by J. F. Penn
"Hurry," Perry called back to Sienna, his body taut with the effort of commanding the flames. "I can't hold them too long."
Mila and Sienna dragged John's body back to the stone wall behind the flames.
John's eyes flickered open. "I don't have long, Sienna. Leave me here to burn and get away. Please."
"It's no use," Xander called over the flames. "Even if you go back, it will be too late. When I repaired the rent Michael made in the border, I left a back door. The warlord of Old Aleppo will be entering Bath even now, and your rebel friend won't be there to stop him this time. The Ministry is finished, so you have nothing to go back for." He held up a small rolled-up parchment. "And besides, I have your star map, Sienna. You're trapped here."
Finn ran through the castle corridors, glancing into rooms as he passed, trying to see where they might keep the children. He came upon a couple of guards playing dice in a murky side room. They looked up as he entered, faces guilty at being caught before changing to alarm as Finn reached for his sword, shutting the door behind him.
A swift slash and one of the guards lay gurgling on the ground, clutching at his bloody throat. The other backed away, hands outstretched in supplication.
"Please, what do you want? I can help you."
Finn stalked towards the cowering man. "Where are the Halbrasse children kept?"
The man paled. "I … You can't –"
Finn pointed at the now-dead guard. "You want to join him?"
The man slumped. "The children are held in the east wing. There are dormitories and a school where they learn to use their abilities." He shook his head. "But none of us go there. We don't need to. They guard themselves."
"Which way?"
"Follow the corridor to the end and then cross the courtyard into the east wing. It has its own door."
Finn leaned in and thumped the man on the side of the head with the pommel of his sword. The guard collapsed on the floor, unconscious. Finn turned and walked out of the storeroom, hurrying east.
He reached a wide courtyard, open to the sky above. It was dark and Finn could see the stars above, a serenity that calmed his pounding heart. He looked up at the tower in front of him, a huge wooden door the final barrier to the children's wing.
It was strangely quiet. The rest of the castle had plenty of guards but there seemed to be none here. He walked around the edge of the courtyard, staying in the shadows in case anyone was watching. But it was silent except for his quiet footsteps on the gravel.
The hair on the back of his neck prickled as he reached the door. It was carved with the half-moon of the Shadow Cartographers.
He pushed it open, and it creaked on heavy hinges. As Finn stepped inside, he heard the rustle of clothes and the giggle of children. There was a lamp further down the hall, but it was semi-darkness by the door. He caught a glimpse of little shadows moving around, hiding behind the furniture.
"Hello," Finn whispered. "Anybody here?"
A giggle to his right and he turned to see a little girl peeking out from behind a chair. She wore a white nightdress, and her blonde hair was tied in two pigtails.
"Hi there." Finn knelt down and smiled, stretching out his hand towards her. "I'm Finn, a friend. I'm not going to hurt you."
Soft footsteps echoed in the corridor, and he looked up to see a group of children coming towards him, the littlest toddling along holding hands with an older child. They were angelic in the moonlight streaming through the high windows, all of them in white nightgowns, all different races, a picture of the diversity of the Borderlands.
But as they drew closer, he could see their faces weren't welcoming. They weren't scared. They were ready to attack.
The first little boy pointed at Finn. "Stranger," he whispered, softly at first.
They all joined in. "Stranger. Stranger." Marching towards him, fingers outstretched, voices growing louder as they approached. "Stranger."
Finn held his hands out wide. "It's okay. I'm not here to hurt you. I'm –"
The blow came from nowhere.
A sudden burning explosion in his side and Finn fell sideways with the force of it. He cried out in pain, looking at the little girl by the chair. She had one hand out, her head tilted sideways as she looked at him.
"Stranger," she said along with the others and blasted him again. A ball of fire leapt from her fingers and smashed into Finn. He flew backwards, hitting the wall behind him. The smell of burning metal came from his body armor. He wouldn't last long against her onslaught.
The march of little feet came closer, the children's chanting getting louder as they approached, hands held out ready to attack.
22
Finn gripped the pommel of his sword, but he couldn't bring himself to attack or even threaten the children. They didn't know what they were and they had been taught to hate. There was no chance of finding Emily now, and if he stayed, they would kill him.
He took one last look at the children and then scrambled back towards the door.
"Stranger." The little girl blasted him again, and Finn was knocked sideways, banging his head against the metal rivets. He pulled himself on, legs like jelly from the attack as he hauled himself out of the door. He rolled back into the courtyard, lying on the gravel, panting with pain. If they came out now, they would finish him.
But the door slammed shut, and he was left alone, staring up at the stars.
Finn lay there for a moment, his breath returning to normal as the pain eased. It was like the little girl had electrocuted him. What the hell kind of power did she have? He had heard Mila say that every use of magic in the Borderlands meant a little more shadow in the Mapwalker who used it. But what did that mean for these little Halbrasse? His niece, Emily, was only a newborn so it would be years before her talents could be exploited.
He had time – but he needed the help of the Mapwalkers. He needed Sienna. The others were already set in their prejudice against the Borderlanders, but she had seen a different side of his people. She was hope for a shared future.
Finn rolled over and pushed himself up onto his knees, then staggered to his feet. His whole body felt weak with the aftermath of the attack, but he had to get back to Sienna before she mapwalked back to Earth-side. He might never have this chance again.
Sienna heard Xander's words through the roar of the flames. She looked at Mila, saw in her eyes that it could be true, that he could have left a gap in the border ready to be exploited when the time was right. She remembered the fetish map she'd seen in the first visit to the dungeons of the castle, where Bath lay broken, a burnt-out shell, its inhabitants slaughtered by feral invaders.
"We have to get back." She looked at her father. "And we're not leaving anyone behind."
Sienna's mind raced as she considered the star map Xander held. It was supposedly the only reliable way to get home, to orientate across the border, but she had created a map from nothing before. She had to do it again.
She turned to Perry. "Can you hold them a little longer?"
He grimaced, his face ruddy from the flames and she saw the flicker of shadow in his eyes. There was a chance he had used too much magic in a short time, that he would tip over to his father's side, but she had to believe he would hold the line.
"For Galileo," he said, steel in his voice.
Sienna took the scalpel from her bag and cut into her arm. As blood welled, she closed her eyes and began to sketch the lines of Bath on the stone wall in front of her. She tuned out the throb of pain, the roar of the beast and the flames at her back. She fixed her imagination on the city she had only just begun to know, the map shop on the little street with the coffee shop opposite, Mila's canal boat and Zippy waiting alongside, the Abbey and the Baths. She painted them on the wall with her blood, and as she drew it, she felt a tug towards home, the pull of the map.
Her father looked up, and Sienna saw pride mixed with fear in his eyes. Fear, not for himself, but for her future now he saw what she could do. But there was no time to
think about what might happen. They had to go.
Beyond the fire, the guards redoubled their efforts, thrusting long pikes through the flames towards Perry. Sir Douglas shouted something, and one of them ran through, bellowing his rage.
Perry blasted a stream of flame at him, and the guard tottered forward, his body alight. He slammed into the wooden table, flames consuming his body, but the height of the main wall ebbed a little with the distraction.
Xander urged his great beast forward, and it reached through the flames, screaming as it lit afire, but this time, it kept coming.
Perry fell back as it advanced. "We need to get out of here."
Sienna placed her hands on the wall, letting her mind sink into the lines, opening the portal back to the shop, back to where the rustle of her grandfather's maps called her.
Mila dragged John towards the wall, ready to cross over behind her. Perry edged back, trying to keep the beast far enough away but still ready to join them.
"Sienna!" Finn's voice suddenly came across the flames.
She turned to see him dart into the room, slashing at the guards as he moved towards the wall of flame. The beast lunged for him, but he rolled underneath it, angling his sword across its belly, cutting it deeply as he sprang away on the other side.
For a moment, Sienna faltered, the intensity of the map fading as she was drawn back towards Finn. If they left him, he would certainly be killed. But he couldn't cross into Earth-side, could he?
"Go now," Mila urged. "We have to."
Sienna took one last look back at Finn, as he fought with two guards on the other side of the wall of flame. She opened the map again, felt the expansion of the world beneath her.
She reached out her hands, touching Perry with one and her father with the other, felt Mila's hand on her arm and closed her eyes.
"No!"
Sienna opened her eyes to see Finn dart through the flames just as they died out – as Perry grasped her hand – as the guards surged forward with a roar – as the beast stormed at them, jaws gaping wide.
Finn reached out his arm and wrapped it around Sienna's waist. She buried her head against his chest as she took them through the map.
The air cooled, and the sound of chaos abated. It smelled of parchment and the faint tang of ink. Sienna opened her eyes to find them all back in the map shop, her father on the floor, Mila at his side, Perry dazed from the fight as he sat down, his face pale from the exertion of using so much magic.
Sienna stood wrapped in Finn's arms, feeling the beating of his heart against her body. She rested there, safe in his arms, a moment of calm after the escape.
Sienna looked up at him. "You're here."
Finn smiled, his dark eyes betraying his wonder. "You can bring Borderlanders across."
"It's only because the border is open right now." Mila stood up and brushed the ash from her clothes. She looked over at Finn. "You'd be gone otherwise, lost in whatever darkness holds our two worlds apart."
Sienna pulled away from him. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."
Finn shook his head. "You couldn't have stopped me trying to come after you."
Mila opened the door. The night was calm, just the sounds of friendly banter from the pub down the road and the soft patter of rain against the windows. For a moment, it seemed as if everything was normal.
Then they heard the howl of a wolf … and screaming.
"They've broken through," Mila said. "I need to get down to The Circus. The Ministry team will be there, or at least on their way. We need to shut the Gate, so the Borderlanders are sucked back through."
Finn gripped the pommel of his sword. "I'm coming too. You need someone to watch your back, and it's my father out there. I know how he works."
Mila nodded and then looked down at John, broken and bleeding on the floor, then over at Perry, collapsed against one of the map cabinets. "You need to get to the Ministry, Sienna. Get to the Blood Gallery and renew the lines of the border. Your blood is powerful, and you can send them back. Bridget will show you how."
Sienna bent down to her father and stroked the matted hair back from his forehead. His chest rose and fell in a jerky movement, but he still lived. He needed medical help, but there would be no chance if the city fell. She clenched her fists. She would not lose her father again.
"I'll renew the lines, and then I'll come and help you close that Gate."
She looked up at Finn and met his eyes. His gaze softened, and then he nodded. Sienna took hold of her father and Perry and traveled into the map of Bath, her mind fixed on the Ministry below the Abbey.
Finn watched Sienna fade, marveling at the magic of Mapwalking.
"Let's go, lover boy," Mila snapped as she darted out of the map shop into the rain. Finn headed after her, and as he emerged into the night, he couldn't help but stare at the buildings around him. His home in Old Aleppo was broken and crumbling, a shade of its former glory, but this city was intact, its buildings commanding the eye with beautiful stone facades. Flowers bloomed in window boxes, and as they passed a shop on the end, Finn gaped to see paintings of the ocean and sculptures of birds. This was a place where people made art, a city of life, not death, and he desperately wanted more of it. Could the Borderlands ever be like this?
A woman screamed and ran past the end of the road. A huge grey wolf loped behind, barreling into her and taking her down, its teeth sinking into the flesh of her neck, cutting off her scream as the beast shook her.
Finn ran forward, swinging his sword in a low arc, using the flat of the blade to smash into the wolf's face, sending it twisting away. It let the woman go, and she lay unmoving on the ground. The creature turned and snarled, slinking back towards them. Finn stood in front of the woman's body, sword raised, ready to fight, Mila beside him.
Then deep growls came from the shadows in every direction. The wolf pack surrounded them.
"I've got this," Mila said. She held out her hands to the rain, and where the water touched her skin, she rippled with power as she channeled the element. She began to spin one hand, whirling the drops into a tornado of water and then spun it out like a whip at the nearest wolf.
It smashed the beast backwards, lifting it against the stone wall behind. It fell limp to the ground. Mila whirled the tornado on, using it to send the wolves flying away. With two more badly injured, the others slunk off, running off to find easier prey.
"Nicely done," Finn said, hefting his sword.
"We're not done yet. We have to get to the center of that." Mila pointed down the road towards a dense mist forming around The Circus.
A few Borderlanders staggered out of it, disorientated by the buildings around them, mouths gaping open as if they couldn't believe what they saw around them. "Looks like the full force hasn't come through yet."
Then the beating of drums came from within the mist, a rhythmic pounding that echoed through the streets.
"War drums," Finn said. "My father is coming."
23
A rush of cool air touched her skin and Sienna opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by the skins of the Blood Gallery, her father and Perry slumped at her feet. The flesh here was respectfully displayed and honored as a critical part of the Ministry, but in the end, they were still skin maps etched with the blood of people like her father.
And herself.
For a moment, all she could hear was their breathing. Then the sound of a blaring alarm rang out within the Ministry. The attack must have started.
John groaned, and Sienna leaned down to brush his hair from his face. She shuddered to think that he had almost ended up in the Blood Gallery of the Shadow Cartographers.
The door opened with a creak.
"Sienna?" Bridget came through the door, followed by one of her clerks. She looked down at the two men on the floor. "John?" She turned to the clerk. "Get the medics down here."
The man rushed back out, and Bridget came to kneel by her friend. John's blood had dried a little, but he was still a mess of
cut and bruised flesh, barely recognizable.
Bridget put out a hand on his arm, lightly touching the skin between his wounds. "You're home now, my love," she whispered, tears welling in her eyes, then she looked up. "Where are Mila and Xander?"
Sienna quickly filled Bridget in, and the Irish woman's eyes darkened as she heard of Xander's betrayal.
"We have to strengthen the borders again and close the Gate." Bridget looked at Sienna. "Are you ready?"
Three medics burst through the door, two carrying a stretcher. Between them, they rolled John gently onto the support and carried him out, the other man supporting Perry as they headed out to the Ministry hospital.
Bridget turned to Sienna as the door closed behind them. "John is strong, he should make it through, but he can't help us now. We have to do this together. We are the only Blood Cartographers left now, but we do have the help of one who loved you very much." She walked to a circular wooden table set in the middle of the room.
Sienna frowned as she approached it, suddenly seeing the new skin mounted there, the edges pegged out so the torso and limbs could be clearly seen. The leather was wrinkled and tanned in parts, but the tattoos were finely drawn, the lines of the ancient city of Bath visible with the Borderlands beyond.
Then she realized whose skin it was.
Sienna's hand flew to her mouth. "Grandfather," she whispered. Nausea rushed over her, and she clutched at her throat. "No."
Bridget put out a hand. "It's what Michael wanted. It's why he inked himself like this. His skin and his blood magic helped define and strengthen the border here. He lived to protect it, and in death, he protects it still. But because Xander left a back door, it needs fresh blood, Sienna. It has to be yours." Bridget hung her head. "My blood magic is weak now, I've used it too much in recent times and the shadow has grown strong in me. I … I feel its dark pull."
"I felt a glimmer of it in the Borderlands," Sienna said, stepping closer to the table. "It was powerful, like the edge of addiction."