Cloak of the Two Winds (27 page)

The Iruks listened in silence as the witch's voice, soft and high, recited the singsong Larthangan verses. Amlina held first the needle, then the spool up to touch her forehead. Next, with eyes still shut, she rotated until she faced the nearest candle. She placed the spool sidewise on the floor and pointed the needle at the candle, just inches away.

Her voice rose with the conclusion of the chant. She opened her fingers, and the gold needle hovered in the air.

The needle hung still for a moment, then began to move, flowing away from the witch's extended fingers, toward the lit candle. Resting on the floor, the spool revolved, giving out the silk thread. The needle's point touched the waxen surface, quivered and penetrated.

Amlina spoke a word of command and reversed her fingers, pointing now back at herself. The spool began to wind in the opposite direction. The thread strained taut, and then the candle was sliding toward the witch.

The Iruks stood before the fireplace and watched solemnly. They had known Amlina to perform more difficult feats, to be sure. But there was something inexpressibly eerie about this simple witchery of candles and thread. Lonn shifted, an uneasy squirming at the base of his spine.

Slowly, the lit candle drew near the witch's groping fingers. It was within a finger's length when Lonn heard a creaking on the stairs outside.

The Iruks looked at each other, then strode quickly to the door. Absorbed in the spectacle of Amlina's witchery, they had all but forgotten its purpose. Now they surrounded the doorway, cords and gag held ready. As the footsteps came close, Lonn grasped the handle and pulled the door open.

The candle touched Amlina's fingertips.

A portly man in flannel and leathers stepped over the threshold, his eyes half-shut. Lonn recognized him as a tenant who had appeared at the inn a few days ago. A muffled grunt was his only resistance as the Iruks grabbed him. Karrol caught him in a bear hug, pinning his arms to his sides. Eben thrust the gag into his mouth and tied it around his head. The others lashed his ankles together, then bound his wrists behind his back. Draven searched the man and removed two hidden daggers. The mates carried the spy to the corner and dumped him there.

Amlina had blown out the candle and withdrawn the golden needle.

She shifted her position a little, so she faced the next nearest candle, then began to chant once more.

Soon the needle was slipping through the air again and thrusting into wax again. Soon the second candle was inching toward Amlina's fingertips. Soon the second of Hagen's spies was entering the witch's room. The Iruks tied him securely and tossed him next to his fellow.

The last of the six candles was burning low by the time Amlina held it in her hands. She blew out its flame and chanted a verse of closure to the spell. Finally she opened her eyes, looked up, and smiled at the Iruks.

The mates stood in the corner above a pile of five men and one woman, who even now seemed barely conscious. Amlina inspected the knots and gags and nodded her approval. She told the Iruks to place her mattress on the floor and tie the prisoners together on it, so they could not alert the people downstairs by pounding or kicking on the floor. While the mates saw to this, Amlina stowed the candles, needle and thread with the rest of her baggage and put on her coat.

"Now we are ready," she said.

But as she was binding her coat's silver clasps, Amlina shuddered and gripped her forehead. Her teeth showed in a grimace and she uttered an exclamation of dismay.

"What is it?" Draven asked.

"Beryl," Amlina said. "I thought of her just now, as she laid the design upon me that I must if I learned where the Cloak is. I had set a counter-charm in my mind to prevent it, but such self-deceiving cantrips are flimsy at best, and Beryl's designs are strong. She will be at the Temple of the Air. I suppose it was to be expected."

Amlina finished fastening her coat. "Let us go quickly."

Lonn hoisted the witch's bundle onto his shoulder and followed his mates from the room. Amlina carefully shut the door, then led the others downstairs. Eben, Karrol, and Brinda strode across the common room to fetch the Iruks' gear, while Lonn and the others waited.

Elzna the landlady spotted them from the kitchen hallway and ambled over. "Are you leaving us?"

"Only for a day or two," Amlina answered. "We will certainly be back to finish our stay."

"But I just saw some people going up to your room. I believe they came in off the street."

"They are associates of mine," Amlina said. "They are going to stay in my room while I'm gone." She handed the old woman a silver coin. "Be sure they are not disturbed.
For any reason
."

"Of course, milady." Elzna smiled. "No one will bother them, I promise you."

The grand plaza at the summit of the Long Acropolis was designed as a hexagon with a great temple at every point. Each temple symbolized one of the Six Elements of the Tathian cosmology: Ice, Water, Stone, Fire, Wood, and Air. Other deities and doctrines were permitted their temples and shrines on the lower streets of the acropolis, but the summit was reserved for the official Tathian cult of Elementalism. Ever pragmatic, the Tathians had long held that direct worship of the elements constituting the physical world was the most logical and effective form of religion.

This day the grand plaza was crowded, as it had been almost every day for the past month. A colorful array of worshippers, supplicants, and pilgrims milled beneath the overhanging spiral of dark cloud. Solemn priests and temple acolytes hurried back and forth in pairs or larger contingents. Beggars and hawkers accosted passers-by. Mobs of loiterers stood listening before the free rostrums or the temple steps, to speakers who denounced everything from the maritime policies of the Prince-Ruler to the hairstyles of fashionable ladies. The mood of the people had not improved in the three days since the rioting here. Prince Hagen's marines still patrolled the Long Acropolis and stood in ranks on the steps of the major temples.

It was late afternoon as Lonn and his companions hurried along through the crowds. The day was cold enough that they were able to wear their hoods well up, partly masking their faces. They had managed to cross the city without incident, following a devious route from the harbor district to the zigzagging streets of the acropolis.

Now they had entered the grand plaza, passing before the Temple of Stone whose massy granite facade was decorated with panels of lapis lazuli and rhodochrosite. To their left stood the Temple of Water, with splendid fountains and cascading waterfalls, and next to it the Temple of Ice with its multiple spires of polished glass. On their right shone the Temple of Fire, of burnished copper and gold, and beyond that the Temple of Wood, whose stupendous exterior columns were fashioned from giant trees grown in the Age of the World's Madness.

But Lonn and his mates took in all these marvels with mere distracted glances. Their objective stood directly ahead, the Temple of the Air.

It loomed over the northwest corner of the plaza, an imposing edifice of glossy white marble. Two broad pillars dominated the facade, with a high-arched portal between. As Lonn drew closer the carvings came into view—winged creatures of every sort blossoming in sculptural profusion on arches, capitals, and ledges. There were men, women, and children with wings, hornets and butterflies, birds, bats, and dragons, winged turtles, flizzards and fishes, even a yulugg with wings.

"That's the place I dreamed of for certain," Lonn affirmed.

"I know." Amlina stared straight ahead as they walked. The witch was daunted, Lonn realized, by the prospect of facing the Archimage again. But he also knew more than that troubled her. Amlina was reluctant to go into the temple unprepared. She had not been able to cast designs or even to feel with her mind for what obstacles they might meet.

With Beryl alerted, there had been no time to plan. Amlina had agreed on that as readily as the Iruks. They had discussed the matter tersely as they trekked across the city, deciding their best course was to enter the temple as worshippers, then to slip away from the crowds and hunt for Glyssa—hoping that she, once found, could lead them to the Cloak.

"Just let us find Glyssa alive and herself," Lonn had said. "We'll take our chances after that."

But even on speaking those words he knew they were a boast to cover his fears. Prince Hagen and his troops, Beryl the Archimage, whatever sorcerer or witch now possessed the Cloak—all these enemies arrayed against his klarn. Even with Amlina's magic, what chance did they really have against such powers?

They neared the temple steps, where lines of marines stood watch with lances and shields.

"Those men were transferred up from the waterfront," Eben said. "I hope none of them recognize us."

"Just take your time," Amlina answered. "And think of yourselves as worshippers."

Without pause but without hurry, Amlina led the way up the wide marble steps, past a throng of beggars and shouting peddlers who sold candles, incense, and cups of scented oil to burn as offerings to the Air. Nearing the top, the witch and the Iruks moved past the armored marines, drawing only casual looks despite their luggage and foreign dress—one more group of pilgrims from distant parts.

Lonn glanced uneasily at the overhanging figures as he and his mates walked beneath the arch. They crossed the vestibule, past a line of temple guards armed with halberds and broadswords and wearing gilded plate armor. A small group of acolytes in white hooded robes stood holding collection baskets. Amlina dropped a coin in one of the baskets as she passed.

The interior of the temple was even more enormous than it had appeared in Lonn's dream. Three naves, each slightly larger than the one before, led the spectator's eye forward a vast distance to a rounded apse. Numerous skylights and clerestory windows filled the upper vaults of the naves with shafts of daylight, adding to the overwhelming impression of airy space. Rows of flecked columns formed aisles to either side of the naves, and above the aisles hung upper galleries honeycombed with alcoves, niches, and light wells. The interior had no carvings, no art at all save the extravagant and yet austere architecture. The floor was of gray marble, empty except for occasional low platforms where worshipers sat to burn their offerings or contemplate the Air. Lonn guessed that between two and three-hundred people occupied the naves at present, yet the temple seemed almost empty.

"Where do we start?" he asked the witch, awed in spite of himself by the grandeur of the place.

"I think it wisest to begin with your dream," Amlina said. "We'll go to the place you saw Glyssa. This way, is it not?"

She gestured toward the right aisle, and Lonn nodded. Glancing about, the Iruks followed the witch along the rear wall of the nave. They stopped in the corner beside the rearmost pillar. The spot looked exactly as in Lonn's dream. Before them was the doorway through which Glyssa had disappeared. Inside it, a shadowy staircase could barely be discerned.

"We're being watched," Karrol whispered. "I can feel it."

Lonn glared down the aisle and across the nave but spotted no observers.

"I have the same intuition," Amlina whispered. "The master of this place knows we are here."

They had spoken of this possibility earlier. Indeed the witch had considered it more likely than not that their adversary would expect and be prepared for their coming.

"Let him watch," Lonn growled. "Let him try to stop us from taking Glyssa back."

His mates nodded with dour approval.

"Glyssa went through that door in the dream," Lonn told the witch. "I suppose we do the same."

"Yes. Did you have any sense of whether she went up or down the steps?"

"There were no steps in the dream."

"Then down, I think," Amlina said. "The quarters of temple acolytes and servants figure to be below."

Lonn's instinct concurred with the witch's reasoning. With wary glances over their shoulders, the companions stole to the open doorway and slipped inside.

Treading quietly, they descended the marble steps. Amlina walked with hands folded in her sleeves. The Iruks carried their bundles and quivers one-handed, their free hands clutching the hilts of swords concealed under their capes.

Soon, the weak illumination from the doorway above faded, and they were feeling their way through the dark. But when they reached a landing three flights down a dim, ruddy light appeared from below.

Down one more flight the stairway ended. The companions passed under a pointed arch and found themselves on the edge of a wide, murky chamber, an undercroft to the nave above. Ranks of pillars supported the groin-vaulted ceiling. Red lamps scattered among the pillars provided scant, flickering light. The undercroft stood deserted and perfectly quiet, but now it was Lonn who had the gnawing impression of being watched.

The witch gestured toward the forward part of the chamber and a distant doorway there. They started off through the shadows, keeping close to the right-hand wall, eyes and ears straining for any movement. They had traversed perhaps two-thirds of the chamber when Amlina stiffened, then waved the Iruks back.

Lonn and Brinda darted behind a pillar. The others leaned against the wall in the deepest part of the shadow. A door creaked open somewhere ahead.

The witch and the Iruks stood still and listened as the sound of slow, measured footsteps approached. Peering around the pillar, Lonn spied a procession of white-clad acolytes marching single-file through the center of the undercroft. The procession was exactly like the one in his dream.

The acolytes filed past, never glancing in the Iruks' direction. But then one of them stepped from the line, as Glyssa had in the dream.

Lonn suppressed a tremor of excitement. The stray figure was Glyssa's size and seemed to move like Glyssa as it bent and gazed across the shadowy hall toward his position. Oblivious to the danger, Lonn kept his head in view and stared back.

When the last of the procession had passed on, the solitary figure reached up and pulled off her hood.

"Glyssa," Brinda whispered at Lonn's back. "It is she."

Glyssa stood erect in the dull lamplight, thin and changed as Lonn had seen her so often in visions.

"Wait," Amlina warned. "See what she does first—"

But the Iruks had already cast down their burdens. Crouched low, they scurried across the undercroft through the pools of shadow and lurid red.

Glyssa remained still as her mates came near. Her eyes regarded them with a bright, fevered look. Lonn knew with a sudden, blood-chilling apprehension that some other mind watched through those eyes.

His mates must have sensed it also. When they came to within a few yards of Glyssa they did not rush to embrace her but hung back, hesitant.

"Glyssa—?" Karrol said.

Glyssa screamed, a harsh rending cry. Something purple and fiery flashed in her hand.

"Get back!" Lonn heard Amlina's warning shout from behind.

Glyssa flung the purple thing to the floor and it shattered in a blast of smoke and sparks. Lonn felt the shattering reverberate inside him, continuing after the noise faded, rattling until his bones seemed to splinter and he was crumpling to the floor.

Sensations came in fragments. Lonn felt himself being lifted up and carried. He blinked frantically, and at last his eyes could see shapes amid the purple glare that still dazzled them. A troop of acolytes were swarming through the undercroft, the helpless Iruks on their shoulders. Some of the thralls wore golden armor, but most were clad in white robes. They carried halberds, swords, or lengths of rope.

With a painful effort Lonn twisted so he could look back.

Glyssa, her face vacant of emotion, had fallen into step with the rest of the temple servants. Lonn could not see if Amlina too had been captured.

Gradually the effects of the magic wore off. As feeling seeped back to his muscles, Lonn realized that his arms had been pulled to the small of his back and tied. By now they had left the undercroft. The ceiling passed close to him, an unending series of dark vaults and low arches. The procession traversed one dim corridor after another, then abruptly entered a well-lit chamber and descended a flight of steps.

Arching his back, Lonn saw they had come into a broad hall of white and gray marble, bordered by porticoes on three sides and a high, gleaming dais on the fourth. The chamber was already occupied by a crowd of unmoving acolytes. Squads of men in plate armor stood guard along the porticoes.

The Iruks were carried to the front of this audience hall and dropped on their feet. Lonn's knees gave way but hands from behind gripped his bound arms and held him upright. His head swam with dizziness. He shook it hard and squinted about.

Perhaps a hundred of the temple minions were assembled in the hall. The Iruks were lined up with swords or knife-points at their backs, facing the high dais. Lonn noticed with a sinking feeling that Amlina stood with them, her hands also bound.

"Keep your thoughts to yourselves," she whispered urgently. "Remember who you are."

Glyssa was standing behind the witch. Next to her lay the bundles and quivers of spears carried here from the undercroft.

From a curtained doorway at the rear of the dais a tall, slender man appeared. He wore a black gown embroidered with peculiar gold designs. He had a long thin face with well-trimmed hair and beard, and large bulging eyes. He gazed down at the prisoners and his small mouth curled in a narrow smile.

"Welcome to the Temple of Air," he said. "I am Kosimo, Hierophant of the Temple. I have awaited your arrival all day."

He walked down the steps with a bizarre, sinuous grace that caused Lonn to shiver with instinctual loathing. Kosimo paused on the bottom step, regarding the Iruks. He held up his palms and spoke in a soft, bewitching voice.

"You no longer have wills of your own. You are servants to me, fingers of my hand, limbs of my body. You move only as my brain wills you to move. You are now one with the host of my slaves."