Jonathan Moeller - The Ghosts 05 - Ghost in the Stone (24 page)

“Answer the question,” said Caina. “How does Ranarius turns his foes to stone?”

Another long silence, and the shadow began to speak. 

Apparently, it was more frightened of the Moroaica than whatever had turned Claudia and Saddiq and the others to stone.

That thought turned Caina’s spine to ice.

“An elemental of stone,” said the shadow. “You know of them, dark one…or at least one of your shadows does. A spirit of earth, of stone, of rock unyielding and eternal. There are many such spirits in the netherworld…and many others in the mortal world, hibernating in wombs of stone. Mhadun thinks Ranarius is a fool, but he is the greater fool. For Ranarius delved deep into the ancient lore and learned of one such spirit. He came to its lair and awoke the elemental, binding it to his will.” The shadow laughed. “As well should a mouse enslave a lion. The elemental will devour Ranarius when it gains its freedom. For the lives of you little mortals are over in a heartbeat.” 

“Can the process be reversed?” said Caina. “Can the statues become living flesh and blood once more?” 

She saw Corvalis lean forward.

“It can,” said the shadow. “If you enslave the elemental yourself, you can command it to free its victims. Or you could free the elemental and hope that it will liberate its victims out of gratitude to you.” Derision dripped from the terrible voice. “That is not likely.” 

“Why?” said Caina. “Why did Ranarius enslave the elemental? Merely to use it as a weapon against his foes?”

“For freedom,” said the shadow.

“Freedom?” said Caina. “Freedom from what?”

“Ranarius is a slave,” said the shadow, “as is Mhadun.”

“I am no man’s slave!” spat Mhadun.

“But unlike Mhadun, Ranarius has the wit to see his enslavement,” said the shadow. “The elemental is a guardian, a keeper. Ranarius sought out the guardian and enslaved it, not for the guardian’s own considerable powers, but to claim what the guardian protected.” 

“What?” said Nadirah. “What did Ranarius want?”

“The resting place of a great elemental,” said the shadow.

“By the Living Flame,” whispered Nadirah, her dark eyes going wide.

“You mean…something like the fire elemental that destroyed Old Kyrace?” said Caina.

“Yes,” said the shadow. “You see, spirits have their own hierarchies, just as mortals do. Ranarius’s enslaved elemental, for all its puissance, is merely the vassal of a greater spirit, an elemental of earth with power enough to crack your world. Ranarius seeks to wake this elemental from its long sleep.”

“Why?” said Nadirah. “Why would he do something so foolish? No mortal can hope to master the power of the greater elementals. Even the mighty Kyracian stormsingers of old, working in concert, could only lull a greater elemental to sleep. They couldn’t possibly hope to control one.” She shook her head. “This…this is the catastrophe I have seen in the shadows. This is the destruction that threatens Cyrioch, maybe even all of Cyrica.”

“Yes,” said the shadow. “Ranarius is a slave, but for the moment, his master cannot harm him. If he binds a greater elemental, he hopes to destroy his master and attain his freedom forever. But he cannot control the great spirit, and it will crush him like an insect.” 

“The greater elemental,” said Caina. “Where is it hibernating?”

The shadow laughed at her. “Do you not know? The answer is before your eyes even now, and yet still you do not see.”

“No riddling talk,” said Caina. “Where is the greater elemental hibernating? Tell me now.”

“Very well,” said the shadow. “It…”

Several things happened at once.

Caina felt a surge of sorcery, sharp and jagged. The candles on Nadirah’s intricate designs went dark. And as they did, Caina saw Mhadun’s mouth moving, whispering the words to a spell. There was a snarling noise and a flash of blue light, and Mhadun’s ropes and gag turned to dust.

He was free.

Caina drew back her ghostsilver dagger to strike, but she was too late. Mhadun flung out his hands. Invisible force erupted in all directions, throwing Caina to the floor. She saw Corvalis stagger and drop to one knee, the lines of his tattoo glowing beneath his sleeves, saw Theodosia and Marzhod slam into the wall.

Only Nadirah remained standing, her hands raised in a warding gesture. Corvalis snatched a knife and flung it, but the blade rebounded from Mhadun’s wards. Mhadun made a chopping gesture, and Caina felt the surge of arcane power as his sorcery seized Nadirah and flung the occultist against the wall. 

“I warned you,” hissed Mhadun, his hands hooking into claws, “that the Magisterium was supreme, that your little shadow-tricks would be ineffective.” Nadirah screamed, her face twisting in agony. 

Corvalis scrambled to his feet, and Mhadun gestured with his other hand. Dozens of heavy books hurtled from the wooden shelves and slammed into Corvalis, knocking him to the ground. Caina got to her knees, her head ringing from the spells. Mhadun stalked towards Nadirah, grinning with vengeful delight.

“Where are your precious shadows now?” said Mhadun.

His shadow billowed behind him, writhing like a dying animal.

A mad idea occurred to Caina.

“Shadow!” she shouted. “Stop Mhadun! I command it! Stop him at once!”

The shadow hissed.

“Fool,” said Mhadun, glaring at her, “the witch bound the shadow.”

“Yes,” said Caina, “but you broke the binding, didn’t you?”

The shadow reared up behind him like a black wave.

Mhadun’s eyes just had time to bulge in horror, and then the shadow fell upon him. His agonized screams of horror rang against the walls, and blood splashed over the elaborate mosaics of the floor.  Nadirah fell to her knees, coughing, and waved her hand.

The rippling shadow vanished into nothingness, leaving Mhadun behind.

Or what was left of him, at least.

“You see,” said Caina, looking at Corvalis, “why I don’t trust sorcery?”

“How is Nadirah?” said Theodosia. 

Caina stood alongside Theodosia and Corvalis in Marzhod’s workroom at the Painted Whore. They had withdrawn there at Nadirah’s urging. Mhadun’s death, she insisted, had produced echoes in the netherworld. If any of the magi had been seeking Mhadun, they would have felt those echoes. Worse, if Cyrioch’s Kindred had any other sorcerers, they would have sensed his death. In either case, it was no longer safe at her house. 

Caina was surprised that Marzhod had agreed to give her shelter. She would have expected him to turn Nadirah out into the street. Perhaps, as Saddiq had hinted, he had a more compassionate heart that Caina had thought. 

Or maybe he simply wanted to seduce her.

“Not well,” said Marzhod. He looked tired, the hard lines of his face sharper than usual. “Had she not banished that shadow, it would have turned upon her.” His bloodshot eyes flicked to Caina. “That was clever, commanding the shadow to kill Mhadun. Though I wonder why the thing decided to obey you.”

Caina shifted, wondering what Marzhod suspected.  

To her relief, Corvalis shrugged. “That shadow would have killed Mhadun anyway. It was like ordering a drunkard to drink a skin of wine. “ 

“Well, she is resting now,” said Marzhod. “She’s raised wards around the Painted Whore to stop any tracking spells.” His face hardened. “And if the magi or the Kindred come for her in person…well, they’ll get a mouth full of steel for their efforts. Marzhod of Cyrioch pays his debts.”

“Oh,” said Caina, as something clicked in her mind. 

“What?” said Marzhod.

“The occultist who owned you,” said Caina. “That was Nadirah’s teacher, wasn’t it? Yaramzod the Black? She saved you from him. She couldn’t have hidden in Cyrioch for all these years without help. You were protecting her.”

Marzhod glared at her. “You think entirely too much.” He sighed. “You believe me a hard and cruel man, and you are right. But I pay my debts. And you would too, if you saw what old Yaramzod does to those who crossed him. What happened to Mhadun was nothing compared to things I saw Yaramzod do to his enemies.”

“Yaramzod the Black,” said Theodosia, “is a thousand miles away in Anshan. We have more immediate problems.” 

“The Kindred Haven,” said Marzhod.

“And Ranarius,” said Corvalis. 

“Our first task,” said Theodosia, “is to destroy the Kindred Haven. The Kindred won’t stop until Khosrau and Corbould are both dead.” 

“No, the first task,” said Marzhod, “is to make sure Mhadun and that damned shadow told the truth. With our luck, we’ll open that secret passage and find the brotherhood of the Living Flame’s laundry.” 

“I’ll do it,” said Caina. “I’ll scout the Temple of the Living Flame and make sure the secret entrance is there.”

“I’ll go with you,” said Corvalis.

Caina lifted an eyebrow.

Corvalis shrugged. “You’re formidable enough, aye, but the Kindred are dangerous. They’ll have someone watching the entrance. Together we have a better chance of spotting any guards.” 

“Fine,” said Marzhod. “I have men among the slaves working at the Ring of Valor. I will have them find the escape tunnel below the Ring. When we strike we will bottle up the rats all at once.” 

“Those rats have teeth,” said Corvalis.

Marzhod grinned. “So do I.”

“I also want to make sure you stay alive,” said Corvalis, looking at Caina. “I am upholding my end of the bargain. I need you alive to meet yours.” 

“We shall keep our bargain. We’ll deal with Ranarius after the Kindred are settled,” said Theodosia.

“We may have to kill Ranarius first,” said Marzhod. “You heard what Nadirah said, that Ranarius is going to unleash some sort of greater elemental. It might be simpler just to kill Ranarius.”

“No,” said Corvalis. “He’s not going to die until he restores my sister and your men.” 

“Nadirah predicted a catastrophe,” said Marzhod. “Something that would destroy the city. If we can stop it by killing Ranarius, then we kill him.”

“Our agreement was that we take Ranarius alive,” said Corvalis. 

“It was,” said Marzhod. “But balanced against the lives of everyone in Cyrioch, the lives of your sister and my men do not count for much. If I have to sacrifice them, I will.”

“You will not,” said Corvalis. “And you place too much faith in the judgment of that Anshani woman. Considering she could not keep Mhadun under control, she might be wrong about this catastrophe.” 

“She’s not,” said Marzhod. “I have seen her predictions come true too many times to discard her judgment. If the opportunity comes to kill Ranarius, then I will order him killed. Regrettable about your sister, but…”

“You will not,” said Corvalis, voice hard, and he started to draw his sword.

Marzhod stepped back, reaching into his coat.

“Enough!” said Caina. “We have the Kindred on one side and Ranarius and his pet elemental on the other, and you idiots want to kill each other?” 

“All this bluster is entertaining,” said Theodosia, “but killing someone like Ranarius is easier said than done. A man does hold high office in the Magisterium without remaining on guard against assassins. If killing him were simple, Corvalis would have captured him already.”

“Aye,” said Corvalis, relaxing his grip on his sword. 

“I suggest that we proceed as we have already discussed,” said Theodosia. “First, you two find out if the Kindred Haven is really beneath the Temple of the Living Flame. If we are going to strike the Kindred, we’ll need a lot of hardened killers and gold to pay them. Marzhod and I will arrange that. Once we have crippled the Kindred, we will find a way to stop Ranarius.” 

“By killing him, preferably,” said Marzhod.

Corvalis began to speak, but Caina interrupted him. 

“That might not be wise,” she said. “The disaster that Nadirah foresaw. It might be something Ranarius has already begun, not something he will do. If we kill Ranarius, the catastrophe could unfold anyway.”

Marzhod snorted. “Why are you siding with Corvalis? I’ve seen how much you hate the magi. If I gave you a knife and told you to stick it in Ranarius’s back, I thought you’d be halfway across the city by now. Why not just kill him?” 

Caina opened her mouth to respond…and then realized that she didn’t have an answer to give. 

Why did she want to capture Ranarius alive? Certainly she felt no inclination towards mercy. She loathed the magi, loathed all wielders of sorcery, and Ranarius had used his powers to turn innocent men and women to stone. He deserved to die, and killing him might save far more innocent lives in the future. 

So why not kill him?

Corvalis need him alive to save his sister. He had left the Kindred, crossed half the Empire, faced terrible foes, and risked death again and again for his sister. Caina’s father had been dead for ten years…but if he had been ill, or imprisoned like Claudia, how much would Caina have risked to save him? How much would she have done? 

“Because,” said Caina, “I enjoy seeing that annoyed expression on your face.”

Marzhod glared at her, and Corvalis grinned.

“Yes,” said Caina. “That’s the one.” 

“I suggest,” said Marzhod, “you get going. We have a great deal of work to do. And perhaps that clever tongue of yours will charm the Kindred.”

###

An hour later Caina and Corvalis headed through the streets towards the Plaza of Majesty.

And the Temple of the Living Flame.

“I wish,” said Corvalis, “to ask you a question.” 

“Do it quickly,” said Caina. 

They both wore red robes with golden trim on the sleeves, the formal robes of the brothers and sisters of the Living Flame. In the robes, Caina and Corvalis looked no different than the other adherents of the Temple. Even the commoners of Cyrioch held the priests and priestesses of the Living Flame in reverence, and no one had challenged them. 

Caina wished she had thought of this disguise earlier. 

“Why,” said Corvalis, “didn’t you agree with Marzhod? Why don’t you want to kill Ranarius and have done with it?”

Caina shrugged. “You heard what I told him.”

Corvalis snorted. “You enjoyed tweaking his nose, I don’t doubt. But that was a not your real reason.”