by Lara Morgan
‘Definitely looks like a battle’s brewing,’ Irissa said.
Tallis’s shoulders tensed at her voice. ‘Let’s find out for sure.’ He stepped into the crowd, pushing a youth out of the way with more force than necessary. Shaan followed, Irissa close behind, the young woman’s glare on both their backs, her constant simmering anger at Tallis almost tangible.
Shaan suppressed the urge to give the clanswoman an earful. Tallis had not wanted Irissa to come with them from the Dome but she had insisted, almost as if she enjoyed seeing the pain on his face. Her presence was a constant reminder of Jared’s absence and being between the two of them was like standing between two fighting street cats, neither one prepared to give any ground. Tallis was filled with so much guilt he was choking on it and Irissa was too angry to relieve him of it. She touched Tallis on the back.
‘We should find Balkis,’ she said. ‘He’ll know what’s going on.’
All around her people’s faces were taut with apprehension, everyone ready to fight given the slightest provocation. When she’d come from the palace before midday there had been some Faithful milling around, but now it seemed all of them were here. It had to have something to do with Rorc’s decision not to go to war.
‘Let’s see if he’s at the gate,’ Tallis said.
They headed out of the square to the main entrance. Between the administration building and the gate the open paved area was filled with Faithful carrying weapons. A line of bowmen faced the city, guarding the road, and behind them stood half a dozen Seducers, swords at their waists.
Balkis and Attar were at the open gate, watching the road that ran up the hill from the merchants’ quarter. Balkis turned to follow Attar’s gaze as he saw them.
He strode over, his eyes filled with a restless tension. ‘Shaan, Tallis.’ His gaze flickered briefly to Irissa. Shaan hadn’t yet told him about her mother or the clanswoman, but he only said, ‘What are you doing here?’
‘We saw the Faithful coming in,’ Shaan said. ‘What’s going on?’
‘The council have charged Rorc with treason because he won’t go to war, and now they want control of the Faithful.’
‘Where is he now?’ Tallis said.
‘We’re waiting for him. He won’t allow himself to be arrested.’
‘He’s going to fight his way out?’ Shaan said, and Balkis nodded.
‘He can’t be put in a cell, not now. He took four Hunters with him to the meeting today; he knew what was coming. They should be able to get out.’
Should? Shaan exchanged a concerned look with Tallis. ‘But the meeting with Nilah and the Nine started two hours ago,’ she said. ‘He should have been here by now.’
‘I know. If he takes much longer I’ll have to send men in after him.’
No one was coming up or going down the road to the city and the small figures of people she could see at the bottom of the hill where the merchants’ quarter began moved quickly across the road and into buildings. It was not as busy as it should have been; it was as if people knew what was coming.
‘The council will most likely be sending guards soon,’ Balkis said to her. ‘Go back to the Dome; you’ll be safe there. They won’t be able to get past the gates.’
‘But unless we use the serpents, we won’t be able to get out,’ Tallis said.
‘Not without a fight,’ Balkis said, a deep line forming between his brows.
‘Why is everyone just waiting here, then?’ Shaan said. ‘If Rorc knew this would happen why didn’t he order them to get out of the city?’
‘He did. Forty of the riders should be out by now but none of the Faithful would go.’ He looked at the black-garbed Seducers with an expression of grudging respect. ‘They won’t leave without their Commander. Their loyalty has inspired the rest of the riders to stay as well.’
‘Just like Clan,’ Tallis said quietly.
Balkis sent him an uneasy look. ‘Shaan —’ he glanced at Irissa, ‘— whatever the Faithfuls’ decision, you and your … friend should go back to the Dome and stay there.’
‘This is Irissa, Jared’s sister,’ Shaan said, annoyance rising, ‘and I don’t need to hide.’
Balkis looked at the clanswoman with a raised eyebrow. ‘From the Clans?’
‘From the Jalwalah,’ Irissa said, her look defiant.
‘She came with my mother,’ Tallis said. ‘Our mother.’ He frowned at Shaan. ‘You haven’t told him?’
‘Not yet.’ She gave her brother a furious glare.
‘Really?’ Balkis said. ‘Your mother?’
She felt suddenly exposed. ‘Really,’ she spoke sharply, ‘our mother, and she’s in the Dome.’
The brief softening of his look hardened again at her tone. ‘Then you should join her,’ he said. ‘You’re a target.’ He glanced at Tallis. ‘Both of you. Descendants of Azoth. Lorgon won’t want you wandering free. They’ll be coming for you as well as us.’
‘I can fight,’ Irissa said.
‘I don’t doubt it,’ Balkis replied, ‘but I don’t need you now.’
Irissa opened her mouth to protest but Attar suddenly shouted and they turned to see that the road to the city was no longer empty. Running up the steep incline toward them was Rorc, sword drawn, four Hunters at his side, followed by a squad of palace guards. The Hunters were shooting arrows back at the men on the run, but the guards had shields and they bounced off in a clatter of steel on bronze. Some of the guards began to return fire and an arrow whistled past them so close it lifted Shaan’s hair.
‘Get back!’ Balkis grabbed her arm and almost yanked her off her feet as he shoved her against the wall behind the pillar near the gate. Irissa and Tallis threw themselves in beside Shaan as more arrows cut the air where they’d been standing and Balkis pressed against her as another arrow flew by. He was so close she could see the drops of sweat in the hollow of his throat.
‘Stay here.’ He looked down at her briefly, his eyes lit with the thrill of a fight, then he was gone and running to the gate, shouting a command. The line of Hunters stepped forward beyond the wall, shielding the entrance and returning fire. The air was filled with the whine of arrows and Shaan heard a man shout in pain. Her hand began to tingle and she closed her eyes, fighting the rising instinct to find the man, and felt Tallis grip her hand. No, Shaan, stay here, his voice whispered in her mind. She looked up at him with a weak grin as another arrow flashed past them and scraped across the paving. She couldn’t see them but she heard wood creaking in unison as strings were drawn back, the Hunters forming a line of steel-tipped defence. The Hunters’ bows were longer and more powerful than those the guard carried, and their aim was deadly.
‘Fall back!’ someone shouted, and the guards’ arrows stopped coming. The Seducers slid out their blades, stepping silently forward to flank the Hunters as Rorc and his men gained the gate.
They all leaned out from the wall, trying to see, and Shaan felt Tallis drawing on his power. If she had a weapon she wouldn’t be hiding here against the wall like a child, she thought.
‘I’d give a muthu’s ball for my spear,’ Irissa muttered. Shaan almost smiled. They heard the sound of shields being slid together in a defensive block and a voice cried, ‘The Guardian commands you surrender, sir!’
‘Back off!’ Balkis replied, and the air sang again with a volley of arrows, a warning shot. She could just glimpse Rorc’s head in front of the line of bowmen.
‘Stand down,’ he called. ‘You’ve attempted to do as the council instructed, but you have failed. Don’t make me give the order!’
The creak of bows being pulled back came again and Shaan knew that this time they were aimed at the guards’ heads.
‘There are more men coming and we have a council decree to take you in!’ the man who had shouted before called out. There was a short silence and Shaan could imagine Rorc’s face as he looked at him: that calm, forbidding stare.
‘The council have forgotten the oath made on this city’s foundation,’ Rorc s
aid. ‘I would not lightly take your life, captain, but I will to save thousands. You know me, and you know your men are outclassed.’
For a moment, there were only the dim sounds of the city drifting up to them, but then she heard the unmistakable slither of steel into leather as the guards backed down.
‘You can’t hide here forever, Commander,’ the captain called. Rorc didn’t answer but a moment later came the sound of booted feet marching away and Shaan knew the guards must be withdrawing — for the moment, at least.
‘Stand down,’ Balkis’s order came a few minutes later, and then Rorc shouldered through the row of Hunters, followed by the men who had flanked him and Balkis, whom he stopped and spoke quietly to for a moment just inside the gate. Behind him the bowmen came back in and then the great wooden gate that gave access to the city was swung shut and the heavy bolt dropped into place.
Rorc came toward them with Balkis and Attar. His eyes were hard but also filled with a weary inevitability. A shallow cut was oozing blood on his left arm but otherwise he was unhurt; his sword, though, was marred with blood. The urge to heal surged again and Shaan forced her hands into fists at her side. He is my father; I must help him. The thought ran through her head and she felt a moment of odd panic as he approached, as if he would suddenly realise it — or she would be unable to stop revealing herself. Tallis glanced at her with a warning frown. No, his voice sounded in her mind, as clearly as if he’d whispered in her ear. He’s fine. Her heart thudded hard and Balkis was looking at her oddly as he followed the Commander to them. She tried to wipe the fear from her eyes. Was the urge to heal stronger now because she knew who Rorc was, or was it just growing in strength?
‘Tallis, Shaan.’ Rorc’s gaze was as cool and calm as ever. He then saw Irissa standing beside Shaan. ‘Spear sister.’ He inclined his head. ‘Tallis told me you and his mother had come. Welcome.’
Irissa nodded stiffly and Rorc said to Tallis and Shaan, ‘We need to talk. No doubt you’ve realised this … problem means our plans must change. After I speak to the Faithful and riders, meet me in my quarters, both of you. We all have to leave the city now, you included, Shaan. You must come with us to the Clans — as I know you planned to anyway.’ She met his gaze despite the heat that crept up her neck.
‘I was going to ask you,’ she said, and thought she saw a flicker of a smile twitch his mouth, but all he said was, ‘Morfessa is coming to tell us more; he’ll be here in an hour.’
Then he was gone, heading toward the square where the rest of the Faithful and riders were gathered. Irissa grinned at her, but Shaan avoided looking at Balkis, whose expression was a mixture of frustration and amusement.
‘Where are the serpents?’ Balkis said to Tallis.
Tallis’s eyes became vague for a moment and Shaan felt him sensing for the beasts. ‘North,’ he said. ‘Not far.’
‘Call them back.’
‘Balkis,’ Attar, who had been watching over the wall, called out to him, ‘the squads are arriving.’
Outside Shaan heard the tread of boots on stone in synchronised step and the dull shout of a man ordering soldiers into formation. The heat of her embarrassment went out like a snuffed flame and she looked at Tallis and Irissa, seeing the trepidation she felt mirrored back at her.
Balkis swore. ‘That was fast.’ He jogged back to the wall and peered through the bowman’s slit. When he turned back, his face was tense. ‘Come with me,’ he said to Attar, ‘we need to re-check all the gates are secure.’ He cast a final look at Shaan, and it seemed as if he would say something more, but he strode off, Attar at his side.
***
Irissa went back to the Dome under protest and an hour later Shaan and Tallis entered Rorc’s villa. Balkis and Attar were viewing a map on Rorc’s desk and Morfessa was deep in conversation with Rorc, though it was more of an argument than a discussion. Shaan saw with relief that Rorc had attended to the cut on his arm.
They broke off as Tallis closed the door and Morfessa fixed Shaan with his odd-coloured eye, his stance filled with tension.
‘Shaan,’ he said, ‘did Nilah complain of any headaches or illness before you left?’
Surprised, she paused. ‘No, not unless you include aches from too much wine. Why?’
‘She’s been confined to her apartments,’ Rorc said. ‘She collapsed in the meeting after I left and the council is reporting her ill.’
‘She was about to revoke her decision on the war when she fell,’ Morfessa said, ‘but wasn’t able to push it through. Now Lorgon says it is the gods’ will!’ Disgust filled his features.
Shaan felt hot then cold. Had Nilah actually listened to her? She pushed a hand through her hair. ‘She told me she was too scared to go back on her word,’ she said. ‘Is she alive?’
‘We must believe so,’ Morfessa said. ‘If she’s shown no other sign of illness before now, there must still be a chance.’ He turned swiftly back to Rorc. ‘We have to get her out. If the worst comes and Azoth takes the city, we will need her to be a figurehead for the people, a gathering point for those who survive.’
‘If any survive,’ Balkis said.
Rorc’s expression was impassive. ‘We’ll risk many lives getting her out. It will be hard enough to fight our way out of the yards and the city, much less get into the palace.’
‘The serpents can help,’ Tallis said.
There was a short silence.
‘How?’ Rorc said.
‘There are only two,’ Attar said, coming around the table toward him, ‘and we can’t afford to lose them, clansman. What will you do, stop all arrows from piercing them, stop a squadron of guards?’
‘If I have to.’ His voice was low and filled with a confidence that hadn’t been there before. Shaan sensed and then saw the power shimmer in him, a flash deep in his eye turning his iris dark for a moment. It made the others pause and she felt unease ripple through the room. She stepped to her brother’s side.
‘Let’s hope you don’t,’ Rorc said slowly, ‘but serpents attacking the city? The people may think Azoth has come after all.’
‘All the better,’ Morfessa said. ‘They need to wake up and remember who the Faithful protect them from.’
‘A protection they still deserve,’ Rorc added. ‘The people are not the council, old man, and when we start this some may well lose their lives in our wake. We have a city to fight through, don’t forget.’
‘I haven’t forgotten,’ Morfessa replied, ‘though Lorgon has.’
‘All the same,’ Balkis said, ‘charging into the palace and getting Nilah out is going to cut down our numbers.’
‘We’ll have to find a way in by stealth,’ Rorc said. ‘Seducers can help there.’
‘But Nilah won’t trust them,’ Shaan said and her mouth dried as he scrutinised her. ‘She won’t,’ she repeated. ‘She doesn’t trust you, but she trusts me. I should go.’
‘Are you volunteering?’ Rorc said. Beside him Balkis was frowning at her, but she ignored him.
‘I could go in with a Hunter or whoever you choose,’ she said, ‘and she’ll come willingly, but if you send men in for her she might put up a fight.’
‘And be easily overcome.’
‘Unless you’re going to knock her out and carry her, or have some Seducer strip her mind, wouldn’t it be easier if she’s cooperative?’
‘She does speak sense,’ Morfessa said.
‘To who?’ Balkis glared at him, but Rorc was looking at her with interested speculation.
‘What do you have in mind?’ he said.
Shaan glanced at Tallis, who was watching her with almost the same expression as their father. It jolted her and his face immediately changed to a frown as he sensed it.
‘We swim out,’ she said, ‘from the bay at the base of the cliffs. We can go around the headland and come ashore in the traders’ quarter, get up to the palace from there.’
‘You think you’re strong enough to make that swim?’ Balkis asked.
�
��We’ve been going there every day,’ Tallis said. ‘She’ll make it.’
‘It won’t be a problem.’ Shaan met Balkis’s eyes. ‘And then we can sneak into the palace through the orchard gate.’
‘There are fewer guards there,’ Rorc said, ‘and swimming out — I hadn’t thought of that. It’s a good plan.’
‘It’s a pity that bay isn’t bigger; we could get men out on boats,’ Morfessa said.
‘Boats would be noticed.’ Rorc beckoned them all forward to the map and tapped a finger on the southeast coast where the Black Mountains petered out toward the sea. ‘I was sent word yesterday that the village of Hed is gone. Burned to its foundations. No survivors. My scouts have seen no sign of Azoth’s army there yet, but it won’t be long and this is the area from which he will come. It’s closest to the Wild Lands and we know he cannot cross the desert. He must bring his army through here. And here,’ he touched a ridge named Hunters Scarp, ‘is where Balkis will take the Faithful and riders to wait while the three of us go to the Clans. Attar, you will go with him.’
Something seemed to fall inside Shaan at the thought of Balkis going there and some of her anger at him slipped away. He would be close to where Azoth would come through. Too close. She couldn’t stop herself from looking at him. He was watching her, looking for her reaction.
‘What about Nilah?’ she said.
‘If you get her out, she’ll go into hiding at a lodge in the Goran Ranges.’
‘But I’ll not go with her,’ Morfessa said, and Rorc straightened to look at him.
‘What?’
‘Someone must stay and wait for Veila and Tuon,’ Morfessa said. At the mention of her friend’s name Shaan was stricken. Would she see her before she went to the desert?
‘We don’t know how long they will be,’ Rorc said.
‘Not more than a day or so, surely,’ Morfessa said. ‘But Veila has seen the scrolls, Rorc. We must know if she has found anything. Perhaps a way to guide us to the Four. A way to save us. I can get her away when she comes back; Cyri will help.’
Shaan saw the gleam in his eye as he talked about the Four and felt that familiar twist of anxiety the thought of them brought. Too many gods. She couldn’t share his belief that they would be as helpful as they needed them to be. She’d seen what a god did with the Stone.