‘Does she?’
‘What are you saying? She’s not going to betray us.’
Kerri snorted. ‘Stop twisting my words. Remember what Derrick said. He told us that she’s not really a proper agent; she’s just a merchant who thinks she is. What if she’s not as experienced as she’s making out? We should have left ages ago.’
‘So you’re an expert now, are you?’ Yanin said.
Ravi turned in the water, peering towards the front of the house. ‘Maybe Derrick’s death wasn’t an accident.’
‘The Silverstream council conducted an investigation,’ Yanin said. ‘They found no evidence that his drowning was suspicious.’
‘But you were the one who told me you thought it was too much of a coincidence,’ Ravi said. ‘And now, five days after the resident vision mage happened to conveniently fall off a walkway, we’re being attacked by the Rahain. Or is that just bad luck?’
Yanin glowered at him, but said nothing.
‘Maybe we should go now,’ said Kerri. ‘We could start wading past the back of the house. There are only a couple of streets before we hit open ground and the start of the hills.’
‘No,’ said Yanin. ‘Sable asked for a few minutes; surely we can grant her that.’
Ravi squinted his eyes at the view towards the front, but all he could see were the undersides of the houses and walkways. The shouts and cries were echoing higher with every passing moment, and he could smell smoke. A loud shriek pierced the air – a cry of anguish and terror, and then Ravi heard the sound of voices talking in Rahain. He gestured to Kerri and Yanin for quiet.
‘What is it?’ said Yanin.
‘Shush,’ he hissed. ‘Soldiers.’
His sister waded through the waters until she was standing next to him and together they peered through the murky shadows. The planks of the wide walkway in front of the house were swaying, as if boots were running across them, while orders in Rahain were being shouted out.
‘What are they saying?’ whispered Ravi.
‘I’ve no idea.’
‘What? I thought you were taking lessons?’
Yanin shrugged. ‘Haven’t done any yet.’
The thump of the boots faded away. Ravi turned to Kerri.
‘They’ve gone.’
‘Can we go now?’ Kerri said. ‘That’s been more than a few minutes. Sable’s not back.’
‘Don’t be stupid,’ said Yanin. ‘She could be here any second.’
‘Or she could have been killed or chased off by those soldiers,’ Kerri said.
‘We can’t just abandon her.’
‘If she’s an agent,’ Kerri said, ‘she’ll know how to handle herself.’
‘I’m with Kerri on this,’ said Ravi. ‘Soldiers have already reached our street. If we don’t leave now, we might never get away.’
Yanin glared at him and Kerri.
Ravi waded though the deep water towards the rear of the house. Like the front, there was a walkway running along the back of the row of dwellings, but no noise was coming from it.
‘The way’s clear,’ he said. ‘For now.’
Kerri joined him, and they both looked back at Yanin.
‘This is fucked up,’ she said.
‘Of course it is,’ Ravi said. ‘The whole situation is. Look, sis, we’ve got no choice.’
Yanin sighed and lowered her head, then trudged through the cold water towards them. Ravi led the way, wading to the edge of the house. He peered left and right, but saw and heard nothing. Behind them, the roar of the fighting was increasing, and more screams ripped through the air.
‘Come on,’ he whispered, and set off across the open gap between the house and the walkway. He halted as soon as he was under the shadows of the wooden beams, and waited for the others to catch him up.
‘Right,’ he said. ‘Next, we’ll…’
He fell silent as the sound of boots approached and the planks above their heads began to sway. They huddled together as the steps got closer. Rakanese voices were mixed in with Rahain as a large group gathered on the walkway. Orders were shouted, and the walkway shook as screams erupted. There was a splash as something fell into the water next to where Ravi was hiding, then a headless body toppled in. The first corpse was followed by others as the Rakanese on the walkway were beheaded. Heads and bodies fell like hail into the muddy waters next to the walkway, and blood began to seep through the planks above Ravi’s head, spattering his hair and face. Kerri buried her head in his shoulder, clinging onto him tightly, while Yanin stared at a head as it floated by.
The bodies began to pile up, falling too fast for the mud to swallow them, and blood mingled with the water around where Ravi, Kerri and Yanin stood in frozen silence. A body drifted under the walkway next to them, its legs colliding with one of the posts that held up the planks and beams. The screams stopped and no more corpses fell. The boots above them began moving again, and within minutes the walkway was clear, except for the pools of blood that continued to drip down between the gaps in the planks.
Ravi shook himself and realised his hands were trembling. He grabbed Kerri and began wading to the other side of the walkway, Yanin following. He glanced at her. Like him and Kerri, her hair, face and shoulders were covered with other people’s blood. They rushed across the open gap and scrambled underneath a building on the other side of the street. The waters were getting shallower as they moved away from the river, and was up at their knees by the time they had reached the rear of the building.
They stopped. Ahead was an open piece of ground at the back of a granary, where wagons sometimes pulled up. At least forty Rakanese were kneeling on the ground in the centre of the yard. Surrounding them was a score of soldiers in armour, carrying shields and great maces. They were towering over the Rakanese prisoners, calling out to each other in Rahain.
‘Kellach Brigdomin?’ said Ravi, his voice low. ‘What are those big bastards doing here?’
Kerri wiped the tears and blood from her face. ‘We’re fucked.’
‘Shh,’ Ravi hissed. He turned to go back, but the walkway at the front of the house was busy again, with more executions starting. Heads and bodies began falling into the water.
‘What will we do?’ whispered Yanin.
Ravi crouched by a thick wooden post. ‘We stay here.’
Hours passed. The executions by the walkway continued, until the flooded ground was packed with bodies. On the other side of the building, more captives were dragged into the middle of the yard, while Kellach soldiers stood around, keeping them from fleeing. Occasionally another group appeared, of soldiers carrying long axes. Both they and their weapons were streaked in blood. The screams from the town continued, never-ending cries of pain and despair, and the smell of smoke grew stronger as the morning turned into afternoon.
The three fugitives remained where they were – unmoving and silent. Kerri’s eyes were closed, while Yanin stared into space. Ravi, on the other hand, couldn’t keep his eyes off the captives in the yard and the soldiers that surrounded them. He had never known such paralysing fear. At any moment, all it would take was one of the soldiers to peer under the building and they would be discovered. Didn’t they know about the spaces below the streets? Even if they didn’t, they were bound to find out sooner or later. Surely, he thought, dozens of Rakanese must be hiding in the mud under their houses?
And where was Sable?
He felt guilty that they had left the place where she had told them to remain. And foolish. What if she had returned and assumed they had been captured? She could be miles away, fleeing into the mountains with a pack of supplies. Why hadn’t he listened to his sister?
The axe crew appeared in the yard again, drinking mugs of water from a rain butt, sweat and blood pouring down their armoured chests and arms. Every time they entered the yard the crowd of captives huddled closer together, and Ravi heard the soft cries of terrified children among them. An officer began talking to the axe crew, and Ravi again marvelled at the sound of Ke
llach speaking the Rahain language.
The daylight began to fade as evening approached. Lamps were lit in the yard and Ravi watched as the Kellach guards ate a meal. The soldiers seemed in good spirits, and were laughing and talking loudly to each other while the dozens of prisoners knelt or sat on the ground in silence. The officer made another appearance. He gestured to the captives, then pointed at the lit torches.
Ravi nudged Kerri as the soldiers put down their dinner-bowls and picked up their maces. The children among the crowd started to cry.
‘Look away,’ he whispered.
Kerri stared, her mouth open, as the soldiers encircled the prisoners. Ravi closed his eyes before the first mace blow struck. He clenched them shut as the sounds of the prisoners being slaughtered reached him. The screams and death-cries seemed to go on forever, the swing of the maces, the dull crunch of impacts as lives were ended.
When he felt his sleeve being tugged, Ravi realised that the sounds had long been over. He opened his eyes. Yanin was staring at him. She pointed at the yard.
Above the broken bodies that lay piled and strewn across the ground, the soldiers were lifting the flaming torches from their holders and lighting others.
‘They’re going to burn everything,’ Yanin whispered. ‘We need to go.’
Ravi said nothing, He hadn’t moved in hours, and seemed to have forgotten how to. Yanin shoved him, then grabbed Kerri’s arm.
‘Wake up, you two,’ Yanin hissed. ‘We can’t sit here.’
Ravi glanced over at the pile of headless bodies that were heaped by the walkway behind them. ‘Where?’
The soldiers distributed the torches and began to leave the yard. One walked towards the building under which Ravi and the others were sheltering, and entered through a door. The thud of her boots sounded above them, and then the smell of smoke permeated through the floorboards.
Yanin waded down the slope into the deeper water. ‘Follow me,’ she said.
Ravi took Kerri’s hand and they went after her, feeling the cold water reach their waists again. Heads were floating and bobbing on the blood-slick surface and Yanin pushed a body out of her way. They reached the mound of dead by the walkway as the flames took hold of the building above them. Smoke belched through the cracks, and Ravi could feel the heat bear down on his head. They pulled at the bodies, and began clambering over them to escape the smoke and the heat. He heard Kerri throw up next to him, but kept going, holding her hand as they climbed, their feet slipping on the muddy corpses.
They made it to the edge of the walkway. It was empty. The houses and building down one side of the street were on fire. Flames were consuming the wooden structures in hungry gulps, as dark coils of smoke rose into the darkening sky. They heaved themselves up onto the walkway and lay there for a moment amid the pools of blood on the planks.
Ravi tried to summon the will to move, but the sights, sounds and smells that were assaulting his senses left no room for anything else. Yanin slapped him across the face.
‘Get up,’ she hissed, the blood and grime on her face reflecting the angry flames from the burning buildings.
She pulled him to his feet, then went to help Kerri, who was as unresponsive as Ravi. Yanin cajoled them on, pushing and supporting them as they stumbled.
‘Back into our house,’ she said, gesturing to their back door.
Yanin kicked the door, but it wouldn’t open.
‘They’re coming,’ Kerri cried.
Ravi turned. A squad of soldiers were approaching along the walkway, bearing torches. He barged his shoulder into the door as Yanin kicked it again and it flew open, sending him sprawling to the kitchen floor. He looked up. Their packed bags were where they had left them. Yanin dragged Kerri inside and closed the door.
‘They’re going to torch this side of the street next,’ Yanin said. ‘Come on.’
They followed her as she ran to the front of the house. She peered out of a window then opened the door. The street was empty apart from a few bodies littered across the walkway or floating in the water. Ravi heard the back door open and boots enter the house. He ran out into the street, pulling Kerri along with him.
A cry rang out. Ravi turned. More soldiers were on the walkway, one with his arm raised, pointing at them. The soldiers charged, lifting their maces as they thundered towards Ravi, Keri and Yanin.
Something flashed before Ravi’s eyes and Sable landed on the walkway in front of him, a sword in her right hand.
‘Sable!’ cried Yanin.
The Holdings woman lifted her sword in the direction of the approaching soldiers and shouted out something in Rahain. The soldiers skidded to a halt, just feet away. Sable kept her sword raised, and spoke again.
The soldiers bowed to her, then surrounded Ravi and the others.
Yanin’s face twisted, her eyes afire. She stared at Sable. ‘You?’
Sable turned to them. ‘Yes, me.’
‘You betrayed us?’ Yanin cried.
‘No,’ Sable said. ‘My allegiance is to the Creator and the Lord Protector of the faith. By capturing an imperial diamond mage, I’m just doing my job.’
‘So it was just an act all along?’
Sable looked away, a trace of what might have been guilt or shame fleeting across her features. The soldiers surrounding them remained silent, awaiting a command.
‘I thought you…’ Yanin said. ‘I thought you and I…’
‘What do you want me to say?’ said Sable, frowning. ‘Did I enjoy being with you? Yes, I did, but from the moment I first saw your brother and realised his true powers, I’ve been working to bring him to Rahain. You,’ she said to Yanin, ‘were never supposed to come along, but you ended up making the whole thing a lot easier for me. And now you’re here, you and Kerri will suffice as hostages to make sure Ravi behaves and does what he’s told.’
Yanin gestured at the armoured Kellach surrounding them. ‘You called in these animals to destroy the town?’
‘No,’ Sable said. ‘They were coming anyway, and you three will be leaving with them.’
Sable turned to speak to the soldiers. Yanin screamed and sprang at her, clutching onto her hair with one hand and striking her with the other. Sable moved so fast that Ravi could barely see what she was doing and before he could blink Yanin had a knife embedded in her throat.
His sister fell to the ground.
Ravi rushed to her side, a howl coming from his lips. He clasped her hand, tears filling his eyes, his breath coming in wheezes.
‘I’m sorry,’ he heard Sable say. ‘She left me no choice.’
She then spoke in Rahain, and strong hands gripped Ravi’s shoulders. He clung onto his sister’s body, refusing to let go, his vision blurred and his mind stricken. Yanin.
Hands ripped her from his grasp and he was hauled to his feet to stand next to where Kerri was being restrained by two Kellach soldiers. Ropes bound their wrists behind their backs, and hoods were placed over their heads.
Ravi’s arms were held tight, and he was led along the walkway into captivity.
Chapter 28
Made of Stone
Plateau City, Imperial Plateau – 25th Day, Last Third Spring 524
The dining-room lay in near silence as dawn approached, the only sound coming from the low snores of Dyam as she slept curled up on a chair. Nyane had remained awake all night, keeping watch by the window, her thoughts preventing her from relaxing. Nearly forty people were in the large chamber – stretching out on the floor, or sitting by the long table. Guards had brought food, drink and blankets for them, before the doors had been locked for the night.
Next to her, Cuthbert was refilling his wooden tobacco pipe. He had been keeping her company for much of the night, in a futile attempt to lighten her mood. It was no use. What had happened was her fault, and no amount of reasoning by the old Holdings man could get round it.
‘It’ll be sunrise soon,’ he said, ‘then we’ll see what’s what.’
Nyane said nothing.
/> ‘The Empress is safe, that’s the important thing,’ he went on. ‘I’m sure our confinement will be temporary. The new government will realise that we’re no threat to them.’
‘No threat?’ said Nyane. ‘I want to rip Belinda’s head off and mount it on a pole.’
Cuthbert raised an eyebrow. ‘She’s an ambitious young lady, I’ll grant you that, who has twisted the laws to gain power, but I put my faith in the constitution. The courts will sort this mess out. Best leave it to the lawyers.’
Nyane frowned at him. ‘Are you really a soldier? There’s been a coup, and you think the legal system will help us?’ She looked away. ‘No. We’ll need to fight.’
‘Madam,’ he said, raising his chin, ‘I shall overlook the insult, as we are all under a fair amount of stress at the moment, but let me assure you that if it comes to a fight, then you will see the soldier within me emerge. I was at Red Hills in my youth, you know. I charged the Emperor’s army of Rahain. We sliced them open, and would have won the day, but the Emperor brought down my mount beneath me. Had you seen me on that day, you would not question my bravery.’
‘My apologies,’ she muttered.
‘I still do not see how it will come to a fight however,’ he said. ‘Who will be fighting who? The army is clearly on the side of the new regime.’
‘Bollocks,’ said a voice beside them.
‘Imperial Herald,’ said Nyane. ‘You’re awake.’
‘Aye,’ Dyam said, stretching her arms. ‘Awake and ready.’
‘For what?’
‘Dawn.’
‘Well, Herald,’ Cuthbert said, pointing towards the window with his pipe, ‘you’re just in time.’
Nyane turned to the east and watched as the sky above the buildings of the city began to brighten. It would be another hour before the sun rose above the level of the walls, but the sky was turning blue above, with not a cloud to be seen.
‘Beautiful day for it,’ Dyam said.
‘Do you have a plan?’ said Cuthbert.
‘Several.’
Fragile Empire Page 39
