Wintercraft (19 page)
‘Not for you.’
Da’ru moved towards her like a snake ready to strike. Kate thought she was going to hit her, but instead Da’ru smiled calmly, snatched hold of Kate’s hand and pressed it hard on to Kalen’s chest. Kate immediately felt dizzy, as if she had been spun round too fast, her head pounding as the coldness of the veil closed in around her again. But this time was different. She felt like she was falling forward, falling
into
the dead man himself. The veil descended quickly, swamping her senses before she had a chance to fight against it, and the twelve councilmen all watched with anticipation.
into
the dead man himself. The veil descended quickly, swamping her senses before she had a chance to fight against it, and the twelve councilmen all watched with anticipation.
Whatever Da’ru had done, it felt as if something had broken within Kate. She tried to fight back, but she didn’t know how. Then her mind lifted and, instead of a flood of memories, she saw something she had never seen before.
She was standing within a vast hanging mist of silvery light, as if time had stopped in the middle of a moonlit rainstorm. The air shimmered with tiny lights, but when she held out her hand, she could feel nothing except the cold. At first, she was sure she was alone, but if she concentrated she could hear faint voices all around her, gentle sounds that whispered and moved.
‘Who’s there?’ Her voice was swallowed by the mist, carrying much further than she would have thought possible, until it reflected off something in the distance and returned to her as a tiny echo. Then something answered, whispering her name as the mist closed in.
‘She has passed into the second level of the veil!’ said Da’ru. ‘Silas. Do you see her?’
Kate did not hear Silas answer, but Da’ru’s voice reassured her that - wherever she was - she was not completely lost. She started walking through the mist, concentrating on her voice as the only connection she had back to her life. But the further she walked, the less anything seemed to matter. She felt so peaceful in that place, so content and relaxed that she was tempted to give in: to let go of the testing room, the High Council and Silas, and let the veil claim her completely. But then she thought of Artemis and Edgar, of Morvane and home, and she knew that somehow, she had to get back.
Kate stopped walking and focussed on picturing Kalen’s body on the table in front of her, ignoring the overwhelming feeling that was desperately trying to pull her on, so close and so beautiful
…
and then something changed. The tiny lights faded to a distant glow and Kate no longer felt as if she was being drawn along. Something like water lapped gently over her feet, the whispers died away and Kate had the feeling she had done something very wrong.
…
and then something changed. The tiny lights faded to a distant glow and Kate no longer felt as if she was being drawn along. Something like water lapped gently over her feet, the whispers died away and Kate had the feeling she had done something very wrong.
The silver mist cleared a little around her feet and she looked down at a reflection of herself cast upon shallow water. Her boots were submerged - and she then looked out across the perfect waters of a wide blue lake. She listened for Da’ru’s voice again, but heard nothing. Even the water was silent.
All she could do was stand there, stunned by the complete beauty of the place, until she sensed something moving beside her. In any other place, perhaps she would have been afraid, but instead she reached out, calmly brushing her fingertips through a surging current of invisible energy that felt ready to snatch her up if she got too close. She knew at once she was looking at the way into death, the only safe path leading directly through the veil to whatever lay on the other side. All she had to do was let it take her.
Kate did not know how long she stood there mesmerised by the gentle call of death, and she only stepped away from it when she sensed the air around her shift and become heavier, distracting her from its presence long enough to break its hold upon her. Something had moved beside the energy current: a pocket of dark energy that disrupted everything around it like a stone in a fast-flowing river. The water shrank back away from it and even death moved aside as something stepped out of the rippling void.
Kate’s first thought was of Kalen - she did not want to see him, dead or not - and then the shape took on a more solid form, moving towards her until it was as real as anything she could reach out and touch.
‘Impressive,’ said Silas, stepping out of the mist as casually as someone walking across a room. ‘To come this far yourself
…
even Da’ru did not expect that.’
…
even Da’ru did not expect that.’
‘I didn’t do anything,’ said Kate. ‘What’s going on? How did I get here?’
‘You resisted death. By connecting you with Kalen’s body, Da’ru exploited a weakness in the veil, allowing your spirit to be drawn through to this place. But there is more to do if you are going to save yourself. My plans do not involve your death, so you must do as you were instructed. Return Kalen’s soul to his body, before Da’ru decides you cannot control your skill enough to be of use to her.’
Kate’s consciousness switched briefly back to the testing room, where she saw her hand still pressed to Kalen’s stitched wound.
‘Find him,’ said Silas.
‘No,’ Kate said firmly. ‘He deserves to be dead.’
‘And do you want to join him? Da’ru will do it without hesitation. She will sever your spirit from this life at the first sign of failure. Her ruthlessness has led many of the Skilled to their deaths. Do not let your stubbornness lead you to yours. There is a time for everything, and this is not the time to fight her.’
Kate did not see Silas step behind her. He moved as if he was a part of the veil, not caught within it, and he reached around and held his hand against her forehead, forcing her to focus upon what she had to do. She did not feel the touch of his skin, only a brush of cold air. There was energy within it: a force that intensified slowly, radiating out from his palm.
‘Do not fight against the veil,’ he said. ‘Embrace it.’
The silvery mist flooded all of Kate’s senses at once. Suddenly she could smell the water, feel the touch of the wind and hear whispered voices drifting close to her again, only now she could also see the whisperers themselves; shadowed forms caught within beautiful flashes of dancing colour, filling the surface of the lake like patches of floating moonlight.
‘These are the lucky ones,’ said Silas. ‘Each one of these souls has a chance to enter death when they are ready for it. Kalen’s death was a clean one. He should be here.’
‘I can see him,’ said Kate, her eyes drawn to an energy drifting alone near the centre of the lake. A bubble of hate rose up inside her, but she forced it back down.
‘Good,’ said Silas. ‘Allow him to see you.’
Silas helped Kate bring Kalen’s spirit closer. The soft shape gathered form as it moved towards her, becoming more solid, more human, its face twisted into a dark mocking smile. Silas sensed her anger growing as Kalen drew near enough for her to touch, and in the moment when Kalen’s cold soul connected with hers that anger flared up against him, fierce and uncontrollable.
Silas let go of her and shouted, ‘Now!’
Kate’s consciousness plunged back into the testing room as energy burst through her hand and struck Kalen’s chest like a lightning bolt. Kalen’s body heaved in an impossible breath and his eyes glared wide and furious as his spirit settled back into life.
Kate’s hand sprang away from him. Silas was standing right beside Da’ru, looking as though he had not moved an inch, and the twelve councilmen were completely transfixed by the man on the table: the man Kate had managed to bring back from the dead.
‘It is not possible!’ said one of them, daring to stand up, before Kalen’s arm snapped out and clutched Kate’s throat in a deadly grip.
‘Gotcha now, girly,’ he grinned, poisoning the air with a glut of rotten breath. ‘Thought you’d got away from me, did ya?’
Silas rounded the table and Kalen’s mouth drew back into a snarl. ‘
You!
’
You!
’
Silas struck instantly, plunging Kalen’s silver blade straight down through his neck, ending his life before he could say another word.
‘Silas!’ Da’ru’s face contorted with rage. ‘How dare you interfere!’
Silas left the dagger where it stood, the silver ‘K’ still shining in the candlelight. ‘My duty, as always, is to the High Council,’ he said. ‘This man’s mind was gone. He would have killed the girl and without intervention he could have easily turned upon you or any number of the councilmen in this room. I could not take that chance. The girl has proven her worth, but the subject’s actions made him a threat. I was forced to eliminate him.’
Da’ru glanced round at the councilmen, who were all still staring at Kalen in disbelief. ‘You have gone too far, Silas,’ she said quietly.
‘I did only what had to be done.’
Da’ru walked towards him and Silas met her gaze, revealing nothing.
‘Perhaps you are right,’ she said, her words dripping with threat as she glanced back at the listening councilmen. ‘This will not be the last time the girl is put to work, after all.’ She turned to address the twelve men, hiding her anger with Silas beneath a dark mask of authority. ‘I am sure we can all agree that this experiment has been a fine success.’
Kate’s body was shivering. She sat down on the floor as the councilmen all spoke at once, each demanding an explanation for what they had just seen. She was too weak to move. Too tired to think. This was more than bringing a bird back to life. To be able to reverse death … to make a long-dead body breathe again. It should have been impossible - yet she had seen it with her own eyes! She did not know what to believe any more, but if this was what being a Skilled meant, then she wanted nothing to do with it.
At last the talking was over, and when the last of the councilmen had left the room, Da’ru ordered Tom to wheel Kalen’s body away as she turned her attention back to Kate.
‘Up,’ she said, signalling a warden to pull her to her feet. ‘We have a cell waiting for you. You will rest there tonight and recover your strength. I have more tests to prepare. We shall continue our work in the morning.’
Kate looked up at the councilwoman’s face and saw something moving around her. The air shifted as the veil drew closer. Images swept across her eyes and her thoughts were lifted suddenly out of the tower and into a vision of a place she had never seen before.
She was standing in a crowd of people, somewhere out in the open. The crowd were wearing feathered masks - the kind usually worn upon the Night of Souls - and Da’ru was there, with a bonfire blazing beside her, her eyes dangerous and wild. Silas was behind her, his blue blade drawn ready for battle. Kate could not see what he was looking at, but fear rippled through the crowd as many of them tried to run. She did not understand what the veil was trying to show her until everything faded except for Da’ru, and in the distance Kate saw the silver current of death slowly closing in.
‘What is it?’ demanded Da’ru, breaking Kate‘s concentration and making the vision fall away. ‘Silas? Explain this. Did you see the girl’s eyes? What just happened here?’
‘The experiment has exhausted her,’ Silas said quickly. ‘I will take her to her cell myself.’
‘Speak, girl! Tell me what you saw.’
‘It was the Night of Souls,’ said Kate. ‘Everyone was afraid.’
‘Delusions,’ said Silas, pulling her away. ‘Your fantasies are of no interest to the councilwoman. Save them for your cell. You will have plenty of time to indulge them there.’
‘Wait,’ said Da’ru, forcing Silas to stop. ‘The Night of Souls is still two days from now. What else did you see?’
Silas shot Kate a warning look as she tried to remember.
‘There was a ceremony,’ she said. ‘You were wearing a locket. A glass one, I think. It looked like it had blood on it.’
‘The locket?’ Da’ru glared at her suspiciously. ‘What do you know about that?’
Kate looked straight into the councilwoman’s green eyes and saw uncertainty in them for the first time. She knew then what the vision had been showing her, and the thought of it made her smile. She slid her arm out of Silas’s grasp and faced Da’ru without fear.
‘At that ceremony,’ she said. ‘You are going to die.’
12
Other books
The Doctor's Baby by Cindy Kirk
Comfort & Joy by Kristin Hannah
CEO's Pregnant Lover by Leslie North
Hard To Love by Tina Rose
Company by Max Barry
Melville in Love by Michael Shelden
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
Shalia's Diary Book 6 by Tracy St. John
Atm by Walter Knight
Helen Dickson by Highwayman Husband
