by Mara Amberly
Cassia felt a wave of energy enfold her, and then everything seemed to be as it was before.
“The spell is active?” Cassia asked, unable to sense it.
Sister Ariane nodded. “Yes it is.”
With a smile, Cassia approached the hole in the tunnel wall. It glowed faintly in the near-darkness. She put her hand on the edge, and all seemed well, and then she climbed through. Golden energy began to arc around her fingers and she gasped aloud.
“Owwww! It hurts!”
She tried to force herself through as quickly as she could while energy arced around her body and Ariane’s shield. Knave grabbed her and dragged her through.
“It’s burning! My hands. Everywhere!” she screamed.
She couldn’t see much by her orb’s light, but her hands and arms were covered in red welts. She was sure she’d have them on her stomach and legs too. Her own magick never burned her, but somehow this energy had and through the shield at that.
Knave guided her over to the light, where he could see the damage to her hands.
“This is awful. Can either of you heal her?”
“I can,” Alexa answered without hesitation.
“So can I,” Ariane added, her expression concerned.
Alexa couldn’t hide her fear. She was stuck in the tunnel with Ariane, while her sister and Knave were on the other side.
“I’m going to try an earth shield. Perhaps it can earth these bolts of energy instead of just absorbing them,” Alexa explained.
She glanced at Sister Ariane for a moment, who seemed genuinely surprised or startled by what had happened. Alexa released a breath and then cast the spell on herself.
She was annoyed that Cassia had been hurt, but at least she was alive. Alexa’s upset made casting the spell that much more difficult, but she knew when she’d succeeded.
With the shield in place, she climbed through the hole in the tunnel wall, hoping the flashing and arcing bolts of energy around her would be grounded by her shield. They were.
She made it through unharmed, then hurried over to her sister.
Ariane hesitated for a moment, and it seemed that she might not follow, but then she cast the spell on herself and did.
“Most healing spells are water, but there are some earth healing spells,” Alexa explained. “I could try one.”
Knave had already helped Cassia down on to the floor, where she was wracked by pain.
“No, please let me,” Sister Ariane begged. “It’s my fault the spell failed.” Her voice trembled. “Please, allow me to make up for it.”
Cassia cried at the pain, but she wanted to give Sister Ariane a chance. “Let Ariane do it.”
Alexa didn’t like it, but she reluctantly agreed. She would keep an eye on her; that was for sure.
“Go ahead. Please, heal her if you can. We need her.”
She didn’t just mean Knave and herself either; she meant the Sisters of Destiny. Cassia was a useful fighter and there was almost certainly danger ahead.
Sister Ariane knelt beside Cassia, and held her hands above the welts on her arms. She began to chant the words of a spell, but it was not a simple healing spell. Alexa and Cassia both knew what she was doing. It would weaken Sister Ariane’s energy stores, but it would prove more effective and work more quickly than a traditional healing spell.
Cassia cried out in pain at first, but it got better as the moments passed.
“I think it’s working,” she exclaimed. It was hard to see much difference in the welts by the light of her orb, but she could feel the difference.
Eventually Sister Ariane broke off the spell and sat down on the ground, where she caught her breath.
“The pain’s mostly gone now. Thank you, Sister Ariane.” Cassia was grateful and Sister Ariane merely nodded.
“I think I should rest here,” Ariane said. “Most of us still haven’t slept properly yet, so I’d suggest that once we’re sure the area is safe.”
She was too tired to pull out her blanket. She stretched out on the ground and put her pack under her head.
Knave pulled his own blanket from his bag and draped it over her. “Stay safe, lass.”
Alexa checked out the tunnel in one direction, which had several distant branches, before she returned to Cassia and Knave.
“How are you feeling now?” Alexa asked her sister.
“I’m alright,” she said, already feeling much more herself. “I think I’m up to looking around, if you’ll let me.”
“If you want to, sure, just take it easy,” Alexa suggested. She was feeling protective of her sister, but Cassia seemed to be feeling a lot better now.
When they were further away and Cassia was sure Ariane wouldn’t overhear them, she spoke further.
“I think Ariane just burned through most of her energy to heal me. Why did she do it and why didn’t the shield work? It worked for Knave?”
Alexa shook her head. “I don’t know. I think she felt bad about what happened and wanted to make up for it as fully and quickly as she could? As for why it happened, I have no idea. The elemental balance of the shield could’ve been at odds with your own? I can’t think of too many other possibilities that don’t involve her doing it on purpose.”
Cassia frowned. “Me either. It’s possible something went awry.”
“That’s worrying. Are you sure you don’t want to get some rest lass?” Knave asked. It hadn’t been long ago she was injured.
Cassia smiled. “The pain’s gone, and I’m tired and a bit shaken, but I’m feeling alright. There’s got to be a way out of these tunnels. The man we found came from somewhere. We just need to avoid getting lost and whoever killed him… and possibly unknown surprises.”
Alexa closed her eyes for a moment, and inscribed a symbol on the wall using her fingertips. There was nothing on her fingers to leave a mark, but magick left a faint residual glow. It was the rune of Gevrus, the Wanderer.
“So we don’t get lost in strange places,” Cassia said with a smile.
Once she was done, Alexa smiled. “That’s the plan. Not to get lost, I mean.”
With that, they began what would become a thorough search of the surrounding tunnels.
Chapter 6
Cerus Arani had settled into his room in the Eastern Wing of the King’s palace. He hated it. Oh, the room was richly-furnished, with fine tapestries and a soft-canopied bed large enough for five, let alone one far-travelled Haledoran. It wasn’t that though. The soft lifestyle of the Kallean upper class depressed him. It reminded him of all that was wrong with the world. They fostered weakness with these plush surroundings. Relaxing with a sigh on the bed, he wondered what pursuits there were for men here that didn’t involve indulgence of some kind. He soon reached the conclusion there were none.
Cerus found himself wishing an assassin would find his or her way into his room. If they were well-informed, they would know he was a more than competent swordsman and wouldn’t be an easy target. If they were smarter or more cowardly, they’d poison his wine or some object in the room he would be sure to touch: the water decanter, the hair brush or the pot beneath his bed. He laughed, because only a truly evil or pragmatic man would think of death by chamber pot.
There was a soft knock on his door and Cerus grinned savagely. He wondered if that would be his assassin now. He’d made especially certain to retrieve his weapons before returning to his room, so he ensured his knife was where it should be and draped his shirt over it. If he died, well… Luca would probably make as good a Governor as he ever had.
He opened the door to see a woman standing there – a very attractive woman, dressed more as a servant or steward than a guest. Her hair was black and sleek, while her eyes were a deep, dark blue.
“Are you Governor Arani?” she asked, with a friendly, calm demeanour.
If she was an assassin, this might be the part where he expected a blade.
It seemed she would disappoint him in this. Cerus merely nodded.
“Inform
ation has reached me about your reasons for visiting the palace and I felt it was important that we talk. May we?” she asked, growing a little more nervous, but clearly hoping that Cerus would agree.
“I’d be happy to talk to you. Please come in,” he said, his gaze quickly assessing whether she carried weapons, but he saw none on her person.
She seemed to take his glance as flirtatious, because her cheeks coloured with a slight blush as she entered his room.
It was enough to make him question her reasons for being there. If that was the case though, she probably wouldn’t be blushing – he would.
“Well, you have my attention, Miss?”
He sat down in the seat opposite her and gestured for her to do the same.
“Laurelyn Black.”
She sat down and seemed to take stock of her thoughts. “I’ve been working here at the palace for several years. I’m employed by King Merrion as a special advisor, you might say. I contribute to the smooth running of the palace.”
Cerus was sure he had no idea what she was talking about, but he accepted her at her word for the time being.
“So what does this have to do with my visit to the King?” he asked.
“Word has got around that your report to King Merrion has swayed him against certain elements in the city.”
Cerus’s eyebrows rose. “That was quick. There were only five men in that room, aside from myself. King Merrion, his advisors and two guards.”
“That’s right,” she said with a nod.
“I suppose you’re going to tell me I’m endangering my life, which is more or less what I’d already gathered?” Cerus asked, keenly aware that the current situation at the palace was fluid.
“Not yours, Governor. King Merrion knows about the Warriors of the Dusk. He’s fully aware that they’re responsible for the deaths of so many.”
Cerus was surprised. “He is?” He hadn’t seemed to earlier.
“Oh yes. It has come to light that not all in his company may be trustworthy. They use misinformation as a tool, and part of my job is to root that out.”
Cerus nodded. “I see now what you do.”
She gave him a crooked half-smile. “I thought that you would.”
That made her dangerous, and not just good-looking. Cerus found her enchanting, but he reminded himself that it was no different to being lured by a brightly-coloured spider or snake. It was safer to look but not touch.
She seemed not to notice, but he couldn’t tell for sure.
“Do you believe the guards are responsible or do you doubt one or both of his advisors?” Cerus asked frankly.
She gave Cerus a subtle shrug, accompanied by a canny smile. She was reluctant to say one way or the other.
The guards would’ve been the easiest to blame, but if word was circulating among the nobility, Cerus had reason to wonder if one of his advisors had spoken of the meeting.
Sean Craedon had long been a reliable man, while Jason Veryon was more like a teenager who had never grown up. Sean brought wisdom and experience to the table. Jason was one of the King’s childhood friends who had stuck with him through the years. Of the two, Sean had more knowledge and Jason seemed to possess greater loyalty.
Of the two, Cerus found himself questioning Sean’s motives more. Perhaps Sean saw the King’s actions as foolish at times, just as he did, but it wasn’t justification for betrayal. He wondered if Sean had been working for the Nemorans all along.
Sean and Jason towered over Cerus in terms of rank and status. He couldn’t expose either one of them without a wealth of evidence, and even then, the King could turn justice on its head if it suited him. Cerus knew he must approach this situation with the utmost care – but he refused to back down if either man was guilty. He had his pride and the good of the kingdom to consider.
It meant that King Merrion had almost certainly lied to him earlier.
Cerus preferred to think of it as a ruse, but he would remember now that the King was capable of such deceit. He was a politician after all, but now Cerus considered for the first time whether the man was as much a fool as he appeared to be. It was possible he cultivated such views in others, at least among certain parties. It was a dangerous ploy, if so. A King viewed as weak was often a target for neighbouring kingdoms. It likely helped Maeridea that it was separated from other kingdoms by the water.
“So what are you looking for from me?” He eventually asked her. “Oh and would you like some wine?”
She shook her head. “No to the wine, though your offer is kind. I’m not looking for anything from you in particular, except–”
Here it comes, he thought, and listened with interest.
“I’d prefer it if you didn’t raise issues that King Merrion may feel required to respond to in certain company. He is aware of the threat and getting to the bottom of it in his own way. If our King makes a direct attack against our mutual enemy, then it will place his life in greater jeopardy than it already is. I simply ask that you bear this in mind before taking actions in front of others in his company. If you were to speak with King Merrion alone, that would be a different matter.”
That was easier said than done, as Cerus didn’t expect to be granted an audience alone.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he promised, after a moment’s hesitation.
He didn’t promise to limit his actions. Cerus had taken a chance in visiting the King’s island at such a delicate time, and he failed to see why His Majesty shouldn’t take a chance if it was required of him. After all, great wealth, power and status had been passed to him, and invested in him. Adequate protection of the King was understandable, but Cerus saw this as no reason to excuse him from his duties. He lived in a palace – he should be capable of dealing with the matter or name a successor who could.
“Thank you,” Laurelyn murmured, inclining her head.
While grateful, Cerus believed she already understood his intent in what he had promised and what he hadn’t. He would do what he had to do, but despite his earlier frustrations with the King, he didn’t want to see him dead. One might wish death on an enemy, but not a friend or acquaintance, and certainly not one’s monarch.
“I believe I’ve already relayed the main reason I came here to His Majesty, so there is not much more to be said,” Cerus added.
While that wasn’t strictly true, it was in relation to this matter. “There are of course matters related to my Governance of Haledor, but this took priority at the time. Haledor is thriving, though a consistent diplomatic presence would be helpful to my city and me.”
Laurelyn nodded, her expression half-interested as Cerus spoke of Haledor.
He was sure she had little interest in him or his city, just the job she’d been sent here to do.
“I should take my leave now, Governor Arani. Thank you for your hospitality and I’m glad we were able to come to an understanding.”
He smiled at this. Cerus could tell she was trying to coerce him into doing what she wanted him to do. He expected greater subtlety from a spy or intelligence agent of the King, if that’s what she even was.
“You’re most welcome,” he said, toning down his smile. “Good evening to you,” he added, as she rose from her chair, and he stood up from his own.
“And you,” she exclaimed, bidding him farewell as she left the room.
She closed the door behind her, but Cerus ensured it was properly locked after she was gone. For good measure, he placed a chair against it and under the door handle. It might not do much, but it might give him a moment’s forewarning if anyone broke in.
Chapter 7
“Does it seem odd to you that there was no blood in this tunnel after we came through the gap?” Alexa asked, turning the thought over in her mind. “The man who was killed had blood all over his shirt.”
Knave pursed his lips. “Now that you mention it, yes. We could’ve missed it, or it’s possible someone cleaned it up.”
She nodded at that. “I’ve been wondering ho
w long that man’s been dead. It has to have been at least a week, judging by the level of decay. Maybe even a few weeks, considering there were few pests to um, help with decomposition.”
Knave didn’t seem as bothered by the subject as she was. “Then it probably happened here quite a while ago.”
Cassia returned from a neighbouring tunnel, her face near-white. “Oh Alexa and Knave, thank the gods you’re alright. I think you should come with me… in there,” she pointed. “I found bodies. A lot of bodies.”
Alexa stood up from where she’d been resting, and Knave did the same.
“They’re all dead?” he asked, wondering what in Maeridea had happened.
“They looked to be but I didn’t stick around for long,” she admitted. “We need to get out of here. I know this place is hidden below ground but we can’t stay.”
Alexa and Knave quickly followed Cassia, who hung back before the tunnel entrance. “I’ve seen enough. If I breathe the air in there again, I’ll retch.”
Alexa wondered if she was about to see something that would haunt her nightmares for many years to come. Cringing, she entered the tunnel followed by Knave. It curved around to their left, before opening into a small cavern. It didn’t look like a natural feature – it had clearly been hewn from the rock. That wasn’t what drew their attention the most. Dozens of bodies – men, women and children, were piled up in the centre of the cavern in front of a raised dais. She registered details like the way they were bloated, the hues of their skin… that some were just kids. It seemed to her this wasn’t merely a cavern. Someone had turned this into their tomb.
There was no one left alive, that Knave or Alexa could see. Even with their distance from the corpses, the smell was overwhelming and flies buzzed around them. The people had likely lived here and their killers had found a way in.
“Oh my Gods,” Alexa gasped, gripping the wall for support. She wanted to vomit, but she stopped herself. Just.
Knave wasn’t so successful.
Alexa hurried out into the tunnel before she lost her willpower. “Oh Cassia, those poor people. We need to get Ariane and leave this awful place now!”
