by K Hanson
Brynja perked up. She only knew of one purple-eyed pirate. Of course, Nereyda would get herself tied up in a rebellion.
“Believe me, I hear what you’re saying. The loss of Antalia hurts. However, imagine what might happen if the Stalstans decide to back these rebels. We’ve all heard the stories about the sort of monstrosities that the Stalstans brought to attack the mines. I wasn’t there, so I can’t vouch for the accuracy of these legends. I hope they are merely the exaggerated stories of soldiers in a hard battle for their very lives. However, even in myths and tall tales there is a kernel of truth. Whether the Stalstans have developed some sort of new weapon or have become proficient in witchcraft that turns them into fire beasts, or even if they just fight fiercely, we can’t afford to have them aiding the enemies on our own shores. I trust our friends in the army to contain this rebellion. It’s one thing for rebels to mount an unexpected uprising in a single city. It’s quite another to sustain a long campaign to take the entire nation and force out the Emperor. I do not believe they even have a navy, so our own usefulness against them will be limited. However, if they are intent on taking the whole Empire, they will need a fleet eventually, and our job will be to either deny them that resource entirely or destroy whatever ships they do acquire.”
Brynja did not relish the idea of facing Nereyda in battle. The idea of fighting her former friend saddened her. And she knew how deadly Nereyda was in a fight, even without the ability to summon lightning.
The admiral paused to consult his notes before droning on. The officers and representatives still paid perfect attention, but the others glanced about the room and out the windows. If it weren’t for the reference to Nereyda, Brynja would likely do the same. Mansur continued, “I’m getting ahead of myself. Talk of dealing with these rebels is premature, so I will return to the task at hand of destroying the Stalstan fleet. As you all know, we have been sending privateers to harass Stalstan civilian vessels in the waters just on the east side of their main island. In the wake of our attacks, their main battle fleet has been sent to destroy the marauders. A few of our more expendable privateer ships are still out there to keep up an illusion that the attacks are continuing. Meanwhile, every ship represented in this room will sail out in formation with the goal of destroying that fleet. Officers of the Imperial Navy, you already know your command structure and whom you will report to for this operation. Privateers, you will consult with your designated representatives. They will know where you fit in the hierarchy and where you will sail in our grand formation. This is the largest assembly of Cambisian ships in history. It will be a proud moment to cripple our rivals and prevent them from ever again invading our beloved Empire. You’re all dismissed so that you can begin your preparations. The fleet will set sail at dawn two days from now.”
The assembled officers and privateers stood and began filtering out of the room.
“Did the reps on the expendable ships know what they were getting into?” asked Brynja.
“Yes, they all volunteered,” said Ilker. “They were well aware that they were likely going to be sacrificed to help complete the ruse. Their families are being well compensated for their lives and they will be remembered for years to come.”
“What’s our role in all of this?”
“We get a very special assignment. Due to your record as a rather skilled pirate, your exemplary performance in our coastal raids, and my superb negotiating skills, we will be in the headquarters formation. This means that we will sail near the admiral’s flagship. If the fleet breaks into smaller formations, we will stay with him and prevent enemy ships from getting too close.”
“Seems like a pretty good assignment. And we finally get to shoot at something that can fight back.”
“It is a great assignment. We’ll be at the center of all the action, but won’t be in too much danger unless the rest of the fleet doesn’t do its job well.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
As the sun sank below the horizon behind them, golden light shone off of the snowcapped mountain peaks on either side of Goremia and highlighted the top of the wall that stretched in front of where Nereyda stood next to Limbani. Even from a distance, they could see the glint of helmets as a host of Imperial soldiers prepared to hold off the rebel army that had approached. So far, the rebels had remained out of range as they formed a plan, but they’d have to move forward with the attack at some point.
“We should have come up with a plan to take the city earlier,” said Limbani.
“We didn’t have the time. The Empire is reinforcing the city and more troops are only days away. We need to take it before they get here.”
“We need to think of something, and I’d rather not just throw our army at their walls. The only other way in is a hard climb into the mountains, followed by dropping a hundred feet off of a cliff, all at night. It would exhaust the men to do it all in one night, and we don’t have enough climbing equipment to make it worthwhile—even if the Imperials didn’t see us, which they would.”
“Do we have enough for one person?”
“Yes, but don’t do that.”
“I haven’t even told you my idea yet,” said Nereyda.
“I’ve fought next to you long enough to make a pretty good guess, and it’s crazy.”
“Why? It’s the best option. If I go alone, I can move faster, and there’s less of a chance that I’ll be caught. And let’s be honest. If we waste time arguing about it, you’ll forbid me to go, then I’ll go anyway. Or you can just let me go in the first place.”
Limbani sighed. “Fine. How will we know that you’ve succeeded?”
“When you have a way into the city that doesn’t involve vaulting a thirty-foot wall.”
“So you’ll slip in and open the gate?”
“Something like that, or whatever I can manage.”
“Then what do you need?”
“A horse, some warm clothes, and a hundred feet of rope.”
“Fine, you can use my horse. Check with our supply wagons to see about the other things. Just remember that I hate everything about this.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. You’ll hate it less when we take the city.”
“I hope you’re right. Take care of my horse.”
After Nereyda acquired the equipment she needed, she waited for the sun to set, then mounted Limbani’s horse and rode hard for the mountain that stood at the northern side of the pass. In the diminished light and with her rather unpracticed riding skills, Nereyda trusted the horse to handle any obstacles that might be on the ground. When she crossed the plain and reached the edge of the thick forest that stretched up the slope, she slowed down. Her pulse quickened as she imagined what might lurk within. The moon rose above the city to the east, providing faint but much-needed light.
As she looked for a trail that led up through the dense woods and heavy underbrush, she shivered. Not used to the dry cold of the mountains, she pulled a wool coat out of her pack and wrapped it over her shoulders as a shield against the chill that encroached in the night, and that would only get worse as she ascended the mountain. She spotted a gap in the trees and urged her horse toward it at a trot.
The rough ride left her butt feeling bruised, but after two hours of winding through the woods and up the slope, she arrived at the edge of a clearing at the top of the cliff overlooking the city.
Within the shadow of the forest, she dismounted and directed the horse to return to Limbani with a slap on its hindquarters. Outside the forest, a guard tower rose above the cliff, with a wooden staircase spiraling around the perimeter up to the guardhouse on top. An alarm bell dangled from the side. The Imperials hadn’t been stupid enough to leave this spot entirely unprotected, at least. Torches glowed along the edge of the cliff, so she couldn’t walk up to it without the risk of being spotted.
The top of the guard tower wasn’t lit, so Nereyda couldn’t immediately tell how many guards had been stationed there. She watched for a few minutes and made out the occasiona
l flicker of moonlight reflecting off of a helmet. Based on the glimmers of metal she caught, it appeared that two guards wandered around on the top of the structure. When it seemed like they were both moving toward the other side of the tower, Nereyda dashed out from the trees toward the closest torch. A cap dangled from the torch, so she used it to snuff out the flame before running back to the trees, where she waited for the guards to respond.
After a moment, one of the guards said, “One of the torches is out.”
“Don’t just gawk at it. Go down and check it, and relight it if nothing’s there.”
A flame flared at the top of the tower as the guard lit a torch of his own. He descended the stairs, the wooden steps creaking beneath his footsteps. A few moments later, he emerged into the light at the bottom of the tower. As he meandered past the remaining lit torches toward the extinguished one, Nereyda moved toward the other side of the tower as quickly as possible, remaining in the trees.
“Anything down there?” asked the man from the tower.
Nereyda wrapped her rope around a tree and tied it off.
The guard on the ground waved his torch over the ground near the extinguished torch. “Nothing I can see. Not sure what put the torch out.”
With the guards’ attention fixed on the other side of the tower, Nereyda grabbed her coil of rope and ran toward the edge, then tossed the rope off the edge before grabbing it and sliding over the side. Totally exposed on the cliff, she rappelled down as quickly as she could. Despite the darkness, anybody could look up or down and see something moving. She was glad she had remembered to bring a pair of gloves to spare her hands from the friction of sliding down a rough piece of rope.
Nereyda landed at the base of the cliff and glanced around. She had landed in what appeared to be the slums of the city, pressed up against the natural wall. Flimsy shacks sat densely packed on the ground. She slipped along the cliff toward the city wall so she could figure out a way to open it for Limbani and the other rebel troops.
As she moved west, she emerged from the ramshackle slums and into a section of two- and three-story buildings. Many of them appeared to be shops with apartments above them. Strangely, she didn’t see any taverns or brothels. The church’s influence must have kept out the more unsavory places of business.
The streets were all deserted. She only encountered a couple of patrols and easily evaded them by ducking into alleys. When Nereyda was a block from the wall that kept out the rebel army, torch sconces lit a bustle of activity. Soldiers marched along the wall, their footsteps clapping on the stone. Others, even some not in uniform, scurried at the base of the wall and moved supplies with squeaky carts. Officers strode behind their soldiers, giving them orders and empty pep talks about how they were doing their duty to the Empire and the gods.
Nereyda kept to the alleys and side streets, looking at the wall for a way to open it. Under a less guarded section between two guard towers, a drainage ditch led to a grate that let water flow under the wall and out of the city. Brown stinky water splashed her legs as she hopped down into the ditch and snuck toward the grate. The bars were solid iron, too thick to cut through. She made a note of the location, then returned to where she had seen people shuffling supplies around.
From a hiding spot in a darkened doorway, she observed the Imperial soldiers and their servants for several minutes. The servants moved with lowered shoulders and worked just quickly enough to avoid being yelled at. They were clearly civilians who had been drafted into helping defend the city.
An old woman pulling a cart stumbled onto the street below the wall. A guard strode over and laughed at her. “Come on. Keep moving that gunpowder. We need to be ready in case those rebels decide to do something stupid.”
The woman scowled at him from beneath a head of wispy white hair but didn’t say anything as she dusted herself off and resumed pulling the cart, her shoulders hunched and a limp in her step.
Nereyda slipped out of the shadows and made her way toward the woman without being seen. “Mind if I help you with that?” she asked.
The woman whirled around and eyed Nereyda with suspicion, then relaxed with relief as she looked over the helpful young woman. “Fine, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to let a younger person handle the heavy lifting.”
“Perfect. Can you give me directions?”
“Sure. I was taking this barrel to that guard tower down there.” The woman pointed toward a guard tower a couple of blocks north of where they were.
“And where do you go for barrels of powder?”
“Ah, that’s back the way I came. There’s a storehouse near the center of the wall. You won’t be able to miss it. It’s a hive of activity tonight.”
“Excellent. I’ll take this from here.”
Nereyda grabbed the handles of the cart and, after making sure nobody kept watch in her direction, veered into one of the alleys. She hauled the gunpowder between the buildings until she reached the drainage ditch. Parking the cart near the grate, she dropped down into the ditch, then pulled the barrel down before setting it into the gap.
After climbing out of the ditch, she hauled the cart back toward where the woman had said the storehouse was located. As she approached, she worried that the Imperial soldiers would recognize that she didn’t belong there. However, she strode with purpose right up to the storehouse without raising any suspicion.
“What are you hauling for us?” asked a guard outside the large door that opened into the warehouse.
“Gunpowder.”
“Good. It’s in the back there.”
Nereyda nodded at him, then went in to retrieve another barrel of powder. She made several trips over the next hour, going back and forth between the storehouse and the drain. As she shoved the last barrel into place, she knew she needed a way to ignite it since a fuse wouldn’t work in the wet drainage ditch. She climbed out of the ditch to get out of the water as she brainstormed. Her teeth clicked as a cold wind hit her wet clothes.
“Hey, what are you doing down there?”
Nereyda glanced up to see an Imperial soldier on the wall with his gun aimed at her.
“I’m just out to enjoy some fresh air. Is something wrong with that?”
“You should know it’s after curfew. You don’t look like a child. You should know better.”
“I’m sorry, my mistake. I’ll head home now.” Nereyda backed away from the wall with her hands in the air, careful not to step into the drainage ditch next to her.
“No, you stay right there.”
Nereyda backed away faster. “There’s an army of rebels outside, and you’re wasting your time with someone out for a walk?”
“I said stop!” he shouted.
Nereyda turned and sprinted away.
A shot rang out and struck the ground behind her.
She glanced over her shoulder. As she did so, she ran right into another person, sending them both tumbling to the ground.
A strong pair of hands hauled her to her feet. “What are you doing running away from an Imperial soldier?” said the man who had lifted her up.
“I was scared. I’m so sorry I ran into you,” she said as she reached down to the man she had run into. He slapped her hand away and jumped to his feet on his own.
Both men wore dark uniforms with a silver flame insignia on their shoulders. “Who are you?” Nereyda asked. “I don’t think I’ve seen that symbol anywhere else.”
“We are Sentinels of the Temple,” said the man who had helped her up. He looked down his nose at her. “We help keep order in this holiest of cities. And to that end, not only are you guilty of being out past curfew, you are guilty of failing to obey the command of someone in authority.”
“As well as assaulting an officer of the church,” added the other.
“Indeed. I’m afraid you’ll have to come with us to answer these charges.”
“Again, I’m so sorry.” Nereyda held her hand to her collarbone. “I was stupid to be out past dark. I needed some fresh a
ir and got scared by the guard. I didn’t mean to run into you.”
“Even so, you will come with us. Besides, how many people go for an evening stroll with a sword at their side?” He pointed at the cutlass on her hip. At once, both men drew a sword and pointed it at her, moving to stand on either side of her.
Nereyda considered fighting them off, but she still needed to detonate the gunpowder in the drain hole in the wall. Could she summon lightning and draw her weapon fast enough to do both? Or could she shock both of them and the barrels at the same time? She had never tried striking three separate targets at once.
Dammit.
She slumped her shoulders as she made her choice.
“Fine, I’ll come with you,” she said as she raised her arms. “I need to do one thing first.” Nereyda thrust an arm out and sent a jolt of lightning toward the barrels of gunpowder. The air sizzled with the smell of a storm.
The wall erupted. Chunks of stone flew through the air. The gap would be enough for at least twenty rebels to pass through at once.
Limbani had her opening.
As the lightning left her fingertips, one of the Sentinels grabbed Nereyda’s arms and yanked them behind her back. “You’re not some random person. You’re the gift thief that this Inquisition is all about. Do you have any idea what you just did?”
Nereyda laughed. “Yeah, I did exactly what I wanted to do. Blew a hole in your wall so my friends can come in.”
“Hey Celik, tie her wrists together.”
The other Sentinel grabbed a short length of rope from his belt and wrapped it around her wrists before tying it tight. He pulled hard on her arms to test the restraint. She winced at the pain of the rope digging into her skin.
“How did you get into the city?”
“Does it matter?”
“Not really, I guess.”
With one Sentinel in front of her and the other shoving her from behind, Nereyda was forced to move along as they made their way through the streets toward the temple grounds that sat above the city on the slope of the southern peak. The faint sounds of swords clanging and guns firing rang from the direction of the wall. Eager to join Limbani and the others in the fight, she struggled against the rope, but only managed to scrape up her wrists.
