“Every guardsman within the city will be inducted into my army,” the Emperor continued. “All weapons not in the hands of active guardsmen are to be surrendered by the end of the day; anyone found possessing a weapon after midnight will have his hands cut off, just to illustrate the point. My troops will take possession of all strongpoints, military stores and slaves. Any resistance to any of these demands will result in the severest of punishments.”
“Yes, Your Supremacy,” the man said.
“And the people responsible for destroying the bridge will be handed over to me,” the Emperor concluded. “I wish to … thank … them personally.”
“They’re dead,” the man said, desperately. “The fires burnt them!”
“We shall see,” the Emperor said. “Go gather your families. Their time as hostages has begun.”
He watched the men shuffle off on hands and knees, then turned to General Vetch. “Inform the troops that I expect them to behave themselves,” he ordered. “They are to treat the population with respect, as long as my orders are obeyed. Deploy one of the regiments to secure the strongpoints, then detail two more to gather as many ships and crews as they can, so we can start shipping the rest of the army over once the causeway collapses. Keep them busy.”
“Yes, Your Supremacy,” General Vetch said.
Charity found herself watching, helplessly, as the Emperor’s troops slowly brought the city to heel. If the dragons hadn’t been enough to squash resistance, the mere sight of the causeway – and the rapidly-growing lake behind it, was enough to convince even the most fanatical of secessionists to give up. Charity watched the lower half of the river start to dry up, wondering just what would happen when the dam finally broke. The waters were already lapping around the edge, pushing against the stone with immense force. Hell, it was already starting to flood the upper reaches of the city.
She smiled, despite herself, as the remains of a dozen sunken boats came into view. A handful of people were already splashing towards them, despite the presence of an army; a tentacle emerged from one of the larger wrecks, revealing that it had become the nesting place of a water monster, which was now hopelessly trapped. Below it, hundreds of crabs scuttled around in surprise, attacking stranded silvery fish. They’d both be scooped up within seconds and dumped into the pot, once the rest of the population started to explore the exposed riverbed. At least some good would come out of the whole affair …
“Your Supremacy,” a soldier said. “We have captured a man bearing one of your sigils.”
“Show him to me at once,” the Emperor ordered.
Charity turned to watch as a dark-skinned man was pushed forward by the guards. The Emperor dismissed them with a wave, then peered down at the man as he fell to his knees and lowered his eyes. His face looked to have been badly beaten, although Charity had a feeling the wounds were two or three days old. How much her life had changed, part of her reflected helplessly, that she was now judging wounds by sight!
“Your Supremacy,” the man said. “I beg for your indulgence. I would have returned to Your Supremacy …”
“I will decide when you have made your report,” the Emperor said. It dawned on Charity that the man must be one of the Emperor’s spies – and he thought he was in trouble, given the sheer scope of his grovelling. “What happened in this city?”
“Two days ago, they started rounding up foreigners,” the man reported. “I was caught by one of their patrols and put in the stocks, along with every other foreigner in the city. They were going to kill us. And then there was an explosion, destroying the City House. A strange magic-user broke us out.”
The Emperor leant forward. “And then?”
“I hid, waiting to see what would happen,” the man continued. “The new government tried to organise a defence, unknowing the power of Your Supremacy. They sent messages everywhere before Your Supremacy arrived.”
“I see,” the Emperor said. “How many messages did they send?”
“My sources claim they sent horsemen in all directions,” the man said. “Your Supremacy, most of my sources were caught up in the chaos and killed.”
The Emperor eyed him for a long moment. “And how were the bridges destroyed?”
“They don’t know, Your Supremacy,” the man reported. “No one knows how it was done.”
Just like the Watchtower, Charity thought.
“I see,” the Emperor said, slowly. “Tell me about the magician who helped you escape.”
The spy hesitated. “It could be a matter of honour …”
“Tell me,” the Emperor thundered.
“She was … odd,” the spy said. “I barely noticed her at first. She was short, slight, with long brown hair. They’d put her in stocks too, but left her clothed, which was strange. They exposed most of the women among the prisoners. But when I saw her eyes, they were red.”
The Emperor leant forward. “It’s her!”
Charity blinked, realising who he meant. Red eyes? The Head Librarian didn’t have red eyes, did she? She’d seen them and they’d been a lovely brown … but that could easily have been a glamour. There hadn’t been any suggestion the Head Librarian was particularly powerful, apart from the fact she’d served on the Privy Council. That was no position for a lightweight. But red eyes suggested a brush with wild magic, at the very least. Her father had been a powerful magician and his eyes had been blue.
“We’ve been looking for her,” he added. “What happened to her?”
“She ran off in the confusion,” the spy said. “I didn’t know to follow her!”
“She must have left the city by now,” Charity offered, hoping to distract the Emperor. “She’d know we were coming, even if the City Fathers didn’t.”
The Emperor ignored her. “Was she alone?”
“I don’t know, Your Supremacy,” the spy said. “There were hundreds of foreigners in the stocks. Any of them could be with her and I wouldn’t know.”
“She would have seen the dragons,” Charity said. “We waited for hours before attacking.”
“We shall see,” the Emperor said. His eyes closed in contemplation. “If she’s moved past Falcone’s Nest, she could have taken a number of possible roads … but we know where she’s going.”
He looked at the spy. “Report to the druids, then hold yourself in readiness. I will have need of you.”
“Yes, Your Supremacy,” the spy said.
The Emperor looked at Charity for a long moment, then glared at the nearest guardsman. “I want you to find General Vetch and bring him here at once,” he ordered. “And bring Roth too.”
Charity shuddered inwardly as the guard hurried off, then turned as she heard a dull rumble from behind her. The causeway was finally breaking, releasing a flood of water that rocketed downstream towards the ocean. Dozens of boats, stranded on the riverbed, were smashed to flinders as the water slammed into them, throwing their occupants into the unforgiving waves. She saw a handful of people crossing the riverbed overwhelmed and washed away by the water, thrown down towards the sea. Somehow, she doubted they had a hope in hell of surviving.
The Emperor laughed, even though the wall of water had smashed many of the boats he’d hoped to use for himself.
“Let them talk about this,” he said, as General Vetch approached. “It will show them not to trifle with my power.”
Charity couldn’t disagree. No one had performed such feats in living memory. She knew – as the outsiders wouldn’t – that hundreds of magicians had died to cast the spell, but the prospect of killing his own people wouldn’t slow the Emperor down for a second. The dragons were bad enough, yet this was worse. It wouldn’t be long before the Emperor had the bright idea of triggering an earthquake and destroying an entire city. She just hoped he wouldn’t ask her what he could do with the stored power.
“Your Supremacy,” General Vetch said.
“The Head Librarian was here,” the Emperor said. “You are to search the entire city from top to botto
m. Anyone who stands in our way is to be killed. Inform the authorities of whom we seek and tell them that handing her over will spare the rest of the city from my men, then make contact with the underground and make them the same offer. No, anyone from the underground who finds her for us will be raised to lordship of the entire city.”
General Vetch looked surprised. “She’s one person, Your Supremacy,” he said. “A woman and a weak magician. What can she do?”
“Everything,” the Emperor hissed.
Charity stared at him. His voice sounded different.
There was a long pause. “You are to order the search,” the Emperor said, in a more normal tone of voice. “I shall be in the tollhouse, studying the maps.”
Charity followed him as he stalked into a tollhouse that had been turned into a temporary base of operations. None of the occupants had objected, not when they’d been evicted at sword-point. The Emperor’s staff had already laid the maps on the table; one showing the city itself, one showing the surrounding countryside and one showing the entire continent, with the road network outlined in blue ink. Charity stood behind the Emperor as he reached for the final map, waiting for orders. She knew they’d come soon enough.
“She needs to get to Ida,” the Emperor mused. He looked up at her. “And your dear brother is already on the prowl. Unless, of course, she’s separated from her apprentice.”
He didn’t bother to wait for her to respond. “She could have gone five different ways,” he mused, “but the only way to get up the mountains to Ida is through World’s Gate – the town here, at the base of the mountains. More to the point, that’s the route she’d know; she took it before, back when she first visited Ida. Our best hope to catch her would be to take World’s Gate and set up a base there.”
“Yes, Your Supremacy,” Charity said.
“She has to pass through World’s Gate,” the Emperor repeated. “The only other option would be to climb the mountains, which would be madness. But … putting a force in World’s Gate would alert Ida to our presence.”
Then attack Ida directly, Charity thought. The dragons could reach the tiny state within a day, perhaps less. Whatever the reason behind the Emperor’s strange obsession with Ida – and the Head Librarian – he could satisfy both goals easily. Don’t waste time bringing your army when all you need are a few scouts.
The Emperor, thankfully, didn’t ask for her opinion. Instead, he called one of the staffers over to him.
“Assemble a small unit of troops,” he ordered. “They are to wear the Empire’s livery, rather than mine. Once ready, they will be flown to World’s Gate, with orders to be billeted on the town for the next two weeks. They are to be on their best behaviour.”
“Yes, Your Supremacy,” the staffer said.
Charity felt her heart sink. Ida had been under suspicion in the months prior to the Emperor’s rise to power, although she’d never found out why. The Grand Sorceress had been running troops through the region every so often, threatening Ida … the whole affair had never made any sense to her. But they were used to seeing the Empire’s troops moving through World’s Gate, not quite occupying Ida, yet close enough to make the threat very clear. Johan and his mistress might walk straight into a trap.
They’d know about the Emperor, she thought. They wouldn’t be fooled by the pretence. But they’d have no choice. They’d have to work their way through World’s Gate unless they try to climb the mountains directly …
“The troops are to be accompanied by three Inquisitors,” the Emperor continued. “Everyone who enters the town is to be checked for glamours, then interrogated under truth spells. When they show themselves, they are to be arrested at once; the Head Librarian is to be brought back here under heavy guard, while anyone with her” – he shot a nasty look at Charity – “is to be executed on the spot.”
No, Charity thought.
She had little faith in Jamal’s ability to track Johan, although – as he shared the same blood – a magician would be able to use Jamal to trace his brother. But an Inquisitor – three Inquisitors – was a different story. They’d set up a trap within the city …
“Charity, you are to take my orders to the Inquisitors, once they arrive,” the Emperor said.
Charity hastily prostrated herself in front of him, hoping that it would be enough to hide her sudden smile. He’d wanted to rub her slavery in still further, but he’d made a mistake. A small one, perhaps, yet it was there. She would carry out his orders – she had to carry out his orders – but he’d left her a loophole. If she told the Inquisitors exactly what the Emperor had ordered, they’d do it … and make the trap blindingly obvious. She would have skipped out the door if she hadn’t known it would alarm him, or convince him to ask her just what had made her so happy …
It was a loophole, she told herself again. Not much of one, perhaps, but it was there …
… And just thinking about it gave her hope.
Chapter Fourteen
“The Gap,” Johan said, as the small convoy rattled over the bridge. “I heard stories, but I never really believed them.”
Elaine sighed, inwardly. Three days of travel had been awkward, to say the least. She hadn’t thought of herself as attractive until she’d met Bee – and, after he’d dumped her, a string of unsuccessful dates had convinced her that Bee had been an exception. Daria might call her pretty, but no one else seemed to agree. She had thought that the curses of red eyes and political power, no matter how little she wanted it, would leave her an old maid for the rest of her life.
But Johan was attracted to her. He hadn’t been able to hide the flurry of emotions that had passed through his mind, nor the embarrassment of knowing she knew how he felt. Elaine couldn’t help being torn between embarrassment herself and the odd thought that she liked Johan, even though he was her apprentice. A relationship between them would be taboo – it would certainly cause comment – even though they weren’t related in any way.
There’s a reason we don’t allow apprenticeship bonds between men and women, she thought, grimly. She’d gone through all the reasons when she’d reluctantly convinced herself that the bond was the safest course of action, allowing her to shut Johan down if necessary. And the Grand Sorceress had agreed, pointing out that no other magician could be trusted not to abuse such power. She had told herself that she could keep the relationship professional …
… And I was wrong, she admitted, reluctantly.
It was a bitter thought. A bond between two men or two women wouldn’t have pulled them together, unless the stronger of the two was homosexual, but she was too young to distance herself from Johan. They were compatible and the bond was mutating, drawing them together. She knew it was the bond, wearing down her resistance to such an improper relationship … and yet, even knowing it wasn’t entirely her own decision, she still found it hard to resist.
She forced the thought away, drawing on all her remaining mental discipline as she looked out at the Runnymede Gap. It was impressive, strikingly so; a long cleft in the ground that had only just avoided becoming a lake. The Empire’s engineers had bridged it at a dozen crossing points, ensuring that travellers didn’t have to climb down into the canyon and back up the other side to reach their destination. A handful of people lived at the bottom, Elaine recalled; they rarely had any contact with the rest of the world. And they liked it that way.
Magic could have created the Gap, she thought. But no one knows for sure.
She closed her eyes in silent contemplation. Her head was full of spells that hadn’t been performed for centuries, spells to rend the ground like paper or freeze an entire lake to solid ice. One of them could easily have created the Gap, smashing anything that lay in its path and slaughtering hundreds of thousands of victims. She couldn’t have hoped to cast them herself – the spells were so powerful that even a full-fledged Inquisitor would have found it impossible – but they were a constant temptation to her. If she found a way to rewrite them, she could turn the sp
ells against Deferens and his army.
The carriage rattled onwards. She did her best to concentrate on her book, cursing the lost opportunity to pick up more books in Falcone’s Nest; she’d read the book before and the text was still firmly fixed in her mind. But at least it kept her mind off Johan and the bond between them, even though she could still feel his presence in her mind. He kept glancing at her, then looking away. The bond was bad enough for Elaine, but she knew it would be worse for him.
His father never trained him in any of the mental disciplines, she thought, sourly. If she ever had a chance to meet Duncan Conidian, she silently promised herself, she could show him exactly what it had felt like to be his Powerless son. He can’t even begin to recognise where the bond stops and genuine feeling starts.
“We’re approaching an inn,” Dread said. “We’re going to stop here.”
Elaine looked up, out of the carriage. It wasn’t dark yet. Indeed, it looked like midday. They were approaching a small hamlet, a handful of houses dominated by a single large inn. Elaine sniffed the air and grimaced. The air stank of too many horses in close proximity, suggesting the inn was actually a coachhouse. They could change their steeds here, if the innkeeper liked the look of their horses.
“It’s not that late,” Johan said. “I thought we could make it to World’s Gate by nightfall.”
“We probably could,” Dread said, curtly. “However, I’d prefer not to walk blindly into World’s Gate.”
Elaine frowned. “We’ve been there before …”
“That time, we didn’t have an Emperor hunting us,” Dread said. “If I was in charge of planning the pursuit, I’d leapfrog the hamlets and send troops directly to World’s Gate. They know we have to pass through the town before heading up to Ida.”
“Unless we want to climb the mountains,” Elaine said. They’d scrambled out of Ida last time, she recalled, but it had almost killed them even in early summer. Now, the mountain peaks in the distance were covered in snow and the air was growing steadily colder. “Do you think the Emperor’s taken precautions?”
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