Memories of Ash (The Sunbolt Chronicles Book 2)

by Intisar Khanani

  “Yes.”

  “Did you trust so much in my friendship with Stormwind that you thought I would not report you to the High Council?”

  “I didn’t intend to use any magic here.” I eye him warily. “Who shot you, anyway?”

  He waves his hand, dismissing the question. “You’re dressed as a mage. What was I supposed to think?”

  I glance down at my robes and almost laugh. “That was just to get in. These aren’t even mine.” I lift the hem, showing him where I’d turned up the extra cloth. “They’re Stormwind’s.”

  He chuckles. “A mage hiding in mage’s robes. The perfect disguise.”

  “It worked well enough to get in here, though I doubt it will help if I’m caught.” Which I kind of am right now.

  “No,” Stonefall agrees. He seems on the verge of saying something, then purses his lips.

  “Tell me what happened to Mistress Stormwind,” I say.

  He nods, but he doesn’t look at me as he speaks, his gaze distant. “She faced charges of treason against the High Council. She was found guilty and will be sent to Gereza Saliti, to remain there until she dies.”

  “I’ve heard that already. What was she actually convicted of?”

  He counts them off. “Conspiracy to overthrow the High Council, conspiracy to assassinate the first mage of the High Council, perjury under oath, and failure to renew her oaths of allegiance.”

  The charge of developing alliances with creatures inimical to the High Council seems to have been dropped, but the rest still stand. I shake my head. “That’s absurd.”

  His dark eyes fasten on me in cool appraisal. “She was found guilty and sentenced accordingly.”

  “By whom?” I ask, matching his tone. “Blackflame?”

  Stonefall’s expression hardly flickers. “Blackflame is not on the High Council.”

  “Then he has a very long arm.”

  “That he does. However, he missed the one charge that would have been accurate: training a student in secret.”

  “How do you know she didn’t register my apprenticeship?”

  “You’re an apprentice?”

  Oh, hell. He thought I was a journeyman. I wanted him to think I was a journeyman. “Whatever — register my journeyman-ship,” I flounder.

  He stares at me. He knows. And he’s not at all sure what he thinks of me.

  “I’ll leave now,” I say.

  “I wouldn’t, if I were you. There are guards posted by my door to prevent a second attack. For all that they are there for my protection, I think they are much more interested in meeting you.”

  “The windows?” I set my cup down and rise, moving toward the windows.

  “Guards below them by now, and far too many mages passing by to try anything so foolish as climbing out.”

  I let my hand drop from the curtain and turn back to him. “Do you speak truth?”

  He turns the gray glowstone over in his hand, studying it. “I owe you a life debt. That is not something my people take lightly. I will not endanger you.”

  That doesn’t mean he won’t keep me here by trickery, though. But I’m losing focus on why I came here. I’ll find a way out. The question is whether Brigit Stormwind will. I need to find out what help I can finagle from Stonefall.

  I take a deep breath and plunge ahead, “You wanted to know why I came here, to you, instead of finding out Stormwind’s fate from afar. Do you believe she’s innocent of the charges brought against her?”

  Stonefall doesn’t answer at once. When he does, his words are hardly comforting. “I believe her largely innocent, yes. But this is Stormwind we speak of. You know her past, you know how close she kept her secrets. Perhaps some of what she was charged with was based in truth.” He pins me with a hard gaze. “Certainly to train an unregistered apprentice, to hide a magical talent, would be considered treason among mages.”

  “Then they should have charged her with training me.”

  I don’t know Stormwind’s past as Stonefall thinks I do. I have no idea who she was before she secluded herself in her mountain valley, keeping company with no one and nothing but her secrets, until I came along. By then, silence had become her way of life, her secrets so strong a shield that even if I wanted to, I could not have broken them open to learn what lay beneath. No, I don’t know if she’s innocent.

  But I doubt that her innocence, or guilt, had anything to do with her sentencing.

  “Was it a fair trial?” I ask.

  Stonefall doesn’t answer.

  “They could have imprisoned her in her valley. She hardly ever left it anyway. Why not declare that her prison?”

  He laughs, a sound that carries both humor and sorrow. “There’s no revenge in that. It wouldn’t suffice.”

  I think of Blackflame, what I know of him. It’s easy enough to forgive him what I’ve forgotten, what I can’t recover from the ashes of my memory. It wasn’t that hard to stay with Stormwind and ignore his existence, unconcerned with what he might be doing because he had faded from my reality. But I’ve known Stormwind for a year, and while she has her secrets, I know she doesn’t deserve the sentence he has visited upon her.

  I take a slow breath. “Where is Stormwind right now?”

  Stonefall tilts his head, watching me shrewdly. “She’s being held here.”

  “Here where?”

  A silence. “I’ll answer three questions, and that is all. Then you must leave.”

  He knows exactly why I’m here. I take a moment to gather my thoughts, then ask again, “Where is she being held?”

  “Shahmaran Hall. There are old holding cells in the basement. The lycan guard has cordoned off the stairs down, and allows no one and nothing entrance. Stormwind herself has been placed under a binding spell.”

  “A what?”

  He grimaces. “It is the worst sort of spell. Under it, she will experience incredible pain should she attempt a spell of her own. Should she persist, it could kill her.”

  There are much worse punishments, I think. After all, it merely means that a mage becomes the equivalent of the average person until the spell can be lifted.

  “Is she chained?” I ask, remembering my imprisonment with Val.

  “Yes.”

  “You have to tell me more than that. If she’s chained, who has the keys?”

  He sighs. “The lycan guard might. First Mage Talon certainly does. She’s most likely keeping them in her rooms.” He hesitates. “Susulu Hall.”

  I bite my lip, trying to think of the wisest third question I could ask. There are so many things I don’t know, no one thing seems more vital than three others. In the end, though, knowing how much time I have trumps everything else. “When will she be moved?”

  “She has three more days here while the arrangements are made.” He smiles faintly. “There are no portals at the Gereza, after all. Even without the Festival of Guilds to contend with, it would take that long.”

  Three days isn’t much time, but it’s significantly better than, say, three days too late.

  Stonefall clears his throat. “You’ll be in direct opposition to the ruling of the High Council.”

  “It’s wrong.”

  “It’s the High Council,” Stonefall says, his voice soft, persuasive. “To oppose them as a mage is to declare yourself a traitor. Is that what you want?”

  “I don’t think this is about what anyone other than Blackflame wants. I’m not worried about him.”

  “Then you’re dead.” For a moment, I think it’s a promise he intends to follow through on himself. But he remains at ease, propped up in his bed.

  “We’re all dead,” I tell him. “Some more than others.”

  He leans forward. “Listen to me. I tell you this because you have risked a great deal in coming here, and you risked more in aiding me when I could not help myself. Leave. Leave now, and never return. You cannot help Stormwind, and you cannot oppose the High Council. If you are caught, which you will be, you will lose your freedom, a
nd perhaps your mind. Whatever Stormwind was thinking when she took you on, she would not want such a future for you.”

  I don’t know what future I want. Without knowing my past, I’m drifting, unsure of where to go or what to do next. But I reserve the right to choose my own future. And I think Stormwind has the right to a just trial. Failing that, I’ll stand by her as she stood by me. If she favors imprisonment, then let her do it on her own terms, away in her mountain valley. Not that she can return there now — whatever life she has after this will either be as a fugitive or as a prisoner on the Council’s terms.

  But Stonefall is right about one thing. Stormwind would be furious if she knew I was here. I nod. “I understand the risks.”

  He doesn’t immediately answer. I glance toward the door. With Stormwind’s charm, I’ll be able to walk past the guards, but I’ll need a reason for the door to open and shut of its own accord. In a word, I’ll need Stonefall.

  “You shouldn’t do this,” Stonefall says.

  I shrug. I know he’s right, but that doesn’t change anything.

  He sighs. “You’re opposing the High Council, but you may also undermine it. Blackflame won’t be pleased if Stormwind escapes, and he’ll hold Talon responsible.”

  “She’s first mage of the High Council, right?” Surely she’s protected herself from him?

  “Yes. And she’s no supporter of his.”

  Abruptly, Stonefall stiffens, listening. In the other room, a door clicks shut.

  “Hurry,” he whispers. But it’s already too late. As I rush toward the bed, my hand desperately seeking the shadow charm in my pocket, the connecting door swings open and a man steps in.

  “Mistress Sunbolt,” Jabir says as I plow to a stop beside the bed. “I trust you delivered your glowstone in time.”

  I exhale with relief. “Guardian Jabir.” I touch the fingers of my right hand to my heart. “I never claimed to be more than an apprentice … but you are right, the glowstone was quite useful.”

  “Jabir?” Stonefall says, utterly bewildered. “You know this woman?”

  The old man smiles. “The mageling had some strange story about needing to deliver a glowstone to you. Her intentions seemed honorable so I let her through. I am certainly glad of it.” To me he says, “It was well done.”

  “You knew I was lying.”

  “There was some truth in each thing you said,” he observes. “And you carry the favor of the phoenix in your boot.”

  Ah. That explains the look he gave my feet back at the gates.

  “The phoenix?” Stonefall echoes.

  “I … came through the Burnt Lands.” Remembering that nightmare place, anger sparks within me. “Why is the portal there still open? I sought a portal near Fidanya, and that was the closest. It’s a death trap. It should have been closed ages ago.”

  “It’s marked,” Stonefall says. “The color of the path is tinged with red, to warn travelers away. To close it from the other side would be near impossible. The dangers of the land itself, and the lack of magic to work with…. How did you escape?”

  “I ran.” The words are hard, flat. I had not realized that I was angry at all, but now I’m furious that the portal still stands open. “Another mage came after me. One of Blackflame’s hirelings sent to track down any of Stormwind’s allies.”

  “What?” Stonefall and Jabir demand simultaneously.

  “Most of them rode to her valley — I’m pretty sure they destroyed her house. I made it to Sonapur and found they’d put a guard on the portal. I created a diversion and got past them — but one followed me.”

  “Into the Burnt Lands?” Stonefall asks.

  “Yes. But,” I raise a hand, let it fall. “He didn’t make it out. One of the spell-beasts caught him.” My stomach twists as I remember the fine leather boot lying in the road, splintered bone protruding from its top. “I never learned his name.”

  Jabir asks, “And the phoenix?”

  “He helped me escape.”

  “Why the feather?” Jabir presses.

  I rub my hand over my mouth. “He thinks I can unravel the enchantments that hold the Burnt Lands.”

  “You’re an apprentice,” Stonefall snaps.

  “Tell us why,” Jabir says. “Why would he think a mageling would succeed where whole teams of mages have failed?”

  I look him straight in the eye. “Because I unraveled a part of a spell-creature as it attacked the building I sheltered in, the one that killed the mage.”

  Stonefall leans back against his pillows, closes his eyes. He looks drawn, exhausted. Jabir, however, looks somehow younger, his old eyes almost gleaming, and the wrinkles around his mouth deepening as if he holds back a smile. “Indeed,” he murmurs. “Indeed.”

  Stonefall opens his eyes, fixing Jabir with a hard look. “Master Jabir,” he says. “The young lady has attracted a good deal of attention with her working here today. It will not go well with her if she is found.”

  “It is my duty to guard the Mekteb and its mages,” Jabir replies. “Today a mage was attacked as I sat by. I am not pleased.” I have the distinct feeling that, of the three of us, Jabir is the most powerful. He meets Stonefall’s gaze calmly. “Who attacked you?”

  “A hooded person,” Stonefall says. “A man, I think. He did not speak.”

  Jabir crosses the room and rests his hand on Stonefall’s forehead. “Show me.”

  Stonefall closes his eyes, and Jabir’s hand slides down to cover them. Stonefall flinches, takes a faint, gasping breath, and then goes still. For a long, long moment, they remain frozen, and then Jabir drops his hand. Stonefall wipes the sweat from his upper lip with a shaking hand.

  “A mage,” Jabir says, voice soft with anger. “Though he wished to be thought a common assassin, using that dart. At least you fought him. With that wound, he’ll be easier to identify.”

  “He’ll hide in a corner licking his wounds till he’s better,” Stonefall says with disgust. “He was no more than a dog doing his master’s bidding.”

  Jabir clicks his tongue. “The politics of the Mekteb have grown dark indeed.”

  “Not the Mekteb,” Stonefall counters. “The High Council.”

  “You had best leave as soon as you are able. I’ll put a ward on your rooms. Should anyone enter with an intention to cause harm, I will know it.” He moves toward the door.

  “What of the girl?” Stonefall points his chin at me. “She cannot stay here in safety.”

  Jabir eyes me thoughtfully. “She is a free mage, yes?”

  “I serve my mistress,” I say, wondering at the term free mage.

  “And who would that be, truly?”

  I’ve already told him so much, I may as well tell him this. “Mistress Stormwind.”

  “Ah, yes. Poor Mistress Stormwind. I remember her well. She’s one of only a few high mages who never knowingly compromised her principles.”

  “Then you … don’t believe the verdict is just?” I press, feeling a thousand times better already.

  “I believe that mages are people,” he says quietly. “And that makes them very dangerous to each other, and to the lands. My loyalty lies with this school, and with this land. But if I were loyal to one such as Stormwind,” he raises his brows, “then I would not accept such a verdict.”

  “Jabir, she’s half-trained and already in danger simply by being here,” Stonefall says.

  Jabir shrugs, moving toward the door. “When you are ready to leave, mageling, I will be sure to look in a different direction.”

  “Thank you,” I manage.

  He glances at Stonefall. “With your permission, once I’ve set the wards on your rooms, I will dismiss the guards.”

  Stonefall nods. With a dip of his head toward me, Jabir departs.

  I take a step after him, toward the door, even though the guards are still there. My steps are so light I’m almost dancing. A way out. I have a way out. I know where the keys are. I know where Stormwind is. There are still quite a few more detai
ls to work out, but—

  “You’re planning your own death,” Stonefall says behind me.

  I turn to face him. “I know,” I agree amiably, since it’s easier than arguing.

  “You don’t,” he snarls. I back up a step, surprised at the ferocity of his words. “Even if you both should escape, the Council will hunt you until they find you. And when they discover what you are—it will not go well for you.”

  “What am I?” I ask carefully.

  “A rogue,” he says. “And that is what I hunt.”

  I remember his wall of weapons with a sinking sensation. But if there were that many rogue mages, surely there’d be a lot more talk about them. “How many rogue mages are there?” I ask warily.

  He shakes his head, as if reading my thoughts. “Very few. I primarily hunt rogue creatures: fangs that break their agreements with the Council, or won’t agree in the first place; lycans who go feral; various other creatures that cause trouble; breathers. If you escape, I have no doubt I will be one of the mages sent after you.”

  Which means I’m getting help from the man who will hunt me down. “At least I’ve told you all about me. That should make it easier to track me.”

  “This is not a joke.”

  “I know that,” I reply, and the anger I felt earlier sparks to fire inside of me. “Do you know how I came to Stormwind? I lived in Karolene. A rogue mage by the name of Blackflame took me prisoner because I was trying to help a noble family escape him. His men caught us all, killed the lord and lady, and took their children and me back to him. He kept us in a set of cages in the basement of his house. He let a rogue fang named Kol feed off the youngest, a little girl, and agreed to give me to Kol as payment for a favor. Kol got me, even though I managed to help the others escape, and he locked me in a tower room with a breather. And do you know what?”

  Stonefall shakes his head once, his eyes intent on me.

  “That breather and I escaped together. That breather risked his life to help me when Kol caught up with us. And when I killed Kol with a spell, that breather nursed me back to life and delivered me to Stormwind to be trained. So don’t tell me I don’t know about danger, or running, or hiding. And don’t tell me about rogues. You don’t know anything about rogues if you think all breathers are rogues, yet you call Blackflame a mage.”