“Then they’ll be extra cross once I plunge this into Gerzog’s neck.” She patted the spot where she’d hidden her shard.
I could appreciate the bloodthirsty enthusiasm, but my goal was to get the lamp without getting killed or arrested. “Easy. Let’s wait and see what they do.”
It was looking doubtful my friends would arrive in time. Gerzog had claimed to be a rank three, and who knew what the rest of them were capable of. I’d gotten my hopes up that we’d have help, but it was a long walk from the Under Slump.
The lift was on its way back down. The mercs headed for the spot where they’d be able to board for the next trip.
“We’re going to have to follow them up.” I stood, keeping my head averted in the off chance Gerzog glanced this direction. “You still bleeding?”
“I’ve picked at the scab just for you. Now I’ll probably get an infection and need my arm amputated because of your bright idea, and it’ll have been for nothing since your Squalo’s not here.”
As long as she was dripping enough for Trax to know where we’d gone, I was happy. “You’ll be fine. Tell Brotbeck it’s a sacrifice.”
“I’ve promised Saint Murder Gerzog’s blood, not mine.”
“Let’s not keep him waiting.”
The lift came down, smooth and silent. It rode on greased rails along a central shaft that the road and stairs corkscrewed up and around. Thankfully, a carriage rolled up in front of us and we were able to walk directly behind it as it rolled toward the lift. The carriage was a magical one, its driver a simple wooden golem, and it had wheels that were powered by a Red-fueledengine. I could only tell the source of its energy because of my sensitivity to the element of my home realm.
The lift stopped. Glass doors opened on all four sides and the passengers debarked. The family who passed us seemed to be having a fine time. Once they were clear, the waiting people filed in. There were priests, merchants, and regular folks wearing what was probably their finest clothes, excited to visit the holiest site in the Core. Everyone politely left space for the carriage and some carts, and the golem was careful not to roll over anyone’s toes.
Dathka began moving around the carriage to flank Gerzog, but I grabbed her wrist and shook my headno. There were children present, shoving and teasing each other, while their parents gently chided them to behave. She saw them, then gave me an angry scowl—at least she kept her head. Dathka was cold-blooded enough to go for it, but we couldn’t risk a confrontation within the close quarters of the lift with all these innocent bystanders around.
My nerves were stretched thin. This felt like I was back on the lava wastes, chasing an Elemental to collect the Red from its heart. Only this time, I was by the center of religion for all the realms, while looking for the opportunity to do great harm to a scum-sucking orc. If I screwed this up, I’d be every bit as dead as if an Elemental had burned me to ash.
The doors slid closed. The lift started its slow and gentle climb.
Through one carriage window and out the other, I kept an eye on Gerzog and his crew. The only rider inside the carriage was an elderly priest in green robes, but he was napping, so no one noticed my spying.
The mercs seemed wary, but in good spirits. They were about to get rich. They certainly weren’t expecting anyone to attack them here. That was probably why this was the place chosen fortheir trade. Who would be stupid enough to cause a ruckus in the shadow of the holiest place in the Core and risk offending every church?
Well, besides us, obviously.
The male human had a fresh bandage covering one side of his head. When I looked to Dathka, she nodded. “That’s the one I slashed. He must have had a healing potion to be back on his feet so soon, missing an ear.”
From how flat the bandage was lying, it hadn’t been a good enough potion to grow it back. Of all the mercs, that one looked the surliest, and who could blame him?
Gerzog said something that made the others laugh. From the way the regular people reacted, the joke must have been unexpectedly crude for clergy.
The ride was surprisingly smooth. This levitation magic was far superior to what we had on our barges, and after being flung about by Fairly Deadly all afternoon, this ascent was rather nice in comparison. The illuminated city stretched below us, until we were passing through a hole in the rock. Rather than darkness, we were treated to carved and painted images which scrolled past, telling us the stories of the gods and creation.
We reached the top, and outside the glass was the biggest building I’d ever seen. It wasn’t as large as the Great Machine, but it must have been second in the Core only to that construct in sheer impressive majesty. It was light and splendor as far as the eye could see.
Only the side of the lift facing the Cathedral opened, and everyone shuffled that direction… except for Gerzog and his crew, who remained waiting in the back.
The golem driver moved its arms to feign whipping some imaginary horses and the carriage we were using for concealment began rolling. It was either move with it or risk being spotted.
While the passengers were walking out the main door, a smaller, man-sized opening appeared in the glass over by Gerzog. A man in the same grey robes as the mercenaries was standing there, and he beckoned for them to follow him.
There was no way for us to go that way without getting spotted, so we had no choice but to get out with the crowd. Ahead of us was a wide avenue with huge pillars on each side leading to the Cathedral. By the time I turned back, the smaller opening was already closed and the mercs were gone.
“Come on. This way.” I walked quickly through all the happy people around the side of the lift, and thankfully, Dathka followed. It took us a moment to get around it without making a scene, and there were several paladins around. I did my best to look like a regular visitor, marveling at all the fancy displays. Which was easy, as everything up here was covered in art and gold. It turned out the main church liked to decorate its home as lavishly as Carcalla had his, only these guys clearly had far more money than our landlord.
On the barge, I’d heard tales of the riches of heaven, but the priests who were still alive seemed to be doing pretty good for themselves too!
The side Gerzog exited was far less crowded. There were no worshipful masses here, but there was no sign of our target either. We were overlooking the edge of the sky island, and the only way they could have gone was down the nearby entrance to the corkscrew road. Without any paladins nearby to make suspicious, we picked up the pace.
We kept going down and down, and when we didn’t see Gerzog, I began to fear he’d not gone this way at all, and we’d lost him. Had we missed some side door? Had he already made the trade? The lift went past us going down, and I held my breath as I searched the other side of the glass. The mercs weren’t aboard.
