Anais and the Broken War (The Blood Mage Chronicles Book 5)

by Wilson, Jamie

  Tatiana rang the bell, and we listened as it tinkled softly.

  “Do you think she left?” Zilla asked.

  “I doubt it. The western gate has been closed for weeks,” Tatiana said. “She’s somewhere in the city.”

  “I don’t think she’s here,” Zilla said after we had waited at the door for what seemed like an eternity. “Anais, where should we go?”

  I thought of Fynn’s little studio, which couldn’t accommodate the three of us, and of Azriel’s rented room, which would have been let out to someone else by now. No other idea came to mind.

  “I’ll think of something,” I said softly.

  Before we could leave, the door creaked open, and a head with silver curls covered mostly by a white kerchief peeked through the crack.

  Jacarda’s eyes widened when she saw us. “Come in, come in. Quickly now.” She ushered us through the door and then shut it as if she wanted no one to know that she was still living in her home.

  “Where’s your manservant?” Zilla asked.

  “Oh, I let the staff go a week ago. No point in keeping them on at this point. The better question is, what are you girls doing here? You would be smart to stay hidden behind the walls of the Great House. Terrible things are afoot.”

  “Lady Mediera plans to leave and cross the mountains. And we can’t get to the Abbey with the northern gate closed. We don’t have anywhere else to go.”

  “I’ll be impressed if Lady Mediera escapes, for I certainly wasn’t so lucky. By the time I started making inquiries, it was much too late. Well, no matter, the three of you are here, and I hadn’t thought to see any of you again.”

  “Why haven’t you visited the Great House? Are you no longer on the council?” I asked. “Captain Carenhail hasn’t been receiving Mediera or Cedric, or even Gorman or Fynn. But I had thought he would have kept you. You know more about the inner workings of this city than any of us.”

  Jacarda laughed. “There is no council anymore. Captain Carrenhail wouldn’t even see me when I called on the Great House, nor was I allowed to call on Lady Mediera. It was quite the insult. But I’ve come to terms with my situation as one must.” As Jacarda talked, she led us to the kitchens and through a door into an empty storeroom.

  “Where are we going?” Tatiana asked.

  “You’ll see.” Jacarda pushed aside a thatch rug and opened a hatch in the floor, revealing a set of stone stairs that led down into the ground. She pulled two lamps off hooks on the wall and lit them. After she handed one to Zilla and the other to Tatiana, we took the stone steps down into a large room outfitted with six beds. Shelves of dried food, herbs, and glass containers of oil lined two walls. What looked like a well sat in the center of the room, complete with a bucket attached to a pulley system of ropes and gears.

  “I have access to fresh water down here. My great grandfather dug this well himself years and years ago. He thought a day would come when the furies would rise, and he wanted to be prepared. Although my family thought he was mad, no one stopped him. It will give us a place to weather the impending storm.”

  Zilla gulped. “Do you think it’s going to be so bad that we need to hide?”

  Jacarda closed her eyes. “My concern is not with furies breaching the walls. If that happens, there is no hope. I’m sure this cellar will provide no real resistance. No, my concern is that once the risk becomes common knowledge, chaos and violence will descend upon the streets. The homes along this street will be looted, and I don’t want anyone to find me when that happens, for I’m hardly in a position to defend myself.”

  “I can’t believe the common people would destroy the city,” Zilla said. “Their better natures would prevent it.”

  Tatiana nodded. “It’s happened before. Entire cities have crumbled when fear infested the streets. The Stone Cities, the Vorpal Realm, the Sand Lakes, to name a few. Illium barely survived the last war. And the furies were not the reason the kingdom fell. It was the civil war the followed that did the real damage. The whole of the nobility were torn to shreds. If it weren’t for Grayson, our greatest cities in the West would just be husks.”

  “Grayson? The mage?” I asked, my eye’s widening.

  “If we had had more time, I would have showed you some of the Abbey’s collections of scrolls. You would have liked to read about our history, I think. But it’s too late now.”

  I closed my eyes. Time had run out. I had meant to dig into the histories at the Abbey, and now I had lost my chance.

  “Are you sure you don’t mind us staying with you?” Tatiana asked Jacarda. “Do you have enough supplies?”

  “I have food enough to last through a siege of months. You’re all welcome to join me. We may need to hide for quite a while. I’m glad you came, really. I was growing a bit lonely here all by myself.”

  Zilla touched my arm, her fingers dark against my pale skin. “Will you stay, Anais? I don’t like the idea of you outside with no one to protect you.”

  “No. I can’t,” I shook my head. I wouldn’t be hiding in the face of an onslaught. My path led in a harder direction.

  CHAPTER 9

  MEDIERA’S EYES WERE rimmed in red, and her face was puffy as she packed a small case with clothes, jewels, and toiletries.

  “Are you sure you’re all right?” I asked, wondering if she had changed her mind and wanted Uthur back. I didn’t think it would be possible to change our plans now that the eastern gate was closed. And though I could understand it if Mediera regretted her decision, I still thought him safer on a ship with my brother than on a caravan crossing the mountains.

  “I’m fine. Just fine.”

  “Where’s Cedric?” I asked.

  “He’s with Fynn. They should be here within the hour. They are finalizing the plans.”

  I nodded. “How did they manage to free the house of guards? I had no trouble getting Zilla, Tatiana, and Dahlia out and you don’t even have a guard at your door anymore.”

  “Carenhail has been spending most of his time at the southern gate with the men, so he wasn’t here to make things difficult. Cedric was able to order the guards to join the men at the southern gate without any fuss.”

  “Good.”

  The door opened, and Cedric and Fynn joined us. Fynn looked morose as he trudged in behind Cedric, but smiled when he saw me.

  “Are you ready?” Cedric asked Mediera.

  Mediera nodded as she set the clasps on her traveling case. “I have everything, I think.”

  “Wait.” Cedric looked around the room. “Where is he?” Cedric demanded. “Where’s Uthur? He should be here.”

  Mediera’s eyes shifted away from him. “He’s safe.”

  “What do you mean he’s safe? We can’t leave without him.”

  “He can’t come with us. I thought you understood that.”

  “Explain it to me.” Cedric’s eyes went dark.

  “You saw Thomas’s letter.”

  “Are you referring to the reference to Queen Minerva?” Cedric’s lips tightened. “How does that have anything to do with Uthur? That was just Thomas showing of historical references. He does it all of the time. It doesn’t mean anything.”

  “I’m going to have to remarry. You know that.”

  “No, you won’t. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I can’t stay a dowager for long. Thomas made a good point. My new husband will likely not tolerate another man’s child inheriting my seat. I can’t risk Uthur’s life. He’s better off without me.”

  Cedric snorted. “He’s coming with us. I don’t care what terror Thomas has weaseled into your head. Uthur will be fine. I won’t let anything happen to him.”

  “It’s too late,” I interjected. “He’s on a ship to the new world. My brother’s ship.”

  “Your brother? Your family are no more than common fishermen. It would hardly be fitting to let them raise him. It’s preposterous. I won’t allow it.”

  I took a deep b
reath. “So that’s what you think of me? Not good enough for you and yours.”

  “Don’t make me into the villain. You stole him. You’re responsible for this,” he glared at me.

  “It’s not her fault. It was my decision. And it’s final. Uthur will be more secure in the new world than he will be with us,” Mediera said.

  “How could you make this decision without me?”

  “He’s not your son. No matter how much you might want him to be,” Mediera said.

  At that, Cedric went silent, and his cheeks flamed red. I wondered how much damage she had just inflicted on him with that blow. Would they survive it?

  Fynn tapped his foot impatiently. “As much as I appreciate being an audience for your bickering, we have a schedule to keep.”

  “Thank you for reminding us, Fynn.” Mediera turned to me. “Ani, do you have a bag packed?”

  “I’m not going with you.”

  “Oh. I thought… But, where will you go?”

  I shrugged noncommittally.

  “Anais will be fine,” Fynn said. “The two of you, on the other hand, may not be so lucky. Start walking.”

  Fynn edged toward me and pressed a small brass key in my palm. “My studio,” he whispered. “I’ll meet you there after I get these two out of the city.”

  I woke to the sound of a door creaking open. I wasn’t sure where Fynn kept his lamps, so I just tucked my knees close to my chest, gripped my blade tightly, and waited.

  A light flickered illuminating Fynn’s face. I relaxed my grip on my knife, grateful that it was him and not some unwanted intruder.

  “You’re awake?” he asked.

  I nodded. “I couldn’t sleep. And you were loud opening the door.”

  “I was not loud.”

  “You were,” I retorted. “I worried that you would decide to go with Mediera and Cedric and never come back.” I paused. “Why didn’t you?”

  “If it had been an option, I would have gone. But, the fat man only gave me leave to guide your friends through one of the underground tunnels to his lair. Once we made it that far, he arranged for someone else to guide them to Courtshire. Apparently, he has other plans for me.” He slumped down into a cushioned chair, and his head dropped into his hands. “Ani, you said you could save me. If you have some sort of magic that can free me, use it now before it’s too late.”

  I put my hand into the pocket of my dress and fingered the black rock necklace. My fingers tingled at the contact. Whatever magic I possessed hadn’t fled. It was still there beneath my skin waiting to be released into the world.

  “Are you sure you want this?” I asked. “I doubt I can bind you back if you change your mind.”

  He looked into my eyes. “Just do it. Please. I want to be myself again.”

  “Give me your hand.”

  He came over to the cot and sat beside me, offering me his hand. His nails were cleaner and more delicate than mine. He probably had them manicured. I took the necklace out of my pocket and set it on my lap. I cut my wrist and let my blood drop onto the black beads. I clutched the string of black pearls in my bloody hand and placed my other hand on Fynn’s arm.

  His eyes locked onto mine. “Is this going to hurt?” he asked.

  “I don’t know,” I answered.

  I focused on him and I could see past his skin and bones. My body went numb and I wasn’t me anymore. I was an intruder in Fynn’s body. His head was a tangle. But, it wasn’t quite as difficult this time. I knew the fat man’s webs–how they weaved and locked. Disabling them with white slivers of magic I pulled from the black rock was easy. I tried to make sure I limited how much of my energy I used in the process, but it was always difficult to separate the sources. I moved through Fynn’s mind, plucking apart the mess of the threads, and twisted them out until Fynn was clean. Unlike Azriel, there was nothing else to accomplish. He appeared to be in perfect health. Still, it was hard to pull myself out. But if I stayed in too long, I would be drained and useless. So, slowly, I disengaged myself. Then I dropped his hand, severing the connection completely. My entire body tingled, driving away the numbness from my fingers and toes.

  “Are you done?” Fynn groaned while rubbing his temples. “That was terrible. I feel like knives are stabbing into my skull.”

  I stared at him, his words knocking me back into the world. I blinked hard. The transition back from whatever halfway place I had occupied was dizzying. Pinpricks were still devouring me. I had to come back. I couldn’t just stay in the in-between.

  “Did you hear me?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” I coughed.

  Fynn touched my nose. “You’re bleeding.”

  I touched my face and wiped away the drops of blood flowing from my nostrils. I had hoped it would have been easier to break the fat man’s ties with the help of the black rock necklace. But, perhaps there was something inherently difficult about undoing someone else’s magic.

  “Do you always bleed like that?”

  “Only when it’s hard,” I answered.

  “Is it ever easy?”

  I shrugged. “Sometimes.” I hadn’t tried anything easy lately. I probably should have been practicing moving small objects. But I never seemed to have any time to focus on improving. Life moved too fast.

  “So are you finished? Am I free?”

  “I think so. Can you feel him?”

  “No, but I rarely do. I’m not one of his key players.”

  “Well then I guess we have to hope for the best.” I closed my eyes and lowered myself back onto the cot. I felt like an eternity of sleep wouldn’t be enough.

  “Anais, I wish we had time to rest, but I’m afraid circumstances aren’t going to afford us that luxury.”

  “What do you mean?” I sighed.

  “We have to go. I should have been more up front about the timeline, but I have to admit my highest priority was getting you to break my chains. I’m pretty sure the fat man is going to force the skins to leave Barriershire today to fight the furies.”

  “Shyte. I thought they’d have more time.”

  “Gorman said it would be today and he usually knows the fat man’s moves before he makes them. And it’s already morning.”

  “We should find Gorman. I can free him too. I don’t want him to be sacrificed. If there’s still time…”

  “He’s at the southern gate, with most of the soldiers and guards.”

  “They won’t let us anywhere near the gate if things have really gotten so bad.”

  “Good point.” Fynn hopped up from the cot and knelt down next to a large trunk set against a wall length mirror. He fiddled with the lock and opened it. He pulled out two military uniforms, trimmed with red velvet and golden buttons

  “Where did you get these?” I asked as I fingered the material of the one he had handed to me. It felt stiff, as if it had never been worn.

  “I paint portraits, Ani. I have dozens of odd costumes and hairpieces. I like to be prepared. You never know how the client is going to want to appear.” He rummaged through a second trunk in the corner of the room and pulled out a binding cloth. “I also have this. You might need it if you want to have a chance to pass as a boy. Do you know how to wrap yourself up?”

  I nodded. After I undressed, I bound myself with the wrap before scrambling into the uniform. Fynn changed into his uniform too. I examined our reflections in the large glass mirror that took up an entire wall of Fynn’s studio. Though we were both dressed as soldiers, neither of us really looked like we fit the part.

  “I don’t look very believable as a soldier,” I said. “There are no female soldiers in the Seven Shires army. At least none that I know of.”

  “We’ll cut your hair. If we’re lucky, they’ll think you’re a newly commissioned boy.”

  “But I like my hair.”

  “Sorry Ani. But, sacrifices must be made. Even by you. You have to at least try to blend in, and I highly doubt they’re letting sisters of mercy on the wall.”

  “Te
ll me there’s another way,” I groaned. My hair had finally grown back after it had been shorn during my training as a skin. It had taken over two years. It wasn’t fair that I couldn’t have this one vanity.

  “Hmm.” Fynn rummaged through his trunk again and pulled out a copper helmet. “This might be better.”

  I took the helmet out of his hands. It wasn’t as heavy as it looked. The metal must be very thin. “Do soldiers even where helmets?” I asked.

  Fynn shrugged. “Probably not. But you have two options. Cut your hair or put on the helmet.”

  “Helmet,” I mumbled as I slid the helmet over my head. There was a grill that covered my eyes and nose. I pushed it up so I could see. It wasn’t exactly uncomfortable, but it was strange. “How do I look?” I asked, the metal causing my voice to resonate. “Ugh.”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t talk,” Fynn suggested.

  I nodded in acquiescence, having no desire to hear that shrill ringing echo again.

  Fynn opened the door, and rays of sun touched my face. It was day. I hoped we still had time. As I followed Fynn through the streets toward the southern gate, I felt chilled at the eerie calm. Even though it was barely morning, it didn’t feel right for the streets to be so quiet.

  “I should be exhausted,” Fynn said. “I’ve been up all night. But, I feel like some sort of spark is running through me. My heart is beating so fast. It’s good, but strange. Why do I feel like this?”

  I removed the helmet before answering, not wanting to subject myself to that sound again, and held it in one hand.

  “It was the magic I used to free you,” I said, remembering Thomas’s reaction to my healing him so many years ago. He, too, had been overwhelmed by the experience.

  “A man could get addicted to this high.”

  “Hopefully, that won’t be a problem. I have no desire to go tinkering around in your head again anytime soon.”