The Magelands Box Set

by Christopher Mitchell

  She sipped her ale. ‘Mind ye were asking if I’d keep my eye out for any odd-looking folk?’ she went on. ‘This morning I got paid a fortune by someone arriving in the city, and wanting to hide. While everyone else is leaving, this crazy fucker is paying me to stay.’

  Keira nodded, drinking her ale.

  ‘And that wasn’t the only weird thing about him,’ the woman went on. ‘He had two folk with him, a shabby looking Rahain guy, and a Holdings girl.’

  ‘That’s not that weird,’ Flora said. ‘People are mixing more with each other all the time.’

  ‘Aye,’ the woman said. ‘This Holdings girl was only a bairn, but, and ye don’t see that often.’

  Keira frowned.

  ‘A Kellach guy with a wee Holdings girl?’

  ‘Aye.’

  ‘What did the guy look like?’

  The woman shrugged. ‘Twenties, miserable bastard. Was wearing a long black coat.’

  Keira spat out her drink. The woman raised an eyebrow, wiping ale from her leg.

  ‘What was his name?’ said Flora.

  ‘I didn’t ask,’ said the woman. ‘Just like I’ve not been asking you lot any questions. One thing the guy did ask me though, was if I’d seen a Rakanese woman that he’s looking for.’

  ‘Do you remember what she was called?’

  The woman rubbed her chin. ‘Cilla?’

  ‘Shella?’

  ‘Aye, something like that. I told him to go down to the docks. There’s not many frog folk left in the city, but that’s where she’ll be if she’s here, I told him.’

  Keira tried to think, but she couldn’t imagine how the news could be anything but bad.

  ‘Where are they now?’ she said.

  ‘In the tunnels under the Old Town,’ the woman said. ‘I offered him a big apartment, after all he had plenty of gold on him, but he said wanted to stay hidden.’

  Kallie smirked. ‘And yet you’re telling us about him.’

  ‘You’re leaving,’ she shrugged. ‘What’s the difference?’

  ‘We’re not leaving just yet,’ said Keira. ‘We’re going to visit the Old Town first.’

  ‘Hold on,’ the woman said. ‘He’s paying me for protection. I can’t be having ye going round and beating him up or anything.’

  ‘It’ll be fine,’ Keira said, ‘we just want to talk to him. Will ye show us where he is?’

  The woman frowned. ‘Aye, alright.’ She gazed at her. ‘No trouble, mind.’

  ‘It cannae be Kylon, surely?’ Kallie said, as they walked along the quiet streets towards the Old Town.

  ‘I fucking hope it is,’ said Flora, ‘otherwise we’re wasting two hours for nothing. We should be on our way.’

  ‘We will be soon, my wee Flora,’ Keira said. ‘Patience.’

  ‘And this bag’s heavy,’ Flora said. ‘I packed it thinking it was going straight onto a wagon. I wasn’t expecting to be lugging it around town.’

  The large woman raised an eyebrow at Keira. ‘Does she always complain?’

  ‘No,’ Keira smirked. ‘They take it in turns.’

  The woman grinned. They took a right, crossing over an open sewer running down the middle of the street. Keira crinkled her nose.

  ‘I’ll not miss the fucking smell,’ she said.

  They passed an alley with a long row of burnt-out tenements. Their roofs had collapsed, and the blackened walls looked like they could follow at any moment. At the end of the street was the Old Town wall, cutting across the Kellach quarter, and running up to where the Emergency Wall sealed off the New Town. The gates to the Old Town were open, with no one guarding or watching who passed back and forth.

  They went through, and the character of the city changed. The streets were narrower, and the buildings lower and older. The fire damage was also less severe, the Emperor having restricted his rampage to the Kellach quarter, but the poverty and squalor were as bad as anywhere she had seen, even Rainsby. The population were mostly Holdings, with a few scattered Kellach and Rakanese. Many were crippled, and sat on street corners, begging.

  Compared to the quiet streets of the Kellach quarter, the Old Town was bustling. A few market stalls had stock for sale, and several taverns and shops were open for business. More were boarded up and closed however, and the food being sold was poor quality at exorbitant prices. They pressed on down a busy thoroughfare, then came to a square. Ahead loomed the gates and walls of the massive fortress. It stood at the corner of the Old Town, its other side facing the New.

  Its gates were closed, and though no soldiers were on duty outside, the local populace were giving the building a wide berth. Every window on the Old Town side had been bricked up, and the building seemed lifeless.

  ‘He’s in there, is he?’ said Keira.

  ‘Aye,’ said the woman. ‘The queen’s back too. He captured her up north and brought her home.’

  ‘I bet she’s fucking ecstatic about that.’

  The woman chuckled. ‘There’s rumours that she’ll be hanged at a big public execution, but that’s all it is, a rumour. No one knows what the fuck’s going on inside, and anyone who tells you different is a liar.’

  They went down a side lane, losing sight of the fortress. They reached an old tavern and the woman knocked. The door opened, and a man looked them over.

  ‘Ma’am,’ he bowed to the woman, and let them in. They went to the kitchen, and the man pulled away a rug, revealing a trapdoor beneath.

  Flora shook her head. ‘Right under their fucking noses.’

  ‘That’s right, little lady,’ the woman smiled.

  The man opened the trapdoor and they climbed down. The woman left one of her minders by the entrance to the trap door, and the other followed along. At the bottom of the ladder, she led them through a series of winding tunnels, well lit by wall lamps. They passed chambers and caverns where supplies and weapons had been stock-piled, and rooms where folk huddled and hid. They went down another ladder to a lower level, where damp from the Inner Sea stained the walls, and left puddles on the rocky ground.

  ‘Here we are,’ the woman said, pointing to a cavern with a curtain pulled across the entrance. ‘Remember,’ she said, ‘you’re here to talk. If you feel the need for violence, come back out here, and we’ll negotiate, but for now the occupants of this chamber are under my protection. Don’t forget it.’

  Keira nodded.

  The woman snapped her fingers, and her minder pulled the curtain back. Keira walked through, followed by Kallie and Flora.

  The chamber was lit by a single lamp. There was a row of low pallet beds, with bags sitting on two. There was also a table, with four chairs. On one sat a Rahain man, who looked up as they entered.

  ‘Baoryn, ya auld bastard!’ Keira cried, throwing her backpack to the ground. ‘I’ve not seen you in years.’

  The Rahain man stared at her.

  ‘This is Baoryn,’ Keira said to Flora and Kallie. ‘Met him in the Brig Pass. He was a prisoner, but joined our side. Was always a useful wee bastard, back when we were fighting the Rahain, as they’d never be expecting one of them to be working with us.’

  Keira laughed, then noticed that Baoryn hadn’t moved an inch since she walked in, his features frozen. She walked over to the table and sat. Flora and Kallie pulled off their packs, and slung them to the ground.

  ‘Hi,’ said Flora to the Rahain man, who didn’t respond. She raised an eyebrow. ‘Talkative fellow, isn’t he?’

  She and Kallie sat at the table. Baoryn started to edge backwards.

  ‘So,’ Keira said, ‘where the fuck is that arsehole?’

  ‘Who?’ Baoryn muttered, his tongue flickering.

  Keira smirked. ‘Don’t give me your shite, ya wee lizard fuck, ye know fine who I’m talking about.’

  His eyes darted to the curtain at the cavern’s entrance.

  ‘Thinking of running?’ Keira said. ‘Try it. I’ll be more than happy to beat the information out of ye, if ye don’t feel like talking.’

&
nbsp; A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead.

  ‘Keep yer hands on the table where I can see them,’ Keira snarled. She drew a knife from her boot, and poked him in the ribs. ‘Now, I’ll keep this simple. Yes or no answers. First, you came into the city with Kylon, right?’

  He nodded.

  ‘And a wee Holdings girl?’

  He paused, and she jabbed the knife a fraction deeper. He flinched. Kallie moved her seat round so she was behind him, and held her own knife to his back.

  He nodded.

  ‘My niece?’ Keira said.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Are Daphne and Killop alive?’

  ‘Yes,’ Baoryn said. ‘I think so.’

  ‘Thank fuck,’ she said. ‘I thought you being here meant they’d been killed or something.’ She shook her head. ‘Still, them being alive means that either they asked you to take their child into danger, or you stole her. Which is it?’

  Baoryn said nothing.

  ‘Ye stole her, ya fucking pair of shitstains?’ Keira said, her eyes tightening. She moved the knife up to his throat. ‘Now answer this, ya bastard. Where are they? What’s that fuckhead doing with my niece?’

  Baoryn shook his head, and his eyes flickered towards the back of the cavern. Keira frowned, and stood.

  ‘Keep that knife on him,’ she said to Kallie, and walked by the row of pallets, to where baggage had been heaped. Her eyes looked over the packs and trunks, and a thick pile of blankets.

  Her mouth opened.

  In among the blankets a young girl was lying asleep, her dark-skinned face almost hidden under the covers. Keira lifted the blankets. The girl was dressed in a simple tunic, her arms and legs stick-thin, her face gaunt.

  ‘What the fuck?’ she muttered, gazing at the girl. She looked more unconscious than sleeping. ‘Flora, get over here.’

  The Holdings woman approached. ‘What is it? Oh. Oh shit.’

  ‘Is she alright, do you think?’ Keira said.

  ‘I’m not a physician,’ Flora said, ‘but no, she looks far from fucking alright.’

  Keira felt anger grip her. She clenched her teeth and stood, turning to face the Rahain man. She strode across to him and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him clear of the chair.

  ‘What the fuck have ye done to her, ya piece of shit? I’ll fucking rip yer head off.’

  The Rahain man choked, his hands trying to pull her grip away. She squeezed tighter.

  ‘Yer going to kill him,’ said Kallie. ‘Not that I mind, but he probably knows where Kylon is.’

  Keira threw the Rahain man against the wall, his body cracking off the side of the cavern and collapsing onto a bed pallet. He rolled off and hit the floor.

  Kallie stared. ‘Ya radge cow. Ye’ve fucking killed him.’

  Keira said nothing, her eyes on the twisted shape Baoryn’s body was making on the ground.

  The curtain parted and the woman walked in, her minder lurking nearby.

  ‘What the fuck did I say?’ she said, glancing at the Rahain man. ‘This is my fucking town, ye cannae just come in here and tread all over my rules. These bastards paid me…’

  ‘Look what they’ve done to my niece,’ Keira said. ‘Sorry for breaking the rules, but this one’s personal.’

  The woman went to where Flora was crouched, and gazed down at the girl.

  ‘Holy shit,’ she muttered.

  ‘They abducted her,’ Keira said. ‘The bastards stole her from my brother.’

  The woman straightened, and turned to Keira.

  ‘The girl’s Holdings.’

  ‘Aye.’

  ‘Then how the fuck can she be yer niece?’

  ‘Her fucking mother’s Holdings,’ Keira said. ‘Look, I don’t give a shit what ye think, I’m taking that girl out of here with me. There’s no way I’m leaving her with the fucker that stole her.’

  ‘Well, ye’ve already killed that one,’ the woman said, pointing at where Baoryn lay.

  ‘Aye, and I admit it, I’m probably going to kill the Kellach guy as well.’

  The woman folded her arms. ‘It’ll cost ye.’

  Keira bared her teeth. ‘Ye want me to pay to take my own fucking niece?’

  ‘I’ve only your word for that,’ the woman said.

  ‘Flora,’ Keira said, ‘pick up the girl.’

  The Holdings woman gathered the sleeping child in her arms. ‘I won’t be able to carry her and my pack out of here,’ she said, grunting.

  ‘I’ll take it,’ said Kallie, edging across the room.

  The woman stared at them.

  The child squirmed in Flora’s arms, then threw up down her leathers. She began to shiver, her body convulsing.

  ‘This isn’t good,’ Flora said. ‘We can’t put her on a wagon in this condition.’

  Keira frowned.

  ‘If I blow this whistle,’ the woman said, pulling a chain from round her neck, ‘these caverns will be full of guards within a minute. Put the child down, and step away.’

  ‘Don’t fucking try to stop us,’ Keira said.

  The woman’s minder put his hand on the hilt of his sword.

  The curtain parted, and Kylon walked in.

  Keira stared at him. His black hair fell about his shoulders, framing his permanently down-turned expression. His long coat trailed along the ground behind him, and he had a sack over one shoulder. His eyes widened as he saw her.

  ‘You know these folk?’ the woman said.

  ‘Aye,’ he replied, his eyes never leaving Keira’s face.

  ‘This woman claims that the girl is her niece,’ the woman went on.

  ‘She is,’ Kylon said.

  The woman raised an eyebrow. ‘Seems I owe you an apology.’

  Keira shrugged. ‘Ask him if he stole her.’

  The woman glanced at Kylon. ‘No,’ she said. ‘This is family business, and I’m not getting involved in that. Your wagon though, will ye still be needing it?’

  ‘Aye,’ said Keira, ‘but not today.’

  ‘It’s three gold a day to keep it stored and ready to go at short notice. And it’ll be more if yer thinking of staying on in yer apartment until the girl’s better.’

  Keira reached into her pouch of gold. ‘Here’s fifty for now. Come and see me if we’re still in the city when it runs out.’

  The woman nodded. ‘Been a pleasure doing business with you.’ She gestured to her minder. ‘Let’s go.’

  ‘So I can kick this guy’s arse?’ Keira said.

  ‘If he kidnapped yer niece,’ she said as she was leaving, ‘feel free to do worse than that.’

  The minder pulled the curtain for her, and they left.

  Keira leapt forward before anyone else could move and swung her fist at Kylon’s face, striking his nose. Blood gushed, and he staggered. Kallie drove her heel into the back of his knee and he toppled over. He reached down to pull his sword from its scabbard, but Keira stood over him and punched him again, unleashing all her strength and rage. Her fist dislocated his jaw and he went down, his head striking the side of a bed pallet on the way to the ground.

  ‘Tie him,’ she said, rubbing her bleeding hand. ‘Got a few questions for the fucker.’

  Keira paced the wooden floor of their apartment, cursing her strength. Kylon was still unconscious, and hadn’t stirred once while they had transported him, Karalyn and all of their belongings back to their rented place in the Kellach quarter. More coins had been spent on arranging the disposal of Baoryn’s body, and the entire operation had taken over three hours.

  Flora was through in their bedroom, watching over Karalyn. Keira could hear the girl’s groans and soft cries, and wondered why she hadn’t just killed Kylon. Kallie handed her an ale and a lit weedstick.

  She nodded, gazing into Kylon’s broken face. She may have scarred his nose for life. It looked swollen and bent to the right, the blood trailing down over the deep bruises under his eyes.

  ‘He’s not so pretty now,’ Kallie said.

  Keira sai
d nothing.

  Kallie walked round the chair where they had propped up Kylon, and checked that the ropes were tight. She glanced up at Keira.

  ‘Are ye ever going to wake him?’ she said. ‘Ye cannae just stand there staring at him all afternoon.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘I said, are ye ever actually going to wake him up?’

  ‘Aye,’ she said, frowning. ‘Alright.’

  She threw her mug of ale over him.

  Kylon spluttered, the ale mixing with the blood on his face. His eyes opened a crack and he gazed around the room.

  ‘Where’s the child?’

  ‘Safe,’ said Keira.

  ‘Baoryn?’

  ‘Dead.’

  He closed his eyes, and sobbed.

  ‘This is happening all wrong,’ he said.

  ‘Ye’ve got that fucking right.’

  ‘You being here,’ he said, his words slurring, ‘is better than I could ever have imagined. It’s fate. Kalayne told me to trust that you’d be here, all I had to do was get the child to Plateau City, and you and Shella would find us. You’re here, and Shella is surely on her way, just as he foretold.’

  He gazed up at her.

  ‘It’s all coming true, just like he said.’ More tears spilled down his face. ‘That’s why I left you, during the battle before the walls of this city. Kalayne told me I had to protect the child, and bring her here when the time was right.’

  ‘What’s wrong with her?’ Keira said.

  Kylon paused, and swallowed.

  Keira leaned over him, her face inches away. ‘What have you done to her?’

  Kylon closed his eyes. ‘Dullweed.’

  Keira and Kallie stared at him.

  ‘You fucking…’

  ‘…prick.’

  ‘Flora!’ Keira cried. ‘Get yer arse through here.’

  The Holdings woman came through to the living room and Keira glanced over at her.

  ‘We’re dealing with dullweed withdrawals,’ she said.

  ‘Fuck.’

  ‘How long?’ Keira asked Kylon.

  ‘Fifteen days,’ he whispered.