Sacrifice

by Christopher Mitchell

  The Emperor looked down, his eyes confused. He saw her, and smirked. Without interrupting his ritual, he nodded in her direction, and she was blown back by the explosive power as it hit her. The sword was wrenched out of her hand as she flew through the air. She collided with one of the five posts and collapsed to the ground, several ribs broken, and bruised all over.

  Keira opened her eyes, and saw double for a moment, the hazy images drifting in and out of focus. The Emperor was continuing, paying her no more attention. She tried to move, but her body felt broken. She raised her head a fraction, blood coming from her forehead and obscuring her vision.

  She noticed movement by the stairwell, a struggle. Kallie was wrestling with someone, a man, who lashed out and struck the Kell woman. Kallie fell back down the stairwell, disappearing from sight. The man picked up Karalyn. He turned, and saw Keira.

  ‘Kylon,’ she groaned. ‘No.’

  He hesitated for a second, staring at her, then gripped Karalyn under his left arm and jumped up onto the roof. In his right hand he held a spear. His long black coat was fire stained and ragged, and his face a swollen mass of bruises, but his eyes shone like black diamonds.

  Karalyn cried out, struggling, and Kylon rushed forwards, running towards the Emperor. He paused by the body of Killop, and drew back his right arm. At the last moment, the Emperor saw him, and lowered his head, frowning.

  Kylon’s arm flew forwards, releasing the spear. It shot through the air, striking a gap in the Emperor’s armour under his left shoulder. The Emperor flinched, and the vortex above began to falter, the impetus lost. The Emperor flicked a finger, and Kylon’s head exploded.

  Keira stared as his body fell to his knees, Karalyn struggling to be free of his dead grip. Around them, the mages stirred. Agang lifted his head, his eyes bleeding. Next to Keira, a woman groaned.

  The Emperor looked down at Karalyn. He frowned as the vortex swirled in slow circles above them. He pulled out the spear from under his shoulder, as the girl freed herself from Kylon’s arm. She was weeping, and staring at the body of her unconscious father.

  ‘You?’ the Emperor said. ‘All this time I’ve been blinded by a little girl?’

  He raised his finger.

  An arrow flew over Keira, striking the Emperor in the throat. He staggered back a step, making a choking noise.

  Keira lifted her head. The Emperor was clutching at the arrow in his throat, as Karalyn raised her arm towards him. He let out a long shriek that pierced the night air, and at once his mage powers vanished, and the swirling vortex dissolved, the glowing light within extinguished.

  ‘Now,’ said the voice of a woman lying chained to the post beside Keira. She turned. It was one of the frog folk, with big, wide eyes and long black hair. She was holding Keira’s knife, which had fallen from her boot. She pushed it into the fire mage’s hands. ‘Save us.’

  Keira stumbled to her feet, and began to run. Her legs screamed in pain, but she ignored it, charging with her fading strength towards the platform where the Emperor stood. She passed the headless body of Kylon, then leapt over where Karalyn knelt hugging her unconscious father, her wee brother.

  She landed on the platform, and sprang at the Emperor. She swung her left arm round his neck and plunged the knife in. He dropped to his knees as she twisted the blade in his throat, sawing through his windpipe and severing the arteries. He reached up with his right hand and grabbed her throat, squeezing. Her right arm moved in a frenzy, hacking and sawing as his blood pumped out all over her, spraying the platform as he fell. His grip on her throat increased, and in the seconds before her neck snapped she felt her knife cleave air.

  She toppled to the ground, her closing eyes watching as the Emperor’s head bounced off the platform.

  Keira smiled as her breath slipped away.

  I am a goddess.

  Chapter 38

  The Fire Goddess

  P lateau City, Imperial Plateau – 20 th Day, Second Third Winter 507

  Killop’s heart was pounding in anticipation as the chill wind swept the drifting snow across the frozen glen. Ahead of him on the steep path was a priest of Pyre, his guide to the mountain retreat where they had taken his sister. He hadn’t seen her since the priests had removed her from the village following the deaths of the Kalliver family, when Keira’s powers had been revealed. That had been back in the summer, and nearly half a year had elapsed. Killop had missed his twin. They had done everything together, and barely spent a single day apart in the years since their birth. Now it was the morning of their fourteenth birthday, and although he couldn’t wait to see her, he was worried.

  Would she have changed?

  The priest reached the top of a ridge, and waited for him to catch up. As he neared the summit, he saw the priest point. In the distance, nestled among a stand of fir trees, was a low building, built of stone with a thatched roof. Smoke was coming from a chimney. On the threshold sat a girl.

  Killop blinked, and ran towards her, joy and relief flooding his heart at the sight of his sister .

  She glanced up at him as he approached. He could tell she wanted to jump up to greet him, but she kept her smile wry. Despite the weather, she was wearing a loose tunic, and he could see the muscles in her upper arms. She looked fit, and strong.

  ‘Happy birthday,’ he said, stopping a yard from her. He longed to hug her, but felt awkward, as if he had remained a boy, while she was becoming a woman.

  ‘Aye,’ she said. ‘You too, wee brother.’

  He lowered his eyes. ‘I missed you.’

  ‘Of course ye did,’ she smirked. ‘Ye must’ve been bored out of yer mind without me to entertain ye.’

  He smiled, but couldn’t find the words to describe how empty the house had felt, or the long silences and angry glares from their ma and da, or how often he had wanted to speak to her. He started to cry.

  ‘Fucksake,’ she muttered, her face reddening.

  The priest ambled towards them. He gazed at the tears rolling down Killop’s cheeks, and dug into the pockets of his long robes.

  ‘Big lads like you don’t cry,’ he said, looking embarrassed as he passed Killop a hanky. ‘Come on now.’

  Keira stood, and punched Killop’s arm.

  ‘Snap out of it, ya eejit,’ she said with a smile on her lips. ‘We’re not bairns any more. It’s time to grow up.’

  Killop felt a surge of energy flow through his body, jolting his heart and touching every part of him, his fingers, his toes, his skin. All pain ceased, and he felt the wounds and bruises from the beatings he had endured disappear, healed in an instant.

  He opened his eyes. A Sanang man was sitting before him in the grey light of dawn, looking exhausted.

  ‘Killop?’ he gasped.

  ‘Aye,’ he said, lifting his head from the stone slabs.

  ‘I am Agang,’ the Sanang man said. ‘Welcome back. ’

  Killop sat up, remembering. ‘Daphne?’

  ‘She’s fine,’ Agang said, pointing over to his left. Killop’s eyes followed, and he saw her, dressed in her nightgown, her crippled left arm held close to her side. She was crouching down, embracing their daughter. Before Agang could say another word, Killop leapt to his feet and ran to them. Daphne gazed up at him, tears falling down her face as she smiled.

  ‘Daddy,’ said Karalyn, reaching out with her arms.

  He embraced them both, holding them as they held him, crying and laughing together, wishing it would never end.

  Killop stopped, as his memories continued to return. He pulled back.

  ‘The Emperor?’

  ‘He’s dead,’ said Daphne.

  ‘The bad man’s gone,’ said Karalyn.

  Killop frowned. He glanced around. They were high up on a roof over-looking the city. Around them were a few dozen armed fighters, made up of Kellach Brigdomin and Holdings folk. Most were standing clustered together, gazing down at something. Killop recognised Bridget and Dyam among them, their eyes wide.

  He picked
up Karalyn and stood, Daphne taking his hand. They walked towards the group, and folk got out of their way to allow them through. Bridget saw him, and rushed forwards. She threw her arms around him.

  ‘She did it,’ she said, as she started to weep against his shoulder. ‘I’m sorry.’

  He looked down. The enormous body of the Emperor, clad in black armour, was sprawled headless on a low platform. A yard away was his severed head, enclosed in an enormous steel helmet. Lying next to it was another body.

  Killop said nothing, his face crumpling as Daphne took Karalyn from him. He fell to his knees and wept over the body of his sister. He took her cold hands in his, staring at her, oblivious to anything else around him, his heart breaking as uncontrollable tears spilled down his face. The others who had gathered around said nothing as he broke down in front of them. Daphne put a hand on his shoulder.

  ‘I couldn’t save her again,’ he heard Agang say. ‘My powers came back too late.’

  ‘No one’s blaming you,’ said Daphne. ‘You healed the rest of us.’

  ‘I know,’ said Agang. ‘I’m just sorry.’

  ‘She saved us all,’ said another voice. ‘I saw her do it. I gave her the knife. That asshole Kalayne was right all along. I did meet Keira, in the end.’

  ‘You saw it, Shella?’ Daphne said.

  ‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘Keira ran at him, but the Creator flicked her away like an insect. But then Kylon appeared with Karalyn. He threw a spear, and distracted the Creator for a second.’

  ‘Kylon?’

  ‘His body’s over here,’ said Dyam.

  At these words, Killop turned his face, and saw the headless corpse lying a few yards away. Someone had covered him with a blanket, but a long black coat was trailing out from under its edges.

  ‘And then,’ Shella went on, ‘as the Emperor was about to kill Karalyn, someone shot him in the throat with an arrow.’

  ‘What?’ said Bridget. ‘Who?’

  ‘I never saw,’ said Shella.

  ‘Who else was up here?’ said Daphne.

  There was silence for a moment, then the crowd parted, and a woman approached.

  ‘It was me,’ said Kallie. She looked like she had been up fighting for hours, her face streaked with dirt and tears, her red hair blowing in the chill breeze. ‘I shot the arrow.’

  Daphne reached out and embraced the Kell woman, who remained stiff, but didn’t back away.

  ‘Thank you,’ said Daphne.

  ‘And then,’ Shella said, and they all turned back to her, ‘then Keira hacked the bastard’s head off with a knife.’

  ‘He broke her neck,’ Killop said, his voice a low mumble .

  ‘Yeah,’ said Shella. ‘She died for us.’

  ‘The firewitch will never be forgotten,’ said Agang. ‘The forests of Sanang will mourn when they learn of her death.’

  ‘They’ll be weeping in Domm, too,’ said Bridget, ‘and composing songs to remember her. We’ll get a stretcher, and carry her off the roof. We can bury her with her kin in the Kellach quarter of the city.’

  ‘She’d want to go back home,’ said Kallie, ‘to Kell.’

  ‘The Sanang have as good a claim to her as any,’ said Agang. ‘She is worshipped throughout the forest.’

  ‘She hated Sanang,’ said Kallie. ‘You’re not taking her there.’

  ‘Enough,’ said Laodoc, walking into the centre of the crowd, leaning on his stick. He gazed at them. ‘Do any of you understand what has taken place here? The creator of this universe is no more, and yet here we are, living amid his creation. Godless and alone, with no one watching us from above. All we have is each other, living together on this world. Do not over-shadow our first moments of freedom with ill-tempered arguments.’ He gazed at Keira’s body. ‘As her twin, Killop is the only one here who has any say in what happens to the fire mage. No one else.’

  Bridget nodded. ‘Aye, that’s sounds right.’

  Killop kept his eyes on his sister, as the others waited for him to speak. Whatever he did, he knew that Keira’s name and life would be fought over, her legacy claimed by different folk, who would forget she had been a real person, with failings just like anyone else. He did not want them fighting over her body as well.

  ‘No one’s getting her,’ he said, standing. ‘We’ll cremate her here, where she fell.’

  ‘Alright,’ said Bridget. ‘You heard him, everyone, back off.’ She turned to him as the crowd dispersed. ‘I’ll get it arranged. There’s food and water by the parapet.’

  She leant over, and picked up the head of the creator, gripping onto the enormous helmet with both arms.

  ‘We’ll burn the Emperor’s body first,’ she said, ‘but I’m keeping hold of this. Proof. ’

  A Holdings civilian with a crossbow strapped to his back came running from the stairwell. He halted before Bridget, staring at the huge severed head in her arms.

  ‘Aye?’ she said.

  ‘Ma’am,’ he said. ‘The last imperial soldiers in the city have surrendered. The commanders are wanting to know what to do with the prisoners.’

  Bridget chewed her lip. ‘We need to save as much of the city as we can,’ she said. ‘Get them working in the streets, putting out the fires and protecting anything that’s not been burnt to ashes.’

  ‘Yes, ma’am,’ the man saluted, and returned down the stairs.

  Bridget hauled the Creator’s head over to the parapet, set it down by the wall, and sat on it.

  Dyam rolled her eyes. ‘Bridget thinks she’s the empress now. That’s her new throne.’

  The Brig woman shrugged.

  ‘How exactly did you find yourself in charge, Bridget?’ asked Laodoc.

  ‘After we lost you guys in the smoke,’ she said, ‘Dyam, Lola and I realised you’d gone into the fortress, but we couldn’t get in, so we broke through the wall into the Kellach quarter. There were riots happening all over the place, but they were disorganised. All I needed to do was rally them, and point them at the fortress. If I hadn’t, we would never have got in.’

  ‘You fought your way up here?’ said Daphne.

  ‘Aye,’ she said, ‘floor by fucking floor.’

  ‘Empress Bridget, eh?’ Laodoc smiled, his tongue flickering.

  She laughed.

  ‘I’m serious,’ he said. ‘Right now, you are in command of the only armed force in the imperial capital, and hence you control the seat of government, the centre of the world. I could think of worse rulers.’

  Agang frowned. ‘We agreed that we would rule as a team of four.’

  ‘Who agreed that?’ said Daphne .

  ‘Me,’ he said, ‘along with Laodoc, Bridget and Shella, on our way here.’

  ‘I agreed fuck all,’ said Shella. ‘I’m not doing it.’

  ‘And I’m too tired, my friend,’ said Laodoc. ‘I’ve had my fill of trying to control the events of this world, and am more than happy to swear allegiance to Bridget.’

  ‘Fuck it, count me in,’ said Shella.

  ‘Aye, me too,’ said Dyam.

  ‘And me,’ said Killop. They turned to look at him.

  ‘No way,’ said Bridget. ‘Absolutely no chance.’

  ‘Then I’ll do it,’ said Agang.

  ‘Forget it, Agang,’ said Shella. ‘As of this moment, I’m acting as the new empress’s personal bodyguard. If you want to be emperor, ape-boy, you’ll have to go through me first.’

  ‘Alright,’ said Daphne. ‘If it’s a choice between Agang and Bridget, I choose Bridget.’

  ‘It seems the world’s most powerful mages are in agreement, my friend.’ said Laodoc.

  Agang fumed. ‘Then what am I supposed to do?’

  ‘Go home,’ said Bridget. ‘Do all the things to improve Sanang that you said you were going to do, only this time, actually fucking do them.’

  He stared at her. ‘Are you placing me in charge of Sanang?’

  She frowned for a moment.

  ‘Aye, alright.’

  Agang got dow
n to one knee.

  ‘Then I swear allegiance to you, Bridget of Brig, your Imperial Majesty.’

  The others around her did the same. Killop glanced at Daphne as they lowered themselves to the stone slabs of the rooftop. Karalyn squirmed free, and ran over to hug Bridget’s leg as she sat on the giant helmet. All across the wide rooftop, the groups of armed Holdings and Kellach Brigdomin saw what was happening, and within a few seconds they were all on their knees.

  Dyam raised her arms .

  ‘Hail her Imperial Majesty,’ she cried, ‘Empress Bridget of Kellach Brigdomin.’

  Bridget looked awkward as she took in the cheers and applause from the crowd on the roof.

  ‘Of Brig, ya cheeky Domm cow,’ she muttered under her breath.

  The others retreated to the parapet, as two large pyres were constructed in the centre of the roof, one for the Emperor, and one for Keira. Wood was collected from the lower floors of the fortress, door frames, tables and chairs, and heaped into great piles. The new Empress sat on the steel helmet of the Creator, while next to her stood Laodoc and Shella. They were giving their advice on setting up a new constitution, while Dyam took charge of getting the pyres built.

  The young fire mage Dean wandered over, and sat down alone a few yards from the others.

  Killop sat with Daphne and Karalyn, his tears mixing with laughter as the sun rose higher in the morning sky. The fires in the city were dying down, in part because entire areas were burnt out, but also because the remaining citizens had been roused, and were on the streets, carrying buckets of water, or clearing firewalls. The gates of the capital had been opened, and folk were coming and going, as the devastated city struggled back to life.

  ‘What will we do now?’ Killop said, as Karalyn climbed onto his back.

  Daphne shrugged. ‘Hold Fast?’

  He nodded.

  She smiled. ‘I hope Celine’s been looking after the place.’

  ‘And who will rule the Holdings?’

  ‘Shh,’ said Daphne. ‘If Bridget hears you, she might well appoint me on the spot.’