During her time in Shalandra, she had seen the other side. They had fostered trust with Suroth through honesty, earned the respect and gratitude of both Lady Callista and the Pharus. She and Kodyn had fought alongside Issa, one of Shalandra’s elite protectors—in training, granted. All that would come crumbling down eventually. Allies would become enemies and they would once again be alone.
A lump rose to Aisha’s throat. That will be a sad day for us, indeed.
Lady Callista straightened. “Perhaps I will accompany you.” She rolled her shoulders, as if to loosen a kink from her muscles. “I could use a walk to clear my head. Issa, maybe you’d join us?”
Aisha raised an eyebrow. That wasn’t an order, but a request. Odd to hear that coming from a commanding officer.
Issa seemed nearly as surprised. It took her two full heartbeats to recover enough to stammer. “O-Of course, Lady Callista,” she said.
A strangely bright, broad smile stretched Lady Callista’s lips. “Good.” Genuine delight sparkled in her dark eyes, for a moment pushing back the cloud of worry at the dire situation they faced. “Then let me show you one of Shalandra’s greatest treasures.”
Lady Callista led them out of the office. The hall beyond had been cleared, the enraged Indomitables pacified by the explanation Lady Callista offered. Even Etai and the rest of Issa’s companions had gone, sent back to the Citadel of Stone and the Fortress. Only the two Keeper’s Blades on guard stood outside the door. They stiffened and saluted as Lady Callista emerged, but when they made to follow, the Lady of Blades held up a hand.
“Stay.” She gave a curt nod. “Make certain no one enters while I am gone.”
After a moment’s hesitation, the two Blades saluted. The warriors remained silent as statues, their huge two-handed swords grounded between their feet, as Lady Callista led Aisha, Kodyn, Evren, and Issa away from the office.
The halls they passed through were narrow, free of adornment or ornamentation. Bare golden sandstone floors, walls, and ceilings served as the only source of color and life in the passages. Yet there was something beautiful in its simplicity. Aisha’s eyes roamed the swirls of dark brown, black, and grey threading through the carved walls. In a way, the simplicity of nature itself held a deeper beauty than all the gold and silver that bedecked the eastern wing of the palace.
Lady Callista strode at the front of their company, Issa a step behind and to her right. Evren, Kodyn, and Aisha brought up the rear. Aisha saw the thoughtful look in Kodyn’s eyes—the same one that had furrowed his brow as he pored over the map of the Serenii tunnels or the road from Praamis to Shalandra. He was studying the layout of the palace interior to find the quickest route to the Vault of Ancients.
The journey lasted just five minutes, far shorter than Aisha had expected. Evidently, the Blades’ quarters had been chosen for their proximity to Shalandra’s most sacred sites, doubtless to ensure that they remained guarded at all times.
Lady Callista stopped in front of an enormous blank wall. “Welcome to the Vault of Ancients,” she said with a little smile. “I trust you’ll find it as fascinating as I warned you.”
The wall was made of the same golden sandstone as the rest of the palace. Yet the shape and size—a perfect square, five paces wide and tall—and the way it stood at the intersection of three corridors. Indecipherable symbols and runes etched its entire surface. The same as the Serenii symbols in Suroth’s book.
“Arch-Guardian Ennolar will be present to open it for the Anointing of the Blades,” Lady Callista explained. “Until then, it is nothing but a blank wall, impassable and sturdy enough to guard Shalandra’s greatest treasures.”
Issa seemed awe-inspired by the sight, but Evren and Kodyn’s faces had grown pensive. Aisha could see the wheels of their minds turning as they tried to figure out their next move. Both needed objects that resided in the vault—the question they faced was how to get it. Ennolar might not be as understanding or tractable as Suroth. If the new Arch-Guardian didn’t agree to help, they would find themselves with an impossibility that no thieves’ skill could surmount.
“Come,” Lady Callista said. “We have seen the vault.” Her eyes went to Issa. “Allow me to accompany you back to the Citadel. I want to have a word with your Archateros.”
“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 whil
e 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 when 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 in
terrupted 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!”
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