part0023

“ W ait!” Lady Dread stepped forward. The Heroics caught her arms, their armored hands digging into her flesh. “This city is not safe. Lord Necronis’s army is on the march.”

“It will not penetrate our walls.”

“That’s what they thought at Whitestorm.” The Heroics dragged her backward. Lady Dread planted her feet and resisted. She knew if she fought, the Heroics would be more than happy to destroy her, but she needed to make them understand. “And at a hundred other cities, none of which survived. Jade needs to come with me.”

“Other cites are not Aten’s home, with the strength of the world’s spiritual power,” Hein said. “We have stood firm for two thousand years and shall continue to do so.”

“You don’t know what you are facing!” Lady Dread twisted a hand free, only to have it caught again. “Every time one of yours dies in battle, they come back to fight against you. The Blood Haunts can climb your walls without trying. The Jagged will roll over your troops as though they were sheep. He has demons that change shape! He will take this city and slaughter everyone in it.”

“Be silent!” Hein’s voice echoed through the empty cathedral. “It is only because you saved this precious child’s life that I have not ordered your immediate death. We have prepared chambers for you. You will stay in them and prove you are human. If it is true, and if you can prove you have some worth, then we will consider whether to let you live. Take her away.”

She resisted, but the six Heroics used strength and magic to make her comply. They dragged her out of the cathedral and across the complex to another building. They forced her up three flights of stairs to a small room. It held only a bed and a chair, with no curtains on the window.

“You will stay here,” Casale said. “Meals are at sunrise and sunset. Every third day you shall have water to wash your body. Examinations of your person begin tomorrow. You may not visit the child, nor the woman who cares for her. If you attempt to leave, you will be executed at once. Do you understand?”

“I do,” Lady Dread sighed. “And I don’t need to eat.”

“I had family in Whitestorm,” Casale added. “Given the chance, I would torture you to death.”

“Lord Necronis already did,” Lady Dread said. “I doubt you could do it so well.”

Casale glared at her and walked out, slamming the door behind him. Lady Dread pulled the chair to the window and sat. She had an unimpressive view of the next building and a sliver of sky above. She stared out for a pair of hours before someone knocked, and the lock clicked open. Consecrator Chad’el stood in the open doorway, looking nervous.

“Yes?” Lady Dread rose. “Is there something you want, Consecrator?”

Chad’el nodded to the guard outside, who pulled the door shut.

“They could have at least given you a better view.” He started to say more and stopped twice. Finally, he bowed to her and said. “My lady, I am sorry. I did not know they would do this.”

“And yet they did.”

He played with his sleeve again. At last he whispered, “I need to ask you something.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Why are you whispering?”

“Because the ones outside must not hear it.”

“All right.” Lady Dread dropped her voice. “Ask.”

He swallowed hard, and he took two tries before he asked. “Why do you think you’re the only one that can protect the child?”

“Because I had a vision telling me so.”

His eyes widened. “A holy vision? A gift from Aten?”

She shook her head. “More like a gift from the baby. You saw the spell on her at the inn?”

“The magic that healed Mari and the horse brought me back to life. And I was long dead, Consecrator.”

“Are you certain?”

“I was a skeleton nailed into a suit of armor. Yes, I am certain.”

He had the decency to look embarrassed. “And you think that’s why you should be her guardian?”

“No.” Lady Dread looked away from him, remembering. “When Jade healed me, she brought back part of my memories. One of them was of the day I died, fighting the demons. We held to the last soldier to let our Spellbinders work their magic. A Diviner came out to join us, knowing that she would die. She told me, ‘When you come to yourself, bring the girl and the armor and come home.’”

“Home?” Chad’el frowned. “She told you to go home?”

“She said it was the most important thing in the world. So important that she died to tell me.”

“When was that?”

“I don’t know.”

“I see.” He looked down and played with his sleeves again. A frown took over his lips, and his brows drew together as he thought. “Let me tell the High Consecrator. Perhaps it will change his mind.”

“Please.” Because if not, I will break out and take Jade with me.

Chad’el left, and Lady Dread returned to her chair. She sat there through the night and watched the sunlight slowly light up the wall the next morning. Some hours after dawn someone knocked. The door opened revealing a woman in Consecrator’s robes. She carried a tray with a pitcher of water, washing bowls and towels. Two armored Heroics stepped inside behind her and closed the door.

“I am Barbrisa,” The woman said. “Remove your clothes.”

“I take it courting has gone out of favor in Atensmount.” Lady Dread nodded at the Heroics. “And privacy.”

“I am here for your body examination.” Barbrisa’s tone made it clear she did not find it at all humorous. “You claim you are human. I am here to see if that is so. These two are Seles and Edmina. They are both women. Remove your clothes or they will.”

The examination took an hour, and the woman treated Lady Dread like a prize mare. Barbrisa poked and prodded every bit of Lady Dread from her teeth to her toes, without a care for how it might hurt. She peppered Lady Dread with questions. How often did she eat? When did she sleep? Could she stand the touch of the sun? Did she prefer day or night? Did she menstruate?

“Not yet.” Lady Dread raised her head off the pillow and smiled at Barbrisa, who was kneeling between her knees. “Maybe I’ll get lucky and not have it ever again.”

Barbrisa didn’t return the smile. When she finished, she walked out without another word. Lady Dread dressed and sat on her chair with a wince. Barbrisa had not been gentle. The rest of the morning slid past before Chad’el knocked and came in. Once they closed the door, he knelt at Lady Dread’s feet.

“I have spoken to the High Consecrator,” he said. “He will not budge.”

“I didn’t expect he would.”

“The child must stay here, and you will no longer be its protector.” Chad’el played with his sleeve. “What will you do, now?”

“With the child?”

Lady Dread didn’t answer. Chad’el frowned.

“And I cannot persuade you otherwise?”

She expected him to try anyway, but he didn’t. He toyed with his cuff, pulling at a loose thread. When he straightened up this time, he took a deep breath and whispered, “Then I will help you.”

Lady Dread’s eyebrows rose of their own accord. “Why?”

“I have seen this child’s magic,” Chad’el said. “I saw what you did with it, and I saw how strongly the child affects you. I cannot believe that it is right for you to be separate from her.”

A rush of gratitude filled Lady Dread. She opened her mouth to thank him but he raised a finger to his lips and gestured to the door. Lady Dread dropped her voice to a whisper. “Thank you.”

“That said, I do not know how to help you,” Chad’el said. “The floor is empty, save for you and the Two Heroics standing guard. There are also guards at the room where they keep Jade and Mari.”

Lady Dread leaned back in her chair. “I need men’s clothes, my horse, and my armor. Best if we do this at night.”

Chad’el shook his head. “They close the gates at dusk.”

Aten’s arse. “This afternoon, then, as soon as possible. And be careful. We won’t get a second chance.”

“It is nothing, my lady. I only do what I must.” Chad’el knocked on the door, and they let him out. Lady Dread resumed her position on the chair as her mind raced through possibilities. Half an hour later she decided on what she hoped was her best option. She rose, took off her dress, and waited, motionless, for the better part of three hours. She heard the guards breathing but no other sounds. Finally, there came footsteps.

“I have brought extra clothes for the prisoner,” Chad’el said. “If you please?”

A guard knocked and opened the door. Chad’el stepped into the doorframe, a pile of clothes and boots in his hand and stopped in shock.

She grabbed him and slung him into the closest guard.

The man shouted in surprise as Chad’el fell into him. Lady Dread charged. She caught the other guard’s arm and waist and flipped him onto his head. The crash resounded through the hallway. The second Heroic pushed Chad’el out of the way. He had his sword half-drawn when Lady Dread hit his eyes with a burst of light. He cried out and stumbled back. She did to him what she had done to his companion. When the echoes of him hitting the ground ceased, both men lay still.

“Drag them inside,” Lady Dread said. “Quick.”

She grabbed the closest and hauled the guard in—not an easy task, as his armor weighed at least sixty pounds. She took his sword belt and turned to help Chad’el, but he already had the second guard inside. She half-expected him to say something about what she had done, but he didn’t even look phased.

He stepped out and grabbed the clothes. “Soldier’s uniform. Get changed.”

Chad’el kept watch while she dressed. The clothing fit reasonable well and she had everything on in moments. She picked up the sword she had stolen and followed Chad’el. He led her down the hallway and hit a spot on the wall. A door swung open.

“Servant’s stairs,” Chad’el said. “Servant tunnels connect the buildings. We can reach anywhere without having to walk outside.”

“You know a lot about this place.”

He smiled over his shoulder. “As I said, all Consecrators come here to study. Now where do we go?”

“Armory first, stables second,” Lady Dread said. “I want everything ready. Then we get Mari.”

No one saw them on their way to the armory, and when they came up, they found the inside unguarded. Chad’el led her through racks of swords and halberds and piles of chain mail to a door in the back.

“It should be in here,” he whispered, “but it’s locked.”

Lady Dread reached out with her magic to cut through the bolt. Her armor and weapons sat on a workbench against the wall. She traded the knight’s sword for her own.

“Don’t put on the armor,” Chad’el said. “It is not unusual for Consecrators to have soldiers help them fetch and carry, but if anyone saw your armor, we would have to fight our way out.”

Lady Dread found a sack and stuffed the armor in. In pieces, it made a large bundle, but not too bulky to carry. She spotted a box of cleaning supplies with a wire brush and on impulse added the box to the sack. “Stables next.”

They ran into two servants in the tunnels. Lady Dread’s hand went for her sword, but the servants just bowed to Chad’el and passed. Lady Dread let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding, and the two reached the stable without further encounters. Her horse stood in a stall, eating hay.

“Glad you’re having a good time.” She found a saddle and tack and put them on him. Chad’el brought out another mount—a fine chestnut mare, with long, strong legs. He saddled it while Lady Dread readied her horse.

“My father had horses,” he explained. “This is the best here. Does your horse have a name?”

“Probably,” Lady Dread said, “But I’ll be skewered if I know what it is.”

When both animals stood ready, Lady Dread rubbed her horse’s nose. “Stay here, keep her calm until I come for you.”

The horse butted her chest.

“Good boy. Chad’el, lead me to them.”

He did. They met servants three times, and once a troop of six guards. The servants took no notice of them. The soldiers eyed her, but they passed by. Chad’el led her through a different passage, up into a building and to the second floor. He stopped at a hallway corner.

“Her room is this way,” he whispered. “There are two guards at the door.”

“Soldiers or Heroics?” Lady Dread risked a look. The men wore the same uniform as she and stood at a relaxed guard. Lady Dread walked around the corner and straight toward them.

Before either could ask who she was, both lay unconscious on the floor. Lady Dread opened the door a sliver, in case there were more inside.

“That’s enough from you two,” Mari said. “You can’t be on the tit forever so you may as well start now.”

They’d given her a large, well-appointed room, with a table and chairs, a fireplace and a shelf filled with books. The two children were sitting on a chair, squirming. A cloth tied around their middles kept them from escaping or falling. Mari sat on a stool before them, a bowl of porridge in her hand. She scraped another spoonful and held it to each child’s mouth in turn. Neither sounded happy about it and from the food staining the rags wrapped around their throats, neither had eaten a thing.

“My Jade liked boiled, crushed peas,” Lady Dread said, stepping into the room. “Maybe you should try them.”

Mari jumped to her feet. The bowl hit the floor, porridge splattering her shoes and skirt. She trembled, and for a moment Lady Dread thought she would fall.

“Don’t worry,” Lady Dread said. “We’ve come to take you out of here.”

“What?” Mari’s eyes were so wide the whites showed around her pupils. “What do you mean?”

“This city isn’t safe for Jade.” Lady Dread crouched beside the babies and untied them. She put a hand on each child to hold it in place. “Oh, you’re complete messes, aren’t you? We must improve your table manners.”

Mari darted in and grabbed Griffin. She held him against her chest and backed away. Lady Dread used the cloth to give Jade’s face as good a cleaning as she could and picked her up. Jade buzzed her lips, sending oatmeal over Lady Dread’s uniform.