‘The risks to our city . . .’ he began.
Dystran leant in further. ‘The Wesmen will take this college if they are not stopped. That is the risk to our city. You will stop them or you will die in the attempt. Any of your team who feel they are not up to the task can report to me to discuss it.’
‘I—’
‘Do not fail, Sharyr.’ Dystran straightened and stepped back a pace, seeing the terror in the student’s expression, the sweat beading on his brow and the darting of his eyes. He chose to smile. ‘You have heard the shout, “Death or glory”? Bet you thought it only applied to soldiers, didn’t you? Think again, get down to the catacombs and be ready. When the time comes, I will call you personally to the walls of the city. Go.’
Sharyr had the presence of mind at least to bow his head and mutter, ‘My Lord.’
But the door to the reception chamber opened before he reached it and an old man with tears on his face stood in the brazier light from the stairway. It was Brannon, Ranyl’s manservant of decades.
‘Please, my Lord,’ he said. ‘You must come quickly.’
Dystran felt his world dropping around him and fear shiver though his body.
‘Oh no,’ he breathed, already starting to run. ‘Not now. Not now.’
Chapter 2
Hirad Coldheart sat on the steps of Julatsa’s refectory. The night was warm and peaceful. From outside the college, he could hear the odd snatch of life. A cart rattling over cobbles; horse hoofs echoing against buildings; a voice raised in greeting. He breathed in deeply, feeling his chest wound pull under its bandages. It was a stubborn one. Magic had knitted the muscle but his skin was still sore and tight. A mark of age, he supposed. A little like the grey flecks he’d found in his long braids.
He knew he shouldn’t but he felt released. All the problems that Balaia still faced and for the first time in so long he and The Raven were not bound by honour or contract to do anything about them. He knew he should still care but he found he couldn’t. Not at the moment. Not ever, probably.
There was tension in Julatsa as those who had fled began to return. The city’s rulers still hadn’t had the guts to come to the college. There would be trouble, he was sure of it. And beyond this city, Dordover, Xetesk and Lystern presumably still fought. They’d battle themselves to a standstill. All too proud to sue for peace before the maximum blood was spilt.
He knew he should worry about where the country he loved was going but something was missing. Looking over at the Heart of Julatsa, around which would soon be constructed a new tower, he knew exactly what it was. It wasn’t the country itself that was great and worth saving. It was the people he loved that wanted to live there. And they were dead or leaving. All of them.
Ilkar might have been the final straw for him but there were Sirendor, Ras, Richmond, Will and Jandyr too. All dead despite everything he had tried to do to save them. And The Unknown, Denser and Erienne were all thinking of their families across the ocean, alive or dead. Thraun would go with them because The Raven were his family. Either that or return to the pack. He would not be drawn on the subject. That left Darrick. Hirad chuckled. If there was one man more wanted than the rest of The Raven, it was Darrick. He really had little choice.
So they would all be travelling back to take ship near Blackthorne with those very few elves that could be spared from the effort to shore up the college now the Heart was risen. Rebraal had to go. The Al-Arynaar needed their leader on Calaius. The same was true of Auum and the TaiGethen and of course, where he went, so did his Tai. Finally, Hirad would have bet everything he owned on the single ClawBound pair returning to the rainforests. They had been mourning for those of their kind lost since the end of the siege. That they missed their homeland and their kin was something he could read even in the eyes of the panther. They were outside now, staring up at the stars and knowing their positions were all wrong.
Hirad drained his goblet of wine and looked down at his plate. It was empty of the bread and meat he’d taken. Thinking it was probably time to turn in, he picked up the plate and turned to rise. Denser and The Unknown were just coming out of the refectory, a wineskin and goblets in hand. He smiled at them both, the sharp-featured mage and the shaven-headed warrior.
‘Where do you think you’re going, Coldheart?’ said The Unknown.
‘For a refill?’ ventured Hirad.
‘Correct answer,’ said Denser.
The two men sat either side of him. Denser filled his goblet.
‘What’s this, some sort of deputation?’
‘No,’ said The Unknown. ‘We just thought it’s a long time since we’d sat and drunk wine together. The others’ll be out soon.’
‘Time to toast the dead and move on, eh?’ Hirad nodded at the Heart.
‘Something like that,’ replied Denser.
‘Well, no sense in hanging about.’ Hirad raised his glass. ‘Ilkar. An elf without peer and a friend I will miss for ever.’
The goblets clacked together. Hirad drained his in one and nudged Denser for more.
‘He’ll be proud of us, you know,’ said Denser, rubbing a hand across his neatly trimmed and still jet-black beard.
‘He’d bloody better be. Almost saw the end of the lot of us, dragging that piece of rubble from its hole.’
Denser laughed loud. Out in the courtyard, the panther turned her head lazily. ‘Ah, Hirad, ever able to bring everything down to its most basic level.’
‘Best thing is, though, whatever happens to us, this is a memorial to him, isn’t it?’ said Hirad. ‘I mean, it’s only raised because of what he started us doing.’ He sighed, heart heavy for a moment. ‘Should have been here to see it though, shouldn’t he?’
There was a silence, each man lost in memories.
‘You ready to go?’ asked The Unknown.
Hirad shrugged and looked up into The Unknown’s flint-grey eyes. ‘Well, it’s not as if I’ve got much to pack.’
‘That isn’t what I meant.’
‘I know.’
The Unknown punched him on the arm. ‘So tell me.’
‘That hurt.’
‘Not as much as the next one will.’
Hirad eyed the bunched muscles beneath the smile. ‘Actually, I was thinking about it before you two interrupted me. There’s nothing keeping me here now. And I’m tired of fighting. Really. Look at all we’ve done. And the only monuments are those we have built for our dead friends. Nearly everyone else wants us dead too. Ungrateful bastards.’
‘We thought we’d go tomorrow. First light,’ said The Unknown.
Hirad raised his eyebrows. ‘Are we fit for that? I’m talking about Erienne, of course.’
‘She’s fine,’ said Denser. ‘Physically at any rate. I think she just can’t make up her mind which part of arriving back on Herendeneth she is looking forward to least. Seeing Lyanna’s grave or getting taught about the One by Cleress.’
‘We’ll get south all right, will we?’ asked Hirad. ‘There’s still a war on, you know.’
‘Nothing escapes you, does it?’ said Denser.
‘Darrick picked a route. I agree with it,’ said The Unknown. ‘It’ll see us back to Blackthorne without much problem. Then all we have to do is wait for the Calaian Sun to put into the Bay of Gyernath.’
‘So long as you’re happy,’ said Hirad.
‘I am,’ said The Unknown. ‘But you know how it is. We don’t move until you say.’
Hirad felt that familiar surge. Even on their way out of the country they’d fought to save from itself for so long, even on their way to retirement, The Raven was still working. He nodded.
‘There’s no reason to stay if we’re all fit to travel.’ He smiled and looked across at The Unknown. ‘Thanks for asking.’
‘You know how it is.’
‘Yeah.’ Hirad stood up and looked down into his goblet, seeing the ripples in the dark liquid. ‘Where are the others? I feel the need for another toast to someone or other.’
Sha-Kaan turned a
lazy roll in the air. Below him, the mists enveloped the valley of the Kaan Broodlands. Ahead of him, the plains of Domar and the dense steaming forests of Teras fled away beyond the encircling mountains of Beshara from which the dragon dimension took its name. The mountains that made his valley so rich and humid, trapping the moisture and heat.
He could hear the calls of his brood-in-flight, operating the patterns that kept intruders from entering the Broodlands. Now more than ever, they must not fail. Now more than ever, they were prone to attack.
Sha-Kaan blessed the strength of Hirad Coldheart and The Raven. He blessed their belief and determination, their energy and their courage. Without them, he would not have been here to lead his brood at this most critical time and their own belief would surely have faltered. And without Hirad in particular, he would not have been able to spend these last days in the healing streams of inter-dimensional space. To relax in the Klene, the melde corridor that was anchored at one end by the brood consciousness and at the other by the remarkable barbarian’s, and there be tended by the Vestare. His servant race. Faithful, steeped in awe of their masters and living to serve under their protection. It was a pleasure he had thought denied him for ever.
Sha-Kaan felt the frightened excitement of a dozen brood-at-spawn. Their time was upon them. The next cycle of light and dark would see new births for the Kaan to celebrate and protect. The energy of a birth could be felt far beyond the Broodlands, in the minds of their enemies. Such was the danger linked to the joy of every birth. It was the reason the brood flew now, securing their borders, and would fly in even greater numbers very soon. The Kaan were ageing. They could not afford to lose any of their young.
Sha-Kaan pulsed out with his mind to his brood. His return had been like a birth to them and now of course they looked to their Great Kaan for guidance as they had done for so many cycles. He pulsed orders to be wary, to ensure the flight patterns were kept tight, and to keep the Kaan-in-flight changing and so keep them all fresh. And he pulsed harmony, calm and his confidence in living births to the brood-at-spawn.
Driving his wings hard for a dozen beats, he swept upwards, meaning to look down on his lands from the outer markers where his patrols circled, eyes and minds alert for early signs of enemies. He greeted them with barks and a pulse that warned against complacency.
Reaching his desired height, he turned into a gentle downward-spiralling glide, feeling the rush of the wind over his scales and fully extended wings. His eyes searched below, looking for anything he had missed, any gap that should be closed. He counted just on a hundred Kaan above the mist layer. There would be an equal number below it and twice that many at rest in chouls across the Broodlands.
It looked an impressive defence but it represented the immature and the very old in addition to those of fighting age. The Naik were strong. They knew Kaan birthings were close. He wondered whether they believed an attack worth the probable losses. They had so often proved an impossible brood to gauge. At once utterly dismissive of rival broods’ rights to land in Beshara and surprisingly concessionary and honest in alliance.
The Kaan had not experienced alliance with the Naik themselves but knew their ways from the Veret, a dying brood threatened and now defended by the Naik in a bizarre turn of attitude.
An attack depended on the Naik ability to defend their own homelands while trying to take the Kaan’s. That meant new alliances would have to be made. Sha-Kaan wished he had the time to visit the Veret to get some indication of likely force but they were too far distant.
Satisfied his flight organisation left no unseen access for their enemies, he sailed down faster. A rest in a choul was what he needed now to further ease his ageing muscles, not yet healed by his rest in inter-dimensional space; its coolness, darkness and companionship would be very welcome. But before that, he probed Hirad Coldheart’s mind. Across the uncertainties of inter-dimensional space and into Balaia, he let his consciousness wander.
He could sense the enemies that probed its enclosing membrane, looking for a way in. The Arakhe. Demons, the Balaians called them. An ever-present danger to every creature that inhabited the countless dimensions; and besides enemy broods, the only threat to the Kaan. Balaia was calm. The dimensional magic that had alerted the Arakhe had caused no lasting damage. The tears in space had been small and short-lived. And Hirad Coldheart was sleeping, his mind free though he did not know it.
Sha-Kaan withdrew, satisfied. Yet the density of the Arakhe surrounding Balaian space bothered him. Like they anticipated something. He could feel their minds like thorns in flamegrass. Unpleasant, unwelcome and unnatural.
He would keep close watch on them. Once the birthings were complete and the disruption to the brood psyche settled, he would have more time. Perhaps then he might build alliances of his own, do something about the Arakhe. Something terminal.
Barking his approach, he flew to a choul.
Dystran tried to calm himself before he entered Ranyl’s private chamber. He took a moment to readjust his shirt and be sure his hair was smooth against his head. He slowed his breathing and hoped his face wasn’t too red from his run. He nodded at the guard on the door who opened it for him. A wave of heat washed out from the dimly lit interior. He walked in.
To the left, the fireplace glowed hot, yellow and orange flames spreading beguiling shadows over walls and drapes. To the right, the light from a hooded lantern revealed Ranyl’s bed and the woman sitting beside it. She had one arm resting on the bed, her hand gripped by Ranyl’s. At her side on a low table, a bowl and cloth.
Dystran had expected to hear the rasping of a man near his end but the room was quiet. Yet the atmosphere was thick with expectation, smelled sweet from bowls of infused herbs and petals and was hardly supportive of Ranyl’s longevity. He moved quietly towards the bed.
‘Thank you, my lady,’ he said. ‘Your tending has been most welcome these last days.’
After a moment’s hesitation, the woman stood. She moved Ranyl’s hand from hers, squeezed it briefly and leant in to murmur a few words before kissing him on the forehead. With head bowed, she hurried past Dystran, who did not miss the tracks of tears on her cheeks reflecting the firelight.
As he sat, Dystran had the overwhelming urge to run. Not to face what he knew he must. The sounds of fighting echoed across the dark city. Everything he knew and treasured was under threat. And here, breathing so quietly he could hardly be heard, the man he needed most was slipping away from him.
He took Ranyl’s hand in his and felt the fingers move weakly in his palm.
‘Feeling tired, old dog?’ asked Dystran quietly, concentrating on keeping his voice steady. So few days had passed since Ranyl had seemed strong, able to walk, sit up, eat. The suddenness of the change was brutal to see.
In the gloom, Ranyl’s eyelids flickered and opened. His eyes, so recently bright and full of determination, were dull and sunken. His mouth moved, breath a sibilant hiss over which his words were barely audible.
‘. . . can’t bear to see Xetesk attacked. Keep them from us.’
‘The Wesmen won’t make it off the walls,’ said Dystran gently. ‘Rest easy. Hold on. See us victorious.’
‘No, young pup. I’m tired.’ He managed a brief smile. ‘I will leave it to younger men. I was . . . I was really only waiting until you came to say goodbye.’
Ranyl’s voice was fading such that Dystran had to lean closer and closer. His words chilled the Lord of the Mount. He gripped the old man’s hand, shaking it.
‘No, Master Ranyl,’ said Dystran. ‘I need you to guide me. There is no one else I can trust.’
‘You have been such a friend,’ said Ranyl. ‘And you are a great leader. You need no one.’
‘No, Ranyl. Hold on. This pain will pass. You’ll soon feel stronger. ’
But the words weren’t true, he knew that. He could see it in the pallor of Ranyl’s complexion, ghostly in the gloom. And he could smell it in the air.
Ranyl coughed weakly. ‘Mourn me,
but don’t miss me.’
Dystran nodded, accepting. He smiled and placed a hand on Ranyl’s cold forehead. ‘Everything I have achieved is because of you. I will be in your debt for eternity.’
Ranyl chuckled. ‘A fitting epitaph,’ he said, his eyes brightening just briefly.
And then he was gone.
Dystran walked to the balcony shutters and opened them, admitting the cool air of night. He saw fires towards the walls and could hear the sounds of battle and of panic beginning to grip the streets. He even fancied he could taste blood in the air.
Mostly, he felt isolation. Only one man could save Xetesk now. Unfortunately, it was him. For a time he let the tears fall, his mind focusing on the tortured screams of Ranyl’s familiar as it faded to death after its master.
The prize was so close Tessaya could almost touch it. Men were bred tough in the Heartlands and he felt proud to fight next to them. The Xeteskians were falling back before him and his heart sang victory.
He had led his warriors in a hard drive right along the battlements. His axe ran red and his arms and chest were cut by his enemies. But now the turret was theirs. In front of him a warrior fell, skull crushed by a mace. Tessaya grabbed his collar as he went down, dragging him back. He strode into the space, axe carving through an upward arc left to right across his body. Its blade caught his enemy under the chin. His helmet flew off, his jaw shattered and his head snapped back, taking his body with it and striking those behind him.
Warriors surged forward, the noise intensifying in the enclosed space.
‘Hold the far door,’ ordered Tessaya, pushing men at it. ‘The rest of you, let’s take these stairs.’
Handicapped by the direction of the spiral, the Xeteskians were forced back quickly. Tessaya led his warriors down, taking the inside himself. His axe was in his right hand, sweeping in front of him.
As Tessaya knew it would, the Xeteskian retreat stopped at a landing. Orders were shouted up the stairs. In front of him, the terrified boys, for that was all they were, squared up. Outside, he heard the rare impact of a spell. He snarled and stepped away from the centre of the thread and gripped his axe in both hands. A warrior stood to his right, the pair of them filling the stairwell. Behind and above, the fighting continued on the battlements. He heard his warriors chanting as they drove onwards, their voices echoing down to lift his spirits even as they crushed those of whom he faced.
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