The Magelands Box Set

by Christopher Mitchell

  Agang stood for a moment in silence, then followed her out. Laodoc gazed at the body of the dead Holdings mage-priest. He should be feeling glad at the death of an enemy, a member of the church that had brought ruin to his country, but he felt nothing but emptiness.

  He felt a hand on his shoulder.

  ‘Bridget?’ he said.

  ‘Come on,’ she said, ‘I’ve got something to show you.’

  She took his hand and they left the tent. She led him through the rear of the camp, until they came to a clearing where the others were standing.

  Laodoc’s mouth opened. Ahead of them was a paddock, where a dozen winged gaien were chained to posts. Beyond them stood a row of flying carriages.

  Shella nudged Agang. ‘Told you he’d be happy.’

  ‘See, my friend,’ Agang said, ‘with one of these, we could be in Plateau City in days.’

  ‘Plateau City?’ said Laodoc.

  ‘Yeah,’ said Shella. ‘It’s time to kill the Emperor.’

  He glanced at her. ‘But what about Daphne’s child? Don’t we need her protection?’

  ‘Not any more,’ Agang said. ‘Not from what the priest told us.’

  ‘Let’s go back a bit first,’ Shella said. ‘You were right, Laodoc, about Sami. The Emperor read his mind, and found out about Silverstream. He sent these guys out to try to find it, and the mage-priest had to report back to the Emperor regularly. Now, do you want to know what the Emperor’s been doing since he got his powers?

  ‘Indeed,’ said Laodoc.

  She lit another cigarette. ‘He took a Holdings army into Arakhanah City, and annihilated half of my people.’

  ‘Oh Shella, I’m sorry,’ Laodoc said.

  She shook her head, suppressing her tears. ‘He took every mage he could find, but they committed suicide, so in a rage he burned the city to the ground, then broke the sea walls and flooded it.’

  ‘It gets worse,’ said Agang.

  ‘How?’

  ‘After Rakana, he took a Rahain army into the Holdings, after the Holdfasts organised a rebellion against his rule.’

  ‘Fuck,’ said Bridget. ‘Daphne’s family?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Agang, ‘acting with others. The Emperor has only recently returned to Plateau City, leaving the Holdings in smoking ruins.’

  ‘And Daphne?’ said Laodoc. ‘Do we know anything of her?’

  ‘The Emperor destroyed her family,’ he said, ‘then chased her through the mountains. She fell off a cliff and is presumed to be dead.’

  The others stood in silence.

  ‘I don’t believe it,’ Shella said. ‘Not Daphne. She’s alive.’

  ‘Maybe,’ said Agang, ‘maybe not.’

  ‘And Karalyn?’

  ‘The priest didn’t know,’ said Agang.

  ‘This is grim news indeed,’ Laodoc said, ‘but it doesn’t explain why you want to go to Plateau City. Shouldn’t we be looking for Daphne?’

  ‘Because now’s our only chance,’ said Shella. ‘The Emperor’s weak after using so much power in such a short time. He over-reached, and exhausted himself. He’s locked up in his fortress in Plateau City, trying to recover.’

  ‘If we hit him now,’ said Agang, ‘we have a chance. But if we wait, he’ll grow strong enough to undertake another ritual. He has all the mages he needs, but he’s too weak to do anything about it. We must strike now.’

  Bridget frowned. ‘And how would the priest know all that?’

  ‘Like Shella said before,’ Agang said, ‘he was in regular contact with the Emperor. There aren’t many mages of his calibre left, he must have been high up in the imperial government. He was entrusted with finding Shella.’

  ‘And how long will the Emperor take to recover?’ said Laodoc.

  ‘He’ll be back on his feet within a third,’ Shella said. ‘If we fly, we could be there in under ten days.’

  ‘We get as close as possible to the fortress,’ said Agang, ‘then get inside, and destroy him.’

  ‘Alright,’ said Bridget. ‘We’ve come this far, let’s finish it.’

  ‘One question,’ said Dyam. ‘Does anyone know how to fly one of those things?’

  They all turned to Laodoc.

  ‘Me?’ he said.

  ‘Come on,’ said Shella, ‘surely you know?’

  ‘Well,’ he said, ‘I did some basic training, but it was a long time ago, when I was in the army.’

  ‘You were in the army?’

  ‘Yes,’ he smiled. ‘Fifty years ago.’

  Shella laughed.

  ‘Let’s hope you’ve got a good memory.’

  Chapter 32

  The Night Before

  Outside Plateau City, Imperial Plateau – 18th Day, Second Third Winter 507

  Three horses had died on the way to the imperial capital. Killop had lamed two, and the third had slipped and broken a leg while being ridden by Chane. Daphne had put all three out of their misery, before cutting long strips off their flesh. They had dried out in the sunlight, and Daphne, Killop and Chane had eaten little else in days.

  Daphne slowed her mount to a walk as they approached an abandoned farmstead, four miles from the city. She slung her leg over the saddle and dismounted by a long water trough, tying the reins to a post as the horse drank from the muddy rainwater.

  Chane and Killop followed her lead. Killop groaned as he landed, rubbing his back.

  Daphne smiled at him. ‘We made it,’ she said. ‘There should be no more riding for a bit.’

  ‘My arse will be grateful,’ he said. He gazed up at the sky. ‘It’ll be dark soon. Will we head straight to the city?’

  ‘Not yet,’ said Daphne. ‘We’ve no idea what we’re walking into. I’ll need to scout the city to find out where Karalyn is, and to do that, I’ll need to rest.’

  Killop nodded. He pulled down the pack from where it was secured by his saddle, and they walked into the empty farmhouse. Half of the roof had collapsed, and there were birds nesting in the beams. Chane kicked off her boots and fell into a creaky old chair.

  ‘I’ve never felt so fucking knackered,’ she said.

  Killop unpacked food onto a table.

  Chane flinched at the sight. ‘I can’t face having horse again. Seven fucking days.’

  She glanced at Killop as he began raking through the kitchen cupboards.

  ‘Don’t know why you’re bothering. This place has been ransacked by every army that’s passed through in the last few years. To be honest, I’m shocked there’s any furniture left.’

  Killop shrugged. ‘You never know.’

  Daphne listened to them from where she stood by a broken window, her gaze on the grassy hillside in front of the farmstead. Somewhere on the other side was Karalyn, and the Emperor. She bit her lip. This was happening. She was going to walk into the heart of the empire… and do what? Rescue her daughter, but then what? Her mind told her to flee. Snatch Karalyn, run north back to the Holdings, and hide. Hide forever.

  ‘Ha!’ cried Killop. He glanced at Chane. ‘Tea. No good to me, but I’ll put some water on to boil for you.’

  ‘Nice one,’ said Chane.

  ‘The armies that passed through were Sanang,’ said Daphne. ‘I guess they had no use for tea.’

  ‘I surprised they didn’t try to smoke it.’

  ‘They probably did.’ She glanced at Chane. ‘How you feeling about the dullweed? It’s been a while.’

  Chane shrugged. ‘I’m still functioning, I suppose. What about you? I bet you wish you had some keenweed.’

  ‘I’ve told you,’ she said, ‘it helps with the vision powers.’

  ‘If you say so.’

  ‘There’s no point in arguing,’ Daphne said. ‘We haven’t got any, and that’s that.’

  Chane picked up the sack and took out a pack of cigarettes.

  ‘We do have plenty of these though,’ she said.

  Daphne walked over, and took one. Chane lit hers and Daphne’s as Killop got a stove burning, a small pot of water
sitting on the flame.

  ‘What about you, big man?’ Chane said. ‘You must be missing the booze. I know I am.’

  Killop shrugged.

  ‘Maybe we can find a drink in the city,’ Chane said.

  ‘Forget it,’ Daphne said. ‘We can’t afford to screw this up.’

  ‘I meant pick up a few bottles for later,’ she said, ‘for when it’s safe again.’

  ‘Safe again?’ Daphne said. ‘It’ll only be safe again if we kill the Emperor.’

  Chane puffed out her cheeks. ‘You need to think this through. You know the only way to get close to the Emperor is by using Karalyn to shield you.’

  ‘No,’ she said. ‘There must be another way.’

  ‘You let me know when you think of one,’ Chane said. ‘Until then, it’s a crazy idea.’

  Killop brought over two mugs of hot tea.

  ‘Thanks,’ Daphne said, taking a sip.

  The tea was stale, and bitter without any sugar, but it was still the best thing Daphne had tasted in many days. She leaned against the table, smoking and drinking. She surged a small thread of battle-vision, and felt her energy return. She gazed over at the window. It was getting dark outside, and the interior of the farmhouse was bathed in shadow.

  She stubbed out her cigarette and took a long breath.

  ‘I’m ready,’ she said.

  Chane tossed her the pack of cigarettes.

  ‘Thanks. I’ll be back soon.’

  She kissed Killop, and left through the front door. She passed the horses and continued up the long grassy slope to the top of the bank. In the far distance was the city, discernible with her vision-enhanced eyesight as a faint blur on the horizon. She sat down on the bank, and focussed. She longed to see Karalyn, but knew that the search could take a while. She remembered the look of the building from when she had dream-visioned there before, but it was in a street she hadn’t recognised, and she didn’t know the exact location.

  Over the ten days since discovering Karalyn’s whereabouts, Daphne had joined her mind to her daughter’s on only three more occasions. The other times Karalyn had either been too sick to reach out with her powers, or too feverish and confused to make any sense. In all that time, Daphne had caught only glimpses of life within the apartment where she was recovering,

  Her vision soared up from her body, and crossed the miles of grassy plains to the walls of the great city. The gates by the New Town were sealed shut, with soldiers up on the gatehouse towers. She moved south, past the gate leading to the cathedral and merchants’ quarter, which was also closed and guarded. She came to the breach in the walls that Keira had created, and Daphne marvelled at the power Killop’s sister possessed to have caused such destruction. Barricades had been constructed across the hole in the wall, and at least two companies of Rahain soldiers in imperial uniforms were stationed just behind.

  She went further south, and came to a stretch of wall she had never seen before, jutting out past where the old Kellach camp had been. A large gate stood there, but it too was closed and guarded. New towers flanked the river, and a large area had been walled in on the other side. A heavy steel gate lay across the flowing water, and soldiers patrolled the walled banks.

  Daphne paused, stunned. There was no way in. She hadn’t realised how much the city had changed in her absence. They would have to wait for dawn, and try to walk in.

  She pulled her vision up, and over the wall into the Kellach quarter, where she guessed Keira’s building was most likely to be. It lay quiet and still beneath her, full of empty tenements and abandoned or burnt-out shops. A few pockets of life lit up the dark district of the city, where the remnants of the Kellach population lived alongside Holdings squatters.

  In the distance, she recognised the large tenement block where Karalyn was being held.

  It was time to confront Keira.

  Daphne pushed her vision through a gap in the shutters of Karalyn’s bedroom. She smiled. Her daughter was up, playing with the young Holdings woman who had been caring for her. Daphne sent her vision through to the living room, where Keira was sitting alone, smoking and looking out of a window. Daphne entered her head. She looked out through the Kell woman’s eyes, and projected an image of herself onto the glass.

  ‘Hello, Keira,’ she said.

  Keira’s eyes widened. She looked over her shoulder, and Daphne moved her image round, so that she appeared to be standing in front of the Kell woman.

  ‘Who the fuck are you? And how the fuck did you get in?’

  ‘I’m Daphne Holdfast, and I’m not really here. I’m in your head.’

  Keira reached out her hand, and her fingers passed through the image.

  Her jaw hung open.

  ‘How the fuck did ye find me?’

  ‘Through Karalyn,’ Daphne said.

  ‘The bairn?’

  ‘Did you not know she has mage powers?’ frowned Daphne.

  ‘No, why the fuck would I?’

  ‘That’s why Kylon took her,’ Daphne said. ‘She’s like Kalayne.’

  ‘Really? Fuck.’

  ‘So,’ Daphne said, ‘what exactly are you doing with my daughter, Keira?’

  Keira picked up a bottle from the floor by her feet and took a long swig.

  ‘This is mental,’ she said. ‘You can make yerself appear wherever ye want?

  ‘Karalyn,’ Daphne said. ‘What do you and Kylon want with her?’

  Keira frowned. ‘What the fuck are you on about? What do I want with her? I fucking saved her life. Aye, me. That wee prick Kylon had her strung out on dullweed, and was slowly killing her. For ten fucking days now me, Kallie and wee Flora have been looking after her. Fucksake, more than once I thought she was going to die on us, but she pulled through. She’s a wee fighter. And now you come and accuse me of… what the fuck are ye accusing me of?’

  Daphne paused. She knew Keira was telling the truth.

  ‘Thank you for looking after her.’

  Keira smirked. ‘That’s better, hen. So I’m guessing ye thought me and Kylon were working together or something. Well, come and see this.’

  She got to her feet and walked to a door of the living room. She unlocked it, and eased it open. Daphne peered inside. In the darkness lay a figure on a bed. He was tied down with ropes across his chest, and binding his wrists and ankles to the bed-frame. A hood was covering his head.

  ‘Hey, Kylon, ya fud,’ Keira yelled. ‘Ye’ll never guess who’s come to visit.’ She turned to Daphne. ‘Shall I take his hood off, so ye can see him?’

  ‘No thanks,’ Daphne said. ‘You kept him alive, then?’

  ‘Wee Flora’s been feeding the fuckwit,’ Keira said, ‘and keeping him docile with the same stuff he used to drug the wee one. We thought you might want him.’

  ‘Thanks, sister.’

  Keira grinned. She closed the door, and sat down again.

  ‘Now we know where we stand,’ she said, ‘let me take a look at ye.’

  She stared at Daphne. ‘Killop’s woman, eh? Mother of his child. Hope yer good to him. I take exception if anyone messes with my wee brother.’

  Daphne smiled. ‘I love him more than anything,’ she said, ‘except for Karalyn.’

  Keira nodded. ‘I’m family now as well. That wee lassie’s my niece, and even though I usually find bairns to be a right pain in the arse, I have to admit she’s alright. She’s a bonnie wee thing.’

  ‘So how did you and Kallie end up in Plateau City at the same time as Kylon and Karalyn?’

  ‘It does look weird, I know, but we were here well before Kylon turned up. There’s not that many Kellach folk left in the city, and I heard about him arriving and paid him a visit. The reason we were in the city at all, though, was because we were coming to visit you.’

  ‘Kallie was coming to visit me?’

  Keira laughed. ‘She just came along to help wee Flora get back home to the Holdings. That’s the other reason we’re here. I don’t suppose ye know what happened to Hold Cane?’
/>
  ‘Is that where Flora’s from?’

  ‘Aye.’

  Daphne shook her head. ‘The Emperor passed through Hold Cane. Not much of it’s left.’

  Keira nodded. ‘I should tell ye, if ye ever meet Flora, she’s not too impressed with the Holdfasts. I think she blames your family for getting her folks involved in yer rebellion.’

  ‘She’s not the only one,’ Daphne said, ‘but my father’s dead now. The Emperor killed every one of my family, except for Karalyn. Apart from my sister-in-law, we’re the only Holdfasts left.’

  ‘The Emperor kicked yer arses, eh?’

  ‘Yeah. He did.’

  ‘So where are ye now?’

  ‘A few miles outside the city.’

  Keira snorted. ‘Fuck. Ye made it down here fast.’

  ‘Went through a few horses on the way.’

  ‘Wait a minute. Is my wee brother with ye?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘Killop rode a horse?’

  ‘All the way from the Holdings.’

  Keira laughed. ‘I pity the poor beast carrying his fat arse.’

  Daphne raised an eyebrow.

  ‘Hey,’ Keira said. ‘I’m allowed to slag him off, I’m his big sister. So, what’s the plan?’

  ‘We’ll enter the city tomorrow, and come here.’

  Keira nodded. ‘Or, we could come to you. The wee lassie’s well enough to travel now, and I’ve got a wagon and supplies locked up and waiting for me. The city’s crawling with soldiers, maybe best if ye don’t come in.’

  Daphne hesitated.

  ‘Aye,’ Keira said, ‘that’s what we’ll do. We’ll pick ye up on the road, and get on our way to the Holdings.’

  Daphne bowed her head.

  ‘We can’t.’

  ‘Why the fuck not?’

  ‘The Emperor. If we don’t stop him, he’ll destroy us all.’

  Keira groaned. ‘Not this again, ye sound like Kylon. Look, I get that the Emperor’s a fucking nutter. He’s wrecked his way through Frogland, and your Holdings, but I’ve gone up against him before.’ She shook her head. ‘Let’s get the fuck out of here, Daphne. The Emperor’s not our problem.’

  ‘He killed my family.’

  ‘Most of them. Do ye want to lose the ones ye have left?’