Catalyst Moon: Incursion (The Catalyst Moon Saga Book 1)
Page 29
“She's had a taste of freedom,” Cobalt replied. “That makes her even more dangerous than the others.”
“She's not dangerous.” Stonewall pitched the words louder than necessary, possibly for the others' education, and she felt a swell of hopeless affection for him. He was trying, in his own way, to make her life easier.
Though it would probably do no good. “You sound very certain of that, Stonewall,” the sentinel captain said.
“It's the truth.”
At this, the officer slanted a suspicious look her way. Kali returned his look with a polite smile. He made no reply, only looked ahead once more, though not before he rolled his eyes.
Kali chuckled. The moment of levity was almost enough to make her forget she was bound with two sets of cuffs, though one of them had been her own doing. Sweet stars...how would they have treated her if she'd been unbound?
Finally, they reached the garrison's gates. Beyond them was the bastion, enclosed by yet another set of gates. Torches flickered along the sides of the high, high walls, where within lay her future. Even the cuffs on her wrists and the grips on her arms were not enough to quell her excitement to be here. Maybe soon, she would know what it was to walk without pain. Maybe, with time and distance, she could truly heal.
“Captain Cobalt,” Stone said, causing her to look his way. “I swear on Tor's name that Mage Halcyon caused me no real trouble on the journey.”
Liar, she thought. Perhaps Stonewall's definition of trouble was different than most. Even so, she fought the urge to smile fondly at the earnestness in his voice. It was imperative that Stonewall be seen as uncorrupted by a magic-user if he hoped to get a permanent station at this garrison.
Of course there could be no true goodbye between them now. There was no telling when they'd see each other again. It might be never. Despite the oath he'd made, she was afraid to hope for too much.
The sentinel captain made no reply that she could hear, and the sentinels who were “escorting” her tugged at her to move along once more. Within moments she was out of sight of Stonewall and led through the courtyard where she assumed the sentinels trained and sparred.
Goodbye, Stone, she thought without looking back. I hope your gods protect you.
The sentinels brought her before the massive, hematite-embedded gates that led to Whitewater Bastion, beyond which an assortment of mages had gathered. Their handmade knitted and patchwork clothing seemed even more colorful against the walls' gray backdrop. It was late, but there were torches lit around the courtyard, and Kali could make out the brick buildings that served as the mages' living quarters.
While one of the sentinels unlocked the gate, she searched the gathered faces for a familiar one, but Eris was not among them. The gate swung open on smooth, oiled hinges, and Kali entered the bastion proper with sentinels surrounding her on all sides.
“Remember, Mage,” one of the sentinels said as she removed both sets of binders. “We're always watching.”
“I'll keep that in mind.” The moment the cuffs were gone, Kali sighed happily, though she resisted the urge to rub her wrists until the sentinels were out of sight.
She risked a glance towards the garrison, hoping to catch one last glimpse of Stonewall, but there was only darkness beyond the gate. Disappointment stung, for she'd grown used to his steady presence at her side. Only when she heard the echoing clang as the gates locked did she truly understand what sort of mess she'd gotten her heart into.
But she had no time to dwell on these thoughts, for an older mage stepped forward. “Kalinda Halcyon?”
“Aye.”
He bowed in greeting. “I am Foley Clementa, the First Mage of Whitewater Bastion, though you may call me Foley. Welcome to your new home, Mage Halcyon.”
Foley was perhaps in his mid-fifties, and his neat bronze beard had flecks of gray. She caught sight of a gleam of metal at the end of his right arm.
No hand, she realized with a chill. No mark. She'd heard of this punishment before, but had never seen the reality. What had he done to earn such treatment? Had it happened here? She tried to see if any other mages were missing their hands.
“Hello, there. You can call me ‘Kali.’” A breeze circled the courtyard, strong enough to lift the edges of Kali's braid, and she tugged the Sufani cloak around her shoulders. “I'm glad to be here at last. It was an eventful journey.”
“And I've no doubt you're exhausted,” Foley said warmly, resting his left hand on her shoulder to steer her toward one of the nearby buildings. “Are you hungry? We've not yet eaten supper.”
“Supper would be most welcome,” she said, searching for Eris once more. But there was no trace of her friend. Strange. “I'm sorry, ser,” she added, looking at the First Mage. “But where is Eris Echina? We've been writing to one another...”
She trailed off at the pained look that flashed across his face, though it smoothed away almost at once. “Eris is...not in the bastion,” he said carefully.
Out of the corner of her eye, Kali noticed a few of the other mages glaring at Foley, but none spoke. If the First Mage noticed, he made no indication of it. “Is she on a mission?” Kali asked him. “Or...was she transferred somewhere else?”
Rather than reply, Foley paused to nod at another mage, a young, strawberry-haired girl carrying...
Kali's mouth fell open. “Sweet, blazing stars!”
The girl handed her the case and it was all Kali could do not to tear through the latches. As it was, she dropped to the dirt to open the case, fingers trembling with relief as she pulled the instrument free. So great was her joy that she hardly noticed the instrument's battered state. She'd fixed the neck before, and she could always get new strings.
Broken, but not beyond repair. Kali all but hugged the viol to her chest and, for some reason, remembered the stone cairn. Thank you.
Beside her, Foley chuckled. “I take it this belongs to you?”
“Oh...” Kali flushed and tried not to clutch the viol too tightly as she stood. “Yes. It's mine. I thought it was gone for good. How did you come by it?”
“The sentinels recovered it for you,” Foley said with a pleased smile that reminded her of her father. “Commander Talon personally brought it to the bastion.”
Well, that was...strange. Stonewall had made it sound like the sentinel commander hated mages. Then again, he'd not been stationed at this garrison before. Perhaps Whitewater wouldn't be as strict as he'd feared.
Kali smiled back at the First Mage. “I'll have to thank her.”
Foley nodded, though Kali swore she heard a few unhappy murmurs from the other mages. But before she could turn, Foley took her elbow and gently led her on. “Come inside, Kali,” he said as she followed. “I want to hear all about your journey. It must have been harrowing.”
“Of course,” she said. “But when can I see Eris? She was supposed to introduce me to someone who can heal my knee.”
“You'll see Eris soon.” He hesitated, then took a deep breath. “I hope.”
***
Talon had just laid down to sleep when there was a rap at her door. Long years of training allowed the sentinel commander to be awake and on her feet in an instant. She threw a robe over her sleep-clothes before she hurried across the room, finding her way by the dim glow of the embers that remained in her hearth.
When she reached the door, she heard Captain Cobalt's voice, low and urgent. “Commander, the sentinel from Starwatch who went missing with the mage...he's here.”
Her throat went dry as she wrenched the door open, facing the scarred sentinel who was bathed in the flickering torchlight of the corridor. “And Mage Halcyon?”
Cobalt rarely smiled. The closest he ever came was a crescent-moon of a smile, which was what he did now. So the news was good. Thank the One.
“The mage was with him,” Cobalt said, thumbing in the direction of the garrison's exit. “My squad took her to the bastion. Stonewall is waiting in the barracks.”
Talon wanted to s
ag with relief, but she kept her posture upright. “Bring him to my office at once.”
Nodding, Cobalt offered a warrior's salute, then paused, a frown creasing his scarred face. “The mage was bound, but Stonewall claimed she was no trouble at all.” Cobalt paused. “He was...very insistent.”
Agitation squirmed in Talon's gut but she ignored it for now. She would form her opinion once she'd gathered more information. “Show him in at once.”
The captain slipped off. Once she shut the door, Talon changed into a tunic and pants that were more appropriate for a meeting of this nature, if less official than her armor. She twisted her long, dark-blonde hair into a bun at the nape of her neck and lit a single candle from the embers in her fireplace.
As commander, she was allotted the most spacious living quarters in the garrison, along with a small office adjacent to her sleeping area. Once inside her office, she lit the sconces along the walls and settled at her desk. Behind her, the window that overlooked the training yard was slightly ajar, allowing a cool breeze to sift into the room and flutter the papers before her. As she collected them into order, her eyes fell on the letter that High Commander Argent had sent in immediate reply to her initial report of the missing mage.
Per your last missive, two squads of sentinels have been sent to Starwatch, so you have the authorization to approve Sentinel Gray's transfer to Whitewater.
Your efforts to locate the missing mage are satisfactory – for the moment. However, if the rogue magic-user is not located within a week's time, I will be forced to see to the matter myself, thus abandoning my duties in Lasath.
See to it that I do not have to compensate for your ineffectiveness.
There were no regards. Argent's painfully neat script seemed to burn her eyes, similar to whatever vile magic Eris had attempted that morning. Thank the One Eris had been exhausted. Thank the One as well that the hematite in Talon's veins had been strong enough to keep the worst of the magic at bay, though she was acutely aware that it was nearing time for another dose.
In any case, with Mage Halcyon's recovery, a massive weight had been lifted from Talon's shoulders. With Eris and Gideon locked away for the moment, she considered the situation handled, and her report would indicate such. Nothing was fool-proof; sometimes mages escaped their bastions. As long as they were caught, there was no need to fret. Hopefully the High Commander would see no reason to turn his attention back to Whitewater for the foreseeable future.
A knock at the door made her set the letter aside and rise from her seat, admitting Cobalt and the Starwatch sentinel with a single word.
Cobalt made the necessary introductions and slipped out, leaving Talon alone with the newcomer. “Have a seat,” Talon said, gesturing to the chair before her desk. “This shouldn't take long.”
Stonewall was not as tall or broad as the captain, but still retained a bearing of strength. His gear was battered, he was missing both daggers, and his face wore a ragged coating of stubble. Despite that, however, he seemed alert, and his bow of greeting was graceful for one who was probably exhausted.
“You must be tired,” she said as she took her own seat and withdrew a blank sheet of parchment, her inkwell, and a pen. She wrote the date and approximate hour on the parchment. “As soon as we're done, feel free to make use of whatever supplies you require and take your rest in the barracks. One of your Starwatch comrades – Gray – has already informed us of the events that led to your evacuation with Mage Halcyon. My condolences for the loss of the others. They will be missed, but–”
“Thank you, Commander Talon.” His voice was deep, and the cadence of his southern accent was...unexpected. But there was nothing in his expression but deadly seriousness. “Ser, before we begin, I must warn you of the Canderi raiders I encountered on the journey here.”
She frowned at the interruption, but chose not to reprimand him. Any news of this new threat was more valuable than protocol. “The barbarians seem to have sprung up more and more lately,” she said. “We lost one of our sergeants several days ago to a raid on a nearby village.”
Stonewall's face darkened further. It was not with ire, but with fear, though it was fleeting. “These were no ordinary brigands, Commander. They were...strange. Stronger than any mortal should be – even a Canderi.”
He launched into a description of demonic Canderi, adding a mention of their glowing eyes that matched what Dev and Cobalt's squads had discovered in Parsa. For all of their mystery, mages were mortal, but what Stonewall described, what her own sentinels had faced...they presented an unknown threat. Her hands trembled and she offered a silent prayer to the One to protect them all.
“How many were there?” she asked once he'd finished.
“Four, in total. Three were Canderi and,” his hand went to one of his empty dagger-sheathes as if remembering the fight, “there was an Aredian man who fought alongside them.”
Talon fought to keep her jaw from hitting her desk. “An Aredian who fought alongside the Canderi?”
Stonewall frowned. “I believe he joined them recently. We met a civilian family who knew him before, and claimed he used to be...normal. Apparently, he was attacked by Canderi, and then began to act as they do.”
“Sweet Mara's mercy,” Talon breathed. “Are you certain?”
“Aye, ser. I can't say how such a thing is possible, but that's what I saw.”
It took Talon far longer than she liked to compose herself after this news. “Your diligence is commendable, Stonewall. Rest assured that I have informed High Commander Argent of the increased Canderi attacks, but I will be sure to pass this information along as well.”
“Thank you, ser. We heard a few rumors of them along the way, but after the initial attack on the escort, this was our only face-to-face encounter, thank Tor.”
Talon nodded once. “As I was saying, it speaks to your credit as a sentinel that their sacrifices were not in vain.”
“Gray gave us time to escape. I thank the One that she made it here safely.”
Talon nodded to her parchment. “What happened after you and the mage escaped the attack on the escort?”
“Once I knew we were out of harm's way, I stopped in order to tend to an injury I'd sustained. From there, we began our return journey.”
“How did you escape the Canderi?” she asked.
He frowned. “On horseback, ser.”
“Gray claimed she tried to follow you, but could not. She said you and the mage vanished into thin air.”
Stonewall stared at her a moment, then shook his head. “I... I don't quite understand, ser. We were on horseback, going as fast as we could.”
“So you didn't vanish?”
“Not that I'm aware of, ser.”
“Why would Gray say you did?”
“I don't know, ser.”
“Stonewall,” she said calmly. “I will know if you lie to me.”
He went very still, then his frown deepened. “Of that I have no doubt, Commander. But I'll say again: I did not vanish.”
She bit back a frustrated sigh. “Then how in Nox's void did you escape the Canderi?”
“Luck,” he replied simply. “And the One's will. Perhaps more of one than the other; it's not for me to know.”
She regarded him for a long moment, thinking over his words. She'd questioned Gray herself; the other sentinel was convinced of what she'd seen. And as Eris had recently proved, mages were capable of dangerous, as-yet unknown stunts.
But Stonewall met her gaze steadily, making her think he at least believed what he said. She swept her eyes across him again. No, not as ostensibly strong as Cobalt, but solid, just the same. Taller than her, at any rate, though not by much. “How badly were you injured?” she asked.
“An arrow struck my shoulder. Not bad enough to cause any permanent damage, but enough to slow me down.” He paused again, though this time he grimaced. “I lost my hematite as well. Had it not been for all of that, I doubt we would have fallen victim to the Sufani.”
Once he'd finished his story, she was silent, absorbing what he'd told her and making notes on the parchment. Even taking his explanation of the “vanishing” act, everything made sense. Except...
Cobalt's comment about Stonewall's insistence that the mage was harmless niggled at her. No trouble at all. Surely, that was impossible, especially given Halcyon's connection to Eris, who now cooled her feathered heels in a hematite cell.
No, Stonewall must be exaggerating his own prowess by claiming such an ordeal was “no trouble.” Unless, of course, he'd been coerced by the mage in some way, if not outright seduced by the allure of a young woman. It was not unheard of for some sentinels to become enamored with the magic-wielders – forbidden fruit and all that – though there had been no cases of a mage outright manipulating the mind of another person.
But then, no one, not even the mages themselves, knew everything magic was capable of.
Talon looked up from her parchment. “Do you believe Mage Halcyon had any role in the initial attack on the escort?”
“No, Commander,” Stonewall replied immediately. “To be honest, she seemed very frightened by the whole thing. In my opinion, whatever attacked us acted without her knowledge.”
Talon tried to ignore the curl of anxiety at the thought of a band of free agents who were able to cause such devastation to a group of sentinels. One problem at a time.
“Captain Cobalt informed me that you were particularly insistent that the mage had caused no trouble,” she said in a measured voice. “Explain why you felt the need to state this so strongly.”
Stonewall hesitated; it was a brief pause, hardly discernible, but it sent another ripple of warning through the commander, though she kept her features impassive.