Sacrifice

by Christopher Mitchell

  ‘I’m sure he’s all right,’ said Mirren. ‘Your commander is a very capable soldier.’

  Daphne’s nerves flared. Why had she let him go? She should have told him his place was with her and their daughter. He couldn’t stand up to the Emperor, no one could. She felt a desperate desire to range with her vision, to scan the camp and the valley where Killop was positioning himself, but feared that she might give their location away to the Emperor.

  The Creator. She had to remember who it was they were fighting.

  A messenger arrived.

  ‘My lady,’ she said, catching her breath. ‘Captain Chane reports contact with the western Rahain force. She wishes you to know that she is engaging them with all strength in a full frontal assault on their positions.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Daphne said, stubbing the weedstick out beneath her heel. ‘Let her know the rear remains secure, and pass on my best wishes.’

  ‘Ma’am,’ the messenger bowed, then sprinted back down the gorge, following the line of the stream towards the sounds of battle .

  Daphne gazed around. ‘Where’s Kylon?’

  ‘Gone to check on Baoryn,’ said Celine.

  ‘I heard that he was the Emperor’s eyes and ears,’ said Mirren. ‘Most unfortunate. I had deemed you a better judge of character, Lady Holdfast.’

  ‘I didn’t delve deep enough into his mind when I first looked,’ she said, ‘but I believe he was unaware he was being used.’

  ‘Well, it’s too late now, I suppose. The damage has been done.’ Mirren gazed back up the path. ‘The thing that killed Guilliam is hunting us, with nothing to protect us except Killop and a few young troopers. I fear our rebellion may soon be at an end.’

  ‘It’s not over yet,’ Daphne said. ‘We get through this gorge, we can flee north. Without Baoryn, the Emperor has no chance of finding us. We’re going to get out of this, Mirren.’

  ‘He hasn’t come all this way to give up now,’ she said. ‘He wants us, and the mages.’ She leaned in close. ‘Maybe if we led him to the mages, he might be satisfied, and leave. Then we’d be safe. You and your daughter would be safe.’

  ‘We can’t betray them.’

  ‘I know. It was just a foolish thought.’

  Daphne frowned. ‘If you have any more, keep them to yourself.’

  Mirren gave a gentle bow, and walked to where her troopers stood.

  ‘Do you think she was serious?’ whispered Celine.

  ‘She’s scared,’ Daphne said.

  ‘She’s not the only one.’

  Twenty long, nervous minutes passed. The rear guard waited by the carts, smoking and casting glances back up the path.

  Daphne sat on a boulder. Celine was next to her, rocking Karalyn back and forth in her arms as the child slept.

  Kylon was close by, leaning against the side of the cliff, his long black coat trailing on the ground. He caught her eye, and glanced towards the carts.

  Daphne turned, and saw movement. She jumped off the boulder.

  ‘We’re moving,’ she called out. ‘Everyone up.’

  The troopers got back into their positions as the carts began to roll forwards. The messenger ran up the path towards them.

  ‘My lady,’ she said, ‘Captain Chane reports that the path is clear, though she warns that there are still pockets of hostile Rahain forces in the valleys on either side. She requests that the rear guard make all haste.’

  ‘Tell her we’re on our way,’ Daphne said.

  The messenger ran off.

  Daphne faced the troopers.

  ‘I want half of you up with the carts,’ she said. ‘Get them moving as quickly as we can. The rest watch out for attacks from the flanks. Go.’

  Squads of troopers peeled off from the others, their sergeants bellowing orders. The carts began to move faster, and Daphne urged the rear guard on. The gorge widened, with caves and sharp crevices on either side, while the sounds of boots, cartwheels, and the rushing stream blotted out every other noise. The first body appeared, a Holdings trooper shot though the stomach by a crossbow bolt, lying by the bank of the stream. Others came into sight, a mixture of Rahain and Holdings, their bodies piled by the side of the track. Large birds circled overhead in the grey light, waiting for them to pass.

  ‘I might have to give her to you soon,’ said Celine. ‘My arms are getting sore.’

  ‘Just let me know,’ Daphne said. ‘Is she still sleeping?’

  ‘Out like a light. She’s the only one around here not shitting their pants.’

  ‘I’ve been in worse situations than this,’ Kylon said.

  ‘Oh shut up, you miserable bastard,’ Celine said. She glanced at Daphne. ‘Should I wake her up?’

  Daphne looked at the sleeping child. Her eyes were twitching behind her closed lids. She thought of Killop .

  ‘No,’ she said. ‘She might be vision-dreaming.’

  Daphne’s ears picked out a low rumble.

  She turned, gazing back up the track, and her heart froze. In the far distance, a new force of Rahain were streaming towards them through the gorge, and in their midst strode the figure in black armour.

  ‘Run!’ she cried, plucking Karalyn from Celine’s arms and racing towards the carts. To her left she glimpsed Mirren, her face drawn in terror. The rear guard rushed down the gorge. It narrowed ahead, and carts were being squeezed through two abreast. Troopers were scrambling round them, climbing a few feet up the rocky slopes and leaping down to the other side.

  Daphne turned, Kylon by her side, his hand on his sword hilt.

  The approaching Rahain were only a few hundred yards away, their lead units sprinting towards them. She pulled on her battle-vision.

  ‘Celine, take Karalyn, and get into the caves. Quickly.’

  She stretched out her arms, and Daphne passed her the sleeping child.

  ‘Go, go,’ Daphne cried, and Celine and Kylon sprinted off, dodging the retreating troopers, and heading for the deep caves under the high cliffs by the track.

  She drew her sword, and opened her mouth to scream orders at the troopers, but the earth beneath their feet buckled and rippled, and a force like a wind threw them to the ground. Daphne landed on her side, then scrambled back to her feet. She stared over to the cliffs, but there was no sign of Karalyn or her two protectors.

  You thought you could hide from me forever, Daphne Holdfast , said a voice piercing her mind.

  Daphne staggered.

  Ahead, the figure in black raised his arms. The Rahain around him drew aside, clearing a path as he approached.

  There was a crack like thunder, and the rock face behind the Holdings rear guard shook. Stones began to fall, and the cliffs on either side toppled over and collapsed, blocking the gorge, and killing those trying to haul the last carts through the gap. The troopers round Daphne and Mirren stared, their mouths open.

  ‘Get into lines!’ Daphne cried. ‘Shields up.’

  The troopers began to obey, moving into a rough line, their backs to the blocked gorge. As the Emperor grew closer, he lifted his finger at a trooper, and his head disintegrated in a flash of red. Daphne felt Mirren grab her arm, her face a mask of terror.

  I see you, Holdfast. And you, faithless queen.

  Daphne turned, staring as the troopers of the rear guard began to fall to the flicks of the Emperor’s finger. He was only fifty yards away, scanning the crowd, looking for her. He nodded to his soldiers.

  The Rahain charged the rear guard, their shields battering into the line of troopers. Daphne darted forwards, her sword arcing through the air, slicing deep into the neck of a soldier. The Rahain pushed the troopers back, overwhelming them with their greater numbers. Daphne and a handful of troopers were forced to their left, as the Emperor strode forwards, striking down any Holdings close to him.

  Daphne looked over her shoulder. Between the jutting edges of the cliff was a deep, narrow ravine, and as the Rahain pushed forwards, troopers began to fall down into it, screaming. She glanced over the edg
e. It was a fifty foot drop, with a dark stream tumbling at the bottom. With her feet braced half a yard from the lip of the ravine, Daphne lunged out with her sword, killing another soldier, her small group of troopers protecting her with their shields.

  The Emperor swept his arm to the side, and around where Mirren stood a dozen troopers fell, blood exploding from their eye sockets. The rest of her guard dropped to their knees and threw down their weapons. The queen stood among them, her head lifted, but her eyes hollow in defeat.

  As Daphne swung her sword down again, she felt the Emperor in her head.

  It’s over, Daphne. I don’t want to kill you. Surrender, and you shall be the mightiest mage in my service, and will stand at my right hand.

  The words felt sweet in her mind, and she felt her resolve fade, as if resistance was being drawn out of her. She stared ahead at where the Emperor stood. Next to him, Mirren was being shackled in heavy chains by Rahain soldiers.

  ‘Never,’ Daphne whispered. She drew on her battle-vision and stepped back off the edge of the cliff.

  For a few seconds, she felt nothing but the air rushing past her, the roar it made almost drowning out the cry of rage from the Emperor. She hit the side of the ravine, and spun, falling deeper. She crashed into the shallow waters of the freezing cold stream, powering her battle-vision to its limits. Her armour pulled her to the bottom, but she struggled up, scrambling to the bank. She pulled her head out of the water, choking for air. Her legs felt numb from the cold, and she could see blood seeping from the wounds she had earned in the fall.

  As she crawled from the stream, she glanced up at the narrow sliver of daylight at the top of the ravine. A figure was leaning over the edge, staring down into the darkness of the crevice.

  It saddens me that you would rather die than surrender, Holdfast , the Emperor said, but if that is your wish, so be it.

  He lifted his arms, and brought them down in a lunging motion, and Daphne saw the cliffside around her crack, and collapse. The rocks split, and boulders fell, splashing into the stream, and sending fragments flying. She saw a low lip of rock, and crawled under it, as the bottom of the ravine filled with rubble, and the light faded into darkness.

  When Daphne regained consciousness, she couldn’t move. Rock and stone hemmed her in all on sides, but it was loose under the shelter of the lip of rock, and she could breathe. All around was the cold, damp darkness, and she heard nothing but the sharp ringing in her ears.

  Mummy?

  Daphne gasped, and tried to move her head.

  I’m here, Kara-bear, mummy’s here .

  Daddy.

  Daphne fought back tears. I don’t know where daddy is, little bear.

  It’s all right, mummy, don’t cry. Daddy’s here.

  A shaft of daylight appeared above her head, and she blinked, blinded. A hand reached in and touched her face.

  Killop.

  Blood covered the left side of his head, and his armour was bent and blackened by fire. By him was a group of Holding troopers, helping to dig her out. Killop put a waterskin to her lips, his eyes never leaving her face. She drank as the rocks were lifted from around her. She was pulled from the rubble, clinging onto Killop’s neck as he held her close, her legs trailing.

  He rested her against a boulder by the bank of the stream, and they kissed. He examined her for injuries, his hands unbuckling her battered armour. He stopped at her right leg and cut the ripped leather away, revealing an ugly wound, bloody and covered in river mud. He dipped a rag in the stream and began to clean the dirt and blood away.

  ‘You came for me,’ she said.

  He gazed at her. ‘Karalyn led us.’

  She looked up, and saw Celine hurry towards her, the girl in her arms.

  ‘Mummy!’ Karalyn squealed, as Celine handed her to Daphne.

  ‘Little bear,’ Daphne said, pulling her close.

  ‘We saw you fall,’ said Kylon, walking towards her. Behind him, Daphne saw Baoryn. The Rahain man was sitting slumped against a boulder, his head and chest covered in bandages. He nodded to her, a grim smile on his lips as Kylon approached. He handed her a lit cigarette.

  ‘Has the Emperor gone?’ she said, taking a smoke.

  ‘Aye,’ said Killop, as he cleaned the wound on her leg.

  ‘Hours ago,’ said Kylon.

  ‘How did you get away from him?’ Daphne said.

  ‘He didn’t look for us,’ Kylon said. ‘He was only after you and Mirren. ’

  Daphne nodded, then glanced at Killop. ‘What about you?’

  ‘He blasted the eastern end of the gorge with fire,’ he said. ‘Karalyn came to me when she was dreaming, and even though I was awake, I could feel her in my head, helping me.’

  ‘How’s the leg?’ said Celine.

  ‘Bruised,’ Killop said. ‘Nothing’s broken, but there’s a deep cut.’

  ‘I hit the cliffside on the way down,’ Daphne said.

  ‘Should heal in a few days,’ he said, wrapping a bandage around her calf. He turned to the small group of troopers. ‘Get a stretcher made up, and we’ll carry Lady Holdfast out of here.’

  He stood, brushing the dirt from his battered armour, the dust billowing up in the breeze.

  ‘What now?’ said Kylon.

  Killop glanced at Daphne.

  ‘It’s over,’ she said, ‘the Emperor’s won. He captured Mirren, and even if she doesn’t tell him where the four mages are, he’ll scour it out of her head anyway.’

  Kylon frowned. ‘Which means he’ll have the full set. The last time he had every type of mage he was able to grant himself godlike powers.’

  He stared down at Daphne.

  ‘What will he do this time?’

  Chapter 25

  Two to One

  O utside Plateau City, Imperial Plateau – 21 st Day, First Third Winter 507

  Keira frowned. ‘Sitting by the window isnae going to make her get back here any quicker.’

  ‘I know,’ said Kallie. ‘I’m just restless. I might go and check the traps.’

  ‘Again?’ Keira said. ‘Ye were only out there an hour ago.’

  ‘Anything to take my mind off food.’

  ‘Come and have a smoke,’ Keira said, holding out a weedstick. ‘Keenweed suppresses yer appetite.’

  ‘So ye keep telling me.’

  ‘It does, but.’

  Kallie shook her head. ‘If only I had my fucking longbow.’

  ‘Aye, well, ye don’t, so stop whining about it.’

  ‘Whining? We’ve had no food for four days, Keira. The plateau’s a fucking wasteland. Every farm’s deserted, and there’s no animals or folk for miles around. Your invasion last year kicked the arse out of the countryside.’

  ‘A hundred thousand Sanang had to eat something,’ Keira said, ‘and anyway, it wasnae just me. Agang Garo brought an army up through the Plateau the year before I did, he started it.’

  Kallie stared out of the window. ‘What was it like when ye arrived, at the head of yer great big army?’

  Keira shrugged. ‘Wheatfields, cattle, vineyards, wee market towns…’

  ‘My point exactly,’ Kallie said. ‘Now look at it. No trees, just mud and stumps and burnt-out barns.’

  ‘I don’t know what yer fucking problem is, hen. It’s just land, it’ll recover. Shit’ll grow back, and before ye know it everything will be all nice and green again, and it’ll happen a damn sight quicker than it will in Kell.’

  ‘It’s not the land that bothers me, it’s the lack of food.’

  ‘Come and have a fucking smoke,’ Keira said.

  Kallie sighed, and got up. She walked across the empty kitchen of the small cottage where they were staying, and sat down next to the warm stove, heated by burning what remained of the furniture. She took the offered weedstick.

  Keira cackled.

  Kallie frowned at her, and took a smoke. She looked confused for a moment, then her eyes widened.

  ‘This feels… different,’ she said, as Keira la
ughed. ‘Everything’s brighter, and sparkly.’

  ‘It keeps ye awake as well, does the old keenweed,’ Keira said. ‘The Sanang used to take it before they went into battle.’

  Kallie leaned in closer to the stove, wrapping her cloak around her. ‘How much longer do ye think Flora’s going to be?’

  ‘How the fuck should I know?’

  ‘You’ve been to Plateau City before. You told me ye used to live there. You should know how long it takes to walk to the gates and back.’

  ‘Aye, but what about the bit in the middle? Ye know, the bit where she’s got to get inside the city and get us some food? Could take her days.’

  ‘We should have gone, not her. ’

  ‘It had to be her,’ Keira said. ‘We don’t know if Kellach are allowed in.’

  ‘I think we should go now,’ Kallie said. ‘See if she’s in trouble. She could be in trouble. I cannae stand sitting here doing nothing. If we left before…’

  Keira plucked the weedstick from Kallie’s hand.

  ‘That’s enough for now,’ she smirked.

  Kallie’s face reddened. ‘I feel funny. Anxious, like my heart’s about to burst. And my mouth’s all dry. I need something to drink.’

  Keira chuckled as Kallie leaned over and picked up the large jug of water they had scooped from the nearby stream. She raised it to her lips, and glugged down half of it.

  ‘Steady,’ Keira said.

  Kallie got up and paced about the small room, puffing her cheeks in and out, cradling the jug in her arms.

  ‘Maybe the keenweed’s not for you,’ Keira said. ‘Come and sit down. Talk to me.’

  Kallie sat. ‘About what?’

  ‘Any old bullshit. I don’t know. What about Daphne? Tell me about when ye met her.’

  ‘No,’ Kallie said. ‘I’m not going to talk about her.’

  ‘Aye, but we’re heading up there, eventually,’ Keira said. ‘Once the Emperor’s gone. Daphne’s the mother of my niece and I’ve still never met her.’

  ‘I’ll not be meeting her,’ Kallie said, ‘or Killop.’