Pug, she said softly. I wonder what hes doing this minute?
CHAPTER FOUR
Pug signalled.
Sandreena and Amirantha moved out from behind the large rock where they had been waiting. She was clad in the traditional armour of her order, the Shield of the Weak, and he had forgone his usual finery to don a more appropriate outfit: heavy woollen trousers, a dark green flannel shirt, and stout black boots. His attire made the staff he carried look almost gaudy. It had been created that way for theatrical effect, to help gull potential victims into his confidence scheme summoning relatively harmless demons then banishing them for reward but was a powerful magic artefact in its own right.
They were tired and dirty from their journey down to the region where Jim Dasher had encountered what he thought was a Pantathian Serpent priest, and it had proved far more problematic than anticipated.
Reaching a safe house in the Keshian city of Teleman had been simple enough, since Pugs orb had taken them there. But that was as far south as the Conclave had established any permanent stations. Like almost everyone monitoring Kesh, the Conclave had considered the nations of the Keshian Confederacy barely worth consideration. They were universally regarded to be nothing more than an annoyance to the Empire on her southern boundary, and not an area noteworthy enough to warrant the Conclaves continuing surveillance. The Conclave resources had limits, and Kesh was a vast land. Most of their intelligence gathering had been focused on the City of Kesh, heart of the Empire, and key population centres along the borders with the Kingdom, as well as major sea ports. None of Pugs agents had travelled below the Girdle of Kesh, as the two ranges of mountains that divided the Empire from the Confederacy were called. Which made it the perfect place to organize the major undertaking of subverting the Empires rulers and launching a wholesale invasion of the Kingdom.
And it made it impossible to reach by the magical means at Pugs disposal.
So, more mundane means of transport had been required. Pug had the ability to transport himself magically to any place in his line of sight, and to the places he knew well, but he was limited in how far he could transport himself and two others repeatedly. Still, the occasional sorcerous jaunt was handy for bypassing certain obstacles and to avoid roving bands of raiders, bandits, and what passed for the local militia, but most of their journey had been made by horseback, small boat, and foot.
The weather was chilly, as it was now early winter in the southern hemisphere. A misty rain had been falling intermittently since dawn and the three travellers were just damp and cold enough to be irritable. Sandreena in particular was beyond patience, as she had been forced to leave her horse stabled in a tiny village on the mainland coast with the other mounts. As a Knight-Adamant of the Order of the Shield of the Weak, worshippers of the Goddess Dala, she found that being on foot was like having to fight with one hand; something she was able to do, but would rather not.
Pug had secured a boat but the owner had refused to row them over to the large island, and at last Pug understood why. The maps that Macros had drawn years before and left behind in his library were full of errors and inexactitudes, one of which was sloppy translation. After speaking to the locals on the far shore of the mainland, Pug now realized that this was not the Island of the Snakes, but rather the Island of the Snake Men.
Pug had secured a boat but the owner had refused to row them over to the large island, and at last Pug understood why. The maps that Macros had drawn years before and left behind in his library were full of errors and inexactitudes, one of which was sloppy translation. After speaking to the locals on the far shore of the mainland, Pug now realized that this was not the Island of the Snakes, but rather the Island of the Snake Men.
Apparently, he had found the Pantathian homeland. Which puzzled him, as he had thought the heart of the Pantathian murder cult had been located near the foothills of the mountain range named the Pavilion of the Gods. Legend said many of the Valheru Dragon Lords had resided in that region as well.
The Pantathians were an unnatural race, distorted by a Valheru by the name of Alma-Lodaka, Mistress of Serpents, who had created them to serve her. She had bred them, then evolved them into intelligent beings and granted them magical abilities. It was conceded that while the Valheru could not create life, they could manipulate and distort it.
One unintended consequence had been the creation of a death cult who worshipped the long-departed Mistress of Serpents as a goddess, longed for her return, and who would stop at nothing to bring it about. Much of Pugs personal history was intertwined with these snake men: upright serpents who were human-like in form, but who were more alien than any other race Pug had encountered on Midkemia. He understood the Dasati, a race from another plane of reality, better than he understood the Pantathians.
Pug and his son Magnus had been instrumental in destroying the Pantathian creches in what they had thought to be the final blow against the lizard race, but apparently there had been more than one enclave of the creatures. As disgusting as it might have been to obliterate every egg and spawn they had encountered, Pug had at least found some solace in the knowledge they were not natural creatures, but twisted parodies of intelligent life focused only on one purpose, and that purpose entailed the annihilation or enslavement of all other races on Midkemia in service of their goddess.
Pug surveyed the landscape and sniffed the air. There was a burnt wood tinge in the heavy damp air. He motioned for his companions to follow him and led them up a small rise to a ridge overlooking a shallow valley. In the distance they could see what looked to be a community, but even at this distance it was clear that it had been burned to char.
Pug motioned for Sandreena and Amirantha to stand close, and they stepped forwards to flank him, and put their hands on his shoulders.
In an instant they were standing at the edge of the town. Signs of battle were evident in all directions. Looks like whoever did this wasnt willing to let anyone survive, observed Sandreena.
They were making a point, said Pug.
Point? Amirantha looked at the short sorcerer.
Pug nodded. Im not entirely sure of what the point was: vengeance, perhaps. This wouldnt be the first time an army destroyed every man, woman, and child of an enemy. You dont slaughter those who farm and raise livestock if you plan on occupying a land and ruling it. He looked around. The dead pay no taxes, either.
Pug silently turned in a full circle. This valley runs to the south from here. He pointed to a nearby stream. If we follow that stream I suspect well find more villages.
We walk? asked Amirantha.
Most of the way, said Pug and he set off. After a moment, the other two followed.
By the time they found the fourth village, Pug was perplexed. This was no small raiding party. He pointed to several locations around the area where they stood. This was a coordinated attack. Ive seen enough battlefields over the last hundred years to recognize that.
The one unexpected factor had been the corpses left intact enough to recognize: they were Pantathians. They had all been Pantathian villages, and the bodies which had not been literally torn to shreds, or incinerated, were lizard men, women and children.
Sandreena said, Youre right. Theres no sign of anyone fleeing. She pointed behind them and said, If it was merely a raiding patrol, those fleeing the first onslaught to the north of here would have warned those in the south. By now wed have seen abandoned wagons along the way, or more dead people, she shrugged as if unable to think of a better word to describe them, with bundles of precious belongings. Theres none of that. This was a coordinated attack, as Pug said. Several elements support a military strike. She looked at Pug. Then she faltered, pausing as if she heard a distant, faint sound. Do you feel that? She looked at Amirantha.
He said, Ive been feeling something for a- His eyes widened. Demons!
Someone sent a demon army here, Pug, said Sandreena.
Pug sighed as if it was the last thing he wished to hear.
Its as if the gods cant find enough grief to visit on this world, said Amirantha. I can no longer control one demon, so they send an entire army
Pug slowly let his gaze wander. Its the gods who are trying to stop this. That is why we are here.
Im a woman of faith, said Sandreena, but these are the moments when that faith is tested.
Thats odd, said Pug.
What? asked Sandreena.
Pug pointed to the recently-dead corpse of a Pantathian. He approached it, ignoring the stench of decay, and said, Whenever we encountered the Pantathians, even when we raided their creches in the mines below the Ratngary Mountains, we saw no soldiers. The corpse was dressed in a full open-faced helm, a cuirass of steel, a chainmail kilt and heavy leather boots. It still clutched a blood-caked sword in its dead fingers and nearby rested a distorted round shield, rent with talon marks. We saw a few guards, but they were mostly workers, priests, and the female breeders. He knelt beside it. There were no soldiers. He looked around, seeing others garbed in similar fashion. These Pantathians have hidden an army.
Its smaller than a few days ago, quipped Sandreena. The demons did thorough work here.
What should we do now? asked Amirantha.
If this Pantathian society remotely resembles ours, said Pug, standing, these farms and villages support a city somewhere, or at least a fortress.
If theres a fortress full of snake-men, I doubt we would be welcome, observed Amirantha.
Pug nodded, continuing to look around. Something here feels right.
That statement brought puzzled looks from both his companions and he went on, I have been battling Pantathians since the Great Uprising. They played a key part in the invasion of the Emerald Queens army. Both Sandreena and Amirantha were aware of the role the demon Jatuk had played in that war, using powerful magic to disguise himself as the Emerald Queen. The Pantathians were duped as much as the Saaur and many of the humans loyal to the Emerald Queen. But there was even more in play than was apparent. He looked down at the dead Pantathian again. I know there are others; the Shangri, also called Panath-Tiandn, are strange, nearly mindless creatures that have been twisted by dark powers to manipulate magic energy. He pointed to the dead soldier. But it seems that there may be a third type of Pantathian weve never encountered before. He bent and took a small pouch that had been wedged into the soldiers sword belt and pulled it free. Inside he found small objects. He tossed one to Amirantha. What do you make of this?