by C S Vass
“So then why have you come for me?” Fiona asked. “Why are you here?”
“He’s right, you do have a suspicious mind,” Shifter said. “It really is too bad you can’t let a thought pass through your head without speaking it out loud. You could learn a lot from a secret-keeper.”
Fiona groaned. “We don’t have time for this. If there’s still hope of finding Rodrick I need to get to him. Will you help me escape?”
“Yes,” Shifter giggled. It was as if they were playing an elaborate riddle game and she had finally guessed the right answer. “Not for your sake, I don’t owe you anything. But your friend has saved up quite a few different favors, and he’s calling one of them in.”
“My friend?” Fiona asked.
“Come, I’ll show you the way out.” Ignoring her question, Shifter went over to the wall he had emerged from and began tapping the surface while humming a light contemplative melody. After about a minute the stones started to ripple like the surface of a pond and melted away to reveal a long, low passageway lit by torches that flickered malevolently.
Shifter started down the tunnel and then gave a small, “Oh!” and skipped back like a merry child. Fiona’s eyes grew wide when the secret-keeper unexpectedly pulled out a dangerous looking knife and held it to her. Shifter laughed.
“For your hands, silly. I forgot to untie you.”
Heart fluttering, Fiona shot Shifter an angry look but all the same turned around to let her hands be cut loose. They were dead numb from the tightness of the ropes. Massaging some life back into them, she followed Shifter down the hallway and was free once more.
Chapter Thirteen
The tunnel finally ended in perfect blackness and a wall prohibited their movement. Again, Shifter tapped and hummed, this time causing the stone surface to melt away and reveal a comfortable-looking room. Immediately it was obvious to Fiona that they were in Donyo Brownwater’s chambers.
There were long tables decorated with a myriad of strange instruments and devices made from foreign metals that protruded at intricate and precise angles. The walls were lined with endless rows of books, abacuses, crinkled parchment, ink pots and quills, and a plethora of other academic objects. In the center of the room, dangling from the ceiling and larger than she was hung the most complex system of ropes and knots Fiona had ever seen. As to what purpose it served she could only have guessed.
But despite the variety of oddments the dead giveaway was the booze: endless bottles of Tellosian whiskeys, Laquathi wines, and dark beers brewed right in Haygarden found themselves in every spare nook and cranny left unoccupied. Yes, this was definitely where Donyo lived.
“He should be here soon,” Shifter said quietly. “Try not to touch anything. He gets prickly about his knick-knacks. Fiona could understand why. From the looks of it most of the objects in the room were put together with incredible precision and seemed as if a sneeze could obliterate them. It was downright sadistic to keep oneself intoxicated around such sensitive devices.
They waited the better part of an hour when suddenly the door burst open. For half a heartbeat Fiona thought Donyo was rushing towards her to give her a hug, but he swept right past her to pull a large bottle of ale from his wall, pour it into a ceramic mug, and gulp down half of it without taking a breath. She watched in mild disgust as he wiped a sweaty palm across his bearded face.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Fiona asked impatiently.
“It’s a mess out there,” he responded. Donyo gave Fiona a searching look and then chuckled. “They are going to be pissed when they find out that you’ve gone missing. Don’t worry, they won’t think to look here. I’ve got them quite convinced I’m too much of a lush to be involved in any conspiracies.”
Fiona rolled her eyes. “I wonder how you ever pulled that off.”
“I’m a true master of deception,” Donyo said with a grin. “But there are more important things to discuss. The situation does not look good for us. The Vaentysh Boys have completely taken over. They’ve killed dozens of loyalists to the Duke. There is a special council being created to deploy a rapid strategy to take over the other districts. There are many more city guards loyal to the Vaentysh Boys then I realized, and that will cause some hard to solve problems. Then comes phase two.”
“Phase two?” Fiona asked. “What happens then?”
Donyo rubbed his bloodshot eyes. He looked more tired than she had ever seen him. “Phase two is expansion. They aim to take back the Lordless Lands. As much of them as they can in any case. I can’t imagine the peasants will be happy to be reintroduced to the concept of tax. There will be bloodshed without a doubt.”
“What of those who are missing?” Fiona asked.
“I dare not have asked,” Donyo responded. “But nobody is taking responsibility for the kidnappings at this point.”
“What do you mean?” Fiona shouted, slamming a closed fist onto the table. “How do you dare not ask? Is my brother dead or alive?”
“His chances will hardly be better than mine if it’s discovered that I’m harboring you,” Donyo said. “It will do him no good to poke around prematurely.”
A light knock on the door interrupted them. Fiona was ready to hide but Donyo said, “Good, finally! I’ve managed to arrange to have a friend brought here. A reunion of the fools. You’ll be happy to see him.”
Fiona looked at the door confused. When Donyo opened it she was shocked to see Martin Lightwing standing there, grinning like an idiot.
“Fiona!” he said, as he rushed forward to embrace her. “I was so worried.”
“How did you get here?” she asked.
“Quiet!” Donyo hissed. “The last thing we need is them hearing you.”
“It’s the middle of the night,” Martin complained. “I think we’re ok.”
“Our secret-keeper will tell you the middle of the night is exactly when all the little rats are scurrying about the walls,” Donyo said.
“I have news,” Martin said in a lower voice. “The Leaf District is taken, but Clearwater is still free.”
Fiona smiled. “Fiercewind made it to the school, didn’t she?”
“Yes,” Martin said. “They’re utterly surrounded, but there are soundmages in Clearwater helping Fiercewind. They will be alright, at least for now.”
“This is good,” Shifter said. “That will draw their attention and give us the opportunity we need.”
“First thing’s first,” Fiona said. “Where is Thrushling?”
Donyo snorted. “Thrushling? You’re worried about that imbecile?”
“That imbecile betrayed me,” Fiona said. “I don’t even understand how he did it. What was that arrow?”
“I thought to ask you the same thing,” Donyo said. “How did you come to possess such an object?” He turned to Shifter. “This has your stink all over it.”
“I’m as shocked as anyone to have seen Fiona in possession of a lythlilli,” Shifter said.
“Lyth-what?” Fiona asked. “What are you talking about?”
“The lythlilli is a piece of forbidden magic, outlawed since Duke Redfire seceded from the Tellosian Empire.”
“What soundmages are forging forbidden magic?” Fiona asked. Her head was spinning. It seemed that every step she took towards Rodrick was really four steps into another dammed mystery.
“You misunderstand,” Donyo said. “A lythlilli is not a forged by a soundmage. It is not sound magic at all. Just magic.”
“Just magic?” Fiona asked, her eyebrows furrowed. “What does that even mean?”
“Not all magic is sound magic, Fiona,” Shifter said. “That was a convenient lie spread for the last thirty-some years. But in order to understand that you will need to go down deep into the depths of the earth.”
“The Moonwood,” she breathed. It was not a question. She had allowed herself to forget about the mythic forest underneath the sewers since Shifter had first told her of its existence.
“You’ve pro
bably guessed by now that that’s where the arrow Thrushling gave you has come from.”
“Slow down,” Martin interrupted. “What arrow? What are you talking about?”
“We haven’t time,” Shifter responded. “Fiona will catch you up soon, but the longer we wait the more unlikely it is that we can reclaim the city. For now, it will suffice to know that the Moonwood is the source of magical energy in all of Tellos.”
“Not many know of it,” Donyo said. “In truth it was the dominant reason Duke Redfire was willing to give up nine-tenths of his lands.”
“I see,” Fiona said. “And now that he’s dead who knows what Downcastle will want to do with its power.”
“I don’t understand,” Martin interrupted again. “What power does it have?”
Donyo Brownwater’s off-grey eyes grew cloudy, as if he were staring at something none of them could see. After a moment he simply said, “The twins.”
“The Moonwood,” Shifter explained, “is the home of two very powerful, very ancient godlings. They are twin sisters, Maeyori the Luthier, and Maeyumi the Silversmith. Maeyori harvests and crafts wood from the trees and metals from the earth to forge the instruments of magic that the soundmages use. Maeyumi does the same, but with powerful weapons. Weapons that are never supposed to leave Haygarden’s deepest vaults, only to be used in the most extreme of emergencies. Weapons like the arrow that Thrushling gave you.”
“So there’s really a power in that silver arrow?” Fiona asked.
“Yes,” Shifter said. “You wouldn’t be able to take over a city with just the one, but the fact that it was removed from the safekeeping of those guarding the magical silver is very troubling.”
“How would Thrushling obtain such a thing?” Fiona asked.
“If only we knew,” Donyo said. “But if he has one it’s possible more are out there. Even the highest soundmages would be caught utterly off guard if they found themselves going up against a strange new magic.”
“The twins are our only hope of recovering the city,” Shifter said. “Downcastle has ensured that most of the soundmages are on his side already, and their control over the city guard is far more extensive than even I realized. Donyo and I will need to stay within Sun Circle, our absence would immediately cause suspicion and we still hold some small power on the council that must not be lost, especially not since Hightower has fled.”
The room grew silent as Fiona and Martin reflected on the new developments. Could they really hope to go up against the power of Lawrence Downcastle and the Vaentysh Boys? What would be the consequences for Rodrick if she tried and failed?
“The fucking monsters,” Donyo growled, abruptly. There was an angry light in his off-grey eyes that Fiona had never seen before, as his chest heaved with rage. Fiona understood all too well.
“At the end of the day, he was born in Laquath,” Fiona said. “He can’t hide his origins, no matter how honorably he’s fought for Haygarden. It’s all the more proof the Vaentysh Boys cannot be left unchecked as the dominant power.”
“Vaentysh Boys,” Donyo spat. “They claim kinship with the ancient Vaentysh kings. If they saw someone with actual Vaentysh blood in their veins, they would be throwing them out of the city faster than they can make up their own history.”
Martin nodded in agreement. The comment made Fiona realize something that left her unsettled. She looked at Shifter, the purple hood drawn over the androgynous face that had never been revealed. The black skin of hands that were sometimes small with youth, sometimes wrinkled with age, and always covered in those strange swirling tattoos.
“Why do they allow you to stay?” Fiona asked. “Surely you have Laquathi roots as well.”
Shifter shrugged but gave no answer. Fiona was under the impression the secret-keeper had only half heard her. Donyo placed a hand on her arm. “Shifter is outside of the normal rules of public opinion,” he said. That only left Fiona more confused than before, but she saved her questions. If no one else dwelt on it, then neither would she.
“As I was saying,” Shifter said after a time, “Donyo and I will need to stay within the city limits in order to maintain our positions. However, the twins must be roused. Fiona, will you go to them? Will you tell them what’s happening here in Haygarden and plead for their aid on behalf of all of us?”
She knew that the question was coming, and the thought terrified her. She had known combat now and was no worse for it as far as she could tell, but the journey through the sewers was another matter. She had not forgotten the dangerous smelling plant, the crack in the wall, and the face of a demon that had turned into her own brother…
“Fiona,” Donyo said, cautiously. “You don’t have to do this. It is not your job to save a city that has spurned you. No one would think any less—”
“On one condition,” she said. “You will find Rodrick and bring him to safety.”
“There are some places even I may not go,” Shifter said. The silence that followed brought a sting to her eyes, but she blinked it away. She would not think of that.
“You will do everything in your power to find my brother,” she said, and then added with one last breath, “or bring me news of what has befallen him.”
“Done,” Shifter said.
“I’m going with you,” Martin said at once.
“Martin,” she said. “I’m sure they could use you…”
“I’m going with you. How do we get there?”
“In disguise,” Donyo said. “You will travel through the streets dressed as Sisters of Nightsong. Gods know there have been enough deaths that no one will question a couple of nuns moving about the streets. The masked headdresses should suffice to cover your faces. Just try not to get too friendly with any of the Vaentysh militia and everything should be just fine.”
“Tell us the way,” Fiona said.
“Better yet, I’ll show you myself,” Donyo said. “At least until we get to the sewer entrance. From there you’ll have to make your own way. It will be a relief to remove your cumbersome religious garments, no doubt, but you will be acquainted with much greater danger once you reach the Moonwood. I ask you one more time, are you sure you want to do this?”
They were on their way within the minute.
Chapter Fourteen
The streets were aglow with predawn light from the sun as it crept up the horizon. Fiona and Martin were wrapped head to toe in the black garments of the Sisters of Nightsong, with Donyo leading the way. Martin was certain that evading the Vaentysh Boys on the journey to the sewers would be the most dangerous part of their mission, but Fiona was not so sure. She had a strong suspicion that their troubles would just begin once they reached the subterranean waterways.
“I was worried from the moment I heard you were summoned to court,” Martin whispered to her. “I know you can take care of yourself, but the rumors us guards hear that come from Sun Circle, it’s enough to—”
“Be quiet,” Donyo hissed. “You are supposed to be Sisters of Nightsong not Sisters of Jabber-jaw. Have your reunion when the castle is ours again.”
They continued on in silence. Fiona began to wonder if it was a mistake to allow Martin to accompany her. The lad meant well enough, but it was clear that between the two of them she was a far superior warrior. If he got himself killed, she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself, but at the same time if it came down to saving him or saving her chance to find Rodrick…no, she wouldn’t think of that. All they could do now was move forward.
The occasional guard would pass them, but Donyo would always reveal himself and for now at least it was good enough. Many of the Vaentysh soldiers had their own dead to worry about, and so it seemed that while they were on high alert nobody was ready to thoroughly investigate the Master Architect and two Sisters of Nightsong. Besides, Shifter had returned her demon-pommel sword and longbow. She would be ready for anyone who did challenge them.
At long last they reached a great circular door forged from bronze with a rearing horse en
graved into it. Donyo placed a hand on the stallion and began to whistle a light tune. After a time the door sunk downwards into the ground, to reveal a circular stone path that rapidly descended.
“This isn’t the path we took to get here,” Fiona said.
“It certainly isn’t,” Donyo said. “I would be a poor Master Architect if I only built one way into this rat nest of a district. Your path will be simple. Go down. Every opportunity you have. When there’s more than one option, take the one that proceeds down the steepest. That’s all there is to it. Move stealthily, and quietly. I don’t need to remind you that you won’t be the only things lurking about down there.”
“Donyo,” Fiona said. “What do we do if we fail? What if we can’t convince the twins to help us?”
“Then take your leave of them as politely as you possibly can and make your way out of Haygarden. I won’t blame you if at that point you try to make a nice life for yourself in the Lordless Lands, or in Laquath. Gods know that they’re more welcoming of us than we are of them.”
“We won’t fail,” Fiona said, determined.
Donyo granted her a smile. “Of that I have no doubt. Now g—”
“Stop!” The shrill voice cut through the morning dawn like icy air through a thin tunic.
“Be calm,” Donyo whispered, as he turned to greet the two soldiers who rapidly approached them. They were dressed differently than the others they had encountered. Long robes with strange symbols adorned their bodies. Fiona might have thought them soundmages of some unknown order if they had not worn huge broadswords on their backs.
“May I help you, friends?” Donyo asked with a cheery grin.
“It’s Brownwater,” one of the guards said.
“Indeed it is,” Donyo replied. “At ease, gentlemen.”
“What are you doing in the sewers Brownwater?”
“Securing our defense of Sun Circle of course,” Donyo said. “We wouldn’t want the Vaentysh revolution to be cut short because some washed up waste found itself sneaking through the tunnels to slit our throats in our beds.”
