Blackstone (Book 2)

by Honor Raconteur

  “So we were too late,” Rune summed up quietly.

  “Not so,” Markl denied. “We at least got the people out. We can always rebuild the city, and the Hall.”

  Rune’s body went taut, and his eyes flew up to Markl’s face. “The Hall is gone?”

  “Burned to the ground.” Wolf somehow managed to say this levelly but what he really wanted to do was scream and rage. Do something that would relieve this ache in his chest. The Hall had been more of a home to him than any other place and seeing it burning in front of his eyes last night would likely haunt his dreams for many years to come. “We saw it last night.”

  Rune’s eyes went bright with unshed tears. Words seemed beyond him.

  Markl stepped forward and grabbed Rune’s shoulder. “Rune. What about the rest of the guild? Are they coming right behind you?”

  Visibly gathering himself back together, Rune nodded confirmation.

  They were? That wasn’t good. Wolf glanced back at the city uneasily. The army might still be somewhere in the middle of Goldschmidt, busy looting, but that didn’t make this section any safer. “Rune, get the path to Converse ready. We need to leave as soon as they get here.”

  “Tarik,” Markl added, “Help me pass the word to anyone left that we’re opening a path toward Converse. Maybe we can get the rest of them to safety that way.”

  “Good thinking,” Tarik approved. Turning on his heel, he trotted toward the nearest group, calling to them as he moved.

  As everyone moved off, Wolf stood sentinel, one eye on the Winziane path, the other on the gate. He didn’t want to be caught off guard by a sneak attack from behind.

  In bare minutes, he saw his guild come in through the path, their forms hazy at first before becoming more distinct. The path was barely closed before Siobhan hopped off, her red hair blazing in the morning sun. She seemed to be looking for him, as the moment she spotted him, she took off in a fast sprint.

  Wolf more or less knew what her reaction would be, so he sheathed his sword and held a hand out, ready to catch her. In the next moment, he had an armful of woman, her hold tight around his neck. For just that moment, he buried his face against her hair and breathed her in. Losing the Hall last night had put a little scar on his heart, but he could live through that. The one thing he couldn’t ever bare to lose was in his arms. As long as she was fine, then he could face the world.

  “Injuries?” she asked, the word muffled against his shoulder.

  “None,” he denied, relaxing his hold on her enough that she could draw proper breath.

  “Markl? Ryu Jin Ho?”

  “Ryu Jin Ho we think is safe with Darrens. Lost track of him during the night,” Wolf admitted. “Markl’s fine. He’s getting the stragglers ready to go to Converse.” From the corner of his eye, he saw Sylvie hop off the wagon and go hunting for Markl, who was visible off in the distance.

  Siobhan finally relaxed, no longer standing on tiptoe, and put enough distance between them that she didn’t have to crane her neck up to look him in the eye. “Converse?”

  “Everyone fled there,” he explained simply. “Winziane wasn’t hit by these rats, I take it.”

  “No, they weren’t even aware of what was going on. It was quite the task explaining it all to them. Guildmaster Hammon is putting together men now and has promised to send them to us directly. I suppose I need to send someone back with the message that he needs to send them to Converse, not Goldschmidt.” Her eyes tightened in pain as she said this.

  “Go to Converse first, talk with Darrens,” Wolf advised. “There might be more to tell Hammon than you know at the moment. No reason to run our Pathmakers ragged hopping back and forth when one trip will do.”

  “Good point.” Siobhan turned her eyes toward the city, although from here all she could see was the grey walls and smoke billowing toward the sky. “Wolf…dare I ask….”

  He knew what she couldn’t say and spared her the mercy of forcing it out. “The Hall is gone. Burned to the ground.”

  Siobhan’s eyes closed in a pain, a keening cry caught in the back of her throat that never made it out. It was the most agonized expression on her face that he had ever seen and it made his heart wrench and a murderous rage fill his gut.

  “I take it we’re too late,” Grae said, coming up to them in a quick jog. “Wolf, you look fine. Where’s Markl?”

  Wolf didn’t take his eyes from Siobhan’s face. As he watched, she took in a deep breath, eyes still screwed shut, her chin lifting. She forced every bit of agony down, pulling on a mask of neutrality, forcing herself to set those feelings aside so that she could face the present. He did not underestimate just how much strength that took, to put emotions that strong aside. Looking at her now, it was like nothing was seriously wrong that she could not fix.

  He fell in awe of her all over again, like he had ten years ago, at their first meeting.

  Jaw set, she turned to Grae and said in a remarkably steady voice, “Markl is fine. He’s gathering up the stragglers. Grae, everyone retreated to Converse. Get the path ready to go.”

  “Rune is doing that,” Wolf informed them both. “Hyun Woo? Cha Ji An?”

  “They stayed behind to help Winziane put together some help for us,” Grae responded, eyes roving over what was left of Goldschmidt. “They did all of this in just one night?”

  “They’re still at it,” Wolf denied darkly. “Which means we need to get out of this area. Now.”

  Grae’s eyes widened. “Oh. They’re still here?!” Swearing, he spun on a heel and took off in a mad sprint back to the carts, calling out to people to quickly move to the other path, the one that led to Converse.

  Siobhan shook herself, visibly gathering her wits, then turned and followed after Grae. Wolf went more slowly, still a wary eye on the city, as he didn’t trust anyone left in there now.

  The carts were quickly moved to the other path, the people left were loaded on board, and Grae made all the preparations necessary to open the path. Wolf was the last to join them, but as there was no room left on the carts, he had to walk on the stones with his own feet. Tran was right in front of him, also choosing to walk and let someone else ride.

  With a slightly blue haze of light, the path opened, obscuring the area around them and making it a blur of colors. Wolf was just as glad that he no longer had a clear view of Goldschmidt. Seeing the ruins of the city made him almost nauseous with grief.

  Tran glanced over his shoulder at Wolf, and catching the expression on his face, promised softly, “We’ll come back and reclaim it, Wolf.”

  As if uttering a solemn vow, Wolf responded, “We will.”

  Seeing Channel Pass and hearing about what state Stott was now in, had filled Siobhan with grief and rage. But that didn’t compare with how she felt when she saw Goldschmidt. It felt as if she had lost her center, and indeed she had, as the city had been home to her for over a decade now. The loss of her guildhall had been crippling by itself but losing both made her almost sick.

  But as guildmaster, she couldn’t indulge in those feelings, not yet. She had people depending on her to make rational decisions and bring them to a place of safety. So she forced it down, although it felt like she was swallowing acid, and made herself focus on the present and what needed to be done next.

  Grae brought them through to Converse with admirable precision, as always, and as soon as the path closed they all clambered off the carts with record speed. It was a miracle no one had been jostled off on the way over here, it had been that cramped. As usual, she barely had her legs over the side of the cart before Wolf appeared with a hand to help her down. She took it and stole a hug as she did so. Instinct propelled her to physically reassure herself that even if the city and hall was lost, she still had every member of her guild.

  Wolf seemed to realize what she needed and gave her a hug around the shoulders before letting go. She took strength from the contact and gave him a fleeting smile before turning and taking a good look at Converse.

&nbs
p; The city looked ready to split at the seams.

  Converse was a sizeable place, but certainly not in the same category as the larger cities in Robarge. It was a trading city, a place for people to stop temporarily and little more. But now it had at least three cities’ worth of citizens packed into it. Everyone from Channel Pass, Stott, and Goldschmidt had run here for safety. Tents had popped up all around the outer wall of the city, no doubt because there was no longer any room to be inside. Siobhan frowned, an uneasy feeling forming as she took this in. “Wolf…it’s not safe for people to be camping outside the walls like this.”

  “No, it’s not,” he agreed, a matching frown on his face. “There’s too many refugees in there.”

  “We need to send them somewhere else,” she said, making a snap decision. Turning, she tried to find Rune in the crowd, but couldn’t spot him. Giving up, she called loudly, “RUNE!”

  Like magic, he appeared at her elbow in the next second. “What?”

  “I need you to go to Winziane with a message for Hammon.” Realizing her mistake, she turned and found Markl before waving him over. “Markl! I need you too!” She waited for the scholar to join them before continuing, “We must send word back to Hammon about what has happened before he sends us fighters. He was set to do that early afternoon, and it’s getting dangerously close to that time. Markl, go tell him everything that has happened and explain to him what the situation is like here in Converse. The city can’t support this many refugees—ask if he can take them.”

  “Winziane will have the room for them,” Markl promised her. “I’ll arrange it with him. What about the fighters he promised you?”

  Siobhan shook her head, frustrated. “I don’t know the answer to that yet. I think we still need them, to defend Converse, but I need to talk to Darrens first. For now—”

  “Send them,” Wolf cut in firmly.

  Her eyes flew to his face. Send them?

  “Send them,” Wolf repeated, locking his eyes with hers. “They’ll hit Converse next. I think their goal is not only to loot the cities but also to take control of the Grey Bridges.”

  An icy chill chased its way up and down her spine as she realized in horror that he was likely right. “Send them,” she told Markl hoarsely.

  Markl had studied strategy as well in Saoleord, although not to the extent that Wolf and Rune had. He clearly understood what Wolf was saying and agreed with it, as he nodded grimly. “I’ll tell him. Rune, take me please.”

  Rune paused and looked ahead for a moment, body weight shifting uneasily. Siobhan watched him, puzzled. Normally he would immediately do what Markl had asked, especially since she was also asking. “Rune? What’s the hold up?”

  Those clear blue eyes were clouded with concern. “Denney,” he responded softly.

  Denney. Siobhan’s eyes widened in realization. In that crowded city, where things were already chaotic, Denney would be a handy victim. Of course. Siobhan should have thought of that already.

  Wolf put a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “I’ll keep her with me. Go, Rune.”

  Reassured, Rune clapped him on the back before turning and leading Markl back to the path.

  Siobhan sent a prayer to the heavens in thanks that she had a good guild that knew how to look out for each other. Mercy knew that she couldn’t seem to think of everything at once. Shaking the thought off, she turned for Converse. “Wolf, get Denney, and then we need to find Darrens.”

  ӜӜӜ

  Of course, finding Darrens was much easier said than done. There was no major guild in Converse, hence there was no major guildhall, and that was the problem. If there had been a major guild here, Siobhan would have immediately gone to the guildhall as that would be the sensible place to meet. But without it, she hadn’t a clue where to go except to visit every inn and hostel along the main street with hopes that Darrens had chosen one of them as a main base of operations. When that didn’t work, she fell to asking everyone she passed until, miraculously, she ran into someone that knew and led her to the right place.

  Still, the search ate up valuable time, almost an hour, and Siobhan was beyond frustrated by the time she got to Darrens.

  The inn proved to be a good choice, as it was one of the larger ones in the city. It also, unlike most of the inns, had a main conference room (no doubt meant for trade and business negotiations) that had nothing more than a large table and several dozen chairs inside. Darrens had promptly taken over the space as his own, and even though he couldn’t have been in it for more than twenty-four hours, it looked eerily similar to his own conference room in Goldschmidt. Maps were already pinned to the walls, stacks of reports on the table, and of course his people were scattered throughout working on logistics and such.

  Siobhan took a whole step inside when she spotted Ryu Jin Ho standing next to Darrens, both of them facing the map on the far wall. Tired—that was her first impression of them. Their body language screamed it with the slouched shoulders, the constant shifting from foot to foot as their muscles protested, the heavy sighs that punctuated their sentences. Had they not slept at all since coming here?

  “Guildmaster Darrens,” she called out in greeting. “Ryu Jin Ho-zhi.”

  Both men snapped around, identical looks of relief on their faces at seeing her.

  Darrens immediately came around the table, a hand stretched out in welcome, which she clasped strongly. “Siobhan. I am overjoyed to see you. What did Hammon say?”

  “He’s sending us fighters,” she reported concisely. “This afternoon. I just sent Markl and Rune back with the request that he send them here and also take our refugees. This city cannot hold them all. Markl assured me that Winziane will take them.”

  Putting a hand to his chest, Darrens closed his eyes for a moment. “Thank all mercy for your quick thinking. That was exactly the problem we were discussing just now.”

  Siobhan turned and gave a bow to Ryu Jin Ho. “My heart is well seeing you safe. Wolf lost track of you last night and we assumed you were here, but we weren’t sure.”

  “Guildmaster Darrens would not let me stay behind, so I came with them.” Ryu Jin Ho did not sound upset about this, well, only slightly upset. As a warrior himself, he likely felt he could have done some good fighting on the streets last night. But as a strategist, he clearly realized that his knowledge would be better put here rather than in a skirmish somewhere.

  Siobhan spread her hands, looking between both men. “My guild is here and ready to help. What would you have us do?”

  “Help me organize the refugees and get them ready for transport,” Darrens requested. “Everyone out there knows you, you know your Pathmakers and how they work, so it’s best you handle that. Get as many people out as you can tonight. We think we have another two, three days before the army hits us here but I want those people gone as quickly as we can manage it.”

  She nodded understanding. It was barely noon now, so they had a good six or seven hours of daylight left to use. Well, no, seven might be cutting it too fine. But she could shift a lot of people in six hours, especially using both Pathmakers. The people outside of the walls would be the first to transport. “Understood, I’ll take care of it. After that?”

  “Rest,” Ryu Jin Ho ordered firmly. “Everyone right now is working through the night but when they drop from exhaustion, we need people ready to replace them. Rest. Be ready to work again tomorrow morning.”

  Sensible advice. She wasn’t sure if her jangling nerves would let her do that, but was game to try. At least putting a hot meal into her stomach and her throbbing feet up would help. “I’ll try to find an inn, then. We’ll report back here in the morning.” Hesitating, she lowered her voice to a more confidential tone, “Be straight with me. Can we defend Converse?”

  “Yes,” Ryu Jin Ho assured her, a wolfish smile of satisfaction on his face. “I now know how large they are, how they fight, and what tactics they use. Now that I know my enemy, I know how to fight them. Converse will not fall.”

  T
he absolute confidence on his face reassured her in a way that nothing else would have. The panic that had been pulsing in the back of her head faded to a hum. Well, maybe she’d be able to sleep a little after all. Returning his smile with one of her own, she gave them both a bow before turning on her heel. “Wolf, let’s go.”

  “Has anyone seen Siobhan?” Wolf looked from face to face, but everyone just shook their heads or shared glances that said, I haven’t seen her, have you?

  Frustrated, he left the cramped inn and went outside, going from front yard to back, repeating the question. Despite the fact that a man couldn’t take half a step without running into someone, no one had seen his guildmaster.

  Since legwork wasn’t getting him anywhere, Wolf went back to the front porch (which was the only part of the inn that a man could take a full breath in) and stopped to think.

  After Siobhan’s meeting with Darrens, they’d followed the plan set and transported as many people as possible to Winziane. Hammon was only too happy to help as no one wanted innocent people caught in the next battle with the army heading their way. Grae, Rune, and three other Pathmakers from Winziane had nearly run themselves ragged taking people from Converse to Winziane. Grae and Rune only barely returned before the light had failed them, which was the closest that Wolf had ever seen Grae cut it. Another five minutes, the man might not have had strong enough sunlight to make the path operate properly, which would have left him stranded mercy-knew-where.

  While they did that, Siobhan organized people to go, enlisting the help of her guild to organize everyone. Sylvie was the only one sensible enough to find them rooms in an inn, and it was her formidable trading prowess that had managed to find three vacant rooms in this chaos. It meant tripling up, with cots on the floor, but everyone was thankful to have a roof over their head for the next few nights.

  With the way that Siobhan had run herself ragged over the past two days, Wolf would have assumed her to be sitting down somewhere with her feet up. Right now, she had nothing better to do than rest, as it was the strategists and the enforcers that were preparing Converse for an attack. So where in sweet mercy was she?