He turned rapidly filling eyes on both of them. “Thank you.”
She hugged him. “Now we can free everyone and teach them a lesson about what happens when you mess with fire mages.”
Her father nodded, wiping at his eyes. “I wish Flanna were here to see this.”
Azara’s throat tightened at the mention of her mother, but kept herself together. “We’ll make sure nothing like this happens to anyone ever again.”
“We’ll need to find Aviur and Anali once we’re free. We lost track of them several years ago. I’m only glad they haven’t found their way here.”
Her eyes widened as she realized she hadn’t yet told him. “They’re safe. They’re the personal fire mages of Emperor Bao of the Shi Guo Empire. They’re as protected as they can be anywhere, or I wouldn’t have left them. They asked me to find you and—”
Tears welled up and slid down her father’s face. “They’re safe?”
Jin came to stand beside her, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. “They are his celestial majesty’s favourite fire mages and his most effective. They are highly regarded and well treated. The emperor finds he gets the best work out of those who are treated well, whether they be free or slaves.”
Azara nodded. “They’re still pretending to be twins.”
Her father chuckled wetly. “Flanna came up with that idea to protect them. She always was smarter than me.”
Jin stared at her. “They’re not twins?”
She couldn’t help the guilty start. “No, they’re not. Aviur’s two years older than Anali. They pretended to be twins to stay together, because it’s rare and they’d be more likely to be considered special that way.”
He shook his head. “They act it well. I never doubted it and neither did the emperor. Their accomplishments far outweigh any novelty over them being twins or not.”
Azara smiled, relaxing. She hadn’t thought it would be a problem, but she couldn’t stop niggling worries from burrowing into her chest. “That’s where we’ll head once we free everyone.”
“Will we be safe there?” one of the women asked, lines of worry and fear spreading across her face.
Jin nodded. “The emperor doesn’t enslave people, though he will buy slaves. They are always given the option to buy their own freedom. I did exactly that. I know the emperor will welcome all who wish to remain. And as the Empire is no friend to Nalbin, he will be pleased to accept you for that reason if no other.”
“And how can you know what the emperor will and won’t do?” asked one of the men, his voice as hard as his eyes.
“Because Jin is the emperor’s chief magus. The emperor relies on him for magic and magic-related things. He is in charge of the fire mages in the palace, as well as many others.” Azara tossed her head and met the eyes of the man, daring him to argue further.
Her father laid a hand on her shoulder. “This is my eldest, Azara. We’d thought her dead, but seeing her alive, and here to help us, I would think no one would doubt them. Why else would they have snuck into such a heavily guarded place?” He pitched his voice to carry, staring certain people down before moving on. “We should listen to what they have to say. This may very well be our only chance of escape. They have already proven they can rid us of our collars.”
That quieted the muttering. Her father gave her a look, so Azara stepped forward. “We have a general plan, but may need what information you can offer us. We weren’t aware of the children here, which changes some things.” She swallowed around the sudden buck of her stomach but kept going. “You are here in what you’ve said is the breeding building. Those in the next are used only for their magic. The last is where the children are housed. We’ll need to free each group of you before we move.”
Jin gave her hand another squeeze, his expression one of more confidence than she felt. Especially given what she was going to have to say. This was the safest option, even if she felt it was entirely too cold. “We’ll free you all first. You’re the strongest and most able to fight, more rested as you are. We’ll move on to the next building afterwards. The children we leave for last.”
She hated herself for saying that, but they needed help in case things went bad, and children wouldn’t have the power and fighting experience the adults would. Even if she worried they would be used as hostages or attacked if they were discovered early. “The two of us will move from building to building, releasing all the fire mages from the collars. When we’re finished with the children, we’ll give you a signal, then it’s time to show the guards just what you all think of them.”
“How can we trust you won’t simply leave?”
Jin turned a stern expression on the young woman. “Because we’ll have freed all of you. You’ll be able to use your magic uninhibited. If something were to happen to us, you would all be able to escape.”
“I’m not leaving without the children.” The man crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes sharp.
Azara nodded. “That’s the last thing any of us want. We need to do this logically, and we need those with the most fighting power freed first.”
“What will the signal be?” asked another, this one with the blond hair and tall build of those who lived north of Pocale.
Jin cleared his throat. “I have a spell that will carry my voice far, something used for the battlefield. It will be enough to engage that and shout something along the lines of now. We will do so once we have the children freed. If that sounds acceptable to you?”
Azara’s father stepped forward, so he was in front of them and the crowd of fire mages. “They have a plan, they have a way of freeing us, and they’ve risked much to make it this far. Will you follow them, or remain here as slaves?”
There was no sound for a moment before a ragged chorus of hissed assents filled the building. The sound warmed Azara more than her fire magic, and when she glanced at Jin, he was smiling as well. Finally, they were where they should be.
Chapter Twenty-Two: Signals
There had only been two fire mage women in the children’s building, both with small babies. Their collars had been the work of moments to remove after their practice in the last two buildings. Azara had been relieved to see that none of the babies had been collared, that only children of what looked to be three and over had been enslaved that way. The sight of children wearing slave collars bothered her, but they were overall better cared for than the adults. They had rough straw beds and blankets.
After their quick explanation to the two women, they’d left the children sleeping, moving as quietly from one to the next, removing their collars. The last thing they wanted was for the guards to notice. While more infrequent than outside, there were still sketchy patrols done inside. They’d nearly been caught moving from the first building to the second by one.
Azara did her best not to think too much about the second building. She’d thought the people with her father had been broken. She was wrong. Those in the second building, those relegated to being used up until they died, were broken. There had been no hope, no spirit in them. Only once they’d freed all of them, and one or two had tried using their magic did she see something of life return to their eyes. But not all. She wasn’t sure how much use they’d be, but she hoped they would come with them when they escaped.
Jin leaned over the next one, an older boy, finger reaching out to the collar, his lips already forming the release word. Azara was right behind, letting the crystal in her palm pool out as she took Jin’s place. The crystal now knew what she expected and took little direction from her to have it slide into the keyhole and twist. The release word was the same for each, but they had at least required different keys for each of the collars. Though that was no use against her.
Glancing up, Azara noticed that Jin was two children ahead of her. She picked up her pace, reaching out for the little girl currently scrunching
up her face in sleep. Except, as Azara learned, it wasn’t sleep.
The girl couldn’t be more than three or four, and when her eyes snapped open, they locked straight onto Azara. Before she had a chance to even think of making a shushing noise, the girl opened her mouth and began screaming. She scrambled out of her bed and bolted towards the female fire mages.
The nearest raced forward, sweeping the girl up into a hug and pressing her tight to her shoulder. Azara wasn’t sure if that was to comfort the girl, muffle her cries, or a combination of both. The damage had been done. All around, more children woke, several crying, and another two starting to scream, whether at the sight of strangers or because they’d been awakened early, she didn’t know. Her knowledge of children was almost nonexistent.
Jin and the two women were trying to quiet as many children as they could, but Azara could hear the approaching shouts from outside. They’d only freed half the children, but were out of time. “Get all the children back along the far wall,” she shouted. “Jin, get the magic off the rest of them as quickly as you can. Once you have, alert the others. I’ll keep the guards off you.”
He opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off. “There’s only one door. And I excel at close combat. If you’re worried about me, free the children as quickly as you can so you can call the rest in. Besides, we don’t want them to try and use the children against us.”
Jin grimaced and nodded. The two women were herding children, shaking those who’d managed to sleep through everything awake. Older children assisted in getting the younger ones up and out of danger, while Jin moved rapidly through the growing crowd of them.
Azara strode towards the door, stopping a few steps away, outside of lunging distance. The voices were at the door, three men from the sounds of it, one of them arguing there was no point, the children would quiet down soon enough. Azara didn’t dare hope they’d leave. She brought the crystal up so it coated her skin, ready to lash out at the first sign of danger.
The argument stopped when they noticed that the deadbolt was open. She could hear the running footsteps, and presumed one of them was off to warn the others. She hissed. She should have tried to take them out before they got reinforcements, but was loath to give up the advantage forcing them through the doorway gave her.
She inhaled deeply, narrowing her focus. The door burst open, two guards aiming their bayonets. They had to find something to shoot first and Azara was already moving. Each arm became encased in crystal, extending out beyond her hands, the edge razor sharp.
The men had half-turned towards her when she reached them. She slashed diagonally down onto their hands first, causing them both to drop their weapons as blood welled up on one, and the other lost a thumb. Azara didn’t waste time. Using her recovery, she swung her crystal blades up in an arc, slicing across the men’s exposed throats. One dropped immediately. The other fell away, hand clenching his neck, blood welling up beneath it. It wasn’t a fatal wound.
Before he could shout for help, she was on him. With his arms up, his chest was exposed. She thrust down, extending the crystal so it pierced his chest. The crystal flexed and moved around his ribs until it found his heart. With a twist to be sure of him, Azara pulled the crystal towards her but not into her skin. Not yet. There would be more of them.
And Jin needed more time to break the spells on the children and call for the fire mages. So she’d hold the door, no matter how many of them came. All it took was the reminder of what these people had taken from her, and what they had done to her father, to fire her back up. Those she killed quickly were getting off lightly.
The only regret she had was showing the bloodshed to the children. She imagined some of them had seen this already, and if they hadn’t, they would. No fire mage retained their innocence for long.
* * *
Jin knelt behind Azara in the dirt in front of the fort, leaving the three soldiers lunging towards them to her. His focus was on the squad keeping their distance and trying to pick them and the fire mages off. Each hand drew a different symbol, the concentration required making him sweat, though he didn’t falter in his chant. Concurrently drawing the sigils strengthened the spell and halved the cast time, and in battle every second counted. Years of training had given him this skill and earned him his place as the emperor’s chief magus.
The last word and flick of his wrists finished the spell. His eyes didn’t waver as the stone spikes burst up from under the archers’ feet, impaling several of them and injuring more. It was a nasty spell, though this was the restrained version. The full force and full casting that the spell had potential for was...devastating. Something to only be used in war.
Azara twisted gracefully back into her starting position, the crystal blades encasing her arms dripping red, the last of her foes dropping to add his crimson to the growing pool. It was easy to see with the fires raging all over the camp. Only the children’s building, the first place secured, still stood, a dozen fire mages ferociously protecting it while the others laid waste to the camp.
Jin had heard that an enraged fire mage was akin to a natural disaster, that few could stand up to one. It happened so rarely, since most of their kind were known in public only as slaves, that he’d never witnessed it himself. All Jin knew was that the rumours had downplayed things.
The first two buildings that had housed them were blazing. Screams and cries split the air, the scent of smoke, ash and burning flesh wafting heavily over them. The camp’s guards ran, some trying to get control, but most trying to survive. Jin would have felt badly for them, but they’d all known what was happening here and stayed. They deserved their deaths.
“Stay close. They’re retreating into the fort.” Azara turned to him, face grim, but eyes alight. After the first few engagements, after he’d released the children, she’d stopped trying to figure out his magic and what his plans were and left him to it, concentrating on the enemies that came towards them. It worked well, as Jin was stronger at distance magic and she was better at close quarters.
Another group of guards came racing towards them, mostly glancing over their shoulders. Jin didn’t have to wonder long about that as one of them was enveloped in a fire ball. He dropped, screaming and rolling on the ground but the fire continued to blaze. Jin turned his eyes away from the soon-to-be-dead man, focusing on the remaining four.
One got too close and Azara lunged, the crystal on her arms changing shape until it resembled a bramble of thorns, wrapping itself around him and digging in. His struggles only made the crystal bite deeper. Azara didn’t leave him to suffer for long, the thorns expanding rapidly out, piercing him in multiple places, including through his chest and throat. She let his corpse drop to twitch a few times on the ground.
The remaining three didn’t make it far either, two erupting into flame while the last was caught in a small whirlwind of fire. Their screams made Jin’s stomach clench but he hardened himself. The fire mages deserved the chance at their vengeance, given all that had been taken from them.
Jin recognized the two fire mages hurrying up to them. The first was the young woman who’d been so distrustful, Shula, the second was Azara’s father, Rohan. “Most of the guards in the camp have been disposed of, or will be shortly. There are some in the fort, but not many. It won’t take us much longer to completely hold this place.” Rohan came to stand with them.
Azara smiled at her father. “Once we’re sure it’s safe, we’ll need to organize everyone. Have the horses and carts been secured?”
“Yes, and being guarded. There isn’t much food here, so we’ll need to collect some before we head out. There’s no way we’ll be able to buy any, and we won’t be able to take the time to forage or hunt.”
She nodded. “We’ll have to take the baron’s manor. It will have the food and supplies we need, as well as carts and horses. I also don’t want to let him leave this unscathed.”
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Jin cleared his throat. “It may be worth it to take him hostage. The emperor would appreciate it, and the baron likely has useful information that our people can...extract. It would also make any pursuers hesitate.”
Three fire mages stared at him. Shula tossed her hair and propped a hand up on her hip. “You expect us to let the man behind all this live?”
“No, I expect you to do everything you can to increase our odds of survival.”
Rohan grimaced. “It’s an idea, one many will dislike. It’s something we’ll consider when we come to that point. For now, we should concentrate on burning out the fort.”
As much as he hated to go against their plans and vengeance, Jin couldn’t leave things that way. “I’d like to search the place first. There could be information useful to the Empire. Information on planned attacks, troops or new weapons. Anything would ensure a warm welcome from the emperor and entire Empire.”
Shula raised her eyebrows. “They’re holed up in there like rats. And cornered rats bite. Are you sure you’ll survive, mage of the emperor?”
Azara stepped forward after a rapid glance between Jin and her father. “He’ll be safe. I’ll go with him to guard his back. Jin’s right. There could be useful information, and if the Empire will protect us, aiding them will secure our futures. The emperor is reasonable and not the kind who abuses slaves. My siblings live very well, and the only reason they don’t have their freedom is that they chose to remain slaves. He sent Jin with me because he wished our success. I imagine currying a little favour won’t hurt us. And we can burn the fort out afterwards.”
Shula didn’t look convinced, but Rohan smiled. “Go and be safe. We’ll finish up here. When you return, we’ll light the place up. If you don’t...”
Heart of Crystal Page 21