Caina laughed at the image, and Corvalis started laughing, too.
“I once heard,” said Caina, “a priest say that the sovereign of the gods judges all men after their death, and weighs their good deeds and their evil deeds.”
“Upon a scale, I assume?” said Corvalis. “And then if the evil outweighs the good, the dead man is condemned?”
“No,” said Caina. “If the man is truly remorseful, if he regrets his evil deeds and repents of his crimes, then the sovereign of the gods forgives him and spares him.”
“That seems cheap,” said Corvalis. “So if a man like Maglarion or Ranarius comes before the tribunal and claims he’s sorry, he is let off without punishment?”
“Perhaps. But do you think they ever regretted anything?” said Caina. “They might have killed themselves in despair, had they seen themselves for what they really were.”
“I doubt it,” said Corvalis. “I hope your priest was right. I have done much that I regret, and that I could undo if I could. Has not every man?”
“As have I,” said Caina.
“But there is one thing I will never regret,” said Corvalis. “You.”
He kissed her, and Caina rested her head against his chest and fell asleep.
###
And in her sleep, the dream came again.
She stood on the cliff overlooking the raging sea, the black sky rippling overhead. Bolt after bolt of green lightning jumped from cloud to cloud, throwing an eerie green glow over the dead plain and the furious sea. A cold wind howled from the waves, tugging at Caina’s black hair and green dress.
Her mother waited at the edge of the cliff, still wearing her gold-trimmed black gown, her eyes ablaze with pale green fire.
“This isn’t a dream, not really,” said Caina. “This is something else.”
Laeria Amalas’s lips curled in a half-smile. “Astute.”
“And you’re something wearing my mother’s image,” said Caina. “Who are you?”
“The end,” whispered Laeria.
“The end of what?” said Caina.
“The world,” said Laeria. “Or the world as you know it. The world of the living shall soon become one with the world of the dead, forever and ever.”
“Are you the Moroaica?” said Caina. “If you are Jadriga, this is more annoying than even your usual games.”
“No,” said Laeria. “The Moroaica dies and lives over and over again. I have never died, nor have I ever lived.”
“Then are you Rhames?” said Caina.
“The priest?” said Laeria. “I am not him. Both the priest and the sorceress are fools. One seeks to rule the world, and the other seeks to remake it in a new form. But both walk the paths to destruction.”
“Then who are you?” said Caina. “Stop prevaricating and tell me.”
“I am the instrument,” said Laeria. “I am the threshold. I am the catalyst. Through me the world will be changed, and millions yet unborn shall perish.” She pointed. “Behold my coming.”
The green light blazing beneath the waves burned brighter, and the sea turned to black glass. The world shattered around Caina, and darkness swallowed her.
###
She sat up with a gasping cry, sweat dripping down her face and back. She felt Corvalis’s arms around her shoulders, and slumped into him.
“You were having another dream,” he said. “A nightmare.”
Caina nodded. “But I…I don’t think it was a dream. It was something else. Someone was speaking to me.”
“Who?” said Corvalis.
“I don’t know,” said Caina.
###
Someone knocked at the shop’s door.
Claudia took a deep breath, smoothed the front of her apron, and opened it.
A middle-aged man stood in the street outside, clad in leather armor and a heavy cloak, his black hair streaked with gray. A sword hung at his belt, and a crossbow had been slung over his shoulder. Both weapons were well-maintained, and the man looked as if he knew how to use them.
“Good morning,” said the man. “My name is Harkus. Might I enter? I was told a friend awaits me here.”
Claudia nodded and stepped to the side, and Harkus entered the shop.
Caina stood one side of a table, clad again in the stark black robe of a magus. Corvalis waited at her right, wearing the black armor of a Magisterial Guard. Kylon stood some distance away, relaxed and calm, but his eyes never stopped moving over his surroundings. Komnene waited near one of the shelves, leaning upon her cane.
Harkus bowed to Caina. “Mistress Rania. It is good to see you well.”
“Despite your best efforts?” said Caina.
Harkus smiled. “That was unfortunate. But I am pleased you escaped me. And I am pleased you escaped whatever happened at Caer Magia yesterday.”
“Thank you,” said Caina. “Could not Talekhris himself come?”
“He sensed the presence of the Moroaica outside the town,” said Harkus, “and went to investigate. He hopes to join us shortly. But I will convey any message you wish to him.”
“I know what is inside Caer Magia,” said Caina, “and I know why Maena, Anashir, and the cult of Anubankh want to claim it. Do you know what an Ascendant Bloodcrystal is?”
Harkus shook his head, and then recognition came into his face. “That is a relic of old Maat, a mighty weapon that could kill everyone within a city.” His eyes widened. “That’s what happened to Caer Magia, isn’t it? The high magi tried to make one, and they killed themselves and everyone else within the walls.”
Caina nodded. “And the crystal is still inside the city. Maena is a disciple of the Moroaica. Sicarion is with her, and she wants to seize the crystal for her master. Anashir claims he wants to see the crystal destroyed, but I frankly believe he wants it for himself. And a surviving Great Necromancer named Rhames commands the cult of Anubankh, and he wants to use the bloodcrystal to rebuild the Kingdom of the Rising Sun.”
“You have been busy since our last meeting,” said Harkus.
“I prefer not to waste time in idleness,” said Caina.
“Plainly,” said Harkus. “A Great Necromancer of old Maat…are you certain?”
“No,” said Caina, “but it seems likely.”
“Gods have mercy,” said Harkus. “Then our situation seems dire. How do you suggest we proceed?”
“It will not be truly dire,” said Caina, “until someone lays hands upon the Ascendant Bloodcrystal. And of them all, I think Maena is the closest to doing it. We scouted Caer Magia yesterday, and she and Sicarion almost killed us. We only escaped because Anashir arrived, and I don’t think Maena is ready to confront him.”
“Why did Anashir help you?” said Harkus.
“I suspect,” said Corvalis, “because he wanted to point us as a weapon against Maena, to clear his path to the bloodcrystal.”
“That is my thought as well,” said Caina. “Maena has already heavily damaged the wards surrounding the Chamber of Ascension. I think Anashir’s plan is to have us kill Maena. Then he can undo the remaining wards around the Chamber and take the bloodcrystal for himself.”
“Then why,” said Harkus, “do we want to go along with him?”
Claudia had to admit that was a good question.
“Because,” said Caina, “Maena, Anashir, and Rhames are all threats to us…but they are enemies, as well, and none of them care very much about the Ghosts or the Order of the Venatorii. Anashir thinks that if we remove Maena, his path will be clear to the Ascendant Bloodcrystal. But that could just as easily prompt Rhames and his cult to attack him.”
“So you think if we eliminate one of the three enemies,” said Harkus, “then the other two will fight. How then do we deal with the victor?”
“We strike while he is weakened,” said Caina. “And that is why we need your help, and the help of Talekhris. I am hoping to strike against Maena’s camp this very night. We have a sorcerer among our number,” Claudia looked away, “but her skills
do not lie in battle spells. Talekhris is accustomed to violence. We will need his power to overcome Maena and to defend against the Moroaica or Rhames if they intervene.”
“A sound plan, I think,” said Harkus. “Though no plan of battle survives the first clash of swords.”
“I know,” said Caina. The cold voice she used as Rania Scorneus grew a bit strained. “And men will die. Perhaps many men. But far more men, and women and children as well, will perish if anyone claims the Ascendant Bloodcrystal.”
“We shall need more men,” said Harkus. “I brought forty men of the Order with me to Calvarium, all of them capable fighters. They will equal Lady Maena’s mercenaries in skill. Yet she has at least four hundred men with her in that camp, perhaps more. Even we cannot overcome so many.”
“We shall have help,” said Caina. “I hope to persuade Lord Martin to call out the militia for the attack.”
Harkus frowned. “Will he come to our aid?”
“He will,” said Caina. “I believe he can be persuaded.”
Claudia looked away again, hoping to hide the flush that came to her cheeks. She hated having to put Martin in this position. She had not lied to him, but she had not told him the entire truth, either. He didn’t deserve this deception.
She saw a shadow flowing across the street, and her doubts vanished in a sudden burst of concern.
“Very well,” said Harkus. “I will speak to the Sage. I cannot make any promises, but I think he will be amenable. The risk of disaster is too great if the Ascendant Bloodcrystal is taken from Caer Magia. We…”
A gray fog filled the street outside the shop, resolving into vaguely human shapes.
“Corvalis!” she shouted, stepping back from the windows and pointing. “Something’s outside.”
They fell silent and looked at the windows, and then Corvalis cursed in alarm.
“Dust Shades!” said Kylon. “Defend yourselves!”
The gray shadows walked through the wall, reaching for Claudia with rippling hands.
Chapter 19 - Allies
Caina drew her ghostsilver dagger, and Kylon and Corvalis and Muravin and Harkus all lifted their own weapons. But they moved too slow, and the mass of Dust Shades lunged at Claudia.
Corvalis was going to see his sister die in front of him.
But Claudia raised her hands, and Caina felt a spike of sorcerous power.
White light flashed, and a volley of sparks erupted from Claudia’s fingers and tore into the advancing Dust Shades. The sparks ripped through the shadows like hot knives through paper, and the front rank dissolved into smoke. Claudia stumbled back, more sparks flying from her hands.
The shadows continued to advance.
###
A wave of exhaustion rolled through Claudia, yet she forced herself to remained focused, forced herself to summon more arcane power. Corvalis had described these Dust Shades to her, and she knew spells that could harm them.
Yet she could not keep up the barrage forever, and dozens of shadows poured through the wall.
A silvery gleam flashed before her eyes. Caina was there, black robe flying around her, the curved ghostsilver dagger a blur in her hand. The blade burned white whenever it touched a shadow, and the Dust Shades unraveled, the spells binding them burned away. Kylon was at her side, a white rime of frost covering his sword. The touch of his weapon turned the Dust Shades into particles of ice.
Yet still the creatures poured through the walls.
Strong hands closed around her shoulders and pulled her back. Corvalis tugged her away from the battle. Harkus stood nearby, holding an odd rod of silvery metal. Bursts of silver light came from the rod, and each one disintegrated a Dust Shade.
Komnene rummaged through one of the shelves, muttering under her breath.
Caina and Kylon and Harkus were putting up a ferocious fight, but more and more Dust Shades poured through the front wall. Sooner or later they would be surrounded and overwhelmed. The wretched creatures needed only one touch to kill.
“We’ve got to get out of here!” said Caina. A Dust Shade reached for her, and Kylon dispatched the creature with a quick thrust.
“Through the back door,” said Corvalis, turning Claudia in that direction. “Quickly!”
“Wait a moment,” said Komnene, taking a jar from the shelf. “This will…”
Claudia turned towards the back door, and gray smoke rippled over it.
A pair of Dust Shades drifted through the wall.
“Get behind me!” said Corvalis. “I don’t have any weapons that can hurt them.”
Harkus loosed a pulse of silver light from his rod. He destroyed the first shadow, and then the second. But three more Dust Shades glided through the back wall, followed by four more. Caina and Kylon did not dare turn their backs to address the new threat, not while more Dust Shades came through the front door.
Claudia lifted her hands and sent a volley of white sparks into the shadows. She managed to destroy three of them, and Harkus unraveled a fourth, but the rest drifted closer. Claudia focused her will, summoning more power, but realized she would not be fast enough…
“Your sword!” shouted Komnene, and grabbed Corvalis’s wrist. He looked at her in annoyance, and the old woman smeared white grease from the jar down the blade. Before he could react, she snatched a candle from the table and pressed it to his sword.
The grease caught fire, stinking yellow smoke rising from the blade.
The Dust Shades closed around them.
“Strike!” said Komnene. “Do not hesitate!”
Corvalis obeyed her at once, lashing his burning sword through one of the Dust Shades. The strange yellow fire spread through the immaterial creature, and it dissolved into nothingness. Corvalis’s eyes widened in surprise, but he kept up the attack, destroying two more of the Dust Shades. Claudia caught her breath and summoned more arcane power, and flung another burst of sparks.
They were holding back the Dust Shades.
But for how long?
###
Kylon struck right and left, his frost-wreathed sword cutting through Dust Shade after Dust Shade.
There was no end to the damned things. He did not dare use the full extent of his sorcery in the limited space available. He could make himself stronger and faster, but he was trained to unleash his strength in the chaos of a battlefield, not in this cramped shop. Too much power, and he could accidentally cut down one of his allies.
Fortunately, the Dust Shades were not powerful foes, even if their touch was deadly. Kylon’s mind raced as he fought alongside Caina. Who had unleashed the things upon Komnene’s shop? Anashir, perhaps? No – the most likely culprit seemed Maena. The Moroaica’s disciple must have followed them to Komnene’s shop, realized her most dangerous foes were all in one place, and summoned the Dust Shades to kill them.
They had to get free. Komnene was a physician, but her shop had become a death trap. If they did not find more room to manuever, sooner or later the Dust Shades would overwhelm them.
Caina stepped back, dagger raised before her, and glanced at the ceiling. Kylon wondered why she was doing that, and then remembered how she said no one ever looked up.
The ceiling rippled with gray smoke.
“Beware!” shouted Caina. “They’re coming from above!”
Four Dust Shades dropped through the ceiling. Caina wheeled and slashed her dagger through two of them, the blade burning white. Kylon joined her, his sword turning the other two shadows into frozen dust. But a fresh wave of Dust Shades poured through the front wall. He pivoted to face them, his sword a white blur.
If they did not get out of the shop, they were going to die.
An idea came to Kylon, and he drew upon the sorcery of water and air, filling his muscles with speed and power.
“What are you doing?” said Caina.
“Breaking down the front door,” said Kylon. A Dust Shade reached for him, and he slashed his sword through it. “When I go, follow me.”
He b
raced himself, took a deep breath, and threw himself forward with all the speed he would muster. His blade sheared through three Dust Shades, and he slammed into the front door. It shattered beneath the weight of his charge, and Kylon stumbled down the steps and landed in the street. He saw more Dust Shades hovering over the cobblestones, heard screams and the sound of running feet.
The shadows closed around him.
But here, in the open street, he could use his full power, and he had a far better chance against the Dust Shades.
Hopefully Caina would use the opening he had made.
Kylon fought, slashing through shadow after shadow.
###
“Corvalis!” said Caina. “The door!”
Kylon’s attack had shattered the shop’s front door, drawing off the Dust Shades. Corvalis nodded and destroyed another Dust Shade with a quick thrust from his smoking blade. Komnene hurried to Caina’s side, while Claudia and Harkus walked backwards, flinging sparks and pulses of silver light into the shadows. Caina hurried into the street, helping Komnene down the stairs, and saw Kylon whirling and slashing, destroying Dust Shade after Dust Shade. Corvalis, Claudia, and Harkus backed out of the shop a moment later, sparks still erupting from Claudia’s fingers.
“Back to back!” said Caina, and they moved into a circle around Komnene. Screams came from the nearby streets and alleys. It seemed the Dust Shades had been loosed into the streets of Calvarium. But why? Was all of this simply to kill Caina and the other Ghosts?
“We need to find whoever is controlling those Dust Shades,” said Harkus, loosing another blast of silver light from his rod.
“Claudia,” said Caina. “Can you trace the spell upon the shadows?”
“I…I can try,” said Claudia. “At least, I think I can.”
“Do it now,” said Caina, driving the ghostsilver dagger through another Dust Shade. They had gotten lucky so far, but the Dust Shades needed only a single touch to kill.
And to judge from the screaming, it seemed quite a few people had learned that the hard way.
Jonathan Moeller - The Ghosts 08 - Ghost in the Mask Page 21