The hairs on the back of Tianne’s neck began to stand up and a primal urge to run started to build up in her chest. She released her connection to the Source but the awful feeling remained and there was a strange pressure in the air.
“Stop,” she said, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. “Stop, stop, stop.”
She was babbling but couldn’t help it. Garvey had attracted the attention of something primal and dangerous. It was a predator and she was its prey. Her instincts were telling her to run far away if she wanted to live.
“What is it?” said Garvey.
“Stop!” shouted Tianne.
Garvey finally heard her and she felt him sever his connection to the Source. She was breathing heavily and sweat had soaked into her clothing. For a time neither of them spoke and merely listened to the silence. There was a strange itch between her shoulders and a strong feeling of being watched. The hairs on her arms were still standing upright and her heart thumped loudly in her chest. Slowly, so slowly, her sense of the other began to ebb away. Tianne fell to her knees, her whole body awash with relief.
They’d both come very close to attracting the attention of something powerful, malicious and far beyond their understanding. She should have ignored her instincts and listened to the sensible part of her mind. It seemed as if she hadn’t learned. Garvey’s expression was a reminder of everything she’d forgotten. While she was terrified by what had just happened he seemed elated at the discovery.
Garvey was dangerous. He didn’t know when to stop and eventually it would be the death of him. She didn’t belong here and had no intention of being caught up in his schemes.
Without saying another word Tianne ran from the cells, leaving him alone in the darkness. She never wanted to see him again in her life.
Tianne made it back to the ground floor without any problem and took a moment to catch her breath. The sooner she put some distance between her and this city the better off she would be. Now all she had to do was get out of the palace without being seen.
Just as she was creeping down a corridor a voice called out from the shadows sending her heart racing again.
“I knew something was wrong,” said Kalina, moving into the light. She was fully dressed in her mage’s uniform but so far hadn’t embraced the Source. “Ever since you went to visit Garvey you’ve been different.”
“It started long before that.” There seemed no reason to lie at this point. “I don’t want to fight you but I’m leaving Zecorria tonight,” said Tianne.
“Tell me why? I need to understand.”
Tianne sighed and leaned against the wall. She was just so damn tired. All she wanted to do was lie down and go to sleep. “The Regent doesn’t care about us. The only reason he created the amnesty was to protect himself against Garvey and the other rogue mages. He said it was for the people, but he only cares about himself.”
“What about the charlatans and the con men?” said Kalina. “They were hurting people.”
“You’re right, they were, but what do you think happened to them?” asked Tianne. “Do you think he let them go with a warning or a beating? I saw Frohake’s beaten and bloody corpse. There’s someone else rotting in the cell next to Garvey if you want to take a look.”
A crack showed in Kalina’s brave façade. “Why would he do that?”
Tianne shrugged. “Because he can, and who can stop him?”
“I can’t believe the Regent would do that.”
“He did.” Tianne knew in her heart the Regent was a far worse con man than any of those they’d caught in the city. “There’s already been too much violence against magic users. It needs to stop.”
“You’re running away.”
“I’m surviving. He banned all Seekers and then, when it suited him, created the amnesty. If the wind blows south tomorrow he could change his mind again and ban all mages. You need to be careful.”
“Stay. Help us build something different. Teach us how to fight. He can’t stand up to all of us if we work together.”
It was a noble idea and the sentiment appealed to her, but even Tianne could see it was naïve. If they stood up to the Regent he would wear them down or have them murdered in their sleep. The cadre was fumbling along with its magic and with only a couple of years’ experience she wasn’t the right person to teach them. They would lose if they ever came across a trained Battlemage or worse, a Sorcerer. Tianne knew that if Garvey really wanted to he could destroy the entire cadre by himself. There was also the real possibility he might bring doom to himself, and anyone nearby inside the palace, with his meddling. It was much safer to be far away from him.
“The Regent is cold and ruthless. They threw me into a water cell when I first arrived.”
“I know, but that was just a mistake,” said Kalina, making excuses for him. Her faith in him was admirable but misplaced.
“Was it?” asked Tianne. She’d thought about this a great deal since the Regent had apparently saved her. The more she went over it in her mind the more she believed it had been staged for her benefit.
“Come with me,” said Tianne.
“What?”
“Tonight. Right now. We can leave together and build a new life somewhere else.”
“Where would we go? How would we live?”
“I have a friend who can help us,” said Tianne. She wanted to trust Kalina, and would tell her more about Wren and her community once they were on the road, but right now she couldn’t tell if this was another of the Regent’s ploys. “She’s building a different kind of community.”
Kalina considered it but eventually shook her head. “I can’t. My father is here and this is my home. You should stay. We can find a way together to make it better.”
“I’m sorry, I can’t,” said Tianne. “I should never have come back. I don’t belong here.”
“The Regent will be disappointed.”
“Are you going to try and stop me?” asked Tianne, bracing herself in case she had to form a shield.
“No. You were right about one thing. There’s been too much violence against mages. I’m not going to stop you.”
“That’s a relief,” said Tianne with a smile. Kalina was perhaps the only thing she would miss about Zecorria. “Be careful. The Regent is not as kind as he seems. It would be safer if you pretended that you hadn’t seen me.”
Kalina nodded and turned away, heading back towards her room.
Tianne embraced the Source and crept through the corridors of the palace, listening for other people with her enhanced hearing, but she saw no one. She emerged into a courtyard and found the night was cool and crisp with faint grey clouds scudding by overhead. Taking a deep breath she tasted the air and wondered if she would ever return to Zecorria again.
Moving with purpose she crafted a crude set of stairs by freezing the air into blocks of ice. The surface of each was incredibly slippery but she took her time and eventually reached the top. By the time the sun came up the ice would have melted and she would be riding south. She glanced at the palace one final time and then turned her back on it and everyone inside.
CHAPTER 41
Akosh gestured for Doggett to continue with his report but she wasn’t really paying attention. She heard enough to pick up the main points but her mind was focused on a larger issue.
Doggett continued to tell her about the Regent. He’d now secured the capital city and all potential mages had been rounded up and either indoctrinated into his cadre or eliminated. Any charlatans had been beaten and were in hiding or they’d been murdered. Now he was setting his sights on expanding into nearby towns and cities. With twelve, previously thirteen, mages he’d begun to change the mood towards magic in Herakion. It was years away from a significant shift, but Zecorria was on the right path.
The thirteenth young mage had apparently run away, much to the Regent’s annoyance. Attempts were being made to find her but Doggett said they weren’t actually spending much time on it. He and Selina’s other age
nts had more important matters to focus on, such as continuing to earn the Regent’s trust and the respect of those closest to him. He and his first wife, Selina, were regularly relying on Doggett and the others which she would be able to use to her advantage in the future.
Akosh’s mind kept drifting back to her meeting with Kai. She wondered if he knew about Selina’s agents and that they were all loyal to her. Perhaps they could do some investigating to find out how many people he had in the city. Beyond the doctors and apothecarists she was willing to bet there were people hiding in plain sight just like some of hers. If she was going to make a move against him she would first need to secure the capital city.
“Mother?” asked Doggett, sensing her distraction.
“I’m listening,” she said, gesturing for him to continue.
Kai had been so strong. Beyond anything she’d imagined. The only comparable experience she’d had was her first encounter with Nethun. The weight of his presence and vastness of his power had been humbling. One of her brethren had been driven to his knees. Part of her wondered how she could oppose someone almost as timeless and equally dangerous. Kai was worse in some ways as he was more devious.
He’d grown so powerful without the others noticing. But then they were always distracted by the mortals. They tended to focus on the larger issues of wars, the continual death of magic and political scheming between nations. And all the while Kai had been establishing a new following to grow his foundation, while gobbling up smaller gods and absorbing their power.
The image of her friends trapped inside Kai while he continually feasted on them still made her squirm. That was why she had to proceed with caution bordering on extreme paranoia. If he sensed what she was doing Akosh knew he wouldn’t give her any kind of warning. She would go to sleep one night and wake up inside that abyss as he slowly drained the life from her. It would be a long, painful and very slow death. She would beg for the emptiness of the Void long before it found her.
Perhaps an alliance was her only chance of survival. Perhaps she should turn to her brethren for protection. He would never expect her to do that. Akosh couldn’t believe she was even contemplating it, but in her desperation she was willing to try anything.
Despite the pretence of being a peculiar family, her kind rarely aided one another and many were in direct competition. Each was busy pursuing their own goals and it didn’t profit them to help someone else become more powerful.
Every year there were more distractions for the mortals that took them away from religion. New pursuits created traditions of their own and sometimes this meant prayer was such a low priority it disappeared from their daily life. The mortals were always so busy chasing their ambitions, obtaining wealth or land, that faith became unnecessary.
It was why she continually saw new faces appearing at the banqueting table while others were forced to transform themselves in order to survive. She’d done it and had thought it made her powerful in comparison to her peers.
“Mother?” said Doggett. She realised he’d stopped talking a while ago. “Are you well? Can I help?”
“No. You can’t. Be silent.” As obedient as a trained hound he closed his mouth.
If she told Vargus the truth, or at least part of the truth, and begged for his protection then perhaps she could survive. She would not be a slave to Kai. He’d not given her any direct orders but had told her to continue as normal for now. Akosh knew it wouldn’t last. Very soon he would send one of his people to her and ask for a favour. It would be something small and apparently insignificant but Akosh wouldn’t be able to refuse. And if she said yes to him once then it would be increasingly difficult to say no after that. It would be the beginning of the end.
Would Vargus protect her? Or would he throw her to the wolves?
Despite her orders the sound of rapid footsteps in the corridor brought Doggett to his feet. His first instinct was still to protect her. He stood next to the door with a dagger held low as the runner approached. Someone frantically knocked on the door and Akosh could hear them breathing heavily.
“Yes?”
“Mother, I have urgent news,” said a muffled voice.
“Come in,” she said.
A red-faced woman she vaguely recognised stumbled into the room, wheezing and holding her sides while she tried to get her breathing under control. “A bird just came into the aviary. Bad news from Perizzi,” she said.
Akosh had been expecting the opposite. Three more of her people were due to ascend to key positions of power in the city. It should have moved her one step closer to destabilising Yerskania and unseating Queen Morganse from the throne. “Take a moment, then tell me exactly what’s happened.”
Doggett had sheathed his dagger and handed the woman a glass of water. She sat down in the chair opposite and Akosh gave her a moment to compose herself.
“Something awful has happened, Mother,” said the woman. Akosh was listening but couldn’t help staring at the birdshit on the shoulders and one sleeve of the woman’s jacket. That would be why she didn’t recognise her. She’d never been in the aviary as it stank and she had no desire to be crapped on by a messenger bird.
“Did someone die? Was it one of my people?” she asked, refusing to call them children. It was a term she was starting to despise, much like when they called her Mother.
The woman began to cry and one of Akosh’s hands twitched. She wanted to slap the woman hard across the face but that would only prolong the conversation. Instead she gripped her hand and gave it a squeeze she would no doubt interpret as comforting. “What has happened?” Akosh asked again, through gritted teeth.
“Everyone is gone in Perizzi, Mother. At least thirty-seven of your children are dead. They were all killed in one night.”
“Who? Give me some names?”
The woman listed a dozen and Akosh held up a hand to silence her. Rohane had been her replacement for the Dockmaster and Tovin the new Minister of Trade. The others were all key figures spread out across the city, either in a position of power or due to inherit very soon.
“How did they die?” asked Akosh.
“Some had what seemed like accidents. They choked on their food. Three drowned and seven died in their sleep. It wouldn’t have been unusual, except they all died on the same night.”
It was possible Kai had done this but it seemed unlikely. It made no sense for him to tell her one thing only to do the exact opposite. He had an agenda of his own and for now it suited him to let her continue with her plans. That meant it was one of the human groups working against her. The Guardians wouldn’t kill that many people. They would want them arrested and put on trial. Perhaps the mages from the Red Tower were moving against her and seeking revenge.
“Was there anything unusual about any of the murders?” said Akosh.
“At least eight were eliminated by the Silent Order. Their symbol was found beside the bodies.”
The woman shuddered as she mentioned their name. The Silent Order. It was an ancient league of assassins that possessed a fierce reputation. Most humans were afraid of them as they seemed as elusive and difficult to catch as a shadow on the wall. It was rumoured they were responsible for the deaths of kings and queens and had shaped the course of history down through the centuries.
The reality behind the organisation was a lot more mundane. Akosh only knew the truth as, during her first incarnation as the deity of killers, she’d learned their secret. Despite the appearance of being an independent group who made their own decisions, the Silent Order had connections to Queen Morganse.
The group often carried out dirty work that left the hands of the Yerskani ruler clean. Their symbol was left beside a body when a clear message needed to be sent. At other times the murders were so carefully staged they were made to resemble accidents. Akosh wasn’t fooled. The Silent Order had killed all thirty-seven of them.
“Why would they do it?” asked the woman.
“Why indeed?” said Akosh.
A fe
w weeks ago she would have been distraught at the loss of so many of her children. She would have been crippled with grief, and raging. She would have gone on a drunken binge for days. Now, thanks to Kai putting the mortals and her true nature into perspective, she only felt irritated at their deaths. It was another serious setback to her plans in Yerskania but no more than that. She had other less prominent children in Perizzi and it would take her years to manoeuvre them into position of power, but she was not about to give up.
Her plans in Zecorria were continuing apace as her people made themselves indispensable to the Regent and his wife. Choilan would be the fulcrum she used to create a nation of her own, but this attack on her could not go unpunished. Especially when it was only a mere mortal she was dealing with.
“This was all Queen Morganse,” said Akosh, thinking aloud. “She orchestrated it.”
“Are you sure?” asked the woman.
Akosh ignored her question and gestured at Doggett to get rid of her. The sight of her was beginning to be a distraction. He escorted her from the room and returned alone a short time later. It had been a bold move by the Queen. It was one thing to find out someone was attempting to undermine your city from within every organisation with influence. It was something else entirely to cut them all out like gangrenous flesh. Sever the limb and with luck the infection wouldn’t spread.
If those had been her only people in the city it might have worked. Akosh scribbled down a note and held it out.
“What do you want me to do, Mother?” asked Doggett, taking the message.
“Send this to Perizzi as soon as possible. A clear message needs to be sent to those who would interfere in my plans.”
Until now she had worked hard to keep her name and identity a secret. It was starting to seem as if that no longer mattered. Both her brethren and the mortals were increasingly aware of her name and activities.
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