by Emma Miles
‘We’ll be fastest by ship.’ He rolled the parchment and placed it inside a cylinder. ‘Straight down the river and then out to sea. We’d be able to eat and sleep without stopping or worrying about changing horses.’
‘Arrange it.’
Tantony gave a single nod and hurried from the room.
Kesta looked down at Jorrun and moving to kneel beside him she placed a hand on the side of his face. There was still no warmth to his skin and she gently drew her fingers along his bearded jaw and called up her knowing. She could feel nothing from him, but as she leant further forward to touch her forehead to his she pushed all her heart and soul toward him.
‘Leave that candle burning in the window, Jorrun, I’m coming.’
***
It took her only moments to shove a couple of changes of clothes into a bag, strap her dagger to her waist, and pull on her long boots. She looked around quickly for anything else that might be of use, grabbed some bread and fruit from the table, and then returned to the Raven Tower. The sun was just beginning to spread its fingers through the clouds.
Rosa had managed to get Jorrun up into the bed with help from the others and had propped him up with cushions. Azrael had kept a discreet distance but was peeping out from the chimney. Catya seemed more enthralled than afraid of the little fire-man.
‘He has his swallow reflexes,’ Rosa said.
Relief swept through her. ‘That’s something.’
Kesta looked through the disorder on the large table and found a letter opener. She tested its edge and found it was sharp enough for what she needed. Picking up a message tube she sat beside Jorrun and lifted his arm, placing it in her lap. She pierced the soft skin below his wrist, drawing blood.
‘What are you doing?’ Rosa asked.
‘This is part of his magic.’ Kesta glanced up at her friend, catching the slow flow of blood in the cylinder. She held his hand to her cheek, closing her eyes briefly before letting it drop. Her face and neck burnt with a mixture of anger and fear. It terrified her that the person they were all hoping could save them from Chem had so easily been beaten and, yet again, someone she was relying on had been reckless with their own life for something they could have managed without. Her jaw clenched. She hated Bractius for his manipulation of both herself and Jorrun. She could hardly believe that both she and her father had thought Jorrun the ruthless schemer and the king thoughtful and kind!
She drew in a breath and looked up at Rosa. ‘Would you bandage this for me?’
Rosa frowned but did so while Kesta sealed the message tube with wax and then tied string about it before securing it around her neck. She stabbed the paperknife into her own arm, flinching at the pain, and collected her blood into another tube which she gave to Rosa.
‘If … when he wakes, give him this, he will know what to do with it.’
‘I will.’ Rosa took it tentatively with a frown on her face.
Kesta added some coal and a jar of oil to her bag. She hugged the older woman tightly and then Catya, who dug her fingers into her back but refused to speak or look at her.
‘Look after each other and protect our home.’ She looked from one to the other, her heart muscles clenching as she memorised the details of their faces.
‘We will.’ Rosa’s voice was tight.
With a nod Kesta went to the door, but she turned to look at them again.
‘Order bows and arrows to be bought or made; Tantony probably didn’t do it. Get all the women learning archery and make sure you both practice every day. If you don’t become brilliant at it by the time I come back, I’ll be very angry.’
Rosa laughed, Catya burst in to tears.
‘Just come back,’ Rosa said.
***
Tantony was waiting for her at the small dock, giving his last instructions to two warriors who she recognised but couldn’t name. Kurghan was waiting for them on a small boat with a single mast; it seemed the carpenter had offered to take them. His wife and sister were up and about and talking quietly together.
Tantony saw her approaching. ‘You’re ready?’
She nodded.
‘You’re sure you want to do this?’
She scowled at him and jumped light-footed into the boat. Settling in the seat at the back she placed a lantern beside her and used her magic to light it. At once Azrael sprang out, staying within the glass out of sight of the others.
The boat rocked as Tantony untied the mooring rope and clambered in. Kurghan used an oar to push them out and then adjusted the sail to catch the wind. Kesta closed her eyes and calling on her magic agitated the air. A strong wind arose, snapping the canvas and pushing them out onto the lake. As the boat turned she caught a last glance of the Raven Tower through the trees.
***
It took them two days and a night to sail down the river Taur, even with Kesta using her magic to help whenever she could. If Kurghan noticed anything unnatural about the winds, he was too polite to say. Kesta barely slept, watching the shore unfold before her, changing from forest to farmland, passing through large towns and small. She worried about Rosa and Catya, she prayed that her family and people on the Fulmers were okay; she hoped that Bractius wouldn’t do anything stupid when he saw what had become of Jorrun. She pulled her blanket more tightly around herself as twilight deepened.
‘Kessta!’
‘All will be well,’ she whispered, more to herself, than to the spirit.
The smell of Taurmouth reached her first, rolling with the briny breeze up the estuary. Lights pierced the night and sound followed as the river swept them swiftly on.
‘What’s your plan from here?’ Kurghan asked.
Tantony looked around at Kesta, his grey eyes bright. ‘Some of the Northold warriors may still be here, depending on how quickly they’ve received orders and been deployed to Mantu. We should see if we can travel with them; if no—’
‘If not, we cross the sea in this,’ Kesta said. ‘My magic will get us there quicker than any warship.’
Tantony and Kurghan glanced at each other but said nothing.
Kesta’s anger stirred at their distrust, but she bit her tongue.
***
They tied up at a dock and Tantony threw a coin to the harbour master. Azrael withdrew inside the lamp and Kesta carried it with her as they clambered ashore. She had to take a moment to stretch her muscles before they would let her move properly.
‘I’ll make enquiries,’ Tantony said. ‘You two go and get some hot supper. The crab and oyster there are good; just save me something.’
Kesta was anxious to get going and reluctant to go to where the docks were crowded; but it made sense for Tantony to update them on what was happening. Kurghan seemed to sense her unease and suggested she sit out on the harbour wall while he went in to get them some food. She perched on the rough stone with the lantern beside her, pulling the hood of her coat up over her long hair. She called up her knowing to alert her of any potential threat. It reminded her of how vulnerable she’d felt when she’d first come to Elden, how shocked she’d been by the unguarded thoughts directed toward her by Eldemen.
She was relieved at how quickly Kurghan reappeared, balancing several dishes and three mugs of ale on a tray.
‘They didn’t have much without meat,’ he apologised. ‘Just bread, cheese, and some boiled vegetables.’
‘It’s kind of you to remember.’ She swung about to place her feet back on the street. She helped him set the food out on the wall.
They ate for a while in uncomfortable silence.
‘This must seem odd to you,’ she said after a while.
Kurghan shrugged. ‘When your Thane is a sorcerer, I suppose you shouldn’t be surprised by anything. That fire demon of yours did give me a fright though.’
‘He’s just a spirit.’ She looked around at the lamp.
Both of them jumped as Tantony came striding up with his hitched gait.
‘Well, we missed the others. The warriors sailed out yest
erday afternoon to reinforce the garrison and fleet on Mantu. We’ll have to make our own way.’ He grabbed up a heel of bread, slapped some meat on it, and bit into it hungrily.
Kesta looked at the two men. ‘I should go on my own from here.’
‘No!’ Kurghan said.
Tantony almost choked on his food. ‘Absolutely not!’
‘Do you have any money?’ she demanded of Tantony.
He reluctantly nodded.
‘Give it to Kurghan. Kurghan, I want you to get a room here on the docks and wait for us.’
‘Don’t you need me to sail the ship?’
Kesta shook her head. ‘Like I said, I can get us there quickly using magic. Tantony, if you’re sure you want to come, then I want to get going as soon as you’ve eaten.’
He swallowed down the food he was chewing. ‘Of course, I’m coming!’
She nodded, picking up the lantern and returning to the boat.
She didn’t have to wait long until Tantony joined her. He undid the mooring rope without a word and pushed them away from the wooden piling with his foot.
‘Get us out to sea and then I’ll do the rest,’ she said. ‘Thank you, Tantony.’
He grunted in reply.
***
When the lights of the busy harbour began to shrink beyond the edge of the horizon, Kesta leant out over the black sea and plunged her hand beneath its cold skin. Calling up her knowing she reached out to the intelligent creatures of the deeps, pleading with them for their help. It wasn’t long before a family of dolphins breached the surface, circling the boat and chattering in their own clicking tongue. One came close enough for Kesta to touch and she placed her fingers against its warm, smooth skin. She showed it images of Jorrun lying motionless amid the candles and let flow all the emotions it evoked in her. She showed it images of the map, of Mantu, of the dead men she’d seen being loaded onto ships. She conveyed her desire to defeat them.
The dolphin fell back into the sea and its family followed. The boat bobbed idly under the infinite sky.
‘What now?’ Tantony whispered.
A dolphin leapt up, spraying them in salty droplets that caught the myriad stars within them. One by one the dolphin family broke the surface just beyond the prow.
‘Help me tie some ropes to the ship and the throw the ends out over the water,’ she instructed.
They tied three lines and as soon as they were thrown out dolphins snatched up the ends and began racing out toward the north-east. They took off so quickly that Tantony fell off his seat backwards and Kesta had to grab the lamp to stop it smashing.
They slept fitfully, Azrael the most anxious of the three of them, far from land and locked away from his natural element. He nibbled on coal and Kesta kept the lamp fed with oil. By unspoken agreement they took turns keeping watch, the daylight hours as nerve-racking as the night. Through a night and a day and a night, the dolphin family pulled them across the ocean. As midnight passed. and they drew closer to morning, several dolphins came up to the surface to chatter at Kesta.
She sat up to see a horizon red with flames.
Mantu was burning.
The dolphins surfaced briefly and then left them.
‘Tantony.’ Kesta cleared her throat and tried to make herself sound more confident. ‘Merkis, where should we steer for?’
‘If you don’t mind climbing there’s a small rocky cove on the west side of the island. It can only be reached by sea or by climbing the cliff, but it was a great spot for fishing and finding a moment’s peace. It’s about a mile from the northern port of Promise.’
‘Sounds good. Azra, I’ll need to cover the lantern – and you.’
Azrael made himself small and vanished at once into the lantern’s flame. She placed it carefully beneath the seat and wedged it in as securely as she could. She realised she was chewing at her lower lip and she fought down her anxiety. She took several swallows of water to try to quell the churning of her stomach. It was too late to turn back; not that she could. Sharp blue eyes and a face that gave nothing away seemed to plague her every thought no matter how hard she tried to turn her mind away. It was like an addiction she couldn’t conquer.
She put down the water jug and dug her nails into her palms to wake herself up from her daydreaming. ‘Let’s take down the sail and row in closer.’
The sounds of battle began to drift toward them and several times they bumped up against the wreckage of a much larger vessel. As quietly as they could they rowed toward the island, Tantony indicating silently when they needed to correct a course. She kept her knowing open to warn them of the approach of anything living. She caught Tantony watching her with a deep frown on his face, he gave a slight shake of his head before looking away.
They drew closer to the jagged cliffs and her nerves finally began to get the better of her. She closed down her knowing to take a few slow, deep breaths and get herself under control before she infected Tantony with her emotions.
‘It’s somewhere here,’ Tantony whispered. ‘But it’s too dark for me to be sure.’
The sea surged between hidden rocks and Kesta had to fight her oar to keep them from being dragged against the cliffs.
‘We’ll have to risk some light; hold on a moment!’
She pulled in her oar and grabbed the lantern out from under the seat. The boat lurched and bucked, Tantony grunting as he tried to control the boat alone.
‘Azra, can you guide us in?’
The drake emerged hesitantly from the lantern flame, hissing and spitting at the sea spray. He passed close by the struggling Tantony’s shoulder and hovered at the narrow prow.
‘You need to head north a bit more.’ The spirit flickered.
Kesta clambered back to her seat and grabbed her oar. By the time they’d forced the boat into the tiny cove her hands were blistered, and her arms and back were on fire.
Tantony jumped out into the shallows and hauled them part way up the shingle. Kesta climbed out more carefully, every muscle shaking. She looked up at the dark cliff and the stars between the clouds so far above. She felt a moment of exhaustion and despair.
‘The stairs are just here to the left,’ Tantony whispered a little breathlessly.
‘Stairs,’ she said with relief. ‘Azra, while we climb can you try to speak with the other drakes? Get us a heads up of what we are facing. Also see if they know the locations of the strongest necromancers.’
Azrael rocketed up the cliff face at once and vanished over the top.
‘Wish I could do that.’ Tantony adjusted his sword belt and turned to look at her. ‘The steps are pretty steep, but you can find them by touch. We should take it slow.’
‘You’ll get no argument from me!’
He surprised her with a grin and then headed for the foot of the stairs.
He set a steady pace, both of them using hands, feet, and knees to crawl and pull their way up. Twice they stopped to catch their breath.
‘I’m getting old,’ Tantony groaned.
‘Nonsense,’ she whispered back, wondering how much this was hurting his knee. ‘How much further?’
Instead of replying, Tantony got up and continued his crawling climb. With a sigh she followed.
When Tantony reached the top, he perched with one leg over the edge and reached down to clasp Kesta’s wrist and help pull her up. She sat down heavily, her back against his arm.
‘I’m getting old too,’ she said, her throat raw. ‘We’ll wait for Azra’s report.’
He didn’t reply but she could feel his chest rising and falling. She almost laughed at how pathetic a rescue party they must look, battered before they even met an enemy.
It was nearly half an hour before Azra found them. He was burning a dark blue and hard to see.
‘Promise harbour iss taken. Sseven ships of our enemy are anchored there, our own ssunk. There are many fires in the town. Dead men roam the island; mosst are attacking the southern port, Haven. Our warriors sstill defend there with Ssiverael
l. Live warriors of Shem are taking up defensse of Promisse; we think the necromancers work from there.’
‘The island isn’t lost yet.’ Tantony sagged in relief.
‘If we take out at least some of the necromancers, then those dead men will lessen and give our warriors a chance.’ She scrambled to her feet.
‘Can you really beat them?’ Tantony regarded her, eyes narrowed. ‘Or are you biting off more than you can chew, like Jorrun?’
‘My mother has killed at least two. If I can sneak into that town and catch any of them alone I should be able to deal with them.’
‘And if you don’t catch them alone?’
‘I’d be stupid to try to take on more than one. I should be able to get us past the Chemman warriors using my magic, but I’ll have to rely on the two of you to help watch out for dead men. The necromancers might also be invisible to me if they wear amulets like the one Jorrun has. Tantony, where do you think the best place would be to get into the harbour and where are they likely to have set up their base?’
Tantony scratched at his cheek. ‘The town itself is walled, the harbour would have been the easiest way to slip in.’
They looked at each other, both knowing they probably should have remained down with the boat until Azrael had reported.
‘But the wall is scalable if we can go unseen,’ he went on. ‘As for where, I imagine they will have taken the fort.’
‘No, no!’ Azrael said excitedly. ‘The fort itself is sstill being held againsst them! Some warriorss have managed to barricade themselves in there.’
‘Well, let’s get ourselves in and we’ll go from there,’ Kesta suggested.
Azrael guided them along the cliff path like a bright will-o’-the-wisp, the sky to their right stained with flame and distorted by smoke. After about a quarter of a mile Tantony suggested they cut inland and avoid the main paths. It was mainly rugged pasture, but gorse and bare-branched apple trees allowed them some cover. Kesta noticed movement and calling up her knowing was chilled to find that she felt nothing.
‘I think one of the dead men is just up ahead, maybe more than one,’ she whispered. ‘I don’t know how much the necromancers can see through them and we should try to keep our approach undetected.’