‘It’s good to see you, old friend,’ Agang said.
Badranga bowed again. ‘The honour is mine, my king.’
‘Please refresh yourselves.’ Agang waved a hand, and servants approached from either side with trays of fine foods and cups of clear, flavoured spirits.
‘I‘d rather not, your Majesty,’ Badranga said, his head held firm, ‘if it’s all the same to you. I need to speak to you in council. The matter is urgent.’
Agang shot a glance at Hodang. The crowd in the hall remained quiet.
‘Very well,’ Agang said.
Badranga bowed again.
Agang got to his feet, and turned towards a large door at the rear of the hall, his advisors and nephews following his lead.
‘Echtang,’ he said. ‘You stay here. One of us should be present when the hall is open.’
His younger nephew frowned, but went back to where he had been standing.
A guard opened the door to the council chambers, where carved wooden benches sat next to drinking tables. At one end was a raised platform, and Agang walked there, taking his seat at the head of the room.
Badranga came in with the rest of the royal party, and sat with his son at the table closest to Agang, a servant filling their mugs with ale.
Hodang, Chane and Prince Gadang took their places next to the king.
‘Speak freely,’ Agang said to Badranga.
Badranga scowled, and lowered his head.
‘The south is in flames,’ he muttered.
Agang narrowed his eyes. ‘What did you say?’
Badranga lifted his head, his face contorted. ‘The south is in flames. Your Majesty.’
Agang paused for a second. ‘If you’re referring to B’Dang D’Bang, then rest assured that preparations are in place. You will have reinforcements sent, to assist you in wiping out the bandits.’
The chief shook his head.
‘Those bandits, as you call them, your Majesty, have already taken half a dozen forts along the Kahtar river, and burned countless farms and settlements in my lands. My warriors lie dead in their hundreds.’ He paused. ‘If it were only B’Dang, but…’
‘But what, man?’ Agang said. ‘Speak up.’
‘B’Dang may have the title of war-leader, but he’s not the one the rebels are following.’
Agang stared down at the chief. ‘Then who?’
‘The firewitch.’
The council chamber fell into silence.
‘A firewitch?’ Hodang said. ‘I don’t understand.’
‘A Clackdomyn giant,’ Badranga spat. ‘She has set the forests of the south ablaze, and the folk are flocking to her banner. She speaks of overthrowing the empire. Of overthrowing you, your Majesty. She claims you are nothing but a puppet of the Emperor.’
‘And how do you know what she claims?’ Agang cried, anger filling him.
‘The lowly folk, your Majesty,’ Badranga said, matching his king’s stare. ‘Ones we’ve re-captured after they’d joined her side. They worship her as a god.’
Agang glanced at Chane and Hodang.
‘I seem to recall, your Majesty,’ Hodang said, ‘something about a Clackdomyn firewitch escaping the Rahain Capital after we had taken the city. Perhaps the legate knows more.’
Agang nodded to a guard at the door. ‘Summon Legate Robban and Father Pieper.’
The guard bowed and left the hall.
‘Your Majesty,’ Badranga said, ‘the rebels are spreading it about that you knelt before the Holdings and their Emperor to gain your crown. They have no place in our council meetings.’
Agang frowned. ‘I don’t make a habit of inviting them,’ he said, ‘but they may be able to tell us more about your firewitch.’
The door opened and Imperial Legate Robban entered, Pieper at his side.
‘Your Majesty,’ they bowed together.
‘Legate Robban,’ Agang said. ‘We wish to ask you a few questions.’
‘I will answer them if I can, your Majesty.’
‘It has come to our attention,’ Agang said, ‘that a Clackdomyn firewitch may be at large in the south of our kingdom, involved in the recent troubles down there.’
The legate stepped forward.
‘Clackdomyn, your Majesty?’ Robban said, his long grey hair tied behind his thin head. ‘Do you mean Kellach Brigdomin?’
‘That is your name for them, I believe,’ Agang said.
The two Holdings men shared a quick glance with each other.
‘Does this firewitch have a name?’ Robban asked Badranga.
‘She does,’ the old chief said. ‘Her warriors fall to their knees and chant it whenever she passes.’
He looked at Agang.
‘Well?’ the king said.
‘Keira kill-kill.’
Pieper gasped.
‘Your Majesty,’ Robban said, his right eye twitching, ‘we must get word to the Emperor as soon as possible. Fire Mage Keira is an exceptionally dangerous woman.’
Badranga snorted, and took a swig of ale.
Pieper stepped forward. ‘Are you aware of who she is, your Majesty?’
‘Vaguely. I know she escaped from the Rahain Capital.’
Pieper nodded. ‘Yes, your Majesty. But did you also know that she was responsible for the deaths of a third of a million Rakanese refugees, whom she incinerated without mercy?’
Agang’s eyes widened. ‘We were informed that the Rahain had carried out that atrocity.’
‘Keira was the tool they used, your Majesty,’ Pieper said.
‘And now she’s in Sanang.’
‘It seems so,’ the priest said. ‘I’m sure your Majesty understands the gravity of the situation. The Kellach fire mage represents a danger, not only to Sanang, but to the whole empire. She must be hunted down and destroyed.’
‘She will be,’ Agang said. He turned to Hodang. ‘Chief Minister, please summon Commander Mandalecht.’
‘Your Majesty,’ Hodang said, ‘Commander Mandalecht is currently in his village visiting his family, and the rest of the army is still resting from the march back from the Rahain Republic.’
‘Then send messengers out to every regiment,’ Agang said. ‘Their holiday is over.’
Chapter 4
Tolerance
Slateford, Rahain Republic – 5th Day, Last Third Summer 506
‘The first year was the worst,’ the young man said, as they walked across the long terraced hillside. The sun was in the east, burning bright against a blue sky, and though the hour was early, the day was warm. ‘They had us working in the tunnels near Tahrana City, excavating and clearing away rubble. Didn’t see the sun for a long time, and half the folk down there with us died.’
Killop stayed quiet, letting the man talk as they passed between rows of vines.
‘After that it got a bit better. We were transferred to a series of farms, because all the locals had been made to join the army. Back-breaking work, but at least we were outside again.’
The two men stopped, to allow the woman following them to catch up.
‘This is amazing Killop, I mean Chief,’ the young man said, looking down at the valley. ‘Is all this really ours?’
‘Aye, Conal,’ Killop said, ‘as far as you can see in both directions.’
He turned to watch the woman approach. ‘Come on, Koreen,’ he yelled.
‘Fucksake boys,’ the woman said, reaching them. ‘What’s the rush? My hangover’s raging.’
‘I’m not surprised,’ Killop said, ‘the rate you were knocking them back. Still, it was some night. Me and Bridget couldn’t believe it when you two showed up at the mansion.’
Killop looked at his old friends. They seemed to have aged a decade since he had last seen them.
‘What you gawking at?’ Koreen scowled.
‘Just happy to see you.’
‘Well go and be happy some place else. My headache cannae take joviality at the moment.’
Killop pulled a waterskin from over his shoulder
and passed it round.
They gazed over the landscape. The long valley spread out before them, over ten miles from end to end. Narrow where a cliffside spring became a cascade of waterfalls, it widened into a fertile plain, a river meandering through its midst. Fields covered the valley floor, and small villages were dotted by the riverbank. A town sat where the river met the main road leading to the alliance fort and the Rahain Capital.
‘It’s beautiful,’ Conal said. ‘You said your old master gave it to you?’
‘He gave it to all of us. It’s sovereign Kellach Brigdomin territory. He made a law so that the Severed Clan owns the whole valley.’
‘Our masters were arseholes,’ Koreen said.
‘I was lucky, I know that,’ Killop said, ‘but we’re all free now. The Rahain took three years of our lives, but here we can start a new one.’
They set off again, following one of the long terraces cut into the side of the hill.
Conal halted at the next row of trellises, and knelt. He took a vine in his hands, the dark fruit glistening.
‘We worked in a vineyard last autumn,’ he said. ‘Never thought I’d be happy to see a grape again.’
‘You’ve experience of wine-making?’ Killop said. ‘Brodie will be glad to hear that.’
‘Who’s Brodie?’ Koreen asked.
‘The clan’s brewer and distiller,’ Killop said. ‘Problem is, he knows fuck all about wine. There are acres of vines on the estate, and we have contracts with Rahain merchants to fulfil. Somehow we’ve got to turn all these grapes into wine within the year, our loans from the money-lenders depend on it. Anything you could teach him…’
‘Aye, Chief,’ Conal said. ‘I’ll do my best. I have to admit, the time we spent on the vineyard wasn’t too bad. The master there loved everything about wine. She taught us quite a lot.’
‘That was the most fun we had,’ Koreen said. ‘I remember when we were stomping the grapes. There was about twenty of us, all jumping up and down and singing songs in these huge vats inside a great big shed. Even the guards relaxed for a while.’
Conal smiled. ‘Aye, then we washed the juice out of our hair in the river, and the guards let us lie on the bank in the sun for a few hours to dry.’
Tears started to run down Koreen’s cheeks. ‘Don’t look at me,’ she said. ‘I feel stupid.’
‘You’re not,’ Killop said. ‘It’s fine to remember the good days.’
‘It was the worst day,’ she said. ‘It made us feel normal for a while, made us feel the way we used to, before those bastards came to Kell. When we had to put our chains back on, it was like being captured all over again.’
Conal put his arm around her shoulder as Koreen wept.
‘It’s over,’ he whispered.
‘I know,’ she said, wiping her face with her hand.
She gazed up at Killop. ‘Last night you said Kallie wasn’t here. What happened?’
‘We spilt up,’ he said. ‘It was a while ago, after we escaped from prison.’
‘Why? I thought you two were going to be together forever.’
‘So did I at the time.’
Koreen narrowed her eyes. ‘That lassie was the most gorgeous girl I ever saw. She was devoted to you. What did you do to piss her off?’
‘I met someone.’
Koreen snorted. ‘Who? She must be a goddess or something, if she’s better looking than Kallie.’
‘I can’t explain how it happened. We looked at each other and knew.’
‘Is she a Kell?’
Killop shook his head.
‘Please don’t tell me she’s a fucking Domm…’
‘She’s from the Holdings.’
‘What?’ Conal cried. ‘Like those alliance soldiers?’
‘One of those short, dark-skinned folk?’ Koreen said. ‘Pyre’s tits, Killop, a foreigner?’
‘So?’
‘Does your sister know?’
‘I have no fucking idea.’
‘So where is she then?’ Conal said. ‘Your dark-skinned lassie?’
‘Up on the Plateau with her family,’ Killop said, ‘and our baby daughter.’
Koreen made a croaking sound, while Conal’s eyes bulged. Neither spoke.
‘You look just like Bridget did when I told her.’
‘Fuck,’ Koreen said. ‘That’s a lot to digest.’
They started walking again, making their way down the gentle slopes towards a small settlement at the foot of the hill.
Koreen poked Killop in the side.
‘Shouldn’t you be up there with your new family?’
‘They’re coming here,’ he said. ‘I feel shit for missing the birth. I didn’t even know she was alive, let alone pregnant. Then I find out she’s got a baby, and they’re coming here when she’s old enough to travel. Before winter at any rate. And I’ve had so much to do on the estate, organising the Kellach as they’ve poured in. Not a day goes past when I don’t think of them, though.’
‘You going to get married?’ Conal said.
Killop shrugged. ‘I intend to ask.’
‘What’s your wee girl’s name?’ Koreen asked.
‘Karalyn.’
‘Nice.’
‘How do you know that,’ Conal said, ‘if she’s hundreds of miles away?’
‘Holdings vision mages,’ he said. ‘They can talk to each other, mind to mind, even if they’re far apart. The alliance fort up the road has a mage who can do it, and if you pay them enough, they’ll send on messages, and write down the answers for you when they come back. Takes a few days, and it’s expensive so I’ve only done it a couple of times. The first time I did it I told her I was leaving Slateford to see her. I was packing my bags when I got her reply. She said to stay, that she wanted to come and live here, and would leave as soon as Karalyn was able.’
He smiled.
‘I can’t tell you how much that message meant to me,’ he said. ‘I still have the scrap of paper the mage used to write it down. It was the first time we’d communicated in over a year.’
‘You sap,’ Koreen said. ‘You really are in love with her, then?’
‘Aye.’
A path opened up as they reached the bottom of the hill. Ahead lay the small settlement they had seen from the terraces.
‘Let’s go to the winery,’ Killop said. ‘I think Brodie will be there. I want to introduce you.’
‘It’s Conal who’s interested in wine-making,’ Koreen said. ‘Keep me out of it, I’ve had enough of nursing vines to last a lifetime.’
‘What do you want to do, then?’
‘Something that involves peace and quiet,’ she said. ‘I’d like to be alone for a while. A bit of solitude would suit me fine.’
‘There are cottages up in the hills, where the woods are thickest. Sturdy and stone built, think they’ve been up there a long time. We’ll find you somewhere.’
‘Do you live in the big house?’ Conal said.
‘Aye,’ Killop said. ‘Laodoc’s old mansion. We gutted it out and fixed it up. Nearly a hundred folk live in it now. Me and Bridget have rooms on the top floor.’
‘You and Bridget?’ Koreen said, raising an eyebrow.
‘Aye,’ Killop laughed, ‘but don’t get any ideas. Me and her are like brother and sister now.’
They slowed as they reached the settlement. They passed a row of cottages, where a few Kellach were out working, tending vegetable gardens and sawing wood. A few noticed Killop, and raised their hands in greeting. The road led to the largest building in the village, a squat stone and wooden shed, with a large set of open doors at the front.
Standing under a great Rahain crest affixed to the wall of the building was a group of Kellach arguing. Killop headed toward them. As he approached a man with a crutch saw him and waved.
‘Brodie,’ Killop said.
‘Chief,’ the one-legged man replied. ‘Good morning to you. We’re fucked.’
Killop paused as the other Kellach standing next to Brodie
all shouted at once.
He raised his hand. ‘Brodie,’ he cried, stilling them.
‘Chief,’ he replied. ‘Look, I’ve never bullshitted you. I always told you I know nothing about wine.’
‘I may have someone here who could help,’ Killop said. ‘This is Conal, an old friend.’
Brodie hobbled over to the young man. ‘And you’re an expert on wine-making are you, son?’
‘No,’ Conal replied, his cheeks flushing, ‘but I worked through harvest-time last year in a vineyard, and learned a wee bit.’
Brodie slapped him on the back. ‘Good enough for me!’ He turned to Killop. ‘Can I keep him, Chief?’
Killop laughed. ‘Sure. He’s staying at the mansion just now.’
‘If it works out I’ll find him a room here at the winery,’ Brodie said.
‘That sound all right, Conal?’
‘Aye, Chief, thanks.’
‘See you later, then.’
Killop and Koreen watched as Brodie led Conal into the winery buildings, chatting, his arm waving about.
‘Do you want to start looking for a place up the hills?’
‘Aye, Killop,’ she said, ‘if ye don’t mind.’
‘Chief!’ a voice called.
They turned, and saw a young woman running up the path towards them.
‘Message from Herald Bridget, Chief,’ she said. ‘She needs you in town.’
‘Did she say why?’
‘There’s some trouble,’ the messenger said. ‘Alliance soldiers again.’
Killop nodded. ‘You catch your breath, I’ll head down the road now.’
‘I’ll come with you,’ Koreen said.
They took the path down a gentle slope to where it met the main road, which ran alongside the river from the mansion to the town.
‘Brodie’s a good man,’ Killop said. ‘He’ll look after Conal.’
‘That boy,’ Koreen said, ‘he never gave up. All the time we were slaves, he kept me going. Annoyed the fuck out of me half the time, but.’
‘Bridget did the same for me,’ Killop said. ‘I would have lost it without her.’
‘I cannae believe how much that lassie’s changed. When we got separated, she was just Bridget. A sarcastic wee cow. Now she’s a proper leader. She gives out orders, and everyone does what she says.’
The Magelands Box Set Page 96
