“We are overmatched,” said Titus. “I will dispatch a messenger to the Magisterium’s chapterhouse, and bid them to send magi to deal with Sinan. We shall have to hold him here until the magi arrive.”
“The Guards and the militiamen may not be able to hold the creature,” said Halfdan. Another thump, and another crack appeared in the mansion’s doors. “It will be a slaughter, and the magi may not even come. They may well be content to let Sinan slaughter Tanzir.”
“You and you,” said Titus, pointing at a pair of Imperial Guards. “Take the lord emir to the Imperial Citadel, and keep him safe. The pregnant girl as well – that Alchemist might kill her simply out of spite. The rest of you, form a battle line. We will kill that damned Alchemist as many times as…”
“Wait,” said Caina as an idea came to her.
Titus scowled at her. “What?”
“The fire comes from the phoenix ashes,” said Caina.
“Phoenix ashes?” said Titus.
“Don’t ask,” said Tanzir.
“That’s the source of the power that heals him,” said Caina. “It’s based in fire. If we are to kill him, we need to douse the fire.”
“And where shall we get that much water?” said Titus. “It…”
Caina pointed. “The reservoir pool behind the Lord Ambassador’s residence. It’s twenty feet deep. If we dunk Sinan in that, I think that much water will counteract the fire of the phoenix ashes.”
“He will simply climb out again,” said Tomard.
“Not if we wound him badly enough first,” said Caina, “and trigger the healing.”
One of the panels in the door smashed apart, and Caina saw Sinan’s glistening flesh. The Imperial Guards hurried forward, shoving additional shields and spears against the doors, but they would not hold for long.
“So you want to lure out Sinan, wound him, and then push him into the pool?” said Titus.
Caina nodded.
“Madness,” said Titus.
“Probably,” said Caina, “but there isn’t any other option, my lord. When he breaks out, he’ll kill us all, and no matter how badly we wound him, he’ll heal himself. We’ll kill him eventually, but not before he kills many, many innocent people.”
“The Ghost nightfighters know their business,” said Halfdan.
Titus gave an irritated shake of his head. “And just how are we to get Sinan into the pool?”
“Trust me, my lord,” said Caina. “He’ll follow me.”
“You?” said Titus, and she saw Corvalis stiffen in alarm.
“Me,” said Caina. “He’s…rather irritated with me, and I know how to make him angrier.”
Titus sighed. “Very well. Centurion!” Tylas hurried over, his face wary behind his helm as he looked at Caina. “Array your men near the pool. When the Ghost lures Sinan near it, strike with your javelins to wound him, and then use your shields to shove him into the water.”
“Is…is that wise, my lord?” said Tylas, glancing at the crumbling door.
“Probably not,” said Titus, “but I have no better ideas.”
Tylas banged his fist against his cuirass in salute, and the Imperial Guards hurried to obey. Ten men moved around Tanzir and Mahdriva and Muravin, escorting them away from the chaos, while Tomard and the militiamen moved to seal off the surrounding streets. Titus fell back, flanked by the Guards, leaving Caina alone with Halfdan and Corvalis.
“You are sure about this?” said Halfdan.
“No,” said Caina, gazing at the door. “Go already.”
“As you command,” said Halfdan with a bow that held no trace of mockery, and then he went to join Lord Titus.
“This is madness,” said Corvalis. “He will kill you.”
“He will try,” said Caina.
She would have sent Corvalis away, but she knew he would not listen.
Corvalis laughed and shook his masked head. “Look at you.”
“What?” said Caina.
One of Sinan’s fists smashed through the wood.
“You’ve got a lord of the Empire and an emir of Istarinmul hopping to do your bidding,” said Corvalis. “You’ll rule the Empire yet.”
She felt a chill at his words. Yet it reminded her of the attack upon the House of Kularus, when she had taken command of the defense. Was the vision from the netherworld her future? Could she become like the sorceress she had seen?
Of course, Sinan might rip her head off her shoulders, and then she would have no future at all.
The militiamen and the Guards fell back from the doors, and a moment later Sinan bashed them open. The creature staggered onto the mansion’s stairs, all twenty heads shrieking curses and looking for fresh victims.
Caina stepped forward, raising her voice. “Ibrahmus Sinan!”
A shiver went through the hulking creature, and all twenty of its heads rotated to face her.
“The Ghost,” rasped one of the heads. “The clever, clever little Ghost.”
The creature took a few skittering steps towards her.
“Do you have anything to say,” said another of the heads, “before I tear you to shreds?”
Caina stared at Sinan. “You deserved to be a slave.”
A furious ripple went through the hulking mass of deformed flesh.
“You’re pathetic,” said Caina. “You thought you could be a Master Alchemist of the College. But a former gladiator and a pregnant girl escaped you, and you couldn’t even catch them. You were too much of a coward to enter the netherworld and take the phoenix ashes for yourself. You tried to become a Master Alchemist…and look at you now. You murdered those women and their children for nothing. The College would kill you on sight. You weren’t fit to be a Master Alchemist. You weren’t even fit to be an Alchemist. You were born a slave, and you deserve…”
All of Sinan’s heads loosed an earsplitting shriek, and the vast creature charged at her, its bare feet slipping and sliding over the ground.
Caina waited to the last instant, and then threw herself to the left, Corvalis dodging to the right. She hit the ground and rolled, coming back to her feet, the ghostsilver dagger a blur in her hands as she struck. The blade bit into one of Sinan’s many legs, the wound sizzling, and the Alchemist’s heads howled in unison. Corvalis struck at Sinan’s right side, his sword digging a gash, but Sinan ignored him.
The Alchemist’s fury was focused upon Caina, and his many arms reached to seize her.
Yet she eluded them. The Elixir had bestowed Sinan with superhuman strength and speed, even in his mutated form, yet Caina suspected the Elixir had not bestowed superhuman agility to match. His legs tangled around each other as he tried to turn, and often his own arms blocked his attacks. Caina danced around him, darting out of his reach, hitting his flank with the ghostsilver dagger. Corvalis struck him over and over, but Sinan ignored him.
Whatever remained of Sinan’s mind wanted Caina dead.
And she drew him around the edge of the mansion, towards the aqueduct reservoir.
She ran around the mansion’s corner. The pool gleamed in the moonlight, a wide concrete basin filled with rippling water. Dozens of Tylas’s Imperial Guards waited near the edge, shields on their arms and javelins in their hands.
Caina backed towards them.
Sinan staggered around the corner, bleeding from a dozen wounds as Corvalis struck again and again, and the twisted Alchemist’s eyes widened at the sight of the Imperial Guards.
“Now!” shouted Tylas.
In one smooth, well-drilled motion, the Guards drew back their arms and flung their javelins. Caina ducked, Corvalis moved away, and a rain of razor-tipped steel hurtled towards Sinan. The Alchemist screamed, and dozens of the javelins slammed into him, driving him towards the pool.
His wounds, all of them, began to glimmer with golden light.
Caina scrambled to her feet, getting out of the way.
“Shields!” said Tylas. “Get him into the water.”
Golden haze flickered around S
inan’s misshapen form.
The Guards surged forward, dozens of them, driving their shields against Sinan. The Alchemist bellowed and thrashed, knocking several Guards to the ground.
Golden fire blazed around his wounds.
Sinan shrieked, his heads snarling, and shoved himself at the Guards, scattering them. He was going to heal himself…and the inferno of his healing would kill dozens of men.
“Sinan!” shouted Caina, running at him. She buried her dagger to the hilt in the wet flesh of his side and ripped the blade free, the golden light shining from the wound. Sinan whirled to face her, ignoring the Guards, ignoring the javelins jutting from his flesh, ignoring everything but her.
And his desire to kill her.
Caina shoved her dagger into its sheath and jumped into the pool.
The shock of the cold water filled her, and she started swimming for the lip of the pool. Sinan threw himself in after her, and Caina felt his fingers grasp for her legs. But she kicked herself free, the wave of his impact carrying her forward, and she half-swam, half-thrashed for the pool’s lip.
Below she saw a golden glow fill the reservoir, felt the water heat up around her. She wondered why Sinan did not pursue her, and after a belated moment realized that his misshapen body prevented him from swimming. He moved back and forth beneath twenty feet of water, the golden light growing brighter and brighter. Terrible heat soaked through her clothing as the water started to boil around her.
The golden light filled the world. She glimpsed the edge of the pool, but it seemed so terribly distant.
Sinan was going to die, but he was going to cook her alive.
The golden light blazed, and Caina lunged for the edge of the reservoir.
It was just out of reach.
A pair of black-gloved hands seized her wrist and wrenched her out of the steaming water with such force that her left arm almost popped out of its socket. She gasped and fell forward, her head spinning from the hot water, and landed hard against Corvalis.
“Go!” said Corvalis, urging her forward.
Caina half-ran, half-stumbled forward, and then the reservoir pool exploded.
A wave of hot water smashed into her like a burning fist and knocked her to the ground. Caina rolled over, grabbing at Corvalis and digging her boots against the rough street to keep from being washed away. A plume of steam erupted from the reservoir, lit from within by a golden radiance. Caina’s skin crawled with the presence of terrible arcane force, nausea twisting her stomach and pain stabbing in her head.
But the power faded away, the golden light winking out, and the only noise was the steady hiss of steam rising from the reservoir pool.
Caina felt a hand upon her shoulder.
“Are you all right?” said Corvalis, helping her to stand.
Caina blinked, lightheaded, and leaned on Corvalis as the world spun around her. “I’ve never been better. Tonight I’ve almost been stabbed, shot, set on fire, consumed by giant fish-monsters, burned alive, and then boiled. Truly, it’s been delightful.”
She was babbling, she realized, but was too woozy from the heat to care.
“Fish-monsters?” said Corvalis.
Armor clattered as the Imperial Guards climbed to their feet, their black cuirasses glistening with condensation. Tylas shook his head, his helm’s plume hanging limp against his armor. Caina stared forward, Corvalis following her.
“Ghost,” said Tylas.
“Centurion,” said Caina. “Be ready to shoot Sinan if he is still alive.”
But she looked into the reservoir and realized that would not be necessary.
Almost two-thirds of the water had boiled away in the backlash of power, and what remained of Ibrahmus Sinan floated in the rest. The half-completed healing had twisted him further, transforming him into a creature that looked like a random assortment of body parts. Dozens of black eyes glared up at Caina from a score of heads.
All of them unblinking and dead.
“Gods,” muttered Tylas. “If an Alchemist ever offers me a vial of that damned Elixir, I’ll cut off his head first.”
“Good choice,” said Caina. “He was afraid to die. But he was wrong. There are worse things than dying.”
“Clearly,” said Tylas.
Lord Titus, Halfdan, Muravin, and Tanzir joined them at the edge of the pool.
“Is it over?” said Tanzir.
“Aye,” said Caina. “He’s dead.”
“A dire way to die,” said Muravin. “I would not wish it upon any man.” He spat upon the misshapen corpse. “But after what he did to my daughters, he deserved no less.”
“By the Living Flame,” said Tanzir. “I owe you my life, Ghosts. It is just…I cannot believe it is over and I am still alive. I was certain I would die here.”
“Everyone dies,” said Caina, “but we won’t die quite yet.”
Chapter 25 - Those Who Will Carry On When We Are Gone
Caina collapsed soon after returning home with Corvalis. At first she thought the heat of the reservoir had dehydrated her. But she did not know how long she had spent in the netherworld, and the experience had drained her strength.
Caina slept for the better part of two days, strange dreams flitting through her mind. She saw the Sacellum of the Living Flame again, the phobomorphic spirits, the Keeper taunting her as it wore her face. Sinan appeared, screaming and cursing as his body reshaped itself in golden fire.
She awoke drenched in sweat, got up long enough to drink some water, and then fell into a black and dreamless sleep.
Late she awoke with the sun in her eyes. It was well past dawn, to judge from the light streaming through the balcony doors. How long had she lain abed at home? Two days? It…
She blinked again.
When had she started thinking of this townhouse as home?
The door opened, and Corvalis strode into the bedroom, again wearing the black coat and trousers of a prosperous merchant. One of the maids walked behind him, carrying a tray of food. The maid set the tray beside the bed and hurried away, leaving Caina alone with Corvalis.
“How do you feel?” said Corvalis, sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Sore,” said Caina, examining the tray, “and hungry enough to kill a horse with my own hands.” There was bacon and cheese on the tray, along with a mug of steaming coffee. “Thank you for bringing me breakfast, by the way.”
She took a drink of coffee and started on the food.
“There’s more if you want it,” said Corvalis. “Given how long you were asleep. And…however long you were in the netherworld.”
Caina hesitated, nodded, and took another drink of coffee.
“How long were you there?” said Corvalis. “Tanzir said it took an instant, but Claudia told me that time flows differently in the netherworld.”
“It does,” said Caina. “I don’t know how long. Maybe a day? Maybe longer. It’s…not a good place, Corvalis. Sinan was a coward and a murderer, but I understand why he didn’t want to go there.”
“I am just glad,” said Corvalis, “that you are safe.” He hesitated. “I should have not let you go alone.”
Caina laughed and ate a piece of bacon. “That was my decision. You couldn’t have stopped me.”
“I suppose not,” said Corvalis. He looked at her, face grave. “It is all because of you, you know.”
“Because of what?” said Caina, taking another sip of coffee. Gods, but Shaizid made good coffee.
“That I am still alive,” said Corvalis, “that Tanzir Shahan is still alive, that Muravin and his daughter and his grandson escaped from Sinan.”
Caina shrugged. “We were lucky. We could all be dead just as easily. And if not for you, the Immortals or the Kindred would have gutted me any number of times.”
“Aye,” said Corvalis, “I have the stronger sword arm, Caina Amalas, but not the stronger brain. Your mind puzzled this out. If not for you, Tanzir and Mahdriva and her son would be dead, the war with Istarinmul would continue, and Si
nan would be immortal.”
Caina laughed. “You are flattering me.”
“No,” said Corvalis. “I’m not.” His hand, strong and hard with calluses from sword work, took her free hand. “I am many things, but a flatterer is not one of them.” His green eyes looked almost haunted. “This will sound strange…but watching you go with Muravin to the Lord Ambassador’s mansion was one of the harder things I’ve done.”
“Why?” said Caina, puzzled. “As it turned out, it was the right thing to do.”
“Because I love you,” said Corvalis, “and I don’t want you to die.”
Caina looked away, her eyes stinging.
“I love you, too,” she said, “and you are too kind to me. Too kind by far.”
She loved Corvalis, loved him as she had not loved anyone else…but her answer to the Keeper of the Sacellum of the Living Flame had been a true one. She loved Corvalis, but if he betrayed the Ghosts, if he sided with the Magisterium, she could kill him.
Corvalis laughed. “Why do you think I am too kind to you?”
“Because I am a killer,” said Caina.
Corvalis snorted. “So I am. And a darker one than you. You were never a Kindred assassin.”
“The Keeper asked me a question,” said Caina.
“The Keeper?” said Corvalis.
“A spirit I saw in the netherworld,” said Caina. “It asked me a question, and I had to answer it truly or perish.”
“What did it ask?” said Corvalis.
“If I could kill you if you betrayed the Ghosts,” said Caina, the words tumbling out of her. “And I said yes.”
She stared at Corvalis, waiting for his reaction. She expected him to get angry. Or for his face to go blank, the way it did when he was hurt. The Kindred had taught him to mask his emotions, to ignore them when necessary.
Instead he only laughed.
Caina blinked in surprise.
“Of course you could,” said Corvalis. “I love you, but you frighten me a little. I know you could kill me if I betrayed the Ghosts.” He laughed again.
“Why are you laughing?” said Caina, annoyed. “It’s not funny!”
“It is,” said Corvalis. “You don’t understand. My father and the Kindred turned me into a weapon, and I have become a weapon for the Ghosts. But I’m not loyal to the Ghosts. Or to Halfdan. Or to the Emperor and his Empire, and certainly not to the Magisterium and the Kindred.”
Jonathan Moeller - The Ghosts 07 - Ghost in the Ashes Page 28