Ghost in the Tower

by Jonathan Moeller

  It had been a while since she had used throwing knives, but her muscles had not forgotten the movements. Her throw was perfect. The masked magus was wearing chain mail and bracers, but his throat was unprotected. Caina’s knife hurtled towards his neck, and at the last possible instant, the man slashed his sword before him. Like Caina’s throw, the magus’s movement was perfect, and his sword intersected the knife and sent it clanging away.

  “Ariadne!” shouted Caina, drawing another knife. “It’s him! He summoned the elementals!”

  She flung the knife, and both Ariadne and Tempora started casting spells, but the masked magus was wise enough to know when he was beaten. He whirled and vanished back through the tower doors, and as he did, the remaining elementals converged on Caina. Likely the magus had ordered them to attack to cover his retreat.

  Caina met the elementals’ attack with her own. The magus had sent her location to the elementals through the controlling spells, but once she moved, they were no longer able to find her. Caina and Morgant slashed through them, and Ariadne unleashed her sorcery, and soon they had overcome the elementals.

  But the masked magus and his allies had made their escape.

  ###

  Once they were a safe distance from Septimus Aureon’s tower, Calaver contemplated his next move.

  “Now what?” said Ruan, his voice a growl.

  Calaver wasn’t sure.

  It was clear he had underestimated Caina Kardamnos. He could only comfort himself with the fact that it had not proven a fatal mistake. She was only one woman, and how dangerous could she possibly be?

  Calaver suspected that many of her foes had thought that in the final moments of their lives.

  At least he had been wise enough to leave an avenue of retreat open, to make sure that he did not overcommit himself.

  But still…it had been a close thing. If he hadn’t been fast enough to deflect that throwing knife, the weapon would have found his throat. Calaver might now be bleeding out on the floor of Septimus Aureon’s dining hall. The thought of dying in that pompous old fool’s tower was appalling. Little wonder Corbould Maraeus wanted such a dangerous woman dead.

  And little wonder that she was still alive.

  Calaver could draw three conclusions from his first attempt on Caina’s life.

  One, she was more dangerous than he had expected.

  Two, he would have to plan his second attempt with considerably more care, taking into account her abilities as a valikarion. Had any of the valikarion knights of old Iramis been women? Calaver didn’t know and didn’t care.

  Three, she was somehow wrapped up in these odd suicides.

  Calaver had spoken to a few friends before leaving the Motherhouse and summoning the Kindred assassins, and he had heard some interesting rumors. There had been four suicides among the high magi over the last two weeks. Truth be told, Calaver thought the Magisterium could stand to lose a few of the high magi. The overall intelligence of the organization would be improved. For whatever reason, the First Magus had appointed Caina and Ariadne Scorneus to investigate the suicides. Something to do with the recently reinstated Pact of Iramis and Caina’s status as a valikarion.

  So, the First Magus had dispatched Caina to investigate the suicides…and then sent Calaver to kill her.

  For the gods’ sake.

  That sounded like Decius Aberon. The wretch never let his right hand know what his left hand was doing unless he could avoid it.

  That also meant that Septimus Aureon was probably dead. Not that the old man’s death mattered to Calaver.

  “We’ll keep watch on Septimus Aureon’s tower,” said Calaver. “Quietly, from a distance. Spread out. Sooner or later our target is going to leave the tower, and then we’ll follow her. Understand?”

  Ruan nodded, and passed the orders to the other Kindred assassins.

  Calaver’s path was clear, at least for now. He would watch and wait and see.

  Sooner or later, an opportunity would come his way, and then he would strike.

  But given how effective Caina had been against the earth elementals…

  Calaver was going to need a different kind of help.

  “Ruan,” said Calaver as the assassin turned to go.

  The Kindred stopped and looked back at him.

  “Are the Broken Shields mercenary company still in the city?” Calaver said. Every mercenary company in the eastern Empire had been hired by either the Emperor or the Umbarian Order at this point. The smarter companies had left for Alqaarin or Anshan by now.

  “Some of them,” said Ruan. “Most of the Broken Shields left last week to support Lord Hadrazon’s planned spring campaign against the Saddaic provinces. But there’s still a century of them left in the city. They’re staying at a tavern near the Western Harbor.”

  “Send one of your men to summon them,” said Calaver. “I’m going to have some work for the Broken Shields.”

  That was going to be expensive, but Calaver didn’t care. It was only his father’s money, after all.

  And he would happily trade every copper coin that Decius Aberon possessed for the chance of gaining a new position away from the Magisterium.

  His father owed him that much, at least, and Calaver Aberon intended to collect.

  Chapter 11: Hunting

  Ariadne held her power ready.

  The banishment spell was a moderate effort, but not an unduly taxing one. She feared it had a more draining effect on Tempora, but the girl was young, and her skills were not as developed as Ariadne’s. If that masked magus who had summoned the elementals returned, Ariadne intended to take him alive and force him to talk.

  She knew any number of spells to help with that goal. Ariadne would not enjoy interrogating a prisoner, but she could not let an attack on her life pass.

  Her father had taught her that lesson. He had been wrong about many things, but he had been right about that.

  Still, Ariadne suspected that their attackers would be wise enough to flee and try again later.

  “Sophia,” said Caina. “Use your sensing spell. See if anyone else is nearby.”

  Sophia swallowed and grimaced. “Is…is it safe? We might choke on the fumes…”

  “No,” said Caina. “The fog has dissipated. Whatever’s in that drug, it’s too heavy to stay in the air for long.”

  Sophia nodded and released the spell she held. The silver light around her hand faded, and she frowned with concentration as she worked another spell.

  “No,” she said at last. “No one else is nearby.”

  “They’ll have run for it,” said Markaine. “They didn’t expect you to tear through their earth elementals so quickly, and they fell back to think up a better plan.”

  “Agreed,” said Ariadne. She had been impressed by how quickly Caina had been able to destroy the earth elementals with her valikon. The Arvaltyri of old had been known for defeating corrupt sorcerers and malicious spirits, and if they were anything like Caina, Ariadne could see the legend had not been exaggerated.

  “Who were they?” said Tempora. She staggered to the table and sat in one of the chairs, the legs scraping against the soil that now covered the floor. “Were they the men who killed my father?”

  “No, dear,” said Ariadne. “No, I think you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. They were probably here for me.”

  “Their emotions…their emotions felt cold,” said Sophia. “Like they were used to killing.”

  “Theirs?” said Tempora. “I only saw the one man in the mask.”

  Caina shook her head. “There were more in the street. At least half a dozen.”

  “Probably Kindred assassins,” said Ariadne. “I’m afraid they’re one of the favorite methods of solving disagreements among the high magi. That man you threw the knife at wasn’t a Kindred assassin, though.”

  “No,” said Caina. “He was a battle magus. He was the one who summoned those elementals.”

  “Clever strategy, really,” said Ariad
ne. “Usually summoners prefer to call one powerful elemental. He’s not powerful enough to call up a strong one, but he can summon a large number of weaker ones.”

  “Swarm your foes,” said Markaine, “and either your elementals will win the fight, or you can finish them off once the elementals have softened them up for you.”

  “Aye,” said Caina. “It would have worked, too, if I hadn’t had my valikon.”

  “Then you really are a valikarion?” said Tempora, blinking at her.

  “I’m afraid so,” said Caina. “This is a mess, but I’m certain that magus wasn’t the one who forced your father to kill himself. And he wasn’t here for you. No, he was here for either myself or for Ariadne.”

  “How are you certain?” said Tempora.

  “Because that masked magus,” said Caina, “was one of Decius Aberon’s bastard sons.”

  “Oh,” said Tempora with a sigh. “Oh, this is one of the First Magus’s intrigues, isn’t it? I should have guessed.”

  “How did you know?” said Ariadne. She hadn’t been able to see anything of the masked magus’s features.

  “The eyes,” said Caina, her voice distant. “They looked just like his. And…some of the First Magus’s bastard children that I’ve met elsewhere.”

  Likely she was thinking about Corvalis.

  “The First Magus sent one of his bastard sons to kill you?” said Markaine. “Seems wasteful, given that he wants you to find out who is behind these suicides.”

  Caina shook her head. “Not really. The First Magus has dozens of bastard children.” Sophia shuddered at that, no doubt recalling Decius’s leering threat to make her into his mistress. “He views them as his agents, trains them to be enforcers of his will.”

  “The First Magus would not hesitate to sacrifice his children to accomplish his goals,” said Ariadne, her old disgust with the man flaring. She looked at Caina. “I suppose the only question is whether they were here for you or for me.”

  Caina shook her head. “There’s no way to know right now. If Decius kills me, he can claim it as a victory and say he helped keep the Magisterium from coming under the sway of the valikarion. If he kills you…well, he knows you’re not his supporter so he wouldn’t mourn your death.” She frowned. “Probably they were here for me. Has Decius attacked you before?”

  “No,” said Ariadne. “I would be a difficult target.”

  “Then they were here for me,” said Caina. “Killing you would have just been a bonus.”

  “This is outrageous!” said Tempora. “My father hangs dead in his study, and the First Magus sends assassins to his house…my house.”

  “You know what the First Magus is like,” said Ariadne, shaking her head. Another wave of loathing went through her. Protecting the younger magi from the intrigues of the First Magus and some of the high magi had been her least favorite duty for a long time, and it had grown only more onerous as the years passed.

  “We’ll leave at once,” said Caina to Tempora. “You should be safe after we depart. Once the Lictors return, you can attend to your father’s body and make plans for his burial.” She reached over and squeezed Tempora’s shoulder. “Again, I am sorry for your loss.”

  Tempora closed her eyes and sighed. “I should be angry with you, but I am not. I can see you understand.”

  “Before we go,” said Caina, “I need to ask you one question.”

  “What is it?” said Tempora.

  “Did your father ever mention a place called the Black Mirror?” said Caina.

  Tempora blinked a few times. “The…tavern, you mean? It’s a place near the Motherhouse. Some of the high magi like to drink there, conduct business. It’s too expensive for me.”

  Ariadne blinked in surprise. Tempora didn’t know it was a brothel? She was still too innocent, a state of affairs that would likely not last much longer. Had Ariadne ever been that innocent?

  Not for a long, long time now.

  “I’ve heard of it,” said Caina, glancing at Ariadne. “Did your father ever go there?”

  “Frequently,” said Tempora. “In fact, I think he went last night. He came home late and was in a foul mood, had the servants prepare him a late supper.”

  Again, Caina shared a glance with Ariadne. The conclusion was obvious. Septimus Aureon had met with someone at the Black Mirror. Either he had met with Riona Canwyll, or the meeting had involved her in some way. Then he had come back here for a private meeting with whomever he had spoken with at the Black Mirror.

  And then that person had forced him to commit suicide…and likely had done the same for the previous four high magi.

  “All right,” said Caina. “Thank you, Tempora. We’re going to leave now.”

  “What…what should I tell the Lictors when they return?” said Tempora. “Or the Praesar?” She gestured at the floor. “It’s going to be hard to explain all this dirt.”

  “Tell him the truth,” said Caina. “We were attacked and drove off our foes, and then left to spare you any further trouble.”

  “Tempora,” said Ariadne. “Once this is over, contact me. I will give you whatever help I can. It is no secret that your father and I were not friendly, but he should not have been killed in such a horrible manner.”

  “I will,” said Tempora. “Thank you.”

  With that, Caina and Ariadne and the others left the tower, leaving Tempora sitting alone in her father’s house.

  “I wish we could do more for her,” said Ariadne.

  “The best thing we can do right now is to leave,” said Caina. “If that masked magus comes at us again, we don’t want to be here. And we can’t bring her father back, but we can at least avenge him.”

  “I know,” said Ariadne. She didn’t like it, though. “Gods, I hope my driver is safe. We left him with the coach. Those damned Kindred might have killed him on the way in…”

  She turned the corner, and was relieved to see that the coach was where she had left it. The driver, an old man who had worked for Ariadne since she had built her own villa, sat unharmed in the seat. He looked relieved to see her. Thankfully, he had been smart enough to stay put when he had heard the sounds of fighting.

  “Your sword technique is improving,” said Markaine to Caina. “You didn’t look like you were flailing around with a shovel quite so much.”

  “Mmm,” said Caina. “Throwing knives wouldn’t work on earth elementals. And it wasn’t hard to hit them. They couldn’t see me so they couldn’t dodge.” She stopped and looked at Ariadne. “We need to decide where we’re going next.”

  “The Black Mirror, I would assume,” said Ariadne. Caina nodded. “Perhaps we should send Sophia back to my villa. The Black Mirror…it is not the sort of place one should bring a young woman.”

  “Agreed,” said Caina. Sophia started to protest, but Caina kept talking. “But we need to keep her with us. It makes sense that Decius sent that magus and those Kindred to kill me. But he might have sent them to kill me and take Sophia back to the Motherhouse.”

  “Yes,” said Ariadne. “Yes, you’re right. I hadn’t considered that possibility.”

  “What should we do, then?” said Sophia, hugging her arms around herself.

  “Those Kindred assassins and that masked magus will be back once they think up another plan,” said Caina. “They’ll probably try to follow us. If they’re clever, they’re hiding someplace nearby to watch us from a distance.”

  Ariadne frowned. “Should we try to hunt them down?”

  “No,” said Caina. “They might be ready for us. The Black Mirror is in the inner city?” Ariadne nodded. “How many gates are there through the wall around the inner city?”

  “Four,” said Ariadne. “On each compass point. North, south, east, and west.”

  Caina nodded. “I have an idea. Let’s head for the warehouses near the Northern Quarter. Tell your coachman that he’s going to have to push the horses.”

  ###

  Caina’s plan worked better than Ariadne expected.
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  At Caina’s bidding, the coach hurried across Artifel, crossing the inner city and heading for the Northern Quarter. They passed the apartment towers and drove into the maze of alleyways near the warehouses, places where Ariadne supposed the coaches of the magi and lords of Artifel came only rarely.

  Caina scanned the passing warehouses through the window until she found one that met her satisfaction, and then nodded. “We’ll have to jump out here. Tell your coachman to make this next turn slowly.”

  Ariadne nodded, leaned out the window, and passed on her orders.

  The coach slowed to turn a corner, and as it did, Caina got to her feet and opened the door. She went out first, followed by Markaine and Sophia, and then Ariadne brought up the back. She staggered a little as she landed, and Caina caught her elbow. The coach completed its turn and began accelerating away, the horses’ hooves clopping against the alley. Hopefully, anyone watching would assume that Ariadne and the others were still inside. The coachman would return to Ariadne’s villa.

  “This way,” said Caina.

  She headed into a narrow alley between two brick warehouses. The alley was just wide enough to allow them to go single file, and there was no chance a coach or a horseman could follow them. Caina led them through several turns, and at last, they emerged onto a main street.

  “It is just as well there are so many lights here at night, my lady,” said Sophia. She pointed at an iron post that held one of the glowing glass globes. Sometimes drunkards or trouble-making children broke them, but the initiates manufactured so many as part of their training that they were easily replaced. “Trying to find our way through those alleys in total darkness would have been awful.”

  “Agreed,” said Caina. “Which way to the inner city from here?”

  “Around the corner to the right,” said Ariadne, pointing. “Then it’s a straight walk to the inner city’s northern gate. The Black Mirror is not far from there.”