She sat at her desk. This was the second time in six hours Karloth had failed her. Bad enough he let four of her women down to their cabins to sleep without her say so; this was intolerable. The boy had heard everything, and now he was off with the cook – the cook, for the god’s sake – he was off to Ein’laig knew where, free to tell anyone her secrets.
“They won’t get far,” Karloth said. “We have the gateways guarded, remember? We’ll pick them up in the village, or maybe on one of the trails leading south through the Raekawn. Two days, three at the most. There is no need for concern.”
“You don’t know that,” Zill spat. “For all we know, there could be a hundred rebels waiting in the valley. We will have to move the plan forward – I will go tomorrow night.”
Karloth rubbed at his temple. He looked annoyed, gods damn him.
“Isn’t that dangerous? You said, the chances of forming a viable gate without a full chamber was negligible, and likely hazardous. You could kill us all.”
“I am aware of that,” Zill said, “and I would be the first to die, but we cannot wait for that boy to tell of what he has heard. I must go tomorrow night, when the moon is high, and the mist is at its thickest.”
“And if you cannot open a Way through this nexus? There is not enough Power left in those women to refill another chamber. Three days, can you not wait three days?”
Zill picked up her wine goblet and regarded her bodyguard over the rim, and she drank. What he said made sense; if she failed to create a gate, they would have to start again. But she also knew, one whisper of what that boy had heard in the wrong ear and half the Eastern Kingdoms would come down on top of her – the Eiras Witches, the Mages of Lebara, the Dragons; they would all beat a path to her door.
No, she could not risk it. Maybe Karloth did have guards on the gates, but a hidden spy in Raff could have a lier’sinn or access to the Road. God’s, even a pigeon could reach Eiras before noon tomorrow – a fast ship, and the witches could be on her doorstep the following morning.
“I’ve made my decision,” Zill said. “I will attempt the crossing tomorrow or die trying.”
CHAPTER 24
The Kitchen Boy
Elspeth always imagined you needed a few hundred people to cause a riot, but there were barely two dozen sitting around their campfire just north of Raff. The only two not shouting were York and Anooni – the pale woman looked too sick to talk, let alone join the uproar. Even Trapper was yowling – though Elspeth supposed he was just copying the others.
“Can we all settle down?” Olivia shouted, hands in the air making a calming gesture.
Eventually, everyone quietened down, and Olivia turned to the kitchen boy.
“Can you start again, Shai? I think we all need to listen properly, and without the shouting.” She said the last to the small group of rebels sitting behind Juran and Morn. Not that Nini’s men were any less prone to outbursts.
Elspeth hitched forward. She thought she had heard most of what the boy said, but it was so incredible, she had to hear it again.
The boy was a tiny thing. He said he was twelve, but Elspeth thought he looked no older than eight. He was skinny, pale, and his eyes were still red with tiredness. His oddest feature was his almost white hair. Morn had found him on the ship. Shai had been hiding in a chamber under the tower, too scared to come out. He had said the monsters would catch him if he came out. Morn had managed to coax the boy away from the chamber and feed him some honey cakes, but it was water the boy had needed most – seemed whatever was in that chamber had made him thirsty.
Morn said he had considered leaving the boy down in the village, coming back to report on his story by himself, but what Shai had said was so incredible and detailed, Morn knew he would forget at least part of it – and he knew there would be questions.
Shai took a long drink, favouring his bandaged fingers, then cleared his throat. His voice was shallow, shy, but loud enough that Elspeth did not have to strain to hear him.
“It’s like I said, the machine under the tower is a time tunnel – that’s what Lady Zill called it. A time tunnel to take her back to before it all happened.”
The rebels started grumbling again, but Olivia raised her hand. “And tell us, Shai,” the princess said, voice soft, “to before what happened?”
“I told you, to before the dragon broke the seals.”
“Here we go again,” Gresh said. “What dragon? What seals? What are you talking about, boy?”
“That is enough,” Olivia said. “You’re making him nervous. Just listen to the story.”
Gresh huffed. “Story – yeah, you got that right.”
Olivia gave the man a sour look, then turned to Shai, “Ignore him,” she said. “Go back a bit and start your… story from the beginning.”
Shai took a deep breathe, and started again.
“I was taking the slops out to throw over the side, when I heard Lady Zill talking to the big man. She was shouting, saying it was all taking too long. That’s when the big man laughed. He said, ‘You have the machine, why should it matter how long we take?’ Zill was angry at that. She said he did not understand. She said something like, if they didn’t break through soon, they would all die, and she would have to start again with another group. I guessed they were talking about the women in the tower, those what spend all day feeding the machine.”
“What do you mean, feeding?” Olivia asked.
Shai shook his head. “I don’t know. That’s what the big man said – that if they could not fill the machine fast enough, maybe she should wait until they had more feeders. It wasn’t hard to figure what he meant. I mean, cook said those women were fading away, like something was sucking the life right out of them. That’s the machine – the machine is sucking the life out of them… they are feeding it!”
“You don’t know that,” Gresh said. Olivia raised her hand and opened her mouth to say something, but Gresh spoke over her. “Well, he doesn’t know that, he’s just guessing.”
“No I’m not,” Shai said, childish anger in his tone. “I heard as much from Zill. ‘They will be enough to stoke the machine,’ she said, like she was building a fire. ‘We only need one portal.’”
“And what did Karloth say about that?” Olivia asked.
Shai frowned at her.
“The big man,” Olivia said, “what did the big man say about that?”
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t know his name was Karloth.”
Gresh sniggered, but Olivia waved the boy on.
“He asked how she knew the gateway would open at the right place, and Zill said ‘The destination I seek is not a place, but a time. It matters not where it goes, but when. I’m betting it will open somewhere around the pyramid, but I’ll accept anything south of Barath.’ She sounded real proud of herself when she said that, like she had discovered hidden treasure or something. The big man shook his head, not believing her, but Zill told him not to worry, that she would not have to waste her time with the Trials of the Nine, that those Seekers were fools, and she would beat them to the Sand Tower. That’s when the big man got angry. He said there weren’t no shortcuts to the last Godstone and she was putting too much faith in the scroll.”
“What scroll?” Olivia said.
Shai shrugged. “Like I said, I only heard them talk, I couldn’t see.”
“What was that about a pyramid,” Elspeth asked. She remembered that from the first telling, wondering if it was the same pyramid Gialyn was now visiting – the Dragon Temple.
“That’s why she said she had to go back,” Shai told her. “Zill said, they had to go back to before they built the pyramid, before some storm ruined everything, and before the seals were broken. She said, if she could beat the storm to the gateway, she could Travel to the Sand Tower without doing the trials. She was excited about that part, said the storm was the reason the Dragonkin failed last time. That made her laugh. She said she would love to see the Dragonkin’s face when he found out she had won.”<
br />
Olivia turned to look at Elspeth. “I think he’s talking about…” She nodded to the south.
Elspeth nodded her agreement; Zill had been talking about Arfael’s people – the Dragonkin she mentioned was likely one of the Cinné’arth. In fact, depending on how long it had been since this storm, Zill may well have been talking about Arfael himself – there was a lot in Arfael’s past he did not remember.
She did know Arfael was a lot older than he looked, and that he once had brothers who could also turn themselves into a Cinné’arth. She knew his father had been a general, and that he had once lived in Fael. She also knew he had quested for the last Godstone, and if anyone could find the Sand Tower, it would be him. Zill was right; if she managed to cheat her way to the Sand Tower, Arfael would not be happy – and never mind what the dragons or the witches or the mages thought.
“Didn’t Brea say something about there being a pyramid on Bly?” Elspeth asked the princess.
Olivia nodded. “Someone should try contacting her, see if she can get a message to Arfael. He needs to know about this. I would hate for him to win his way to the Sand Tower just to find Zill waiting at the top.”
“I agree,” Elspeth said. “But we can’t contact her without a lier’sinn, and it would take at least three days to get back to Eiras.”
“I would bet Zill has one,” Olivia said. “Maybe one of us could—”
“You’re not going on that ship alone,” Juran said. “Not until we have a solid plan in place.”
“I beg your pardon?” Olivia said. “Need I remind you who is in charge of this—”
“Did you not hear what the boy said? Zill is using wet witches to power that machine. If she gets her hands on either of you pair, you could end up finishing her job for her.” Juran glanced at Elspeth, then turned back to Olivia. “I’m guessing you are more powerful than your common wet witch; Zill would love to suck your life away to feed her… her time tunnel. No, you stay away until the attack. Use the lier’sinn after, if you still think it necessary.”
Elspeth expected Olivia to complain, but, for a wonder, she hid a blush by quickly taking a sip of her tea.
“And did you see this machine?”
It was York’s turn to talk. He had been quiet while the others argued, but Elspeth could tell by the look on his face that the one-time colonel was not convinced by the boy’s recalling of events. He asked the question of Lupan, who had quietly sat behind the boy all through his recollections.
In fact, the cook had not said much to anyone, not even Juran. He just shrugged in answer to York’s question.
“I saw it,” Morn said.
It had only been a few days since Elspeth last saw Morn, but in that short time, the young man had aged. In truth, he looked sick. Like the boy and Lupan, Morn’s skin was covered in red marks. His sores were not as bad as the cooks, but a few had scabbed over. The ones on his neck looked especially painful. More than once, Elspeth had noticed Morn raising a hand to scratch his neck, only to wince at the result.
“It was a living thing,” Morn went on, “like nothing I have ever imagined. More tree than machine, but it has cogs and wheels and gears. It fills the whole room, all up the walls and along the ceiling. There’s one crawl space, which is where I found Shai, and something in the centre that looks like a tin cupboard. And the smell… I can’t describe it. It was like molten copper mixed with cow dung. Lots of cow dung.”
“Like the peat bogs south of Bhail?” Elspeth asked.
Morn frowned. “I have never been to Bhail, miss.”
Nini was nodding at her question. “I know what you’re thinking,” he said. “Remember the cellars below An’raeg tower? You asked me about the wall lamps and how they worked. I told you the gas came from the chamber below the caves.” He turned to Morn. “I’ll bet that coppery, cow dung smell was peat gas. I’ll bet Zill is using gas for that machine of hers – to heat it up, maybe.”
“Yes,” Morn said. “A bog! It smelled like a bog!”
“Why would she want to heat it up?” York said.
Nini shrugged. “Why else would she need gas? Either she needs the light, or she is using the fire to heat something up. I doubt she is cooking down there, so it must have something to do with the machine.”
Olivia raised her hand. “It does not matter what she is using it for – we are going to destroy the ship. And if there is gas under the tower, she has made that job a lot easier. One torch in the right place and the whole thing will blow.”
“Yes,” York said, “along with whoever is stupid enough to hold the torch. This has not made our job easier, Olivia, just a lot more dangerous.”
“You may be right,” Olivia said. “But never mind the risk, we will have to attack tomorrow.”
More shouting. This time, even York raised his voice.
“We are not ready,” the one-time colonel said. “We are outnumbered, we don’t know enough about the ship, and we cannot approach without being seen. We need more time, and more men.”
“We can’t wait,” Olivia said. “According to Morn, Zill all but tore that ship to pieces trying to find Shai. She is nervous, she thinks the boy was a spy, she has no doubt guessed there are rebels around the village. She won’t wait; which mean we can’t wait. We attack tomorrow.”
York gave the princess a considering look, and for a while, Elspeth thought he might say more, but finally, the old colonel nodded.
Sighing, he said, “No plan devised under such short notice will be perfect – we will lose a lot of men. If I did not believe holding back would cause more death, I would insist the volunteers wait for help to arrive. But we cannot wait. You are right; though it may cost us dearly, we must stop Zill and save those women.”
* * *
There was little argument after that. None wanted to rush to the attack, but neither could they find a good argument for waiting.
Elspeth sat on the cliff overlooking the village. She could see the bay and, although it was dark, she could see the lights from the Tower Ship. This time tomorrow, she would be on that ship, fighting for her life, no doubt. Absently, she wondered if they could not just swim out under cover of darkness and burn a big hole in the hull with a adole spell. She might have suggested doing just that, were it not for all the innocent folk: the wet witches, the kitchen boys, the cooks and servants. No, they would have to go on the ship. But how were they to do that without raising the alarm? Gods, folk would die even before they had climbed on board. Yes, the cover of dark would help, but Zill would have all her guards watching for boats. And even if they could slip aboard unnoticed, how many of those innocent folk would get caught up in the fighting?
Sighing, Elspeth put her head in her hands. It was a terrible plan; they would be lucky if one in four made it out alive.
“Are you worrying about Gialyn?”
Elspeth turned to her right to see Anooni climbing the steep slope.
She laughed. “I think he is safer where he is. Which is somewhat peculiar, don’t you think? That Gialyn is safer in the middle of an ancient forest surrounded by dozens of dragons?”
Anooni sat down beside her. She had two mugs gripped in the fingers of one hand. She handed one mug to Elspeth. It was still hot.
“Thank you,” Elspeth said.
Anooni was looking at her again, that odd, far away look she sometimes gave when she was Seeing something. It reminded Elspeth of the inn in Sugal, when Anooni abruptly started staring at her.
“Is something wrong?” she said. “Can you See something?” She waved a finger at Anooni eyes. “You’re doing that, looking through me thing?”
“Am I?” Anooni said, blinking. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
“That’s all right. I was just wondering if you could See something.”
“Nope. Only the sea, and the fog.”
Elspeth tried not to stare back. Had Anooni Seen something? That was twice now she had had that look in her eye, and both times she had been looking at her.
Stop it. She would tell you if there was anything wrong.
“Anyway,” Elspeth said. “Thanks for the tea.”
“Well, you didn’t eat much supper,” Anooni said. “You’re not used to these islands, Elspeth, you need something warm inside you.”
“Yes, of course,” Elspeth said. “I forgot you are from Sparrow Island. I bet it’s even colder up there.”
Anooni shrugged. “Sometime, when the wind blows across from Nos’fael. Now that place is cold.”
“You’ve been there?” Elspeth asked, incredulous. “I thought it was dangerous, full of warring tribes and wild dragons.”
Anooni smiled. “They say much the same of you lot. I suppose it’s all a matter of perspective. You know – one man’s enemy is another man’s hero…. They say you are corrupt because you follow a king and that you are barbaric because you allow women to fight in your battles.” She smiled again. “They also say you are cannibals who eat your own children if they offend their gods.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Elspeth said. She was surprised at how angry she felt. “Cannibals?”
Anooni waved off the comment. “Pay it no mind, Elspeth. I mean, you think that’s bad? You should hear what the Atrians say about the Eastern Isles – controlled by a pack of feral witches, every second son sacrificed to Diobael, we sharpen our teeth with a blacksmith’s rasp. Apparently, we all lay with our mothers, even the girls.”
“Unbelievable,” Elspeth said. “It is astonishing just how ignorant some folk are.”
Anooni nodded. “People like to take sides. It’s natural to make up stories about strangers. You should hear what they are saying about you in Rieg.”
“Me? What could they be saying about me?”
“Some say you are their saviour for putting out the fires, others say you are a demon who cursed the harbour. You know, they’ve barely unloaded ten ships since you left. All the merchants are going to Sugal instead.”
“That’s not my fault,” Elspeth said, voice sharp. “They burned the warehouses down; of course the merchants are going to go to Sugal.”
The Ship of Tears_The Legend of the Nine_Part One Page 26
