“Of course, Proxenos.” Issa straightened, a hint of a smile on her lips.
Lady Callista strode down the passage that led south, away from the vault. Issa followed her commander, Evren hot on their heels. Aisha glanced down the western corridor and saw a broad archway that led into a dark passage lined with black stone statues. At the end of the corridor, two hard-eyed Keeper’s Blades stood silent vigil in front of another stone wall as black as onyx.
But as she turned to follow Lady Callista, she found Kodyn hadn’t moved. He stared at the blank wall, his brow furrowed in thought. The fingers of his right hand toyed with something in the inner pocket of his coat.
“Kodyn?” Aisha asked.
The sound of his name snapped him from his study, though the contemplative look never left his eyes.
Something about his expression set her curiosity burning. “What is it?” her fingers asked in the Secret Keeper hand language.
For answer, Kodyn drew out a green gemstone. Aisha’s eyes flew wide as she recognized the lamp stone the Secret Keepers had used to reveal the hidden entrance to the Heartspring. He’d taken it from Desenne when he opened the entrance to enter the palace and had evidently pocketed it. With a furtive glance all around, he lifted the dull-glowing stone to the door.
Runes flared to life all along the length of the wall. The beautiful circular mandala glowed brilliant emerald, those strange swirling lines of magic. In the center, the golden sandstone darkened to a black as deep as onyx.
The moment the vault door lit up, Aisha felt a strange tugging on her neck. No, not her neck—the silver chain from which hung the Serenii stone pendant.
A single spark of blue-white light shone amidst the black stone of the pendant, the life of a Mahjuri child that had succumbed to the Azure Rot. Aisha felt the spirit’s burning desire to be reunited with her parents in Pharadesi, yet mingled with hesitance, a fear of what lay beyond.
Yet now, the spark responded to something deep within the illuminated door. A tiny wisp shot out of the stone and leapt toward the black stone in the heart of the glowing mandala.
For a moment, the green light emanating from the runes changed to a bright blue as the door absorbed the spirit. Aisha held her breath in expectation, yet nothing happened. It lasted only a heartbeat, as if the power was insufficient to fully trigger whatever transformation had occurred.
Yet there was no mistake: something had happened.
She pulled Kodyn’s outstretched hand away from the door and the light slowly dimmed.
Kodyn turned to her, face etched with excitement. “You saw that, right?”
Aisha nodded. “The stone in the center,” she hissed. “It’s like my pendant. It absorbed the spirits of the dead.”
His eyes flew wide.
“I think…” Aisha hesitated. “I think I might be able to open the vault!”
Chapter Forty-One
Evren caught the subtle exchange of hand signals between Kodyn and Aisha in front of the Vault of Ancients. He didn’t know what they were saying, but the furtiveness of their conversation and the wary glances they shot around made their intentions plain. They had uncovered some new secret.
He’d cover for them as they investigated.
He quickened his pace to stride between the two Blades. “Issa, what more do you know about these militants, the ones calling themselves Hallar’s Warriors?”
A frown darkened Issa’s face. “Those weren’t Hallar’s Warriors. That was the Ybrazhe—”
“I know.” Evren gave a dismissive wave. “But that was just the one group we found. Hallar’s Warriors are still very real.” He recounted his first time hearing the name—the night Annat and his Syndicate thugs had mentioned it while torturing one of Killian’s Mumblers. “After all my run-ins with the Syndicate, I’m pretty damned sure I can spot those bastards anywhere. And the people I saw in the tunnels definitely weren’t Ybrazhe.”
He hadn’t missed the way Issa’s face tightened at the mention of the Mumblers. He’d wanted to press Issa about her connection to Killian and his crew, but the fight for survival had gotten in the way.
Lady Callista frowned. “I’ve heard little more than rumors and whispers of Hallar’s Warriors.” She stopped and turned to look at Issa. “What do you know?”
“Other than what I told you before on the Defender’s Tier, nothing.” Issa gave a helpless shrug. “I just had the one run-in with them, and never again since.”
“So you don’t know what this ‘glorious new future’ is that they’re talking about?” Evren’s voice held a generous helping of scorn.
Issa shot him a scowl. “No.”
Evren shrugged. “So be it. But one thing’s pretty clear to me. Their goal isn’t the same as the Ybrazhe or the Gatherers. They want to overthrow all the established order—maybe even take down the Keeper’s Council, along with the Pharus and you, Lady Callista.”
Lady Callista snorted. “While I’d love nothing more than to see that spineless Pharus and the bloated scum on the Keeper’s Council eliminated, that wouldn’t solve anything. When people speak of the days of Hallar, they’re talking about an era of unparalleled bloodshed and chaos.”
Evren cocked an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“In the days before Shalandra was founded, the Yawmani Mountains were home to more than twenty tribes,” Lady Callista explained. “Each of the tribes sought to expand their dominance by waging war on their neighbors. Yet instead of full-scale battles, each of the tribes selected a champion to fight for dominance. Duels to the death decided which tribe was best-suited to rule—chosen by the Long Keeper, it was said, who favored the strongest warriors by giving them the power to kill.”
“Hallar rose to prominence from the smallest of the tribes on Alshuruq, an undefeated champion who conquered all thirty tribes in the space of five years.” The Lady of Blades glanced at Issa, who listened in rapt silence. “Yet instead of sending out his warriors to conquer the rest of Einan, he set them to building Shalandra. They exchanged their spears and bows for picks and hammers, and over the next fifty years, carved the city from the stone of the mountain. He ruled the city until his death—the date of which is unclear, yet it is said that he lived for nearly seventy years after defeating the last of his enemies.”
“So the people never ruled?” Issa demanded.
“After a fashion, they did.” Lady Callista inclined her head. “During the decades of constructing Shalandra, it is said that Hallar established a system whereby each tribe could raise grievance against their enemies or those that harmed them. They fought in the Crucible, and the people decided whether the loser lived or died. The Long Keeper’s judgement, it was called.”
“Sounds barbaric,” Evren said with a grimace.
He noticed Kodyn and Aisha slipping quietly up behind Lady Callista and Issa. The looks on their faces told him they’d found something important. But he couldn’t ask yet, not until they were safely back in the privacy of the Temple of Whispers.
“It was.” Lady Callista nodded. “Every dispute ended in bloodshed. Thousands died every year. Some historians postulate that Hallar believed it the best way for the warlike tribes to take out their aggression on each other without widespread carnage. That practice remained in effect for more than five hundred years after he died, until finally Pharus Thema Amenthes established the Keeper’s Council to adjudicate.”
Evren snorted. “So he’s the one to blame for the bastards we’re dealing with now, then?”
Lady Callista scowled. “The Council was originally intended to pass the Long Keeper’s judgement without the need for battle. Once, they sought the merciful, peaceful resolution to the problems. Yet, as with everything else in this world, good intentions grew corrupted by evil men.”
Anger flared in Issa’s eyes and her jaw muscles worked.
“But returning to Hallar’s Warriors,” Lady Callista spoke before Issa could snarl her contempt for the Necroseti, “if their goal is to restore this city to a time wh
en the people ruled, it means they seek to overthrow all forms of established rule. Not just the Pharus, but the Keeper’s Council, the Blades, anyone who they perceive is a threat to their power.” Her face darkened. “That is a threat far more serious than even that posed by the Keeper’s Council. I fear—”
She never finished that sentence. At that moment, a shout echoed down the hall.
“Lady Callista!” The clanking of armor accompanied the fear-filled cry.
The five of them whirled and found a black-armored Indomitable racing toward them. Sweat dripped down the man’s pale face, and fear shone in his dark eyes.
“My lady, come quick!” The soldier slowed to a halt in front of the Lady of Blades, gasping. He looked as if he’d just run across the entire city in full mail.
“What is it, Stakey?” Lady Callista was suddenly all business once more.
“Riots!” The single word burst from the man’s lips.
An immediate tension filled the hallway. Issa and Lady Callista’s faces darkened, their shoulders tightening.
“What happened?” Lady Callista demanded of the soldier.
“Mahjuri, Kabili, Earaqi, tens of thousands of them!” Words poured from the messenger’s mouth in a hurry. “They attacked the Indomitables along Trader’s Way and the Path of Sepulture, killed them to a man. At last report, they’re rampaging all along the Slave’s Tier and Cultivator’s Tier!”
“Damn it!” Lady Callista growled.
The weight of a mountain crashed atop Evren, staggering him. He’d failed to stop Hallar’s Warriors from whipping up the crowd, and now the worst had come true. The militants had armed the lower castes and incited them to violence against the Indomitables that had beaten and abused them. The bloodshed had just begun.
But the worst hadn’t yet come.
“The riots,” the messenger gasped, doubled over, “th-they’ve overtaken the Artisan’s Tier!”
Ice seeped into Evren’s gut.
“The Intaji are under assault. Commerce Square and Industry Square are ablaze, and the shops of the Artisan’s Tier are being ransacked and looted. And…” Fear and exhaustion cut off his words.
No! His breath clutched in his chest. Please, don’t say it!
“And what?” demanded Lady Callista.
The man’s face turned pale. “They’re attacking the temples.”
Horror stopped Evren’s heart mid-beat. A single thought consumed him. Hailen!
Chapter Forty-Two
Kodyn watched Evren’s face go white in fear—not for himself, but for Hailen. The same concern clutched at Kodyn’s gut as well. Briana was within the Temple of Whispers, right in the path of the rampaging mob. She would be in danger alongside Hailen. And Kodyn felt a similar sense of duty to protect the young boy. He might not be Hailen’s brother like Evren was, yet he knew he had to do whatever it took to get the boy and Briana to safety.
He whirled on Aisha and Evren. “We’ve got to get down there! We need to get to the Temple of Whispers—”
“And do what, exactly?” Lady Callista’s question was harsh. “Get yourselves torn apart or swept up in the chaos?” She shook her head. “No, it’s best you stay here in the palace, at least until my Blades and the Indomitables can restore order.”
“Not a bloody chance!” Anger surged within Kodyn. “Those are our friends in danger, and there’s no way I’m sitting around here until I’m certain they’re safe.”
“Damn right!” Evren growled, his eyes darkening.
Lady Callista opened her mouth to object, but Kodyn drove on.
“The moment the mob sees your men coming, things are going to get a thousand times worse.” A part of his mind warned him to be cautious—he’d just interrupted the most powerful woman in the city—but he was beyond caring. “The three of us won’t draw attention like a band of soldiers will.”
“You don’t exactly blend in,” the Lady of Blades snapped.
Kodyn shrugged. “But I’m pretty sure the rioters are going to care far less about one foreigner than a patrol of Indomitables coming for their heads. And, in case you’ve forgotten, I’m pretty damned good at getting around your city without drawing attention.”
A scowl deepened Lady Callista’s face.
“I’m not asking, Lady Callista.” He spoke in a firm voice, steel in his belly. His mother hadn’t backed down from Duke Phonnis or the King when trying to save the Night Guild from execution; Kodyn would be damned if he retreated from this particular fight. “I’m going to make sure my friends are safe.”
“We’re going to do that,” Evren put in. He stepped up beside Kodyn, fists clenched.
Lady Callista growled. “And if I ordered my men to arrest you both for being stubborn, reckless fools?” She stepped in his path, an imposing figure in her heavy black plate mail, her eyes filled with menace as sharp as the two-handed sword on her back.
Kodyn didn’t flinch. “I’m trusting you’re not going to do that.” Or that I can outrun your heavily-armored men if you do, he thought, but didn’t say aloud. He, Evren, and Aisha just had to get to the Serenii tunnels and the Indomitables would never stop him. But he’d rather not waste time, not with Briana’s life on the line.
Lady Callista growled. “So be it.” She gave a dismissive wave. “If you’re so determined, go.” She whirled to Issa. “And you should go with them. I’m certain there are people you want to make certain are safe.”
Issa’s eyes flew wide. Her face revealed inner turmoil—Kodyn recognized the struggle between duty to her commander and her desire to find her family on the Cultivator’s Tier. Surprise gave way to relief as Lady Callista’s words sank in. “Thank you!”
“Go, then.” Lady Callista stepped aside. “But be careful. All of you.” Her eyes never left Issa’s face.
Kodyn didn’t hesitate, but whirled around and set off through the palace. His mind raced as he tried to recall the route he, Aisha, and Desenne had come mere hours earlier. The passages bore many similarities—all the same opulent gold-and-silver leaf, ornate tapestries, and marble columns—but his years of training as a Hawk had developed an instinctive sense of direction. He rarely had to take a path more than once to remember it.
Down that corridor, under that archway, yes, past that tapestry. The details of the passages grew familiar as he drew close to the place where they’d emerged from the hidden tunnel.
Yet as they entered a side corridor, he found himself suddenly at a loss. I could have sworn that we came out here. The details of the passage seemed familiar, yet he could find no trace of the secret entrance.
Producing the green-glowing gemstone, he held it up to the ornate walls. No runes sprang to life among the gold-and-silver decorations. No light shone from deep within the wall, even as he swept the stone across the wall.
Damn it! Frustration and impatience surged within him. I don’t have time for this.
He tried to recall the words Briana had translated for him. “The gate is in the wall.” That much he remembered, but the next two fragments eluded him.
“Here, let me.” Evren stepped around him. He hesitated only a moment, his eyes scanning the wall, and a smile broadened his lips. “Like this.”
He reached for two small grooves etched into the ornate metallic leaf adorning the wall and pressed. Two golden leaves sank into the stone with a quiet thunk. A moment later, he triggered a third leaf, between the other two, and the wall rumbled aside.
Kodyn narrowed his eyes. “How did you—?”
“Briana’s note.” Evren grinned and gestured to the trigger stones. “Two and center. The mark of the ancients.”
Kodyn squinted at the leaves and, for the first time, spotted the small Serenii runes etched into their swirling stems, just above the place where they overlapped with the leaves beneath.
“Nicely done!” Aisha said, and clapped Evren on the back.
“Saved us once already,” Issa added.
Kodyn didn’t have time to waste for irritation, even a
fter the Vothmoti thief had showed him up. Briana and Hailen were all the mattered—he could nurse his bruised ego later. Not waiting for the door to rumble closed behind him, he raised the Secret Keeper’s glowstone and raced down the tunnel’s steep decline as fast as he dared. The soft emerald light filled the passages with a dull glow that, together with the crimson gemstones set into the wall, gave him ample light to see.
Kodyn glanced back over his shoulder. Though Evren stood a full head shorter, he was damned fast and managed to match Kodyn’s pace with infuriating ease. Kodyn had run with both Aisha and Issa—he didn’t have to worry about them keeping up.
“Do you know where you’re going?” Evren called out.
“Of course!” Kodyn shouted back. His mind raced as he tried to recall the map—he’d pored over it for hours, yet much of that time had been spent dangerously close to Aisha. After their kiss, it had been all he could do to keep his mind focused on breathing when he wanted nothing more than to continue what she had begun.
He pushed past the memory of that breathless, electrifying moment in the Temple of Whispers and finally managed to summon a mental image of the map. “There’s an exit on the Artisan’s Tier, just east of the Temple District.” The Secret Keepers had entered that way on their journey to the Heartspring.
“Good!” Evren shouted. “Then get us where we need to go!”
Kodyn didn’t need to be told twice. Briana’s life was on the line. So, too, was Hailen’s. Please let us get to them in time!
A terrible image flashed through his mind: a raging mob of bloodthirsty Earaqi wielding swords and clubs stormed into the Temple of Whispers, rampaging down the blank stone passage and bursting into Briana’s room. Hailen fell first, buried beneath a hail of fists, wooden cudgels, and shouts of rage. The throng tore Briana apart in their hatred of the Zadii.
No! He shoved down the image, refusing to give that terrible fear any place. If he did, it would sap the strength from his limbs and shatter his resolve. He gritted his teeth. We’ll make it. We have to!
Heirs of Destiny Box Set Page 119