Engines & Demons - The Undestined

Chapter 13i

They strung the two bestial assassins up on the wall of the keep the next morning, as a warning to anyone else who would dare to threaten the life of a knight of Klinberg.

Tahlia stood at the edge of the busy central-courtyard and watched as the chains that bound the creatures were hauled tight, splaying their six limbs apart across the metal wall above the wide pemtagrin door. The sun had already risen above the barbican, and in its light the creatures' skin was pale and sickly grey.

The fortress was still being searched. Even though no trace of further intruders had been found, Tahlia, along with the other children of the Order, had been commanded to remain in the keep. Fortunately, Mistress Oleander had declared, there was no reason for the unfortunate incident of the night before to interfere with the day's lesson of kitchen lore.

Tahlia rather thought that there was.

Mistress Oleander had commanded the girls to remain in their rooms and wait to be escorted to the classrooms. Tahlia had taken the opportunity to slip away and had then made her way down to the central-courtyard, where all the excitement seemed to be.

The courtyard had been filled with masdon carts, bringing in the harvest of first summer. The place was filled with the hubbub of consternation from the farmers, who sat upon the driving platforms of the carts, or stood muttering in groups outside the supply-depot, because its gate had still not been opened.

She had been happily watching a rather red faced Unit-leader, who had been trying to explain to the waiting wagon drivers what the cause of the delay was, when they had brought the creatures out to hang on the wall of the keep. Everyone in the courtyard had craned their necks to look at the strange beasts as they were strung up.

It had not taken long for the scavengers living among Klinberg's towers to emerge and begin their grim investigation of the two carcasses. The fat yellow blowflies were first to arrive, hovering sluggishly about the creatures' faces, landing to investigate the dull pink globes of their eyes, before falling back to clumsy flight. Then the archapids skittered from the shadows, crawling over the creatures' legs and tails, prodding and probing with their tail-pincers as they climbed upwards, seeking out the nicest of meats. But the small black and orange critters suddenly scattered in a frenzy of movement as two red feathered crak fell squawking from one of the fortress's towers. The ugly birds grasped at the two creatures with prehensile talons and began ripping at their pale dead flesh with serrated beaks.

The two dead creatures hung with their malformed heads drooping forward on their long necks. A third red crak swooped down and landed beside the arrow, which still protruded from the back of one of the creatures' heads, and it perched there, tapping experimentally at the wound with its beak. Tahlia had asked her mother why she had not removed the arrow to use again, and her mother had explained that it had been tainted and was no longer fit to hunt karabok.

That morning, Tahlia had filled the pouch at her belt with handfuls of krakla berries from the breakfast table, and as she watched Klinberg's scavengers above her begin to feed, she popped them idly into her mouth, chewing them one by one.

"Ugly 'enthey," said a throaty voice by her ear.

Tahlia turned to see a short stooped figure standing beside her. The face that peered up at her was square and lined with more odd angles and crevices than a proper face should have been allowed to have. Black eyes peered out from two deep holes, shadowed by the hood, which was pulled far forward over its face. The robes to which the hood was attached were those of a Grower, and they covered the creature's body completely. All that could be seen of the thing was its gnarled face and one equally gnarled talon-like hand, where it emerged to grip a wide headed shovel. A basket made of woven wood was slung across its wide shoulders, and from it rose the unmistakably rich odour of masdon dung.