The Ghosts Omnibus: The Kyracian War

by Jonathan Moeller

  "You, too," said Caina.

  Saddiq left without another word. A team of handlers hastened onto the sands, corralling the enraged bear, while slaves dragged away the carcasses of the slain lions. Another team of slaves raked the sands, turning over the blood. Caina supposed the blood of gladiators would stain the sand soon enough.

  Her mouth twisted at the thought.

  "Citizens of Cyrioch!" The voice boomed over the Ring of Valor, amplified to thunderous volume by a magus's spell. Caina saw the Lord Aedile of Games, a squat, fat man in brilliant white robes, standing in his box. "In the name of your Lord Governor, I bid you welcome to the Ring of Valor, and this festival of manful courage, honor, valor, and skill!"

  The crowds cheered.

  "These games are generously financed by our benevolent and wise Lord Governor, Armizid of House Asurius!"

  Caina watched the nobles march to their boxes. Armizid strode in their head, wearing a red military cloak and gleaming cuirass of office over his white robes. A tepid cheer greeted his arrival.

  "The remainder of the funds for this exhibition of arms," boomed the Lord Aedile, "is a generous gift from Khosrau, Lord of House Asurius!"

  Khosrau hobbled out, leaning on his cane. Much to her amusement, Caina saw Theodosia on his arm. A loud cheer greeted the Lord of House Asurius, and Theodosia waved to the crowds with regal dignity. Corbould followed them, as did the rest of the nobles. Caina saw Ranarius and Mhadun among the nobles, with Nicasia trailing behind. Did Mhadun know about the attempt on Corbould's life? Or did the Kindred keep him in the dark?

  "For the glory of the Empire!" thundered the Lord Aedile. "For the majesty of our Emperor! For the honor of our patrons! I declare these games open!"

  The loudest cheer yet went up from the crowds, and a pair of gladiators marched onto the sands. One was dressed like an Istarish foot soldier, with a spiked helm, round shield, and scimitar. The other looked like a stylized Kyracian ashtairoi, with a plumed helm, gleaming cuirass, and a long straight sword.

  For a moment Caina remembered the desperate fighting in Marsis, running and hiding from the soldiers as she sought Nicolai...

  She shook aside the memories and got to work.

  The nobles settled into their boxes and Caina approached them.

  "You!" said one of the nobles, a doughy man in his twenties. "You're with Marzhod?"

  "Aye, my lord," said Caina, keeping her voice disguised.

  "Here." The noble thrust a paper into Caina's hand. "Two thousand on Coriolus the Red. Move along, you're blocking my view."

  Caina worked her way through the boxes, collecting wagers. She had done a lot of strange things during her time as a Ghost nightfighter, but she never collected bets while watching for an assassin. Every step took her closer to Lord Khosrau's box, and she watched for an assassin with a blowgun. Almost certainly the Kindred assassin would be disguised as a slave. A slave running errands among the nobles would not draw suspicion. Or perhaps the Kindred would disguise himself as a wealthy merchant.

  A roar went up from the crowds, and Caina glanced towards the sands. The Istarish gladiator staggered back, blood pouring down his chest from a gash across his collarbone. The Kyracian gladiator circled warily, watching for an opportunity to strike. Unless the Istarish gladiator did something clever, the Kyracian would wear him down through sheer patience.

  She tore her gaze away from the spectacle and moved through the nobles’ boxes. Lord Khosrau’s attention was fixed on the fight, while Theodosia, Corbould, and Armizid all watched with polite interest. The assassination attempt would come during the climax of a match, Caina decided. When the crowd was on their feet, cheering for their favored gladiators.

  Another roar went up from the thousands packing the higher seats. The Kyracian gladiator lay stunned upon the sand, while the wounded Istarish gladiator stood over him, his scimitar resting at his opponent’s throat. The crowds shouted for mercy. The Kyracian gladiator had fought well, after all.

  The Istarish gladiator limped from the sands.

  The day wore on, match after match taking place in the stone oval. Sometimes the gladiators fought only to first blood. Others fought to the death, driven by the shouts and jeers of the crowd. The games grew more elaborate, teams of gladiators fighting each other, and the mob grew more bloodthirsty, screaming for more death. Sometimes Lord Khosrau stepped in to save the defeated gladiators, making a show of his clemency, but more often than not, the gladiators fought to the death.

  Caina circulated through the boxes, collecting wagers, her face showing no trace of the rage that simmered within her. Her loathing of Cyrioch had grown into hatred. How could they sit here and cheer at the spectacle, applaud as men were maimed and killed for their amusement? Were they any better than animals?

  Maybe, she thought blackly, maybe Cyrioch deserved to burn. If Cyrioch rebelled, the Legions could come and burn this pestilential cancer of a city to the ground…

  Caina pushed aside the dark thoughts. If Lord Corbould was assassinated, more people than the gladiators in the Ring would die. More people than the jackals and vultures hooting and cheering from the Ring’s seats.

  More wagers changed hands, and many of the lords and merchants groaned or cheered as the gladiators fell. Caina wondered how many fortunes had been made and lost today. Though no doubt Marzhod would find a way to turn a profit. She shot a glance at the upper tier of the Ring, at the covered colonnade encircling the arena. Had Saddiq been successful? Or had the assassin killed him?

  Caina turned and saw a slave walking towards Lord Khosrau’s box.

  Her breath caught in her throat.

  It was the same assassin she had seen at the Gallery of the Well, the same assassin who had tried to kill Marzhod at the Painted Whore. The man had disguised himself with a fake beard, gray dye in his hair, and a perfectly convincing limp. Yet Caina recognized him at once, saw the danger in the way he carried himself.

  She knew an assassin of the Kindred when she saw one.

  Corvalis had told the truth.

  An elaborate battle raged upon the sands, a recreation of the Empire’s liberation of Cyrica. A team of gladiators dressed in stylized representations of Legion armor faced a band of fighters dressed like Anshani nobles. The fighting raged back and forth, the cheers of the crowd growing louder.

  The assassin headed towards Khosrau’s box, and Caina saw the thick brown straw in his right hand.

  She hurried forward.

  The battle below reached a crescendo, the Legionaries driving back the Anshani, the mob’s cheers rising to a frenzied scream. Many nobles surged to their feet, cheering and shouting, and the commoners followed suit.

  The assassin quickened his pace.

  Another few heartbeats and he would be within range of Lord Corbould.

  Caina reached for her belt.

  The assassin stopped a dozen paces from Lord Corbould, unnoticed in the chaos. He drew a small object from within his tunic and tucked it into the brown straw. The poisoned dart, Caina suspected.

  She yanked a cloth pad from her belt, the thick fabric moist against her fingers.

  The leader of the Anshani gladiators fell, skewered through the throat by a Legionary’s broadsword. The cheers of the crowd became a wild screaming, and the assassin took one step closer to Khosrau’s box.

  He lifted the blowgun…and then Caina stepped behind him and slammed the cloth pad over his lips and nose.

  The Kindred twisted like an eel, whirling to face her, but Caina grabbed his left arm and held on. The assassin lost his balance and fell upon the stone steps, Caina landing atop him. Her knee went into his gut, and the breath exploded from the assassin’s lungs in a loud gasp.

  Caina slammed the pad against his nose…and the assassin took a deep breath of the chemicals soaking the cloth. He shuddered once, his eyes rolling up, and slumped against the stairs.

  Caina got to her feet, breathing hard.

  She saw a man in the ornamented robe of a mast
er merchant staring at her, eyes wide.

  “He didn’t,” she growled, “pay his wager.”

  The merchant sniffed. “This is what comes of letting slaves place wagers.”

  Caina caught the eye of a Sarbian mercenary, and men hustled to take the assassin in hand. Anyone watching would assume that Marzhod’s mercenaries had dealt with someone taking unauthorized wagers.

  The mercenaries scooped up the assassin, and Caina went in search of Saddiq.

  ###

  The pillars threw long shadows over the upper lip of the Ring.

  Caina prowled through the colonnade, hand resting on the hilt of her scimitar. The constant murmur of the crowd rose from below as another bloody spectacle played out upon the sand. She saw no sign of Saddiq …

  Wait.

  She saw two dark figures ahead, standing in the shadow of the pillars.

  Caina slid a throwing knife from her sleeve and crept forward, boots making no sound against the floor.

  She slipped around a pillar and saw that the dark figures were actually a pair of statues.

  She berated herself. Statues covered the Ring of Valor, and she had mistaken them for living men. Then she saw that one of the statues looked like a Sarbian man in robes, a two-handed scimitar in his fists.

  Saddiq.

  It was a statue of Saddiq.

  A fantastically detailed and accurate statue of Saddiq.

  Just like Barius.

  Caina whispered a curse and stepped closer. Saddiq’s stone face was slack with shock, his eyes wide. Before him crouched a statue of a lean man in the robes of a Cyrican commoner, daggers in either hand. His expression, too, was surprised.

  Caina guessed what had happened well enough. Saddiq had surprised the Kindred, but the assassin drew his daggers and prepared to fight. And then...something, some creature, some power, overtook them and turned them both to stone.

  "You lied, Corvalis," whispered Caina. "We stayed away from you, and our men still turned to stone."

  At least the Kindred assassin was no further threat to Lord Corbould.

  Caina gazed at the statue that had once been Saddiq and then went to find Marzhod.

  ###

  After midnight, Caina stood in the cellar of the Painted Whore, staring at the Kindred assassin she had captured.

  "Anything else?" said Marzhod, giving the man's cheeks a gentle slap. The Kindred moaned, his head rolling to the side. The assassin lay upon a table, his wrists and ankles bound. "Anything? No?" He sighed and straightened up. "We're not getting anything else out of him tonight."

  Caina gave a grim nod.

  Marzhod and his Sarbian hirelings had not bothered with torture. A man under torture, Halfdan had always said, would say or do anything to make the pain stop, and Marzhod agreed with him. The Kindred were not the only ones with a thorough knowledge of poisons and drugs. One of the druggists in Marzhod's employ had brewed a bitter elixir of certain specific mushrooms and molds and used a funnel to pour it down the assassin's throat. A few moments later the assassin began experiencing violent hallucinations, hooting and weeping in fear.

  He also became willing to answer all of Marzhod's questions.

  "How long until he wakes up?" said Marzhod.

  "At least a day and a night, sir," said Marzhod's druggist, a greasy-looking man who stank of mildew. "It will take that long for the drug to pass from his system. I fear he will first urinate quite copiously."

  Marzhod grunted. "At least we put him down here, then. I would hate to disturb the Pained Whore's refined ambience." He shook his head. "A waste of time. The man knew nothing useful."

  "He did know the Kindred had been paid an enormous sum of money to kill Lord Corbould, Lord Khosrau, and Lord Armizid," said Caina. That tore their first theory to shreds. Caina had grown more doubtful that Khosrau had hired the Kindred and this proved it. What sort of madman would hire the Kindred to fake an assassination?

  "Yes, but he didn't know who had hired the Kindred," said Marzhod, "and more importantly, he didn't know where the Kindred have hidden their Haven. All his orders came through dead drops."

  "We know where his next dead drop is," said Caina. "We could lie in wait and ambush the courier."

  "Doubtful," grunted Marzhod. "Our friend here is supposed to leave a dead drop of his own, confirming his mission failed." He scratched his chin. "I suppose we could ambush the courier coming to take that dead drop. But the Kindred are too clever. Each of the lower-ranking assassins only knows two others, likewise for the couriers. We could spend weeks following that chain, and by the time we come to the end, Corbould and Khosrau will be dead."

  "Do you have any better ideas?" said Caina.

  "As it happens, I do." Marzhod smirked. "Your friend was wrong."

  "My friend?" said Caina. "What friend?"

  "Corvalis Aberon," said Marzhod. "He said if we left him alone, no more Ghosts would turn to stone. Well, we left him alone, and my most reliable man is now a statue in my storeroom. Either he was wrong or he lied to us." He snorted. "Or both. So we do things my way now."

  "And what way is that?" said Caina.

  "These damned statues are connected to the assassins somehow," said Marzhod, "no matter what your friend might say. So I'm going to get outside help."

  "Outside help," said Caina. "You mean this renegade sorceress of yours? That's a terrible idea. Renegade sorcerers are worse than the magi."

  "True," said Marzhod, "but she's harmless enough. So long as you don't cross her. And she's agreed to speak to us in exchange for quite a lot of gold. And one...ah, special item."

  "What's that?" said Caina.

  Marzhod smirked. "She wants to meet you."

  Chapter 13 - The Occultist

  The next morning Theodosia and Caina returned to the common room of the Painted Whore, disguised as Sarbian mercenaries.

  "A simply dreadful spectacle, the gladiatorial games," said Theodosia. "Opera is much more civilized. And the way Khosrau cheered for the bloodshed! Lord Corbould is a cold fish, but at least he comported himself with proper public dignity."

  "You sound like Armizid," said Caina, though she shared Theodosia’s loathing for the games. "And at least Khosrau has the good taste to appreciate opera, no?"

  "I suppose so," conceded Theodosia.

  Marzhod emerged from the cellars, flanked by a pair of mercenaries. Caina wondered what he had done with the imprisoned Kindred assassin, and decided that she didn't want to know. The circlemaster wore his usual ragged finery, but beneath his coat she saw a shirt of chain mail, and sword and dagger hung at his belt.

  "Is this sorceress of yours," said Theodosia, "really that dangerous?"

  "That dangerous," said Marzhod, "and more. No one in their right mind sees her at night, so we're going now. Let's get moving. You do not want to be in her house after dark."

  ###

  Marzhod led them to Westshadow.

  Two districts lay on either side of the Stone, Westshadow and Eastshadow, and the Stone threw its shadow over Westshadow in the mornings and Eastshadow in the afternoons. The Stone’s shadow lay over Westshadow as Marzhod led them through the district's narrow streets, and Caina found herself relieved to be out of the constant blazing sun.

  Yet the shadow disturbed her.

  As she looked at the Stone, she could not shake the impression that the hill was a slumbering beast, the mighty Palace upon its back no more than a child's toy. Someday the beast would awaken, shattering the Palace, smashing Cyrioch into ruin...

  Caina shook off the morbid thoughts.

  "This sorceress," said Caina. "What kind of sorceress is she?"

  Marzhod glanced at her. "An Anshani occultist, if you must know."

  Caina frowned. "But there are no female Anshani occultists. The Anshani kill women that exhibit arcane abilities." As much as Caina detested the Magisterium, they were not as brutal as the khadjars, the nobles of Anshan.

  "If she wants you to know," said Marzhod, "then she will tell yo
u."

  They kept walking. Westshadow was a district of middling prosperity, with tall, narrow houses of three or four stories. Every wall had been covered with white plaster, no doubt to reflect the heat when the sun passed over the Stone. Minor merchants lived here, Caina suspected, and low-ranking officials in Lord Governor Armizid's service. Women in bright robes and headscarves hurried back and forth. Caina wondered if any of them had been cheering in the Ring of Valor yesterday.

  Marzhod stopped at a narrow house and knocked. After a moment an iron plate in the door slid aside and Caina caught the gleam of eyes.

  "Who is it?" said a woman's voice, speaking Cyrican with a heavy Anshani accent.

  "Marzhod," said Marzhod. "We've come to see your mistress."

  "The scarred one," said the woman. "Is the scarred one with you?"

  "Aye," said Marzhod, and he jerked his head at Caina.

  She felt a chill. Caina's mind carried scars, but her flesh did as well. Specifically, a strip of scars, almost like a belt, below her navel, the marks from Maglarion’s sorcerous experiments. How the devil did Marzhod know about those?

  No - the Anshani sorceress had asked for the scarred one.

  How did she know?

  "Go," said Theodosia, voice quiet. "We need answers. If you call for help, we're right here."

  Caina steeled herself and nodded.

  "Do try to be convincing," said Marzhod. "Since we've made such excellent progress so far."

  Caina scowled, stepped past him, and the door swung open.

  The entry hall was unadorned, the walls covered in white plaster. An Anshani serving woman stood a short distance away, eyes glittering in her dark face.

  "You," said the serving woman. "Yes, you are the one the mistress wishes to see. This way, please."

  She led Caina to another door. She opened it and Caina stepped into the next room. The round chamber beyond was dim, lit only by the flickering light of a dozen candles. Gleaming wooden shelves held books and scrolls, and an elaborate mosaic of the constellations and astrological signs covered the floor.