‘Angry.’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘We also intend to destroy their home world. Mortals with those kinds of powers are a direct threat to our rule. Does that make you angry too?’
‘Yes.’
‘I see. My final question – will you accede to the Second Ascendant’s request to get married? Will you become his bride?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Why not?’
‘I’ve only just met him.’
He smiled.
‘Did you really advise Edmond that I should be executed?’
‘Yes,’ he said. ‘It’s nothing personal, but I perceive you to be a potentially bad influence upon the Second Ascendant, and a threat to the stability of Implacatus. On a personal level, I quite like you – you make a refreshing change from the snivelling and grovelling gods that I usually have to deal with.’
‘You don’t think I could be a loyal and dutiful queen?’
He stood. ‘I’m hungry; let’s get some lunch.’
She followed him out of the study, and they went to the large dining room on the same floor. Inside, Edmond was sitting at the head of the table, drinking red wine from a large glass. His eyes lit up as he watched Belinda enter.
‘That dress,’ he said; ‘quite spectacular.’
‘Thank you,’ she said, sitting opposite Bastion.
‘I’ve notified the courtiers, my lord,’ said the Ancient; ‘lunch should be coming in a few moments.’
Bastion linked eyes with the Second Ascendant, and Belinda sensed the vision conversation going on between them.
Edmond nodded. ‘Angry? That’s a pity.’ He turned to Belinda. ‘You see, my dear, I have a plan…’
The sound of a commotion came through the door to the stairwell landing.
‘Where’s Leksandr?’ cried a voice. ‘What’s going on?’
Edmond chuckled. ‘It seems that the blessed Seventh Ascendant has returned. Bastion, would you fetch her, please?’
Bastion stood, bowed, then walked to the door.
‘Arete has been off hunting dragons,’ said Edmond.
Bastion came back into the dining room, hauling Arete by the arm, her face a picture of raw terror. He pushed her down into the seat along from Belinda, then retook his own place at the table.
‘Arete,’ said Edmond.
The Seventh Ascendant trembled. ‘I should be kneeling; I’m sorry, your Grace.’
Edmond waved a hand. ‘Relax.’ He looked into her eyes, then shook his head. ‘Defeated by two Holdfasts? It seems at times that everything we have tried to do here on Lostwell has been thwarted by that family.’
‘But, your Grace,’ said Arete; ‘I destroyed the Catacombs, killing two dozen dragons as punishment for the escape at the pits.’
‘Yes, but then you fled. You were supposed to return with the escaped dragon, were you not?’
She said nothing, her eyes wide.
‘Sable Holdfast was in your head, manipulating you; I can see the effects of her powers lingering in your mind. She persuaded you to abandon your mission and return here, and you fell for it like a child. That is the only reason you will be unpunished for your failure – you were up against a stronger opponent. I also see that you had no part in the masking of the Third Ascendant, though I sense that you wish you had been able to participate?’
‘Belinda is a traitor, your Grace. Along with the Holdfasts, who are her friends, she has been responsible for our failures here.’
Edmond nodded. ‘Lord Bastion has explained to the Third Ascendant that we intend to destroy the Holdfasts on Lostwell, and then, in time, we shall destroy the others on their home world.’
Arete glanced at Belinda. ‘Whose side are you on?’
‘My own, for the moment,’ Belinda said. ‘I am weighing up an offer.’
‘What offer?’
‘None of your business, Arete.’
Edmond smiled. ‘Well said, Belinda.’
‘Your Grace,’ said Arete; ‘may I ask what has happened to the Sixth Ascendant?’
‘Leksandr is resting in the dungeons,’ said Edmond, ‘along with Lady Felice. I gave them to Lord Bastion for a few hours, and they will need some time to recover.’
Arete shuddered.
‘It’s a pity,’ said Edmond, ‘as it has been a long time indeed since four Ascendants were in the same room together. I have a little announcement, and I suppose three Ascendants will have to do. I have assessed the situation here in Lostwell, and have come to a decision. This world is in its death throes, and I see no reason to prolong its agony; therefore, I have decided to speed up the process. I intend to destroy this world, utterly, starting today.’
The table sat in silence, then Arete let out a low laugh.
‘Why not?’ she said. ‘Most of it’s ruined already. I concur, your Grace.’
‘Quite right,’ said Edmond. ‘And, as an added bonus, the destruction of Lostwell will eliminate the three Holdfasts who oppose us.’
Belinda swallowed, unable to take in what the Second Ascendant was saying. Was it even possible to destroy a world? She thought of Dun Khatar. She was the Queen of Khatanax, and the Queen of Lostwell and, despite the catastrophes that had overtaken the world, millions of people still lived there, the majority of them in Alea Tanton. They were her people, whether they knew it or not.
‘My lord,’ said Bastion; ‘what about the salve world? Is still hasn’t been located.’
‘We have the Sextant, Bastion; therefore we have all we need. We shall take it with us when we return to Serene, and there hand it over to the lore-masters. They have mountains of books; surely one will contain the information we need to activate the device.’
‘All the same, my lord,’ said Bastion, ‘do I have permission to intensify the search for the demigod Naxor? He has within his mind instructions on how to get to the salve world, and was last known to be on a ship heading to Cape Armour. I can have every vision god and demigod in Old Alea looking for him.’
‘Granted,’ said Edmond.
‘How long will the destruction of Lostwell take?’ said Belinda, keeping her tone level despite the turmoil in her mind.
‘A day or so,’ said Edmond.
Bastion got to his feet. ‘Then, your Grace, I shall get to work.’ He bowed, and crossed the chamber. As he was leaving, a small group of terrified-looking servants were ushered in, their eyes cast downwards. They were pushing trolleys, which they wheeled over to the table.
‘Excellent,’ said Edmond, rubbing his hands together. ‘My first meal in Lostwell.’
* * *
One hour after noon, the three Ascendants and Lord Bastion used a Quadrant to travel to the walls that surrounded the high plateau of Old Alea. Three hundred Banner soldiers had been sent on ahead, and were waiting for them, formed in thick ranks to protect the most sacred Second Ascendant. Edmond walked along the north-facing section of walls, stopping when he came to a collapsed turret, where the bare rock of the cliff was visible. He turned to the ocean, and waited for the others to join him. Bastion stood by his right, Belinda his left, and Arete was to the right of Bastion.
Edmond gazed at where the ocean met the vast city of Alea Tanton. Smoke was rising from a few locations, evidence of the continuing dragon-related disturbances.
‘I think this might be the ugliest city I’ve ever seen,’ he said. ‘A disgusting midden. It seems that mortals can’t help but ruin everything they’re given. Ungrateful wretches.’
Belinda turned to him. ‘Please don’t destroy them. I know they fight among themselves, but most of them are poor, and there was a great earthquake a few days ago, and many are destitute and starving.’
‘Then I shall be putting them out of their misery,’ he said. He looked into her eyes. ‘Will you try to oppose me?’
‘Would you kill me if I did?’
‘Oh, I’d probably devise something worse than death. However, Belinda, I have taken to heart your words on how you are ignorant of many things.
Young gods have a tendency to feel pity for the plight of the mortals, and that is because they have not yet gained the perspective of a life that spans centuries, millennia. You remind me of them, and if your memories only go back a few years, then your attitude does not surprise me; indeed, I find it rather endearing. You care; you still care.’
‘And you don’t?’
‘About mortals? No. But I do care, deeply, about many things; and you are among those. Therefore, I have these words for you – if you oppose me, or try to hinder me, then I will be forced to put you back into the mask. I do not wish to do so, but I will have no alternative. Is that clear?’
She said nothing, her heart almost stopping from fright.
‘Good,’ he said. He turned to the ocean and stretched out his arms, his eyes wide open. His skin shone in the noon light, and he looked like a vision, his robes flowing like liquid silver. He then crouched, placed a hand onto the bare rock of the promontory, and closed his eyes.
Belinda did nothing as she watched him. She was a coward. The powers he was unleashing would bring life on Lostwell to an end, and she was doing nothing to stop him, her fear of the mask paralysing her. Corthie would be ashamed; Silva would be ashamed; she had failed.
Edmond rose to his feet and wiped the dirt of Lostwell from his hand. ‘It is done. By sunset tomorrow, Lostwell will be nothing but a memory.’
Belinda fell to her knees, and wept.
Chapter 22
Homeward
S outhern Kinell – 3rd Kolinch 5252
‘Please,’ said Aila; ‘just try it.’
Frostback glanced away.
‘It’s not solely about our comfort,’ Aila went on; ‘your front limbs would be free if we went on your shoulders. You nearly crushed Kelsey’s ribs again yesterday when you carried us; we’re fragile.’
‘You’re not,’ said Frostback. ‘You have self-healing.’
‘Alright, I can recover from getting squashed in your grasp, but Kelsey can’t. How can she protect us from the Ascendants if you grip her too tightly?’
Frostback extended her wings. ‘I’ve had enough of listening to your complaints. I am going to scout the vicinity to ensure there are no soldiers still following us.’
She ascended into the sky, then banked to the north and flew away, leaving Aila and Kelsey alone on the high ridge. Below them, the plains of Southern Kinell stretched, a treeless, flat landscape of farms and grasslands.
‘Something tells me that didn’t work,’ said Kelsey, her arms hugging her bruised ribcage.
Aila shrugged. ‘She didn’t actually refuse.’
‘Aye, but you picked the wrong day for this argument. She might have done it if she’d thought no other dragon would see, but we should be reaching the Catacombs today, and I think the embarrassment would kill her.’
A low rumble vibrated through the mountainside.
‘Damn earthquakes,’ muttered Aila.
Kelsey pointed south. ‘Not this time.’
Aila turned to glance in the direction Kelsey was pointing. Twin funnels of smoke were rising above the horizon, sending vast pillars of ash and rock into the sky.
Aila groaned. ‘Volcanoes?’
‘Looks like it. Didn’t Frostback say that lava flowed right past the Catacombs? I wonder if that’s normal.’
‘Normal? Nothing about Lostwell is normal. Are there volcanoes on your world?’
‘Just the one that I’m aware of, but I’ve never seen it. My father’s folk used to believe that an old volcano was a god – Pyre.’
Aila smiled. ‘Yeah?’
‘Don’t mock. Those were simpler times.’
‘What about earthquakes? Do you get many of them?’
‘Nah. I’ve never felt one of those.’
‘That settles it; I’m going to your world. It would be nice to walk over ground that doesn’t shake and rumble all the time.’
Kelsey nodded.
‘What about you?’ Aila said. ‘Are you homesick?’
‘Not really. This trip has opened my eyes to the possibilities. There are other worlds out there to explore. I even fancy taking a look at your city-world, now that it’s safe from the greenhides. I wasn’t that upset when Amalia was threatening to take us there.’
‘Wouldn’t your mother be sad if you didn’t go back?’
Kelsey shrugged. ‘As I mentioned before, I’m the most expendable of her children. I’ve never really fitted in. She’d be disappointed, and then she’d probably forget.’
‘I don’t believe that.’
‘You don’t know her.’
‘No, but I already know that she won’t like me. Karalyn made that quite clear.’
‘Part of her will be secretly pleased and flattered that a demigod is joining the family, though she’d never admit that out loud. “Yes, this is my new daughter-in-law. She’s immortal, in case you didn’t know.” She’ll love it.’
Aila laughed. ‘Daughter-in-law? Malik’s ass, that sounds strange.’
‘Try “Aila Holdfast” for size. Once the family’s sucked you in, there will be no escape.’
Aila fell silent. ‘I hope Corthie’s alright. If something’s happened to him, I don’t know how I’d go on.’
‘Don’t say that; he’ll be fine. He’s probably getting drunk somewhere.’
‘He’d better not be. He’s supposed to be looking for us.’
A shadow swooped over them and Frostback landed on the ridge.
‘Any soldiers?’ said Kelsey.
‘I didn’t look. I came back when I saw the volcanoes erupt.’
‘Aye, we noticed that. Is that not normal?’
‘No,’ said the silver dragon. ‘I’ve seen them give off smoke and ash before, but never like that. We have to go; the Catacombs may be under threat.’
The dragon reached out with her forelimbs to seize the two women, then paused.
‘If the Catacombs are in danger,’ she said, ‘then I might need to keep my limbs free. I have an idea; climb up onto my back, and I’ll carry you that way.’
Aila opened her mouth, but kept quiet at a glance from Kelsey.
‘That’s a good idea,’ said the Holdfast woman.
‘Yes, thank you, Frostback,’ said Aila.
‘So, how do we, uh… climb on?’
The dragon shifted position, and presented a limb for them to scramble up. Kelsey went first, and clambered up until she was perched on the dragon’s shoulders, then Aila did the same. It was better than being clutched in a forelimb, but she felt vulnerable atop Frostback with little to hold onto and nowhere to put her feet.
‘Blackrose had a harness,’ she said, ‘and now I can see why.’
Frostback glared at her, then beat her wings and rose into the sky.
‘Woah,’ said Aila. ‘Don’t turn too quickly or we’ll fall off.’
‘It’ll be fine,’ said Kelsey, her eyes lit with excitement. ‘This is great.’
Frostback circled a few times as they ascended, and Aila could see the volcanoes more clearly. Vast rivers of lava were surging across the broken mountainside, and the sky to the south-west was filling with ash and smoke. Even at that distance, she could make out the burning rocks that were raining down on the cliffs by the side of the valley. The dragon moved off, heading south, following the edge of the mountains. The grasslands faded and died the further they went, and the valley floor transformed into a barren wasteland of basalt and deep, ragged ravines. Pools of lava were glowing, and sending clouds of vapours and steam into the valley, filling it like mist. Frostback flew higher, getting above the vapours, and Aila stared at the approaching volcanoes.
‘How can anything live here?’ she said.
‘It’s how my father likes it,’ said Frostback. ‘No humans can approach, which makes it safe.’
‘It doesn’t look very safe.’
‘Something’s wrong,’ the dragon said. ‘The volcanoes have never erupted like this.’
She picked up her speed, and Aila gripped
onto the folds on her shoulders, her knuckles white as the wind rushed through her hair. Her eyes were streaming, and she kept them half-closed as the miles unfolded beneath them. The noise from the volcanoes increased, and a few red hot boulders crashed down onto the valley on either side of them.
Frostback let out a cry, and banked, almost sending Aila and Kelsey hurtling off her shoulders. She straightened in time, then circled.
‘It’s gone,’ she gasped.
‘What’s gone?’ said Aila.
‘My home; the Catacombs.’
Aila and Kelsey both gazed at the cliffs below them. Lava was flooding down from open fissures in the mountainside, and the slopes were covered in molten rock. Kelsey pointed. At the bottom of the valley was the charred and smoking body of a large dragon, half-covered in debris. A dozen yards from the body, what could have been a dragon wing was poking up from the rocks, burning.
‘Amalia’s breath,’ whispered Aila.
‘I lingered too long in the forest,’ said Frostback, her voice strained. ‘My home… my family…’
Another dragon swooped down from above. It had a dark green body, with blue streaking its wings. Frostback saw it, and the two dragons circled each other.
‘Frostback!’ cried the green dragon. ‘You have returned.’
‘Halfclaw,’ said the silver dragon; ‘what happened?’
‘Blackrose and Sable provoked the Ascendants, and they destroyed the Catacombs. Many dragons died. Deathfang and Ashfall survived, though. Come, I will show you.’
The green dragon raced off to the east, and Frostback followed.
‘The Ascendants?’ whispered Aila. ‘Do you think…?’
‘Arete?’ said Kelsey.
‘She might have come here after she lost our trail.’
They crossed the broken valley and came to the slopes on the opposite side. A dozen dragons were in the sky, circling or hovering, while others were gathered in clusters on the barren hillsides.
‘I see Blackrose,’ said Aila. ‘What’s she doing?’
‘It looks like my father has challenged her to a fight,’ said Frostback. ‘We must hurry.’
She broke away from Halfclaw and soared down at high speed as Aila and Kelsey clung on. Below them, the large form of Blackrose was facing a huge grey dragon, while others were arranged around them in a wide circle. Blackrose had her claws extended, and flames were dancing over the jaws of both dragons. Frostback surged down, landing a few yards from them.
Gates of Ruin (Magelands Eternal Siege, #6) Page 31
