Taellaneth Complete Series Box Set

by Vanessa Nelson

  Kallish rummaged through the large cabinet that was the building’s largest piece of furniture, finding handfuls of keys. The quiet of the space was interrupted by a series of beeps as the vehicles unlocked, Kallish quickly and efficiently going through every piece of equipment in each.

  “We will take this one. It has more fuel. Bring as many weapons and spare ammunition from the others as possible,” the warrior commanded. Arrow did not hesitate, transferring what felt like an entire army’s worth of weaponry and ammunition across to the chosen vehicle. She made her own checks of the vehicle, using the scraps of chalk in her pockets to reinforce the wards, ensuring that the medical kit and travel supplies were fully stocked. She hesitated over the communicator disks she found. She might be in exile, but Kallish was not and the White Guard would doubtless be looking for her.

  “Should we inform the Chief Scribe?”

  “Escape first. Inform later.” A warrior’s assessment. Arrow glanced across to see Kallish fitting a heavy-duty armoured coat over her clothing, an extra layer of protection to her already warded uniform. The warrior adjusted the straps before refastening her sword belts, nodding to another armoured coat nearby. Arrow shrugged into the garment, surprised by the weight. Not having any weapons to adjust, for the spirit sword lay quietly against her back, she fumbled with the fastenings for a moment.

  “You will drive. I will shoot.”

  “Seems fair,” Arrow agreed and took the keys. “We are going to have to make a fast run out. There is a destruction spell within the building’s wards if there is a catastrophic breach. Such as if I drive through the doors. Everything inside will be destroyed.”

  “The location is irrevocably compromised,” was the warrior’s assessment.

  “We should take the mirror.” Arrow moved towards the Erith mirrorglass.

  “We do not have time. It will require detachment from its surrounds and careful handling.” The warrior gripped her arm, tugging hard. “Come, we must leave now.”

  “Very well.” Arrow gave one last glance at the quiet mirror. As precious as the object was, Kallish was right; she could not simply lift it up and carry it out.

  Settling in the driver’s seat she took a moment to adjust to the new weight and bulk of the coat before glancing across to see if Kallish was ready. The warrior was holding a very lethal looking human-made automatic weapon, several ammunition clips stuffed into the open dashboard compartment in front of her, a further collection of weapons and ammunition at her feet. The warrior was ready.

  Arrow started the engine and did not give herself time to think, simply stood on the accelerator and drove out through the building’s delivery doors, the wood shattering across the vehicle’s armoured front, down the flimsy ramp outside, and onto the street.

  A few heartbeats after the vehicle passed through the wards the entire building imploded, collapsing in on itself in brilliant, searing mage fire, everything burned to ash until nothing remained but the space where the building had been.

  Arrow and Kallish were a good distance away by then, Arrow not having taken her foot off the accelerator. She ignored every stop sign, every speed limit, and every open-mouthed human law enforcement official, as she drove the vehicle through Hallveran. It was fortunate, she thought dimly, that it was so early in the morning so there was little traffic on the roads. However, it would not be long before the human officials in Hallveran made a formal complaint to the Taellaneth. Erith were accorded a great deal of lenience but an explosion within the city would infuriate the humans.

  “We are being pursued,” Kallish said calmly as they left the residential district and drove into the uninhabited areas.

  “Expected.” Arrow did not look, foot still flat to the floor. “I am not sure we will be able to out run them forever. This is a heavy vehicle.”

  Kallish assessed the weaponry she had easy access too, turning to look at the armoury strewn across the back seat.

  “We will hold for a while,” she said at length, “but not forever.”

  Arrow did not reply, lips tight, steering the vehicle around a bend in the road, lining them up again. The road was almost straight from here for miles, going through the outlawed lands and past Farraway Mountain.

  “Is there a place of sanctuary we can use?” the warrior asked, still icily calm.

  Arrow thought a moment, stomach tightening. There was only one.

  “Farraway Mountain,” Arrow replied. “There is no safety at all along the road. But not even the Two Snakes will wish to annoy the shifkin nation.”

  “How long until we reach there?” the warrior asked after a pause, doubtless making the same calculation as Arrow was doing; balancing the risk from their pursuers against the shifkin nation’s likely wrath at being used for sanctuary by a White Guard and an Erith-trained mage.

  “A two-hour drive along the bandit road,” Arrow answered, calmness slipping a moment. She glanced across at the pile of ammunition, “It is a good thing we are well armed.”

  CHAPTER 5

  Despite the glint of sunlight off metal behind them they were clear of Hallveran’s borders, and a few miles into the outlawed lands, before the first of the gang’s vehicles drew close. Arrow wondered if they had deliberately held back, and kept an eye ahead, waiting for an ambush. They were still over an hour, at her estimation, from the foothills that bordered Farraway Mountain.

  A snap of gunfire struck the back window, bullets bouncing harmlessly off the toughened glass. A hail of bullets followed, to the same effect, and then the vehicle shuddered as the gang tried to shoot out the tyres.

  “The wards and tyres will hold a while longer, but not forever,” Arrow said, pushing some of her own magic into the vehicle’s structure.

  “Understood.” The warrior wound down her window and leant out, careless of the speed or the bullets. She fired several short bursts, astonishingly loud, and in the rear-view mirror Arrow saw the vehicle behind them spin off the road, its tyres and windscreen blown. Barely ruffled by the wind, Kallish settled back in her seat and closed her window, checking her weapon with professional detachment.

  That process was repeated a further eight times, the gang becoming a little more wary with each try. By then, they were driving in full daylight and the great bulk of Farraway Mountain filled Arrow’s view.

  The road lay in front of them, a long, straight line stretching for miles before it began its curve around the mountain. At this point the road was raised from the wetlands on either side. Sunlight glinted off patches of water to either side and also off something on the road ahead. Arrow squinted, trying to make it out.

  “Svegraen, can you see what that is in the road ahead?”

  “A moment.” Kallish swapped her gun for a seemingly old-fashioned monocular, and gazed ahead. “There is a very large vehicle of some sort, with a series of smaller vehicles blocking our path.”

  “Road block. This is the only road back towards Lix.” Arrow glanced to either side and muttered a curse. The road engineers had raised this part of the road for good reason. The wetlands stretched far out to either side. The heavy vehicle would become mired within a few feet. The road was their only route.

  “The bandits are bold indeed.” Kallish did not sound particularly bothered, turning in her seat, reaching for something in the back. “Drive straight as possible, please,” the warrior requested, straightening up, a new weapon in her hands.

  “Is that a rocket launcher?” Arrow asked, voice rising to an undignified squeak.

  “Indeed.” Kallish seemed quite proud. “A very destructive weapon. As shall now be seen.”

  Once more, heedless of the likelihood of bullets from behind, Kallish stretched out the window. Without hesitation, she braced herself and the weapon against the vehicle and fired. Ahead of them a large plume of smoke and debris erupted. The warrior was not satisfied however and ducked back into the vehicle to gather more ammunition, reloading, firing twice more before settling back in her seat.

  �
��You may wish to slow a little,” Kallish suggested calmly, “as there will be debris on the road surface, but the way should now be clear.”

  “Understood,” Arrow said faintly, lifting her foot from the accelerator for the first time since their journey had started. The vehicles behind began to gain on them at once, but there was too short a distance to the cloud of smoke for them to catch up entirely.

  “We are very exposed on this road.”

  “I know. There is, I think, a hunter’s road up the side of the mountain not far beyond this point. I have not travelled it. It will be rough, but it is within shifkin territory. We may be able to go far enough up the mountain to evade the pursuers.”

  “Rough travel is better than dead.”

  “Alright. There will be a sharp left turn, then, I think a mile or so ahead.” Just before the main road began its own curve to the left, sweeping around Farraway Mountain’s borders.

  “The smoke may give us some cover,” the warrior observed as they passed through the cloud of smoke, flames as high as the vehicle licking the windows as they passed through, the surface under the tyres rough and crunching with bits of metal and plastic. Arrow pushed more power into the tyres, reinforcing the protections. The last thing they needed was a flat tyre. The White Guard had made a very thorough job of destroying the road block.

  As soon as they were past the worst of the debris, Arrow put her foot down again.

  They were going so fast that she nearly missed the turn, standing on the brakes so hard that one of their pursuers nearly ran into the back of them. Wrenching the wheel around, spitting curses at her sore ribs, she pointed the heavy vehicle up the hunter’s trail, little more than a dirt track across fields, and put her foot down again.

  Kallish hung out the window, firing at their pursuers until Arrow grabbed the warrior’s coat, tugging hard.

  “Window up. We are about to go through the shifkin’s wards.”

  Kallish closed her window without protest. Moments later the entire vehicle shivered as it passed through the ancient wards around the shifkin’s homeland. Arrow winced as she sensed the alarms flaring along the borders. There had been no time for finesse. Every ‘kin and every magic-sensitive being within miles would sense the breach.

  “Are they pursuing?” Arrow asked, focus on the narrow strip of track ahead. It was not in a particularly straight line.

  “Yes.” The warrior’s voice was grim. She reloaded her weapon.

  “They should not be.”

  “Perhaps they are more afraid of their leader than of the Prime. A foolish notion.”

  “And we are bringing trouble to the shifkin heartland,” Arrow said, chill running through her. Zachary Farraway, the shifkin Prime, was not going to be happy.

  “Worry later. Survive now.”

  The vehicle bucked, hitting an uneven patch of ground, and Arrow was forced to slow down, setting aside her worry to concentrate on the trail. The dirt road and dormant fields ended at a line of trees, some still laden with snow. Even as she thought about the snow the tyres lost their grip, the vehicle skidding sideways. She swore again, wrestling the vehicle under control.

  “We are not well equipped to drive in these conditions,” Kallish noted.

  “We do not have time to fix that.”

  “Make the best pace you can.”

  Arrow nodded, slowing down further, sending her senses out around the vehicle, reviewing the spells she knew. Her mouth was dry, heartbeat thudding in her ears in counterpoint to the vehicle’s engine, focus scattered. Nothing helpful came to mind. The Erith abhorred technology so there were no handy spells to increase the grip of vehicle tyres. There were spells for confusion or silence, none of which would work with the pursuers so close, and there being only one trail.

  The loud snap of gunfire sounded again, from Kallish and from their pursuers. She had no time to look and see what was happening. The vehicle was coping better than she had expected, but the gradient was increasing.

  “Turn!” Kallish said suddenly.

  “What?” Arrow did not wait for an answer, wrenching the wheel around and setting them on an entirely new path between trees, heavy vehicle bouncing and sliding as it lost its grip again. A moment later and one of the trees exploded, branches and shards of bark cascading through the air.

  “They have their own rocket launcher.”

  “And they fired it here? Are they insane?”

  “Turn!”

  Arrow did, but their pursuers’ aim was better this time. An explosion rocked the vehicle, deafening her. She had a dizzying impression of flying snow, sideways trees, thrown up dirt, and then a heavy thump as the vehicle landed on its side, engine coughing and dying, wheels spinning uselessly.

  Puffy white air bags filled the cabin, cushioning the fall, but doing nothing to prevent one irate White Guard and what felt like a half ton of weaponry and ammunition landing on Arrow, now at the bottom of the vehicle. Before she could do more than take a breath, the warrior was away, lifting herself out of the window, weapons slung over her shoulder, ammunition clips peeking out of her coat pockets.

  Coughing, Arrow realised that her ribs were definitely broken again, and the falling weaponry had added more bruises. She shoved some power into her ribs, pain making her eyes water. Just enough to function. Somehow managed to get to her feet, hanging onto the seats, gathering the weapons she could carry and some more ammunition clips from those scattered around before using the seats for foot- and hand-holds to climb out, movements slow.

  Rapid gunfire met her ears and she ducked down against the vehicle, wincing as her injuries bit. Kallish was lying prone, partially sheltered by the armoured bulk of the upturned vehicle.

  “Keep down,” Kallish hissed between bouts of gunfire.

  “How many?” Arrow crawled to a spot near the warrior, sheltered by the vehicle and a large tree.

  “Perhaps a half dozen left.” The warrior cast a quick glance over her shoulder. “You are wounded again.”

  “Ribs broken.” She was also dizzy again, head aching. The warrior looked unconvinced and Arrow wondered how bad she looked. Despite the hasty application of power after the crash, the edges of her sight were hazy. Every breath, every movement, brought a fresh wave of pain. She could not gather her thoughts or concentration enough to form even the simplest spell.

  “You may reload for me.”

  So, Arrow kept the warrior’s guns loaded until there was no more firing from below. Only after there had been silence for a few minutes did Kallish cautiously rise, then go down the slope to check. Her face was grim when she came back.

  “Most dead. Five bodies. Perhaps one alive, but he has gone.”

  “Alright.” Arrow struggled to sit up. Now that the chase was done, and the firing had stopped, her adrenaline was running out. There was wet on her face, cold in the chill air, and new points of pain appearing around her body with every breath, including the shoulder she had used to break her fall when the vehicle overturned. She managed to focus for a brief moment, enough to send a tiny trickle of healing through her, the effort making her sight dim further.

  “There appears to be some sort of building up in the trees. It may provide useful shelter,” Kallish noted. “Wait here. I will go and look.”

  “Alright.” Arrow slumped back against a handy tree trunk, hoping that she would not be required to do much more activity for a while. She tried to gather some more power for healing. Her focus kept slipping, power sliding out of her control.

  It felt like mere moments before the warrior was back.

  “There is movement in the trees. Come, the cabin ahead will be a better defence point.”

  The thought of being shot at again brought Arrow to her feet and, leaning on as many trees as she could, she staggered up the slope in the warrior’s wake.

  They had just reached the small clearing around the cabin when movement nearby startled her.

  “Stop where you are!” The words, spoken in the common tongue, wer
e heavily accented.

  “How did that one get past me?” Kallish asked in Erith, annoyed. She moved silently to take a position nearer to the trees, seeking cover, weapon raised. Arrow slid to rest against another tree, breath harsh and loud in her ears.

  There was a pause then the stranger’s voice went on, in fluent Erith.

  “Who is there? Identify yourselves!”

  After a frowning moment, Kallish seemed to come to a decision.

  “Kallish nuin Falsen, of the White Guard, in the company of a war mage. And who are you?”

  “You can call me Thomas.” The stranger was visible now, coming towards them through the trees. Arrow was glad she was fully supported. A tall Erith, he moved with a warrior’s grace, long warrior’s hair bound back from his sharp, aristocratic features sharply contrasting with his haphazard array of human-made winter clothing.

  “Thomas?” Kallish’s composure cracked, astonished. She rose to her feet, weapon holstered, and stepped forward. “Thomshairaen vo Pretenai?”

  “Perhaps once,” the man grunted, uncaring of his dignity, coming to a halt a few paces away. He had a large assault weapon slung over one shoulder, and a brace of Erith knives at his hips. The hilt of a sword peeked out next to one ear.

  “Kester vo Halsfeld’s long lost cousin?” Arrow scrambled to stand, astonished in her own turn.

  “The same.” Kallish was still shaken. “You were dead, old man. Your funeral rites were sung even though there was no body or stone to sing over. Your House has been torn up and its retainers scattered.”

  “Good,” he said with a dark, vicious bite.

  “But you are not dead.” Kallish’s own anger was rising.

  “Better for everyone to think I am.” He turned his head deliberately, looking at Arrow. “So, you are the orphaned brat? You have turned out well, I think. A war mage? Your grandfather would be proud.”

  “My lineage is struck,” Arrow answered, tongue stiff, the old hurt compressing her chest along with her ribs. The older warrior’s eyebrows lifted.