The Ghosts Omnibus One

by Jonathan Moeller

  “Such a fine plan,” said Ducas. “How do we get close enough to get the poison into her?”

  “We don’t,” said Halfdan. He pointed at Radast. “We shoot her. Or, if we’re lucky enough to get close, we stab her. Anna’s cloak will guard her thoughts from Jadriga’s powers, and as you may have noticed, she knows a thing or two about stealth.”

  Hiram snorted. “I did notice.”

  Ducas raised his eyebrows. “Can you do it?”

  “I can,” said Caina. “I was close enough to cut her throat from behind, and she never noticed me. If I had tried, she would have killed me. But if I coat a dagger with that poison, and get close enough to use it…” Her hand clenched into a fist. “If I can get close enough, she won’t be able to stop me.”

  “It’s settled, then,” said Halfdan, putting the vials on the table. “Coat your weapons before we go. And for the love of the gods, don’t accidentally cut yourselves.”

  Caina nodded and reached for one of the vials.

  “Hiram, Ducas,” said Halfdan. “We’ll need your troops again. Icaraeus has more than enough men left to make a fight of it.”

  “I don’t know how many more men I can pull under my own authority,” said Ducas. “My Legate was getting suspicious, and so was the Lord Governor. Too much more and I’ll find myself in a world of trouble.”

  Caina laughed, despite herself. “And we’re not already?”

  “She’s right,” said Halfdan. “I hope you like to gamble, Ducas, because this is the biggest gamble of your life. Either we stop Jadriga and win, or we lose and thousands of people die. Look at it this way. If we stop Jadriga, you’ll be a hero. One of the men who captured the traitorous son of old Lord Haeron. And if we lose…well, your Legate and the Lord Governor will probably die anyway.”

  Ducas barked a short, tired laugh. “You almost cheer me.”

  “You shall have whatever men I can obtain,” said Hiram. “Agria, Jadriga, and Icaraeus murdered my brother and my niece. They must be brought to justice. My own rank and position mean nothing next to that.”

  “When do we attack?” said Ducas. “At nightfall?”

  Halfdan shook his head. “No. That will be too late. It’s well past noon already, and it will take at least a few hours for you to gather your troops. Jadriga’s going to cast the Opening of the Way by midnight, and the sooner we interrupt her, the better.”

  “All right,” said Ducas.

  “Gather as many men as you can find and meet us at the abandoned mansion,” said Halfdan. “It’s not that far from this secret entrance.”

  “It will be done,” said Hiram. He and Ducas turned towards the door.

  “Oh, and Hiram?” said Halfdan. “Congratulations.”

  Hiram stopped, frowning. “For what?”

  “On becoming the newest brother of the Ghosts,” said Halfdan.

  Hiram said nothing.

  “You see, I’m afraid you know too many of our secrets at this point,” said Halfdan. “You’ve seen our faces, and you know several of the disguises we use. So it’s really in everyone’s best interests if you decide to serve the Emperor as one of his Ghosts.”

  “And if I decide that it isn’t?” said Hiram, scowling.

  “Look at it this way,” said Caina. Another of Lydia’s memories touched her, and she knew just what words would persuade him. “You want to avenge what happened to your brother and niece. Well, things like that happen every day. But if you join the Ghosts, then you might have the chance to stop some of them.”

  Hiram nodded, his expression changing. “I suppose I already serve the Emperor as a solider. Why not as a spy, also?” He grinned. “Do I get one of those shadow-cloaks?”

  “Only when you reach nightfighter rank,” said Caina.

  “It’d be wasted on you,” said Ducas, clapping Hiram on the shoulder. “You couldn’t move quietly if your life depended upon it.”

  Hiram snorted. “Which will make me an effective spy, I suppose.”

  “You’d be surprised,” said Halfdan. “Stealth is all well and good, but sometimes the right man in the right place is worth a thousand pounds of gold. Or more. Get going, both of you. Hiram, I’ll give you the oath once this is all over.”

  Hiram and Ducas nodded and left.

  Caina sat for a while longer, finishing her work on the weapons, and added a coat of Halfdan’s rare poison to one of her steel daggers. She took the remainder of the vial and tucked it into one of her belt pouches. She thought about coating her ghostsilver dagger, but decided against it. She might run into more of the mercenaries equipped with steel-warding bracers, and she wanted to save every drop of the poison for Jadriga. Besides her Radast worked, coating several of his crossbow quarrels and daggers with the poison.

  After Caina had finished, she crossed the room to join Ark. He was sharpening his broadsword, perhaps to keep his hands busy. His face was set, and his eyes stared at a fixed point on the wall.

  “How are you?” said Caina.

  Ark scowled. “How do you think?”

  “I’m sorry,” said Caina. “I knew how much pain this would cause you. But you had to know.”

  “I know,” said Ark. He shook his head. “It…for years I wanted know what happened to Tanya and Nicolai. And now I know. I wondered if they were dead. I wondered if she had been sold into some Anshani emir’s harem.” His voice grew quieter. “I never thought to look in Marsis. Not even once.”

  “You couldn’t have known,” said Caina.

  Ark shook his head. “Of everything I thought had happened…I never thought Tanya and Nicolai would become captives of a mad sorceress.” He hesitated. “How…how are they?”

  “Physically well, at least,” said Caina. “Jadriga wants Nicolai healthy enough for the sacrifice. And she needed Tanya to keep Nicolai well enough for the spell.” She shook her head. “And who better to care for a child than his mother? Otherwise…they’re a lot like you. Full of rage and pain. Jadriga told her that you had been killed, that no one would ever come for them. How Tanya fought off the despair enough to care for Nicolai, I’ll never know.”

  “She…was always strong,” said Ark. He took a deep breath and straightened up, some of the pain seeming to leave him. “But this is better. Now I know. And today things will be decided. Either I will rescue my family…or I will die. Halfdan was right. Either I shall win everything, or I shall perish.”

  “Or we’ll all die,” said Caina. “Win or lose.”

  “Thank you,” said Ark. “For finding them. No one else could have gone into that evil place and come out alive.”

  Caina sighed. “It was a stupid thing to do. I’m lucky to be alive.”

  And she would have died, if not for the aid of Lydia’s spirit.

  Ark snorted. “You are a madwoman. I’ve always said so.”

  “Aye,” said Caina. “And you’d be right.” She tugged her mask and cloak into place. “Shall we?”

  Radast paused long enough to kiss Jiri, and they followed Halfdan into the street.

  Chapter 23 - Mother and Daughter

  The sun was setting by the time they were ready.

  Caina watched the sun turn to the western sea to blood. She hoped it wasn’t an omen. So many sunsets she had seen here. She had always enjoyed them, sitting on the balcony with her father, watching the sun slip below the waters. It had been their special time, especially after her mother spent more time with Jadriga…

  More of Lydia’s memories. Caina shook her head to clear it.

  They left the mansion soon after, following the armored mass of Legionaries. Hiram and Ducas had obtained a single century each, for a total of two hundred men. Caina hoped it would be enough. As before, the men carried their swords and shields, but also bore oaken quarterstaffs. Most had participated in the attack on the mansion, and Caina hoped they would be ready to face Icaraeus’s men.

  She doubted they could face Jadriga’s sorcery. Or Agria’s, for that matter. Agria’s powers were only a tiny fracti
on of Jadriga’s, yet if Agria threw her spells into the fray at just the right time…

  Then it would be up to Caina to deal with her.

  Yes. Lydia’s thought was sad. My mother. I love her. But she has sold her soul. Her heart has turned to ice. She must be stopped before more people are hurt.

  “You forgive her?” whispered Caina.

  Ark frowned at her.

  Yes. I must, to be at peace. Perhaps you can one day forgive your mother, and then you will have peace.

  Caina blinked back tears.

  “Are you all right?” said Ark.

  “No,” said Caina. “But neither are you. That doesn’t matter. Not now.”

  Dusk had fallen by the time they reached the crag, Black Angel Tower looming in the darkening sky. A squad of Legionaries formed up before the door, shields raised. It made them look like a giant wooden turtle. Halfdan, masked and hooded, took up position besides the door, a short sword and dagger in hand. Radast waited besides him, that intricate double crossbow ready in his arms.

  “These are your orders!” called out Hiram. “The first and second squads from my century will go down the stairs, shields raised. The rest of you will follow, and spread out to attack. Kill all the mercenaries. If you have the opportunity to take Lord Icaraeus alive, well and good, but it isn’t necessary. You might also encounter three noblewomen: Agria Palaegus, Messana Heliorus, and Vorena Chlorus. All of them are guilty of conspiring with a traitor to the Empire, slave trading, murder, and the practice of unlawful sorcery. Take them alive if you can, but if they attempt to use their sorcerous powers, kill them. Finally, the chief of our foes is a woman called Jadriga. She will be marked with designs in black paint, and will probably be wearing a crimson cloak and carrying a black staff. She is a sorceress of considerable power, and our task is to kill her, whatever the cost. Am I understood?”

  The Legionaries banged their armored fists upon their breastplates in answer.

  Hiram looked at Caina. She nodded, pulled the rune-carved key from her belt, and crossed to the door. The key slid into the lock, and she pulled. The door swung open, stone grinding upon stone.

  Caina found herself face to face with a startled mercenary, a crossbow in his arms.

  She flung herself to the side as he took aim.

  “Now!” roared Hiram.

  The first squads surged forward, shields extended. The crossbow went off, the quarrel burying itself in the thick oak. The mercenary just had time to scream before he disappeared in a flood of shields and armor. The men clattered down the stairs, vanishing into the darkness. A moment later Hiram gestured, and the rest of the men raced forward, quarterstaffs ready. Caina followed them, ghostsilver dagger in hand, Ark besides her.

  She hurried down the steps as fast as she dared, following the Legionaries. They burst through to the great pillared chamber. The glowing spheres on their iron stands remained, but Icaraeus’s men had lit a dozen bonfires. With the enhanced vision Lydia had given her, it seemed bright as high noon.

  A dozen different melees raged among the pillars. At least a hundred mercenaries struggled against the Legionaries. Either Icaraeus had lied to Jadriga about how many men he had left, or he had recruited some more. As Caina watched, a mercenary went down with a quarterstaff over the head, while a Legionary fell, a sword driven through the gaps in his armor.

  “Fight!” roared a voice, booming over the sounds of metal on metal. Caina saw Icaraeus standing by the far archway, just beneath the great iron portcullis. He had his sword in hand, and Caina saw the faint green flickers from the warding bracers. “Kill them all!”

  Caina had to get to the pit chamber. But to do that, she had to find a way through the melee and past Icaraeus. And she couldn’t see a way to do that. A dozen little fights choked the aisles between the pillars, and any one of them could pull Caina in.

  “Ark!” she called.

  Ark looked back and forth, quarterstaff in hand, eyes cold and narrow beneath his helm.

  “We’ve got to get past them,” said Caina. “The longer this goes on, the more likely it is that Jadriga will take a hand.”

  Ark gave a sharp nod. “There.” He pointed with the staff at four mercenaries facing off against three Legionaries. “Straight through. Ready?”

  Caina nodded, took a deep breath, and started running.

  Even with the bonfires, confused shadows still filled the great chamber. Perhaps that was why the mercenaries didn’t see Caina until she was almost on top of them. She swept the legs out from under the nearest mercenary, his head cracking on the floor. The other men turned towards her in alarm, and Caina recovered her balance and sprang at them. As before, they wore no armor, trusting in their enspelled bracers to protect them. So she had no trouble slashing her ghostsilver dagger across the nearest man’s ribs. He gasped in pain, smoke rising from the wound, and one of the Legionaries put him down with a solid blow. The remaining two men advanced towards Caina, intending to skewer her.

  They ran into Ark instead.

  He beat aside their thrusts with a quick whirl of his staff, pivoted, and punched straight out. The heavy oak caught the nearest man in the face, and he went down with a groan. The final man threw down his sword and ran. He got maybe five steps before one of Radast’s blunted quarrels hurtled out of the darkness and impacted his knee.

  “You three follow me!” said Caina, gesturing to the Legionaries. “Take down Icaraeus!”

  Caina and Ark broke free from the melee, the three Legionaries following. Icaraeus paced before the far archway like an enraged panther, his sword held in the loose and confident grip of a master. He turned as they approached, the blade coming up in guard.

  “You,” snarled Icaraeus as his eyes fell upon Caina. “You continue to hound me, Ghost! How did you follow me down here? How did you even get down here?”

  “No more words,” said Caina. “It’s over.”

  “Yes,” said Icaraeus, backing into the archway. “It is.”

  A shape in a crimson robe stepped into the light, hands outstretched. For a panicked instant Caina thought it was Jadriga. But the robe’s hood fell away, and Caina saw Agria Palaegus’s taut face staring out at her, blond hair flying wildly.

  Lydia’s surge of grief and pain flooded through Caina’s mind.

  Agria rolled her wrist and thrust out her palm, shouting a word, and Caina felt the tingling surge of arcane power.

  She ducked just in time. Invisible force lashed out, struck the three Legionaries, sent them tumbling backwards like children’s toys. Caina’s free hand dipped to her belt, and she flung a throwing knife at Agria. But there was a green flash, and the knife fell in twisted splinters to the floor. Agria lifted her hands in another spell, and Caina saw the rune-marked bracers as the robe’s sleeves fell away.

  She sprang forward, ghostsilver dagger in hand.

  Too late. Agria thrust out her palms again, and Caina felt another surge of power, far stronger than before. Agria’s face twisted with agony, and her voice rose to a scream.

  The spell caught Caina full in the face. She staggered back a dozen steps, numbness and pain spreading through her, and she fell to one knee. The sounds of battle trailed off, replaced by groans of pain. The spell, Caina realized. Agria’s spell had flooded the chamber with an aura of pain and numbness. Caina tried to stand, failed, grabbed at the rough stone of a nearby pillar for support.

  “Kill them,” snarled Agria, her voice taut with strain. “Quickly! I cannot maintain this for long, and the Moroaica will be wroth if anything disrupts the Opening.”

  A dozen mercenaries shook off the effects the spell. They rose and staggered from Legionary to Legionary, plunging their swords down, killing them one by one. Sweat poured down Agria’s face, the cords bulging in her neck.

  Distract her. Caina had to find a way to distract her, to disrupt her concentration.

  “Stop this before you destroy yourself!” Caina spat out.

  Agria glanced at her, and then turned her atten
tion back to the Legionaries. Caina heard a scream of agony, and then another, followed by the sound of a sword plunging into flesh.

  “The Opening will kill everyone,” Caina grated, still struggling to stand. “You included.”

  “Silence,” hissed Agria, lips drawing back from her teeth. “The price is well worth the power we will receive.”

  “You think Jadriga will share?” said Caina.

  She smirked. “Wait. You must be little Anna Callenius. The Moroaica told me all about you, Ghost. You didn’t want a husband, hmm? Not to fear. You needn’t take a husband into your bed after one of Icaraeus’s men shoves his sword down your throat.”

  “The Opening of the Way will kill everyone in Marsis, you among them,” said Caina.

  But Agria ignored her, her eyes tight with strain. Caina struggled to think through the agonizing numbness, tried to find a course of action. She could try to throw her ghostsilver dagger, but it wasn’t balanced for throwing, and Caina doubted that she could hit Agria.

  And then another memory of Agria came into Caina’s mind, one not her own, and she knew what to do.