Of course, if she didn’t get out of this place, she would become a corpse, and the question would be moot.
Caina moved down the corridor in silence, the staff glowing in her left hand, her eyes scanning the gloom and her ears listening for any sounds. She heard nothing but the soft draw of her breath, and nothing moved in the corridor save the shifting shadows of the veins and the growths on the walls. They made her feel like she was walking down the gullet of some malevolent beast.
Dread chewed through her, some for herself, but most of it for Kylon. She could not stop imagining what might have happened to him.
But the skills the Ghosts had taught her as a child were part of her very being, and Caina moved ahead in silence, watching for threats, the staff steady in her left hand.
There was a faint light ahead.
Caina sent a thought to her pyrikon, and it collapsed down to its bracelet form, the silvery light vanishing. She waited a moment for her eyes to adjust, and ahead she saw that the corridor ended in a tall arch. To judge from the color of the pale light coming from the archway, it opened into a courtyard of some kind.
She didn’t see any necromantic auras ahead, save for the dark power saturating the entire fortress. The fingers of her right hand flexed, ready to call her valikon, and Caina walked to the end of the corridor.
She stepped into a small courtyard and looked around. Once, it must have been a beautiful place. There was a stone fountain in the center of the courtyard, a statue of an armored warrior with a gowned noblewoman upon his arm rising from a plinth, and a small garden surrounded the fountain. The walls of the courtyard rose for forty or fifty feet, fronted with balconies built of blue marble with golden veins, slender pillars supporting the railings and ceilings. Behind the balconies, narrow windows looked into small rooms.
It would have been a lovely place once, but now the black veins covered the pillars and the walls. The water in the fountain gave off a foul, reeking odor, and the vegetation in the garden looked poisonous and blighted. Despite that, the shape of the intricate railings had a somehow feminine look. Had this courtyard been the women’s quarters of the fortress? Many of the emirs of Istarinmul maintained women’s quarters in their palaces to house their wives and concubines. Maybe the builders of this fortress had the same custom.
Perhaps Caina could find some clothing here. The spells in the library had preserved the ancient books, so why not clothing? From what she had seen from the windows, the terrain outside the forest was a snow-choked forest. If Caina didn’t find warm clothing before she escaped, she was going to die in a lot of pain. She had seen men that Kylon had killed using the sorcery of water to freeze the blood in their veins, and it did not look like a pleasant way to die.
Going naked into a frozen forest would be a death like that, albeit slower.
She crossed to the balconies and began investigating.
There were no doors on the first level, so she took the stairs to the second level and started opening doors. The first door opened into what looked like a dining room, with a polished table and a row of cushioned chairs. A faint layer of dust hung over everything, but despite that, the furnishings showed no sign of either age or recent use. The second door opened into a sitting room with tall wooden chairs.
The third door opened into a bedroom dominated by a huge bed piled high with pillows and blankets. The bedding should have rotted away long ago, but the sorcery of the fortress had preserved it. Caina thought that a good sign as she stepped into the bedroom. If nothing else, she could fashion a robe for herself out of the blankets. A massive wooden wardrobe stood against one wall, and Caina opened it.
For the first time since she had been brought to this strange place, she smiled.
The wardrobe was full of clothes.
Caina began sorting through them. Most of the garments were dresses of rich fabric – silk and velvet and damask, and some of them even had pearls or semiprecious stones worked into the collars and cuffs. The colors were bright, far more vivid than common among the nobles of the Empire, with bright reds and blues and yellows. One yellow dress caught her eye. She had always been partial to yellow, though with her work in the Ghosts she rarely got to wear such a conspicuous color, and Kylon liked her in yellow…
Caina smiled to herself. Odd that she could think of such things now.
Alas, the dress was beautiful, but it was an impractical garment. It would be difficult to run and fight and move with stealth in the elaborate dress, and if Caina saw more of those robed creatures, she might have to do all three in rapid succession.
Soon she found more practical clothes in the wardrobe. She donned a pair of black trousers that mostly fit and knee-high black boots that were comfortable. The leather should have been cracked and brittle with age, but it was still supple. After that came a white shirt and Caina found a red coat that hung to her knees, the collar stiff. It had ornate black trim on the cuffs and the lapels, and it looked like the sort of thing an archaic nobleman might have worn while hunting deer. Yet it was thick, and more importantly, it was warm. Caina shrugged into the heavy coat and found that it fit reasonably well. She took a few practice steps in the boots until she was sure that she could move in silence when necessary, and then left the bedroom.
No doubt she looked odd, but a frozen corpse would be far less attractive.
Caina left the bedroom and stepped onto the balcony, looking up at the sky. It kept blurring back and forth between the twisted, lightning-lashed sky of the netherworld and the star-scattered sky of the material world. She thought the sorcerous aura of the fortress pulsed in time to the changes in the sky.
And she thought the changes were coming faster, and that the sky spent more time as the twisted, writhing sky of the netherworld.
Did that mean the fortress was being drawn out of the material world?
Caina didn’t like that thought at all. If the fortress was pulled back into the netherworld, she would have no way of getting back to the material world. Worse, if Kylon had been summoned to the fortress, he would be trapped here. Caina had hoped they would die alongside each other, but when they were old and full of years, not in some corrupted fortress that radiated necromantic energy.
It was time to move.
Caina went from door to door, checking until she found another corridor that led deeper into the fortress. She called her pyrikon back to its staff form, and in its pale silvery light, she saw more black veins and misshapen growths clinging to the walls. There was no sign of any undead or the robed creature she had seen earlier.
She started forward, a plan forming in her thoughts. Wandering this maze would be an inefficient method of escape. She decided to find a stairwell leading up. If she could get to the top of one of the towers, she would look at the layout of the fortress. Perhaps that would show her a way out.
Ahead Caina saw the dim light of yet another gate leading into yet another courtyard. This one seemed larger than the courtyard with the blue pillars, and…
Caina stopped.
The faint smell of blood came to her nostrils.
Human blood, and quite a lot of it. Someone had just been killed in the courtyard. Caina listened for a moment but heard nothing but her own breathing. Nevertheless, she sent her pyrikon back to its bracelet form and called her valikon to her right hand, the sword’s weight reassuring in her hand.
By the Divine, she wished for a throwing knife or three.
Caina entered the courtyard.
It was like the ones she had seen earlier, an expanse of stern, cold stone, with pillared arcades running along all four walls. Three men lay dead on the ground, pools of fresh blood gathering beneath them. Broadswords and shields lay near their hands, and their armor was close-fitting…
Caina blinked, a cold suspicion settling over her.
No. Not close-fitting. It had been grafted to the flesh of the dead men.
The men were Adamant Guards. Which meant that the Umbarian Order was here, in the fortress. It w
as well known that she and Kylon had killed the Umbarian magus Cassander Nilas and stopped him from slaughtering everyone in Istarinmul. It seemed the Umbarians had decided that the hour had come for their revenge…and knowing the Umbarians, they had prepared thoroughly to take their revenge on Caina and Kylon.
Well, thorough preparations hadn’t saved these three Adamant Guards, had they?
She examined the dead men.
All three of them had been killed with powerful sword blows to the neck. The sight heartened Caina. Kylon, with his strength enhanced by the sorcery of water, would leave wounds like that. His valikon would be a deadly weapon against the Guards since the ghostsilver blade would disrupt the spells of strength that allowed the Guards to bear their grafted armor.
Almost certainly Kylon had killed these Adamant Guards. Either Kylon or another skilled swordsman with the power of sorcery to drive his limbs.
If Kylon had killed the Adamant Guards, where would he have gone next?
Caina looked over the courtyard, but the flat flagstones preserved no marks of passage. Two other archways opened off the courtyard, but annoyingly both led to broad stairways going down, one on the left wall, and one on the right. Caina went to the right stairwell first, but it led into darkness, and she saw nothing. The stairwell on the left also went into the darkness…but in the distance, she saw flickers of light, and she also heard the clang of metal.
Like marching soldiers.
Or a battle?
Even as the thought came to her, she heard a hoarse shout, followed by a scream, and the vision of the valikarion saw the surge of a spell.
If Kylon was fighting, she would help him. He was one of the most effective fighters she had ever met, and with his valikon, he could deal with any number of Adamant Guards…but she also had a valikon, and two swords were better than one.
She hurried down the stairs in silence, collapsing her pyrikon down to its bracelet form once again. For a moment, she considered keeping her valikon ready but instead dismissed the sword. The valikon would give her a decisive advantage against the Adamant Guards, but it would still be a bad idea for her to fight a larger and stronger opponent face-to-face. Better to let the Guards underestimate her until it was too late.
As her mentor Halfdan had taught her so long ago, only fools fought fairly.
The stairs turned, and Caina slowed, peering around the corner.
A battlefield greeted her.
The steps ended in a small stone hall, and at the far end were a pair of massive iron-banded wooden doors that glowed with sorcerous power. Dead Adamant Guards and destroyed undead creatures lay scattered across the floor. Caina saw three of the robed creatures she had seen earlier, their features misshapen, their corpses leaking black slime.
Two Adamant Guards were still on their feet, broadswords in hand, though both men had taken wounds.
Am Umbarian magus stood with them.
The man could be nothing else. He was in his late thirties, with gray-shot black hair, hard brown eyes, and a thin, humorless mouth. He wore the black leather greatcoat favored by the Umbarian magi. To the sixth sense of Caina’s valikarion sight, the coat shone with the sorcerous power of spells designed to make the material as strong as plate armor.
“We are almost there, sir,” said one of the Adamant Guards. “It must be behind those doors. Else those creatures would not have put up such a fight.”
The magus gave an irritated shake of his head. “But I can’t get through the blasted wards on the doors. If the provost wants the damned thing so badly, she can come and get it herself.”
Provost? Caina knew that the Umbarian Order was led by five provosts. Was one of them there?
“Magus Morett, we were commanded to take the ring,” said the Guard.
The magus, evidently named Morett, scowled at him. “And you are welcome to do so. Go try to open those doors and see what happens.”
Neither Guard leaped at the opportunity.
“We know the way to the chamber,” said Morett. “We’ll go back, get the provost, and she can break the seal on the doors.”
“The fortress may not remain here that long,” said the Guard.
“Then she can summon it back again with that precious amulet of hers,” snapped Morett. “I thought this entire plan was folly. We have lost valuable resources dealing with those creatures.” He kicked one of the robed things in sheer frustration. “Now, move.”
The magus strode up the stairs, and the two Guards followed him.
Caina eased back around the corner, her mind racing. She had assumed the Umbarian Order was here to kill her and Kylon, but what if it was just a coincidence? Morett said the Order had come here to find something. Apparently, those robed creatures, whatever they were, didn’t want the Order to have it.
So how had Caina gotten tangled up in all of this?
But she had a more immediate problem. In about three seconds, Morett and the two Guards would come around the corner, and she had no place to hide. Caina stepped to the center of the stairs, flexing her right hand as she prepared to call her valikon.
She would have to be quick.
Morett and the Guards came around the corner and froze in alarm as they saw her. To Caina’s surprise, a flicker of recognition went over the Umbarian’s face. Had she met him somewhere before? No, she had never seen the man, she was sure of it.
“Provost,” said the Umbarian. “I didn’t realize you would enter the fortress in person. We’ve located the relic, but I cannot breach the wards upon the doors to the vault. I…”
Morett fell silent, his eyes narrowing.
“No,” he said. “No, you’re not her.” He drew himself up, the fear draining from his face. “Who are you?”
“I…I…” said Caina, making her eyes go wide.
“Identify yourself!” said Morett, raising his left hand. He didn’t have one of the black gauntlets that let a Umbarian magus use pyromancy safely, but she saw the power as he drew together arcane energy for a spell of psychokinetic force.
“My name’s Natalia,” said Caina. “I don’t know how I got here. I woke up in some dusty library, and…”
“Rubbish,” spat Morett. “Look at you. You’re obviously yet another one of the provost’s damned relatives. Are there no end to them? Does she think to play games now of all times?” He scoffed. “She’s gone too far.” He released his spell of psychokinetic force and began another. Caina recognized it as a spell to break into the thoughts of another. “Let’s compel the truth from you, shall we?”
“Please, sir,” said Caina, stumbling as she backed away. “Please, I don’t understand what is happening, I…”
“Kill her if she runs,” said Morett.
Caina went motionless, making herself tremble with fear. It must have been a convincing performance, because the magus strode up without hesitation, put his right hand on her forehead, and cast his spell. She felt the surge of power as Morett’s spell reached for her mind, and she saw it around his fingers as a flare of gray light.
It didn’t do anything.
She was a valikarion. Mind-affecting spells could not touch her.
“What?” said Morett. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why didn’t that work? What…”
His eyes went wide, and he stepped back, beginning another spell.
“Kill her!” he shouted. “She must be one of those damned Temnoti! Kill her now!”
The Adamant Guards stepped forward, and Caina had no choice but to act.
She jumped after Morett, calling her valikon as she did. The blade coalesced in her hand, and Caina stabbed before the magus could dodge. The valikon sliced through the spell-armored coat and sank between his ribs, and Morett staggered back, collapsing to the stairs with a choked scream as his heart stopped.
The two Adamant Guards charged at Caina.
She ripped the valikon free and jumped back, and just kept ahead of their sweeping broadswords. The Adamant Guards came after her with slow, confident strides,
spreading out on her left and her right, shields raised and broadswords drawn back to stab. Caina retreated, trying to keep her balance on the stairs, the valikon held out before her. The Guards probably didn’t realize the danger the valikon posed to them, which meant she would have only one chance to do this right. The Guards had inhuman strength, but they had been trained like Legionaries, which meant they would fight like Legionaries…
One of the Guards stepped forward, shield dipping, sword stabbing over the shield’s rim like a steel tongue. It was a terrifyingly fast blow, but the change in his footing had given the attack away, and Caina managed to dodge the stab by mere inches. She slashed with the valikon, and opened a glancing cut on the Guard’s forearm, just above his bracer. It was a trivial wound and one that a seasoned Legionary might not even notice until the battle was over.
But when the ghostsilver blade broke his skin, it disrupted the spells wrapped around his flesh, and the Guard staggered beneath the weight of his armor. Before he could recover, Caina seized his sword arm and yanked him forward, his heavy armor driving him towards the ground. She raised her valikon and stabbed, hammering the blade down into the Guard’s neck.
The wound didn’t kill him, but he would bleed out before much longer.
Caina jumped back as the Adamant Guard fell, and the second one charged her. She dodged his sword, but his strike had been only a feint, and his shield slammed across her torso.
That hurt. A lot.
The impact threw Caina back, and she tumbled down the stairs, tucking her shoulder to roll with the fall. An instant later she reached the bottom of the stairs and slammed hard into the wall. That also hurt quite a bit, and the impact blasted the breath from her lungs.
The Adamant Guard leaped from the stairs, sword raised high to stab.
Fear gave Caina strength, and she kicked away from the wall and jumped to her feet, avoiding the Guard’s landing by a few inches. He landed on his feet, his sword point bouncing off the ground. Caina scrambled backward, holding out her left hand and calling to her pyrikon, and the bracelet unfolded and took the shape of a slender staff.
Ghost in the Ring (Ghost Night Book 1) Page 4
