by Drew Wagar
She’s me …
Kiri caught her breath.
And I’m truly as much a Queen as Karquesh is a King. It’s my birthright! Elena strove to be high priestess. Nerina likewise with Drayden. But me … I could take it all. Drayden, Scallia, Taloon, Amar too! I could reunite the lands. Not just Queen … I could be the most powerful ruler these lands have ever seen. Empress of Voren … Empress Kiri!
Her mind spun with the possibilities. The woman who gazed back at her was calm and controlled, yet her eyes burnt with a fierce determination. Kiri smiled. The woman before her did likewise. She was beautiful and intimidating.
I like this vision of me!
Schemes and plans already half-formed in her mind, solidified in her consciousness. She could see with clarity the steps unfolding before her.
I am Elena’s heir in purpose. I have the royal blood of Scallia flowing in my veins. The Obelisk itself anointed me, I have the gift, I have the skill, I have the line. I have done things that no others have done. I have the right! It is prophecy, it will come true. I will be Empress Kiri!
She staggered back, blinking at her audacity.
Karquesh appraised the young priestess as she walked into the palace grounds once more. She was slight, with a gait that was short of elegant; she was not used to the footwear she had been provided with. No longer wearing the tough leather riding gear she had arrived in, she was wearing a bright cyan gown, a colour often favoured in Taloon. She had been dressed well and her skin and face were cleansed from the dirt of travel.
She was too thin for his tastes, her frame not quite petite, but neither voluptuous in the manner he preferred, but there was something about the way she stood that spoke of authority and grace. She saw him and he beckoned to her, still watching as she walked towards him.
Her legs were hidden by the gown, but her arms were bare, Karquesh could see the firm muscle tone there, so unlike the women of Taloon. Her trademark black glove was still in place on her left hand.
This girl, this woman … attacked and defeated the capital of Scallia. And the glove, what is that story? Some deformity of the hand perhaps? I should like to see her abilities … and as for the powers of her mind …
Kiri bowed as she approached. Karquesh gestured for her to rise.
‘You are rested from your long voyage?’ he enquired.
Kiri nodded. ‘Your hospitality is quite wonderful,’ she replied.
‘Your accommodation is satisfactory?’
‘More than satisfactory,’ Kiri replied.
Karquesh nodded. ‘Excellent. The banquet is at the last chime, but for this stretch I am at your disposal. I thought you might enjoy a tour of the city.’
‘That would be most kind of you.’
‘Come then,’ Karquesh said. ‘I have made preparations.’
He clapped his hands and one of the enormous phaunts emerged from between arched columns that lined the edge of the palace grounds. The beast was led to them by a pair of handlers and stopped nearby, trumpeting softly. As usual, it was equipped with a set of canopied seats secured to its back by a complex harness, the howdah. He saw her once again take in the beast’s enormous size. It was far larger than the strange flying creatures the priestesses employed.
But their beasts are equally fearsome in their own right. To be attacked from the air …
Moments later they were seated side by side in the howdah, protected from the bright light of Lacaille by the fabric above.
Guided by Karquesh, the phaunt proceeded through the city. Karquesh pointed out the spires and the landmarks. Kiri showed polite interest, but it was clear that the markets and the theatres interested her little. She showed more interest in the architecture and the construction.
Studying it to see how she might attack it from the air, perhaps?
‘The city of Airea is ancient,’ Karquesh said as they continued to move through it aback the phaunt. ‘We have records going back a thousand rounds or more. Airea has been here all that time. Much of its construction is a mystery to us, we can no longer build such marvels ourselves, but we maintain what is here as best we can. The stone of the city is immensely hard and does not crumble over time like the rocks we mine from the hills. How this is done is a mystery, but we are grateful for it.’
‘Your city is beautiful,’ Kiri said. ‘A wonder. It is grander than Daine I think.’
‘I have heard tell of your city too,’ Karquesh said. ‘It is said there is a golden temple in its midst that reaches to the sky.’
‘Not quite that high,’ Kiri replied. ‘But the temple is a wonder too, it is made of redstone, a pyramid that stands in the centre of Daine and looks over all about it. The insides are lit by a multitude of polished mirrors.
‘I should like to see that one stretch,’ Karquesh said,
They stopped for refreshment after a couple of chimes, enjoying fresh fruit juices that had been prepared by some of the market traders who ran around them bowing, fawning and attending to their every need, anxious to please.
The girl seemed to enjoy the fruit. She drank a cupful and then asked for more.
‘This tastes wonderful,’ she said. ‘Fresh and sharp, from what fruit is it made?’
‘We call it the Seetruss,’ Karquesh said. ‘Do you not have it in Drayden?’
Kiri shook her head. ‘No, it is unknown to us.’
The phaunt reached the city walls. They disembarked and walked up the wide flight of stairs to the top, gazing out over the harbour below. Hundreds of ships were visible in the bright blue sparkling waters. The harbour was built upon the terminus of the river delta, with two arms that stretched out far into water. Within those protective stone arms, dozens of large wooden quays had been built, around which uncounted ships were clustered. Most were merchant vessels of various types, some carrying cargo, others fish and other food products. The harbour was bustling with activity. They could hear distant shouts and conversations as ships were directed in and out, moored, loaded, unloaded and set on their way again.
To the far side of the harbour lay the military vessels. The biggest had many masts, their sails furled and stored for the time being, but their purpose obvious even from a brief inspection. Shields were stored along the flanks, with the prows shaped into aggressive looking points below the bowsprits. Others were smaller, with curved rams visible just below the waterline. Dozens of oars could be seen jutted out from the sides.
Karquesh saw Kiri scrutinise them the moment they came in sight.
A warrior, after all.
He pointed them out to her.
‘There are three main types,’ he said, gesturing to them. ‘We call them the Aries, the Lacus and the Telum. Of the three the Lacus is the dull one, it is nothing more than a means to transport soldiers and their arms.’
‘And how many women do they hold?’ Kiri asked.
‘Women?’ Karquesh laughed and then stopped at the look on Kiri’s face. ‘Why none … ah … my apologies, priestess Kiri. The women of Taloon do not go to war.’
‘None of them?’ Kiri asked. ‘Why not?’
Karquesh shook his head. ‘Such things are …’ He turned back to the subject of the ships. ‘They carry up to forty soldiers apiece and can cover fifty marks a stretch. Some are built just for … people, others for cargo and provisions.’
‘Can the phaunts be carried?’ Kiri asked.
‘Of course,’ Karquesh replied. ‘In the bigger ships. They are trained for it and they are a major asset in warfare.’
‘I thought they might be,’ Kiri said. ‘Then you could carry our dachs too.’
‘I dare say we could,’ Karquesh agreed. ‘If you could persuade them to reside aboard the ships.’
‘Our dachs are quite disciplined,’ Kiri said. ‘They obey their priestesses. The other ships?’
‘The Telum are vessels equipped with weapons,’ Karquesh said, gesturing to a smaller series of vessels. ‘Upon their bows are powerful crossbows, and they carry heavy weights and various
means of setting other ships alight. They serve a single purpose, to sink opposing vessels.’
‘And the Aries?’
Karquesh nodded, the girl was paying the utmost attention now. He could almost sense her filing the information away inside her mind.
‘Ah, yes,’ he said. ‘Of all the ships, these are my favourite. They are small, but sleek and fast, rowed by the strongest. You see the bow, how it curves down to the water instead of up from it?’
Kiri nodded.
‘The ram,’ Karquesh said. ‘Below the water is a vast metal spike. These ships are driven hard into other vessels, breaking their hulls and sending them to the bottom of the sea. Our neighbours to the sunwards have reason to fear the Aries ships.’
‘Neighbours?’ Kiri asked.
‘The land of Kerun,’ Karquesh said. ‘It is why we have an army and a fleet. We are oft at war with them, but we won a decisive victory against them not long ago and they have not bothered us for rounds. They are a tough and cruel people, they live mostly amongst dunes of sand, but they raid our cities along the coast with cunning ships and vicious crews. I once saw one of their vessels cut in twain by one of ours. It sank in moments, taking all its crew with it. Such is the nature of war.’
They turned from the harbour and walked along the wall. It arced around the entire city, perhaps two marks in diameter, encircling everything within. After a while she stopped.
‘There is one thing I do not understand,’ she said. ‘Where are the farmers? Where are the crops? The fields?’
Karquesh smiled and pointed out beyond the walls.
‘Away from the city walls and the river there is desert stretching far to the shaderight and the shadeward. Nothing grows out there. Kerun to the sunward is arid too.’
‘But the fruits … they were fresh. They could not have been transported far, if at all.’
‘Another wonder of the ancients,’ Karquesh admitted. ‘Would you like to see the ancient secret of Taloon, priestess Kiri?’
She nodded. ‘It has already been a stretch of wonders,’ she said. ‘But I would see more.’
‘Very well.’
Karquesh led her down from the walls and they returned to the phaunt, mounting it once again. It took them back to the centre of the city where they disembarked once more. Yet, instead of climbing up through the city heights, Karquesh led her down stairs to levels below the ground. They passed a series of guards, who stood back away from the king.
To begin with the passageways were cut from stone. They were narrow and rough, but before long they widened out into great vaulted spaces. There were huge ranks of fresh plump vegetables and fruits being tended and boxed.
‘This way,’ Karquesh gestured.
In the centre of the space was a large metal circle set in the floor, perhaps forty hands in diameter. In the very centre was a lever. Karquesh waited until Kiri was alongside and then pulled it.
With a faint vibration, the disk descended through the floor. Karquesh chuckled at the alarmed look on Kiri’s face, but also noted how she recovered her balance and composure.
They continued to drop down until the rock ended, the disk now suspended in the air in a vast space. Blazing light surrounded them in all directions as they caught sight of a vast underground space that stretched out in all directions.
Karquesh smiled in satisfaction. Kiri’s mouth had dropped open in absolute astonishment. He heard her gasp and stagger as she took in the view.
‘Shades …’ she whispered.
‘One of the great secrets of Taloon,’ Karquesh announced. ‘Come, I will show you.’
CHAPTER TEN
Shadeward of Dynesia, Scallia
Round 2307, Fourth pass
‘There it is,’ Coran said, looking out through the bridge windows of the Mobilis and pointing ahead. ‘Dead slow.’
‘Dead slow, aye,’ Mel replied, pulling the throttles back to just short of their idle setting. The faint churn of the engines dropped to a muted thrum.
The river had narrowed and the rocky cliffs had split in two before them. The Mobilis couldn’t travel much further upstream.
It didn’t need to. The dark opening of a cave could be seen on the port bank. The entrance was smooth and regular, cut into the rock by some unknown means. Odd fixtures jutted from the walls, rusty with long rounds of disuse. Everything was hung with vegetation.
Coran swung the helm over and the Mobilis turned inwards.
‘Daf, Creg, be ready fore and aft.’
The cave loomed over the ship as they entered, the warmth of Lacaille replaced by a welcome dampness in the air and the sound of dripping water. The crew squinted in the darkness, waiting for their eyes to adjust.
The cave widened out inside and they could see the quay, set at right angles to the entrance.
‘All looks undisturbed,’ Mel said.
‘Just as well,’ Coran said. ‘The thought of those priestesses getting hold of this.’
Mel swallowed. ‘I hadn’t even thought of that.’
Coran looked at her. ‘They’re fearsome enough with their flying dachs and magic powers, let alone if they were able to use this stuff. We need to ensure we’re the only ones who can use it, take what we can back to Amar.’
Mel’s observation was proved to be correct. The quayside was as dirty as before, but they could only make out the footsteps they had left the last time they had visited. Daf and Creg made the ship fast against the moorings and Mel cut the engines.
‘All secure.’
‘Let’s go pay Caesar a visit.’
Coran led the way, with Mel, Fitch, Meru, Zoella and Ren following behind. Daf and Creg stayed behind to mind the ship. Fitch switched on and then handed out the lightglasses. They entered the narrow corridor that led away from the quay into the rocky heart of the cliffs.
‘Watch your step,’ Coran called. ‘The floor’s uneven and there are a few surprises along the way.’
‘Surprises?’ Zoella queried.
Meru pointed at a small alcove on the right side of the passage. Zoella peered and gasped.
A skeleton lay on the floor, the bones bright in the light. It was lying on its back, its arms held up with hands clamped around its head.
‘Look familiar?’ Meru asked.
‘The priestesses,’ Zoella said in a whisper. ‘Here? When?’
‘Long time ago,’ Fitch said. ‘Long before us and our woes that’s for sure. There’s more up ahead. Watch out for ’em.’
They came across a second skeleton a little further up, this one was propped against the wall, but in a similar position. Zoella looked into the empty eye sockets, wondering what sights they must have seen.
And who killed them? And why?
The tunnel opened out into a cave, their footsteps echoing around the small interior. Opposite the entrance they had come through was a large metal door, with a wheel, a lever and a small panel of buttons set in it.
‘Just like last time,’ Coran whispered. ‘Least it seems that no one has been here. That’s good news.’
Meru gestured to the door. Zoella looked.
There were more skeletons, all clustered below the door. This time their bones were blackened and burnt, dismembered and scattered.
‘What happened?’ Zoella whispered.
‘I guess it must have been the flares, they struck before and these people were caught in a firestorm down here and …’
Meru’s voice trailed off. Zoella trembled at the thought of being trapped underground as the flames consumed her.
Coran peered at the door.
‘Let’s hope this still works,’ he said and then raised his voice. ‘Unlock!’
They all looked up as there was brief hiss of noise. Then a voice echoed around them.
‘Entry to this facility is restricted to authorised personnel only. Please enter your access code. Frequency forty eight point seven megahertz.’
‘What was that?’ Zoella asked.
‘One of the voices I wa
s telling you about,’ Meru said. ‘It’s sort of a machine I guess. This one seems to only have one job, guard the entrance!’
‘You remember the code?’ Fitch asked.
‘I sure do,’ Coran replied, pressing the numbers into the small panel set in the door. ‘One, two, three, five, eight, one, three …’
On the final number a heavy clunk echoed out of the door. Coran pulled the lever down and swung the wheel. As he did so more thumps echoed around the cave. Air hissed out for a moment and then the door folded in on itself.
A corridor led inwards. Zoella watched as overhead lights flickered on.
This magical ’tricity …
Coran led the way further in. They climbed on to a walkway suspended above the rocky floor which led to another door like the one they had just come through, but without the numbered buttons. Coran swung the wheel and pulled the lever down. The door folded back in the same manner.
Beyond was darkness, but to Zoella’s surprise, Coran marched forward with his lightglass aloft.
‘Try not to hold your breath,’ Meru said. ‘This next bit is a bit unnerving …’
Zoella and Ren looked at each other and then followed.
She could tell she was in some vast empty space by the way the sound from their movements faded away, but the darkness was impenetrable, their light glasses showed nothing other than the smooth floor they were standing on.
‘Any moment now,’ Coran said, standing still at the front of the group.
Zoella heard a hum from somewhere far above. It was deep and throbbing, the movement of some kind of powerful machine …
Light burst around them, the hum faded away in the intolerable glare. Ren squealed beside her and she felt him grab hold of her leg and pull himself close.
She blinked as her eyes adjusted.
Before them was a grand cavern, a huge empty space at least five hundred hands high, shaped like the inside a vast inverted bowl. Above, massive blazing orbs were casting a bright glow all about them, suspended in an enormous chandelier hanging from the roof. More lights were festooned around the cavern in concentric rings. The floor was also lit by lights embedded in the ground, illuminating bays and walkways.
