We were going to destroy the wall and render the city vulnerable, to leave the residents thinking their last defence had been stripped away, to prove Green couldn’t even take care of our most important city, never mind the entire continent.
Browne and I hadn’t been idle during our journey. I had told the other Shields how I had killed Segal. There was no way to practise that action, though, and no way of knowing whether any of our Shields could perform it. Browne had devised a way to destroy objects with a black cloud cast while avoiding sending dangerous debris flying all over the place. Unfortunately, not all casters could pick a single section out of a larger item and blow that section away. They found it impossible to slice out the portion they wanted and separate it from the material around it.
I had been able to learn how to do it since rejoining the Triple S forces. Eventually.
Perhaps the fact that the wall had been so badly built would make it easier for everyone.
Our casters knelt and spread their ingredients on the ground. I could hear the clink of buckles as people shifted with impatience and unease. I could hear the occasional snorts from the horses.
“I can’t see anything,” one of the soldiers complained.
“Because it’s dark,” another pointed out sardonically.
“They have to know we’re here. They have to be doing something in the city to fight back.”
“All they can do right now is stand on the wall. We’re blowing up the wall. End of.”
I hoped it would be that simple. It was why we’d picked the moments just before dawn to attack. We could see the wall. Against the darkness of the grass, our opponents would have a hard time seeing us.
Finally, the lanterns were lit and shutters were opened and closed.
On the wall before me, a layer of black cloud appeared, from top to bottom, about five feet wide, illuminated by the flashes of light it carried. I could see the wall vibrating, the lightning digging out chunks. Moments later, the stones blew apart, the explosion held in by the cloud itself. The cloud didn’t muffle the sound, though, and I imagined the cracking boom reached the ears of many of the residents of Erstwhile. The soldiers tensed for a moment in reaction to the sight and the noise, but they held formation and seemed to trust that they were safe.
Several feet away, another section of the wall was blown out.
“Ready?” Taro asked me.
“Of course,” I answered.
He sank the portion of the wall between the two breaches while our casters threw more clouds.
Pairs fought him from behind the wall, but not well enough. His mind just ploughed through theirs. Really, they shouldn’t have bothered.
And then, I felt Ogawa trying to rearrange my Shields.
So, they had figured out how to kill a Source. Had they used real Sources to practise with?
I couldn’t handle thinking about it right then. “Ogawa is going after my Shields.”
Taro pulled his attention from the wall. “Shall I stop?”
That was the best way to protect him, just have him stop channelling. Ogawa couldn’t use my Shields against him if I wasn’t Shielding him in the first place. However, “She’ll just attack again when you resume channelling. We might as well deal with her now. I’m going to follow her back to Tenneson.”
We both knew that I meant I was going to kill Tenneson. I hated the idea. I felt badly for him. I believed he’d been sucked into a dark place against his will. Ogawa had failed to Shield him High Scape, and he had been called back to Shidonee’s Gap to share her shame. And then he learned he’d never be given another post. It hadn’t been his fault, but he’d been punished.
And now I was going to kill him.
Taro didn’t hesitate. “Ready when you are.”
So I did more than hold Ogawa off. I followed her to Tenneson. I filled the breaks in her Shields.
She created new breaks, sensing my every move and reacting against it.
Damn it, I hadn’t expected her to be that good.
She pushed back at me, trying to get at Taro again. I imagined digging my heels in. I actually put my hands up, palms out, as though pushing against a door. I didn’t normally react with physical movement when I was Shielding. The regulars around me must have been wondering what I was doing.
Then, I felt Tenneson disengage, and Ogawa’s Shields faded away with him.
Three of the soldiers in our group were attacked by a single black cloud, all at once. I could see some of Green’s casters peeking around the edges of the breaches in the wall. Our casters, mid-spell, couldn’t fight back. Even if they could, they’d probably have a hard time seeing their opponents, who could duck back behind the stone.
But some of our casters farther down the line must have had a clear view, because the attacking casters were enveloped in black clouds of their own. As they died, our soldiers were released.
They were in pain, but they were alive. We had to leave them there to destroy another portion of the wall.
Other Shields tried to attack Taro, but they weren’t strong enough to fight through me. Ogawa, however, did not make another attempt.
I could hear screaming all around me, ringing with pain and fear. It sent shivers down my spine, it brought tears to my eyes, but I couldn’t let it distract me.
The section of the wall that had been the responsibility of our group was almost completely destroyed, small stacks of stones leaning here and there. I could see the Erstwhile residents running in the streets.
Whistles pierced the air. Their whistles. The pressure from Green’s Pairs stopped. I saw some of her casters and Pairs running away, but I couldn’t be certain that none were left behind. There were no further attacks from them, though, which gave me hope.
That had taken a lot less time than I’d expected.
It had grown too light to use the lanterns. From group to group, flags were raised. We returned to the rest of our forces. It was only then that we learned that we’d lost seven Pairs, four due to black clouds and three by Green’s Pairs using the process with which I’d killed Segal.
We didn’t have time to talk about it at length. We took our places among the soldiers and marched back to the city wall.
When we reached the ruined wall, we saw no one. That didn’t mean we were safe. There were buildings just beyond the wall, with windows. Pairs and casters could be lurking at them, just out of our sight, ready to assault us again.
The plan was to march up Centre Street, the widest street, with buildings that were the farthest apart. The Commissioner didn’t want our people splintering into different directions and getting picked off without the rest of us knowing.
It was difficult, though, trying to appear unafraid when we all felt exposed and vulnerable, with no cover to dive behind should anyone choose to throw something at us, a weapon or a cast.
But nothing happened.
At first the only people I could see were our own. And then I spotted him. A young man, looking out of the window above a shop. There was no particular expression on his face, no anger or fear. He didn’t say anything. He just watched us.
And as we walked down the street towards the city’s main square, more and more people appeared in their windows. No one said anything. The only noises we heard were the ones we made ourselves – the squeaking of our leather uniforms, the soles of our boots against the cobblestones. It was eerie.
Maybe Green’s forces were waiting in the city square, planning an all consuming clash. But that would only make things riskier for them, wouldn’t it? It would be easier to dash out from a side street, kill someone before any of us could react, and dash back out of reach.
But no one did, and there was no one in the city square. We took formation, with no one to fight. We just stood there with no idea what to do next.
This whole thing, from beginning to end, had been a vile nightmare, but I couldn’t help thinking that we probably looked ludicrous right then.
So now what?
The creak of a door opening ripped through the strange silence. I jumped from a jolt of surprise, and so did many around me. Everyone turned towards the source of the noise, those with weapons holding them at the ready.
A young woman stepped into the street, holding her hands out and open. No weapon in them. No belt to tuck a blade into. She appeared harmless and terrified. She slowly moved towards the soldiers, stopping just out of arm’s length.
After a few short moments, a private was sent back to the Commissioner, and then the Commissioner threaded through the ranks to the Erstwhile woman. They spoke. I couldn’t hear what they said. After the Erstwhile woman backed into her residence, and the Commissioner returned and made his way to the Premier Pair. “I’m told Green and the last of her people have holed up in the palace.”
Ah, hell, another damn wall.
“You sank Kent Manor,” Sato said to Taro.
“Yes, sir.”
“If you can get a view of it, do you think you can sink the palace?”
“I’ve never sunk anything that large.”
“Does that make a difference, the size?”
There was a pause.
Then Taro shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out.”
How reassuring.
“Can you clear away enough of the palace wall to get Source Karish a good view of the building?” the Commissioner asked me.
Browne would be a better choice, but I wasn’t going to hand off responsibility to her. “Yes.”
He nodded and picked out sixteen soldiers to accompany us along the final stretch to the palace. Risa volunteered to go as well. So, we were allowed to splinter off.
No one interfered with us on the way. I didn’t even see anyone on the street. I felt like it had to be a trap.
When we reached our destination, I chose to destroy the gate instead of the wall, because it was too ugly to be allowed to exist.
And that was when five of Green’s people showed up, rushing through the breach left by the gate. Could they not see they were outnumbered? Were they stupid or had they simply lacked a choice?
Then all five of them took a sharp turn to the right and ran away.
Huh.
“Should we chase them?” one of our soldiers asked.
“Why?” Risa responded.
No one had a good answer for that.
“Are you ready?” Taro asked.
“Of course.”
The palace would be the largest building we’d ever sunk, as well as the one with the most complex architecture and the most underground rooms, requiring an enormous amount of soil to be shifted. It took Taro several moments to get started.
I felt Green’s Pairs working against us again. Far fewer than had been with her before, and just as fractured in their efforts. Too frightened to work together? Too frightened to try at all? They could avoid engaging without causing any suspicion, if they wished. It wasn’t as though a regular could actually tell whether a Pair was channelling or not.
Were some of them convinced they’d be defeated and hoping they could get back in favour with the Triple S by claiming they had realised their error and left Green hanging at the last moment?
One of the palace’s turrets began to buckle and windows cracked and popped out of their casements. Stones chipped and chunks dropped, some landing on the heads of the people who had started streaming out of the building. Groaning from the structure sent shivers down my spine.
The Pairs opposing us dropped their defences again. The pace of the displacement of the palace increased.
Eight people sprinted out from the front entrance. We watched them run up the drive. As they got closer, they held up their hands, demonstrating their lack of weapons. Some of our soldiers raised their swords anyway.
Green’s people halted too far away to engage in any clash. “What do you think you’re doing?”one of them shouted. “Do you know how old the palace is? How much it will cost to repair?”
Yes, and no.
“At least stop long enough to enable Lady Green speak with your Commissioner. She wants to see him.”
“Let her come out, then,” Risa responded.
The other woman was appalled. “Of course she won’t come here.”
“We’re not having our Commissioner walk about your troops.”
“Please!” the woman begged. “Wait! Let us consult with her!”
“It would be a shame to destroy the building if it isn’t absolutely necessary,” I suggested to Taro. And it risked the lives of a bunch of people who didn’t need to die, those who might not be able to escape the palace in time.
That latter was probably the thought I should have expressed out loud.
He halted the burial. “Fine. Take your message, but if I see a single sign of hostility or duplicity, the palace will be levelled.”
The woman nodded. “Describe to her Ladyship the circumstances,” she ordered the person next to her.
I was surprised Green hadn’t been the first to leave the palace. I would have expected her to insist upon it.
“Someone should fetch the Commissioner,” said Taro, and one of our escorts ran back to the square.
We waited, but not for long. The Commissioner arrived with the Premier Pair. The Green servant returned and whispered to the woman. The woman looked a little anxious as she stepped forward. “Her Ladyship invites you to attend to her in the palace.”
Arrogant to the end.
“Lady Green isn’t the mistress of the palace,” said the Commissioner. “She lacks the authority to invite anyone into it.”
“She has assumed His Majesty’s responsibilities.”
“And why would she do that?” the Commissioner asked.
The woman paused, appearing confused. “Because … he’s dead.”
“Why would you say such a thing?”
She looked baffled. “Everyone knows he’s dead. Her Ladyship made the proclamation.”
“And what was the manner of his death?”
“Fighting bravely in battle.”
I almost snickered. Who could truly believe Gifford had actually participated in any of the clashes?
But the lie suited us. I’d been afraid of accusations that we’d murdered him, and we had no body to present as evidence in our defence. Browne’s cast had delayed the decomposition of Gifford’s body, but couldn’t ultimately prevent it. We’d been forced to bury the body when it had begun to rot.
“Her Majesty summons you to the palace,” the woman persisted.
“I won’t risk the safety of the Premier Pair and myself by entering the palace,” the Commissioner responded calmly. “Your Ladyship no doubt believes our presence in the palace will prevent my Pairs from destroying it. I won’t put them in that position.”
“And if she mingles with you, she will be a hostage, which will stop our forces from acting.”
An impasse.
The Commissioner spent a moment in contemplation. “We will erect a pavilion at the middle distance between our camp and the city. We will meet there. Ten attendants each. We will be in equal danger, with equal safety.”
The woman nodded. “This suggestion will be presented to Her Ladyship.” She gestured at the servant, who ran off again.
That there was no one among them with the authority to make any decisions was annoying. It was a longer wait before the servant returned with the news that Green had accepted the terms. I believed she was forcing us to hang about longer than was necessary, just to prove she could.
We left the city, everyone watching us on the way out.
Personnel were sent ahead, so by the time we reached the chosen area, a pavilion had been erected. “Premier Source Zoffany, Premier Shield Sato,” said the Commissioner, “I’d ask you to be part of the meeting. Source Karish and Shield Mallorough, as well.”
“Of course,” Sato agreed.
“Private, fetch Healer Browne.”
A young man sprinted away.
I was conflicted. I didn’t want to be ther
e, to have to stand with Green and look at her without spitting at her, but I didn’t want to have to wait somewhere else in ignorance, either.
Four of Green’s people arrived, bearing a table and a large map. Why did she feel a map was necessary?
There was no sight of Green, though, and after a few more moments of waiting, Sato suggested, “She thinks arriving after us demonstrates some sort of greater power.”
The Commissioner shrugged. “No one can be put off their footing unless they let themselves be. We can be the mature participants.”
And we waited.
For almost an hour. Obnoxious bitch.
Chapter Thirty-One
Lady Green eventually showed up with Lord Firen, Solicitor Natson, Ogawa and Tenneson, and eight soldiers. The four who had set up the table remained. A total of sixteen people. Six extra just to demonstrate she wasn’t going to completely acquiesce to the Commissioner’s suggestions.
It was childish. I hated games.
“Her Majesty has a proposition for you,” Lord Firen announced. Then he paused, waiting, no doubt, to encourage the Commissioner to inquire what the proposition was. To place the Commissioner, from the very beginning, in the role of supplicant, asking what favour Green was prepared to bestow upon him.
Instead, the Commissioner drawled, “You may proceed.”
Oh, Firen didn’t like that, being given permission to speak. “Her Majesty is prepared to amend the Tripartite Act.”
“Lady Green lacks any authority to amend any legislation.”
“Her Majesty has assumed the former Emperor’s responsibilities until a coronation can be arranged.”
“It is the task of the chosen Imperial Solicitor to fill the sovereign’s role until a new titleholder is placed.”
“That Her Majesty is not yet the sovereign is merely a technicality.”
“Technicalities are laws people find inconvenient. They are still laws.”
Firen frowned. “We aren’t here to discuss your unsolicited and unqualified opinion on Her Majesty’s standing. We’re here to arrange an end to the hostilities you created.”
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