A Crucible of Souls (Book One of the Sorcery Ascendant Sequence) (74 page)

Miranda followed him down, and soon they were all huddled together, holding their globes up for light while Bees held up his lantern.

“
This way.
”
Bees hunched over and set off along a narrow tunnel, head brushing the ceiling.

Caldan ushered the others through before following. Though damp and cold, the walls of the tunnel were dry and free from mold or mildew. They had only traveled ten yards into the tunnel when the scent of lemons reached him. He stopped, lifting his head.

“
What is it?
”
whispered Miranda.

“
There’s… something…
”
he began.

Thunder sounded, echoing deafeningly down the tunnel. The air shook as a strong blast crushed them to the ground. Another immense boom reverberated, echoing inside Caldan’s head.

Screams echoed from above, along with a tearing, grating noise as stone cracked. Behind them, the room lit up as sunlight streamed down the shaft, illuminating clouds of dust filling the space.

They’ve found us. It has to be Bells.

Miranda tugged at his arm. He turned to find her eyes red and watery. A trickle of blood ran from her nose. Elpidia lay curled into a ball. Amerdan crouched, appearing unharmed and alert. Bees staggered to his knees, a vacant expression on his face.

“
Go!
”
roared Caldan.

“
What?
”
said Miranda in a daze.

He pushed her towards the others.
“
Run!
”
He turned and rifled through his gear. Behind him, they staggered away as fast as they could.

What to do?
Caldan drew out four stone cubes, each the size of a dice used in taverns, surfaces covered in etched runes. He hadn’t thought to be using these, but there wasn’t time to make anything else, and he needed something stronger than paper.

He placed two cubes against the walls, one on either side of the passageway. The others he slipped into a pocket in reserve. Accessing his well, he activated the
craftings
. A barrier of light sprang up, blocking the passageway. It glowed a soft blue and sparkled where dust hit it.

On the other side of the shield, two figures dropped into view. Caldan recognized the woman who’d visited him in his cell, Bells. Both were surrounded by their own shields. Their eyes locked onto his. He snatched up his gear, turned his back to them and ran.

Caldan caught up with them as Miranda and Bees were arguing heatedly.

“
Up, down, do you know where you’re going?
”
screeched Miranda.

“
I didn’t build it. And yes, I do,
”
Bees shouted back.

“
I’ve blocked the tunnel,
”
Caldan said.
“
But I think they might be able to get through. I fear I’ve only bought us a little time.
”

They scampered down another ladder, along a tunnel, then up yet another ladder to emerge into a wide corridor split down the middle. The side they were on was a stone walkway. The other dropped into a swift flowing stream, which disappeared into a black hole in the wall. If any of them fell into the water they wouldn’t be able to be rescued, and who knew where the stream emerged or if there was airspace along the way. Along the stone walkway a slimy grey mold flourished, making footing treacherous.

With nervous glances over their shoulders, the group hurried along the path. Ahead in the darkness, another ladder led up.

Elpidia fell to one knee as she slipped on the slimy stone. Miranda helped her regain her feet and they hurried along the ledge.

At the ladder, they stopped as Bees raced up the rungs as fast as he could. All of them, except Caldan and Amerdan, were breathing heavily and sweating with fear.

“
Who were they?
”
asked the shopkeeper as Bees reached the top of the ladder and beckoned to Elpidia.

“
The invaders… Indryallans,
”
replied Caldan.
“
They must have known about the tunnels and want to stop people escaping the city.
”

Amerdan looked at his face for a moment, unblinking.
“
Indeed. Let’s hope whatever you did to stop them holds for a while.
”

“
It should… I mean… unless they can overcome my
crafting
,
”
Caldan said hesitantly. He glanced up the ladder at Elpidia making slow progress on the slippery rungs.
“
Can you hurry, please!
”

“
I’m going as fast as I can,
”
said Elpidia.

A sharp crack sounded over the rush of water, and Caldan sensed his wards fail.
“
By the ancestors,
”
he cursed under his breath.

“
What is it?
”
Miranda asked in alarm.

Caldan grabbed her arm and pushed her towards the ladder.
“
Go. As fast as you can.
”
He looked at Amerdan.
“
You too. I’m relying on you to look after them.
”

The shopkeeper smiled briefly.
“
I will.
”

Caldan nodded.
“
They broke through my wards. I can make another, but it won’t stop them for long.
”
He glanced at the fast flowing water deep in the trough beside them.

“
Which means you probably can’t hurt them,
”
added Miranda.

“
That’s correct. Their shields will protect them from anything I can manage, but I might be able to delay them.
”
He dropped his sack to the ground and drew out the jumble of metal rods that made up his new automaton.

“
I hope you know what you’re doing.
”
Miranda grabbed the ladder and prepared to climb.
“
Caldan… Don’t take any risks. Please. I’m sure we can lose them in here, since Bees knows the way and they don’t.
”

Caldan gave her a wry smile.
“
Don’t worry. I’m not going to wait around until they come.
”
He waved her away.
“
We don’t have much time.
”

As if punctuating his words, a number of sorcerous globes floated out of the opening at the end of the tunnel behind them. Two rose to the ceiling and stuck there, illuminating the area, while another continued slowly up the tunnel towards them.

Miranda shot one last worried look at Caldan and began to climb.

Caldan began assembling his smith-crafted automaton. He accessed his well, and slotted the four legs onto the body, joints clicking into place, while simultaneously linking the pieces using his
crafting
skill. Metal vibrated in his hands as the anchors, buffers, transference and
shaping
runes activated. Behind him, he heard Amerdan swiftly ascend the ladder with confidence, following Miranda and the others.

Movement caught his eye as two figures emerged into the tunnel, both covered with the telltale glow of shields. Though they were distant, Caldan recognized them as soldiers rather than the sorcerers. They moved cautiously along the slippery ledge. In their wake, two more figures emerged, stepping onto the ledge with a confidence bordering on arrogance.

Caldan firmly slotted the head into place, and with a minute fizz of energy the two metal parts fused. It was sleeker than the original dog, catlike. The new automaton rose to its feet. Standing, it reached to his knee. Blue stone eyes emitted a faint glow as the smith-crafting hummed with energy, almost inaudible to his ear. The tail extended behind the body and twitched.

Despite the situation, Caldan laid a hand on his creation and gazed at it with admiration. Compared to this automaton, the first had been a substandard
crafting
, a hack job of ideas without grace, an awkward moving metal contraption. This new automaton was refined in both the metalwork and smith-crafting, an order of magnitude more polished and complex.

With a thought, he sent it slinking towards the Indryallans then gathered up his sack and climbed the ladder. At the top, he turned to gauge how much time he had. The Indryallans were moving swiftly, since they hadn’t been assailed, sending their sorcerous globes drifting up the tunnel towards Caldan.

He crouched in the hole in the wall. Behind him, he heard boots scuffling on stone and murmurs as Miranda and the others scurried away.

Caldan closed his eyes, awareness flowing through the link to his automaton. His sight lurched as he saw from the viewpoint of his creation, and he held a hand against the wall to steady himself. From his new knee-high viewpoint close to the ground, the tunnel looked bigger and wider.

Ahead, two men approached. He sent the automaton dashing forward. He couldn’t possibly draw enough from his well to overload four shields or defeat two men and two sorcerers. It was time to enact his plan. If it worked, the sorcerers would be in for a surprise.

Ahead of the men, his automaton broke through the darkness. Shouts of surprise greeted its sudden appearance, though both were shielded and carried short metal blades. They were more startled than alarmed.

“
What is it?
”
Caldan heard one ask.

He sent the smith-crafting to the left, close to the wall, and continued ahead, as if angling to pass the men.

“
No idea,
”
replied the other.
“
Bells or Keys should know. By the God-Emperor, I ain’t going near it.
”

Caldan stopped the automaton as it reached a point on the wall where the two men lay between it and the water. He linked to another
crafting
in the runes of the animal’s body. Light erupted around the automaton, its own shield.

“
Crap! Where are Bells and Keys?
”
one squawked, stepping back and glancing down the tunnel towards the two sorcerers.
“
Hey!
”
he yelled.

Bells and Keys — now Caldan knew both their names.

He flicked the automaton a command. Around its body the shield flashed and expanded, one side pushing against the wall, the other extending towards the two men.

“
What the…
”

Sparks crackled as the edges of the shields made contact. Designed to keep things out, to be as impenetrable as possible, the forces pressed against each other. Caldan drew from his well and pushed, hard and fast. The automaton’s shield expanded, using the wall to brace against, and the two men had nothing to support them. Boots scrabbled for purchase on the slick stone. Failing to find purchase, they slid towards the water and, with wordless cries, slipped over the edge into the swift torrent. Dragged by the irresistible current, they barreled away from Caldan towards Bells and Keys, arms flailing.

Their shouts caught the sorcerers’ attention and both stopped. Caldan sent the automaton darting towards them. If he could use the men as a distraction, he might be able to get close enough to use the same trick.

Bells stepped towards the edge and watched the men as they approached, thrashing and yelling in the water. Simultaneously, both Bells and Keys froze, ignoring the men, and turning towards the approaching automaton. They reached out and clasped hands. Their shields merged and spread to a flat barrier across the walkway. There was no way to slip between them and the water.

Caldan felt a scrabbling, a scratching at his linkage to the automaton. Shocked, he drew deeper from his well in an effort to cement his link. Panicked, he pulled the smith-crafting towards him and it scurried back along the path, wobbling unsteadily as Caldan drew even further from his well. The closer it came to him, the weaker the assault became. Sweat dripped from his face, and he gulped in air. His head ached. Abruptly, the forces assailing the automaton ceased.

In the distance, the sorcerers stood as still as statues. Alongside them swept their two men, ignored. They cried out as the water dragged them relentlessly through the hole in the wall and into darkness.

At the base of the ladder his automaton leapt, using its momentum to propel itself up the rungs, metal claws scrabbling. It landed at Caldan’s feet as the smell of lemons reached him and he sensed a build-up from the sorcerers.

Snatching at his well, he shielded himself as three red balls blasted towards him. He dropped to the floor, making himself as small as possible.

Blinding red light exploded. Pressure ground against him, pushing him further against the floor.

His wristband whined under the strain. His skin felt hot through the shield. He could feel his
crafting
begin to fail. Grunting with effort, he drew further from his well, striving to bolster his
crafting
, pushing himself to his limits. A searing pain filled his head. After a few moments, he managed to restore balance to his shield. Whatever the sorcerers had sent, it had almost finished him. He knew he was outmatched.