Gates of Ruin (Magelands Eternal Siege, #6)

by Christopher Mitchell

  She would not be marrying Edmond, and she would not be abandoning Lostwell without a fight. It was her realm, and she was its Queen. If the land died, then so would she, fighting in its defence.

  Her front door opened.

  ‘Third Ascendant,’ said Bastion; ‘come with me.’

  ‘No.’

  He smiled. ‘Found your courage at last, have you? I wondered when you’d break. The Second Ascendant is blinded by his love for you, but I can see the fear and hatred in your eyes whenever you look at him. How long have you known that the sword was the piece required for the Sextant to function?’

  Belinda said nothing, her eyes still on her reflection.

  ‘Third Ascendant, I order you to hand over the sword.’

  She turned to face him. ‘Come and take it.’

  Bastion moved to the side, and a tall warrior in armour walked in, a studded club gripped in both hands.

  ‘Renko,’ said Bastion; ‘take the sword from her.’

  The dead Ancient lifted his empty eyes towards Belinda, then charged at her. He swung the club at her head, and she leapt backwards, her battle-vision flowing. He swung again, and the club glanced off the armour on her right shoulder, missing her head by an inch. She drew the Weathervane, and caught a glimpse of Bastion’s eyes narrowing as he watched. Renko swung again, his longer reach keeping her back. She ducked under a fourth swing, then darted forward, gripping the Weathervane in both hands as she powered it through the air. It connected with the steel collar protecting Renko’s neck and sliced right through and carried on, severing his head. The corpse fell to its knees, then toppled over onto the floor, the head rolling to a stop by Bastion’s feet.

  Bastion glanced down at it. ‘The Second Ascendant is watching,’ he said. ‘I hoped that you would betray yourself by your actions, and you have proved me right. By attempting to keep the sword from us, you are deliberately disobeying a direct command of the Second Ascendant, and I’m sure you appreciate that there will be consequences.’

  ‘Shut up, Bastion,’ said Belinda. ‘Admit that you’re scared to fight me. If you come any closer, I will kill you, and you know it. You are nothing without your death powers, nothing but Edmond’s slave.’

  ‘We’ll see if a month in the mask changes your attitude,’ he said. ‘If it doesn’t, then perhaps a year would suffice? A century? A millennium? We have time; we can wait. Imagine, Belinda, what that length of time in the mask would do to you. I have seen proud gods on their knees begging for death to release them; you will be no different.’

  Rage burned through Belinda, and she lunged forward, the dark blade swinging, but Bastion was fast, as fast as she was, and he calmly moved aside, a smile on his lips.

  ‘You are doomed,’ he said, ‘and the last thing you will see before the mask is fitted onto your face, is me laughing.’

  She raised her hand without knowing what she was doing, as anger flooded her. She reached within herself, pointed at Bastion, and willed him to die. A surge of raw power burst from her, a power she had never sensed or used before, and Bastion’s body flew back from the impact. He collided with the wall in the hallway outside her rooms, his skin melting from his body like wax. Belinda went after him as he struggled to his feet, blood dripping from every part of him.

  She raised her hand again. ‘Die.’

  Blood showered the hallway as Bastion’s body was slammed backwards. He tottered on the edge of the lift shaft, the remnants of his skin hanging from him in ragged strips, then fell. Belinda rushed to the edge and looked down. His body was lying crumpled on the lift platform two floors below, a mangled mess of blood, bone and naked tissue. A soldier cried out in horror and leaned over the body. A bloody hand, stripped of its skin, reached out and grabbed hold of the soldier’s arm. The soldier screamed in agony, and seemed to crumple before Belinda’s eyes, while the body of Bastion began to regenerate. The soldier’s cries ceased, and his dried-up, withered body fell onto the lift platform. Bastion reached out again, plucked a vial of salve from the soldier’s tunic and drank it all. He stood, his skin re-forming, and glanced up.

  Belinda froze, then ran for the stairs, leaping up them two at a time. She reached the landing by Leksandr’s old rooms and cut down the two soldiers standing guard by the entrance, the Weathervane’s keen edge ending their lives in seconds. She burst through into the study, and locked the door behind her. She shoved the couch over to block the entrance, then piled up everything she could find, her heart racing in panic. She upended a table, and rammed it between the couch and the door handle, then stood back, panting.

  They would be coming; she didn’t have long.

  She turned to face the Sextant. The room was in semi-darkness, the only light coming from an open window, and she walked through the shadows towards the huge device, the Weathervane in her right hand. She had the key to make it work, but she had no idea where it was supposed to go. She crouched by the Sextant, scanning its surface, looking for anywhere the dark blade of the sword would fit. It was impossible. The device was too big; there were too many places the sword could go, and she didn’t have time to try even a small fraction of them.

  Sounds echoed from outside the room, and from the stairwell came the thud of boots on the stone steps.

  They were coming for her, and for the sword.

  She stood, and turned to face the door she had blocked. She had battle-vision, and fire powers, and now she also had death powers.

  She readied herself. Let them come.

  Chapter 26

  Lord of the Catacombs

  T orduan Mountains, Khatanax – 3rd Kolinch 5252

  Aila awoke in pitch darkness to the sound of grinding rock. The ground was shaking under her body, and she felt stones land on her from above.

  ‘Everyone out of the caves!’ shouted a loud dragon voice over the thundering rumble.

  Aila scrambled upright, lost in the darkness. ‘Kelsey! Where are you?’

  ‘I’m right here,’ said a voice next to her, and a hand grabbed hold of hers.

  ‘Out, out!’ called Frostback. ‘The caves are collapsing.’

  Aila was thrown back to the ground as the earth shuddered, and the noise sounded like the entire mountainside was uprooting itself. A large, clawed forelimb grasped her waist and she was lifted into the dust-choked air. She was shaken about in Frostback’s grip, and then they were outside again, and she could see the moon and stars shining down from above. Frostback flew for a hundred yards, then set Kelsey and Aila down onto a narrow stone ledge near the bottom of the valley.

  ‘Remain here,’ the silver dragon said, ‘I must return to help the others.’

  She beat her wings and flew off, heading back towards the caves where they had been resting.

  ‘Are you alright?’ said Aila.

  ‘I think so,’ said the young Holdfast woman, shaking the dust from her hair. ‘You?’

  ‘Is Arete back? Has she come to finish the job?’

  ‘I can’t sense any powers being used, so hopefully not.’

  They sat down on the cold ledge and stared in the direction of the cliffside. It was hard to see anything in the moonlight, but Aila could make out the silhouettes of several dragons flying above the ridge, and others swooping down, or ascending into the sky. She shivered in the cold night air, wishing she had a blanket or warmer clothes.

  ‘Did you get any sleep?’ she said.

  ‘None,’ said Kelsey. ‘I was lying awake thinking about Sable and Corthie, and everything that’s happened to us. And then the ground moved and a chunk of the cave’s roof fell on me; a small chunk, luckily. How about you?’

  ‘I think I’d just managed to drift off.’

  ‘Pyre’s arse, what a mess. I hope everyone’s alright.’

  The ground rumbled again, and the ledge where they were sitting juddered for a moment.

  ‘I hate this place,’ said Aila, clinging onto the rock as it settled. ‘All of it; Lostwell, Khatanax, this hideous valley. Damn it; where’s
Corthie?’

  ‘He’s in Alea Tanton.’

  Aila stared at her. ‘What?’

  ‘Do you remember I told you that I’d had a vision? I’m not going to say anything else about it, but I can tell you that he’s alive and in Alea Tanton. He was in the vision, briefly.’

  ‘And when were you going to tell me this?’

  ‘I wasn’t sure if I should. I mean, now you’re all agitated. Knowing doesn’t help.’

  ‘No, Kelsey; it does help. Alea Tanton? Why would he go there? Does he think we’re there?’

  ‘I can’t answer any of those questions.’

  ‘Do you think we could ask Frostback to take us?’

  ‘Let’s wait and see what the dragons decide to do next. We still don’t know what’s going on over at the caves.’

  ‘Was he hurt? In your vision, was he hurt?’

  Kelsey sighed. ‘I knew I shouldn’t have told you. Look, Sable sees him; that’s all I can say. It was through her eyes that I had the vision, and that’s why I told her about it. Corthie didn’t seem hurt, but it was only a flash.’

  ‘Sable’s in Alea Tanton as well? Good. That makes me feel a little better.’

  ‘I still can’t believe that Sable has her own dragon. She must have used her mind powers to trick him.’

  Aila raised an eyebrow. ‘Don’t change the subject.’

  ‘I was hoping you wouldn’t notice.’

  Frostback soared towards them and landed a few yards away, down the slope from where the two women were sitting, so that her head was level with them.

  ‘Grim news, humans. The earthquake claimed the lives of another nine dragons. The entire network of caverns has collapsed. Some of the others are digging, looking for more survivors; it will be some time before they are finished.’

  ‘Is your father alright? And Darksky and the children?’ said Kelsey.

  ‘They were sleeping close to the entrance of a cave; they got out uninjured.’

  ‘Thank Pyre for that. I can’t sense any gods close by; I think the earthquake might have been natural, or maybe it was caused by the eruption of the volcanoes by the Catacombs.’

  ‘That was one of the questions I came to ask you. The others are worried that an Ascendant has returned, and I told them that you had the power to sense them.’

  ‘No; I think we’re in the clear. If I sense any powers being used, I’ll shout out and let you know.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  Aila glanced up at the moon. ‘Is it midnight yet?’

  ‘Not yet,’ said Frostback. ‘It will be here in another hour or so.’

  Aila nodded. ‘How long would it take to fly to Alea Tanton?’

  Frostback tilted her head. ‘Why would you ask that?’

  ‘I was just wondering.’

  ‘I don’t know for certain; maybe five or six hours?’

  ‘We’ll let you go back to the others,’ said Kelsey; ‘I’m sure you’re busy.’

  ‘I am. I will pass on your message that you can sense no gods, and will return when I can.’

  Frostback extended her wings and ascended into the dark night sky, her shadow blotting out the stars as she flew.

  ‘Could you not have waited?’ said Kelsey. ‘Nine dragons have just died, and all you care about is going to Alea Tanton?’

  Aila said nothing. It was unfortunate that the dragons were dead, but Corthie was alive; and that was all that mattered to her.

  * * *

  Kelsey and Aila spent an hour sitting on the ledge in the cold, as the dragons continued their efforts to search for survivors inside the collapsed caverns. When they had finished, Frostback returned to the ledge, and picked them up in her forelimbs. She carried them a few miles to the south, where the other dragons had assembled on a low hilltop close to the wide empty expanses of the Fordian Wastes. The moon was shining down upon them, and Frostback’s silver scales were radiant in the light. She landed, and the two women scrambled free.

  Deathfang had positioned himself on the summit of the barren hill, and the other dragons gathered round in a semi-circle.

  ‘This has been a calamitous day for us,’ he said, his voice reaching the ears of every dragon; ‘the worst day we have seen in a century. Some of you came with me when we escaped from the pits of that accursed city on the shore of the ocean, while others were already living in the Catacombs when we arrived. Still others were born in the Catacombs but, regardless of our origins, we are one kin; one family. As your lord, I have failed you.’

  Many of the dragons looked surprised, and Burntskull seemed almost offended by the suggestion.

  ‘It was I,’ Deathfang went on, ‘who allowed Blackrose to stay in the Catacombs, and so set in motion the events that have destroyed us. I nearly came to blows with the black dragon earlier today, but she had a point – she escaped from the pits, and it was not her fault that the Ascendants decided to retaliate. Nevertheless, had I not allowed her to remain in the Catacombs, we would still be there, living in peace. I take full responsibility, and will step down as leader. To make it easier for my replacement, I will fly into exile, alone.’

  There was an outcry. Several dragons tried to speak at the same time, most of them objecting loudly to Deathfang’s words. The huge grey dragon said nothing from where he sat on the hill’s summit, his eyes looking over the small crowd.

  ‘May I speak?’ cried Burntskull above the noise. ‘I have been Deathfang’s closest advisor for decades; I have a right to speak.’

  The shouts died away, and the yellow dragon stepped forward, his eyes on Deathfang.

  ‘You are our lord, until we say different. You cannot relinquish your authority.’

  ‘I can, and I have.’

  Burntskull’s eyes widened. ‘But, my lord, please. No one here can replace you.’

  ‘I’m sure you’ll find someone.’

  Burntskull turned to the other dragons. ‘Do any here wish to claim the lordship? Is there one among you who thinks they could do a better job than Deathfang?’

  No one uttered a word.

  ‘You see, my lord?’ said Burntskull. ‘You are our leader. We beg you to reconsider.’

  ‘You beg me?’

  ‘We do; please stay.’

  ‘If I did,’ said Deathfang, ‘would you all swear to follow my every command?’

  ‘We shall,’ said Burntskull. ‘Does anyone object?’

  Again, no one spoke.

  ‘In that case,’ said Deathfang, ‘I reluctantly accede to your wishes.’

  The dragons breathed out in collective relief. Aila shook her head, quite sure that the argument had reached the conclusion that Deathfang had intended from the beginning.

  Burntskull bowed his head. ‘Command us, my lord.’

  ‘Our home has been destroyed,’ Deathfang said, ‘and that requires two responses. The first is that we must find somewhere new to live. The valley here has hidden us well for a long time, but there are other places in Khatanax where a colony of dragons could thrive and yet remain safe at the same time. One or two here among us remember the old days, before Dun Khatar was destroyed. South of that ruined city are forested mountains…’

  ‘I’ve been there,’ said Kelsey.

  The dragons turned to look at her.

  ‘Sorry,’ she said; ‘carry on.’

  Deathfang’s eyes narrowed for a moment, then he turned back to the other dragons.

  ‘It will be a long and hard journey,’ he went on, ‘especially for the little ones, across wastes and deserts with no water, but we cannot remain here.’

  The ground rumbled as he spoke, then the hill shuddered, sending half of the dragons into the air in fright, while Aila and Kelsey fell over. Behind them to the north, a fissure had opened in the side of a mountain, and lava was seeping from it. The ground vibrated again, and then a huge roar echoed across the hills as the side of the mountain exploded, blowing thousands of tons of rock into the sky. Lava poured out like a river bursting its banks, and spewed down the sl
opes towards where the dragons had gathered, lighting up the night sky.

  Deathfang looked at the broken mountain in disgust. ‘This land is dying. Follow me.’

  He took off, and the other dragons followed. Frostback gathered up Aila and Kelsey in her forelimbs, and joined the others in the sky. Deathfang turned to the west, and they crossed back over the valley to the south of the Catacombs. The volcanoes there were still active, and their intensity had increased. Ash filled the air, and Deathfang was forced to turn away. He led them further south until they came out of the dense ash cloud, and followed the mountain chain until they reached a peaceful ridge a few miles from the edge of Tordue. Deathfang circled, then landed, and the others joined him.

  ‘I can still feel the tremors through my boots,’ said Kelsey, as she and Aila walked to where the dragons were arranging themselves into a ring. The younger dragons looked worn out, and so too were those who had been carrying the infants. Darksky remained to the rear of the circle, her three infants sleeping under her wing. She had said nothing during Deathfang’s resignation speech, and Aila had seen her cast several angry glances at Frostback.

  Aila sat on the ground. The air was chill, and she longed for a warm bed. She glanced up. She had become used to the stars above Lostwell, but missed the purple skies of the City at night.

  The dragons talked about Dun Khatar for a while. As Deathfang had said, he and a few of the other oldest dragons remembered the city from their youth, before the gods of Implacatus had destroyed it. From the way they spoke, it seemed that they had been on friendly terms with the old rulers of Khatanax before the invasion.

  ‘There might be problem with Dun Khatar,’ said Burntskull, who was one of those who had been to the city as a young dragon.

  ‘Yes?’ said Deathfang.

  ‘To the south of the city are mountains, just as you said, my lord. But some of those mountains are volcanoes. If volcanic activity is increasing in Khatanax, then perhaps it might be too dangerous there.’