The Magelands Box Set
Page 202
‘I couldn’t save her again,’ he heard Agang say. ‘My powers came back too late.’
‘No one’s blaming you,’ said Daphne. ‘You healed the rest of us.’
‘I know,’ said Agang. ‘I’m just sorry.’
‘She saved us all,’ said another voice. ‘I saw her do it. I gave her the knife. That asshole Kalayne was right all along. I did meet Keira, in the end.’
‘You saw it, Shella?’ Daphne said.
‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘Keira ran at him, but the Creator flicked her away like an insect. But then Kylon appeared with Karalyn. He threw a spear, and distracted the Creator for a second.’
‘Kylon?’
‘His body’s over here,’ said Dyam.
At these words, Killop turned his face, and saw the headless corpse lying a few yards away. Someone had covered him with a blanket, but a long black coat was trailing out from under its edges.
‘And then,’ Shella went on, ‘as the Emperor was about to kill Karalyn, someone shot him in the throat with an arrow.’
‘What?’ said Bridget. ‘Who?’
‘I never saw,’ said Shella.
‘Who else was up here?’ said Daphne.
There was silence for a moment, then the crowd parted, and a woman approached.
‘It was me,’ said Kallie. She looked like she had been up fighting for hours, her face streaked with dirt and tears, her red hair blowing in the chill breeze. ‘I shot the arrow.’
Daphne reached out and embraced the Kell woman, who remained stiff, but didn’t back away.
‘Thank you,’ said Daphne.
‘And then,’ Shella said, and they all turned back to her, ‘then Keira hacked the bastard’s head off with a knife.’
‘He broke her neck,’ Killop said, his voice a low mumble.
‘Yeah,’ said Shella. ‘She died for us.’
‘The firewitch will never be forgotten,’ said Agang. ‘The forests of Sanang will mourn when they learn of her death.’
‘They’ll be weeping in Domm, too,’ said Bridget, ‘and composing songs to remember her. We’ll get a stretcher, and carry her off the roof. We can bury her with her kin in the Kellach quarter of the city.’
‘She’d want to go back home,’ said Kallie, ‘to Kell.’
‘The Sanang have as good a claim to her as any,’ said Agang. ‘She is worshipped throughout the forest.’
‘She hated Sanang,’ said Kallie. ‘You’re not taking her there.’
‘Enough,’ said Laodoc, walking into the centre of the crowd, leaning on his stick. He gazed at them. ‘Do any of you understand what has taken place here? The creator of this universe is no more, and yet here we are, living amid his creation. Godless and alone, with no one watching us from above. All we have is each other, living together on this world. Do not over-shadow our first moments of freedom with ill-tempered arguments.’ He gazed at Keira’s body. ‘As her twin, Killop is the only one here who has any say in what happens to the fire mage. No one else.’
Bridget nodded. ‘Aye, that’s sounds right.’
Killop kept his eyes on his sister, as the others waited for him to speak. Whatever he did, he knew that Keira’s name and life would be fought over, her legacy claimed by different folk, who would forget she had been a real person, with failings just like anyone else. He did not want them fighting over her body as well.
‘No one’s getting her,’ he said, standing. ‘We’ll cremate her here, where she fell.’
‘Alright,’ said Bridget. ‘You heard him, everyone, back off.’ She turned to him as the crowd dispersed. ‘I’ll get it arranged. There’s food and water by the parapet.’
She leant over, and picked up the head of the creator, gripping onto the enormous helmet with both arms.
‘We’ll burn the Emperor’s body first,’ she said, ‘but I’m keeping hold of this. Proof.’
A Holdings civilian with a crossbow strapped to his back came running from the stairwell. He halted before Bridget, staring at the huge severed head in her arms.
‘Aye?’ she said.
‘Ma’am,’ he said. ‘The last imperial soldiers in the city have surrendered. The commanders are wanting to know what to do with the prisoners.’
Bridget chewed her lip. ‘We need to save as much of the city as we can,’ she said. ‘Get them working in the streets, putting out the fires and protecting anything that’s not been burnt to ashes.’
‘Yes, ma’am,’ the man saluted, and returned down the stairs.
Bridget hauled the Creator’s head over to the parapet, set it down by the wall, and sat on it.
Dyam rolled her eyes. ‘Bridget thinks she’s the empress now. That’s her new throne.’
The Brig woman shrugged.
‘How exactly did you find yourself in charge, Bridget?’ asked Laodoc.
‘After we lost you guys in the smoke,’ she said, ‘Dyam, Lola and I realised you’d gone into the fortress, but we couldn’t get in, so we broke through the wall into the Kellach quarter. There were riots happening all over the place, but they were disorganised. All I needed to do was rally them, and point them at the fortress. If I hadn’t, we would never have got in.’
‘You fought your way up here?’ said Daphne.
‘Aye,’ she said, ‘floor by fucking floor.’
‘Empress Bridget, eh?’ Laodoc smiled, his tongue flickering.
She laughed.
‘I’m serious,’ he said. ‘Right now, you are in command of the only armed force in the imperial capital, and hence you control the seat of government, the centre of the world. I could think of worse rulers.’
Agang frowned. ‘We agreed that we would rule as a team of four.’
‘Who agreed that?’ said Daphne.
‘Me,’ he said, ‘along with Laodoc, Bridget and Shella, on our way here.’
‘I agreed fuck all,’ said Shella. ‘I’m not doing it.’
‘And I’m too tired, my friend,’ said Laodoc. ‘I’ve had my fill of trying to control the events of this world, and am more than happy to swear allegiance to Bridget.’
‘Fuck it, count me in,’ said Shella.
‘Aye, me too,’ said Dyam.
‘And me,’ said Killop. They turned to look at him.
‘No way,’ said Bridget. ‘Absolutely no chance.’
‘Then I’ll do it,’ said Agang.
‘Forget it, Agang,’ said Shella. ‘As of this moment, I’m acting as the new empress’s personal bodyguard. If you want to be emperor, ape-boy, you’ll have to go through me first.’
‘Alright,’ said Daphne. ‘If it’s a choice between Agang and Bridget, I choose Bridget.’
‘It seems the world’s most powerful mages are in agreement, my friend.’ said Laodoc.
Agang fumed. ‘Then what am I supposed to do?’
‘Go home,’ said Bridget. ‘Do all the things to improve Sanang that you said you were going to do, only this time, actually fucking do them.’
He stared at her. ‘Are you placing me in charge of Sanang?’
She frowned for a moment.
‘Aye, alright.’
Agang got down to one knee.
‘Then I swear allegiance to you, Bridget of Brig, your Imperial Majesty.’
The others around her did the same. Killop glanced at Daphne as they lowered themselves to the stone slabs of the rooftop. Karalyn squirmed free, and ran over to hug Bridget’s leg as she sat on the giant helmet. All across the wide rooftop, the groups of armed Holdings and Kellach Brigdomin saw what was happening, and within a few seconds they were all on their knees.
Dyam raised her arms.
‘Hail her Imperial Majesty,’ she cried, ‘Empress Bridget of Kellach Brigdomin.’
Bridget looked awkward as she took in the cheers and applause from the crowd on the roof.
‘Of Brig, ya cheeky Domm cow,’ she muttered under her breath.
The others retreated to the parapet, as two large pyres were constructed in the centre of the roof, one for
the Emperor, and one for Keira. Wood was collected from the lower floors of the fortress, door frames, tables and chairs, and heaped into great piles. The new Empress sat on the steel helmet of the Creator, while next to her stood Laodoc and Shella. They were giving their advice on setting up a new constitution, while Dyam took charge of getting the pyres built.
The young fire mage Dean wandered over, and sat down alone a few yards from the others.
Killop sat with Daphne and Karalyn, his tears mixing with laughter as the sun rose higher in the morning sky. The fires in the city were dying down, in part because entire areas were burnt out, but also because the remaining citizens had been roused, and were on the streets, carrying buckets of water, or clearing firewalls. The gates of the capital had been opened, and folk were coming and going, as the devastated city struggled back to life.
‘What will we do now?’ Killop said, as Karalyn climbed onto his back.
Daphne shrugged. ‘Hold Fast?’
He nodded.
She smiled. ‘I hope Celine’s been looking after the place.’
‘And who will rule the Holdings?’
‘Shh,’ said Daphne. ‘If Bridget hears you, she might well appoint me on the spot.’
‘You’re Holder Fast,’ he said. ‘You must be in the running.’
She frowned. ‘Do you want me to?’
‘No,’ he said, ‘but maybe you should. You’d be a great leader. It’s probably the right thing to do.’
‘I’m sick of doing the right thing,’ she said. ‘I just want to be with you and Karalyn, and leave the world to its troubles. I long for a normal life.’
‘Sure you wouldn’t get bored?’
‘After all this?’ she said, lighting a cigarette. ‘I crave boredom.’
He gazed at her.
‘There is something Bridget can do,’ he said. ‘Come on.’
They got up, and walked to where the new Empress sat.
‘Your Majesty,’ Killop said.
‘Oh, for fucksake,’ Bridget said, wincing, ‘please don’t do that.’
‘I need a favour.’
‘Aye?’
‘I need you to overturn a law.’
‘Which one?’
‘The one that says folk from different races can’t get married.’
Bridget laughed. ‘Aye, sure. Consider it revoked.’
‘Thanks.’
‘What the fuck,’ said Bridget. ‘If I’m Empress, then I proclaim you both married, as of this moment. Congratulations.’
Daphne blinked.
‘I knew I’d get ye married some day,’ Bridget smirked. ‘Sorry it took so long.’
Shella laughed. ‘I’m not sure that was the wedding they were hoping for.’
Daphne turned to Killop. ‘Lord Holdfast.’
He smiled. ‘Holder Fast.’
They kissed. Bridget and Shella pretended to vomit, while Laodoc smiled.
A Kellach woman approached.
Killop drew back, and saw it was Kallie. Daphne glanced up at the tall red-haired woman.
‘Sorry for interrupting,’ said Kallie. ‘I’ve got something I want to give to Karalyn.’
‘Aye?’ said Killop.
‘Aye,’ she said. ‘It used to be yours, so I hope you don’t mind, it’s just that I think Keira would want her to have it.’
She dug into her pack and took out a small wooden toy, then crouched down to Karalyn’s eye-level as Killop and Daphne watched in silence.
‘Yer Auntie Keira made this long ago,’ she said, holding out the wooden bear. ‘It’s travelled halfway round the world, and now it’s yours.’
Karalyn took it from her hands.
Killop frowned. ‘Keira made it?’
‘Aye, after she broke the one yer da made for ye.’
Killop gazed down at his daughter as she held on to the old toy, running her fingers over the teeth and claws.
She smiled. ‘Wee bear.’
‘Thanks, Kallie,’ said Daphne. ‘What do you think you’ll do now?’
The Kell woman stood. ‘Go back to Kell, I suppose.’
‘Whatever you do,’ she said, ‘good luck.’
Kallie nodded. ‘You too.’
An armed civilian approached, stopping before Bridget.
‘The pyres are ready, your Majesty.’
Bridget rose, and the others quietened. Killop glanced over at the two huge mounds of wood. On one lay his sister, while on the other was the headless body of the Creator.
The Empress strode forwards, flanked by her mages and friends. A tall Kellach man in armour handed her a lit torch, and she approached the first pyre. She gazed up at the black armour of the Creator and without a word, she touched the end of the torch to the pyre, keeping it there as flames took hold of the wood. She stepped back, and the crowd watched as the fire spread. The breeze helped fan it, and the flames rose, licking the black armour. No one spoke as the fire began to lash the Creator’s body, the flames and thick, dark smoke rising into the sky.
Bridget glanced at Killop, holding out the torch.
He shook his head, and turned to Dean.
‘Come with me, mage.’
The boy looked up at him.
‘I can’t,’ he said.
Killop held out his hand. Dean swallowed, his eyes red. He stepped forwards, and they walked to the foot of the pyre where his sister lay.
Killop knelt before the boy.
‘I’ll spark,’ he said. ‘You throw.’
‘What if I fail?’
‘You won’t.’
The boy raised his hand, and stared at it for a moment. Killop lifted his hands, and focussed. An arc of white fire leapt across the gap between his fingers, and Dean pushed out with his hand. Killop felt the boy’s strength pull the energy from him, and a burst of flames flew out from the sparks, setting the pyre alight.
Killop stared at the flames.
Bridget approached, putting her hand on Dean’s shoulder. Killop got to his feet, Daphne taking his hand, while Karalyn hugged his leg.
The crowd on the roof watched as the flames rose higher and higher, the fire spiralling up through the heaps of wood, sending smoke rising into the bright sky, and consuming the body of Keira.
Killop went over all the things he wished he could say to her, how proud he was of her, and how much he loved her. Tears fell down his face.
Karalyn gazed up at him and smiled.
‘Don’t be sad, daddy. Wee bear will look after you.’
This concludes Sacrifice
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Christopher Mitchell is the author of the Magelands epic fantasy series.
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The Magelands Series
The Magelands Origins
Retreat of the Kell
The Trials of Daphne Holdfast
From the Ashes
The Magelands Epic
The Queen’s Executioner
The Severed City
Needs of the Empire
Sacrifice
Fragile Empire
Storm Mage
Soulwitch Rises
Renegade Gods
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