Fire and Gold (Sisters of the North Book 1)

by Mara Amberly

  Cassia glared at her sister and left the room. Alexa and Brigita followed. They managed to get the next door open, and found the room empty. There were no screams or calls for help. The smoke was overwhelming, even with the flow of fresh air that Alexa channelled in from outside. The threat of falling debris was ever-present.

  Cassia called out, “is there anyone trapped?”

  There was no answer.

  “What about the Arch-Magister?” Cassia asked.

  “We can’t help her,” Brigita said.

  “She’ll be in the tower. She’s a powerful woman, so she may be able to protect herself if she’s still alive.”

  “There has to be more we can do!” Alexa exclaimed. “Wait – just a minute, wait, please.”

  She tried to channel the magick around to enhance her abilities. It was hard to channel the currents of air at the same time, but she did. Sounds burst to life, loud – almost deafening. She listened with crystal clarity for sounds around them. All she heard was flames burning through the temple; debris falling, and wood cracking. She heard no sobs, or pleas, but the coughing of Cassia, Brigita and the young woman they’d found overwhelmed her hearing.” She cut the spell abruptly.

  “Nothing. I don’t hear anyone else in here!” There was a note of desperation in Alexa’s voice.

  “I don’t think we can do much more,” Cassia said, feeling terrible but worried that they might not make it out alive.

  “I want to get out of here,” Hermea said.

  Alexa looked to Brigita, but she couldn’t stop coughing.

  It seemed to seal the decision to leave.

  Alexa cried as they made their way downstairs, trying to keep their balance and breathe through the cloths covering their mouths. It became clear that if they didn’t have air magick, they likely wouldn’t have lasted this long inside the temple or they’d have had to leave earlier.

  They found the ground floor littered with fallen debris; the air was a murky haze. It was hard to tell the way out, but Cassia got them to the corridor where they’d come in.

  “No, this way,” Brigita said, leading them toward the kitchen. “There’s a trapdoor.”

  Alexa wasn’t sure the whole building wouldn’t come down on their heads, but they were still alive.

  Their escape to the kitchen was a blur; it was hard to see much at all through the acrid smoke. Brigita must’ve opened the trap door, because the first Alexa saw of it was when Brigita was guiding her through it. She was met with almost complete darkness. The air was blissfully fresh here, though the smoke flowed in quickly from the room above. All four ladies were coughing hard as they made their way into the small space.

  Brigita took a lantern from an alcove on the wall and said to Cassia, “be a dear and light this.” She didn’t bother with the tinder box because they didn’t need it.

  Alexa had thought this was just a basement, perhaps for food storage, but when Brigita shattered a stone wall with a flash of magick, she knew it was more than that.

  “This tunnel was built in case we ever needed it. Only the senior sisters knew of its existence. It connects with the crypts.”

  Brigita’s hand was bleeding lightly from a wound she couldn’t remember taking. When Cassia noticed, she murmured, “It’s alright. I’ll carry the lantern.”

  Once the wick caught flame, the sisters saw they were in a tunnel with bare stone walls. It had been carved out of the rock, with the walls gritty rather than smooth, most likely by earth workers like Brigita. For the first time, the ladies got a good look at each other since they’d entered the temple amidst smoke and flame. All were stained with ash, soot and tears. Alexa knew she should introduce herself to the younger girl, the almost-initiate, but there would hopefully be time for that later.

  “Let’s hurry,” Alexa said, encouraging the women to follow her more quickly down the passageway. She didn’t want to be underneath the building if it collapsed.

  PART TWO

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  The view from the hillside was disturbing. There was an element of safety that hadn’t been there before, when they’d been at the scene of the attack. Now the Temple of Solitude appeared a small structure in the distance, burning like a bonfire in the night. It was strange to Alexa that a building that was so clearly marble on the outside could burn as this one did. Even though the sun had set and the moon had risen, smoke was still visible, a swirl of grey against the night sky.

  Alexa could still smell it and taste it – that flavour of smoke and ash, as she remembered. While she counted herself lucky to have escaped with her life, and the others who’d survived, she knew it could’ve ended differently. Would this mark the end for the Sisters of Destiny in the city of Kalle? Four was such a paltry number compared to the dozens of priestesses and soon-to-be initiates who’d been at the temple this morning before the tragedy. She’d had breakfast this morning with over a dozen of her sisters. It was hard to fathom that so much could change in the course of one day.

  It had taken time to find safety on the hillside. She’d thought of seeking shelter at the cabin close to the temple, where Cassia had met with Josef, but there were reasons why they hadn’t. For one, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t be found there, and the passage they’d followed led away from the temple toward the city’s merchant district. They’d entered the crypts and continued beyond them for what seemed like miles, until they reached another trapdoor. It looked to be their destination.

  The basement was empty when Brigita climbed through the carefully-concealed trapdoor. Alexa followed and helped Cassia out.

  Brigita was surprised that from above, the cover looked like an ordinary flagstone. No one would’ve known the tunnel was there.

  Hermea was the last to exit the tunnel.

  “This is the King’s Head Tavern,” Brigita said with a grin.

  Moments later, one of the serving girls walked in and recoiled in surprise.

  “How did you get in here?” she asked.

  “It’s alright,” Brigita reassured her. We just popped out of a hole in your floor.

  Cassia quickly pushed the trapdoor closed with her foot and set the cover back in place.

  “We will need a room to rent – for the four of us, and water to wash with,” Brigita stated.

  The serving girl nodded, appearing a bit nervous because she knew something must be going on.

  “I will speak to the innkeeper.”

  Brigita appeared comfortable with the suggestion. “Please do. If we can make our way upstairs without walking through the common room, then that would be my preference. We will also need bread and stew for four and some supplies for the road.”

  Half an hour later, the four of them were alone in their inn room, as one by one they washed away the dirt, blood and ash from their ordeal and tended their wounds.

  “It’s not safe to stay here long,” Brigita said, sensing how disappointed and exhausted the other sisters were. “They might be checking the inns and other locations nearby to see if anyone got away.”

  The girl they’d rescued, Hermea, looked hesitant. “It doesn’t seem like it would be very safe out there right now.”

  Their first step had been procuring normal clothes so they could blend in with the other city-folk in Kalle. It was necessary to conceal their weapons, but they also wanted them close in case they needed to draw their weapons quickly. Wearing them in the open would be too obvious, especially if anyone was keeping watch for priestesses who may have escaped the slaughter.

  Their knives were easy enough to conceal, but it was decided the swords should be wrapped in cloth and carried in sling bags. That way, if they needed their swords, they could draw them and remove the cloth. They would be slow, but they would also be cautious and even cloth-covered, a sword could be used to parry.

  After a short rest, the priestesses travelled north but chose to stay off the main thoroughfare. They noticed several patrols of dark-clad men who were most certainly not city guards.

/>   Brigita had reason to suspect they were out hunting for priestesses such as themselves.

  Now the four ladies rested on a hillside overlooking the city, as night had fallen. They were reluctant to venture north in near-darkness. If they used a lantern or summoned flame, they’d be visible from a distance. The priestesses were exhausted, heartbroken and still considering where to go from here.

  Their campsite was simple, hidden among trees on a low hillside. The land may have belonged to an absent farmer, as there was no sign of its owner. Alexa knew why they’d made the choices they had, but she would’ve preferred they go to the home of an aristocrat or a patron. Even the King may have arranged accommodation for us. They had belonged to the richest temple in the city and they had the goodwill of the people. They especially would after the attack. The King’s island was close, yet there was no one the sisters could trust to protect them, beyond the shadow of a doubt? Not even those they should trust most?

  “There must be someone we can turn to. Don’t either of you have family in the city?” Cassia asked of Brigita and Hermea. Josef was an option, but she knew Sister Brigita would not approve and she was afraid of bringing trouble to Josef’s home. She wanted him to know she was still alive, though. He must be worried sick, not knowing whether she was dead or alive. What if he searched the temple for her body? He could be injured or the men in black might kill him. Cassia wanted to stay in the city because of him, as selfish as that might be. Once she moved on further from Kalle, she wouldn’t be able to easily send a message to him, and she wasn’t sure if or when she would be able to return.

  “No,” Hermea said, in answer to Cassia’s question. “My village is in the south east of Maeridea. It would take a week or two by horse to reach them or half that by sea.”

  The young woman had recovered from her ordeal to a large extent, but she still looked vulnerable and lost.

  Alexa wondered if they might be as well to part ways, as Hermea was not yet a novice, but with so many of the Sisters’ number killed, each member was precious.

  There were devout followers of the faith throughout the known world, though some were drawn more strongly to the gods than others. That didn’t always matter to some families, especially the nobility, where it was seen as respectable and fashionable to have a priest or priestess in the family. There were several male orders of priests, just as the Sisters of Destiny were one of many female orders. Most worshipped both male and female deities, as it was widely believed that the gods had no true gender. They possessed both, but showed the face they wished humanity to see.

  It was unique – the kinds of friendships that formed between priestesses, and so it was that when the temple was attacked and lives were lost, many of these deep connections were lost as well. Cassia, Alexa and Brigita had all lost women they knew well; some they liked and some they didn’t, but they were also family, in a way. Their world had been torn apart for reasons they didn’t and couldn’t yet understand.

  Brigita put a reassuring hand on Hermea’s shoulder. “I have no familial connections here, though I have friends in the city. Wilhelm the butcher and his wife Mary, and several others, as well as families I have counselled in times of strife. I know of one who might house us, but we would be placing them at risk. Our order’s temple in the mountains – the Temple of Victory, might be vulnerable and will be seeking news. It’s why I think I should return to Kalle and arrange a messenger to send word to them. A carrier pigeon would reach them far more quickly than we would, unless one of you knows the incantation of whispers, so we could pass a message to them directly?”

  Cassia was quick to reply, “I don’t.”

  Hermea shook her head, shrugging her shoulders. It’s unlikely she’d have learned magick of such a level, though some spells were in everyday use in homes throughout the kingdom. Not everyone had magical ability, but many did to a minor level.

  Alexa nodded. “I was taught the spell by Priestess Kerina, but I never got it to work. She said I was not channelling the element of air well enough, so I couldn’t form a stable connection.”

  Brigita clapped her hands together. “Very good, then we’ll simply have to try and get it to work. It’s much less risky than venturing into the city and I for one have no money left on me at all. Do any of you ladies?”

  Cassia shook her head, and Hermea replied with a smile on her face, “no.” She seemed almost amused that the question had been asked.

  “I have a few silver coins. Enough to relay a message or two, and buy more supplies, but little more,” Alexa said.

  She saw Cassia’s eyes light up at that and wondered if she was thinking of contacting Josef. In any case, if she could get the spell working, they could take a chance on trying to contact him magically.

  “We might as well try this spell now and I would suggest we do this somewhere warmer, and away from the view,” Cassia said.

  Alexa knew what she meant. It was cold and that in itself would be a distraction.

  “I can teach you all the incantation and if I can’t get through, then perhaps one of you can,” Alexa suggested. “The words are the simple part, I found, but if we all know this it could be very useful to us.”

  Brigita nodded her assent and led the ladies down the hillside. Alexa took a last look at the city of Kalle before she walked away, welcoming the freshly scented darkness of the forest.

  Alexa laid a cloak out on the grass and sat down, while Cassia, Brigita and Hermea sat down around her. Their faces seemed pale in the darkness, while everything else was hard to see.

  “Alright,” Alexa breathed, crossing her legs and settling into a meditative position. “The words are ‘element of air, spirit of the world’s breath, hear my plea. My words are borne on the wind, our breath is as one and my words carry on your currents. My message is thus’.”

  She raised a hand as if to say ‘that’s it’, but of course in the darkness it was nigh-impossible to see.

  “I know it’s a mouthful,” she said with a hint of a smile, “but the precise words likely don’t mean as much as the intention. They help you connect in the right way. On the words ‘element of air, spirit of the world’s breath, hear my plea,’ you should think of the element of air in its true elemental form, as a part of the world and a part of you. By connecting with it, you can feel it flow – or you should be able to. On ‘my words are borne on the wind, our breath is as one’, you should feel your words mix with the air element. On ‘my words carry on your currents,’ you should seek out the energy of the person you’re connecting with so you’re ready. The last part–”

  Cassia halted Alexa there for a moment so she could make sense of it all. “Would you just run through one thing at a time Alexa, please?” She closed her eyes and recited it back to herself, then said, “Alright, you can continue.”

  Alexa grinned. “It’s really not that hard once you get used to it; it’s almost instinctive.”

  “Yes, I’m sure it is,” Cassia said, resisting the temptation to roll her eyes.

  “So, you recite the message after ‘my message is thus’ and they hopefully hear it in their mind.”

  Alexa pushed back her hair, because the little wisps of hair protruding from her plait were tickling her neck and interfering with her ability to focus.

  “If the person is distracted by what they’re doing or they’re surrounded by noise, they might not notice the message. They should if it works,” Alexa said and took a long, calming breath. “I will try it now,” she said. “I’ll need to know a place – I assume the Temple of Victory in Kelbani, and the person who is to receive the message. A name may be enough but it would strongly help to have met the person before and remember them, so I know the feeling of their energy.”

  Brigita looked a bit unsure. “I don’t know who you’ve met but we’ve had some visitors from the north. Do you remember Magister Kelcedone?”

  Kelcedone. Alexa certainly knew the name from somewhere. She felt a flicker of recognition. “Was she the red-
haired woman in her middle years? I thought she looked a bit like Cassia.”

  Brigita nodded, “that was her. She’s the Magister of Elemental Fire now.”

  It was a sign of great skill that Kelcedone had risen in the ranks at such a young age.

  “What is it about fire and redheads?”

  This made Cassia smile. “You’d better try contacting her.”

  “I will,” Alexa said defensively. “Quiet, I’m going to try.”

  Alexa breathed, clearing her mind and centring herself. The words of the spell came quickly and easily to her thoughts, and she whispered them aloud.

  “Element of air, spirit of the world’s breath, hear my plea. My words are borne on the wind, our breath is as one and my words carry on your currents. My message is thus: Magister Kelcedone, the Temple of Solitude has been attacked. Most of our sisters are dead, the temple set ablaze. We fear that your temple may be next. This is Sister Alexa. Please send a message if you have received mine. Be safe.”

  She gritted her teeth, her eyes opening in the darkness. The other women around her held their breaths and she listened for a response. At first there was nothing and then Alexa heard a woman’s voice. She could’ve sworn it originated from somewhere nearby, yet she could tell the voice spoke in her thoughts alone.

  “Sister Alexa, this is Kelcedone. I hear you. The Nemorans attacked us this morning and only a few dozen of us escaped. They’ve killed many of our initiates and taken others captive. We need to combine our efforts to get them back.”

  Alexa’s eyes widened when she heard the message. Brigita, Cassia and Hermea were curious for news, and they’d noticed a change in Alexa.

  “Magister Kelcedone is alive and she just replied, if that was really her. I think it was,” Alexa said.

  Brigita seemed sure that was the case, especially as Alexa had contacted her first. “No one else should’ve been able to hear or intercept your message, Alexa. It’s safe to say that was Magister Kelcedone, without a doubt.”