The Magelands Box Set

by Christopher Mitchell

  ‘Now that Shella’s coming with us,’ said Lola. ‘I say we go.’

  Dean nodded.

  Dyam stared up into the dark mountains as the snowflakes fluttered down.

  ‘Aye,’ she said. ‘Let’s go.’

  ‘Right then,’ said Bridget, gazing at Shella. ‘We’ll go to the Plateau, and we’ll find Daphne.’

  ‘Great,’ said Shella. ‘Now, if you’d all get out of my fucking way before these dumb gaien are snowed in, I’d be much obliged.’

  They moved to the side of the track, and Shella lashed the reins.

  Chapter 28

  Footsore

  Shield Mountains, Imperial Holdings – 27th Day, First Third Winter 507

  Daphne’s eyes scanned the horizon, her attention focussed on the sharp ravines that led down from the mountains ahead. She put a cigarette to her lips and inhaled. Her body was exhausted, and she had lost count of the number of times she had used her vision skills in the previous few days, but she ignored her pain and discomfort.

  Five days they had been searching for Karalyn, a time in which Daphne had eaten almost nothing, and had traversed mile after mile of steep tracks through the Shield Mountains.

  She pulled on her mage powers, and felt for her daughter, pushing her vision deep into the ravines below.

  Nothing.

  She didn’t react. It was just one more disappointment to add to the growing pile festering in her mind. She knew she was on the edge of breaking down, but while she could still walk, and range, she would keep going.

  She turned to Killop, who was crouching by her side. She shook her head and they got to their feet, beginning the long descent to the valley beneath them. She pointed up at a high range to the east.

  ‘There next.’

  He said nothing. She kept her gaze away from him, unable to look at his face. The guilt they bore was driving a wedge between them. She knew it was her fault, but it was his too. They should have realised that Kylon would betray them, but they drank the drugged alcohol, and allowed him to steal their child.

  Kylon. She would enjoy scouring his mind when they caught him.

  Behind them walked Celine and Chane, and a handful of troopers. The sergeant was still with them, along with a few other Holdfast loyalists, but the rest had gone. Sent to collect food and supplies from the plains to the south, they had never returned. The sergeant had said that they were probably lost in the mountains, but Daphne knew the truth.

  A bitter wind blew down the mountainside, blowing dust from the track up into their faces. She shielded her eyes, bloodshot from lack of sleep, and continued down the slope. The track led on for miles, and she kept going, her thoughts forced from her head as she concentrated on putting one foot in front of another.

  She felt a hand on her shoulder.

  ‘They need to rest,’ Killop said.

  She gazed back down the track. The others had lagged behind, spaced out along the way they had come. She glanced up at the high ridge.

  ‘We need to climb up there before it gets dark.’

  Killop followed her gaze. ‘There’s not enough time left in the day.’

  She frowned, and looked for the position of the sun, but thick clouds were covering the sky.

  ‘Is it past noon?’

  Killop paused, his eyes narrowing. ‘It’s nearly evening, Daphne. We’ve been walking all day.’

  She lit a cigarette, and sat on a boulder, realising that her legs were aching.

  ‘I’ll scout for a campsite,’ he said, and walked off.

  She waited for the others to reach her. Chane arrived first, leading a pair of young troopers, who collapsed by the side of the track. Chane was sweating, her breath coming hard. She pulled a hipflask from her belt and took a drink, then held it out to Daphne.

  She shook her head. Chane shrugged and sat down.

  The sergeant came next, with another trooper. She passed round the water-skin she carried over her shoulder, and they all took a turn.

  Three more troopers were the last to reach where Daphne sat. They were helping Celine, who was limping. The troopers lowered Celine to the ground, and the sergeant knelt by her.

  ‘What’s the trouble, miss?’

  ‘My knees,’ Celine groaned, ‘my ankles, they’re all sore.’

  ‘Not surprised, miss,’ the sergeant said. ‘We must have walked more then twenty miles today.’

  Daphne glanced back at the high ridge. It was at least another ten miles from where they sat, and Killop had been right, the daylight was beginning to fade. She swore to herself. A wasted day. She should have picked a nearer peak, but her exhaustion had caused her to miscalculate, and now she had no time or light in which to range out for Karalyn.

  ‘Dammit,’ she muttered.

  Chane sat by her. ‘You alright?’

  Daphne said nothing.

  Killop re-appeared. He took a long drink from the water-skin.

  ‘There’s a dell a couple of hundred yards up the track,’ he said. ‘It’s flat enough for the tents, and there’s wood and water close by.’

  The sergeant stood. ‘Lead on, sir.’

  The rest of the troopers got to their feet, and they trudged up the track, two supporting Celine as they went. Daphne and Chane waited until they had gone, then slid off the boulder and followed them.

  ‘I’m here if you want to talk,’ Chane said.

  Daphne ignored her. Part of her blamed Chane. If her mind hadn’t been addled with drink and drugs, then she might have been of some use, she might have somehow prevented Karalyn from being taken.

  They reached the small clearing that Killop had found and the troopers began to pitch the three remaining tents. The sergeant built a fire and Killop sparked it up for them, his fingers generating fire out of nothing as the others watched.

  The sergeant grunted. ‘I’ll never get used to seeing that.’

  Celine was laid on the ground, with a cloak for a pillow. She clenched her eyes in pain as the troopers gazed at her. One got her a blanket, while another began to rub her calves, but Celine swore, and pushed them away.

  Daphne sat next to Killop on the other side of the fire from Celine, her thoughts elsewhere. The sergeant made up some weak tea from a few dry leaves she had in a pouch, and they got a mug each.

  ‘Keep your chins up,’ the sergeant said to her troopers. ‘We’ll find the girl soon.’

  Daphne drained her mug, and stood.

  ‘I’m going for a walk.’

  ‘I’ll come with you,’ said Killop.

  ‘I want to be by myself.’

  She turned and walked back down the path, the light fading as she grew further from the fire. She reached a bend in the track that she remembered passing on the way up, and sat on the edge of the cliff, gazing down into the dark valleys below her.

  She dropped her mask, and began to cry.

  Killop sat down beside her.

  ‘Not now,’ she said.

  He said nothing, just looked out over the valleys.

  ‘Please go.’

  ‘No,’ he said. ‘I can’t.’

  She wiped her cheek with her right hand. ‘Have you come to tell me that it’s not my fault?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘It is my fault. It’s our fault.’

  ‘Aye.’

  She paused, feeling the pressure of their combined guilt like a weight upon her shoulders. She wanted to get up and walk away, but her heart was joined to his, and walking away now would feel like walking away forever.

  ‘We let Kylon into our lives,’ she said. ‘We trusted him.’

  He bowed his head. ‘Aye, we did. We willingly gave him responsibility for our daughter.’

  ‘At least you got to spend time with her,’ she said. ‘I was never there, never had time to play with her, or watch her grow and learn. I was so busy with the rebellion, and Celine and Kylon were available, and it was easy just to leave her with them, and you. And then my family were killed, and Karalyn nearly was too, and again
I wasn’t there for her. After that I was afraid to get too close to her, in case I lost her too.’

  She started to cry again, and Killop took her hand.

  ‘And I lost her anyway,’ she said, weeping, ‘and all that time I could have been with her, I wasted.’

  He put his arms round her.

  ‘If I could only have her back,’ she said, her face in his shoulder, ‘I promise I would do better.’

  She cried in his arms as he held her close, and for that moment the distance between them faded to nothing.

  Daphne’s dream-vision rose above the valleys, as it had every night since Karalyn had gone. She looked down at the glow of the low fire, a couple of troopers still up and awake, then scanned the mountains around her. The jagged peaks were only visible as a faint contrast against the blackness of the night sky, clouds obscuring the seven stars.

  She frowned. Aside from the campfire, all around was an endless ocean of silent darkness. She listened for Karalyn, but heard nothing.

  Kara-bear, she said, it’s mummy. If you can hear me, but can’t answer, just know that daddy and I are looking for you every day, and we’ll find you soon. We love you, little bear.

  She released her vision, and floated back down to the tent where her sleeping body lay, tears falling down her cheeks.

  She awoke, sobbing, and felt Killop’s arm around her.

  Mummy?

  Daphne shot up.

  Mummy?

  The voice was faint, as if from a long distance away. Daphne concentrated, feeling out with her vision.

  Karalyn? she cried. I’m here, baby. I’m here.

  Silence.

  She bowed her head.

  ‘What happened?’ Killop said.

  She opened her eyes to see him lying next to her, his eyes wide. She lay back down again.

  ‘She’s alive,’ she whispered. ‘I don’t know where, but she’s alive.’

  The dawn was grey and cold as they crawled out of their tents. The sergeant and Killop got the fire going, and the troopers washed and sat, warming themselves against the flames. Daphne glanced at them, and saw how thin they were, and how close to despair.

  ‘Karalyn’s alive,’ she said.

  Everyone turned to look at her.

  ‘I got a message from her last night. It was faint, but it was her.’

  ‘Where is she?’ Chane said.

  ‘I don’t know,’ said Daphne, to the sound of sighs and groans. ‘I couldn’t tell.’

  ‘So what do we do now, ma’am?’ said the sergeant.

  ‘We keep to the plan,’ she said. ‘We climb the ridge we were aiming for yesterday, and take a look into the next valley. Chane, you got a map handy?’

  Chane nodded, and reached for a satchel. ‘Kylon stole most of them, as you know,’ she said, ‘but I have one of the region we’re in just now.’

  She unrolled a chart and laid it on the ground, using stones to keep the corners down.

  She pointed. ‘We’re here.’

  ‘Alright,’ said Daphne, ‘then the ridge is here.’

  ‘Is that the start of the plains at the bottom of the map?’ asked a trooper.

  ‘Yeah,’ said Chane. ‘We’ve circled right round this area, and are almost back at where we started.’

  ‘Then,’ the trooper went on, ‘we’re less than a day’s walk from those farms.’ He pointed to a settlement marked on the plains. ‘We could be there by nightfall.’

  ‘Who asked for your opinion?’ said the sergeant. ‘If Lady Holdfast says we’re going to the ridge, then that’s where we’re going.’

  The trooper’s face twisted into a snarl.

  ‘We can’t go on,’ said another. ‘I’m sorry, ma’am, and sergeant, but we’ve not eaten in days. We want to help find the child, but we can’t if we starve.’

  ‘Shut your mouth,’ the sergeant cried. ‘All of you.’

  The troopers backed off, but their eyes remained defiant.

  ‘We have another problem,’ said Chane.

  Daphne glanced at her.

  Chane gestured at Celine, who was sitting by the fire on her own. Her eyes were red, and she was staring at the ground.

  ‘Can you walk today?’ Chane said to her.

  Celine looked up and shook her head.

  Chane crouched down by her side. ‘Let me see your feet.’

  Celine pulled off her loose boots, revealing bloody blisters, and swollen bruises round her ankles. Her face fell at the sight.

  ‘Shit,’ said Chane.

  ‘We’ll have to carry her,’ said the sergeant.

  ‘All the way up the ridge, sergeant?’ said a trooper.

  ‘You’ll carry her all the way to Kellach Brigdomin if I say so, trooper.’

  ‘No,’ Celine said. ‘Just leave me here. You can come back for me.’

  Chane turned to Daphne.

  ‘We might not be coming back this way,’ she said.

  Chane shrugged. ‘Sorry, Celine.’

  The sergeant bit her lip. ‘May I have a quiet word, ma’am?’

  Daphne nodded.

  They walked away together, Chane and Killop following.

  ‘What is it, sergeant?’ Daphne said, once they were out of sight of the troopers.

  ‘Maybe we need a day or two to rest and get some food, ma’am,’ she said. ‘We could be on the plains by this evening, and get settled into a barn or somewhere suitable. Once we’ve rested, and purchased supplies, then we can come back and resume the search for your daughter.’

  ‘No,’ said Daphne.

  The sergeant glanced at Chane.

  ‘They have a point,’ she said to Daphne. ‘They’ll soon be too hungry to think straight.’

  Daphne shook her head. ‘We’ll lose three days, at least. We can’t.’

  ‘Maybe you could all go,’ said Killop, ‘and I’ll stay up here looking until you’ve recovered.’

  Chane frowned. ‘Surely even the Kellach have to eat?’

  He nodded. ‘And I have been.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘There are roots, berries, and fungus up here that I can eat,’ he said. ‘Stuff that would poison any of you lot, but they don’t affect me. I could live in these mountains indefinitely.’

  Chane shook her head. ‘You’ve been eating all this time? I’ve not seen you eat once.’

  ‘I didn’t want to rub your faces in it,’ he said. ‘I know how hungry you all are. But the point is that I can keep searching, while you re-supply. I can move faster on my own, and will be able to cover a few more valleys. We can arrange a place to meet in three or four days.’

  Daphne glanced at him. ‘If you’re staying, then so am I.’

  He looked at her for a long moment.

  ‘No,’ he said. ‘You need food and rest. You’ll be no good to Karalyn if you starve.’

  ‘Forget it,’ she said, her voice rising. ‘There’s no way I’m going back to the plains while you’re up here. What if you find them? You’ll be out-numbered. No.’

  Killop frowned. ‘I can take Kylon.’

  ‘You’re good,’ said Chane, before Daphne could speak, ‘but Kylon’s the best sword-fighter I’ve ever seen, apart from Daphne on battle-vision obviously. And what if Baoryn puts a bolt in your back while you’re busy with Kylon?’

  The Kell man said nothing.

  ‘If I can speak my mind,’ said the sergeant, ‘I’d say we should all go down to the plains.’

  ‘I agree,’ said Chane.

  Daphne’s temper flared. ‘Am I the only one that gives a damn about finding Karalyn?’

  ‘No,’ said Killop, while Chane and the sergeant lowered their eyes, ‘you’re not.’

  ‘It seems like it,’ she said.

  ‘That’s why you need to rest,’ he said. ‘You’re so tired and hungry, you’re not thinking straight.’

  ‘Don’t speak to me like I’m a child.’

  Killop’s eyes narrowed, but he closed his mouth.

  Daphne felt like she was about to expl
ode, as anger, fear and guilt tore through her.

  ‘None of you understand,’ she cried. ‘If we waste another three days, then Kylon will be even further away, and we’ll never find her. Is that what you want?’

  ‘No, ma’am,’ the sergeant said.

  ‘Then tell your troopers to get ready to go.’

  ‘Yes, ma’am.’

  The sergeant saluted, and walked back up the track, her shoulders bowed.

  Chane shook her head. ‘They’ll desert, first opportunity they get.’

  ‘I don’t care,’ Daphne said. ‘If they don’t want to help, then I don’t want them around.’

  ‘They’re your most loyal troopers,’ Killop said, his eyes tight. ‘They’re the ones who’ve stayed, but they need to eat, Daphne, we’ve pushed them too far.’

  ‘It’s alright for you,’ she said, turning her anger on him. ‘You don’t need to worry about food, you can stay up here, mocking the rest of us weak Holdings. But you’re not staying up here without me, no matter what you say.’

  He gazed at her.

  ‘I’m going down to the plains,’ he said, ‘because if you stay up here with me you’ll die.’

  Daphne screamed, and lashed out with her armoured left arm, striking the side of the cliff-face. The wrist-guard tore away a chunk of rock, sending an excruciating pain up her arm, her elbow on fire. She grasped her wrist in her right hand and sank to her knees, weeping. She closed her eyes, feeling Killop’s arm over her shoulder.

  Deep inside, she knew they were right, but frustration scourged her.

  ‘Kara-bear,’ she sobbed. ‘I’m sorry.’

  It rained during the afternoon, a short downpour that drenched them as they trudged along the track towards the plain. Daphne hardly noticed, her mind a torment of conflicting emotions. Ahead of her, Celine was being carried on a stretcher by two troopers. She seemed in better spirits, now that she knew they were going to the plains to buy supplies. They all seemed in a better mood, except for Killop, who had been silent the entire way.

  She glanced at him.

  She knew he was hurting, she knew he would rather be searching, instead of retreating down the mountain with the rest of them, but her anger with him remained. She felt betrayed, as if she were the only one prepared to sacrifice everything to find her daughter.