by Ian Gregoire
Kayden nodded her head in understanding, which was Valeria’s cue to impart the second option.
“The other option is to release a sleeping mist,” continued Valeria. “It’s an odourless, invisible cloud that will render unconscious anyone who inhales it. While the mist is very effective in enclosed spaces, which is why it works so well indoors, it’s not nearly as potent outdoors, where it disperses quickly and easily.”
Right away Kayden knew how to utilise both applications of Zarantar Jist in tandem to attain the results she sought. Conferring with Valeria, she explained that once she departed to infiltrate the governor’s residence, the Sisters should first employ sleeping mists inside all the buildings bordering the square, to incapacitate the lurking bowmen deployed by the bandits. Next, they should unleash a concussion wave through the square to incapacitate the bandits gathered outside the governor’s residence. Finally, the Sisters should lead an advance into the square, to protect the militia from potential retaliatory action from behind the perimeter wall while they disarmed and detained the bandits rendered unconscious by the concussion wave.
“It’s an audacious plan, Kayden,” said Valeria. “But you can count on the Sisterhood to help you pull it off. We won’t let you down.”
Unbidden, a bashful smile curled Kayden’s lips, and she averted her eyes, unable to speak. Words couldn’t express how much she appreciated the ease with which Sister Valeria spoke to her like a respected equal. “I guess we’d better get ready,” she said. “I want to make my move within the next quarter-hour.”
With the plan finished and agreed upon, Kayden instructed Sartis to get word out to all the townspeople amassed at the entry points on all four sides of Mirazan Square. It was important to ensure that no one attempted to enter the square before the Sisters had successfully executed their task, at which point they would lead Kayden’s militiamen into the square from the north avenue, signalling the locals to do likewise from the east, south, and west avenues. As Sartis quickly departed to carry out her instructions, Kayden returned to Onyx, reclaiming the reins from the young militiaman she had entrusted with her horse. Standing at the gelding’s side, she stroked his neck while staring down the north avenue at the governor’s residence in the middle of the square. She mentally blocked out the hustle and bustle of her militiamen and the local fighters mingling together in the vicinity, focussing her thoughts on what was soon to come. She had sacrificed two days of her mission to be here, but it would be worth it to help liberate thousands of people from tyranny.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The Face Of The Enemy
Sister Valeria suddenly appeared at Kayden’s side and she snapped out of her thoughts. She had no idea how much time had elapsed while she’d been stroking Onyx’s neck as she ruminated, but her Jaymidari friend passed on the news that Sartis had returned, having conveyed the plan of action to the other three sides of the square.
So, it was time. Now it was up to her to initiate the first phase in bringing about the downfall of Baranzev Kazdaranian.
She signalled for a nearby militiaman to take the reins of her horse, then pulled the hood of her siphon cloak over her head, invoking Raytandushay. The awed gasps of the resistance fighters around her testified that they had never before seen someone become invisible. She couldn’t help but smile. Abilities that she now took for granted still had the capacity to amaze others, and the time had come for her to use that power to bring a decisive end to the siege. Walking carefully around and past the gathered militiamen, she moved stealthily down the avenue towards the square at the opposite end.
Moments later she set foot on the square for the first time, amused that the hundreds of armed bandits ahead of her were completely oblivious to her presence. If the situation wasn’t as serious as it was, she may have found it harder to resist the temptation to cross the hundred yards distance between herself and the closest bandit just to pinch his nose or smack the back of his head. As it was, she had taken less than a dozen paces when she invoked Makfayshulat to levitate several feet into the air. Drifting towards the perimeter wall around the governor’s residence, she glanced this way and that, scanning the buildings bordering the square. By now the sleeping mist invoked by the Sisters should have permeated throughout the structures, rendering all the occupants unconscious, so it was no surprise to see no bowmen lurking in any windows. If everything went to plan, the resistance wouldn’t need to worry about the ability of the Sisters to protect them from crossbow bolts and arrows when they flooded into the square. But before that could happen, Kayden needed to get over the perimeter wall to give the signal for the Sisters to unleash a cascading concussion wave through the square.
Returning her focus to the task ahead, she cast out her senses at the governor’s residence. The building had the look of a stately mansion, and she detected multiple people inside. It was impossible to determine which, if any, of these people was the bandit leader, but it was safe to assume that Baranzev Kazdaranian was somewhere in the building.
Kayden drifted over the closed north gate of the perimeter wall. Below, she observed several men armed with crossbows manning the wall. She caught sight of the entrance to the residence and drifted steadily towards it, descending all the way until she touched down outside the solid oak double doors. Turning her back on the doors, she stared at the gates of the perimeter wall. It was time to give the signal the Sisters were waiting for.
With an outstretched hand, Kayden invoked Balatlaydan, letting loose three incendiary orbs towards the north gate. The fiery orbs struck the gates simultaneously, obliterating the wooden gates instantly. Panic-stricken bandits scattered in search of cover, shouting incoherently, unsure of the source of the detonation. Moments later, Kayden sensed the response of the seven Sisters, then saw it through the gaping breach in the perimeter wall. Eyes wide, she stared transfixed at the manifestation of the Sisters’ Zarantar Jist: a translucent wave rushing towards the compound from the edge of the square. The Jaymidari invocation looked like a tidal wave coming into shore, and with the north gate destroyed it would enter the courtyard unhindered, rendering unconscious any one in its path as it cascaded across the compound.
All of a sudden, Kayden’s reverie ended with the realisation that she, too, would be incapacitated if struck by the wave. She quickly turned on her heels, knowing it was time to enter the governor’s residence where the concussion wave couldn’t reach her. The air around her briefly rippled like water as she invoked Naymutandushay, becoming intangible before walking invisibly through the oak doors like an apparition. On the other side of the doors, she came to a halt, ceasing her invocations; it was no longer necessary to remain invisible or incorporeal. The lobby was empty, but she looked around in search of trouble. For now she was alone.
There was a loud roar outside, and immediately Kayden knew that the militia was charging into the square. She was confident they would encounter little, if any, resistance while they advanced, though most of the bandits behind the perimeter wall would have evaded the concussion wave.
Concentrating her mind, Kayden cast out her senses as she’d been taught by Fay. Kazdaranian could be anywhere in the building, and there was no way she would waste time searching every room in the three-storey building to find him. She already had a pretty good idea where he was likely to be. During her airborne approach towards the compound, she had determined that there were multiple people inside the residence, and now it was apparent that most of them were clustered together in groups in various locations throughout the residence. There were two notable exceptions. On the third floor, she could sense the presence of two individuals in different places. It was reasonable to assume that one of them was the bandit leader she sought, but she wasn’t prepared to take that for granted. Before proceeding, she decided to investigate the multiple locations on the floors below where she could sense the presence of groupings of people. However unlikely, it was possible that one of these groups was Kazdaranian surrounded by his most trusted loyal
ists.
Kayden made her way through the lavish corridors towards the closest of the groups. When she arrived outside the door of the room, she promptly shoved it open, prepared to defend herself. Much to her surprise, she found over a dozen women and girls huddled together in a plush lounge room, some of them seated on sofas, the rest on the carpeted floor, kneeling or sitting cross-legged. They were of varying ages and appearance, but they were all attractive and well dressed. It was also apparent that each of them was alarmed by her unexpected arrival.
“Don’t be afraid,” Kayden uttered. Glancing at all the faces staring back at her, it suddenly dawned on her that it wasn’t her foreign features they were reacting to. From the haunted look in their eyes, she knew who these women were, and the reason for their presence. Nonetheless, she had to ask the question. “Were you all taken from your homes and families as tribute by Kazdaranian’s men?”
Several heads silently nodded, and one of the women seated on a sofa stood up tentatively. She looked to be the eldest of the group, in her late-thirties, with a shapely figure. Her shoulder-length brown locks framed a pretty face that would make her stand out in a crowd.
“Is it true?” asked the woman. “Have the people really risen up to liberate the town?”
When Kayden advanced into the room and replied in the affirmative, there were several murmured refrains of “Thank goodness,” among the women. She informed them that the governor’s residence was now surrounded on all sides by the resistance, and the bandits outside defending the compound were being detained as she spoke. Eager to end the plight of the captives, Kayden asked the standing woman her name.
“Edina,” said the woman.
“All right, Edina. I want you to lead the other women to the lobby. Can you do that for me?”
Nodding her head, Edina said, “Yes, I can do that.”
“Good. I want you to wait there until I have found and released all the other captives. There may still be skirmishes taking place in the courtyard so don’t leave the building before it’s safe to do so.”
Edina promptly encouraged her fellow captives to get to their feet in preparation to leave the room. A few of the younger girls appeared reluctant at first, but were soon grouped together behind Edina along with everyone else. Kayden led the women to the open door, and pointed Edina in the direction of the lobby, though she already knew the way. Before letting the group depart, she asked Edina for a description of Baranzev Kazdaranian, so she’d recognise him when she found him.
“I have no idea what he looks like,” said Edina. “In the eight months I’ve been held here, I have never seen him. None of us has.”
The surprising revelation confused Kayden. If these young women had been abducted and brought to Sevdanor to be Kazdaranian’s sex slaves, how was it possible that they had never met the man? Her first instinct was to question the captives about the obvious discrepancy, but she didn’t want to be insensitive with regard to their ordeal. Maybe it was simply the case that so many women had been taken as tribute from their homes that the bandit leader had not yet had the time and opportunity to abuse them all. Even so, given that a couple of the captives appeared to be with child, it was safe to assume that none of the women had escaped the attention of other bandits eager to satisfy their lust.
Without responding, Kayden permitted the women to depart without further delay. Once they were safely out of sight, she resumed her investigation of the remaining locations in the building, where she now suspected other captive women were being held. Over the next short while, she encountered rooms of abductees a further four times. By the time she had sent the last group of women on their way to the lobby, Kayden was even more perturbed. In total, over eighty captive women had been freed, several of whom were in varying stages of pregnancy, yet not one of them had met Baranzev Kazdaranian during their captivity. Increasingly, it seemed as though the taking of sex slaves was the means by which Kazdaranian rewarded the loyalty of his men, rather than a desire to satisfy his own perverted lust. Or maybe something else was at play?
Now alone on the second floor of the governor’s residence, Kayden cast out her senses again, focussing on the floor above. As expected, she sensed the presence of two individuals in two separate locations on the third floor, but one of them was moving. Whoever it was seemed to be heading in the direction of the other person. Though her certainty that one of the two had to be Kazdaranian was decreasing, Kayden bounded through the corridor towards the staircase, determined to intercept the moving target. She reached the stairs, and ascended two steps at a time until she reached the top floor. Moving swiftly through the carpeted corridor, she mentally prepared herself for anything, not knowing whether she was about to encounter friend or foe. If it was the bandit leader, surely he would be aware that he had already lost? The residence was surrounded; his loyalists had been incapacitated or killed, and there was no possibility of escape.
But cornered animals can be dangerous, thought Kayden. She wouldn’t take the threat lightly, especially if her growing suspicion that Kazdaranian had mastered the ways of the Saharbashi was born out.
Homing her senses on the target, Kayden drew ever closer to the person she pursued. She turned right, into another corridor, just in time to catch a glimpse of a shape disappearing around the left-hand turn at the far end. The sight prompted her to quicken her pace to reach the end of the corridor then turn left around the corner. Several yards ahead of her was a grey-haired man with a dagger in hand, walking steadily towards the double doors at the opposite end of the corridor. Kayden was immediately alarmed by the Zarantar she sensed emanating from those doors; it made her skin crawl, reminding her why she disliked the sensation brought on by the nearby presence of Zarantar Najist, the art of the Saharbashi.
“Stop right there!” she ordered.
The man halted abruptly, and stood frozen to the spot. Slowly, he turned his head until he was peering back over his left shoulder at Kayden. She was surprised by his youthful appearance, which was at odds with his grey hair. He couldn’t be much older than forty years old. The fear on his visage seemed to deepen, and instinctively Kayden doubted that this was the face of a man who could rally thousands of bandits to his cause, and usurp a province of a kingdom.
“Who are you?” she asked.
He cautiously turned around to face her directly, and the fearful expression on his face shifted. Now he looked like a relieved man who knew he was lucky to get away with something. “Oh, thank goodness!” he blurted, taking a couple of spaces towards her.
Kayden raised a hand sharply, gesturing for the man to stop. “Don’t come any closer!” she ordered. He promptly obeyed and sheathed his dagger. “I asked you a question.”
“Yes. I’m Danrik Baldassian, the governor of Sevdanor.”
Frowning, Kayden couldn’t decide whether she was more surprised that the provincial governor was still alive, or that he was roaming the corridors of his residence, armed with a dagger. In either case, though he certainty looked the part and carried himself like a government official, she was instantly suspicious of the man.
“What are you doing here, Governor?” she asked. “More to the point, why are you here?” Something about him wasn’t sitting right with her, but she couldn’t put a finger on what it was.
“I have been under house arrest and confined to my quarters for the past ten months,” he began. “Kazdaranian keeps me alive for when he needs my signature on official correspondences to the capital. Today is the first opportunity I’ve had to escape. Ever since that disembodied voice announced the impending liberation of the town, I’ve been left unguarded. For the last hour or so, I have monitored the siege of Mirazan Square from my window until it became clear that Kazdaranian’s people would be defeated; that’s when I decided to break out of my room. I was just making my way to my office to kill Kazdaranian myself. Once he is dead, all his men will surrender. I’m certain of it.”
“Well, then, it’s a good thing I found you when I di
d,” said Kayden. “A man wielding a dagger is no match for a man who wields Zarantar. You would only have got yourself killed.” She ambled towards the deposed governor. “You need to go downstairs, now. Flee the building and announce yourself to the resistance. I will take care of apprehending Baranzev Kazdaranian.”
The governor’s countenance shifted again. He looked troubled. “You do understand that Kazdaranian won’t allow you to take him alive, right? He will fight to the death rather than surrender.”
“Then I’ll have no choice but to give him what he wants,” Kayden retorted. “Now it’s time for you to go.”
“You cannot give him the option to surrender.” Governor Baldassian sounded a little too insistent. “This man is utterly ruthless. The moment you enter my office you have to eliminate him without warning.”
Narrowing her eyes, Kayden fought to contain her irritation. “Don’t make me repeat myself.” She stood to one side, gesturing with her arm for the governor to depart in the direction she’d followed him from. He reluctantly walked past her, heading down the corridor while she kept her eyes locked on him until he disappeared from view around the corner. Finally, she was able to resume her approach toward the double doors the governor had been walking to, and with every step that brought her closer to it, the more her skin crawled.
She halted in front of the doors, instinctively knowing that the Zarantar Najist she sensed before her was indicative of some kind of protection ward. Waving a hand a cross the doors, she invoked Yuksaydan to expose the manifestation of the Saharbashi ward. Instantly, a series of glowing red glyphs began to appear along the door frame. Kayden didn’t recognise all the symbols, but there was no room for doubt that anyone who attempted to open the doors would die an unpleasant death.
That idiot governor wouldn’t have got anywhere near Kazdaranian with his silly little knife, thought Kayden, shaking her head. She took a step backward then held both hands out in front of her. Again she invoked Yuksaydan, concentrating her mind on breaking the deadly ward. In a matter of seconds, the glowing red glyphs flared intensely then seemingly transmuted into a gaseous state, dissipating with a fizzing sound. With the ward successfully broken, Kayden cautiously pushed open the doors—still utilising the ‘unseen hand’ to do so. On the other side of the doorway was a spacious antechamber, and the way it was furnished made it easy to determine that the room was a waiting area for people who had secured an audience with the provincial governor.
