Emily nodded, flushing. “Thanks,” she said. She allowed herself a slight smile. “Take care of myself, will you?”
“Of course,” Lady Barb said. “Penny is quite looking forward to it.”
“Really?” Emily started to dig through the knapsack for her clothes. “She’s never been to the Blighted Lands, has she?”
“No.” Lady Barb looked grim. “Very few people ever cross the borderlines.”
Emily dressed rapidly, donning trousers and a shirt before pulling her cloak over her shoulders and slipping the snake-bracelet onto her wrist. It made her look like a travelling tradeswoman, rather than a magician; it made her look as if she was constantly on the margins, living in fear of being unable to earn her keep. Lady Barb had made it clear they were peddlers, rather than anything more formal. Peddlers existed on the very edge of trader society, tolerated in some places and treated as outcasts elsewhere. The only reason they survived, she’d noted, was that they often brought supplies that simply couldn’t be obtained through more legitimate channels. And they had no qualms about carrying messages from place to place.
Or spying on people for money, Emily thought. Frieda had once told her that half the village girls dreamed of running away with a peddler. They think it’s a glamorous life, until they try it.
Lady Barb stepped back. “I have to go,” she said. “Good luck. I’ll see you when you get back.”
Emily raised a hand in salute. Her body felt odd, as if she’d been slightly sunburnt. She didn’t dare give the older woman a hug. Instead, she watched as Lady Barb vanished in a flash of light before turning her attention back to the knapsack. She’d packed everything she could think of, using charms to lighten the weight as much as possible. The batteries themselves were in a concealed compartment at the bottom, warded so thoroughly a random searcher shouldn’t even have a hint they were there. Void and Lady Barb had both assured her necromancers didn’t have the sensitivity to tell anything was concealed within the bag. Emily hoped they were right.
She stood, tying her hair into a bun before hiding it under a scarf and brushing down her loose trousers. She couldn’t afford to look too interesting - or unscarred. She’d met too many commoners, even children, who had scarred faces or feet or hands marred by heavy labor. Emily had never thought of herself as particularly beautiful - it didn’t help that one of her closest friends was stunning - but she didn’t look like a commoner. She muttered a handful of spells, casting a series of subtle glamors to conceal her looks. A person who didn’t know her would let their imagination fill in the blanks. It was just a shame, she thought as she headed for the door, that it wasn’t an easy spell to test.
The corridor outside smelt worse than the room. She grimaced as she walked next door, trying not to slip on the moldy floor. It looked as if the entire building was decaying. Patches of mold glistened on wooden walls, as if the building were about to melt into goo. Her feet slipped, forcing her to use magic to steady herself. She felt as if she were walking on ice.
She tapped on the door. It opened. Cat looked out and smiled. “Come on in.”
“I think you got the better room,” Emily said, as she stepped into the chamber. “I can’t say I blame you.”
“You really don’t want to look in the washroom,” Cat said. “I’ve been in cesspits that smelt better.”
He looked her up and down. “How’re you coping?”
“It’s weird,” Emily admitted. “I feel... I feel a little sensitive.”
“Sensitive?” Cat made a face. “Are you going to stop to smell the flowers? Because that could get you killed here.”
Emily shook her head. “I don’t know how to describe it,” she said. “My skin feels a little... itchy, as if I don’t quite belong in it.”
“That’s probably the air,” Cat said. “The map insists this place is sheltered from the worst, but it isn’t. Not really.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Emily said. “I feel unclean just being here.”
“I’ve slept in worse places,” Cat said. “Just you wait until tomorrow.”
“I know.” Emily let out a breath. “I have something for you.”
“The key to Penny’s legs?” Cat didn’t seem cowed by her glare. “Or a token for the local brothel...”
“No,” Emily said. “And I’m surprised she didn’t hex you.”
Cat shrugged. “Why didn’t you hex me?”
Emily reached into her pockets. “Alassa kneed you in the balls,” she said, ignoring the question. “I should share that story with Penny.”
“Share it with the Zangarian nobility,” Cat said, suddenly serious. “They’d cross their legs every time they saw her.”
“Hah.” Emily found the gemstones she was looking for and pulled them out. Void had made her practice enchanting the stones time and time again, reminding her - every time she’d balked - of what had happened when they’d first tried the spell. After that, attaching a gold chain and turning the gemstones into amulets had been easy. “What do you make of this?”
Cat took the amulet and studied it for a long moment. “There’s a very curious charm embedded within the gemstone,” he said. “I can’t get a good look at it.”
“No,” Emily agreed. “It’s a teleport gem.”
“What?” Cat stared at her. “Emily... what is it?”
“A teleport gem,” Emily repeated, with mock-heavy patience. “It’s our emergency escape route.”
Cat looked astonished. “Emily... what does it do?”
Emily smiled as she placed her amulet around her neck. “It’s a teleport spell,” she said, sardonically. “Basically, if you trigger the spell - you can prime the activation charm to respond to a password - it’ll teleport you to the camp. That’s the preset destination. You can’t choose another destination without deconstructing and reconstructing the spell. And then...”
“Wait.” Cat held up a hand. “How does it work?”
“We can go through the spellwork later, if you like,” Emily said. “If you trigger the spell, it determines your location” - in relation to the nexus points, she added silently - “completes the teleport spell and casts it. And then you’ll be jumped there... all within a few seconds. You don’t need to power the spell yourself, or take time to cast it. All it needs is the activation charm.”
She leaned forward. “It can be rough,” she admitted. “If you try to use it within a heavily-warded building, it might scatter your atoms across the world instead of teleporting you to the preset destination. If you try to use it in a high-magic zone, the results might not be pleasant. The first time I tried, I wound up being slammed into the ground hard enough to do real injury. I was picking pebbles out of my skin for hours. It isn’t perfect, not yet, but it’ll give you a way out if things go wrong.”
Cat shook his head. “You never fail to amaze me.”
Then why did you leave? Emily felt a pang, which she ruthlessly suppressed. Why did you...?
“Please don’t tell anyone about the teleport gems, not yet,” she said, instead. “I want them to be a surprise.”
“They’ll be very surprising,” Cat agreed. He grinned as he placed the amulet around his neck. “When are you going to let the rest of the world in on the secret?”
Emily shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said. Sorcerers spent half their time trying to duplicate spells their rivals had invented. Knowing something was possible was half the battle. “I want to work the kinks out first.”
“Better to get slammed into the ground than brutally killed,” Cat said, dryly. “Right?”
“Right,” Emily agreed. She looked at the dingy room. “Do you really expect to sleep here?”
“There’s nowhere else to sleep,” Cat said. He reached for his cloak. “Shall we go for a walk?”
Emily nodded. “Why not?”
She followed him down a flight of grimy - and creaky - stairs, then out onto the darkened street. Syaitan felt as if the town were wrapped in darkness, even thoug
h it was barely noon. The towering mountains cast a long shadow over the town, the buildings - taller than any she’d seen, even in the city-states - loomed over her. She felt as if they were giants staring down, hemming her in... she felt trapped, almost claustrophobic, even though there was plenty of room. The town felt small, yet large at the same time. She sucked in her breath and instantly regretted it. The air smelt awful.
“It’s a very gloomy place,” Cat muttered. “And it really shouldn’t exist.”
Emily was inclined to agree. Syaitan was dark. The buildings were glistening with damp, all showing traces of steady decay despite the best efforts of their inhabitants. An aura of despondency, of hopelessness, hung over the town. The handful of people on the streets, men and women alike, scuttled as if they were afraid to take notice of strangers. She spied a handful of footpads on the prowl, but even they looked dispirited. The shops looked as decayed as the rest. She walked around puddles of water, trying not to step in the muddy liquid. It stank, just like everywhere else. It was like being trapped at the bottom of a midden.
“There’s nowhere good to eat,” Cat muttered, as they skirted the edge of the town. There were no guards barring the path to the Blighted Lands, no attempt to stop those fool enough to travel south. “I thought we’d go back to the inn and eat our rations.”
“Agreed.” Emily had yet to meet anyone who professed to like dried meat and hardtack bread, but - mixed with a little water - it would keep them alive. “I don’t like the look of that diner.”
She tried not to grimace as she peered into the building. The cafe - it looked like a cafe - was thoroughly unsanitary. Rats and cockroaches scurried across the floor, the ever-present mold scattered across the rear wall like a child’s painting. She’d long since grown used to the lack of health and safety, to the blunt truth that most people didn’t understand that washing their hands and boiling water could prevent diseases, but...there were limits. She’d be lucky to survive if she ate the local food. She couldn’t understand how anyone could live that way.
Because they don’t have a choice, her thoughts mocked. Because they have nowhere else to go.
Emily kept that thought to herself as Cat led her back to the inn, the long way around. They passed shops that openly sold weapons, as well as tomes of forbidden power that - upon inspection - proved to be fakes. Emily glanced at one book of rituals and smiled, even though it wasn’t funny. The only thing someone would learn from the book was how easy it could be to make a fool of oneself. She wondered, idly, if anyone actually tried. If she’d grown up in a place like this, she would have done everything in her power to escape before... before it was too late. Living so close to the Blighted Lands, it was only a matter of time until the necromancers came calling.
“I hope you’re up for a walk,” Cat said, when they reached the inn. “We’ll be setting out very early tomorrow morning.”
“A walk,” Emily repeated. They’d avoid detection, and give her other self a chance to get into position, but... she would have preferred to teleport. “You have such an... optimistic take on the situation.”
“I try.” Cat led her up the stairs, then stopped outside his door. “Do you want to spend the night?”
Emily stared at him. “Do you always think with your little head?”
“How else am I meant to think?” Cat affected an air of bemusement. “The other head keeps saying useless things.”
“We’ll eat, then get some sleep,” Emily said, firmly. Even if she’d wanted to spend the night with him, she didn’t want to do it in Syaitan. She doubted there was a shower anywhere within the town. They’d be lucky if the innkeeper provided a tub of cold water. “I really don’t want to wash here.”
“Yeah.” Cat shrugged. “Don’t worry. You won’t notice the smell after a few more hours.”
“How... reassuring,” Emily said. She wondered, suddenly, how her other self was getting on. There was no way to know. Void had advised her not to stay in touch. “I’ll take your word for it.”
Chapter Fifteen (Emily2)
EMILY DRESSED SLOWLY, DIMLY AWARE HER other self was already on her way to Syaitan with Lady Barb. It felt odd, so odd, to be apart from herself... her head spun as she tried to parse what was happening. She felt jumpy, as if she weren’t quite within her body. She’d been turned into all sorts of things, from animals to objects, but this was different. Nothing had changed, and everything had changed.
The wards vibrated. Someone was waiting outside. Emily checked to make sure she was decent - Sergeant Miles had warned her, years ago, that it was better not to remind her comrades she was female - and took down the wards. The tent flap opened, revealing Penny. Emily looked past her, half-hoping to see Lady Barb. It was hard to shake the impression that Lady Barb was somewhere close, even though she wasn’t. A remnant of her other self?
“Lady Emily,” Penny said. “General Pollack sends his compliments, My Lady, and requests the pleasure of your company at the portal site.”
“Good.” Emily picked up her cloak and pulled it around her shoulders. “Are they ready to go?”
“They say the portal can be activated at any time,” Penny assured her. “They’re just waiting for you.”
Emily nodded and led the way outside. Penny fell into step alongside, hands clasped behind her back. Emily had to smile. She didn’t think she and Penny would ever truly be friends, but she rather liked the other woman. Penny was cool and collected and desperate to prove herself. Emily understood, all too well. She’d been desperate to prove herself too.
Flickers of magic darted through the air as they reached the portal. The crystalline lattice looked surprisingly fragile, even though it was designed to channel vast amounts of magic. Emily peered at the gems, hoping and praying they worked properly when the spell was cast. The portal had to form quickly or it would be worse than useless... if, of course, the ancient fortress was inhabited. The flickers of magic grew stronger as the enchanters tinkered with the spellwork, readying their work for its first real test. They’d taken the portal structure Emily, Jade and Cat had designed and improved upon it. Emily hoped they didn’t take it too far.
“Lady Emily.” Sir Roger saluted, formally. “The troops are ready to advance on command.”
Emily nodded, looking past him at the line of musketmen and infantry. The troops looked tough, half clutching the latest muskets and the other half carrying charmed swords and spears. They wore little armor, something that bothered her even though she knew it was pointless. No human could survive a punching match with an orc. The only way to win was to move fast, to jump and evade the blows before they could connect. She hoped the young men, the disinherited and the volunteers alike, would survive their first taste of battle.
“Keep command,” she said, as they headed to the command post. “I can’t lead troops in battle.”
She allowed herself a moment of relief when she saw Lady Barb hurrying back to the command post. The older woman looked calm and composed, suggesting that Emily’s other self was safely established in Syaitan. Emily felt a stab of... something... as she nodded to Lady Barb, then looked past her at the grenadiers. Which of them was the real Emily?
General Pollack nodded to her, then looked at the enchanters. “Open the portal!”
Emily turned, bracing herself as the crystalline lattice came to life. Light flared within the crystals, rapidly forming into a glowing whirlpool of power. She felt drawn towards it, even though she knew the portal was far from ready. The crystals started to distort, light bending out of shape as the portal formed. Emily let out a long breath, feeling the power growing ever stronger. The portal had to remain open long enough to get the first assault force into the Blighted Lands.
“It’s coming,” an enchanter called. “Get ready!”
The magic surged, again. The pull snapped out of existence as a glowing circle of light appeared within the lattice. Emily felt a wave of heat pass over, followed by pinpricks of magic that left her uneasy. She glan
ced at Penny as the other girl shifted beside her, then braced herself. It was nearly time.
“Grenades,” Sir Roger barked. “Now!”
The grenadiers ran forward and hurled the makeshift grenades through the portal. Emily heard a series of bangs on the far side, explosions blurring together into a single, terrible sound. The grenades might have been wasted effort, but better to waste effort and explosives than lives. She’d used a portal to break into a seemingly impregnable fortress. If the necromancers had heard what she’d done, they might just have devised countermeasures. She knew the Allied Lands had done just that...
Lady Barb nodded to her. “Go!”
Emily shaped a spell in her mind as she ran and jumped through the portal. A stab of pain sliced into her brain as she passed through the magic, a pain that was gone almost before she had a chance to recognize it... the world spun, then solidified into a dusty fortress illuminated by a dull red star. For a long, chilling moment, Emily wondered if they’d somehow jumped to a whole new world. It was so... alien. And then she remembered how much gunk drifted in the skies overhead. It made the sun look weird.
“Hah,” Penny shouted. “Here they come!”
“Hit them,” Lady Barb ordered.
Emily felt her stomach clench as a wave of orcs stampeded towards them. They were towering shambles, mad parodies of humanity... she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they couldn’t expect mercy if they were captured. The orcs were monsters, creatures that could only be kept under control by superior force. She cast a fireball, hitting the nearest orc and knocking him back into his comrades. They picked themselves up and kept coming. She cursed under her breath as she hurled a stronger fireball, then put up a pair of wards. The orcs kept coming until they were all dead.
She glanced behind her as the musketmen ran through the portal, their guns already tracking the orcs. They’d designed the musket balls to do maximum damage, she’d been assured, but no one was quite sure how much damage they’d do to the orcs. Their skin was tougher than an unarmored human, perhaps tough enough to take a bullet and survive. She heard the howling as more orcs appeared, throwing themselves towards the portal. Emily realized, suddenly, that there might be enough orcs to throw themselves through the portal. It would be ironic indeed if their plan to bypass the mountains worked in reverse...
Oathkeeper (Schooled in Magic Book 20) Page 14