Valverna

by A Clarkson

  Brian growled and swung. Skipping back a step, Ira continued taunting him.

  “I’m sure they promised you wealth and power, but you are a loose end Brian. The final string that needs to be tied up into a neat little bow.”

  Ira blocked another attack, spinning away to absorb the impact of his blows.

  “You are just as worthless to them as you are to the rest of the world. You are nobody without that lab in Caldessa, and you threw that away. I knew that the moment this was over, you would be put down like the mangy mongrel that you are.”

  Infuriated by her words, Brian attacked with such ferocity Ira was knocked to the ground, her knee unable to bear the weight of such intense pressure.

  With her pinned to the ground, Brian swung back for a second attack aimed for her head. Ira blocked it at the last second, their swords snapping together only inches from her nose.

  His sword locked with hers, Ira reared back and slammed her head into Brian’s face. The cartilage in his nose snapped with a satisfying crunch and Brian groaned as he eased off slightly.

  It was enough.

  Knowing that the moment she released her hand Brian would double down with his sword, Ira moved as quickly as possible. With all the strength she could muster she pushed up with her sword with both hands. In the few inches of space she made she released one of her hands to snatch up the dagger strapped to her waist. Just as he began to bear down onto Ira with renewed force she turned the blade upward and plunged it deep within Brian’s gut.

  “That’s for Bill,” she gritted out through clenched teeth, her injured shoulder burning under the pressure of keeping him held at bay with only one arm.

  The shock in his face was worth the pain.

  Brian’s mouth rounded in an expression of surprise and his weight eased slightly as his body recoiled at the feeling of the blade in his belly. Taking advantage of his shock, Ira brought her feet up and shoved him stumbling backwards.

  She needed to keep moving. He still held his blade, and one slice from that was all he needed to finish her.

  Leaping forward, Ira chased Brian’s retreating form, keeping her body close to his in an effort to restrict his movement. As hard as she could, she brought the pummel of her sword down onto his shoulder, exactly where her arrow pierced him only yesterday.

  The sharp jolt of pain on the existing wound was enough to force Brian’s hand to release his sword.

  Ira smiled viciously as it clattered to the ground.

  Disarmed, Brian tried to retreat with one hand held over his belly in an effort to keep his guts from spilling out.

  Suddenly filled with energy, Ira rose to her feet, and collected his sword as she advanced.

  “Tell me Brian,” she said looking at the poisoned blade in her hands, “Have you experienced the horror that you inflicted on so many others? Have you felt what it is to be held imobile in your own body, frozen and powerless as another torments you?”

  “You c-can’t kill me!” he pleaded. “You need me! I can tell you who hired me!”

  Ira looked at him scornfully. “You know Magnus wanted to keep you alive for that very reason. But you screwed that up by keeping him distracted. So now you’re left to me.”

  “And to be honest,” she advanced another step, “I don’t give a damn about what you can tell me. You are the one who carved up the only two people in the world who I have ever loved. The only parents I have ever known.”

  She moved right before him, “I’m more than happy to go looking for your employer without your help.” Holding the point of Brian’s poisoned blade right to his chest, Ira leaned in close and whispered, “And I’ll do so very satisfied with the knowledge that you are already dead.”

  Leaning back, she buried the sword straight through his heart.

  Perhaps it was too merciful of a death for the one who took so much from her. But Ira was not interested in watching this man slowly fade away, frozen by his own weapon. She wanted him gone.

  Standing, Ira withdrew the two weapons buried into his lifeless body. She wiped her dagger lightly, cleaning it of his blood, before returning it to her waist. The poisoned blade she wrapped in a cloth she brought for that purpose and tucked it under a rybrum bush, kicking dirt to cover it. She needed to keep it out of the way for now, but wanted to ensure that once this was over that blade was thoroughly destroyed and could not be used by another.

  Ira could still hear fighting in the rybrum around the clearing, and knew by the noise that Brian’s employer had sent a substantial force. Magnus’ men would be outnumbered.

  Darting through the rybrum Ira moved toward the sounds of clashing blades and grunts of pain.

  She was right. Magnus’ men were outnumbered at least three to one. Ira watched in amazement as the men moved between the numerous opponents facing them, dodging and parrying blows, in moves so fluid they could have been dancing.

  As Ira watched as Magnus and his men seemed to effortlessly combat their attackers, their superior skill was evident.

  A flash of movement caught Ira’s gaze and she turned to see the slight shine of an arrow tip reflecting in the sunlight above. In horror, she saw that the arrow was aimed right at Magnus’ exposed back, where he fought against three other attackers.

  Knowing a warning would only succeed in distracting him from his fight, Ira quickly pulled out one of her throwing knives and let it fly, just as the archer released his arrow. Her aim was true, and Ira saw the rybrum leaves shudder as the shadow of a man fell to the ground, his bow dropping beside him.

  She had moved quickly, but not quickly enough.

  The arrow hit Magnus square in the back, the force of the blow jolting him forward to his knees straight into the path of his advancing attackers. Rushing into the fight, Ira threw another two knives at the man preparing to take a killing blow to Magnus. Without waiting to watch him fall, Ira raised her sword and brought it toward another of the attackers.

  Ira’s body screamed in protest, but the sight of Magnus with an arrow protruding from his back continued to spur her on.

  Finally dispatching her opponent Ira turned to face the final of the three, only to see that he had already been killed by Rhys, who now stood over Magnus, a bandage pushed into his bleeding wound.

  Rushing over, Ira knelt on the blood stained ground before him, and placed her palm onto his face.

  “Magnus! Magnus!” she called, watching anxiously as Rhys frantically tried to slow his General’s bleeding.

  Magnus’ eyelids fluttered slightly as he opened his eyes to squint at Ira’s nervous face.

  “Magnus, you need to stay with me. Stay awake!” she pleaded, her heart racing a million miles a minute.

  Tiredly, Magnus raised a hand to place it gently over hers where it still rested on his cheek. “I’m glad you’re ok,” he whispered softly, reminding Ira of when he had spoken those words to her after the ambush in the Blue Desert.

  Tears rose unbidden to Ira’s eyes, and she tried desperately to blink them back. “Magnus please”, she said desperately, “Please stay awake. You can’t leave me! You can’t!”

  He closed his eyes again and smiled softly, leaning into her palm.

  “No Magnus! You can’t do this! I want to know you, Magnus! I don’t just want to be with anyone, I want to be with you!” A sob escaped as Ira lost the battle with her tears. “You can’t leave me alone. Not now. You just can’t!”

  Ira was so focused on Magnus that it was only the sudden commotion around her that alerted her of Adrian’s arrival.

  Looking up, Ira spotted the young boy, “Can you take him?” she asked frantically. “Can you take him to a hospital? The way you move, can you take him with you?”

  Adrian looked at Magnus with a terrified expression. She wondered if he had ever seen what death looked like before. Needing to snap him out of his shock, Ira barked, “Prince Adrian!”

  The boy looked up at her in alarm.

  “I need to know. Can you carry another person with you w
hen you teleport?”

  “Uh - ” he shook his head slightly and Ira’s heart began to sink, until he said, “I - uh - I don’t know. I’ve only ever taken things with me, books and such. I’ve never tried carrying another person.”

  Looking back at Magnus, Ira realised they had no other choice. He was losing too much blood, and they were deep in the rybrum fields, miles from help.

  As though understanding her unasked question, Magnus opened his eyes slightly again to meet hers, before giving the tiniest of nods.

  Determination washed through her and she returned his nod with a firm one of her own.

  Leaning forward, Ira placed a desperate kiss onto Magnus’ lips, trying to push all of her hopes and dreams, and even her fears into that one kiss. She felt Magnus lean into her, but could see his strength fading with every passing moment. They didn’t have much time.

  Ira turned back to Adrian, and with as much confidence as she could muster said, “I need you to try.”

  Chapter 26

  The Wait

  Watching Magnus disappear with Adrian had been one of the hardest moments of Ira’s life.

  She spent so many years isolating herself, trying to pull away from everyone in her efforts to distance herself from this toxic city. Her time with Magnus showed her that she longed for companionship. Bill taught her to survive on her own, but she realized now that didn’t mean she had to be alone. Bill always had Clarisse at his side, knowing she was there for him no matter what. Who did Ira have?

  Maybe she was foolish to think that Magnus could be that person. They barely kissed. And yet, he told her that he cared. Hadn’t he? Ira didn’t know what it was between them, but she was terrified of losing it.

  Adrian had awkwardly explained that everything he teleported with him in the past had been in his arms. So Rhys and Ira quickly strapped Magnus to the young boy’s front and instructed Adrian to clasp the General around his waist as best he could before they disappeared into thin air.

  They waited impatiently for Adrian to return.

  Had he made it? Had they made it? They both disappeared. But what did that really mean? Had Adrian successfully transported Magnus to safety?

  Where would he have taken an injured man? To his rooms at the palace in Sarcosia? To a hospital? Somewhere else?

  Ira was going mad with worry, and when Adrian didn’t come back with an update after an hour, they decided they needed to leave. Ira reasoned that the boy would be able to find her when he was ready.

  The cleanup in the field took another few hours, and Ira spent the whole time jumping at every rybrum leaf that fluttered in the wind, convinced it was Adrian back with news of Magnus’ condition.

  She helped Rhys and the others lay the various bodies out as they searched and identified each one as best they could. There were fifteen assailants for the five men Magnus brought, including himself. It hadn’t been enough, Ira thought sadly.

  The memory of Magnus’ wound reminded Ira of the archer who had fallen while still under the cover of the rybrum. Reaching his body, Ira was horrified to see that she knew this man. It was Lucien, the young guard who taught Ira and Bill to throw knives all those years ago.

  The irony wasn’t lost on Ira that Lucien had been slain by one of the very knives he taught her to use.

  She couldn’t understand why he was here. Was he trying to help Magnus’ men?

  No, she thought, he shot Magnus in the back, like a coward. It was no accident. Lucien was famous for his eagle eye. Ira imagined the only reason he moved as close was simply because the rybrum in this part of the field was too dense to get a decent aim on anything further away.

  Ira knew Lucien was still employed by the Valvernan Royal Family as a Citadel guard. Did this mean that someone in the royal family was Brian’s backer?

  It was too much to deal with on her own. She needed Magnus’ to talk it through with her. She needed him to get better. She couldn’t even consider the alternative.

  After stripping the bodies, they were dragged to a nearby bog that was a favourite breeding ground for slugs. Ira wondered how many bodies had been thrown in there over the years. Had the slugs developed a taste for human meat yet?

  Returning to fetch Brian’s body, Ira saw that two giant male slugs who had been attracted by the commotion had moved in on it, and were beginning to feast on his flesh. Well, she supposed there was her answer.

  She was pleased to see the poisoned blade hadn’t moved. Remembering the vial in her pocket she quickly checked to make sure it was undamaged, and cursed at her own selfishness for forgetting about the two poor souls waiting back at the barge, fighting for their lives.

  Hurriedly, now that she had a renewed sense of urgency, Ira elbowed her way between the two slimy monoliths to retrieve the brooch from Brian’s inner pocket.

  Ira never had any intention of giving Brian her necklace, having left it in the safety of the barge. Brian was looking for the brooch anyway, and Ira was confident that if she failed, she would be comforted by knowing that he didn’t have the research.

  When she reached the barge Ira rushed inside, both hoping and dreading that Adrian brought Magnus here. It was a selfish hope. She knew bringing him here would not have improved his chances much more than leaving him in the field. Lee was well skilled, but Magnus lost too much blood. He needed a transfusion or he wouldn’t make it. Nonetheless, a part of her hoped that she would rush in and find him sitting at his desk grumbling over Lee’s ministrations.

  He wasn’t here. She tried not to feel the disappointed pang in her stomach, reminding herself that was a good sign.

  Handing the antidote to Lee she watched as he administered the concoction to both patients, silently praying that it would work, and Magnus’ injury hadn’t been for nothing.

  It worked faster than expected, and a wave of relief passed through Ira as William’s eyes fluttered open - only for the child to burst into shuddering sobs.

  It turned out William hadn’t gone to find Magnus. A woman had been to see William while Ira was speaking with Batty Breckinridge and instructed the young boy to make sure that Ira came out into the stables alone. She gave William two gold pieces and told him that when the messenger came in for the General, all he had to do was make sure Ira moved into the courtyard by herself.

  The plan was fine until Ira asked William for help, telling him someone was injured. The young boy wanted to keep his gold pieces, but also felt guilty. He decided to sneak out to offer help himself, rather than getting the General. In his mind he didn’t break his promise. Ira came out into the courtyard alone. William simply snuck out shortly after her.

  It took Ira hours to comfort the poor kid, holding him until he finally fell asleep, body exhausted and drained from all of his tears.

  She decided not to move after William eventually gave way to unconsciousness, his skinny frame cuddled up to her.

  She was tired in so many ways. Physically tired. Emotionally tired. Ira didn’t know if she had ever felt this kind of bone deep fatigue.

  Perhaps it was the sleeping child, or perhaps her own exhaustion finally won out, but after hours of waiting for news from Adrian, Ira finally fell asleep.

  ***

  Something persistently bumping the side of her head woke her after what felt like minutes, but by the dark night visible through the windows had likely been hours.

  With bleary eyes, Ira tried to make sense of the scene before her.

  Chelsea stood in front of her, a stern expression on her face that Ira hadn’t seen before. But more surprising was what she held in her hands.

  “Is that a gun?” Ira asked, unable to hide the awe in her voice.

  Nobody had guns. Bullets were too rare for anyone to bother. The sight of the weapon in Chelsea’s hands was so foreign that it took Ira a moment to fully recognise the threat.

  “Everything has gone a bit tits up I’m afraid,” Chelsea said with lips pursed in irritation. “But since you are here and Brian missed his check in, I’m
going to assume that you did us all a favour and rid the world of that lunatic.”

  Ira tried not to move while Chelsea spoke, keeping her breathing as even as possible even while her heart raced a million miles per minute. From William’s steady breathing Ira believed he was still sleeping peacefully, and she couldn’t risk him waking up. Chelsea may not see the young boy as a witness if he slept through the whole thing. Ira didn’t know how loud guns were, she had never heard one fired before, but at this point she didn’t think she had any other options.

  “Thank you for that by the way, that’s one less thing for me to clean up,” Chelsea added as if an afterthought. “But unfortunately for you, that means that you must still have the stone. You already know how this ends for you. But if you give me the stone, it doesn’t have to end that way for him,” she added with a gesture toward William with the butt of the gun, making Ira’s heart stutter.

  “Why did you do this?” Ira asked in confusion. “Why would you want to suppress the research in Caldessa? Isn’t it exactly the solution you wanted?”

  “Hardly!” Chelsea said with a bitter laugh. “This was John’s golden solution. He was the one who wanted to solve the world’s energy crisis, and wanted everyone on equal footing. He was so naive.”

  “But that is exactly what you were fighting for!”

  “No, Ira. I wanted the chance to be like them. I wanted a slice of the pie for me! Not for everyone else,” she seethed. “I wanted the chance to turn my parent’s gold into something more, something better. Have you not heard the stirring in the world? The planet has changed, and you will either change with it or be left behind. I wanted to be powerful. I am sick of being a follower, I want to lead!"

  Ira recalled hearing Brian say similar words and wondered who said them first. Perhaps it was neither Chelsea nor Brian. Maybe both were corrupted by the words of another.

  "And I got it,” Chelsea said with a satisfied smile. “Didn’t you wonder why I gave up the fight for the rybrum so quickly? Bad PR wasn’t enough to put me off my goal. Oh no, I was far too committed for that. The Guild got me to shut up by giving me exactly what I wanted, a piece of the fields."