Sacrifice

by Christopher Mitchell

  ‘Tell Prior that he worries too much,’ he said. ‘Whatever rabble those rebel bastards are able to assemble will be swept aside once I have finished in Arakhanah. Next.’

  The woman got to her feet.

  As she was backing away, a soldier ran into the hall, making straight for the throne.

  ‘Your Majesty!’ he cried, shoving past the official who was next in line.

  ‘Speak,’ the Emperor said.

  The soldier fell to his knees, his eyes cast downwards .

  ‘The captive Rakanese mages, your Majesty, they are dead.’

  Killop felt a surge of rage ripple through the Emperor’s body. He pointed at the soldier, and his head evaporated in a cloud of red mist that covered everything within a five-yard radius. The body slumped to the floor.

  The Emperor stood, and stormed down the steps. Guards ran to flank him as he marched from the hall and down a set of stairs to the lower levels of the building. Along the way, soldiers and Rakanese staff cowered out of his path, recoiling in terror.

  He reached a large chamber, with barred cells down one side. Within each lay several dead Rakanese.

  ‘You!’ he shouted at an officer who was present. ‘What happened?’

  The officer got down on her knees.

  ‘Your Majesty,’ she said, trembling, ‘they committed suicide, all at once. We couldn’t stop them.’

  ‘They were supposed to be chained and bagged,’ the Emperor raged. ‘Did I not give explicit orders?’

  ‘You did, your Majesty.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘The process of securing the captives was still under way when it began, your Majesty. Those unchained first killed the others, and then themselves.’

  ‘How long have they been dead?’

  ‘Ten minutes, maybe, your Majesty.’

  The Emperor stared at her, then turned. ‘Open up the cells.’

  He glanced back at the officer.

  ‘I shall require a considerable amount of energy for what I am about to do,’ he said, ‘and as this was your mistake, Captain, it seems only fair that you should be the one to pay the price.’

  He stepped forwards, and lowered his hand onto the kneeling woman’s head, clasping her skull. Killop sensed a shift of power within the Emperor, and then a sudden and brief surge as he drained the officer. She fell to the floor, dried up and lifeless.

  Killop’s mind began to grow dizzy under the weight of energy that the Emperor was carrying within him, and, as the Emperor began walking towards the first open cell, he felt himself whipped out of his head and within seconds he was back in his own bed.

  He shot up, sweat pouring from him.

  Daphne looked over from the desk where she was working, a solitary candle lighting the room.

  Killop rolled off the bed onto his knees and retched, but nothing came. He panted, feeling as if he had run the distance from Rakana. He gazed at the cot. Karalyn was sitting up, smiling and looking at him.

  ‘You alright?’ Daphne said, walking round to where Killop crouched on the floor.

  He glanced up at her, drool running down his chin.

  ‘Bad dream?’ she said, then turned to Karalyn. ‘Hold on, were you two in the Creator’s head?’

  ‘Daddy see bad man,’ Karalyn said.

  ‘Damn it,’ Daphne said. ‘And I was up working. Sorry. So what happened? Did you learn anything?’

  Killop fell back into a sitting position.

  Daphne filled a mug with ale and passed it to him, then lit a cigarette.

  He took a long drink.

  ‘It wasn’t the Creator,’ he said. ‘We weren’t in the Creator’s mind.’

  Daphne frowned.

  ‘A force took us, just like it did the last time, except we didn’t go upwards. Instead we flew across the mountains to Rakana.’

  ‘What? Are you sure?’

  ‘Well, I’ve never been, but I know it was Rakana, because the Emperor and his army were there.’

  ‘You saw the Emperor?’

  ‘Saw him? It was his head we were in, Daphne.’

  Daphne frowned, and smoked her cigarette.

  ‘Tell me everything.’

  Daphne listened as Killop told his story. Afterwards, she got up and walked to the cot.

  ‘She’s sleeping again,’ she said. ‘Just like before, she doesn’t seem to take any ill effects from being in his mind.’

  ‘His mind? Whose, the Emperor’s?’

  She turned.

  ‘The Creator’s. What if the Creator was in the mind of the Emperor when you were there? What if he was watching through Guilliam’s eyes, and you were watching through his?’

  Killop frowned.

  ‘If the Emperor has the skills of every mage, then he must have vision power, all the way up to the ability to talk to the Creator. Their minds must have been bound together when you went in, it’s the only explanation.’

  ‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘It felt like the mind we were in was doing all the talking and thinking. I couldn’t sense any other presence there.’

  ‘If Kalayne were here he might be able to work it out,’ she said. ‘Still, interesting intelligence about the thinking of Lord Chancellor Prior, seems we have him worried. We should step up smuggling operations, send him into even more of a tizzy. And I wonder what happened with the Rakanese mages. How many were there, do you think?’

  Killop shrugged. ‘Two dozen, maybe.’

  ‘What on earth was the Emperor planning to do with two dozen corpses?’

  ‘Whatever it was, it needed a lot of power. All he could get from that officer he drained.’

  ‘And she died from it?’

  ‘Aye. She was all wrinkled up, as if all the liquid had been sucked out of her.’

  Daphne grimaced.

  There was a knock at the door.

  ‘Everything all right in there?’ Kylon’s voice called through the door panels.

  ‘Fine,’ Daphne said, shaking her head. ‘Those two. Insane. ’

  Killop smiled. ‘At least we’ll always have babysitters.’

  Daphne had left for work when Killop next arose. He dressed himself and Karalyn, and went out into the grand reception chamber that formed the heart of the suite of apartments where they were staying. The room had a view of the palace across Holders Square, where companies of Hold militia drilled.

  Kylon and Celine were the only others in the chamber, lounging across large couches.

  ‘You’re a remarkable woman, Celine,’ he heard Kylon say, ‘and you’ve been through so much. I have watched in wonder as you have changed into a confident, smart and hopeful person. It has been a most beautiful transformation to behold.’

  Celine smirked, then caught sight of Killop and Karalyn.

  ‘Kara-bear,’ she said, grinning and getting up. ‘How’s my little lady this morning? You hungry for breakfast?’

  ‘Celine make pancakes,’ Karalyn said.

  Celine put her hands on her hips and smiled. ‘Me? My little bear, we’re living like royalty. All we have to do is ask a kind servant, and they’ll make us whatever we like. Shall I show you?’

  ‘Aye,’ Karalyn cried, jumping up and down.

  Celine led her off by the hand to a side door of the chamber.

  ‘Morning Killop,’ said Kylon.

  ‘Morning,’ he said, sitting. ‘Is there anything to drink?’

  Kylon smiled. ‘Depends what you mean. We’re in the Holdings, where getting drunk before midday is frowned upon, at least in the company we’ve been keeping. But if you want a hot drink, there’s plenty of tea and coffee.’

  Killop sighed.

  ‘Any plans for today?’ Kylon said.

  ‘Don’t think so.’

  Kylon raised an eyebrow .

  ‘I know what you’re thinking,’ Killop said. ‘We have to remember that this conflict is internal to the Holdings, it’s not ours to fight.’

  ‘So it doesn’t strike you as odd?’

  ‘What?’


  ‘That Godfrey Holdfast has not called upon you to serve? I mean, you’ve led armies to victory in battle, Killop, and have as much experience of fighting as anyone else here. You were a chief, for fucksake.’

  ‘It’s just politics, Kylon. Some of the Holds in the rebel coalition would feel uncomfortable about taking orders from a foreigner, and they can’t exactly put me in the ranks.’

  ‘They’re a bunch of elitist snobs,’ Kylon said.

  ‘Daphne also said that it was partly because I couldn’t ride a horse. That’s why I’m taking lessons. If and when the Emperor invades, I’m going to be fighting one way or another, we all will.’

  Kylon smiled. ‘Ye see yourself as a cavalryman?’

  ‘No. I can barely stay on, never mind swing a sword at the same time. You should think about learning.’

  ‘I already know,’ Kylon said. ‘How do you think I got to the Holdings?’

  ‘You rode?’

  ‘Stole a horse. Got thrown a couple of times, but I got the hang of it in the end.’

  Killop shook his head. ‘I might have known.’

  He glanced through the great bay windows at the palace. ‘There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.’

  ‘Aye?’ said Kylon.

  ‘Why did you tell Chane everything about Karalyn?’

  ‘Do you not like her?’

  ‘She’s all right,’ Killop shrugged, ‘and Daphne seems to be friends with her again, which is good. But that’s not the point. You should have asked us before you said anything.’

  Kylon nodded. ‘At the time, I was alone in the River Holdings, surrounded by thousands of strangers, searching for you. I was also struggling with having left your sister, wondering if it was the right thing to do, and then I was stuck in a small house with Chane for a long time, unable to go outdoors in case the imperial recruiters got hold of us. I saw something in her that I trusted.’

  His dark eyes caught Killop’s.

  ‘I apologise if I did the wrong thing.’

  ‘Are you sleeping with her?’

  ‘Who, Chane? No.’

  ‘Celine?’

  ‘Killop,’ Kylon said, ‘I am faithful to your sister.’

  ‘Even though she broke up with you?’

  ‘We were both going through a lot of shit at the time,’ he said. ‘I was pushing her hard, making sure we followed Kalayne’s plan, and I think she started to resent me for it.’

  Killop frowned. ‘You pushed my sister into murdering all those folk?’

  ‘Murder? It was war, Killop. We were trying to stop the Emperor.’ He gazed at him. ‘We have all done things in war we regret.’

  ‘And it sounds like you’ve added a lot to your list.’

  Kylon bowed his head, his long black hair falling in sheets. ‘I do have regrets about the Sanang campaign. We were ruthless, and utterly focussed on getting to the imperial capital in time. But we failed. The Emperor got his powers, and destroyed our army. In the end it was all for nothing.’ He looked up. ‘But there’s still hope. Karalyn is the key, somehow. Kalayne told me much about her, but even he didn’t know exactly what role she will play.’

  ‘She’s one year old,’ Killop said. ‘She won’t be playing any role in what’s coming.’

  Kylon shrugged. ‘The other part of the plan involves Shella and Keira. Your sister remains the one who will save the world, but Kalayne said she has to meet Shella first.’

  ‘If my sister really has gone to Domm,’ Killop said, ‘then she’ll be on the other side of the world when the Emperor invades the Holdings.’

  ‘If the Emperor invades. ’

  ‘He will,’ Killop said. ‘Last night, when you banged on our door, you were right, something had happened.’

  Kylon narrowed his eyes. ‘What?’

  ‘Did Kalayne ever tell you that Karalyn could see inside the Creators’ mind?’

  ‘He did,’ said Kylon. ‘Did she travel there last night?’

  ‘Aye,’ Killop said, ‘and she wasn’t alone.’

  ‘That’s enough for today,’ the woman called out to the students.

  Killop grunted in relief, his legs and rear in agony, and swung himself off the horse and down to the ground. He towered over the other students, a mix of teenage Holdings youths, while the horse he was practising on was a good head higher than the others.

  ‘You did well,’ the trainer nodded to him. ‘You’re getting better.’

  Killop shook his head, as a stablegirl led his beast away.

  ‘Bravo,’ cried Daphne from the fence enclosing the small compound. Behind her stood the burnt-out and abandoned remains of the Old Tower.

  Chane smirked as he approached the fence half-limping. ‘Where did they find you that old nag?’

  ‘It was the only one big enough to take me,’ he said.

  ‘You alright?’ said Daphne.

  ‘My arse is killing me.’

  ‘I remember those days,’ Chane laughed. ‘Don’t worry, your arse cheeks will toughen up in a third or two.’

  ‘He’s Kellach,’ Daphne said, ‘so it’ll probably just take a few days.’

  She opened the gate, and Killop left the enclosure.

  ‘I could do with an ale.’

  Daphne pursed her lips. ‘You drink too much.’

  Killop shrugged. ‘You smoke too much.’

  ‘I have a solution,’ Chane said. ‘Let’s go back to yours, and we can drink and smoke. ’

  ‘Is that you done for the rest of the day?’ Killop asked.

  ‘Yeah,’ Daphne said. ‘We’re off until the morning.’

  They set off through the winding maze of backstreets towards Holders Square.

  ‘I told Kylon about last night,’ Killop said. ‘Wanted to see if he had any ideas.’

  ‘And did he?’

  ‘He suggested the same thing as you,’ Killop said, ‘that the Creator was in Guilliam’s head at the same time as me and Karalyn.’

  ‘It does sound the most reasonable explanation,’ said Chane.

  Killop glanced at Daphne.

  ‘You told Kylon,’ she said. ‘I told Chane.’

  ‘But that’s it, though?’ Killop said. ‘Just the four of us know about Karalyn?’

  ‘Five,’ said Chane. ‘You’re forgetting about Celine.’

  ‘Five,’ he repeated, shaking his head.

  ‘I’m never going to breathe a word of it to anyone,’ Chane said. ‘Who the fuck would I tell? You’re the only people I know here, and you’re certainly the only ones I trust. Kylon and Celine are both mad, but they’d do anything to protect your daughter.’

  Killop nodded. ‘I know. Listen, there’s something I remembered when I was telling Kylon what had happened, that I forgot to mention to you.’

  ‘Yeah?’ said Daphne.

  ‘It was about the lord chancellor’s request for reinforcements. The Emperor said that he could have more when Ghorley had finished recruiting a new army.’

  Daphne narrowed her eyes.

  ‘A new army?’ said Chane. ‘What the fuck for?’

  ‘The Emperor will use it to invade the Holdings,’ Daphne said. ‘He thinks he’ll lose half of his present army in Rakana, and he won’t want to invade us with Holdings soldiers anyway. It makes much more sense for him to do it with fresh Rahain troops.’

  They came out onto Holders Square as the sun was setting over the vast expanse of plains to the west, visible from the top of the Upper City.

  ‘It’s getting chilly already,’ Daphne said. ‘Summer’s nearly done.’

  ‘At last,’ Killop said. ‘It’s still hotter during the day than it ever gets in Kell. But I admit, I love the nights, nice and cool.’

  ‘Freezing, you mean,’ Daphne smiled.

  ‘I thought all that time in Rahain had toughened you up?’

  ‘It didn’t mean I liked it. That time I walked to Slateford in a blizzard was nearly the end of me. I never want to be that cold again.’

  They paused in front of a
large guesthouse, filled with apartments for visiting aristocracy, where Killop and Daphne were staying.

  ‘You coming up?’ Daphne asked Chane.

  ‘If you’re asking,’ she grinned, and they entered the building.

  They climbed to the third floor, and went through into their suite. Celine and Karalyn were playing on a rug in front of the enormous bay windows, while Kylon was sitting in an armchair reading a book. He peered over the top of it as they approached.

  Killop and Daphne went over to see their daughter. She looked up from playing to smile at them.

  ‘She’s been a very good girl today,’ Celine said. ‘I showed her how to order food from the servants.’

  Daphne laughed. ‘I hope they’re prepared for endless requests for pancakes and biscuits.’

  ‘Karalyn eat pancakes for dinner and tea,’ said the girl.

  Daphne frowned. ‘Really Celine, she can’t have that for every meal. You shouldn’t always be saying yes to her. You give in too easily.’

  ‘I just like to see her smile,’ Celine said. ‘But I know. It won’t happen again, ma’am.’

  ‘Please don’t call me that,’ Daphne said. She turned to Killop. ‘Time for that ale, I think.’

  Chane spoke to a servant, who returned in a few minutes with ale, coffee and rum, glasses, and bowls of nuts and strawberries. Killop and Daphne sat by Kylon, who put down his book.

  ‘So, Miss Holdfast,’ he said, ‘how goes your civil war? ’

  ‘Much the same as yesterday, Kylon,’ she said, pouring drinks. ‘The same group of Holds are refusing to join us, and the imperial garrisons in the forts along the border with the Plateau are still holding out.’

  ‘You have accomplished much without bloodshed.’

  ‘So far,’ she nodded. ‘Aside from the riots in the River Holdings that killed a hundred imperials, we’ve managed to avoid any large confrontations.’

  Kylon nodded, and took a glass of rum from the low table.

  ‘The Prophet has been a great help,’ Daphne went on. ‘His range-vision is amazing, and he’s been telling us the positions of every group of imperial soldiers, and what the militia of the unaligned Holds are doing. He’s enabled us to avoid traps, and stay a step ahead of Lord Chancellor Prior’s forces.’

  ‘Much like Kalayne did for us in Kell,’ Kylon said.