At night the darkness was total. Sometimes there was a moon, sometimes several, but tonight there was nothing. It was as though they had been packed away into a box, or a coffin.
Brother Cassowar had studied the stars and the constellations even though they didn’t hold relevance any more. Most of the stars had burned out, or rather, been snuffed out. He saw it as a loss of humanity itself. His interpretation of ancient texts was that the stars represented potential for early humans, something to stove towards and put faith into. The stars proved that there was more beyond the limits of the earth.
They had been right. Humanity had ventured into the stars, but what they found were the gods.
His musings were cut off by a grunt from Brother Krann. They had briefly paused their journey while the larger man checked in with his spectors. All Icuri could summon spectors but Krann was something of a specialist. Cassowar found the demonic puppets distasteful and rarely utilised them but Krann had dozens in operation at all times.
“My spectors have identified the target. Intel is verified.” Krann intoned.
“Good. No more dead ends. We’ll recover the relic and return to Father Leonardo without delay. Try to keep the killing to a minimum.”
“Sometimes victory holds a steep price in blood, brother.”
This time it was Cassowar who grunted. Krann was correct, but there was a certain art to subtlety. He felt that the church shouldn’t be messy. Death and deception were necessary but collateral damage simply made them look bad.
They resumed their journey without making camp. Neither had slept in three days. Sleep wasted time. It was a weakness, so they pushed it aside. Icuri could forgo sleep for a week without feeling any particular detriment. It allowed them to cover large distances in a fraction of the time it would take others.
The two men didn’t speak. There was little to say. Sociolisation hadn’t been a part of their education at the Schola. Peers died regularly and there was no concept of down time. If you were awake you were training or learning. The Icuri had no interests or personality beyond structured indoctrination. Maybe that was why Cassowar disliked the spectors. They reminded him a little too much of himself.
“Do you sense them?” asked Krann, breaking the quiet. Cassowar nodded.
“I do.”
“I feel a primal bloodlust. It won’t be long until even Icuri will face attacks. Travel will be more eventful.”
Krann was right. There were dozens of creatures observing them, weighing the men up, eager for blood and flesh. It wasn’t a coincidence. The creatures had gathered around the pathetic excuse of a road. Each week they grew in numbers. If something wasn’t done soon then travel would become impossible without a well-armed convoy.
“They are very close to the city,” Cassowar observed.
“They are,” Krann said with a slow nod.
The silence returned. Both men were at high alert. It took a lot to spook an Icuri. It wasn’t fear. Few of the forest monstrosities posed any real threat to two Incuri, it was more about the threat to order. The Church of the Divine had spent centuries building trade routes and diplomatic missions. The current peace and prosperity they were all blessed to be a part of was entirely due to the efforts of the church and visionaries like Father Leonardo. A resurgence of aggressive beasts risked that hard one peace.
Cassowar didn’t have much time to dwell on these thoughts. They had only been walking another half an hour when they crossed the forest boundary and emerged into open skies and rolling hillsides. Like a crown of rot, the city of Voyeur opened up before them. A circle of colossal eyes like jewels in the night around tall walls. Then a spiral of streets that all lead to the gaping maw of the dead god and its void-black beak that rose like monuments to a terrifying age long passed.
Even in the darkness and without an Incuri’s vision the city would have been visible by the glow of light that emanated out from it. It lacked the artistry and architectural prowess of Devotion, but then the souls huddled within those utilitarian walls didn’t have the grace of the church at its foundation.
The two men crossed the fields of fungi and approached the main gateway into the city. There was no need for subterfuge. Missionaries of the Divine were welcome in any bastion of civilisation.
As they passed through the orderfield, a small smile tugged at the corners of Krann’s mouth. Cassowar shot him a warning glance and the older man shrugged. Order stopped demons from entering but they didn’t prevent demons from being summoned once inside its protective sheen.
The gate was a wide mesh of bone lifted by a crank within the gatehouse. There were six visible guards, each armed with a shield, a shortened pike, and a nearby supply of boneshard javelins. It was more than enough to kill a beast or rabble of half-starved bandits. Cassowar was confident he could kill them all before they could call for backup from the garrison just beyond the second gate.
Luckily for them this wasn’t the plan. He nodded to the lead guard and smiled warmly as the men approached.
“Very late for unarmed pilgrims,” the guard muttered. “Damn suicidal to travel by night, even for your lot.”
“The Divine protects,” Cassowar said with a humble bow of his head.
The guard made a dismissive noise but didn’t question them further. His men patted them down then he ushered them through into the outer city.
Krann’s nose wrinkled at the torrent of humanity that opened up before them. He spat into the dirt.
“These Voyeur bastards have no respect for the church. They live like animals. I think we should use this opportunity to show them why they need the Divine. Put the fear into them, then in the chaos we grab the relic.”
“Or we could just walk in, grab it, and leave. Quick and easy. Chaos creates too many uncertain factors.”
“Chaos is a tool, little brother. Watch and learn what it means to be a true Icuri of the Divine. Voyeur will fall to its knees, and it will be the Church that offers a hand, along with a needed sense of security. Follow my lead.”
Cassowar gritted his teeth, bowing his head to hide his sneer.
“Understood.”
Matthew Roys 