Risen, p.18
Risen, page 18
part #12 of Alex Verus Series
I brought the sovnya around in a full-strength swing that cut Caldera nearly in half.
Caldera staggered again, losing her breath in an uff. The sovnya sang in triumph. The blade had cut upwards through her body, under her arm, and now red light ignited around it, burning away flesh and blood and—
—sand?
Caldera straightened. The sovnya was burning her up from the inside, but now that I looked, I could see that sand was flowing in to heal her wound. Grains blackened and charred under the sovnya’s flame, but they kept coming, sealing up what should have been a fatal strike. Caldera twisted around to stare at me. We were less than five feet away, linked by the shaft of the polearm.
Uh-oh.
Caldera punched, her right arm extending past human reach.
I shoved against the sovnya, using it as leverage to drop down. Pain flared in my fingers as the blow went overhead, then I yanked out the polearm and rolled out of range.
Caldera aimed her palm at me and a cone of sand and grit blasted out.
There was no room to dodge. I spun and hunched over as the blast struck with a howl, drowning out everything around me. Particles of sand slashed at my back, trying to tear through my armour, rip the clothes from my skin and the skin from my bones. Tiny streaks of fire cut across patches of exposed skin. I couldn’t see or hear; all I could do was trust my armour—
My armour held. All of a sudden, the blasting sand was gone and light and sound came rushing back.
I sprang away. Hoarfrost was hitting Caldera with ice blasts, one after another, and Caldera was forced to turn from me to shield her face with one bulky arm. I could see a burnt patch across her torso, but she was moving as though she wasn’t even injured.
How the hell do you fight someone who can turn into sand?
When you can’t solve one problem, work on another. I turned towards Barrayar.
Barrayar had been nearer to the entrance, and Landis’s mages had focused on him. A perimeter was holding back the shadows, shooting down any that came near, while four or five mages were hammering Barrayar from all sides. Barrayar’s business suit was slashed and tattered, and his shield was barely holding under the attacks. But at the same time, I was sensing the battle on another level, attacks curving through space and time to the point at which they’d intersect. I knew it would take only a few seconds more.
A blast of fire from Landis knocked Barrayar off his feet. As Barrayar rose, a death mage stepped in behind him and rammed a blade of crackling black energy through Barrayar’s shield and body and out the other side. It was a fatal strike.
‘Back!’ I shouted at the death mage. He glanced at me in confusion.
Barrayar reached across under his arm, touched the death mage’s stomach and fired a narrow lance of force right through him.
The man’s eyes went wide in pain and he staggered back, collapsing. The blade through Barrayar’s chest fizzled and disappeared. Barrayar straightened up; blue light glowed around his wound and when it was gone the skin beneath his ripped clothes was unbroken and whole.
‘Oh, come on!’ Ji-yeong said in frustration. She’d stepped in next to me. ‘They can both do that?’
‘Different mechanism,’ I said absently. ‘Water magic.’ My thoughts were whirling. This must be why Anne had chosen these two for her defence team: the ones that were hardest to kill, slowest to get past. A shadow dropped down towards Ji-yeong and I cut it in two; she jumped aside as the flaming halves fell where she’d been standing. I could sense the lines of fate that marked Barrayar’s future. It wasn’t quite the same as my divination, though the divination helped. It was an awareness of the battle, a sense of its flow. I tried to use the fateweaver, guide the futures into the right channels—
The futures wavered and broke. Too many people, too many conflicting decisions. The Keepers were keeping Barrayar and Caldera busy, but they weren’t killing them. We needed to break them before reinforcements arrived.
I opened my senses, looking for some weakness. My divination couldn’t see far enough – too chaotic. But I could sense the lines of fate where Barrayar’s future ended. I couldn’t guide them in, not myself, but . . .
I reached out through the dreamstone. Landis, Luna. I think I can see how to kill Barrayar. I’ll need your help.
Well, he certainly doesn’t seem inclined to do it himself. Despite being engaged with Barrayar, Landis sounded detached and calm. What did you have in mind?
Luna, channel your curse into him, I ordered. Landis, cover.
Landis didn’t argue. He gave quick commands over his focus and the mages shifted formation. Luna had worked her way around the right side, near the wall; now she stepped up and levelled her whip, a line of silvery mist springing out from her to Barrayar.
Barrayar turned to focus on Luna, his hand coming up. Luna flinched but stood her ground. Beams of force flashed out, powerful enough to punch right through Luna’s armour and her body as well, but Tobias had moved next to her, his water shield expanding to cover them both. Blue light flared and the force attacks glanced away.
Luna kept her whip aimed at Barrayar, a steady stream of mist pouring into him. Shouts and gunfire echoed from all around, and from behind I could hear the boom of other mages fighting Caldera, but I couldn’t spare any attention. All of my focus was on that future I’d sensed through the fateweaver, drawing steadily closer. Landis, when I give the word, hit him with an incinerate spell, I said. Full power.
That type of spell—
—is bad against shields, I know. Trust me.
The silver mist around Barrayar was a bright glow, beautiful and deadly. Barrayar’s eyes were locked on Luna and he was still launching a steady stream of attacks but Tobias was blocking every one, glancing between Luna and Barrayar as he and Luna backed slowly away. Luna kept her wand aimed at Barrayar, her face set. Barrayar was advancing, shrugging off attacks from Landis and two other mages. It wouldn’t be long before he had them pinned against the wall.
I felt the futures shift. Luna’s curse had reached critical mass and it was looking for a way to discharge. Possibilities flickered: the ceiling collapsing, shadows mistaking Barrayar for a target, attacks aimed at Caldera striking him instead, ricocheting bullets . . .
Now, I told Landis, and pushed with the fateweaver. One future out of the dozens grew stronger. Luna’s curse latched onto it and the other futures winked out.
Landis struck. The world seemed to darken for a second before a roaring blast of flame exploded all around Barrayar, and just as it did, the mist of Luna’s curse flared and Barrayar’s shield collapsed. It was so fast that I didn’t see why. One second Barrayar was striding forward, aiming another force lance; the next his shield was gone and the air around him was incandescent fire.
Barrayar never had a chance to scream. His body flared, clothes and skin and flesh igniting in a single flame. A wave of heat washed over me, carrying the scent of ash and burnt flesh.
It was over in an instant. The charred remains of Barrayar finished the step he’d been taking and collapsed into a pile of scorched carbon. Only a few half-melted bones were left. For a moment, I saw something at the edge of my vision, a black winged shadow expanding outwards, then it was gone and somehow the atmosphere in the tombs felt less oppressive, the daylight from the windows a little brighter.
‘Regenerate that,’ I said to Barrayar’s remains. Then I turned to Caldera.
Caldera was looking at the charred bones. As every other Keeper in the room turned towards her, she sank into the flagstones beneath her, disappearing from view.
‘Stone glide,’ Landis said curtly over the comm. ‘We have an earth ifrit loose. All units report if you see it.’
I swore. Master earth mages can merge with earth and stone, passing through it like water and making them virtually impossible to catch or stop. Caldera had never been able to do it before, but apparently that was yet another ability the ifrit had given her. ‘Ji-yeong,’ I said, and pointed across at the other side of the room. There was a raised platform level with the second ring of sarcophagi, and mounted on it was what looked like a control interface. ‘Shut it down.’
Ji-yeong took off at a sprint, dodging around those shadows in her way. Landis issued orders: long-range fire lanced out from the Keepers, striking down the shadows on the stairs and far platform.
And as it did, I felt what I’d been waiting for and dreading. A flicker of space magic directly above.
‘Enemy gate!’ Compass called out over the comm. ‘You have enemies gating in directly above the tombs.’
Back! I sent to Ji-yeong. Ji-yeong had made it halfway up the stairs and was only seconds away from the platform. She slowed, hesitating.
Black light flashed. With a rumble, stone blocks fell from the ceiling, smashing down around the spot Ji-yeong had been aiming for. A column of sunlight came down through the hole in the roof, flickering for a second as it was blocked by a body.
Sagash glided down to land on the far platform.
It had been a long time since I’d seen the Dark master mage, and he hadn’t got any better looking. Yellowed skin was stretched tight over tendons and bones, and the lips were pulled back from his mouth to show his teeth in a fixed, unchanging grin. Pinpoints of yellow light glowed from his eyes as he stared down at Ji-yeong.
Ji-yeong took a step back, staring up at her ex-master with wide eyes. ‘Um,’ she began.
Sagash raised a hand.
Black death flashed out, and Landis’s magic darted to meet it. Orange-red fire met Sagash’s deathbolt and the two spells annihilated each other in a flash and a clap of thunder. Ji-yeong went tumbling down the steps and scrambled away out of range.
‘Ah, Sagash!’ Landis called out cheerfully. He’d marched forward and was standing at the front of the Keepers in the middle of the room. ‘Where were we?’
Sagash turned to fix Landis with an unblinking stare. A few shadows flapped in, but as Sagash gazed down they swerved away, pulling back to the sarcophagi. Around us, the gunfire died as the Council soldiers dropped back into a guard position, watching the shadows warily.
I spoke quietly into the comm focus. ‘Verus to command group. Reinforcements have arrived. Recommend you initiate immediately.’
Rain’s deep voice sounded in my ear. ‘Rain to command group. Perimeter established, Drakh’s forces contained. Ready to initiate.’
A pause, then Nimbus’s voice came in. ‘Verus. Please have Captain Landis confirm.’
‘Landis is occupied facing Sagash,’ I said through clenched teeth. It took serious effort not to add ‘you idiot’ to the end of that sentence.
Another pause. ‘Captain Landis. Please confirm.’
On the platform behind Sagash, sand and stone rose up from the platform, re-forming into the shape of Caldera. She folded her arms and stared at the mages beneath her.
What are they waiting for? I looked ahead—
Orange-red light bloomed from above and Variam came floating down. There was no obvious magic supporting him; I could sense some spell, but it wasn’t the fiery wings he’d used before. He just drifted, gliding sideways to touch down on one of the upper balconies above Sagash and to the right.
‘Captain Landis,’ Nimbus said into my ear, infuriatingly calm. ‘Please confirm.’
Landis cocked his head and spoke a single word. ‘Trident.’
‘Confirmed,’ Nimbus said. ‘Lumen and Sonder. Begin.’
‘Understood,’ Sonder said over the circuit, his voice strained. ‘Accumulator is active.’
Variam gazed down onto the room below. It had been three days since I’d seen him, and to a casual glance he looked much the same: his work clothes and black turban were clean and neat, and he didn’t look hurt. He didn’t radiate the same aura of menace that Caldera and Sagash did. Yet somehow, looking at the three mages facing us, it was him my eyes were drawn to.
I felt my heart sink. Oh no. It was what I’d been afraid of, right from when I noticed that Anne had taken five mages instead of four.
Variam’s voice rang out from the balcony. ‘You trespass.’ Standing still, the creature could have passed for Variam; speaking, the illusion was broken. The voice was measured, dispassionate . . . wrong.
Okay, four generals, Luna said over our mental link. First three are in Aether, Barrayar and Caldera, right?
Sagash is the fourth, I told her.
So Vari’s got a weaker ifrit? Luna asked hopefully.
It’s not an ifrit.
‘Master Jinn,’ Landis said courteously. ‘Delighted to make your acquaintance. I do hate to burst in unannounced, but I’m afraid that on behalf of the Light Council, I must inform you that we rather take some objection to your sultan’s plans.’
‘Yes,’ Variam said.
Landis, I said urgently through the dreamstone. Stall.
‘I don’t suppose you’d be interested in discussing the matter?’ Landis asked.
‘This realm approaches eternity.’ There was a weird dissonance to Variam’s voice, like an echo at the edge of hearing. ‘In contemplation you may understand.’
Landis paused. ‘Well, that’s certainly . . . interesting.’
‘What are we waiting for?’ someone muttered from behind me.
I spoke through the communication focus, my voice low and urgent. ‘Verus to beta team. The creature possessing Keeper Talwar is a marid jinn that used to be bound in an item called the monkey’s paw. Do not engage.’ Beside me, I heard Luna draw in her breath.
‘Excuse me a moment,’ Landis said to Variam, then spoke quietly into his communicator. ‘Verus. Analysis.’
‘Caldera and Sagash will attack first chance they get,’ I told him. ‘The marid won’t attack until you reach the platform.’
‘Understood. All units, hold fire.’
Alex? Luna asked. Tell me you’ve got a plan.
It’s been two minutes, I said. Accumulator will be ready in ten to fifteen more.
I don’t mean the accumulator!
I’m working on it.
Screw it. Luna stepped up next to me and called out across the room. ‘Vari!’
Variam turned his head slightly to look at her. From across the room, I searched his eyes, hoping for some spark of recognition, of humanity . . .
‘You’re not a marid,’ Luna called out. ‘You’re not a jinn, or the monkey’s paw. You’re Variam Singh, and I want to talk to you! Not the thing inside you!’
The marid looked back at Luna through Variam’s eyes.
‘Talk to me!’ Luna shouted. ‘Don’t just stand there!’
The marid’s voice was as calm as before. ‘The storm does not pierce the earth.’
‘You can’t do this!’ Luna shouted. ‘Variam isn’t some set of clothes for you to wear! He’s a person, and he matters to me!’
The marid seemed to focus on Luna. ‘Thought and feeling bend to law.’ The echo in Variam’s voice was stronger, as though other voices were trying to speak at the same time. ‘Your words are those of many, but they are in vain. Desire is what calls me from slumber, yet desire is not my banishment; the spark kindles the blaze but cannot bring its end. Only law is eternal.’
Somewhere away to the west, I felt something on my magesight. A sense of power, still weak, but growing. The accumulator was charging, and my eyes flicked between Sagash and Caldera and Variam. How long before they noticed?
‘What law?’ Luna said. ‘Martin signed a contract with you. Vari didn’t!’
The chamber was silent but for Luna and Variam; all around, Landis’s soldiers had their guns trained on the shadows or on the mages ahead of us. Landis stood at the front, his head slightly tilted so that he could listen to Luna without taking his eyes off Variam and Sagash. For now, everyone was obeying Landis’s order to hold off, but you could feel the tension in the air. It would only take one man to pull a trigger.
‘My allegiance was ancient when the creator of your mantle was young.’ Variam’s voice was calm, implacable. ‘The spark does not move the stone.’
Luna’s fingers clenched white on her wand. ‘Okay, fine,’ she said, and her jaw set. ‘Then maybe you’ll listen to this.’
My precognition warned me just in time, and my hand shot out to grab Luna’s wrist as she started to raise her wand. Don’t.
Luna’s eyes snapped. Get out of my way!
It won’t work, I said silently. I could feel Luna’s curse sinking into my arm; with an effort of will I forced myself to keep hold. Luna, your curse can do a lot of things, but it can’t do this. Please.
I could see the anger in Luna’s eyes, feel it through the mental link, fury and frustration, wanting to lash out. With a jerk, Luna pulled out of my grip, then she stared down at the silver mist swirling around my arm. Slowly she began to draw it back in, soaking into her own aura. It wasn’t as fast as usual.
‘I must admit, I’m a little curious as to what you mean by allegiance,’ Landis said. ‘Perhaps you could explain . . . ?’
Variam opened his mouth, then paused. He turned his head.
Adrenalin spiked through me. Get ready, I told Landis.
Variam stared west a second longer, then turned to look at Sagash and Caldera. They didn’t speak, but I could feel something passing between them.
‘All units, prepare to engage,’ Landis said quietly. ‘Do not allow those jinn to leave this room.’
Variam looked up towards the hole in the roof and crouched.
Landis spoke into the silence. ‘Fire.’
Everything happened at once.
Variam jumped, and as he did bolts of fire and ice slammed into him. His shield flared, absorbing the attack, but he was sent flying into the wall behind. The roar of automatic weapons filled the room, shadows twisting and falling. Sagash disappeared in a bloom of multicoloured light and Caldera was knocked back a step as a dozen bullets hit her.
The light faded to reveal Sagash standing, unharmed. He raised both hands, sparks flashing as bullets sank into his shield, and I felt magic gathering, dark and terrible. A point of darkness appeared above his head; it grew quickly, spinning as it did, becoming a ball of black fire.
