Callisa brushed the crumbs from her new cloak. It was a deep, rich brown in colour and lined with wool. She caught Tei staring at it. ‘The tailor made it especially for me.’
‘It’s a good design, but Migil made the best cloaks in Kalaya.’
‘I wish I’d had the chance to meet him.’ The Sentinel stroked the cloak’s soft lining, her expression distant. ‘I met your mother though.’
‘Really, when?’ Tei leant forward, meeting Callisa’s gaze.
‘I was about five years old when a flame-haired woman visited me. She told me about you, and said you would save me one day. She said we’d be friends and we’d save the magic together.’ She smiled, though her eyes were sad.
‘My mother was a seer?’
‘I believe she was, yes. She even visited my own mother’s dreams the day I was born and told her I was special, to be protected at any cost. Your mother is the reason I’m alive today.’
Tei bit her lip. She’d tried so hard to see her mother’s image, but nothing came. ‘I wish I could remember her.’
‘She was very beautiful.’ Callisa studied Tei’s face. ‘In fact, you’re a perfect image of her.’
Tei blushed.
‘She was a special woman. She made her choices for Kalaya, to protect the magic. That’s our role now. We must put the magic first, no matter what.’
Tei wondered on the meaning behind Callisa’s words, but didn’t have the chance to ask as Callisa climbed to her feet.
‘Talking of the island magic, it’s time I got back to work. No doubt the Elders will have sent out search parties to find me.’
Callisa pulled up her hood and headed back towards the settlement. Tei felt an irrational moment of dislike for the island; it always came between them, stopping their friendship from fully forming. Worst of all, she knew it always would.
She closed her eyes and tried again to picture her mother’s face. Remembering Callisa’s words, she moved into spirit form and hovered above her body, looking down at her peaceful features. She saw pale skin marred by dark smudges under her eyes, a smooth complexion, an oval face with a too small nose and a mass of auburn hair. She didn’t see anything beautiful or special and she didn’t see her mother. Tei returned to herself, filled with regret that she couldn’t remember the woman who had brought her into the world.
Did her mother know what she was saving them both for? Did she know the lives they would lead as Sentinel and Confidante?
Tei sighed, knowing they were questions she could never hope to answer in this lifetime.
***
‘This blood trail is fresh; he’s not far ahead of us,’ the tracker reported as he drew his horse alongside Nadan’s mount.
Nadan nodded and waved the tracker on. The three men with him flicked their reins and galloped ahead, their emotions ruled by bloodlust.
It wouldn’t take long to catch the errant assemblyman now, but there was no sport in picking off a dying man. Nadan saw no honour in the kill, but his men didn’t care. The hunt had lasted almost a week. He’d proved a wily opponent; it was almost a shame to end the game of wits, but there was no doubt the end was coming. The arrow wound had slowed his escape and by now could be festering with disease.
Reluctantly, Nadan flicked his reins and chased after the others. He caught them up as the tracker stopped to check the route when their path split in two directions. The place had a familiar feel to Nadan and he recognised the direction they were heading, to Turrak. A shiver travelled up his spine. He tried to remember when he’d last taken this track, but the memory was foggy and indistinct. Brushing aside the feeling of uncertainty, he focused on the present. Even if their quarry reached the mountains, the exiles’ hideout wouldn’t be safe for long.
The tracker gave a low whistle when he’d picked up the signs of recent passage. They chased on through the trees and eventually broke out into open space. Mountains reared up in the distance. Nadan shuddered at the sight of them and felt an inexplicable urge to ride in the opposite direction. He called the party to a halt as a sudden pain shot through his temple.
Sucking in a few deep breaths, he watched the lone horseman pull away from them.
The men beside him huffed and complained.
‘Leave him,’ Nadan said as the pain in his head receded and allowed him to think clearly again. He ran a hand through his long hair and took a moment to consider their options.
The scale of Turrak dwarfed their quarry. It was just open land between them and after a few miles of hard riding he’d reach the pass.
‘We could still take him,’ the sergeant said, holding his sword hilt and scowling.
Nadan pointed at the exiles’ stronghold. ‘There are hundreds of armed men and women in those mountains, many of whom could be out here patrolling their territory. They also have bowmen in the cliffs. We don’t need to risk an encounter with their warriors over one man. Not when he’s practically dead anyway.’
As they watched the retreating shape, the horseman seemed to slump further forward in the saddle. The horse was clearly tiring, but charged onwards, carrying its dying rider to safety.
‘War is coming to them. There will be plenty of time for you to indulge the need to kill, but now we should head back to Newington and make our preparations for war.’
The Masked Riders turned tail and headed away from Turrak. Nadan shook his head at their backs, wondering what the master was hoping to achieve by killing off the exiles and leaving killers like this in their place. He couldn’t guess the reasons, but he knew life on Kalaya would be a lot grimmer under Rathnor’s rule.
***
Brogan shivered into his cloak and shifted uncomfortably, perched so high up amongst the rocks. Having spent the last three days training with the lookouts in the Turrak pass, he’d come no closer to overcoming his fear of falling. Amongst the sure-footed veterans, he felt like a clumsy child and doubted he’d ever move with their degree of skill and confidence. Sitting in a crag, Brogan watched the empty plain below and thought about Tei and their night together. Such moments of passion were rare and he ached to see her again.
The two men sharing his watch had both slipped into brooding silence. They were trained protectors taking a shift of watch duties while the Elders forbade travel. Brogan understood their boredom, though he took his orders without complaint. The Assembly still tainted him in the eyes of the exiles and it was better not to give them further cause to dislike him.
Brogan thought about the growing unrest in Turrak. He felt hostility in the exiles forced to cower in the mountains whilst innocent people remained in Kalaya at the mercy of the Assembly’s new laws. The Elders’ stubborn refusal to reconsider their decision caused further conflict. As an outsider, he could see the danger. The people should be uniting against their enemy, not harbouring resentment amongst themselves, but he wasn’t in a position to offer advice.
He shifted position again and stared through the mouth of the pass into the empty plain. His bored mind conjured images of Rathnor and the familiar hatred welled within him. If only he’d killed Rathnor that day. If he hadn’t been such a coward, he could have prevented so much death and heartache.
Brogan spotted a dust cloud in the distance and then a shape came into view. The others noticed too, and watched with curiosity as the far off figure slowly made its way towards them.
‘Could be someone seeking exile,’ one of his companions said before he gave the signal to warn the captain.
‘Just one person by the looks of it,’ the second protector said, straining his eyes to study the horizon.
The two men speculated while they waited for the watch captain to arrive and issue a command.
Brogan climbed closer to the edge of the pass for a better view and watched the figure with morbid fascination as it slowly drew closer.
Then he saw it, the flash of blue on the rider’s cloak. Some sixth sense clicked in Brogan’s brain and he quickly descended the rocky path.
‘What are you doin
g?’ the watch captain asked as he stepped forward and barred Brogan’s descent. ‘You’re not permitted to leave Turrak; this could be a trap.’
‘I know that man, Captain Jaym, he’s a friend of mine.’ Without waiting for permission, Brogan lurched down the slope, dislodging stones and leaving clouds of dust in his wake.
He heard Captain Jaym’s curses following him, but no one tried to stop him.
Brogan grabbed the reins of his horse, tethered just up the pass, and raced the mare out onto the plain.
As he drew closer, he could see his friend hunched over the horse and both looked close to collapse. Dust caked man and beast, and dried blood encrusted Ellas’ right leg. His friend struggled on, not even looking up at the sound of the horse approaching.
Brogan drew alongside the exhausted beast and put out an arm to support his friend.
Ellas sagged against him. When he finally looked up, his pained expression transformed into a grim smile. ‘Brogan, I thought you were long dead.’
‘I’m fine, but what happened to you?’
‘Rathnor’s men almost had me.’ He coughed, growing weaker as he spoke. ‘Took an arrow in the leg two days ago.’ Then he fell forwards in the saddle as he tried to take something from his shirt.
Brogan helped him sit back up in the saddle and glanced at the blood congealed around the makeshift bandage on Ellas’ thigh. ‘Come on, let’s get you to Turrak and find someone to take care of your wounds.’
Ellas shook his head. ‘The war is coming, Rathnor secured the vote.’ He had a wild look in his eye as he pushed a scroll into Brogan’s hand.
He stared down at it, distracted by the fingerprints of dried blood staining the parchment.
‘Luth asked me to get this to the Sentinel.’
Brogan stored it in his shirt. Then he led the horses back to the pass and tried not to dwell on the implications of Ellas’ words.
At the mouth of the pass, Captain Jaym jumped lithely from the rocks and barred their path. He examined Ellas, who was sinking into unconsciousness, and shook his head. ‘That wound is infected. Best get him to the healers. I’ll get word to them.’
‘Thank you.’
Jaym helped Brogan manoeuvre Ellas onto his horse and then waved them through.
Brogan rushed up the pass as quickly as the rocky ground allowed. Glancing down at his unconscious friend, he gritted his teeth. ‘Stay with me, Ellas. I won’t let you die too.’
He urged his horse on; determined Rathnor wouldn’t steal another friend.
***
Brogan yawned and stretched his aching body before breathing in lungs full of fresh mountain air in an attempt to wake himself up. The sleep he’d managed to snatch after staying with Ellas most of the night had not been enough to sustain him, but the messenger who woke him was insistent it couldn’t wait.
As Brogan trudged towards the mountains, he spotted Tei leaving the mystics dorm rooms. He shouted and waved, and then waited for her to join him.
She planted a furtive kiss on his cheek. ‘How’s your friend?’
‘Mara and the other healers worked for hours to save him. They say he’ll pull through, but he looked so close to death.’
‘They aren’t normally wrong, Brogan. Trust their magic.’ Her hand brushed his. ‘You look tired.’
Brogan thought of the nightmares of war plaguing his fitful dreams. Ellas’ words were still fresh in his thoughts, but he didn’t want to burden Tei with the details. ‘I’m fine.’
‘I have a couple of hours to spare before this meeting the Sentinel has organised, why don’t we go for a walk?’ Tei said, with a wicked glint in her eyes.
He shook his head with regret. ‘I’d love to, but I’ve been summoned to see the Sentinel.’
Tei raised her eyebrows. ‘What does Callisa want with you?’
He knew exactly what the Sentinel wanted; he’d ensured Luth’s scroll was delivered to her the moment the healers had taken charge of Ellas’ care. ‘The messenger didn’t say. Hasn’t she spoken to you?’
Tei snorted. ‘I’m her Confidante, worthless title that it is. She confides in Thal more than me.’
Brogan heard the bitterness in her voice. He brushed his hand across her arm, giving it a quick squeeze. ‘Tell her how you feel.’
‘She has the weight of the world on her shoulders; I can hardly add my insecurities to her troubles.’
‘I’m sure she wouldn’t want you to be unhappy.’
Tei waved aside the issue. ‘You should go and see what the Sentinel wants. Then you can tell me all about it later.’
Brogan watched Tei walk away before he continued towards the sloping path leading into the mountain.
The messenger was waiting for him at the tunnel entrance. ‘We should hurry,’ he said and led Brogan into the bowels of the earth.
They followed a tunnel system off the main path, barely lit by the strange magical glow that infused most of Turrak. On the silent journey Brogan thought about the coming meeting and wondered why the Sentinel had summoned him. He knew as much as she did about Rathnor’s coming war.
After a winding climb that confused his senses, Brogan found himself facing a huge stone door. The messenger nodded to him and disappeared back into the faint blue glow of the tunnel.
Brogan looked for a doorknocker to announce his presence, and jumped back when the door opened at his touch. A cavernous room filled with warmth and light welcomed him.
The Sentinel was sitting at a stone desk, which dwarfed her. Up close, her appearance caught Brogan off guard. The smoothness of her skin seemed blurred, as though parts of her were aging more quickly than the rest. She looked tired to her core, with the eyes of an old woman staring out from the face of youth.
She smiled under his inspection.
‘Sorry.’ Brogan blushed, lowering his gaze.
‘Don’t be. I’m used to being worshipped; it’s refreshing to meet someone on equal terms.’
Brogan forced himself to look up again. ‘I’m not sure equal is the term I’d use.’
She laughed and her face relaxed. ‘Come and sit down.’
He took the seat opposite her and watched as her expression turned more serious.
‘Do you know why I’ve asked you to come here?’
‘I assume it’s to do with the scroll and the news of war Ellas managed to give me before he passed out.’
‘That and other things, yes.’ She crossed her hands on the desk and leant towards him. ‘Before the meeting today, I wanted to give you some warning of what I’m about to suggest… and to allow you time to think on your reply.’
‘That sounds portentous.’
‘Yes, Brogan, I’m afraid it is,’ she said, with no trace of humour.
He gulped and waited for the Sentinel to continue.
***
‘So the Elders have finally forgiven you for lying to them.’ Tei kept her voice low in the echoing tunnel.
‘Let’s just say I have a persuasive edge.’ Mara grinned as she patted her belly. ‘They are more excited about the baby than I am.’
Tei smiled, glad to see the sparkle return to her friend’s eyes. Then she glimpsed the scar from the rope burn on Mara’s neck and turned back to the tunnel rather than face the reminder of that terrible day. She wracked her brain for a safer topic of conversation. ‘How’s Brogan’s friend?’
‘Ellas is much better today,’ Mara said. ‘The healers’ potions and spells managed to stop the infection spreading, so I’m sure he’ll be back on his feet in a matter of days. I don’t think he’s keen on staying in Turrak though.’
‘He’ll get used to it, and I know Brogan will appreciate having him around.’ Tei suddenly thought about Brogan’s meeting with Callisa, unable to shake her annoyance that she hadn’t been informed.
The path leading them to the private meeting hall swept to the left and they saw Hafender up ahead. His conversation with several of the mystic captains drifted back down the tunnel towards them.
&nb
sp; ‘...maybe the Elders have finally regained their wits and are calling off this ridiculous curfew for good this time.’
They looked at each other and smirked. Hafender was still the loudest advocate for the rescues to continue, but even his commanding opinion hadn’t held enough sway with the Elders.
‘Do you think he’s right?’ Mara asked, a tiny glimmer of fear in her voice.
‘I don’t know.’ Tei wasn’t sure how to feel about the possibility. Should they be risking themselves in the hostile environment Kalaya was becoming, especially after everything Mara and her team had suffered?
‘You’re the Confidante; you must have some clue of what this meeting’s about.’
‘I don’t know any more than you.’
They rounded a bend and saw the meeting hall doors were wide open; Hafender and the other captains were already disappearing inside.
Brogan stepped out of the hall to greet them, surprising Tei to a standstill.
‘I’ll save you a seat,’ Mara said and hurried away.
‘I wasn’t expecting to see you here,’ Tei said, trying to read his closed expression.
He opened his mouth to speak and then shut it abruptly as more mystics arrived and filed past them.
‘Maybe we should talk afterwards.’ He walked into the meeting room ahead of her.
Tei ran to catch him up and tugged on his sleeve. ‘What’s going on?’
‘The Sentinel requested I attend.’
Tei stared at Brogan and shivered with foreboding. ‘Why? What did she want with you earlier?’
‘You’ll find out soon enough.’ He pulled her into the spare seats next to Mara who raised her eyebrows at them. Tei shrugged in reply and then sulked as the last of the mystics filed into the room. As the door shut behind them, the Sentinel stood and stepped alone onto the dais; there was no sign of any Elders in the room.
As Confidante, she should have been at Callisa’s side and the slight to her status stung.
The Sentinel regarded the room and its occupants with a hard stare. ‘I have just received news that the Assembly are declaring war against us.’ She paused briefly, not allowing the gathering time to dwell on their shock. ‘Whilst the Elders deliberate on our next course of action, I’ve called you here today to ask for your support in preventing this war at its source.’ Her voice, strong and assured, carried across the expectant silence. ‘The deaths of our people must stop. The persecution of magic must stop. But the only way to achieve this is to stop the man responsible.’
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