The Hammer - Cor Series Book I

“Place your hands on top of the wall,” the person behind Corvan commanded, shoving him tight against the rough stones.

Corvan did as he was ordered. The point pushed in harder as the person leaned against him, pulled up his sleeve, and removed Morgan’s black knife. “Now turn around.”

Corvan turned to face a man in a green robe, the hood pulled low over his eyes. Morgan’s black knife was unsheathed, and it was pointed directly at Corvan’s heart.

“So now you are working for the Chief Watcher.” The voice was harsh and strained. “What did that lizard promise you? What was he saying and what were you telling him?” The hood swept back, revealing Jorad’s angry face.

“I’m not working for the Chief Watcher.” Corvan protested. “You don’t understand, Jorad, this Watcher is my friend.”

The priest snorted. “The Watcher’s don’t have friends. They only use us. You have been deceived, Kalian.” The knife higher to Corvan’s face. “I promised the High Priest, I would train you to be a Cor-Van. Instead, you have used me to aid the Chief Watcher in his plans to wipe out all the priests . . . and to murder Tyreth.” He jabbed the knife at Corvan, backing him up and almost tumbling him backwards over the low stone wall and into the river below.

Corvan sat on the wall to get his balance took a deep breath, and looked up at the man. “Jorad. I’m am going back to Kadir to help save Tyreth. I was planning to go through the water channel to find Madam Toreg and ask her to send Garek with me. I promised Madam Toreg I would help her. That’s the truth.”

Jorad’s lips curled back in a snarl. “The only truth I know is that I have taken an oath to protect Tyreth at all costs. I will do anything to save her from the Watchers . . . and from those working with them.”

“I said I would help you.” Corvan stood and Jorad took a step back. “And I also promised Madam Toreg on the hammer,” Corvan stated, releasing it from the holster and holding it up between them.

Jorad attempted to use his hand with the black knife to push the hammer away but a pulse of blue energy slapped the priest’s hand and sent the knife skittering across the road.

Corvan immediately put it back in the holster. “Jorad, the hammer shows I speak the truth. I’m going to save Tyreth, not kill her.”

The priest’s eyes narrowed. He was about to respond when a palace guard appeared on the slope up along the road. The man looked their way, raised his bow and drew back.

“Jorad, behind you!”

“No more tricks, Kalian. I am not—”

Corvan threw himself toward Jorad, spinning the man’s body to the side. The arrow tore through the bunched-up hood at the priest’s neck and clattered onto the road. Jorad whirled around to see who was shooting when two more soldiers jumped onto the road and drew their bows. Jorad dropped to the ground beside the inner wall. “Do as you said!” the man hissed. “Find Toreg and meet me at the Karst. I’ll find a way to get into Kadir and meet you at the temple.” He gave Corvan a shove as another arrow whistled overhead.

Corvan jumped up, leapt onto the outer wall, and dove into the river. He hit the water cleanly, surfaced and headed to the far side, swimming hard against the current to get past the pillars supporting the bridge. Breathless, he pulled himself out of the water in the rocky bay where the water from the City of Refuge gushed out.

The chains above him rattled. Jorad was hanging onto the sides of the bridge to work himself around the missing floor panels. Above Jorad’s labored breathing, Corvan could hear the soldiers shouting as they ran toward the trapped priest but there were no more arrows.

Jorad called down to Corvan, his voice tight. “Do as you have promised and find Tyreth, but I swear, if you are lying to me, you will never get out of the Cor alive.”

“I promise you, Jorad, I . . .”

“Get out of sight!” Jorad rasped. “They’re coming for me, not you.”

Removing the cap from one of his small fire sticks, Corvan stuck it in his mouth, and waded into the water outlet. The current was stronger than he expected. Clamping the unlit fire stick into the opposite side of his mouth, he felt along the bottom for handholds to haul himself through the foaming water. His lungs labored to pull enough air through the slender stick to fuel his efforts. Jamming his toes into the rocks, he flicked the cap off the other stick. Now his breathing came easier, in through the mouth and out through the nose, just as Tsarek had instructed.

The current slackened as the tunnel roof pulled away and soon shafts of flickering light shot through the silver surface of the water above. He had made it to the pool. Lifting his head cautiously above the surface he scanned the stairs leading down from the City of Refuge and the gates that would lead him back to the Kadir library.

Crouching low, he waded toward the half-finished wall of the pool. There were voices on the other side. He drew in close and listened.

He knew the tone and the caustic words all too well. On the other side of the wall, a group of bullies was teasing a child. Peering over the edge, Corvan discovered a circle of boys gathered around a child huddled on the ground, his back to one of the piles of blocks for the unfinished wall. One kicked at the child, then stepped back to reveal a small, bedraggled boy clutching a flute against his chest.

It was Gavyn.

A rush of anger propelled Corvan onto the wall with a great splash. He stood over the bullies, water pouring down his body, a smoking fire stick dangling from each corner of his mouth. The boys stared, their mouths gaping like dead fish.

Corvan tried to say, “Leave him alone!” but the smoking fire sticks scrambled his words and twisted down like glowing fangs. What came out sounded more like “Eat them bones!”

High-pitched screams erupted as a twisting mass of young boys scrambled over one another to get away from the flesh-eating monster. They tore up the stairs, their voices fading into the streets.

Capping the firestick stubs and thrusting them into his pocket, Corvan jumped down from the wall. Gavyn rose to his feet, triumphantly holding the pan flute he’d been protecting from the bullies. He hugged Corvan around his waist, then pulled back to stare at the water dripping from Corvan’s cloak. His eyes followed the trail of puddles that led to the wall.

The blast of a trumpet rent the air. Gavyn glanced toward the stairs, then tugged Corvan’s sleeve, pulling him down behind the stack of stone blocks.

The horn blew again. Corvan shifted to the left and found a crack between the rocks that exposed a narrow strip of the stairs. A man with a curved horn and barbed staff strode into view. Another man with a carved staff appeared, the mayor Madam Toreg had met at the city gate. A noisy crowd quickly gathered behind him and he hammered his staff for silence.

“Yes, I can see that something came from the pool,” he droned wearily, “but none of us has ever seen a man-eating creature with smoking fangs that swims in the water.” Loud retorts came from the audience and the mayor changed his tone. “I agree. I have no reason to doubt any of your boys. If this monster is still in the city, we must all work together and find it.”

“Perhaps we should consult Madam Toreg,” someone suggested.

The mayor bristled. “Madam Toreg stands accused of breaking faith with our people and bringing strangers into our city. Her staff is broken, and her authority has been removed.” He waved a hand toward the pool. “It may even be her fault this creature found a way inside.”

“Maybe she also knows how to get rid of it,” another voice interjected.

The mayor’s face grew red. “Madam Toreg will remain under house arrest until she is tried by the elders. We will not waste time asking her advice.” He gestured to the man with the trumpet. “Tewbel, you stand guard here in case the creature comes back.” He turned around and faced the crowd. “The rest of you divide into search parties and scour the city. Blow a horn if you see anything.” He pounded his staff again, and the people filed out.

The mayor watched the crowd leave then shook his head and rolled his eyes at Tewbel, before sauntering off.

The stocky man with the barbed staff stepped closer to the top of the stairs. He looked like the strong man Corvan had once seen at the circus. The man began to descend the steps as he surveyed the scene before him, his eyes shifting to the pool and then over to the pile of blocks.

Corvan’s stomach dropped. His trail of footprints led directly to his hiding place.

The man put his horn to his lips, paused, then let it fall to his side. Raising his weapon, he descended the stairs.

Corvan turned to tell Gavyn to run and find Madam Toreg, but the boy was gone, leaving smaller wet footprints from where he had been standing in Corvan’s puddle Glancing back through the crack he saw Gavyn run up to Tewbel. The young boy held his hands up to his head made his fingers look as if horns were spouting from his hair. He loped about in circles, growling like a mad dog, then ran to the stairs and beckoned for Tewbel to follow. The man gave one last glance toward the stack of blocks and Gavyn’s footprints before climbing up after him.

There were a few short tunes on the pan flute that slowly faded away. Gavyn was making sure he knew that he and the strong man were leaving the area. Corvan climbed the stairs on all fours and raised his head over the top. The streets were empty. Getting to his feet, he trotted along the road beside the watercourse toward the city gates.

The entry into the City of Refuge from the ruined library of Kadir drew near. The gates stood open, and just inside, a guard stood at attention. Staying low, Corvan eased himself onto the wall that separated the road from the waterway.

The sound of running feet caught him off guard, but before he could get completely over the wall, Gavyn came into view from a side street. The boy motioned for Corvan to keep going over to the other side of the wall, hopped over it, and pulled Corvan down, putting a finger to his lips.

A moment later Corvan heard marching feet on the road. The sound grew louder, passed them, the faded away. He stole a glance over the wall in time to see a squad of armed soldiers take up position near the city gates.

Corvan leaned back against the wall. With the whole City of Refuge on high alert, there was no way he could get to Madam Toreg and her gray men to ask for their help. The light of the new day was getting stronger and unless he could come up with a new plan, Tyreth would soon be drowned at the water ceremony.

Gavyn grabbed his sleeve and pointed along the wall to where the water rushed out of a small cave, swept down a spillway and then ran along the wall to the pool below. The boy nodded, crouched low, and took off along the inside of the wall.

It was all Corvan could do to keep up with the agile boy. Gavyn ran like a spider monkey, his knuckles almost dragging on the ground, right inside the water cave.

Following him in, Corvan understood why Gavyn adopted this strange manner of locomotion. There was no other way to make it through the tunnel. The water was not shallow enough to crawl in, and the roof was too low for him to stand.

Gavyn was already out of sight, but Corvan could hear him splashing along. The tunnel turned to the right and the light from behind faded. It was darker here and when floor suddenly dropped away he slipped under the deeper water.

Corvan surfaced, choking, and gasping for air. Treading water, he cleared his lungs. Here there was enough light from above to see that he was in yet another karst. This one was larger than the one at the Molakar settlement but it also had an island rising out of the center.

A tendril grabbed his ankle and yanked him below the surface. Corvan kicked furiously, and the creature released him. Surfacing, he swam like mad toward the island, his heart pounding as he imagined the snakelike arms pursuing him.

Bright laughter filled the cavern as Corvan pulled himself out of the water and scrambled up the rocks. Gavyn swam toward him, his mouth bubbling the water as he mimicked Corvan’s panicked flight. Relief flowed with embarrassment and Corvan wanted to throw something at the little imp.

The boy joined him on the pile of stone blocks, shook out his hair like a scrawny dog, cleared the water from his ears, and pointed upward. High overhead, past the circle of the karst rim, familiar painted faces looked down. He was underneath the great library where the floor had fallen into the reflecting pool. How long had it been since he stood up there on the edge with Madam Toreg and Jorad?

Gavyn poked him in the side, his bony shoulders held up in an exaggerated shrug as if asking where they should go next.

“I need to get to the Wasting at the temple karst,” Corvan said.

The boy’s eyes widened as he vigorously shook his head. He made motions with his hands and fingers of things swimming and being captured. Corvan grabbed his hands and held them still. “I know about the monster in the water. I don’t want to go inside the water. I need to get to the top before they throw Tyreth in.”

Gavyn nodded, gestured for Corvan to follow, and dove back into the water. The boy swam across to a set of broken stairs, climbed out and shook himself dry as he pointed upward.

Wearily, Corvan dropped back into the water and followed.

By the time he got across to the stairs, Gavyn was already gone, his footprints leading upward, two steps at a time. Reaching the roof, the steps moved upward in a narrow channel. Corvan pulled out the hammer, thankful that the blue glow was back to light his way.

At times the way was almost impassable, but someone had removed just enough debris for a small person to squeeze through. His legs began to burn from all the climbing, and at times he choked on the residual water in his lungs. He called to Gavyn to wait for him, but when he eventually caught up to the boy, Gavyn put a finger to his lips to tell him to be quiet, turned away and climbed on.

The boy obviously knew the ceremony would start any time but now Corvan was wondering what could they possibly do once they arrived? How could he take on the Chief Watcher and the palace guards by himself? He had no plan, and even if he did, every plan he’d made so far had fallen apart before it even got off the ground.

Just take the next step, he said softly to himself. “Just keep moving forward.”

The stairs leveled out into a narrow tunnel and then the rough stone walls were replaced by smooth blocks. Other passages joined in, and Corvan lost all sense of how many turns they’d taken. He was falling behind and the boy’s wet footprints had faded to periodic drips. If Gavyn lost him, he’d never find his way out.

Coming around a corner he looked up an empty corridor that climbed a final flight of steps to end in a circle of soft light. Trying to keep his labored breathing as quiet as possible, he ascended the stairs and stepped through a ragged hole.

He was back in the hall of the High Priest.