Sacrifice

by Christopher Mitchell

  ‘Your Majesty,’ Godfrey said, bowing low, ‘welcome to Hold Fast. You do me and mine great honour with your visit…’

  ‘This is not a social call, Godfrey,’ Mirren said. ‘Please sit.’

  Godfrey took a seat across from Faden. ‘This is my daughter, Daphne,’ he said, ‘and her companion, Killop, former chieftain of the Severed Clan.’

  ‘I recall Daphne from her visits to court,’ Mirren said. ‘I believe you were pregnant when you last attended?’

  ‘Yes, your Majesty. I now have a young daughter. Killop is the father.

  ‘Sit,’ Mirren said, ‘before my neck muscles cramp from leaning up to look at you.’

  Daphne and Killop sat .

  Mirren stared at Killop.

  ‘So you are the Kellach Brigdomin who intervened at the Battle for the Rahain Gates? An act which decisively swung the outcome, I believe?’

  ‘I commanded the clan forces that day,’ Killop said.

  Mirren nodded, her fingers drumming the tabletop. ‘I had assumed I’d be speaking only to yourself and Faden, Godfrey. However, Daphne and Killop may remain. I will assume they are in your confidence.’

  ‘Please do so, your Majesty.’ Godfrey said. ‘Both have my complete trust.’

  ‘First of all,’ Mirren said, ‘my thanks to Faden for bringing me here, a duty performed without the slightest clue as to why.’ She smiled as she glanced at Faden. ‘I could see you bursting with curiosity for the entire journey. Well fear not, for now I will tell you all why I am here.’

  She paused to light a cigarette, and on her cue, the other Holdings in the room also began to smoke. Godfrey opened a bottle of rum, and filled five glasses.

  ‘Thank you,’ Mirren said.

  The others gazed at her, waiting.

  ‘As I’m sure you are all aware,’ she said, ‘the great imperial army has recently crossed the frontier wall into Arakhanah, with my beloved husband the Emperor at its head. Over one hundred thousand soldiers, did you know?’

  ‘We have indeed heard the news, your Majesty,’ Godfrey said.

  ‘The Emperor will remain in Arakhanah for several thirds, I would imagine,’ Mirren said, ‘which is why we must act now.’

  ‘Act, your Majesty?’

  ‘There is something I must tell you,’ she said, ‘something that you may find hard to believe. When the fire mage attacked the city, we had been evacuated to the Great Fortress in the Old Town, and from its rooftop battlements I watched fireballs destroy the palace.’ She turned to Killop. ‘Your sister was exceptionally thorough; I doubt one brick of the building now stands upon the other. My condolences for your loss, of course. When she had finished, she moved round to opposite the merchants’ quarter, and opened up a great breach in the walls. As the Sanang hordes began to pour into the streets of the city I genuinely felt for a moment that the capital was lost, and that that day would be my last.’

  She took a sip of rum.

  ‘Then,’ she went on, ‘quite to my surprise, I noticed my husband standing alone on the city walls, just yards from the breach.’ She sighed. ‘Do I need tell of what he did then? I’m sure you’ve all heard. And no, the tales have not been exaggerated.’

  The room fell into silence for a moment.

  ‘Afterwards,’ Mirren said, ‘I awaited my husband in our rooms in the Great Fortress. I was a little nervous, having not the faintest idea of how Guilliam had obtained such power. I waited, listening to the roars and cheers from the crowds in the streets outside the fortress, gathered in their thousands to give thanks to the Emperor. Eventually, the door to our bedchamber opened, and he walked in.’

  She stubbed out her cigarette, and lit another.

  ‘It’s not him.’

  ‘What?’ said Faden.

  ‘Whoever that man is,’ she said, ‘it’s not Guilliam. It’s not my husband.’

  Godfrey frowned. ‘An impersonator, your Majesty?’

  Mirren shook her head. ‘That’s what the logical half of my brain is telling me, but if it is, then it’s the best impersonator in history. Every physical detail is accurate, except improved upon, somehow. His hair is softer, his eyes deeper, his skin smoother, I can’t explain it. But it’s not him on the inside.’

  Godfrey and Faden glanced at each other.

  ‘You think I’m crazy,’ she said. ‘Of course you do. I would, were I in your position.’

  ‘But, your Majesty,’ Faden said, ‘if his skin and hair are different, then surely this man must be an impostor?’

  ‘I have an idea which may explain it, your Majesty,’ Daphne said.

  All eyes turned to her .

  ‘If we imagine that the Emperor was granted all mage powers, as seems evident from what he did to the Sanang army, then presumably he also has the skills of a hedgewitch. If so, then he would have been able to heal every part of his body, make himself stronger, and appear younger.’

  ‘Yes,’ Mirren said, ‘I think that may be it. He looks like a younger, fitter version of himself. That would explain the physical differences.’

  ‘So he’s not an impostor, then?’ Faden said.

  Mirren frowned at him. ‘At the risk of repeating myself, it may indeed be Guilliam’s body, but the man inside is not my husband.’

  ‘Then who is he?’

  ‘Someone… not very nice.’

  ‘Did he hurt you, your Majesty?’ Faden said, his eyes narrowing.

  ‘No, but I felt fear in his presence, which is something that I could never say about Guilliam.’ She glanced at the two men. ‘I am perfectly aware of your opinion of my husband, but you are wrong. Guilliam is a good man, who truly has the best interests of the world close to his heart. However, the being who resides within my husband’s body is a different matter. He is a monster.’

  ‘Two alternatives suggest themselves, your Majesty,’ Godfrey said. ‘One, that the process which granted the powers to the Emperor somehow changed him, made him into a different person. If that is the case, then the old Guilliam may be lost forever.’

  Mirren shook her head.

  ‘Two,’ Godfrey went on, ‘a powerful mage has taken over the body of the Emperor.’

  Faden snorted. ‘There’s no mage on earth who could do that.’

  ‘Then I’m at a loss, my friend,’ Godfrey said.

  Mirren picked up her glass of rum. ‘So have you guessed why I’ve come here, to the Hold of the throne’s most outspoken opponent?’

  Godfrey said nothing.

  ‘The Holdfasts have been a thorn in Guilliam’s side for years, plotting and conspiring behind his back at every opportunity. You were allowed to become too powerful under the old queen, and thought you were entitled to have a say in the running of the realm because you used to be her favourite. My husband has never liked you, for reasons I am sure you are aware of. Nevertheless, it is to you that I have come. It is you I seek to ally myself with, as the only Holder capable of organising a rebellion large enough to succeed.’

  Godfrey’s mouth fell open.

  ‘And it must be now,’ Mirren said, ‘while the creature inhabiting my husband’s body is occupied with the slaughter of recalcitrant Rakanese. We must unite the Holds and arm ourselves, ready to resist the Emperor upon his return.’

  ‘But if we do this,’ Godfrey said, ‘he will invade the Holdings.’

  Mirren smiled. ‘My dear Godfrey, after the Emperor has finished scouring the Rakanese marshes for mages, the invasion of the Holdings is next on his list. Somehow he has the notion that high mages are being hidden in the old realm.’ She glanced at Daphne. ‘This is why I have come here, to warn you.’

  Godfrey nodded. ‘You have given us much to think about, your Majesty.’

  ‘Don’t spend too long thinking,’ she said. ‘I must now depart for Holdings City.’

  ‘Tonight, your Majesty?’

  ‘Indeed, I am expected at the Lord Regent’s residence. Officially, I am visiting the old realm; my trip here was merely a long detour. But I’ll be in tou
ch soon, Godfrey, and I’ll expect you to have a plan prepared. Now, if you would all please excuse me, I would like to eat in silence before I take my leave.’

  ‘Of course, your Majesty,’ Godfrey said, rising. The others did the same.

  The Holdings men bowed, while Daphne performed a low curtsy. Killop nodded his head, unable to keep a frown from his lips.

  Celine was sitting up reading a book by lamplight outside Karalyn’s door when Killop and Daphne returned to their chambers.

  She smiled as she saw them enter.

  ‘Good evening, Celine,’ Daphne said. ‘I hope you remembered to eat something.’

  ‘You’ll never guess what Karalyn did today, Daphne,’ Celine grinned. ‘She managed to get her dress on this morning, all by herself. She’s so clever.’

  ‘That’s good,’ Daphne said. ‘Now that we’re back, you can go and relax, get some sleep.’

  ‘No, I’m fine, thanks.’

  For a moment Daphne looked like she was going to say something else, but instead she opened the door to her daughter’s room, and snuck in.

  Killop poured himself an ale from a silver decanter.

  ‘What you reading?’ he asked.

  ‘A story.’

  ‘Aye? Any good?’

  ‘Yeah. It’s about a young Holdings girl who rises to become the leader of a band of ruthless mercenaries.’

  ‘Sounds a bit like my sister.’

  Celine looked away.

  ‘Sorry,’ he said.

  ‘It’s alright. I’ve never blamed you for what happened to Vince. You weren’t in charge of what your sister did.’

  Killop nodded, and took a drink of ale.

  Daphne re-emerged from Karalyn’s room.

  ‘We’ll leave you to it, Celine,’ she said. ‘Help yourself to food, drinks, whatever you want.’

  Celine went back to her book. ‘Night then.’

  Killop and Daphne went through to their own large bedchamber, as big as the one they had shared in Slateford. Daphne went straight to her bedside table and extracted a pouch. She reached inside and withdrew a weedstick .

  ‘Join me on the balcony?’ she smiled.

  Killop picked up a bottle of rum and followed her outside. He sat at the small table as Daphne leaned against the railings. He poured rum into two glasses and watched her, the smoke from the lit weedstick trailing up into the cold air. Overhead, the seven stars were visible in the dark, cloudless sky.

  ‘We came all this way to escape a war,’ he said. ‘Now it looks like we’re heading back into one.’

  Daphne nodded, her gaze directed out into the darkness.

  ‘Do you wish we’d gone to Kellach Brigdomin?’ she said.

  ‘No.’

  ‘Good, because I’ll be needed here, to prepare for when the Emperor comes. My father can’t do this on his own. He’ll need my help.’

  ‘I know,’ he said. ‘We must try to do what Keira and an army of Sanang failed at, and defeat the Emperor, or whoever he is. Did you read the queen’s mind?’

  Daphne nodded. ‘She wasn’t lying, about any of it. She’s genuinely scared of Guilliam, and beneath her calm exterior I could sense her desperation.’

  ‘She seems like a powerful ally.’

  ‘We’ll find it a lot easier to unite the Holds with Mirren alongside us, but we shouldn’t be in any doubt about what we’re doing.’

  She bowed her head, a tear rolling down her cheek.

  ‘Many will remain loyal to the Emperor,’ she said, ‘and we will have to fight them.’

  Killop nodded. ‘Civil war.’

  Chapter 7

  The Rat

  D omm Lowlands, Domm – 25 th Day, Second Third Summer 507

  Laodoc’s eyes opened as the wagon went over a bump in the road. Overhead, the sky was grey, pricked in several places by glowing shafts of sunlight, illuminating the land below in a hundred shades of green from verdant summer to dark emerald. Low hills and gentle valleys were criss-crossed with drystane dykes, and crofter’s cottages dotted the landscape.

  The twin pair of oxen lumbered along the road, oblivious to the flies buzzing around their heads.

  ‘You’re awake,’ Agang said, holding the reins next to him on the wagon’s bench. ‘Rain’s stopped.’

  Laodoc peered up at the sky. ‘For now.’

  ‘You all right?’

  ‘Fine,’ he said, though he felt like he wanted to go into the back of the wagon and curl up into a ball rather than talk to anyone.

  ‘We’re nearly there,’ Agang said. ‘Just a couple more miles, according to Conal’s directions.’

  The wind from the west picked up, bringing the scent of ocean salt.

  ‘This is truly the far end of the world,’ Agang said. ‘The furthest place from anywhere. ’

  ‘Rahain soldiers made it here, once,’ Laodoc said, ‘back when we fancied ourselves an imperial power. Little did we suspect that the Holdings would so thoroughly outdo us on that score.’

  ‘We knew about them from the beginning,’ Agang said. ‘They did to us what you did to this place, only for a lot longer.’

  ‘Rahain forces still occupy Northern Kell though,’ Laodoc said. ‘They’ve managed to cling on by their fingertips, guarding their walled-off mines, so they can send home the coal to keep the city caverns warm in winter. You must have seen them on your way here?’

  ‘We didn’t see much of Kell,’ Agang said. ‘We stuck to the mountains paths, and avoided the lowlands. We were worried that the Rahain might recognise Keira.’

  ‘You did the right thing,’ Laodoc said. ‘If she’d witnessed the full scale of what the Rahain have done to her land, she might have done something rash. The empire would surely take notice if the coal supply to Rahain was disrupted. I can sense it rankle in quite a few of the people however, the feeling that the war isn’t really over, and cannot be while a part of their land remains under foreign occupation.’

  ‘I’ve heard it from a few Kell and Lach,’ Agang said, ‘but the Domm don’t seem to care much. I did overhear Kelpie suggest to Keira that she should head north and clear their old clan’s homeland. You can imagine her response.’

  ‘She has certainly widened my vocabulary.’

  Agang chuckled. ‘I wonder how she’s getting along in the tavern without you there to do most of the speaking. Five nights now she’s had to do it on her own, and it’ll be a lot more by the time we get back.’

  The sun broke out from behind the thick, grey clouds, bathing the land around the wagon in golden light. To either side of the road were low walls and stone cottages, some lying derelict, while others had smoke billowing up from chimneys. Cattle and sheep filled the fields ahead, where lines of trees provided some shelter from the never-ceasing wind. Laodoc smiled, savouring the wild beauty.

  ‘I hope she’s expecting us,’ Agang said. ‘I know Conal said he would let her know we were coming, but I’m sure he had a hundred things to do when he got back.’

  ‘Does it matter?’ Laodoc said. ‘We’re about to disrupt her existence, try to persuade her to put her life in danger again. I doubt she’s going to welcome us with flowers and party favours when she learns why we’re coming to see her.’

  ‘You think we’re doing the wrong thing?’ Agang said. ‘My friend, we’ve been over this countless times. It’s our only option.’

  Laodoc stared out of the wagon, as the clouds moved to cover the sun again, and the land was cast into shadow. He considered asking Agang for a brief healing, but knew the look the Sanang man would give him. He rationed out his powers like a miser, saving it for when Laodoc was at his lowest, and even then sometimes he would be loathe to help him, always worrying that he might become dependent on it, and urging him to try to work through it on his own.

  Nothing felt better than when he had just been healed, but it only lasted for a few days before it began to wear off. After ten, and he was back where he started, and that was when he usually began to cast sideways glances at Agang, won
dering how and when to ask him for more.

  ‘I think I can guess what’s going through your mind,’ Agang said.

  Laodoc’s tongue flickered. ‘Do you now?’

  ‘I can see it in your eyes. Every day since we left the World’s End, the black cloud above your head has grown.’

  Laodoc eyed him. ‘Is that it? No lecture this time?’

  ‘No,’ Agang said. He turned to face Laodoc. ‘I realise I might have been a bit over-bearing recently, nagging you about healing and depression and so on, but I’ve never done this sort of thing before. So, what I am saying is that I’ll try to be less judgemental.’

  Laodoc turned away. He knew that Agang was trying to help, but still wanted to yell at him. He felt a rush of anxiety surge upwards through his body, and a sense of panic about nearing their journey’s end. He closed his eyes, taking control of his breathing as Dyam had taught him, letting the wave pass through him and dissipate.

  As he opened his eyes again, he saw Agang turn the oxen up a small lane to their right. The way was flanked with tall trees, heavy with thick, green leaves, and the sun split the clouds, lighting up the path.

  ‘It’s a very charming place in the sunshine,’ Laodoc said, glancing around. ‘So green.’

  ‘It’s a beautiful country, no doubt about it.’

  The wagon followed the path for a few miles, up the side of a low ridge facing the west. As they mounted the top of the hill, Laodoc saw the vastness of the great ocean, just a few hundred yards ahead, where it crashed against the cliffs.

  Agang stopped the wagon, put down the reins and stared out over the endless water.

  ‘Quite a sight,’ Laodoc said, taking in the great sweep of ocean before them. ‘It puts our troubles into perspective, I think. No matter what foolishness we do on the land, the endless sea will continue, oblivious to our petty lives.’

  ‘Is it really endless?’

  Laodoc smiled. ‘My dear Agang, is that what you were taught in the schools of Sanang? The world is round, like a ball. That ocean in front of us stretches for thousands of miles, until it finally reaches the eastern coast of Arakhanah.’

  ‘The world is round?’ Agang said.