Sacrifice

by Christopher Mitchell

  He nodded, his mind elsewhere.

  ‘I saw the city from the top of the slope,’ she went on. ‘The sky’s all red and flickering, as if the city’s in flames. The earthquake must have hit it hard.’

  Killop said nothing.

  ‘We need to re-think the plan,’ she said. ‘I doubt that Keira will be meeting us at the time and place we arranged.’

  ‘She’ll be there.’

  ‘But, Killop, the city will be in chaos…’

  ‘Then maybe I should go in.’

  Chane eyed him. ‘On your own? You’ve no idea where your sister or daughter are.’

  ‘Then what do you suggest?’

  She shrugged. ‘I’m all out of suggestions, big man. Look, it’s only an hour or so till dawn. We could wait and see if Keira comes along in her wagon, and then decide. But, I’m worried.’

  ‘Of course yer fucking worried,’ said Killop. ‘Daphne’s unconscious and Karalyn might be in danger.’

  ‘Not just about that,’ she said. ‘The earthquake, that’s what I’m talking about. Kylon told me there had been an earthquake when the Emperor got his powers. We know the fucker’s in the city, and he’s got his captured mages with him.’

  ‘Shit,’ Killop said. He remembered something Daphne had mentioned a long time before, about how she had lost her powers when she had been captured by Douanna. He glanced down at his fingers, and willed a spark to arc between them.

  Nothing happened.

  His mouth dropped open. For the first time in his life since he was in his teens, his powers had gone.

  ‘You’re right,’ he said, looking up at Chane. ‘I can’t spark. Daphne said the same thing happened to her the night the Emperor got his powers, even though she was hundreds of miles away. ’

  ‘He’s performed another ritual? Fuck. I wonder if all the mages he captured are dead. There will hardly be any left at this rate.’ She shook her head. ‘Do we assume that the bastard’s even more powerful now?’

  ‘I think we have to.’

  Chane stubbed out her cigarette and lit another one.

  ‘Thanks,’ she said. ‘You know, for pulling me out of the farmhouse.’

  He nodded.

  ‘I know I’ve not been the easiest to get along with,’ she went on. ‘I know that I fuck up most things I try, but Daphne’s the only friend I have in the world and I’d do anything to help her. What I’m trying to say is that if you need me to go into the city to look for Karalyn, then I’ll do it. That way you can stay with Daphne.’

  ‘No thanks.’

  ‘Are you not even going to consider it?’

  He stood. ‘I need some air.’

  Without waiting for Chane to speak, he pushed open the door of the stables and stepped out into the chill night. To his left, a hint of dawn was appearing as a light smudge on the eastern horizon. Though he had slept only a few hours, his head was buzzing with pent-up frustration. He bowed his head and turned to his right, and strode up the grassy slope to the top of the low hill.

  In the distance he glimpsed the city. Karalyn’s birthplace, and the centre of the world. The clouds above it were reflecting the red glow of the fires burning beneath, and his eyes picked out flames. If he ran, he could be at the walls in under an hour. If he was quick, he could be in, and back again before Daphne awoke. That would be a good way to surprise her. He smiled. To have her open her eyes to the sight of Karalyn would signal the end of their nightmare.

  Chane was right, though. He had no idea where to begin looking, and the city looked immense in size. And if the Creator was even more powerful than before, then he would be no match for him if he was discovered.

  He swore under his breath as helplessness rubbed his nerves raw. His only respite was the knowledge that his sister was looking after Karalyn, and if anyone could keep his daughter safe, it was Keira. Even without her powers she was a resourceful cow.

  He turned to walk back to the stables, but halted, his mind conflicted. He needed to do something, he would explode if he had to sit for hours by Daphne’s side, while the city burned and his daughter and sister were still inside. It was stupid, it was selfish, but he had to go. He had to look for them.

  A scream tore through the air, coming from the stables. He ran down the slope and burst through the door.

  Daphne was sitting up, her eyes wide.

  Killop rushed to her side.

  ‘Karalyn,’ she gasped. ‘The Creator. Earthquake.’

  ‘The earthquake was an hour ago,’ Killop said. ‘Are you alright?’

  She caught his gaze. ‘I saw the Emperor. He was ready to perform another ritual. Then I spoke to Keira, told her to get Karalyn out of the city, and then… then the earthquake, and I can’t remember anything else. Except Karalyn, just now, she woke me, somehow…’

  ‘How are you feeling?’ said Chane, offering her a waterskin.

  Daphne frowned. ‘Fine. My head feels… fine.’

  ‘Karalyn fixed you,’ Killop said, ‘just like she fixed me before.’

  ‘Yeah,’ Daphne said, ‘maybe.’ She gazed at him. ‘My vision powers have gone.’

  ‘Mine too.’

  ‘It feels like I’m blind.’

  ‘How long did they take to come back last time?’ Chane said.

  ‘A few hours,’ she said, lighting a cigarette. ‘I can’t really remember. They came back gradually though, not all at once.’ She took a draw. ‘What time is it?’

  ‘Less than an hour before sunrise,’ Killop said.

  Daphne stretched her neck and rolled her shoulders.

  ‘Thanks for waiting for me,’ she said. ‘Are we ready to go?’

  Killop nodded. ‘Can you run?’

  She got to her feet.

  ‘Let’s find out.’

  For almost an hour, Killop, Daphne and Chane raced across the grassy slopes and fields towards the city. Behind them, the glow of the coming dawn was growing, lighting their way. Ahead, the city loomed closer with every step. Countless pillars of smoke were funnelling up from behind the half-ruined walls. Battlements and towers had toppled, and the gatehouse leading to the Kellach quarter was awash with thick, dark flames.

  They slowed as they approached, reaching a steep embankment a hundred yards from the walls. They halted, and lay down along its ridge, gazing at the city.

  ‘I can feel my vision returning,’ said Daphne. ‘It’s not all there yet, but it’s coming.’

  ‘Excellent fucking timing,’ said Chane. ‘Something’s going on in there. Do you see the soldiers guarding where the earthquake ripped holes in the wall? Why the fuck would they do that? They’re stopping people from getting out. And there’s more up on the battlements.’

  ‘But not by the merchants’ quarter,’ Daphne said, pointing to the right of the Kellach district. Killop looked over. There were several breaches in the walls, but no soldiers could be seen.

  ‘So the Emperor’s sealed the Kellach quarter?’ he said. ‘Can we get in from anywhere else?’

  ‘There’s a wall separating it from the New Town,’ Daphne said. ‘The gate there will probably be guarded as well, but it’s our best option.’

  ‘But what if Keira breaks out while we’re in the New Town?’ he said. ‘She might be fighting her way to the walls right now.’

  ‘We can’t just wait here,’ said Daphne.

  Killop turned to Chane.

  She frowned. ‘No fucking way.’

  ‘A while ago you said you would do anything.’

  ‘I’m not fucking staying out here while you two go in,’ Chane said. ‘No chance.’

  ‘You don’t need to,’ said Daphne. ‘My vision powers are returning. I should be able to contact Karalyn or Keira soon, and then we’ll know where they are.’

  Chane winked at Killop. ‘You’re not getting rid of me that easily.’

  He said nothing as they slipped down the slope and ran north, following the line of the ridge away from the Kellach quarter.

  ‘The Merchant Gate,’
said Daphne, pointing ahead as they raced through the grass. Killop glanced up. The gates were lying open, and a group of civilians were gathered outside. They turned to gaze at the three arrivals, and Killop noticed that most were dressed in dust-stained night clothes.

  Daphne ignored them, and headed straight for the entrance.

  The group quietened as they passed, but no one tried to stop them. Killop and Chane followed Daphne through the large gates, and into the city. Inside, a scene of destruction awaited them. Fires were raging out of control in several places, and more than half of the grand stately mansions and buildings had collapsed. Civilians stumbled around in small groups, gazing with wide eyes, or mourning over the bodies of the fallen.

  They reached a large crossroads, and Killop saw the vast shells of the imperial palace and the cathedral, both derelict ruins that covered acres of space within the walls. Immense heaps of rubble lay piled by their gutted and flame-scorched carcasses.

  ‘That’s what your sister did,’ Daphne said, seeing where he was looking, ‘the last time she was here.’

  ‘This doesn’t feel right,’ Chane said. ‘No soldiers, no church wardens. I thought there’d be someone in authority to check us coming in.’

  ‘They must all be in the Kellach quarter,’ Daphne said.

  ‘That’s what worries me,’ Chane said. ‘Why would every soldier be sent there, unless they knew Keira was in the city? I can’t think of any other reason why the Emperor would abandon the rest of it.’

  They took the left-hand street at the crossroads, and headed through a large open marketplace, its stalls empty and deserted. Behind it loomed a high wall, its stonework rough and irregular compared to the smooth ashlar blocks of masonry that comprised the other great walls of the city.

  ‘That’s the old Emergency Wall,’ Daphne said as they strode towards it, ‘built when Agang brought his army to the city two years ago. It separates the Kellach quarter from the New Town.’

  They paused as a gatehouse came into view. Dozens of soldiers were clustered at the great double doors that led through to the Kellach quarter. A barricade had been constructed, and Killop could hear the sounds of violence coming from the other side. His hand went to the hilt of his sword, and he had to force himself not to charge the gates.

  There were no civilians within a hundred yards of the wall, and several of the soldiers were staring in their direction. Daphne turned, and began to walk towards the other side of the market.

  ‘We’re not getting through that way,’ she said, as Killop raised an eyebrow, ‘but there are other ways in.’

  Killop gazed up. The sun was breaking over the eastern horizon, and daylight was revealing more of the damage. Smoke filled the sky above, and with no wind, the great towers of soot and ash were combining into a dark cloud over the city. In the streets, the fires were growing, burning unchecked and spreading from house to house.

  Daphne coughed, and tied a strip of cloth over her face as the smoke thickened.

  ‘This way,’ she said, and set off down the road, Killop and Chane a step behind her. Daphne raced away from the Emergency Wall and towards an enormous fortress ahead, which seemed to Killop to be the only undamaged building left in the city. Its high walls stood firm and solid amid the destruction, and a great banner was flying from its tallest tower, displaying the imperial star. As they got closer he realised that every opening on the walls of the fortress had been blocked up, except for the upper storey, where light was coming out of a series of narrow windows.

  ‘Where are we going?’ he said.

  ‘On the other side of the Great Fortress, there’s a gate leading to the Old Town,’ Daphne said. ‘We can try to access the Kellach quarter from there.’

  ‘Is that where he lives?’ Killop said, glancing up at the fortress. ‘In there?’

  She nodded.

  They passed the fortress and reached a wide street, filled with civilians making their way towards the gates to get out of the city. All of them were Holdings, and many looked dazed and frightened, clutching onto bundles of possessions as they trudged along the road.

  Daphne ploughed into them, pushing her way against the flow of people. They turned a corner and Killop saw the gates ahead, leading into the city’s Old Town. It was blocked with civilians trying to flee. A great mass of Holdings were pushing and cramming through the opening in the wall, all attempting to get into the New Town.

  ‘Fuck,’ said Chane, pausing to catch her breath. ‘How are we getting through there?’

  Daphne, Killop and Chane shoved their way to the side of the road to get out of the press of folk heading in the opposite direction, and reached the eaves of a line of shops, all boarded up.

  ‘What’ll we do?’ said Chane.

  ‘I’m thinking,’ Daphne said.

  Killop gazed around, wishing he knew the layout of the city. He had once seen a map of it on the Holdfast estate, but had paid it no attention at the time. He swore. So close to his daughter, yet it felt like she was a hundred miles away.

  ‘Are your powers back?’ he said to Daphne.

  ‘I’ll check,’ she said. Her eyes went hazy, then she nodded. ‘Kick in the door for me.’

  Chane and Daphne stood clear, and Killop battered it down. They entered, and Daphne found a chair, and wiped the dust from it.

  ‘Cover me while I take a look,’ she said, sitting.

  Chane took up position by the door, and Killop crouched next to Daphne, her eyes clouding over again. Killop took a long, slow breath, his heart pounding. He glanced down at his fingers, feeling his own power back. Keira’s must have returned by now as well, he thought, if she was still alive.

  Daphne let out a cry of pain and terror and flew back off the chair, landing on her back on the stone floor. Killop raced to her side.

  She opened her eyes, groaning.

  ‘What happened?’ he said. ‘Are you alright?’

  ‘The Creator,’ she gasped. ‘He sees us. He knows where we are.’ She sat up. ‘He’s coming.’

  ‘Karalyn?’ Killop said. ‘Did you see her?’

  Daphne shook her head, and scrambled to her feet. ‘No. Or Keira. I was searching the Kellach quarter when the Creator entered my mind.’ She stared at him. ‘He’s more powerful than I believed possible. He could have killed me in an instant.’ She shuddered. ‘I’ve never felt so weak, so vulnerable.’

  ‘We need to get out of here,’ cried Chane. ‘We have to hide.’

  ‘It’s no use,’ Daphne said. ‘I can still feel traces of his power in my head. He’ll see me wherever I go.’

  Killop took her hand.

  ‘Then we fight,’ he said. ‘We go down fighting the bastard if we have to.’

  ‘He wants me alive,’ she said, her eyes more full of despair than he had ever seen before. ‘He told me what he wants to do, what his plan for me is…’

  ‘Fuck his plan,’ Killop said.

  ‘I don’t want him to take me alive, Killop,’ she whispered.

  He gazed into her green eyes. ‘It won’t come to that.’

  ‘Come on, guys,’ Chane cried. ‘We can talk about this shit later. We need to go.’

  Killop pulled Daphne along by her hand to the door. She seemed to be in a daze, as if the Creator had dulled her mind, or filled it with hopelessness. Outside, the street was as packed as before, with hundreds of Holdings civilians moving out from the gates to the Old Town on their left .

  ‘Let’s mix in with them,’ Chane said. ‘He’ll never see us among this lot.’

  ‘You don’t understand…’ said Daphne, as Killop led her along. They moved into the crowd, allowing it to shepherd them away from the gates. On either side of the road the collapsed streets loomed in the morning sunshine, and smoke lay in thick pockets. A fire was raging unchecked a street away to their left, tearing through the stone tenement blocks.

  He heard a scream in the distance behind him, and turned. He squinted through the smoke at the Old Town wall, and saw an enormous figure st
anding upon the battlements. His right hand was raised, and the screams intensified. The crowd panicked as the cries grew louder and nearer, and groups tried to shove their way forwards. Killop pulled Daphne close as the masses of civilians tried to run. Chane was separated from them in the crush of folk, and Killop lost sight of her in the panic. The screaming grew closer, and he saw the reason. Like a ripple on a pool of water, a wave of power was spreading over the crowd, and wherever it reached people were falling, clutching their chests in agony, and lying still on the road in heaps.

  Killop put his arms round Daphne and braced himself as the wave reached where they stood, but it passed them, felling every civilian on either side, and continuing up the street. Killop stared at the hundreds of bodies carpeting the road, his legs frozen to the spot. He and Daphne were they only two standing. His eyes scanned for any sign of Chane, but there was nothing but piles and heaps of corpses.

  The Creator approached, striding through the carnage, a good head taller than any Kellach Brigdomin.

  Killop drew his sword. Next to him, Daphne did the same, her eyes defiant.

  The Creator laughed.

  ‘Daphne Holdfast. I should have known that a cliff’s edge wouldn’t stop you. And Killop of Kell, partner of Daphne and brother of Keira, you’re also a mage? A mere sparker, but still, I’ll take what I can get.’

  He halted ten yards from them, his black armour burnt and smoking. Patches of blood covered his shoulder guard, and there was a hole punctured through the right eye socket of his mask.

  ‘What are you waiting for?’ said Daphne, her sword held high. ‘Come and get us.’

  ‘You won’t be dying today, Daphne,’ the Creator said. ‘Tomorrow perhaps, but not today.’

  Daphne glanced at Killop

  ‘I meant what I said before,’ she whispered. ‘Don’t let him take me.’

  Killop stared at her, unable to put what he was feeling into words. He nodded, then turned to face the Creator, his knuckles white on the hilt of his sword.

  The Creator raised his arms. His fingers splayed out, and he grunted in effort.

  Around them, the heaps of bodies began to move. An arm juddered, a leg, then gasps of breath as the dead took in their first air for several minutes. Killop and Daphne stared as scores of corpses heaved themselves to their feet. Their eyes were empty, their mouths open, their arms hanging loose by their sides.