‘The Lord Regent has surrendered, and is in custody,’ she cried out, loud enough for the hall to hear. The militia let out a cheer. ‘Lord Holdwick is now Chancellor of the Realm, and Queen Mirren Blackhold is his First Minister. Do you pledge your loyalty to them?’
The crowd of militia roared and cheered.
Lord Holdsmith approached the thrones, and knelt, while other noblemen and women gathered to offer their congratulations and pledges of allegiance.
‘Look at them,’ Chane whispered. ‘All wanting to be the first to kiss the arse of the new leader, hoping to get the pick of the plum jobs.’
‘Let’s leave them to it,’ Daphne said. ‘I want to make sure the rest of the Upper City is secure.’
She bowed to Faden, who nodded and smiled at her, then she and Chane descended the steps.
‘Stay here, Major,’ she said to the officer, ‘in case any imperial soldiers arrive who are yet to hear the news.’
‘Who are you?’ she asked.
‘Daphne Holdfast.’
The major shook her head. ‘So the Holdfast’s have finally got what they wanted, to rule the Holdings?’
‘I think you’ll find that Lord Holdwick is chancellor, Major, not my father.’
‘And where is your father, ma’am?’
‘At home on the estate,’ she said, ‘with the rest of my family.’
‘He sent you in his stead,’ the major said, ‘so his hands would appear clean.’
Daphne stopped. ‘Do we have a problem, Major?’
‘I am an officer of the imperial army, ma’am. This coup of yours will bring nothing but despair and destruction to the Holdings. The Emperor will have no choice but to intervene in force.’
‘The Emperor was planning to invade regardless,’ Daphne said. ‘We are merely taking action to defend ourselves.’
The major said nothing, her eyes conflicted.
‘I have no desire to see Holdings kill Holdings,’ Daphne said, ‘but I will take any action necessary to protect this land. If you wish, I can have you arrested, and then your conscience will be clear.’
The major bit her lip.
‘Is your loyalty to the empire, or the Holdings?’ Daphne said.
‘The Holdings, ma’am.’
‘Good.’
Daphne turned, and caught Chane’s eye. As she was about to speak, she felt a voice in her mind.
Miss Daphne Holdfast, I have been expecting a visit from you for a long time.
Daphne paused, recognising the voice from years before.
And now you are here , the voice went on, there is much for us to discuss. Come to the citadel, I will be waiting for you.
Daphne nodded.
‘Let’s go to the citadel,’ she said. ‘I want to look in on the Prophet.’
Chane frowned. ‘I thought we were going to check the steps down to the middle bridge?’
‘The Holdwain militia are assigned there, I’m sure they can handle it.’
Chane shrugged.
They set off through the maze of corridors within the palace, turning at a junction that led to a small gate on the western side. They emerged out onto a dark street, marking the boundary between the secular and ecclesiastical halves of the Upper City. Behind them stood the bulk of the palace complex, while ahead lay the piled-high buildings of the headquarters of the church, with the spires of the cathedral dominating the skyline.
A pair of armed church wardens were guarding the main gates to the headquarters, and they raised their spears as Daphne and Chane approached.
‘This is church ground,’ cried one. ‘You are forbidden to enter.’
‘I have an invitation from the Prophet,’ Daphne smiled.
One of the guards staggered, his eyes glazing over. His head snapped up, his sight clear again .
‘Let them through,’ he said.
The other guard nodded, and swung open the great iron-rimmed door.
Daphne entered, followed by Chane. Inside, the passageways were dim, lit with low burning lamps. There was a musty smell of abandonment, and dust covered most surfaces.
Chane peered into the gloom. ‘Where do we go?’
Daphne reached out with her vision, feeling for the presence of the Prophet. His power shone like a beacon in her mind’s eye.
‘This way,’ she said.
They walked through long, dark corridors, past empty offices and deserted halls, deep into the warren of buildings, until they reached a large set of double doors lying open.
‘The cathedral,’ Chane muttered. ‘First time I’ve been here in years.’
‘First time anyone has by the look of it,’ Daphne said.
They entered the great space within the cathedral. The ceiling was lost above them in the gloom and shadows, held up by lines of enormous pillars. At the far end was a raised throne, upon which sat a small figure, hunched over and wrapped in a thick cloak.
At the foot of the steps below the throne stood half a dozen men and women, dressed in the black robes of the One True Path.
‘How did you get in here?’ shouted one of the deacons. ‘Stop at once!’
Daphne smiled. ‘Or what?’
One of the deacons drew a sword, and advanced.
‘Shit,’ muttered Chane, feeling the empty space on her waist were her belt had been.
Daphne pulled on her battle-vision and ran at the deacon. She ducked under a sword lunge, drew a knife from her boot and planted it into the side of the man’s neck. She took the sword from the dying man’s grasp and threw it to Chane.
‘Happy now?’
Chane grinned, and charged. Daphne retrieved her knife, and the pair cut their way through the remaining deacons, slaying them on the steps before the throne, blood spraying onto the marble floor.
Daphne sheathed her knife and ascended the steps. The gnarled old figure on the throne was motionless. His eyes were closed, and he seemed to be sleeping, or dead. He looked at least a hundred years old.
I am a mere ninety-three, Miss Daphne , said the voice. Not yet dead, but the day is not too far off I think. My body is old and dying, and only my mind is keeping it alive. I thank you for disposing of those vile deacons, they have made my life a misery for years, trapped up here alone in the citadel, shunned by the church and forgotten by the people. The Lord Vicar will quickly realise what you have done to his spies, however, when he next attempts to make contact with them.
‘I’m not worried about the Lord Vicar.’
No? What about the Emperor?
Daphne smiled. ‘I have a few concerns.’
He will be coming, Miss Daphne, make no mistake about that. Your coup may slow him down a little, but once he learns what you have done, his fury will be without limit or restraint.
‘He was coming anyway.’
I know. His thirst for mages is insatiable. You are near the top of his list, I believe.
‘I’m flattered.’
You should be afraid. I can sense great power in you, but even that is modest next to what the Emperor is now capable of. But I can help you.
‘The Prophet would aid us against the Emperor? Why?’
My girl, as yet you have no inkling of what the Emperor wants, or of what he plans. The empire is rotten and Guilliam is drunk with power. I have been shunned for years, ever since I refused to accompany him to his new city in the Plateau. Even then I knew the plans of the Creator, and knew they would destroy the world.
Daphne felt Chane nudge her arm.
‘Is he alive?’
She nodded. ‘He wants to help us.’
‘Is he in your head? ’
‘Or I’m in his, it’s hard to tell.’
You feel it too? the Prophet said. You and I Daphne, we share much in common. We both possess traces of an older magecraft, lost and forgotten to even the wisest. How else would you have been able to give birth to such a child? Did you think it was through chance alone that your daughter has such power?
Daphne gasped. ‘You know abou
t Karalyn?’
Indeed. As I said Daphne, we have much to discuss.
Chapter 9
Leaving Party
W estgate, Domm Pass – 4 th Day, Last Third Summer 507
Keira staggered down the muddy street, the drizzle on the high pass clinging in the air like mist, covering her in moisture. Passers-by avoided her as she splashed through puddles and swayed round corners. Her hair was lank and unwashed and her clothes stank of smoke.
She gazed around, the thick cloud cover making it impossible to tell what time it was. She laughed. She didn’t know which day it was, never mind the time. Her stomach turned and she retched. She needed a drink, and she needed to pee. She spotted the tavern up the slope to her left, and stumbled towards it. The large faded sign reading ‘World’s End’ was swinging in the breeze as she reached the front entrance. She hesitated, then walked round to the back of the building and went in through a side door. She climbed up the steps to her room, her legs aching from the effort, and she nearly fell through the door when she got to it.
Flora was lying on her bed.
Keira grinned.
‘That was the best weed I’ve had in fucking ages,’ she said, staggering into the room. She crashed down into the only chair as Flora opened her eyes and sat up.
‘You been greetin’?’ Keira said.
‘Where the fuck have you been, Keira?’ Flora yelled. ‘I thought you’d died or something.’
‘Already done that, hen, and I’m still here.’
‘You’ve been gone for four days!’
‘That long, eh?’ Keira chuckled. ‘It was some session right enough.’
‘You don’t give a shit about anyone but yourself.’
‘Now hang on, hen,’ Keira snarled. ‘Yer not my ma, ye dinnae control me. All I did was go out for a bit, for fucksake.’
Flora shook her head.
‘Ye should have seen the stash of weed these folk had, but,’ Keira said. ‘Fucking mental. Dream, dull, keen, you fucking name it, they had it. They were just in from the Sanang borderlands, part of some team working up there.’
‘Bandits, you mean.’
‘Maybe,’ Keira shrugged. ‘It wasn’t my business to ask them where they got it from, all I wanted to do was smoke it. Met them over at Dermot’s Bar, had a few drinks with them, and they invited me up to their room when they discovered who I was.’
‘And you’ve been there for four days?’
‘If you say so, I cannae remember much, to be honest.’
‘Me and Kendrie searched the whole town for you, we even looked over the cliff to see if you’d fallen down, drunk.’
‘That’s funny as fuck,’ Keira sniggered. ‘And all the time I was out of my nut.’
Flora wrinkled her nose. ‘You stink.’
‘Aye, well so would you if ye’d spent four days lying about in some dingy wee room with a bunch of hairy-arsed bandits.’
Flora stood. ‘I should go.’
‘What were ye doing in my room anyway?’ Keira said, narrowing her eyes.
‘Nothing.’
Keira watched Flora walk to the door .
‘Wait a wee minute,’ she called out. ‘If I was gone for four days, what’s Kelpie been doing with me not around?’
‘Cursing your name, mostly. Trying to persuade customers not to leave because you haven’t shown up. It was lucky that Laodoc came back from the lowlands. He’s been covering for you.’
‘They’re back are they? About fucking time.’
‘Get cleaned up, and come to the tavern,’ Flora said. ‘There’s something you might want to see.’
‘What?’
‘Come, and you’ll see,’ she said, leaving and closing the door.
‘Awkward wee cow,’ she muttered, getting up and jumping onto the bed. She lay down with her head on the pillow. Just a quick nap. She felt something under her cheek, and moved up to look. There was a damp patch on the pillow, from where Flora’s face had been when Keira had entered the room. The wee cow had been crying on her bed.
Keira sat up and shook her head. A twinge of guilt crept up her but she brushed it aside. It wasn’t her fault if wee Flora fancied her. She had never done anything to lead her on, and she had always been completely open about preferring guys. She hoped Flora wasn’t going to be a pain in the arse about it, that was the last thing she needed.
She got up, and staggered over to her wash bowl.
An hour later, clean and in fresh clothes, Keira strode through to the tavern.
‘Alright, Kendrie?’ she cried at the barman.
He looked up and did a double take.
‘Yer back?’
‘Yer getting brighter every day, I swear it,’ Keira cackled. ‘Now, how about an ale?’
‘And how are ye going to pay for it?’
‘Pay?’ Keira curled her lip. ‘What the fuck are ye talking about?’
‘I think Kelpie might be having second thoughts about yer arrangement,’ Kendrie said, folding his arms. ‘After all, ye’ve stood us up for four shifts in a row, without a word about where ye were, or if ye were coming back…’
‘Yawn, yawn, Kendrie,’ Keira muttered. ‘I’m fucking back now, am I not? And correct me if I’m wrong, but I never used my room, ate any of yer food, or drank any of yer booze while I was away, right? So give me a fucking drink for today’s shift, and stop being a cantankerous wee prick.’
Kendrie frowned.
‘See?’ Keira laughed. ‘I knew my logic would bamboozle the fuck out of ye. So, an ale?’
Kendrie looked over her shoulder. ‘I think yer friends are wanting ye.’
‘Oh aye?’ she said, turning.
In the centre of the tavern floor a large pile of boxes, trunks and baggage had been piled. Agang stood close to it, frowning and rubbing his chin, while Laodoc and Flora sat at a nearby table. Flora waved her over.
‘What’s going on?’ Keira said to Laodoc as she sauntered over to the table. ‘Flora told me that you’d got back a few days ago. Too lazy to unpack, eh?’
Laodoc smiled. ‘My dear Mage Keira, please sit. I’d like to talk with you.’
Keira noticed a large jug of ale on the table, and sat. She poured herself a mug, and took a drink.
‘Ahh,’ she sighed, putting her feet up onto a stool. ‘Fucking magic.’
‘Mage Keira,’ Laodoc said, ‘if I may, please. I would like to inform you that Agang and I have decided to leave.’
Keira shrugged, and looked out of the window at the rain.
‘It was a difficult decision,’ Laodoc went on. ‘On the one hand, here we can enjoy peace and the freedom to live our lives in the manner we wish, while on the other hand the world is in peril, and if we sit here and do nothing then, sooner or later, that peril will come to Domm, and consume us. ’
Laodoc glanced over at Agang.
‘We feel there is no other option,’ the Sanang man said, walking over. ‘The hardest choice I ever made was to believe that Kalayne was speaking the truth. So when he said that only you could save the world, I believe it. I, we, also believe that Shella must be found…’
Keira turned her head to glare at them. ‘I thought ye said ye were leaving? Ye seem to be doing a lot of fucking talking instead.’ She pointed. ‘There’s the door.’
Laodoc smiled. ‘Our desire to leave matches your wish to see us gone. Unfortunately, we have to wait for our lift to arrive. But do not fear, we will be gone as soon as that happens.’
‘I hope not,’ said Kelpie, walking over. ‘I have a leaving party planned for you. Just a wee chance to say our goodbyes, ye know?’
‘Madam Kelpie,’ Laodoc said, ‘my most earnest thanks, but please don’t put yourself out on our account.’
‘It’s no bother,’ she said. She turned to Keira, her face calm.
‘Yer working tonight, don’t forget.’
Kelpie marched away, without waiting for Keira to respond.
Keira smirked.
Agang sat, and poured hims
elf a water.
‘Come with us, Keira,’ he said. ‘Please.’
‘Not a fucking chance, eight-thirds.
‘You’re wasting your time, my friend,’ Laodoc said. ‘Mage Keira would rather remain here and wallow in her sense of self-pity and failure.’
‘Failure?’ Keira snarled. ‘Fuck you, ya scaly wee bastard. I’ve packed more winning into a few short years than you arseholes have managed in yer entire fucking lives. Do ye have any fucking idea of how many fuckers I’ve killed?’
‘I have a vague notion,’ Laodoc said, ‘but whatever the exact number, it’s proved enough of a burden to send you to the very end of the world.’
‘And ye want me to go out and kill more?’ Keira cried, her rage building. She could feel her cheeks burning as the others gazed at her. ‘ Have I not fucking given enough? Have I not killed enough for ye? Ye want more?’
Flora swallowed, and looked away.
Keira bared her teeth, her knuckles clenched.
‘I apologise, Mage Keira,’ Laodoc said into the nervous silence. ‘We have no desire to force you to use your powers again if you do not wish to do so. However, the Emperor is coming, and you are one of the only mages strong enough to give the inhabitants of this world any hope.’
‘I’m sick of being everyone’s hope,’ she cried. ‘Life is short, cruel and doesn’t give a fuck, and most people are either stupid or selfish or both. Fuck them all. Fuck it. Fuck this world, I hope the bastard Emperor fucking wins.’
She got to her feet, kicking the chair over, and stormed from the tavern. She slammed the door shut behind her and paused as the rain poured down, drenching her. She raised her face, letting the drops fall onto her cheeks, mixing with the tears so that nobody would know.
‘You should really come and say goodbye, you know,’ Flora said, sitting on the chair in her room as Keira lounged on the bed, a bottle of whisky in her hand.
‘I knew ye were going to say that,’ she said, not bothering to look up, ‘and if that’s all ye came for, ye can fuck off.’
‘They’re your friends. Well, Agang is.’
‘Is he fuck. Do friends walk out on each other? Now that he’s best fucking friends with that scaly bastard he couldnae give a flying fuck about me, or you. He’d rather pretend to be some fucking hero, when he’s just trying to impress Grandpa Laodoc.’
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