Around the fountain was a market, with lines of stalls selling cold drinks and warm food. Slabs of beef hung from hooks, and boxes of vegetables and fruit were on display. Daphne and Killop ducked under the canvas canopies of the stalls, and wandered down the line. They bought two cold ales from an old woman, and Daphne lit a cigarette.
‘Morning, miss,’ an old man said as they passed, bowing his head.
‘Morning,’ Daphne replied.
They passed out of the market, and approached the mansion. They walked round to the rear porch, and ascended the steps. Daphne gazed up at the clockface on the side of the old tower in the distance.
‘Let’s sit here and finish our drinks,’ she said. ‘We’ve got a few minutes.’
They sat down on a long, cushioned bench and watched the people in the market.
‘This place seems so untouched by all the wars,’ Killop said.
‘You may not see it, but I do,’ she said. ‘The festival this year is about half as busy as I last remember it, and there’s hardly anything for sale. And there are not many people of my age around. They’ve all been enlisted. Or killed.’
Killop said nothing.
‘And it’s getting worse,’ she went on. ‘The Emperor’s raids on the Kellach quarter in Plateau City and his invasion of Rainsby have killed hundreds more, on both sides.’
‘Holdings fighting Kellach,’ he said, shaking his head.
‘And for three days now they’ve been sacking Rainsby, searching for hidden mages.’
‘And my sister’s body.’
‘The Emperor’s a fool.’
Killop nodded at the road. ‘Your brother.’
Daphne frowned and looked up. Jonah was approaching the mansion with two other men. A few paces behind, a small retinue of servants were carrying trays.
Jonah climbed the steps, pausing when he saw Daphne.
‘Good morning,’ he said.
‘Good morning,’ Daphne replied.
The two other men joined Jonah at the top of the steps and there was an awkward silence.
‘Are you wanting the porch?’ Daphne said.
‘No, no,’ Jonah said. ‘It’s fine. We can go somewhere else.’
‘Don’t be silly,’ Daphne said, ‘we were just leaving.’
She stood, and Killop got to his feet after her. He nodded to Jonah as he followed Daphne into the house, but her brother and his friends ignored him. They entered the cool air of the rear hall, where a water fountain bubbled in a corner.
Daphne frowned, as the voices of Jonah and his friends came through from the porch.
‘I should go back there and speak to him,’ she said. ‘I saw him ignoring you.’
‘Don’t,’ he said. ‘He’s not the only one that does it.’
‘I know,’ she said, ‘and it’s not on. I can see them starting to get to you.’
‘It’s fine.’
She looked away from Killop’s frown, and gazed out of the door where her brother sat. Servants were serving them drinks, and they were smoking and chatting. She had stopped caring what Jonah thought years before, but she felt insulted that he was treating Killop as if he were invisible. Her mother was doing much the same. She felt her temper rise.
‘Come on,’ he said. ‘You’ll be late for lunch.’
Daphne turned her back on the porch, and they walked through the hall. Servants bowed as they passed, and they made their way to a small chamber on the southern side of the mansion. In its centre was a low pool, fed by four small fountainheads, and the roof above was open. Around the walls were long couches, covered by a vaulted ceiling held up by slim pillars.
‘There you are,’ her father said.
Daphne smiled, and she and Killop walked through the pillars to where her father sat reclining on a couch. A low table was set out before him, covered in dishes and jugs. Finely woven sheets were hanging from the ceiling, providing more shade.
‘Mummy,’ Karalyn cried, running out from behind the couch.
‘Hiya, Kara-bear,’ Daphne said, picking her up. ‘Have you been a good girl for Papa?’
‘She has been perfectly behaved,’ her father said. ‘What have you two been up to?’
Daphne put Karalyn down, and sat on the couch opposite her father. ‘I showed Killop round the pavilion stables, and visited our stallion.’
‘A fine beast,’ her father said. ‘He’s one of the best on the estate right now, the Emperor having taken most of the others.’
Killop hoisted Karalyn up onto his shoulders.
‘Have a nice lunch,’ he said. ‘I’ll see you later.’
‘Good day, Killop,’ her father said.
Daphne waved. ‘See you this evening. And remember to duck when you go through doorways.’
Killop smiled, and set off.
‘A good man,’ her father said.
‘Yes.’
Her father poured drinks. ‘It’s been a while since we talked Daffie, how are you holding up?’
‘Fine,’ she said. ‘I mean, I hadn’t seen Vince in a while, but I always thought in the back of my mind that I’d be able to speak to him again. And now I never will.’
She bowed her head.
‘It was the worst moment of my life when I learned the news from the Sanang frontier,’ her father said, ‘but I can’t allow myself to wallow in grief, not when I have three other children to worry about.’
‘You needn’t worry about me.’
‘Daffie, my dear, how could I not? Up until now, we have managed to keep your presence here fairly quiet, but dozens will see you during the festival. The Emperor may be busy in Rainsby right now, but he’s bound to learn you’re back.’
‘No,’ she said. ‘I’m not running away again. All I’ve done for the last few years is go from one end of the world to the other, and now that I’m back home the Emperor will have to come here in person to shift me.’
Her father frowned. ‘That’s what worries me.’
She lit a cigarette. ‘Are there many One True Path in the Holdings?’
He shook his head. ‘There are probably a few agents about, but they keep to themselves. When Guilliam moved his throne to Plateau City, he took the entire government with him, and the church followed. The Lord Regent officially rules from Holdings City, as the Emperor’s representative, but he has no army, and no money. The Holds have been left to fend for themselves in the main.’
‘Then I should be safe here, for the moment, anyway.’
Her father nodded. ‘Now,’ he said, ‘I have a guest arriving soon, but before that, I wanted to ask you something.’
‘All right.’
‘Yesterday, I saw you practising battle-vision.’
‘I try to do a few hours a week.’
‘But you’re a high mage.’
‘I suppose so. I mean I have every power on the vision scale, and a few extra.’
‘But no mage can master more than one or two powers,’ he said. ‘If you’re practising battle, what have you sacrificed?’
‘Nothing, I can do them all.’
Her father spluttered. ‘What? But no, Daffie dear, that is simply impossible.’
Daphne frowned. She recalled hearing her lecturers at the academy say similar things.
‘It’s clearly not impossible. Because I can do them all. Actually, not all. I can’t speak to the Creator whenever I feel like it, but that’s not a power I’d want to have.’
‘So you’re saying that you can do battle, line, range, inner and outer-vision?’
‘Not only that,’ she said, ‘I can do them one after the other, without a break between.’
Her father frowned. ‘Now I know you’re exaggerating.’
‘Well,’ she said, ‘I sometimes need five minutes. And a bottle of something strong helps.’
‘If what you’re saying is true,’ her father said, shaking his head, ‘then you’re one of the most powerful mages alive today.’
‘I’m good at what I do,’ she said, ‘but one
of the best? I don’t know about that.’
‘You’re probably not aware of this,’ he said, ‘but the toll on mages over the last few years has been devastating. And I’m not just talking about the Holdings, though we have suffered grievously. Kellach, Rahain and Rakanese high mages have been killed off in their dozens. Ten mages are now believed to have died in the ritual that gave the Emperor his powers.’
‘Ten? I thought you said five.’
‘I have learned from my sources that a further five Holdings mages died, acting as some kind of conduit. Furthermore, I believe Father Rijon was one of them.’
‘Rijon?’ Daphne said, masking a smile.
‘He was ranked at the very highest level, as were several others who have perished in the wars. What I’m getting at, my dear Daffie, is that you are most likely one of the few high mages remaining.’
She shrugged. ‘There’s still Arnault, and Ghorley, and Princess Shella.’
‘Your friend Shella is missing, I’m afraid.’
Daphne glared at him. ‘How long have you known this?’
‘For a while,’ he said, ‘but I didn’t want to burden you with even more worry.’
‘What happened to her?’
‘The known facts are that she was arrested by the One True Path for refusing to answer the summons for all mages to hand themselves over to the imperial authorities, and taken into custody. After that, no one knows what happened to her. There was a rumour that she might have been killed in the ritual that empowered the Emperor, but no remains have ever been found.’
‘Another missing body.’
‘Yes, but unlike Fire Mage Keira, nobody saw Shella die. My sources believe that she was helped to escape, and the Emperor is too embarrassed to admit it.’
‘Killop believes Keira is still alive.’
Her father nodded. ‘After what he said the night you arrived, I decided to carry out my own investigations.’ He paused. ‘Unfortunately for Killop, I have spoken to three people I trust who saw her fall with their own eyes. The Emperor flicked his hand from the walls of the city and, surrounded by the headless remains of her army, she collapsed, dead.’
Daphne picked up a glass of iced tea and drank, saying nothing. She wasn’t sure if she should relay this news to Killop, or whether it would be better to allow him to hold onto his hopes.
A servant entered from an archway.
‘My Lord Holder,’ she said, bowing, ‘your guests have arrived.’
A man and a woman appeared, and approached the low table.
‘Greetings, Faden,’ her father said. ‘Good journey from the capital?’
‘Long and uncomfortable, Godfrey,’ the man said. He noticed Daphne. ‘Miss Holdfast,’ he bowed, ‘a pleasure to meet you, as always.’
Daphne stood, and curtsied. ‘And you, Lord Holdwick. May I offer my congratulations?’
Faden raised an eyebrow.
‘On Ariel’s pregnancy,’ Daphne said. ‘Your third child.’
‘Of course,’ Faden smiled. ‘Thank you.’
‘I know how much my sister and the children have missed you.’
‘I’ve just spent a most delightful morning in their company,’ he said. ‘I wish I could be with them more, but my work keeps me in Holdings City.’
‘Please sit,’ her father said.
Faden reclined on one of the couches as a servant poured him a drink.
The woman approached.
‘This, Daphne,’ her father said, ‘is Annifrid, commander of the Hold Fast Company.’
‘Hello,’ said Daphne.
The woman bowed, and sat. She was a few years older than Daphne, and had the look of a cavalry veteran.
They all lit cigarettes, and drank iced tea.
‘When I arrived this morning,’ Faden said, ‘I couldn’t help but notice that the festival seems quiet this year.’
Her father sighed. ‘Lowest attendance in decades. The country’s largest horse fair, and no damn horses to buy or sell. We even had to cancel most of the competitions.’
‘It’s the same everywhere, old chap,’ Faden said. ‘The imperial army has stripped the Holdings bare. The economy’s on the verge of collapse, trade is almost non-existent, and with the Emperor’s insane invasion of Rainsby, the only major tradeline to Rahain has been cut. The River Holdings are seething with rage, it’ll only take one spark and they’ll explode.’
‘No, no,’ her father said, shaking his head. ‘It’s bad, I’ll grant you, but I don’t believe a collapse is imminent. There is opportunity here, my friend, for the Holds to unite. If we band together, the Lord Regent cannot stop us.’
Faden frowned.
Her father chuckled. ‘Daphne is completely trustworthy, Faden, you needn’t worry about what you say in front of her.’
‘With all due respect, Godfrey, did she not used to work for the church?’
‘Just the one time,’ Daphne said, ‘when I rescued Princess Shella from the Rakanese camp, which I certainly don’t regret. The church themselves call me a renegade.’
‘And what are you thoughts on the empire?’
‘I’m not against it in principle, I suppose,’ she said, ‘if it was fairly done. You may not agree with this, but from the outside world it looks as though the Holdings are in charge. Rakana is firmly under the thumb, and Rahain is ruled by Governor Ghorley. And the Emperor himself, of course, is Holdings. To every other race of people, we are the imperial overlords, and our church is feared even more than our soldiers.’
‘If only they knew how much resistance there is here to the Emperor and the church,’ her father said. ‘Guilliam lost a lot of love when he moved to the Plateau. Did you know he hasn’t been back once since his coronation? In the early days of the alliance, the people remained hopeful and proud, but with the endless losses in war, and the savage recruitment for the new army, the poor in the River Holdings have suffered much. And we, the Holds of the great plains, have been taxed and stripped of our resources.’
‘We wouldn’t mind so much,’ Faden said, ‘if there were some terrible necessity, or grand strategy underpinning the Emperor’s actions. But all he seems to care about is the gathering up of every mage in the world, and for what? No one seems to have an answer.’
‘To become even more powerful?’ Daphne said.
Her father shook his head. ‘Annifrid here has not long returned from the imperial city, where she saw the Emperor in person. Tell her about it, Anni.’
The commander flushed a little as she caught Godfrey’s eyes, and Daphne frowned.
‘I was staying with an old cavalry officer that I used to know,’ Annifrid said, turning to Daphne, ‘and she was called up as part of the force that assaulted the Kellach quarter. Emperor Guilliam himself came down to the barracks on the morning of the attack, and I heard him speak to the soldiers.’ She shook her head. ‘Then he personally led the assault. I went along, and saw what he did. He was… unstoppable. He must have killed hundreds.
‘The soldiers followed behind, searching for the body of the fire mage. From a basement under a tavern, I saw them haul out a Sanang hedgewitch, or at least that’s what I was told. I left the Kellach quarter after that, I couldn’t stand any more.’
‘The irony,’ her father said. ‘They went in looking for a dead fire mage, and came out with a living hedgewitch.’
Daphne caught Annifrid smile at her father. She narrowed her eyes.
‘I wonder who they’ll find in Rainsby,’ Faden said. ‘There are bound to be one or two mages hiding down there. And then we face the most important question; where will the Emperor strike next?’
Her father nodded. ‘It’s imperative that we hold our nerve until the Emperor’s aims are clear. If we act in haste, then Guilliam may very well decide to bring his army here. After all, one of the most powerful mages in the land is sitting before you.’
Faden raised an eyebrow, and sipped his iced tea.
Daphne lit another cigarette. ‘So what do you plan to do?’
‘For now, nothing,’ her father said. ‘Keep the Holdings running while we wait and see what the Emperor does next. But our dream? Do you wish to know our ultimate aim?’
Daphne nodded.
‘We wish for nothing less than to overthrow the Lord Regent that sits in Holdings City, and proclaim a republic. We wish to rule ourselves again, reform the Royal Council into a Senate of the Holds, and throw off the shackles of monarchy.’
‘Like Rahain?’
‘Without the slavery, of course.’
‘What about the church?’
‘The people will be free to follow their faith, we would never interfere with that, but the church will have no role in any constitution or government.’
‘And the empire?’
‘It was a foolish idea from the beginning,’ Faden said. ‘I’m all for peace and trade, but each nation should look after its own interests.’
‘I’m not sure Guilliam would agree.’
‘Which is why we do nothing,’ her father said. ‘Quite clearly, the Emperor is a threat to the stability of the world, and wherever he chooses to go is in grave danger. He seems to care nothing for the well-being of his subjects.’
‘The power’s gone to his head,’ Faden said. ‘He thinks he’s almighty.’
‘Maybe you’re right,’ Daphne said, ‘though there must be some reason behind his madness, some plan he’s following. Presumably he’s carrying out the Creator’s wishes, or thinks he is.’
Faden shook his head. ‘I do not accept the existence of the Creator. It’s nothing more than a legend.’
‘You still don’t believe?’ Daphne said. ‘Even after what happened? How then did the Emperor get his powers?’
Faden shrugged. ‘Through some arcane mage-craft of which I have no knowledge. Some foul ritual that involved the slaughter of ten mages.’
Daphne shook her head.
‘We may never agree on the Creator, Daffie,’ her father said, ‘but we can still work together to further our aims. Are you with us?’
‘I’ll do whatever it takes to protect my family.’
Her father smiled. ‘Good enough for me.’
After lunch, Daphne went up to her quarters. She had expected to find Killop and Karalyn there waiting for her, but the rooms were empty. A note was on a table, written by Killop. It asked her to meet him outside by the pavilion.
The Magelands Box Set Page 150
