They kept walking, the light from the flame illuminating the carved reliefs on the walls between the openings. Depictions of mages, rulers and Rahain warriors adorned the delicate slabs. Traces of paint could be seen in the deep grooves of the sculptures.
‘It’s like they’ve only just left,’ Bridget said.
Killop looked through one of the openings. ‘Another tunnel.’
‘We could be down here days, exploring,’ she said.
‘Let’s stick to the main route for now.’
They walked on. After several minutes, Killop stopped.
‘Did you feel that?’
‘Aye,’ she said, ‘and I can smell it too. Fresh air.’
After another minute, the tunnel came out into a vast boulevard, as grand as any they had seen in the capital. A wind was blowing from the left, a chill dawn breeze.
They quickened their pace, and walked into the growing wind. They passed caverns on either side, but kept going until Killop thought he could see a pale glimmer ahead.
He held the torch up into the wind, and a gust blew out the flames.
As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he made out a lighter patch just ahead of them, and they inched forwards.
The floor in front of them came to an abrupt end, falling away down into darkness. Killop and Bridget gazed up and around. It was like a knife had sliced through the huge tunnel at an angle, shearing away everything beyond with surgical precision.
They gazed out into the grey dawn, a yellow glow of light growing from behind a range of mountains in the east. Below, the cliffs fell away to a valley hundreds of feet beneath them.
‘Fuck, Killop,’ Bridget said. ‘The edge of the city.’
‘The Severed City,’ he said, staring out.
They stood side by side, and watched the sun rise over the mountains, sending golden rays of light down into the valley below, where a large river flowed amid brown and empty scrubland.
‘Look down there,’ Bridget said. ‘Maybe we should take the clan over that river, and into the mountain range on the far side. The Rahain would never find us there.’
‘No, Bridget,’ he said, ‘not when thousands of our folk are living as slaves on this side of the valley. We stay and we fight.’
Killop awoke, alone in his dark chamber.
He found the matches by his side, and lit the wick of the oil lamp. He waited as the flame took hold, sending a warm light throughout his small room.
It had been nineteen days since they had discovered the Severed City, and he had awoken alone each morning since. Apart from prison, he couldn’t remember when he had last slept alone so often. On the road, and in their old camp, he had bunked up with others or stretched out under the seven stars, always where he could hear the snores and breathing of other people. In Laodoc’s academy, he had slept with Kallie, and before that he had been chained up with his fellow captives.
There had been many times when he had longed for solitude and privacy, and now he had it in abundance.
He had never woken up with Daphne, he realised. Never shared a bed with the woman he had loved more than anyone. A few moments of passion on his cell floor had been all the time together they had managed.
He pushed his blankets to the side and got dressed. He blew out his lamp, pulled open the thick woven rug that was acting as a door, and stepped outside into a larger chamber. The bright dawn coming through a window to the east almost blinded him for a moment. He blinked, and smiled. Every morning, sunlight flooded the rooms where the clan had settled, having chosen to make their home on the edge of the rift.
There was a long stone table in the centre of the chamber, its surface a massive single slab of limestone, with stone benches around. He had chosen this room as his chief’s hall. There was enough space around the table for forty, and the room could fit the entire clan if they squeezed in.
Off the chamber were several smaller rooms, and it was here that his other captains slept: Dominic and Dyam in the room nearest the main door; Bridget in the room to Killop’s left, and Larissa the next room down.
Kalden, who also had a room off the hall, was sitting at the table, relaxing in the sunlight. He was talking to Brodie, whose crutch was propped up against the bench.
‘Morning,’ Killop said to them as he sat. He took a cup, and filled it with water from a jug.
‘Chief,’ Kalden nodded.
‘How’s the new brew doing, Brodie?’ Killop asked. ‘Will any be ready for the ceremony?’
‘Aye Chief,’ he said. ‘It’ll be a wee bit green, but it’ll do the business.’
‘At last,’ Kalden said. ‘I haven’t had a drink since the old camp. How come it’s took you so long?’
‘Fuck off,’ Brodie said. ‘I’ve not even had twenty days, and I had to practically set up from scratch, and that was only after I’d found a decent water supply. I’d like to see you fucking try to make ale any faster.’
‘Steady, old man,’ Kalden frowned. ‘I was only saying.’
‘Did you set up down by the wells?’
‘No, Chief,’ he said. ‘I’m over by the underground stream in the northern caverns. The water there is crystal clear, and fresher tasting than the stuff from the wells. It’s also next to the northern entrance gate, where there are berries and wild vines and hops growing. It’ll take some time chief, but I reckon I’ll be knocking out a fine brew before long, and then maybe I’ll set up a still.’
‘Have you taken on any apprentices yet?’ Killop asked.
‘I’ve got myself a boy and a girl,’ he said, ‘both wide-eyed and clueless. Still, they do what they’re told, mostly.’
They looked up as the rest of his advisors entered the hall from the main passageway.
Bridget and Larissa were laughing, Dominic and Draewyn were arguing and Dyam trailed along behind, blinking and looking tired. They quietened as they approached.
‘Good news,’ Killop said to them. ‘Brodie here says the ale will be ready for after the ceremony.’
The others let out a small cheer.
‘About fucking time,’ someone muttered.
‘Will we let the children have any?’ Draewyn asked.
‘If they’re twelve or over,’ Bridget said. ‘None for the younger ones.’
‘As long as everybody remembers it’s only a few days old,’ Brodie frowned. ‘I’ve had to doctor it, to adjust the alcohol content, so no one blame me if you all feel a bit grim tomorrow.’
Killop watched as they all sat.
‘Today’s founding ceremony will mark a few changes. Bridget?’
She nodded.
‘Since we arrived,’ she said to the others, ‘we’ve been busy exploring, clearing up, discovering hidden corners of our new city, but we’ve got to get ourselves more organised. We need to start thinking about the future, about how we can bring in more food, and grow our own. We were lucky to find the fish pools in the lower caverns, and even luckier to discover the vats of oil.’
‘Pyre is with us,’ Draewyn said.
‘Would make a fucking change,’ Bridget muttered.
‘Pyre or not,’ Killop said, ‘it’s given us a head start. Bridget and I have made our minds up about everyone’s roles here. From now on, she’s in charge of running the caverns.’
He nodded to her.
‘Dominic,’ Bridget said, ‘you’re in charge of the city’s defences, with Dyam as your second. Post guards at the western and northern entrances. No one is allowed to leave in daylight unless directly sanctioned by me or the chief. You’ll have thirty full-time warriors under your command; all other able-bodied adults under forty are in the reserve.’
Dominic and Dyam nodded.
‘From now on,’ Bridget said, ‘all children under twelve will spend each morning having lessons. Draewyn, pick ten tutors. Teach the history, songs and language of our people to them, so they don’t forget who they are. Let them play in the afternoons. All older children will be apprenticed to an adult, who will be responsib
le for passing on their skills and knowledge. Draewyn, you’re also in charge of that.’
‘Aye, Herald.’
‘Brodie,’ Bridget said, ‘you’re in charge of food gathering and the fish-pools. Take on as many apprentices as you need. Also, look into any way we can grow our own food, and preserve it. Lastly, make sure all food is shared out fairly.’
‘Aye.’
‘Kalden,’ Bridget went on, ‘pick ten, and form a squad to police the city. Lock up any troublemakers overnight and bring them here in the morning to be judged. Keep the teenagers out of trouble, especially our two throwers.’
Kalden nodded.
‘You get ten as well, Larissa,’ Bridget said. ‘You’re in charge of trapping and hunting.’
‘What’s new?’ she said, rolling her eyes.
Bridget smiled. ‘And everyone else works for me.’
‘What will we do with the Rahain?’ asked Dyam.
‘Put them to work like everybody else,’ Killop said. ‘The only team they’re not allowed to join is Larissa’s. I don’t want them outside, in case they’re tempted to run.’
‘They wouldnae leave now,’ Draewyn said. ‘They’re happy to be alive, and still amazed we didnae slaughter them.’
‘I won’t be putting any in my team,’ Dominic said. ‘Even if I was sure of their loyalty, which I’m not, they wouldn’t know what I was telling them to do.’
‘That’s not true,’ Bridget said. ‘Most of them learned our language from the children.’
‘You mean they could understand us the whole time?’
‘They’ve never hidden the fact that they know our language,’ Bridget said. ‘You just assumed.’
‘Oh well,’ Dominic muttered, ‘at least they know what I think of them.’
‘Don’t be a prick, son,’ Draewyn said. ‘The Rahain were slaves just like us.’
‘They haven’t broken their word to us,’ Killop said. ‘Let’s give them the freedom of the city, under the same rules as everyone else. Kalden, make sure they don’t get harassed.’
‘Aye, Chief.’
‘What will you be doing, Chief?’ Dyam asked.
‘I’ll be taking a squad out into the hills,’ he said. ‘Locate our next target. I counted on the map at least half a dozen mines and labour camps in the area. Once I’ve scouted the route to the first, I’ll send back someone to summon the reserve for a raid.’
‘Should we not take more time to settle in?’ Brodie said.
He shook his head. ‘No. We going to attack every camp we find, and free every slave.’
‘The Rahain ones too?’ Bridget said. ‘Like we talked about?’
‘Aye, even them.’
An old woman knocked at the entranceway.
‘Sorry for interrupting, boss,’ she said, ‘but everyone is gathered and ready.’
‘Thanks,’ he nodded. He looked around the table at the faces of his captains, knowing that many of them desired to hide away in their new home, and find peace.
‘Let’s go,’ he said, rising. ‘It’s time to found our city and name our clan.’
Brodie smiled. ‘And then get drunk.’
Chapter 13
Invested
Outside Plateau City, The Plateau – 21st Day, Last Third Summer 505
‘I want to go home,’ Chane said, flicking the ash from her smokestick into a mug by the bedside.
Agang stretched out on the mattress next to her. ‘Technically speaking, this is the closest you’ve been to your home in two years.’
‘The Holdings is not my home any more,’ she said. ‘The Beechwoods, and Broadwater. They’re home to me now.’
‘Do you miss the great forest?’
‘I do,’ she said, her smile fading, ‘and I hate being here, seeing what your army has done.’
‘You knew what was going to happen.’
‘I could picture battles, soldier against soldier, but the slaughter of farmers and their families, innocent civilians?’
‘We’re doing no more than your army did,’ Agang said, ‘and they invaded four times, not once.’
Chane raised an eyebrow. ‘The Holdings army did nothing as bad as some of the things I’ve seen B’Dang’s men do.’
Agang frowned.
‘And you said we would be heading back by now,’ she went on.
He shook his head. ‘That was the original plan. I meant it, I wasn’t lying to you. But the warriors have collected virtually nothing from this raid so far. No gold, no treasure, a mere handful of slaves. It’s not enough for them. If the Plateau had been as settled as you told me it was, then the men would have had their fill, and we would be marching home right now.’
He turned to her, propping himself up on a pillow.
‘All the farms and villages we’ve passed through,’ he said, ‘have barely provided enough to keep us supplied on the march. Summer has almost ended, and their capital city is our last chance to get our just rewards, and still make it home before winter.’
‘But Agang,’ she said, her eyes pleading, ‘you’ve done enough. You’ve proved to the Holdings and the world what the Sanang can do. You destroyed an army of Holdings heavy cavalry in open battle, a feat the Rahain didn’t manage in twenty years of warfare against the Realm.’
‘I’ve made up my mind,’ he said, pulling back the blanket and getting to his feet, ‘and I’d prefer not to talk about it again.’
Chane lowered her eyes, glowering in anger.
He dressed, putting on the underclothes that would go beneath his armour.
‘Good luck today, my beautiful Agang Garo,’ she said. ‘If I could have one wish, it would be that you would allow me to fight alongside you.’
He smiled. ‘Your days as a warrior are over, Chane. You’re much too delicate for the blood and shit of the battlefield.’
‘You’ve never seen me in battle,’ she said, her face hard. ‘My lord.’
‘No,’ he replied, walking for the exit, ‘and I’ve no desire to. War is not for women.’
He opened the canvas tent-flap, and stepped outside.
Black-clad guards on either side of the door jumped to attention as he walked into the warm morning air. The sky was blue, and although autumn wasn’t far away, he knew it was going to be another humid day on the Plateau.
He gazed around, and then he saw it.
Plateau City.
Agang and his army had arrived the previous evening, after the sun had set, and they had seen the lights of the capital in the distance, but this was his first glimpse of it in daylight.
His mouth dropped open for a moment. He quickly re-imposed calm onto his face, but his mind was spinning. He had never imagined such a city could exist. How proud he had been of Broadwater, how arrogant of the fact that five thousand people lived within its walls, yet now he realised that he could fit the whole town into the Holdings’ new capital many times over.
It was enormous.
Walls as high as those on the great frontier ringed the sides of the city he could see, with strong tall towers, from which green, silver and gold pennants flew in the breeze. A dome of incredible size was visible over the walls, with wooden cranes clustered around it in attendance. On the city’s right side, the wall ran alongside the edge of the huge body of water they had first seen a few days previously, the Inner Sea as Chane called it. The waters by the sea wall were busy with ships, some sailing, others bunched into groups as they anchored out from the harbour.
‘Have you ever seen anything like it?’ Badolecht said.
Agang turned and saw his mage approach, walking next to Hodang and Echtang.
‘Never,’ Agang said.
‘What do you intend to do, my lord?’ Hodang said.
‘We will keep to the plan, Hodang.’
‘But, my lord,’ his chief minister said, as he stared at the city in the distance. ‘How? Those walls are impenetrable.’
‘We shall see,’ Agang said.
He nodded to a pair of servants, who c
ame forward with his armour. He stretched out his powerful arms, and took a wide stance as the two men strapped him into the steel plate, freshly polished and shining in the morning sun.
‘Scouts are back, my lord,’ Mandalecht said. ‘They report no Holdings forces anywhere in the vicinity, outside of the city.’
‘Right,’ Agang said, ‘let’s see if the king wants to come out and play.’
Agang strode through the ordered ranks of his soldiers, his officers and the allied chiefs following. They reached the front line, and kept walking. Behind him, a herald raised the standard he had brought all the way from Broadwater: a red tree on a white background.
Ahead, the massive northern gates of Plateau City lay two hundred yards away. Agang joined the wide paved road that led to the gates, and approached.
He looked up at the great walls as they grew closer. The battlements were lined with enemy troops, gazing down at the twenty thousand warriors he had brought from Sanang.
Agang halted, just out of bowshot.
‘Come out!’ he called to the walls in the Holdings tongue. ‘Come out and prove you are not cowards. Prove you are more than thieves and murderers, who ravaged the Sanang lands for four years. Come out and face justice!’
A fresh breeze blew up from the sea to their right, and swept over the coastal plain, sending the Holding flags fluttering.
‘I am Agang Garo,’ he cried, ‘and I will have justice.’
No response came from the walls.
Agang waited a few moments then turned to the others by him. ‘We tried.’
‘Damn cowards,’ Drechtan growled, ‘but just as you predicted my lord.’
‘If I were behind walls like that,’ Mandalecht said, ‘I’m not sure I’d come out either.’
‘We should attack the gates,’ said B’Dang. ‘Batter them down, and ravage the city.’
‘You’re welcome to go first,’ Agang said. ‘We can all stand and watch as they slaughter you from the walls.’
B’Dang bared his teeth at Agang as he turned and began walking back to the army.
‘Mandalecht,’ he said, ‘move your regiments to cover this side of the city. Ditches, rampart, just like we discussed.’
The Severed City Page 17