The Raven Tower

by Emma Miles

  ‘Let me go ahead so they can see we are not Chemmen,’ Vilnue suggested.

  Dia nodded, her eyes not leaving the tower.

  Vilnue lit a torch and then stepped out into the clearing. He walked forward several yards and stopped, letting the watchers on the walls take him in. He started forward again and then halted as something caught his eye.

  ‘What’s that?’ one of the warriors demanded.

  Both Dia and Heara stepped out of the trees to peer into the darkness.

  ‘Undead,’ Heara hissed. She drew her short sword.

  ‘Come on.’ Dia looked around at the others. ‘If they start shooting head back to the trees, if not then make for the gate. You all know how to take out an undead now, hamstring it and then take off the head. We can burn them later.’

  They set off at a cautious jog across the meadow. Ten of Vilnue’s men veered off to dispatch the undead warrior they’d seen. Several of them looked considerably paler as they re-joined the main party. They slowed their pace, letting the Merkis get ahead again as they came within hailing distance of the walls.

  ‘I’m Merkis Vilnue of Taurmaline!’ He held his torch aloft. ‘Who keeps the hold?’

  ‘Merkis Tantony! Come around to the gate, man!’

  Dia felt a tingling in her chest muscles and her feet grew heavier. They were nearly there.

  ‘Be careful! There are more of those monsters out there!’ A woman’s voice called down from above, one unused to being raised.

  The men spread out a little, scanning the last few feet of meadowland. Heara, Vilnue and Everlyn all drew closer to Dia. They heard the gates open and Dia felt the back of her eyes sting and her throat tighten. Several warriors came out to guard them as they entered Northold.

  A stocky man with a crooked nose and soft grey eyes presented himself to them as the gates were closed and the bars dropped. ‘I am Merkis Tantony.’

  ‘Vilnue.’ The greying warrior held out a hand. ‘This is the Icante of the Fulmers, she is come from fighting the Chemmen on the river.’

  He bowed. ‘Icante, we are honoured and grateful.’

  A woman of about Dia’s age, with brown eyes and tawny hair tied neatly back, stepped forward to curtsey. ‘My lady, we have food and drink in the great hall for you and your men. Please, follow me.’

  Dia nodded, and they took a path through some single storied houses toward a second gate and a higher, stone reinforced wall. Dia stumbled and the woman quickly offered her arm for her to lean on. She felt a flush of embarrassment at appearing so weak.

  ‘I’m Rosa,’ the woman said quietly. ‘I’m Kesta’s lady … I’m Kesta’s friend.’

  Dia turned to look at her, she didn’t even have the strength to call upon her knowing yet.

  ‘I’ll take you up to the guest tower, the king’s rooms.’ Rosa’s eyes swept gently over her face. ‘The Chemmen and, indeed, our Eldemen can wait until tomorrow. I’ll let you know if anything urgent happens.’

  Dia nodded, glancing over her shoulder to catch Heara’s eye. Rest and quiet sounded infinitely welcome.

  ***

  Dia woke with a start, sitting up to look around the unfamiliar room. It was round. A tower. Heara lay curled up at the end of the bed, her breathing deep and audible. Dia got up carefully and padded across to the window, it looked out over the lake. There was no sign of the Chemmen or their ships, no doubt they were at Taurmaline by now.

  Food had been left out, and she forced herself to eat. Her stomach didn’t want it but she knew she needed the fuel. She experimented and called a few sparks to her fingertips, relieved to feel that her magic was already coming back to her.

  ‘Dia!’ Heara gave a huge yawn and flung her long limbs wide as she stretched. ‘I’m starving!’ She sauntered to the table and ate unselfconsciously. Dia went back to the window. Warriors lined the walls below and she was surprised to see women and children there also with bows. She hadn’t thought it was the Elden way.

  ‘What now?’ Heara sat back and swallowed down a mug of water.

  Dia took in a deep breath and narrowed her eyes. ‘We see what news there is from Taurmaline and decide if we’re going to rescue their king or not.’

  Heara grunted, but she got dressed and secured all of her weapons to her belt and boots.

  ***

  The great hall was crowded with both refugees, and warriors taking a rest from the walls. Dia couldn’t see Merkis Tantony anywhere but she spotted the woman from the night before, Rosa. She had a young girl with her.

  ‘Icante.’ Rosa gave a curtsey. The young girl remained still, regarding her intently. ‘Did you manage to rest?’

  ‘I did, thank you. Any news?’

  Rosa frowned and shook her head. ‘Still nothing. I think all of our ravens are here though and there is no safe way to get any into Taurmaline to bring us messages back.’

  ‘Ravens.’ Dia looked down and sucked on her bottom lip. ‘They are clever birds, I might be able to get them to spy for us, even to go to the messenger in Taurmaline.’

  ‘You’re not allowed in the Raven Tower.’ The young girl folded her arms across her chest.

  ‘Catya!’ Rosa blushed and flapped a hand at the girl.

  ‘And you are?’ Dia raised an eyebrow.

  Catya’s chin went up and her long hair fell back. ‘I’m Kesta’s bodyguard.’

  ‘Really?’ Dia glanced at Rosa who was pursing her lips and shaking her head.

  Heara stepped forward and placed her hands on her hips. ‘I’m the Icante’s bodyguard.’

  Catya looked her up and down slowly and mirrored her stance without realising she was doing so. She gave an approving nod and snorted through her nose. Heara grinned.

  ‘Right, well.’ Rosa stepped aside and gestured for them to follow. ‘I should think Jorrun would allow you in his tower under the circumstances.’

  Catya fell in beside Heara as they crossed the ward to the tower. Heara pulled out a long dagger and handed it to the girl who studied it with wide-eyed desire. Dia glanced over her shoulder to give her friend a warning look, but Heara just shrugged and kept on grinning.

  Rosa pushed at the door and it gave way easily, the interior was disappointingly plain. Dia changed her mind when she saw the rooms through the open doors as they ascended.

  ‘Who reads this many books?’ Heara paused in one doorway, her mouth a little open.

  ‘I hate letters,’ Catya grumbled.

  Heara bent down to whisper in her ear. ‘Knives are better.’

  Catya giggled.

  ‘This is Jorrun’s room.’ Rosa pointed to the door at the top of the steps. ‘The ravens roost in the loft just above.’

  Dia felt a small knot of apprehension as she approached the room of the man who had all but stolen her daughter. She paused in the doorway to regard it slowly. It was the room of someone with a busy mind, clutter everywhere and such an odd array of items. The bed was small, almost an afterthought. A candle stood upon the window facing west. Dia lifted one foot, hesitating before stepping forward over the threshold. She looked through the leaded glass and saw the Ivy Tower across the ward.

  ‘He used to light that candle when he wanted Kesta to visit. Mostly he came to her and they would, well they would just talk.’ Rosa stood in the centre of the room with her hands folded together.

  ‘They got on together?’ Dia turned to better study the woman’s face.

  ‘Oh.’ A little colour came to her cheeks. ‘I think they grew rather fond of each other in the short time she was here.’

  Rather fond. Well, that was interesting.

  ‘So, the ravens are up here?’ Dia pointed to the hatch above the ladder.

  ‘Oh, yes, let me open it!’ Rosa darted forward but Dia waved her aside.

  ‘I have it.’ She climbed up and pushed the trapdoor back.

  The ravens croaked and cawed at her interruption, she could hear the scrabbling of their claws and the ruffling of their feathers before her sight adjusted and she could see
the gleam of their black eyes. She reached out her knowing to touch the bright sparks of their inquisitive minds. She nearly lost her balance on the ladder at their reaction. They knew her, or certainly knew who she was. They showed her images of Kesta, of Jorrun lying on the floor of the tower, of the ward changing below them. As interesting as it was Dia showed them thoughts of her own; the battered enemy ships heading up the river, Taurmaline across the lake. She demonstrated to them flying there, watching, and flying back. She tried to show them taking a message but without knowing what the person who took care of the ravens at Taurmaline looked like it was hard to explain where she needed them to go.

  One of the ravens hopped down close to her. It lifted a leg and held it out.

  ‘Quickly, write me a message!’ She turned to call down the ladder. ‘Write that the king’s guest is with the ravens and can come to Taurmaline.’

  Rosa wrote a hasty note and placed it in a cylinder. The raven waited patiently while Dia attached it to its leg. Several of the ravens hopped up to the edge of their roost, looked back at her, then flew out and away southward. Dia made her way slowly back down the ladder.

  ‘What now?’ Heara asked.

  Dia drew in a deep breath. ‘We wait and see what news the ravens bring us.’

  ***

  Tantony and Rosa had the warriors and archers drilling in the ward to keep them occupied and their morale high. Even Reetha the cook had people out in the gardens working or constantly drawing up water from the well for the people and animals. Dia looked on with interest and pride, seeing her daughter’s influence but also a group of people whom she could admire. Heara had taken the little girl, Catya, under her wing and she followed the scout with shining eyes. Dia narrowed her own eyes as she watched them training together with daggers. Heara was still grieving, and she was concerned that Catya was as much a bandage for her pain as Vilnue.

  The first ravens returned almost a day after leaving the tower. They showed Dia images of a closed city and a harbour in flames. The following day the raven who had offered to take a message came back to the tower with a cylinder still attached to its leg. It was Rosa who removed it and she picked up her skirts to run to the great hall where Dia was discussing the old Borrow raids with some of the veteran warriors. Dia took one look at Rosa’s face and stood up to excuse herself.

  She touched Rosa’s arm. ‘What is it?’

  She handed Dia the cylinder. She paused for several heartbeats when she realised the wax was different than they’d used. She broke the seal and unrolled it, running her eyes over the tiny words. She let out the breath that she’d been holding and turned to Rosa.

  ‘The message reads, Unwanted visitors being kept out. Try to be here just before dawn tomorrow. We will come out to meet you.’

  ‘Will you go?’ Rosa asked, her eyes wide and her chest rising with her deep breaths.

  ‘Of course. Where’s Tantony?’

  ‘On the walls, I’ll fetch him.’

  Dia found Heara with Catya and after a moment’s thought, sought out Vilnue as well. Merkis Tantony ushered them all up to his study, and they crowded in. She showed them the scroll.

  ‘I’m assuming the best way to get to Taurmaline for dawn will be by water?’ she asked Tantony.

  ‘The only way to get there in that time, really.’ The lines about his grey eyes seemed more pronounced than usual. ‘We have a few good horses but even they would be pushing it to get there in time. We have Kurghan’s boat and a few other small fishing vessels but nothing that could transport an army.’

  Dia could feel them all looking at her. She gazed out of the window at the busy ward below. ‘From what the ravens have shown me, the harbour is held against us and for the most part, destroyed. There will probably be dead people set against us wandering the shores of the lake. Adelphy’s ships are moored out of reach of arrows from the city walls but we can’t be sure he himself is still on the ships.’

  ‘So.’ Tantony sat on the edge of his desk. ‘We can only send a small group to assist the king when he opens the city to attack the Chemmen. Perhaps it would be better to send him a message to give us more time?’

  Dia turned to face him. ‘I’m not sure he has more time. Adelphy can breach the city as soon as his magic is fully recharged. I could take out the gates without much effort and I have no doubt it would be the same for him. Once inside it would be a slaughter of the refugees and anyone else caught outside the castle itself.’

  Tantony slammed the heel of his hand down on the table. ‘And they become bodies for his growing army.’ He drew in a long, loud breath. ‘So, we must go, and quickly. What do you most need? Archers? Warriors? Those who can swim and be stealthy?’

  She bit at her bottom lip. ‘I like the way you’re thinking, Merkis. Ideally, I need ten walkers and fifty of Heara.’

  ‘I’d like to think I’m worth something.’ Tantony looked down at his boots.

  Rosa opened her mouth but Dia beat her to it. ‘You, Tantony, are worth a lifetime of good harvests. Get as many boats together as you can hunt down. Select me strong swimmers who can do close, bloody work. It—’ she winced, feeling slightly nauseous. ‘It’s an awful plan but we should try to kill those on watch and then trap those below before sinking or firing each ship. There will not be enough of us to take on all their warriors if they are still aboard.’

  Tantony shifted on the table. No one seemed to want to meet each other’s eyes.

  ‘It’s us or them.’ Rosa looked up and touched Tantony’s arm with just one finger. ‘I don’t imagine they would care about fairness or brutality if it were the other way around.’

  ‘Get your people together then.’ Dia looked from Tantony to Vilnue. ‘We need to get going sooner rather than later.’

  ***

  ‘As much as I love a fight,’ Heara said as they went back out into the ward and headed for the Raven Tower. ‘The odds aren’t exactly in our favour.’

  ‘Not yet.’ Dia frowned. ‘But when we were under attack by Relta and his ships Thane Jorrun was able to call on the fire-spirits and Doroquael came to help us.’

  ‘We left Doroquael back in the Fulmers.’

  Dia nodded and regarded her friend. ‘There are other fire-spirits here in Elden. I’m going to see if any of them will help. There are also the ravens.’

  ‘The ravens?’ Heara frowned down at her.

  Dia smiled and nodded.

  They entered the tower and goosebumps rose on her arms. No matter how many times she went into the Raven Tower Dia still felt an overwhelming sense that she was intruding. The scent of jasmine was fading but the presence of the man whose tower it was hadn’t lessened with his absence. She glanced back at Heara and saw that her best friend was stalking as though hunting, each step carefully placed. They heard the ravens scratching about in the loft and several croaking caws greeted them as Dia opened the hatch. Feathers rustled, and two birds alighted right before Dia’s face. One of them stretched toward her and turned its head, closing and opening its eyes slowly. She reached out her knowing, and it showed her images of two severely damaged Chemman ships anchored at the edge of the lake and the remaining five blockading the harbour. It showed her the archers manning the walls of Taurmaline and the refugees being herded away from the main gate to make way for warriors.

  She showed it images of their plan and asked if the ravens would continue to spy for them. Eagerly they consented. Ravens loved war.

  Breathing rapidly, Dia climbed back down the ladder and looking around the room spotted the candle on the windowsill. Calling her magic, she lit it before taking it down and placing it on the table. Heara sat on the edge of the narrow bed watching silently. Dia made herself comfortable on one of the chairs and stared into the flame, losing herself in the hypnotic flicker. As soon as she entered the spirit realm of fire, she appealed for a drake to come forth. Almost at once she felt the presence of a sentient mind, she held herself still, allowing it to study her.

  Icante. The necromansser
knows that we have been helping. There are traps set against drakes on the ships.

  Dia’s heart sank, and she cursed. Yes, this Adelphy seems smarter than the Chemmen we met on Fulmer. I should have gone straight after him and not waited here.

  Then you would have had insufficient power, Icante. The fire-spirit seemed to fluctuate, fading and growing like flame feeding off wood. We cannot help you with the ships, but we will be there. Perhapss … perhaps where fire cannot go, you might use ice?

  Ice? Dia contemplated his words. Like all walkers she worked with all the elements and with nature but having been chosen by fire it was to fire that they most often turned. Yes, ice. She smiled.

  The fire-spirit crackled in what might have been a chuckle. Watch for uss on the shores of the lake, we will be there before dawn ignitess the skies.

  Dia found herself outside of the flame. She ran her idea over in her head, not moving except to breathe and to blink.

  ‘What are you smiling at?’ Heara grumbled, leaning back on the bed.

  Dia turned to regard her. ‘Strap on all of your weapons. It’s time to go.’

  ***

  They had room enough for only fifty-three warriors alongside Dia, Everlyn, and Heara in the available fishing boats. Both Tantony and Merkis Vilnue insisted on being among them. With their numbers so few, Dia reluctantly decided to ignore the ships on the shore initially and concentrate on the five blockading the harbour. They sailed in darkness, relying on the knowledge and skills of the local warriors rather than risk the sound of oars or the feel of magic being detected. Their sails had been changed from undyed canvas to those coloured dark blue and deep green. Several of the ravens travelled with them, perched on rails, prows, and masts. Despite the lack of light, one of them flew ahead and came back to warn Dia when they were getting close. She signalled the other boats, and they came together to hear her.