Sacrifice

by Christopher Mitchell

  ‘But without supplies?’ said Laodoc.

  ‘We’ll work it out, somehow.’

  Laodoc turned from the brooding Sanang man, and glanced at Shella.

  ‘I’m sorry for your loss,’ he said.

  ‘What? ’

  ‘Your brother, Sami,’ he said, ‘and your friend. Jayki, was it?’

  Her eyes narrowed.

  ‘They were both in Silverstream, weren’t they?’ he went on. ‘If no one outside knows about it, then I’m assuming they must have died.’

  ‘Oh,’ she said. ‘Yeah.’

  ‘What happened?’

  She took a sip from her cup. ‘Jayki was murdered by the One True Path.’

  ‘He was a good man. And your brother?’

  Shella blinked, her face reddening a little.

  ‘He died too.’

  Laodoc frowned. ‘I’m sorry to hear it. How?’

  She paused.

  ‘I want to speak to you alone.’

  ‘All right,’ he said. He got to his feet. ‘Lead on, madam.’

  Shella went to a side door, and Laodoc walked after her, passing Bridget and Agang on the way. They went into a small study, with scrolls and maps lying on a desk.

  ‘If it’s too painful to talk about,’ he said, ‘I understand.’

  Shella said nothing, biting her lip.

  ‘Did you see him die?’

  ‘Not exactly.’

  ‘But you know he’s dead?’

  ‘Yeah. Probably.’

  Laodoc’s tongue flickered. ‘Probably?’

  ‘You have to keep this to yourself,’ she said. ‘The truth is I don’t know what happened to Sami after I fled the city. I’m sure he’s dead, I mean he has to be, right?’

  Laodoc’s heart pounded. ‘When was the last time you saw him?’

  ‘When we were arrested,’ she said. ‘He was dragged off somewhere.’

  ‘And that’s the last you heard of him?’

  She shook her head. ‘Just before the ritual that transformed the Emperor, he spoke to me, Guilliam I mean. He said that he was making Sami a prince. ’

  Laodoc stared.

  ‘But that was when he was still Guilliam,’ Shella said, ‘before he became the Creator.’

  Laodoc sat down in the room’s only chair, his mind whirling.

  She frowned at him. ‘What are you thinking?’

  ‘When you escaped,’ he said, gazing up at her, ‘were the other mages, the ones who’d taken part in the ritual with you, were they all dead?’

  She nodded.

  ‘Oh Shella,’ he said, ‘don’t you think someone might have noticed that your body was missing?’

  Her face darkened. ‘Of course I’ve thought about it.’

  ‘The Emperor might be looking for you.’

  ‘I’m not stupid, I know that.’

  ‘But if he’s looking for you, then what would stop him from reading Sami’s mind, and discovering the whereabouts of Silverstream?’

  She began to pace the floor. ‘Because,’ she said, ‘if the Emperor had made him a prince, and wanted to keep him under tight control, then he would have put him in the palace. And Keira destroyed the palace, razed it to the fucking ground if I remember correctly.’

  She turned to him. ‘He’s dead.’

  ‘Maybe he is,’ Laodoc said, ‘maybe he’s not. The truth is, we have no idea. You’ve strung together a series of assumptions to salve your conscience, but in reality you have placed Silverstream into a position of great peril.’

  She said nothing, her face turning a shade of grey.

  ‘I will have to inform the town council about this,’ he said, ‘for we are all in danger. I will have to tell them that your brother may well be alive, and if he is, then there is a high probability that the Emperor knows the location of Silverstream, and the fact that you might be hiding here.’

  ‘You treacherous bastard,’ Shella cried. ‘You can’t do that.’

  ‘I don’t see that I have any choice. ’

  She glared at him, and raised her hand. ‘You’re old, and weak. It wouldn’t take much to push your heart too far.’

  ‘Oh, my dear Shella,’ Laodoc sighed, ‘tell me it hasn’t come to this. Threatening old men? But if you must, then I suppose you had better get on with it.’

  ‘Fucksake,’ she said, lowering her hand. ‘What do you want?’

  He smiled. ‘You know what I want.’

  ‘Either way,’ she said, shaking her head, ‘my life’s fucked.’

  ‘Then make your choice, Madam Flow Mage.’

  ‘But if I go,’ she said, ‘Silverstream will still be in danger.’

  ‘Not if we stop the Emperor.’

  She turned to face the desk, her head bowed.

  ‘Take Agang and Bridget,’ she said, ‘and go back to your house.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘I’ll be there at midnight to collect you.’

  Agang hadn’t stopped grinning in hours. Every time he passed Laodoc he slapped him on the back, much to the old man’s discomfort. From the outside, their house was quiet, with every window shuttered against the wind and snow, but inside it was bustling, as the strangers packed up their belongings and gathered all the food they could find.

  ‘It’s not enough,’ said Dyam, gazing at the meagre pile. ‘Not nearly enough. We’ll be travelling the rest of winter through Rahain, and probably won’t reach the Plateau-Kellach border until New Year. What the fuck are we going to eat in all that time?’

  ‘Lola has her bow,’ Agang said. ‘Don’t worry, we’ll manage.’

  ‘Do we have a plan for getting past the sentries?’ said Bridget. ‘If we leave the way we came in, then they’ll probably be posted by the woods where Laodoc broke his leg.’

  ‘I’m afraid that Shella left out the details,’ said Laodoc. ‘We’re in her hands now. We have to trust that she’s thought it all through.’

  ‘I still don’t know how you did it,’ Agang said, raising his hand .

  ‘Please,’ said Laodoc, flinching, ‘my back can’t take any more.’

  Agang laughed. ‘Sorry, my friend.’

  There was a tap at the back door. Agang bounded forward and opened it an inch. Laodoc watched as he spoke through the doorway for a moment. He turned.

  ‘It’s time.’

  Bridget and Lola pulled their packs over their shoulders, and Laodoc stood.

  ‘Dean!’ Dyam cried. ‘Get yer lazy arse out here.’

  The young mage emerged from his room, and joined them as they left the house. Shella was waiting outside, sitting up on a small cart, holding onto the reins.

  ‘There’s only room for one more on this,’ she said, ‘but you can load up your packs.’

  Agang gestured to Laodoc, who stepped forward. Bridget gave him a hand as he climbed up next to Shella. The others put their packs on the back of the cart, alongside the supplies that Shella had brought.

  ‘Stay close,’ she said to them, ‘and stay quiet.’

  She pulled the reins, and the two gaien began to lumber down the wide walkway, lit by lanterns hanging above them. After a short distance, she veered the cart to the right, and took a dark and narrow path north towards the mountains. The gaien heaved, and pulled the cart through the foot-deep snow.

  ‘Where are we going?’ said Laodoc. ‘This isn’t the way.’

  She smirked at him.

  Agang ran to the front of the cart.

  ‘Are you trying to trick us?’ he said. ‘We’re going the wrong way.’

  ‘Settle down,’ she said. ‘We’re going to the pass through to the Plateau.’

  Agang’s mouth fell open.

  ‘There’s a pass?’ Laodoc said.

  ‘How do you think I got here?’ she said. ‘Do you imagine I walked all the way through Rahain?’

  ‘It’s the first we’ve heard of a pass. ’

  ‘The town council were hardly likely to tell you about it,’ she said. ‘I was lucky to find it myself. The truth is I
was lost in the mountains, and scouts from Silverstream found me and Thymo, and led us to the town.’

  ‘And where is Thymo?’ Laodoc said.

  Shella’s face fell. ‘I left him a note.’

  ‘Did I hear right?’ said Bridget, approaching. ‘Are we going directly to the Plateau?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Agang. ‘If she’s right, it should take thirds off our journey.’

  The Brig woman frowned in the darkness, as a light fall of snow began.

  Laodoc smiled at her. ‘It means we won’t be passing Kellach Brigdomin any more. You’ll have to make your decision now, I’m afraid.’

  Dyam, Dean and Lola joined the others at the front of the cart.

  ‘What do you guys think?’ Bridget asked them.

  ‘Now that Shella’s coming with us,’ said Lola. ‘I say we go.’

  Dean nodded.

  Dyam stared up into the dark mountains as the snowflakes fluttered down.

  ‘Aye,’ she said. ‘Let’s go.’

  ‘Right then,’ said Bridget, gazing at Shella. ‘We’ll go to the Plateau, and we’ll find Daphne.’

  ‘Great,’ said Shella. ‘Now, if you’d all get out of my fucking way before these dumb gaien are snowed in, I’d be much obliged.’

  They moved to the side of the track, and Shella lashed the reins.

  Chapter 28

  Footsore

  S hield Mountains, Imperial Holdings – 27 th Day, First Third Winter 507

  Daphne’s eyes scanned the horizon, her attention focussed on the sharp ravines that led down from the mountains ahead. She put a cigarette to her lips and inhaled. Her body was exhausted, and she had lost count of the number of times she had used her vision skills in the previous few days, but she ignored her pain and discomfort.

  Five days they had been searching for Karalyn, a time in which Daphne had eaten almost nothing, and had traversed mile after mile of steep tracks through the Shield Mountains.

  She pulled on her mage powers, and felt for her daughter, pushing her vision deep into the ravines below.

  Nothing.

  She didn’t react. It was just one more disappointment to add to the growing pile festering in her mind. She knew she was on the edge of breaking down, but while she could still walk, and range, she would keep going.

  She turned to Killop, who was crouching by her side. She shook her head and they got to their feet, beginning the long descent to the valley beneath them. She pointed up at a high range to the east .

  ‘There next.’

  He said nothing. She kept her gaze away from him, unable to look at his face. The guilt they bore was driving a wedge between them. She knew it was her fault, but it was his too. They should have realised that Kylon would betray them, but they drank the drugged alcohol, and allowed him to steal their child.

  Kylon. She would enjoy scouring his mind when they caught him.

  Behind them walked Celine and Chane, and a handful of troopers. The sergeant was still with them, along with a few other Holdfast loyalists, but the rest had gone. Sent to collect food and supplies from the plains to the south, they had never returned. The sergeant had said that they were probably lost in the mountains, but Daphne knew the truth.

  A bitter wind blew down the mountainside, blowing dust from the track up into their faces. She shielded her eyes, bloodshot from lack of sleep, and continued down the slope. The track led on for miles, and she kept going, her thoughts forced from her head as she concentrated on putting one foot in front of another.

  She felt a hand on her shoulder.

  ‘They need to rest,’ Killop said.

  She gazed back down the track. The others had lagged behind, spaced out along the way they had come. She glanced up at the high ridge.

  ‘We need to climb up there before it gets dark.’

  Killop followed her gaze. ‘There’s not enough time left in the day.’

  She frowned, and looked for the position of the sun, but thick clouds were covering the sky.

  ‘Is it past noon?’

  Killop paused, his eyes narrowing. ‘It’s nearly evening, Daphne. We’ve been walking all day.’

  She lit a cigarette, and sat on a boulder, realising that her legs were aching.

  ‘I’ll scout for a campsite,’ he said, and walked off.

  She waited for the others to reach her. Chane arrived first, leading a pair of young troopers, who collapsed by the side of the track. Chane was sweating, her breath coming hard. She pulled a hipflask from her belt and took a drink, then held it out to Daphne.

  She shook her head. Chane shrugged and sat down.

  The sergeant came next, with another trooper. She passed round the water-skin she carried over her shoulder, and they all took a turn.

  Three more troopers were the last to reach where Daphne sat. They were helping Celine, who was limping. The troopers lowered Celine to the ground, and the sergeant knelt by her.

  ‘What’s the trouble, miss?’

  ‘My knees,’ Celine groaned, ‘my ankles, they’re all sore.’

  ‘Not surprised, miss,’ the sergeant said. ‘We must have walked more then twenty miles today.’

  Daphne glanced back at the high ridge. It was at least another ten miles from where they sat, and Killop had been right, the daylight was beginning to fade. She swore to herself. A wasted day. She should have picked a nearer peak, but her exhaustion had caused her to miscalculate, and now she had no time or light in which to range out for Karalyn.

  ‘Dammit,’ she muttered.

  Chane sat by her. ‘You alright?’

  Daphne said nothing.

  Killop re-appeared. He took a long drink from the water-skin.

  ‘There’s a dell a couple of hundred yards up the track,’ he said. ‘It’s flat enough for the tents, and there’s wood and water close by.’

  The sergeant stood. ‘Lead on, sir.’

  The rest of the troopers got to their feet, and they trudged up the track, two supporting Celine as they went. Daphne and Chane waited until they had gone, then slid off the boulder and followed them.

  ‘I’m here if you want to talk,’ Chane said.

  Daphne ignored her. Part of her blamed Chane. If her mind hadn’t been addled with drink and drugs, then she might have been of some use, she might have somehow prevented Karalyn from being taken.

  They reached the small clearing that Killop had found and the troopers began to pitch the three remaining tents. The sergeant built a fire and Killop sparked it up for them, his fingers generating fire out of nothing as the others watched.

  The sergeant grunted. ‘I’ll never get used to seeing that.’

  Celine was laid on the ground, with a cloak for a pillow. She clenched her eyes in pain as the troopers gazed at her. One got her a blanket, while another began to rub her calves, but Celine swore, and pushed them away.

  Daphne sat next to Killop on the other side of the fire from Celine, her thoughts elsewhere. The sergeant made up some weak tea from a few dry leaves she had in a pouch, and they got a mug each.

  ‘Keep your chins up,’ the sergeant said to her troopers. ‘We’ll find the girl soon.’

  Daphne drained her mug, and stood.

  ‘I’m going for a walk.’

  ‘I’ll come with you,’ said Killop.

  ‘I want to be by myself.’

  She turned and walked back down the path, the light fading as she grew further from the fire. She reached a bend in the track that she remembered passing on the way up, and sat on the edge of the cliff, gazing down into the dark valleys below her.

  She dropped her mask, and began to cry.

  Killop sat down beside her.

  ‘Not now,’ she said.

  He said nothing, just looked out over the valleys.

  ‘Please go.’

  ‘No,’ he said. ‘I can’t.’

  She wiped her cheek with her right hand. ‘Have you come to tell me that it’s not my fault?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘It is
my fault. It’s our fault.’

  ‘Aye.’

  She paused, feeling the pressure of their combined guilt like a weight upon her shoulders. She wanted to get up and walk away, but her heart was joined to his, and walking away now would feel like walking away forever.

  ‘We let Kylon into our lives,’ she said. ‘We trusted him.’

  He bowed his head. ‘Aye, we did. We willingly gave him responsibility for our daughter.’

  ‘At least you got to spend time with her,’ she said. ‘I was never there, never had time to play with her, or watch her grow and learn. I was so busy with the rebellion, and Celine and Kylon were available, and it was easy just to leave her with them, and you. And then my family were killed, and Karalyn nearly was too, and again I wasn’t there for her. After that I was afraid to get too close to her, in case I lost her too.’

  She started to cry again, and Killop took her hand.

  ‘And I lost her anyway,’ she said, weeping, ‘and all that time I could have been with her, I wasted.’

  He put his arms round her.

  ‘If I could only have her back,’ she said, her face in his shoulder, ‘I promise I would do better.’

  She cried in his arms as he held her close, and for that moment the distance between them faded to nothing.

  Daphne’s dream-vision rose above the valleys, as it had every night since Karalyn had gone. She looked down at the glow of the low fire, a couple of troopers still up and awake, then scanned the mountains around her. The jagged peaks were only visible as a faint contrast against the blackness of the night sky, clouds obscuring the seven stars.

  She frowned. Aside from the campfire, all around was an endless ocean of silent darkness. She listened for Karalyn, but heard nothing.

  Kara-bear , she said, it’s mummy. If you can hear me, but can’t answer, just know that daddy and I are looking for you every day, and we’ll find you soon. We love you, little bear.

  She released her vision, and floated back down to the tent where her sleeping body lay, tears falling down her cheeks .

  She awoke, sobbing, and felt Killop’s arm around her.

  Mummy?

  Daphne shot up.