Which means someone else is behind all of this. His brow furrowed. But until we get out of here, there’s no way to find out who. One problem at a time, then.
They couldn’t get out the same way they’d entered, that much he knew. If that many Stumblers had gotten into the Hall of the Beyond, how many more would be flooding the Keeper’s Tier? He’d seen at least a few dozen roaming the back alleys. There had to be hundreds, perhaps thousands along the Path of Gold, and who knew how many more elsewhere in Shalandra.
“Any chance we can simply stroll out the front gate?” he asked. “Either of you know where the front gate is?”
Hykos jerked a thumb toward the northeastern corner of the gardens. “There. But the Necroseti barred the gates hours ago. Likely the guards are busy fighting the Stumblers, but that’s a lot of spearmen between us and the way out.”
The way out. Something about those words gave Evren pause.
He turned to Hykos. “You said you know the Serenii tunnels around the city, right?”
The Archateros nodded. “It’s taught to all of us during our years as Katoteros.”
“So you know there are at least two entrances to the Hall of the Beyond, correct?” He held up a pair of fingers. “One the way we came in, and the other through the Serenii tunnels.”
Again, Hykos nodded.
“Could there be more?” Evren asked. “More that only the Necroseti or the Keeper’s Council know about?”
Hykos’ brow furrowed. He remained silent for a long moment, but finally he shrugged. “It’s possible.” His expression darkened. “Hells, knowing the priests, I’d be all but certain of it.”
Evren grinned. “Perfect.”
“What are you thinking?” Issa asked.
“The Keeper’s Council has to have some sort of bolt-hole, some way to get in and out of the temple unseen,” Evren replied. “You know, the kind of passage that comes in handy when plotting treason and overthrowing the Pharus’ rule in Shalandra.”
Suddenly, Issa’s eyes flew wide. “The altar room!”
Hykos’ brow furrowed, but Evren just shot her a confused look.
“There!” Issa pointed to the highest point on the Hall of the Beyond.
Evren followed her finger. A massive set of stone steps climbed the south side of the temple, ascending toward a square chamber guarded by an enormous golden statue.
“When I was brought up to the altar room for the trial of stone, the Pharus entered through a door in the rear of the sanctuary.” Excitement filled Issa’s voice. “But look at it. That chamber is huge, but does it look like there are other ways in and out?”
Hykos and Evren both stared at the room atop the temple. Evren had never been there, and from his vantage point southwest of the temple, he could see only the entrance and the western wall of the room.
“Seems a bit impractical,” he said. “A secret tunnel that goes to the top of the temple.”
“Maybe.” Issa shrugged. “But that’s the only thing I can think of to explain it.”
Evren raised an eyebrow. “There could also be a hidden staircase that goes from inside the temple to the back of the altar room.”
“Oh.” Issa’s face fell. “Yeah, there’s that, too.”
“But it’s worth a shot.” Hykos spoke up. “Even if it’s just a hidden staircase that leads deeper into the temple, it’s almost certainly going to be connected to whatever passageway the Pharus used to travel from the palace to the Hall of the Beyond.”
Evren cocked an eyebrow. “And let me guess, that’s the best way up?”
All three of them turned toward the staircase ascending the southern face of the building.
“Yes.” Issa and Hykos both replied.
“Crap.” Evren grunted. “That has to be easily two hundred stairs.”
“Two hundred and thirty-six.” Hykos winced as he climbed to his feet.
“The only good thing about it?” Issa shot them both a grin. “From what we saw on the Keeper’s Steps, Stumblers are rubbish at climbing stairs. Means we’ve got a good shot at outrunning any that try to get in our way.”
Evren shot a glance at Hykos. The Archateros stood unsteadily on his right leg, but his face was a mask of grim determination. He’d come this far to rescue Issa; something told Evren Hykos wouldn’t stop until he’d carried out his mission.
“Well, then,” Evren said, “let’s get going. Follow my lead.” He turned to Issa. “Stick close to Hykos, lend a hand if he needs.”
“I won’t slow—”
“Of course you won’t.” Evren shot back. “All the same, it’s good to have one of us close by just in case.” He shrugged. “We move quickly and quietly, avoid contact with the Stumblers, and get to those stairs. They’re clear for now, but who knows how long they’ll stay that way.”
“Not much longer.” Hykos pointed toward the stairs. “Seems like we’re not the only ones thinking there’s a way out.”
Evren spun, his gaze following Hykos’ pointing fingers. High on the staircase, two or three floors above ground level, a cluster of portly, gold-and-black-clad figures struggled to climb the steps. Behind them, a pitiful cluster of spearmen in silver breastplates held the stairs against a slow-moving tide of Stumblers.
“Looks like the Keeper’s Council’s trying to make a quick escape.” He turned back to his companions with a grin. “Let’s go make sure our esteemed priests make it safely, yeah?”
Issa’s grin turned fierce. “Gladly,” she growled.
Evren slipped through the thicket of willows first, weaving his way between tall trees, around thorny hedges, or simply plowing across beds of bright-colored flowers. The denser parts of the garden offered concealment, but they’d make too much noise going through thick foliage. Their best chance was to trust their speed to get them in a direct route toward the stairs.
The gardens seemed to stretch endlessly, the monolithic sandstone Hall of the Beyond looming far in the distance. Every few paces, Evren glanced back to check on the progress of his companions. Issa moved steadily, and even the injured Hykos tried to match his pace. Yet the pain twisting Hykos’ face and the white of his bloodless lips told Evren he was suffering.
But Evren couldn’t lend a hand. It was all he could do to pick a quiet route through the gardens, evading notice by the Stumblers as much as possible. Their only saving grace lay in the fact that the temple’s gardens were so vast they would accommodate thousands of the creatures. The Stumblers swarmed toward the temple, yet most seemed intent on getting into the nearby entrances, ignoring the huge staircase.
The sounds of battle grew louder as Evren approached the vast marble walkway that led from the temple’s south gate toward the ceremonial steps up to the sanctuary. Two or three hundred Stumblers had ascended the stairs, pursuing the fleeing Necroseti and their spear-wielding protectors. Their quarry seemed to match their ponderous pace; the portly priests sat on the stairs, gasping for breath, recovering from their climb as their guards fought to hold off the Stumblers.
Keeper’s teeth, they’re going to get their men killed! From what he knew of the Keeper’s Council, they would gladly sacrifice their men for their own necks.
Evren spun as bushes rustled beside him, but relaxed when he caught sight of Issa and Hykos. The Archateros’ jaw muscles worked, doubtless an effort to stifle cries of pain. His limp had grown more pronounced but still he stubborned on.
“We don’t have to cut our way through all of them,” Evren said, pointing to the Stumblers lurching, crawling, and dragging their emaciated bodies up the steps in pursuit of the fleeing priests. “A friend of mine had a saying: when outrunning a bull, you don’t need to be the fastest, but not the slowest. We get past the Keeper’s Priests, we’re good as gold.”
“Let me take the lead.” Issa said. “You help Hykos.”
“I’ll be f—” Hykos began.
“Save the tough act for when we’re not in danger,” Issa shot back. “On your own, you’ll climb those stai
rs slower than a toddler. Lean on Evren so we can hurry the bloody hell out of here.”
Evren hid a little grin. Which one’s in charge, again?
Hykos growled. “Fine.”
Nodding, Issa slipped out from cover and unsheathed her huge flammard. Evren slung Hykos’ arm over his shoulder and, together, the three of them hustled toward the base of the steps as fast as the Archateros’ injured leg permitted. With Evren for support, they managed to make it all the way to the lowest steps before any of the Stumblers lurching toward the staircase noticed.
The creatures’ movements were jerky, awkward, their limbs uncoordinated, as if their brains had lost control over their bodies. That meant ascending the stairs proved far more of a fall-and-crawl than a proper climb. All Evren and Hykos had to do was keep moving, keep pushing through the openings Issa’s sword carved for them, and they could outpace the Stumblers.
But before they had climbed two dozen stairs, the Stumblers above them began to turn and take notice. Creatures staggered, lurched, and crawled toward them, forcing Issa to cut them down in twos and threes rather than singly. Their gurgling, rasping cries echoed louder, setting Evren’s heart pounding. Hykos hissed with every step up, his weight dragging on Evren’s shoulders.
Gritting his teeth, Evren gripped Hykos tighter around the heavily-armored waist and half-hauled, half-dragged the Archateros up the stairs. His legs burned from the effort and his lungs begged for air, but he couldn’t afford to slow. Already, Stumblers had begun to mass around them, drawing closer with every agonized beat of his heart. One slip, one fall, and he and Hykos would be overrun.
“Leave me!” Hykos gasped in Evren’s ear. “I’m just slowing you down. I’ll hold them off, give you time to—”
“Shut up!” Evren snarled. “No one’s leaving you, no matter how bloody heavy you are. Stop wasting your breath and climb as if your damned life depends on it.”
Higher and higher they climbed, Issa carving them a path through the Stumblers, closer to the steps where the spearmen fought to hold back the creatures from reaching their masters. The Keeper’s Priests had only ascended a handful of steps before collapsing from exhaustion once again. One glance at the ever-thinning ranks of the Necroseti guards told Evren the Stumblers would overrun their protectors before the priests reached the top.
But if he, Hykos, and Issa added their weapons to those of the guards, they had a chance. Especially if someone with a stern glare and a very large sword could motivate the Keeper’s Council into hustling their portly asses up the stairs.
“Just…a bit…more,” he growled to Hykos, struggling for breath.
Hykos could only grunt; he was too focused on keeping moving despite the pain evident in his face.
“Hurry!” Issa called from above them. She had planted her feet on a cleared section of stairs and was swinging her sword in a wide arc about her, carving a swath of destruction through the Stumblers to make way for them.
Fingers clamped down on Evren’s side, hard enough for sharp nails to cut through his tunic and dig into flesh. Hissing in pain, Evren spun and drove his left-handed dagger into the Stumbler’s gaping mouth. The creature fell back, collapsing atop three of its hideous companions.
“Come on!” Issa called. “We’re almost there!”
“Keeper’s Blades!” The shout came from the spearmen above. “By the Keeper, we’re sav—”
The man’s voice cut off in a cry of pain as a Stumbler bore him to the ground. Within seconds, half a dozen more of the creatures swarmed over him, their claws tearing flesh, rending cloth, scraping against his silver armor. His cries turned into a gurgle then fell silent, and crimson stained the golden sandstone steps.
But as the Stumblers tore him to shreds, a hole opened in the creatures’ ranks and the line of spearmen—a hole wide enough for Issa to leap through. She turned, planted her feet on the stairs, and hacked down at the monstrosities ripping into the dead guard. The creatures died in seconds, their blood and guts joining that of their slain victim.
Evren and Hykos stumbled up the stairs. Issa reached out, seized Hykos’ arm, and dragged him through the gap in the spearmen’s ranks. The moment Evren and Hykos had passed, she resumed her place in the battle line and continued the fighting retreat.
“Go!” Issa shouted. “Keep climbing. I’ll keep them back.”
Hykos made to protest, but Evren hauled him onward before he could retort. The Archateros glared down at him. “So you’ll let her fight to cover our asses, but not me?”
“She’s not opting for a heroic last stand,” Evren gasped back. “She’ll be along shortly.”
At that moment, they reached the steps upon which the five Keeper’s Councilors sat. Madani, Natoris, and the other three—Evren had never learned their names, but they were all equally fat, sweaty, and repulsive to him—struggled to their feet.
“By the Keeper, you’ve come to save us!” cried Madani.
“Not a damned chance.” Evren bared his teeth in a snarl. “We’re just here getting your prisoner free.”
Madani’s eyes widened and his gaze snapped down to the black-armored figure fighting on the steps. “That…is Issa? Tinush’s murderer?”
“That is Issa.” Evren’s fists clenched. “But she’s not responsible for Tinush’s death. And right now, she’s the only thing standing between you and an early death, so I’d advise you to get rid of any foolish ideas of trying to arrest her again.”
Madani managed to look offended, outraged, and pompous all at once. “You dare speak to a Keeper’s Councilor with such disrespect?”
“Right now, I’m far more afraid of being torn to shreds than of being talked to death, so yes.” Evren glared daggers. “Now, unless you want to get all of your men killed, get to your feet and start climbing.”
“Your guards are dying to give you time to flee,” Hykos growled. “The least you can do is make their sacrifice worth it by trying to actually move.”
The Councilors exchanged angry glances, but a shrill cry of pain from below forestalled any complaint. All of them turned in time to see a spearman dragged down by Stumblers. A moment later, before the first’s screaming fell silent, two more were brought down.
Five portly men leapt to their feet with surprising alacrity and began the climb as fast as their stubby legs permitted. Evren and Hykos climbed ahead of the priests; they needed to get far enough from the Stumblers for Issa to break off from the battle.
“Go, go, go!” Issa’s voice rang out behind them.
Evren cast a glance backward and found Issa charging up the stairs. Three spearmen, all that remained of the Necroseti guards, stumbled in her wake. All were bleeding and battered, and one staggered, a deep gash in his leg pumping dark blood. He fell before he’d taken three steps and didn’t rise again.
Issa raced past the Keeper’s Council toward Hykos and Evren.
“Wait!” Madani’s shrill cry echoed above the rasping, gurgling cries of the Stumblers. “Protect us, in the name of the Long Keeper, whom you have sworn to serve.”
Evren stifled a snort. Not a bloody chance. He felt a deep-rooted sense of satisfaction at seeing the fat priests in mortal danger. A part of him was eager to hear Issa’s furious reply; they deserved no less after ripping her from her grandmother’s side less than an hour after her grandfather’s death.
He turned to help Hykos up the stairs, but Issa’s words stopped him.
“In the name of the Long Keeper,” she said, “whom we have sworn to serve, we will offer you our aid.”
Evren’s eyebrows shot up. He whirled back toward her, a retort on his lips. Yet he stopped. The look in her eyes spoke volumes.
“Thank you!” Relief pierced Madani’s panic. “You just need to hold them off long enough to reach the altar room!” He thrust a pudgy finger toward the top of the steps. “There’s a hidden passage there that takes us into the palace.”
Evren felt vindicated; he’d been right in his assessment of the Necroseti. Men like t
hem always had another way out. Their own survival came first, no matter how many of their subordinates had to die to save them. “Do they connect to the network of Serenii tunnels?” he asked.
The corpulent Madani seemed taken aback by the question. “How do you—”
“Answer the question,” Issa said. “The tunnels are flooded with Stumblers. If this passage is connected to the main passages, we can’t go that way.”
“No!” Natoris shook his head. “There is only one way in and out of this passage. The other side opens into the palace, in the High Divinity’s private chamber.”
Evren nodded. “Well then, I say we’ve had enough fun for one day, yeah? Let’s get the bloody hell out of here!”
The ascent to the altar room took far longer than he expected—not only because of how damned many steps had been carved into the southern face of the temple, but because the pudgy Necroseti were terribly out of shape. The priests huffed and puffed, demanding respites after only a few minutes of exertion. Were it not for the presence of the Stumblers lurching up the steps behind them, Evren had little doubt they’d move even slower.
Even then, they barely managed to outpace the monsters. Twice, Issa had to turn to face the creatures, hold them back long enough for the Necroseti to recover their wind to keep climbing. Evren fought on her right, Hykos to her left, with the flanks anchored by the spearmen. The first Necroseti guard fell as the Stumblers lurched toward him; the second succumbed to the creatures as they broke off to continue their hurried retreat.
On one of their many breaks, Evren found his eyes drawn past the horde of Stumblers, past the temple ground, and beyond the sandstone wall surrounding the temple. Horror coursed through him at the sight of Shalandra flooded with the slow-moving creatures. When his eyes went to the Temple District, worry for Hailen and Briana drove an icy dagger into his gut.
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