Wolf in the Fold, page 15
Emily shook his hand gently, all too aware he was wrong. She already regretted it. They needed his knowledge but allowing him to accompany the team was a risk she knew could easily backfire. If anything happened to him ...
He’s old enough to make up his own mind, she told herself, firmly. And if we get into trouble we can simply teleport him home.
Chapter Fifteen
“The Professor does seem to be very knowledgeable,” Caleb said, as they had breakfast and prepared for departure. “Although I was surprised he didn’t apply to teach at Heart’s Eye.”
“Yeah,” Emily agreed, slowly. That was an odd oversight, although she had to admit they’d gone through the university with a fine-toothed comb and recovered everything they could from the years before the necromancer had taken over and turned what was left of the outdated school into a personal fortress. It was quite possible outside academics had assumed there’d be very little left – which wasn’t unreasonable – but still, she would have expected some kind of approach from the archaeologist’s guild. “Maybe he wants to boldly go where no academic has gone before.”
She smiled inwardly, although there was little real humour in the expression. She’d contacted Mistress Irene and Professor Locke to check Professor Serigala’s credentials and they’d confirmed he was a well-reputed adventurer-archaeologist with a string of minor discoveries to his credit, all in the northern half of the continent. It was clear why Serigala wanted to head south after scanning his publications, she conceded ruefully. He’d made some interesting discoveries, true, but they’d all built on someone else’s work. He hadn’t uncovered the tomb complexes himself, nor had he gone in alone. She could understand his frustration even as she feared it would lead him to take unnecessary risks, perhaps even get himself killed. But he was the closest thing to an expert in the field they had.
“I tried to ask Hoban if he wanted to join us,” Emily added. Frieda’s boyfriend was in the same line of work as Serigala, although he was a great deal younger and less experienced. “He’s currently out of touch.”
“Poor Frieda,” Caleb said. It was hard to tell if he meant it. They’d been getting on better these days, but still ... “Are they still together?”
“Yeah, but you know how hard it is maintaining a relationship when one is still at school and the other has to go out on digs,” Emily said. Frieda had joined her boyfriend during a school holiday and she’d come back with a handful of horror stories. Nothing to do with Hoban personally, but it had made her think twice about the wisdom of poking at ancient ruins. God alone knew what might be lurking underneath. “If he’d been able to come ...”
She shook her head. There was nothing to be gained by wool-gathering. They had to play the cards they’d been given, make use of the resources at hand to travel to their destination and – hopefully – stop the Hierarchy. If, of course, they were on the right track. Emily had checked Cat’s math and she hadn’t been able to find anything wrong with it, but there was just no way to be sure they’d located the enemy base. It might be nothing more than a jump-off point for the attack, although Emily doubted it. The location was so deep within the Blighted Lands that even getting there would be difficult, ensuring the Hierarchy would have plenty of warning if a large army descended on them. A small group might pass unnoticed. They were counting on it.
Get there, confirm what we’re facing, get the army in to deal with it, she mused. She found herself wishing she’d brought Adam and Lilith after all, despite the danger. If we run into something we can’t handle ...
Frieda tapped on the open door. “Are you two ready? We’re meeting downstairs.”
Emily shared a glance with Caleb. They’d spent the night in bed together and ... she knew it wouldn’t be possible on the trip. They needed to remain alert ... she sighed inwardly as she collected her bag, then took one last look around the bedroom before leading the way to the door. One way or another, they wouldn’t be coming back in a hurry. If at all.
Don’t think like that, she told herself. She was on edge ... they all were. The attack on Kuching still made no sense. She would almost have preferred a necromancer. We can do this.
Cat and Penny were downstairs, the latter’s face grim as she perched on a chair. Emily had tried to talk to her, after escaping Serigala, but Penny had been reluctant to do anything more than plot bloody revenge. There was no way to know if whoever had controlled her hadn’t left anything behind, in her mind, and ... Emily had offered to check, in hopes of finding it before it was too late, only to be turned down. She tried not to curse under her breath as she considered the problem. Cold logic told her she should have insisted, but she disliked having her own mind inspected and she refused to do it to someone else against their will. Penny had already gone through enough trauma. She placed her bag on the table and opened it, revealing the concealed battery and a handful of other supplies. They shouldn’t have any problem opening a portal when they reached their target. Unless they were wrong about how tainted magic would affect the spellware ...
Serigala entered, carrying a map under his arm. Cat took the scroll, unfurled it, and laid it out on the table. Emily peered at it thoughtfully, reminding herself that it had probably been inaccurate even before the landscape had been changed beyond all hope of recognition. The local maps had rarely, if ever, matched the landscape very well, giving twisted impressions of the size and populations of towns, cities and kingdoms. For all she knew, their estimate of how far they’d have to travel was dangerously inaccurate. They might be riding for weeks, if not months, before they finally reached their destination.
And the rivers and towns no longer exist, she reminded herself. The map might as well be a piece of blank paper, something we’ll have to fill in as we go along.
“The City of Béthune,” Professor Serigala said, in a manner that reminded Emily of being in a classroom. “We know very little about its history, beyond the simple fact that it was overwhelmed during the Faerie Wars and was never resettled before the necromancers took over what became the Blighted Lands. No one from the Allied Lands has laid eyes on Béthune for centuries, if at all. The city was thought lost to the mists of time until now.”
Frieda leaned forward. “So why did they choose that city as a base?”
“The city is lost in a haze of tainted magic,” Cat pointed out. “They’d have more than enough cover for whatever magical experiments they wanted to conduct. Beyond that, we simply don’t know. It is damn near inaccessible, so they might have decided to use it as a base for that reason alone.”
“And they might have set up shop well before the necromancers arrived,” Emily added. “If they couldn’t move, and thought they could remain undiscovered, they might just have stayed there.”
“On the map, we will be walking through lush valleys and crossing bright blue rivers,” Serigala continued. “In practice, we simply don’t know. Waves of tainted magic could have damaged the landscape beyond repair, leaving us walking into the unknown. I’m quite looking forward to it.”
“Glad someone is,” Caleb muttered to Emily.
Cat overheard. “You can remain behind, if you like.”
“I know the risks,” Caleb answered, stiffly. “I can cope.”
“We’ll have a long walk ahead of us,” Cat said, tapping the map. “If any of you want to back out, now is your last chance.”
Emily stared at the map, although she knew it was worse than useless. Better to go in unprepared than allow herself to develop an impression that simply wasn’t true. She’d spent some time doing what research she could, or contacting others to check references for her, but in the end she hadn’t been able to locate any reports detailing expeditions into the Blighted Lands, certainly none travelling so far from the Craggy Mountains as they were planning. There weren’t any clever ways to shorten the trip, either. She’d hoped to find a way to travel around the edge of the continent on the water and then travel east, but it would have added a few weeks to the journey and taken them even further into the unknown. Her stomach clenched as she studied the worthless map. Even if the landscape had remained unchanged for centuries, they still had a long journey ahead.
“Let’s get on with it,” Frieda said. “How much time do we have left?”
“I don’t know,” Emily said. “But probably not much.”
Cat tapped his bags. “We will each be carrying a set of ration bars and water bottles, as well as our supplies,” he said. “There’s no way to guarantee that we’ll find stuff to eat and drink along the way. Purification spells are unreliable where the Blighted Lands are concerned, so ... be careful what you touch. If something happens to one of the horses, keeping the supplies a little spread out will hopefully ensure we don’t starve at once. At worst, we can teleport home if the tainted magic doesn’t interfere.”
Emily felt her heart skip a beat. Ration bars were relatively small, but ... they’d be in big trouble if they lost even a single horse. If they couldn’t teleport ... she thought about the portal in her bag, the charmed device that might be the key to bringing in the army. They could use it to escape, perhaps, but if the enemy was watching ... it would be far too revealing. The bad guys might note what she’d done and realise where the team had been going, giving them a chance to set up defences or simply evacuate their base before it was too late.
“We’ll also have guns, swords, and – of course – our magic,” Cat continued. “Try not to waste ammunition. We don’t have any way to resupply without opening the portal.”
Emily nodded. He was right.
“Check your saddlebags carefully, then check everyone else’s,” Cat concluded. “Better to be embarrassed now then starve somewhere to the south.”
He took a breath. “If nothing else, this march will go down in history. We’ll be going further into the Blighted Lands than anyone else.”
“Apart from the Hierarchy,” Caleb pointed out. “They might have been there for years.”
Cat snorted. “Yep,” he said. “But they’re not official explorers, are they?”
Emily checked her bag again, just to be sure, then moved on to Caleb’s and Frieda’s. They’d both packed well, making sure their weapons were within reach. There was no way to be certain of anything; they’d be far beyond help, once they rode out of Kuching. If worse came to worst ... she ground her teeth. They had to get there without being noticed. If the Hierarchy knew they were coming ...
“Make sure you have all your tools,” Caleb reminded her. “We’re going to need them.”
“I do.” Emily moved on to checking Cat’s bag, then Penny’s. Penny’s hands were shaking as she held her bag open for inspection. Emily met her eyes. “Are you sure ...?”
“I’m coming.” Penny’s tone admitted no doubt. “Let’s go.”
Emily nodded, feeling the full weight of the plan fall upon her. They were going to be away for weeks, largely out of touch with their friends and families ... heading into the unknown, towards a city that belonged to the enemy. She had no idea what they’d find at the far end, but her imagination provided too many possibilities. She glanced at Caleb and then Frieda, feeling a pang of guilt for bringing them with her ... ice crawled down her spine as she recalled how Casper had followed her to Heart’s Eye. She’d led Caleb’s brother to his death. If she led Caleb to die too ...
He’s not going to die, even if I have to teleport him out myself, Emily thought. She knew he’d hate her for it, but at least he'd be alive. He is not going to die.
“I’m ready,” Frieda said, quietly.
Emily looked down at herself. She’d changed into a riding outfit, the belt heavy with tools and weapons. She looked like a heroine from a steampunk fantasy world ... her lips quirked, soundlessly, as she realised that was exactly what she’d become, in a world where science and magic were blurring together into something new. Adam had laid the groundwork for a whole new revolution, setting the stage for something very different ...she wondered where it would end, if indeed it ever would. The possibilities were endless. So were the risks.
And the future is always better than the past, she told herself, sharply. There is nothing to be gained by looking back when you can move forward instead.
She glanced at Cat, then at Serigala. The professor was furling up the map ... she took advantage of his distraction to check his bags. He’d brought a handful of books – newly printed, she noted, rather than old manuscripts – and a trio of notebooks, including one intended to sketch maps or drawings of whatever he saw along the way. She made a mental note not to let him get too distracted. There was no way to escape the simple fact they were going to be heading into danger, a danger they couldn’t even begin to quantify.
Cat spoke briefly to his castellan, a young man who seemed a little overwhelmed by the responsibility, then picked up his bag and led the way down to the stables. The air shifted as they passed through the doors, a whiff of tainted magic mocking her as she took a breath. They were far from safe, even here ... she gritted her teeth as she spotted the horses waiting patiently. The stableboys had taken very good care of the beasts ... she wished, despite herself, that she could risk flying to the ruined city. Or teleporting. Or even walking.
It’ll take forever, she reminded herself, sharply. You have to play the cards you’re dealt.
“Your horse is all fresh, My Lady,” the stableboy assured her. He was too young for her peace of mind ... she felt a stab of guilt that he was taking care of horses he’d never be able to ride, that she’d left him to do the job while she ... she’d gone elsewhere. She might not be a horse-mad girl, but she knew she should take care of the beast if she wanted it to take care of her. “He’s ready to go.”
“Thank you.” Emily slipped him a coin, moving to cover him so he could sneak it into his pocket without his superior noticing. It wasn’t uncommon for masters to demand a share of the tips – or simply take them without permission. Emily had banned the practice in Cockatrice, but she wasn’t fool enough to assume she’d put a stop to it. “I’m sure he’ll be perfect.”
The horse eyed her sourly as she put the saddlebags on his back, then checked one final time. Everything was there ... she glanced back, just in time to see Frieda scrambling onto her horse and Caleb, a little more reluctantly, clambering onto his. Frieda looked excited, as if she couldn’t wait to be off. Emily tried to tell herself that Frieda had volunteered, but ... she wanted to tell Frieda to go home even though she knew Frieda wouldn’t. It would be better ...
“I’m ready,” Cat said. He practically jumped into the saddle, his steed letting out a disturbingly human-sounding sigh. “Shall we go?”
Emily eyed her mount warily, then forced herself into the saddle. The horse twitched oddly as she took the reins, its eyes rolling back to give her a nasty look. Emily told herself she was imagining it as Cat barked a command, ordering the stablehands to open the doors. The air was foul, the stench of tainted magic suddenly a great deal stronger. Her stomach churned as Cat led the way outside, his horse cantering down the winding road with the ease of long practice. Emily tried not to think about just how far there was to fall as her horse followed, waves of dry air brushing against her nostrils. The town below looked like a ruin even though she could see a handful of people on the streets, working desperately to rebuild a community that had been left drained and distorted by a necromancer. Cat was doing all he could but his kingdom looked like a glorified refugee camp.
You’re being unfair, she told herself. Kuching has been a nightmare for decades. It’ll take decades to even begin to repair the damage.
She breathed a sigh of relief as the road levelled out, once they reached the bottom. The corkscrew road winding up to the castle served several purposes, she knew, but travelling up and down was always hair-raising ... all the more on horseback, on a beast she didn’t trust. The horse shifted unpleasantly underneath her, as if it had read her thoughts. Perhaps it had ... in a way. Enhanced horses were supposed to be smart enough to read their rider’s intentions and if this one knew she didn’t trust it ... she shook her head. There was no other way to make their way to the city.
“Here we go,” Cat said. Technically, he ruled a vast swathe of land. Practically, he controlled only the territory under his direct control, inside the wardlines he’d drawn around the town. “Into the unknown!”
He whooped, galloping ahead. Penny and Frieda followed. Emily exchanged glances with Caleb, sharing the same unspoken thought, then dug in their spurs, allowing the professor to bring up the rear. Cat was right, she reflected as her horse picked up speed. They really were heading into the unknown ...
She glanced back, but Kuching was already lost in the haze.
Chapter Sixteen
Emily’s skin crawled.
The world shifted somehow, the Blighted Lands suddenly more real as they rode further south. An feeling of imminent disaster, of unseen eyes watching them ... a wave of heat that left her sweating inside her riding clothes followed by a gust of cold air that made her horse flinch and threatened to turn the sweat to ice. The landscape was hidden by haze, visibility falling so sharply that she feared they would ride over a cliff before they realised the danger. There were things shimmering at the corner of her eyes, something out there that vanished when she turned to look at them. It was hard, almost impossible, to be sure they were riding south. It was all too easy to imagine they’d turned themselves around in the eerie mist.
It was the silence that really got to her, an oppressive nothingness that was worse than almost any noise. She could barely hear anything, not even the horse’s hooves, as they rode. The ground seemed covered with a thin layer of ash, a reminder of books about nuclear disasters. The sun was barely visible, its light scattered so completely by the haze it was hard to tell where it actually was. She kept a wary eye on the surrounding landscape as they kept riding south, not trusting herself to speak. Cat hadn’t known much about the terrain a few miles from Kuching, let alone anything a hundred miles or more south of his castle. There was just no way to be sure they weren’t riding into a trap.
