‘What?’ said Bridget. ‘I can’t speak to the town council.’
‘Why not? You did it before.’
‘That was a speech it took me days to learn off by heart,’ Bridget said.
‘She’s right,’ said Laodoc. ‘Bridget’s Rakanese is certainly better than mine or Agang’s, but arguing in front of the town council is perhaps asking too much.’
Shella glanced away. ‘Not my problem.’
‘I could make it your problem,’ Agang said.
‘Oh yeah, ape-man? And how do you think you’d do that?’
Agang smiled. ‘I will withdraw my labour from the clinic, and when people ask why, I will tell them it is because you refuse to help us. Pretty soon, half the town will be knocking on your door.’
‘You’d refuse to treat the sick?’
‘I would.’
‘You petty-minded, arrogant asshole,’ Shella said. She took a sip of rice spirits.
‘Okay,’ she said, ‘here’s the deal. If I help you today, by speaking to the council on your behalf, and translating everything for you, then no matter what happens next, you keep me out of it. Whether you stay or go, I don’t care. Just leave me alone.’
‘Deal,’ said Agang, his eyes dark.
‘Hold on a minute,’ said Bridget. ‘This is a rubbish deal. How about you speak for us today, and then you help us get the fuck out of here if the council try to stop us. Then we leave you the fuck alone.’
‘Too late,’ she said, standing, ‘Agang has agreed to my terms. Let’s go.’
She strode to the door, grabbing a long, black overcoat on the way, and Agang followed. Laodoc and Bridget glanced at each other.
‘How was he ever a king?’
Laodoc shrugged, and gripped his walking stick. She helped him up, and they walked out of the living room after the others. Shella didn’t wait for them, and went out onto the street, Agang keeping up with her.
‘This is a right mess,’ Bridget said, as they trailed behind.
‘Indeed, Bridget,’ Laodoc said. ‘Our Sanang friend can be a little impetuous at times.’
Bridget snorted.
‘He doesn’t like being powerless,’ Laodoc went on. ‘I suspect he feels the need to try to exert some sort of control over his life.’
‘We’re all powerless now,’ she said. ‘He was a king; you were the chancellor of Rahain. Even I was a clan chief, if just for a short while. We’ve all had to adjust.’
He glanced at her. ‘What should we do, Bridget?’
‘We carry on,’ she said. ‘What else?’
They reached the tall council building, and climbed the steps to the hall’s entrance. Agang was sitting in the lobby, his right boot tapping on the wooden floor.
‘She told me to wait,’ he said as they approached.
‘And you did,’ said Laodoc, smiling.
‘She said that she’d get us in there, to see the council.’
Laodoc sat on the bench next to him.
‘Let us hope that she is successful.’
‘I don’t trust her,’ said Agang.
‘I’ll be listening,’ said Bridget. ‘I can understand more in Rakanese than I can say, if that makes sense. I’ll know if she’s telling us a load of crap.’
‘Good,’ nodded Agang. ‘Thank you.’
‘You seem less… angry,’ Laodoc said.
‘I’m sorry,’ Agang said. ‘Shella can be so frustrating at times. Sometimes I think she’s doing it deliberately.’
‘Of course she’s doing it deliberately,’ said Bridget. ‘Look, I think she really does want us to go, and if so, then she’ll be in there now, trying to argue our case. We have to accept that she doesn’t want to leave. You have to accept it. And let’s face it, why would she? She’s got a comfortable, safe life here among her own folk. Why the fuck would she want to risk it all, and go back out there?’
‘I agree,’ said Agang. ‘We should give up on her, for now at least. But eventually the prophecy will have to be fulfilled.’
Laodoc said nothing. There must be some way to reach the flow mage, but he didn’t know what.
Shella appeared through a doorway, and beckoned to them.
‘Come on,’ she said, ‘you’ve got five minutes.’
They stood, and Shella ushered them into a dark hallway.
‘Listen,’ she said, ‘I’ve already told them why you’re here, and argued that you should be allowed to leave.’ She glanced at them. ‘They now want to know if you wish to speak to the council in person before they make their decision.’
‘Of course we do,’ Agang said.
Shella nodded. ‘That’s what I thought.’ She gestured to a door. ‘Through here.’
Agang opened the door and strode through. The others went after him and entered the council hall, a large oval chamber. In its centre was a semi-circular row of tables, around which two dozen Rakanese sat. Tiers of long benches rose on either side of the hall, and there were several officials and spectators present.
They all turned to stare as Agang, Laodoc and Bridget made their way to stand before the semi-circle. Shella followed, then stepped in front of them, and began speaking in Rakanese.
Laodoc glanced over the half-circle of tables. The council members were young, with none looking over forty. They were listening to Shella speak, though many were staring at the three foreigners.
Shella turned to them. ‘Okay,’ she said. ‘Agang, you go first, and I’ll translate.’
The Sanang man nodded.
‘I would like to thank them for their hospitality,’ he said, Shella relaying his words to the council as he went along, ‘but tell them that it is time for us to leave.’
A woman at the head of the council spoke.
Shella turned. ‘The council regret to inform you that you are forbidden to leave Silverstream.’
Agang gasped. ‘I thought they hadn’t made their decision?’
Shella shrugged.
‘I thought you wanted us to go?’ Agang glared at her.
‘I do,’ she said, ‘but I’m only one person. That’s democracy for you.’
Agang’s temper flared.
‘Inform them that I shall refuse to carry out any more healings.’
‘Okay,’ she said, then turned and spoke to the council.
The woman spoke again, this time for longer, and Shella waited until she had finished.
‘Alright,’ she said. ‘The council say that it’s your power, and no one can force you to use it to help the sick if you refuse. But it makes no difference, you are still forbidden to leave.’
‘Why?’ cried Agang.
‘Hold on,’ Shella smirked, ‘I’m getting to that. The council say that they cannot endanger Silverstream, and you leaving would put the town at risk. Right now, they say, everyone who knows where Silverstream is located, is here. The outside world may be falling apart around us, but while no one knows we’re here, we’re safe.’
Agang glanced at Bridget. ‘Is she telling the truth?’
‘Aye,’ said Bridget, ‘though she made up the bit about the outside world.’
Shella frowned. ‘I was merely elaborating.’
Bridget glanced at her. ‘I want to know what they’ll do if we ignore them and leave anyway.’
Shella nodded, then spoke to the council. Again she waited while they replied. She turned back to the three strangers.
‘They say that you’re still free to move about the town, but all sentries have been instructed to stop you from leaving by any of the mountain paths. Also, you’re forbidden from stock-piling food, weapons or any other supplies, and your house might be searched now and again. Apart from that, though, they’ll leave you alone.’
Laodoc could see Agang about to explode.
‘May I speak?’ he said.
‘Yeah, go for it, professor fork-tongue,’ Shella said.
‘Then please inform the council that we respect their decision, but need some time to consider its consequences.’
Agang
glared at him.
‘Whatever it is you want to say, my friend,’ Laodoc said, ‘losing your temper in front of the council will not help us. We need to discuss this alone.’
Agang’s nostril’s flared, but he nodded. Shella turned, and passed on Laodoc’s words to the council members.
The council replied.
‘What did they say?’ asked Laodoc.
‘This meeting’s over,’ said Bridget. ‘Come on, let’s get out of here.’
They filed out of the council chamber.
‘I know you must be disappointed,’ Shella said, once they had reached the lobby. ‘I’m fucking disappointed, but if you like, you can come back to my house, and we can have a drink and talk it over.’
Agang scowled. ‘I thought you wanted nothing more to do with us?’
Shella chuckled as they left the building. ‘No, I said that I wanted nothing to do with your crazy plans, but if you have to stay here, then we can’t just ignore each other.’
‘Thank you,’ said Laodoc, ‘a drink would be gratefully accepted.’
They walked back along the wooden walkways, following the long tree-lined avenues until they arrived at Shella’s house. She let herself in, and they entered after her, and returned to the warm living room. They sat, and Shella poured from the bottle that they had left lying on the table.
‘I’ll have to break it to the others,’ Bridget said. ‘They’re not going to be happy. Especially Dyam, she’s been wanting to leave for ages.’
‘They won’t be able to stop us once the snows have cleared,’ said Agang. ‘There must be other ways out of here apart from the passes they’re guarding.’
‘But without supplies?’ said Laodoc.
‘We’ll work it out, somehow.’
Laodoc turned from the brooding Sanang man, and glanced at Shella.
‘I’m sorry for your loss,’ he said.
‘What?’
‘Your brother, Sami,’ he said, ‘and your friend. Jayki, was it?’
Her eyes narrowed.
‘They were both in Silverstream, weren’t they?’ he went on. ‘If no one outside knows about it, then I’m assuming they must have died.’
‘Oh,’ she said. ‘Yeah.’
‘What happened?’
She took a sip from her cup. ‘Jayki was murdered by the One True Path.’
‘He was a good man. And your brother?’
Shella blinked, her face reddening a little.
‘He died too.’
Laodoc frowned. ‘I’m sorry to hear it. How?’
She paused.
‘I want to speak to you alone.’
‘All right,’ he said. He got to his feet. ‘Lead on, madam.’
Shella went to a side door, and Laodoc walked after her, passing Bridget and Agang on the way. They went into a small study, with scrolls and maps lying on a desk.
‘If it’s too painful to talk about,’ he said, ‘I understand.’
Shella said nothing, biting her lip.
‘Did you see him die?’
‘Not exactly.’
‘But you know he’s dead?’
‘Yeah. Probably.’
Laodoc’s tongue flickered. ‘Probably?’
‘You have to keep this to yourself,’ she said. ‘The truth is I don’t know what happened to Sami after I fled the city. I’m sure he’s dead, I mean he has to be, right?’
Laodoc’s heart pounded. ‘When was the last time you saw him?’
‘When we were arrested,’ she said. ‘He was dragged off somewhere.’
‘And that’s the last you heard of him?’
She shook her head. ‘Just before the ritual that transformed the Emperor, he spoke to me, Guilliam I mean. He said that he was making Sami a prince.’
Laodoc stared.
‘But that was when he was still Guilliam,’ Shella said, ‘before he became the Creator.’
Laodoc sat down in the room’s only chair, his mind whirling.
She frowned at him. ‘What are you thinking?’
‘When you escaped,’ he said, gazing up at her, ‘were the other mages, the ones who’d taken part in the ritual with you, were they all dead?’
She nodded.
‘Oh Shella,’ he said, ‘don’t you think someone might have noticed that your body was missing?’
Her face darkened. ‘Of course I’ve thought about it.’
‘The Emperor might be looking for you.’
‘I’m not stupid, I know that.’
‘But if he’s looking for you, then what would stop him from reading Sami’s mind, and discovering the whereabouts of Silverstream?’
She began to pace the floor. ‘Because,’ she said, ‘if the Emperor had made him a prince, and wanted to keep him under tight control, then he would have put him in the palace. And Keira destroyed the palace, razed it to the fucking ground if I remember correctly.’
She turned to him. ‘He’s dead.’
‘Maybe he is,’ Laodoc said, ‘maybe he’s not. The truth is, we have no idea. You’ve strung together a series of assumptions to salve your conscience, but in reality you have placed Silverstream into a position of great peril.’
She said nothing, her face turning a shade of grey.
‘I will have to inform the town council about this,’ he said, ‘for we are all in danger. I will have to tell them that your brother may well be alive, and if he is, then there is a high probability that the Emperor knows the location of Silverstream, and the fact that you might be hiding here.’
‘You treacherous bastard,’ Shella cried. ‘You can’t do that.’
‘I don’t see that I have any choice.’
She glared at him, and raised her hand. ‘You’re old, and weak. It wouldn’t take much to push your heart too far.’
‘Oh, my dear Shella,’ Laodoc sighed, ‘tell me it hasn’t come to this. Threatening old men? But if you must, then I suppose you had better get on with it.’
‘Fucksake,’ she said, lowering her hand. ‘What do you want?’
He smiled. ‘You know what I want.’
‘Either way,’ she said, shaking her head, ‘my life’s fucked.’
‘Then make your choice, Madam Flow Mage.’
‘But if I go,’ she said, ‘Silverstream will still be in danger.’
‘Not if we stop the Emperor.’
She turned to face the desk, her head bowed.
‘Take Agang and Bridget,’ she said, ‘and go back to your house.’
‘And?’
‘I’ll be there at midnight to collect you.’
Agang hadn’t stopped grinning in hours. Every time he passed Laodoc he slapped him on the back, much to the old man’s discomfort. From the outside, their house was quiet, with every window shuttered against the wind and snow, but inside it was bustling, as the strangers packed up their belongings and gathered all the food they could find.
‘It’s not enough,’ said Dyam, gazing at the meagre pile. ‘Not nearly enough. We’ll be travelling the rest of winter through Rahain, and probably won’t reach the Plateau-Kellach border until New Year. What the fuck are we going to eat in all that time?’
‘Lola has her bow,’ Agang said. ‘Don’t worry, we’ll manage.’
‘Do we have a plan for getting past the sentries?’ said Bridget. ‘If we leave the way we came in, then they’ll probably be posted by the woods where Laodoc broke his leg.’
‘I’m afraid that Shella left out the details,’ said Laodoc. ‘We’re in her hands now. We have to trust that she’s thought it all through.’
‘I still don’t know how you did it,’ Agang said, raising his hand.
‘Please,’ said Laodoc, flinching, ‘my back can’t take any more.’
Agang laughed. ‘Sorry, my friend.’
There was a tap at the back door. Agang bounded forward and opened it an inch. Laodoc watched as he spoke through the doorway for a moment. He turned.
‘It’s time.’
Bridget and Lola pu
lled their packs over their shoulders, and Laodoc stood.
‘Dean!’ Dyam cried. ‘Get yer lazy arse out here.’
The young mage emerged from his room, and joined them as they left the house. Shella was waiting outside, sitting up on a small cart, holding onto the reins.
‘There’s only room for one more on this,’ she said, ‘but you can load up your packs.’
Agang gestured to Laodoc, who stepped forward. Bridget gave him a hand as he climbed up next to Shella. The others put their packs on the back of the cart, alongside the supplies that Shella had brought.
‘Stay close,’ she said to them, ‘and stay quiet.’
She pulled the reins, and the two gaien began to lumber down the wide walkway, lit by lanterns hanging above them. After a short distance, she veered the cart to the right, and took a dark and narrow path north towards the mountains. The gaien heaved, and pulled the cart through the foot-deep snow.
‘Where are we going?’ said Laodoc. ‘This isn’t the way.’
She smirked at him.
Agang ran to the front of the cart.
‘Are you trying to trick us?’ he said. ‘We’re going the wrong way.’
‘Settle down,’ she said. ‘We’re going to the pass through to the Plateau.’
Agang’s mouth fell open.
‘There’s a pass?’ Laodoc said.
‘How do you think I got here?’ she said. ‘Do you imagine I walked all the way through Rahain?’
‘It’s the first we’ve heard of a pass.’
‘The town council were hardly likely to tell you about it,’ she said. ‘I was lucky to find it myself. The truth is I was lost in the mountains, and scouts from Silverstream found me and Thymo, and led us to the town.’
‘And where is Thymo?’ Laodoc said.
Shella’s face fell. ‘I left him a note.’
‘Did I hear right?’ said Bridget, approaching. ‘Are we going directly to the Plateau?’
‘Yes,’ said Agang. ‘If she’s right, it should take thirds off our journey.’
The Brig woman frowned in the darkness, as a light fall of snow began.
Laodoc smiled at her. ‘It means we won’t be passing Kellach Brigdomin any more. You’ll have to make your decision now, I’m afraid.’
Dyam, Dean and Lola joined the others at the front of the cart.
‘What do you guys think?’ Bridget asked them.
The Magelands Box Set Page 185
