‘So it seems,’ said Samuel, ‘but we are not finished here yet. I still need to return and kill the sand witch and take her ring.’
‘Samuel,’ Balten said. ‘You can’t. She will surely be expecting you.’
‘I know now I can do it. I feel my own magic is returning and with the ring I am more powerful than ever.’
‘You’re in no condition to do much of anything, Samuel. You need to rest or you will just be throwing your life away.’
‘I cannot wait. She could do anything. I need to get her before she has time to prepare her defences.’
‘I can warn you, but I cannot stop you,’ Balten said solemnly. ‘We will be waiting in the Temple of Shadows. I will keep them safe with me there until you return.’
Samuel began to leave, but the merest movement made his muscles feel emptied of strength. The thought of even using his ring again made him feel sick. Balten was right; he had no idea how he would even make it back to the palace, yet alone defeat Alahativa, but there was no way he was going to give up now.
‘Samuel,’ Lillith said and she turned to him. ‘Thank you. Thank you both. You have saved us from that hideous thing. We will be forever in your debt. Words fail me.’
‘There is nothing to thank me for, Your Highness. I am no hero for saving you, but I would be a coward if I had not. Go with Balten. He will take you to your husband.’
She seemed pleased by the news and hugged her boy closer to her. ‘Please, be careful, Samuel. I hope I will also see you soon.’
Hurried steps sounded from the street and Eric came scampering in, wet and frozen from the rain and hail. His hair was full of ice and his cheeks looked pink and frozen. He scurried in under the cover to join them.
‘Finished already?’ Balten said.
‘Almost,’ Eric replied. ‘A few were left, but they gave up the moment the sky started pouring ice onto them and they fled. I think they thought enough was enough. I don’t blame them. A few of those pieces almost cracked my skull in. I take it everyone’s fine then?’ he said, looking to the Empress and her child.
‘They are. Eric, I’m going back,’ Samuel told him.
‘Where? To Hol?’
‘Yes. I want you to help Balten. Take them back to Cang and take care of them. I will join you there soon.’
‘I will come with you,’ Eric stated, but Samuel shook his head gravely.
‘No. While I would appreciate it if you were with me, I can act more freely alone. I can control the power of the ring better now, but I cannot unleash its full power if I have to worry about others. If I have to, I will destroy the whole palace.’
‘Very well, but if you get into trouble I will bring the others to save you. I don’t want to go back to Cintar alone.’
‘Agreed,’ Samuel said.
Thankfully, the hail had eased to a soft drizzle that was almost like snowflakes and he started out into the street, striding away with as much vigour as he could summon—at least, until he was out of view of the others. Out of the town he went, with his toes kicking the ice away before him. The hard part was done; now all he had to do now was defeat that infernal woman.
The surreal hills and fields of ice ended not far from Yi’sit and Samuel was glad to have his feet out of the cold and back onto the warm desert sand. It still contained some residual heat from the day and some feeling returned to his toes.
It was a long walk back to the city of Hol and Samuel drove himself on for as long as he could. Eventually, he realised the foolishness of what he was doing and allowed himself to sleep. Still, he woke before an hour had passed and set off again in the direction of the city. That small rest seemed enough, and he could scarcely believe that he had just fought to his last skerrick of energy. Regaining the ring seemed to have granted him more power than ever. His senses were now finely tuned and could detect the masses of people in Hol, even from so far away.
A glow to the east told him that dawn was approaching and he had just entered the pasture lands as the sun peeked over the distant horizon, bright and blazing already in its first moments of the day. Paatin patrols were surging around on foot and horse and camel, and a group of them flashed their swords at Samuel and shouted commands at him in their tongue. He ignored them, for the ring on his finger protected him from their steel. They jabbed at him with their swords, but he was too tired to play such games. He dropped them all to the floor unconscious and climbed up onto one of the camels himself.
Lacking the skills to direct it as he wished, he sighed and sent a spell into the creature’s mind that had it lumbering back towards the city at a jostling trot.
Small clusters of guards came to harass him and, one by one, Samuel put them all to sleep, rather than waste his time in battle or argument. He had no wish for senseless violence, but he needed the men out of his way as quickly as possible. There were too many guards surrounding the palace and continuing such a tactic would only slow him down, so Samuel leapt up from his saddle and sprang up over the walls with a single bound. Another leap had him landing on a balcony that was very near the Paatin Queen’s chambers and, from there, it was a simple matter to gain access to her room.
Wizards and warriors lined the long room and they stepped back as he neared, holding their weapons bravely, but shivering in fear. It seemed he was expected.
Upon her dais, Alahativa waited with her arms folded as Samuel strode towards her. He was thinking of blasting her before she could speak a word, but, as he neared, his heart fell, for he saw the Emperor, Canyon and the Koian woman standing at her side with swords to their throats.
‘So you have returned,’ she said to him, ‘and intent on my murder. I am horrified it has come to this.’
Samuel halted at the base of her platform.
‘What has happened?’ he asked of the others and Edmond Calais answered.
‘After you left, there was a great battle throughout the palace. A magician was fighting, but we did not see him, for the Queen’s guards had gathered us up and brought us here. We thought it may have been you.’
‘It was Lomar,’ Samuel revealed. ‘It’s unfortunate he could not help you escape. It would have made things much simpler. Do you know what happened to him?’
‘He did not die, if that is what you are asking,’ the Desert Queen responded, observing their conversation. ‘But neither did he escape unscathed. I have heard much of that Kabushy wizard. It is a shame I could not catch him. I wonder if he knows what happened to his kin?’
‘What do you mean?’ Samuel asked her, eyeing her suspiciously.
‘Have you not heard? My scouts brought word from the south only recently. There is no one left living in Kabush. Every soul has been murdered—slain by magic. Every village and hut and home has been wiped from the earth.’
‘Why would you do such a thing?’ he asked her with detestation.
‘Oh, it was nothing to do with me, I assure you. I had no interest in the marsh people. They were primitive and peaceful folk, but of no value to me. Still, if it serves to upset you and your friend, then I am thankful to whomever completed the deed.’
‘You are a cold-hearted woman,’ Samuel told her.
‘Yes. When it so pleases me—I am. You see, I am very unhappy about what you have done at Yi’sit. My remaining wizards have been arriving all night, telling tales of your terrible wrath. You have destroyed years of work, but at least you have shown your true powers in the end, Samuel. What a shame I was not there to witness it. I’m sure it would have been wonderful to behold. Tell me, did the woman and her child survive?’
‘They did,’ Samuel said. ‘They are safe and well.’
At that, the Emperor almost cried aloud with relief.
‘Then I must assume you also dispatched Om-rah for me. At least in that, Samuel, you have been obedient.’ Her customary reclining chair had been removed and a small square table had replaced it, with a straight-backed wooden chair at each end. The table was finely carved and inlaid with metal plates and braces, del
icate filigree and fine stones. ‘I doubt I can stop my stolen prizes from returning to the West. My army of wizards has been decimated and you have the help of that demon Cang. I’m sure they will be making for his valley, and it would be pointless for me to send my forces there. I will grant you victory in this, Samuel, but the rest of your plan has met its end. I will not die easily and, if you attempt any such foolishness, these four will be the first to perish.’
Samuel looked at the hostages, with curved swords at their necks and wizards by their sides, and with Utik’cah standing back behind them all, looking at Samuel flatly. It would be very difficult to save them all. He was not so fond of Canyon, but he could not risk letting the Emperor or the Koian woman be harmed. He damned himself for letting it come to this.
Then, something Alahativa had just said came back to him. ‘Three,’ he corrected her. ‘I see only three captives standing before you.’
At that, she again gave her most wonderfully satisfied smile. ‘Four, Samuel: the Koian man called Canyon, the one beside him that we shall call your Emperor, the nameless Koian female...and her child.’
Samuel looked at the Koian god-woman in confusion and she turned her gaze aside.
‘That’s right, Samuel,’ Alahativa continued. ‘She has your child in her belly.’
‘You lie, Witch,’ he told her, not even tempted to believe her story.
‘So it’s witch now, is it? You would never have called me such things in my bed. How terrible it is when lovers turn to quarrelling.’ Her voice was full of unsubtle sarcasm. ‘I am sure it is true, Samuel. The woman has your child in her. It is true beyond a doubt.’
‘Impossible!’ he said, growing irritated.
‘So you say. Yet, it has happened. Tell him, woman.’ But the Koian girl would not raise her eyes from the floor. ‘You see? She knows it is so. Will you risk harming your unborn child, Samuel? It does seem quite remarkable that such a thing could happen. I am disappointed that you would not give me a child, yet you would resort to impregnating this...girl. Still, you are a magician so this may be the only chance you have to bear young. I tell you, there must be something in the water these days. First, your Emperor receives a son when he could only have daughters and now you, a magician, grant a child to a witch, when the idea of either of you bearing young is simply imponderable. The scholars will certainly be waggling their tongues over this.’
‘What do you mean, “to a witch”?’ he asked her, perturbed.
‘She is not quite a god, but she does have powers, Samuel—or have you still not discovered that? Her skills are subtle, but she does have the potential to cast magic, somewhere deep inside her. You seem to have missed a great deal.’
‘Stop your prattling!’ he shouted at her and her painted eyes opened wide. He realised he was in an impossible position and the realisation that all was lost was almost too much to bear. With great difficulty, he forced his next words out as calmly as he could. ‘Tell me, then, what will you have me do?’
‘Very well,’ she said quite calmly, and she pulled back one of the chairs at her table and sat, sitting sideways to face him and crossing her legs at the ankles with her hands clasped on her lap. ‘I will tell you what will happen. You have won, Samuel. Take your woman and go. Take your Emperor, too. Whatever past we once shared, he has forsaken me. The other, Canyon, can do as he pleases. I will withdraw my armies from your lands and they shall return to the desert for all time. I am sorry this has not gone well, Samuel. My heart has been broken on all fronts and we Paatin shall reside here and accept whatever fate may come. I will tell my people that this is not Ajaspah—that the stars have been misread. We will await our fate quietly and face it as proudly as we can.’
Samuel eyed her courtiers suspiciously, but they gave no hint as to the Paatin Queen’s intentions. ‘Why would you do all this?’ he asked her. ‘You have already won. Why give up your victory?’
‘As I have said, Samuel, I have lost the will for vengeance. What point is there to continue on in the face of all this bloodshed? I know you are powerful, more powerful than even I could have believed, for who else could destroy an army of my wizards and bring rain and snow to the desert. I have no wish to anger you further. Only more blood would be spilt and what good would it accomplish? I know I am not as noble a woman as I purport to be, but neither am I the monster you imagine. Come, I have prepared a treaty for you to take back to your people, as proof of my decision. Sit, sign it and I will send you home. My war is over.’
Samuel turned to the Emperor questioningly. ‘He would not sign it,’ Alahativa stated. ‘For whatever reason, he does not want his presence known to his people. You can make your mark in his stead. I’m sure your people will accept it, being the Saviour that you are.’
‘Is it true?’ Samuel asked and, with a nod from the Queen, the sword was moved ever so slightly from the Emperor’s throat.
‘I don’t know if her motivations are true, Samuel, but I would not sign it, as she said. Do so if you wish. I don’t know what value it holds, except to please the bureaucrats of Cintar. They do enjoy such things and it would do well to allay their fears of further invasion.’
‘Come,’ the Paatin Queen implored him and Samuel took three tentative steps up to the table and stood beside her.
A letter and a writing set were neatly laid out opposite her. Still, Samuel eyed the woman suspiciously. He kept his shields in place and his power at the ready.
‘Read it,’ she said. ‘They are merely words, but you will find no more powerful symbol of my sincerity.’
He stepped around to the other side of the table, keeping one eye on the Paatin Queen as he went, with his spells burning with readiness. She only turned and put her legs under the table, resting her hands gently upon the tabletop.
He did not sit as requested, but leaned over the chair to read. The note seemed genuine. Another glance to the Emperor had the man shrugging his shoulders. The Koian woman stood emotionlessly, eyes still to the floor, and Canyon was looking on with unrestrained expectation.
‘I will also give you something of a parting gift, Samuel. I know you want it, and perhaps it can serve to remind you of the tenderness we once shared.’ And with that, almost beyond belief, she wriggled her ring from her finger and set it down gently upon the table. ‘Here, take it. It is yours. Take whatever power it can give you and enjoy whatever happiness it may bring,’ and she slid it across to the middle of the table.
Samuel’s pulse raced and he had to hold himself from snatching the thing up. He weighed up the situation, for it seemed remarkable that his total loss had somehow become a victory.
He leaned forward expectantly and placed his finger on the second Argum Stone. He felt its cold surface throbbing with power against his skin and, at the same time, he noted a smile teetering on the edge of Alahativa’s lips. He did not trust her, but it was too late for her to change her mind. It really was the second relic beneath his finger and victory was now his. She was powerless and he now had everything.
At that thought, something brilliant flashed through the air between him and the ring and, with a mechanical clang, a long arm of steel slammed into place beside the table. Samuel staggered back, disoriented and in shock as he was suddenly cut off from his magic. There was a gasp from the Emperor and a shrill cry from the Koian woman, but, as Samuel looked towards them dumbly, Canyon seemed quite satisfied.
Looking back to the table, Alahativa had already snatched back her own magical ring and had slipped it back upon her finger. She was now prying a matching relic from a severed hand that lay limply upon the table, spilling blood from its elbow across the polished surface. A long, sharpened blade, slick with blood, lay exposed beside the table, sticking out from the wood where it had come to rest. A dark recess ran across the middle of the tabletop and it seemed it was from this that the device had exploded. Seeing the blade and the blood and the arm, Samuel slowly managed to put the meaning of the scene together, as his mind fumbled to make sense of thing
s. He had been distracted in that final instant as the Queen had given him her ring, and his magic had waned enough for the blade to do its work. The Queen had judged him well.
Samuel staggered again and grabbed hold of the nearby chair, still trying to convince himself that the arm on the table belonged to him. He struggled to pick the thing up, then he realised that all he was achieving was waving around the stump of his right arm and spraying more blood.
‘How could you?’ the Emperor cried out, struggling against the guards that held him tight.
‘Take him,’ the Paatin Queen called and a team of her men grabbed Samuel with rough hands.
Samuel was still looking about dumbly, when a white-hot spray of wild magic spat out and turned the men around him to ashes with a screaming flash. The Koian woman was free, her own guards erased from existence.
‘You cannot do this!’ she screamed, and again she lashed out, throwing her crudely cast spells blindly across the room and a wizard and more guards vanished with a hellish shriek. ‘Run! Run, you idiot!’ she called to Samuel and he lurched into action and began staggering down the stairs.
The Emperor and Canyon flailed to be away from the woman beside them as her spells shot out in all directions, blasting stone and chair and curtain, evaporating Paatin left and right as they tried to evade her wrath.
‘Kill him! Kill him!’ Canyon blurted out, pointing to Samuel. ‘Don’t let him get away!’
No sooner had he bellowed the words than the Koian woman had spun and locked her wild eyes upon him. ‘It was you!’ she said. ‘You told her everything!’ Untamed magic still poured from her in blazing, flailing tentacles, keeping the guards fleeing and the Paatin Queen ducked out of sight behind the table and a veil of protective spells. It seemed only luck that Samuel and the Emperor had not been blasted by the Koian woman’s untempered fury.
Canyon realised his mistake and horror drained his face white. ‘No. No, I did nothing.’ he stammered, backing away, but the raging woman put her palms to his face and he screamed like a girl. ‘Please! Don’t!’
She Who Has No Name (The Legacy Trilogy) Page 47