Shadowheart lotr-2

by James Barclay

  The barbarian nodded, a very definite gesture. He looked squarely at Auum.

  'Let's go get your books,' he said.

  Chapter 16

  Dystran hadn't really slept at all. At best, a few hours' edgy rest, broken by those damned elven-controlled panthers. There was something about the noise they created. Unearthly, somehow, it drove shivers to the core of them all. Broke their dreams. They were the enemy's most potent psychological weapon though they didn't seem to realise it. Dystran would have have had them calling all night. As it was, the alarm, when it came in the early hours of the morning, was almost a relief.

  He'd agreed the defence plan with Commander Chandyr on the city walls and Captain Suarav in the college guard during the previous day and so dressed unhurriedly before leaving his tower and descending the long spiral stairs, past his guards and disabled static alarms and blocks.

  Myx was waiting at the base of die tower. The huge Protector, like fifteen of his brothers, was being used more for city-wide and battle communications than protection. Dystran knew the humiliation they felt but he had no time for guilt.

  'News,' he demanded.

  Myx fell into step next to him. 'The walls have been breached. There are enemies in the city.'

  Dystran sighed. One failure already. 'How many?'

  'It is impossible to say.'

  'Oh, right,' Dystran smiled. 'You're going to tell me that no one saw anyone, I suppose.'

  'Correct, my Lord.'

  Dystran stopped. Make that two failures. 'I was joking.'

  'Yes,' agreed Myx, uncertain how to respond.

  'You're telling me that no Xeteskian guard or mage has laid eyes on the enemy even though they are inside the walls?'

  'Some will have, my Lord. We have not yet found the bodies.'

  'Was that a joke?'

  'No, my Lord.' Myx was surely frowning beneath his mask but Dystran couldn't see it.

  'Stupid question.' Dystran waved a hand and set off again.

  His mind boiled, the acerbic comments he might deliver churned away. He shook his head, muttered to himself and scratched his hair, unruly from his disturbed rest. He was halfway across the spectacular domed hall which lay at the centre of the tower complex and high above the Heart of the college.

  Passages ran away towards the chambers at the base of each tower as well as to banqueting and reception halls, guest quarters and administrative offices. It was a maze for the unwary and the design was entirely deliberate. Ways to the real power of the college were not easily discovered and no senior or circle mage wanted the uninvited venturing into catacombs or tower.

  Dystran's sandals slapped on the exquisitely patterned marble floor as he headed for the intricately carved main doors. The left one opened and a soldier hurried in.

  'Ah, Commander Chandyr, how good of you to come before I called. I expect you'll be bursting to explain to me how an unknown number of highly skilled elves are running loose in my streets.'

  Chandyr's momentary confusion cleared when he saw Myx.

  'You've heard,' he said.

  'Evidently.'

  'Sorry, my Lord.'

  'So, would you care to enlighten me? I understood that no section of the city walls was to be unguarded at any time. I also understood that patrols would always be in sight of one another as they are outside the walls of my college. Given these two parameters, I fail to see how anyone got in without tunnelling. Difficult through our foundations, I would suggest.'

  Dystran kept a firm grip on his anger. He knew Chandyr was a competent soldier but he was better suited to the open field, on the back of a horse. Circumstance, though, had conspired to install him to the city's most senior military position.

  'No, my Lord, they scaled the walls. I have no explanation for it. I came here to report on our search and to offer my apologies.'

  Dystran waved a hand. 'Apologies later.' He sighed again. Seemed he'd been doing a lot of that. 'What do you know and what's happening right now?'

  'Seven men are unaccounted for, presumed dead. We found three ropes leading down from an area of the south wall by the Darin bakery. There were no other signs. We have been unable to track them and have begun a spread search of the streets. We have cast the net from both their point of entry and the college walls assuming they intend eventually to gain entry here.

  'We will find them.'

  Dystran chuckled. 'You know, somehow I doubt you will but I wonder whether that matters.' He paused. 'You haven't removed any of my guard from the college walls?'

  'No, my Lord.'

  'Good, see that you don't. Here's what I suggest because they have only one target and that is this college. They will not kill the common man, they will not spoil our grain, poison our water or fire our buildings. And do not think that they have not been pressured to do just that on any of the innumerable nights we may assume they have already run free in these streets. It is what I would have demanded.

  'They are a singular race. That much I have learned from men like Yron, and those incredible texts we guard so jealously. They seek that one prize and then they will go. So why don't we let them come, now they have gained entry so effortlessly? They cannot gain our walls unseen. They do not have the magic to threaten us. Julatsa fails more by the day.

  'Rest your men, Chandyr. Guard my walls and guard my cobble-stoned yards. And when we see them at our gates, we can call two hundred of the reserve from their bunks to fight them and fifty mages to burn them. They will not enter this college.'

  'My Lord,' acknowledged Chandyr.

  Dystran turned away and wandered back towards his tower, a complete calm descending on him. 'Now why didn't I think of that before?'

  'Because until now you were unsure of their sole intent.'

  'It was a rhetorical question, Myx,' said Dystran.

  'Yes, my Lord.'

  'Stand outside my door tonight. Wake me should the elves be spotted. The sport should be worth watching.'

  'I will, Lord Dystran.'

  'One more thing,' said Dystran as they entered the base of his tower and headed for the stairs. 'I would know the exact time we are able to cast the first of our new dimensional magics. And I would know which of our castings is the better prepared for use.' He smiled at Myx and patted his shoulder. 'Just in case.'

  Hirad led The Raven along a passage hacked out of packed clay, shored up with timbers along its length. It bore the signs of considerable age and, here and there, despite the holding spells, timbers had fallen away and the tunnel threatened to cave in.

  Beyond the door in the blank warehouse office, a flight of wooden steps had run down for more than thirty-odd feet before levelling into the slightly meandering damp and reeking passage. They'd run all the way, the LightGlobe never far from Denser's shoulder, guiding them, the rats scattering before them, feet splashing in puddles.

  The barbarian's mind was a riot of conflict. It had fallen on him so suddenly though he knew it had been there, waiting for a moment of weakness to present itself. He couldn't afford to let his guilt cloud his judgement but he couldn't push it aside either. This place. This filthy passage led to the heart of everything and everyone he blamed for Ilkar's death besides himself. No one was innocent. And the thought that they had come to steal and not mete out justice was one he found hard to bear.

  He knew what they had to do. Knew their success could ultimately make sense of Ilkar's wishes but within the walls they ran beneath, those who had casually signed away his life had live blood in their veins. How desperately he wanted to let it drown the entire college.

  The Unknown had run beside him in the narrow passage all the way, talking, keeping him with them. Without Ilkar he was the only one Hirad would hear.

  'Don't let it consume you,' he said. 'Control it. Master it. Use it to help us do what we must. Revenge can come later.'

  But Hirad knew there would never be a better chance and enough of him hoped they would be discovered by those capable of facing him, to feed his desire. />
  'Remember you are Raven. Remember what that means.'

  He ran harder.

  It was Denser's voice that stopped him, stopped all of them.

  'Slow. We are sloping up. Quiet now.'

  The pace dropped to a walk, breath pulled more easily into lungs, pulses slowed.

  'All right, let's orient ourselves,' continued Denser. Rebraal's murmur could be heard, elven ears tuned to him. 'This slope ends at a door beyond which is a store room for the Mana Bowl. The other side of the door is a basic illusion. The door is unlocked from this side but is locked and alarmed on the other. Once we go through, no one step back or you'll trigger the bell ward. That's very important.

  'The Mana Bowl sits just to the north-east of the tower complex and butts on to an administrative block. It is diagonally opposite the library, which also connects at one corner with the complex. I've explained to you the ways we can get in. Here is where we meet when we're done. You'll recognise the fallback positions if we encounter trouble. Let me remind you they are the banqueting halls which run south from the complex and the reception hall of the dome itself. Is everybody clear?'

  Hirad scanned the TaiGethen. There was no doubting their readiness.

  'We won't get in and out without encountering anyone so kill quietly,' said The Unknown. 'We only get one chance at this.'

  Hirad walked to the end of the passage. A wooden door and frame were set into the stone surrounds of a building. There was no handle.

  'How do I-?'

  ‘Isaid it was unlocked, I didn't say a non-mage could open it. Stand aside. I'll have to lose the LightGlobe, sorry.'

  The sudden dark was disconcerting. Hirad put a hand on the wall to steady himself. Next to him, Denser muttered under his breath. He could hear water dripping behind them, the scuttle of rodents and the ominous creak of the weaker timbers.

  The hand on his shoulder had him jumping almost clear of his skin. He felt breathing by his ear and a voice spoke low, menacing and in elvish. It was Auum.

  'What did he say?' Hirad's voice sounded loud in the nervous quiet. 'I presume you're there, Rebraal.'

  'He said he will not let you risk his success. He says the TaiGethen are doing the work of Yniss tonight and any who threaten that work will be killed.'

  Hirad bristled. 'Well, you tell him his inspirational words need work. Tell him, The Raven do not make a habit of failure. And tell him if he threatens me again, he can have his fight.'

  'Hirad-' warned The Unknown from close by.

  'He saw how you reacted,' said Rebraal. 'Your loss of control. He doesn't believe emotion should guide you. He thinks that is weak.'

  'If I had no emotions driving me on, you couldn't pay me enough to raid the Dark College. Don't any of you ever presume to tell me how I should or should not act. I have nothing to prove to you, him or any elf, bar Ilkar.'

  'That's not-'

  'Just leave it, Rebraal,' said Erienne, somewhere to the left. 'You don't understand.'

  Thraun growled his agreement. Hirad jumped again. Sometimes the shapechanger was so quiet you could forget he was there. It didn't used to be like that.

  'Quiet!' hissed Denser. 'We're in.'

  A wan light washed down the passage from somewhere, soaking them all in grey, misty illumination as the door swung inwards. Hirad paused to lock eyes with Auum before a push from The Unknown sent him on to creep into the chamber beyond. It was small, too small to take them all at once. Shelves ran down two sides, forcing Hirad to edge sideways past ordered stacks of plain blue robes, simple sandals and cord ties.

  'Robes for the Mana Bowl,' explained Denser.

  'Very nice,' said Hirad, moving into the narrow gap between the shelves and looking up at windows in the ceiling through which the grey light was shining. He nodded at a door opposite. 'What's through there?'

  'A corridor leading to offices, other store rooms, changing rooms, a contemplation and relaxation chamber and the entrance to the Bowl itself.'

  'Thanks for the full tour,' said Hirad. 'Now, will there be anyone outside? We need to move ourselves.'

  'The Bowl doesn't operate after dark, the focus is never right, strange as that may seem for the Dark College.'

  'I've no idea what you're talking about,' said Hirad. 'I'm going out. Bring The Raven. We're leaving first.'

  Hirad marched to the door and put an ear to it. Behind him, the message was relayed back into the clay passage. Out came the rest of The Raven, Rebraal at their rear, keeping communication as smooth as he could.

  'Note these skylights,' Denser was saying to the elf. 'The library has the same ventilation and natural light source. If you're going in from the top, that's what you have to prise open.'

  Hirad could hear nothing from the corridor. He laid a hand gently on the handle and pulled. The door swung open easily. Outside it was dark. Nothing moved. The barbarian moved out. The Unknown was immediately behind him, going left as he went right. Denser and Erienne followed them, spreading away either side with Thraun and Darrick in their footprints.

  'Hirad, head up the corridor. Door at the end. That's our way out. We'll be in the shadow of the Mana Bowl and follow it round to the tower complex offices. We break in, the elves carry on. Got it?'

  'Got it,' said Hirad.

  There was the unmistakable smell of age and reverence in the darkened corridor. Hirad didn't feel he could have made a loud noise even if he'd wanted to. The atmosphere was oppressive, reminiscent of the rainforests of Calaius but without the humidity. He shook his head and paced on. The corridor had no windows, no skylights. Its only illumination came from behind and from under the doors of the rooms he passed.

  He could feel the Mana Bowl to his right. It had a power all of its own. It was the place where initiate mages went to accept the mana or have it wreck their minds. A harsh but necessary test. Who'd be a mage?

  At the door, Hirad stopped. The corridor was full behind him. Denser waved him on.

  'It's all right. No alarms and no locks. We save those for the Bowl itself. That, the uninvited cannot be allowed to see.'

  Hirad cracked the door and felt the dampness of the night air on his face. It smelled beautifully fresh after the underground passage. Orders were being shouted around the college. He could hear the sounds of running feet but felt they were above him, on the walls. He held up a hand and all movement behind him ceased. Rebraal came to his shoulder. They waited, listening, watching what they could through the crack in the door, which revealed nothing but a stone path, a hedge and a few manicured small trees.

  Hirad turned to Rebraal who shook his head.

  'No one is near,' whispered the elf.

  'Well, it's now or never,' said Hirad. 'Come on, Raven.'

  As he was instructed, Hirad opened the door just far enough and slipped out to the right. His heart was beating fast and reality hit him hard. He was standing in the grounds of the Dark College.

  He closed his eyes momentarily, commended his soul to any God that was listening, and shifted crab-like along under the deep shadow of the Mana Bowl towards the towers of Xetesk.

  Chapter 17

  Lights burned in each of Xetesk's seven towers. Six in the outer circle soared upwards one hundred and fifty feet, with the central, dominant tower's peak at least a further fifty feet above them. A figure moved around that tallest tower, staring out from a balcony before disappearing from view.

  Auum signalled that they could move again. All around them, the college was humming. Guards thronged the walls, walking their beats or staring out over the city. The two gate houses, east and west, were bright with lantern light, which spread pools over the courtyards within and, presumably, without. Up in the residential halls, light shone from many windows, indicating students losing a night's sleep, ready should they be called upon.

  But no one moved across the ground. Not by the quartet of long rooms in the south-east corner, not around the lecture theatres to the north or through the ornamental gardens that bordered two sides of th
e tower complex.

  Complacency was an enemy. The elves had learned that to awful cost. Xetesk clearly had not. Not yet. While they covered every inch of ground outside the college walls where they believed their enemies had to come from, they had ignored the space under their very noses; safe in the assumption that their spells would defend their critical structures.

  Moving in heavy shadows around the back of the shrouded and shuttered banqueting halls, Auum made his decision the moment he saw the library. There was no point risking a casual observer noticing that the soldiers guarding the library's single entrance were missing. He nodded to Duele who began to climb at the junction of banqueting hall and library walls.

  The architects had enjoyed their designing and the sculptors had given full vent to their talents, producing an extraordinary structure. In the context of the college, the library was a huge building, dominated only by the towers in whose shadows it stood.

  Ornate buttresses climbed up the sides of the building, punctuating the three levels of grand arched windows of stained glass. The flat roof they knew to be studded with skylights and it was adorned along its edges and, so Denser said, its surface, with gargoyles and statues. The single set of double doors were set into the western end of the rectangular building.

  Every stone was carved. Murals depicted the gathering and writing of texts. Scribes looked up in wonder from their work as mages conducted castings. Early scholars gazed down on the college, huge solemn faces lined with age and conveying knowledge and learning. Denser had assured them that in the daylight, it was a stunning sight. Auum cared little for that. What it meant to him was an easy climb, hidden for the most part from the eyes of his enemies.

  Duele made short work of the climb. Evunn followed him at the same pace, with two Al-Arynaar mages in his wake. Next he signalled Marack to take her cell up. The two cells led by Porrack and Allyne would stay to be the eyes and ears on the outside, hidden in the shadows. Auum climbed up after Marack. He found the roof exactly as Denser described it. Impressive carved statues of demonic shapes, flying gargoyles and even piles of books and scripts.