Blade of the North

by Jones, Heath

  “What do you mean?” Theolin demands again, more forcefully this time.

  Next to her, Alek laughs darkly. “She means we’ve come all this way for nothing.”

  “No!” I say. “This isn’t a dead-end!”

  “Then what is it?” Theolin snaps. “Storm sent us to him. If he’s not going to help us, how do we get into the Royal District without a permit?”

  A heavy silence descends on the room. All eyes turn towards me. Finding Storm in the first place was my idea, and all that has followed since has led us here. To a seemingly pointless end in a strange city. I can feel the accusation in their eyes.

  “We’ll find another way,” Dain says, trying to come to my rescue, but he doesn’t sound like he believes his own words.

  “I don’t understand,” Rose says weakly. “I thought Storm wanted to help us.”

  “Help or betray,” Alek says, “what’s the difference?”

  “No,” Aveline says. Her eyes flick towards Jarryd then back to the others. “Sara’s right. This isn’t the end. Vahla didn’t seem like an official, so he must be connected to someone who is. So, if we find his connection, we find our way of obtaining the permits.”

  Slowly the others nod their heads.

  “Ok,” Jarryd says, “how do we find Vahla’s connection?”

  Suddenly the door crashes open behind me and I spin around in time to see Peace Bringers storming into the room. Before any of us can react, they have formed a ring surrounding us, their swords pointing menacingly towards us.

  Shocked, my head whips around in every direction. I want to move, to strike out, but fear holds me back. I can sense the others wanting to fight as well, their muscles twitching, yet striving to remain calm. Encircled by swords and deprived of our weapons, there is nothing we can do. A wrong move now will see us all dead.

  At last, one final Peace Bringer enters the room. He is shorter than the others, with a blue plume on his helmet. His face is marred by scars, partially hidden by a close-cropped beard. But it is his eyes that capture my attention. His cold, hard eyes.

  “By order of Captain Karadik Mors,” the man says, “I hereby place you all under arrest. You will follow me.”

  I’m stunned. I can’t believe we are being arrested. How did they find us? How do they even know about us?

  “You can’t arrest us without a charge,” Aveline protests. “What have we done?”

  The Peace Bringer stares at her. “This is Malikaran,” is all he says before turning and marching out the door.

  Theolin glares at me. “Well done, Fairgrey,” she growls. “They followed you here. You, Aveline, and Jarryd. You’ve betrayed us all.”

  I stare at her, numb, as the Peace Bringers lead us away.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  We’re crowded inside a dark, dingy prison cell. Again. This time only three walls are stone, with the fourth wall made of strong, steel bars. A lantern provides a small amount of light in the hallway outside, where a Peace Bringer marches up and down, past the other cells, before returning once more to ours.

  “Some Protector I am,” Jarryd laments. “This is the second time we’ve been surrounded and captured without any warning.”

  “It’s not your - ” Aveline and I say at the same time, then stop.

  “It’s not your fault,” Aveline says, watching me closely.

  “Isn’t it?” Jarryd asks. “Someone followed us back from our meeting with Vahla Jyn, and I didn’t notice. We led them straight to us.”

  “Stop moaning,” Theolin says, “it’s pathetic. Put your protecting mind to use and find us a way out of here.”

  I’m tired, scared, and I’ve had enough of Theolin. “Why are you always like this?” I round on her.

  “Like what?” she asks, an edge to her voice.

  “So…petty. Like it or not, we’re in this together. We all have our own reasons, but each of us has come here to…” I stop myself from saying we’re here to kill the emperor, “to see the Royal District.”

  “Cute,” Theolin mumbles.

  “There you go again!” I shout.

  “Sara…” Jarryd says, placing a calming hand on my shoulder.

  I ignore him, my anger exploding. “You always thought you were better than me. You rejected all my attempts to build a friendship with you, insulted me every chance you could. You despised me, you tried to make me miserable. But it’s not just me, is it? You can’t get on with anyone. Why? Why can’t you - ”

  “Why can’t I what?” Theolin interrupts. “Why can’t I like you? Or why can’t I be more like you? This obviously comes as a surprise to you, Fairgrey, but you’re nothing like me. You and your - ”

  “Whatever could you all be arguing about?” a voice asks, interrupting us.

  We all turn to the man standing on the other side of the bars. Short, with slick black hair, he is watching us with open amusement. Dressed in a tight hugging black silk shirt underneath a tailored coat with gold thread worked down the arms, he looks every bit a noble lord. Knee-high leather boots are pulled over his equally black trousers, also with gold thread worked down the seams. Three Peace Bringers, their black tunics showing beneath their armour, stand behind him.

  “Arguing?” I say, the words spilling out of my mouth. “We’re not arguing.”

  “Of course not,” the man replies. He runs his eyes over us, taking us in each in turn. “I’m Captain Karadik Mors,” he says after completing his visual inspection. “And I would like one of you to tell me why you want permits to enter the Royal District?”

  “Who says we do?” Aveline asks.

  Karadik smiles pleasantly at her, but the way he leers at her is unsettling. “My dear girl, nothing happens in Malikaran without my knowledge. So tell me, please, why do you want the permits?”

  Nobody answers, and the silence stretches on. Finally, Karadik shrugs his shoulders. “Perhaps this isn’t the most conducive place for a conversation.” He nods to the Peace Bringers behind him, one of whom pulls out a key. I hadn’t realised before, but four of the bars in the middle of the wall are connected at the top and bottom by a horizontal bar. This forms the door to the cell that the Peace Bringer now swings open. “If you would kindly accompany me,” he says to Aveline, “I will find us somewhere more… comfortable to talk.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Jarryd says as he steps in front of Aveline.

  Karadik smiles wryly at Jarryd. “Perhaps later,” he says.

  The Peace Bringer pushes Jarryd out of the way and grabs Aveline’s arm, pulling her out of the cell.

  “Aveline,” Jarryd calls out. He lunges for her, but another Peace Bringer bars his way.

  “Don’t fret,” Karadik says calmly. “It is my job to know the purposes of all who wish to enter the Royal District. I find the best way to achieve that is to have a sensible conversation. That way, we best work out how to come to an… accommodation.”

  “Fine,” Jarryd says. “I’m happy to talk.”

  “As I said, perhaps later,” Karadik replies, his eyes roving over Aveline.

  Karadik turns and walks away, the Peace Bringers leading Aveline behind him.

  “Aveline!” Jarryd calls out.

  “Leave it, Jarryd,” Dain says, putting his hand on Jarryd’s shoulder. “There’s nothing you can do now.”

  “What’s he going to do to her?” Jarryd asks.

  “Talk,” Alek replies dryly.

  Jarryd glares at him then stalks into the corner and sits down, his back against the wall.

  My heart breaks for him. I know the feelings he has for me – but his feelings for Aveline have grown over years, not months. Fear for her is written plain on his anguished face.

  “Will she be ok?” Rose asks.

  “She’ll be fine,” I say. “She’s strong.”

  “She won’t give us away,” Dain says, trying to comfort Jarryd.

  “I know she won’t,” he snaps.

  I pace the small cell, worried for my friend. Despite the aw
kwardness of my feelings for Jarryd, and his for me, she is my friend. And right now, I can’t do anything for her. Just like Mother and Rehana. Just like Father. I slump to the ground feeling useless, defeated.

  “So Vahla betrayed us,” Alek says into the silence. “Does that mean Storm did too?”

  “No!” I say, angered at the suggestion. “She would never do that.”

  Alek shrugs his shoulders.

  “You’ve got to admit, it doesn’t look good, Sara,” Rose says.

  “Doesn’t look good?” Theolin says, her eyebrows raised. “I’d say we’ve been led by the nose on a fool’s quest. If Vahla truly has betrayed us, we’re as good as dead.”

  I’m about to object, but what can I say? She’s right. If we have been betrayed… I need to trust that Storm wouldn’t betray us, and hope that Vahla Jyn hasn’t. But it seems like false hope.

  A gloomy weariness descends on us all, and we eventually sink down to the floor. I move into the corner and sit next to Jarryd. He looks up and gives me a half-smile, but there’s no warmth in it. His thoughts are with Aveline – as they ever are. There’s nothing I can say, but I hope he takes comfort in my presence by his side.

  Time passes slowly as we sit in our cell, alone with our thoughts. Occasionally one of us will stand up and pace around the cell, before tiring of it and sitting back down. Nobody is interested in talking.

  I stare around hopelessly at the walls of the cell – this is the extent of my world, and it’s depressing. After all I’ve gone through to get here, all the training, the pain, the friends and family I’ve lost – is this how my life will end? Will everything I’ve done prove to be for nothing? Am I to amount to nothing, just another life squashed beneath the emperor’s ambitious boot?

  No. There must be a way out. Standing up, I search along the wall behind me, feeling for a crack, anything that might suggest a weakness in the wall.

  “What are you doing?” Rose asks.

  “Not giving up,” I say, continuing to feel along the wall.

  A few moments later Jarryd is standing beside me. “We’ll find a way out,” he says, forcing a smile.

  “I doubt it,” Alek mutters, but he starts feeling his way along another wall.

  “You’re painfully stubborn, Fairgrey,” Theolin says, “but I’m not interested in dying just yet.”

  The six of us spend the next hour or more quietly searching along every inch of the walls and the floor. Whenever we hear the Peace Bringer approaching our cell we lean back against the walls, trying to look bored. But for all the cuts and scrapes we gather on our hands, there isn’t a loose stone anywhere.

  “Nothing,” I say, repeating what everyone else has just said.

  Hopelessness begins to stir in me again. I’m about to give it voice when Karadik appears in the hallway, with Aveline behind him.

  The Peace Bringer unlocks the door and Aveline stalks back in.

  “I await the pleasure of our next talk,” Karadik says.

  The only answer Aveline gives him is a deathly cold glare.

  Karadik smiles, very satisfied with something, then chuckles to himself as he walks away.

  “What happened?” Dain asks.

  “What did he want?” Jarryd asks, going over to her.

  Aveline snaps her head around. “Something he’ll never get,” she answers.

  After an uncomfortable, fitful night’s sleep, Karadik appears at our cell again in the morning. This time he turns his attention to Theolin. “Please join me for a little chat, and a… drink.”

  Theolin looks Karadik up and down with contempt. “No.”

  “It wasn’t a question,” Karadik says. The Peace Bringer pulls Theolin out of the cell and they walk away with Karadik.

  Their chat doesn’t last long. They return, Karadik sporting a red handprint on his cheek.

  “Fiery,” he says, as Theolin is shoved back into our cell. Rubbing his cheek, he smiles at Theolin before turning his back and striding away.

  Hours pass as we stew in our cell. I have no idea what is in store for us, and the waiting only increases my agitation. Added to that, Rose and I are the only females Karadik hasn’t turned his attention towards yet. I can tell Rose is thinking the same thing, staring at the door of our cell like a caged animal, terrified of seeing it open. She is huddled close to Dain, who has his arm around her. That elicits a pang of sadness. I had always imagined, hoped that Dain and I… but no, I haven’t thought of him in that way for a long time. In fact, I’ve barely thought of him at all since entering the Daishen Forest. Even so, it is still hard to let go. The fact that my feelings are turned elsewhere now is only a small consolation. After all, Jarryd will never leave Aveline. Not for me.

  I close my eyes and let my thoughts drift back to Farley, back to when my world was simpler, and it still held hope.

  “Out,” a voice orders.

  Opening my eyes, I see the Peace Bringer - with three more behind him - standing in the open door of our cell.

  “All of you, out” the Peace Bringer says again.

  Stunned, I look around at the others, who seem just as confused as I feel.

  “Where are we going?” I ask.

  “The Captain wants you.”

  Obediently we all stand up and follow the Peace Bringer. He leads us out of our cell and through the building, the other Peace Bringers following behind. I memorise the turns as we go, hoping for some future chance to escape.

  We stop in front of a door, guarded on either side by a Peace Bringer. The one on the left opens the door, and the Peace Bringer who brought us from our cells leads us into the room.

  At the far end of the room, seated behind a large oak desk, is Karadik Mors. He is speaking with a man sitting opposite him, whose back is to us. Sunlight streams in through the room’s only window, behind Karadik.

  “You know you can’t keep them indefinitely,” the other man is saying.

  My mouth drops as I recognise his voice – Vahla Jyn.

  “You have no reason to keep them,” Vahla continues. “Release them to me and I’ll make sure they behave.”

  Karadik sighs. “Very well,” he says. “But I will hold you personally responsible for them.”

  “Of course,” Vahla replies, standing up.

  “My office is always open,” Karadik says to us. “There is a limit to the number of permits I may issue each month, but it is solely within my power to grant them.” He smiles like a cat over a bowl of milk. “I do desire to help. However, there is a long queue in front of you waiting patiently for their permits. I’m afraid, if you can’t persuade me that your need is urgent, yours will be quite a long wait.”

  I stare at him, stunned. Is this really how officialdom works in Malikaran?

  “Come with me,” Vahla says, walking to the door.

  “Who are you?” Theolin asks, not moving.

  “Vahla Jyn,” he replies, brushing past us and out the door.

  We follow him as he leads us through the building. Surprisingly, the Peace Bringers don’t follow us.

  “Wait,” Dain says. “What happened - ”

  Vahla whirls on him. “Keep your mouths shut,” he whispers fiercely, “until I say you can open them.”

  Outside the building, Vahla leads us quietly through the streets, until we are back in the alley behind The Den. A man at the door nods to Vahla before opening the door. We follow him in, then up a flight of stairs to a small room. Vahla closes the door behind him once we are all inside.

  “What’s going on?” I demand, unable to hold my tongue any longer.

  “I thought I said to stay quiet until I said otherwise,” Vahla snaps. “If you want my help, you’re going to have to do exactly what I tell you.”

  “And what help is that?” Aveline asks. “You betrayed us, didn’t you?”

  “I told Karadik about your presence in the city, yes,” Vahla answers. “But that’s not betrayal. It’s expedience.”

  “What’s the difference?” I ask accusing
ly, wanting to put Vahla back in his place.

  Vahla sighs. “You’re not very bright, are you?” he says quietly.

  I’m furious, but he continues before I can reply. “Look, I don’t know where you’re from, but wherever it is, it certainly isn’t anything like Malikaran. The emperor lives here. Do any of you understand what that means?”

  He watches us, waiting. Finally, Alek breaks the silence. “It means vigilant Peace Bringers, and more of them.”

  “If only that were all,” Vahla says, taking a seat at the table in the middle of the room. He gestures to the rest of us, and we pull up our chairs around the table. “It means vigilant everybody,” he continues, once we are all seated. “Newcomers to Malikaran are noticed. They’re always welcome, but they’re noticed. And not just by the Peace Bringers. They’re noticed by everyone. The people in this city revere the emperor. And why not? He’s brought them peace and prosperity. So, anyone seeking access to the Royal District needs to be watched to make sure they don’t harbor… seditious intent.”

  Something about what Vahla has said doesn’t ring true. Or rather, the way he said it doesn’t ring true. “You don’t believe what you’re saying,” I say. “You sound like you’re repeating a line you’ve said hundreds of times before in order to… what? Blend in? Keep suspicion away from yourself?”

  “Maybe you’re not so dumb after all,” he mumbles. He leans forward, arms on the table. “Perhaps I don’t hold the emperor in such high esteem as others may think. But don’t make the mistake of ignoring what I’m telling you. Malikaran is the emperor’s city, heart and soul, and its people with her.

  “I had to let Karadik Mors know you were in the city,” Vahla continues. “The way you were all wandering around the district, asking for me by name – it wasn’t very bright. If it wasn’t me, someone else would have alerted Karadik. Relax, he doesn’t know anything about you, only that you want permits to enter the Royal District. It’s his job to know everything about newcomers to the city, especially those wanting permits. So, to keep in his good books, what do you think I do?”

  “You turn us over to him to avoid suspicion on yourself,” Theolin says, a hint of admiration in her voice.