Without guards coming in frequent intervals, time slipped into the abstract. Ohacha sat in total darkness. No one came to replace the candles that once lit the dark corridors outside his cell. Neither did they bring more food or water. His stomach groaned at the mere thought of the bland porridge served prior. Thirst made his throat sticky. Patzau Minoc’s visitor was the last person to descend into the deep bowels of the fortress. It had been silent silence then. How long has it been? Three days? Ten? Ohacha wasn’t sure any more. The crawl of time twisted into disorienting emptiness. When left with nothing but time, only thoughts remain. Anxieties crawled their way in, eating away at them. He had been abandoned, again. Left to die in darkness. Forgotten in the depths of this terrible place.
Ohacha felt confident Minoc’s visitor had been Patzau Ashill. It was strange to think of her as Yuromi’s mother. The Patzau had a similar timbre to her voice, one that felt familiar. Yet at the same time it was distinct; hoarse, older, sadder. Maybe even a little melancholic, although perhaps he was projecting that feeling on to her words. She had come late into the night. It had been long after their evening meal—back when those still came—and Ohacha had listened with interest to their conversation. She had come seeking answers, and Minoc had woven her a tale so grandiose, Ohacha found it hard to comprehend it all. The big Patzau spoke in Tralang and had lost his jubilant vibrato. He too sounded tired and diminished.
When he finished, the voice in the darkness echoed his disappointment. “It seems I’ve fallen into the same trappings.” She sighed heavily, “Always making promises outside the council chambers. Promises and trust under the guise of progress.”
“In the beginning, it was the same for me” Mellen explained. “And for a while, I played along. But I don’t blame you. Yours has always been the most precarious position.”
“What changed?” she asked. Ohacha leaned closer to his cell door to listen.
“I stopped believing what I was being told and started looking for the truth” Mellen answered. He explained how, years ago, a pair of newly promoted bankers from Powanati’s guild had discovered accounting errors. Funds disappearing. Miscounts on ledgers. Errors that, when raised to their seniors, were first ignored, then stonewalled, then disciplined for. With nowhere to turn, they agreed to go to Yohati’s auditors. The banker who went died unexpectedly that same night in a mugging. “That was when I first heard about it” Mellen admitted. “The remaining banker fled the city. I sailed to Juking in secret to meet her. I heard the whole story from her, and then came back to look into it myself. I had already started my network of spies, so it wasn’t difficult to collect rumours. Everything I’ve collected on accounting errors is hidden in a false drawer inside my kitchen cabinet. Left hand side, under the bowls, there’s a hidden latch. Inside are copies of the account notations on parchment dating back years.”
“Why didn’t you bring this forward to the council? Yanata asked.
“The council is behind it” Mellen explained. “I only ever found proof against Powanati and Hadashenta, but those two were paying bribes to Adagizhi and Onudar. I always suspected Yohati was either involved or willing to turn a blind eye. Regardless, that’s majority. I needed more evidence and I needed more support.”
“And instead, you got caught.”
“No,” Mellen scoffed. “I’m not that stupid. I got bolder. And that was enough. But there’s one more thing I found. Not only were taxes disappearing from accounts, extra money has been flowing into our friend’s pockets. Careyago eyes are upon our city. Their influence in our politics has risen. Money, favours, business. Their current Emperor is an expansionist. Ju-Nayo, the Aandarri, the Ohegan Sea Kings, the Thalang, the Mar. They’re at constant war, rotating peace treaties and hostilities like a gambler rolling dice. The City States across the isles don’t facilitate enough trade to feed the empire’s hunger. Between the northern storms and the Ohegans raiding trade, Caso has become the last bastion with which the Careyago can import goods from the far east. It is the emperor’s prerogative to ensure this final door remains open, at any cost.”
Patzau Ashill hadn’t asked any more questions after that, simply stewing over his words. As did Ohacha. Minoc’s speech was also meant for him. For first time, he understood his enemy’s weaknesses. Minoc had laid it all bare for him. But it was Minoc’s final words that would leave a lasting impression, “Hopes are for the feeble—an indulgence. When led by truth, forged by virtue, and tempered by patience, purpose is the greatest weapon. Only with purpose can one master fate.”
Ohacha awoke the next morning to an unsettling silence. The candles had wicked out, and no one had come to replace them. Breakfast remained undelivered. Minoc was gone. Only ghosts shared his dark prison. He called out, timidly at first but soon with vigorous croaking screams. Still, no one came. As the silence deepened, so too did Ohacha’s despair. He clung to the small misguided hope that this was all a mistake. A misunderstanding. That he wasn’t really alone.
Ravenous hunger told him days had passed when next the silence was shattered. Soldiers shuffled noisily as they descended into the darkness. The candle cast shadows that spilled through the small window. The light and sounds stirred Ohacha from numb stillness. The murmur of voices and the clattering of keys down the hall indicated they had come for Minoc at last. But Minoc was gone. And only as panicked and angry shouts filled the hall did Ohacha realize Minoc’s departure that night wasn’t planned. Patzau Ashill had freed him.
*
Elvi Batari sat alone in her office. Unreviewed reports scattered her desk but her nerves made it hard to read them. Patzau Ashill was missing. Gone. Absent. There had been no directions from the top following the latest incursion into Mudtown. The fighting had left scores of dead, and the guild hospitals were already choking on the plethora of wounded. From the lowest clerks to the high commanders, everyone was on edge. Elvi was desperate for Patzau Ashill’s return. But her absence made her anxieties all the more powerful. Where are you, Yanata?
A building roar of voices shattered the tense silence. It drew Elvi to her window. Below, a lone figure led a surge of bodies in its wake across the bridge to the central keep. The crowd swept forward with a terrifying urgency. Concerned, and more than a little curious, Elvi abandoned her desk and joined the throng of people starting to congregate in the officer’s tower. Soldiers filled the hall and at their helm marched Gal Burm with Janos Tydana at his side. They were an unnatural pair. Both men wore the same look—an ominous, merciless ferocity. A look, Elvi realized, they had directed at her.
“Aginjigaade Batari” Burm announced, his eyes fixed on hers. He was upset about something, and Elvi really didn’t want to deal with him at the moment. “We need a word” Burm said, drawing closer. “In your office, now.” It was an order, which was bizarre. But all eyes trained on her and Elvi felt that making a scene wouldn’t help the anxious tension. Confused and a little annoyed, Elvi smiled politely and opened her door to the large Captain and the shadowy Janos. Burm slammed the door behind him, the sound amplifying Elvi’s irritation.
“What’s going on? What is the meaning of this?” Elvi demanded, her voice steady.
“Where are they?” Burm demanded, his voice thick with contained rage. “Where are Ashill and Minoc?”
“What? What are you talking about?” Elvi countered; her brow furrowed.
“Don’t play innocent,” Burm snapped. “Patzau Minoc is gone. Missing from his cell. Yanata too. Where did they go?”
Elvi’s eyes widened, a flicker of genuine surprise crossing her face. “Gone? How?”
“You tell us,” Janos suggested calmly, his voice laced with accusation.
“You think I had something to do with it?” Elvi asked, insulted.
“Of course!” Janos said sternly. “Tell us what she did with him! Where is Yanata?”
“I don’t know” Elvi said. She was distracted, contemplating if Patzau Ashill really might have done what they were accusing.
“You’re lying, Batari” Burm said accusingly, pulling her back from her thoughts. “You’ve always been close with Ashill. What has she done? Where is Minoc?”
“How should I know?” Elvi’s anger flared, her voice rising. “She’s Patzau, not me. I had no idea Minoc was gone until you barged in just now!”
Burm stepped closer, his presence looming. He was big. Elvi only ever remembered his big personality. She hadn’t seen him much in the short time he’d been back from the interior. A cruel smile played across his lips as he said, “You seem to be the last to know, then.” A grim satisfaction was clear across his face. “Yanata was removed from her position by the council. The decision came this morning after last night’s failed incursion.” He paused, savoring the moment. “And I have been selected as the new Patzau of the Soldier’s Guild.”
The shock came as a physical blow. Elvi did her best to keep her face impassive. She failed. She cursed the unbelievable idea of Burm being Patzau. Her disgust turned to rage. “I spoke with Yanata after she approved the attack” Elvi said, her voice low, “Last night’s incursion was led by you! How is it the council promotes you off the same failure that saw her stripped of her rank?”
Burm’s smile faltered. “Don’t…” he warned.
Elvi ignored him and pressed further, “And how is it that you—a captain—and not one of our several outranking commanders was selected for the role of Patzau? Daddy’s connections get you the job? Or perhaps you spread your cheeks wide enough for the council to gift the new title?”
“Enough” Janos snapped, stepping between Burm who looked ready to strangle her. Elvi met his gaze in defiance.
“Do not make an enemy out of me, Batari.” Burm warned. “Being Yanata’s favourite won’t protect you any longer. I am your Patzau now.”
*
Far below, a low vibration shuddered through the cold floor. Ohacha could feel the strange sensation long before he heard the slow grinding sound the emanated from the wall. Too tired to do anything else, he shuffled to stare into the blackness. I’m going insane. The walls are talking to me. But then a hole opened and a dim light spread into the cell. The light was tossed through the hole and tumbled across the floor, filling the room with a white glow. An illum stone? Ohacha had to shield his eyes as he got to his feet.
Gaba’ké crawled through the hole, a wide smile across his face. Ohacha stared with a hollow disbelieving look as the old Aginjigaade—plastered in dirt and debris—swept forward. Ohacha stumbled as he tried to cross the small room but Gaba’ké’s sturdy arms locked him in a tight embrace. Gaba’ké held him, despite being a head shorter and a hand short. Ohacha collapsed into his old mentor and the tears welled in his eyes. A wave of shame and relief came. All of his anxieties retreated under the love and gratitude he held for the old man, his other uncle in all but blood. A friend who came back for him, despite Ohacha’s betrayal. They held each other in the silent darkness and it was a long time before Ohacha overcame his emotions and wiped the tears from his eyes.
“You came back?” Ohacha croaked, his voice soft and self-deprecating.
“Of course I did” Gaba’ké said, straightening Ohacha’s shoulders.
Ohacha’s looked at his old mentor. He was noticeably tired. Dirt covered his hair and face. His white hair was stained with the earth. Ohacha’s eyes landed on Gaba’ké’s missing hand and he pulled away reflexively, then felt ashamed by his actions. He felt responsible. “Your hand…” Ohacha stammered. “Is it healing?”
“Its healing” Gaba’ké replied with a gruff dismissiveness. “I’m still getting used to it.”
“But–” Ohacha stammered, “It was my fault. All of this was my fault. And then, with the ambassador… you were right. I made things so much worse.”
Gaba’ké placed his left hand on Ohacha’s shoulder and Ohacha met his gaze. “You, Ohacha, are my pride and joy; my future king. You made a mistake. But I know you to be a man who learns from mistakes. A man who thinks hard about doing the right thing, even when that choice is near impossible. What you and Cask decided went against my advice and guidance, but that doesn’t mean that you are a bad person.”
“I’m so sorry” Ohacha repeated. “I understand now what you and Aramuk meant when you said the Careyago had claws in this city.”
“It is a lesson then,” Gaba’ké said with a sober smile. “One you won’t soon repeat. By taking action, we lost our neutrality. You gave those who might have defended us no choice but to stand aside. Actions have consequences. But where I have failed you, is in ignoring that inactions too have their consequences. In retrospect, the ambassador’s allies were planning to come for us anyway. Your counterattack only accelerated their plans, but you were right to want for action. In my reservations for your safety, I left us vulnerable.”
Ohacha nodded slowly. “What about Cask and Rolena?”
“I’ve already found them” Gaba’ké said, his eyes closed. “I had to expend a lot of energy to tunnel in. I don’t have much left in me. I’ve been at it for a long time. We’ll need to go on foot.”
“What about other Aginjigaade?” Ohacha asked nervously. “Can’t they sense you?”
“They could, if they knew to look. But it seems to be our good fortune that they are on the far side of the fortress and are distracted for the time being. Go on” Gaba’ké insisted towards the door. Ohacha pushed lightly and the door swung outwards, as if it had never been locked. The stone that used to catch the bolt came away like melted wax, soft and brittle. A soft creaking sound echoed through the empty hall.
The two men stepped out into the dimly lit hallway and passed the other cells and up the stairs. The fortress, especially its lower levels, seemed labyrinthian. Shadows clung to the walls between sconces. The stonework was a strange mix of cut stones and various bricks that made the structure a patchwork of history. They turned left, descended another half level, and then ascended again after another turn, only pausing to allow the soft echo of voices to pass ahead. The soldiers passed, and Gaba’ké led Ohacha down a curving hallway to a plain looking locked door. Ohacha pushed lightly and the door opened softly with the same crumbling lock-stop. Gaba’ké gave a prideful smile.
Rolena stood with her back to the door. She was staring out a small window that let in real daylight. The door groaned and she whipped around defensively. Her face lit up as she spotted Ohacha and Gaba’ké in the doorway. She ran across the room and embraced the pair of them in one great hug.
“How did you find me?” Rolena asked, excitedly.
Gaba’ké held his finger to his lips and answered softly, “I’ll tell you later. Cask first. Before our window to come and go disappears.” He led them out towards Casks cell. It opened the same as the last two. Inside, the gruff looking swordsman was asleep in the corner. Rolena moved to take a step forward and Ohacha stopped her before she could enter.
“It’s us” Ohacha said. “You can stop pretending.”
Cask winked open one of his eyes, then rose to his feet energetically. “I thought you were one of the guards” he said.
“And you planned on us and fighting your way out alone?” Ohacha asked.
“Well, no. But I wanted to give myself the option,” Cask said awkwardly scratching his scarred bald head. “But when you put it that way…” Gaba’ké appeared behind Ohacha and Rolena. Cask stared at his old friend. “I wasn’t sure you’d come back for us” he said humbly.
“That’s nonsense” Gaba’ké said smiling. “You knew I would try.” The two men embraced in a tight hug. “I lost a hand, not my spirit. Where else would I go?” Gaba’ké asked jovially.
He was all smiles, but Ohacha could see the exhaustion seeping in. He moved slower and was taking rough breaths. The dig had taken more out of the man than he cared to admit. And for the first time, Ohacha wondered just how long he’d been down there tunneling. Hours? Days? Cask sensed much the same and they made eyes.
“Let’s get you three out of here” Gaba’ké announced.
*
Elvi, her patience exhausted, had made to escape from Burm and Janos, lest she truly lose her temper. Unfortunately, the two men hadn’t taken well to being ignored. She had slipped past them into the hallway and they had chased her. Too many bodies filled the stairs and Burm had quickly caught up. Their continued argument now drew onlookers whose faces were a mix of concerned and pallid.
Elvi turned in frustration. “My loyalties lie with the guild!” she yelled, “And with Caso!”
“And yet you refuse to cooperate” Burm blurted. “Instead, you’re trying to protect Yanata from the repercussions of her actions and in doing so, you’re lying to me; your new Patzau. You’re a damned traitor Elvi!”
“You accuse me of treason?” Elvi shouted, her voice echoing through the hallway for all to hear. “You’re the one who’s been orchestrating this ousting of Patzau Ashill and using your family connections to place you in this new Patzau role. I didn’t choose you. None of the people in this room voted for you take her place. And there are two dozen people who deserve that post more than you do. Half of them are in this room!”
“Elvi!” Janos warned, his voice venomous. Captains and commanders peered their heads out of doorways, their faces curious and apprehensive.
Elvi ignored Janos. What the hell is he doing here anyway? If they want a public spat, I’ll give them a public spat. “You’re nothing but a puppet!” Elvi declared, her voice contemptuous. “A pawn for the Council to manipulate. You’ve been handed your title through nepotistic bullshit instead of advancing through experience. You wouldn’t have even been in the running, had there been a vote.”
Janos looked defeated, “You’ve crossed a line, Elvi. You are hereby–”
Burm had other plans. His face flushed crimson interrupted Janos’ announcement to roar, “Under arrest for treason! You are a disgrace to this guild and our great city. You are guilty of aiding Patzau Ashill in her treasons and will await trial for your crimes!”
The room froze. Elvi froze. Janos froze. Only Burm seemed capable of emotion, and his was rage plain and clear. “I said arrest her!” he bellowed to the surrounding soldiers. Nobody dared move. “Fine, I’ll do it myself.” The slow ringing of metal came as Burm drew the giant sword at his hip. The reality of what Burm had done—was doing—hit Elvi like gale. Janos, who seemed disappointed moments before, now appeared energized. His consciousness slammed into hers and only years of training kept him from crushing her with his agindan spirit alone.
Elvi stabilized, keeping Janos’s powerful consciousness at bay. She selected a spirit and primed herself to channel through it. The wind is everywhere. One of the soldiers on Elvi’s right took a cautious step forward and Elvi jumped away from him, floating backwards an inhuman distance as if immune to gravity’s pull. She touched down, light as air and the scent of her sorcery filled the room, pungent.
Janos channeled in reply and she smelled his sorcery join hers in a tangle. Theirs were alike; light and air. The softest amongst the Aginjigaade scents. His was more medicinal than hers while Elvi’s was stickier on the nose, crisp like ozone.
“Submit yourself” Burm growled, sword brandished. Elvi eyed the blade nervously.
“I’ve done nothing wrong” Elvi shouted back. “Your accusations are baseless and–”
“And yet you resist!” Burm countered. “Had you nothing to hide, you would submit and face trial. If you are truly innocent, all will be revealed.”
“You drew your sword on me! On a fellow soldier. Don’t speak to me of justice. If you truly wanted answers, you wouldn’t have barged in with a mouth full of accusations and ears closed to listening. You have no proof because your charges are fictions. But if we’re here to reveal each other’s crimes, I’ve got lots to say about you, Gal. I have proof your squad took bribes from different tribes to butcher their rivals. I know you extorted money from illegal checkpoints. I know you recovered the auction house fortune and didn’t report it to Yanata, keeping it for yourself. You’re a brute and a thief, and so long as you are Patzau, there will be no justice in these halls.”
Burm charged. He was quick for a big man, but Elvi was a step ahead. She channeled her energy and pushed back at Burm, the very wind resisting his movements like a man fighting against a gale. She dodged him with ease, evading his bulk in the corridor. Her hands flew down to her side where she carried her sword and found it missing. Shit, Elvi thought, I left it in the office when I stormed out.
Burm’s figure split into two, and then three. Illusions. The three Burm’s charged from three sides. Janos, Elvi thought. She pushed backwards and away from all three Burms. They advanced again, each one with its blade drawn. She focused hard, reading the subtle patterns in the air. She dodged right and stepped right through the second illusion of Burm as it chopped down at her.
“Four on one hardly seems fair” Elvi taunted. She tried her best to sound calm, but inside she was a mess of panic. Soldiers spilled into the hall. They blocked the doorways and exits. Burm’s minions blocked the stairs and watched with baleful looks. No weapon. No shield. Exits blocked. Spirits, I’m in trouble!
“You’ve crossed a line, Elvi” Janos said from the far side of the corridor.
“I’ve crossed a line!?” Elvi shouted back, avoiding another advance from Burm. “I’m unarmed! Burm is swinging his fucking sword like he aims to kill me. What happened to my promise of a trial? I’d say you two have crossed a fucking line!”
“A trial would have resolved this” Janos shouted back.
That drove her into a rage of indignation. “I saw how you conduct a trial!” Elvi roared. “Where you and Madaral executed hundreds of people without hearing anything but their fucking names!? You’re insane if you think I would ever trust you to handle matters of justice.”
*
Ohacha trailed behind Gaba’ké, Cask, and Rolena. His legs trembled with every step. The old Aginjigaade led the way back down into the warrens of the fortress. There was a foreboding sense of unease in the silent halls. The fortress seemed barren. Ohacha had expected a jailbreak to include sneaking around every corner and guards giving chase. Instead, they passed only empty corridors and long shadows. They moved unimpeded, the eerie silence of the fortress pressing down on them. There was no time to wonder where the guards had vanished to; only a frantic desire to reach the tunnel. Gaba’ké pressed on, guiding them down a steep, pitch-black stairwell that led into the lower dungeons—the dark place Ohacha had been abandoned. How long has it been? He wondered, his hand following the slimy wall for balance and direction. Days? Weeks?
Ohacha’s cell glowed unnaturally. The illum stone Gaba’ké had brought filled the small cell. But as Gaba’ké pushed his way in, he froze. Ohacha ran right into him, causing both to stumble. “What is it?” Ohacha hissed, fearing the worst. Gaba’ké had turned up to faced in what felt like a random direction. He focused intently, ignoring Ohacha’s question.
Cask and Rolena stood awkwardly in the open hallway. They looked around anxiously, not wanting to be caught here and now of all times and places. “What’s going on?” Cask hissed, after a moment. He cast a nervous glance back towards the stairs.
“There are two Aginjigaade inside the tower” Gaba’ké said, his voice frightened.
“And?” Ohacha urged impatiently. This hardly seemed the moment to stop and reflect on that. “You already told me that” Ohacha whispered urgently.
His face ashen, Gaba’ké said, “They’re fighting”
*
Elvi stood in the hallway, her back against the wall, and darkness descended over her eyes. She had witnessed Janos use this ability once before, deep in the prisons of the Northern Barracks. She had expected it, and still it unnerved her. She prayed that Burm too was blinded by the effect. The patterns of movement in the air suggested otherwise. He continued his advance towards her. Elvi dashed, using the wind and the sounds in the room as her eyes and was blinded by the light as she escaped Janos’ sphere of darkness. Burm chased, sword drawn, and the dark orb followed her like some kind of otherworldly demon. They were corralling her.
Elvi focused on where Janos stood. He was right in front of her office door and a desperate idea sprung to her mind as his orb of darkness enveloped her once again. She switched spirits, losing her sense of the wind, and forced a burst of air through her office door. It hit him hard in the back and the darkness disappeared for a fraction of time. But that fraction was just enough for her to see Burm’s lumbering body and the arcing swing of his sword. She slipped underneath the huge man’s blade and scrambled away.
“For a person you intend to arrest, you’re certainly swinging to kill” Elvi taunted, still trying to buy herself time for escape.
She just needed a window. Janos was back on his feet and clearly angered by the unexpected blow. Elvi had hoped she might have hit him hard enough to knock him out or something. Anything that might give her a chance to escape the tower. Instead, only Janos’ pride seemed wounded. Burm bellowed again, stabbing forward with his blade. Elvi blew herself away again and found herself backed into the stairwell that led to the roof hatch. The roof!
Elvi breezed up the steep and narrow stairs that led to the roof hatch. She had just enough time to scramble up and mustered a huge gust of wind to blow open the trapdoors. They crashed into the flat stone roof with a bang and Elvi followed through the gap. Burm was already right behind her, one hand on his huge sword. But now she stood with all the spirits of the skies at her back. Elvi channeled with as much power as she could muster and a gale blew down the narrow hatchway. Burm was hit with the full blast of her power and he tumbled backwards down the stairs, hitting the bottom with a hard crack. He didn’t stir. Elvi panted, praying it was over. Instead, Janos’s dark eyes looked up at her from below.
Another hard wave of agindan consciousness slammed into her and Elvi winced, doing her best to keep her mind closed and her spirit strong. It was agonizing. He was strong. Far stronger than Elvi ever imagined. It felt as if his very will could crush hers. She struggled under his assault. Elvi had been a soldier near all her life, but never had she fought another Aginjigaade. It was clear at once that Janos had that experience she lacked. Elvi dropped to her knee and focused everything she had on withstanding his mental barrage.
After what felt like an eternity, the pressure eased. Elvi opened one eye and saw Janos on the roof, approaching. How is that possible? Her heart was pounding and she panted hard, trying to keep herself together. Janos appeared unfettered. How is he this powerful?
“It’s just you and me now” Janos said. His voice was a blur.
Janos was still several steps away but Elvi knew it wise to fear his approach. She dug deep and tried with all her might to break free of the lessened pressure of his spiritual assault. She channeled, sending another surge downward like the palm of the heavens, crushing him under the pressure of the atmos. Janos fought to stay standing. Elvi held on as best she could but tired fast, having no choice but to ease the pressure or faint.
The wind subsided. Janos slowly regained his feet. Elvi was panting, sweat dripping down her brow. Janos seemed unperturbed. Why didn’t he attack with his full strength down below when Burm was swinging? It would have been easy for them. Elvi didn’t have time to wonder. Instead, she was just thankful he hadn’t gone all out, knowing it would have spelled her demise. Her eyes darted across the rooftop, but there wasn’t anywhere to go. Behind Janos was the hatch that led back into the tower and the fortress. Behind her was the long drop down the steep cliff face to the sea below. She was cornered. Buy time, Elvi repeated to herself, a mantra for survival.
“This was pre-planned, wasn’t it?” Elvi asked, getting back to her feat.
Janos looked behind him before saying, “Yes, it was I’m afraid.”
Elvi blinked at his honesty, “The trial would have found me guilty, same as Minoc?”
“That was the plan” Janos admitted, “But Burm was never supposed to let you out of your office. He underestimated you. He thinks very highly of himself. I don’t think he understands what you and I are capable of. He doesn’t understand our kind, Aginjigaade.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Elvi asked.
“Because I can and it won’t matter. You have to die” Janos said. He spoke the words not as a threat, but as an inevitability. He walked over to the trapdoor behind him and closed it, something appeared between the bars, locking the trapdoor closed. “You cannot be allowed to leave, or to join Ashill, wherever it is she’s gone with Minoc. It could mean chaos, instability.”
“And what we have now isn’t instability?” Elvi said accusatorily.
“I misspoke” Janos said calmly, “It could mean splitting this city down the center, civil war and unrest. It cannot be allowed to happen. Not now, with so many enemies on our doorsteps.”
“I won’t die peacefully” Elvi said, not sure what else to say.
Janos’ smile was wicked. “I never hoped you would. Where would be the fun in that?”
Light appeared around Janos and it blinded her. Elvi turned away instinctively, and he rushed in towards her. Elvi jumped away, feeling his movements through the wind. She drew up a curtain of hot air from the sun-baked rooftop in front of her and used the refraction to bend and refract the intense light. He became blurry, but blurry was better than invisible. It was much easier to react to his movements when she could see something, rather than rely on her senses alone. It required too much focus.
He approached, but like her was empty handed. That scared Elvi most of all. For Janos moved like a man that knew what he would do when he caught her and yet Elvi couldn’t fathom what his plan might be. As she continued to evade, it became clear to Janos that his blinding trick wasn’t working. He released the blinding light and the rooftop plunged into darkness. Elvi’s senses told her to panic. Her mind kept her from following through. As the epicenter, Elvi blasted air outwards in all directions in a sudden gust. She could feel him, turbulence in the airstream she smothered him with. He stood his ground, unmoving. She tightened the focus of her stream, but felt the drain of continuous focus start to pull on her mind. I can’t keep this up. I still need to escape. The darkness lapsed. Elvi stared across at Janos. He smiled. He’s enjoying this. The thought unnerved her.
“How many Aginjigaade have you killed?” Elvi asked.
“Fewer than I would have wished” Janos said, his eyes sharp. “Some escaped. Some I’ve had to leave be. Others I let go to make the hunt more enjoyable once they’ve fully… developed.”
“You’re sick!” Elvi shouted. She was panting hard.
“Batari,” Janos said, raising his hands to the sky, “You have been granted a power greater than mere mortals. Yet you treat it like it’s nothing. You lack ambition. You serve those beneath you. You and I have been given power, power far beyond what regular souls can comprehend. And you squander it. I have witnessed what true power looks like, and I hope one day to reach that great achievement.”
“And what does true power look like?” Elvi asked. Buy more time. Think!
“Have you never left this city?” Janos asked.
Elvi wiped her brow. Her hand came away covered in sweat. “No” she admitted.
“You’ve never sailed the seas or climbed the great mountain?” Janos asked.
“The mountains?” Elvi repeated.
“The great Casoyan mountain! The volcano!” Janos shouted, “Have you never felt the presence of the ancient spirit that dwells within the Volcano, the one the filthy mountain ilk worship? The one they call Yomu?”
“No” Elvi said softly. Yomu? She recognized that name.
“Bah! You bind yourself to ignorance” Janos said condescendingly. “Why the spirits gave you the gift, I’ll never fathom. You, who has never felt the true power of the ancient spirits of seas and skies. Spirits of thunder, powerful enough to waste this fortress with the beat of a wing. Spirits of the deep oceans, large enough to pull down a O’Kwiran War Galley. Spirits of the forest, as large as the auction hall.”
“Myths and legends” Elvi scoffed. “Stories told to children.”
“Says the woman who has never left this small city. What you believe matters little to me” Janos spat. “You’ll be dead soon anyway.”
A flash of light blinded Elvi again. When she opened her eyes, dozens of illusions filled the rooftop. Duplicates of Janos Tydana. Elvi blinked and more seemed to appear. She focused again. If I can find you in the darkness, finding you through some illusions will be no different.
Elvi channelled power and blasted air outwards in a stream. She found his real body immediately. Her stream of air crashed against him, pinning his body in place. Then all Janos illusions rushed her at once, despite the onslaught. She increased the pressure, trying to hold him back. Instead, a tingle on her neck gave the faintest warning that something was awry. She relented and rechanneled, trying to gauge what had given her the odd feeling. She felt the air to her right shift with movement.
Elvi moved on instincts alone. Her senses felt the strangeness of the illusion before it ever reached her. She locked eyes with it, and the look in its eyes felt so real. And then it grabbed at her with a real hand. The shock was instantaneous. Elvi tried to evade, to pull herself away beyond the illusion’s grasp. But then an odd and painful feeling spread through her chest like fire.
A sudden blast of air propelled Elvi across the roof away from Janos, who was somehow not an illusion. She rolled painfully, and looked down at her chest where Janos’ touch had frozen her. The pain was immense and instantiations. It felt as if her organs had been set on fire. Elvi clawed at her own skin under her clothes, finding herself frozen solid where Janos’ hand had touched her. Yet he had only grasped her for a fraction of a second.
“You managed to escape?” Janos remarked. His cold face took on a tone of surprise. “I’ve never faced an Aginjigaade of your affinity before” he admitted. “You have been more… elusive that I expected. I was hoping to stop your heart.”
Elvi screamed. The pain was like nothing she had ever felt before. What was fuck was that? she panted. “How the hell did you do that?”
Janos sucked on his teeth. “Oh, Elvi. You weren’t supposed to survive long enough to ask questions.” A bang from the trapdoor rattled nosily and both Janos and Elvi turned as a muffled voice screamed through the barred hatchway. “Looks like Burm is awake. Should I let him up?” Janos taunted.
“You…” Elvi said, pain spreading through her core. “You have two affinities, don’t you?” she asked, incredulous. The smell of his second sorcery hit her. It was cold and bracing, like frost on the trees. Not at all like the smell of his light sorcery. “That’s not possible!” Is it?
“I told you that you blind yourself in ignorance” Janos mocked. “Your blasts of wind certainly helped to keep my efforts disguised” he added with an unsettling laugh. Elvi looked over to where she though Janos had been, the place where she had been focusing her power and a statue of ice stood where Janos had once been. “But this won’t do. Not a living soul knows about my second affinity, Elvi” Janos said with a smirk. “So, it’s a secret you’re going to have to carry to your grave.”
He charged again. This time, he didn’t hide his intentions with tricks of light or a sudden blanket of darkness, and somehow, that made everything worse. Elvi scrambled to her feet. Fear flooded her body. She feared him and she feared death. She hadn’t even found her escape route.
Not knowing what else to do, Elvi turned and leapt from the tower. She wasn’t sure which way she’d jumped. Only the sea below and the long sheer cliffs gave any indication. Elvi committed to the one option she had feared most. She focused on trying to survive the fall. She would need everything left to slow her descent. Then all she could do next was pray she’d miss the rocks. The deep blue of the sea below approached with terrifying speed. She already grasped the right spirit, ready to channel. Ready to slow her descent when the moment came. The sea hurtled towards her. The wind whipped by her face. She readied.
And then something hit her from behind. She tumbled, no longer in control. Unready, as the ice spear launched by Janos impaled her body. Then she hit the water.
Janos watched from above as Elvi’s body hit the sea below. They were so high up, he could barely make out the splash amongst the waves. Damn it. This wasn’t supposed to be how it happened. He was certain that he had hit her. Her tumble confirmed it. But she was never supposed to jump. They would need to recover her body. The sooner the better.
The difficulty now would require keeping the whole ordeal contained. They would need the right story. A guilty suicide. Janos turned and opened the hatch, dissolving his icicle bar that had frozen the door shut. Burm burst through, sword drawn. Blood was smeared across his face from where he had wiped it with his hand. A small trickle of blood ran down from his hairline. More than that, there was fury in his eyes. He was angry. Bloodthirsty.
“Where is she?” Burm demanded, looking around.
“She jumped” Janos said. “To tell you the truth, I didn’t think she had it in her.”
“Jumped?” Burm growled through gritted teeth. “Could she have survived?”
“No” Janos said.
“She’s an Aginjigaade!” Burm said, turning on him. “With an air affinity! What if she… flew or something.”
“She’s dead!” Janos snapped. “I watched her fall. She hit the water. Surviving a fall from that height is impossible, even for her. But you need to get on top of this, right now.” Janos said, meeting Burm’s angry eyes. “Get the story out that she jumped. Make it clear that you and I approached her about crimes she committed, freeing Minoc or whatever. She seemed to know a lot about your history. Which means somebody else knows your dark past too. Find out who. Clean it up. Put them on her record if you have to. I don’t care. Make it clear that she was guilty and jumped to escape punishment, rather than face judgement.”
“But she did” Burm said.
“Exactly…” Janos said, trying not to strangle the brute of a man. “But make sure alternative stories are snuffed before they can do damage. Quell conspiracies. Control the narrative. We can’t have an investigation that damages either of our reputations. In the meantime, send someone you trust out to look for her body. They’ll need a boat.”
“Don’t order me around, Tydana. I’m Patzau of this guild” Burm growled.
“And I’m telling you how to keep your fucking title” Janos hissed back. “If we weren’t at war right now, this would have been your downfall. Pulling your sword on her? What the fuck were you thinking!? Hopefully with all the other bullshit going on, we can keep this under wraps.” Janos turned and left Burm without waiting for his response. Burm stood distracted at the edge of the tower, eyes fixed on the see below.
*
Gaba’ké held his heart. He had kept a watchful gaze on the battle unfolding far above atop the fortress tower. He recognized Elvi from their encounter, and now he recognized the strange dual-affinitied Aginjigaade who had beaten her and sent her to a watery grave. She had been channeling at full power. She had given everything and more in her clash, but it hadn’t been enough. Gaba’ké understood how that felt. She seemed a good person and he would mourn her. But with equal importance, he had remained to bear witness to her final moments. Her had bore witness to the identify of her murderer; the man with two affinities; the one Kuta sought in vengeance. The murderer who had slain her mentor. More disconcerting, he was a man Gaba’ké had stood face-to-face with a near dozen times. Not once had he suspected the wickedness within. Elvi’s murderer was none other than Patzau Yohati’s Aginjigaade, Janos Tydana.
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