She Who Has No Name (The Legacy Trilogy) (26 page)

The
party of travellers
found themselves now beside a set of stables, all built in tiers, and offset to take advantage of the limited space.  A large
,
cobbled mounting yard filled the remaining flat ground.  Imperial soldiers mulled about, caring for the many animals penned there and keeping an eye on the passing civilians.  These refugees came streaming past them and continued down towards the nearby town of Shallowbrook without so much as a pause, for the soldiers would not let them stand idle even if they wanted to.  The wind was whistling along the canyon
,
and the gold and yellow pennants that were set along the guardrail flapped wildly.

Orrell signalled for his men to dismount and the wagons came clip-clopping to the front, where some of the fortress-men began unloading them without need of direction.  The Koian women stepped down and began eyeing the remarkable terrain around them with interest.

‘Well met, Captain,’ came a greeting, and an officer came striding out of one of the adjoining stable buildings, wiping his chin as if he had just been interrupted from his dinner.  ‘We’ve been expecting you.  How fared your journey?’

‘Hail, fellow.  The journey was fine, but my party is road-weary.’  It was generally polite to return such archaic speech with the same and Captain Orrell was adept at dealing with all manner of men and their habits.

‘We have rooms prepared in the citadel.  If you will,’ and with that the man began immediately
to lead the way
towards the black tower
,
his sturdy boots crunching on the gritty stones. 

Captain Orrell left Lieutenant Valiant in charge of his men, while the rest of the party continued on foot.  They followed the cobblestone path along the narrowing ravine, squeezing past the fretful refugees.

‘It’s getting busier,’ their guide announced without slowing his strides.  ‘No one wants to be left on the far side when the crossing comes down.’

The entranceway to Ghant led them into a courtyard, where the civilians were being directed down a wide set of stairs that carried them from further up the mountain.  With that route being busy, their guide led them instead into a nearby building and
,
at once
,
they
began along a tour of halls and paths that stretched from building to building, with each step leading them higher than the last.  They found themselves several times looking down on the stream of refugees from some high narrow path, and other times they trundled along below it.  They went from wall to wall, battlement to battlement, each strategically placed with war in mind and designed for squads of men at a time.  The interiors of the buildings were entirely functional, with no sign of floor coverings or artistic complements.  There was no doubt that this was a construction built entirely for the practical purposes of war. 

It was surprising to learn that rather than a single monumental building as it had first seemed, Ghant was actually a series of levels built wherever purchase could be found on the side of the mountain.  The only luxury of space that they came upon was several small courtyards.  One or two even had a small garden growing within, but most were open and barren, only serving as platforms to observe the eastern side of the ravine.  There also seemed to be a considerable network of tunnels that ran like warrens into the mountain, for several times they
had
turned abruptly into dim passages that had been chiselled into the rock and wound their way past rooms and side passages, until bursting out into the open air again, higher up on the next level and looking down past
the
cliffs from whe
nce
they had come.

They received some strange looks from the soldiers as they passed, and the Koians and their god attracted the most attention of all, with some of the local soldiers staring in amazement at their alien features and the god- woman’s bizarre costume. 

Finally, they reached the innards of Ghant proper
.
H
ere they entered a great fortified courtyard with numerous towers and buildings springing up around it.  Soldiers were busy at work in all directions, going about their duties.  Beside them, the solid tower of polished
,
black stone began, rising high above them and looking out over the ravine.  The other towers beside it were much smaller in comparison, and some were adjoined to it by enclosed bridges at various heights.  A number of smiths were in one corner, working away in front of their furnaces, banging on their anvils and sending up plumes of steam as they hammered their steel and quelled their irons.  Many of the buildings here seemed to be men’s quarters and they looked full to capacity, judging from the extra bunks and equipment that had been crammed into them. 

Ghant seemed like a mighty anthill, ready to erupt with troops at a moment’s notice
,
and Samuel found it no small wonder that the place had such a reputation for being unconquerable.  A gateway was open in the eastward wall via which the civilians were entering.  Samuel caught sight of the mountains and the crossing between the people as they hurried through.

‘The stream of those seeking haven is almost endless,’ their guide announced.  ‘They come day and night, fearing the Paatin.  Many are fleeing this way for the haven of the inner Empire.  We try to move them on as quickly as possible.  As you can see, this is not a place in which they can afford to linger.’

‘There have been many spies in Cintar.  Have you had any problems here?’ Tudor asked.

‘We started by capturing all the traders from the east that came by.  We asked them some direct questions, but they had little to say.  We threw a few into the chasm, but it did little to loosen their tongues.  Now, very few attempt to come this way; whether any were spies or not, I cannot say.  They are a confounded lot.  We always ignored them before.’

Their guide led them into the solid block of dark stone that formed the central tower of the citadel.  That, too, was a labyrinth of passages, but they finally came to a parting of the corridors where a couple of civilian servants were waiting expectantly. 

‘These two will escort your ladies and their companions to their rooms,’ the guide announced.  ‘General Mar has asked that the rest of you meet him upon arrival.’

Grand Master Tudor briefly explained to the Koians what was happening
.
T
hey seemed relieved to hear they were going to rest and followed the servants eagerly.

The magicians, Captain Orrell and Sir Ferse
,
then followed their spry guide along another tour of the fortress, eventually leading to what must have been the highest point, for they found themselves climbing stairway after spiralling stairway, each leading to a floor somewhat smaller than the last as the tower narrowed. 

Finally,
they ran out of stairs
and entered a room that had a sweeping view of the ravine and the mountains opposite.  There was space for about thirty men to stand comfortably inside, but
at
present there were only a half-dozen.  Their guide left them at the doorway and whispered in the ear of the one who was presumably General Mar
:
a tall and firm looking man, not great of girth, but well-muscled.  He had a brutal scar across his forehead that split one of his eyebrows in two, and his hair, streaked with grey, was tied back firmly.

After the guide had departed, the general beckoned them over.  Captain Orrell gave the stiff Turian salute, which General Mar returned with equal Turian vigour. 

‘Welcome, Captain Orrell and Lords of the Order,’ the general said.  ‘This is Captain Ravenshood and Captain Yarn,’ at which the two officers flanking him also saluted.  Yarn was a tubby, red-bearded fellow with a gruff demeanour, while Ravenshood seemed much too young for his position, bearing boyish looks and appearing too lean for any kind of serious warfare.  ‘Obviously, I have been expecting you. 
At the command of General Ruardin himself,
I have been asked to grant you every resource possible and meet your every request
.
  It is quite an unusual circumstance, I must admit, to see such champions of the Order at my door,’ and the sturdy fellow eyed each of the young magicians
,
as if weighing their merits.  ‘I understand you have also come with mixed and unusual company.’

‘Thank you, General,’ Grand Master Tudor responded.  ‘Yes, we bring a party of Koian
O
utlanders with us to assist with our task.  They are civilians and we will try to keep them quiet and out of your way.  I must assume from your lack of
reference to her
, that the Empress has not been found.  Where is Lord Lomar?’

Mar shifted uncomfortably.  ‘Unfortunately, it seems her kidnappers have slipped through our grasp.  Lomar left just days ago.  He wanted to await your arrival, but it had become evident that we had either missed the Empress, or they had not come this way.  He said he was going ahead to a place called Tosah, although I am not familiar with the name.’

Tudor sighed.  ‘I know of it.  It is far from here.  How disappointing.  Now, our search will be made all the more difficult.  We have been long upon the road, General, but I hope we can call upon your hospitality for the night.  Then, we will continue
east
at first light.’  The old magician then peered out the wide
-
open windows towards the craggy terrain of the chasm.  ‘Captain Orrell will speak with you about what things we need for our supplies, but otherwise, I hope you can lend us a pillow each and a decent mattress.’

Samuel also took the chance to peek out the window, seeing the great rift of the chasm stretching below, and the many levels of the fortress huddled along its edge with people moving about on every piece of flat rock.

‘You plan to continue east, then?’ Mar asked with concern.

‘We must, General.’

The tall Turian shook his head solemnly.  ‘Then I have more unfortunate news for you.  We will be withdrawing the crossing before dawn.  A Paatin host approaches through the mountains.  They have already taken Kalid, the nearest town across the pass, this third day past.  Lomar must have made it through just in time or he would have returned by now.  The path through the mountains will be slow for them but
,
once the Paatin army reaches here, they will have no way to reach us.  However, there will also be no way for anyone here to travel to the far side.’

‘They may have thought of that, General,’ Tudor told him.  ‘The Paatin have proved highly resourceful and may already have plans.  I doubt they would come here depending only on their luck.’

‘Once the bridge is lowered, there is no way across for months in every direction.  Ghant guards the only pass through these mountains, and they run ragged and cruel, as you can see.  No army has every crossed here without our permission and none ever will.  The desert-men will be forced to turn back if they want to enter Turia and they will have to round the mountains as best they can.  Any other route will lead them up above the snowline and their losses would be severe.  It would take them weeks to cross with that many men.  No sane commander would risk it.  Even so, I will not underestimate the enemy.  I have also heard strange tales of their warfare and they seem well
prepared in everything they do.  I am sure their spies have been through here many times and they know the lay of the land well.  I believe they will come here with a plan, as you say, but we will be ready for anything they can throw against us.  I am a stubborn old goat at times, but I will not underestimate my foe, whether they bear magic or not.  We will give the Paatin a greeting they will not forget.’

‘It sounds like you know your job well, General.  I will not interfere.’

‘Are you expecting them to bring magicians?’ Goodfellow asked, for his ears had picked up at mention of magic.

‘I hear they call their spell
-
casters
wizards
, but I have no mind for such words, except that it means that they wield magic.  I would expect anything.  We have not seen or heard of them using magic yet in these parts, but that may mean nothing.  Magic seems to have become the bread and butter of war these days, although I still do not understand its workings.  I will not leave anything to surprise.  Now, I suggest you get as much rest as you can and depart early.  I am sorry you had to waste your time coming this way.’