The Severed City

by Christopher Mitchell

  He gazed down at her upturned face. Her eyes were wide and tearful but her face shone in grim defiance. It would be much simpler if he desired her. Then nothing else would matter. He would gather her into his arms and kiss her and they would lie together, and everything would be better. He sat on the bed and sighed. He lacked any desire for her, but he did love her. He was stupid to feel that way, but he couldn’t stop himself. He laughed under his breath. One secret. One.

  ‘I lived with my father in the wilds of the forest for six years, maybe seven,’ he said. ‘At some point I lost track.’

  She filled his cup and he drank.

  ‘It was hard at first,’ he said. ‘I cried for thirds, or at least it felt that way. I missed my mother, and the soft life I had led. My father was hard on me, and beat me whenever I showed any weakness, and slowly I toughened. I first killed someone when I was about ten. A woman who had been caught by the band. When the men had finished with her, they gave me a blade and told me to end her life. And I did.’

  Chane put a hand to her mouth.

  ‘And so it continued,’ Agang went on, ‘for a few more years. As I grew into my teens, I began to become a proper member of the band, going out on raids with them, and taking part.’

  He paused as Chane moved closer to where he sat on the bed, resting her head on his broad chest, her arm around him.

  ‘Until,’ he said, ‘one day, when…’

  He took a long breath. The words were sticking in his mouth, but he had told her so much already, more than he had ever told anyone, except for his old slave Ethan, whom B’Dang had murdered two years before. Ethan would always have his heart, and he knew that Chane could never replace him, but he felt an urge to continue, an urge to unburden himself.

  ‘One day,’ he said, ‘I must have angered my father, I can’t remember what it was that I’d done, but he was giving me a beating, a bad one, and for the first time I fought back.’

  He met Chane’s eyes.

  ‘I killed my father.’

  Chane gripped him tighter, but said nothing.

  ‘The worst crime imaginable in Sanang,’ he said, ‘for a son to murder his father.’

  He lifted Chane’s chin with his hand.

  ‘And now you know,’ he whispered in her ear, ‘what no one else in this world knows. Would I dare give you to another man, knowing that you possess this secret?’

  She cuddled in close to him.

  Agang blinked. Relief swept through him, that he had finally shared some of his pain with another. As if he had shed a burden. Other secrets were still heaped upon his shoulders, ones he had never uttered to a single person, but the removal of one was enough for now.

  They stretched out onto the bed together, and Agang pulled a blanket over them.

  He went to kiss Chane goodnight, but she was already asleep.

  Chapter 6

  Lizardo

  Grey Mountains, Rahain Republic – 2nd Day, Second Third Summer 505

  The creaky old wagon lurched along the mountain track, a solitary Rahain holding the reins to a pair of gnarly gaien. On both sides of the path the land fell away into a series of cascading shale slopes, while across the ravines to the north and south even higher mountains loomed. Ahead, sticking out of the rocky landscape like a beacon, was a Rahain fort, sitting astride the track, with a large gate barring the way. The walls of the fort extended across the summit, blocking any further passage along the ridge.

  The Rahain kept the wagon moving, approaching the gate. Patches of sweat were emerging through his simple brown peasant tunic, as the heat of the summer sun bore down upon his back.

  ‘Halt,’ an officer shouted. Two soldiers strode forward, flanking the wagon, their crossbows primed.

  The officer scanned the driver. ‘State your business.’

  ‘Was ordered to bring this wagon to the Viyer fort, sir.’

  ‘I’ll need to see your requisition papers.’

  The Rahain peasant muttered, and pulled a bundle of folded documents from a box under his seat.

  The soldiers checked the wagon as the officer glanced at the man’s papers.

  ‘Very well,’ he said. ‘Let him through!’

  The gate was pushed open, and the peasant yanked on the reins.

  He drove the wagon under the wide stone arch of the gateway, soldiers on either side keeping a close watch. There was a great clang as the iron gate was closed behind him, and he guided the wagon down a gentle slope, away from the fort.

  The track dipped after a hundred yards, and turned into a small pine forest. The peasant drove on for a few miles, then stopped the wagon, leaned across, and threw up over the side.

  ‘Good job, Lizardo,’ Keira said, withdrawing the knife point from the small of his back.

  She pushed open the wooden slats that had hidden her, and jumped down off the wagon, stretching her arms and legs. ‘Maybe I won’t kill you after all.’

  ‘I did what you asked,’ he said, vomit drool hanging from his lips. ‘Let me go. I’m nobody, just a peasant. I’ve never hurt any of your people.’

  ‘You’re aware of the concept of revenge, but?’

  He stared at her.

  ‘You fucked us over, Lizardo,’ she said. ‘As far as I see it, that makes any of you wee bastards fair game.’

  She reached for the water flagon, and drank.

  ‘Fucking weather,’ she said. ‘I’m all sweaty.’

  She looked at her captive. Her height made their eyes level, despite him sitting up on the wagon’s bench.

  ‘Here,’ she said, handing him the water. ‘Wash that crap off your face, ya manky wee reptile.’

  Keira put her foot onto the wagon’s step, and hauled herself up. She took the reins from the peasant’s hands, and flicked them, sending the wagon lurching down the track again.

  ‘How about you answer some questions?’ she said to him, ‘and I’ll take it into consideration when I decide whether or not to eat you.’

  ‘But I don’t know anything important.’

  ‘Don’t really give a fuck about the important stuff. The little things will keep me happy. Like, where is this road taking us?’

  ‘To the fort at the Viyer pass,’ he said. ‘Did you not hear me at the gate?’

  She slapped him across the face.

  ‘Did I give you fucking permission to be a cheeky bastard?’

  He put a hand to his cheek, his eyes wide with terror.

  ‘Simple answers will do,’ she said. ‘How far is this fort?’

  ‘About thirty miles.’

  ‘How big is it?’

  ‘Maybe three thousand soldiers,’ he said, ‘and lots of slaves.’

  ‘Three thousand?’ She whistled. ‘Pyre’s arsecrack. What the fuck are that many lizards doing in the middle of the mountains? They can’t all be looking for me. I lost the army of arseholes chasing me days ago.’

  He looked at her as if she was mad.

  ‘I’m famous,’ she grinned.

  He squinted at her, before his face lit up, and his tongue flickered.

  ‘I bet you can’t wait to tell all your friends you met the fire mage,’ she smirked.

  He started to shake.

  ‘Fucksake, I’ll have to kill you now. Need to watch my big mouth.’ She shook her head. ‘Anyway, where were we? Aye, I remember. Why are there thousands of lizards up here?’

  ‘The tunnel,’ he croaked.

  ‘Tunnel?’

  ‘The one through the Grey Mountains,’ he said, the side of his face twitching.

  She frowned.

  ‘From Tahrana Valley to the Plateau,’ he said. ‘It’s nearly finished.’

  ‘What do they need a tunnel for? Why don’t they just fly over the mountains?’

  ‘Too high for gaien,’ he said. ‘They tend to crash at those altitudes.’

  ‘And the slaves?’ she asked.

  ‘Kellach Brigdomin,’ he said. ‘They’re the labour force, used to clear away the rubble the mages blast out of t
he rock.’

  ‘How many are there?’

  ‘Untold numbers,’ he said. ‘They don’t last long in the tunnels. The heat and the vapours get them.’

  Keira looked away.

  ‘How do we get round the fort?’ she asked.

  The peasant puffed out his cheeks. ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘There must be a way.’

  ‘I don’t know,’ he squealed. ‘I’m only sent up and down this track, I don’t know any other ways.’

  ‘We need to get to higher ground,’ she said. ‘Can’t see anything in this fucking forest.’

  ‘The trees go on for another twelve miles or so, and then the track opens out, and you can see the whole valley.’

  ‘Where the tunnel is?’

  ‘It’s where the final section of the tunnel begins.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘It’s not one long tunnel,’ he said. ‘It’s in sections, rising and falling, between the mountain valleys. The last section they finished comes out to the south of the fort. The mages started on the final section about two thirds ago, after coming back from destroying the migrant camp.’

  She frowned. ‘What do you know about that?’

  ‘Not much,’ he said. ‘The senate told us that the Rakanese had invaded our land, and that we couldn’t let that happen. I don’t know exactly how they did it, but every mage in Rahain was needed.’

  He knew the fire mage had escaped, she thought, but not about her part in the destruction of Akhanawarah.

  ‘It’s made things hard, though,’ he went on. ‘Thousands of peasants demobilised from the army, and no jobs. I was fortunate to get this requisition, at least I won’t starve. Others are not so lucky.’

  ‘Boo fucking hoo.’

  They rode on through the afternoon, coming to the edge of the trees when the sun was halfway down the western sky, directly ahead of them.

  Keira shielded her eyes, and peered out from the forest. The track descended to the northern side of the ridge, leading down to a wide, flat valley, enclosed on all sides by high mountain peaks. In the haze of the distance, she could make out the silhouette of the fort, rising up the side of a cliff, near to a dark spot that she assumed was the entrance to the tunnel. Below the fort a vast tented compound was laid out, with rows and rows of canvas, surrounded by a double stockade, and guarded with towers.

  ‘Over there is the fort,’ the peasant said, pointing.

  ‘I can see it, ya scaly wee fud.’

  ‘You can…?’

  Keira shook her head. ‘You lizards are all short-sighted. And stunted. Poor bastards. I should pity you.’

  She set her eyes to the mountain peaks, searching for any possible way across. To the north, where the Plateau lay, the high ridge was unyielding, like a wall. To the west, the valley narrowed past the fort, and ended in a shear cliff. She could see the sparkle of water in the sunlight.

  ‘Is that a river right at the end of the valley?’ she said.

  ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘It comes down from the south, and leaves by a channel through the base of the cliffs.’

  ‘Looks big. How wide’s the channel?’

  He shrugged. ‘Never seen it close up.’

  ‘You should consider being more useful,’ she scowled. ‘I’m getting hungry.’

  ‘I have food!’ he cried. ‘Not much, just some dried meat and ryebread. I’ll share it with you.’

  She raised an eyebrow.

  ‘I mean, I mean, you can have it.’

  She smiled.

  They re-boarded the wagon, and steered it down the gentle slope, as the sun lowered in the sky. They came to a dried-up river bed, high enough to be filled with melting run-off every winter, but parched in the summer thirds. Keira steered the wagon off the highway, and over the shingle and mud of the river course for a couple of miles, until they reached a sheltered cliffside, well away from the road.

  They camped for the night, Keira tying the Rahain peasant’s leg to a tree trunk with rope she had found in the back of the wagon.

  ‘I’m supposed to have arrived with the wagon this evening,’ he said, as he watched Keira eat his dinner. ‘They might miss me if I don’t turn up.’

  She looked up. ‘I doubt anyone will miss you, Lizardo.’

  ‘What are you going to do to me?’

  ‘Not sure, yet.’ She should kill him. He knew she was the escaped fire mage, and if she let him go, then her pursuers would be on her trail again.

  ‘I was going to eat you,’ she said, ‘but you’ve too much fucking gristle on you. Can you think of any reason why I shouldn’t slit your throat?’

  He swallowed. ‘Because you’re a good person?’

  Keira laughed. ‘Ahh, you’re a funny wee bastard. But no, I’m not a good person.’

  ‘Because I know the land, and I can guide you?’

  ‘Do you know the Plateau?’

  ‘Is that where you’re going?’

  ‘Answer the fucking question.’

  He shook his head. ‘No.’

  Keira shrugged. ‘Is that all you’ve got?’

  ‘I promise that I’ll never say anything to anyone about you,’ he said, starting to sweat. ‘I swear it on the lives of my children.’

  ‘You have bairns?’

  ‘Two.’

  ‘Why are you not at home looking after them?’

  ‘As I said, there are no jobs in the city. Just thousands of out-of-work soldiers. I was lucky to find this job, it allows my wife to collect food tokens, so I know they won’t go hungry.’

  Keira glared at him and he stopped talking.

  ‘You’re an absolute prick,’ she said.

  He opened his mouth in fear and confusion, his tongue flickering wildly.

  ‘I can’t fucking kill you now, can I?’ She threw a rock at his head. He ducked, and it glanced off his shoulder.

  ‘Ow!’

  They sat in silence as the sky darkened.

  ‘I have some brandy,’ he said.

  ‘What?’

  ‘Alcohol.’

  Her eyes lit up. ‘Where?’

  ‘Box under the driver’s bench.’

  She got up and strode to the wagon. A quick rummage in the box, and she pulled out a stoppered jug. She twisted off the cork and took a swig.

  ‘Fucking beauty.’

  She sat with her back to a tree, and took a longer drink.

  ‘First booze I’ve had since Kell,’ she said. ‘Brandy, eh? It’s alright.’

  ‘Can I have some?’

  She thought for a moment.

  ‘Well,’ she said, ‘since you’ve been a good boy.’

  She picked up the water-mug and poured a finger’s worth. She leaned over, and passed it to the peasant.

  He nodded, and took a sip.

  ‘So, you’re not going to kill me?’ he said, colour returning to his cheeks.

  She grimaced. ‘No.’

  ‘Do you promise?’

  ‘Don’t push it, wee man,’ she said, then grunted. ‘Okay, fuck it, I promise.’

  ‘Thank you,’ he said. ‘Are you really the fire mage?’

  ‘Aye.’

  ‘You killed all those soldiers in the war?’

  ‘Aye, I did.’

  ‘Then why didn’t you use your powers at the gate we passed?’ he said. ‘You didn’t need me.’

  She frowned. ‘And here’s me thinking you were one of the smarter ones. When I escaped, they sent a whole fucking army after me, and whenever I threw fire it just sent out a big signal telling them where I was. It was only when I stopped, and went low and sneaky that I managed to slip past them.’

  ‘And you’re going to the Plateau?’ he said. ‘To escape Rahain?’

  ‘Exactly,’ she said, ‘I want to get out of this fucking country as fast as possible.’

  He lifted his mug. ‘I will help you.’

  ‘To get to the Plateau?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘What about your family?’

  He paused, his
mouth open. His tongue flickered.

  ‘You lying wee bastard,’ Keira said, her fist clenched.

  ‘I’m sorry!’ he squealed. ‘I thought you were going to kill me.’

  ‘I fucking am now.’

  The peasant put his hands up to protect his head as she approached.

  ‘But you promised!’

  ‘That’s when I thought you had bairns.’

  ‘Doesn’t matter. A promise is a promise.’

  She pulled back her fist, ready to bury it in the man’s face.

  ‘I can help you get past the fort!’

  ‘How?’

  ‘I have a plan.’

  She glared at him. ‘Why would you help me?’

  ‘I want to live,’ he cried, ‘and I want to leave Rahain. There’s nothing here for me, no prospects except getting conscripted back into the army again. There’s no food, and no work, except odd jobs like this one. I’m sick of it.’

  Keira lowered her fist.

  ‘There’s supposed to be jobs up in Rainsby,’ he said. ‘That’s where we should go.’

  ‘We?’

  ‘You’ll blend right in. Apparently there’s a huge Kellach Brigdomin refugee camp, right next to the town.’

  ‘Prisoners?’

  ‘No,’ he said. ‘I’ve heard they can travel freely around, look for work,’ he said. ‘It’s just that they have to live within the camp, and not move into the town.’

  ‘That can’t be right,’ she said. ‘I thought the Rahain ruled there.’

  ‘Rainsby has long ruled itself,’ he said. ‘It’s too far away for the government here to control, although that’ll change once the tunnel’s finished.’

  ‘How many of my folk are there?’

  ‘Don’t know,’ he said. ‘I’ve never been, that’s just what I heard. Only, if you’re looking to lie low, then I’m sure you could disappear into the Rainsby camp.’

  She took a swig of brandy and sat back down.

  ‘Is your face well known among your people?’ he asked.

  ‘I’ll cut my hair,’ she said. ‘Or dye it. I always fancied trying out blonde. And I’ll need a new name.’

  ‘What’s your real name? I only know you as the fire mage.’

  ‘Keira.’

  ‘I’m Leon.’

  ‘No,’ she said. ‘You’re Lizardo.’