A Crucible of Souls (Book One of the Sorcery Ascendant Sequence) (Volume 1) Paperback

by Mitchell Hogan

  No one could possibly match the might of the empire, the largest nation in the world. What the invaders hoped to achieve was a mystery. All she could do was ride out the storm and come out the other side as she had done many times on the open sea.

  As she entered Barrows the mood changed markedly. Streets were mostly empty and shops were closed, doors and windows shuttered and barred.

  Ducking down a side alley, she left the main road then turned to travel parallel to it, still heading towards the Sorcerers’ Guild. In this district, people were making themselves scarce, but she should have better luck finding a tavern or shop open down the side streets. She knew of a market close by, and it was a good bet she would find some people mingling around there or in the taverns.

  She arrived at the square, which was deserted, in contrast to the markets and shops towards the docks. Light came from the half-open door of a tavern, and she decided to go inside to collect information. She glanced up at the plumes of smoke she suspected came from the Sorcerers’ Guild and she cursed.

  Inside the tavern, five patrons gathered in one group near a fireplace, leaving the rest of the room empty. There was no one behind the bar, then she noted one of the men by the fire wore a stained leather apron.

  “Excuse me,” she said, putting a wavering note in her voice. All heads turned to look at her. “Can anyone tell me what’s going on? I mean, I know about the invaders, but what’s happening at the Sorcerers’ Guild?”

  “Lass, you better get home,” the innkeeper said as he stood. “This is no time to be out on the streets. Go on now.” He jerked his head in the direction of the door.

  “Please…” she begged. “My brother is at the Sorcerers’ Guild, an apprentice. I have to know what’s happening there.”

  The innkeeper glanced at his customers. With a shrug, he approached. “Listen,” he said kindly, with a short smile. “Don’t be alarmed, but there’s been fighting there and some other strange happenings, from what folks say. Some say the invaders are going hard on the sorcerers. I’m sure your brother is fine, but I wouldn’t venture up there, if I was you.”

  Miranda feigned shock and did her best to look scared. It came easier than she thought. “Fighting? And what strange things? The sorcerers are harmless. Why would the invaders hurt them?”

  “Beats us, lass.” He paused and eyed her, obviously judging how much to tell a distressed girl.

  She decided to prod him for more information. Perhaps her damsel in distress act meant he wouldn’t want to share anything too upsetting.

  She drew herself up, squared her shoulders and cleared her throat. “Well, I need to find out if my brother is all right. Thank you for your help.” She spun around and headed for the door.

  “Lass.” The innkeeper grabbed her shoulder to stop her from leaving. “Listen, I didn’t want to say, but there’s been some fighting along with damage to buildings and such like. People heard explosions coming from the Sorcerers’ Guild… and not small ones, either.”

  “Ex… explosions?” repeated Miranda.

  “Yes, bricks flying, flashes of light, people injured. From the sounds of it, there’s heavy action there, and you don’t want to be anywhere close. From what we’ve heard, the Quivers haven’t been doing well, which is no surprise. There’s been rumors many were moved out of Anasoma in the last few weeks, heading inland and to the north. And we’ve also heard many of them still left came down with a sickness and couldn’t put up much of a fight. Please lass, go home. Wait for this to blow over and I’m sure your brother will turn up none the worse for wear.” He gave a wan smile Miranda thought was meant to be more reassuring than it came across.

  “Thank you. But I have to go. I have to know if he’s all right.”

  She nodded her thanks and left the inn.

  The invasion was going worse than she had thought. Quivers leaving Anasoma days before the Indryallans invade? And the rest falling ill? It sounded like the invaders had it all planned. And trouble at the Sorcerers’ Guild? She had no idea why that would be. It wasn’t like the sorcerers could have resisted. But Caldan might be in the middle of it. She sighed. With his luck, he probably was, the idiot.

  Outside, in the direction of the guilds, orange glows spattered the darkness.

  She should have tried to find Caldan earlier. No point blaming herself for poor decisions now. She couldn’t have known there would be such fierce fighting around the Sorcerers’ Guild. But crafting was a valuable commodity, and any invading force had to know that.

  In the distance, a window smashed followed by a dog barking. Soon it wouldn’t be safe to be out at night.

  She took one last look at the fires in the distance then turned south, away from the Sorcerers’ Guild. Caldan would have to wait. She needed to get off the streets or risk running into thieves or worse.

  Miranda stopped abruptly as she saw a familiar profile across the square. Was it…? Yes. Elpidia stood leaning against a wall watching her. She was a long way from the house where Miranda and Caldan had visited her. Curious, Miranda drew closer. It was hard to tell in this light, but she thought the expression on Elpidia’s face changed from confusion to grim determination then to a polite smile as she approached.

  “Fancy meeting you here,” said Miranda. “What are the chances?”

  “Ah, yes, it is a coincidence,” replied Elpidia with a nervous laugh.

  A poor liar, thought Miranda. Why was she following me?

  More breaking glass sounded in the distance, and shouts reached their ears. Elpidia glanced around anxiously.

  Miranda came to a decision and took a firm hold of Elpidia’s arm. They both needed to get off the street.

  “Come on, we should get out of here and find somewhere safe. I know a guesthouse close. It should serve for tonight.”

  Elpidia resisted the tug on her arm. “I… I need to find Caldan. Do you know where he is?”

  “Why do you need to find him?” Miranda shook her head and held up a hand to forestall any reply. “Don’t answer that. You can tell me later. Listen, we need to get off the streets. Do you understand? Otherwise we might be robbed, or something far worse.”

  “I can’t, not yet. I really need to see Caldan.”

  Miranda tightened her grip on Elpidia’s arm. “In case you hadn’t noticed, there’s been an invasion, and the Quivers haven’t been able to do much about it. Do you understand?”

  Elpidia looked around nervously then nodded. “I guess I knew, but… it isn’t right.”

  Miranda blinked at the woman’s bizarre response. Elpidia’s strange behavior made her uneasy and she gave the physiker another look. Her eyes were wide and fearful. She’d need watching closely. “What’s right doesn’t matter at the moment. We need to get safe first of all. Come.” She tugged Elpidia’s arm again and they hurried down a street.

  A short time later they entered a respectable looking lodging house, where Miranda shelled out a few ducats for a room for the night. The place was clean and tidy, and she was relatively sure they would be safe here. She didn’t want to risk traveling the streets at night to go all the way back to her rooms or Elpidia’s, and besides, that would mean coming all the way back again in the morning. She still meant to find Caldan and make sure they were both safe. And it looked like Elpidia had the same idea.

  The proprietor provided them with a jug of tea and a few buns, and they made their way upstairs to their room. Miranda poured them both a hot drink into ceramic bowls, and they sat on their beds, each looking at the other. Elpidia fiddled with the hem of her skirt under Miranda’s gaze.

  “Well, here we are,” said Miranda after a long silence. “I find the coincidence of meeting you… extraordinary.”

  A pained look crossed Elpidia’s face as she stared into her bowl. Her mouth moved as she obviously wrestled with what to say. She scratched at a rash on her neck.

  “To find you in that square,” continued Miranda. “Tonight. With you looking for Caldan as well. You had to have been fo
llowing me.”

  Elpidia met her eyes then looked away. Guilt flashed across her face. She let out a sigh, shoulders slumping.

  “I admit I was following you, but only to find Caldan. It was chance I saw you in the street while you were on your way towards Barrows. I was on my way to the Sorcerers’ Guild. I… need to see him for my research.”

  “And this couldn’t wait until things had died down? It’s far too dangerous out there to be wandering the streets alone.” Miranda took a sip of tea and a bite of her bun. “What’s so important it couldn’t wait?” she asked around a mouthful.

  “I’m at a critical point of my research and… I need to ask him some things. About some of the books he has read at the monastery. You wouldn’t understand. Alchemical specifics, that sort of thing.”

  “And this was so urgent it had to be done tonight? And you followed me rather than asking me where he was?”

  Elpidia managed to look ashamed and sick at the same time. “I wasn’t thinking clearly. This invasion… I fear the worst. When I saw you in the street, I thought I should be discreet.”

  None of this made sense to Miranda. There was more to this story than Elpidia let on, but it was unlikely she posed any threat. Whatever Elpidia was hiding, well, it could wait until after Miranda found Caldan and made sure they were both safe.

  Already the streets were deteriorating at night, and in a few more days the city would be a mess. Things would definitely degenerate before they returned to normal, if they ever did.

  Miranda finished the last few bites of her bun and washed it down with the rest of her tea. “In the morning, first thing, I’m heading to the Sorcerers’ Guild, fires or no. You can follow along, but I can’t guarantee your safety.”

  Elpidia nodded. “Of course,” she replied firmly.

  Miranda felt Elpidia had come to a decision, and that had strengthened her resolve. She sat there, back straight, and met Miranda’s eyes. Yes, something had changed, and the helpful physiker Miranda had first met seemed almost a different person. As long as what Elpidia wanted didn’t hinder her in finding Caldan, she would keep her close. Better to have her near and know where she was. She still didn’t trust her.

  Miranda brushed crumbs from her hands and turned back the blanket on her bed. “Get some sleep. I mean to be up early.” She slid under the sheets and turned her back to Elpidia.

  Moments later, Elpidia turned the lamp out and the room went dark.

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  “We’ve been turned away from the gates,” Aidan said. “There’s no choice but to find another way into the city.”

  Chalayan nodded at his statement while cel Rau merely grunted.

  Aidan used a leather-gloved hand to pour from a battered kettle that sat on the edge of their cooking fire. He could feel the heat of the handle through his glove as he poured into his own mug then refilled Chalayan’s. Both the sorcerer and Anshul cel Rau had kept their distance from him since the… incident with Lady Caitlyn. Though the last few days they had made a point of reporting to him and deferring to his leadership. His moment of weakness with the bottle had put them off, shown them he was fragile. Well, let them have to kill the leader they loved and see how they fared afterwards.

  “Those sorcerers were ahead of us all the way?” he asked for the second time that morning.

  “Yes,” replied Chalayan and licked his lips. His fingers strayed to the trinket he always wore around his neck. Aidan suspected its power was in detecting sorcery, but he couldn’t be sure. There was a great deal he didn’t know about sorcerers, but he now knew they were far more dangerous than anyone believed.

  Chalayan had changed since they started this chase, even before Caitlyn’s death. He clearly wanted to catch the sorcerers they were following, but Aidan didn’t think he wanted the same outcome. The power of these sorcerers and the evil they perpetrated had shown Aidan they needed to be destroyed, but Chalayan… every time he spoke of them a tinge of reverence came into his voice. As if he wanted the power these sorcerers commanded. Dangerous indeed.

  A few days ago, Chalayan had woken Aidan in the middle of the night. He had felt a massive flow of energy flare up, he said. A sorcery like he’d never encountered before. The initial surge had died down, but he could still sense power flowing from the direction of Anasoma. Eventually, he had calmed enough to settle back in his blankets, but Aidan was sure he hadn’t slept the rest of the night.

  Expecting to head straight in and to ask the Protectors for assistance with looking after the women they had rescued and with hunting the rogue sorcerers, they were stunned to see the city’s walls aflame with a pale blue fire, crowds milling outside locked and barred gates. From what they could gather from the people, the city was either quarantined due to disease, a civil war had broken out among the guilds, an army had invaded and enslaved everyone, or an old evil had risen from a graveyard and was killing people at night.

  Aidan didn’t put much stock in any of these and wondered if the flames on the wall were to keep people out or to keep them in. Chalayan almost had an apoplexy when he saw them and had wandered back and forth in front of the wall constantly looking to the barrier and to the sky, all the while clutching his trinket, and repeating they were impossible. Which they clearly weren’t.

  Aidan took a step away from the crackling fire and crouched on his heels, gazing at the flames. “So, they either entered the city or weren’t able to get in, same as us.”

  “I don’t think they could enter. The sorcery I felt the other night had to have been the creation of this barrier, and would have been up before they reached the city.”

  “Are you sure?” asked Aidan. “We ran into unknown sorcerers with unknown powers, chased them to Anasoma, where we find the people locked out by more unknown sorcery. I’d think they’re related, wouldn’t you?”

  Anshul cel Rau spat into the fire, saliva sizzling in the coals. “I don’t like it,” he said flatly.

  Chalayan studied the walls. “While I would normally agree with your logic, the sorcery is different. I believe they’re from diverse schools of knowledge. The ones we ran into and have been following have a strange feel.” He spread his hands apologetically. “I can’t put it any more succinctly than that, but take my word for it. I’ve never encountered their like before, and I’ve studied under many masters.”

  Aidan cleared his throat. “Two groups of sorcerers running around unleashing power for no reason we can fathom?”

  Cel Rau grunted and spat into the fire again.

  “Our first priority is to get these people to safety.” Aidan gestured at the wagons and women around the camp. “Then we can worry about the sorcerers.”

  “What will the sorcerers be doing while we waste time with the women?” asked cel Rau.

  Aidan fixed him with a firm stare. “We cannot abandon them. We need to make sure they will be looked after.”

  The swordsman looked away. Chalayan nodded reluctantly.

  With a flick of his wrist, Aidan sent the dregs of his tea splashing into the fire. “Let’s get packed up.” He stood. “I want everyone ready to move in half an hour. There are a few towns close by and we can see the women safely settled at one. They’ll be out of harm’s way, and then we can do something about these sorcerers.”

  Aidan had them approach the town cautiously, reluctant for them to head straight in after all they had seen. As towns go it was large, probably due to its proximity to Anasoma. It was considered an outlying district of the city, an hour’s ride to the west.

  Their wagons rolled down the dusty main street, with only the occasional resident showing an interest in their group. Most ignored them as they rushed about, too busy and important to be bothered with strangers. The place had a soulless feel to it, but there wasn’t much they could do at the moment except find somewhere to drop off the women and children.

  On the outskirts of the town, a tent city had sprung up with more temporary residents pouring in even as they passed close by. P
eople turned away from the gates of Anasoma were looking for somewhere to stay. Circles of wagons covered with canvas formed enclaves, while horses cropped grass around their tents. In a few days the place would be a breeding ground for trouble. He didn’t want to leave the women there.

  The only logical place was the town’s hospice, and Aidan was relieved when they readily agreed to take on a group of women who were willing to work in exchange for a bed and food. The place was understaffed as there had been an influx of extra patients since the gates of Anasoma closed. Wealthy people who couldn’t enter Anasoma had no alternative but to forego the expensive city treatments and turn to the hospice instead.

  It didn’t take them long to have the women and children settled into quarters. With grateful hugs and smiles, Aidan left them to their new life. As soon as possible, he gathered his men and left without a backward look.

  Anshul cel Rau grabbed Aidan’s arm and dragged him up out of the long dry grass. “No need to hide,” the swordsman said gruffly. “There aren’t any sentries on the wall.”

  It was a long speech for the man. Aidan nodded.

  He’d been lying in the grass all day, keeping an eye on the walls of Anasoma close to one of the gates. Travelers and traders still approached without knowing, or perhaps without believing, the city was locked down, only to mill uncertainly before the closed gate before wandering off, taking themselves and their wares elsewhere.

  Aidan trudged back to their makeshift camp with cel Rau. Their band, what was left of it, had chosen a clearing next to a copse of trees as their camp site. A brook flowed nearby towards the sea, and the ground was rocky and hard.

  He surveyed the greatly reduced numbers of their group. With Lady Caitlyn’s death and the losses they experienced during that battle, some of their men had chosen to stay with the women at the hospice. Aidan didn’t blame them, since most were mercenaries, only in it for the ducats, and such heavy losses dented their desire to stay on, no matter what the pay. Truth was that only a few of them followed Lady Caitlyn because they believed in her cause, and over the last few days men had deserted the band with infuriating regularity. He would rather the men under him followed not for the ducats but because they believed. Lady Caitlyn’s cause was as strong in him as it had been in her.