The Magelands Box Set

by Christopher Mitchell

  ‘You rode?’

  ‘Stole a horse. Got thrown a couple of times, but I got the hang of it in the end.’

  Killop shook his head. ‘I might have known.’

  He glanced through the great bay windows at the palace. ‘There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.’

  ‘Aye?’ said Kylon.

  ‘Why did you tell Chane everything about Karalyn?’

  ‘Do you not like her?’

  ‘She’s all right,’ Killop shrugged, ‘and Daphne seems to be friends with her again, which is good. But that’s not the point. You should have asked us before you said anything.’

  Kylon nodded. ‘At the time, I was alone in the River Holdings, surrounded by thousands of strangers, searching for you. I was also struggling with having left your sister, wondering if it was the right thing to do, and then I was stuck in a small house with Chane for a long time, unable to go outdoors in case the imperial recruiters got hold of us. I saw something in her that I trusted.’

  His dark eyes caught Killop’s.

  ‘I apologise if I did the wrong thing.’

  ‘Are you sleeping with her?’

  ‘Who, Chane? No.’

  ‘Celine?’

  ‘Killop,’ Kylon said, ‘I am faithful to your sister.’

  ‘Even though she broke up with you?’

  ‘We were both going through a lot of shit at the time,’ he said. ‘I was pushing her hard, making sure we followed Kalayne’s plan, and I think she started to resent me for it.’

  Killop frowned. ‘You pushed my sister into murdering all those folk?’

  ‘Murder? It was war, Killop. We were trying to stop the Emperor.’ He gazed at him. ‘We have all done things in war we regret.’

  ‘And it sounds like you’ve added a lot to your list.’

  Kylon bowed his head, his long black hair falling in sheets. ‘I do have regrets about the Sanang campaign. We were ruthless, and utterly focussed on getting to the imperial capital in time. But we failed. The Emperor got his powers, and destroyed our army. In the end it was all for nothing.’ He looked up. ‘But there’s still hope. Karalyn is the key, somehow. Kalayne told me much about her, but even he didn’t know exactly what role she will play.’

  ‘She’s one year old,’ Killop said. ‘She won’t be playing any role in what’s coming.’

  Kylon shrugged. ‘The other part of the plan involves Shella and Keira. Your sister remains the one who will save the world, but Kalayne said she has to meet Shella first.’

  ‘If my sister really has gone to Domm,’ Killop said, ‘then she’ll be on the other side of the world when the Emperor invades the Holdings.’

  ‘If the Emperor invades.’

  ‘He will,’ Killop said. ‘Last night, when you banged on our door, you were right, something had happened.’

  Kylon narrowed his eyes. ‘What?’

  ‘Did Kalayne ever tell you that Karalyn could see inside the Creators’ mind?’

  ‘He did,’ said Kylon. ‘Did she travel there last night?’

  ‘Aye,’ Killop said, ‘and she wasn’t alone.’

  ‘That’s enough for today,’ the woman called out to the students.

  Killop grunted in relief, his legs and rear in agony, and swung himself off the horse and down to the ground. He towered over the other students, a mix of teenage Holdings youths, while the horse he was practising on was a good head higher than the others.

  ‘You did well,’ the trainer nodded to him. ‘You’re getting better.’

  Killop shook his head, as a stablegirl led his beast away.

  ‘Bravo,’ cried Daphne from the fence enclosing the small compound. Behind her stood the burnt-out and abandoned remains of the Old Tower.

  Chane smirked as he approached the fence half-limping. ‘Where did they find you that old nag?’

  ‘It was the only one big enough to take me,’ he said.

  ‘You alright?’ said Daphne.

  ‘My arse is killing me.’

  ‘I remember those days,’ Chane laughed. ‘Don’t worry, your arse cheeks will toughen up in a third or two.’

  ‘He’s Kellach,’ Daphne said, ‘so it’ll probably just take a few days.’

  She opened the gate, and Killop left the enclosure.

  ‘I could do with an ale.’

  Daphne pursed her lips. ‘You drink too much.’

  Killop shrugged. ‘You smoke too much.’

  ‘I have a solution,’ Chane said. ‘Let’s go back to yours, and we can drink and smoke.’

  ‘Is that you done for the rest of the day?’ Killop asked.

  ‘Yeah,’ Daphne said. ‘We’re off until the morning.’

  They set off through the winding maze of backstreets towards Holders Square.

  ‘I told Kylon about last night,’ Killop said. ‘Wanted to see if he had any ideas.’

  ‘And did he?’

  ‘He suggested the same thing as you,’ Killop said, ‘that the Creator was in Guilliam’s head at the same time as me and Karalyn.’

  ‘It does sound the most reasonable explanation,’ said Chane.

  Killop glanced at Daphne.

  ‘You told Kylon,’ she said. ‘I told Chane.’

  ‘But that’s it, though?’ Killop said. ‘Just the four of us know about Karalyn?’

  ‘Five,’ said Chane. ‘You’re forgetting about Celine.’

  ‘Five,’ he repeated, shaking his head.

  ‘I’m never going to breathe a word of it to anyone,’ Chane said. ‘Who the fuck would I tell? You’re the only people I know here, and you’re certainly the only ones I trust. Kylon and Celine are both mad, but they’d do anything to protect your daughter.’

  Killop nodded. ‘I know. Listen, there’s something I remembered when I was telling Kylon what had happened, that I forgot to mention to you.’

  ‘Yeah?’ said Daphne.

  ‘It was about the lord chancellor’s request for reinforcements. The Emperor said that he could have more when Ghorley had finished recruiting a new army.’

  Daphne narrowed her eyes.

  ‘A new army?’ said Chane. ‘What the fuck for?’

  ‘The Emperor will use it to invade the Holdings,’ Daphne said. ‘He thinks he’ll lose half of his present army in Rakana, and he won’t want to invade us with Holdings soldiers anyway. It makes much more sense for him to do it with fresh Rahain troops.’

  They came out onto Holders Square as the sun was setting over the vast expanse of plains to the west, visible from the top of the Upper City.

  ‘It’s getting chilly already,’ Daphne said. ‘Summer’s nearly done.’

  ‘At last,’ Killop said. ‘It’s still hotter during the day than it ever gets in Kell. But I admit, I love the nights, nice and cool.’

  ‘Freezing, you mean,’ Daphne smiled.

  ‘I thought all that time in Rahain had toughened you up?’

  ‘It didn’t mean I liked it. That time I walked to Slateford in a blizzard was nearly the end of me. I never want to be that cold again.’

  They paused in front of a large guesthouse, filled with apartments for visiting aristocracy, where Killop and Daphne were staying.

  ‘You coming up?’ Daphne asked Chane.

  ‘If you’re asking,’ she grinned, and they entered the building.

  They climbed to the third floor, and went through into their suite. Celine and Karalyn were playing on a rug in front of the enormous bay windows, while Kylon was sitting in an armchair reading a book. He peered over the top of it as they approached.

  Killop and Daphne went over to see their daughter. She looked up from playing to smile at them.

  ‘She’s been a very good girl today,’ Celine said. ‘I showed her how to order food from the servants.’

  Daphne laughed. ‘I hope they’re prepared for endless requests for pancakes and biscuits.’

  ‘Karalyn eat pancakes for dinner and tea,’ said the girl.

  Daphne frowned. ‘Really Celine, she can�
��t have that for every meal. You shouldn’t always be saying yes to her. You give in too easily.’

  ‘I just like to see her smile,’ Celine said. ‘But I know. It won’t happen again, ma’am.’

  ‘Please don’t call me that,’ Daphne said. She turned to Killop. ‘Time for that ale, I think.’

  Chane spoke to a servant, who returned in a few minutes with ale, coffee and rum, glasses, and bowls of nuts and strawberries. Killop and Daphne sat by Kylon, who put down his book.

  ‘So, Miss Holdfast,’ he said, ‘how goes your civil war?’

  ‘Much the same as yesterday, Kylon,’ she said, pouring drinks. ‘The same group of Holds are refusing to join us, and the imperial garrisons in the forts along the border with the Plateau are still holding out.’

  ‘You have accomplished much without bloodshed.’

  ‘So far,’ she nodded. ‘Aside from the riots in the River Holdings that killed a hundred imperials, we’ve managed to avoid any large confrontations.’

  Kylon nodded, and took a glass of rum from the low table.

  ‘The Prophet has been a great help,’ Daphne went on. ‘His range-vision is amazing, and he’s been telling us the positions of every group of imperial soldiers, and what the militia of the unaligned Holds are doing. He’s enabled us to avoid traps, and stay a step ahead of Lord Chancellor Prior’s forces.’

  ‘Much like Kalayne did for us in Kell,’ Kylon said.

  ‘I should tell the Prophet about last night,’ she said. She glanced at Killop. ‘Make that six people who know. But he’s on our side. He hates Lord Arnault and the Creator as much as we do.’

  ‘We’ll need him when the Emperor invades,’ Kylon said. ‘His control of communications will allow you to be the tip of the spear, Daphne, where you belong. You will face the Emperor when he comes to this city. You’re the strongest among us, it has to be you. But we’ll be at your side, with your daughter’s power to shield us, and scour the enemy…’

  ‘What?’ Daphne cried. ‘No, Kylon. Karalyn will be as far away from the fighting as possible, with you and Celine to guard her, as you promised. If I’m to be the tip of the spear, as you put it, then I need to know that Karalyn is safe.’

  Kylon frowned, his dark eyes piercing her.

  ‘I will give my life to protect your daughter, Daphne Holdfast, do not insult me by doubting my resolve on this. But Karalyn is not just an innocent bystander or a hapless victim in the coming storm. She has powers, mighty powers, and she will be needed if we are to defeat the Emperor.’

  ‘No,’ said Killop, ‘that’s not going to happen. Karalyn will be nowhere near the battlefield, and you must decide now if you’re going to obey our orders on this. If Daphne and I command you and Celine to take Karalyn away from a battle, will you obey us?’

  ‘He’d better,’ Celine said, walking towards the table, holding Karalyn’s hand as she toddled along. She stared at the Kell man. ‘Well, Kylon?’

  ‘Of course,’ Kylon said, ‘Kalayne told me to protect Karalyn. I will follow your orders, Killop, and yours Daphne, as long as those orders don’t put Karalyn in danger.’

  ‘They never would,’ said Daphne.

  ‘Then we are agreed,’ said Kylon.

  ‘Good,’ said Celine. She glanced at Daphne. ‘I’m just taking little bear to bed, do you want to read her a story?’

  Daphne smiled. ‘Yes,’ she said, standing.

  Killop gave Karalyn a kiss and watched as she was led to their bedroom by Celine and Daphne. Kylon filled his glass with rum, and sat back in his chair. Chane extracted a weedstick from a pocket of her uniform and lit it.

  ‘Well?’ she shrugged at Killop. ‘Karalyn’s away to bed.’

  ‘Just open a window,’ Killop said. He glanced at Kylon as the Holdings woman tutted and got up.

  Kylon glanced back at him.

  ‘My daughter is not a weapon.’ Killop said, ‘I don’t care what Kalayne told you.’

  Kylon’s dark eyes held him as he nodded. ‘You’re the boss.’

  Chapter 11

  Avoidance Tactics

  Northern Kell – 26th Day, Last Third Summer 507

  ‘This is shit,’ said Dean. ‘We’ve been waiting here for hours.’

  ‘Be patient,’ Dyam said. ‘Bonnie and Lola will return soon, and hopefully they’ll give us the all clear.’

  The young fire mage’s eyes darted round the rocky crevasse where the two wagons lay hidden, the frustration plain upon his face.

  ‘I’m cold,’ he said. ‘Can we light a fire?’

  Dyam shook her head. ‘If the lizards see the smoke they’ll be all over us.’

  Laodoc reached under the driver’s bench of the wagon and pulled out a blanket.

  ‘Wrap this round yourself, Dean,’ he said. ‘It’ll keep you warm while we wait.’

  The young man frowned. ‘I’m not an invalid.’

  Laodoc sighed. They had been stuck in the crevasse since breakfast, and the day was wearing on. Their pace had ground almost to a halt since they had passed into the occupied zone of Northern Kell three days previously. They had made good time through Brig, and had crossed into Kell without any problem or delay, after checking in with the Kellach Brigdomin forces that patrolled the Brig Pass. Their progress through Southern Kell had also been rapid. Despite the devastation and pollution covering the landscape, it was empty of people, and the roads had been clear. The first sign of the Rahain had come when they had entered the pass to Northern Kell, where they had been forced to cross several blockades and lines of wooden palisades. The soldiers there had been happy to let the two wagons through to the occupied zone, after relieving them of most of their gold.

  Since entering, however, they had been harassed on a daily basis by patrols of Rahain soldiers, as they had tried to make their way through the broken land. Enormous slagheaps of mining waste littered the grey and dead countryside. Every town and village had been destroyed, buried under landslides or burned to the ground. The Rahain military sat within walled-off mining compounds, some of which covered hundreds of acres, with accommodation for the legions of slave labour that were required to keep the coal flowing to the cities of Rahain.

  On their way south, when they had been travelling with the entire Severed Clan, the Rahain soldiers had given them a wide berth, and had allowed them to pass unmolested, but now, with their small party of eight, it seemed that every group of soldiers they met tried to rob and abuse them.

  Agang jumped down from the lead wagon and walked back to where Laodoc sat next to Dean and Dyam.

  Laodoc nodded to him as he approached.

  ‘Looks like we might be stuck here for the night,’ Agang said. ‘Bridget says that if Bonnie and Lola are not back within an hour, then we should get the camp set up.’

  Dean groaned.

  ‘It is what it is, Dean,’ Agang said.

  ‘But we’re never going to get out of Kell if we keep hiding.’

  ‘That was a whole company of lizards we almost ran into this morning,’ she said. ‘Over a hundred soldiers, Dean. They looked like they hadn’t eaten in a third. One look at our oxen, and we’d be walking.’

  ‘If Keira was here she could fight them off.’

  ‘But she’s not here, Dean,’ Dyam said, ‘so stop moaning.’

  ‘Bonnie and Lola are trying to find us a quieter route,’ Agang said, ‘then we can get back on the road.’

  Dean said nothing, staring out of the wagon as it started to rain. Dyam stood, and untied the cords to release the canvas hood. Agang got up and helped her fix it into position, covering the passengers and their luggage from the heavy drops.

  There was a low whistle, and Laodoc glanced up. Through the dim shadows cast by the dark clouds above, he saw two figures scrambling down the loose scree of the crevasse.

  ‘There they are,’ he said, watching them head towards the lead wagon. ‘They’re back.’

  ‘I’d better go,’ Agang said, ‘in case we get moving quickly.’

  He
turned, and jogged up to where the two scouts were talking to Bridget. After a minute Lola strode back towards Laodoc as the lead wagon began to pull away, its wheels turning through the thick mud at the bottom of the crevasse.

  ‘Success?’ Dyam said as Lola climbed up onto the driver’s bench and took hold of the reins.

  ‘Aye.’

  ‘You find a route?’

  ‘Aye.’

  She flicked the reins, and the oxen took off, plodding along a few yards behind the lead wagon.

  ‘It’ll be slow going,’ the Lach woman said, ‘and treacherous at times, but it should keep us off the main roads.’

  ‘You see many lizards?’

  ‘Aye, a few.’ She glanced at Laodoc. ‘Do you not mind her calling you that?’

  ‘It’s not my favourite word,’ he said, ‘but my people did this to Kell, and I can understand the anger directed at us.’

  Dyam looked away. ‘Shit, I don’t mean anything by it.’

  They sat in silence as the wagon was pulled through the narrow valley.

  ‘I won’t say it again,’ Dyam muttered after a while.

  Lola smiled.

  They travelled for several hours, on through the afternoon and into the evening. It grew dark, and Laodoc was unable to see the path ahead, but still the Kellach kept on, their natural night vision allowing them to see what he couldn’t. The rain continued, dripping down the inside of the sodden canvas as they negotiated the winding and narrow track. They stopped often, to clear away branches, rocks and other debris from the path, or to dig wheels out of the thick mud. Laodoc was spared such duties, and watched shivering from the driver’s bench each time until they were underway again.

  He was frozen stiff when they stopped for the night, close to a deep cave with a narrow entrance. They tied up the oxen, and gathered within the dry cave with their blankets and supplies. Dyam lit a lamp, and Bedig prepared a small fire near the entrance, as the rain pelted down outside.

  ‘Good work today, you two,’ Bridget said to Bonnie and Lola, who were positioning their blankets side by side.

  ‘Sorry it took so long,’ Bonnie said. ‘The hills are crawling with Rahain.’