You do not see me.
She sprinted along the corridor and down the stairs, hearing shouts and cries of alarm behind her. She knew there was a postern door close by and ran towards it. A guard was standing next to it, and she raised her hand and sent him to sleep. As he crashed to the floor, she dodged past him and lifted the heavy bar, throwing it down and shoving the door open. Outside, the street was dark and quiet and she bolted, speeding across the road and down a narrow lane, her lungs burning. Her knees gave out at the end of the long alleyway, and she slumped against a wall, glancing back the way she had come.
There were no signs of pursuit, and she hung her head. Joley had thrown his life away to take revenge on the Lord Protector, and had killed him before the truth had been given a chance to change him. Would it have worked, or was she the fool for believing she could make a difference without taking lives?
Her nerves were shredded, and she thought about heading back to the abandoned cavern. She wondered if Calder and Belinda would consider her mission a success. She stood, controlling her breathing.
One more job to do.
From a distance, the walls of the old senate were burnt and in ruins, but up close Karalyn could see how their ancient strength held firm. Though towers had toppled, and the main entrance had been walled up, the structure remained solid in many places. Work had been carried out on another, smaller entrance, and Kellach Brigdomin guards stood outside at attention.
As well as scouting the Lord Protector’s residence, Karalyn had also examined the layout of the chambers and tunnels where Yosin, Defender of the Faith, had set up his base. More than three dozen elderly and middle-aged Holdings worked there, the remnants of the One True Path that had been sent to convert Rahain to the creator-faith nearly two decades before. Beneath the large halls and chambers were the living quarters, where a few children stayed; the offspring of the exiled deacons, who were attended by a score of Rahain servants. Under that was a warren of darker tunnels, and the dungeons. Most were filled with Rahain prisoners, dressed in rags and crammed in twenty to a cell, but in a wing on its own lay the barred rooms where Karalyn had seen the two Rakanese.
Not long after she had arrived at the Senate, she had watched as a crowd had left through the guarded entrance. Yosin was among them, surrounded by black-robed deacons. They boarded carriages and were sped away in the direction of the Lord Protector’s residence. While the gates were still open, Karalyn rushed in, the guards oblivious to her presence as she squeezed through the gap before the doors could close behind her.
Dim lanterns lit the hallway, and she walked on, ignoring the rooms to either side as she headed towards the stairs. The deacons who had remained seemed to be in a state of shock; several were weeping, while others were on their knees, praying for the soul of Ghorley. She reached the stairwell and began to descend, passing the floor where the living quarters were located, and continuing on down to the dark tunnels beneath.
An iron gate blocked off a tunnel where she knew the dungeons were, and next to it lay a guardroom, its walls stained with damp. Clustered around a lantern were six Kellach Brigdomin soldiers, who were sitting drinking. A large set of keys was hanging from a hook on the wall behind them. Karalyn entered, staying unseen in the shadows.
‘Imperial fucking spies,’ said one, ‘that’s who.’
‘But how did they get into the Lord Protector’s rooms?’ said another. ‘Arsehole guards must have been sleeping on duty.’
‘Someone’s going to pay,’ said a third, ‘mark my words. Lord Yosin won’t rest until every suspected heretic and spy has been rounded up.’
One shook her head. ‘Haven’t we already got them all locked up? How can there be more?’
‘Nah,’ said another. ‘It goes right to the top, I reckon. Someone close to the Lord Protector betrayed him; someone he trusted.’
‘I hope we catch the bastard; make them suffer. If those imperial wankers think this will make a blind bit of difference to the war, then they’ve got another thing coming. Lord Ghorley’s a martyr now. He died in service of the Creator, and now stands by his side, watching us.’
‘Aye. Let’s do him proud.’
‘Aye,’ said the others, lifting their cups.
Karalyn stepped forward and raised her hand.
Sleep.
At once, the six soldiers slumped in their chairs, their eyes closed. Cups were dropped to the floor, spilling their dark contents over the uneven flagstones. Karalyn glanced around, then reached up and took the keys from the hook. She glanced at the sleeping faces of the soldiers, feeling pity for them. Was it their fault that they had been brought up to believe what they did; could they help the hatred that filled their hearts? She went into the head of the first to have spoken, and planted a seed of doubt in his mind; endowing him with a belief that his orders were not to be trusted. She quickly went through his memories, accentuating the ones from his childhood, including many that he had repressed or forgotten, that showed the cruelty and misery of his years of training; instilling an unshakeable anger at the injustice of it. She withdrew from his mind, wishing she had time to do the same to the others, but knowing that she needed to move on.
With the keys in her hand, she left the guardroom and approached the thick, iron gate. She selected the largest key and turned it in the lock, then swung the door open. She squeezed through, then closed the gate behind her, leaving it unlocked. Ahead of her a tunnel stretched, with barred entrances on either side.
She walked forwards, forcing herself to ignore the groaning and anguished whispers coming from the lines of cells that held the Rahain prisoners. Many voices were begging for food or water, or for a last chance to talk to their loved ones. She couldn’t rescue them all, she told herself, steeling her will as she ghosted past. She reached a junction in the tunnels, and chose a narrow passageway that led to the Rakanese. It was lit by a solitary lamp that flickered in the still darkness and she crept across the damp stone floor. The first cells she passed were empty, and she stopped halfway down the tunnel, gazing through the bars into the only occupied cell. Inside, the two Rakanese prisoners were lying on the low mattress, their soft breathing reaching her ears as they slept.
The Rakanese male was turning on the bed as if he was dreaming, and she went into his head. He was imagining he was on a beach at sunset, holding the young woman’s hand as they gazed at the endless spread of the Inner Sea, the water lapping by their bare feet. He was smiling and laughing, but when he turned to glance at his companion he stopped. The young woman was crying, her eyes dark and hollow.
‘It’s going to be alright,’ he said, but she wasn’t listening.
Karalyn appeared before them, making herself visible inside the man’s dream.
‘Hello,’ she said.
The man turned. ‘Who are you?’
‘You’re dreaming,’ she said.
The man’s eyes widened. He gazed around as the beach, and the city beyond it, began to fade. He let go of the young woman’s hand, and she disappeared as well, until only he and Karalyn were left.
‘I think I knew that, somehow,’ he said.
‘Your body is asleep in the cells under the old Senate.’
‘Yes. Wait. How did you know that? Are you real?’
‘I am a dream mage,’ she said. ‘I’m here to help you. If you do exactly as I say, then both you and your friend will be free tonight.’
His face crumpled. ‘Free?’
‘What’s your name?’
‘Ravi.’
‘And your friend?’
‘Kerri.’
‘I’m going to wake you both up,’ she said, ‘and then I’m going to unlock your cell door. I want you to get up and follow me.’
He frowned. ‘I’ve trusted mages before; it’s what got us captured in the first place. They’ve had us here for… shit, I don’t know exactly. It feels like a lifetime.’
‘Making diamonds?’
‘Yeah. Well, trying to. How did you know? No
, don’t answer that. You’re a mage that’s inside my head. I’m guessing you know everything about me.’
‘I can get you out of Rahain.’
He sighed. ‘It’s not going to be simple.’
She smiled at him. ‘You just need to follow me.’
‘No, you don’t understand. It’s Kerry, they’ve got her addicted to dullweed. I doubt you could get into her dreams at the moment, even if you tried. They use it to make me keep working, by cutting off her supply as a punishment, and to keep her quiet; she was a right cheeky bitch to them when we first got here.’ He shook his head. ‘Her withdrawals are something awful to behold.’
‘When will she be needing more?’
He puffed out his cheeks. ‘When she wakes up in a few hours, I suppose. I’ve lost all track of time.’
‘Are you strong enough to carry her out of the Senate?’
‘Maybe,’ he said. ‘It’s not like I’ve had much exercise recently. You look tall, couldn’t you carry her?’
‘I’ll need to focus on keeping us invisible.’
‘Oh. Well, I’ll give it my best shot.’
‘Alright. I’ll see you in a minute, for real this time.’
She pulled out of his head and glanced up and down the passageway. The soldiers in the guardroom would remain asleep for a few hours, but she had no idea who else might come down to the dungeons that night. She took the keys and began trying them in the lock. On her fourth attempt she found the correct one and turned it, at the same time sending a signal to Ravi to wake him up. She pushed the door open and stepped into the dark, stuffy cell. The odour of stale sweat hit her like a wall and she gasped.
Ravi stirred on the mattress and opened his eyes.
‘Shit,’ he whispered. ‘This is really happening, isn’t it?’
‘Aye,’ she said, trying to ignore the smell.
He scratched his head and sat up. ‘You work for the empire?’
She walked across to the bed as he stood, then leaned over and picked Kerri up in her arms. The young woman felt light, her thin legs poking out of the bottom of her ragged and filthy dress.
‘I’m going to put her on your back,’ she said. ‘Are you ready?’
Ravi turned to face the door. ‘Go for it.’
Karalyn placed Kerri onto Ravi’s back, her arms going round his shoulder, and he moved his hands behind his back to hold onto her. He sagged under the weight, but steadied.
‘I can manage,’ he said.
Karalyn almost smiled. Ravi may have been imprisoned for thirds, but his spirit seemed strong; just what she needed to get them out of the Senate.
‘After me, then,’ she said, and went back to the door. She peered through, then went into the passageway, Ravi following with Kerri on his back. She locked the cell door, then crept back the way she had come. The tunnel junction was deserted, and she heard the voices of the Rahain prisoners in the packed cells leading towards the iron gate. Without a word, she stole down the tunnel, and opened the gate a crack, sending her vision out to check no one was there.
They went through the gate and Karalyn locked it, then crept back into the guardroom. She avoided the sleeping soldiers and placed the keys back on the hook, then re-joined Ravi and Kerri in the passageway. She nodded, then carried on, reaching the stairs and ascending past the living quarters to the ground floor.
You cannot see us. We are not here.
Kerri stirred, her head lolling. She groaned, and Karalyn went into her mind to calm her. The young woman’s sleep was dreamless, but her subconscious was swirling in formless terror and confusion.
Rest.
Kerri stilled, and Ravi smiled.
They continued on, passing openings leading to rooms and chambers. The same deacons were still there, lamenting the loss of the Lord Protector. Ravi tapped her on the shoulder.
‘Can they really not see us?’ he whispered.
‘That’s right.’
‘Then, if you want to hurt them even more, there’s something we should steal before we go.’
‘What?’
He pointed to an opening on their right. ‘It’s in there.’
She glanced into the chamber. It was a meeting room of some kind, though no one was inside. She swithered for a moment then nodded and entered the chamber.
‘Where?’ she said.
Ravi walked up to a wall. ‘Behind that little curtain.’
Karalyn stepped over to where he stood. Halfway up the wall was a small alcove, covered by a thick curtain of cloth. She pushed it aside. Hanging upon two hooks was a metal object, and she gasped. She had seen it before, in the palace on the day the Empress and her family had been attacked by Rahain assailants. It was a copper colour, and in the shape of a quarter circle. On the rim were embedded jewels, and inscriptions had been carved into its flat surface in a language she couldn’t read.
‘The Quadrant,’ Ravi said. ‘I don’t know what it is, but they value it greatly. It’s what they’ve been trying to get me to fix.’
Karalyn reached up and carefully lifted the quadrant from its hooks, feeling the soft warm metal under her fingertips. She frowned, as a strange energy pulsed from it.
‘What are you?’ said a voice.
Karalyn almost jumped in alarm, then turned. Standing in the chamber a few metres away were two people. One was a women with dark hair, in her forties or fifties, and standing next to her was a younger man, his body tensed. They were taller than Holdings, but shorter than Kellach Brigdomin, and could have been either.
‘Shit,’ said Ravi.
The woman smiled. ‘Could it be, Witten,’ she said, ‘that we have a Holdfast before us? After searching for them, one has come to us.’
She raised her hand and Ravi cried out in pain. He fell to his knees, Kerri tumbling off his back. As Karalyn drew on her powers, Witten sprung at her, moving faster than she could follow. His fist struck her chin and she toppled backwards, the man clinging to her as she fell.
‘Do not kill her,’ said the woman. ‘There is much I need to ask her first.’
Karalyn landed on the floor, her head spinning in pain.
Belinda! she screamed, as Witten brought his fist down again.
Chapter 26
Thunder on the Horizon
Stretton Sands, Eastern Plateau – 9th Day, Second Third Summer 525
The trainers employed by the Army of Pyre had been experts at finding weaknesses. They wanted their young recruits to depend on each other, but more importantly, they wanted them to obey orders. When Lennox, Libby and Cain had been eight years old, they had been moved to a new training facility outside Calcite City, and the instructors there had noted their close friendship within a day. The three children had been inseparable, sharing a bond that seemed stronger than their loyalty to the army, and the instructors had immediately got to work. They had been forced to fight each other while the entire cadet company watched, and if they had been judged by the officers to have not shown sufficient vigour, then no one would eat that evening. Once, Lennox had so badly beaten up Cain that the boy had been in hospital for a third; while on another occasion, Lennox had been ordered to sit in silence as Libby had been flogged for refusing to obey an order to strike Cain. Somehow, through it all, the three of them had remained best friends, each able to separate what they were told to do from what they felt was right or wrong.
Perhaps the trainers had been correct all along, Lennox thought as he sat away from the others in the passageway outside the cells where the hedgewitches were being kept. Libby had felt like part of him his entire life. Maybe if he had loved her less, then his life wouldn’t be collapsing around him. Her death had driven him mad for a while; it was the only explanation for how he had acted in Rainsby. A monster. A beast. Killer of hospital patients and civilians.
He wanted it all to end. He hated everything – his life, the Sanang, the Army of Pyre, and Cain for cheering him on as he had turned the harbour into a charnel house. The squad, for looking at him with eyes
of pity, or even admiration. Sable, for what she had turned him into. But mostly himself. The hedgewitches looked at him as if he had horns and a tail. He wanted to tell them he was sorry, but what use would his words be?
There was only one solution he could think of, but he wasn’t sure he was brave enough. Come the morning, Sable would be taking them all away in a flying carriage to the capital of the Rahain Republic. The Holdings agent would probably get a medal, while he would no doubt be presented as some kind of hero; a killing machine that the Lord Protector would put to use in the war. His fire powers marked him out, as he always feared they would. If he didn’t do something by the time the carriages arrived to pick them up, then it would be too late.
‘Hey, boss,’ said Carrie, one of those who looked at him with pity, ‘want a drink?’
He glanced up at her. She was crouching by his seat, holding out a mug of ale. She smiled at him, but he could see the pain in her eyes. Lennox started weeping, sobs wracking his body. Carrie put an arm around his shoulder. He wanted to push her away; he didn’t deserve her sympathy, but even that seemed too much of an effort.
‘He’s in a bad way, guys,’ he heard her murmur to the others. ‘What’ll we do?’
‘We need to appoint a second,’ said Cain, ‘someone to take decisions until he’s better again.’
‘Aye,’ said Leisha, ‘and I’m guessing you have somebody in mind?’
‘I’m up for it,’ said Cain, ‘but at this stage I’d back any one of us. Alright, maybe not Denny. Or Loryn. Sorry, guys; too young.’
‘Fucksake,’ said Carrie. ‘I meant, what will we do about Lennox? We can’t leave him like this. I’m worried he might try something stupid.’
‘Maybe we should ask Sable for some more dullweed? said Cain. ‘That seemed to work on the boat.’
Lennox glanced at his old friend, anger sweeping away his tears. How could he just sit there, smug and relaxed, after Libby had died and Lennox had been responsible for a massacre? The instructors at the Army of Pyre training facility would be proud; Cain had taken their lessons to heart it seemed, cutting off his feelings towards those he had known and loved all his life.
The Magelands Epic: Storm Mage (Book 6) Page 37