A Crucible of Souls (Book One of the Sorcery Ascendant Sequence) (65 page)

He’d made it out with his
trinket
, bone ring, ducats, wristband and crafted metal, but he had lost Senira. He would have sacrificed all of his possessions, including his
trinket
, to have kept her safe. Everything else was replaceable. Senira wasn’t.

He wiped his eyes.
Think.
He needed to think. He had to find somewhere secure. Somewhere to hide. The store where he bought his ore crystals was close, the one with the odd shopkeeper. What was his name… Amerdan? Yes, that was it. He could ask him for shelter until he worked out what to do.

He remembered the first time he’d met the man. The fleeting reddish glow of his skin and the strange smell had stuck in his mind. He didn’t know what it meant, but he desperately needed somewhere to clean up and change, rather than walk the streets in the state he was in, so had to take a chance.

He should also find Miranda and see if she was safe, and he still didn’t know what had happened to the masters and the Protectors.

He wiped sweaty palms on his pants and ran a hand across his head. First things first. Find this shop and see if he could rest up for a while.

Caldan trudged towards a main road. Once there he could find his bearings.

He thought back to the door he had welded shut. He bet she was surprised it wasn’t crafted shut. The fused metal would be hard to break through without destroying the entire door. He chuckled grimly. It wasn’t enough to pay her back for what she’d done to Senira, but he would work on that.

Caldan stopped. He’d held onto his well and shaped the forces when his paper
crafting
must have burned to nothing. If he didn’t have a
crafting
with its links,
shaping
runes and anchors to shape the forces from his well, then… how had he kept
crafting
the molten metal? Sorcery needed physical links and shapes to mold the forces, didn’t it?

“
No. That’s not possible,
”
he muttered. But he had done it. He thought the destructive sorcery he’d seen used the same principles as well, except you unleashed the pent-up forces all at once. But the lights the lady had sent at them were focused, not chaotic at all. They had to have been
shaped
.

Caldan shook his head then winced at the pain. It hurt from his intensive use of sorcery. He could think later. He trudged off towards the main street.

Chapter Forty-Nine

Lord Kesmon muttered into his soup bowl. His thoughts were fuzzy, and he was sure it was morning. Why would they serve him soup for breakfast? The thought skittered away and was lost.

“
The empire will shatter,
”
he mumbled.
“
The old rule will be replaced, the people cleansed and the tyrant isolated.
”

“
Your pardon, my lord?
”
queried one of the two servants waiting on him in the dining room.

Lord Kesmon turned to him with a blank stare.
“
Eh?
”
he sputtered.
“
Did I speak to you? Speak only when you are spoken to.
”

Both servants exchanged nervous glances, and the one who had spoken gave a curt nod and stepped back to his position by the wall.

Lord Kesmon returned to spooning in his soup without any signs of enjoyment. In front of him, the dining table, long enough to seat thirty guests comfortably, lay empty, apart from the silverware and china the lord ate with.

“
I can’t… I must get it out,
”
he grated. A tear trickled down his cheek.

Abruptly, he stood, still clutching the spoon in one hand. His chair scraped on the floor as he pushed it back. Soup dripped from the spoon onto the table.

He stood still for a few moments, breath coming in heaving gasps.

“
My lord?
”
queried the attendant.
“
Is there anything you require? Are you not going to have the rest of the courses?
”

No response came. Lord Kesmon’s hand clenched until his knuckles turned white. His shoulders slumped. He lowered the spoon and gingerly placed it on the table beside the bowl. With jerky movements, he left the room, heading up the main stairs towards his study.

Oxlee and Nimb eyed each other warily.
“
Come on,
”
said Nimb.
“
Let’s get this cleared up, then we can relax with an ale.
”

“
I don’t like what’s happened to the lord. He’s changed for the better but now he’s strange.
”

“
He didn’t look too good, did he?
”
Nimb glanced towards the main stairs.
“
I’ll let the chamberlain know. He can check on him later.
”

They cleared the dishes and, after informing the kitchen the lord would not be requiring the remaining food, performed their usual tasks after a dinner service. They polished the table and silverware, dusted the flat surfaces in the room and swept the rugs. With only the lord for dinner, they were finished in short order. Congratulating themselves on an easy night, they turned to make their way to their quarters, where they had one of the lord’s ale jugs stashed under a bed.

It was then the screams started.

Howling, throat-tearing cries of anguish came from Lord Kesmon’s study. Oxlee and Nimb rushed to the upper level joining other servants and maids who’d come running.

The door was locked.

“
Get the chamberlain,
”
Nimb yelled, panicked.
“
He has a spare key. Go!
”

The screams stopped.

Outside the door, the servants went quiet, the only sound their rapid breathing. Nimb looked around at the fearful expressions.

Grim of face, Renen arrived, pushing his way through the throng, fumbling with a set of keys on a chain attached to his belt.
“
Move!
”
he growled.

The servants stepped back fearfully — not of Renen but of what they would find when the door opened.

Hands shaking, Renen opened the door.

Blood covered carpet. Deep red and still wet. Covering Lord Kesmon’s face and hair as he lay on his back in the center of the room. Clutched in both hands, he held two thin, bloody knives. Letter openers. Rivulets of crimson flowed from his mangled eye sockets and ears. A faint breeze blew in the open window, bringing a metallic odor to the servants.

Clutching his chest, Renen sank to his knees. One of the maids took a few unsteady steps to the hallway and bent over. She was noisily sick on the expensive runner.

Summoned to serve his master late in the evening, Derkane gathered up the necessary documents and accounts he knew would be required. One didn’t rise to be a preeminent merchant without keeping a close eye on all aspects of the business.

Arms filled with papers and ledgers, he waddled down the dimly lit hall to his master’s bedroom. For years, the master merchant had taken to performing his final daily review while preparing for bed.

Derkane found his master sprawled on the bed, eyes open and glazed. Drool poured out one side of his mouth. A sickly sweet smell filled the room. Beside the body lay a crystal vial with traces of a pale yellow liquid.

In Five Flowers, Merwe, the wife of a prominent banker entered her bedroom and found a rope tied to her bed. Squinting, she traced the rope across the room and out the second floor window.

She screamed in anguish.

On the end of the rope, hanging ten yards above the street, dangled her husband.

Chapter Fifty

“
He’s not at the Sorcerers’ Guild anymore. He’s somewhere close by to the south,
”
said Elpidia.

Miranda stared at her.
“
How do you know that?
”
She finished pulling on her boots, stood, and then buckled her belt. They were still in their cramped rented room, having woken at first light.

“
Ah… well… I had this thing made.
”
Elpidia held out a flat metal circle the size of her palm.
“
Actually, sorcerers make them to help with finding lost children and the like. All you need is a drop of a person’s blood or hair.
”

Miranda felt her face burn with anger.
“
And I trust you’ll explain why you have some of Caldan’s blood or hair and why you had this… thing made?
”

“
I told you, I need to see him… for my research.
”
Elpidia swallowed.
“
I had some of his blood on a cloth from when he came to see me. It’s easier than trudging all over the place trying to find someone.
”

“
You kept the cloth with his blood then had this device crafted so you could find him, wherever he was?
”

“
Er, yes. It seemed like the easiest thing to do.
”

“
And you didn’t think to mention this last night?
”

“
We were going to the right place, from what I could determine. It’s just that this morning he’s moved, so I thought I’d better mention it. Otherwise we would have gone in the wrong direction.
”

“
Well, at least he’s not where the heavy fighting has been. That’s something, I suppose.
”
She didn’t trust Elpidia after hearing her story last night. And this sorcerous device filled her with unease. She didn’t know why Elpidia was fixated on finding Caldan, but she didn’t like it. She certainly couldn’t mean him any harm, but her story didn’t add up. No one leaves their home in the middle of an invasion to wander the streets looking for someone they barely knew. Something strange was going on, and she vowed to keep her senses sharp to find out what.

“
How does it work?
”

“
Oh, like a compass, essentially.
”

“
It points in a direction and we go that way?
”

“
Yes.
”

“
Give it to me.
”
Miranda’s firm tone brooked no argument.

“
What? No. I paid for it. I’m not handing it over.
”

“
Listen here, lady, I don’t know what game you’re playing. All I want to do is find Caldan and make sure we get somewhere safe to ride out this invasion. It looks like I need your help to find him, but give me one reason to and I’ll leave you on your own. Am I making myself clear?
”

Elpidia swallowed and nodded.
“
I understand,
”
she said simply.
“
I promise you, I don’t want to hurt him.
”

Miranda met her eyes for a few moments before looking away.
“
Come on, we should get out of here.
”

What’s she up to?
Miranda thought. She certainly didn’t trust the physiker after her suspicious behavior, but at the moment she was her only way of finding Caldan.

Outside in the street, the day dawned bright and clear, no sign of the smoke from yesterday. Whether this was a good sign or not, Miranda wasn’t sure. From what she could see of the people in the streets, everything looked normal. Some had a furtive look about their eyes, as if they expected something bad to happen, though most continued their daily tasks. With the city effectively blockaded, Miranda knew this wouldn’t last. What the Indryallans wanted was a mystery, but the city’s inhabitants would soon feel the squeeze.

Elpidia looked at the metal circle in her hand then down the street to the south.
“
Should be this way.
”
She glanced at Miranda.
“
Why are you so eager to find him?
”

“
I want to know he’s safe. The city’s going to explode soon.
”

Elpidia scoffed.
“
Everything looks fine to me. You like him, don’t you?
”

“
None of your business.
”
She looked down and rechecked her purses were safe.
“
And if you think the city’s fine, then you’re wrong. No one’s allowed in or out. Prices have risen already, and it’s only been a couple of days. Water isn’t a problem, with the aqueducts, but everything else will be. A city this size needs constant supplies. In a few days, you’ll see what I mean. Our best bet is to stock up and hide out somewhere safe. That or try to get out.
”

Elpidia looked at her doubtfully as they wove between groups of women carrying empty baskets on their way to the morning markets.
“
You think the blockade will last that long?
”

“
I don’t know. No one knows what the Indryallans are after, though they claim to be ‘liberating’ the city. Plenty of people don’t like the way the empire works, but they’re probably too under the thumb to do anything about it. This might give them a chance.
”

“
The emperors are what made this city great, and the empire. Anyway, there’s no way out since they blocked the walls.
”

“
There’s always a way out.
”
Miranda knew plenty of shady characters who skirted the laws. She had smuggled a few things in her time and was confident she could find someone who could arrange to get them out of the city, for a price.

Elpidia gave her a guarded look before examining her metal
crafting
.
“
This way,
”
she said and led Miranda down another street. She stopped in front of a chandler’s. Eyes on the crafted metal, she turned a full circle.

“
Here.
”
Elpidia pointed to the shop across the street. A beaded curtain hung across the open doorway. Miranda brushed the beads aside and they entered. Silver bells tinkled overhead.

A man stood behind a polished counter at the back of the room. He was tall and well-built with close-cropped hair. He rubbed his hands together as they came in.

“
Good morning, ladies!
”
he crowed cheerfully.
“
Welcome, welcome. And a fine day it is to be out engaged in a bit of shopping. Please.
”
He gestured expansively around the room at his goods.
“
Look around. I’m sure you’ll find something to your liking. Were you after anything specific?
”
He looked to Miranda and Elpidia expectantly.

Before Miranda could open her mouth, Elpidia spoke.
“
We are looking for someone. A young man a little taller than you, well muscled, an apprentice—
”

“
Yes,
”
interrupted Miranda, shooting Elpidia a warning glance.
“
A good friend of mine. We have reason to believe he’s here.
”

The shopkeeper’s smile fixed in place. He looked around the room.
“
As you can see, there is no one else besides myself. Why do you think this man is here?
”

Elpidia fumbled with her metal circle, holding it up for the shopkeeper to see.
“
I have this from a sorcerer. It tells us he is close.
”

The man nodded slowly.
“
Close is not here, is it?
”

With a frown, Elpidia examined the metal circle again.
“
He has to be. These things always work. He has to be here!
”
Her voice rose alarmingly, and she looked about to cry.

“
Elpidia, what’s wrong?
”

“
Nothing,
”
the physiker denied sullenly.
“
What’s in the back room?
”

“
Storage. Not that it’s any of your business.
”
He glanced between the two of them.
“
I think you should leave.
”

Behind the shopkeeper, in the corner of one of the shelves, Miranda spotted a paper bird perched on the edge of a cup. It was covered in ink runes.

“
He’s here,
”
she said knowingly, pointing at the bird.

Elpidia and the shopkeeper turned to look where she pointed, both frowning in puzzlement.

The shopkeeper glanced up and to the right, where a rag doll was propped on another shelf, then turned to face Miranda.
“
My bird?
”
he said calmly.
“
Why, I just purchased that the other day.
”

“
Liar,
”
snapped Miranda.
“
He must have left that here recently. They don’t last long.
”

“
What is it?
”
asked Elpidia.

“
If you purchased it,
”
Miranda said to the shopkeeper,
“
you must know what it is. You answer her.
”

“
It’s merely a toy, a child’s plaything for amusement only.
”

Miranda smiled.
“
No, it’s not. It’s a sorcerous
crafting
. There’s a funny thing he mentioned about working with paper. Not many sorcerers can do it, but he can.
”

Miranda and Elpidia stared at the shopkeeper expectantly. The man stood silent for a few moments, unmoving as a stone and as expressionless.

Breaking his stillness, he smiled.
“
Well, luckily you recognized it or I wouldn’t have known you were his friends. Come.
”
He waved them towards a door behind the counter.
“
He came in here a while ago asking for some assistance.
”
The shopkeeper walked behind the counter and through the doorway, followed closely by Elpidia and Miranda.
“
And who am I to deny anyone help?
”

He kept up a smooth patter of words as they passed through a storeroom then into a yard at the back of the shop. The yard contained a pig pen, a well, and Caldan. He sat on a bench against one of the yard’s brick walls, drinking from a mug. At his feet was a leather sack.

Miranda gave a yelp of relief, rushed over and crushed him in a tight hug.

Elpidia stood with the shopkeeper, watching them.

“
Caldan! You’re safe,
”
Miranda gushed. She pulled back a step from his embrace. Heat rushed to her cheeks.

“
And you! How did you find me?
”

Miranda was so pleased to see Caldan safe and well she hadn’t noticed his clothes were torn and dirty. Dried blood covered one leg, and his eyes were red and tired.

“
It was Elpidia.
”
She waved in the physiker’s direction.
“
But that isn’t important right now. What happened to you? Your leg?
”

Caldan waved Miranda’s questions away.
“
It’s nothing. I was lucky to get out alive. The Sorcerers’ Guild, I mean. Others weren’t so lucky.
”
A haunted look came into his eyes.
“
The Indryallans rounded up all the sorcerers, I think. They locked me in a cell, but I managed to escape.
”

“
What did you see? Who are they?
”

Caldan shook his head.
“
I don’t know. They didn’t say much in front of me. All I know is they’re using alchemy. They must want something, but I don’t know what it is.
”

“
Well,
”
said Miranda,
“
at least you escaped, but we should take a look at your injuries. You look exhausted.
”
She took him by the arm and turned to the shopkeeper.
“
Is there anywhere we could wash up, sir…?
”