Secrets of Blood

by Andy Peloquin

  Yet, if he wanted to find the men that had attempted to assassinate the Pharus, the ones responsible for the turmoil gripping Shalandra, he had no choice but to risk it.

  He was glad Aisha had remained below. She’d have objected in no uncertain terms, call him foolhardy, reckless, and an idiot.

  Sucking in a deep breath, Kodyn took off at a dash across the flat, tiled rooftop and leapt off the edge. His arms and legs windmilled frantically as he tried to get as much height and distance as possible. Suddenly, the railing came up at him fast and a surge of panic threatened to overwhelm him.

  His boots struck marble with jarring force, his heels slamming against the sharp corner of the railing. Momentum carried him forward and onto the balcony. In desperation, he threw himself into a forward roll. His shoulder struck the tiled balcony hard but he rolled with the impact, coming to his feet. He froze, heart hammering, shock coursing through him.

  Bloody hell, I did it! A twinge of pain in his heels, knees, and shoulders told him he’d gotten off lucky, and a little tremor ran through his hands. But he’d made the leap. He had gotten into the mansion.

  The ascent to the fifth-story roof proved easy, thanks to a broad pillar and the gently sloping canopy that covered the balcony. He padded across the flat roof, his soft-soled boots silent on the tiles. With an experienced eye, he scanned the rooftop.

  Unlike the structures of the lower tiers, the mansions on this tier had flat roofs built with an abundance of skylights to let in the natural illumination. What the Dhukari believed a method of getting more sunlight in their homes, Kodyn only saw as vulnerabilities in their defenses.

  Mother would have loved this place! The thought of slipping into these opulent mansions brought a smile to his face. During her years as a Hawk, she had earned a reputation for stealing without leaving a trace. He’d learned many of her tricks, such as using quick-drying caulk to conceal her entrance into upper-floor windows. Getting in and out of these skylights would be a wonderfully simple task.

  Yet his smile faded a moment later. He’d told Aisha that he was no longer just a thief. Though the words had burst out of him, he’d come to see they were true. Despite all of his years training in House Hawk, his experience with House Hound, House Scorpion, House Fox, and House Serpent had made him more than just a third-story thief.

  And not just the skills he’d acquired. His recent conversation with Aisha had opened his eyes to an unrealized truth: he lacked the Night Guild’s self-serving, self-interested mindset. He didn’t just care about lining his pockets with gold or paying his dues to House Hawk. He’d tried to protect Sid, had come all the way to Shalandra in the name of keeping Briana safe and stopping the Gatherers from harming Praamians. Something within him had changed since that day. He could no longer solely concern himself with surviving or earning a name for himself in the Night Guild. He needed something bigger than that.

  So where does that leave me? A lump of ice settled in his stomach. What will I do when this is all over?

  He would complete his Undertaking to steal the Crown of the Pharus—once he’d set his mind to a task, he refused to leave it incomplete. But after, when he had succeeded, how could he go back to simply being another Journeyman stealing to survive? Yes, the Night Guild maintained order in Praamis by controlling crime, yet at the end of the day, they were still criminals themselves. He wasn’t certain he wanted to be that.

  But if he wasn’t a Hawk, what was he? The question filled him with a sense of uncertainty. He’d never had to think outside his life in the Night Guild. But if he was no longer satisfied as a Hawk, what did he want? The world had just grown a lot larger, and a part of Kodyn shied away from thinking about it.

  One thing he knew for certain: despite feeling overwhelmed, this battle—for justice for Suroth’s death, and to bring down the cruel, greedy, self-serving Keeper’s Priests—it felt right. He had never felt more alive than when fighting to protect others, to help save the city from evil men. He didn’t know where that left him or what path that would lead him down, but he knew he couldn’t go back to just being another Hawk.

  The time would come when he’d have to figure out what lay in his future. Not only what he’d do after he left Shalandra, but how he’d leave it a better place. He’d seen the harsh treatment of the lower castes, the starvation and abject poverty of the downtrodden Earaqi, Mahjuri, and Kabili. If he walked away with the situation still as bad as when he’d first arrived, that would make him as egocentric as all the self-serving Journeymen of the Night Guild.

  Yes, he had to do something, had to find a way to improve the situation. But what? He had no idea how to stop a few thousand people from rioting, much less how to feed a hundred times their number. He’d figure out a way to address it somehow. But not yet. Not today. At that moment, he could lose himself in the needs of his current situation.

  He approached the nearest skylight with caution; with the sun to the west, he could just peer in without worrying about casting a shadow, but he’d have to take care to avoid being spotted by those inside the mansion.

  The first skylight opened into an empty fifth-floor room. The chamber was easily thirty paces long and ten wide, strewn from wall to wall with simple straw-tick mattresses and blankets. Some sort of barracks or bunkroom, Kodyn guessed.

  The next one opened onto a high-ceilinged third-floor room, most likely the master bedroom. But instead of a four-poster bed, the vast chamber was filled with equipment. Swords, spears, and clubs hung on racks along one wall, while the rest of the room held armorer’s dummies, many clad in the splinted leather armor worn by the assassins attacking the palace.

  Damn! Kodyn thought. Looks like they’ve geared up for a war. Given everything going on in the city, a war seemed about right.

  Careful not to cast a shadow, he slipped toward a skylight nearer the center of the mansion. That would likely be the one that opened onto the main hall or grand entrance chamber, thereby offering him the best possible view of the interior. Crouching on the eastern side of the skylight, he looked into the mansion below.

  He’d been right about the opening belonging to the main chamber. Figures in hooded cloaks and splinted leather armor hurried about, donning armor and strapping on weapons.

  A fierce grin split his lips. Found you, you bastards!

  He studied their movements, trying to estimate their number. They moved around too quickly for him to get an accurate count, many rushing into a side chamber he couldn’t see into.

  Something on the western side of the grand entrance drew Kodyn’s eyes. Confusion furrowed his brow as his gaze roamed over a veritable mountain of sacks, casks, and boxes. The sacks appeared stuffed to bursting, the casks stacked halfway to the high-vaulted ceiling. Dried produce, salted meat, and other foodstuffs all but spilled from the wooden crates and boxes stacked along the wall.

  Keeper’s teeth! Kodyn sucked in a breath. They’re stockpiling supplies. His brow furrowed. But why?

  Handsome had hoarded beer, wine, and spirits because he’d known that the water supply would be poisoned. If Hallar’s Warriors were collecting foodstuffs, would it be in anticipation of a food shortage?

  Kodyn’s mind raced. If the riots last long enough, food could run low.

  He tried to remember what Briana had told him about the city’s food supply. The people of Shalandra relied on the Pharus for the majority of their sustenance. The farmlands south of the city barely grew enough to feed a fraction of the populace, forcing the Pharus and the Keeper’s Council to import produce, grain, and meat from the north. They regulated the export of shalanite so tightly because it was the city’s primary commodity to offer in trade.

  But the riots had undoubtedly disturbed commerce. The rampaging Mahjuri, Earaqi, and Kabili had almost certainly wreaked havoc through Industry and Commerce Squares. Merchants and traders would likely avoid the city for fear of being set upon and beaten, their goods stolen. No supplies would flow into Shalandra. The people would starve.

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nbsp; That’ll just make things worse, he realized. The hungrier the people grew, the more frenzied they would become. Their looting would turn determined, and they would ransack every home on the lower tiers in search of something to eat. The death toll would rise as famished men and women set upon their neighbors for the last scraps of food. In just a matter of days, the rioters’ anger could turn into a feral, starving desperation.

  And Hallar’s Warriors are prepared for that. A horrifying thought struck him. No, not just prepared for it. They’re the ones encouraging it.

  Hallar’s Warriors had led the attack on the Temple of Whispers—almost certainly to get at the secrets in Suroth’s journal and the Serenii artifacts that would give them access to the Vault of Ancients. But Kodyn had no doubt they had more irons in the fire, more seeds of discord and anarchy sown around the city. All in an effort to foment the chaos that they could use to their advantage.

  Like the assassination attempt on the Pharus. If the riots had forced the Indomitable commanders to reduce the presence of guards protecting the palace, it would have created an opening for the assassins to strike at the Pharus. Only Kodyn and Aisha’s timely arrival had stopped their daggers from finding the Pharus’ heart.

  Then there was their attempt on the Heartspring. The Secret Keepers had no idea what their black alchemical potion had been intended for, but it could be nothing good.

  What other horrors do they have planned for the city? Hallar’s Warriors plotted to restore the bloody rule of the people that had been prevalent in the days of Shalandra’s founding. What else are they willing to do in the name of ushering in that future? Could this be the Final Destruction they’ve been preaching about?

  A flood of men suddenly emerged from one of the chambers, and Kodyn’s heart stopped as he recognized two of the assassins he’d fought in the temple. They were locked in conversation with three others.

  Kodyn ground his teeth in frustration. If only I could get in there, listen in on what they’re saying, I might be able to—

  His thoughts trailed off as the two assassins and their three new companions strode toward the front door of the mansion and disappeared outside.

  No! Kodyn sucked in a breath, his mind racing. He had to follow them, had to find where they were headed now. A part of him hated the thought of abandoning his mission to hunt down and capture Groebus, but logic told him this was more important. The hunchback would be the mind behind the attacks, but these men were the arms that wielded the weapons of death. He had to find out where they headed now, if only to stop whatever evil they had planned next. Hauling the Necroseti traitor in for questioning could wait until after he foiled their plot.

  He raced to the edge of the roof and crouched, watching as the two assassins slipped out the front gate and ducked into an alley. His gut tightened as he realized their destination. They headed southeast, in the direction of the entrance to the Serenii tunnels.

  Right toward Aisha!

  Horror rooted Kodyn to the spot for a gut-wrenching minute. What would happen if Aisha didn’t see them? They could stumble onto her hiding place, and even if she fought them off, the sounds of battle would alert the rest of Hallar’s Warriors.

  He scanned the alleyways below, desperately searching for the Ghandian warrior. Where are you, Aisha? The fact that he couldn’t find her meant she had chosen a good hiding place, hopefully one the militants wouldn’t spot. Yet it also meant he couldn’t raise a warning.

  Relief surged within him as the assassins turned down the alley next to the one where he’d left Aisha. They had chosen a different route to the Serenii tunnels, it seemed. Either that, or they headed somewhere else on the Keeper’s Tier. Whatever they intended, Aisha was safe. For now.

  His heart hammered a panicked beat as he searched the narrow back lanes. Where is she?

  Movement flashed in the corner of his eye. He tensed and prepared to drop flat to his belly to avoid being spotted. Yet he stopped as a familiar figure stepped out of cover.

  There she is! He blew out a long breath, the tension draining from his shoulders.

  To his surprise, she waved for him to come down. Even from this distance, he could see the urgency written on her face. Her fingers flashed in the silent Secret Keeper hand language. “Get down here, now!”

  Curiosity burning, Kodyn searched for a way down from the mansion. He didn’t dare go out the front gate, but perhaps he could find another avenue of egress that didn’t involve a death-defying leap to the neighboring rooftop.

  He settled on the wall surrounding the estate. It would be risky, especially if one of Hallar’s Warriors decided to patrol the perimeter. But something about the way Aisha had called to him drove a spike of worry into his gut. She only looked that worried when things were about to go very wrong.

  Padding across the flat rooftop, he dropped onto the fourth-floor roof and leapt onto the wall surrounding the mansion. The sandstone had plenty of crevices and cracks to dig his hands and feet into, but he didn’t dare hurry. One crumbling stone could send him plunging to his death on the stony street far below.

  The urgency mounted within him as he descended, until finally he took a gamble and leapt the last four paces to the street. He landed hard, his knees protesting, but took off at a shuffling run toward the alley where Aisha waited.

  He sucked in a breath as he drew nearer. Her eyes! Those blue-white lights danced through her beautiful brown eyes, more alive and energetic than ever. Even her skin seemed to glow with an inner light. Something had changed in the minutes since he left her.

  Before he could say anything, Aisha seized his wrist and dragged him deeper into the alley, away from the mansion that held Hallar’s Warriors. She didn’t stop until they put a full street between them and the men they sought.

  Kodyn spoke in a whisper. “Aisha, what’s—?”

  Aisha whirled on him. “I know what they’re planning!” she hissed, her tone ominous and her expression grim. “And if we don’t stop them, the city will fall!”

  Chapter Twenty

  Aisha shivered at the unearthly chill gripping her limbs. Even now, long minutes after returning to her body, her mind still struggled with the sensation of floating incorporeal and weightless in the form of the Kish’aa. Only the energy crackling in her veins and the anxiety thrumming deep within her kept her anchored to the present.

  “What?” Kodyn’s brow furrowed.

  “They’ve already taken the city gates somehow,” Aisha said, “and they’re holding them to cut off food supplies. But it gets worse, and…” She hesitated. “I don’t know if we can stop them.”

  “Wait, what?” Kodyn appeared confused. “How do you know all this?”

  Aisha hesitated. Even she had a hard time wrapping her mind around this new discovery of her Spirit Whisperer abilities. Yet, to Kodyn’s credit, he’d accepted her gifts without question or hesitation. He deserved a chance to hear the truth.

  “The spirits listened in for me.”

  Kodyn’s jaw dropped and his honey-colored eyes widened.

  “It seems the power of the Kish’aa is more than just the spark of their lives.” Explaining it aloud sounded so much stranger than just experiencing it. “I was able to use the spirits to be my eyes inside the mansion.”

  “Whoa!” Kodyn finally managed to blurt out.

  “Shh!” Aisha pressed a finger to her lips. In his surprise, it seemed he’d forgotten that they stood just a few streets away from their enemies.

  “Sorry.” Kodyn dropped his voice to a whisper, an embarrassed flush rising to his cheeks. “So you actually saw everything in there? The weapons and supplies?”

  Aisha nodded. “I think they’re stockpiling food knowing that there won’t be any more flowing into the city. They’re creating a food shortage and prepared for it.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought, too.” Kodyn narrowed his eyes. “But wait, you said you know what they’re planning. Does that mean…?” He trailed off, appearing almost afraid to ask. �
��…the spirits can listen for you as well?”

  “Yes.” Aisha smiled. Relief and gratitude surged within her. He didn’t think she was crazy.

  “Whoa!” Kodyn said again, quieter this time. “What did they hear?”

  “We were wrong about the attack on the palace,” Aisha said. “Hallar’s Warriors weren’t after the Pharus this time. They were sent to eliminate the Keeper’s Council.”

  “What?” Kodyn looked taken aback. “That makes no sense! Aren’t they working with the Keeper’s Council to destabilize the Pharus?”

  “That’s what I thought, too.” Aisha shook her head. “But from what I could hear, they’re taking orders from someone else. Someone called the Iron Warlord.”

  Kodyn threw up his hands. “Another player in this madness?”

  “I think so.” Aisha nodded. “Whoever this Iron Warlord is, it seems he’s ordered his militants to take out the Keeper’s Council. I didn’t get the reasons why, but it’s clear that he wants the Necroseti out of the picture.”

  Kodyn’s brow furrowed. “But why?” His expression grew pensive, and Aisha recognized the look he got when wheels started turning in his mind. “The Keeper’s Council used the Ybrazhe to stir up the riots, which is exactly what Evren said Hallar’s Warriors planned to do. You’d think they’d end up working together because their plans aligned so neatly.”

  “That’s what I had thought,” Aisha replied, “but all I know is what I heard.” Or what the spirits had heard and relayed to her. “Either way, it’s clear that Hallar’s Warriors are terrified of reporting their failure to their masters. I heard them arguing about who’s going to do it. Said something about being turned into one of his ‘damned creatures’. They almost came to blows over it.”

  “Trouble in extremist paradise?” Kodyn gave a savage grin.