Jonathan Moeller - The Ghosts 09 - Ghost in the Surge Read online

  Ark met Kylon’s eye. “Perhaps the Lord Archon would like to tour a foundry while he is here. My smiths and workers are without equal.”

  Kylon gave a fractional nod.

  He sensed Titus’s alarm. “That…would be a needless provocation.”

  “Not at all,” said Kylon. “Peace is coming between the Emperor and the Assembly. Perhaps Kyracian merchant vessels shall bear the wares of the Champion’s foundry to the far corners of the earth.”

  “Perhaps,” said Aeolus, looking at Ark with narrowed eyes.

  “Still,” said Titus, clearing his throat, “the Champion’s foundry produces arms and armor for the Imperial Guard. It would be…gauche, let us say, to show that to an ambassador from another…”

  “Husband,” said Thalastre. She must have sensed his urgency. “I would like to see the foundry. I grew up in Kyrant, and there were no such workshops there. I would enjoy seeing it.”

  “If you do not mind, Lord Titus,” said Kylon, “I would consider it a personal favor.”

  Titus shrugged. “Well…why not? Very well. If the Champion does not object, we can tour it tomorrow, after the banquet.”

  “I do not,” said Ark. “I look forward to it.”

  “Yes,” said Aeolus. “As do I.”

  ###

  The next morning, Claudia stood with Lord Martin outside the doors of the Champion’s foundry.

  “You went too far,” said Aeolus. As ever, he was calm, but he strode back and forth, three steps to the right, three steps to the left.

  Ark stood by the doors, arms folded over his chest. “If Caina has gone mad or renegade, if the magi have mind-twisted her, she’s a threat to Kylon and the Emperor…”

  Aeolus leveled a finger at Ark. “You think to save her life.”

  “Yes,” said Ark. The veteran Legionary did not look the least intimidated by the taller man. “Will you have me killed for it? Or expelled from the Ghosts?”

  “Certainly not,” said Aeolus. “The Ghosts require men who think for themselves. This is not the Imperial Legion.” Ark snorted. “If you can prove that Caina Amalas did not kill the other Ghosts and Aiodan Maraeus, then you are welcome to do so. But I still intend to have her executed.”

  Claudia shivered, and she felt Martin’s arm tighten against hers. Caina frightened her, but she did not want the woman killed. For one, she could not believe that Caina would turn against the Ghosts, no matter what method of coercion had been used. The woman simply hated sorcery too much.

  And Corvalis loved Caina. When Claudia thought about losing Martin, the idea made her want to weep. What would losing Caina do to Corvalis?

  Claudia did not want to find out.

  The courtyard gate swung open, and a guard of Kyracian ashtairoi marched inside. With them came Kylon of House Kardamnos and a striking Kyracian woman a few years Claudia’s junior.

  “Oh,” said Claudia, smiling. “He must have saved her.”

  Aeolus looked at her, and she swallowed.

  “When we were in Caer Magia,” said Claudia, forcing herself to meet the circlemaster’s strange eyes. “Lord Kylon came there to find a cure for his betrothed Thalastre. Without his help, we would have been defeated, and Rhames would have used the bloodcrystal.”

  Aeolus nodded and looked away, unconcerned.

  Kylon spoke to the ashtairoi, and they remained as the gate as he and Thalastre walked towards the Ghosts. The ashtairoi did not look pleased to remain behind, to leave their Archon unprotected.

  Of course, if he wanted to, Kylon could likely kill every Ghost in the foundry without much difficulty.

  The stormdancer stopped a few paces away, as did Thalastre. Claudia made a faint gesture with her left hand, whispering under her breath. Arcane power came at her call, and she focused it into a sensing spell. She detected the presence of sorcery around the Kyracian woman. Thalastre was a stormsinger, likely a powerful and skilled one.

  A faint smile passed over Thalastre’s lips. No doubt she had felt the spell.

  “Lord Martin, Claudia,” said Kylon. “It is good to see that you are well.”

  “And you, Lord Archon,” said Martin. “I am glad to see you succeeded in curing your betrothed.”

  “This is Thalastre, once of House Ixionos, now of House Kardamnos, and my wife,” said Kylon.

  Thalastre gripped her skirts and performed a passable imitation of an Imperial curtsy. “It is good to meet you all. My husband has spoken most highly of your bravery and boldness. I owe you my life – without your aid, he would not have survived the great darkness within Caer Magia.”

  “While we are grateful for your recovery,” said Aeolus, “that is not the reason the Champion has summoned you here, is it?”

  “No,” said Kylon. “Might I ask your interest in this matter, Lord Aeolus?”

  “You may,” said Aeolus, “since it seems Caina Amalas has already taken you into her confidence on multiple occasion, unwise as it might be to share our secrets with a foreign lord. Suffice it to say that I have a position of authority with the Ghosts, and I have a great interest in seeing peace between our nations…and bringing to heel any renegade members of the Ghosts.”

  “Renegade?” said Kylon.

  “A little over a fortnight past,” said Aeolus, “Caina Amalas murdered nearly two dozen Ghosts in Malarae, and then…”

  “Or an impostor using a spell to assume her identity,” said Ark.

  “And then she reappeared in Marsis,” said Aeolus. “The magi in Marsis sent a message to the chapterhouse here in Malarae, who reported the grim news to Lord Corbould and the Emperor. A woman named Anna Callenius murdered Lord Governor Aiodan at Zorgi’s Inn, and Anna Callenius is one of the aliases Caina used while traveling with the circlemaster Halfdan…”

  “I know this,” said Kylon. “She used that identity while in Catekharon. I am surprised, Lord Aeolus, that you suspect her so readily. If not for her, Mihaela would have launched a war with the glypharmor, and Rhames would have claimed the Ascendant Bloodcrystal and laid waste to the world.”

  Aeolus shrugged. “In truth, Lord Archon, I have had suspicions of her for some time.”

  “Why?” said Ark, scowling.

  Aeolus began to tick off points upon his fingers. “Her hatred of the magi unbalances her judgment. She has taken a former Kindred assassin as a lover…”

  “Corvalis turned his back upon the Kindred and the Magisterium at great cost!” said Claudia.

  “I long thought that Halfdan placed far too much trust in her, allowed his paternal affection for her to cloud his judgment,” said Aeolus. “We are Ghosts, Lord Archon. We must place the good of the Empire and its people before all other considerations. Even our own loves.”

  “Your devotion to duty does you credit,” said Kylon, “but are you not jumping to conclusions? Why would Caina betray the Ghosts?”

  “For money, for love, for hatred,” said Aeolus. “The reasons for treachery are as many as the grains of sand upon the shore. And it is also possible that her mind was altered by the magi. They have used such tactics against us in the past.”

  “Or,” said Kylon, “someone is impersonating her.”

  “Yes,” said Ark. “That is exactly what I thought.”

  Aeolus raised his pale eyebrows. “Do you have any suspects?”

  “As it happens, I do,” said Kylon. “A man called Sicarion, an assassin and a necromancer in service to the Moroaica.”

  Claudia knew Sicarion better than she would have liked. He had worked with Mihaela in Catekharon, teaching her the necromantic spells needed to create the glypharmor in her ghastly Forge. He had been at Caer Magia, and had almost killed Corvalis in the spell-haunted ruins.

  “It is exactly the sort of tactic he would use,” said Kylon. “He corrupted my sister when she was the High Seat of House Kardamnos. Taking Caina’s form, killing her friends and allies, and then standing back and watching as the Ghosts hunted her down and slew her…it would appeal to his twisted sense of h
umor.”

  “Does he have the power to take different guises?” said Aeolus.

  Kylon shrugged. “I know not. But he has survived for centuries by using his necromancy to graft organs and limbs stolen from his victims onto his corrupt frame. Surely spinning an illusion would be no great feat of sorcery for such a creature.”

  “Perhaps you are correct,” said Aeolus. “Nevertheless, my death warrant upon her stands.”

  “A death warrant?” said Kylon. “Are the Ghost circlemasters all so ungrateful?”

  “Gratitude has nothing to do it,” said Aeolus. “Perhaps I am right. Or perhaps you are right, and this Sicarion has indeed taken Caina’s guise. But I dare not take the risk. Do you know what will happen if the Emperor is assassinated while in New Kyre? Or if you or one of the other Archons falls to an assassin’s blade – particularly if a renegade Ghost wields it?”

  “War,” said Kylon. “It will mean war to the bloody end, what both Lord Titus and I feared.”

  “Yes,” said Aeolus. “Lord Archon, I have chosen to take you into the confidence of the Ghosts because you understand the stakes. The more bellicose nobles of both the Empire and New Kyre might wish the war to continue. But if it does, we know that our nations shall reap only universal ruin. And if the Emperor or one of the Archons is assassinated while in New Kyre, war is certain. So you can see my suspicions, no? That Caina Amalas would turn renegade at a time of such tension?”

  “I understand your doubts, Lord Aeolus,” said Kylon, “but I fear Sicarion, and not Caina, is responsible for these deaths. And if Sicarion is involved, he is acting at the bidding of the Moroaica. Andromache started the war between our nations at her command. Sicarion imparted some of her lessons to Mihaela, and she used them to create the glypharmor. The Moroaica almost seized the Ascendant Bloodcrystal with Sicarion’s help. My lord Aeolus, if I am right, if Sicarion is involved, then the Moroaica is taking a hand in these events…and we face dangers far greater than an endless war. If she is taken an interest, then almost certainly she plans to wreak some sort of sorcerous catastrophe.”

  “I agree with Lord Kylon,” said Ark. “I’ve seen the Moroaica’s hand in events before. She almost murdered my son to free the demons below Black Angel Tower. If she is working some sort of sorcerous plot around the Emperor’s journey to New Kyre, it will be catastrophic.”

  “Then we must be on our guard against sorcery,” said Aeolus. “We shall rely upon your arcane skills, Lord Archon, and your skills, Claudia.”

  Claudia managed a nod. Once the prospect would have unnerved her. But after escaping Mihaela’s Forge, after confronting Rhames in the Chamber of Ascension at Caer Magia, it did not seem so terrifying. Yet it still unsettled her. She had seen the Moroaica’s arcane strength during her duel against Rhames. If the Moroaica chose, she could crush Claudia in the space between two heartbeats, and she doubted Kylon and Thalastre would fare much better.

  “You may rely upon my aid as well, Lord Aeolus,” said Thalastre. “I wish to see peace between our nations, and I owe a debt to Sicarion and his mistress. Their meddling with the sorcerous relics of Caer Magia killed many innocent Kyracians, and almost slew me. I should like to see that debt repaid with interest.”

  Aeolus raised his pale eyebrows. “As you dealt with the Legionaries who attacked Kyrant?”

  Thalastre offered a chilly smile. “They shouldn’t have attacked my father’s stronghold.”

  “Clearly,” said Aeolus. “Very well. We shall do what we must. If you can prove to my satisfaction that Sicarion, not Caina, killed Aiodan Maraeus and the Ghosts of Malarae, then I shall reconsider the death warrant. Until then, it stands. The lives of millions are at stake, and if the life of Caina Amalas is a necessary sacrifice for peace, then it is a sacrifice I will gladly make.”

  Three days later they left Malarae with the remnants of the western Imperial fleet, escorting the Emperor and the Lord Archon as they sailed to New Kyre.

  Chapter 11 - The Venatorii

  “I suggest we remain here for now,” said Talekhris, tucking his jade mask into a pocket of his loose coat. “The Legionaries are going from house to house, searching for a blond, blue-eyed young woman named Anna Callenius. Dozens of wild stories are flying around, but it seems that she murdered the new Lord Governor.”

  “Ranarius,” said Caina, looking at the dead Legionary. “He possessed the Lord Governor and attacked me, and I wound up killing him.”

  “Ah,” said Talekhris. “That explains much. The Moroaica has used that sort of tactic before to discredit her enemies. It is remarkable that you managed to defeat Ranarius. When we arrived in Marsis and saw the chaos, I feared that you had been killed.”

  “I’m not dead yet,” said Caina. “Thank you for your aid, by the way.” Corvalis moved to her side, the ghostsilver spear in hand. Harkus waited behind the Sage, calm as ever. “Sicarion would have killed us both if you had not arrived.”

  Talekhris grimaced. “I only wish I could have killed him. The man is as resilient as a cockroach, and does not hesitate to flee when overmatched.”

  “He will come for us again,” said Corvalis.

  “Undoubtedly,” said Talekhris. “Where is Halfdan? I was unable to find him. I only located you by following Sicarion here, and it is vital that I speak with Halfdan at once. Additionally, if Ranarius set you up for the Lord Governor’s murder, we will need Halfdan’s influence to keep the Legions from arresting you.”

  Again that wave of searing grief shot through Caina. For a moment she was eleven years old again, weeping as Maglarion cut her father’s throat in the darkness below the hills.

  “He’s dead,” she said, her voice glassy calm. “Sicarion stabbed him in the back at the safe house. He would have killed me, but I set the warehouse on fire to escape.”

  “I see,” said Talekhris. “I am sorry for your loss, Ghost. He was a wise and capable man, and we shall miss his counsel in the days to come.”

  “If Halfdan is indeed dead,” said Harkus, “we should remain here until we have secured transport from the city. The Legions will not search the vaults below the Citadel for some time yet, but they will sooner or later.”

  “Probably sooner,” said Caina. “There are Ghosts among the tribunes and centurions of the Legions, and some of them fought against Naelon Icaraeus’s slavers. They know the vaults are here.”

  “Perhaps we should move to a different location,” said Talekhris.

  “Not yet,” said Harkus. He turned to face Caina. “Ghost, with your agreement, I think you should remain here for now. If we try to move through the streets at night, it will look suspicious. Other members of the Order are in Marsis, and they will bring us supplies. Once the sun is up, we can travel to the harbor and secure a ship.”

  “I already have,” said Corvalis. “Maltaer is waiting for us in the harbor.”

  Harkus frowned. “I thought he would have fled.”

  Talekhris grunted. “We paid him enough gold to wait. He will wait.”

  It did not surprise Caina to find out that Maltaer had accepted payment from Lord Titus, Halfdan, Corvalis, and now the Ventaroii. The man was nothing if not a clever opportunist.

  Harkus seemed unconvinced, but bowed. “As you wish, Sage. I will return with supplies.”

  “Thank you,” said Talekhris. “We’ll attempt to make our way to the harbor and Maltaer’s ship at dawn.”

  Harkus bowed again and disappeared into the darkness.

  “Do you mind if I sit?” said Caina, turning towards one of the undamaged pillars. “It has been…it has been a rather long day…”

  A hint of chagrin went over Talekhris’s face. “Yes, of course. Please, sit. I would offer you more comfortable accommodations, but I fear I have none available at the moment.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” said Caina. She sat against the pillar, the rock wall cool against her back, and Corvalis sat next to her. She wanted to slump to the floor and sleep for days. Or bury her face in Corvalis’s chest an
d weep.

  But not until she had stopped the Moroaica.

  Not until she had Sicarion’s head for what he had done to Halfdan.

  “You seem more lucid than last we met,” said Caina at last.

  “I have Harkus to thank for that,” said Talekhris. “I left him with instructions. If one of my resurrections left me unable to function, he was to kill me. With luck, when I returned to life, I would retain more of my memories.” He tapped the side of his head. “Harkus staved in my skull with a sledgehammer.”

  “That…was kind of him,” said Corvalis.

  Talekhris offered a smile. “The experience was not one I would recommend. But I suspect it forced the spells binding me to focus upon rebuilding my mind. I have recovered most of my memory. Not all of it – I can remember little of what passed before I met the Moroaica in Catekharon all those years ago. But of the nine centuries since, I remember most of what has transpired. Including my many deaths at the hands of the Moroaica and her pet assassin.”

  “Your message to Halfdan,” said Caina. “You said you knew how to kill the Moroaica permanently.”

  “Yes,” said Talekhris with a sigh. “I have carried the knowledge for centuries. But the knowledge…it was in separate pieces, and I could never remember all of them at once.” He shook his head. “Fool that I am, it has taken me three hundred years to realize the truth.”

  “You know where her canopic jars are?” said Caina.

  “She doesn’t have them,” said Talekhris. “I suspect she did when she escaped the pharaoh’s tomb in Maat of old, but no longer. She has transcended them, become so powerful that she can take another body at will.” He reached into his coat, pulled out a pair of wooden tubes, slid his Sage’s rod into them, and assembled the pieces into a cane. “As she tried to do with you.”

  Caina frowned. “I thought a necromancer had to have a physical anchor in the material world to draw his spirit back after death.”

  “Most necromancers do,” said Talekhris, leaning on his cane with a grunt. “But the Moroaica is so powerful that her spirit exists simultaneously in the material world and the netherworld, like a rift in the walls between the worlds. It is the source of her tremendous arcane strength and her immortality.”