Chapter 5 5, The city of thieves

They had been on the road for a little over three days, and Irin had become used to the constant movement of the horse beneath her. The landscape had changed from open fields to forest and now to a hard, barren terrain with the mountain in front of them. The road led into a ravine; Irin halted her horse.

"What's wrong?" Koth asked, looking back at her.

"Are we really going in there?" she asked. Koth looked towards the ravine and then back at her.

"Yes, it's the only way to get to the city."

"Won't it be a good place for an ambush? And this close to Behenoth, I'm guessing it won't be amateurs like last time," Irin said.

"It is a good place for an ambush," Koth nodded. "It's one of the reasons the city has been left alone for so long; the army can't march into it without going through this passage. But for regular travellers, it won't be dangerous. It wouldn't be good for business if travellers were robbed at the threshold of the city, so the families are in agreement to keep the passageway free from that sort of thing."

"Oh, okay then," Irin said, taking a deep breath and urging her horse onward. She really didn’t like the prospect of going into the passage with the high mountain faces on each side, but if she needed to, she would. The sunlight lessened as they entered the final stretch of the road. The mountain shadowed them, and everything became dusky.

"Would we benefit from some more light, or should we make do without?" Irin asked Koth.

"Light should be fine," he said, and Irin felt grateful as she whispered a prayer to the goddess, feeling the power flow into her. She used it to create a small, glowing orb which glided between them, casting enough light to see more clearly, but not enough to be glaringly obvious. The passage seemed to stretch on forever, and Irin strained her eyes to see the end. When she finally did, she let out a sigh that made Koth huff in amusement. Irin had grown accustomed to Koth's presence. Even though she knew he had been forced to come and would rather be in his tower, he had been kind to her and hadn't taken his frustration out on her. She was grateful for it, as it would have made the journey unbearable. She would make sure to retrieve this amulet as quickly as possible and return home so he wouldn't have to suffer any longer than necessary. As they rode out through the opening of the pass, Irin's breath caught in her throat as she saw Behenoth for the first time. The city had been built at the foot of the mountain, where it created a natural bay into the ocean. On three sides, the mountain stretched to the sky; on the fourth, the ocean stretched out. The city seemed to be built from the same dark grey stone that made up the mountain, and a ring wall opened towards the ocean. It was a breathtaking sight.

"Make sure you stay close to me when we enter the city; we will go straight to the temple, as we discussed," Koth reminded her. She nodded.

"I have… friends in the city. I don't know if they will seek me out when they know I'm here. Just be prepared for it," he added.

"Be prepared for what?" she asked as they made their way to the city gate.

"Everything."

"Right, sure, I'll get right on that." Irin heard the irritation in her own voice. She had managed to keep her temper under control for most of their journey, but sometimes he just pushed all her buttons. 'Everything', who did he think he was?

"You just never know with them; that's why they're so successful at what they do," Koth told her as they rode through the gates. Irin focused on keeping her smaller horse next to Koth's as the street gradually filled with animals, people, and carts. She fell in behind him, making sure to stay close; Koth seemed to know where they were going and would turn around occasionally to check she was still there. Irin's eyes darted from place to place, eager to take in everything. The city felt more condensed than Gahndas; the houses stood closer together, and the streets were narrower. The houses were all built from the same dark stone, giving the city a gloomy feel. "There's the temple," Koth said over his shoulder. Irin looked where he pointed and saw a tall building surrounded by a high wall. They dismounted and led their horses through the gate. The temple yard was well-kept, and a young man approached them; judging by his clothes, he was a priest in training.

"Good afternoon, how may I be of assistance?" he asked with a bow.

"We are here on a mission from the high priest of the Gahndas temple. We need to speak to the priest," Koth told him. The man looked at Koth in disbelief, then his eyes went to Irin, and they widened slightly before he bowed to her.

"Of course, this way, please follow me," he said, showing them where they could tie up their horses. As they entered the temple, Irin could feel the heavy scent of the incense they were using. It wasn't the same as she was used to from the Gahndas' temple. It had a fresh, apple undertone; this was just sweet and heavy.

"Father Havon, you have visitors," the young man said. An older priest turned to look at them. His eyes were drawn to Koth first – understandable, as Koth was like a mountain. He then looked at Irin and nodded.

"The high priest sent you after receiving my message?" he asked.

"Yes," Irin said.

"Come, you must be tired. I was about to eat. Why don't you join me, and we can talk," the priest said.

"Thank you, we would appreciate it." Irin smiled at him. Koth simply looked at him without changing his expression.

"I'll tend to the horses and join you," Koth said.

"No need, Tobin will tend to them," Father Havon told them. Koth nodded, and they both followed him into a small room next to the main temple. A table was set with a plate and utensils. The priest added two more sets and started filling the table with cold meat, cheese, bread, and fruit. The priest said a short prayer before they started eating. "I'm happy the high priest took my report seriously," Father Havon said to them.

“Your report didn’t mention which of the heads had acquired the talisman,” Koth remarked.

“Ah, I might have left that out, yes. It’s the head of the Mohiri clan.”

“Is Karash still the head?” Koth asked.

“No, Karash is dead. It’s his son, Mohind, who is the head now,” the priest explained. Irin listened to the conversation as if it meant something to her, but it felt as though the two of them could just as well have spoken a different language. She focused on the conversation nonetheless, hoping to glean the important parts.

“Do you know how he got his hands on it?”

“He said one of his ships found it,” Father Havon told him.

“In other words, one of his pirate ships looted it from someone. But if it’s so powerful, how come the ship he looted didn’t use it?” Koth asked.

“I don’t know. But I do know he has held some demonstrations to show people its power. I haven’t seen such a demonstration myself, but judging by the amount of fear displayed by those who have, I'd say it’s likely a genuine artefact.”

“What type of demonstrations?” Irin asked, feeling she needed to contribute to the conversation, and this part she at least understood.

“He rounded up members of his organisation he suspected of betraying him – some to the other houses, others for being spies for the empire. He stood them in the courtyard and told them if they remained standing for ten minutes, he would let them go and forget they had wronged him. He used the artefact, and I haven’t managed to get a trustworthy description of what happened next. But all witnesses agree the men standing in the courtyard let out screams of unworldly pain, and in less than a minute, they all fell over and lay twitching on the ground until their bones were broken so severely they pierced their skin. Those who survived the broken bones were left to bleed out,” he told them. A shiver ran down Irin’s back, and she looked at Koth as if to ask if he knew what it could be.

“Sounds like some kind of torture spell which has been amplified,” he said thoughtfully, playing with the tuft of his beard as he thought. Irin focused on her food. This was even worse than she had thought. She understood the need for them to get this thing out of the hands of this head. A power like this could easily corrupt any heart, and it had ended up in the hands of an already corrupt individual.

“Is there a way we can talk to this person?” Irin asked.

“There is; even in a place like this, they respect priests and the temple. But I don’t know what good it will do,” the priest said.

“The high priest has ensured we can make a very good offer to buy the amulet,” Irin said. The priest simply shook his head.

“That won’t work.”

“He is right, little one. A weapon like that? No leader would sell it for all the money in the world. Used in the right way, it could earn him all the money in the world, alongside power and fame,” Koth agreed.

“So what is the alternative?” she asked.

“Why don’t you sleep on it? We have rooms for weary travellers. I’ll show you to them, and you can rest; hopefully a clear and rested mind will find a solution,” Father Havon suggested.

“Thank you, Father,” Irin said. The priest escorted them out into the temple and to the other side of the main room. A corridor with pillars on both sides connected the main temple with the sleeping quarters. As they walked through it, someone stepped out from the shadows behind them, and Irin saw a dagger flash as it pressed up against Koth’s throat.

“Got you,” a voice said.