The Grimjinx Rebellion (21 page)

34

Is Death

“Choose allies slowly. Lose allies slower still.”

—The Lymmaris Creed

I
cursed myself for not seeing it sooner. Huddling in the dark and fearing for your life can really be murder on your deductive skills.

I ran down the stairs to the basement. There were fewer people now than when I'd been here earlier. Most, I guessed, had grown tired of the yelling and gone upstairs to the second floor where we all slept.

Our leaders stood around a large table in the room's center. As usual, Kendil and Mr. Oxter were at each other's throats, seeing who could outshout the other. Luda stood nearby, watching them carefully. These days, most of her time was spent keeping those two from coming to blows. By contrast, Ma and Da sat calmly at the far end of the table, playing a round of giggly dice to pass the time.

“It's very simple,” Kendil was shouting. “If we take refuge in a town the Scourge has already spared, we'll be safe.”

“We don't know why the Scourge spared them,” Mr. Oxter countered. “It may only be a temporary reprieve!”

As the argument got louder, Maloch gathered the seven seers, who were quietly playing card games in the corner, and led them upstairs. He often did this when things got heated. The seers had been through enough, he reasoned, and didn't need to hear any more.

It had been some time since any of them had had a vision of the future. At first, I thought it was stress. Callie had said stress interfered with a seer's abilities. And maybe that was true. But I began to suspect a far more sinister reason for the recent lack of prophecies.

They can't see anything,
I thought,
because there's no future to see
.

The Dowager paced back and forth, ignoring the heated debate. She'd been walking with a pronounced limp since the Battle of Obsidian Canyon. It was her only wound. She was considered lucky. Some of the survivors still hadn't recovered from the burns and deep gashes they'd received. Many others—Oberax and most of the Sarosans—had never returned from the Canyon.

Every so often, the Dowager cast her eyes at the tabletop. It was covered with scraps of paper, each black with scribbles that represented the sum of our knowledge about the Scourge. In the center of the table was a large map of the Provinces. Every Scourge attack had been marked with a large red
X
. Like me, she suspected that the attacks weren't random at all. She thought that if she glared at the map long enough, the answer would come to her.

This time, it had worked. Because I was here with the answer.

I grabbed the map, took a quill, and started circling all the places we knew the Scourge had been but had ignored.

“We haven't been focusing on the fact that the Scourge is sparing some towns,” I told the Dowager, loud enough to get everyone's attention. “They're selective in the places they're attacking. Which means . . .”

“. . . they're looking for something,” the Dowager finished softly.

Nearby, Reena helped Holm to his feet. A large cloth bandage wove around his head diagonally, covering his left eye. Odds were he wouldn't see out of it again. The siblings took their places at their father's side along the broad edge of the table.

Reena scowled. “What could a plague of monsters possibly be looking for?”

A few people glanced over at Callie. As an apprentice mage, people kept expecting her to have more information on the Scourge than she had. Her face flushed.

“You'd have to ask the Palatinate,” she said coolly. “They didn't share all their secrets with us apprentices.”

The chances of asking the Palatinate were slim to none. Some stories suggested they were hiding. But most people believed the Lordcourt had led all the mages far away from the Provinces to a distant land where they could start over. Part of me hoped that was true. And that they'd taken Aubrin with them. At least she'd be safe.

Ma studied the
X
s and
O
s on the map. “If we knew what these places had in common, we could predict where they'll strike next.”

“And bring the fight to them,” Da said.

I hunched over the map and focused on the three latest attacks. Laying my battered copy of
The Kolohendriseenax Formulary
on top of the map, I pressed my quill against the book's spine and drew a straight line that ran through the recent attacks, linking them all. Previously, the attacks had been all over the place. Now, there was a pattern.

“Whatever the Scourge is looking for,” I said, “they've figured out where it is and they're heading straight for it.”

The Dowager's eyebrows went up. “Bangers, Jaxter!”

Murmurs erupted around the room. People who'd been quiet for days suddenly stirred. This was our first real breakthrough.

Luda tapped a point along the line, just below the most recent attack. “This mill is in the direct path of the Scourge.”

Leave it to Luda to kill an inspiring moment.

The Dowager did some fast calculations. “Given the time that's lapsed between attacks,” she said, “I estimate they'll be here in a week.”

Kendil stood. “We have to evacuate.”

The Dowager disagreed. “We're not going anywhere. Any time we buy ourselves by leaving won't be enough. No, we stay here and we make a stand.”

The room fell quiet. We'd vowed to stop the Scourge and now we were getting our chance. But from everyone's sullen faces, I could tell no one believed we were ready.

“Our defenses are poor at best,” Luda said, her arm sweeping the room. The few weapons that had survived our last battle were strewn about. Most had broken blades. Several bows needed to be restrung. In addition, we'd failed to recruit any of the refugees who'd fled south. We were only a hundred people and barely armed.

“Well, then,” Da said, a lilt in his voice to lighten the mood, “I suggest we get a good night's sleep. We've got quite a bit of work to do in the morning if we're going to prevent our own executions.”

There was no avoiding it. We would
have
to be ready to face the Scourge in a week. Resigned, the group broke up, most heading upstairs to the rooms we'd converted into bedrooms. I leaned over the Dowager's map again. If we had any hope of surviving, we needed something with power. . . .

An idea flashed in my head. “Ma,” I said softly, pulling her aside, “you fancy a quick trip to the Palatinate Palace tomorrow?”

Ma scratched her head. “But it's empty.”

“I have an idea.”

“Is it a completely and totally insane idea?”

“Do I have any other kind?”

“Of course not. You're my son.” She mussed my hair. “Let's get some sleep and we'll head out in the morning.”

We went upstairs to the room we shared with three other families. As candles went out one by one, Ma and I joined Da and Nanni along the wall where we made beds on old blankets. Slowly, the rebellion fell asleep.

The room became still but I was restless as ever. I hated this feeling. It was like there was something hiding in the corners of my eyes. Something that should have been obvious but I couldn't see it. I tossed and turned and wriggled.

“If you don't stop that,” Nanni whispered in the dark, “you'll be sleeping outside in the stream.”

I struck a flint and lit a small candle. “Sorry, Nanni. I can't stop thinking about the Scourge. We agree they're looking for something. What could it be?”

“Is death.”

The soft words came from Gobek. The strange creature hadn't said much since the battle. He kept to himself, often curled up in a corner, as he was now. I couldn't tell if he was adding to the conversation or just talking in his sleep. Then, his eyelids flicked open and he stared at me from across the room. He spoke again, his voice quiet and dreamlike.

“Is death.”

35

Callie's Hope

“A marked thief is a failed thief.”

—The Lymmaris Creed

T
raveling by quickjump spell, while certainly speedy, is not a fun experience. As you pass through the ring, a wave of dizziness grips you. There's a moment where you're in two places at once: your top half is where you're leaving and your bottom half is where you're arriving. And for just an instant, it really feels like your two halves won't be reunited.

There's also the fact that arrival always involves falling out of the sky. I don't know what thrill-seeking mage invented the spell, but it's clear they were completely naff-nut.

The danger is compounded when the place you're traveling to is totally dark. As I leaped through the ring, darkness swallowed me. Unable to see the ground, I hit the stone floor beneath me hard and grunted. I scrambled to my feet, lit a torch, and found myself in the gallery of the Palatinate Palace where I'd rescued the shimmerhex prisoners not that long ago. The room was empty and cold.

I looked up at the quickjump ring, still glowing above me. “Come on down!”

Luda and Ma emerged next, followed by Uncle Garax, who howled the whole way. Finally, Callie arrived, the ring vanishing the second she landed.

“I really like that spell,” Callie said, clearly pleased. “Could come in handy if I'm ever in a tight spot.”

And,
I thought,
it works better without the Vanguard interfering.
I'd left it with Da for safekeeping.

Ma agreed. “I just hope the binding spell works as well.
That's
more important.”

“Explain to me again,” Uncle Garax said, crossing his arms grumpily, “why you've dragged me into this?”

“Because everyone else back at the mill is busy,” I said, “making weapons, fortifying the walls . . .”

“. . . and we wouldn't want you to slink away during the confusion like the vermislug you are,” Ma finished, giving my uncle a sweet smile.

Garax humphed. He was a reluctant member of the rebellion, to be sure. But even he knew he had nowhere to go. He was mostly here because we needed the help.

Callie and I led the way from the gallery, followed by Garax. Ma and Luda brought up the rear. Callie and I hadn't spoken much since she arrived with the spiderbats in the canyon. She'd spent most of her time practicing magic. We all knew magic was the best way to fight the Scourge. If attacked, Callie could be our best hope.

“Hey, Cal,” I said, “remember when I was teaching you to be a thief? And you'd go ‘ta-da!' every time you succeeded? Do you do that with spells too?”

She grabbed a handful of cobwebs from the wall and threw them at me with a smirk. We laughed. It had been a long time since we'd laughed together.

“Thanks,” I said.

“For what?”

“For not saying I told you so when Edilman betrayed us.”

Callie grinned sheepishly. “You don't need me gloating. I'm sure you're beating yourself up over it just fine.”

I groaned. Every night since the Battle of Obsidian Canyon, I'd dreamed of that final encounter with Edilman. How he'd destroyed the control medallion and left with the Sourcefire. It replayed over and over in my mind and I awoke every morning, angrier than ever.

And it wasn't just Edilman. Every dream also featured an appearance by Bennock. In some ways, his betrayal hurt more. But I only had myself to blame for trusting Edilman. “What was he thinking?” I asked.

Callie tilted her head. “I suppose we'll never find out now.”

And then, just as quickly as my anger had risen at the thought of Bennock's betrayal, a rock settled in my stomach to think that he was now dead. Further proof that no good came from being around Edilman.

“If it makes you feel better,” she said slowly, “I was starting to trust him again too. I think
we all
needed to believe him. Nothing's sure anymore. Before all this, you were going to be the Dowager's intellectual heir and I was going to be a mage. Believing that Edilman could help us change things meant we were going to get all that back.”

I nodded. “I guess that's impossible now.”

“It doesn't have to be. When this is all over, I'm going back to my studies. I'm going to find a new teacher and become a full mage.”

“Are you serious?” I asked. “After everything the Palatinate's done . . .”

“But that's exactly why. People are going to hate magic more than ever. I believe good can be done with magic. I don't want people to forget that. I hope to show that not all mages are evil.”

As terrified as I was at the idea that I might not be able to return to Redvalor Castle someday and study again with the Dowager, I felt better knowing Callie had her life all figured out. If anyone could remind people that magic wasn't just evil, it was Callie.

She led us confidently through the abandoned Palace to the laundry room. Once, this room crackled with magical energy as enchanted tubs washed the robes of the mages who resided in the Palace. Now, it was lifeless and filled with the stench of fetid water.

Garax and Luda pulled a square stone from the middle of the floor, revealing a shaft and a ladder. One by one, we descended into a network of caves. I grimaced. In all the months we'd spent hiding from the Palatinate, I was grateful we hadn't hidden in any caves. I'd had my fill of them.

I took the lead and guided us through the earth-walled tunnels until our path ended in an expansive cavern. Callie spoke a word to her spellsphere. A ball of light appeared near the cavern ceiling and lit the area with a pale gray glow.

From wall to wall, the floor was covered with hundreds of tinderjack plants. Some of the volatile plants shook, getting ready to expel their fireblossom and expose the explosive pods within. Thankfully, Kolo never got the chance to blow up the Palace with this crop. Now we'd put it to a better use.

“It'll be tricky getting these back to the mill,” I said, “but
this
should give the Scourge something to think about.”

“I always said you were brilliant, Jaxter.”

We all whirled around at the voice behind us. Talian stood in the tunnel from which we'd just emerged, his spellsphere shimmering in his hand. His right hand was scorched, the fingers fused together. Just behind him, a small group of cloaked mages stood, hands at their sides.

Callie ran and threw her arms around her cousin. Talian returned the gesture, then pointed to the cloaked figures behind him. “These are the other mages who helped fight the Palatinate from within. We've been living here since the Scourge was released. We didn't know where to find you. What have you been doing?”

Ma quickly explained how we'd turned the old mill into our base and were preparing for the Scourge's imminent arrival. Talian listened carefully and nodded.

“We can help you bind the tinderjack pods so you can get them through the quickjump safely. It won't hurt to have some explosives on hand. But . . .” Talian paused. “You may change your minds on what to do once we tell you what we know.”