The mansion opened onto a broad hall, which was joined by another short corridor that led into a dining hall and a staircase. Kodyn caught a glimpse of a blue dress disappearing through the arched doorway at the top of the stairs and smiled as he followed the Steward to the second floor. Ornate tapestries and bright paintings hung on the walls, and three corridors led to additional rooms on the western, eastern, and southern wings of the mansion.
But Nessa led them up the stairs to the third floor. No, not the third floor, but a rooftop, Kodyn saw. A rooftop garden.
He followed Nessa along the marble walkway that led through the garden, marveling at the green life around him. He recognized perhaps three or four of the plants—a creeping ivy here, a fern there. The rest he’d never seen in his life. Flowers with petals of bright purple or flaming orange. Bushes laden with berries of a blue as light as the sky or fruits of a brilliant yellow. Trees that drooped like weeping willows, yet held the soft pink petals of a Voramian Snowblossom. Such exotic flora that shouldn’t exist on the third floor of a stone-carved mansion, yet there was no denying the view before him.
In the heart of the garden stood a stone gazebo with a gently-curving domed roof. There, a happy sight greeted Kodyn. An older man clad in the simple brown skirt of a Secret Keeper had his arms wrapped around Briana, an enormous smile on his face and tears of joy streaming down his cheeks. Briana held him tight, face buried in his chest.
When they broke off the embrace, the Secret Keeper’s hands flashed in those strange, silent hand signs far too fast for Kodyn to understand. Briana’s fingers flew as well, and Kodyn recognized the sequence of gestures that spelled out his name, Aisha’s, and the city of Praamis. The Arch-Guardian’s face hardened as Briana continued what Kodyn assumed was the story of her captivity at the hands of the death-worshipping Gatherers. He’d spent the last eight days of their journey learning the sign language, enough to communicate clearly, even some of the more complex concepts and words. Yet there was no way he could keep up with the intricate dance of flashing hands and silent signs.
Kodyn and Aisha waited in silence as long minutes passed in this unusual communication. Finally, Arch-Guardian Suroth turned to face him for the first time. He had the same oval face, almond-colored eyes, and thick nose as Briana, though his jaw was more pronounced, the edges of his cheekbones and nasal bridge sharpened by his dark eyeliner and six black dots. To Kodyn’s surprise, the Secret Keeper’s bare chest rippled as he moved and his shoulders were broad, his abdomen free of paunch. Thick bands of muscle corded his forearms and his hands bore calluses rather than ink stains.
“Thank you,” the Arch-Guardian’s strong fingers said, albeit at a far slower pace than his conversation with Briana, “both of you, for bringing my Briana home to me.” His right arm went around his daughter’s shoulder and pulled her tight against him once more. “When I first found her missing, I thought—”
“Hush, Father.” Briana laid her head against her father’s chest. “I am home now. That is all that matters.”
“I wish it were so.” The Arch-Guardian’s face grew somber. “I fear your return may only make things worse.”
Chapter Seventeen
The Arch-Guardian’s statement caught Aisha by surprise. “Worse?”
Suroth exchanged a glance with Briana.
“They know everything, Father,” the girl’s fingers said. “They can be trusted.”
After a moment, the priest let out a slow breath. “A lifetime’s habit of keeping secrets is not easy to break.” His lips quirked into a wry grin and he tweaked Briana’s cheek affectionately. “A habit my daughter has not yet mastered.”
Briana swatted at her father’s hand. “Stop that!” she said aloud.
Arch-Guardian Suroth smiled, but his expression quickly sobered. “So Briana has told you of the reason she was taken?”
Kodyn nodded. “The priest, Necroset Kytos, took her so they could have leverage on you.”
“That is half-correct.” Suroth frowned. “Kytos was a member of the Necroseti, a priest of the Long Keeper. Until he was Purged six months ago.”
“Purged?” Kodyn cocked his head. “You mean they kicked him out of the priesthood? What for?”
“My sources among the Necroseti have remained silent on that,” the priest replied in the silent hand language. “But it is whispered that he had joined the Gatherers in their strange worship.”
“He was the leader of the Gatherers in Praamis,” Aisha confirmed.
Suroth’s expression darkened. “If those rumors are true, then our situation is dire, indeed.” He pursed his lips. “When Briana was first taken, I received a message saying that if I did not follow the instructions I was given, she would die. Though it bore no name, I knew it had come from within the Necroseti. As I waited for the next message and the instructions of what they wanted from me, I set my contacts within the Keeper’s priesthood to find out what had happened. No one in the priesthood seemed to know, and when no instructions followed, I feared the worst.” He squeezed Briana’s shoulder with a strong hand, as if confirming that she really was standing beside him.
“But if Briana was taken by the Gatherers, it would explain the silence.” His expression grew grim. “The Necroseti had her abducted to use against me, but somehow she fell into the hands of Kytos and his cultists.”
“Which could be why he came to Praamis.” Kodyn exchanged a glance with Aisha.
The same thought had just occurred to her. “If the Gatherers stole her from the priests, they’d want to get her far enough away that they couldn’t just snatch her back.”
Briana’s face had gone pale. Aisha felt a momentary stab of pity for the girl. Briana’s captivity hadn’t been kind, and though the girl had recovered some, it would take far longer than a few weeks for her to recover. Aisha herself still struggled to deal with the aftermath of her own enslavement by the Bloody Hand. She’d spent much of it in a mind-numbed fog induced by Bonedust, a powerful narcotic, so she remembered little of the ordeal. Yet those few memories she retained were vivid enough to wake her up at night. The physical scars might have healed, but emotional and mental scars took longer.
“But now that she has returned,” Suroth continued, “the Necroseti will learn of her presence. They have eyes and ears everywhere in this city. Even in my own household.” He turned a sorrowful gaze on Briana. “I believe Eldesse aided in your abduction.”
“E-Eldesse?” Briana’s face went white.
Suroth nodded. “She, along with two others, is still missing. Four more have been found dead.”
Briana clapped a hand to her mouth. “But she-she wasn’t just my maidservant. She was my friend!” Tears filled her eyes. “Since I was a little girl…”
“Which made the betrayal all the more surprising.” Suroth pulled Briana close. “Yet, the fact that she disappeared the same night you were taken proves beyond a doubt that she was a pawn of the Keeper’s Priests. And not the only one, I am certain.”
“So you’re worried that these Necroseti priests are going to try to take Briana again?” Kodyn asked.
“I would not put it past them.” Suroth’s lip curled into a disgusted grimace. “They have done far worse to others of the Dhukari, though this is the first time that I know they have moved against a member of the Keeper’s Council. I am the only member not of the Necroseti, and I am outside their control. I have no doubt they would use my only child against me, even though I have convinced the world that she is only my adoptive daughter.”
Aisha’s brow furrowed. She’d noticed when Nessa emphasized the word “adopted” upon their arrival. “Why the ruse?” she asked. “Why is it important that she is not your child by blood?” By Kodyn’s curious expression, she could tell he’d been wondering the same.
“Secret Keepers are not permitted to bear children.” The Arch-Guardian shook his head. “The Temple of Whispers can guard the secret of her heritage, but if it became known around Shalandra that Briana was my daughter
by birth, it would eventually leak out to the other cities and the other Secret Keepers around Einan. My friends here in Shalandra might be able to overlook it, but the rest of my order would see it as a violation of our sacred oath to the Mistress.” His expression grew solemn. “Which, truth be told, it is. Yet, even though it took my beloved wife from me, I have never once regretted my decision.”
He pulled Briana tight and held her for a long moment. When he broke off the embrace, moisture filled his eyes. Aisha pretended not to notice as he wiped his cheeks.
“For the sake of my daughter, I must not be her father by blood,” Suroth signed. “Yet that will not stop the Keeper’s priests from trying to use her against me. If they have inserted more spies into my household, they will receive word of Briana’s return before the day is out. I fear they will come for her again.”
“Don’t you have guards?” Kodyn asked. “People you can trust to protect her?”
“Until Eldesse, I would have said yes.” Suroth’s face grew grim. “Yet Eldesse’s husband, one of the highest-ranking members of my household guard, also played accomplice in Briana’s abduction. I can trust Nessa and a few select staff, as well as Rothin, the head of my guard. As for the others…” He shook his head. “I have tried my best to inspire loyalty in the Intaji, Zadii, Kabili, and Earaqi that serve me, but the Necroseti’s coffers are far deeper than my own.”
The answer struck Aisha like a bolt of lightning to the forehead. “We’ll protect her.”
Kodyn turned to her, his expression curious. Suroth and Briana’s eyes widened—the expressions accented the startling similarities in their features.
“You?” Suroth signed.
“Yes, us.” Aisha gestured to her assegai, strapped to her back, and the sword hanging at Kodyn’s hip. “We’re more than capable of protecting her if it comes to a fight.” She met the Secret Keeper’s gaze steadily. “And, most important of all, you can be damned certain that we’re not Necroseti spies. Which is a lot more than you can say for most of the people around you.”
“You are clearly not Shalandrans.” Suroth frowned. “You, perhaps, could pass for one of us, with the right clothing. As for him.” He gestured to Kodyn. “He will stand out like a behemoth in a poppy field.”
“Is that a problem?” Aisha couldn’t help grinning at the comparison. “Is it so uncommon for Shalandrans to hire outside protection?”
“Uncommon, yes.” Suroth nodded. “Unheard of, no. He will draw plenty of attention, that much is certain.”
“Aisha, can I talk to you for a moment?” Kodyn asked, a pointed look in his eyes.
Aisha followed him a short distance into the garden, away from the gazebo and out of earshot of Arch-Guardian Suroth and Briana, who had begun an animated conversation of dancing fingers.
“We’re here for a very specific reason,” Kodyn told her. “I’m here for the crown, and you’re here for…” He trailed off. Evidently Ria hadn’t told him her true purpose for coming. “Then there’s the matter of the Gatherers. I promised my mother we’d make sure they don’t come back. It’s going to be hard to do all of that if we’re playing bodyguard day and night.”
“We can do that. All of it.” Aisha told him. “And keep Briana safe at the same time.”
Kodyn snorted. “Seems a tall order!”
Aisha cocked an eyebrow. “Not up for the challenge?”
Kodyn glared. “It’s not that. It’s—”
“Listen, you’ve got almost a year to complete your Undertaking,” Aisha insisted. “More than enough time, even for such a tall order as sneaking into the palace and stealing the Crown of the Pharus.”
Kodyn’s eyes darted around, nervous that someone would overhear them.
“But you know as well as I that the Arch-Guardian is the best one to get you in the right place to get your hands on that crown.” Aisha fixed him with a meaningful glance. “And I’d say there are few people better-suited to helping us dig up the secrets of the Gatherers than a Secret Keeper. You heard him talk about his ‘contacts within the Keeper’s priesthood’. He’s one of the most powerful people in the city, and we’ve got the perfect way to get in his good graces. This is the best way to get what we came here for!”
Kodyn’s expression grew pensive. She recognized the stubbornness in his eyes—she’d seen its match during her few encounters with Ilanna, Kodyn’s mother and Master of the Night Guild. Yet, as Ria had always emphasized, even the most stubborn person—mother and son—could be convinced to see reason with the right approach.
After a long moment, Kodyn nodded. “You’re right. It is our best play.”
“We can make it work,” Aisha told him. “We always knew Briana was our way into the palace. Now, with her father on our side, you’ve got a real shot of actually pulling off the crown job.”
“The way you say it almost makes it sound like you doubted me.” A shred of hurt seeped into Kodyn’s voice and eyes.
“There’s a difference between doubt and common sense.” Aisha grinned, but Kodyn didn’t return the smile. “I’ve known you long enough to know that once you set your mind to something, you’ll do it. But figuring out how to do it is the tricky part, the part that a lot of people don’t get right. Now, with the Arch-Guardian’s help, we’re closer to sorting out the how than we were when we left Praamis.”
Her words seemed to mollify Kodyn, and his frown faded. “So be it. Looks like we’re going to play bodyguard.”
Together, they strode back to where Arch-Guardian Suroth and Briana stood.
“We’ll do it,” Aisha said. “We’ll keep your daughter safe.”
Suroth’s expression darkened to a grim, glowering anger as his fingers signed, “And why in the Mistress’ holy name should I trust you, two thieves, that have come here to steal the Crown of the Pharus?”
Chapter Eighteen
“This is bloody insane!”
Issa couldn’t argue with the trainee’s assessment. These odds are damned impossible! She and her ten Indomitables-in-training faced nearly five times their number across the training yard. Another of Tannard’s little “lessons”.
Her first week as a prototopoi had been a blur of beatings, torments, and humiliations under the Invictus’ stern gaze. The Igogi, the rigorous training regimen that turned raw recruits into disciplined Keeper’s Blades, had been made even more challenging by Tannard’s determination to break her body and spirit.
The Invictus awoke her a full hour before the other trainers roused Kellas and Etai from slumber. By the time they emerged into the training yard, Issa had already been running in full gear for an hour. The clanking of their armor as they ran laps distracted her from her meditation, making the brutally challenging task of standing one-legged on a wooden fence post all but impossible.
Breakfast was the closest she came to a moment’s peace, but a moment was all she had. Tannard gave her less than five minutes to devour her meal before sending her off to her lectures with Invictus Dyrkton, one of the Elders of the Blades. There, she had an hour to absorb as much of the history of Shalandra and the Keeper’s Blades as possible—the punishment for failing the Invictus’ test ranged from beatings to another half-hour run in full gear.
Combat practice and battle training occupied the rest of her morning. Inevitably, Issa found herself at a disadvantage, often facing two or three times the number of opponents, sometimes with inferior weaponry and handicaps imposed on her by Tannard.
The meager lunch of rough-ground grain flatbread and watery soup barely quenched her hunger and failed to give her the energy required to muscle through the intense hour of strength training that followed. By the time she got through her afternoon lessons of statecraft, survival skills, herbology, or ethics—all vital for a Keeper’s Blade, according to Invictus Tannard—her stomach would be in knots and she’d barely manage to choke down another meal of hard bread and soup, this time accompanied by a single strip of salted meat.
Dinner gave way to sparring sessions. S
he faced her enemies empty-handed, with daggers to their two-handed swords, or, on those rare occasions when Tannard allowed her the use of her flammard, pitted against two or three Archateros under strict orders to show her no mercy. By the time the sun set, she was too tired to do more than collapse into bed. She’d be roused less than half an hour later for the evening task of stealing treats, food, and trinkets hidden in the rooms of the older, more experienced Blades. Failure, as ever, was rewarded with a beating.
Yet the sort of beating she’d take today would far exceed her usual punishment. Worse, the ten Indomitable trainees would suffer with her.
“The object is simple,” Invictus Tannard rumbled. He thrust a finger toward a bright blue pendant that hung at the far end of the training yard. “The trumpet rings the moment you claim the flag. That sound means victory is yours. Fight until you hear it or you can fight no longer.”
Issa stifled a snort. Easier said than done. Four battle lines—six wide and two deep—stood between her company and their objective. The enemy wore heavy Indomitable armor while those with Issa wore only padded jerkins. She and her Indomitables—six young women, with four men barely into their mid-teens—carried wooden batons and shields but faced steel swords.
“A Keeper’s Blade must always be prepared to face the impossible.” The Invictus’ voice was hard, cold. “A servant of death should know no fear, even against insurmountable odds. If the Long Keeper has marked you, the largest army on Einan will not stop you from dying. Until that day, you are invincible.”
Issa had one consolation: the steel swords had no edges. She and her company of trainees wouldn’t be hacked to pieces by sharp blades. Death by bludgeoning was still very much a potential outcome.
Eleven of us against forty-eight of them, Issa thought. How in the Keeper’s name are we going to do this?
Heirs of Destiny Box Set Page 16