An Angel’s Road to Hell

Cassandra Pendragon

“I don’t believe it,” I mumbled in sheer amazement. The ships Rachmahn had brought weren’t small. Neither were they shabby, old, damaged, rotten or even scratched. They were goddamned beautiful and, as far as I could tell, almost new.

Distractedly I rubbed the last crumbs of earth from my fingers as I watched the elegant constructions sway in the wind. Before I had come here, I had taken half an hour to bury the Soulcatcher, I had burned, on a small outcropping close to the harbour. A beautiful place above the waves, surrounded by bright red tulips, and much more peaceful than he deserved. Still, his debts had been payed. The few quiet minutes had done wonders for my stability, too, even though the occasion had been rather dark. If I had been alone it would probably have become another chance to start brooding, but Viyara, Aurelia and Kana had kept me company and had made sure I wouldn’t fall prey to another bout of self pity. The dragoness and her vampire had said goodbye afterwards, they’d join me again when it’d be time to try out the vampire’s infamous network of portals, but until then I had to contend with Rachmahn, my mother, my brother, a moody, truly ancient dwarf I hadn’t seen before, a struggling, winged reminder of my past and the surprisingly small crowd of curious onlookers, who had been drawn to the harbour by the sight of five stately ships. My personal entourage was busy preparing our trip.

“You better,” the trader replied merrily and lit a long, carved pipe. “I told you I’m good.”

“That’s… how,” I stammered, my gaze glued to the gleaming behemoths of oak and metal. The bitter, almost acrid smell of burning vanilla tickled my nose despite the hellish smoke of five burning furnaces, darkening the sky with blackish clouds. Three of them were even larger than the one on the dwarven ship, their heat turning the air into a hazy veil above the maze of masts, sails and… a flag, which was just about to disappear into the labyrinthian array of hawsers, shrouds and creaking wood. Most men had already vacated the decks, but some had apparently been tasked with cleaning up and had forgotten that little piece of fluttering, incriminating cloth. “So that’s how,” I stated suspiciously and turned to the tired merchant. “Please tell me that’s a private flag and not the one of a country.”

He grinned sheepishly and replied: “for a small fee I’ll tell you whatever you want to hear, but if you want the truth… I’m not entirely sure myself.”

“How’s that even possible?” He shrugged.

“I trade, I don’t procure.”

“Are you telling me you’ve just flown a whole gaggle of stolen ships here?”

“That’s hardly the question, is it,” my brother interrupted darkly. “I’m more curious if someone is looking for them and if we have to expect unwanted visitors, soon.”

“Ah, in that regard, my cranky comrade, I can assuage your worries. Three of them I’ve had in my possession for years and the other two are from up north. Even if they have been procured under dubious circumstances, there’s no need to fret. Nobody is going to knock on your door, holding a grudge. On my honour, the goods are clean.”

“Whatever that’s worth,” Mordred scoffed, but I could tell that he was at least as impressed as me. 12 hours weren’t much and no matter how you looked at it, his aptitude was unquestionable.

Rachmahn folded his hands above his chest theatrically and sighed: “a merchant’s honour is his most valuable possession. Everything else can be rebuilt, but once your reputation is ruined… I would like to caution against sailing too far north, though. The consequences might be more dire than I hope.”

“And what exactly is too far,” my mom interjected. I hadn’t seen much of her since last night, but her dress was new and so were the silvery bracelets and the necklace, adorned with either crystals or maybe even diamonds, she wore. Her negotiations must have gone well. Really well.

“Oh,” Rachmahn answered and raised his heads nonchalantly, “let’s say… the Southern Central Cluster? So… maybe 500 miles, give or take?”

“You do know where they’re coming from, don’t you,” I asked.

“If you have to know… there’s a… I wouldn’t call it war, but a conflict brewing on the central islands. The regents share blood ties and they’re squabbling over the succession to an unimportant, tiny island. They’ve found a new metal of some kind and now everybody is trying to get their hands on it. They aren’t fighting openly, but sometimes… small contingents venture too far into foreign lands and disappear, never to be seen again. The bounty is sold off and I know someone, a few someones to be precise, who inform me when anything interesting is up for grabs. I’ve had my eyes on these beauties for a while and now I finally had a reason to splurge. Seeing as they got here within 12 hours, probably even less, you can also estimate how fast they are. They won’t outrun a dragon, but anything else… Satisfied?”

“And why didn’t you tell us from the beginning,” my mom wanted to know.

“Secrets of the trade. But since this is about proving my usefulness I’m willing to make an exception. Now, while the esteemed dwarf makes sure I’m not trying to hide anything from you, why don’t we have a look at the rest? I must say, I’m quite proud of what I’ve managed to cobble together. You asked for 100 sets of equipment, probably for a small fighting force. They’re in storage, all right, but I think you’ll like my additions. Why don’t we take a look?”

While he had finished his explanation and cleaned out his pipe a narrow wooden plank had been lowered to the walkways from the closest ship. Two sailors secured it nimbly before they moved out of the way and bowed from their waists. “Your people,” I asked.

“Most of them. A few are my brother’s. It’s not easy to man and fly five ships. I couldn’t find the necessary crews in time.” I nodded along as I placed my feet on the cranking plank. In all honesty, if I hadn’t been able to fly, I wouldn’t have enjoyed the moment one bit when there was nothing underneath me but a finger’s worth of wood and an seemingly endless drop to the azure waves below. A stiff breeze tousled my hair as the smell of coals and flames was drowned out by the scent of seaweed and salt. I swallowed dryly but before I could even think about whether or not I was actually afraid of heights, I had already reached the deck. My soft soled boots produced barely a whisper when I jumped and landed close to the wooden lattice, barring the way to the storage below.

My family followed swiftly and when Rachmahn joined us, his workers had already installed the large pulleys, needed to open the humongous hatch. A few shouted commands later the heavy timbers rose into the air and the acidic odour of rotting hemp wafted around us. Three ropes, easily as wide as my wrist, were lowered into the belly of the ship from massive beams, anchored to the central mast, and a few seconds later a wooden platform rose form the darkness. Row upon row of gleaming armours shimmered in the bright sunlight, surrounded by neatly stacked heaps of halberds, swords, shields, crossbows, spears and daggers.

“The weapons,” I began, but the trader cut me off.

“That’s what I meant. I imagine you’re going to need these for many an occasion. I took the liberty of providing enough that your people can take up arms and storm a castle or simply patrol the streets at night. I didn’t add any more armours, though. While these aren’t the most expensive, I already had to liquidise more than I wanted to to fill the remaining ships.”

“Fill the…,” Mordred stammered, but he didn’t fare much better than me.

“Of course, a vessel is only as good as its cargo, isn’t it? This is what you asked for and that’s what I added of my own volition. This one is stocked with uniforms, cloth, cured leather, iron ore, ropes and every other kind of material I could think of. The rest… four storages filled with food, seeds, wood, blankets and even a few barrels of sugar should solve most of your problems for the next few weeks. After that… my services will always be available to you, for a small commission, of course.” I was stunned and I wasn’t the only one.

“With that, I might even reconsider,” my brother mumbled.

“What’s that,” the merchant asked jovially. Mordred ignored him, sought my gaze and said:

“If I do this, I won’t be acting as a surrogate. If I’m going to keep… to start building something even remotely resembling a city and spend my time running from the tree to the city council and back again I won’t indulge your every whim and I won’t stop doing so only because you suddenly change your mind. Can you live with that?” I blinked, perplexed.

“Honestly, I thought I’d have to threaten you. What changed your mind?”

“You did… and maybe a talk to and a smack from Richard. You’re right. Mom can’t, you can’t and the rest… it’s up to me, isn’t it? I’ve… believe it or not, I’ve already talked to Greta. As long as I don’t shit the bed, her words, not mine, she’s willing to work with me. And with those goods and someone as well connected as your new friend, I think I won’t need… the kind of power you have to make it work. That is,” he turned to Rachmahn, “I don’t know the exact terms of your agreement with my sister, but I, for one, would love to fallback on your expertise, once in a while.” The reply was immediate and delivered with a broad smile.

“That won’t be a problem at all. I do wonder, though,” his bright, inquisitive eyes turned to me: “Will I be acting as a simple merchant or will it be something more… personal.” Right, he had delivered and now it was my turn.

“I haven’t yet heard what the dwarf has to say but you’ve definitely proven what you can do.” I closed my eyes and thought for a moment. “Two. Two people. Chose wisely and quickly I’m not going to stay here for much longer.”

“Two,” he asked sceptically, his eyebrows cocked.

“Consider it an investment. Besides I don’t like being in debt. Also… I have another favour to ask. This little girl here,” I gently placed a hand on my mom’s shoulder, “will also need your help.”

“Will I,” she questioned me with a frown and pinched my arm savagely in revenge. I only smirked.

“I’d think so. Or are you not going to… renovate the “Silver Swan”?”

“I wasn’t planning to, just yet, but since you’re asking…” she paused when Kana cleared her throat, the first time she had ever made a sound when we hadn’t been alone. She had joined Reia and me in the bath but she hadn’t spoken, only when I had sealed my sister in my room had we exchanged a few words, which basically boiled down to “don’t worry about me, I’m fine but I’ll need some time. Everything seems different and I simply don’t know which way is up, for now. Just, don’t leave me alone, please.” I wouldn’t have, either way, but having a mute shadow, staring at everything from butterflies to flowers in undiluted amazement, had been decidedly strange, especially when I had met a few of the others on my way here. I hadn’t minded with the kitsune soldiers, but having her hover close by in silence, her eyes glued to my friends’ faces while I had talked to Erya, Morgan, Will and Vanya about their magic had been unsettling.

In case you’re wondering what they had turned into… so was I. It didn’t take much to tell that their minds had been connected to the stores of mana and life force within them, stores, I might add, that could have put most dragons to shame, but aside from that… my own peculiar nature had meddled with the process, tainting, changing their magic. They could learn spells and work their arts like any other sorcerer but I was pretty convinced that they’d find themselves gifted in some areas while others would always remain outside their reach. Similar to any immortal, really.

Now, my own deficiencies and talents hadn’t influenced theirs, as far as I could tell, who they were, what they desired, what they treasured… who they wanted to become had been much more important in moulding them, but that also meant they had to simply try out different forms of magic until one would… simply click with them. Which isn’t to say that there hadn’t been some hints. The flames, spontaneously igniting in Will’s beard and hair when he became agitated, or the ethereal, airy hue Vanya’s wings had taken on while she had been asleep were a bit of a giveaway. So were Morgan’s eyes. The smouldering green gems had transformed into intriguingly black, unfathomable ponds, her gaze almost impossible to escape from. Quite literally. Aside from her granny I had been the only one who had been able to look away, once she had focused her attention.

Florentina and Cecilia, the two barmaids, hadn’t even figured out yet that they had become mages in their own right, but judging from the hushed conversation with Greta and Asra’s former slaves, I had found them engrossed in, they were going to, really soon. Which would probably also lead to another interesting discussion with Faelan and Anna about their future. I wasn’t willing to hand out arcane powers left and right, but considering how the entire town was about to change, I didn’t mind giving them a leg up. Provided they found their courage and actually asked. I wasn’t going to offer. I didn’t know why, but the distinction somehow seemed important to me. Volition, dedication, courage… to me those were paramount values and I wanted them to show that they had managed to retain their spirit despite the degrading atrocities they had been subjected to. Huh, maybe I did know why I wanted them to ask, after all.

Kana blinked shyly when she found herself at the centre of attention. Her warm hand snuck into mine for reassurance but when she spoke she did so clearly and without hesitation: “there’s more. Correct me if I’m wrong but this is mainly about precious resources. I’m…,” she turned to me, wordlessly asking for permission. I nodded, curious what she was going to say.

I wasn’t entirely sure but I had a hunch where she was going with this. Provided my assumptions about her memories weren’t baseless. In essence, when I had torn her unblemished soul from the past, she had probably regained a jumbled up mess of memories from the lives she had lived as a whole being, or at least the last one. Since the magic she had been taught and been practicing back then was entirely different from anything on Gaya, she had to be interested in whether or not parts of it could be replicated. As far as I recalled, much of her strength had been based on tempering her mind and her body to accumulate and use the inherent mana of her planet. Quite a lot had hinged on complex rituals that could change the flesh and elevate the spirit, but for those she’d need herbs and crystals, most of which probably didn’t even exist on our world. If anyone could tell her if she stood a chance of collecting what she needed it’d be Rachmahn.

“I’m looking for a few arcane ingredients,” she continued quietly, reaffirming my suspicion. “Rare plants and a variety of gems.” The merchant frowned.

“That’s not very precise. I can get my hands on an impressive collection of either but I’d need names.”

“Unfortunately I can’t provide. I can only describe their properties. Would that suffice?”

“Depends. Tell me and I’ll see what I can do.”