Chapter Forty-Nine
AS IMOSHEN TRAVELLED down the road to the port, the carriage was swallowed by fog. She was filled with the conviction she could not have done other than she had. To leave the Sagorese Sensitives vulnerable to the empyrean predators was wrong.
‘And besides,’ she said, although they hadn’t been speaking. ‘If our people are to stay here, we can’t have Sensitives unleashing predators and leaving it up to our gift-warriors to risk their lives to make this plane safe.’
‘The fact that the Sagorese Sensitives are already in contact with the higher plane changes everything,’ Ardonyx said. ‘Dretsun and the others will understand.’
The carriage came to a stop, and they climbed out into a world of mist. They could not see more than a body length in front of them.
The Sagora unhooked one of the two lanterns and handed it to Sorne. As they made their way towards the wharf, they moved in a pool of golden light. They walked in silence. Imoshen’s mind was full of questions about the Sagoras and their innate power.
Sorne hesitated.
‘Give me the lantern,’ Ardonyx said. ‘I can find the way.’
‘I thought I sensed male gift,’ Sorne whispered. He reached to his hip, as if going for a sword, then cursed when his hand closed on the scribe’s satchel.
Imoshen opened her gift awareness. ‘Sorne’s right. Put out the lantern.’
‘Too late,’ Saskeyne said, stepping into the circle of lantern light with his two seconds.
‘You?’ Imoshen had not expected him to turn on her. He was impetuous and eager for stature, but she had not thought him devious. Her gift surged as she read him. Determination. She could talk her way out of this. ‘There’s no need –’
‘But there is. What we need is a leader of vision,’ Saskeyne said.
‘And you’re that leader?’
‘No, I am.’ Dretsun stepped into the circle of light.
Her gift surged as she sensed others closing in on them. Dretsun’s supporters meant to kill them here. She sought Ardonyx’s eyes; so much time wasted.
He moved forward, drawing their gaze to him. ‘There’s no need for this. We share a common enemy. We…’
And Imoshen felt the force of his power, as words laden with gift-resonance poured from him. She couldn’t have repeated what he said, but she knew as long as he spoke, she was spellbound. A calm descended on her, on all of them.
Yet one small part of her mind shrieked a warning. Ardonyx had lied to her. He was more than a clever wordsmith, able to select the right thing to say. He could imbue his words with power. And all this time she had trusted him, believing everything he said.
Of course.
A dog barked. The sharp sound cut through Ardonyx’s voice. At the same time, All-father Abeliode stumbled out of the mist with his two seconds.
‘Kill the wordsmith first!’ Dretsun shouted and attacked, long-knives drawn.
‘Run, Imoshen!’ Ardonyx stepped in, deflecting Dretsun’s blow, but before he could escape, Dretsun’s hand-of-force stabbed him in the back.
Sorne swung the lantern, scattering burning oil across their attackers. ‘Run, Imoshen.’
She ran blind through a dark grey featureless world, the waning moons barely illuminating the fog.
Her foot caught on a step a fraction of a heartbeat before her hands connected with a fog-damp stone wall. She felt along the wall until she came to a wooden door. There were people on the other side, she could tell. But they weren’t going to open the door and let her in.
She gasped and quietened her breath, listening. Running footsteps approached, carried on a wave of acrid male gift. She felt her way along the building until she found an alleyway and stepped into it.
Heart thundering, she waited.
If she could just touch her attacker’s skin before he stabbed her, she could wrench his life force from his body and send it to the empyrean plane.
Mouth dry with fear, she waited for him to reach her.
A dark shadow solidified as it ran out of the fog towards her. She let her gift surge.
He stopped, stunned.
That slight hesitation gave her the chance to reach out and touched his face. Saskeyne. She knew a moment’s remorse. But they’d stabbed Ardonyx. She tore the life from him. He was so surprised he didn’t even try to drag her with him.
He fell and she saw another brotherhood warrior only a step behind him. Saskeyne’s companion drew his blade. Imoshen sensed the strike coming. She dropped to her knees, meaning to crawl past, but his thigh collided with her shoulder. She clasped his leg, and ran her hands up, trying to find skin.
He caught her hair, pulling on it. Tears of pain burned her eyes. She saw his other arm swing down, heard the blade whistle. Her hand slipped past his belt, slid under his vest, onto the hot skin of his belly. It was Saskeyne’s hand-of-force. She ripped the life from him too.
Momentum carried his arm along its strike and the flat of his blade hit her head, even as he dropped. They both sprawled on the cold, damp stones.
Disoriented, Imoshen lay there, panting.
Then she heard shouts and running feet.
Coming to her knees, she felt around for the knife. Took it and ran down the alleyway into the fog. She had to get back to the wharf, find the rowboat, return to the ship and bring help.
SORNE EXPECTED TO die. The irony was that it was his own people who would kill him. He swung the lantern, spilling burning oil. His attackers cursed as they beat out the flames.
Shouldering into one of them, he pulled the man’s knife from its sheath and ran off into the fog. Ardonyx was down, and Imoshen had run the other way. There were nine armed assailants. Unless they were very lucky…
He wasn’t lucky. His boot caught on a wooden bench and he fell over it, dropping the knife.
The dog barked again, setting off others. But the wall of sound was too late to disguise his whereabouts.
As he felt for the weapon, two men caught him, hauled him to his feet, and slammed him up against a cold stone wall. All he could see was dark man-shaped shadows to each side of him in the grey fog.
He could feel power coming from his captors, but it was the power coming towards him that terrified him.
Dretsun paused at arm’s length. ‘What have we here?’
‘Just kill me and be done with it,’ Sorne ground out.
‘Kill a halfblood who can command armies?’ Dretsun laughed. ‘I think not, I have something much better planned for you.’
He tore open Sorne’s shirt and placed his palm over Sorne’s racing heart. Knowing what he intended, Sorne fought with all his strength to break free. He was not going to spend the rest of his life as this T’En’s devotee.
Then the power hit him, wave after wave.
Once before, a T’En warrior had tried to break his walls and Sorne had retreated to his childhood, to the scouring frame, where he had learnt to bear pain under the lash. Each burning lash-stroke was a wave of painful gift power, but he had never broken under the lash. Never…
The hand left his chest and he sagged in his captors’ grip. He felt like laughing. He’d beaten Dretsun.
Hands caught his face. A mouth covered his. Dretsun kissed him, pouring power directly into him.
And he drowned.
TOBAZIM CLIMBED OUT of the rowboat, onto the dock and raised his lantern. ‘Curse this fog. We’ll never find them.’
‘It might help them escape,’ Hueryx said.
Who would have thought he’d ally himself with Hueryx? But the all-father had come to him and revealed Dretsun’s plan, knowing he would want to save his shield-brother.
A dog barked.
Tobazim’s hand-of-force, Haromyr, Eryx, Ionnyn and Iraayel joined him on the dock, bringing another two lanterns. Norsasno had objected to Iraayel’s presence, saying there were other, more experienced warriors. But it was Iraayel’s choice-mother who was in danger. So Iraayel came with them.
Hueryx had his two seconds,
a devotee and four T’En warriors with him. They were all armed, but it would do no good if they couldn’t find Ardonyx and the others.
‘Open your shield-brother link,’ Hueryx urged.
Tobazim opened his gift awareness, seeking Ardonyx, and… staggered as pain stabbed into his back between his ribs. He almost dropped the lantern.
‘We’re too late. They’ve already attacked,’ Hueryx said. ‘Quick.’
Haromyr slid an arm around Tobazim and they headed up the dock. He thought he saw figures beyond the golden circle of the lantern-lit fog, but he must have been mistaken.
He heard cursing and running footsteps up ahead.
Somewhere there was clattering, and then the dog barked again, setting all the other dogs off. With the fog and the unknown terrain of the port town, it was hard to tell where the sounds came from.
The circle of golden fog moved with them, illuminating damp cobbles under their boots, a huddled figure in a pool of blood.
‘Ardonyx.’ Tobazim staggered the last few steps and dropped beside him. Still alive. ‘We’re here. You’re safe.’
He rolled Ardonyx over, only to discover he wasn’t conscious. They had to get him back to the ship and to Healer Reoden.
‘Help me.’ Tobazim looked up to see Hueryx organising search parties.
When the others ran off into the fog, Hueryx came back and knelt beside him.
Tobazim took Ardonyx’s shoulders. ‘We must get him back to the ship.’
‘We can’t let you do that,’ Abeliode said, walking into the circle of light with his two seconds. Aggressive male gift radiated from them.
Abeliode’s two seconds circled them. Tobazim lowered Ardonyx, put the lantern down next to him and drew his knives. Hueryx unsheathed his knives, putting his back to Tobazim.
‘Over here!’ Hueryx yelled. ‘To us, Reyne.’
His hand-of-force called in response, then called again, but this time he was further away.
Abeliode’s voice-of-reason darted in, slashing for Tobazim’s groin. Tobazim avoided the strike and pinned his attacker’s knife-arm against his body. They were so close he could see the sweat on the warrior’s top lip. Tobazim headbutted him. It had been one of his choice-brother’s favourite moves. He heard the other man’s nose break.
Releasing him, Tobazim pulled back. As Abeliode’s voice-of-reason doubled over, trying to stop the blood gushing from his nose, Tobazim drove a knife into his belly.
He staggered a few steps and fell to his knees.
Tobazim turned in time to see Abeliode’s hand-of-force trip over Ardonyx’s unconscious form. Tobazim followed the man down, giving him no time to recover. The back of the warrior’s head slammed into the cobles, and a heartbeat later, Tobazim’s knife slid into his chest.
He looked up to see Hueryx climb off Abeliode and wipe his knives. By now the miasma of roused gift was so pervasive, Tobazim was numb to it. He stripped off his vest, folded it up and pressed it against Ardonyx’s wound.
Somewhere nearby a man screamed. There was a scuffle, and then nothing. A moment later Haromyr, Eryx and Ionnyn returned, dragging Dretsun’s hand-of-force. They dropped him next to the other bodies and ran off again.
Meanwhile, two of Hueryx’s warriors came back with Saskeyne’s voice-of-reason. One of them was injured. They added Saskeyne’s second to the growing pile of bodies.
Iraayel ran into the pool of light. ‘Any sign of Imoshen?’
‘No.’
‘Look what I found.’ Hueryx’s voice-of-reason returned with two Malaunje.
‘We were waiting to take the causare back to her ship,’ the youth said.
‘They were creeping around –’
‘Redraven?’ Iraayel grabbed the youth and hugged him. ‘And… Meloria.’ He turned to Tobazim. ‘I can vouch for them.’
Tobazim nodded and Iraayel took them with him as he went in search of Imoshen.
Hueryx’s hand-of-force approached from the other direction. His devotee lit the way for two T’En warriors, who carried Saskeyne and his hand-of-force.
‘Funny thing is,’ Reyne said, holding the lantern over the bodies, ‘there’s not a mark on them.’
‘Imoshen,’ Tobazim said. ‘I’ve seen her rip a Mieren’s life force from his body with a single touch.’
‘These were not Mieren,’ Reyne objected.
Hueryx grimaced. ‘If you see Imoshen, don’t approach her. She’s dangerous and she won’t trust us. Dretsun and his voice-of-reason are still out there.’
Someone screamed.
‘That’s one less,’ Reyne muttered.
‘Unless it’s one of ours,’ Hueryx said. ‘Go carefully. Search the port street by street.’
Iraayel returned, lighting the way for the two Malaunje carrying Sorne’s body.
‘Dead?’ Tobazim asked, heart sinking.
‘Not quite, but there’s not a mark on him,’ Iraayel said.
Tobazim met Hueryx’s eyes. Had Imoshen mistaken him for an attacker in the fog and almost killed him before she could stop herself?
Iraayel looked around. ‘Any sign of –’
‘Imoshen, no. I need to get Ardonyx back to the healer,’ Tobazim said.
Just then Haromyr and the others returned with Dretsun, wounded but alive. They were followed by Reyne’s warriors, who carried the body of Dretsun’s voice-of-reason.
Tobazim gestured. ‘I want the all-father here.’
Ionnyn drove Dretsun to his knees.
He glared up at his captors. ‘Fiant take you, Hue. I should have known you’d take the causareship for yourself.’
‘Why did you want him alive?’ Hueryx asked Tobazim.
‘I just want to know one thing,’ Tobazim said, coming to his feet. Eryx knelt to keep the pressure on Ardonyx’s wound. ‘Come here, Iraayel. I’m going to ask him a question and you can tell me if he’s lying.’
‘He can taste the truth?’ Hueryx asked, coming over to join Tobazim.
Iraayel put his hands on Dretsun’s temples. Ionnyn and Haromyr held him still.
Tobazim stood over him. ‘Did you break your vow? All-father Egrutz gave your brotherhood safe passage on his ship. Did you use the sea-vermin attack as an excuse to kill him and steal his brotherhood?’
Dretsun just stared up at him.
‘He’s laughing at you,’ Iraayel said and pulled back, wiping his hands, then his mouth. ‘He tastes foul.’
Tobazim reached for his knife.
‘No…’ Hueryx drew his blade and stepped around behind Dretsun. ‘We were choice-brothers. I always knew this day would come.’
‘Oh, get it over with,’ Dretsun sneered, ‘before I tell them what an irritating little sh –’
Hueryx cut his throat, then stepped back.
‘What’s going on here?’ Hand-of-force Cerafeoni demanded.
They turned to see a dozen sisterhood T’En warriors and a dozen Malaunje. The fog had lifted a little. The women’s gifts were roused and dangerous.
The brotherhood warriors reached for their weapons.
‘Where’s Imoshen?’ Kiane asked, drawing her knives. ‘If you’ve hurt her…’
Iraayel stepped between the two groups. Unarmed, he walked towards Kiane. ‘We can’t find Imoshen. We’ve put down the uprising, but Ardonyx is wounded. Sorne looks half-dead and no one’s seen my choice-mother.’
‘You put down the brotherhood uprising?’ Cerafeoni repeated.
‘All-fathers Hueryx and Tobazim did,’ Iraayel said.
Cerafeoni and Kiane exchanged looks.
‘I’ll take the injured back to the ship,’ Reoden’s hand-of-force said.
Kiane nodded. ‘I’ll look for Imoshen.’ She glanced to the pile of bodies. ‘Get rid of those and clean up all the blood. We don’t want to frighten the Mieren.’
Hueryx started to laugh.
Chapter Fifty
‘IT’S THE CAUSARE!’
A dozen hands helped her over the ship’s side onto the mid-deck. Imoshen found she
was shaking so badly she could hardly talk. At least the blood wasn’t dripping into her eyes anymore.
Egrayne called for Reoden, who came running and knelt next to her.
Imoshen pushed her healing hands away. ‘I’m fine. It’s Sorne and Ardonyx I’m worried about. They’re still out there. I know Ardonyx was stabbed. Dretsun ambushed us. We have to –’
‘We know. We’ve already sent a party to rescue you,’ Egrayne said, then hugged her. ‘I swear you have more lives than a cat!’
‘One of the boats is returning,’ the lookout shouted, and everyone ran to the ship’s side.
Imoshen thought about getting up, but she felt too shaky. Frayvia knelt next to her with a bowl of water and bandages, and started to clean her face.
‘I don’t know if Sorne got away,’ Imoshen confessed. Tears filled her eyes. ‘They stabbed Ardonyx, and then Sorne told me to run…’
Frayvia wept softly as she wiped the blood from Imoshen’s head wound and bound it. Her touch gave Imoshen strength.
What Egrayne had said finally sank in. ‘You knew about the ambush? How did you know?’
Her devotee tied off the bandage then gestured to a Malaunje girl who was standing with Ronnyn and Sardeon. ‘Aravelle swam across to warn us.’
Imoshen got to her feet and beckoned the youngsters. She took the Malaunje girl’s hands, gift-infusing her. ‘Thank you. That was very brave.’
‘I hate him,’ Aravelle whispered, and Imoshen read the heartbreak in her. ‘I thought I could trust him, but I hate him.’
‘Hueryx?’ Imoshen asked.
Aravelle nodded.
‘He wasn’t with Dretsun.’
‘But…’ – Aravelle looked confused – ‘he said he’d see Dretsun there!’
‘Iraayel!’ Saffazi ran to him as he climbed aboard.
He laughed, hugged her, then drew her out of the way as Reoden’s hand-of-force climbed aboard with her warriors.
‘You!’ Iraayel strode over and enveloped Imoshen in a hug. ‘I should have known you’d be all right. And there I was, running all over port, afraid I’d find your body around the next corner.’
Imoshen felt his hot tears on her skin. She kissed his cheek and pulled back with a shaky laugh. ‘How did you know I was in danger?’
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