Serena leaned against the wall. Sweat glistened on her forehead and Gallows thought she might collapse. ‘So, we find Enoch—then what? The ground floor’s still like a mile above the city.’
‘Then we go lower ’til we can reach the train station—from there, we can get to Frosthaven.’
‘With the king dead, that won’t be easy,’ said Myriel.
‘Yeah, well,’ said Gallows, ‘let’s worry about that when we get there.’
‘You thought of all this in your cell?’ Serena asked. ‘Which—by the way—how the hell did you get out?’
‘Used my sharp wit and cunning ingenuity to convince a guard to release me.’
‘And give you his clothes?’
Gallows shrugged. ‘Seemed like the thing to do. C’mon, we’re home free as long as we don’t run into any damn—’
The far doors of the ballroom exploded open. A troupe of pirates walked in. ‘Oi, lads!’ the first one said, a stumpy red-haired woman with as many scars on her face as freckles. ‘Arnault’s dead and we’re burning the palace…’
She stopped when her eyes fell on Gallows.
‘Run,’ he said. Feet slamming into the ground, he bolted for a kitchen at the side of the ballroom. ‘Inside! Go!’
‘I’ll stop them,’ Serena promised. ‘Just… let me rest.’
‘No time. Go!’
The pirates rushed forward. Gallows unsheathed his Crimsoncloak blade and cut a rope on the wall. A chandelier fell, injuring one of the pirates.
Gallows followed Myriel and Serena into a large kitchen. They disappeared around a corner, and Gallows picked up his pace.
But something the red-headed pirate had said stuck in his head. ‘Lads.’ Who was she talking—
When Gallows rounded a corner, the pirate named Madyx stood by a stove, slurping soup from a ladle and examining an array of kitchen knives.
He locked eyes with Gallows.
Shit.
Gallows charged—Madyx dropped the ladle and hurled a kitchen knife. Gallows batted it away with his sword, but the pirate leapt forward and tackled him into a wall, wrenching the weapon from his grip and kicking it away.
Gallows spat in his eye, launched a knee into Madyx’s balls, and scrambled away. He weaved through the labyrinthine kitchen, the heavy thump of Madyx’s footsteps rumbling at his heels.
Go, go, go… Gallows pulled a trolley filled with vegetables behind him—Madyx crashed into it without slowing down.
That was when Gallows noticed a pot of water sitting on a gas hob.
He grabbed it—and before Madyx could do anything about it, he launched the water directly into the giant’s face.
The pirate howled.
Then he stopped and screwed up his brow. ‘Cold.’
‘Gods damn it.’ Gallows ran and skidded on flour, before anchoring his arm around a pillar and hurtling around a corner.
He found Serena. She pulled Gallows into a corridor and locked the door behind him.
‘Stop messing around,’ she said.
‘Well, this is interesting…’
Ventris nicked the artery of a Crimsoncloak standing still like a puppet. He didn’t even notice the blood flowing from him.
Tiera’s stomach squirmed. Something’s inside their heads.
Ventris marched to the next guard, and the next, cutting veins like trimming the thorns from a rose.
This wasn’t the Helena tal Ventris Tiera knew—this was something else, something twisted that wore her skin.
Tiera thumbed the hilt of her knife.
‘Helena!’ If the panic in Solassis’ voice was any indication, she was as concerned as Tiera. ‘The fire. We gotta go.’
Ventris stood transfixed by a guard who lay in a pool of his own blood, smiling like he was listening to a favourite song.
‘Something powerful is here,’ the pirate captain whispered. ‘Let’s go find it.’
Soldier and pirate alike lay across the hallway. Blood smeared the palace’s once-pristine walls, and the sour smell of gun smoke clung to the air.
Serena’s gaze fell on the bodies of two guards with their feet cut off. The trail of blood told her they’d been made to run after their injuries.
‘Don’t look at it,’ Gallows said.
She sensed the presence of the Crimsoncloaks she’d mesmerised, feeling some of them disappear from her will, like snipping the threads of a kite and watching it flutter away.
They’re dying.
‘They’re dying because of me,’ she murmured.
‘Child, this is not your doing,’ Myriel said.
‘Not these guys… The guards everywhere else.’ Serena’s eyes stung. ‘Someone’s killing them—I, I can feel them being taken away. I can feel them dying.’
‘Myriel’s right,’ Gallows said, ‘this ain’t you. They’re dead because Arnault let an army of damn pirates live in his palace. If it wasn’t for you, I’d be dead. You saved my ass in the arena—that was you, this is them.’
She wiped the tears from her eyes and the sweat from her forehead. ‘Okay.’
‘Hang on.’
‘What is it?’
But then Serena smelled it.
Fire.
‘It’s coming from above,’ Myriel said. ‘They’re burning the palace.’
‘Move,’ Gallows urged.
They ran. Smoke tumbled from staircases and muffled cries echoed from the walls. Guards fought in vain to get water running.
‘Bastards have cut the lines!’ a Crimsoncloak called.
Beyond the palace, Rhis glowed like a Wintercast wreath, the city oblivious to the carnage within. Ryndaran patrol craft lumbered past the windows, circling above flaming ramparts.
Crimsoncloaks rushed down stairwells and burst through doorways. Smoke tumbled through the corridor and hurt Serena’s eyes.
‘I… I can’t keep up.’ Myriel doubled over in a coughing fit.
Gallows put an arm under her and helped her move.
Serena stumbled across a convulsing floor. Men barked orders, their words meaningless in the din.
Serena turned into a wide corridor with a red carpet on a marble floor. The silver outline of a patrol blimp floated past a row of windows; cables trailed from it and men rappelled onto the palace. ‘The AFR—they’re mounting a resc—’
A fighter craft shot past, its guns roaring and perforating the patrol craft’s skin. It spun and twisted, looming towards the palace and smashing through the windows. The corridor quaked and pulled rubble from the ceiling.
‘Keep going!’ Gallows shouted.
Serena ran, flames from the smouldering airship licking out at her. Fighter craft zipped past the destroyed wall, their thrusters cracking the sky.
‘Just keep running!’ Gallows called. Serena helped him with Myriel, stepping over dead Crimsoncloaks.
A guard fled around a corner.
‘The lab!’ Gallows yelled at him. ‘Where is it?’
‘Double doors and down!’ the guard said before disappearing.
More fighter craft shot past the palace, their bullets shattering glass and punching through stone.
They found the double doors. Serena held Myriel while Gallows fumbled with a set of keys. More bullets struck the walls and chewed priceless ornaments and marble pillars into dust.
Gallows shoved the doors open, and together, they barrelled down an empty stairwell.
The walls were painted a stark, empty white and the floor was covered in peeling linoleum.
‘Keep going!’ Gallows yelled.
That was when she heard Enoch scream. ‘Gods, what are they doing to him?’
Gallows booted a door open—Serena helped Myriel into a spacious lab dotted with equipment and machines.
A woman with white-blond hair and a long lab coat cowered from Gallows. ‘Take what you want.’
‘Do I look like a pirate?’
‘We’re here for him,’ said Serena, marching past the doctor.
‘Wait, wait!’ she urged.
&
nbsp; Serena went to Enoch and untied his bonds. He writhed on the bed and screamed at her. ‘Get out of my head!’
Serena’s blood froze. ‘Enoch, it’s me—Serena.’
‘It’s inside my head! What… What is this? What have you done with Swain?’
Shocked, Serena took a slow step back.
‘What have you done to his mind?’ Gallows asked.
The Ryndaran doctor raised her chin. ‘Restored it.’
Enoch’s scream resounded like an exploding bomb. For a big guy with ruby red eyes and scarred, stone-grey skin, the expression twisting on his face made him look like a sick kid.
‘It knows,’ Enoch whispered. ‘It knows our sins.’
Gallows’ face screwed up. ‘Sure, and we’ll have a good little confession later—right now—’
‘It’s here.’ Enoch glared at Serena. ‘It’s here.’
‘Enoch. Enoch!’ But Gallows’ words had no effect; the Stone Man thrashed on the bed, muttering, eyes closing and widening like he was watching something that the others couldn’t see.
‘What the hell did you put in his head?’ Serena demanded.
The doctor’s eyes drilled into hers. ‘Nothing—I merely unlocked what was already there.’
With a snap of metal and leather, Enoch burst out of the bed, hurled Gallows to the floor, and charged towards Serena, machines collapsing in his wake.
His cold hands wrapped around Serena’s neck, choking the words from her. His glowing red eyes burned into her.
She summoned the siren-song, felt it scraping across Enoch’s brain, but it was impenetrable.
Gallows leapt, wresting one of Enoch’s hands away from Serena’s neck, but still he kept squeezing.
Then Myriel started humming a melodic tune, rising and falling: ‘Uhm-mm-m… m-mm.’
And Enoch let Serena go.
She fell to the floor, gasping for breath.
‘Serena…’ Enoch recoiled.
‘What the hell, Enoch?’ snarled Gallows. He helped Serena to her feet. ‘You okay?’
Serena rubbed her neck and nodded.
‘I… I’m sorry,’ whispered Enoch. ‘I don’t know what happened. Myriel… Thank you.’
‘What was that?’ Gallows asked. ‘Is that the song Enoch’s always humming?’
‘A song from childhood.’ Enoch cast his gaze to the floor. ‘When I was made into… this, memories of my mother’s singing kept me from losing my mind—enough to bring me back. Lunosdatter, what did you do to me?’
The doctor’s hands shot up. ‘I merely restored your memories, I didn’t—’
‘Save it.’ Hacking coughing split Serena’s voice. ‘Tell us how to get out of here.’
A ceiling tile spun to the floor.
‘The fire’s getting closer,’ Myriel warned.
Enoch cowered in a corner. ‘I… I cannot accompany you. I fear I may—’
An explosion rumbled nearby and the lights flickered in and out.
‘We’ll worry about it later,’ Gallows said. ‘Doc, what’s the best way out?’
‘There’s an elevator to the dungeon,’ she said. ‘Used for transporting… materials.’
‘Prisoners,’ Serena said.
Gallows shook his head. ‘We ain’t interested in sitting in a cell while the palace collapses on us.’
The doctor shook her head. ‘You misunderstand—there’s an airship tethered to a cliffside—the Emancipation.’
‘In case you wanna give your death row inmates a trip to the seaside?’
‘It’s for emergencies,’ the doctor explained. ‘In the event of a coup, the king and the elite palace guard would make their way down to the dungeons via secret tunnels. The airship is kept quarter-fuelled—if a prisoner somehow stole it, they could either fly over Rhis and be shot down, or plummet into the sea when the fuel runs out—but it’s enough fuel for the king to seek refuge within the city.’
‘How do we know we can trust you?’ Gallows asked.
Serena scowled at Lunosdatter. ‘Because we ain’t got a choice.’
‘Lead the way,’ said Gallows. ‘Enoch, stick close to me—and away from Serena.’
Together, they followed the doctor deeper into the bowels of the palace. Lights flickered and plaster tore from shaking walls. With every step, anxiety sapped Serena’s strength.
‘There,’ said the doctor, pointing to a caged elevator.
‘Go, go,’ said Gallows. They huddled inside, and Gallows slammed the gate closed. ‘They ain’t far.’
Lunosdatter pulled a lever; with a lurch, the elevator descended, swaying from side to side.
‘Why the hell would they destroy the palace?’ Gallows asked.
‘The scholars…’ Enoch muttered. ‘…their creations… how…’
‘What’s happening to him?’ Serena demanded.
The doctor mopped her brow. ‘I tried to restore his memories using a magneto-electric stimulation device, but it’s proved too effective. The mind possesses great power over the body, but it’s also very fragile.’
‘So, you thought “screw it, let’s electrocute it and see what happens”?’
‘In just a short space of time, I’ve restored memories long believed to be lost.’
The caged elevator smashed into the side of the wall, screeching as it descended.
Enoch stood straight. ‘Meddling in secrets beyond our comprehension is what made me, Doctor.’
Gallows arched an eyebrow. ‘Well, he sounds like his old self.’
The elevator shuddered and came to a halt.
Serena rolled her shoulders. ‘All right, then. Let’s steal an airship.’
The dungeons hadn’t improved since Gallows was last here.
Serena’s bird chirped, a note of panic running through its song. Gallows shared its trepidation.
‘Can any of you fly airships?’ the doctor asked.
‘I’ll do it,’ Gallows answered. ‘Where is it?’
‘The Warden’s office houses the tether controls. I’ll take you—in return for safe passage.’
‘I’ll leave that up to Enoch.’
Gallows followed Lunosdatter past rows of cells, not daring to think what was inside.
‘These people…’ said Serena. ‘They won’t escape.’
‘Some are killers and thieves,’ said Lunosdatter. ‘Others are political prisoners, jailed for speaking out and sentenced to death.’
Stone pelted steel walkways. ‘Fire’s getting closer,’ said Gallows.
‘There.’ The doctor pointed. ‘The warden’s office.’
Gallows clutched the set of keys that Damien had given him and—on the third attempt—unlocked the door. A set of levers jutted from a console like a spear wall. They were all numbered, aside from one marked ‘Airship Gate Control’.
Gallows pulled the lever.
‘Let us out!’ one of the prisoners yelled from the floor below. His fingers curled around the bars and his pleading eyes peered up.
The fire crept closer—heat pressed on Gallows’ skin.
‘Give us a chance, damn it!’
Gallows gripped one of the levers. ‘These will open the cells?’
Lunosdatter nodded. ‘I believe so. You could be letting loose killers.’
‘I know.’ Gallows pulled each lever down. Gates rose into stone walls and doors swung open.
‘Musa bless you,’ the prisoner called as he scrambled away. Others flooded the walkways beneath.
‘You can’t hope to save them all,’ said the doctor.
Gallows pulled the rest of the levers. ‘Not with that attitude.’
They followed Lunosdatter to the lower platforms, past the same cells Gallows had escaped from with Damien.
Prisoners spilled out in every direction, but some stayed in their cells, cowering against the wall.
Serena pointed. ‘There’s Genevieve.’
Even in rags, Couressa’s presence radiated. She pulled prisoners from the floor and talked to them, gave orders and
made sure no-one was left behind.
And not just Genevieve—Crimsoncloaks and palace stewards spilled from doorways and rallied around the prisoners.
For the first time in a long time, Gallows sensed a sliver of hope.
Blade and bullet sang with the music of battle, breathing fire into Damien’s blood.
‘You were born a monster, boy.’
Damien refused to believe his father’s words. Just another of his lies.
Arnault was the one who made him. Arnault, Adravan and Azima. Yet didn’t his heart soar at the clash of steel? Didn’t his heart pound as the life faded from an opponent’s eyes?
Didn’t you stand, transfixed, as panic took Ophelia?
Damien grabbed Garald’s arm and escorted him through the palace; the boy reeked of fear.
Thick smoke and searing heat flowed through corridors—Damien stilled his breath, guiding his younger brother through the danger, disappearing seconds at a time to neutralise pirates.
Ahead, a knot of Crimsoncloaks formed a chokepoint. Among them stood a man draped in navy blue, barking commands and keeping a steady heart in spite of the collapsing palace and encroaching fire.
‘Captain Thorir,’ said Damien. ‘The palace is lost—take your men and the prince to the lower levels and escape.’
‘Prince Garald.’ Thorir didn’t seem pleased to see him. ‘Who is this man?’
‘Do as he says,’ Garald whispered.
Thorir hesitated at first. ‘As you command. Men, form up! The king is dead—our priority now is leading Prince Garald to safety.’
‘What will you do?’ Garald asked.
‘Eliminate Helena tal Ventris.’ As I should’ve before.
Damien grabbed Thorir’s shoulder. ‘Wait. Someone’s coming.’
He recognised the silhouette of the woman coming through the smoke.
Her hands held high, Tiera Martelo growled. ‘She’s gone too far.’
‘Hold your weapons!’ Thorir barked. ‘Who are you?’
‘One of Ventris’ puppets,’ she said. ‘You need to stop her.’
‘And what do you propose to do about it?’ Damien asked.
‘The rescue ships dousing water outside—we commandeer one.’
‘And risk the destruction of this ancient place?’ Thorir said. ‘Your highness, this is a ploy—we should—’
Wrath of Storms Page 25
