Night of Wings and Smoke by David Dalglish

Author:David Dalglish [Dalglish, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Eschaton Press
Published: 2024-06-07T00:00:00+00:00

20

“Is something wrong?” you ask Vikar Forrest as you step into his office.

“Wrong?” he asks as he leans back in his chair. “I could spend all day answering that question with things that are wrong. But safe to say, you mean why I summoned you?” He lifts a letter off his desk with two fingers, waves it at you, and then plops it back down. “I’ve a job for you, and it means leaving Londheim.”

“Leave?” you ask. Memories of your trek to the city flash through your mind, and a tightness bands about your chest. “Why would I leave? I’m needed here. The city isn’t safe.”

“No shit, it isn’t safe,” Forrest says. “I’m half-tempted to drag my own ax out for nightly patrols. But you’re one of the few Soulkeepers under my care who has no family, so if I have to pick someone to leave for a bit, well, that’s why I’m picking you.”

You bristle but do not argue. It’s true you have no family here. You were orphaned as a child, and brought into the Cathedral of the Sacred Mother to serve as a novice. Over time, your hard work was rewarded with a choice of which sacred division to enter: Mind, Faith, or Soul. A life preaching to the masses as a Faithkeeper did not appeal to you, nor did spending hours each day writing sermons or studying scripture as a Mindkeeper. You chose the life of adventure, or at least, as it was told to you as a child, and entered the Soulkeeper Sanctuary.

“If you decide I’m the best choice, then I’ll accept,” you tell Forrest. “Even if I think my talents would be better served here. The night is dangerous. It has been since the owls arrived.”

“Owls,” says your Vikar. “Crawling mountains, void take me, I’ve even been hearing rumors of gargoyles and murderous foxes. But we Soulkeepers serve all of West Orismund, not just Londheim. I’ve sent Devin to Oakenwall to investigate disappearances there, and Moore down south to see if the black water reached the Triona River. You’re not getting singled out, all right? We’re stretched thin, but we have to keep our priorities.”

He stands and crosses his arm over his barrel chest. He might be twenty years your senior, but you’re not certain you could take him in a fight. Perhaps it would be best if he did carry through with his rant and take that ax out on patrol.

“A shipment of flamestone from Roros never arrived,” he finally explains. “And given the sudden threats we face, our need of flamestone has grown immensely. This was a task requested by Royal Overseer Downing himself, but one I agreed with in taking. We need to make sure Roros is safe. The flow of Flamestone cannot be stopped.”

“So I go north to make sure the black water didn’t reach that far?” you ask.

“Among other tasks,” he says. “You’re not going alone. Lyssa will be coming with you, so you can rely on her pistols keep you safe.

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