Greywolf - The High Priest's House

Ishi the mage and fifty men wearing black robes marched me across the plaza towards a two story building made of the same white stone as the bridge, with wooden shutters over the second story windows. Brass lamps burning blue witch-fire were set above both the door in front of the building, and the door to the left side, giving the place an unearthly glow.

The plaza was empty of everyone except us and the other fifty warriors led by Titan, all wearing black and already in place just outside the front door, hidden by the darkness. They watched us pass by in silence, waiting for Kula's signal to attack. All the warriors, including the handful of Xian mercenaries near the front of our group, were holding their weapons under their flowing robes, their cowls hiding heads protected by round helms or chainmail hoods. The darkness of the night hid the bloodstains.

Beyond the walls of the Temple District, the city was ablaze with light as if it was on fire, with happy, drunken voices shouting or singing raucous songs in their language. I couldn't help but sigh. If I hadn't been so stupid and made Muzen aware of me, I might have been out there with them right now, dancing with Ishi and drinking wine, instead of being clutched by a dozen or more hands as if I was a prisoner.

Water past the bridge, now. Focus on what's in front of you. The front door was shut tight but the side door stood open, with a couple grizzled soldiers lighting their pipes off a burning taper the guard with an eyepatch over one eye held. Unlike the temple guards in their bronze armor, who'd died in the room where Yrg had been knocked out by Lys, these guards wore chainmail down to their mid-thighs and down their arms. No helms or chainmail hoods, though, and their scimitars were sheathed in leather carried at their sides. The cold wind at our backs blew the smoke away from us.

We were close enough that they would notice us any moment, and Kula softly growled, "Now."

Ishi called out, "Peace be unto this house and all who dwell here."

Between one heart's beat and the next, the bearded guards went from relaxed to alert. "Who approaches?"

"Farid," Ishi said as the group reached the edge of the blue lamplight and stopped, "you know me."

The guard with both eyes gave a start. "Ishi? Why are you here and not back at home, doing my laundry?"

Ishi set her hands on her hips. "Well, excuse me for intruding. I'll just let the Shadow-walker Greywolf escape into the night and get right on it."

The guard with the eyepatch pointed at me. "Farid, you fool, that's him. That's the young man his holiness wants."

Farid squinted... is he nearsighted? "Ali, are you sure?"

The guard Ali gave him a withering look. "How many Celts with silvery-grey hair are running around Bukhara? Hey, Fat-boy," he called back into the kitchen, "tell his holiness the Shadow-walker he wants has been captured."

From inside, a deep voice rumbled, "Wonderful, now even the guards are calling me that." An enormous man with an equally enormous gut poked his head out of the doorway. I gave him my best glare and he blinked, his eyes going wide before turning around and vanishing inside, shouting in their language as he went.

As his voice receded, Farid winced. "I suppose this means I'm not getting my laundry tomorrow." Ishi began scolding him in their language and one-eyed Ali laughed, a couple other bearded guardsmen joining them as the sound of a bolt being drawn back above us made me look up. The wooden shutters were thrown back, releasing the upper room's golden light out into the darkness as a figure's upper body appeared at the window.

My heart began hammering faster than Wotan's Dwarven blacksmiths as Muzen the High Priest looked down at me, smiling like the cat with a mouse under his paw. "I must say, this is a surprise."

I struggled against the rough hands holding me, being careful not to knock anyone's weapon loose. "What have you done with Wysper," I yelled up at him. "If you've hurt her, I swear I'll kill you."

Muzen raised one painted on eyebrow before glancing over his shoulder. "Zanzabel, bring her to the window."

He stepped back, and a few moments later the upper body of an African woman appeared holding the bare shoulders of a girl with blood red hair and two golden bangs. I yelled, "Wysper!" Oh shite, what if I'm too late and they've already taken her hands?

Then I realized I could see them gripping the windowsill as she looked down and opened her mouth. "Woof!"

I blinked. Woof? The African woman called out, "Greywolf, his holiness scrambled her mind when he went through her memories. It is going to take some time for her to speak normally again."

Muzen's hands grasped their shoulders, drawing them back, and a moment later he reappeared. "Son of Asena, you were almost too late to save her poor hands from being delivered to you in a sack, as I would have done had her memories had not uncovered a plot against me. So, who gets my gratitude for bringing Greywolf to my door?"

"I lured him here, your holiness." She bowed. "Minor-mage Ishi of Bukhara. I do laundry for the inn where the mercenaries stay, and was standing in the next room when your holiness confronted Asena."

Muzen raised a painted eyebrow. "Interesting. Do you do laundry for the temple of Ghash-Kimil as well?"

"I created a manikin that washes clothes, your holiness, so I never have to touch them myself."

"Ah, that would make sense. However, I am surprised the head priest did not come to me and let me know of this subterfuge."

Ishi made an apologetic gesture with her hands. "Your holiness, I begged him to keep this secret between us. I was once an acolyte for another temple, and I left in disgust over all the intrigues and petty bickering between the temples. I was worried that someone would find out and try to take Greywolf, or warn him off."

"Before sunset, I would have thought the idea foolish. I assume the head priest is with Yrg and my senior acolyte?"

Ishi hesitated. "I was told he had a prior engagement, your holiness. There was screaming-"

Muzen held up his hand and she stopped speaking. "Good. How did you lure Greywolf to the temple?"

"It was the head priest's idea, your holiness. He had me tell Greywolf that Wysper's hands would be removed inside the temple as part of their ceremonies, using their stone knives. When Greywolf appeared next to the grey tree, we crept together into another chamber where the priests pounced on him before he could fight back or escape."

Muzen smiled again. "Clever. What about Asena?"

I made myself scowl as hard as I could at Ishi, who laughed. "Dead drunk from the drugged wine I sent her."

I pretended to fight against the hands holding onto me. "Conniving dog-bitch, when she wakes up, she's going to come and find you."

"Your holiness, that is a concern I would like to discuss with you. I've always wanted to see Tesiphon."

The High Priest opened his arms like a loving father. "The temple of Yun-Kax always has a place for a loyal priestess with ambition. Remain there, and I will come down to take charge of our young wolf... and to discuss your future, as well."

I mock struggled again as the shutters closed without being bolted, the guards knocking out the dried leaf in their pipes onto the paving stones as several other guards walked outside as well. Ishi moved up close to them where she could see into the doorway, chattering away to them in their language as the Xian mercenaries drifted into position at the front. She said something that made all the guardsmen laugh. From inside the building, a voice barked out a command, and their laughter stopped as all the guards stepped back and went rigid. Ishi took a deep breath as I held mine...

Then she dropped to the paving stones and curled up into a ball. Kula shouted, "Open fire," and it felt as if time slowed down as the Xian mercenaries flipped back their robes, leveled their boxy Artifact crossbow devices, and began cranking the trigger levers. Bolts buzzed like angry hornets as the devices spat out one bolt after another at the guards. Hands let me go, and as I formed a gateway and stepped through, men were beginning to scream in pain.

I dropped to one knee inside Ishi's shadowy form, bending forward as I awkwardly pulled out the katana from the sheathe strapped to my back where it had remained hidden. Crouched inside her, both to hide from Shadow creatures and to deter them from attacking until I was prepared, I listened for any sounds. There was only silence. I rose with the sword up and did my complete circle, scanning both rooftops and the spaces between the shadowy figures of wounded or dying guardsmen and the warriors flinging off their robes, as their shadowy forms crept forward in their charge.

Nothing is moving... wait, the outline of a Shadow cat's walking along the top of a pyramid not far away. Quick, get inside before it spots you. I moved through the flying bolts and falling guardsmen into the kitchen, where more shadowy forms were lunging towards the doorway, seeming to claw at the scimitars hanging from the sheathes at their belts. To the left was a hearth where a small, matronly woman and a couple of younger ones were cringing away, while the next doorway ahead led to a long room with more guards beginning to run this way. I moved through the guards rushing at a snail's pace...

And almost ran into Muzen. Shite! My heart's in my throat, but that's stupid. He won't know you're here unless you touch him. His shadowy face was beginning to snarl in rage, his magic, the only source of any color in the Shadowlands, sparking deep red and gold within him, and the lines of power extending from his core to his hands changing to blue as he began the casting of a spell. I found it fascinating. I'd never seen a Celestial in the middle of using mana, but much as I wanted to watch it develop, I needed to keep moving. Time may have been be creeping forward, but it was still moving.

Easing around Muzen, I strode for the next room where the main door was. The four guardsmen in the room seemed to be yelling, one pointing at the door with his scimitar as it bulged inward. Bolts were popping off the hinges as well, as if it just got hit by an eight foot tall Ogri who swore there wasn't a door built yet that could withstand him. Alright, the warriors have this in hand; leave the battle and find the stairs.

There, straight back and on the right hand side, stone stairs leading up. I started up them, my katana in my left hand as I reached the landing and started up the next set that doubled back. I reached the top step and with my right hand on the stone wall, placed my foot on the upper floor.

It sank through. I’d been afraid of that. Since the floor was made of wood, I would have to bring myself closer to the real world so I could walk along it, leaving me more vulnerable to any Shadow creature I encountered. Couldn't be helped if I wanted to get Wysper out of the mess I got her into. There, the world's a touch less grey, and the hallway floor is taking my weight. Now, which way? To the left, the fat man I saw earlier seemed to be pounding on a wooden door with the pommel of a large scimitar. Shite, that isn't good.

Alright, I need to time this or I'll end up downstairs and have to do it all over again. I ran down the hall towards the large man and leapt for the door as I brought the Grey closer... a flash of shadow... quick, push away the Grey, the floor's coming up fast... my sandals silently slapped the wooden planks and slid along them to a stop. Okay, you did it right this time. I looked down at my feet and my eyes went wide.

The shadow of a man who seemed the twin of the one pounding on the door was laying sprawled out on the floor with his throat cut. There was a dark stain around him that had to be blood, his large scimitar on the floor beside his hand. I looked up at the rest of the room.

To the right was a low table with scattered cushions and a puddle of cloth... a dress, maybe? Farther beyond was a cold hearth with statues on the mantel, with three people standing nearby. Closest to me was a man with his back to me. His hair was in a braid, and as I walked around him, his face had the features of a Tartaros warrior. He was holding a long knife in one hand.

In front of him were the African woman and Wysper... Wotan's blood, she's nude. This isn't making sense, but I can't stop staring at her willowy form... she's so beautiful, like something out of a dream...

Idiot! Stop staring at her body and look at her face. She was terrified, and so was the African woman. I spun around to face the man. Shite, he's got a grim, determined look on his face as if he wants to kill them both. This really isn't making any sense.

He was slowly closing the gap, but there was still enough room for me to appear between them and shove the point of my katana against his throat...

Oh shite, something's growling behind me.