Back to the Vara

by John Kerry

  He slipped out quietly, trying to minimise the crunch of snow underfoot. Louis didn’t even flinch. Hard days of walking had taken their toll on the poor fellow. He wouldn’t be waking any time soon. Mehrak crept away up the slope to where the Marzban had made camp.

  With Sammy gone, his life seemed directionless. He had no plan for what he’d do next and no desire to make one either. Where would he go? And what would he do when he got there?

  All he knew was that he’d part ways with Hami when they reached the bottom of the mountain. There was nothing keeping them together anymore. It had only ever been Sammy.

  Hami had barely spoken since the destruction of the base. He would be dwelling on what came next for him, too. He’d have to either submit himself to the magi for his actions, or go on the run. Mehrak felt sorry for the guy. He’d tried to do what he believed was right. Admittedly, his decisions had been clouded by personal loss and smog sickness, but he’d been doing it for those he cared about.

  What would the magi do with him once they caught him? Mehrak could at least make a new life for himself, even though there seemed little point in carrying on his search for the Rule Book without Sammy. Gisouie had never been as bothered with the pursuit as he had. Only in as much as her desire to leave Dungalor. Besides, Perseopia had become too dark and treacherous now. Maybe it always had been and he’d been foolish to make the journey. Travelling the realm had killed his grandfather. It had almost killed him several times, too.

  Hami sat alone by the glowing boulder he’d heated for the Marzban camp. He stared unblinking into the light, his eyes bloodshot.

  Mehrak sat opposite. He held his hands out to the stone to warm them. Neither spoke to the other. Mehrak assumed Hami was feeling equally as broken and redundant as he was.

  A little way off by a second heated stone, Leiss was trying to talk to Eva. They were arguing in low voices, imagining they were being discreet but the volume was rising and it wasn’t hard to make out what they were saying.

  “Can you leave me alone, please?” Eva asked.

  “He’d become one of them. What else could I do? He was trying to kill you!”

  “I saw the way you took him apart, Leiss. There was no hesitation.”

  “That thing wasn’t him. You know it wasn’t.”

  “You hated him because you thought he was together with your wife when she left you. But he wasn’t. He had a boyfriend.”

  “They … wait. He had a boyfriend?”

  “Your wife didn’t cheat on you, Leiss. She stayed at Calven’s because he had a spare room. She left because she couldn’t put up with your mother any longer!”

  Leiss moved back away from her. “You knew this and never told me?”

  “Calven didn’t want anyone knowing he was gay. He’d been beaten up in the past because of it. A couple of times pretty badly. He asked me to keep it a secret.”

  “But you let me think the worst about him. You let me hate him. Why would you do that?”

  “Just go away,” Eva said.

  The big Marzban clenched his jaw, rose slowly, and trudged over to his tent and crawled inside.

  After a time, Gisouie emerged from the cottage dressed in the fur coat Sammy had worn when they’d crossed the Moat to Honton Keep. It had always been Gisouie’s, passed down by her mother, but the only person Mehrak could see in it now was Sammy.

  “Are you missing your friend?” Gisouie asked.

  Mehrak looked up at her. Had there been a smugness in her voice when she’d spoken? It almost sounded like there had. He wasn’t going to lie to her. “Yes, I suppose I am,” he said and turned away.

  “Why don’t you come up to bed?”

  A tear traced a line down his cheek. He was going to have to face Gisouie to answer her. She’d learn that he’d fallen for Sammy and she’d be devastated. His world was falling to pieces.

  Then a voice called out from the darkness further up the slope. “You’ve ruined everything.”

  Achaemen Mantis staggered into the light and fell over.

  Hami was on his feet and lighting his staff as Mantis rolled over onto his back. Smoke unfurled from the sorcerer’s body as he lay there wheezing. He made no move to get up.

  Hami approached cautiously.

  “You could’ve stopped her,” Mantis groaned. “The General would never have found the poniard by himself.”

  “It’s your fault.” Hami closed in, lowering his lightning staff towards Mantis’s head. “Everything. Ramaask, the Ahriman. Sammy leaving. You caused all this.”

  “You don’t know anything.”

  “I’m going to do what my brothers should’ve done 150 years ago.” The orb at the end of his staff grew bright.

  “Do it then!” Mantis shouted.

  Narok stumbled out of the tent nearest them. “What’s going on?”

  Further across camp, Leiss emerged from his tent.

  Mantis lay there, arms outstretched, and made no move to protect himself.

  Hami aimed the orb at Mantis’s head.

  “Stay your weapon!” A distant voice down the slope.

  Hami froze.

  Two men entered the camp leading horses. A grey-haired magus with bandages over his eyes and, trailing him, a dishevelled but brawny man with a vacant stare. Behind them, the karkadann carrying Rougetta and Sasan followed.

  “Behnam?” Hami whispered. There were tears in his eyes. He took a step towards the man. Stopped. Levelled his staff back on Mantis.

  “He’s not our enemy,” Behnam said. “He might be the only person left that can help us.”

  Absolute darkness.

  A chill was setting in to Sammy’s jaw and temple where her cheek rested on cold stone. She forced herself up onto her knees, cradled her head gingerly as the beat of a dull headache pounded inside her skull. She had other aches too. An elbow, a wrist, a thigh. She must’ve hit the floor hard after exiting the portal.

  She’d really done it this time. In a fit of jealousy, she’d left Mehrak behind and leapt into the portal. There was no going back from here. Panic rose in her chest, threatened to surge up out of her throat. She took a breath. Held it. She reached out with her mental feelers. No immediate threats.

  Sammy searched the floor around her. Hands running over smooth flagstones, down rough mortar seams, and closing around the shaft of a smooth piece of wood.

  She gripped the lightning staff, her anxiety temporarily abating. She was no longer defenceless.

  Her motives thus far hadn’t been heroic, but she could still be the hero, if not a champion. The General was here in the Mother World and he was heading for the poniard. She would find him and claim the prize for herself.

  Sammy turned up the volume on her hearing.

  Distant footsteps. Movement in the dark.

  Sammy ignited the staff.

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