Crucible of Fortune: An Epic Fantasy Young Adult Adventure (Heirs of Destiny Book 2)

by Andy Peloquin

  After a moment, Briana swallowed and brushed the moisture from her cheeks. “I didn’t know what the words meant or even how to pronounce them properly, but father told me to do my best. When I read them aloud, I could swear that I felt a low humming from the artifacts.” She gestured at Hailen. “Like when we found you in my father’s study, just not as loud.”

  Hailen hesitated, his eyes darting to the door once more as if he wanted to look to Evren for a cue. Aisha had caught that little exchange the previous day. They’d concealed something not just from Issa, but from her, Kodyn, and Briana as well.

  Finally, Hailen seemed to make up his mind. “The Beggar Priests in Voramis were teaching me about the Serenii,” he said in a slow voice. “They taught me the power of these magic words. Serenii words.” He held out a hand for the journal. “May I?”

  Briana handed him the journal without pause.

  Brow furrowing, Hailen stared down at the page and read the written words in a quiet voice. Aisha couldn’t understand the language of the ancient people—the Maulausi, the Shepherds, as Ghandians called the Serenii—but there was no mistaking the power they contained. The long, cylindrical stone on the bed, the same one Hailen had been holding when they found him in Suroth’s study, began to hum.

  Aisha gasped as the power within her began to dance as well. The sparks of life flared brilliant and hot, as if they, too, responded to the Serenii magic. The blue-white light crackled between her fingers, beyond her control.

  The energy within Aisha diminished as Hailen’s voice slowly faded, reaching the end of the passage. A hushed silence settled onto the room. No one so much as breathed as Hailen closed the book and looked up to meet their wide eyes.

  “The Hunter explained it to me once,” he told them in a quiet voice. “The magic of his dagger, Soulhunger, is activated by a specific echo of sound, the vibrations of a scream of terror. The same as the Serenii artifacts.” He picked up the stone from the bed. It had returned to inert, dull black. “The words aren’t actually magic. It’s a specific combination of sounds that activate whatever power the Serenii imbued into the artifacts. Watch.”

  He recited the poem from Suroth’s journal—what he’d called the “Prophecy of the Final Destruction”—in perfect Einari, his eyes fixed on the cylindrical artifact in his hands.

  “…and sow the final destruction from midnight eyes,” he finished. The stone remained dark, lifeless.

  Hailen hefted the leather-bound book. “Those were the exact same words as the ones written in Suroth’s journal,” Hailen explained. “Just spoken in Einari, not the ancient Serenii tongue. Words aren’t what matter. It’s the sounds and reverberations that cause the effect.”

  Aisha stared in stunned surprise at the boy. So young, yet rich with knowledge that so few in the world will ever know of, much less possess.

  Hailen seemed embarrassed at being the center of attention. “So,” he said, his tone suddenly shy, “if the Gatherers have the Serenii words, they may be able to use the power of the artifacts even without my blood. Or, they know that Suroth had these words—” He raised the journal again. “—and want to get them and the artifacts.”

  “The Final Destruction!” The words burst from Briana’s lips.

  Aisha turned to regard the girl, curiosity burning.

  “What if the Gatherers attacked the palace and our mansion not to abduct me, but to take my father?” Briana’s eyes flew wide. “That’s it! We’ve had it wrong all along. The Gatherers aren’t like the Necroseti. They don’t care about politics or controlling the city. All they care about is the Final Destruction and making sure it actually happens.”

  “And they think there’s something in the Vault of Ancients that will make that happen!” Kodyn seemed to reach the conclusion a moment before Aisha. “They’re after the artifacts!”

  “Which means—”

  The spirits within Aisha flared to life, painfully hot, like molten lead surging through her veins. She bit back a cry of pain but drew in a ragged breath as the Kish’aa screamed in her mind.

  DANGER! A single word, yet cried with such volume it nearly brought her to her knees.

  Radiana had alerted her to peril the night the Gatherers had come for Briana, and that warning had saved their lives. She wouldn’t ignore it now.

  Heeding the pull of the spirits, Aisha leapt toward window. Dawn hadn’t yet appeared over the eastern horizon, but the blue-white light of the dead brightened the shadows of night all throughout the Artisan’s Tier, revealing hundreds of dark-cloaked figures slipping down the alley toward their house.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Kodyn’s brow furrowed as Aisha suddenly trailed off, then seemed to jump across the room to the window. Her face contorted with pain as she sucked in a breath, staggered by some invisible hand. When she turned back, she appeared paler than he’d ever seen. “The Gatherers are going to attack, right now!”

  Ice froze in Kodyn’s veins. He raced to join her. “Where?” He squinted out the window. How is she seeing them? The early morning shadows were too thick, the darkness too all-consuming for him to see—

  There! Movement flickered from up the street. A dagger of fear drove into Kodyn’s belly at sight of another shadow, and another, and still more. He had no doubt who they were.

  “Keeper’s teeth!” The curse burst from his lips. He whirled on Aisha. “Can you see how many?”

  Her brow furrowed. “Sixty, maybe more.”

  Kodyn sucked in a breath. So many!

  His eyes went to the corpses of the first wave of cultists still littering the alley. The sight of their fallen comrades would only spur the attackers on. Kodyn knew they had minutes before the assault came.

  He whirled to Briana and Hailen. “Get those artifacts and journal, now, and put them someplace safe!”

  “Where?” Briana demanded.

  “I don’t know!” Kodyn said as he raced through the room and out the door. “Find somewhere!”

  He barreled down the stairs and into the sparse ground floor room. “Rothin!” he shouted. “They’re coming back.”

  The man leapt to his feet, then groaned at the pain in his wounded leg. Just as Kodyn reached the bottom stair, he found the Keeper’s Blade—Issa had called her Etai—racing into the house and slamming the door.

  “The bastards are coming back!” Etai whirled, eyes landing on Kodyn. “We’ve got seconds to barricade the door and windows.” Determination hardened her well-formed features and a grim light shone in her dark eyes.

  Kodyn set about helping Etai overturn the sparse furniture and pile it high to block off the front of the house. Aisha appeared beside him and helped as well. Nessa, Leya, Trant, and even Rothin lent a hand.

  But all too soon, they were out of furniture. The house’s sparse appointment failed to form more than a pathetic barricade.

  “Shite!” Kodyn cursed as he drew his long sword and dagger, which he’d retrieved from the Gatherers he’d slain in the previous fight. “Where the hell did they come from? I thought Issa was going to go and deal with them.”

  “Right now, that doesn’t matter.” Etai unslung her two-handed sword and shot a glance at Kodyn and Aisha. “The truth is that there’s no way the three of us can hold them off for long.”

  “Four.” Rothin’s voice echoed from behind them. Kodyn turned to see the guard, pale-faced yet resolute, gripping his sword.

  “That still doesn’t even the odds.” Etai peered out the window. “They’ve likely got more watching for any signs of patrols. There’s no way we’re getting reinforcements in time.”

  “Then we’ve got to get the bloody hell out of here!” A new voice entered the room.

  Kodyn whirled and raised his sword, but stopped when he caught sight of a breathless, sweat-soaked Evren.

  “Where in the fiery hell have you been?” Kodyn demanded.

  “Seeing the sights, leading the Syndicate on a merry chase around the city.” Evren gave a dismissive wave. “But now’s n
ot the time to get into that. What matters is that the Gatherers still haven’t blocked off the back way out.”

  Kodyn’s eyebrows shot up. “What?”

  Evren gestured toward the kitchen. “I was on my way back when I caught sight of them massing in the alleyways. I thought maybe I could find another way in, through the roof or something, but the street’s totally empty.” He shot a glance out the window. “But not for long. They’re not total idiots, and they’re going to block off the way any second now. Which means we’ve got to run, now!”

  “Even if we run,” Etai spoke up from her place beside the barricaded window, “there’s not really anywhere safe we can go.”

  Inspiration struck Kodyn with the force of a mailed fist to the gut. “To the Secret Keepers!”

  Etai and Evren both looked surprised, but Aisha nodded her assent. “The only place where Suroth’s journals and the artifacts will be safe. They’ll have to protect one of their own.”

  Without waiting for answers from the other two, he raced up the stairs and thundered into Briana’s room. “We’re going to run, now, to the Temple of Whispers.”

  Briana’s face had gone white, her eyes wide, a panicked quiver to her lip. Hailen’s young face mirrored hers, but his jaw was set, his grip on his dagger firm. He had placed himself once again between Briana and the door.

  “Evren says the back way out is clear.” Kodyn seized the sack, slung it over his shoulder, and held out a hand to Briana. “But we need to move now if we’re going to get out.”

  Hailen hurried toward the door, but Briana made no move. Fear rooted her to the spot, her limbs frozen, even her breath trapped in her lungs. Kodyn could almost feel the fingers of panic clutching at her mind—he’d faced his own share of dangerous situations over his years as a Hawk, though none as life-threatening as this.

  He stepped closer and took her hand. “Come on.” He squeezed her fingers in his. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  The warmth and nearness seemed to shatter the ice that rendered her immobile. She sucked in a ragged breath and her fingers tightened around his. A glimmer of courage flickered in the smile she turned up to him. “I know.” The words were spoken in a quiet voice, yet echoed with trust.

  Kodyn tugged her down the stairs, Hailen in their wake.

  “Evren!” Hailen’s eyes brightened as he caught sight of Evren standing in the kitchen watching the back door.

  Evren pressed a finger to his lips, but he smiled at the boy. “Time to make a dash for it, like when we snatched that ham from Master Zeuris’ butcher shop.”

  Hailen grinned wider. “Like old times.”

  Kodyn was about to speak when a loud roar echoed from outside the house. His gut clenched as he glanced through the window. The mass of Gatherers had abandoned all pretense of stealth and now surged toward them in a wave of fury, flesh, and bared steel.

  They were out of time.

  “Go!” He shoved Briana into the kitchen, then whirled on Aisha. “Get her out of here!”

  “Not without you,” Aisha responded, shaking her head.

  “You need to keep her safe,” Kodyn insisted. He thrust a finger at the Keeper’s Blade. “You as well.”

  “And leave you to hold the door alone?” Etai’s jaw set and her black gauntlets creaked as she tightened her grip on the hilt of her two-handed sword. “Not a damned chance.”

  “You’ve orders from your Lady of Blades to protect Briana,” Kodyn growled. “That means you go with them.” He winced as something heavy slammed into the door. The wood shuddered beneath the assault. “Now!”

  Etai hesitated a moment, then nodded. “Keeper smile on you this day.” She hurried into the kitchen, seizing Briana by the arm and dragging her along.

  “Go!” Kodyn had to shout at Aisha to make himself heard over the battering at the door. “I’ll be right behind you.”

  “Liar.” Aisha snarled. “This isn’t how it ends, you and me. We stand together or—”

  “Both of you, get the bloody hell out of here!”

  Kodyn was surprised to hear the voice of Nessa, the grey-haired Steward. He was even more surprised to see a pair of short swords in her hands. By her casual grip, it looked as if she actually knew how to use them.

  “We swore an oath to Briana’s father to serve and protect her with our lives.” The old Steward ran a hand through her grey hair, a determined look in her eyes.

  “With our lives,” Rothin echoed. He’d gone pale, his lips blue and skin clammy from loss of blood. Crimson soaked the bandage on his wounded leg—the Gatherer’s blade had cut the artery and he couldn’t stop the bleeding. He was dying, yet he stood tall and proud to the end. “Now it falls to you to keep her safe.”

  “Swear it!” Nessa fixed Kodyn with a piercing stare. “Swear that you will guard her as we have.”

  “I swear.” The words stuck in Kodyn’s throat, but were jolted loose as the door splintered beneath something heavy. “I will guard her with my life.”

  “Then go!” Nessa snapped, one final command. “Get her to safety among her father’s people. That’s the least you can do, young man.”

  Kodyn saluted with his sword. “May you find the peace you deserve.” The words from Suroth’s funeral rites were all that sprang to mind. With a nod to Rothin and Nessa, he hurried into the kitchen and out the back door. Leya the cook and Trant the aged attendant stood in the pre-dawn shadows beside Aisha, Kodyn, Evren, Briana, and Hailen. The two servants looked terrified, and rightly so.

  Briana’s eyes flew wide as she caught sight of Kodyn exiting the house alone. “No!” she breathed. “Rothin is—”

  “Doing his duty.” A lump rose in Kodyn’s throat. “Honoring your father the best way he knows how.”

  Tears streamed down Briana’s face, and a fist of iron squeezed at Kodyn’s heart.

  “We need to go, now!” Evren hissed. He stood at the next street corner, daggers ready, an urgency burning in his eyes. “They’ve got to be on their way any second.”

  Kodyn and Aisha gripped Briana’s arms and helped the girl to stumble down the street. It took Briana a few steps to recover, but she managed to hurry along between them. The need to survive, to escape certain death drove back the sorrow at losing more of the people she cared for. The time would come that she could mourn—after they were safe.

  Etai brought up the rear, while Hailen slipped along behind Evren at the lead. At Evren’s hiss, the eight of them dove into cover behind a stone stairway.

  Not a moment too soon. A handful of Gatherers rushed down the alley behind them, flooding toward the back entrance to Briana’s house. The crash of shattered wood echoed a moment later, followed by the clash of steel.

  Kodyn forced himself to take slow, measured breaths in an effort to calm the fear spiking his pulse. They had gotten out just in time.

  Now how the hell are we going to get around the Gatherers to the Secret Keeper’s temple?

  The Gatherers had come from the south and west, which meant they were blocking off the alleys and side streets that led to the Temple District. Their only chance of reaching safety was heading east, away from the temple, then south toward the Artificer’s Courseway. The sun would rise any minute, so the early morning shoppers and merchants would already occupy the marketplaces. The Artisan’s Tier ought to be busy enough that the Gatherers wouldn’t dare attack in the main avenue.

  Evren seemed to have the same thought, for he slipped out of cover, headed east along the debris-cluttered alley, then ducked around a corner. He reappeared a moment later, shaking his head and holding up ten fingers.

  Kodyn’s gut clenched. The Gatherers aren’t taking any chances. Yet he couldn’t let his fear show. Briana was already terrified, and if she sensed his worry, it could cause her to panic. He had to stay focused on the task at hand and keep his feelings locked down tight, as he’d learned during his years training to be a Hawk.

  A Hawk!

  His eyes snapped up to the nearby rooftops, and
an idea blossomed in his mind. Waving to get Aisha’s attention, he spoke in the silent hand language. I’m going to get up onto the rooftops and find a clear path.

  Aisha nodded but signed, Be careful.

  Always. He forced a confident grin for Briana’s sake.

  Scuttling through the shadows, he darted across the alleyway and leapt up onto a first-floor windowsill. His fingers closed around the lip of a second-story balcony and he hauled himself up, onto the stone rail. Balancing on the narrow balustrade, he reached for the edge of the sloping roof. A moment later, he scrambled over the ridge, slipped down the other side, and vaulted the narrow gap between buildings.

  From his new vantage point, he scanned the streets to the south of their position. Sure enough, he spotted the ten Gatherers Evren had indicated. The cultists were facing the Artificer’s Courseway, as if they’d been set there to watch for approaching patrols rather than preventing their escape.

  He raced to the northern corner of the roof and scanned the shadows until he spotted his friends. He waved his arms to signal them to go.

  Aisha and Briana got the others moving up the street, east in the direction Evren had gone. Kodyn kept a close eye on the Gatherers at the intersection—if they turned, even so much as glanced back, he’d drop down and give them something to occupy their attention long enough for the others to escape.

  He breathed a quiet sigh of relief as first Briana and Aisha, then Hailen, the two servants, and finally Etai slipped past the alleyway unseen. Evren appeared from up the street and beckoned for them to follow him east, farther from the watching Gatherers and the safety of the Temple District.

  Kodyn raced toward the eastern edge of the rooftop and leapt across, crossing the distance with ease. Thatch rustled beneath his feet but he threw himself flat against the sloped roof, out of sight of the Gatherers below. In seconds, he was sliding down the far side, then racing across the rooftops in pursuit of his friends.

  The steep slopes of the roofs made traversing the distances more difficult than crossing the Hawk’s Highway, but he couldn’t let that stop him. His friends were counting on him to get them to safety. Though his arms and legs burned from the exertion, he scrambled over the rooftops and hurtled the gaps of alleys and narrow back lanes to keep a few steps ahead of them.