Colin Tabor - The Fall of Ossard

“There are many and they come in stages, and I’d think the first have already passed. The easiest things to watch for are three major rituals. The first uses the blood and souls of ninety-nine innocents. It creates a celestial beacon that will attract the gods.”

“Innocents?”

“Children.”

I swallowed. “Do you think they’ve already done that?”

“Yes, not that we know the when or where of it, but the beacon is lit and calling into the celestial.”

My mind went to the gory discovery in the warehouse of only days ago.

He went on, “Then there’s a ritual that requires one thousand and one sacrifices. It sanctifies the city.”

I nodded. “Is that what we’re facing now?”

“I would think so.”

“And the next?”

“The last ritual is the largest, and the most important to stop. It happens a year and a day after the city has been sanctified…” he paused, screwing up his mouth in revulsion, “and it takes ten thousand and one souls.”

I cursed, trying to conceive of the power.

He went on, “It creates a gate, a divine focus, a place where the celestial and the real world meet. It’s a place for raw energy to spill through, even the gods if they so wish. With such power behind it, a cult-ruled Ossard would be unbeatable.”

My grandmother whispered, “He speaks the truth.”

I asked, “Can we stop it?”

He nodded, but his face was grim. “It would be best to stop them sanctifying the city, but for a place this size, one thousand and one souls are not hard to find. We have to assume that they’ll be able to do it, and if they do, then our best course of action is to deny them the ten thousand and one souls they need for the next ritual.”

“How?”

He shifted his gaze to Baruna and Marco. “Who are these?”

The question surprised me, but worse still I didn’t have an answer.

Marco offered something in my hesitation, but his words only startled me more, “We follow her.”

I blushed. Gods had followers, not Flet housewives.

The Lae Velsanan looked back to me to share my surprise.

I glanced away in embarrassment, my gaze coming to rest on his ship’s crew. Some of them were watching us. Without even trying I found myself sampling their thoughts.

“Half-breed, look at him panting after that Flet!”

“Only second in command because of his family!”

“Look at the back of his shirt, already stained with sweat. He’s an animal, just like the middlings he mixes with!”

“Hairy mongrel, it’s demeaning to serve under him!”

I flinched at their resentment, but the officer didn’t notice, he’d dropped his eyes and was bowing.

“I am Felmaradis of House Jenn.”

I offered a curtsy in turn. “Juvela Liberigo.”

He said, “I know what I’m saying might sound incredible, particularly coming from a Lae Velsanan.”

I gave a slight nod.

“But Ossard is tainted, and now that corruption is blooming. There’s no easy way to stop it. You need to understand how much danger you’re in.”

I said, “Isn’t it possible that these troubles will pass?”

“Every city sees disturbances, even majestic Yamere, but this is different. This is not about local grievance or injustice. These aren’t mortal problems, but those fuelled by the divine. None of the factions involved will stop, not until they win control or are destroyed in the trying.”

I was beginning to believe him. “But I worry that Ossard will free itself of the cults, only to end up in the hands of the Inquisition.”

He said, “That’s preferable to the cults winning control and establishing a gate. If they’re collecting bloodlines, then they’re already preparing for powerful magic. When the city is dedicated to the Terura Kala, the cults of the Horned God, they’ll be able to conduct other rituals to secure their power. The more souls present in their sanctified city, the stronger the magic that they can call upon. Ossard will become a bridgehead, a place of dark magic, and the starting place for all things to come.”

“Can we stop it?”

He grimaced as he shook his head. “Them taking the city, no, it’s already lost. What we have to do is stop them keeping it, and going on to found their gate. You should leave the city and take any who’ll go with you, and you should do it while you can.”

“I won’t leave until I find my family.”

He grew intense. “Juvela, you don’t understand: I’m not asking you to leave and save yourself, I’m asking you to leave and save the rest of us. If you can get enough people out of the city, you might weaken them and delay their rituals.”

“Me? What if I can’t?”

“Ossard becomes a city of damnation. From here they’ll spread through their celestial gate to deliver their followers wherever they want. In time they’ll bring down all of Dormetia; from the Holy City of Baimiopia, to the cities of Fletland and Evora, and even the pillar-cities of Lae Wair-Rae and its colonies. In the end, we’ll all taste the bitterness of their corruption.”

I was confused. I just wanted Maria and Pedro back. “You’re telling me that my world is dying. It’s too much.”

He took a small step forward before whispering in perfect Flet, “I am second in command of this expedition, it led by Prince Jusbudere. We’ve been searching for the nest of the Terura Kala, and that search has brought us here. We’ve been watching for the last few seasons with suspicion, but now we know: They have chosen Ossard!

“You can only stop them by taking away what it is they want; Ossard’s souls. Find your daughter and husband if you can, but regardless you must get out.”

I protested, “Ossard has suffered upheaval before. Only twenty years ago the Inquisition was expelled amidst rioting!”

“Look around you. This is no simple upheaval; it comes with kidnappings, ritual magic, and sacrifice. This is wrong, and not something done alone at the whim of mortals. There are greater forces at work here, and they’ll tear this place apart. Get your family and get out!”

He was only making sense.

Felmaradis sighed. “We’re leaving to carry word of the city’s slide into chaos, and that word will be passed on to King Giovanni of Greater Baimiopia. He will send Heletians to liberate the city, most likely the Inquisition. Just get out and take as many innocents with you as you can. If you can get enough people to safety, you’ll delay their rituals, and maybe even stop them.”

“Where can we go?”

“Follow the next northern sound as it cuts inland, there’s a set of ruins along its north eastern shore. It’s far enough away, yet reachable, with fresh water, and defendable.”

“And how long should we stay?”

“As long as it takes; maybe a season or two, perhaps a year. I will visit and bring news. This ship can moor right alongside the old ruins.”

Who was I to lead people away from their homes and comforts, and into the wilds? It was crazy, yet he was right; something was terribly wrong in the city, and I couldn’t sit back and wait for someone else to do something about it.

I asked, “How long do you think we have?”

“I don’t know, but the gathering of bloodlines means it can’t be far off. They’re preparing to sanctify the city, and you’ll know when that’s close because there’ll be a rush of kidnappings. Remember; they’ll need over a thousand souls, and because of that they’ll go for bloodlines. Each blood-related soul is double the worth of those that aren’t. That’s when you need to get out, even if it means turning the city over to them, or leaving your family behind.”

For one last time, I asked, “Is it really that bad?”

“The city is what will power them, or more so, the souls within it. The only way to stop them is to keep Ossard in the hands of a safe faith, the Church of Baimiopia, otherwise the city will have to be razed.” He lifted his strong arms to put his hands on my shoulders. I looked into his eyes and felt a buzz of understanding, almost of kinship. He said, “It’s that bad, really. You’re a Flet, and I’m a Lae Velsanan, and we both know of the bloody history between our people, but you need to trust me.”