by Imogen Elvis
Briar took a half step back. This was a dangerous place to be. Her breath caught in her throat as a single note rose. The flames in the nearby buildings flared. Whoosh. The note swelled higher, louder, shaking the very air.
Crouching in the shadows, Briar pressed her hands against her ears in a vain attempt to block out the noise, gritting her teeth. Magic swept the length of the street, knocking the breath from her lungs. For a moment, there was nothing but the music as it rose. Even the magic held back. What were they waiting for?
The mistresses stepped forward. Mistress Willow laid a hand on Mistress Rhosmari’s shoulder and gave her the slightest nod. As a soul singer, Briar guessed she would lend her strength to the other mistress. They too began to sing, and their harmony was filled with warmth, softening the sharp edge of the Nameless Ones’ notes.
Overhead, birds cawed. They spiralled down from the sky, hundreds and hundreds of them, talons reaching out as they plummeted towards the Nameless Ones in a twisting mass. The shadowy magicians barely had time to raise their arms to protect their masked faces before disappearing beneath a whirlwind of wings and beaks.
The darker magic faltered under the attack, the eerie song faltering and fading. The flock of birds rose and spiralled around, preparing another attack. As they lifted, Briar caught sight of the two Nameless Ones, driven to their knees. Their clothes were torn, and the man’s mask hung half off. Briar caught the gleam of red blood trickling from his temple. They were no match for Mistress Rhosmari, especially when Mistress Willow was lending her strength through her song. These Nameless Ones had no chance. Not against a song councillor.
And then the dark song swelled again. A blast of fire shot out the windows of a nearby building, scattering the birds. They cawed in alarm and rose into the night sky, despite the song calling to them. The Nameless Ones rose to their feet and faced the mistresses again, calm, relaxed. The man fixed his mask, and it was as if they’d never been attacked. They seemed inhuman, unbreakable, unstoppable. Briar’s hope wavered.
A gust of wind tore down the street, driving the two mistresses back a step. Then another. It whistled and howled, blowing the women’s hair out behind them in a long stream. Their habits flapped like strange wings. Briar curled in on herself, shielding her face in the crook of her arm, watching helplessly.
The air snapped and popped. Briar’s eyes widened. Just like Mama. “Look out!” She threw herself on the ground, wrapping her arms over her head. A blast of fire swept down the length of the street.
Screams.
The fire drew back, and Briar peeked up, stifling a cry of her own. Mistress Willow stood in the middle of the street, screaming as flames raged over her habit. She beat at them with her hands, her cries growing shriller and shriller.
“Willow.”
Mistress Rhosmari crouched against the wall near Briar, one hand stretched out as if she could reach her friend. The flames had full hold of Mistress Willow, burning like a mid-summer bonfire. There was nothing they could do but watch as the Nameless Ones advanced on her with long, slow strides, drawing out the agony with their lack of haste.
“Mistress.” Briar crawled over to join Mistress Rhosmari. “What do we do?” Her eyes flicked to the approaching Nameless Ones.
“We need to go.” Mistress Rhosmari pulled Briar away.
Briar looked back to see Mistress Willow collapse to her knees, her shill screams fading to a high, thin wail. The Nameless Ones stopped in front of her. Again, they clasped their hands around their pedants. The air crackled and snapped again with impending fire. Briar’s eyes widened.
“Look out.” She hurled herself sideways, knocking Mistress Rhosmari to the ground. The flames swept out again.
Mistress Rhosmari wrapped her arms around Briar, rolling over so that Briar’s back pressed against the wall and the mistress’s body was between her and the flames. A band of panic squeezed Briar’s chest until she couldn’t breathe. Not again. Not again. She closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands.
The flames drew back a second time. Mistress Rhosmari rolled away, crying out. Flames licked over the skirt of her habit. The mistress beat at them with her bare hands. Briar froze for a moment, then grabbed the edges of the skirt and swept them together, smothering the flames with a smell of smoke and scorched flesh. Mistress Rhosmari’s face twisted in pain.
Briar looked back. The Nameless Ones stood over Mistress Willow’s fallen body. The woman pushed the mistress with her foot. She neither moved, nor made a sound. Briar tasted ash. Mistress Willow was dead. Her heart thumped in her chest as the Nameless Ones turned, their gazes landing on her.
“They’re coming.” Briar grabbed Mistress Rhosmari’s arm and heaved her to her feet.
Mistress Rhosmari took a step and let out a sharp hiss of pain. She pulled her habit back, and Briar winced at the sight of the melted, blistering skin on her right leg.
“It’s alright.” Briar’s voice shook as she struggled to fight back the welling panic. “I’ll help you. Put your arm around my shoulders.” She staggered as the mistress leaned her weight on Briar. “Come on.” They stumbled painfully, step by step down the street. The Nameless Ones followed, unhurried, playing with their prey. Briar gritted her teeth. There had to be a way out. Some way to escape these people.
Mistress Rhosmari glanced back. “We’re not going to make it.”
“Yes, we will.” Would they? There was nowhere to hide. Nowhere to run to. Still, Briar tried to hide the tremble in her voice. “Just keep going.”
But the mistress slowed instead. She dragged her medallion over her head and dropped it, the fine silver chain, and a small chunk of smooth, white rock into Briar’s palm. “Look after these. Don’t show anyone. Not even the people you trust. Guard it with your life. Promise me.” Her eyes bored into Briar’s with an intensity that scared her.
“I promise. But Mistress-”
Mistress Rhosmari straightened and dropped her arm from around Briar’s shoulders. “I can give you a few moments.” Her face set into a look of calm resignation. “Go.”
“But-”
“Go.” The mistress stepped out into the street, standing straight and proud, despite her injuries. Music bubbled from her lips as she faced the Nameless Ones alone. They stopped, and their song rose for a third time. Briar gripped the silver medallion so hard the edges cut her hand. Tears spilled from her eyes as she watched Mistress Rhosmari’s brave, lonely figure standing against the Nameless Ones. No. This couldn’t be happening. But there was nothing she could do as the air crackled again. Briar pressed her right hand against her heart in respect. Then, as the flames swept out, she turned and ran.
CHAPTER SIX
Silence hung in the hazy streets as Briar crept on towards Ava’s house. Tears streaked down her cheeks. She had to reach Ava, get out of this waking nightmare. Her eyes shifted from shadow to shadow. It felt as if a Nameless One might step out in front of her at any moment, a cold, dark song rising from their throat.
Briar breathed a sigh of relief as the big house where Ava worked finally came into view. If these were ordinary bandits, these houses would have been looted and burned first. But there was nothing normal about the Nameless Ones. Briar’s step quickened. The windows were dark, and the front door hung open. Not a good sign. Briar pressed her lips together. At least the house was still standing. She could only hope that Ava had waited for her.
The entrance hall was lit only by the faint glow filtering in from the street beyond. Briar crept inside cautiously, ears pricked. But there was no sign anyone was still here, no voice or small movement to suggest anyone remained inside. The family and servants must have fled at first sight of trouble. Briar’s footsteps were silent, muffled by the soft rug that ran the length of the hallway.
“Ava?”
Her voice sounded so loud in the overwhelming silence. Was Ava even here still? Briar tiptoed the hall, her eyes wide as they tried to adjust to the darkness. Where would Ava hide, if she’d even st
ayed? Probably in the servants’ areas. Those would all be at the back of the house. She could start there.
“Ava?”
The paintings hanging on the walls seemed to watch Briar as she ventured deeper into the house, raising prickles over the back of her neck. It seemed unlikely that Ava would hide in any of the lavishly furnished rooms Briar glimpsed through the open doorways. But the hall did lead to a green wooden door that seemed much more promising, as was the narrow flight of stairs leading down to a lower floor, though the darkness below made Briar’s heart race. One of the steps squeaked as she made her way down, and her breath hitched in her throat.
The stairs ended in another corridor. Down here, without the light from outside, it was almost too dark to see. Anything could be hiding in the shadows. The walls pressed in on her, squeezing the breath from her lungs. Briar licked her lips.
“Ava?” Her voice was barely a whisper now. Maybe Ava had left with the other servants. Maybe she was already safe. “Ava, it’s me.”
“Briar?”
Briar’s heart skipped a beat. “Yes. It’s alright. It’s just me.”
Ava crept out of a nearby doorway, pressing close to the wall. Briar threw her arms around her sister, hugging her fiercely. It was a moment before she was able to ask, “Are you alright?”
“I… I think so.” Ava drew in a ragged breath. “Everyone else left. Except me. I knew you’d come. What’s happening?”
“Osman’s on fire,” Briar said simply. Now was not the time to go into detail. “We have to hide.” She tried to keep her voice calm. “Do you remember the little tunnel under the wall? I think that might be a good place to wait this out.”
“Alright.” Ava’s hand crept into Briar’s. “We’ll be safe there, right?”
“I promise.” There were no promises. Not out there. But the lie slid easily off her tongue. They’d be safe somewhere. She had to believe it.
The two girls crept through the empty house back to the open front door. Briar motioned to Ava to stay behind her while she peeped outside. The street was as empty as before. Only the smoke moved as it drifted lazily. Briar squeezed Ava’s hand comfortingly, though she wasn’t quite sure whether it was for Ava’s sake or her own.
“Let’s go.”
Hand in hand, they slipped out of the house and down the road as quickly as Briar dared. The tunnel she was aiming for was at the far north end of town. It was little more than a split in the rocks just below the thick outer wall where the ground outside fell away in a rough stone tumbledown. The earth had cracked and given way, and a small passage had opened up. Very few people even knew it was there, which would hopefully make it a safe place to hide.
“Briar, look.” Ava’s voice shook. “Someone’s there.” She pointed back down the street.
A dark figure stalked them down the road, moving quickly. A Nameless One? It was impossible to tell, but a finger of dread touched the pit of Briar’s stomach. She tightened her grip on Ava’s hand “We’re going to have to run.” She forced her voice to stay light, though it quivered just a little. “Ready?”
Ava nodded and they broke into a run. Ava’s hand slipped from Briar’s grasp. Pace for pace, they fled down the road, ducking around a corner and out into another, wider street. A glance back confirmed the figure was still following them like a pursuing shadow, and gaining too. Briar’s heart pounded.
“Keep going,” she called.
A few notes rose behind them. Briar’s blood ran cold. It had to be a Nameless One. To the left, a small shrub burst into flames. Ava cried out and shied away. Her foot twisted, and she pitched forward, tumbling to the ground. She clutched her ankle. “Briar!”
“I’m here.” Briar grabbed Ava’s arm. “Come on.” She helped Ava to her feet, supporting her with an arm around her shoulders. “Can you walk?” This situation was all too familiar.
Ava set her foot to the ground and grimaced. “I… I think so.”
The Nameless One stood motionless in the middle of the street behind them. In one hand, she clutched a pendant, the same way the two from before had. Again, the song rose, and the fire leapt towards the girls as they stumbled down the street, arcing from plant to plant.
Ava looked back. “Why is she doing this?”
“I don’t know. It’ll be alright. Just keep going.” Briar gritted her teeth, a beat of sweat rolling down her cheek. It would be alright, wouldn’t it?
Just ahead of them, a small tree burst into flames. Briar stumbled back a pace, her eyes wide and her heart hammering in her chest. They were alright. Just keep going.
“Stop it. Leave us alone,” Ava screamed at the Nameless One.
As if in response to her cries, a blast of wind swept the length of the street, flying back towards the woman, making the fires around them dance. The Nameless One paused, her head cocked to one side. Briar dragged Ava on, her eyes fixed on the dark mouth of a nearby side street. If they could just make it there maybe then they might be safe.
A solid wall of wind punched the girls, sending them sprawling. Briar lost her grip on Ava and hit the ground hard, rolling over and over across the cobblestones. She hauled herself to her knees, straining against the wind that whistled around her. Ava crouched a few feet away, her wide eyes fixed on the Nameless One.
“Hold on. I’m coming.” Briar clawed her way towards her sister, digging her fingers into the cracks between the stones as the wind dragged at her.
But so was a second Nameless One. He stepped out of the shadows on the right side of the street, his voice whipping the air into a gale as he stalked towards them. The wind shrieked and forced Briar back a couple of feet. She dug her nails into the ground, her gaze still fixed on her sister. Fear reflected in Ava’s dark eyes as she struggled to climb to her feet, but the relentless wind knocked her flat. Ava’s lips moved. Briar couldn’t catch her words, but her meaning was clear.
Help me.
But there was nothing Briar could do except crouch there, pinned in place by the wind, and watch in horror as the Nameless Ones reached Ava, who stared up at them with wild, terrified eyes. The man dragged Ava to her feet, while the woman drew a length of cord from her belt. Ava struggled, lashing out with her heels, but the woman bound her hands without flinching.
Briar dragged herself forward. “Ava.” The wind snatched her cries away.
The Nameless Ones didn’t even glance at her. Again, an overwhelming sense of helplessness filled Briar as, for the second time that night, the Nameless Ones ripped another person away while all she could do was watch.
Someone grabbed Briar’s arm. She lashed out, her foot connecting hard enough for the grip on her arm to loosen. Briar pulled free, rolling away. Another Nameless One? No, the young man crouching in the entrance to the side street didn’t wear a black mask or a pendant.
“We need to go. Now. While they’re distracted.” The young man had to shout to be heard over the howling wind.
“They have my sister.” Briar turned back, as the female Nameless One lifted Ava like she weighed nothing, and slung the struggling girl over her shoulder.
“You can’t help her.”
It wasn’t true. She could still save Ava. Briar swallowed hard, tasting bile. “I can’t just leave her.”
“They’ll kill you.” The young man grabbed her arm again, looking into her eyes earnestly. “We need to go, or we’ll both die.”
Still, Briar hesitated. But already, the woman strode away, carrying Ava with her, and the second Nameless One turned to scan the street. Briar shrank from his gaze. They would kill her too. She wore a habit and a medallion. They would hunt her down and kill her like they killed the mistresses. She couldn’t abandon Ava. But she must.
Briar turned away, tears burning at the backs of her eyes and crawled towards the shelter of the side street. The young man hauled her around the corner and out of the wind. “Are you hurt?”
She shook her head. “I’m fine. Wh-who are you?”
“My name is Kade.” T
he man looked over her shoulder. “Sairth. He’s coming this way. Let’s go.” Sure enough, the second Nameless One strode towards them, his song still whipping the air into a frenzy. Kade leapt to his feet. “Follow me.”
They broke into a run. Briar matched Kade stride for stride. It should have been Ava by her side. She pushed the intruding thought away. There was no time for that. They had to get away from this Nameless One. Already the air around them stirred.
“Look out.” Briar dragged Kade round the nearest corner, just ahead of the screaming wind that sprang up behind them.
Kade caught on quickly. Every time the song rose, they ducked around another corner. Planning their path was impossible. Every time Briar thought they might be able to slip away, the wind whipped up again, sending them scurrying for cover. Her breath rasped in her throat. There had to be a way to escape this nightmarish game. But their pursuer was just too fast.
The Nameless One drove them back into the thick smoke. Briar sucked in a lungful and choked. Ahead, she caught the orange glow of fire. How had they ended up in the middle of Osman again? With every corner they turned, there was more and more of a chance that they would run into other Nameless Ones. But there was no other option. She and Kade fled through streets of burning buildings, shops, homes. The air around them shimmered.
“We’ve got to lose him,” Kade called.
“How?”
Kade glanced back. “I have an idea. We’re going through the inn.” He picked up speed.
Briar squinted through the hazy air. Ahead, she caught a glimpse of the inn’s sign, hanging half off, charred and smouldering, while the building itself blazed furiously. “Are you mad?”
"Trust me." Kade glanced back at Briar and took her hand. “Ready?”
“No.”
“Go.”
Briar grabbed her skirt with her free hand and leapt through the doorway. The air seared her skin, sucking the breath from her lungs. She coughed, a band of iron tightening around her chest. This was madness. But Kade’s grip pulled her on through the blazing building. A beam creaked and fell from the ceiling in a shower of sparks. Briar cried out and sprang forward, heart pounding wildly. They were never going to make it.
