by Elina Vale
“Hm.”
They continued on in silence for several minutes.
“Have you seen a ghost?” Teron finally asked. “That’s what they call the ones who have been ripped, but not killed.”
“No, I haven’t.”
“I have,” Teron said. “My friend from childhood, Almae, was ripped a few months ago. One day, she came home looking awful. She had lost the color of her hair, eyes, and skin, and she was unable to speak. She was gray and tamed. Ripped. She was like a... a....”
“Like a ghost,” Shri whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
“We still don’t know who did it to her.” His voice revealed a combination of anger and despair. “I’ve been reading about it, studying it since... Well, you know. And I think the ghosts can be brought back.”
Shri stopped. “What do you mean?”
“If I’m right, there might be a way to give the life force back to the ghosts. The knowledge has disappeared. All the writings were destroyed along with most knowledge of black magic, but the race of mermaids is much older. They have ancient knowledge. They might know something, Shri!”
“So that’s why you’ve been sneaking around like this.”
Teron took a step back.
“There’s a reason that place is forbidden,” she said. “The mermaids are dangerous.”
He looked at Shri with pleading eyes. “Please don’t tell the senatai about this. I’m very close to finding a way to communicate with Neneia.”
“Fine. I won’t tell. But you’d better be careful.”
“I will. I mean, I wouldn’t be able to find a way to reverse the ripping if I was dead, would I?” He chuckled awkwardly. “You're a good friend.” Turning to study the bay behind them, he added, “You go back to the school. I’m going to stay here a while longer. Maybe Neneia will return when you’re gone.”
“It’s getting dark,” she said. “Don’t stay long.”
Leaving him with a goodbye, she started back to the path, but a sudden sadness overcame her when she realized that Teron was the only person from the Octopus who had ever referred to her as a “friend.”
She missed Susu and her parents.
Shri grunted as she climbed over a fallen log. Her legs and arms were terribly sore after training with the drokashai, and she was exhausted. But even if she was worn out, her success in the training fights had given her some of her confidence back. For the first time since the Run, she felt hope. Even if everyone had been wrong about her magical abilities, she was outside of the city, beyond the Pit, and she would help her loved ones. With or without magic.
CHAPTER 4
THE LAST TIME SHEA ZIRAGH was in the Pit, she was searching for the traitor Boa Riverson. High Master Aldemar, the old fool, had punished her for it. But today, she was the High Mistress, and she had a new task. Surely, she could have sent a senatai or a drokashai to do the job for her, but she wanted to show herself to slaves of the Pit.
Her servants carried her into the Pit on a litter. She wouldn’t walk here; no, she had to show her true worth to the slaves. Slaves needed someone to look up to, like ordinary people needed kings to look up to. The day the slaves had revolted was a bit hazy to her. Everything before the stone was clouded–it was gray and meaningless. The Moongale girl had killed Aldemar, and then the dying High Master had pushed the Black Star with into Shea with one final spell. On that day, she had been reborn.
Part of Aldemar’s downfall had been the revolt. He had treated the Pit folk so poorly, that they fear him as a cruel overlord. Shea believed she could avoid his mistake. By improving minor things for the people of the Pit, perhaps she could earn their gratitude. It wouldn’t take much; many of them had known such destitution that even the smallest improvements would seem like a boon. If she gave them these things, they would be thankful. If she made them believe she wanted only the best for them, they would regard her as less of an evil ruler and more like... a mother. They would be her good little pets.
The thought made her laugh.
She peeked behind the litter’s curtain. The Pit was as obnoxious as she remembered. Smelly and dirty. The winter was coming, and the atmosphere was dry. It wasn’t very cold; as usual, the region rarely had temperatures falling under 50 degrees. The roads in the Pit weren’t paved, and the dry sand whirled around with the winds. The street was so narrow that its denizens were forced to back against the housing boxes as the litter traveled past. Shea could almost see her own reflection in their ugly, horrified eyes.
Shea stopped at the marketplace. Pikes pushed the people aside to make room for her, and to keep the filthy, disgusting hands away from her.
She could easily do away with these people.
Maybe she should.
...destroy kill burn...
Shea placed her hand on top of the pulsing stone within her chest. Oh, it lured her, whispered to her with the voices of its previous owners. They demanded more magic, more power, more destruction. Sometimes, the voices were too loud. Sometimes, she couldn’t resist them and did as they wanted, but here, today, she couldn’t let the stone take control. If the Pit folk started to fear her, she would only fuel the fires of a new rebellion. The previous revolt hadn’t done much to alter the balance of power, but it had done one terrible thing: it had given the slaves hope. The spiteful cattle wanted freedom. Joining together and fighting their way through one gate had made them believe they actually stood a chance. She had to put an end to their violent aspirations.
She managed to silence the Star's whispers and focused on her task. Patting her curls with her gloved hand, she pushed the litter’s door open, allowing her to descend. She had chosen four sturdy pike holders to carry her, as she knew it would be unwise to reveal her ghost-servants to the Pit.
Her eyes traveled through the rugged crowd who had gathered to meet her. Or perhaps, they had been forced to come. Pikes stood behind the crowd, pushing them forward to meet with the High Mistress. The pikes’ loyalty satisfied Shea, but she wanted her people to come willingly, smiling, worshipping.
“People of the fifth Ring of Ironflare!” she announced. “For those of you who don’t know me, I am Shea, the new High Mistress of the Spike, and your loving ruler.” She smiled, employing all the strength she had not to vomit from the horrific stench of the Pit. “Before you judge me harshly, please understand: I know what you’ve been through, my friends. The previous High Master was a cruel overlord. He didn’t care about you. He only saw you as servants to his whim, slaves to turn his grinding wheels. But I am not Aldemar Krun, and I will do whatever it takes to prove that!”
“You wanna prove your good will?” one of the slaves shouted. “Open the damn gates and let us out of the city!”
A din of voices shouted in agreement.
“I would like nothing more!” Shea answered. “But I can’t do that. Not yet.”
“Why not?” someone called above the ensuing jeers.
“It is for your own safety!” Shea pleaded. “I’m sure some of you know already that the king has declared war against our fair city. We fear that traitors from Senatai Island are on their way here, even now, to rain fire and ice upon our walls. Aldemar knew this, but did he do anything to guarantee your safety? No! You were nothing to him; merely disposable labor. But I will protect you! That’s why I’m not going to open the gates—for now. I must make sure we are prepared when those traitors attack. Our children and our elderly will be safe!”
“If you want to protect us,” the same man answered, “Let us out of the city before the enemy arrives!”
“Yeah!” someone else shouted. “Or evacuate us to the inner rings, so we’ll be better defended!”
Miserable peasants. Shea narrowed her eyes. How are they so clever? These are Pit folk. They’re meant to be animals. She opened her arms. “My friends, there is no need to abandon our homes!”
“They say the king is comin’ because he wants to free us from the Pit!” cried a woman. “Let him come! High Master Aldemar is dead;
what can you do? Let him free us!”
They don’t love me. Nor do they fear me. Clenching her jaw, Shea paced closer to the crowd. That will change. “What you’ve heard is a lie,” she answered. “The truth is that King Magnus has desired to control the Spike since he took the throne. High Master Aldemar was too powerful for him. Now that Aldemar is gone, the King believes that the Spike can be conquered. He believes that, because I am a woman, I will be easily swept aside. I suspect he doesn’t care who he crushes in his reckless attack. But he will learn that the people of Ironflare are not as soft as he thinks, and its High Mistress will not allow citizens to be trampled under his hopeless quest for power!”
The crowd began to mutter, exchanging dubious expressions.
“I will recruit young men and women to my pike army!” Shea declared. “Those who prove their skills, those who successfully defend the city, will proceed to become drokashai, or even senatai! The days of evil games such as the Gate Run are over. I can’t open the gates yet, but you are dear to me, and your survival is paramount. As evidence of my goodwill, my advocates will deliver twenty food carts to the marketplace today. All free. I will also double your earnings. I will make this a good place to live.
Suspicious glares, whispers, and forced applause.
“After we have turned away the greedy king,” she said, “and Ironflare retains its independence, then we shall look to the future.”
While the slaves were evidently uncertain, many seemed intrigued, willing to entertain Shea’s lies. She smiled, happy with the result. They were a smarter bunch than she expected, but she had planted the seed of false hope.
As she examined them, she found an accusing pair of almond eyes encircled by long lashes. The young woman had long, black hair, and she would have been gorgeous despite the tortured peering out from underneath the filth on look on her face.
Shea remembered her. It was the girl whose legs she had crushed.
Is that creature still alive?
Shea's eyes searched for those legs, but they weren’t there. She was sitting on a scruffy litter-like chair, leg stumps wrapped in a dark-stained cloth. There was a void of space around her, and Shea was sure the smell of the rotting stumps had banished everyone from around her. The look in her eyes was vengeful, feverish, and maddening.
Gathering herself, Shea approached. She couldn't let the girl stay here. Most of the Pit folk had been unfamiliar with Shea before her ascension to High Mistress, which made it possible for her to sway them. But this girl... She had a reason to despise Shea, and she could poison the minds of the others. She could ruin it all.
The crowd parted as Shea paced closer, giving way to her presence. Pikes followed as she walked, and soon, she was in front of the girl.
“What is your name, young woman?”
“What do you care? the girl said, cringing behind her hand. “You didn’t care the last time we met. The time you left me laying under the box that crushed my legs.”
“Yes,” Shea admitted. “Yes, I did that. And I’m sorry. High Master Aldemar had me under his wicked spell. I was unable to act of my own will.”
“I don’t believe you.”
An older woman laid her bony hand on the poor girl’s shoulder. Shea studied the woman. She was gaunt and underfed, with mad eyes and sickly bones pushed against her skin. Her black, short hair had strands of silver.
“Don’t mind her, High Mistress. She’s crazy.” The woman laughed nervously. “Be quiet, Susu!”
“And who might you be? Her mother?”
“Why... yes, High Mistress, I am her mother. My name is Leah.”
“Burning Pits, no!” Susu pushed Leah’s hand away. “You’re not my mother, that much is certain! And clearly, you were never Shri’s either!”
Leah squeezed Susu’s shoulder and gave another nervous giggle. “Ever since her accident, she’s done nothing but speak nonsense.”
“Oh, I’m sure she speaks sense if one only listens.” Gently, Shea set her hand on the young woman’s arm. “Tell me, of whom do you speak?”
She turned her feverish eyes to Shea's. “Shri. My best friend. She got into the Gate Run and then disappeared. What happened to her, Mistress? Did she die at the Gates? Did she make it through? Please, if you’re really my friend now, you’ve got to tell me!”
Leah smacked the younger woman on her head. “Stupid girl! Don’t bother the High Mistress with your silly blabbing! Shri is dead, and it’s better that way. She was a—"
Shea lifted her gloved hand high. “Quiet! I’d like to prove my good intentions to you. As I am responsible for destroying your legs, I’m going to give you a chance to be healed by my most talented senatai. You shall both come with us. You will be guests of the Spike.”
Before anyone could comment, Shea turned her back and walked away. The Pikes lifted the girl into their arms and guided the older woman forward. She regarded her fellow Pit folk with a haughty, self-satisfied grin.
Leah stood in the middle of the room, leering at the three man-sized stone tables and the ominous artifacts upon them. Ropes, tongs, knives. “High Mistress, why am I here?” Leah asked when Shea joined her in the room of experiments. “I was told I’d be with my adopted daughter while she was cured.”
“My apologies,” Shea said. “This is my only unoccupied room right now, and I wanted to speak with you in private.” The room had been Aldemar’s favorite, and during her time with him, those hazy, blurred days before the Black Star, Shea had hated the place. She was now learning to appreciate it. “So,” she continued, “you’re the mother of Shri Moongale.”
“By blood only,” Leah grimaced. “That selfish leech is dead to me. Good riddance!”
Shea studied the hateful expression on Leah’s face. “You do know that she won the Gate Run, don’t you? She became the first woman to ever survive.”
“I don’ care. She trained behind my back, she entered against my wishes, and she made me no part of ‘er victory. I want nothing to do with ‘er!”
“Is that so?”
Leah twisted around with rage in her eyes. “Yes! She cares only about ‘erself. She left my marriage in ruins and my family in pieces!”
“Please, continue,” Shea said. This was easier than she suspected. She didn’t even have to torture her for the information.
Leah rubbed her head and squeezed her eyes shut. “Oh, I don’t wanna talk about ‘er.” The second she had pushed Shri from her mind, she opened her eyes and smiled warmly.
The woman’s madness intrigued Shea. Her moods changed in a heartbeat from anger to love.
“Honorable High Mistress.” She bowed her head. Her attempts at sophistication seemed ridiculous. She was as thin as a straw, filthy, and content to wear smelly clothes.
“Tell me about Shri,” Shea said, fighting the urge to draw magic.
The stone whispered again in her head.
...Kill... Blood...
Leah sighed and fingered the front of her shirt. Her eyes darted restlessly from corner to corner. “When she was born, I knew she was a monster. Oh, she looked at me with 'er huge eyes, too enormous for a face like 'ers—demon eyes, I say— and refused to cry! All babies cry, eh? But she didn’t. She opened 'er little mouth and made out a tiny sound, almost like a laugh, but no cry. But the most horrific thing of all was that she had sparkles, like little fireflies, all under ‘er skin!” Leah took a couple of steps closer and grabbed Shea’s arm with her filthy hands.
Shea fought the urge to push the mad woman away, but she needed to hear the whole story.
Leah’s eyes had a feverish madness in them, and her voice had turned into a whisper. “The sparkles danced under ‘er skin for a hundred heartbeats before they faded, but I knew it was a sign that she shouldn’t live! I told my husband to throw ‘er to the scavengers, but he didn’t let me. And the monster baby broke me so that I couldn’t have anymore children. I couldn’t get any sons. She ruined my life!”
Shea’s heart raced. This is why Eavan Fires
tone had wanted the girl. The sparkles. That must mean something. Eavan had the gift of sight, and she knew something about Shri. Shea guided Leah to the chair and sat her down. “What about her father? Will he miss you now that you’re here at the tower?”
A despiteful sneer emerged on her face. “My husband worships the girl. He chose ‘er over me, ‘is own spouse! But it don’t matter. He got taken by some Pikes, and ‘e’s probably dead by now. ‘e was a foolish man, always tryin' to be more than what he was. Fool tried to stand against the High Master and got taken away!”
Shea looked at her, surprised. Shri Moongale’s father was in her dungeons? She had ordered Javid to question the captives, but he had yet to report. Surely, he would have mentioned such a discovery?
“Tell me more about your husband.”
“There’s nothing more to tell. Merrilon Moongale is a silly dreamer. He never got us the life he swore ‘e’d give me. You know...” Leah burst into a laugh. “...’is grandparents told me the stupidest things about 'im. They were mad! All of them!”
Shea furrowed her brows. The woman was pushing herself more and more into a state of madness, and Shea was sure that few of her words would make sense, but Leah continued her ranting. “Yes, crazy! How could that man, a poor smith, a slave, be a warrior of the sea? ‘e was born in a city built on a desert, and ‘e was a weak man. A poor lover, and...”
“I’ve heard enough!” Shea didn’t want to hear anymore. She couldn’t hear anymore. Memories bubbled up from her subconscious. Images of two parents who had resented their little girl for not being born a boy. Bitter recollections of three brothers who had been given everything they wanted, while their sister had been forced to beg and scrape for every dime and privilege. She tried to fight it off, to shake the memories away, but all she could think about was the time that girl had snuck out of her home to meet a nice boy, and when her father found out, he beat her so hard that the bruises took weeks to heal.
The abuse. The denial of love.
The Black Star latched onto her resentment. It whispered in her mind, demanding that its power be released or burn her from the inside out. A pleasurable tingle spread throughout her body, and the magic swished into her veins so fast that she could barely control it.
