The Fifth Magic (Book 1) (19 page)

After a painfully long wait, the second guard, too, abandoned his post. For the briefest instant, the newcomer's view of the room was blocked by the guards leaving, which was all the time Sevellon needed. The lights had ruined his night vision, though, and he stubbed his toe on a protruding crate. Biting his lip, he moved to the next hiding place he'd previously scouted.

"Did you hear something?" one of the new guards asked, and Sevellon hurried, hoping no one noticed the trail of blood coming from his lacerated toe.

Human nature once again played to his advantage. "I didn't hear anything," the other guard said.

"Must've just been mice," the first said. "We need to bring a couple cats up from the meadow, so they can catch 'em."

Sevellon heard no more from the two and did his best to staunch the bleeding. He was in trouble, and he knew it. Already he was behind schedule and had almost been caught. The most dangerous part of this journey was yet to come. The ability to overcome such fears was what had made him such a good thief, and Sevellon moved down back halls and disused corridors. There were more of these than well-used corridors in this part of the keep. Dragonhold could hold many times more people than it currently did. They still hadn't figured out quite how to grow enough food within the keep to feed so many.

Using everything he could to his favor, Sevellon made up some time on his way to one of the most heavily guarded places in the hold, second only to the control room. When he reached the junction just before the hall leading to Trinda's chambers, Sevellon listened--silence.

Slowly he crept around the corner, and he could see the shadows of two guards dancing across the stone in the torchlight. A wispy drapery filled the doorway to the queen's chambers, and the torches burned low, casting small pools of light. These guards were nowhere near as alert as those who guarded the entrance to the inner hold. Again human nature. Those within the inner hold assumed the more closely guarded tunnels leading in meant they stood guard for appearances only. Guards who think they are in no danger tended to look more like these two young men.

Despite their inattentiveness, neither was fully asleep, which was less than convenient. But Sevellon had come up with a solution long before getting to this point. Keep it simple, he reminded himself, and take advantage of human nature. He drew a second pebble from his pants pocket, and he tossed it down the hall, past the guards. Both men heard it and looked. Sevellon moved as quickly as he could, the narrow halls now an advantage. With his hands pressed against one wall and his feet against the opposite wall, he suspended himself in the darkness above the guards. His arms and legs trembled by the time they had lapsed back into a collective stupor. Only one stirred when Sevellon grabbed the ledge above the doorway, swung himself down, and slipped inside the child queen's personal apartments. After landing silently, the curtain moving in his wake, Sevellon crouched down beside a footstool. The guard peered inside with no alarm on his face. Seeing nothing out of place, he looked back out at the empty hall.

Having been unable to get this far in his scouting mission, Sevellon was now in unfamiliar territory, and he hoped he knew what he was doing.

* * *

Nightfall atop the black spike was perhaps the most frightening thing Durin had ever experienced. He thanked the gods Strom and Osbourne were with him, or he might have gone insane. The place was creepy during the daytime, but at night it was terrifying. Heavy cloud cover left them in near complete darkness, and he was afraid to move for fear of falling over the edge, despite knowing they had moved to the center of the structure before the darkness enveloped them.

There was nothing here but black rock and salt water. Again, he asked himself why the dragons would leave them there if not for some purpose. Strom and Osbourne had walked the edges, searching for signs of an entrance but found none. When Osbourne had lain down on his belly and slid himself over each side, Strom holding his ankles, Durin had retreated farther from the edge. The mood worsened after the search came up empty.

Knowing it could be his stimulated imagination, Durin thought he could feel the presence of others around him. Strom and Osbourne had gone silent, and he presumed they were sleeping, yet the wind whispered to him. Even more disturbing were the conflicting messages he was getting. Some communications invited him inside, yet another presence just as emphatically wanted him to leave. At times the wind felt as if it were a hand pushing on his face and body, trying to push him over the edge and to his death.

Another more comforting presence joined him then, and visions of saltbark trees standing in calm, blue waters gave him solace. He could hear waves crashing in the distance, and the song of seabirds was like the music of nature. Somewhere in this idyllic setting, sleep found Durin, and his own imagination took over. Soon he was soaring above the trees, as light as air.

Chapter 18

Beware the vanquished, for they smolder like banked coals.

--Archmaster Belegra

* * *

Though he'd prepared most of his life for protecting Catrin, Chase had thought the need passed and it was, in fact, beyond his meager abilities. Now, though, Cat was here, in the hold, and without her power. Trinda had done a masterful job of taking Dragonhold and adding people loyal to her rather than to Catrin and Chase. There were many within the hold still loyal to them, but they were no longer the majority, and there were a great many armed guards supporting Trinda. The child queen was without her power also, but she retained the herald globes. How ironic, Chase thought, the very thing Catrin had worked so hard to create as a tool for peace was now being used as a weapon against her. Allette knew better than anyone the lethal impact of his cousin's invention. Though Catrin had created the globes as precious light sources in her underground fortress, it had been Trinda who discovered the ability to flood them with energy and use them as weapons. Most of Allette's forces had fallen to the herald globes during the Jaga War.

Remaining in the outer hold had been Chase's idea, and Catrin hadn't argued. Trinda's grip was firmer deeper in the hold, and there were tactical reasons as well. An awful feeling had been growing in his gut. Things were bad but he knew they could be much worse. People loyal to Catrin gathered in the outer halls. Chase did what he could to conceal what was happening, but he knew it must be painfully obvious to those loyal to Trinda. Whatever he planned, he must keep in mind what she might be planning as well.

What helped Chase the most at the moment, though, was having someone friendly in the God's Eye. Bradley had always been among better soldiers. He'd done any number of undesirable things in the name of service to his people. Chase trusted him. Being in charge of the barges in the God's Eye might not be the most glamorous position, but from a strategic standpoint, it was perfect. Though he'd had no particular destination, Chase found himself walking toward the God's Eye. When he arrived at the nearly still waters, he stayed back. There had been reports of demon attacks along the shoreline and on the barges. Fewer reports had come in the past few days, but Chase was given to caution. His home had become a very dangerous place. It had happened to him before. Old fears and anxieties rose within him, unbidden and unwilling to be suppressed, try as he might.

With only two people aboard, a barge approached. One was tall and the other was shorter. Traffic on the God's Eye was minimal, partly due to worries over the demons, but also because there were no goods or trade coming from outside the hold. Somehow Nat Dersinger and Catrin had foreseen this. It was something that pained Chase deeply to admit. Fundamentally he'd been proven wrong. It shook the foundation of his beliefs and left him feeling far less certain of himself than he'd once been.

The torches on the approaching barge cast wavering shadows, and the vessel was nearly to shore before Chase recognized the two men aboard. Simms poled the barge to shore with a sour look on his face. It was clear he didn't want to be there and resented anyone who asked him to venture out into the dark waters. In this case Chase couldn't blame him. With every trip, he risked his life, but that was the role of a soldier. Chase sighed. Not all people could share his philosophy. He reminded himself he could not expect the same level of commitment he had to this cause from anyone else. Doing so just about guaranteed disappointment. This was one of the things Trinda had done masterfully. She'd left much as it had been and gradually changed things that were insignificant in and of themselves. But when all the subtle changes to the power structure added up, the girl had effectively divided the hold, which would make revolution far more difficult to achieve and a much bloodier proposition. Chase didn't even want to think about civil war within Dragonhold.

The other person on the barge was Sevellon the thief. Chase felt the smallest bit bad for the fellow, whose identity Trinda had revealed. It must be difficult to be a thief when everyone knows your profession. Perhaps the man would take this as an opportunity to find some other way to apply his skills. The barge touched stone, and no one spoke. Sevellon stepped off the barge, and Chase noticed he was barefoot. His feet were filthy; they almost looked like . . . Chase swallowed hard and hoped his gut was wrong.

Meeting Simms's eyes, Chase was not surprised when he turned away and pushed back off without saying a word. Sevellon smiled at Chase and tried to appear unconcerned by his presence. Chase wasn't so easily fooled. The thief had it tough now, indeed. "What happened to you?" Chase asked, pointing to the crude bandage on his foot.

"I stubbed my toe," the thief said.

"And where are you going now?" Chase asked, his years as chief of the guards asserting itself.

"I need to speak with the Herald."

Chase hadn't been expecting that, and the statement raised his anxiety levels dramatically. "What have you done?"

"I did the only thing I could do to help," Sevellon said. "I need to see the Herald. Now."

Chase escorted the thief to the viewing chamber where he knew Allette and Catrin were talking. It was a meeting they were not supposed to disturb, but something told him this would not wait, which was also the reason he'd decided to let Catrin interrogate the man rather than doing it himself.

"Life has been unkind to you," Catrin was saying to Allette when Chase entered. She cast him a glance, conveying a sharp reprimand.

He nodded, accepted it, and remained as he was.

"What is it?" Catrin asked, her anger turning to exasperation. She knew Chase would not interrupt such a crucial meeting without a good reason.

"I need to speak with you a moment," Chase said.

"You may speak freely," Catrin said. "I have no secrets from my allies."

Allette appeared as uncomfortable with that term as Chase was, but he knew his cousin. There would be no changing her mind now. Casting a glance at Sevellon, he gestured with his head for the man to enter. No matter how he felt about thieves, he would not repeat what Trinda had done.

Sevellon entered the room and knelt before Catrin. "Lady Catrin, I bring you a gift. With this I also give my support to your cause." With those words, Sevellon handed Catrin a small bundle.

Chase was just starting to think the man had a good sense of self-preservation until he saw what it was he presented to Catrin. Her breath caught before she even opened it, and Allette could not take her eyes from the bundle. Coarse cloth fell away in folds and Koe was revealed, all glossy and slick as if he'd been thoroughly soaked in Istra's light. Now it was Chase who lost his breath. This was perhaps the most precious gift anyone could have given Catrin, but it might also hasten the onset of the very war Chase feared. He didn't know how much energy the dragon ore carving held. It would not be enough to destroy the Fifth Magic.

Allette was the first to speak. "It's so beautiful," she said. "May I touch it?"

The conflict on Catrin's face was brief, but then she said, "It contains a store of Istra's power. You may touch it, but I would ask you not to draw from it. I fear it will be precious little given what we're about to face. Sevellon has given us a powerful gift, but it comes at a great price." Sevellon looked as if he wanted to disappear. "What's done is done. The best we can do now is prepare for Trinda's response, which will likely be swift and lethal."

"There is one other thing, Lady Catrin," Sevellon said, pulling a torch from a nearby crevice. "Please come." Catrin did not appear entirely pleased, but she allowed Sevellon to lead her back into the hall. Allette followed closely, and Chase brought up the rear, on the alert for any signs of trouble. Already the hairs on his neck stood, and he knew it was coming. Dragonhold currently felt the same way the giant mountain in the shallows had felt right before it exploded. "A wise man once taught me to observe everything in my surroundings," Sevellon said after stopping at a nondescript section of hall. "That includes looking up."

The ceiling was high above them, but with the torch lofted, there was something there. It wasn't much, just a small hole in the otherwise ubiquitous stone. Sevellon handed the torch to Chase, and he held it higher. The additional light brought out previously hidden details. Chase knew what he saw: a tunnel-collapse mechanism. Sevellon had found part of the keep's ancient defenses. The only problem was they didn't have the specially designed release rods needed to safely trigger the cave-in. This shortcoming was apparent to everyone and the futility of the situation clear when rows of guards entered the hallway from the great hall. This was they had seen of such military movements within the hold. Trinda knew she'd been robbed.

Shouts from the God's Eye gave evidence of attacks from two sides, and Catrin stepped back from under the collapse mechanism. "Get back," she said in a dangerous voice. Sevellon obeyed her command, but Chase and Allette remained.
"Go!"
she demanded and even Chase feared her in that instant. Fire danced in her eyes.

Kenward had come up behind them, and he took Allette by the arm. To Chase's surprise, she let him lead her back to the viewing chamber. Walking sideways, Chase retreated. Worry for Catrin was foremost on his mind; his own safety and that of the rest, not far behind. The guards were nearing the cave-in mechanism, and Chase muttered under his breath, "If you're going to do something, you'd better go ahead and do it."

Catrin may or may not have heard, but it appeared she agreed. Holding up Koe, she pointed him at the release mechanism. Tinged with fire and lightning, a blackness leaped from the cat's open jaws like a bolt of night. Roaring like an angry dragon, the intentionally weakened stone shuddered and cracked upon impact. While it had appeared to be solid and permanent as the surrounding stone, the ancients had done their jobs well. Despite being triggered in far from the expected manner, the defense mechanism did what it had been designed to do. Before approaching guards' eyes, the ceiling collapsed, blocking the hall with granite chunks larger than yearling horses. Like the ancient barriers originally barring their entrance into the hold, this obstruction was considerable but could be removed in time. The sand clock had been turned, and Chase knew the last grain would eventually slip away.

Retreating from the dust and debris accompanying the cave-in, Catrin came with a grim expression. This was not at all how either of them had expected this day to go. When she shifted Koe in her hand, Chase saw chalky swirls left in the cat where Catrin's fingertips had been. That single burst of energy had already visibly drained the stone, and Chase's confidence waned. There would be no way to recharge the cat once it was drained, Chase knew, and if it could be drained so quickly, then it would soon cease to be useful. He would have to trust his cousin to be judicious in its use.

"Arm yourselves and gather 'round!" Chase shouted as they neared the halls where most of their people waited. Afterward, he looked back to Catrin. She had stopped walking, her eyes glazed and distant.

"The God's Eye is well defended," Catrin said. "Post guards but Kyrien says he'll keep any real danger from getting too close." Again she shifted Koe, and the cat's back was now cloudy.

"Now what do we do?" Chase asked no one in particular. Catrin shrugged. Both turned their eyes on Sevellon, who had the good sense to keep his eyes down.

Under the weight of their gazes, he said, "I just wanted to help."

* * *

Along the shoreline of the God's Eye, Catrin and Allette stood, unworried over demon attacks since Kyrien had briefly shown himself before disappearing in deep, dark water. The barge carrying Trinda approached slowly. Only the child queen and a single guard were aboard. Chase knew it was possible to conceal more soldiers under and around the barge since he'd trained his soldiers in the tactics, but Kyrien's presence made that less worrisome. The two overcharged herald globes Trinda carried, whose light was nearly blinding, were far more worrisome. Even as an effort of last hope, two herald globes could produce a devastating attack.

No one on shore spoke as the barge glided to a stop before them. Chase wasn't certain what he'd been expecting, but it certainly hadn't been seeing tears dripping from Trinda's chin. Never had he seen such a mournful look on her face, and his emotions churned.

"My sisters," Trinda began, her voice quavering. "I come in search of forgiveness. I have wronged us all in my ignorance, and I am sorry. I've also come because I need your help."

Her words were met with silence. Trinda possessed a knack for being unreadable and impossible to predict. Chase couldn't imagine a more terrifying thing than someone as flighty as Trinda with the powers she possessed. Perhaps from that aspect, what Trinda had done had been a good thing. If only she hadn't trapped the rest of them in Dragonhold with her. She claimed to have acted in Catrin's and Allette's best interests by protecting them from the ever-growing amounts of Istra's power flooding their world. What other escape could there be? Chase had wondered more than once. Catrin refused to talk about what had happened to her after her disappearance, and Chase was left to speculate. It was a cruel thing to do to a person, and he really didn't appreciate it, even if he knew she had her reasons. Sometimes being angry at Catrin was a never-ending effort. Add Trinda to the recipe, and Chase thought he might scream.