‘They may remain here with you, if you wish,’ Officer Tanni said.
‘Bad luck, boys,’ Shella muttered.
Braga chuckled.
‘Take a few days to unpack your things and get settled in,’ Dannu said, ‘and then you can start interviewing for clerks and assistants.’
‘So this is my life, then?’ Shella said. ‘Sure, it’s comfortable, but it’s still a prison.’
‘You should be grateful you have your life!’ Dannu snapped at her. ‘Half of her Highness’s counsellors argued for your immediate execution, before you could take a step inside the city, polluting it with the taint of death.’
‘How rude,’ she said. ‘And I thought they all loved me.’
Dannu narrowed her eyes. ‘I will leave you now, sister,’ she said. ‘Pass on word through Officer Tanni here if you require anything. Farewell.’
Shella stood in silence, her arms folded, as Dannu walked away.
‘High Mage?’ Tanni said, coughing.
‘Yeah?’
‘Shall I show you to your rooms?’
‘Go on, then,’ Shella muttered. May as well get used to her new life, she thought. Secluded and isolated, the dark mage alone in her tower. She would have to get herself a long black cape, with a hood, and cultivate her cackle.
‘What you’re suggesting, Shella,’ Rijon said, putting down his cup of rice wine, ‘is treasonous. You’re advocating the overthrow of your sister.’
Shella shrugged. She looked over the table at the Holdings mage, his face in the shadow of the library’s small lamp. He had become her friend over the thirds, and had been a great help to her while she had been in Silverstream, supplying her with information from his numerous sightings of the new city.
‘I want democracy back,’ she said. ‘No offence, but this monarchy crap is not for us. The city is bursting with new ideas and energy, and all Obli does is squash everyone down. This new ban on unauthorised assemblies, enforced by her uniformed thugs, is turning the people against her. If they decide to rise up and knock Obli off her stupid throne, there will be anarchy. All I’m suggesting, is that we need to be prepared.’
‘Who have you contacted so far?’
‘No one,’ she replied. ‘Tanni’s wardens are too thorough about who comes in and out. It might be some time before they get lazy. That’s why I am asking you this favour. You won’t be searched when you leave.’
‘I like you, Shella,’ he smiled, while shaking his head at the same time, ‘you know I do, but this feels like crossing a line. I am forbidden from interfering in the internal power struggles of other nations. If I take these letters out for you, then…’ He sipped his drink.
‘I understand,’ she said. ‘Was worth a try. I would use one of the guards, but I don’t trust any of them, and Jayki and Braga are routinely searched whenever they pass through the gates. I must admit, Obli’s got me well trapped here. Wardens on every floor, to “protect” me, but really all spying, and telling their tales to Tanni.’
‘What about the staff you’ve hired?’
‘They’re still new to me,’ she said. ‘They might all be spies, though some seem decent enough. Polli, my office assistant, I’m fairly sure of. And Bowda, I trust him. Anyone in this city who admits that they used to be an agent for the Spawn Control Board has got to be honest. As for my loyal siblings, Sami spends half his days drunk, and sleeping with anyone he can afford, while Clodi barely comes out of her room. I’m not exactly best placed to start a coup.’ She took a drink. ‘Yet.’
He sighed.
‘Give me the letters,’ he said, reaching out his hand.
‘Thanks,’ she grinned, passing him the bundle before he could change his mind.
‘Who are they for?’
‘Names and addresses are on a slip inside,’ she said. ‘Just a few people who I’m sure would prefer a return to democracy. District community leaders, old union bosses, a couple of the craft guilds.’
He nodded, and slipped the package into his robes.
‘Now,’ he said, ‘do you want to hear the report of my sighting?’
‘Sure.’
‘The new heralds your sister sent got as far as the great palisade the Rahain have constructed across the valley,’ he said, ‘but their attempt at getting a message across ended the same way as the others. As soon as they got to within fifty yards of the wall, the Rahain started shooting at them.’
Shella shook her head as she drank.
‘I saw bolts hit the ground just feet in front of where the Rakanese heralds stood. They had no choice in the end, but to turn around.’
‘It doesn’t make any sense,’ Shella said. ‘How did Obli take it?’
‘She used the same words you just did,’ he said, smiling.
‘Well, she’s right for once,’ Shella said. ‘Why won’t the Rahain speak to us?’
‘Their government is split,’ he said. ‘I have spoken with our embassy in the Rahain capital, and they tell me that the High Senate keep voting to maintain the blockade because they don’t know what else to do. There’s a noisy minority who want to get the army to attack, but so far the government has been restraining them.’
‘Attack?’ Shella said. ‘Why would they attack? We see their flying snakes every couple of days, circling overhead, watching us. I can understand why they’re curious, but they must realise by now that we’re no threat to them.’
‘Curious?’ Rijon laughed. ‘They have close to a hundred thousand soldiers dug in behind ditches and a great big wall just over twenty miles from here. I would hazard that they are a little more than curious. Your priority has got to be building the army.’
She shook her head. ‘You know that none of that stuff is my responsibility any more. I’m only in charge of the civil crap, sewerage, drainage canals, housing, roads, and all that.’
‘And Pavu…?’
‘Is a fucking idiot,’ she said. ‘It’s okay, you can say it. Obli’s keeping it quiet, but she made him hire all these old hands from the district constabulary, then put them in charge. Pavu’s leadership of the glorious armed forces of Akhanawarah is pure fantasy. He gets to wear all the shiny medals, and the big hat, but he’s not in charge of making any grown-up decisions.’
‘So you have retired police constables responsible for your defences?’
‘They’re the most qualified people we’ve got.’
‘And no metal for arms or armour?’
‘Yes,’ Shella sighed. ‘That is a problem.’
‘There was one last thing in my vision,’ he said, after a pause. ‘Something I left out of the report I gave to her Highness. I wanted to talk it through with you first.’
‘Now I’m intrigued.’
‘South of the blockade,’ he said, ‘maybe forty miles from the river, I saw a small group of travellers, heading this way.’
‘Who?’
‘I’m a well-travelled man,’ he said. ‘Of the five peoples on this continent, there is only one that I’ve never seen before. Until now.’
Shella thought. She knew of the Holdings to the north, and the Rahain to the south, but her knowledge of the lands to the far west was limited.
‘The monkey people?’
‘If by that you mean the Sanang,’ he grimaced, ‘then no. Before coming to Arakhanah, I was posted to the great forest lands, where our people were at war with the Sanang.’ He looked unhappy at the memory. ‘I saw them, and would recognise them again. The people I saw were not from Sanang.’
She picked up her glass of rice wine, waiting for him to continue.
‘Have you ever heard of the Southern Mountain Tribes?’ he asked.
‘The giants?’ she laughed. ‘That scary old bedtime story?’
‘They are rather tall,’ he said, ‘but not quite giants. The Kellach Brigdomin is their proper name.’
‘What are they doing so close to us?’
‘That,’ Rijon said, ‘is what I intend to find out. I know from my embassy contacts that th
e Rahain ended a war with these tribes a while back, and that there are many thousands of them in Rahain, as slaves.’
‘What’s that word again?’
Rijon sighed. ‘Remember I told you,’ he said, ‘about how the Rahain have a custom, where people can own other people, and get them to do whatever they want?’
‘I thought you were making that up,’ she said. ‘But how could the Rahain have them as slaves? How could they force giants to do what they want?’
‘With spears at their backs,’ Rijon replied, ‘and crossbows aimed at their hearts, I imagine. They are mostly chained up, working in the mines, or helping to dig the great tunnel through the mountains. This group may well have escaped, and fled this way.’
He refilled his drink.
‘Tomorrow,’ he said, ‘I’m going to take a little trip. Discover what this group are up to.’
She raised an eyebrow.
He smiled. ‘After I have your letters delivered, of course.’
A few nights later, as Shella was amending a proposal for a new canal to link two of the spawning pools, Jayki knocked and came into her office.
He was wearing civilian clothes, his old militia company having been disbanded, and so Shella had hired him and Braga as her personal guards and errand-runners.
‘What is it?’ she said, relieved to break the tedium of her work.
‘It’s Father Rijon, miss,’ he said. ‘He wants you to come down to the courtyard.’
‘At this hour?’ she said. ‘It’s past midnight.’
As she got to her feet, Jayki showed her the cudgel he had hidden beneath his cloak. ‘He also told me to bring this.’
Shella and Jayki left her office and went down the four flights to the ground floor, picking up a sleepy Braga on the way. At the bottom of the stairwell, in a passageway leading to the courtyard, Rijon was standing in the shadows. The dim light from a couple of torches flickered overhead through the heavy echo of rain.
‘What are you up to?’ she asked him. ‘Sneaking about in the dark?’
‘I have them.’
‘Who?’
‘The travellers I told you about,’ he said, restrained excitement in his words. ‘The Kellach Brigdomin.’
‘What the fuck are you doing bringing them here?’
He laughed. ‘They have come in search of you. All the way from the southern tribal lands. For you, Shella.’
‘What?’
‘I’ll let them tell you the details,’ he said. ‘They speak Rahain, in fact one of their group is a Rahain. I hope you remember all I taught you?’
‘Just about,’ she said, ‘it’s been a while since we practised. How did you get them all the way here?’
‘Hid them in the bottom of a river barge, and from there into the back of a wagon. We were lucky with the weather. Most people are sheltering indoors out of this rainstorm.’
‘And they’re looking for me?’ she asked again. ‘Really?’
Jayki stepped forward. ‘How do we know they’re not assassins, sent by Queen Obli?’
‘They know nothing of her Highness,’ Rijon replied, ‘or in fact anything about your people, except that they are searching for a Rakanese high mage. They showed me a drawing of your likeness.’
‘A drawing?’ she snorted. ‘Might not even be me, then.’
‘It does look like you,’ he said, ‘and you are the only high mage. Also, their leader said that one of the Kellach Brigdomin mages put your image into his head, along with the image of a Holdings woman he is also looking for. He said he would recognise you as soon as he saw you.’
‘Okay,’ she said, ‘but what am I supposed to do with them? How do we get them past Tanni’s wardens at the gate?’
‘Just get them upstairs as quickly as possible, and you’ll see. As for the wardens,’ Rijon smiled, ‘I’ll deal with them.’
He turned and strode down the passageway towards the courtyard, leaving Shella staring. Braga and Jayki shrugged at each other, then ran after him.
Shella followed. As she rushed out into the courtyard, she felt the heavy rain soak her through. Rivulets were streaming across the brick cobbles set into the ground. She saw Rijon standing in the middle of the open space, grimacing, water pouring down his hood. Ahead of him, six wardens lay flat out on their backs, leaving the gate unguarded.
‘What have you done?’ Shella cried.
‘Quiet!’ he said. ‘They’re only sleeping. We’ve got about ten minutes before they awaken.’
He pointed at the gate. ‘Get it open. The wagon is out on the street.’
Braga and Jayki ran to the gate, stepping over the bodies of the unconscious guards. They unbarred the large wooden doors and pulled them open.
Shella walked through. She was tempted for a moment to run for it, but so strong was her desire to see her sister overthrown that she knew she couldn’t leave.
She saw the big wagon, backed up against a wall, the rain bouncing off its canvas covering. The street was dark, and the only noise was coming from the hammering rainfall. The ropes were slick in her hands as she undid the fastenings at the back of the wagon. She pulled open the flap, and peered inside. Six large figures were hunched over in the cramped darkness of the wagon’s interior. Eyes gazed back at her from under their hoods.
‘Follow me,’ she said in Rahain.
Without looking to see if she was obeyed, Shella turned and ran back through the mud to the gate. Jayki stood there, scanning up and down the street. Next to him, Braga’s mouth dropped open, as he looked over Shella’s shoulder.
She kept going, and arrived back into the courtyard.
The guards were still out cold, and she rushed past them, all the way to the passage leading to the stairwell.
There she turned, and her heart nearly stopped. Five giants were hurtling their way through the rain towards her, each at least two feet taller than she was, and all well-built. As they ground to a halt a few paces in front of her, she noticed there was a sixth member of the group, who was shorter than the others, more the same scale as Rijon. A Rahain.
One of the giants moved to pull back his hood.
‘Not yet,’ she said. ‘Come on.’
She turned, and ran towards the stairs. She led them up three flights to where a whole wing was unoccupied. They were remarkably quiet, she thought. She had expected them to be lumbering and noisy, but they moved with an easy stealth.
She unlocked the door to an empty apartment, and shepherded them all in, while she waited at the entrance. A few moments later, Rijon, Jayki and Braga appeared at the top of the stairs.
‘Gate’s all locked up again, miss,’ Braga said, his hair and clothes dripping water onto the floor.
‘And the wardens?’
‘We propped them up against the wall,’ Jayki said, ‘so they wouldn’t drown in the rain.’
‘What will they remember?’ she asked. ‘When they wake up?’
‘Nothing,’ Rijon said, ‘except that they suddenly felt very sleepy.’
‘That’s a good trick.’
Yes,’ he smiled, ‘but performing it on six minds at once may have over-taxed me for a while.’
She nodded, putting her hand onto the door handle.
‘Ready?’ she said, and opened the door.
She went inside, into darkness, the others following.
She gestured to Jayki to light some lamps, and as he did so, she made out the figures in the room. They were sitting around a table, their long cloaks discarded and lying in a pile. There were four men, including the Rahain. The three male giants were all bearded. Two were dark-haired, while one had long red braids. There were also two female giants, tall and muscled, one with blonde hair, the other dark. All of the giants were armoured in leather, plate and mail, and were armed with swords, axes, knives and bows, both long and crossbows. Each also carried a shield almost as big as she was, slung over their backs. Shella had never seen so many weapons in one place before.
‘Boys,’ she said to Jayki
and Braga. ‘Kitchens. Go get them some food and drink. As much as you can carry.’
They looked up at the giants.
‘Don’t worry,’ she said, ‘if they want to kill me, it won’t make much difference if you two are here or not.’
They looked a little hurt at this, but obeyed her, and left the room. Rijon had removed his cloak, and was lighting the wood in the fireplace.
She swallowed her nervousness and walked up to the giants. Kellach Brigdomin, she reminded herself.
‘I’m Shella,’ she said in Rahain.
They stared at her. One of them stood. He was the slightest of the males, but looked the most authoritative.
Shella approached him, craning her neck upwards.
Towering over her, the man stared down at her face, and nodded.
He said something, his voice a throaty guttural rumble, the words unintelligible to her, and his companions also nodded, some looking relieved. The red-haired male smiled at her.
‘Who are you?’ she asked them.
‘I am Kylon,’ their leader said. ‘We’ve travelled a whole season. Looking for you.’
‘For me? Why?’
‘We have a mage who sees the future,’ he said. ‘He saw you in mine.’
‘He saw me?’
‘He saw you. He told me I needed to find you, to protect you from what’s going to happen.’
‘What’s going to happen?’ she asked, scarcely believing that she had said the words. No one could see into the future, she knew this, yet the man in front of her held her mesmerised.
‘He didn’t say,’ he replied. ‘All I know is that I’m here to save you from it.’
She stared up at him. He was handsome, in a rough and massive kind of way, though his eyes held a troubled well of pain.
‘You’re the one,’ Kylon said, ‘and we pledge our lives to you.’
Chapter 19
Dreams of Killop
Rahain Capital, Rahain Republic – 24th Day, Last Third Winter 504
As Daphne lay sleeping in bed, her dreaming mind escaped through a tiny opening under her left eyelid, and the vision skills she possessed but barely knew how to control stretched their wings and took flight. Her dream-vision rose up from her head, and shot out of the window, between the slats in the shutters. Picking up speed, her vision flew along deserted tunnels, through caverns, bouncing from fixed point to fixed point, as she observed the dark, sleeping city.
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