‘Is that truly his name?’
The old vendor looked from side to side and lowered his voice. ‘He has returned. He is said to be the descendant of Aleuthea.’ His gaze drifted to the tall tower that dominated the city, as if linking it to the new king.
‘That tower. What is it?’
‘It is the Sky Tower. In deepest night, winged creatures, dragons, fly out at the king’s bidding. My sister saw them herself.’
‘Dragons?’ Liana asked.
The vendor suddenly glanced past Chloe’s shoulder and sealed his lips. Turning his back to them, he began to busy himself around his stall.
Turning around, Chloe saw a group of four warriors moving down the avenue, heading in the direction of the harbor. Their skin was far paler than the locals, and two had thick beards. But strangest of all, they wore armor of metal links. She remembered the painting Dion had shown her. Dragons . . . Armored soldiers . . . Already she was thinking they’d come to the right place. The warriors paid no attention to the locals, and the city folk looked away, pretending not to see them as they strode down the street.
Chloe waited until they’d passed and then led Liana away from the market. Lifting a necklace, she faced her friend and hesitated.
‘Do it,’ Liana said. ‘I can’t put it on myself, and I won’t be able to change. But I can bear it.’
Liana lowered her neck and Chloe fastened the necklace around the eldran’s throat. She then gathered her own long, dark hair at the back, before clasping the second copper necklace around her neck.
Feeling out of her depth, but knowing that Dion and Isobel both needed her, she lifted the medallion. She gripped the symbol of Aeris tightly.
‘Come on,’ she said to Liana. ‘Let’s find somewhere to spend the night.’
Finally, as they approached the denser heart of the city, Chloe and Liana began to see the symbols of beds carved on wooden boards above doorways.
‘I don’t like this place,’ Liana said.
‘Nor do I,’ said Chloe. ‘But it will take us time to get our bearings. If they’re in this city, someone will know.’
She chose a guesthouse with a better-maintained sign and cleaner doorstep than some of the others. Peeling the curtained doorway to the side, she entered the dark interior, Liana following close behind.
The interior was larger than she’d expected. She looked around, seeing a rectangular room with half a dozen stools surrounding a carpet. Stairs at the back most likely led up to the guest rooms. Catching movement through a doorway, she saw a fat, olive-skinned woman, her body wrapped in a voluminous chiton pinned in several places.
‘Hello?’ Chloe called out.
At the sound of Chloe’s voice, the middle-aged woman entered, smiling and setting down the basket of linen in her arms. She had a friendly expression and several wobbling chins, and wore her hair pulled tightly back from her forehead, tied in a bun.
‘We’re looking for a room.’
‘Of course, please, sit, sit.’ The plump woman indicated a pair of stools. ‘Can I get you tea?’ Without waiting for answer, she called over her shoulder. ‘Goran! Bring tea!’
‘Coming!’ a male voice called back.
‘So.’ She clapped her hands together. ‘Two rooms?’
‘Just one room,’ Chloe said. ‘With two beds.’
‘For how long?’
‘We’ll begin with three days and then we’ll see.’
‘Three days . . . Three days . . .’ she mused, before calling behind her again. ‘Goran! Where’s that tea?’
‘I said I’m coming!’
‘Where are you from?’ She rubbed her chin, pondering. ‘I can’t place your accents.’
‘From Myana,’ Chloe said.
‘The Sarsican capital? By Helios, that’s a long way away. Travel by ship, did you? What brings you to Malakai’—her brow creased slightly—‘all alone?’
‘We’re both merchant’s daughters,’ Chloe said. ‘Traveling with our fathers. I’m Chloe, this is Liana.’ She couldn’t see any harm in using their real names; no one knew them in Malakai. ‘We’ve had enough of sleeping aboard, so we convinced our fathers to let us stay in the city while they conduct their business.’ She smiled. ‘They’ll be checking up on us now and then.’
‘I’m glad to hear it.’ The plump woman harrumphed.
She appraised them for a time, looking at Chloe and then studying Liana. She peered into Liana’s face, her eyes widening slightly, and then a man entered with a tray bearing two cups of steaming tea.
Goran was the woman’s opposite: skinny and elegantly dressed, with thinning hair and a sharp nose. He cast a quick glance at his new guests, but kept his head down, obviously subservient, patiently holding out the tray.
‘My husband always takes his time,’ the woman said with a smile and a shrug. ‘Here you go.’ She passed a cup of tea to each of them. ‘Now, my name is Madam Tomkin. May I ask how you plan to pay?’
Chloe handed Madam Tomkin one of her Phalesian silver eagles. Moving to stand in the light, the woman examined the coin.
‘Yes, this will do fine. Fine, fine.’ The plump woman hesitated. ‘Listen, I don’t mean to speak out of turn, but the city can be a dangerous place these days, especially for foreigners.’ She nodded at Chloe. ‘You’ll fit in all right.’ She then looked meaningfully at Liana. ‘But your friend might want to stay in her room.’
Chloe and Liana exchanged glances. ‘Thank you,’ Chloe said. ‘We’ll take your advice.’
‘Glad to hear it.’ Madam Tomkin brightened. ‘Now, make yourselves at home. My house is yours. Take your time. Finish your tea. My husband will then show you your room.’
38
Kyphos entered the audience chamber to find Palemon brooding and staring out the window, hands clasped behind his back as he pondered the empty blue canvas of the sea.
‘Sire.’
‘Eh?’ Palemon spoke without taking his eyes off the horizon. ‘What is it?’
‘I have something for you.’
Kyphos turned and nodded at the pair of soldiers. Between them they held a lean young man with flaxen hair and brown eyes. Washed and clean-shaven, with his hair neatly combed, he wore a plain white tunic and sandals. Despite the iron collar around his neck, neither his hands nor feet were bound.
‘I present to you . . . the king of Xanthos.’
Palemon frowned as the soldiers and their captive approached. ‘Why is he here?’
Kyphos nodded at the soldiers, and they released their captive. Dion took a deep breath and walked slowly, laboriously, toward the tall, bearded king. He stopped in front of Palemon, chest heaving.
He then sank to his knees and bowed his head. ‘I kneel before you,’ he said hoarsely.
‘Why isn’t he with the others below the tower?’
‘He has a message for you,’ Kyphos said.
‘Let me serve you,’ Dion murmured, still kneeling and staring down at the ground.
Kyphos walked up to place a hand on the top of Dion’s head. ‘I’m sure you realize, sire, that he is still valuable to us. Not only as a hostage, but also for the knowledge he has.’ He met his king’s eyes. ‘We already have more dragons than copper chains to control them.’
Palemon tugged on the braids of his beard. ‘It seems you finally know your place,’ he said, walking forward and towering over Dion. ‘But how can you serve me?’
‘I know about the eldren and their king.’ Dion coughed, obviously struggling to talk. ‘I know about Ilea and the forces they can muster. If I help you get what it is you want, perhaps you will leave my people in peace.’
Palemon pondered for a time. ‘Tell me what you know about the eldren.’
‘They are at war with Xanthos and Tanus. Their king, Triton, is a cruel and powerful ruler. He has one eye and is easily the most powerful of his race.’
Palemon’s eyebrows went up. ‘And how many ships are there in your fleet – vessels large and sound enough to make an ocean crossing?�
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‘Nine biremes,’ Dion said. ‘One trireme – the ship that you saw yourself. The other large fleets are controlled by Kargan of Ilea and Lord Lothar of Koulis. Sarsica and Phalesia are among the smaller naval powers.’
Palemon looked out to sea, as if seeing the ships he needed arrayed along the horizon. He nodded to himself. ‘You have done well, Kyphos, but we shall see how useful he continues to be. Also, I don’t know if I like him with so much freedom. Have him chained in this room.’
Kyphos nodded at the soldiers. Coming forward, they lifted Dion to his feet and shuffled him to a place against the wall, several feet from the throne, before sitting him back down again.
‘Guard him here,’ Kyphos instructed one of them. ‘You,’ he said to the other. ‘See to the king’s wishes.’
‘And fetch Zara,’ Palemon said. ‘We have plans to make.’
Dion hung his head, motionless and slumped, while a brawny smith and his assistant pounded an iron hoop into the solid stone of the wall. Palemon’s soldiers then came forward and fastened a chain to the circle of iron, before connecting the chain to the manacles around his wrists. His legs remained unbound, but the chain wasn’t even long enough for him to stand.
He knew he had to gather his strength. He must learn about his enemy.
He had to bide his time if he wanted to have his revenge.
Keeping his head down, eyes on the floor, he gingerly leaned his back against the wall as he heard Palemon address a newcomer. ‘Zara, finally. We need to talk.’
‘Why is he here?’
‘He is here to serve me in whatever capacity I wish. Now’—from the shifting of Palemon’s voice, Dion knew he was pacing around the chamber—‘we have six dragons, but it is not enough. We must have more. Many more.’
‘We have only six sets of copper chains. I am sorry, sire, but despite my attempts, I cannot unravel the mystery of their construction. Archmagus Nisos was far more skilled than we are today.’
There was silence for a time, before Palemon finally spoke in a low voice. ‘I have an idea,’ he said slowly.
‘Sire?’ Kyphos asked.
‘Just yesterday I took one of the dragons out to sea. I have now flown over the sunken city.’
Zara sounded puzzled. ‘And?’
‘The locals have long known where to find the Great Tower of Aleuthea. It is far larger even than the tower in Malakai. It was simple enough to find, buried in the sea below one of the Lost Souls, an isle called Widow’s Peak.’
‘You think what we need might be there?’ Zara asked. ‘Preserved, after all this time?’
‘The vault under the Sky Tower was perfectly sealed.’
Kyphos snorted. ‘Apologies, sire. But are you saying we should dive to the Aleuthean tower, swim down, and somehow retrieve more chains?’
Dion lifted his head.
‘No, that isn’t what I’m proposing,’ Palemon said. ‘Zara . . . You and your sorcerers . . . I have seen you perform powerful feats of magic . . .’
‘What are you suggesting, sire?’ Zara asked, her mouth tightening.
Palemon had turned his full attention on her, his eyes lit up with fire. ‘You can summon a strong enough wind to turn a calm sea into a towering wave. I can only imagine what you and your magi can do working together.’
‘What is he saying?’ Kyphos raised an eyebrow at Zara.
Zara’s lips thinned. ‘He is suggesting that my sorcerers and I might be able to expose the ancient city.’
Dion fought the urge to gasp.
‘Sorceress,’ Palemon said. ‘Malakai is just an outpost. Yes, it was the nearest city to Aleuthea, but it pales in comparison to the glory of our ancient homeland. Think of all we might discover. I am certain we would find more chains, but Archmagus Nisos built many artifacts. We might even find this arch.’
‘Arch?’ Kyphos asked.
‘There is a message,’ Palemon said, ‘written on the wall of the chamber below the Sky Tower. The Arch of Nisos . . . Something to do with dragons.’ He shrugged. ‘That is all we know.’
‘It would be dangerous,’ Zara said.
‘But how?’ Kyphos raised an eyebrow. ‘Tell me, sorceress: how do you intend to expose the city?’
‘Wind,’ Zara said. ‘I believe it’s possible.’ She turned back to the king. ‘I’m surprised I didn’t think of it myself.’
‘We have bought some time, by destroying the barges,’ Palemon said. ‘But soon Kargan of Ilea will be leading a fleet to our shores. Work on this problem. You will have my full support. Whatever you need: gold, silver, copper, or iron. Slaves. Anything. The Ileans will be back. Kyphos will help you in any way you require.’
39
Chloe put her head to the window and looked out, once again gazing at the tall, circular Sky Tower. It was early morning and the rose-colored rays of the rising sun glowed on its stone exterior.
Dragons, flying out in the night. Something told her the old market vendor hadn’t just been telling tales.
‘So what now?’ Liana asked.
‘Now, we learn what we can about the city. Dion is important, and if he or Isobel are here, someone will know about it. We—’
Chloe was interrupted by the sound of gentle knocking on the door.
‘Ladies?’ It was Madam Tomkin’s voice. ‘I’ve brought you tea.’
Chloe swiftly crossed the room to stand beside the door. ‘Thank you, Madam Tomkin, but we don’t want anything.’ She glanced at Liana, checking that the eldran had her necklace on.
‘The cups are hot,’ Madam Tomkin said, her voice quavering. ‘Can’t you open the door?’
Chloe was about to reply when the door burst inward, throwing her against the wall. Soldiers clad in chain armor rushed into the chamber. Sent sprawling, she fell to her knees.
‘Nobody move!’
Strangely accented voices barked commands. Liana cried out, and Chloe saw a bearded soldier pressing her friend’s face down onto her bed. The soldier lifted something – an iron collar – and fitted the circle of black metal around Liana’s neck as she struggled against his grip.
Another soldier loomed over Chloe, glaring down at her, daring her to move. She tried to stand, but he pressed on her shoulders, shaking his head.
A short man in a gray robe entered.
With close-cropped black hair, he carried a staff with an iron claw fixed to the top and had an imperious manner, obviously in charge. But most striking was his disfigured face: two thirds of it was burned, leaving ripples of pale scar tissue. With a curl to his lip, he glanced at Chloe, peering into her eyes, before looking away dismissively and roving his gaze over the room.
A sorcerer, Chloe realized.
The magus’s eyes alighted for a moment on Chloe’s staff, leaning against the wall, but fortunately it was still without its silver device, and he continued to scan the room. He finally nodded to himself and approached Liana, still hunched over the bed with her face pinned to the linen.
‘Let me see her,’ he said in a rasping voice.
The soldier rolled Liana over, the eldran’s chest heaving as she stared at the approaching magus with wide-eyed fear. The sorcerer peered into Liana’s grass-green eyes and appraised her from head to toe, taking in her pale skin, delicate features, and henna-dyed hair.
‘Almost certainly,’ he said. He glanced at Chloe. ‘The other is human. She means nothing. But this one . . .’ He reached down to Liana’s delicate throat, below the iron collar, lifting her necklace between two fingers, before yanking it hard enough to break it. He tossed the necklace onto the floor. ‘She may not realize it, but I will be surprised if she doesn’t have eldran blood.’
‘Leave her alone,’ Chloe said. ‘She doesn’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘Most likely she doesn’t.’ He smiled. ‘But the eyes don’t lie, and soon we will know without the slightest doubt.’ He nodded to the soldier holding Liana. ‘You have your orders.’
‘Yes, Magus Tarik.’
> The soldier twisted Liana’s arms painfully behind her back, and with the collar pressed tightly against the skin of her throat, she gasped as he forced her to move. Chloe felt the cold grip of fear on her heart as Liana cast a terrified look in her direction, knowing that there was nothing she could do. She heard Liana being manhandled down the stairs before the man guarding her finally moved away, but he was immediately replaced by the sorcerer.
He looked down at her. ‘Be careful about the company you keep. You will not be seeing her again.’
Staff in hand, the magus left the bedchamber, heading back down the stairs as the soldiers dragged Liana out into the street.
Slowly climbing to her feet, for a long moment Chloe felt frozen into place, taking in the empty room. It had all happened so quickly. Her senses were still reeling.
Then she set her jaw and moved into action.
She grabbed her satchel and staff, before racing out of the room, passing a terrified-looking Madam Tomkin on the landing as she ran down the stairs after them. Reaching the ground floor, she saw Madam Tomkin’s skinny husband, Goran, staring in the direction of the departing soldiers.
When he saw Chloe, he only shrugged. ‘She had the look, and I don’t want any trouble.’
Knowing she needed to find out where they were taking Liana, Chloe sped from the guesthouse and scanned the busy street. It only took her a moment to spy the crowds all giving a wide berth to the spectacle of Liana being forced down the street, struggling in the grip of the soldiers. Chloe began to run as she tried to catch up, but they were moving swiftly. She almost lost them when they turned into a side street, but she sprinted as fast as she could, seeing them turn again before becoming obscured by a crowd.
She’d almost caught up to them when the magus turned back, his eyes scanning. Wondering if Chloe, red-faced and panting, had something to do with what was happening just ahead, people in the crowd began to stare at her.
The sorcerer was about to spot her when she felt a hand grip her upper arm. A rough pull jerked her out of the crowd and into a sheltered doorway.
Copper Chain (The Shifting Tides Book 3) Page 24