Jonathan Moeller - The Ghosts 05 - Ghost in the Stone

by Jonathan Moeller

  “Nightfighter,” he rumbled. “It is good to see you with eyes of flesh instead of stone.”

  “So you do remember everything that happened while you were stone?” said Caina.

  Saddiq shrugged. “It is…like a dream. As if I dreamed that I were wrapped in ice, and nothing seemed to matter. It was not…painful, no. Still, I do not miss it.”

  “I certainly do not,” said Barius. “It is hard to turn a profit will frozen in stone.”

  “A fine sentiment,” said Marzhod from his desk.

  Caina stepped towards him. “Theodosia wants to know…”

  Marzhod grinned. “What I’ve found? Oh, enough information to make me rich a second time.” He pointed at the Book of Blood and Gold on the center of the clerks’ table. “Half the nobility of Cyrica has hired the Kindred to kill the other half at some point. Not to mention the merchants, the magi, even some of the priests…there are secrets enough in that book to send most of the rich men in Cyrioch to the executioner’s block.”

  “And you’re going to blackmail them,” said Caina.

  “Of course,” said Marzhod. “Running the Ghost circle of Cyrioch is hardly cheap. I’ll merely let these men know that I’m more than happy to keep their secrets…in exchange for a nominal fee. And if they get restive, if they decide Cyrica should become part of Anshan…why, they’ll get another little reminder. A man can hardly lead a rebellion if he’s gotten himself beheaded for hiring assassins.”

  Caina nodded and turned to go.

  “Nightfighter,” said Marzhod.

  She stopped.

  “You are,” he said, “not quite as big a fool as I thought.”

  Caina thought of Nadirah, of the slaves Marzhod had smuggled out of Cyrica in exchange for their loyalty.

  “And you,” she said, “are not quite the heartless villain I thought you to be.” She paused. “Mostly.”

  Barius guffawed.

  Marzhod glared at him. “A man does have a reputation to maintain.”

  Caina nodded again and left.

  ###

  That night Caina lay in her bed and dreamed, and the Moroaica came to her in the swirling gray mists.

  “You did well,” said Moroaica.

  Caina scowled. “Your praise means ever so much to me.”

  A faint smile flickered over Jadriga’s red lips. “I was not sure you would prevail against Ranarius. But you did. You proved the cleverer, and Ranarius was destroyed by the forces he foolishly sought to command.”

  “Just as you would have been,” said Caina, “had you opened that pit below Black Angel Tower.”

  The Moroaica’s smile widened. “But you are triumphant. Ranarius is defeated, Lord Khosrau is alive, and the Cyricans will remain loyal to your Emperor. Does that not please you?”

  Caina shrugged. “It is better than civil war.”

  “But you…what does your victory mean for you?” said Jadriga. “You are still alone. You are still like me, a creature of death and steel. You have saved the families and happiness of others…but you will never save your own. You shall remain alone…”

  “Unless I join with your great work,” said Caina. “Yes, I’ve heard this speech from you before.”

  Jadriga’s smile did not waver. “Together, child of the Ghosts. Together you and I can remake the world. A world with no more pain, no more sorrow, no more death. We shall build a better world than the gods ever did.”

  “That’s mad,” said Caina. “As mad as Ranarius thinking he could control the earth elemental.”

  “It is only madness if I do not have the power to do it,” said Jadriga, “and I do. Join with me, and I shall show you.”

  “No,” said Caina. “For the last time, no.”

  The Moroaica’s dark eyes glinted above her red smile. “No matter. I can wait.”

  “How long?” said Caina.

  “Why, for the rest of your life.”

  The Moroaica waved her hand and the dream vanished.

  ###

  The next morning Caina rose, practiced the unarmed forms for an hour, bathed herself, and dressed.

  Then she walked to another suite in the Inn of the Defender and knocked.

  “Come in!” came a woman’s voice, warm and cheerful.

  Caina stepped into a richly furnished sitting room. The first thing she saw was Nicasia. The former slave girl stood before a mirror, her blindfold off, examining herself in a mirror. She had traded her ragged gray slave’s tunic for a gown of gold with red trim.

  “I do not understand,” said the Defender’s voice from Nicasia’s lips, “this mortal obsession with adorning yourself. Flesh is flesh. Why sheath it in silks or adorn it with jewels?”

  “Because,” said Nicasia, “it looks so pretty! Doesn’t it look pretty?”

  “I think,” said the woman’s voice, “that it looks very pretty.”

  Claudia Aberon stood by the window, watching Nicasia. She had exchanged her black magus’s robe for a green gown that matched her eyes, black embroidery marking the sleeves and bodice. She looked startlingly beautiful. Caina wondered if she intended to marry and raise children.

  As Caina never could.

  “Ghost,” said Claudia, and she smiled. “Come, please, sit with me.”

  Caina sat on one of the sofas, and Claudia sat next to her.

  “I just wanted to thank you,” said Claudia. “I would not be here if not for your efforts.”

  Caina shrugged. “I would not leave anyone trapped like that, sealed in stone for centuries.”

  They sat in silence for a moment.

  “You don’t,” said Claudia, “like me very much, do you?”

  Caina decided to be honest. “No.”

  “Because I am a magus.”

  “Yes,” said Caina. She frowned. “I…have known many sorcerers. I have yet to meet one that had not been corrupted by their power.”

  Claudia nodded. “That I can understand. The Magisterium is filled with cruel men and women. But it needn’t be so. Sorcery is a tool like any other. It just needs to be used responsibly, to help people, not to rule over them.”

  “Those are fine-sounding words,” said Caina. “Corvalis…Corvalis thinks you are a good woman. Perhaps his eyes are clouded because you are his sister. But he has seen enough cruelty from the Magisterium and your father to know the truth when he sees it. If Corvalis thinks you are a good woman…that is enough for me.”

  Claudia grinned. “So you won’t gut me here and now?”

  Caina laughed. “Corvalis went to all that effort to save you. I wouldn’t want it to be in vain.”

  “No,” said Claudia. “Corvalis speaks very highly of you.”

  “Dare I ask what he said?” said Caina.

  “He says you are cleverer than anyone he has ever met,” said Claudia. “He said the Kindred taught him that the deadliest weapon was not a sword or poison or an arrow, but the mind, and that you have grasped that truth better than anyone.”

  “That’s hardly flattering,” said Caina. But it wasn’t inaccurate, was it?

  She was a killer, like it or not, and her mind was a weapon.

  “But he also said you were wise,” said Claudia. “That you knew why to fight, not just how. And that you saved his life, again and again.” She reached over and grabbed Caina’s hand. “Thank you…thank you for saving him. I…could not have borne it, if he had been slain.”

  “You do love him,” said Caina, “don’t you?”

  “Yes,” said Claudia. “He has had a harder life than me. But that does not mean my life has been easy. Our father is a cruel tyrant. When we were children…sometimes Corvalis was all that kept me from going mad. When our father sold him to the Kindred, I was sure he had been killed. When he returned, even after what the Kindred had done to him…it was like a gift from the gods themselves.” She squeezed Caina’s fingers once more, and then released her hand. “Thank you for saving him.”

  They sat in silence once more.

  “What wi
ll you do now?” said Caina at last.

  “I shall join the Ghosts,” said Claudia. “Theodosia offered it to me, and I accepted. I am a renegade magus, and there is no place else for me to go. I always wanted to use my powers for good, to help people. Corvalis told me about the things you have done. If not for your courage, Ranarius would have destroyed Cyrica and the Empire would have fallen into civil war. You saved so many lives! Perhaps…perhaps I can do as much, someday.”

  Caina nodded. “Corvalis will go with you, I expect.”

  Claudia grinned. “Well, I am an outcast magus, and he is a renegade Kindred. Where else shall we go?”

  Caina had expected nothing else. Yet she still felt a faint pang at the words. She would have liked…

  What, exactly?

  She pushed aside the thought and moved on.

  “What about Nicasia?” said Caina.

  “She will come with me,” said Claudia. “She has suffered much. And someone needs to look after her. Why not me?”

  “You are a good woman,” said Nicasia, her blindfold over her eyes once more.

  “I wish to see more of the mortal world,” said the Defender. “Your society of spies travels a great deal, and I shall learn more of the mortal realm this way.”

  Caina nodded. A renegade magus, a renegade Kindred, and a former slave possessed by an earth elemental. Halfdan would put the odd trio to good use, indeed.

  “Thank you again,” said Claudia.

  Caina stood. “I am glad for you.” She remembered the Moroaica’s words. “And I am happy that I could save the families of others. There has been enough death already.”

  She left without another word.

  ###

  As the sun set, Caina sat alone in Theodosia’s sitting room, paging through a book.

  Theodosia had gone to one of Lord Khosrau’s dinners with Lord Corbould, and with the Kindred destroyed and Armizid dead, they would be safe enough. Claudia and Nicasia had gone as well, accompanied by Corvalis, disguised as members of the opera company. Any attacker who escaped Corvalis’s blades and avoided Claudia’s spells would see the golden fire of Nicasia’s eyes.

  And that would be the last thing any foes ever saw.

  Caina was alone.

  Perhaps that was how it should be.

  The Moroaica was right about that, at least. Caina’s family was dead, and she would never have children of her own. But she could save the families of others, just as she had rescued Tanya and Nicolai from the Moroaica, just as she had reunited Corvalis with his sister.

  That was enough for her.

  She had seen and endured terrible things. But it had not been in vain. And…

  Someone knocked at the sitting room door.

  Caina frowned and reached into the sleeve of her dress for a throwing knife. “Who is it?”

  “Corvalis.”

  She blinked. “Come in.”

  Corvalis entered, and Caina rose.

  He dressed as he always did, in chain mail and a cloak, sword and dagger at his belt. She had never seen him without weapons. No doubt he felt undressed without them just as Caina did.

  “I thought you would be with Claudia,” said Caina, “at Lord Khosrau’s dinner.”

  Corvalis shrugged. “I changed my mind. Claudia enjoys that sort of thing, but I do not. I would worry for her safety, but Ranarius is dead and the Kindred are destroyed. Nicasia will be with her.”

  “I hope she keeps her blindfold on,” said Caina. “It would be unfortunate if she turned half the nobles of Cyrica to stone.”

  He laughed. “Though it would be amusing to see the looks on their faces.”

  “So you’re not with Claudia,” said Caina. “Why did you come here?”

  Corvalis took a step closer. “I wanted to thank you myself. For saving my life. For freeing Claudia.”

  Caina shrugged. “I promised I would, when you helped us against the Kindred. And you kept your word.”

  “But if you had not helped me, I would have perished. Sicarion would have killed me. Or Ranarius would have killed me, or had Nicasia turn me to stone. Instead Claudia is restored, Nicasia is free, and I am alive.” His voice was quiet. “Thank you.”

  “I was glad to do it,” said Caina. She hesitated. “I told you…what happened to me. At least some of it. I could not save my family. So at least we could save your sister.”

  Corvalis nodded, his eyes on her face.

  They stared at each other for a moment

  “Claudia said you’re going to join the Ghosts,” said Caina at last.

  “Aye,” said Corvalis. “Where else shall we go? I’m not the sort of man to settle down as a shopkeeper, and I suppose the Ghosts could make good use of our skills. And perhaps I’ll get to take a shot at my father one day.” He shook his head. “I thought I would kill him or die trying. Now I am not so eager to die.”

  “You have more to live for,” said Caina. “Claudia.”

  “Aye,” said Corvalis.

  He took another step towards her. They stood almost face to face now, and Caina had to incline her head to look up at him.

  “So you just came here to thank me?” said Caina.

  “No,” said Corvalis.

  “To find out my real name?” said Caina. “I never did tell you, and you kept asking. It’s Caina, if you must know. Caina, of House Amalas.”

  Corvalis blinked. “So you are noble-born? Caina. But I did not come here to ask your real name.”

  “Then why else?”

  He stood so close they were almost touching. She saw the heartbeat pulsing in his temples, felt his breath against her face.

  “Because,” said Corvalis, “I could not live with myself if I did not do this at least once.”

  He took her face in his hands, leaned down, and kissed her on the lips. Her hands closed around his arms. It went on and on, and Caina felt her heart hammering against her ribs, a slow warmth spreading through her chest.

  After a moment he pulled back, looking down at her.

  “Can you live with yourself now?” said Caina, her voice hoarse.

  Corvalis nodded.

  “Then,” said Caina, “I think you had better do that again.”

  He did.

  Epilogue

  Sicarion could not get his new face to fit properly.

  He limped down the busy street, ignoring the pain in his left leg. His new left leg, since the old one had been smashed to pulp when he hit the ground. He had also needed a new right arm, new ribs, and several new teeth.

  Fortunately, slaves filled Cyrioch, and no one minded when one went missing.

  Or three or four.

  Sicarion stopped at the Plaza of Majesty, stretching his new jaw, and looked at the Palace of Splendors. He had been sure that Ranarius would overpower both the Ghost and Corvalis, but his pessimism had been misplaced. The Ghost had triumphed. He should not have underestimated her.

  He could see why the mistress wanted her so badly.

  Still, part of him thought it a pity Ranarius had not been able to awaken the greater elemental. The thought of death on that scale made Sicarion shiver.

  But that was just as well.

  For when the Moroaica completed her great work, the entire world would die.

  ###

  Marzhod sat at his work table in the Painted Whore, paging through the Kindred Elder’s store of letters. A wide smile spread over his face. Marzhod was already wealthy, but before he was done, he was going to be richer than Lord Khosrau himself.

  He decided to pay Nadirah a visit later. Seducing her into bed was always a great deal of work, but worth the effort in the end…

  A boot tapped against the floorboards.

  Marzhod looked up, frowning. He had left the door locked. No one should have been able to get in here.

  A man in a hooded gray cloak stood over the table, a rod of peculiar shining metal in his left hand.

  Marzhod did not have time to shout, let alone draw a weapon, before darkness claime
d him.

  “Boss?”

  Marzhod blinked.

  He sat at his work table, the door to the corridor standing open. Saddiq stepped into the room, hand on his sword hilt.

  “What is it?” said Marzhod, his voice thick.

  “You wanted to know when Barius returned,” said Saddiq.

  “Aye,” said Marzhod. Had he fallen asleep and left the door unlocked? That was criminally stupid. Still, he had been under a great deal of strain lately.

  He would have to take greater care in the future.

  ###

  The man in the gray cloak stepped into the streets, leaving the Painted Whore behind.

  The memories in the Ghost circlemaster’s mind had told him everything he needed to know. The Moroaica was loose in the world, but trapped in a body she could not control.

  The Moroaica would be destroyed.

  Along with, perhaps regrettably, the body of her host.

  Thank you for reading GHOST IN THE STONE. Turn the page to read the first chapter of Caina’s next adventure, GHOST IN THE FORGE. For immediate notification of new releases, you can sign up for my email newsletter here, or watch for news on my Facebook page.

  GHOST IN THE FORGE Chapter 1 - A Mask Of Jade

  “Then,” said Caina Amalas, her voice hoarse, heart hammering against her ribs, “then I think you had better do that again.”

  Corvalis Aberon looked down at her, hands resting upon her arms. He was a tall man, handsome in an austere sort of way, with a hard face and eyes like cold emerald disks.

  He put his arms around her, pulled her close, and kissed her long and hard upon the lips. She reached up and took his face in her hands, her fingers sliding along his jaw and neck. Her heartbeat sounded like a drum in her ears, a slow warmth spreading through her chest and into her arms as she leaned into him.