Mirren smiled. ‘What about?’
‘The Emperor is not your husband.’
Her face fell. She lit a cigarette. ‘Tell me. What do you know?’
‘Guilliam’s dead,’ Daphne said. ‘The man you knew has gone. He was killed by the spirit that took over his body. I’m sorry.’
‘A spirit?’
‘The Creator.’
Mirren narrowed her eyes, and Annifrid looked up.
Daphne put down her tea. ‘The Creator has taken on flesh and inhabits the body of your husband. He has every power that the world’s mages possess, and he wants to ensnare every other mage that’s still alive.’
Mirren stared at her in disbelief.
Daphne smiled at her. ‘And he wants his queen back.’
The town hall of Royston was a grand building on the top level of the town. It was partly dug out of the hillside, and was fronted by a solemn row of pillars. Above the main entrance were the insignia of the noble Holds that dominated the iron industry. Among them, only Hold Smith was on the side of the rebels. The others had awaited the result of the Red Hills battle before declaring, and had abandoned the town at the news of the Emperor’s victory.
Daphne ascended the steps to the great doors, a single armed cavalryman from her company as escort. She wished Chane was by her side, but her injuries from the battle had her confined to bed.
The guards at the entrance saluted, and Daphne entered. She went through the lobby, her escort a pace behind, and proceeded into the great hall. A dozen large chairs were arranged in a semi-circle in the middle of the floor, with rows of tiered benches to either side. Several guards had been posted at each of the doorways, and Daphne noted their numbers and positions. The doors were closed behind her, and a courtier showed Daphne to her seat among the rebel leaders. Her chair had the insignia of Hold Clearwater, a minor aristocratic house that had fled as soon as the rebels had arrived after the battle. As she sat she caught a glance from Mirren, who was seated opposite her.
Lord Holdsmith nodded to Daphne and smiled. ‘Now that Holder Fast is present,’ he said, ‘we may commence our deliberations.’
‘Commence?’ Daphne said. ‘And here I thought you scamps had been plotting for hours already.’
‘See?’ Lord Holdwain said. ‘This is the very attitude I was talking about.’
‘Would you care to withdraw that statement, Lady Holdfast?’ Lord Holdsmith said.
‘Why? Was it factually incorrect?’
‘It was impertinent,’ said Mirren.
‘Fair enough,’ said Daphne. ‘I withdraw the part where I called you all scamps. Would conspirators be more apt? Traitors? Tell me, which word adequately describes one party that is about to betray another?’
‘We must act for the greater good,’ said Lord Holdwain, his eyes tight. ‘Flinging insults and accusations around helps no one.’
‘Of course, Holder Wain,’ Daphne said, ‘and I apologise if anyone feels insulted.’
She smiled at him, her mask of calm confidence hiding her rage. She took a measure of the man’s mind, reading his emotions, and saw contempt for her, and fear.
‘We shall continue,’ said Lord Holdsmith. He took a parchment from the small table next to his chair. ‘This is the draft of a possible reply to the Emperor’s letter that arrived some days ago, acceding to his demands. In order for it to become valid, it must be voted on by we who are gathered here this evening.’
‘May I read it?’ Daphne said.
‘Certainly.’
Lord Holdsmith passed the letter to a courtier, who bowed and carried it across the hall to Daphne. She took it, and scanned down the single sheet. It announced the unconditional surrender of the Holders’ rebellion, and denounced the late Lord Holdwick as a traitor to the imperial throne. Almost as an afterthought, at the bottom it mentioned that all mages held by the rebels would be delivered to the Emperor, along with his queen.
‘Interesting,’ she said, sliding a thread of vision into Lord Holdsmith’s mind. ‘By the way, where are the mages?’
The Holder’s thoughts flashed to a heavily guarded building in the lower town near the main gates. Daphne saw four hooded figures, chained and surrounded by soldiers. She recognised the street, and pulled her vision out, and sent it flying down the hill to the tents outside the town. As quickly as she was able, she pushed the image into Annifrid’s head, then found Killop, and gave him the signal to go.
‘That, Lady Holdfast,’ Lord Holdsmith said, ‘is not what we are here to discuss. Have you read the letter?’
‘What, this letter?’ she said, ripping the parchment in two, and letting the pieces fall to the floor. ‘How about I draft you a new one? “Dear Emperor, kiss my arse.” That should do it.’
Lady Terras laughed.
Daphne glanced at her. ‘You think it’s funny? It’s a pity your brother Quentin isn’t Lord of Hold Terras. I knew him when he was the ambassador in Rahain. He would never betray me, or Mirren, or the four mages.’
The elderly woman shrugged. ‘What you call betrayal, I call survival. It’s simple, really. If we fight on, then the Emperor will obliterate us one by one, wiping out our lands, and our family names. This way, we only lose six people, instead of thousands.’
Daphne sighed, and gazed around the room. ‘Are you really all so stupid? You actually believe the Emperor’s promises? After everything he did to the River Holdings? And Holder Vale, didn’t she surrender? Yet the Emperor still had her executed, and still destroyed her lands. What makes you think he won’t do the same to you, after you’ve handed us over?’
‘It’s not an easy decision,’ said Holder Elance, a young man whose father had been killed at Red Hills. He shook his head. ‘But I can see no alternative to accepting the Emperor’s demands. Sorry.’
‘Your father should never have instigated this rebellion,’ said Holder Wain. ‘It was a strategic error that we are all paying for. It is right and proper that Holder Fast carries some of that cost.’
‘My head on a stick, you mean?’ Daphne said. ‘Next to the queen’s, if she’s lucky and the Emperor hasn’t devised some other torment for her.’ She dropped her mask for a second, making plain her disgust for them. ‘Go on, then. Have your vote.’
Lord Holdsmith signalled to a courtier, who produced a rolled up scroll from within his tunic.
‘I took the liberty of making a copy,’ the Holder said, glancing at Daphne. He turned to address the hall. ‘Would those in favour of the draft letter, which signals our surrender, and our acquiescence to his Imperial Majesty’s demands, please raise their hands.’
Except for Daphne and Mirren, every Holder lifted their right hand in the air.
‘A clear majority,’ said Lord Holdsmith. He nodded to a nearby officer. ‘Captain, please take Holder Fast and Queen Mirren Blackhold into custody.’
There was a scuffle by the main doors as Daphne’s cavalryman escort was disarmed and put under guard. Daphne glanced at Mirren, nodded, then turned to face the approaching troopers. She raised her right hand, and a wave of energy surged out from her, sending the troopers collapsing to the ground, their eyes vacant, their swords and crossbows clattering across the marble floor.
‘I’m assuming control of the rebellion,’ Daphne said to the lords and ladies sitting open-mouthed around her. ‘The soldiers camped outside the town walls are now under my authority, as are the four mages.’
Lord Holdwain sprang to his feet, drawing a knife from under his cloak.
‘Die, Holdfast,’ he cried.
Daphne raised a finger and scoured his mind clean. He staggered, made a choking, gargling sound, then toppled over.
‘Would anyone else like to comment?’ Daphne said.
Lady Terras raised her hand.
‘Yes, Holder?’
The elderly woman glanced at the troopers lying on the floor. ‘Will they be all right?’
‘They’ll awake in an hour or so,’ she said. ‘They’ll be fine.’
�
��And him?’ she pointed at Lord Holdwain.
Daphne shook her head.
‘Do you intend to kill us, Holder Fast?’
‘Yes.’
‘In that case,’ the old lady said, ‘I ask to be spared. I have two hundred loyal troopers, who will join with yours, and I have information.’
‘Yeah? What?’
Lady Terras gazed round at the other Holders. ‘The deal with the Emperor,’ she said, ‘was struck before you walked into the room. Lord Holdsmith has already sent the letter announcing our surrender, and our intention to hand over those requested.’
Daphne shrugged. ‘You’ll have to do better, my lady, I’d already guessed that.’
Lady Terras smiled. ‘Yes, but did you guess that the Emperor is on his way to Royston at this very moment, carried through the air by winged gaien?’
‘No,’ Daphne said, ‘that I didn’t know. Get up, if you want to live.’
Lady Terras got to her feet, smoothing down her robes, as the other Holders stared at her, their hatred obvious.
Daphne turned to Mirren. ‘Your Majesty?’
The queen stood.
Lord Holdsmith shook his head. ‘Betrayed by those we wished to betray?’
‘What did you expect, Holder Smith?’ Mirren said. ‘Did you think we would meekly fall into the Emperor’s hands?’
There was a loud crash, and the main doors of the chamber were flung open. Hold Fast militia streamed in, and surrounded the Holders. Annifrid approached.
‘Commander,’ Daphne said, ‘please report.’
Annifrid bowed. ‘The mages are safely in our custody, my lady, and the town gates and armoury are under our control.’
‘Thank you, Commander,’ Daphne said. ‘Lady Terras has come over to our side. Please ensure her troopers are armed as a priority. Also, we’ll need to evacuate sooner than planned. Issue orders to flee immediately to the designated assembly points in the mountains.’
‘Immediately, my lady?’
Daphne nodded. ‘The Emperor’s on his way.’
She glanced at Mirren and Lady Terras. ‘Let’s go.’
They began to walk to the doors.
‘And the others?’ Annifrid said.
‘As we planned, Commander. No mercy.’
Daphne strode through the entrance to the hall, followed by the noise of crossbows thrumming and screams. More Hold Fast troopers were in the town square, along with others dressed in Blackhold colours from Mirren’s personal guard. A line of Holdsmith militia were on their knees by a wall, under guard.
The troopers hailed Daphne as she stood at the top of the steps, Mirren to her right, and Lady Terras to her left. They raised their weapons and roared out a cheer.
She lifted her right arm until there was silence.
‘Troopers of the Holdings,’ she cried, ‘this is a victory, but it’s a painful one. We have removed those who wished to betray us to the empire, but the damage caused by their treachery means that the Emperor himself will soon be here.’
Many soldiers peered up into the dark sky.
‘We have no time to waste,’ Daphne went on. She pointed at the group of Holdsmith militia. ‘Free them,’ she said. ‘Our fight is not with the troopers who were let down by their treacherous leaders, our fight is with the Emperor and his army of Rahain. Every trooper loyal to the Holdings must be allowed to arm themselves and evacuate, for when the Emperor arrives, and discovers that we have ruined his plans, I imagine his rage will be dark indeed.’
She paused, watching the troopers’ expressions grow grimmer.
‘This war is not over,’ she said, ‘but to carry on, we must hide our mages away, and scatter. We must learn a new way to fight, as rebels, and we will teach the Emperor and his invading army a bloody lesson they’ll never forget.’
She pointed to the great mass of rock behind her. ‘To the mountains.’
Six hours later Daphne sat by the edge of a high pass, looking down on the smoking ruins of Royston. The Emperor had gone, his flying gaien taking him away as quickly as they had brought him to the town a few hours earlier. In the intervening time, he had taken out his fury on the buildings of Royston, devastating it with an earthquake, and then incinerating the remains, along with hundreds of his loyal subjects, who had refused to flee with the rebels.
Killop passed her a hipflask, and she took a drink.
‘This is your area of expertise,’ she said, ‘mountain warfare, hit and run, guerrilla tactics.’
She glanced at him.
‘I want you as my commander,’ she went on. ‘Annifrid knows everything there is to know about heavy cavalry, but she doesn’t know how to fight the next stage of this war.’
He nodded. ‘I’ll do it, though you’ll have to get used to me calling you “my lady” in public.’
‘I look forward to it, Commander,’ she smiled. ‘Chane will be your second, once she’s recovered.’
‘This means we’ll have to leave Karalyn with Celine and Kylon more.’
‘I know,’ she said, ‘but she’s in danger wherever we go now. We can’t hide her away.’
‘They’d both die for her.’
‘Yes. They would.’ She stood. ‘Come on, the rest are waiting for us. You ready to go?’
‘Aye,’ he said, standing. ‘I am, my lady.’
Chapter 21
Shopping Trip
Imperial Rainsby – 20th Day, Last Third Autumn 507
‘Check the face on her,’ Keira smirked. ‘Like a fox licking piss off a nettle.’
Flora smiled, but said nothing, her long cloak trailing along the wet ground. Apart from their tramping feet, the woods were quiet.
‘Go on, Kallie,’ Keira went on, ‘give us a smile.’
Kallie glowered, but refused to take the bait.
‘Ye’ll be grateful once we’re back at the flying carriage,’ Keira said.
‘No, I won’t,’ Kallie snapped. ‘I’ll be playing nursemaid while you two get out of yer faces.’
Keira grinned.
‘You should join us,’ she said. ‘I cannae wait to take some dreamweed when we’re flying through the clouds.’
Kallie tutted. ‘Somebody has to be the grown up.’
‘Look, I don’t see the fucking problem,’ Keira said. ‘We had to stop anyway, and Rainsby’s only a few miles away. It’d be stupid to go right past it and not take a wee look.’
‘I don’t want to take a look,’ Kallie said, ‘and that’s not why we’re going. It’s so you can buy drugs and booze, and don’t fucking pretend otherwise.’
‘Alright, I won’t,’ Keira snarled. ‘Pyre’s fanny, you’re no fucking fun at all.’
Kallie shook her head. ‘I should have stayed in Kell.’
‘Yer fucking right ye should have,’ Keira said. She nudged Flora. ‘We should have got somebody else to come along. Somebody who wouldnae whine as much.’
They walked along the trail in silence, the trees close on either side, as dark, heavy clouds edged across the sky.
‘They way I see it,’ Keira said, ‘is that we’re heading to the Holdings, right? And what are the Holdings famous for? Being prudish wee wanks that try to ban everything that folk enjoy. There’ll be no weed or whisky up there, that’s why we have to stock up now. We’ve plenty of gold from the lizard mining compound, we should be able to put together a pretty good fucking deal.’
‘That money’s supposed to be for emergencies,’ Kallie said.
‘Aye, well being sober all the time is an emergency,’ she laughed, ‘of the highest fucking order.’
Flora frowned at her. ‘Quiet. Anyone within a mile’s radius will hear us if you keep making that racket.’
‘Alright, twinkletoes,’ Keira whispered, ‘is that better?’
To their left the trees began to thin, and Keira saw the town of Rainsby in the distance, down the flank of a gradual slope. She stopped.
‘There it is,’ she said. ‘Shithole central.’
‘And behind it,’
Kallie said, ‘is that the sea?’
‘Aye,’ Keira said, ‘the Inner fucking Sea.’
Kallie raised an eyebrow. ‘You sailed across that?’
‘Twice. Was spewing ma load the entire time. Thank fuck we’re flying, I couldnae handle a boat again.’
‘I can’t see any ships,’ Flora said, squinting into the distance.
‘So?’
‘The last time we were here the bay was filled with boats,’ the Holdings woman said, ‘and that large mound over there didn’t exist.’ She pointed towards a grassy hillock by the town gates.
‘There used to be a shanty town there,’ Keira said. ‘Or was that on my first visit, I cannae mind.’
‘So who lives here now?’ Kallie asked.
‘Not sure,’ Keira said. ‘Was full of Rahain, but Agang’s Sanang mob slaughtered them, and Kellach refugees moved in. But from what those arseholes I met in Domm said, they got kicked out by the Emperor.’
‘Or they were killed,’ said Flora. ‘Something’s under that mound.’
Keira shrugged. ‘Aye maybe. Folk are living here now, but. There’s smoke coming from those chimneys.’
They walked on further down the trail, edging closer to the town. The old refugee camp had been cleared away along with the shanty town, and the walls looked as if they had been recently repaired. A new gatehouse sat astride the main entrance, and Keira saw figures on the wooden battlements.
‘Holdings,’ she muttered. ‘Fuck.’
‘The prudes?’ Kallie laughed. ‘Let’s get back to the carriage, there’ll be no weed for you here.’
‘Hold on,’ Keira frowned. ‘Just cause they’re guarding the walls, doesnae mean that their church is in charge. Plenty of Holdings folk smoke and drink.’ She nudged Flora. ‘Don’t they?’
Flora shrugged. ‘I guess. Just depends if the One True Path are in control.’
‘Only one way to find out.’
‘Yer still thinking about going?’ Kallie said. ‘We’ve no idea what to expect inside, and that’s if they let us through the gates and don’t shoot us on sight.’
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