Ghost in the Flames (24 page)

“I was in bed,” said Lucia, “and then I heard screaming, so I got up and went to look. All those men in black armor had hacked down the door and were killing the guards and the other servants. Their swords…their swords were burning! I’ve never seen anything like it. They’ll kill you if they find you.”

“They tried,” said Caina. “We killed them all.” 

Lucia shuddered and shrunk against the wall. 

“Romarion,” said Caina. “What happened to Romarion? It is urgent that we find him. Is he dead?” 

“I don’t know,” said Lucia. “I…don’t think so.” She swallowed. “Did you find his…his body?”

“No,” said Caina. 

“Then he probably fled,” said Lucia. “Master Romarion was always afraid that his enemies would come for him. He kept money in an iron box in his study, along with a rope, so he could go out the window if they ever came to kill him.”

Caina glanced at Ark. “The window was open in his study.” She looked back at Lucia. “Where do you think Romarion might have gone? Does he have a hiding place prepared in the city?” 

“I don’t know,” said Lucia. “I suppose that Master Romarion would go to his friends, if they were not all dead already.” 

“I see,” said Caina, straightening up. 

“Don’t kill me,” said Lucia, “I’ve told you everything, I swear.”

“I already said I’m not going to kill you,” said Caina, annoyed. She reached for the purse tucked into her belt. She had not wanted to leave Ephaeron’s money sitting around the Inn, and one never knew when bribe money might come in handy. She produced a single platinum coin, and Lucia’s eyes got wide. “Take this, and get out of the city immediately. The Saddai are going to revolt soon, and if Romarion’s enemy knows that you are still alive, he might kill you. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, sir,” said Lucia. 

“Take only what you need, and go now.”

Lucia gathered up her nightgown and fled. 

“She’s probably going to loot a few things on her way out, you know,” said Ark. 

“Let her rob the entire place, for all I care,” said Caina. “We’ve got to go.”

“Where?” said Ark. 

“I know where Romarion is.” 

Ark frowned. 

“A man in trouble flees to his friends,” said Caina, walking back into the hall. “But the pyromancer killed Romarion’s friends and partners. So that leaves only his old business associates.” 

Fortunately, no one had stolen their stolen wagon. Caina secured Romarion’s papers alongside Maltaer’s documents, and Ark started the horses into motion, pushing them as fast as he dared. 

The breeze still whistled through Rasadda’s streets, the tingles pressing against Caina’s skin. 

Chapter 24 - Book of the Ashbringers

The wagon stopped before the Sign of the Anchor. The windows were shuttered and barred, though Caina saw faint glimmers of light leaking through the cracks. Ark tied the horses and drew his broadsword. 

“How are we going to do this?” said Ark.

“Easily,” said Caina. “You’re going to kick down the door, I’m going to tell Maltaer to take us to Romarion, and if he’s here, he’s going to tell us who the pyromancer is.”

Ark’s mouth twisted. “And if they disagree?”

“That’s what this is for,” said Caina, pointing at Ark’s broadsword. “Oh, keep your face covered, and don’t speak unless you must. If Romarion is here, I don’t want him to recognize you.”

Ark nodded and tugged his improvised mask back into the place. They walked to the Sign’s front door, and Ark began hammering with the pommel of his sword. “Open, in the name of the Emperor!” 

The door remained closed. 

Ark shrugged, and started kicking. After four or five blows, the door splintered in its frame, and Ark put his shoulder to it. The door shuddered open, and Ark went through, Caina right behind them.

The Sign’s common room was spacious, well-lit from a pair of fireplaces, and held a dozen pirates, all of whom were holding weapons. Caina stepped past Ark, a knife ready in her hand.

“Let’s remain civil,” she hissed in her masked voice. “There’s no sense in bloodshed.”

“There’s a score of us and two of you,” said one pirate. 

“This is so,” said Caina. “But come at us and at least one of you is going to die. Maybe more. Well, who wants to volunteer? Anyone?”

No one volunteered. 

“Or someone could go get Maltaer,” said Caina.

“My dark lady, I am here,” said Maltaer, appearing at the top of the stairs. He descended, smiling. “You stole my wagon, you know.”

“I happened to need it,” said Caina. “And you did promise me many charming gifts.”

Maltaer laughed, and pressed his hand to his heart. “Alas! That is just like a woman. Give, and give, and yet she demands ever more.” His men laughed. “So, my dark lady, shall we resume our courtship? What would you have of me now?”

“I want to talk to Septimus Romarion.”

Maltaer’s face went still. “Why would he be here?”

“Because all his business partners have been murdered,” said Caina, “and he has nowhere else to go. Remember the mad sorcerer we discussed? He tried to kill Romarion this very night. But you know that already, don’t you?”

Maltaer sighed. “I am sure, my dark lady, that you are very beautiful beneath that cowl and mask. But while Septimus and I have our differences, he is still a friend, and it is a grievous thing for one man to betray another.”

“I mean Romarion no harm,” said Caina. “But I must speak with him. You can still feel the spell coming, can’t you? The mad sorcerer is doing something, and I need Romarion’s knowledge to stop it.” 

Maltaer thought it over. “While I am certain that your word is good, my dark lady, I require more. Will you swear to me on whatever you hold dear that you truly mean Romarion no harm?” 

Caina nodded. “I swear by the name of the Emperor I server that I have not come to do Romarion harm.” 

“Very well," said Maltaer. "If you betray your word, may swift ruin befall your Emperor." He beckoned. “This way.” 

  Caina followed Maltaer, Ark trailing after them. The pirate captain led them up the stairs and down a hallway, stopping before a door. Maltaer pushed it open, and they entered a spacious bedroom. Septimus Romarion sat on the bed, head in his hands, his clothes scorched and rumpled. 

“Septimus,” said Maltaer. 

Romarion looked up, blinking. His eyes flicked over Ark and Caina, and grew wide with fright. “Maltaer, you bastard! You brought them here to kill me! No!” His face was almost deranged with terror, just as Ostros’s had been. “I won’t go without a fight.” He surged to his feet, drawing his rapier. “I won’t!” 

Romarion came at her with the blade, and Caina dodged. As he stepped back to recover his balance, Caina hit him across the jaw with her knife’s handle. Romarion stumbled back, spitting blood, and Caina reached inside his guard, seized his wrist, and twisted. The rapier fell from his stunned hand, and Caina turned, sweeping his legs out from under him. Romarion fell with a heavy thump. Caina snatched up the rapier and leveled the blade at his throat. The weapon was a good fit for her hand.

“Ah,” breathed Maltaer in admiration. “You must dance exquisitely. Among other things.” 

“Don’t do anything foolish,” said Caina. “My friend and I have gone to a great deal of trouble to find you, and it would vex me to no end if you got yourself killed.” 

“Finish it, then,” spat Romarion.

“Do none of you people ever hear a word I say?” said Caina. “I’ll repeat myself. I don’t want to kill you. I want you to talk. Which would be rather difficult if you were dead.” 

Confusion replaced fear in Romarion’s expression. “Then who are you?”

“That is not important,” said Caina. “Suffice it to say that we are Ghosts.” 

“Ghosts?” said Romarion. “You mean the Emperor’s Ghosts? I though that the Ghosts were a story, a fable.”

Caina gave his throat a gentle tap with the rapier. “Can a fable hold a blade to your throat? Now get up. You’re going to tell us everything you know.” 

Romarion stood, his face tight. “Why?”

“Because,” said Caina, “otherwise the pyromancer is going to cook you like a pig on a spit. Just like he did to your former crew.”

Romarion swallowed, his eyes darting back and forth, but nodded. “Can you help me?”

“I won’t lie to you. You’re in a lot of trouble. We’re all in a lot of trouble. But if it is in our power to kill the pyromancer we will do so.”

Romarion sighed. “Good enough.”

Caina lowered the rapier. “I suggest that you start from the beginning.” 

Romarion’s mouth twisted. “If the rumors about the Ghosts are true, you probably know everything already.” He sighed again. “But I used to be a pirate, working the Alqaarin Sea. A few years ago a storm came up, blew my ship off course, and drove us to an uncharted island.”

“Where you found an untouched Saddai ruin,” said Caina. 

Romarion nodded. “And not just a ruin. A palace. A fortress, the stronghold of old Corazain himself. It must have been forgotten after Corazain was killed. The place was stuffed full of statues and treasures. We found the royal insignia of the old Saddai kings, at least a hundred valuable statues, and an entire room full of books…” He shuddered. “I should have thrown the books into the sea when I had the chance.” 

“I agree,” said Caina.

Romarion’s eyes were haunted. “And we found Corazain’s private chapel. The Ashbringers…everyone says they were insane, but I saw it firsthand. There were statues in that chapel…I think Corazain used his spells to melt blocks of stone around living women, so the stone would harden over their bones. The chapel was full of those stone skeletons.”

“He probably stole their lives to fuel his own strength,” said Caina. “If a pyromancer uses his art to burn a man alive, he can use the victim’s life force to empower himself. Which is what he probably did to your crew. And wanted to do to you.”

Romarion shuddered, and nodded.

“So you started to sell the statues,” said Caina, gesturing for him to continue. 

Romarion rubbed his face. “My crew and I made a pact. We would sell the statues, the jewelry, and the books, and split the profits between us. Since I was the captain, I would take a double share, of course, but otherwise we would split everything. Publius Vanio, my first mate, set himself up in Mors Crisius as a merchant. We smuggled the loot into Mors Crisius’s harbor, and Vanio and I found buyers. The jewelry, of course, had no trouble finding a buyer. Nor the statues. It seems that wealthy men in a dozen different nations appreciate Saddai art.”

“How much money did you make?” said Caina.

Romarion gave her a little smile. “We made an absolutely enormous amount of money. Even divided among us, it was still a substantial sum. Most of my crew drank and whored their money away, but some of us invested it, went into business. I did well, and so did Vanio. I had thoughts of obtaining a noble title, perhaps founding a minor House. I even tried to seduce a minor noblewoman visiting the city, but it did not go well, alas.”

“You never did know how to speak to the ladies,” said Maltaer. 

“When did the killings start?” said Caina.

Romarion looked away. “A year ago. My crew began turning up dead, one by one. All of them were burned to death. I figured out what was happening. I knew that the pyromancer needed to steal some of my blood for the spell to work, so I kept myself guarded night and day. I tried to warn the others, but they laughed at me, and they all died. I am the last one left. I was about to flee the city when some men attacked my house…”

“Yes, the Magisterial Guards,” said Caina. “Sorcery had been used to wipe their minds.”

“How did you know?” said Romarion. 

“We came from your mansion,” said Caina.

Romarion flinched. “And the Guards?”

“All dead.” 

The blood drained from Romarion’s face.

“But they’re not important,” said Caina. “The books, Romarion. What happened to Corazain’s books?” 

“Most of them were…just books,” said Romarion. “They were written in Old Saddaic, true, but they were just books. There was one that was…different, though. All the books were centuries old, but this one looked as if it had been written yesterday. And it…when I touched it my hands tingled, my skin crawled.”

Sorcery. The book had been protected by a warding spell, guarding it from the ravages of time. 

“I was curious, so I touched a candle to the cover,” said Romarion. “Nothing happened. I tried to light the pages on fire, but the flames could not touch it. Finally I threw it into a fire for an hour. It came out untouched. The statues were valuable. But this…this was priceless.”

“So you tried to find a wealthy sorcerer who would buy it,” said Caina.

“I had to be careful,” said Romarion. “Sorcerers are dangerous, and usually mad, all men know that. But foreign sorcerers are worse. The Magisterium at least pretends to follow the laws of the Empire.”

“They do not,” said Caina. She felt the pieces beginning to fall together in her head, like a lock opening at last. “So you approached the Magisterium.” 

Fool, fool, fool. 

Romarion seemed to pick up on her sudden anger, and he backed away. “I…started by approaching the local Magisterium, the masters. I did not tell them outright, of course, but asked about the Ashbringers. Ephaeron was adamantly opposed. He spent the better part of an hour lecturing me on the evils of the Ashbringers, how any trace of pyromancy had to be scoured from the face of the earth.”

“How fortunate that he was wrong,” said Caina.

Romarion flinched. “But the other master…Kalastus. He had bought a dozen of my statues. He seemed at least open to the idea. Finally one night about two years past I mentioned the book…and he insisted upon buying it at once. I sold it to him, then and there, in his study.” 

In his study.

And at last, all the pieces came together in Caina’s mind. 

She remembered standing in Kalastus’s study, watching the master magus and the merchant argue. 

A massive book bound in black leather and polished steel had rested on his desk.

He had tried to rape her, despite the dozen witnesses within ready earshot.

He had slaughtered a score of Saddai before the Imperial Basilica, screaming curses all the while. 

Ephaeron claimed that Kalastus had become erratic, unreliable, acting like a man gone provincial. 

Acting like a man who had lost his reason. 

Or one whose reason gradually had been burned away. 

Fool, fool. How could she not have seen it earlier? But she had, hadn’t she? She’d known all along it had to be one of the magi, even if she had only now found the proof. 

“Kalastus,” said Caina, her harsh voice cold and hard. “You sold that damned book to Kalastus.” She felt Ark’s gaze on her. “You damned fool.”

Romarion looked desperate. “You have to understand. I didn’t know what would happen. He told me that he intended to destroy it.” 

“Oh, certainly,” said Caina. “Maybe he even intended to. But he looked inside and had to try one of Corazain’s spells. Then another, and another, and he became addicted to the power that would burn away his sanity. He knew the other magi would kill him for it. That’s why he slaughtered your old crew, to keep the magi from ever finding out about his new powers. All because you didn’t throw that book into sea when you had the chance.”

“I didn’t know,” whispered Romarion. “I couldn’t have known.”  

“Oh, no, no one ever does,” said Caina. “Not until it’s too late.” She closed her eyes and mastered herself. Romarion had been a fool, but the blood was on Kalastus’s hands. 

“Are you going to kill me?” said Romarion.

“For the last time,” said Caina, “I already told you that I’m not going to kill you, even though I should. Publius Vanio was trading in slaves, and if Kalastus doesn’t kill you, the Ghosts will. Get out of the Empire, Romarion. Go to Istarinmul, or Alqaarin, or even into the barbarian north for all I care. But if Kalastus ever finds you, he will kill you.” 

Romarion started to answer. “I…”

The tingling against Caina’s skin grew stronger, almost to the point of physical pain. The breeze rattling against the windows exploded into a howling gale. A flash of brilliant orange-yellow light came through the window. 

Followed an instant later by the roar. 

The deafening concussion shook the Sign, dust falling from the rafters, the floor trembling. The roar, louder than any thunderclap, seemed to go on and on. Caina grabbed at the wall to keep her balance, Romarion’s blade dangling from one hand. 

“What the hell?” said Romarion. 

“My dark lady,” said Maltaer, “the balcony, this way.”

Romarion stared at her in shock. “You’re a woman?”

Caina ignored him and followed Maltaer. She heard sounds of shock and surprise coming from the streets below. Maltaer walked to the end of the hallway and threw open the door, and Caina followed him onto the balcony.