Blades of the Old Empire (34 page)

“Aghat Han,” Evan said quietly.

“Yes. Him too. But I was actually referring to Aghat Mai. He and Aghat Kara are both dead.”

Evan raised his face to the man, feeling a chill creep up his spine. What he said wasn’t true. It simply
couldn’t
be.

“Now, Your Majesty,” Nimos said. “Will you sign the document?”

Kyth found Kara at the edge of the camp polishing her weapon. He knew this was a time she preferred not to be disturbed, but during their strenuous march he had become all but desperate to catch her alone. After her recovery she spent all her time with Mai and Raishan, receding into their company like a shelter. Kyth understood she needed time. She had come out the other side of death, an outcast chased by her own kind, all because of him. Her future, as far as the Majat Guild was concerned, was uncertain and he couldn’t offer nearly as much comfort in dealing with it as people of her upbringing. Kyth had been careful to stay away during the entire trip but now, as they neared Illitand Hall and their plans were about to be set into motion, he had to talk to her.

She raised her head as he approached and silently moved sideways to make room for him on the dry patch of grass. Kyth sat down, taking a moment to enjoy her closeness and the warmth of her shoulder next to him. There was so much he wanted to say to her. But he wasn’t going to.

“It’s today, isn’t it?” he asked.

She nodded.

“I hope you’re planning to bring me along,” he went on.

“We’re debating it,” she said. “I, for one, think it’s much too dangerous.”

“But I can protect at least one of you from their power!”

She shrugged. “I’m still immune. This should be enough in a tight spot. If I can take out the Kaddim Brothers–”

“You haven’t seen them fight! Nimos was able to stand up to Mai for quite some time.”

“Mai was badly wounded at the time.”

Kyth paused. She had a point, but he simply couldn’t accept it. To sit back and do nothing when Kara was risking her life against impossible odds to save his father…

“I want to come,” he said. “If you’re against it, I hope Mai and Raishan would see it my way.”

She looked at him, suddenly serious. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Did her voice really waver, or was it his imagination?

“Nothing will happen to me,” he said. “Not while I’m with three Diamonds.”

She looked past him into the forest shadows. Kyth turned.

The blackness behind him shaped up to become Mai.

“It’s time,” the Diamond said.

“I’m coming with you,” Kyth said. “My power can be of use to you.”

Mai gave him a long look, then nodded. Kara’s eyes darted between them, but she said nothing as she sheathed her weapon and sprang to her feet.

Raishan and Egey Bashi materialized from the shadows behind them.

“Aghat Mai wants to bring Ellah with us,” Raishan said to Kara. “But I’m not sure it’s a good idea.”

“Ellah?” Kyth looked at Mai in surprise.

The Diamond’s expression was impenetrable. “Her gift could be of use to us. Just like yours.”

“How?”

Mai shrugged. “I believe there’re people in the castle who’d actually be willing to help. Knowing who they are would eliminate a lot of unnecessary killing. But we can’t trust any of them unless we have a truthseer with us.”

“But she can’t even fight!” Kyth protested.

Mai measured him up and down with his gaze. “No offense, Your Highness, but for the task we’re facing, neither can you.”

Kyth bit his tongue. He wanted to remind Mai how for a short time back in the Grasslands they fought as equals, and how his gift gave him powers Mai could never dream of. But now didn’t seem to be the time.

“It’s her
life
you are risking,” he said instead.

“I think this one’s not for you to decide, is it?” Mai held Kyth’s gaze for a moment. Then he turned and walked off into the darkness.

“Since when is
he
in charge around here?” Kyth wondered.

Egey Bashi patted him on the shoulder. “I hate it myself when they get like that,” he said. “But Aghat Mai’s right. Ellah’s gift can be of use to us. And, she’s free to refuse if she isn’t up to it.”

“But she…” Kyth looked to make sure Kara and Raishan were out of earshot. “She’ll come just because of Mai.”

Egey Bashi squeezed his arm. “I fail to see the difference, lad,” he said. “If you know what I mean.”

Kyth lowered his eyes.
Kara didn’t ask me
.
I insisted on coming myself.
But deep inside he knew the Keeper had a point.

Through the intertwining branches of the forest thicket he threw a last glance at the camp. Most of the people were asleep. Alder and Garnald sat beside Ayalla’s snakewood hut, deep in conversation. A few Cha’ori from Dagmara’s escort were tending to their horses. Mai and Ellah stood at the side of the dying campfire. They exchanged a few words, then turned and disappeared into the bushes. A few moments later Kyth heard the approaching rustle of their footsteps. Ellah met Kyth’s gaze and gave him a brief nod.

“Let’s move,” Kara said from the shadows ahead.

They moved in a single file along a barely perceptible trail that led off through the trees to the distant glimmer of the Illitand Lake. Kyth was careful to keep up behind Kara, straining his eyes to see her in the forest darkness. Her slim shape, draped in a dark cloak, blended with the shadows. She moved so smoothly that she was almost invisible.

After half an hour of fast walking they came to the edge of the forest. The open glade in front ran into the shimmering water of the lake. The city of Illitand Hall rose in its center, straight out of the water. Scattered night light reflecting off the lake surface coated the ornate stone lace with a sparse glint of tarnished silver, making the entire city look like an object of ancient craftsmanship. Its dark outline loomed against the low clouds, a powerful, ominous beauty warning intruders against any attempts to penetrate its walls.

“How do you propose to storm this?” Egey Bashi asked.

The Majat exchanged glances.

“There are two ways,” Raishan said. “The easy way would be to get close to the walls without being noticed.”

“What’s the other way?”

Raishan calmly returned his look. “The
other
’s the hard way.” He turned to move on.

“Wait!” Egey Bashi called out.

All three Diamonds turned to him.

“There’s something I need to tell all of you about the Kaddim Brothers,” Egey Bashi said. “Their power only acts within visual range. If you’re behind a wall, or a very thick door, they can’t affect you.”

“How do you know this?” Raishan demanded.

Egey Bashi looked him straight in the face. “It has been bothering me for a while, but I’ve just realized. That time in the monastery, when they tried to blast you – you got behind a pillar and they missed you. Remember, Aghat Raishan?”

Raishan hesitated, then nodded.

“Let’s move.” He turned back to the silent shape of the fortress.

They crept low along the ground, moving as smoothly as they could and keeping to the natural shadows of the landscape. The wall loomed ahead, a rough stone structure that rose to the height of at least three houses and ran all the way around the city. Kyth noticed how the Majat kept their eyes on the narrow slits along the top of the wall, and how their postures were very alert, as if waiting for an attack. But no one tried to stop them as they made their way across the stone bridge to the bottom of the wall.

Kara and Mai were in the lead. When they reached the massive city gate, they stopped, bringing the entire party to a halt in their wake. The two of them exchanged short phrases, indistinct to the rest of the group. Then Kara stood back and ran her eyes up the roughly hewn stones.

Kyth crept closer, so that he could hear what was going on.

“I’ll cover you,” Mai said. He took out a crossbow and drew it with a smooth wrist movement, placing a bolt against the string.

Kara nodded. Kyth had no idea what they were going to do, but it didn’t seem to be a good time to ask. He crouched against the wall, watching.

Kara threw off her cloak and took out a small grappler hook. Her arm flew back in a powerful sway. A thin metal streak darted through the air and they heard a click high above. She tugged at the rope, so thin that it was hard to see in the darkness. Then she nodded to Mai and pushed off the ground, sliding up the rope quickly as if someone from above was pulling her up. Mai stood back, crossbow at the ready.

Raishan swept past him to a small door, sharply outlined within the massive gate.

“Stay close, everyone,” he said. “Be ready to get inside.”

A thud echoed above, followed by metal clanking. Mai’s crossbow hand flew up and the bolt went off, whistling as it cut through the still night air. There was a gasp and a large bulky shape disengaged from the top of the wall and tumbled down onto the ground at their feet. It bounced as it landed, and rolled to a standstill right beside Kyth.

It was a man in leather armor covered by a green and yellow Illitand cloak. His helmet slid off after the fall, revealing a young face, barely older than Kyth’s. His head turned to the side, unseeing eyes staring into the sky. A crossbow bolt protruded from his chest.

Ellah gasped and hid her face on Kyth’s shoulder. Kyth looked past her to Mai, who calmly reloaded his crossbow and looked up the wall. There seemed to be no more activity above. After a long moment Mai lowered his weapon.

“Clear,” he said. He unloaded the crossbow with a quick move, and put it away. Then he bent down and picked up Kara’s cloak.

There was more clanking and the small door within the gate swung open. Kara stood on the other side, her face calm and composed. Behind her, lifeless shapes sprawled on the cobbled stone pavement. Kyth counted five, all of them wearing outfits of the Illitand city guard. From this distance he couldn’t tell if they were alive.

They stepped inside. Raishan, walking last, closed the door behind them. Kara took her cloak from Mai and wrapped into it, once again blending with the shadows of the gray stone walls.

They made their way uphill, past rows of houses lining the street that ascended from the gate at a steep angle toward the distant shape of the castle. The city looked fast asleep. There was nothing in the streets except occasional stray cats that shied away at their approach and surveyed them from the shadows of side alleys with huge glowing eyes. A dog barked at them from one of the enclosed yards, but stopped abruptly as Mai walked by, throwing a short glance through the thick wooden fence. They waited a moment to see if the incident had raised an alarm, but the streets seemed to be as quiet as before.

By the time they reached the upper city, Kyth was out of breath. Ellah and Egey Bashi also looked winded, but the three Diamonds were calm and fresh, as if they spent the entire time resting, not ascending the mountain at a fast pace.

They stopped in front of the castle gate, the carved ornaments along its top clearly outlined against the night sky. This wall was not as tall as the one down below, but it was hewn much smoother, making it harder to climb. Just like at the city entrance, there was a small door at the base of the gate, tightly shut.

“Shouldn’t be a problem,” Kara said after a pause. “Unless, of course, there’s a large force waiting for us on the other side.”

“The way to scale this one is on the side, over there.” Mai pointed. “The wall’s lower in that place, even if it doesn’t seem that way. Once you’re up there, you’ll get a good view of the entire yard before they have a chance to see you.”

Kara nodded and took out her grappler hook again. But before she had time to do anything, the door at the base of the gate screeched and slowly swung open.

Mai and Raishan closed in, shielding Kyth and Ellah with their bodies. Kara, in front, tensed up for action.

A lonely figure came into view, clearly outlined against the doorway. A young woman with pale skin and flaming red hair, dressed in a deeply cut green dress with a golden trim.

They all stared.

“Lady Celana Illitand?” Egey Bashi asked.

The royal lady nodded as she ran her eyes around the group, pausing in turn on each of the faces. Then she walked forward and stopped in front of Kyth, dropping a deep curtsey.

“Prince Kythar.” Her voice was clear, and its ringing timbre had a way to reach its listeners without obvious effort on her part. “I’m so glad you are finally here. I was waiting, so that I could be the first in this castle to offer help in setting King Evan free.”

Kyth stared. “Why?”

Lady Celana straightened out and gave him a look, in which the outward shyness of a young maid was greatly outweighed by a chilling intelligence that made Kyth feel instantly alert.

“I am afraid, my lord,” she said, “that both our fathers have fallen victim to a very powerful enemy. While I know the impressive force you bring would normally be sufficient to break the King out, this time we are dealing with something out of the ordinary. These men can kill a Diamond Majat. They’ve killed Aghat Han.”

There was a shocked silence.

“
What
did you say?” Egey Bashi demanded.

She shook her head. “It was an unfortunate incident, for which I am afraid my lord father will be blamed, even though he had nothing to do with it. We sent off a funeral procession to the Majat Guild days ago. But since then Kaddim Tolos and his men have taken over the castle.”

“Kaddim Tolos?” Kyth echoed.

Lady Celana met his gaze. In the darkness her green eyes acquired a velvety touch that made them look like two bottomless pools of water.

“He is a powerful man, who bent my lord father to his will and made him do things that, to my regret, may challenge the good standing of our house. That’s why I am here, Prince Kythar. I wish to redeem my family’s honor as much as possible under the circumstances. I will do whatever is in my power to aid you. I will give you my life, if need be. I am yours to command, my lord.” She bent down in another deep curtsey and stayed, head lowered.

Kyth gave her an uncomfortable glance. “Rise, my lady,” he said.

She straightened out and stood, holding his gaze. Her face was calm, but Kyth had a feeling that she had more control of the situation than he did. He threw a hesitant glance at Egey Bashi.

The Keeper nodded, taking the cue. “From what I heard, my lady, your house and especially your lord father, have done a lot of harm to the King. Why should Prince Kythar believe you?”

Lady Celana moved her gaze around their group and fixed it on Ellah. “You are a truthseer, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Ellah said slowly.

“Tell the Magister – do I speak the truth?”

Ellah held a pause, then nodded.

“All of it?” Egey Bashi demanded.

Ellah slowly turned to him. “Since the lady met us here, she hasn’t told a single lie.”

Lady Celana’s face remained calm, but Kyth noticed a brief expression of relief that echoed in his own heart. She
was
being sincere. She was really here to help.

He took a breath. “Thank you, my lady. We will gladly accept your help.”

She smiled, her porcelain face for a moment acquiring a glimpse of warmth. “We must move. We have very little time.”