They left the tavern in the early afternoon and were back at Raven’s house within the hour. She went over her plan with Jack, she covered the same ground she had with Sabine. She told him about the secret door leading from behind the public chambers to the inner library sanctum. She would accompany him to the door and gain access before leaving. They decided to set out shortly after midnight.
Raven equipped Jack with a hooded tunic and some throwing blades. She gave him a length of rope, flint and steel and a candle. They had a light meal and rested for a few hours in the evening.
“It’s time to go,” Raven spoke.
“Let’s do it,” Jack replied. He was in familiar territory, memories of military service, back in the world, came to him. The butterflies, adrenaline, clammy hands, dry mouth and pounding heart, some things never changed. He would be fine once out there, he reassured himself.
They crept through the dark streets. A fine drizzle saturated the air, rats scurried in the gutters amongst human detritus and rotting food. Jack was becoming used to the stench of humanity. He wondered if New Haven was as big as New York.
Raven grabbed his sleeve and crouched down. “City guard,” she hissed.
Jack could see nothing. He dropped to his knee and watched, waiting. No street lights, he mused, just stars above and slivers of light coming from cracks in window shutters. Then he saw them, ten men, fully armed, patrolling the street in formation. How did he not hear them? He looked at Raven in wonder, she was truly gifted. He wanted to take revenge on the Holy Mother for what she and her order had done to Raven.
The patrol passed and moved down the street. Raven waited. “They sometimes have a two man dog team bringing up the rear,” she explained.
Once Raven was happy, they continued on.
The rest of the journey to the city chambers was uneventful. Other prowlers were abroad but Raven and Jack were ignored and in turn Raven extended the same courtesy. The night was alive with intrigue and malice. Raven pressed her back against the city chambers’ wall, her hands flat against the stone. Part of the wall merged with the citadel’s structure.
“There’s a concealed door, to flank an enemy if ever the outer walls are breeched. It’s here somewhere.” She spent a few minutes feeling the masonry, then nodded. “Here, this is it.” Raven pressed a stone with her thumb, a small section of the wall opened up revealing a narrow passageway behind.
Jack was ready. He touched Raven’s shoulder. “It’s done, you go now. The rest is up to me. Safe home. I’ll be back when I can.”
Raven whispered as he squeezed past her. “Luck to you Jack Spence. Find my sister, bring her home is all I ask.” She turned and disappeared into the shadows.
Jack entered the passageway and pushed the hidden door shut, he heard a light click. He lit the candle Raven had given him and turned to examine the door. He found a handle, at least he would be able to leave by this route. He turned and made his way along the passage.
He reached another door, it was open. He saw arrow slits above and holes in the ceiling, no doubt for boiling oil or other incendiary form of death, if ever an enemy made it this far. He pushed the door and entered a peaceful looking courtyard. Soft lights flickered behind blue and red stained glass windows, he paused to get his bearings. Raven had said the way would be evident.
He saw figures patrolling the walls but the courtyard itself was empty. Jack chose his time and ran across the yard when the guards above had gone. He made it to the library doors and crouched in their shadow. Raven had told him that they were never locked as the Mage School needed access at all hours. Some spells could only be cast under starlight or moonlight; recourse to the Master Scrolls was sometimes needed at short notice.
Jack twisted the handle, the door opened soundlessly. He held his breath and looked within. A long aisle ran the length of the building leading to a distant platform. On either side of the aisle lay tables and tall shelves packed with scrolls and books. He saw no one, he stepped inside, closed the door and started moving.
Remembering his training, he scanned ahead and planned his moves. Stealthy and calm, his breathing controlled, he searched the library. Lanterns were lit, but his luck held, there was no one in the great room. Work was under way at one table; maps and scrolls stretched out, but the alcove was empty.
He reached the end of the aisle and faced the platform above. He looked back and seeing no one took the steps to the platform. He stood at its centre and looked around.
Sabine where are you girl? Come on, make it easy for me.
Jack tried to put himself in Sabine’s shoes. Something had gone wrong for her the night she had disappeared. He looked around again, up and then down at his feet. He saw a grate in the centre of the platform then looked away, scanning the rest of the floor. His eyes returned to the grate, something was not right. He crouched down and examined the flagstones.
He saw faint scratches on the slab to one side of the grate, then heard voices behind him, coming from the library’s entrance.
Chapter 15: The Promise
The Sworn priest’s head snapped up.
Death ran in his veins; he felt the red cloaks’ lives being taken; the shiver of the slain. He breathed in. Something new was out there, something they had not encountered before; a new enemy.
“What is it Brother Fenril? What have you seen?” Soren asked.
“Brother Soren, the red cloaks are dead, killed by an unknown enemy. The Blood Eagle is in the hands of this newcomer,” Fenril replied.
“Where has this happened?”
“To the west, near the Marekin borderlands.”
“That’s three days ride from here. We have no enemies to the west. Do you think it’s a ploy by Reglis? A diversion?”
“I don’t know Brother Soren. The vision’s gone cold. The red cloaks are no more.”
“How many were they?”
“Twenty strong.”
“Twenty of our best. They had the Blood Eagle. We had the Blood Eagle, the king’s rule will die on that blade. Now it’s lost. It must be found, we need that weapon for the attack on New Haven. The northern tribes will unite under that blade, they’ll join us, with our army of undead. We need their numbers, their bodies will help us scale the city walls. Our eastern brethren will attack with the new moon, we need to be ready.”
“I will send the hounds, the first seven have been perfected. They channel the dark work well, its taint runs through their veins. When they howl together, men’s hearts freeze. Our enemy won’t last another day, I promise you,” Fenril declared.
“It is done then. Release them and bring me the Blood Eagle without fail.”
“It is done Brother Soren.”
Fenril left the room. Soren looked at the fire, its heat cold on his skin. His back rippled underneath his robe, he needed to fly. He needed to take to the air again, soon, his wings were almost healed. Maybe, when he had the Blood Eagle, he would visit retribution on New Haven himself.
He could feel the darkness within swell with anticipation.
~
Levant walked away from the red cloak camp. Rain fell in sheets, he wore the commander’s cloak, which was more purple than red. He reflected on their weakness, their need for sleep. He had no need for sleep, he could concentrate on bringing defeat closer to the Sworn and their followers. It was going to happen, it had to happen.
His heart turned to his wife and daughters, a source of hope and solace, at least he knew they were alive and where they were.
Liriana, Kate and Eveline.
He quickly shut them out of his heart, that way lay weakness. He needed to be strong, single minded, ruthless.
He swung himself up on his horse, gathering the reins in one fluid motion. He would bring pain, his new blade would release those in thrall to the Sworn; he would scythe down their followers, like a field of wheat. He would free their spirits, they could be at peace.
A cruel smile broke out across Levant’s face. After some time he arrived back
at the road. The gibbet dangled forlornly from its post, a crow clung to its iron bars, busily pecking at the skin and hair left on the dead man’s skull.
Levant looked at the crow and laughed. “You’re doing the same job as me, carrion eater. Come, join me and we’ll harvest men’s scalps together.”
The crow stopped picking at the remains and turned its head to face Levant, rain glistening on its beak. Steam rose from the grey mare’s flanks. Levant felt a connection with the bird, they were united in their world of death and shadow. The crow let out a cry. It flapped its wings and launched itself from the gibbet into the air. It circled above Levant, then landed on his shoulder in a flurry.
Levant looked up at the sky, anger in every bone, and screamed at the sky. “Lead me to the killing, to my release, my end. Take me to the river of blood.”
He turned his horse and took the road north, the Blood Eagle across his back, resting against the deep purple of his cloak.
The crow’s feathers were also a rich purple black. Levant knew with certainty, if death was a colour, this would be its colour.
~
Fenril looked at the seven hounds in the pit below. They were magnificent, perfection, a new form of protection for the Sworn. Gone would be men with their petty agendas and dubious loyalties. These beasts would be the Sworn’s personal guard, they were loyal and would strike terror into all who gazed upon their order. He was proud to have been part of their creation. Long nights, dark alchemy mixed with necromancy had produced a work of genius. He sighed with pleasure as he threw the switch releasing the dogs from their cages.
“Go my beauties, go forth and seek, find him that threatens the brotherhood. Find him who carries the Blood Eagle. Tear his heart out, bring it to me. Go children, seek him.”
Seven sleek shapes shot out of their cages, up the ramp leading from the pit. They ran from the enclosure into the night, their howling, music to Fenril’s ears.
Tears of joy glistened on his cheeks.
Chapter 16: The Meeting
Sabine followed Forcan for what seemed like an age.
Forcan’s light dwindled and now only a weak flicker surrounded his gloved hands. He held the cave tyrant’s spirit gland in front of him like a talisman against the darkness. They moved on and upwards without hesitation.
She marvelled at the labyrinth’s complexity, she realised how lucky she had been to escape it the first time and here she was again, caught in its unforgiving depths. She heard a low rumble and realised it was her stomach, they had not eaten in hours, or was it days?
Forcan cut short her reverie, he stopped and swore. “Bastard gods! You’re going to do it, aren’t you? You are, I know it. Hell and damnation on all your temples! Bastards!”
“What’s wrong Forcan?” Sabine’s voice pierced the air just before complete darkness engulfed them.
“The spirit gland’s essence has expired, left us. We’re lost.”
Sabine could hear her heart. She held her hand in front of her face, she saw nothing; the darkness was absolute. Despair welled up inside her.
~
Jack understood.
He dropped to his knees, kneeling beside the grate. The scratches were recent. Could this be it? Sabine’s trail? The voices grew louder at the library door; laughter and shouting. Student mages on a late night venture to the library, he surmised. Well, he’d not be caught. He lifted the grate, pushing it to one side and lowered himself into the darkness, his feet finding the ladder’s rungs almost immediately. He disappeared down the hole, reached up and took the candle, then pulled the grate back into place.
The library door opened, five mages swept in, their long robes whispering across the flagstones. Their voices filled the air banishing the silence.
“It can be done, I know it can. For every shade of darkness there’s a shade of light. We can defeat them, I know it. Brothers, we must not give up.”
“I know Halvdan, but that’s the wine speaking, reality will return with daylight and you’ve had no sleep in four days.”
“No sleep? Sleep’s a barrier to breach, to the knowledge beyond, it takes you to a new door, a different door. Perhaps the answer lies behind the next door, around the next corner. No, sleep is for peacetime not wartime, war is upon us, it’s up to us to find the answer. We’ll not defeat this darkness with blades and men, we’ll defeat it with magic; light filled magic.”
Jack continued his descent, the voices above becoming dim. He passed into darkness.
~
Forcan hissed. “Something’s ahead.”
Sabine could smell the tang of sweat in the air, it wasn’t her or Forcan. She froze and whispered. “Let’s wait, maybe it’ll pass us by, whatever it is.”
Forcan crouched low, Sabine, her hand on his shoulder, followed his lead. They strained their ears and heard a scuffling sound ahead. They waited and their hearts sank, instead of the sound fading it became louder, it was approaching. Sabine readied her blades, she had no love for hand to hand fighting, she preferred to duck and dive, strike from the shadows and disappear. Here, there was nowhere to disappear to, caught as they were in the tunnel’s blind grip.
She closed her eyes and let her second sight take over. She sensed Forcan immediately ahead. Beyond that the tunnel stretched into the unknown. She reminded herself that Forcan and she were a formidable team, as the cave tyrant’s demise demonstrated. She said a silent prayer to Falinor and waited.
Soft light blossomed some distance ahead and became stronger. Her eyes tried to make sense of the illumination. The light bobbed up and down, its effect magnified by the darkness. The scuffling sounds filled the tunnel.
Without warning Forcan lurched forwards, the light went out. A string of words filled the air, words Sabine did not recognise. They were spoken with obvious surprise and anger. She wondered if they were magical words, she flung herself forwards in the tight space and collided with Forcan. He was grappling with an unseen enemy.
Sabine climbed over Forcan and his opponent, she felt a mass of writhing limbs and heard grunts in the darkness. She reached the other side of the fight and turned, her second sight focused. She saw Forcan’s aura, a greenish luminescence and their opponent’s, a reddish hue.
Time slowed for Sabine as it sometimes did when using her second sight. She reached in to the fight placing her blade against the enemy’s exposed neck. She pressed cruelly on the blade and spoke. “Yield or die, it’s your choice.”
Her foe’s body stiffened then went limp. She kept her guard up and heard Forcan’s laboured breathing in the dark.
“Nearly crushed my throat you bastard,” Forcan’s voice sounded weak, bruised. The sound of a muffled blow filled the passage as Forcan punched the inert form on the ground.
“Easy, Forcan. He’s yielded.” Sabine strengthened her grip on the man’s throat. “One wrong move and you’ll see the maker, do you understand?”
The form below her croaked assent.
“Forcan, let him go. I’ve got it. Are you alright?” Sabine said.
“Think the bastard’s broken my hand. Sabine can you feel my pack? I’ve lost it in the fight.”
At the mention of Sabine’s name the figure on the floor tensed.
“Raven sent me. Your sister,” the man managed to say.
Sabine heard his words, it took a moment for them to sink in. She lightened her grip on his throat. He coughed convulsively. She lessened the pressure a little. He gasped and took a gulp of air.
“What did you say?”
“Sabine, your sister Raven, she sent me to find you.”
“Raven sent you?” Sabine loosened her grip further.
“Yes, she told me about your raid on the library. She took me to the hidden door. She wants you home.”
“So… you know the way out of this place?”
“Yes, it’s about half an hour away. I’ve made marks on the walls, I had a candle.”
“What’s your name?”
“Jack, Jack Spence.”
<
br /> “Well Jack Spence let’s find your candle and get out of here, you’ll lead the way.” Sabine released him from the neck lock, he cleared his throat and coughed. She found his fallen candle and handed it to him.
“You’ve got a strong grip,” Jack said. He struggled up and rummaged in his pockets finding flint and steel. After a few attempts he managed to light the candle. Darkness retreated from its flickering flame. He held it up to Sabine’s face and gazed into her emerald eyes.
“Your eyes…” he said before he could stop himself.
“It’s the second sight, my eyes change in darkness. Come on, let’s go.”
“I’ll second that, there’s noise behind us. I think our presence has been noted. Something’s coming… come on, move!” Forcan’s voice was urgent, tense.
Jack turned without speaking and took the lead. He concentrated on the walls and found the last chalk mark. He continued and found his trail easily enough. There were intersections to negotiate but his marks led the way. They made progress and soon the sound of pursuit was left behind.
Jack heard Sabine following close behind. He could not get her eyes out of his mind. She had misunderstood him, it was not their green colour he had found disturbing.
Sabine’s eyes reminded him of his wife, Claire.
He knew it was impossible, he had not even kept any pictures of Claire or the boys. It had seemed pointless, they were gone, dead.
He cursed under his breath, admonishing himself for opening the wound again, he was surprised at how raw it felt, after all this time it lay just below the surface. He forced himself to concentrate, to find the next chalk mark; there were no more. He stopped, puzzled for a moment then realised; they had arrived at the shaft leading back up to the library.
“We’re here, there’s…”
“A ladder, I know,” Sabine countered. “Go on, you first.”
“I’ll need to extinguish the candle, use both hands. Also there were voices in the library when I came down here. I’ll need to check at the grate to see if it’s all clear.”
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