The Lodestone Trilogy (Limited Edition) (The Lodestone Series) (28 page)

“Where are we headed?” Alondo asked.

Lyall turned to Keris. “The map you acquired–how far does it extend?”

“All the way to the sea.”

Lyall nodded. “Good. The Great Barrier of Storms lies across the Aronak Sea. I believe we should make for the port city of Sakara.”

“That’s a long way if we take the usual road,” Keris observed.

“I’m aware of that.”

“There may be a short cut,” Keris suggested.

“You mean the Fire Pits of Kharthrun? Is that wise?”

“What are ‘the Fire Pits’?” Shann cut in.

Lyall tried and failed to look non-committal. “They are…nothing to worry about for now.”

~

Slowly, the Eastern Plains came to life, rising to meet the cold light of dawn. Two cloaked figures stood near the base of the tower, looking down at a crumpled heap on the ground. It was unmoving.
Nikome
.

A soldier in crimson surcoat over leather armour strode over and stood before them. He glanced down at the body before Saccath commanded his attention. “Report, Commander.”

“The tower is clear, my Lord. No sign of the fugitives.”

“What of the device that they were reported to be using?” Saccath demanded.

“Destroyed. The upper floors have been gutted by fire–the soldiers claim they were ordered by Lord Nikome to set petards to prevent the fugitive’s escape.”

“Then where are the fugitives now?”

“They…proved to be too strong for the men, my Lord. There were Keltar among them. The men also spoke of another man with a weapon, the likes of which they had never seen. They claim they could not stand before it.”

“Fetch the men here. I will question them myself.”

The Commander grasped the hilt of his weapon and gave a short bow. “At once, my Lord.” He turned on his heel and swept away.

Saccath’s face contorted. “
Fools!
”

The figure in the hood turned towards him, one eyebrow raised.

“They
ran
,” Saccath spat, “left Nikome to face the rebels alone.”

“Nikome disobeyed orders,” the hood pointed out.

Saccath was determined to defend the young man, even in death. “He was trying to stop the rebels from escaping.”

“Escaping where? They had trapped themselves at the top of a tower. Where were they going to go?” The face in the hood shook its head. “No. I know you liked the boy, but the evidence is clear. He was told to maintain distance and not engage the enemy. Yet he decided to go in on his own with four soldiers.”

Saccath felt anger and frustration welling up within him “What were the rebels
doing
here?”

“We may never know,” the hood’s voice sounded distant. “I suspect that somehow, they discovered a rumour about an artefact at the tower and thought that they might use it to aid their cause. Thanks to Nikome, any indication of the true nature of that artefact was destroyed with the tower.”

The hooded form sighed. “Well at least we have the satisfaction of knowing that whatever they were after was lost to them.”

Saccath was still staring at the body. “We
cannot
allow this outrage to go unpunished. We have been snapping at these rebels’ heels like gundir when we could have chased them down and eliminated them long ago. Now they have murdered a Keltar. They
must
pay.” He faced the other squarely. “If you will not go after them, then give me the responsibility.”

“No. The orders stand. The Prophet has his reasons. We will move against them, but only when I say and not before. Is that understood?”

Saccath bowed; his face a dark mask. “As you wish, Excellency.”

“You
are
right about one thing,” the hood mused. “The soldiers on the spot deserted their Keltar. We cannot allow that. An example must be set.”

The Commander returned, bowing once more before the two cloaked figures. “I have the soldiers from the tower here. Do you wish to question them in private?”

The dark outline beneath the black hood thought for a moment. “No. Assemble the rest of the men, Commander.”

“Right away, Excellency.”

As the soldiers gathered, the four escapees from the tower were brought. They stood before the two Keltar, eyes filled with fear.

The hooded shape turned towards them, its face obscured. “What did you see at the tower?”

The four appeared to have deferred to one of their number, who served as spokesman, a tall man with short dark hair and craggy features. He blinked and his eyes moved rapidly as he spoke. “We saw a great globe rise into the air above the roof of the tower, surrounded by blue lightning. The rebels were inside. We were ordered to bring it down with petards.”

“And when you brought it down, what then?”

“They came from the sphere and attacked us, Keltar. They used a weapon…I do not know what it was, but we could not stand before it.”

“And so you retreated.”

“Yes, Excellency.”

“Abandoning your Keltar.”

“I…we had no choice. We fought against it, but the weapon drove us back.”

“So you wish that you could have stayed to defend your master?”

“Of course.”

The voice from the shadowed cowl rose in volume so that all could hear. “Then you will have your wish.
Captain, take these four men into custody
.” After a brief struggle, the four stood bound. “
Take them to the roof of the tower. Let them join their Keltar
.”

A short while later the soldier band rode off into the distance, leaving behind the blackened tower and five broken forms at its base, abandoned like discarded marionettes.

~

Shann spun rapidly in the air, and brought down her darkwood staff with all her strength. She sliced through empty air. As she began to descend towards the ground, she cast about wildly. A breath on her cheek and a staff constricting her throat.
How did she get behind me?
They touched down together and
Keris released the girl.

Shann felt annoyed at her adversary and frustrated with herself. Training with Lyall had been joyous and instructive. Training with this woman felt like a cross between drudgery and ritual humiliation. It was as if the Keltar enjoyed showing up her failings.

“Don’t take your eye off your opponent,” Keris warned. “Follow and anticipate his actions. He won’t be intimidated by your trying to pull off a fancy move.”

“
I was not
...,” she protested as Keris turned on her heel and walked away.

“We’re done for today,” Keris called from behind her back. Shann followed, scowling.

It had been Lyall’s idea for her to begin training with Keris. “You can learn a lot from her,” he had urged, “and it might help you to get to know each other a little better.” Shann knew that that was code for ‘getting on better.’ The tension between the two of them had become increasingly obvious since the tower. This was Lyall’s way of trying to smooth things over. If they were going to be a team, they would have to learn to work together. Of course, Lyall did not know what she knew. She had thought again about revealing the woman’s secret communication to him. However, it would still be only be her word against the Keltar’s. She had to have enough proof to convince him. However, the woman had obviously been careful since the night on the plains, when Shann had seen her speaking into her Ring, away from the camp. Shann had done her best to keep watch, but she had been unable to catch the woman out again.

The way back to camp led through a narrow cut in the hillside. It had been two days since they had left the plains and entered the line of hills that bordered its eastern edge. They were labelled on the map Keris carried as Gilah. The vegetation here was sparse, as was the animal life. A small creature with large round eyes and a long prehensile tail had approached their camp, sniffing with curiosity, but when Shann approached to try and make friends with it, it scooted off. She had kept her eye out for it since but hadn’t seen it again.

She, Lyall and Keris had taken turns scouting for signs of pursuit. It was a surprise to her that Keris considered her competent enough to take a turn, but when Lyall had suggested that Shann be included, the woman had not objected. Maybe she was hoping that Shann would fall into the hands of the enemy and she would be rid of the girl. One thing was certain; if the woman were to learn that her treachery had been observed, then Shann would find herself lying with a Keltar’s diamond blade in her back.

Shann followed Keris into the camp. The wagon had been parked just off the hillside track. The woman headed for the graylesh and her saddle pack. Shann spied Alondo seated next to the wagon, his back leaning against a wheel. She walked over, and he gave a broad smile as soon as he saw her. “Hello there, Shann.” He gestured for her to sit down beside him and she gratefully accepted. “Training going well?”

She made a face at him. “She
hates
me. She does everything she can to make me look inferior.”

Alondo laughed. “I doubt that. Our resident Keltar is a little…stern. But she does have a lot of skill and experience. Lyall is right; you can learn a lot from her. In spite of her demeanour, I’m sure she means well.”

Shann would have loved nothing better than to have confided in Alondo right there and then; to tell him everything about the woman’s secret communications with Chalimar. But she could not do it; she could not place him in that kind of danger. It was one thing to risk her own life in exposing the woman’s duplicity, but if anything were to happen to him, she would never forgive herself.

She decided to gloss over the matter. “Maybe you’re right. Hey, I don’t have to like her to learn from her, right?” Alondo looked at her sceptically, but said nothing. Shann changed the subject. “Alondo?”

“Yes?”

“Do you miss Hedda?”

Alondo smiled painfully and looked down at his boots. “Every day. Only don’t tell her I told you so.” He reached inside his russet coloured jerkin and pulled something out, holding it in his hand. It sparkled green in the late afternoon sunlight, an emerald set in a silver chain. “This is hers. I keep it with me always.”

Shann’s face lit up. “It’s beautiful.”

Alondo shrugged. “Well, the stone is common enough, but it reminds me of home.” He tucked the gem away again.

“Do you think we will return home one day?”

“Of course. Don’t you?”

“Well it’s just that I’m no longer sure I
have
a home. Poltann is dead and Gallar–well I don’t know. If anything has happened to her, then I’m alone.”

Alondo put an arm around the girl’s shoulders. “You are not alone, Shann.” They sat silently for a moment, Shann enjoying the unaccustomed feeling of security. Then he spoke up again. “What about your real mother and father?”

“They were taken by the Prophet’s soldiers. I was very young at the time.” Shann’s eyebrows knotted together. “I don’t even remember my parent’s faces clearly.”

“Well, when all of this is over I will help you find them.”

“Really? You mean it?”

“Of course,” Alondo assured her. “And in the meantime, you and Gallar can come live with me and Hedda. That is, if you don’t mind putting up with Hedda’s nagging and my late night playing sessions.”

Shann leaned back against Alondo’s shoulder, feeling happier than she could remember. Eventually Alondo stretched and got to his feet. “Well how about helping me get a fire going?”

He held out a hand and pulled her up. She set off with him to gather wood. As they started towards a copse on their right, there was a disturbance behind them. They both turned to look back at the camp. A tall figure was standing in a dark robe, topped by a mass of fair hair. Lyall had returned. Shann ran back to meet him, slowing only as she saw the troubled look on his face. Alondo came up behind her. Keris walked over from the direction of the graylesh. Boxx hopped down from the back of the wagon, scuttled over the rough soil and raised itself up on its hind legs, head cocked to one side.