by Mara Amberly
Holding his breath, he inched closer to the nearest door, which was closed. He put his ear to it and listened for sounds of a presence on the other side. There were none, but as his hand moved to the door handle, he heard a man’s laughter from the room at the end of the hall. It sounded close to the doorway, which meant he might be leaving the room.
Jonas quickly tried the door beside him. It opened – revealing darkness within. He stepped inside and closed the door around behind him. He didn’t find stairs to the basement, but as his eyes adjusted, he noticed jars on high shelves and several tables at waist height. It looked strange in the near-darkness, and it seemed like it might be some kind of work room.
He’d been right about the man he heard. Voices carried from the hallway outside as two men spoke. Jonas knew many languages – Guardians were well-educated, and he recognised theirs as belonging to tribesmen of the Painted Desert. He didn’t know what they were doing here or why they’d joined the Nemoran cult.
“Jakob’s sent word from the mountains that they’re marching the women here. We’ll see how many make it. It’s a waste of energy if you ask me, but I already told Jarlath I want first pickings when they get here.”
The other man laughed. “That’s just like you, always planning ahead.”
They walked on and Jonas sighed. He wondered what homes and families had been destroyed for that to happen. There must’ve been plenty of women in Feidhlim before. He wondered why they needed more and what had happened to the others.
Cringing slightly, he waited until they were gone, and then glanced around him at the darkened room in more careful detail. When he found herbs hung and drying, he realised it must be some kind of apothecary. He wasn’t sure why it was there, unless the house had its own herbalist or healer.
There was nothing he wanted from his immediate surroundings, so he put his ear to the door, listening to ensure the corridor was empty.
It seemed to be, so he slipped back out and ventured past the next closed door to peer through the open one.
The room was large, with many soft seats for lounging. He saw three doors on the other side of the room, suggesting it was a central area.
The room seemed empty, but then he noticed a blonde, bearded man relaxing on the lounge with a book in his hands. A small animal, like a large desert rat, was curled up under the side of the lounge. Jonas thought it must be a pet, though it was certainly an unusual choice.
He stepped back out of the room, once again listening quietly as he made his way over to the room he hadn’t checked. If this wasn’t it, then he would need to return later, because he couldn’t cut through the larger room at the moment and there seemed no other way to reach the area beyond it. He could try going upstairs and searching for another stairway, but he’d have an even greater chance of being caught that way.
Jonas decided that if he must, he’d return the next night, or search for outer doors leading in to the right area of the house.
Jonas didn’t hear any sound from the room. He slowly tried the door handle and noticed no light spilled out when the door opened. It was smaller than the other rooms and especially dark. That was when he heard movement in the room, not far away.
“Who’s there?” The woman’s voice was soft, but she sounded emotional, like she’d been crying.
Jonas froze, knowing he’d been discovered.
He saw two options – he could run away, or take her prisoner and use her to try and escape. Running away would be the safest option if the way was clear. He didn’t know if it would be.
Jonas didn’t answer her. He returned to the corridor quickly, closing the door behind him.
He knew the first room he’d visited was empty, but if they were searching for him it wouldn’t be good enough.
Jonas hurried down the corridor, past the entrance room and on toward the kitchen. He wasn’t sure if the woman would catch up with him, so he walked as quickly as he could while being cautious. As far as he was concerned, everyone in the compound was his enemy.
He’d made it out to the back door when he heard movement behind him. It was the woman.
He had no idea how she’d caught up so easily, because she hadn’t been there when he’d rounded the corner. As their gazes met, he could tell that she sensed his fear and desire to run.
“I won’t hurt you. We can talk outside?” she offered in a soft voice, keeping her distance.
Jonas’s hand grasped the hilt of his knife, but he didn’t draw it just yet. It was the woman in midnight blue, though she didn’t wear her veil now. She was beautiful, but her eyes were puffy from crying.
“Yeah, we can,” Jonas agreed, moving a little too quickly toward the exit.
He wanted to be sure he could escape if he needed to. At least outside, he could climb the wall more easily.
Once in the garden, he felt more at ease. Jonas knew the trees could hide watchers and magick could accomplish the same aim, but his senses told him no one was around except for himself and the lady. He made sure to stay out of the view of the upper windows.
“Who are you?” she asked him, blending into the darkness with as much ease as he did, given the midnight blue dress she wore.
“I’m called Jonas,” he told her, glancing around the garden cautiously, before his gaze once again locked with hers.
She was much older than he was. He couldn’t tell in the darkness, but when he’d seen her near the kitchen, he’d noticed she was in her late twenties or early thirties.
“Elena Briette,” she said, a little warily. “If you don’t mind me asking, why did you come here? Usually people try to get away, not come in.”
Jonas wondered at her confidence. Could she have some power he didn’t know about? It would explain why she didn’t seem to fear him. Then again, it might be that the cult leader was so much more fearsome than he was.
Jonas decided not to mention the manse. It would be foolish to speak of it, as the conversation could make it that much harder to steal later.
“I want to rescue my friend and others who disappeared from Feidhlim. I’m trying to find out what happened to them. Maybe you can tell me?”
It was a plausible answer that also happened to be true. It just wasn’t Jonas’s only reason.
“They’re dead,” she admitted, her voice bitter. “Other than those who joined his cult, they’re all dead, and if you keep searching they’ll find you and do the same thing to you.”
It was the last thing Jonas wanted to hear. He’d held out what hope he could, though it was little more than faith that the universe couldn’t be so cruel than any true hope. Perhaps that made it a fool’s hope, and this felt like a harsh dose of reality.
“Are you sure?” he asked, which seemed a foolish thing to ask when she’d been so clear, but he had to be certain.
He felt he had to keep searching if there was even a chance, however remote, that they still lived.
“I’m sorry, but yes I’m sure.”
Jonas steeled himself emotionally, but he couldn’t imagine how anyone could kill almost a whole town full of people.
“How did they die?” he asked, not entirely sure if he wanted to know the answer, but he felt he had to know. He couldn’t put certain aspects of the past to rest until he knew.
Tears formed in the corners of Elena Briette’s eyes as she sought to explain.
“Jarlath is a monster and he seeks power over people, and not just members of his own cult. He has an object of evil that transformed these people into energy he can use. Their lives fuel his power now. That’s why something must be done before more lives are stolen away. It’s why I’m taking the risk of telling you. Maybe you can tell the right people so they can help us. Even if you’re one less person killed, then that’s a victory, however small.”
Jonas didn’t need to feign horror; and it wasn’t just because of what she said had happened to the people of the town. A manse should never be used this way, but it was possible that it could be and was.
&n
bsp; Jonas viewed a manse as a truly pure object of power: a wonder of the ancient world. It seemed this one had been corrupted in the vilest of ways by Jarlath, who used it to murder the poor townsfolk.
Jonas knew that a manse could be charged through prayer, from ley lines and by being in natural, magickal places. Feeding it lives was something else entirely. Its energy would be immense, but the pure nature of what it was might be defiled or twisted, though a manse was typically viewed as neither good nor evil. He wasn’t sure what Jarlath had created and he wouldn’t know until he saw it for himself.
“Where is the object?” he asked her, hoping that to do so wouldn’t be a mistake. “I want to see it for myself.”
She shook her head. “It’s not wise. It would kill you to even touch it. It’s housed deep underground, so perhaps you should accept that your friend’s at rest now?”
Jonas frowned at her suggestion and he knew he had to try further.
“What do you want to happen?” Jonas asked, not truly sure of her motivations. She obviously knew a lot of what had been going on, but as he saw it, she hadn’t done anything to stop it… if she even could.
“I want to escape from here and return to a life that’s gone, with my family who are now dead.”
Jonas’s eyebrows rose at that. “I see. You could hide out in one of the houses. There’s a whole town out there.”
She seemed unwilling to try.
“Every house would be searched and anyone who helped me would be executed. Anyone else they found would die too.”
It sounded accurate to Jonas, as depressing as the thought was.
“Without the manse, Jarlath would just be a man again,” she claimed. “He’s something else now… not fully human. If you removed it, he would hunt you to the ends of Maeridea, but he would be weaker and he couldn’t use it to kill anyone else, not that it’s the only method at his disposal.”
Jonas nodded. “I’m willing to take the chance, if you’ll show me. I’m just one man,” he said, knowing he probably looked like more of a boy, “but I know people who can help me. I would suggest escaping at the same time, perhaps going in the opposite direction, but I wouldn’t want to see any others who might remain in the town killed.”
Elena Briette merely nodded. “Thank you for your advice. I’ll think about it.” She smiled at him. “This may seem a strange thing to say, but I’ve dreamed of you before. I believe you may be the one to help us.”
Jonas didn’t quite know how to respond to that.
“I will if I can.”
Of course, he mainly answered as he did in the hope she’d lead him to the manse, so he could steal it – but for the right reasons, rather than the wrong ones.
“Will you show me where it is?” he asked her.
Jonas just hoped it wasn’t a trap, and he wouldn’t have the same fate as the other people from Feidhlim.
“Yes,” she told him, “but we should hurry. Jarlath will check the manse in the morning and you’ll want to be as far away as possible by then.”
Chapter 9
Cassia, Alexa, Knave and Ariane walked until the sky brightened with the first light of day and the temperature began to warm. Sleeping in the daylight wouldn’t be easy, but they were exhausted from the walking and hadn’t slept much the night before. If they were attacked now, they’d be vulnerable. Luckily, the terrain in this part of the country wasn’t open and vast in quite the same way they’d expected it would be.
“If I was to guess, I’d say we’re beyond the Painted Desert here; somewhere to the east of it. Usually the desert doesn’t have so many signs of vegetation,” Sister Ariane noted. “This area does.”
“It’s cold and the ground’s dry,” Cassia complained, “so it doesn’t seem all that different to one to me.”
She was tempted to summon a warming fire, but even if it wasn’t spotted from a distance, it would be another instance of magick that might be if a sorcerer was paying attention. Stealth was more important for the time being.
“I could keep you warm?” Knave offered generously.
“I’ve got that covered, thanks,” Cassia exclaimed, drawing a sidelong glance from Alexa.
She fell silent, hoping Ariane hadn’t drawn the wrong… or rather the right conclusion. She’d thought of Josef, though he was back in Kalle, more than likely.
“What’s her problem?” Knave asked Alexa with a grin.
“You remind her that she has to behave herself,” Alexa replied, smiling.
He snapped his fingers. “Dang. I should’ve known that was it. It couldn’t be me.”
Cassia shook her head and walked on further. A large crease in the landscape wound through it like a deep scar. It was likely a dry river-bed, and Cassia stopped when she reached the edge of it. It wasn’t very wide, but it might provide some cover and a measure of privacy.
“Hey,” she said, beckoning to the others, who soon caught up. “What do you say we rest here? We could set the blankets in the bottom and it would help block out the wind.”
It had lightened to a breeze, but it seemed likely it might pick up again throughout the day.
“It sounds like a great idea to me,” Knave agreed. “If I walk on much longer I’m going to drop. I think I’m going to rest here.”
He climbed into the river bed, which reminded him of a gully, and started setting up his camp. He was hungry but in that moment sleep seemed more important.
Ariane, Cassia and the others followed suit, after ensuring there were no other people in the area, so far as they could tell.
“Should we take shifts keeping watch?” Cassia asked, as the others settled in to rest. They were so tired they hadn’t even thought of it.
“We’re in the middle of a… well, if it isn’t a desert, then plains,” Alexa exclaimed. “I sensed no one around here, but the people in the tunnels were murdered. You go on, rest. I’ll keep watch and wake you in a few hours.”
Cassia nodded. “If you’re sure?”
With a nod, Alexa pulled herself up into a sitting position and peered over the edge of the river bed. At least she could keep watch and stay where she was at the same time.
***
It was much later in the day when Cassia, Alexa and Ariane woke. Knave wasn’t in the river bed where he had been, but they saw he’d found another pit in the ground about twenty metres away and he’d started a small fire there. It would be less visible in the day and its placement hid it more easily from view.
“Ah, you’re up. I was feeling hungry so I thought I’d get a head start on making something to eat. I told you I’m a decent cook, so this is me doing my part.”
Alexa smiled as she wandered over to see what the cook was making. “Ooh, is that stew?”
He nodded. “We only had that awful dried meat, so I soaked it for a while to soften it up, and added in some potatoes and herbs. It should be better than eating the dry stuff now. Try some,” he offered, handing her the spoon.
Alexa scooped out a spoonful, curious to try it. The stew was steaming hot, but she blew on it for a moment to cool it before tasting it.
“It’s wonderful. I wouldn’t have guessed that it’s made from the rations we brought with us.”
A hot meal would make the journey feel less arduous, especially after a proper rest.
“Bring your cups over and I’ll share it out,” Knave offered.
He set out a blanket for them to sit on, and soon the Sisters were gathered by the fire, enjoying their meal, while Knave did the same.
“You’re an excellent cook. Where did you learn?” Cassia asked him, hoping it wouldn’t bring up bad memories from his past.
“My father was an inn-keeper in Kelbani back when I was a young lad. I was put to work as soon as I was old enough, and that was usually in the kitchen. I spent years cooking for paying guests, so I know how to throw a simple meal together when I need to,” he said smiling.
It was a different side of Knave, but it showed that he was in his element.
“That makes a lot of sense,” Alexa confessed, as she ate her meal.
“So how far off is the special tree that you saw last night?” he asked, wondering if it could be close-by or whether they had another day of walking ahead of them.”
“I’m not sure, but I can try sensing it again.”
Cassia took Alexa’s cup for her, while she closed her eyes and let her mind drift. She slowly brought it back into focus, paying attention to the environment around her.
The tree stood out to her in the distance like a beacon. It was much closer than she would’ve expected. It might take an hour to reach it, or maybe two.
She also sensed something that she hadn’t before. It seemed as if the tree might be protected by some kind of guardian. A white deer lingered near the crack in the earth. She honed in on the deer, and she sensed it was powerful, but injured. She couldn’t tell how badly or if it was a deer at all. Her vision of it might’ve been symbolic.
Opening her eyes and glancing up at the others, Alexa smiled. “It’s not far away now. I’d say it’s only about an hour or two’s walk to the east, if that.”
It was a relief to Knave.
“Do we need to take any precautions before we get there? Maybe a shielding spell would be a good idea?” Ariane winced when she realised the suggestion might not be viewed as intended.
Cassia nodded, and seemed to show no hard feelings. “That’s not a bad idea, though Knave can’t cast his own. What about a barrier instead? We could raise one in front of us as we approach.”
“It wouldn’t be as protective but it would conserve energy, especially as it might not be needed at all. I can do this,” Ariane insisted.
Knave flinched slightly, but no one else seemed to notice.
“Alright then,” Alexa agreed. “We have a strategy. Let’s just be careful about it. I don’t think the guardian is a threat, but if it’s injured it might be defensive.”
Ariane’s eyes narrowed. “What guardian? How long have you known about this?”
Alexa frowned. “I only saw it just now. If I knew before, I’d have told you. It looked like a white deer near the tree.”
