A Crucible of Souls (Book One of the Sorcery Ascendant Sequence)

by Hogan, Mitchell

  “A few months. I met him on a ship I was working on. He was a passenger on his way here.”

  Amerdan nodded and turned his attention to dusting a set of weigh scales. “Yet you left that work and followed him?”

  Miranda gave a laugh. “No, it wasn’t like that. I was going to leave anyway. And Caldan, well, he was interesting, so we kept in touch. He didn’t have much experience with big cities, and I thought he might need some help.”

  “Sounds like he made an impression. I had a feeling he was talented when he came in here to purchase some things.” Amerdan stopped wiping a shelf and looked at her. “With this invasion, I feel like I should be doing more to help. I know I’m only a shopkeeper, but it would be good to know where to find you, in case I can assist with anything.”

  “I have a warehouse on Houndshark Street in Dockside we can use. It’s empty, except for some goods I have stored there. Probably a good place to stay until we work out what’s going on.”

  “Excellent! Well, I know where to find you, but let’s hope it’s not necessary. I’m sure the emperor will restore order soon and get rid of these Indryallans.”

  “I’m not so sure. There hasn’t been much resistance so far.”

  “No, no there hasn’t, has there? I would have thought the Quivers would have reacted quickly to the threat, but… you’re right. Where did all our taxes go? I have to pay much of my earnings to the emperor, and this is what happens. Maybe the ships weren’t the first attack. If they planned well, they would have advance forces and spies in the city months before the main assault. It’s what I would have done.”

  “That makes sense. Caldan said they must be after something.”

  “I’ve no idea what, but—” He broke off as Caldan returned. “Ah, young Caldan. I see those pants fit well.”

  “Er… yes. How much do I owe you?” Caldan held out a few ducats.

  “Nothing! It’s the least I can do for you. Someone has to resist these terrible invaders!”

  Miranda wanted to leave as soon as possible. “Caldan, come on, let Amerdan get back to his business.”

  “Yes, sorry. We’ve troubled you enough already.”

  “Not at all. It’s been my pleasure to assist you.”

  He shook Caldan’s hand, and Miranda gave him a smile and a nod. They exited the shop and headed towards Dockside.

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Miranda unlocked the heavy door of her warehouse and they slipped inside. On the way, she had taken the opportunity to retrieve some clothes and other belongings from her rooms, and while she was occupied Caldan purchased food, water, a flask of cider and a few necessities for his crafting. She hadn’t wanted to split up so soon after finding each other but Caldan had insisted.

  The door opened into a large foyer with a scuffed floor covered in a thin layer of dust, except for a trail leading to a doorway ahead. The air inside was stale and overlaid with decay and old spices.

  “I haven’t had time to clean up,” apologized Miranda, gesturing at the floor. “I wasn’t expecting to use this place yet, but with the invasion I… thought I should stock up on some goods which will become scarce in a short while.” It’s not so bad, she thought, feeling a pang of guilt and giving Caldan a sidelong glance. She was only stocking up because of the invasion, and if people didn’t look to the future themselves she wasn’t to blame for that. She could help them out but with limited supply prices would rocket… She looked at the goods stored in her warehouse and half wished they weren’t there. What will Caldan think of me?

  To the left were three areas partitioned with cheaply constructed thin wooden walls, meant to be used as offices.

  “Sorry about the accommodation, but this is what the warehouse came with. We’ll have to make it comfortable enough while we hide out here.”

  “It’s fine.” Caldan poked his head into all three rooms, sneezed at the dust and rubbed his nose with the back of his hand. “It won’t take long to clean them up, and we won’t be here long anyway.”

  “We won’t? You can’t go back to the Sorcerers’ Guild.” The thought of him returning to where he’d been stabbed and imprisoned made her ill.

  “I have to. I need to find out what’s going on.”

  “The Indryallans have taken over not only the Sorcerers’ Guild but the entire city! And the Quivers are nowhere to be seen, probably completely overwhelmed. These people are serious. Their whole operation was well planned and executed. What could you possibly hope to accomplish by going back to the guild?”

  “I don’t know what I can do… but I need to try.”

  “Try what? At best, what can you do? And at worst you will be killed. They stabbed you!”

  “They weren’t going to kill me. From what they said, they were capturing all the apprentices, maybe to get them out of the way. They’re up to something and I have to know. I have to learn what’s happened to the Protectors.”

  “But you’re risking your life. And for what? You’ve no idea what you’ll find there.”

  “I… have to. Can’t you see?” Caldan wrung his hands and lowered his gaze. “When I was young, I lost my parents. Then a few months ago I lost the only life I knew at the monastery, and now… They took me in. I found a place with them. I can’t lose this too.”

  Miranda knew what it was like to feel lost. She’d grown up in one of the poorer sections of a large port town, the daughter of a dockhand who died when she was six, leaving his wife to manage as best she could with a daughter to provide for. Her mother had gotten work the only way an unskilled woman could at the docks. It had been enough to keep them in their one rented room and in food but that was all. She was nine when she realized her mother wasn’t like the other mothers. It was a hard truth for one so young.

  She laid a hand on his shoulder. “Caldan, I’m sorry. I can see what this means to you, but we should try to get out of the city.”

  “The Protectors… they’re important. They do essential work.”

  Miranda blew out a breath and paced the room, her footsteps stirring up low clouds of dust. “The Indryallans are imprisoning or killing sorcerers. They had to have done something to the Quivers or there would have been more resistance. They know you now and are probably looking for you. We should leave… We have to get out of here.”

  Caldan flashed her a sympathetic look. “You can’t keep running, you know.”

  Miranda stopped pacing. “I’m not running,” she replied firmly. “I’m not. When things get too difficult and there’s nothing you can do, then you move on. It’s not running.”

  “Listen to me. People I know, I respect, that are good people are missing and in trouble. I can’t leave them.”

  “Whatever’s happened, this city will not be the same. The Indryallans are powerful, and I don’t think they’ll be leaving soon, if at all. They are set to stay, and they’ll be looking for you. You probably killed some of them.”

  “I have no choice.”

  “Of course you do. We can leave the city.”

  “How? The walls are barricaded, the city gates are closed and barred.”

  “There are always ways out of any city. Smugglers’ tunnels and the like, if you can contact the right people.”

  “For a price.”

  Miranda shrugged. “Of course. It won’t be easy, but I can make some enquiries.” She knew a few people who she’d dealt with before. They were shady but could be trusted, usually.

  “For me, the price would be too high. I have to find out what happened to the Protectors, or at least Master Simmon.” Caldan grasped both her shoulders and looked into her eyes. She met his gaze then turned away. “Give me a few days. If I can’t find out what’s happened to them, we can leave. I promise.”

  Miranda nodded. “Two days. Then we get out of here. Agreed?”

  “Agreed.” Caldan dropped his arms to his sides and took a step back. He looked around the dusty room. “We’ll need somewhere to sleep, and I need somewhere to work. We can use one of these
partitioned areas.”

  Miranda frowned at him. He wasn’t suggesting that, was he? “Don’t think we’re sleeping in the same room.”

  “I… I wasn’t thinking that,” stuttered Caldan, blood rushing to his face. “I just…”

  “Why? Aren’t I attractive?”

  “Yes… I mean, no. Ah… yes, you are attractive. I…”

  Miranda laughed. “I’m making fun of you. You’re too serious sometimes.”

  “Oh. I would never do something like that.”

  “Never?”

  Caldan blushed, eyes flicking to Miranda then back around the room. “I’ll use this front room to work in.”

  Miranda nodded agreement. She looked into the warehouse proper, empty except for a mass of crates and barrels close by the main doors to the street. “Do you need any more supplies?”

  “We have the food I bought earlier. We should be fine for a few days.”

  “Two days is all we have to last. But we should buy more just in case, and some bedding.”

  A rickety table and chair stood in a corner. Caldan dumped his sack on the table. “There’s only one chair.”

  “I didn’t think I’d be having guests.”

  “Funny.”

  “I thought so. There’s a broom inside somewhere and a chair in the other room. I’ll tidy up, and you can go out and get some blankets for tonight.”

  Caldan nodded. “Sure.”

  “Get me an extra one for the floor. I can’t stand a hard bed.”

  Caldan grinned at her. “I shouldn’t be long. If I’m not back soon, send out a search party.”

  “Don’t joke about it. Please.” With the Indryallans patrolling the streets, possibly with a description of Caldan, she didn’t like the thought of him being out there in harm’s way.

  “I’ll try to be as quick as possible.” He hesitated then continued. “Don’t open the door for anyone you don’t know.”

  “I’m not stupid. Get out and buy some blankets. I need to start tidying up.”

  After he left, Miranda made sure the latch was in place and the lock engaged before starting her search for the broom.

  Caldan returned carrying a bundle of blankets. Miranda relocked the door and gestured for him to take them into the freshly swept back rooms. A faint peppermint aroma pervaded the air from a fired clay stove in a corner, on which sat a steaming kettle above glowing coals. On the floor next to the stove were two enameled clay cups.

  “You’ve been busy,” he remarked.

  Miranda snorted softly. “Everyone needs to pull their own weight, like on a ship.”

  “I wouldn’t dare slack off with you around.”

  Miranda gave him a stern look before laughing weakly. “Make sure you don’t.”

  Caldan couldn’t blame her for her lack of amusement. Their situation was dire, and he had more bad news to share. “I heard some news while I was outside.”

  “It’s not good news, I take it?”

  “No, it’s not.” Caldan poured peppermint tea into the two cups and handed one to Miranda.

  “What happened? What did you hear?”

  “A few…quite a few of the nobles and some of the most powerful merchants are dead.”

  Miranda gasped. “The Indryallans killed them? Why? The nobles I can understand, but why the merchants?”

  “The Indryallans didn’t kill them, they killed themselves. From what I heard, the count is around thirty and rising.”

  “Suicide? That doesn’t make sense.”

  “Yes. Some slashed their wrists, hanged themselves, poison. What is strange is they all did it at the same time, or close enough.”

  “That’s weird. Who were they? Anyone important?”

  “Most were. High-ranking nobles, commanders of the Quivers in the city and the surrounding districts, some of the chancellors. Of the merchants, I’m not sure. I don’t know any of them. I didn’t hear Izak, Lady Felicienne or Sir Avigdor mentioned, which I hope means they’ve also escaped capture. Felicienne would have some idea what to do, and I think we could trust her. But I don’t know how we can possibly find out where she is or contact her.”

  “If they haven’t been named, then we have to assume they’re alive. From what you told me of the Lady Felicienne, I doubt she’d be one to take her own life. The emperor would have punished the nobles for what’s happened here — their lack of resistance and the loss of the city. There would have been demotions and possibly banishment, but I don’t think suicide would be preferable.”

  “I agree. I think that…” Caldan stopped. A sudden thought came to him. If the Indryallans had used coercive sorcery on the nobles and merchants, then it stood to reason, after their usefulness was over, they would be disposed of. While he had no doubt some of them were corrupt, no one deserved to have their mind used then body disposed of like garbage.

  Miranda gave him a concerned look. “What is it?”

  Caldan placed his mug on the table and kept his eyes averted. “Nothing. Maybe… they might have been dealing with the Indryallans and decided they didn’t want to face the emperor after this. We will probably never know, though the Protectors might. This makes it more urgent I find them.” He couldn’t look Miranda in the eye. Lying to her felt wrong.

  “Do you need help with anything?”

  “No, thank you. With the materials I have, I won’t be able to craft much, but I should be able to put a few things together, and I want to try and finish my project as well.”

  “Do you think this is the time for projects?”

  “It’ll help us, so if I have time I want to finish it.” Caldan looked out through the doorway to the barrels and crates of goods Miranda had stockpiled. “If you have coffee somewhere in there, I could use some, it’s going to be a long night.”

  Miranda nodded and went to rummage through the crates.

  Caldan turned to the rickety table and his sack of crafting materials. He tipped the sack out and spread the materials across the table. Paper, ink, pens, a few scraps of wood, two wire spools and the metal pieces he’d acquired from the clockmaker. It wasn’t much to work with.

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  “I wish we could forget this crusade of yours, Caldan. Can’t we forget about the Sorcerers’ Guild and Protectors and find a smugglers’ tunnel out of the city?”

  Caldan gave Miranda an annoyed look. After working through the day and night he was tired and not in any mood to be arguing.

  “You know I have to try,” he said sternly. “You don’t have to come. Actually, it would comfort me greatly if you didn’t.”

  She shot him a dark look and narrowed her eyes. “Really?”

  “For your own safety, I mean. I can’t bear the thought of you being injured.”

  “Well… if that isn’t the sweetest brush-off I’ve ever received I don’t know what is.” She laughed, blushing.

  “It’s not that,” stammered Caldan. “I don’t want to take you into danger, and it is going to be dangerous.”

  “It’s my decision. And two are always better than one. I’m not entirely defenseless. You don’t survive long on a ship if you can’t take care of yourself.” She patted her loose pants. A while ago, before they left the warehouse, Caldan had seen her strap a dagger to her leg.

  Again, he found himself wishing for a sword. He didn’t think any Quivers would object to it now. One of his priorities had to be to acquire a blade of some sort.

  He pulled on a wide-brimmed hat and lowered the brim to hide his face as best he could — Miranda’s idea, in case the Indryallans had soldiers out looking for him. It wouldn’t stop someone recognizing him up close if they had a description but would serve to screen him from casual observers.

  Surprisingly, the streets appeared normal. The lack of Quivers had led to an increase in crime the last few days, but most of the population continued on as if nothing much had happened.

  Caldan eyed people as they passed.

  “It’s too soon yet, and nothing much has cha
nged,” said Miranda.

  “What do you mean? Everything has changed.”

  “Not for these people it hasn’t. So what if the emperor loses power here and is replaced by someone else? Life goes on. And it might be a better life for a lot of people. The only thing that will upset the stability now is the city being closed to supplies. Shortages will begin to bite soon.”

  Caldan grunted noncommittally then waved towards the river to the west. “Let’s go along the river.”

  Already, this early in the morning, the sun had warmed the River Modder’s scummy surface enough to reek and sting their nostrils and eyes. The thought of what it would smell like in high summer made him gag.

  “It stinks, but fewer people will walk this way,” said Miranda. “Which means less chance of us being spotted.”

  They continued in silence. Roaches scuttled away from their movement into nearby buildings and down the bank along the water. Rats stopped and stared as they passed.

  “Go over again why we’re doing this in daylight?” Miranda scratched her head.

  “Anyone wandering around will look less suspicious. We shouldn’t be bothered too much.”

  “It makes sense, and at the same time it doesn’t.”

  “Just make sure, as I said before we left, if there is any sign of sorcerers, hang on to me. I can protect you.” He wouldn’t let what happened to Senira happen to Miranda.

  Miranda nodded and chewed her bottom lip.

  They passed children on the other bank, dressed in filthy rags and dragging sticks through the shallow water. Two old men sat further along ahead of them, smoking pipes and gossiping.

  “I can’t show you here, and I didn’t think to before we left.” He rubbed his weary eyes. “Too much to think about. But once we get to the guild and find a safe place I can show you something.”

  “Sorcery?”

  “Yes. I need you to believe me when I say I can protect you.”

  Miranda nodded. “Let’s get going, then!”

  Caldan smiled and shook his head at her enthusiasm. They continued walking, the morning sun warming their backs.