demons did too.
“I think you fanatics might not be the only ones who believe in prophecy, Najmul.”
Just as Jagdish had sent Shakti and Pari to his distant estate so he could concentrate on his duties, Ashok wouldn’t want the only woman he had ever loved standing on the shore a few hundred yards from a demon invasion. He’d have sent her someplace safe. Only, Thera Vane was warrior caste and proud, and the Sons had sworn their allegiance to her. She wouldn’t abandon them. Just as Jagdish had claimed the high ground here to watch over his responsibilities, she would want to be somewhere she could see her army fight. There was only one great tower in that district, an ancient structure that now served as a school for skilled artisans. He checked the map again, and sure enough that had to be where these demons were headed.
Were they after Thera for revenge? Jagdish had threatened to throw his fanatic’s idols in the water, but Thera had actually melted the only demon idol anyone had ever seen. Or were they trying to claim her curious magic for themselves? Jagdish didn’t know, but if the demons wanted something so badly, all his instincts told him they could not be allowed to have it. The Sons might not be a match for a force of that size, and they couldn’t be reinforced as long as demons held the river.
Jagdish’s army was being held here in reserve to respond to any breakthroughs. There was no one else available. To reach the west he would have to reclaim one of the bridges.
In less time than it took the needle of the tiny pocket watch to click off a minute, Jagdish adjusted all his plans.
“Ready the men. We must cross the Martaban.”