Soul Blaze (14 page)

I was immediately absorbed into the colourful mass
that were early morning shoppers. Vendors called out to
potential buyers, waggling ears of corn, apples and in one
case, a fresh fish, above their heads in the hopes of
enticing people over. I was drawn to a stall of colourful
silks, suddenly reminded of the length of red silk I’d
bought Larni.

I stopped in my tracks. Red silk? Was it just
coincidence that I had gotten her a scarf in the colour her
magic was or had I in some way known that her magic
was that colour already?

I stepped away from the stall, shaking my head as the
vendor tried to get me to stay. I let the throng of people
carry me along, watching people trade and do business.

My stomach rumbled, and I spied a nearby eating house
with tables outside. It would be the perfect place to sit and
watch the people go by. I checked I still had my purse in
place and then went inside.

I ordered a pasty and warm pear cider, managing to
scrounge up the coins they asked for. It had been a while
since I’d needed to remember which Lotherian coin was
which. I shoved a handful of silver over the counter, and
then informed them I’d be outside.

I took a seat at the smallest table and propped my chin
up on my hand. My pasty and cider arrived sooner than
I’d anticipated, and I wasted no time in pulling the pastry
apart, vegetables and small bits of meat crumbling onto
my plate. The cider was warm enough to send spirals of
steam into the air, and made for a pleasant companion to
the pasty. I sipped it slowly, the thick liquid warming me
up from the inside out. I’d just finished off my lunch and
was about to leave when I noticed some of the people
who’d been passing were now watching something across
the street from me. I remained seated but craned my neck,
eager to see what I thought could be a street performer. It
was only then that I noticed the demeanour of the people
who were milling about. It was the same attitude as when
Petre had lit a ball of mage fire. I bit my lip nervously,
then stood up and pushed through the crowd.

Two of Ryman’s guards had the young girl who sidled
up to me earlier. Her long blonde hair hung in filthy
strands around her face, her eyes wide with terror, one
hand clamped on the arm of the guard who was holding
her above the elbow. She couldn’t have been older than
ten.

“Filthy little thief,” one of the guards spat. His black
hair had been cut so short that I could see his scalp. “You
took my purse, didn’t you?”

“Guards don’t carry purses,” she retorted, trying to get
away like a fish on a hook. “I didn’t take anythin’ of
yours!”

“You’ve been stealing though, haven’t you?”
“No!”

“Dirty little liar,” the guard snarled. He lit a ball of
reddish brown mage fire in his left hand. “I had me a purse
and now I don’t. And I’ve seen
you
hanging around,
swiping them off of folk. Don’t take a genius to figure it
out.”

“Maybe it does,” she snapped. I was impressed by her
courage. The blood had drained from her face when the
guard had started brandishing magic at her, but she was
still as fiery as ever. “’Cos you seem too stupid t’work out
that
I don’t steal from guards
.”

A titter ran through the gathered crowd. The guard’s
face went bright red, and he wrenched the girl around to
face him. She cried out instinctively at the sharp
movement. The crowd immediately fell silent. I went to
move forwards, but the man next to me put his hand on
my arm and shook his head in warning when I looked up
questioningly.

“You know what? I think you can come back to our
post with us. I know just the perfect little cell for you.
Heard of the Coffin Cells?”

The people around me murmured angrily, and the girl
began to weep, all bravado gone.
“What are Coffin Cells?” I asked the man who had
stopped me moving forward.

“Cells built into the ground,” he answered, shaken.
“Made of stone. No light can come in or out of the cell.
People go mad in them.”

The guard had begun to pull the girl away, who was
now wailing in terror. The crowd was beginning to
disperse; no one was going to risk themselves to help her. I
shook the man’s hand off of my arm, and stepped forward.

“Enough,” I called, my voice strong. “Leave her alone.”

The two guards stopped immediately at the sound of
my voice. The girl stopped crying, though tear tracks had
scoured their way through the grime on her face.

“You’re speaking out against us?” The black haired
guard asked incredulously. His partner, a man not much
older than me, stared as well.

“Yes. I am.”
“You must be new in town,” the other guard said. “You
don’t interfere with our business.”

“Oh, but I do when two grown men are bullying a
young girl,” anger was making my voice shake, and I so
desperately wanted to hurl fireballs at the both of them,
but considering the crowd’s reaction to the guard’s magic,
I decided against it. “Leave her be.”

“What are you going to do if we don’t?” the black
haired guard sneered. “You gonna make us?”
I shifted my weight surreptitiously, moving my feet
shoulder width apart. I finally allowed myself to smirk.
“You have no idea how much I’d love to.”

The black haired guard came at me, the young girl
forgotten. I watched him charge, the crowd moving back
to give us space. I let the guard draw close to me before
side-stepping his stampede. As he passed, I ploughed my
fist into his stomach and he came to a halt, wheezing. As
he doubled over, I kneed him in the face. I felt a crunch
under my leg. He keeled back, blood staining his face.
With the same leg still at waist height, I extended my boot
and caught him under the chin. I
heard
his teeth crack. He
fell to the ground, landing heavily on his back. He
groaned, and then struggled to lift himself up, spitting out
teeth.

“Vile little bitch,” he growled, and I was on him in a
flash. I knelt on his right forearm, and then picked up his
hand, the one he’d used to grab the girl with.

“You like threatening small children with this hand?” I
asked, lifting it to show him. “How much do you value
your fingers, I wonder?”

I bent back his little finger until he howled. I decided
against actually breaking it; I didn’t want to get on
Ryman’s bad side anymore than I possibly had to.

Any upper ground I’d had was immediately lost when
an amber fireball blasted the dirt beside me. I rolled away
and stood up quickly. The other guard had joined the
fight. The black haired guard remained on the ground,
cradling his injured finger.

I’d raised my fists in an attempt to shield my face, but
my heart was hammering. How could I continue this fight
without being able to use my magic? I bit my lip,
beginning to move around him.

“I would consider this unfair,” the man said, watching
me warily, hands still raised. “But the way you were
fighting? That’s professionally trained. And you must’ve
received some training on how to deal with magic.”

I most certainly had. I’d just been on the other end of
it.

He fired another shot at me. I ducked out of the way
and the crowd parted for it to go through, exclaiming
loudly. I continued circling. I was getting a better idea of
how Ryman was using his guards now.

I avoided his attacks, threading and weaving my way
around them. I wished desperately for my twin swords,
but they were back in my room at the palace. I ground my
teeth, letting my guard down for a split second. His next
fireball passed so close to me that I heard my hair sizzle,
and when I spun I could see that the end of my plait was
singed. He’d already sent another fireball my way, and out
of habit I stood and faced it down, my hands out in front
of me, my fingertips touching. My magic flared green as it
divided the amber fire.

The guard jerked back in surprise, but I’d already
responded with my own magic. The tongue of green
flames reached him before he could react, and then
enveloped him. I felt my magic sap the energy from his
body, and he fell to the ground like his partner.

I let my hands fall to my sides, my chest heaving. The
crowd were murmuring angrily amongst themselves,
shooting me scandalised looks.

“I’m sorry,” I called to them breathlessly. I wasn’t sure
what I was apologising for, but I did so anyway. “I’m
sorry.”

A few people shook their heads as they walked away.
The crowd was breaking apart as people continued along
the street. Eventually I was left with the two guards. Out
of the corner of my eye, I spotted the woman who’d
served me my pasty and cider. She made eye contact with
me before hastily dropping her gaze and scurrying inside
with my plate and goblet.

My insides writhing, I shoved my hands deep into my
pockets and began to walk back along the street, my head
low. I headed back in the general direction of the palace,
taking a shortcut through an empty alleyway. I avoided
broken carts and greasy puddles as I walked, kicking a
small rock along. I was almost to the end of the alley when
I heard a small splash just behind me.

I whirled, my hands out of my pockets and out in front
of me. I thought for a split second that the guards had
pursued me, but when I came to my senses, I realised that
the young cutpurse had been following me.
“What?” I asked her dully.

“Just wanted to thank you.” She said, shuffling from
side to side. She was barefoot and filthy, the rags of what
must have once been a cotton dress hanging from her thin
frame. I noticed that her arm was red where the guard had
been hanging onto her.

“Yeah right,” I snorted. “Wanted to steal my purse,
more like.”
I went to turn away, but she ran in front of me, forcing
me to look at her.

“I recognised you as one of them students from the
fancy school,” she told me. “I wanted t’get a closer look at
you.”

I blinked at her, understanding suddenly coming to me.
“You followed me,” I said, not sure how to feel about
that.
She nodded, avoiding my gaze.

“All the guards here are mages,” she began. “But we
hardly see none of you who are still learnin’. None of you
ever come to the capital.”

“None of us? Really?”

She shook her head, and shivered as a brisk wind
rattled down the alleyway. I noticed that she’d hunched in
to preserve what little warmth her dress could grant her.

“So why’d you chase after me?” I asked. “I’m a mage
too, you know.”
“I know,” she said. “I saw that big fire spout you made.”
“And you chased after me even though I’m a mage?
Why?”
She didn’t meet my gaze, instead inspecting my boots.

“Take me with you,” she burst out suddenly. “Please,
miss, I’m tired of the streets. I promise I won’t be no
trouble. I can wait on you.”

“I don’t think you’ll like where I’m headed.” I said, and
then stepped around her.

“Anywhere is better than here!” she called after me
desperately. “Them guards, now that you protected me,
they’re gonna come after me again!”

That made me stop. I heaved a sigh, rolling my head
back to look at the sky. I turned suddenly and marched
back to her, leaning over so our faces were level.

“I’m going back to the palace,” I said, and her eyes
widened. “That’s where we’re staying while we’re in the
capital. Governor Ryman, the boss of those guards, lives in
the same palace. Still want to come?”

She nodded fiercely, still shivering in the wind. I
squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again. She was
still there, hope in her eyes.

“I can’t just be taking in all the street children I find,” I
said. “I take in one, you’re all going to want to come
along.”

“I can keep secrets, miss. I won’t be tellin’ nobody
where I’m gone.”
“Nobody?”
“No one left to care.”
That plucked at my heartstrings. I straightened up.

“Come on then,” I began to walk along the alley. “Mind
you keep up. And you best be telling the truth about this
secret keeping thing. I’m not running a secret orphanage
right under the governor’s nose.”

Though, I thought as we continued along the alley
together. It’d be worth it just to annoy Ryman.
“What’s your name?” I asked her.
“Seffina. Seff for short. Yours?”
“Sky.”
“Mistress Sky?”
“Just Sky.”
“But you’re a student!”
“So?” I challenged.

“You have great status. You shouldn’t even be talkin’ to
someone the likes of me,” Seff skipped over a puddle. “If
you don’t mind me sayin’, miss.”

“I don’t mind, Seff.” In fact, I rather liked her manner.
“As for my status, you might’ve guessed, I don’t hold much
stock in it. Besides, it’s not like anyone’s going to thank
me for saving you.”

“I thanked you!”

“I know you did, but that’s not what I meant. All those
people back there… as soon as I used my magic, they
hated me. What’s going on in this city, Seff?”

She walked beside me, more solemn than any ten year
old should be, her pale face drawn in thought.

“Ryman’s guards have never been this bad afore,” she
started. “And then, little while ago, they started bein’ real
aggressive. Arresting people for no reason and beatin’ up
those they did have a reason for. Don’t know what
changed to start this all off.”

I did. As I’d guessed before we’d left the Academy,
Ryman had been taking orders from Iain and Netalia.
With them locked up in the dungeons under the castle,
there was no way they could issue any new commands to
the capital. Ryman had free rein, and the power was
getting to him.

I scowled. I was going to have to take command of the
city sooner than I’d wanted to. Like it or not, if the
citizens of Castor were suffering under his rule, I had no
choice. I might not be an experienced leader, but I was a
fair one. I knew I was going to have to bite the bullet.

The road widened, the portcullis looming at the end of
the street. Seff skittered close to me, eyeing off the guards
at every corner with concern.