Secrets of Blood

by Andy Peloquin

  The burden of sorrow grew heavier with every death. Men and women, old and young, they all fell before the sickle-shaped khopeshes of the Indomitables and the Blades’ flammards. She tried to tell herself that these people had chosen to make themselves her enemy; by threatening the city she had sworn to protect, they had forced her hand. Yet that made it no easier to see them die.

  Then the last one fell and Issa stood before the side door to the Hall of Bounty. Beside her, Hykos cut down the two rioters flanking the door. Issa leapt over the abandoned, bloodstained handcart and hammered on the door.

  “Open up!” she shouted. “By order of Lady Callista Vinaus.”

  A grunt sounded behind her, accompanied by twin clashes of steel. Issa half-turned, sword held at the ready, to fight off the next wave of attackers. Yet she had a second to breathe; Hykos and the ten Indomitables had the situation under control. For now. But the others could return any moment, join in the battle and turn the tide against them. She hammered on the door again. I’ve got to get them out before—

  The door suddenly swung open, and the face of an Indomitable Protector appeared in the crack.

  Issa raised her voice to a shout. “You’ve got to move, all of you!”

  Suspicion flared in the man’s eyes.

  Issa ground her teeth. “By order of Lady Callista, you are to abandon this post at once.”

  “Look here—” the Protector began.

  Issa stepped through the doorway and seized his armor so fast he had no time to protest. She pulled him close until his face hovered an inch from hers. “You have been given a direct order, Protector.” She growled in her best imitation of Tannard. “The Hall of Bounty is valuable, but the lives of you and your men are more valuable. We’ve been sent to help you fight your way out of here, but if you don’t move, none of us are getting out of this battle alive. Now get your men moving before I go in there and drag every one of you mother-loving bastards to safety!”

  Her words had an immediate effect on the Protector. The man winced as he gave a half-salute and stumbled off into the Hall of Bounty to shout at his men.

  Issa turned back to the battle. “Hykos! Push them south! We need a clear avenue of retreat.”

  “I’ll try!” Hykos made no protest at her orders; he was too busy fighting off a trio of sword-wielding Earaqi.

  Issa’s heart clenched as a fourth attacker, clad in leather armor and wielding a spiked club, rushed Hykos from behind. She could almost see the path the club would take—a powerful overhand blow crashing down on Hykos’ head. The helmet would save his skull, but in the moment the blow disoriented him, his three assailants would find the joints in his heavy armor. Only a miracle would save him in that case.

  Issa was that miracle.

  She leapt the three feet to the charging woman and thrust her long blade straight out. A perfect, brutal execution. Her flammard drove through the woman’s splinted leather armor, slipped between her ribs, and sliced smooth heart muscle before punching out her other side. The woman sagged, slid off Issa’s sword, and collapsed into a heap next to the abandoned battering ram.

  With a roar, Issa waded into the fray, her sword striking down the two men Hykos hadn’t yet finished off. She left the first alive, though he’d need a healer to set the shattered bone of his forearm. The second fell beneath a vicious chop that severed his outstretched arm and bit deep into his forward leg.

  Hykos’ sword flashed before her eyes, passing mere inches from her face. Blood sprayed across the left side of Issa’s face. Turning, she found another armored man before her, his mouth agape in a snarl and with Hykos’ sword driven up into his brain. Growling, Issa drove her boot into his chest, knocking him backward.

  “Knock them back!” Issa shouted at Hykos. “Push them toward the front, buy me some time to get these soldiers out of here.”

  Hykos nodded. “Keeper’s luck smile on you.”

  “Don’t need it.” Issa shot him a grin. “I’ve got you for that.”

  In the moment before Hykos turned back to the fight, Issa could have sworn she saw him blush. She didn’t know why she’d said that—perhaps a combination of the battle thrill and the fact that he’d saved her life, twice. At that moment, she had more important things to worry about than her impulsive words.

  She had just turned back to the side door when it burst open and the first of the Indomitables spilled out. The ten men and women bore wounds, some grievous, yet all gripped their weapons with grim resolve etched into the lines of their faces.

  “Go!” Issa waved them on with her bloodied sword. “Help them push back the enemy.”

  “There are wounded—” started one Dictator.

  “We’ll get them out and to safety first.” Issa nodded. “As long as the line holds, we’ve got a chance.”

  Nodding, the black-armored soldiers raced toward the spot where Hykos and the eight Indomitables fought to push back the twenty-odd rioters that remained.

  Issa risked a glance toward the front of the building and the swirling chaos of battle on the street. The rioters remained locked in combat with Ormroth, Chirak, and the rest of the Indomitables. Yet, at any second, Ormroth would call for a retreat and his men would melt away into the alleys and retreat to the secret tunnels. When that happened, there would be no shouts of combat or the clash of steel to distract the main force of enemies.

  We’ve got to hurry!

  Trusting Hykos to hold the entrance, Issa charged into the Hall of Bounty. Inside, she found the walking wounded limping, shuffling, or hobbling toward the exit as fast as they could. Many helped to carry the more seriously injured, while still others struggled to carry out their dead. They abandoned their fallen comrades at Issa’s command, though not without an argument.

  Issa hated the thought of leaving slain soldiers here, yet they had no time. If they wanted to get out alive, they had to get to the tunnels before Hykos was overwhelmed.

  She scanned the last of the Indomitables until she found the officer she’d shouted at moments earlier. “Protector!”

  “Sir!” The man snapped a crisp salute.

  “What’s the damage?” she demanded.

  “Thirty too badly injured to walk, fifty walking wounded,” the Protector replied. “Could be more if the front gate falls.”

  “We’ve given the enemy something else to attack,” Issa said, “but that won’t last long. We need to get everyone out of here now. Lady Callista wants all of you someplace where you can do more good.”

  “All due respect, sir,” the man protested, “but our orders were to defend the Hall of Bounty at all costs.”

  “And I’m telling you that your orders have changed.” Issa straightened, looming over the man. The long spikes on her shoulders and elbows made her appear even larger, the black steel a solid wall of command. “My company was sent to get you out. Losing the Hall of Bounty won’t be half as bad as failing to recapture the South and East Gates.”

  The Protector’s eyes went wide and his face paled. It seemed he knew what would happen if the gates remained in the hands of the enemy. Indeed, the shelves within the Hall of Bounty appeared to contain only a fraction of the food normally available. He could see the evidence of the threat all around him.

  “Yes, sir!” He saluted again. “We’ll get everyone moving in two minutes.”

  “You’ve got thirty seconds!” Issa shouted, then stalked toward the door. “Get out this door and head north, toward the cliff.”

  Confusion twisted the soldier’s face. “Sir?”

  “Trust me!” Issa said, raising her bloodstained sword. “It’s the only way we all get out of here alive.”

  She didn’t wait to find out if he obeyed or understood, but rushed out into the battle.

  Her heart sank the moment she stepped out of the door. One Indomitable lay still on the ground, the other slumped against the discarded battering ram, bleeding from a wound in his gut. Hykos and the remaining sixteen Indomitables were locked in a furious battle wit
h close to sixty looters. With every second, more joined them from the front of the hall. Issa glanced over the battle line and found Ormroth’s company fleeing.

  Keeper’s teeth!

  She threw herself into the fray beside Hykos. Her sword cut down the man about to chop at his arm, and his blow saved the Indomitable to his left. For long seconds, Issa’s world filled with the blurring whirl of steel, blood, and snarling enemies. The screams of the wounded and dying, the clash of steel, and the hammering of her pulse echoed loud in her ears.

  As she brought down her next opponent, she had a second to catch her breath and assess the battle. Their situation was growing dire. The ranks of their enemies were growing stronger with every passing second, forcing them to give ground. Issa and Hykos could only retreat a few more steps before they blocked the door and the Indomitables’ path to freedom.

  Come on! She gritted her teeth and cast a desperate glance at the hall’s side door.

  Relief surged within her at the sight of the people streaming out the exit. Most wore the heavy black armor of Indomitables, but a few were clothed in the garb of Ministrants, the priestesses of the Bright Lady that labored to distribute the food. Many of the white-robed women moved alongside soldiers too wounded to stand on their own, caring for the injured and fulfilling their holy duties even as they escaped the carnage.

  The stream of fleeing soldiers and priestesses disappeared into the darkness of the alley behind her, heading north. Issa turned back to the battle, relief flooding her. At least half had gotten out. Just a few more seconds until—

  “Go!” Hykos shouted to her. “Get out of here and lead them to the passages!”

  Issa opened her mouth to argue; no way she’d leave him here to fight on his own.

  “That’s an order, Prototopoi!” His voice cracked like a whip, punctuated by a cry of pain as he cut down another enemy. “Get them to safety, now!”

  Though it went against every instinct, Issa broke off the battle. Hykos immediately filled in the gap, his broad shoulders, strong arms, and enormous sword holding the line firm.

  “Don’t you dare get yourself killed!” she shouted at his back.

  He had no breath or space to answer.

  Issa spun away from the battle and raced toward the ragged column filing out of the Hall of Bounty. The wounds in her legs and side ached, but she forced herself to keep running. Her boots pounded in time with her racing heart. The Hall of Bounty stood just a few streets away from the cliff and the secret passages that led to safety. She just had to get the Indomitables to the tunnels and she could go back to help Hykos.

  “This way!” she called to the people she passed. “To the cliff!” The effort of shouting sent pain flaring down her injured sides.

  Confused and questioning cries followed her, but she ignored them. She sprinted as fast as her aching body and tired muscles allowed. The Keeper’s blessing kept her going and sped up her healing, but not indefinitely. She could only push on so much more before she would collapse.

  Suddenly, a shout echoed down the alley to her left. She skidded to a halt and spun toward the sound. Five Earaqi pounded down the narrow lane toward her, swords and clubs raised to strike. Behind them, two dozen more rampaged through the debris-clogged back streets. The larger group hadn’t spotted Issa and the fleeing Indomitables yet, but if they did—

  Before Issa could move, a figure burst from the shadows beside her. “You get the others to safety!” came the familiar voice. “I’ll handle these bastards.”

  Issa’s eyes widened as Evren met the onrushing rioters with bared steel and flashing fists. He moved like an Earaqi street fighter, all vicious blows aimed to disarm and break bones. Yet there was an innate grace about the way he fought, an elegance to his brutality. Whoever taught him was a true master of death, Issa thought.

  Within the space of two thundering heartbeats, Evren had knocked two enemies to the ground and brought down a third with a dagger thrust to the throat.

  The cries of the wounded and the clash of steel behind her snapped her back to reality. She turned and continued her mad dash toward the sandstone cliff, just ahead of the foremost soldiers.

  In the fading light, she struggled to find the markings that would open the way. Her heart clenched, panic digging sharp claws into her brain as she could not find the Serenii runes.

  Yes!

  Relief flooded her as the small, barely noticeable symbols caught her gaze. She triggered the three stones and the stone slid opening, revealing a passage into darkness.

  “This way!” she shouted to the Indomitables. “In here!”

  The soldiers had no time for surprise. They ran, shuffled, and staggered into the darkness in twos, threes, and fives. Issa’s heart hammered as she waved them through, her hands clutched in a white-knuckled grip on her sword. Her eyes never stopped roaming the shadows for enemies, but time and again, her gaze returned to the towering walls of the Hall of Bounty. There, just a few streets away, Hykos fought for his life.

  No, not his life—the lives of the hundred Indomitables they had just saved.

  Come on, Hykos! Issa found herself begging silently. You can do this!

  Yet, as the last of the fleeing Indomitables rushed into the tunnel, she still saw no sign of Hykos. The alleys between her and the Hall of Bounty stood empty.

  Horror sank a dagger of ice into her gut. Where in the bloody hell are you?

  Only shadows and silence met her frantic gaze.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Evren brought the fifth and last rioter down with a vicious uppercut. The man staggered backward, stumbled over the prone form of one of his comrades, and fell hard. His head cracked against the stone floor and he lay still.

  Heart racing, Evren scanned the alley in the direction of the rioters ahead. Relief flooded him. The twenty or so Earaqi and Mahjuri were so occupied with their looting that they hadn’t noticed, or the shadows had concealed him.

  Evren cast a glance after Issa and the fleeing Indomitables. He couldn’t help feeling impressed at what Issa had accomplished. The Keeper’s Blade, together with Hykos and the other Indomitables, had just taken down nearly ten times their number. Yet they weren’t out of the boiling oil yet. Hykos and his Indomitables had remained behind to hold the line.

  Though it went against his instincts, Evren raced toward the battle. He had to pitch in and help Hykos and the others escape.

  Darkness and the sound of battle gave him cover. He drew within twenty paces of the Hall of Bounty before he caught any sign of movement.

  “Go!” came the shout of a familiar voice. “Get to the wall!”

  A moment later, a rush of black-armored figures surged past him and raced around a corner into one of the many alleys that led to the tunnels. Hykos came at the rear of his Indomitables, his expression grim. His right leg was stiff and he winced with every step. He limped along, far too slow to escape the crowd that had to be pursuing him even now.

  Evren’s gut clenched as he caught sight of the rioters. Hykos had seconds before they caught up. Something told Evren that Hykos was just the sort to make a heroic and desperate last stand to save his men. But even with that huge sword and solid armor, he couldn’t face the crowd alone.

  And he won’t, not if I have anything to say about it!

  A desperate plan formed in his mind, and he acted without hesitation. Pouring on as much speed as he could demand from his throbbing ankle, he raced past Hykos toward the Hall of Bounty and burst out into the street in full view of the charging crowd.

  “I see them!” he shouted. “They’re getting away!”

  The crowd’s momentum stalled for a heartbeat. To their eyes, Evren appeared as one of them, clad in the same rough clothing and wearing a red Earaqi headband, his face stained by blood from his split lip.

  “Which way?” one shouted.

  “Around the back!” Evren waved them southwest, to the rear of the Hall of Bounty. “Follow me!”

  He took off at a dead
run, leading the crowd around the back of the huge warehouse. Away from the retreating Hykos, away from Issa and the others. Alone, he might not have been able to join the fight and turn the tide of battle, but he could make a difference now.

  “There they are!” He sprinted through the alleys, shouting at the top of his lungs. “Stop, you cowards!”

  A few of the rioters managed to remain close on his heels, but the vast majority fell far behind. The sudden shift in direction had confused them. The shadows of descending night and the sudden absence of enemies to fight left them uncertain, scrambling. Evren kept up the charade and the shouted tirade against the company of Indomitables only he could see.

  Finally, certain he’d led them far enough away, Evren shut his mouth and doubled back on his trail. He’d gone only a few streets to the east, but he’d pulled the rioting mob away from Issa and the others. They would flood the Cultivator’s Tier in search of an enemy that would no longer be there. Those few moments would suffice for her to make an escape into the Serenii tunnels.

  He reached the entrance to the tunnels just in time to see Hykos limp through the opening. He raced faster as the door began to rumble closed and dove through the narrowing gap. He plowed into an armored figure and the two of them fell hard. The sharp spike of Hykos’ pauldron sliced into Evren’s arm and ripped his tunic as he struggled to his feet.

  The glow of the gemstones glinted off black steel as a sword swung toward his head. “Wait!” he shouted. “It’s me!”

  The sword whistled a finger’s breadth past his face, so close it ruffled his hair. “Evren?” Issa’s voice called. A moment later, her face, framed by its snarling mountain lion helm, appeared in the dim light of the passages. “You look terrible.”

  “Nice to see you too, Issa.” He grinned, touching a finger to his split lip and bloody face. “Next time, maybe say thank you for saving your ass instead of nearly cutting off my head, eh?”

  Issa grunted. “I’ll keep that in mind.” A groan from the ground pulled her eyes downward. “Hykos!” Panic tinged her voice as she shouldered past Evren and threw herself to one knee beside the prone Archateros.