The Midnight Spy

by Kiki Hamilton

  Nica inched herself up the waterfall, grateful for the many times she had climbed turret walls and trees at home. She knew the type of handholds and moves that would work most effectively to balance her weight. In less than ten minutes she peeked above the final step and pulled herself into the opening she had seen from below.

  “W..W..What do you s..s..see?” Sebande’s teeth chatted with cold.

  Nica stood in the opening and looked out, surprised at how high she’d climbed. She felt like some strange bird, perched in a frozen tree. She turned and peered into the tunnel behind her. Silver blue walls of luminescent ice wound away from her disappearing deeper into the waterfall.

  “There’s a tunnel that goes into the waterfall,” she called. “It’s all frozen.” She came back out and peered over the edge at Sebande, working his way up the steps. Below him Shanks stood at the bottom. Sebande was only halfway up when Nica heard a piercing cry. Her breath caught in fear as she watched the fast approaching silhouettes of the giant hawks.

  ere they come again,” Nica called down. It was obvious the Harpy hawks were coming with a purpose this time. She glanced down and could see that Sebande was shaking from the cold.

  “Are you all right?” she called.

  As though in answer, one of the hawks called too. A high, piercing cry. Startled, Nica looked up. The birds were gaining ground with each sweep of their gigantic wings.

  Sebande grunted and focused on his ascent. Nica could tell his hands were so cold he was having a hard time gripping the long knives he held. She debated whether to climb down and try to help him.

  “Stay there,” Shanks called from below, as if reading her mind. “Do not come down from that ledge,” he commanded her in a rough tone. “I’ll help him from this end.”

  Shanks started climbing and Nica was surprised at how quickly he moved up the frozen waterfall. He covered twice the distance in half the time.

  Sebande’s feet seemed to be numb. He was having trouble keep his boots on the steps and often the tight grip he had on the knives slammed into the ice was the only thing that kept him from slipping right off the face of the waterfall. From below, Shanks begin to hold Sebande’s feet in place until he was ready to step up again.

  Nica glanced from Sebande to the approaching birds. They seemed to be moving faster. Her knees began to shake “Hurry, hurry, hurry,” she mumbled under her breath. She measured the distance and the speed at which the hawks approached. With a sinking feeling she realized that neither Sebande nor Shanks were going to be able to get to the top before the first hawk was within striking distance. She turned and scrambled around in the opening of the tunnel, seeking every piece of fallen ice that was big enough to throw.

  Nica grabbed a chunk of ice with a practiced grip. She glanced down at Sebande and yelled, “Just keep climbing, I’ll keep them away.” Her first throw fell short of the approaching hawk. The bird cocked its large head to the side as it approached—as if to get a better view of Sebande’s dark form against the ice. Spotting his prey, the giant hawk lowered his beak. The startling white plumage on the top of his head folded back as the bird plunged into a dive.

  “Mediche,” Nica whispered. She grabbed another piece of ice and took aim again, cocking her arm and waiting for exactly the right moment. Now! With all her strength she threw the ice at the hawk’s head. The chunk of frozen water landed squarely between the bird’s eyes, causing the hawk to veer off course. The bird’s beak hit the wall next to Sebande with an explosion of ice chips.

  Startled by the proximity of the attack, Sebande lost his grip and hung from his modified ice pick by one hand. Below him, Shanks struggled to push his friend’s foot back in place and maintain his own balance. With a piercing cry the hawk flew back toward the pack.

  “Keep climbing,” Nica called. She crouched at the ready, clutching two more chunks of ice, and watched the approach of the next hawk. Nica eyed the distance from the huge bird to Sebande. Could he make it to the top before the next strike? Her instincts told her there was no possible way.

  She stood up as the giant bird approached. The wash of air from the beat of the giant wings blew the hair back from her face. This hawk had learned a lesson from watching the first bird. He approached with talons outstretched, rather than his beak. It would be more difficult to hit a vulnerable spot on the hawk from this angle.

  “Wait,” Nica whispered to herself, ‘wait... now!” She began to fire one chunk of ice after another at the hawk as hard as she could. Several pieces made contact, causing the hawk’s wings to flutter in alarm. The hawk pulled up with a great thrust of its giant wings, then with a sharp cry turned and dove straight for Sebande.

  Nica measured the distance in one glance and knew this time she wasn’t going to be able to deflect the attack. Dropping to her knees she stretched a hand down as far as she could reach to Sebande.

  “Jump!” she screamed. They were only going to get one chance.

  Sebande looked up at Nica and bent his knees. With a mighty leap, he pushed off and stretched his arm up as high as he could reach. Nica grabbed his wrist and yanked him upward as hard as she could. Pure panic fueled her strength. They fell backwards into the ice tunnel. Sebande landed just as the ice below his feet exploded with the force of the hawk’s attack.

  Nica scrambled back to the edge to look out from their perch. The hawks were lined up, one after the other to attack. Another bird was already preparing to dive. She jerked her head down to check on Shanks.

  Fear consumed her.

  Shanks had continued to climb while Nica helped Sebande to the top but he was still eight feet below the ledge, too far to jump. He seemed to realize this as well, for he had stopped climbing and had drawn his sabre, positioning himself for the next hawk’s attack.

  “Sebande, give me your long blade.” Nica commanded as she held her hand out.

  Sebande didn’t hesitate. He pulled his sabre from his side with a ringing sound and slapped the hilt into Nica’s hand.

  “Hold my feet,” she commanded over her shoulder to Sebande. “I’ll cover you from this side,” Nica yelled down to Shanks. Nica dropped to her stomach and inched out over the ledge. Once she felt Sebande’s hands around her ankles, she plunged out over the edge, hanging head first over the waterfall. She arched her back and raised her head to watch the approach of the oncoming bird. She could feel the strain in her stomach and back muscles as she waited, clutching the blade in her hand.

  “Wait….. wait…” she whispered to herself, timing her attack.

  The bird came at Shanks without flinching, as though testing his resolve. It wasn’t until the last second that the animal sensed the potential threat of the two of them. Gripping the hilt with both hands and starting with the sabre above her head, Nica swung her blade downward with a great stab into the bird’s back. At the same time, Shanks sunk his sword up into the soft tissue under the bird’s beak.

  With a shattering cry, the bird twisted and screamed, pulling away from them to plummet to the ice below. Shanks hurriedly began climbing again as a fourth bird began to dive.

  Sebande yanked Nica back and leaned over the ledge.

  “Jump!” he roared to Shanks.

  Shanks coiled his legs and sprang like a cat, catching Sebande’s wrist. With a hard tug, the dark haired soldier pulled him up and over the ledge. Shanks had barely landed on the ice when he rolled away, back toward the tunnel. He sprang to his feet and they scrambled for cover as the giant bird struck the ice below the opening.

  “Move,” Shanks yelled to Nica. He grabbed Nica’s wrist and pulled her away from the opening as another bird came close to the edge, flapping its wings in a great backwash of air, as if debating whether to land or not. They hurried further into the tunnel, out of sight of the Harpy hawks. Outside they could hear the angry calls and cries of the birds still stalking them.

  No one spoke for a moment as they gathered their breath.

  “I’ll take that.” Sebande reached for the blade still
clutched in Nica’s hand.

  With a start, she looked down at her fist and recoiled at the sight of the blood-stained metal. Shanks slid an arm around Nica’s shoulders and kissed the side of her face.

  “You all right?” he asked. She nodded as she relaxed against him. When Shanks released her, Nica could see the corners of Sebande’s mouth were turning blue. A wave of concern washed through her.

  “You’ve got to get out of those wet clothes,” she said. Sebande’s lips chattered uncontrollably as the cold air of the frozen waterfall chilled his soaked body. “I’m fine.” He looked down the icy blue tunnel. “L..let’s k…keep g…going.” He looked at Nica. “Counte, ela m..makata.”

  Nica smiled. She didn’t need a translation this time.

  Sunlight seeped through the frozen walls, illuminating the passageway with a brilliant blue light. Shanks led the way as they followed the winding path of the hallway until it ended in a circular chamber. Centered in the middle of the room was an icy pedestal with a thick, rectangular piece of emerald colored rock.

  They approached slowly.

  The stone was completely covered in writing and symbols. After a moment Nica realized the symbols were planets.

  “Bless the Ancients, it’s the Getheas Stone,” she whispered.

  Silence filled the room.

  Nica tentatively ran her fingers over the intricate carvings embedded in the rock. Next to her Shanks slid his fingers under one corner and tried to pry it free from its stand.

  “Frozen,” he said.

  Sebande attempted to move the stone too, without success. He slid his sabre from his belt and pointed his sword at the ice directly below the rock. With a sharp thrust he jammed the tip of the blade hard at the ice only to have it deflect off. Shanks pulled a dagger and gripped the handle so the blade pointed down. He jabbed at the ice several times trying to chip away at the frozen surface but to no avail.

  “Wait,” Nica cried, holding up her hand. “There’s one more quatrain.” She reached into the back of her cloak and pulled the thin book out of the pocket. “We never read the quatrain for ‘S’. It’s written in a language I didn’t understand.” She brushed the pages open and turned to the page for ‘S’. With her finger running over the lines she sounded out the words:

  Selo quatrand ser maba randatt mokata

  Histra e, ejob e, regatta e, murdaba

  Le cuiske fle monarche

  Garot de y’ar yian asanshe

  “Histra,” she repeated in surprise. “I’ve heard that word before—it means heart.” Her eyes flicked up to Sebande. “Isn’t that what you said?”

  “Yes.” Sebande replied.

  Nica caught her breath. “The final quatrain is written in Corsosh. It’s as if Getheas wanted to be sure we would be able to read it.”

  “Let me see.” Shanks held his hand out for the book and translated out loud.

  “The trinity will become the key

  The shape of a heart shall set me free

  Guard the secrets held within

  It’s time to let a new day begin.”

  He lowered the pages and looked at Nica. “What’s the trinity?”

  “It’s three of something.” She tapped a finger on her lip as she thought.

  “I know that much,” Shanks replied. “I meant what trinity is it referring to?”

  “Doesn’t the trinity have something to do with the church?” Sebande asked.

  Nica’s gaze locked on the tall dark-skinned young man. The church. The image of the carved doorway in the cathedral filled her mind. The Promise of the Ancients. She’d found the symbol of the crown there. Then the clock in Berjerac had yielded the symbol of the eye.

  “It’s the symbols we’ve found with the quatrains,” Nica cried. “The crown, the eye. There must be a heart somewhere.” She looked up at Shanks in despair. “We must have missed one.”

  “What does it mean, the trinity is the key?” Shanks asked. “Do you think this stone is locked on here somehow?” He ran his fingers over the top of the stone and around the edges, feeling for anything that might be a latch or a lock. His hands froze and his brow scrunched down in concentration.

  “What?” Nica asked.

  He stepped back and leaned down, examining the front edge of the stone.

  “It’s a notch or something missing out of the stone.”

  Nica peered at where he was pointing. A small dark shape was etched out of the stone.

  “That’s the symbol we need.” She snapped The Ages closed and stared at the front cover. “It’s a heart,” she breathed. “The third item is a heart.” She held the front of the book up for them to see. “Look.” She pointed to the design at the bottom of the cover. “I recognize it now. It’s a crown, an eye and a heart layered on top of each other to form one sign.” She pointed to the front edge of the stone. “It’s the same shape here. The hole is where the heart belongs.”

  Shanks moved closer. “It’s the book.” His voice sounded unsteady.

  “What?”

  “The bindings on the corners.” Shanks pointed to The Ages that Nica held in her hands. “If you put them together they form the shape of a heart.”

  Nica held the book out and stared at the metal clasps in each corner to secure the leather cover to the spine. The four corners each formed one fragment of a heart.

  “You’re right,” she whispered.

  She held the book out to Shanks. “Can you pry the metal pieces off with your knife?” He stared at the ancient manuscript for a moment, before he gently slid the tip of his blade under the corner of the first piece. He worked the blade under further and further until he flicked his wrist and the metal cap popped free.

  One by one he released the bindings. Nica arranged them in her open palm, slowly putting the heart together like pieces of a puzzle. When she edged the last piece into position with the tip of her finger they all stared down at the small heart that rested in her hand.

  “It’s the right size,” Nica said.

  “See if it fits,” Sebande said.

  Nica placed the lower pieces into the hole first, to support the top two pieces as she slid them into place. Once all four pieces were lined up she pushed the heart firmly into place. There was a soft click and the stone tablet shifted ever so slightly.

  Nica looked from Shanks to Sebande. With shaking fingers she lifted the rock tablet from the pedestal.

  “The Getheas Stone has been set free,” she whispered.

  can’t believe it,” Nica cried. “We found it! Becknah is going to be beside himself.” She laughed gleefully. “He’ll never come out of his study again.” She gazed down at the tablet in her hands. “Do you think these words really hold the secret to the quatrains?”

  “It does look like some kind of formula,” Shanks agreed. He took the stone from her hands. “See how it’s numbered?”

  Nica peered closer at the etchings. “What language is that? I can make out some of the words but not all of them.”

  “Probably some ancient version of Jarisan. Or perhaps a combination of languages.” Shanks shrugged. “Becknah will be able to tell us.” A drop of water landed on Nica’s cheek and she looked up in surprise. One by one drops were beginning to fall throughout the room.

  Nica turned to Shanks and saw the look of concern that passed between him and Sebande. Her gaze swiveled around the room to see that the pedestal which the stone had been resting on was changing—thawing.

  Shanks wiped several drops from his brow and looked around. “It’s melting. We need to get out of here.”

  They ran back through the tunnel with Shanks carrying the stone tablet. Already water had pooled on the floor and they splashed through ice water instead of walking on solid ice. They reached the opening to the outside and looked out. The sun was a brilliant orb in the sky overhead, the Harpy hawks gone. Rivulets of water were running down the face of the waterfall.

  “Start climbing down,” Shanks said. “Before the whole thing collapses. Nica, g
ive me your cloak.”

  Nica unfastened the buttons and swung the garment in his direction. Shanks took the stone, slid it into the pocket within the lining and buttoned the cloak over his shoulders.

  “The lining will hold the stone. I can get down without dropping it this way.” He looked over the edge. The water was streaming past their feet as the walls and ceilings around them melted. “Let’s move now. I’ll go first and try to identify the handholds.”

  A terrible screech rent the air.

  Nica covered her ears and looked at Shanks for an answer.

  “It’s the ice in the river—it’s breaking up,” Sebande said.

  Shanks sat down on the edge with his feet hanging over. Bracing his hands on each side, he flipped around so he was facing the wall.

  Sebande got down on one knee and held Shanks’ wrist as he lowered himself down the face of the melting waterfall.

  “All right,” Shanks called as he found a foothold. Using his knife he dug into the ice for purchase.

  “Nica, you go next,” Sebande said. “We don’t have time to wait until he’s off. Another few feet and you can go.”

  Nica sat down as she’d seen Shanks do and let her feet dangle over the edge. The icy water was bitter cold through her clothes and now she was without the added benefit of her cloak. She shivered uncontrollably as she checked on Shanks’ progress.

  Sebande gripped one of her wrists firmly. “All right, flip around and dig your toes in.” Nica flipped over, comforted by the knowledge that Sebande could pull her back up if she slipped. She kicked a toe of her boot firmly into the ice and found it gave way enough she could get a grip. She slid her fingers along the face of the frozen waterfall, until she could embed her dagger and anchor herself. Moving carefully, she inched her way over the side and started her descent.

  Shanks made steady progress below her and she tried to follow the path he was taking. Her fingers were numb from gripping the knives as the icy water continued to flow off the face of the waterfall, splashing her over and over. Her entire body was shaking from the cold by the time she stepped onto the rough surface of the river near where Shanks stood waiting for her.