‘Outnumbered?’ Thrall hissed, and advanced another step. ‘Do you honestly believe that two prentices are enough to intimidate me?’
‘Make that three,’ someone said from among the rubble. Hero had blended in so well with her surroundings that she’d been invisible until the moment she chose not to be. Now she seemed to materialise among the rocks and pillars with one zamaraq aimed at Thrall and another ready to go.
‘I count four,’ another voice chimed in, and everyone looked to see Drake standing by the wall opposite Hero. Somehow he’d managed to recover his spear, and though his head was bandaged with strips of cloth torn from his own shirt, he looked focused and stern.
Zeke charged his shock rifle. Joss raised the Champion’s Blade, and pointed the tip at Thrall’s masked face. Together, all four of the Bladebound began to converge on the hooded man. Looking to his left, he saw Hero and her throwing weapons. To his right, Drake’s spear.
Looking up at Joss, he growled, ‘There will be another time, Blade Keeper. That much I promise.’
Throwing back his cloak, he held out a gloved hand as he recited a cluster of rough and unfamiliar words. The shadows beneath him appeared to melt into oil and he slid down into them as if an escape hatch had opened under his feet. Joss rushed forward in the desperate hope of stopping him, but the shadows had already shifted back.
With the ease of a magician performing his most practised trick, Thrall had completely vanished.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
A FAMILY REUNION
JOSS had to squint as he emerged from the darkness of the Stitched Witch’s castle. Even with how pale the evening light was, he still found it overwhelming. The sun was just now setting behind the mountain peaks that surrounded the castle like a ring of royal guards.
Not that the scenery was especially regal. If anything it was a squalid wasteland, with the witch’s fortress little more than a black shell that had sunk halfway into a putrid bog. And now that half the exterior had been demolished it was sinking even faster, with tiles dropping from the roof to plunk into the marsh below.
‘A few days’ time it’ll be like this place never existed,’ Joss remarked as he watched the swamp swallow the building’s foundations. He strapped the Champion’s Blade back onto his belt, where it belonged.
‘Not a moment too soon,’ Drake said, limping through one of the gaping holes in the stonework. Not too far away, a twisted pile of metal was belching black smoke, its twin cannons lying useless on the ground.
‘For all their bluster, the Skeleton Crew ran off the moment we wrecked their clockwork crony,’ Hero noted, appearing beside Drake. She scrutinised the fallen Warhead as she went on to ask, ‘What should we do about the witch?’
‘We’ll notify the next ranger patrol we run across.’ Joss glanced back at the gloom of the throne room. ‘She’s too dangerous for us to attempt anything ourselves.’
‘And Zadkille?’ Hero added.
‘You know I’m standing right here, don’t you?’ Zeke asked.
Hero cast a wary eye over him. ‘Trust me, it hadn’t escaped my notice.’
Zeke opened his mouth to reply, but was cut short by a sudden cry that came from behind a nearby rise. Joss wheeled around, searching for the source.
‘It can’t be …’ he muttered, and took off in the direction of the noise. The ground was a mash of gravel and mud, solidifying only as Joss reached the peak of the hill. Looking down, he saw each of their mounts surrounding a fallen animal. It was beating its wings in an attempt to continue its flight, but it was clear to see they were far too damaged for that.
Panicked, the Questing Bird let out another cry.
Joss slid down the hillside, his boots kicking up a trail of dust. Hearing him coming, Azof ran over to greet him. The raptor trilled in his ear as he pressed his snout into Joss’s face.
‘I’m glad to see you too, boy,’ he said, rubbing the thunder lizard’s neck and patting him on the chest. ‘How’s our friend?’
Azof tilted his head as he looked back at the injured pterosaur, and Joss slipped past him to approach it. It was lying on top of a long, flat boulder, much as it had been on the altar.
He was still staring at it, unsure of how to help, when the rest of his Bladebound brethren approached him.
‘Her wing is injured,’ Hero said as she gingerly made her way towards the fallen animal. ‘I’ll need to strap it. Drake, can you help me?’
Between the two of them they were able to set the Questing Bird’s wing and pull it up onto the back of Pietro’s harness. All of the tension seemed to have finally taken its toll, and the pterosaur curled up into an exhausted ball.
‘We’ll take it back to its nest. Maybe the same rangers we report to about the witch can keep an eye on it and remove the bandages when its wing has healed,’ Joss said.
‘Are you sure you don’t want to somehow bring it back with us to Tower Town?’ Zeke asked. ‘After all, how else are we going to prove that we completed the Way?’
Drake and Hero could only stare at him in bewilderment, but neither of them spoke. Knowing that he would have to be the one to say it, Joss stepped forward. ‘Zeke. You’re not coming with us.’
‘But I saved you …’ replied Zeke. ‘That has to count for something, right?’
‘You stole the Constellation Key. You destroyed the last of the Questing Bird’s eggs. You broke your vow to your brethren. And for what? Vague promises of riches? The chance to throw your father’s plans in his face, to outshine your brothers? Honour has more value than that, Zeke. You sold yours too cheaply.’
‘Joss. Please.’ Zeke reached out to grasp Joss’s arm. ‘This is all I have now.’
‘Then you should have thought of that before you threw it all away,’ Joss replied as he pulled himself free. Both Drake and Hero had already taken to their saddles, and Joss quickly joined them. He was just about to spur Azof into a run when Zeke called out.
‘Wait!’ He held up the Constellation Key. ‘You’re going to need this.’
He tossed the key to Joss. It spun around and around in the air, but still he caught it with ease. Turning it about in his hand, he examined the silver rod that had caused them so much turmoil.
‘Thank you,’ he said to Zeke, still staring at the key.
‘You’re welcome …’ he heard Zeke reply. The words were gentle, melancholy. They haunted Joss as he turned Azof towards the rise of the hill and kept on riding. He didn’t look back.
He was still thinking of Zeke when they arrived at the gates of Vaal to find that they had somehow come to be locked once more.
‘They closed behind us of their own accord when we left …’ Hero explained in a hushed voice.
‘Really?’ Joss asked as he gazed with her at the black iron monolith looming before them. Not that long ago, he would have scoffed at the idea of the Ghost City having some kind of life of its own. But he would no doubt have done the same about the legend of the Stitched Witch.
‘Ready to do the honours?’ Drake asked him, and with some hesitation Joss slipped from his saddle to approach the gates. Nearing them, the Constellation Key started to glow. It was only a dull
sheen at first but with every step it grew brighter. Holding out the key, he pressed it to the one lock at the centre of all the others. He wondered if he would have to go about unlocking all of them as he stared at the dozens of deadbolts that covered the gate like chainmail.
But as he pushed the key into the lock and turned it, he saw countless other keys lighting up around him. Composed of energy and gliding through the air, they moved in time with the original key to open all the locks simultaneously. One turn of the wrist and the job was done. The gates to Vaal were opened, and the Bladebound were granted access to the city.
The streets were less imposing now. Joss encountered no ghosts as he rode with the others to the High Chamber. All he could hear was the breeze rustling through the rosebushes and the faint melody of birdsong in the distance. That, and the occasional warble from the Questing Bird.
It seemed to have grown much calmer in the ride to the city, as if it knew what Joss and the others were trying to do for it. That couldn’t shake the guilt that Joss felt, however. If they had never come here, the bird’s eggs would never have been destroyed.
‘My liege …!’ Hero gasped in astonishment. ‘Look!’
She pointed at the belltower. Just below the belfry from which Zeke had tossed the sack of eggs, Joss could see a stone gargoyle. And from the gargoyle there hung what looked to be a heavy bag.
‘It can’t be …’ he said, not allowing himself to hope. The Questing Bird cawed, fidgeting in its place on the back of Drake’s mount.
‘We need to get up there,’ Drake said as the bag swayed in the growing wind. ‘And quickly.’
Joss agreed, and together they galloped for the High Chamber. With Hero and Drake carrying the Questing Bird behind him, he climbed the tower just as he had done before, his heart pounding with every step. But this time he didn’t stop at the belfry. While the others settled the Pterosaur into its nest, Joss clambered out onto the tower’s ledge towards the gargoyle. The sack was rocking back and forth, the wind gaining strength by the moment. He had just managed to hook his fingertips into the rope that tied the bag shut when a sudden gust pulled it from his grasp.
‘No!’ he shouted, springing forward to catch it.
‘Joss!’ Hero called out as he lost his balance, his feet slipping. He felt her grab him, keeping him from plummeting but still leaving him teetering on the edge. It wasn’t until Drake added his support that they were able to wrangle him back to safety.
‘Did you …?’ Drake asked breathlessly.
Joss smiled, and pulled the bag into the belfry with him. ‘I always do.’
Hero and Drake cheered, then pushed forward to watch as Joss opened the bag. Inside, the eggs gleamed like black pearls, whole and unharmed. The Questing Bird squawked from across the room, craning its neck in an attempt to see. Joss’s smile broke into a wide grin.
‘Here. These belong to you,’ he said, taking one egg and handing the others to Hero and Drake. Together, they placed the eggs back in the nest with their mother. The Questing Bird cooed as she wrapped herself around her unborn young.
Standing back, the Bladebound watched the family reunion with pride.
‘So. What do we do now?’ Drake asked. ‘It’s not like we can take the eggs back to Tower Town with us.’
‘And they’re not going to confirm us without them,’ Hero added.
Joss stood with his hands in his pockets, his smile unwavering. ‘I wouldn’t be so sure about that …’
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
A JOURNEY JUST BEGUN
GRANDMASTER Eno sat with his back to the vast expanse of the Searing Sands. His fingers were steepled in front of his face, hiding the lower half. His brow was furrowed in … what? Deliberation? Fury? It was impossible to say.
‘So,’ he said. ‘You’ve returned empty-handed.’
Joss pursed his lips, still dry from the ride through the desert. It had been a gruelling journey that had taken them weeks, through Dragon’s Throat in the northern Backbone Ranges, past the city of Covora, and south again to Thunder Realm. They hadn’t even had the chance to rest upon arriving here at Tower Town, having been immediately summoned to appear before the Grandmaster Council.
‘Not empty-handed, my lord. We have proof of our completed quest.’
He held out his hand, as did Hero and Drake. Each of them had in their possession a long, red feather.
‘From the Questing Bird,’ Joss explained. ‘In lieu of her eggs.’
‘But the challenge lies in fetching the eggs out from under the beast and returning safely with them. This is a – this is –!’ Grandmaster Gilmyn spluttered.
‘This is unacceptable,’ Grandmaster Warburn said, and Grandmaster Eno’s eyes swivelled to regard him.
‘We’re all aware of the terms of the challenge, my lords. But it’s not possible any more.’ Joss lowered his hand though kept firm hold of his feather. ‘The Questing Bird faces extinction. The only eggs we could take were the last in all of Ai. And then what? Paladeros are sworn to care for the animals in their charge. If that care doesn’t extend to the Questing Bird and all creatures similarly endangered, then what purpose do we serve?’
‘But it’s tradition!’ Gilmyn puffed.
Joss had to bite back his frustration to keep himself from yelling at the old man. ‘With respect, my lord … what use is tradition if it comes at the cost of the future?’ Gilmyn could only blink in confusion, while Warburn settled to suck on his teeth.
The only one who didn’t stir was Eno. He just kept staring at Joss as if he were trying to solve an especially frustrating puzzle. Finally he unthreaded his fingers to speak. ‘You’ve given us much to consider, Prentice Sarif. If you and your brethren would like to take some air, we’ll summon you when we’ve come to a decision.’
‘Thank you, Grandmaster,’ Joss replied, taking the few steps he needed to reach the table at which all the council sat. Looking at each of them in turn, he placed the feather before them. As he moved away, Hero followed him to do the same, as did Drake. With their feathers all piled on the grandmasters’ table, they left the chamber.
The rooftop terrace felt larger now that it was empty. It pitched back and forth in the wind like a bucking bronto, forcing Joss to hold the rail tight as he watched the horizon and waited for the gale to die down. Standing to his left, Drake gazed with him into the distance.
‘You think they’ll go for it?’ he asked.
‘Hard to say,’ replied Joss. ‘I think the last grandmaster to challenge tradition was when Willem Brine set sail for the Northern Tundra.’
‘That was 300 years ago,’ Drake pointed out.
‘Exactly.’
‘What else were we supposed to do? Thieve those mother’s eggs out from under her? Doom her entire species to extinction?’ Hero snarled from Joss’s right-hand side. Once, he would have mistaken her anger as being directed at him. Now he knew better.
‘We could only do what we felt was best,’ Joss said, an odd calm having settled over him. ‘And that’s all we can expect from them as well.’
There was a clanging of machinery below them as a Zadkille airship disengaged from its docking station. The three prentices watc
hed as the ship drifted up into the sky, its business at Tower Town now concluded.
‘There’s something I feel I should mention …’ Drake said, the airship’s shadow blocking out half his face.
‘Oh?’ Hero replied.
‘We’re brethren. That bond means a lot to me. And I want it to be an open bond, with nothing held back …’
He cleared his throat and squeezed his fists even tighter around the rail, but before he could say anything further Joss placed a hand on his shoulder.
‘Drake, wait,’ he said. ‘Whatever you’re going to say … Your business is nobody’s but your own. I was wrong to question you about it.’
‘Mine, and the people I choose to share it with …’ Drake said, smiling the same way he had when they’d first been introduced on this very rooftop. Joss smiled in return.
‘Is this a private moment or can anyone join in?’ Hero asked, unmoved as ever. Drake grimaced as he returned to his search for the right words.
‘What I shared with Joss, back in Bittersweet’s hut? What I didn’t want you and Zeke to know?’ he closed his eyes and took a breath. ‘I wasn’t born how I am now. I was born a girl.’
‘A girl?’ Hero repeated blankly.
Drake nodded, chewing his bottom lip.
‘But you prefer to be treated as a boy?’
‘That’s right,’ Drake replied.
Hero turned her head to stare at the vista before them, her stoic expression betraying nothing.
‘Henrietta,’ she finally said, causing Joss and Drake to look at one another in confusion.
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