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

by Hogan, Mitchell

  “I want you to keep close.”

  “I get it. You’ve said it three times since we left the river.” Irritation tinged Miranda’s voice.

  Caldan gritted his teeth, more in frustration at himself than at Miranda. Since escaping the cells, he couldn’t help but blame himself for Senira’s death. She’d been in his care much as Miranda was now. He clenched and unclenched his fists.

  They crouched behind a rain barrel, down an alley on the south side of the Sorcerers’ Guild. Directly opposite the alley they were in was a locked door in a side wall.

  On the way from the river they had avoided two patrols of the Indryallans, but in the time they had been hiding, no one had passed down the deserted street running along the guild or the alley. Caldan figured they should try to get the door open as quickly as possible then leave it open in case they needed to escape.

  He nibbled a thumbnail as he thought about the problem and weighed his options. Using destructive sorcery would open the door, but the unleashing of so much power might alert anyone who had their well open and was searching for anything untoward. He had an idea, though, one which stemmed from his experiments with moving craftings.

  Searching through the contents of a pocket, he drew out a piece of white chalk. He decided to try his idea. It was logical — they probably taught it in the journeyman classes.

  “Let’s go,” he said, grabbing his sack and taking off across the street for the door.

  Miranda hesitated a moment then followed.

  Caldan knelt on one knee, eyes level with the lock. Miranda hurried up beside him, eyes darting up and down the street to make sure they were alone.

  “Whatever you’re doing, do it fast,” she hissed. “We’re exposed here.”

  Caldan nodded and with swift sure strokes drew two patterns on the lock with the chalk, one on the left side and one on the right. He closed his eyes and opened his well. Visualizing the internal workings of the mechanism, he linked his two patterns. With a shriek of grinding metal, it twisted and broke.

  Surprised by the sound, Miranda turned to look. “It’s open?”

  “Ah… yes.” He grinned sheepishly. “I just wanted it to open, didn’t mean for it to break.”

  They slipped through, and once inside he closed the door behind them.

  Miranda breathed a sigh of relief. “That was easier than I thought.”

  They found themselves in a dimly lit corridor, the only light coming from the far end, where it opened onto the central garden. Apart from their own breathing, not a sound reached their ears. Gone was the usual background noise of a busy guild going about its day to day activities. No signs of life at all.

  Moving with exaggerated stealth, they passed doors on both sides. Outside, the garden remained green and lush, unchanged, though conflict had raged around it.

  “Wait a moment,” Caldan whispered, waving Miranda to a halt. He pulled a sheet of folded paper covered in patterns from his pocket and placed the bird on the ground. Opening his sack, he drew out a pile of metal rods the size of his fist.

  Miranda frowned at the paper and metal. “What are you doing?” she said softly, scowling.

  Caldan sensed the impatience in her tone, tinged with puzzlement. “Now is as good a time as any. I said I’d show you how I can protect you.” He held his hand out to her, palm up. Miranda hesitated then reached out to grasp it.

  Caldan gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t be alarmed with what you see. Trust me.”

  A pale blue light enveloped Caldan. Miranda gasped and pulled back, and would have lost her grip if not for Caldan’s firm hold. “See, there is nothing to be afraid of.”

  She swallowed. “It’s a shield, isn’t it? What does it do, I mean… how effective is it?”

  “It’s been pushed to its limits. Through… testing. It can stop a sword thrust or a knife, even protect from heat. It’s withstood a lot already, and I’m confident it will guard us from most things.” He gave her a reassuring smile.

  “But this is only good to shield one person. How are you going to protect me?”

  “Since I made the crafting and I’m attuned to it, the amount of concentration it takes for me to maintain the shield is small. I can almost do it without thinking.” Caldan squeezed her hand harder so she wouldn’t pull away. “With the runes I put in the crafting and more concentration, I can shape the forces like this…” In the blink of an eye the shield enfolded Miranda.

  She let out a strangled yelp and tried to pull her hand away. “I can’t see,” she hissed.

  “It’s all right,” Caldan said, trying to reassure her. “You can see. It’s just your view is obstructed by the shield. Stop squirming.”

  Miranda had squeezed her eyes shut and was breathing rapidly. After a few moments, she opened one eye. “I can see a little. Everything is blurry.” She opened her other eye. “How are we going to move around if we can’t see properly?”

  “We won’t.” With a faint popping sound, the shield blinked out of existence as Caldan closed his well. “If I’m using sorcery all the time, someone is bound to sense it. We have to keep it in reserve in case we run into trouble.”

  “And we would be much more noticeable and suspicious.”

  “Yes, anyone who saw us wandering around shielded would want to find out what we were up to.”

  Caldan became conscious they were still holding hands. Her skin felt warm and soft. His cheeks grew hot and he released his grip. Miranda gave an impudent grin, cheeks dimpling as she smiled and looked away.

  He turned towards the opening to the garden. “Now you know why you have to stay close to me, close enough to grab me if there is any danger. If I think we are in trouble, I’ll grab you.”

  “Grab. Yes, I will do that.” She sounded amused.

  Caldan gestured at the paper bird and the pile of metal rods held together with wire. “These will be our scouts. They can move ahead and let us know if anyone’s around. We should be able to keep moving quickly, as long as we don’t encounter someone.”

  “A paper bird and a pile of… metal sticks?” Miranda said, disbelief tingeing her words.

  “I know what I am doing. The shield should have been proof of that.”

  “Of course. I’m not used to sorcery. I’ve no idea what it can or can’t do. Go on.”

  “I forget I’ve spent years studying and performing crafting, and that most people have no idea what it can do.” He reached out to touch the bird and opened his well, linking to the crafting. The runes covering the bird shimmered in the dim light, and it flapped its wings, rising from the floor. With a thought, he sent it through the doorway and into the garden. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Miranda watching it fly away, a look of wonder on her face.

  “I’m going to perch it high up in one of the trees so it can cover as much of the garden as possible. Its range and view is small, but it should guide us to a safe path. And it won’t last long, so we should hurry.”

  “How long will it last?”

  “A few minutes. I have more anyway.”

  “It’s sad to know something beautiful will be destroyed so quickly, once its usefulness is over. What does the metal do?”

  “It’s probably better if I show you.” He opened his well and linked to the crafting he had spent hours perfecting with the clockmaker’s help.

  Giving a shiver, the metal rods started to slowly rearrange themselves, forming a squat animal. With jerky movements, it rose up on four metal legs. Atop an egg-shaped solid metal head sat two tiny yellow stones acting as eyes. Miniature claws studded the ends of metal paws.

  “Oh!” exclaimed Miranda. “It’s a dog.”

  “Er… not really. I wanted something that could move and could sense better than the paper animals. Four legs for speed and a head was all I needed.”

  “It’s a dog,” Miranda said firmly.

  Caldan shrugged then glanced out at the garden again. “Come on, we shouldn’t waste the paper bird.” With a thought, he sent his
metal automaton skittering ahead, metal claws clicking on the stone pavers then onto the gravel path in the garden. In moments, it crossed half the garden, veered off the path onto the grass and disappeared behind a hedge.

  “It’s fast.” Miranda squinted after it.

  Caldan nodded. “I wanted it to be. There are still improvements to make, but I’m pleased with this prototype. Since it’s made out of metal, it’ll last a long time.” He grasped Miranda’s hand. “Come on.”

  They ducked through the opening into the garden and veered left, taking advantage of a row of bushes to screen their movement. They stopped for a moment under the tree in which the paper bird perched. Caldan used his link to the crafting to sense if the coast was clear. He tugged Miranda’s arm, and they crossed an open grassy space then dove between two thick bushes.

  “Almost there,” whispered Caldan.

  Miranda bent over, hands on her knees, breath coming in gasps. “Almost… where…?”

  Caldan found he was breathing normally, showing no signs of exertion after their weaving run. “We’re almost to the training square for the Protectors, where we train sword work. There’s an armory, and I want a sword in case we need it, and then we can search for the Protectors.”

  “Any ideas where to start looking?”

  “Probably the cells. I hadn’t realized there were any until I was thrown into one. Now, I think… there are a few stairs going down that could lead to more. The cells in the room I was in were relatively empty, so there have to be others.”

  “In other words, you have no idea where to go.”

  “No, I do. Down to the underground level. I don’t think it’s as extensive as this level, so there can’t be too many ways down.” Caldan turned back to face the tree where he had left the bird. “Ah. It’s fading. I won’t use another one yet. The…dog… should be enough for now.” He froze. “Someone’s coming,” he whispered.

  They crouched lower in the bushes. “My automaton is sensing a number of people passing the other side of the door we need to go through.”

  “It can see through the door?” asked Miranda in a hushed voice.

  “Not exactly. It can sense people, their life force, and can tell if they have a well. It’s a variation on how the Sorcerer’s Guild detects talented youngsters. It can’t see through solid objects, but it can tell when people are near.”

  They waited in silence for a few minutes.

  “They’re gone,” said Caldan. “Whoever they were. Without seeing them myself, I can’t tell if they were from the guild or Indryallan. I wish I knew more about them. Why are they here? Why come so far to take over Anasoma?”

  “I don’t know if we’ll ever find out. Come on, stop flapping your gums. We should get going.”

  “You’re right.” He took a moment to check with his crafted automaton. “It’s all clear. Let’s go.”

  They moved along the wall behind the hedges until they reached another door. Caldan lifted the latch, ushering Miranda to go through. As she did, the metal automaton skittered ahead of her between the gap.

  Ahead extended another corridor, twenty yards in length, opening at the end onto a courtyard of packed earth. To the left and right of them were more doors, two on each side.

  “This one.” Caldan twisted the knob on the door. It was locked.

  Miranda came up behind him. “Try your trick again.”

  He fished around in his pocket for the chalk and scribed patterns on the lock. Moments later, it clicked open. He winked at Miranda, who frowned in disapproval.

  “You’d make a good thief,” she said.

  “I wouldn’t do that.”

  “I know. It’s one thing I like about you.”

  Caldan felt heat rise to his face. Did she have to stand so close? It was unnerving.

  Inside, blades of all sizes hung from wooden pegs on the walls, each with a leather scabbard and belt. Three large chests along the walls presumably held weapons of other kinds. Miranda tried to open one.

  “Locked,” she said, disappointed.

  “Let’s not take too long. Anything serviceable will do.”

  Caldan scanned the walls and took the first sword that looked suitable for his height and lifted it down. Plain and unadorned, it was good enough for now. He strapped the belt around his waist and adjusted its position until it was comfortable. He turned to find Miranda staring at him.

  “You look… deadly,” she said matter-of-factly. “With your build, the sword, the sorcery…” She shook her head.

  “Let’s get out of here. Now it’s the hard part: sneaking around until we find out what’s been happening.”

  They left the armory and stepped quietly along the corridor, then stopped before the courtyard. Ahead of them, the sparring circles were covered in leaves blown by the wind.

  In the center of one of the circles lay a thin body, face down with limbs twisted. One hand clutched a slender sword. Around the figure, dark stains stood out from the lighter dirt of the courtyard. A larger stain spread out from under the body. Though the clothes were covered in dust, Caldan recognized them as the cut and color most masters preferred. And that sword… He drew in a breath. Was it her? It had to be.

  With a glance at Miranda, he motioned her to follow and approached the body with hesitant steps. The master had been dead for some time. The head and neck were a greenish-blue color. Caldan and Miranda held their noses as the stench of rotting meat was almost overwhelming. Miranda backed away, waving at Caldan to continue. He took another step forward, took a deep breath then crouched over the corpse briefly before he staggered back to Miranda and gasped in fresh air.

  “I know who it is,” Caldan said.

  Miranda, hand still covering her mouth and nose, turned away from the body. “Who?”

  “Jazintha, a master in the Protectors. She was very good with a blade.”

  “But it looks like she died in a swordfight. If she was good, then who could do that?”

  “Someone better than she was, I suppose. Though with her skill and the craftings she always wore, she would have been difficult to defeat.” Caldan blew air hard out of his nose to try and clear the lingering smell. “She’s been slashed pretty badly, and her sword doesn’t have any blood on it. It looks like whoever killed her was more than a match.”

  Miranda shivered and rubbed her arms. “We should get out of here.”

  “We should do something for her. Bury her or…”

  “Or what?” asked Miranda sharply. “We need to get away from here. We can’t spend the time to do anything for her. She took Caldan by the arm. “Come on. Let’s forget about this… about finding the Protectors. I’m sure I can have us out of the city by tonight.”

  He twisted out of her grasp. “No. I can’t leave without knowing.”

  Miranda glared at him, then her expression softened. “I don’t like it.”

  He had to find out what was going on. Too many people were dead already. Maybe he could save some. Caldan squared his shoulders and met her gaze. He gestured at Jazintha’s corpse. “This makes me more determined to find out what’s happened. I know you think I’m putting us in danger but you volunteered to come here with me… and I appreciate it, I do. I just… I have to know.” His voice became strident. “I can’t tell you everything, not now, there isn’t time. But the Protectors were more than they appeared. If they’re alive and resisting, I have to find out.”

  “What’s important about them?” Miranda asked, puzzled. “I thought they were just sorcerers playing at soldiers.”

  Caldan shook his head. “No. They are much more than that. Trust me when I say it’s important.”

  Miranda muttered under her breath then nodded. “But we need to make it quick. It looks like things are much worse than I originally thought.”

  “Me too,” Caldan said. “Come on.”

  “Where to from here?”

  “That way,” said Caldan and pointed across the courtyard to another corridor.

  “Thi
s place is huge, more than you would expect from the outside.” Miranda’s tone was flat. She obviously wanted to change the subject from the dead master.

  “It took a while to find my way around, but it’s all logical. It’s not a maze. It shouldn’t take long to find all the stairs down.”

  With a thought through his link to the automaton, he sent it ahead, where it vanished around the corner into the corridor.

  “It’s not very stealthy,” said Miranda. “What if someone sees it?”

  “It should sense them before they see it, and I’m keeping it to the shadows and behind benches, anything I can find to hide it. But you’re right, I need to make some improvements.”

  “Think about that later. Worry about us getting out of here first.”

  “We will, don’t worry.”

  Caldan walked across the courtyard, one hand resting on the pommel of his new sword. Without hesitation, he entered the hallway followed by Miranda, who flicked a nervous glance behind her to make sure the courtyard was still clear.

  To their left lay two more corpses, one on top of the other. Swords lay next to the bodies. Both had their throats sliced, and slashes of crimson painted the wall above them. Wordlessly, Caldan ushered Miranda around them.

  After a few turns into dim hallways, they found themselves at the top of a set of stairs leading down into semi-darkness.

  “Here’s one,” whispered Caldan. He took a few steps then paused. A moment later, his metal automaton crept past their legs and made its way fluidly down the stone stairs. At the bottom, Caldan sent it further ahead into the gloom. Within moments, he confirmed there was no one close.

  “It’s all clear. Let’s go.”

  He quickly descended the steps and found himself exactly where he had expected, a room with cell doors on either side.

  “Wait,” hissed Miranda at him. “It’s dark. How can you see down there?”

  He turned to see her edging along a wall guided by her hand, taking the steps one at a time, making sure both feet stood on a step before taking another. Caldan could see her clearly, despite the apparent darkness. Strange. He always thought he had good night vision and had often been able to read well past the time when others would need a light to see by, but this was a surprise. Was his sight much better than Miranda’s?