William King - Shadowblood

“You’re hopeful, Rik,” said Tamara. “I doubt that any of us will be walking away after we close the Gate.”

“I prefer to plan for all possibilities, however slight,” said Rik. “If we do get in and out we will want to be able to get out of the city as quickly and safely as possible and a ship is the best and easiest way of doing that.”

“Rik’s right,” said Asea. “We can’t go in assuming its hopeless right from the start. That way lies failure. We have to assume that we will succeed and that some of us will survive. That being so, we need a means of escape although I am not sure this is the best way.”

“A ship to Harven and on from there. The free city is still technically neutral even if it is making treaties with Sardea.”

“I suppose I should remind you that the last time we visited Harven we were not exactly warmly welcomed. I am still wanted there, and the danger is even greater for you.”

She was right. The Quan were the real masters of Harven and he doubted they would welcome him, having killed one of their number. He could not see any other way though.

“I think a ship, to anywhere, it does not have to be Harven, is preferable to trying to a getaway over land. No walking dead, no Sardean troops.”

“Aren’t we getting a little ahead of ourselves?” said Tamara. “We don’t even know how we will get into the Palace yet, and already we are planning our escape.”

“I think you can help us there,” said Asea. “You know the layout of the Palace and the secret ways of getting us in.”

“Rik and I can get in easily enough by shadow-walking,” said Tamara. “I don’t know about you. And once we are in we will need to break into the vaults and find the Black Mirror.”

“There are postern gates leading into the vaults from the outer walls of the Palace. They lie on the external cliff walls. At least there once were,” Asea said.

“They are still there, as far as I know, but they will be guarded. You still have not said how we will find the Black Mirror.”

“It will not be difficult to detect once we are within the wards of the Palace walls. Its power will make it easy enough to find.”

Asea looked at Tamara. “You will prepare maps of the Palace. I can compare them to what I remember.”

She turned to Rik. “Once those are done you will plan how to get us into the heart of the place. I trust you have not lost your old skills?”

“If there are ordinary locks I can open them,” he said. “What about Karim?”

“Once he has helped me to the postern gate, he should go. There is nothing he can do to help us once we are inside the walls. He can wait for us outside the gates in case we make our getaway that way. If we do not join him within a day, he can make his way back to the West. I will write him a mandate of freedom before we set out.”

Karim did not like this but he could not argue with his mistress. Rik did not like it for his own reasons. It seemed obvious to him that Asea had her own death on her mind.

Even as that thought occurred to him, he saw her eyes widen. He felt something too, an increase in the level of ambient magic, an intensification of the spells being worked in the sky above them.

“We need to move very quickly,” Asea said. “They are going to try and open the Gate tonight. It’s the full moon. That will be the best time for it.”

“We’re not ready,” said Rik.

“Nonetheless we need to go. Otherwise it will not matter whether we are ready or not. We will be too late.”

As he jogged along, the Barbarian decided to speak what was on his mind. All around them the land looked eerie in the moonlight.

“There’s no way they’re going to get away,” he said. “You know that and I know that.”

Weasel altered his pace so that they were running alongside each other and looked at him directly in the eye. “What’s your point?”

“If the deaders overtake them, they’re all going to die. There’s too many walking dead and not enough bullets and not enough soldiers.”

“I’m surprised that you can count that high.”

“I can count high enough to know when there’s going to be a massacre and so can you.”

“What are you suggesting we do about it?”

It was funny, the Barbarian had thought that Weasel was brighter than this. “We don’t have to go back. We can get away. You and me are still fit and we can both run fast enough.”

“Particularly if the others are left behind to distract the deaders.” There was something strange in Weasel’s tone. The Barbarian could almost have sworn that it was disapproval. He could understand that. He did not exactly approve of what he was hinting at himself.

“Exactly correct.”

“Are you suggesting that we do that?”

“I don’t like the idea but I don’t see what’s to be gained from making a heroic last stand either. We’ll all die together but we’ll die all the same.”

“How long do you think we’ll live for, on our own, out here in a land infested by the undead?”

“Long enough. Longer then we will if we wait to be overtaken by that army of walking dead.”

“And you’re willing to leave little Lorraine and her brothers to fight our battles?”

“I never said that.”

“And you’re going to show those walking dead a clean pair of heels?”

“I never said that either. I just brought the subject up because I didn’t think you would want to die.”

“That’s very generous of you, thinking of my feelings like that. I would hate to think that you brought it up because you were afraid. I’ve always thought better of you Northmen.”

“So you’re saying that you don’t want to run away then?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Well I’m glad that’s settled. I would hate to think that you were the sort of coward that would run out on his friends and companions when the going got tough.”

“Well, good we settled that to your satisfaction. Unless I am much mistaken that farmhouse on the hill there will make a good camp.”

“Yes, I think you’re right. We’d best be getting back. The others will be wanting to camp down for the night.”

“Ready?” Tamara asked.

Rik gazed up at the massive structure of the Palace through the gathering gloom. He was awed by its size and the power he felt flowing through it. He was garbed in black, armed with blade and pistols, and profoundly wished that he could carry truesilver bullets through the Shadow Realm. With all his heart he feared what they were likely to encounter within the Palace.

“As I will ever be,” he said. “Are you sure they cannot detect us? If I can spot you as you pass through the shadows then surely they can spot us.”

“They did not seem to be able to when I arrived last time. Now does not seem to be the right time to be discussing the metaphysics of sorcery. It’s a bit too late to back out of this now.”

Rik smiled and studied the deep shadows. They whispered to him. “It’s never too late to back out of things.”

“You feel like running?” she had the look of someone who only needed the slightest encouragement to run away herself. He considered it. This was most likely his last chance to get away, to have a chance at living, at least for a little while. They could use their powers and head off. But that would mean leaving Asea in the lurch and all the other people who were depending on them.

He shrugged. “I’m curious to see what’s inside the Palace,” he said.

“Feeling larcenous?”

“Well, if we see any good loot, I’ll be having it.”

“We’d best go then.”

He concentrated, reached out across the shadows and opened his path. He sensed the inside of the Palace, scanned around the shadows and found one far from the nearest guard. He stepped forward, passed through the whispering void and emerged on the other side. As he did so, he tried the twisting sorcery, he had done the first time, cloaking himself in shadows and making himself invisible.