595 A.L.
t seems like a cliché when other people say it.
People who had escaped death by merest fractions, slightest chances. Hell, you know it’s a cliché when you say it. But you have to. There are simply no other words.
It could have been me.
The festival of Beltane is held on the first of May every year. As we had the day off from the Academy, we went to the Temple for an early service, thanking the earth that sustains us, and expressing gratitude for the turning of the seasons that now was bringing us back into the warmth of summer.
This Beltane was one of the first truly warm days of the year, and as we browsed the markets in the Merchants’ Quarter after Temple I was glad to be wearing my light linen robe. Telgeth, Lolitha and I strolled around with our Mentors, grabbing some delicious, newly-baked pies for our lunch. After dropping off our purchases at the Hall we went down to the Shivering Thistle for cool drinks and some moss. We sat outside in the rooftop garden, enjoying the warmth underneath the shade cloths.
Thaelique and Myr Serbastient spent each festival day on a formal tour of the city. The streets through the Quarter were one of their last destinations, and after a jug or two of sangria we could see over the side of the Thistle the crowd beginning to line the street below, in preparation for the royal parade.
“Come on, shall we go see your girlfriend ride past?” Telgeth winked at me.
“She is not my girlfriend,” I muttered.
I had half a mind simply to watch the parade from the roof of the tavern. As promised, I had seen Thaelique every Saturday at the Thistle for our lessons. Afterwards, depending on her schedule for the evening, she would let me walk her back to the castle, once or twice ordering meals to be brought up to us from the kitchen. Now, I was almost reluctant to watch her ride past with all the other people, who were happy just to catch a glimpse of her exquisite face. I didn’t want her to see me as just another idiot in the crowd. I was her friend, even if she had made it abundantly clear that she wouldn’t – couldn’t – form any sort of romantic attachment while still in office. It was almost enough for me just to be able to hang out with her. Almost.
Telgeth got his way, of course, so we finished our drinks and went downstairs, to stand on the street outside the tavern – this route must have been particularly chosen for the relative width of the road. Soon enough, we heard cheering from around the corner, and we all craned our necks as the royal procession came into view.
Guards on foot walked ahead of the Queen and her Advisor who were seated, as a courtesy to his aged legs, in an open-topped carriage drawn by two horses. I could see Thaelique’s hair shining in the light that filtered through the shades over the street.
Telgeth elbowed me in the side. “Ooh, look Jas, here she comes!”
We Bloodkin were at the front of the crowd by the street, our Mentors standing behind us, looking over our shoulders with their advantage of height. The parade grew slowly closer to us, as the Queen and Myr Serbastient smiled and waved to the crowd. When they drew level with us, a Human woman moved forward from beside me to hand Thaelique a bunch of hawthorn branches in bloom – a traditional Beltane gift. The Queen paused the progress of the carriage to accept the boughs, and she smiled and thanked the woman. As she drew back, Thaelique glanced over and caught my eye, and gave me a happy grin and a tiny wink. Then I heard a sharp whistling past my ear and a loud thunk behind me and Thaelique’s smile froze in a mask of horror.
I turned to see what had caught her attention, and saw Thomas sway for a second before collapsing onto the pavement, an arrow sprouting from his throat.
“Shit Tommo, what the hell?” Telgeth cried as Thomas grabbed futilely at his robe as he fell. “Thomas? What’s wrong? Shit, Tommo!” Telgeth knelt beside him and noticed the arrow. “Somebody help me!” he shrieked as Thomas gasped and gurgled, blood pooling from the wound in his throat. “Thomas! Don’t… Effing hell, Tommo! Somebody help him! My Mentor’s been hurt!” Telgeth yelled, his voice cracking. One woman, and then another started to scream as they saw Thomas convulsing on the ground, his hand scrabbling at the arrow, his mouth shaping words but not making any sounds as blood started to trickle from his lips.
“Thomas!” Telgeth was screaming now. “Charlie! For Lilbecz’ sake, help him!”
I spun around to look for Thaelique, just in time to see some invisible force wrench open the door to the carriage and the Queen being pulled bodily out and onto the street, where she promptly disappeared. In the very next moment there was a bright flash, followed by a deafening roar, as the other side of the carriage exploded. I was thrown back onto Charlie with the shockwave that followed a split-second later. Someone grabbed my arm and pulled me roughly to my feet. I looked down to see who had pulled me up, and could see absolutely nothing. My whole arm had disappeared. Through the screaming crowd I was forcefully dragged, momentarily blinded by the stinging black smoke that was pouring from the remains of the carriage. Terrified wails filled the air, with the noise and my streaming eyes I was totally disorientated, my feet moving of their own accord as I stumbled along, pulled by some invisible hand.
Suddenly, there in front of me was the door to the Shivering Thistle. I saw it open, as if of its own accord, and was roughly shoved inside. Before the door slammed behind me, I got to take one glance back at the street. The crowds were fleeing, trampling mindlessly in their terror, their screams punctuated by the hideous shrieks of horses in terrible pain. I caught a glimpse of the Queen’s carriage, now burning furiously, where Thaelique had sat only seconds before. There was a still little lump on the other side that I realised with a sick horror was Myr Serbastient.
As the door was shut, suddenly Anna and Thaelique materialised in front of me. Anna still had a firm grasp on our wrists and she propelled us through the bar.
“O’Malley! Lock the doors, there’s something going on outside,” she yelled at the tavern master as we ran past and up the stairs to the private lounge. O’Malley, with more vigour than I would have guessed he had in him, leaped over the bar, darting to the door and barring it firmly. Up in the lounge Anna let us go to reach for one of the tapestries that hung on the back wall beside the fire.
“Anna! What the hell was that? Did you see Thomas, he—”
“Shut up Jaseth,” she ordered tersely, pulling the tapestry aside to reveal a small hidden door. Thaelique and I stood side by side, watching her, as the sounds of panic outside swelled and there was the loud bang of another explosion. Anna opened the door and turned to me.
“Jaseth, you are to take the Queen and leave the city. This will lead you to a tunnel under the streets, take the first right and then keep going until you get to the very end, it exits just outside the Quarter.” Anna spoke quickly, urgency clear in her voice. “You will take her from there to the tunnel through the hills. Has Ϛaioћ told you about the house where Lux was born?” Not trusting myself to speak, I nodded dumbly. “Good. From the exit of the tunnel turn left and take the path into the forest. The house is about a mile in. After Lux’ grandmother died I acquired the property and kept it as a safe-house. It will appear abandoned, but unlock the back door with Hầұeӣ and go inside. Lock it behind you and don’t open it for anyone except Ϛaioћ or me. There are supplies in there, and the building is light-shielded, so you may use candles, but do not light the fire. You must keep yourself and the Queen invisible at all times, and you must go now.” She pulled a tiny glowbe from her pocket and gave it to me.
“You must keep her safe, Jaseth. If neither Ϛaioћ nor I come for you in three days take her back to Jaelshead, keeping out of sight and under cover. Now go!” She gestured hurriedly at the door. I started forward but was halted in my tracks by Thaelique.
“No. I am the Queen and I must stay here to take care of my people. There are guards out there to look after me. I will not run away.”
Anna took two steps towards Thaelique and towered over her.
“There is something going on that you mu
st be kept safe from. Someone is using Psychosolastry out there. You can’t feel it, but if your guards aren’t Nea’thi-Blood they may be a danger to you.”
“What? Someone’s using Hầұeӣ outside?”
Anna jerked her head at me in an impatient nod. “Keep your mind shielded, Jaseth. I don’t know what it is, but Ϛaioћ and I will find them and stop them. You just have to get the Queen away.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Anna!” Thaelique told her firmly, crossing her arms.
“Unfortunately, your majesty, for your own safety I require that you do go, and you go now.”
This sparked a righteous fury in the Queen. “It is my duty to be here, I must stay and—”
“Lilbecz forgive me,” Anna muttered, taking a deep breath. Then she pushed Thaelique back against the wall beside the door, pinning her with one arm across her chest. She looked deeply into the Queen’s eyes.
“You must leave the city now. Your safety is paramount. Jaseth will keep you safe, but you must leave. Do you understand?” Anna stepped back and released the Queen, who wobbled slightly and blinked twice before giggling.
“Gosh, so that’s what that feels like! Huh, thanks Anna!” Thaelique looked at me and smiled, holding out one hand for me to take. What the hell had Anna just done to her?
“Come on, Jaseth. Time’s a’wasting!” she called merrily. As I took her hand she giggled again and leaned in towards me, whispering loudly. “My safety is paramount, you know,” she told me conspiratorially. I looked up at Anna, who shrugged.
“I’m sorry, Jaseth, I had to. Go now and keep her safe. Lilbecz willing, we’ll come for you soon.” Thaelique squeaked with excitement as I shook the glowbe to get it started.
“Look after Charlie, okay?” I told Anna and she smiled grimly.
“We’ll sort this out, don’t worry about us. Just get the Queen away.” Another explosion rocked the tavern and Thaelique tugged me through the door.
“Thanks Anna, happy hunting!” she called back gaily as Anna swung the door shut behind us, I heard the click of the lock as we were thrust into darkness.
lowly the glowbe came to life and I could see where we were. Thaelique looked at me expectantly, still gripping my hand. We were at the top of a very steep, very narrow circular staircase, built into the wall of the tavern. I carefully led the Queen down, the glowbe held out in the other hand. The stairs twisted down, far below the level of the street and eventually opened to reveal a tunnel. The walls and floor of the tunnel were rough, dry stone, the air was cool but old-smelling, as if no one had come this way for some time. The first right branch of the tunnel was a couple of hundred metres from the bottom of the stairs. Thaelique clung to my hand as we hurried around the corner and straight down the tunnel that twisted and turned reasonably frequently, but led in the general direction of the hills. Every so often we could hear screaming and shouts from the streets above, the thumping of booted feet running past, and the occasional explosion, which made the walls of the tunnel shudder. The Queen squealed and gripped me tighter as dust drifted down from the ceiling.
Our run through the tunnel seemed to take forever, the tiny glowbe illuminating only the barest patch of the way ahead of us, before the tunnel stretched into what seemed like eternal darkness. Finally it twisted around a slight corner and ended abruptly at a solid stone wall. A sort of ladder was carved into the rock on one side, and I looked up to see it led to a grate in the ceiling, cut much higher than the roof the rest of the way. I listened carefully for sounds above us, but the only noise I could hear through the grate were muffled and distant.
“Wait here, I’ll go check it out.” I reluctantly let go of Thaelique’s hand and scaled the stone ladder to the top. Holding the glowbe and the ladder with one hand, I tentatively pushed at the grate above me. To my surprise it lifted easily and fell to the side, sending in a shaft of sunlight that blinded me for a second after the dark of the tunnel. I glanced down quickly at Thaelique, who was looking up at me eagerly, and she grinned and gave me a totally uncharacteristic thumbs-up.
“Wait there, okay?” I called down to her as quietly as I could. Slowly, I pulled myself higher up the ladder and extended my head out of the hole into the sunny afternoon. I looked around and saw that I was peeking out of an old, unused well. I could see the back of a house, built in the Human-style grey slate, that backed on to the outside wall of the Quarter. Grass grew long and untended around the well. Gingerly I placed one foot on either side of the open grate and levered myself up and out of the hole, climbing over the side of the well and dropping down into the grass beside it. I scanned the area and pocketed the glowbe and, satisfied that there was no one else in the back section, stuck my head over the side of the well and called down to Thaelique. Half a minute later her fair head appeared through the grate and I took her arms in mine and helped her over the wall of the well. When she was standing safely on the grass beside me, I reached down and swung the grate closed over the tunnel entrance.
“Ooh, that was fun. Where to now, Lord Jaseth?” Thaelique giggled and leaned into my shoulder. If I wasn’t so shit-scared and sick I would have enjoyed the closeness. As it was, Anna’s urgency had terrified me, and I barely even registered the press of her body.
“Right, we have to get to the hills and the tunnel to the other side.”
“Another tunnel? Oh, brilliant!” She smiled at me brightly.
I was concentrating too hard to really hear her, listening to the sounds from the streets. I heard angry shouts and the hubbub of voices, it sounded as if a lot of people were moving quickly past the house.
“Your majesty, take my hand, I’m—”
“Please Jaseth, call me Thael, all my friends do,” she interrupted, but took my hand, squeezing it gently.
“Now, I’m going to create a visibility shield around us, so stay close to me, okay?”
“Ooh, that won’t be hard. You’re so talented, Jaseth!”
Any other time but this I would have taken great pleasure in the slightly ribald tone to her words, but now I was trying to concentrate and I needed her to stop talking.
“Please Thael, we must be very quiet.”
“Oh, okay Jaseth! My safety is paramount, I’ll be as quiet as a mouse!” She grinned at me before we both disappeared as I completed the shield.
She gripped my hand tightly as we edged our way, invisible, around the side of the house. Out on the street we paused, pressed close to the wall as an angry crowd gathered, pushing past on their way to the Quarter. I felt ill, what the hell was happening here?
“Come on!” one man yelled. “Let’s go get the dirty elephant bastards, they’ve killed the Queen!” The crowd roared and I saw the flashes as sharp blades were unsheathed and the furious press of people moved past us.
What the hell? They couldn’t seriously think the Nea’thi had tried to hurt Thaelique! A murderous frenzy rolled off the crowd, as angry shouts urged them forward to attack the Quarter.
She’s fine! I wanted to scream at them. She’s right here! But I knew with terrifying certainly that if Thaelique and I were to reveal ourselves now that the maddened crowd turn on us and butcher us within seconds.
“Let’s kill all the effing grey sons-of-whores!” a woman screamed close by as more people surged past.
Oh no. Oh sweet Lilbecz no. Charlie was in there! Telgeth and Lolitha were in there! And I was helpless to do anything to assist them, to warn them even. Damn it all to hell!
I grasped Thaelique’s invisible hand tighter and we edged down the side of the street, hugging close to the walls. I could feel sweat beginning to bead on my forehead with the concentration of keeping up the visibility shield. We edged round a corner onto a quieter back street and I pulled Thaelique down in the direction of the hills.
If I had thought that the dash underneath the Quarter had taken ages, then the short trip outside to the entrance of the hill tunnel seemed to take hours. Every time there was a shout, or people ran past us, I had to pause an
d press the Queen against a wall as I concentrated hard. Worse were the sounds of explosions from the Quarter, followed by distant shrieks of terror and pain, as I grimly led Thaelique away from the fighting. After what seemed an interminable period of time we at last ducked around a corner and found ourselves in the shadows of the hills, the open maw of the tunnel through them wide and open. I quickly scanned the area, and seeing no one nearby, pulled the Queen across the street. We dashed into the mouth of the tunnel, pressing up against the sides as I checked back along the street to make sure no one had seen us.
The tracks for the steam-carriage stretched away ahead of us. The whole thing was only dimly lit by large glowbes hanging from the high, rounded ceiling.
“Come on, let’s go,” I whispered to Thaelique. Out of the daylight, I gratefully dropped the visibility cloak, but the Queen still gripped my hand as she came back into view. We half ran, half stumbled into the tunnel. It rounded a gentle bend and the light from outside disappeared behind us. Already out of breath, I grimly pulled Thaelique down the middle of the great steel tracks, trying to listen for the tell-tale vibrations that indicated an oncoming carriage. Up ahead, I could see the tunnel curve away to the left and then, to my horror, I felt the unmistakeable rumble of the heavy carriage on the tracks. I glanced around wildly, we needed to get off the tracks immediately or the carriage would crush us. I spotted a small natural alcove a short distance ahead as the rumbling of the steam engines grew loud enough for Thaelique to hear.
“Oh shit, Jaseth! Is that a carriage?”
A split-second was all I needed to make the decision. I yanked Thaelique’s arm and pulled her roughly behind me as we sprinted towards the alcove – and towards the oncoming carriage. The rumble became a deafening roar as we raced for the alcove, it was taking all my resolve not to turn and run away from the carriage. Just a few more metres, just a few more steps and I shoved the Queen roughly off the track as there was a huge whoosh of the steam engines and the enormous bright lights of the carriage as it rounded the curve and rushed towards us.
Bloodkin (Jaseth of Jaelshead) Page 32