Here the going was easier, with a band of water-smoothed pebbles near the rim. The water level was low here, as well, exposing a ring of soft mud and weeds around the lake margins.
We had barely gone ten paces before I became aware of other minds approaching from the opposite end of the lake.
There were no caves near us, no vegetation to screen us, no option but to brazen it out, and hope that our story would convince them.
A group of soldiers, only four of them. As we neared the group, we saw that they were sweating and panting with exertion. Young, but not very fit.
“I see no bows,” Zak murmured into my ear. “They’re carrying weapons of some sort, but they don’t look like swords.”
The weapons were spades. A digging party.
They hailed us with relief, stopping to wipe their faces with their sleeves before greeting us respectfully.
“Have you encountered a blockage anywhere?” the leader said. “For the water has failed, and we are sent to clear the debris.”
“The problem is at the next lake,” I said. It was true as far as it went. I neglected to mention that they might need more than spades to rectify the situation.
They groaned.
“Have you seen another warrior?” one of the twins asked. I’d forgotten about Jarn Kran.
But they shook their heads and walked on past us.
“That was easy,” Zak said, after I’d told him what had been said. “We may be in luck, then, if they believe there’s just a blockage somewhere.”
“We will be very lucky if everyone we meet is stupid enough to believe that.”
The further end of the middle lake still had a small amount of water flowing, although much less than usual. Now we had another scramble, over the rim of this crater and down to the larger lower lake, with its dam on the southern end.
And this was where our luck ran out.
As soon as we reached the top of the rim, a great haze of smoke came into view.
“The war has begun,” Zak said.
The twins began jabbering wildly in Hrandish, too fast for me to follow most of it, their minds full of shock.
“I hope everyone is safe,” I said, in a sudden panic. “Everyone not involved, I mean.”
“All the non-Hrandish go to the foreign quarter at the first sign of trouble,” Zak said. “Most of them live there anyway, and keep their goods there. The gates are closed to anyone else, and the walls protect them. My group will be out looking for anyone caught in the middle of things. And the slave pits – they will go there to free the slaves.”
“Really? I didn’t think we were allowed to interfere with that, however distasteful it is.”
“It’s not a question of taste,” he said. “The slaves are chained. They would burn to death. We cannot allow that.”
~~~~~
There were trees and bushes surrounding the lower lake. We found a spot where we could hide, and the twins went off to scout out the situation around the dam.
Now that we were here, I was having second thoughts about attempting to escape through the tunnel. Our story seemed flimsy, and how could we explain the two Hrandish men with us?
“I think we should let the twins go through the tunnel separately,” I said. “No one will question their right – they are warriors and princes, or at least, they appear to be. Then we can try later. But the four of us – it looks too suspicious.”
Zak grunted. “Perhaps. But we have accepted their service, so we have an obligation to them now. Besides, if we get separated with a war going on, we may never find them again.”
“Perhaps we should wait,” I said. “We could go back to the upper lake until this war is over. There’s food up there. We could survive quite well, the four of us.”
Zak turned to me, and took my hand. “Yes, we could. But as soon as the succession is settled, the new Most Mighty will send warriors up here to find out where his water has gone. There will be nowhere to hide, and nowhere to escape to. The only access to the desert is a sheer drop only the eagles can attempt, and even if we could climb into the high mountains, we would find nothing there but bare stone. No, our best chance – our only chance – is to get through the tunnel quickly and hope to vanish in the chaos beyond.”
It made sense, but I couldn’t see how two outcomers and two warriors were going to convince the dam guards to let us into the tunnel.
“What exactly is your status?” Zak said. “Now that your husband is dead and his sons are fighting for dominance. Are you free?”
“Technically, I belong to the Blood – the whole family, that is. The wives are never supposed to leave. In the past the whole women’s quarter burned, with the wives locked inside, but these days they quietly disappear as soon as the fires start. No one will miss me.”
The twins were soon back. “The tunnel is open already,” they said excitedly. “But there are men with swords… Outcomers.”
Zak said nothing, but the excitement in his mind reached a new intensity.
Before long, we could hear the metallic clashes and yells of battle. Cautiously we crept closer, keeping out of sight as best we could. The dam was deserted, and no one could be seen on the high tower overlooking the city. Beyond it, plumes of smoke rose, and there was an ominous fiery glow.
We had to creep to the very edge of the dam, so that we could peer down into the hollow between the tunnel and the dam. There at last we found the fighting, the dam guard and a group in nondescript clothing, rather than uniforms.
“They are ours,” Zak said, grinning. “I left instructions for them to take the dam if they could, once the war got under way. If the tunnel was open. They’ve done well.”
“You knew they would be here?”
“Not knew, no. You never quite know how these things will go. But hoped. It was in the plan. And it makes it easier, doesn’t it? Once they’ve mopped up this little lot, our way will be clear. We need to get down quickly, before anyone works out what we’ve done to their water supply.”
The twins itched to join in. Their whole lives had been a preparation for war, and even though they were not true warriors, the urge to fight was almost overwhelming.
I would have let them do it, but Zak shook his head when I mentioned it. “Whose side are they on? We don’t want them killing our people, and we don’t want them to begin their service to us by killing their own, either. They can defend us, if necessary.”
So the four of us stood beside the dam, looking down on the fighting below us. It was soon over. More of Zak’s rebels streamed out from the tunnel, and the soldiers quickly surrendered. As I watched their weapons being collected and hands bound, something niggled at my mind, but I couldn’t quite grasp it.
Some of Zak’s friends came over with wide grins to greet us. I recognised a couple from the house in the foreign quarter, where I’d fled after my night with my husband.
Zak explained about the twins.
“You do get into some strange situations,” one of the rebels said, his gaze skittering past the two Hrandish and lingering on me. “Safest to get them down straight away, I think. If we can persuade them out of the feathered regalia and into sensible clothes, they can bulk up the numbers holding the bottom of the tunnel. I’ll send some people down with them.”
There was suspicion in his mind, and I couldn’t blame him for that. I wasn’t very sure of the twins’ loyalty, either. But he summoned several of the rebels who had some grasp of Hrandish and dispatched them down the tunnel with the twins, who bade us farewell with touching declarations of their allegiance.
While Zak and some of his friends exchanged news, I stood watching the rest of the band systematically searching the barracks and offices for any stray Hrandish soldiers. Then the captured soldiers were herded to one side, and roped together.
Something still bothered me. I realised what it was only when one of the rebels called out, “Sixteen, sir. All secure.” Sixteen! That wasn’t right. The Hrandish army always deployed in groups
of twenty, plus a captain. Another five men somewhere.
But where? I let my consciousness float outwards. It was difficult when I was surrounded by so many people, all with heightened emotions – anger, resentment, excitement, aggression, fear, spilling out of them in waves that almost swamped me. At first I could find nothing beyond my immediate surroundings. Then I probed a little further afield, pushing past the wall of swirling feelings. There! Someone else – no, more than one, several, all of them terrified. Out on the dam. That strange windowless building halfway along.
“Hey!” I barged into the middle of Zak’s huddle. “More of them – out on the dam!”
The rebel leader narrowed his eyes. “I don’t see anything.”
“Inside that building there!” I said. “Five of them.”
“How do you—?” the leader began.
Zak cut him off. “She knows. What is that place?”
“The valve room. Right. We’ll take care of that first, and then we’ll see you two down the tunnel.”
There was a flurry of activity and shouted instructions, and a group collected at the end of the dam. As they moved forward, weapons primed, I became aware of another mind, this one not terrified at all. It was a burning cauldron of anger. A warrior prepared for battle.
I called out again, but they didn’t hear me.
“What is it?” Zak asked.
“A warrior. That way.” I pointed across the dam.
“I see him! There.”
Feathers flying, he hurtled down from the rim and onto the far side of the dam, spear in one hand, curved sword in the other. The missing warrior. Jarn Kran. Racing along the top of the dam, he passed the building and came to a halt in front of it, shrieking defiance. The rebels would have to kill him to get to the building and extract the last few soldiers.
They hesitated, the archers reaching for arrows. Again he shrieked. The wind caught some of his words - “…open… all of them…”
What did that mean?
The rebel leader turned and sprinted back to us. “Go! Go now! They’re opening the valves. Run!”
I didn’t understand. What valves? What was the urgency?
But Zak grabbed my hand and raced away, towing me behind him.
Down the walkway we skidded, then into the tunnel mouth, and on down, our legs pounding on the metal steps. The sound echoed hollowly all around us. Beneath us, the stream trickled at the bottom of the tunnel.
A gush of water, churning noisily below. Then another.
At last I understood. The water was rising. The soldiers had opened valves to release the water behind the dam.
“…all of them…”
My stomach twisted in fear.
We ran on. I didn’t need Zak’s hand to compel me now. My own terror was enough. Each time the water gushed, the level below our feet rose a little. I imagined the valves as large wheels, each heavy enough to need two or three men to turn, inching round, each little movement releasing more water. Soon it would reach the walkway, and then—
No point thinking about that. I concentrated on my feet, getting into a rhythm, run, run, run, then five steps down, run, run, run, five more steps. Focused on not slipping, not falling, not missing a step.
Water rising, always rising. First it was just the bottom step of each set under water. Then the second. Where was the end of the tunnel? Surely it couldn’t be much further? But there was no circle of daylight yet. We were trapped.
The walkway itself was partially under water. Our pace slowed, caught like flies in honey. We weren’t going to make it.
We both stopped at the same time, as if by unspoken agreement. The water was up to our knees now, a raging torrent that threatened to knock us off our feet.
“You have to trust me,” Zak yelled above the tumult. Hastily unbuckling his belt, he tossed his sword aside, then fastened the belt tight around both of us, pinning me to him.
I was too startled to question it, too busy trying to keep my footing in the maelstrom. But his mind was alight with excitement, not fear.
“Trust me,” he said again.
Then, clutching me tight, he hurled both of us into the water.
Shock kept me from flailing about. His arms were round me, and I lay limp with fear against him, as water engulfed us and swept us helplessly away. I may have tried to scream but no sound emerged.
The torrent bore us triumphantly downwards. I expected at any moment to crash into the tunnel wall or some part of the metal walkway, but instead we sped on, tossed about but somehow managing to stay in the middle of the flood. I could even breathe, although I felt as if I were underwater.
When I reached into his mind and felt the laughter there, the joyous exhilaration, I realised what he was doing. His power over water was keeping us safe, guiding us swiftly towards the rapidly approaching light.
We shot out of the tunnel mouth into the air, and just for a moment we were flying, sailing majestically over the guard post below and straight into the lake. We sank for a long time, buffeted by the churning water, but always there was a bubble of air around our heads. However thoroughly tossed about we were, Zak’s arms were still tight around my waist. Whenever I caught a glimpse of his face, he was laughing like a demon.
Gradually the worst of the churning died away, we got our heads above the surface and drifted into the centre of the lake.
“Wasn’t that fun?” he said, and then, my face being so close, he kissed me with a passion that set me on fire. Hail and glory, if he could only kiss me that way all the time! But if it took a terrifying slide down a water-filled tunnel to rouse him to such a level, I’d settle for something less.
When I could tear my gaze away from his beloved face, I stared around at the devastation that was Hurk Hranda. The sky was dark with smoke, and flames gashed the city. Here and there, groups of warriors were locked in battle, or ran about like crazed ants looking for the next enemy. Brother against brother, all the many princes fighting and bleeding and dying until only one remained. A stupid system, I’d always thought it.
“It might have been safer to stay above the tunnel,” I said. “This looks like no fun at all down here.”
“And sit tamely, not knowing which side would be coming up the tunnel to get us? I don’t think so. At least in this chaos, we have a chance to keep out of sight, and make our way to safety.”
“If we survive long enough,” I muttered, but I grinned back at him. His reckless joy in the adventure was infectious. Besides, my mission was accomplished. It hardly mattered what happened to me now.
“We’ll keep clear of the city,” Zak said. “The far side of the lake, near the path down to the landing grounds – there’s less fighting there, and maybe we can sneak away when it gets dark.”
We drifted across the water. It seemed to me as though the current drew us, but we weren’t carried towards the waterfall, so it must have been Zak’s power that moved us.
I’ve never been so glad to put my feet on solid ground. We hauled ourselves, our water-heavy clothes dripping, onto the shore at a spot with a few bushes to screen us. It was not much of a hiding place, for the rim of this lake was low with many gaps, but perhaps in all the chaos we could stay unnoticed.
I flopped to the ground. “Is the army here yet? Did your friend at the dam know?”
“It’s here, but so is the Caxangur army. The outcome of that is… undetermined.”
“War?”
“Not so far. An awkward deadlock. Neither will concede to the other. I need a sword. Do you see any abandoned weaponry I can commandeer?”
I squinted through the haze of smoke, my eyes watering. “Over there – a body. That might be a spear beside it.”
“That would do. Stay here, out of sight, all right?” I nodded. “Seriously. If you wander off, I might never find you again in this mess.”
“And then your mother would be cross with you.”
“Yes!” He grinned, leaning forward to kiss me again. “She likes you, Allandra
.”
Then, before I could question him, he darted away, the smoke reducing him to a wavering shadow.
I waited, every sense stretched to make out what was happening. I could see little, but there were enough yells and blood-freezing shrieks and screams of pain to keep my heart pattering fearfully. My mind’s awareness was all but useless here, for every warrior was a whirlwind of intense emotions, assaulting my mind painfully. It was almost like the dreadful times when I’d had no control over my ability. I’d forgotten how terrifying it was, not being able to escape the battering in my head, the violence of emotions that were not my own, yet I felt them just as strongly as the originator.
So I closed my mind and huddled on the ground, straining my eyes for a glimpse of Zak’s return. That was why I had no warning of the warrior’s approach until it was too late. My flickers screamed in anger, and I detected other flickers behind me, boiling with rage. Flickers trained to kill.
I jumped up, spinning round, and there he was, a warrior gripped by battle fever, his eyes bulging, his lips drawn back in a snarl like an animal. Even in his rage, he made no sound, treading on the stony shore with light feet.
His shriek of attack battered my ears and tore into my skull.
I scrabbled for my defensive flicker, but too late. The warrior snapped his fingers and threw a flicker.
With a soft splat, it landed on my arm.
My own flickers all screeched. For an instant, I was aware of her, the newcomer, as she registered shock and seemed to withdraw into herself. She was terrified, poor thing. Instinctively I reached out in my mind to soothe her, my own flickers joining in. To my astonishment, she responded, although it was not quite a hum of pleasure, more a questioning little peep. She had attached herself to me.
The warrior eyed me impassively, and for a moment we stood, frozen in a strange moment of limbo on both sides.
Then he narrowed his eyes and raised his spear, pointing it directly at my heart.
50: Reunion
The Magic Mines of Asharim Page 48