Sacrifice

by Christopher Mitchell

  ‘We have Kylon and Celine to help look after her now,’ he said, ‘just like we had Bedig in Slateford.’

  Daphne said nothing.

  ‘If Bedig was here,’ he said, ‘things would be different. You don’t completely trust them, do you?’

  ‘I trust Celine.’

  ‘But not Kylon?’

  ‘There’s something dark and empty about him,’ she said. ‘Something I can’t put my finger on.’

  ‘I trust him. He’s always been true to any purpose he’s set his heart on, and he’s devoted himself to protecting our daughter, so he can obey the last command that Kalayne gave him. I think we’re lucky to have him around.’

  ‘Well, you know him better than I do,’ she said, ‘but when the Emperor invades, I want Karalyn to be with her father. I know you’ll keep her safe.’

  ‘Alright,’ he said. He turned to their daughter. ‘Shall we go, wee bear?’

  ‘I want mummy.’

  Daphne took her from Killop’s arms and hugged her.

  ‘We’ll see each other soon,’ she said as they walked to the stairs. Outside, a large covered wagon was parked. Kylon was up on the drivers bench, while Celine was chatting to Chane at the rear of the wagon, where the luggage had been placed.

  Celine saw them approach, and held her arms out for Karalyn.

  Daphne kissed her daughter, reluctant to let her go.

  ‘It’ll be all right, little bear,’ Celine said. ‘We’ve got some snacks ready for you when we set off.’

  Karalyn sniffled, and Daphne passed her over, a tear escaping from her eye. She embraced Killop, then stood back as he boarded the wagon. He leaned over and helped Celine and Karalyn climb up.

  Kylon cracked the whip, and the wagon began to move, pulled by a twin pair of horses. Karalyn let out a wail, tears and snot running down her cheeks as she waved from the back of the wagon. Killop crouched by her, raising his hand in farewell.

  Daphne watched until the wagon passed from sight as it left Holders Square. She bowed her head, more tears falling. The thought of going back up to her empty apartment sent a wash of regret through her.

  ‘It’s for the best,’ Chane said. ‘You said it yourself, you don’t want them here when the Emperor arrives.’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘Do you want to get a drink?’

  ‘I can’t. I need to get back to work.’

  Daphne went to her office in the palace and worked through the afternoon and into the evening, organising troop movements and completing requisition and purchase orders for everything from grain to boots. Her signature sent convoys of wagons filled with food supplies out of the River Holdings heading towards depots in the safety of the western plains. She signed orders for squads of volunteer militia to stay hidden when the invasion came, so that they could harass the enemy from the rear, even though few would doubtless survive. Her right hand grew sore from holding the pen, as it flicked over documents, amending figures and correcting estimates, or scrawling revised orders across the margins in red ink.

  She picked up her cigarette case. Empty.

  Her mind was buzzing from the countless cups of tea and coffee, and her head was starting to hurt. She rubbed her neck. Lamps were burning in the room, and the shutters had been closed to keep out the chill night air. A junior staff officer leaned by the door, always ready to carry off her signed documents to wherever they needed to go, and always bringing her more when he returned. He straightened himself as he noticed her gaze.

  ‘That’s enough for today,’ she said. ‘Dismissed.’

  ‘Good night ma’am,’ he saluted, and departed down the corridor.

  She wondered if Chane was still up for a drink.

  There was a knock at the door, and a young officer peered in.

  ‘Major Holdfast,’ she said, ‘the chancellor requests your presence in the war room.’

  Daphne nodded and stood.

  The officer escorted her through the well-lit hallways and corridors of the palace, to the chamber close to the front entrance where Daphne had been that morning. Standing by the long table was Faden Holdwick, flanked by senior officers. The queen was a few paces away, gazing up at a large map of the Holdings on the wall.

  Daphne nodded to her staff officers as she entered. Chane caught her eye from across the room.

  ‘Major Holdfast,’ Faden said as she approached. ‘Thank you for joining us. I understand that Killop and Karalyn departed the city today? ’

  ‘They did, Chancellor.’

  ‘A wise move,’ he said. ‘I’m glad Lydia and Teddy are safe up there with Godfrey. And with dear Ariel so far on in her pregnancy I would rather she was as far away from danger as possible.’

  Daphne gazed down at the map Faden had been studying. It showed the border area between the Holdings and the Plateau.

  ‘Your staff have done a remarkable job of organising the defence of the republic,’ Faden said. ‘I’m told that the Emperor has moved his army close to the border. Some sixty thousand Rahain infantry are preparing to invade, with the Emperor himself at their head, but the work you have done here fills me with confidence that we shall prevail.’

  ‘Thank you, Chancellor.’

  ‘Do you have a tally of current troop numbers?’

  ‘Of course, Chancellor,’ she said, gesturing to one of her staff officers, who rose from her seat with a sheaf of papers.

  ‘Six thousand heavy cavalry,’ Daphne went on, reading from the documents the staff officer was holding out for her. ‘Two thousand light cavalry, and twenty thousand heavy infantry.’

  Faden stared at the map on the table. ‘So we still only have half the enemy’s numbers?’

  ‘Yes, Chancellor. However, they have no cavalry, and our regular infantry are far better equipped and trained. And as well as these official numbers, we estimate somewhere in the region of ten to fifteen thousand irregulars are armed and ready in the River Holdings, under the command of local militia.’

  Faden raised an eyebrow. ‘The bait?’

  ‘I wouldn’t quite use that expression, Chancellor,’ Daphne said, ‘but their job is to lure the imperial army on towards Holdings City, where the regular army will be waiting for them.’

  ‘And that will be our cue to evacuate?’

  Daphne nodded. ‘Yes, Chancellor.’

  He frowned. ‘This is the part of the plan that irks me. Having to give up the River Holdings and our capital city without even putting up a proper fight. ’

  ‘I understand, Chancellor, but the cavalry would be useless in the towns of the River Holdings. We need to meet the imperial army on the open plains.’

  ‘Yes, yes, but it looks bad. It will appear to outsiders that we are running away.’

  ‘Forgive me, Chancellor,’ Daphne said, ‘but that is precisely the impression we wish to create. If the Emperor thinks we are in disarray, he will be more likely to do something rash.’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Faden said. He pointed at the map. ‘Perhaps we should move our light cavalry here.’

  ‘Right down to the border, Chancellor?’

  ‘As you said, they have no cavalry of their own. If we strike when they first invade, we can give them a bloody nose, and show the Emperor we’re not afraid.’

  ‘But, Chancellor, we cannot afford to throw away one quarter of our cavalry strength simply to make a gesture.’

  Faden narrowed his eyes.

  ‘Now, now, Faden,’ the queen said, walking over. ‘We talked about this. Major Holdfast has the best officers in the republic at her disposal, and we must trust their judgement.’ She smiled at him. ‘Let’s leave the tactics and strategy to the experts, shall we?’

  ‘Very well,’ Faden frowned.

  ‘I would like a moment with Major Holdfast if that’s all right, Faden,’ the queen said, glancing at Daphne. ‘Walk with me.’

  Daphne nodded. ‘Yes, your Majesty.’

  The queen tutted, but smiled at the same time as they walked off together towards the
door. ‘First Minister, please.’

  ‘Apologies, First Minister, I keep forgetting we’re a republic now.’

  The queen laughed as they left the chamber. ‘It’s all nonsense really. Now that we’re out of earshot, you can call me Mirren, and I will call you Daphne.’

  ‘All right.’

  ‘Follow me,’ she said. ‘I want to show you something.’

  The queen led Daphne up a long spiral staircase, into one of the palace’s many towers. At the top they came into a beautiful chamber, filled with elegant furnishings and art.

  ‘This was going to be my favourite place,’ Mirren said. ‘I had it decorated after Guilliam’s coronation, but no sooner was it completed than we were on our way to our new city in the Plateau. Do you like it?’

  Daphne nodded, strolling to the narrow windows. ‘Nice view.’

  ‘Yes,’ Mirren said, coming to stand alongside. ‘In the daytime you can see almost the entire city from up here.’

  Daphne said nothing.

  ‘I wanted you to know, Daphne,’ Mirren went on after a moment, ‘that despite the long years of bad blood between Guilliam and I and your family, I feel it is time to heal the wounds of the past. I for one have said many cruel and hurtful things about the Holdfasts. When you next see your father, I would very much like you to tell him that I hope he forgives me, as I forgive him.’

  ‘I’m sorry, Mirren, but why would you need to forgive my father?’

  Mirren raised an eyebrow, as a look of incredulity swept across her face.

  ‘Oh my,’ she said. ‘You mean to tell me that you don’t know?’

  ‘Know what?’

  ‘You must be aware of the rumours,’ Mirren said. ‘Even the miners in the northern iron fields have heard the rumours.’

  Daphne felt her temper rise.

  ‘It was the most talked-about affair in the realm,’ Mirren went on, ‘Godfrey Holdfast and the Queen of the Holdings. For over a decade they brazened it out. She loved him, but refused to allow him to divorce your mother, and also refused to take a husband to get herself an heir. Guilliam hated your father for it, with a passion he rarely exhibited elsewhere.’

  ‘No,’ Daphne said.

  ‘No?’ Mirren repeated. ‘Come now, why on earth would I lie to you? I swear to you that if I had known you were ignorant of this, I would have held my tongue and said nothing. I merely assumed you knew what every other person in the realm knows. I’m sorry that you had to find out this way.’

  Daphne felt sick. For years she had believed her father’s vehement denials but, as she looked back over her parents’ relationship, and the way they had always seemed to hate each other, she knew that what Mirren had told her was the truth. She lowered her head, ashamed of feeling so stupid. How had she not realised? She needed to speak to her mother.

  Mirren touched her arm. ‘Truly, Daphne, I’m sorry. This will sound trite to your ears, but please don’t dwell on it. After all, it’s over and done with now.’

  Daphne felt a surge of hatred for her father. Liar and coward.

  She glanced at Mirren. ‘He would have left his family if the queen had let him?’

  Mirren sighed. ‘I’m afraid so. Please sit, take a moment. Would you like a glass of brandy? There’s a bottle around here somewhere.’

  Daphne sat on a plush armchair, while Mirren fetched the brandy and poured two glasses. She handed one to Daphne and sat across from her.

  ‘Cigarette?’ she said, opening her silver case.

  Daphne nodded and took one.

  ‘Oh dear,’ Mirren said, lighting the cigarettes. ‘I appear to have upset you. It was not my intention.’

  Daphne took a sip of brandy. ‘When did the affair begin?’

  ‘Not long after her coronation,’ Mirren said, ‘in four-eight-eight. When you were about six?’

  ‘Seven.’

  ‘They kept it fairly quiet for the first few years, but here in the city at least, it became open knowledge. When Guilliam found out he wasn’t too opposed at first, he assumed his sister was just having a casual relationship, but as the years passed, and she showed no sign of taking a husband, his anger began to stir.’

  ‘Guilliam made them break it off?’

  Mirren smiled. ‘No one could force the queen to do anything she didn’t want to do. No, what finally ended it was the fact that Godfrey’s children were all growing up, and presumably he was concerned about you finding out. Nevertheless, he remained very close to the queen, and used all his influence to persuade her to invade Sanang in five-oh-one. After that, I don’t believe Guilliam ever talked to his sister again.’

  Daphne shook her head. She thought about the years the affair had covered. Her father must have broken it off as Daphne herself was about to arrive in the capital to start university. She remembered being teased by some students about her father and the queen, but had always believed his denials. She wondered if this meant that her siblings knew the truth, and that as the youngest, the rest of the family had colluded to keep Daphne in blessed ignorance.

  She finished her drink, and stood.

  ‘Thank you for the brandy, Mirren,’ she said, ‘and for being honest. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to get drunk with Captain Chane.’

  ‘Ah,’ said Mirren. ‘Before you go, just one more thing. I visited the Prophet this morning, for the first time since I got back. I admit that I have been wary of going to see him, as I was one of those who had been scathing about him, back when he refused to move to the Plateau with Guilliam. I should not have worried. The Prophet was perfectly gracious, and we discussed many things. When I was leaving, he asked me to pass on his request that you attend him this evening.’

  Daphne sighed. ‘To the citadel, then.’

  The night air was still and dark as Daphne crossed from the palace to the headquarters of the church. The guards and small number of servants knew her face well, and saluted or bowed as she passed. She entered the Prophet’s private apartment, where the old man was sitting hunched in a wicker chair next to a blazing fire, while a young man fed him soup with a spoon.

  ‘Good evening,’ Daphne said.

  The prophet turned to her and smiled .

  ‘That’s enough for now,’ he said to the young man, his voice hoarse and quiet.

  The young man bowed low, and left the room.

  The Prophet gestured to a chair, and Daphne sat.

  ‘Thank you for coming,’ he said. ‘You know by now to help yourself.’

  Daphne nodded, and poured herself a glass of white rum.

  ‘Troubled?’ he said. ‘Ah, I see. You learned tonight of the great scandalous affair between your father and the old queen.’

  ‘Why did you not tell me?’

  ‘At first I assumed you knew, but when I realised you didn’t, I felt it wasn’t my place. Mirren Blackhold, on the other hand, has no such compunctions.’

  ‘It was a mistake,’ Daphne said. ‘Mirren didn’t mean to tell me.’

  ‘I don’t think Mirren does many things by mistake. But the reason I have called you to the citadel tonight is not to rake over old wounds. Mirren was round here today, I assume she told you that?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘It was beholden upon me to read her thoughts,’ the Prophet said, ‘as I knew she has seen the Emperor in person, after he had received his mage abilities. I wanted to discover if she had gleaned any insight into his strength or behaviour, but instead, I found out something considerably more disturbing.’

  Daphne leaned closer.

  ‘What?’

  ‘The Emperor is dead.’

  Daphne frowned in confusion. ‘He’s dead? When…?’

  ‘He died the moment the Creator possessed his body. The god of the Holdings has come to earth in mortal form. I saw it, as clear as day, when I looked into Mirren’s mind, and witnessed everything she had seen. His voice, his eyes, the little personal details. Mirren is right, that man is not her husband. He is the Creator.’

  ‘But you’
ve been in his mind,’ Daphne said. ‘You’ve read his thoughts, his plan for the invasion. Why could you not see who he really was? ’

  ‘This is what disturbs me the most, Daphne. When he was alone with Mirren, his mind was open, and his true identity was clear to me, but now he is shielding it, and if he is shielding it, it is because he suspects that others might be trying to see inside his thoughts. And if he suspects that…’

  ‘He may have been giving you the wrong information.’

  ‘Exactly. He knows that I am here, and has an inkling of how powerful you have become. I don’t believe he is yet aware that Karalyn can enter his mind, but he will assume that you or I would try.’

  ‘Who else knows?’

  ‘That he is the Creator? Just the two of us sat here, for the moment. I feel it might be unwise if we reveal the truth to others however. Half would refuse to believe, and those who did would be too terrified to resist.’

  Daphne lit a cigarette. ‘Should we be terrified?’

  ‘That the Creator has descended from the heavens and walks the earth in the company of his creation?’ the Prophet said, smiling. ‘He views us as mere insects, mere things that he made. He cares nothing for the lives of anyone in this world, as he proved when he threw away fifty thousand soldiers in the Rakanese campaign, not to mention the tens of thousands of civilians deaths that the invasion was responsible for. And now it is the turn of the Holdings. His chosen people have rebelled against him, Daphne, and he is coming in wrath and might to destroy us.’

  He gazed at her, the smile gone from his face.

  ‘Yes, Daphne, we should be terrified.’

  Chapter 13

  In the Gutter

  W estgate, Domm Pass – 28 th Day, First Third Autumn 507

  ‘This is ridiculous,’ said Flora, as Keira peered down the passageway at the rear of the tavern.

  ‘Shut it, ya numpty,’ Keira said. ‘She’ll hear us.’

  They slipped through the corridor, and opened the side door to the outside.

  ‘Fuck,’ Keira said, looking over her shoulder as the main door to the tavern opened. ‘Run.’